11 Days into War - the journey through my four linkedin posts

Over the last few days, feeling helpless whilst my son was away fighting on the frontline from the first morning and seeing colleagues, clients and neighbours losing loved ones, I have taken to writing.

My viewpoints are just my own, but I believe they represent a broad 'church' of Israeli views and of the supporters of Israel outside. As I have lived part of my life in the UK, part in Israel and travelled extensively for work (+20 US States, +25 countries in Europe and a number of parts of Asia for example, all wearing a kippa and being openly Jewish) I have a sense of the environment abroad.

It is a small drop in the ocean compared to the huge volume of vitriol that exists and some will not agree with all I say, but for anyone who wants a window into the perspective of one Anglo-Israeli on the current situation, in order to help them think through how to represent Israel, this may potentially be relevant.

The four articles are entitled and reflect:

1. Reflections after a few days of hell and some HOPE - coming to terms with the tragedy and trying to see some hope
2. WHY WE CAN’T ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE IN RESPONSE TO THE TRULY HORRIFIC ATTACK…UNFORTUNATELY…MY RESPONSE - how we have to act even though it will present really difficult choices
3. FRIENDS OF ISRAEL ACROSS THE WORLD - YOUR FIGHT IS POSSIBLY HARDER THAN OURS - BE STRONG...MY THOUGHTS HAVING LIVED IN BOTH WORLDS...how the battle is not just an Israeli one...it is potentially harder abroad
4. I DIDN’T BELIEVE AND NOW I KNOW FACTUALLY IT WAS NOT US BEHIND THIS TERRIBLE EVENT - today's feelings after the terrible hospital attack clearly committed by Islamic Jihad

Please feel free to use this material and contact me with any thoughts. Again, also feel free to delete/ignore or use the vast amount of other and additional material - much of it better than mine.

Article 1:

Reflections after a few days of hell and some HOPE : Not unlike many people, I am truly?? heartbroken. I never knew what that meant but I figure I do now but I have seen some things that makes me proud and at least filled with hope.

In just a few days we have gone from a relatively normal life where my focus was on a 10k, to hell. Friends have lost their children or had them potentially taken hostage, we have lost team members at work ( PwC | NEXT Technology Solutions), clients have been murdered brutally with their spouses and 4 children, team members have lost relatives and thousands of men, women and children have been killed in ways I thought were relegated to the dark ages. It is hell.

But something gives me hope, and I am holding onto this….the unsolicited reaching out of hundreds of colleagues and friends in consolation lifts my heart, the unequivocal support of the US, UK and many others tells me we have friends. and the fact that people may actually finally see this for what this is and understand what we are fighting (I truly truly mean no disrespect to any people’s /religion’s/race’s - I am talking about the terrorists)

But my main hope is our children….our two amazing daughters have been Incredible support to us as they also cope but I hope they don’t mind if I highlight my son this time. I always said to my kids I wanted them to be better than me. They are! All of them! My son - always level headed, caring and what I would call a ‘mensch’ has blown me away. He has gone into battle on the front line, seen the truly worst things imaginable, lost 8 of his team including close friends and his commander next to his side in battle and retains a beautiful sense of character and integrity. He and his colleagues are heroes but ones who care and behave as the best of people. He and my daughters are better than me and I am proud. He will probably have nightmares for years to come but he can at least know he has performed what we call a sanctification of G-ds name and saved a nation together with his comrades.

Through the pain I believe I have hope in the next generation as my son is just one example …there are thousands of kids who have truly stepped upTo all who have lost family and friends may G-D comfort you and protect the souls of those who have been lost.

To the families of my sons fallen comrades I send all my love

I don’t know where things go from here…the fight continues and my son and his colleagues have a long battle ahead of them …I am posting this on LinkedIn as well because in my PwC / PwC Israel role we must also keep the economy going to ensure we retain a country in the long term, we must fight evil, retain our dignity and emerge stronger in our internal society and in the eyes of our Neighbors so this never happens again.

All my love (albeit from a ?? )#israel #hope #heartbroken

Article 2:

WHY WE CAN’T ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE IN RESPONSE TO THE TRULY HORRIFIC ATTACK…UNFORTUNATELY…MY RESPONSE

I am not a politician, am no one’s spokesperson and represent just my view. I do know however that I speak for many many Israelis. I also say this as someone with a son in very active duty who has lost many comrades and seen the horrific scenes, and with relatives, neighbours, clients and friends reeling from recent loss. (See related post https://lnkd.in/dSkVpR5M )

Thousands of people have consoled me and my country but people abroad have asked me why we have to respond in the way we are and I believe I have a responsibility to explain from my new perspective….and my non apologetic response is ….

I say a million times I don’t want any innocent civilians in Gaza or Israel to suffer … I truly mean it, deeply and profoundly. As all my postings in my history show that is a deeply held belief.

What happened was a pogrom aimed at completely innocent people whose only crime was to be Jewish. It was not something humans should do…it was bestial!!! This is our only national home and we have the responsibility to protect our citizens. If we don’t stop Hamas from doing this it will only encourage it to happen again and again, not only against Israel but it will encourage all similar organizations everywhere.

Hamas hide amongst the general population, fire rockets from dense populations, and are openly using both civilians and hostages (many children included) as human shields. The Israeli army has given warning to civilians to evacuate from impacted areas and tries more than probably any other army to avoid civilian loss but we don’t have a choice….Hamas just can’t do what they did and we all saw the pleasure they and their supporters took from it. If it is tolerated it will just be recreated again and again!

If life was less complex we could achieve the elimination of Hamas without loss of civilian life. That is not an option open to Israel. It is unfortunately impossible. I want to stress that me and the vast majority of Israelis would far prefer to achieve the impossible.

I pray that we see genuine peace in our region but for now we need to act with dignity and integrity but with a decisiveness.

I assume some people will find this obvious and for others it is hard to accept but I hope you will like or share if you accept that this is a reality!

Article 3:

FRIENDS OF ISRAEL ACROSS THE WORLD - YOUR FIGHT IS POSSIBLY HARDER THAN OURS - BE STRONG...MY THOUGHTS HAVING LIVED IN BOTH WORLDS...

Less than two weeks ago, I was worried about what now seem to be minor matters...the advance of my Parkinson's, preparing to run a 10k for charity, the usual needs and demands of cost of living and family life, and hoping for an advancement of peace in the region with talks with Saudi Arabia etc.

Two weeks on I am still completely traumatized by the effects of both the surprise Hamas attack whose pogrom took the world to new levels of pure brutality and the almost immediate turning of much of world opinion against Israel for trying to stop and prevent the threat Hamas pose which is clearly aimed purely at the destruction of the Jewish State and for fighting to free its hostage citizens.

It is very very tough being in Israel right now. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I like many others have been touched directly not just through the loss/injury/kidnap of colleagues, clients, children of friends but my son was one of the first anti-terrorist/hostage rescue troops into one of the Kibbutzim on the Saturday morning and lost 8 of his unit. What he saw I wouldn't wish on anyone. As a parent, it has been heartbreaking.

Whilst we are still dealing with the basic trauma of this, which is rooted in part with the sudden realization that the evil we read about from many years ago has so quickly returned to our world and which we didn't see coming, I am grateful to be Israeli for one (of many) reason.

On a day to day basis, I am surrounded by friends, colleagues, clients, fellow citizens who broadly understand and share my basic attitudes (Yes - it is true that occasionally Israelis' agree with each other). I am at least a little shielded from the onslaught of having to constantly listen to anti-semitic vitriol and having to feel on guard 24-7 to a feeling of having to defend my views and be threatened by extreme (and at times) purportedly 'mainstream' views.

It brings back strong memories to me of the days when as a teenager I was the only boy to wear a kippa/yarmulke in a school of thousands, as a student in a hostile university environment and an employee often travelling to places with let's just say less than tolerant opinions, I was often called upon to act as a spokesperson for the actions of Israel. It was always a minority of people but a vociferous one. It is scary and isn't easy.

I truly believe that our cause is just and ethical (see my post from yesterday) but I wanted to say that none of us asked for this, none of us wanted this and we pray we go back to a life where the minor things in life once again dominate.

Be strong and dig deep...the battle for Friends of Israel abroad is possibly harder than the one at home, although I am not in any way diminishing our challenges here. #friends #Israel

Article 4:

I DIDN’T BELIEVE AND NOW I KNOW FACTUALLY IT WAS NOT US BEHIND THIS TERRIBLE EVENT

I can see and can imagine the level of hatred directed towards Israel because of the terrible terrible situation at the hospital in Gaza. Let me be clear on my view.

Before seeing the clear evidence from Israel,I didn’t believe in the depths of my soul and heart that Israel could or would ever target a civilian hospital. I know many IDF personal and pilots personally and this is not something that any of them would ever ever do.

Now I see clear evidence emerging I know Israel didn’t do such a thing.

What happened is a truly terrible terrible thing, and as I said in the previous post, I truly hope that civilians are not injured in this fight. I pray for wounded and bereaved families of innocence civilians.

This is all caused by the terrible unprovoked atrocity by Hamas a week and a half ago. The partners is Islamic Jihad continue to fire rockets as they have always done from within and over populated areas and endanger the population.—————————-

IDF confirms Gaza hospital blast caused by Islamic Jihad rocket misfire