Leora Doom

There were antisemites in congress and in parliaments around the world and they still said “It won’t happen here.” Kanye West and Roger Waters spoke and they still said “It won’t happen here.” There was blatant antisemitism in the NBA, and they still said “It won’t happen here.” Antisemitic marches broke out in every major city and they still said “It won’t happen here.” US campuses became infested with antisemites, and they still said “It won’t happen here.” Jews had their windows smashed and they still said “It won’t happen here.” Synagogues were vandalized and they still said “It won’t happen here.” 50 synagogues in Florida had to be evacuated due to bomb threats and they still said “It won’t happen here.” Jews were harassed in the streets and on the subway and they still said “It won’t happen here.” Jews began to be assaulted in every major city and they still said “It won’t happen here.” People marched in the streets of NYC waving terrorist flags calling for the annihilation of Jews, and they still said “It won’t happen here.” Radical Islam started to take over city by city with KFC in Canada going Hallal and islamists winning the election in France and they still said “It won’t happen here.” A full blown progrom took place in LA and they still said “It won’t happen here.” A plane from Israel landed in Turkey and the staff refused to refuel the plane, and they still said, “It won’t happen here.” Antisemites showed up at a Jewish kids’ little league games and random Jewish events throughout America, and they still said “It won’t happen here.” Full blown antisemites spread their hatred of Jews on mainstream talk shows and on X and they still said “It won’t happen here.” Then it happened here and they said “We had no idea. There was no writing on the wall!”

I know this is a super unpopular opinion and I know I’m gonna get heat for saying this, as I always do, but if one person internalizes this, it was worth it. Jews, listen to me, GET THE HELL OUT while you still can! Fine, you want to roll your eyes and call me an alarmist, go right ahead. Or maybe hear me out. I grew up with grandparents who survived the holocaust. I heard all the stories first hand. I heard how my grandmother was on the selection line with a Nazi in front waving his finger left or right to decide which Jew lives and which Jew dies. I heard how she was selected to live but her cousin was less fortunate. So my grandmother risked everything, ran over to her cousin and pulled her over to her line. She saved her life and both of them lived to tell the story to their kids and grandkids. Nazis all around, barking dogs, Jews being led to their death and she had the courage to do that. But something always ate at me. Before the Holocaust, in the years that led up to it, why didn’t the Jews leave? I mean the rhetoric was clear, the discrimination was real, and they even legislated against Jews. What the hell were they thinking not leaving? My whole life, I could not figure it out. “They were comfortable.” Is the answer I always get when I ask that question. Comfortable? Comfortable enough to die? How is that a consideration? Well, the answer is that not only were they comfortable but they refused to read the writing on the wall. They refused to believe that what happened to their ancestors throughout Jewish history could possibly happen to them. “It won’t happen here.” That’s what they believed. In hindsight, we look back and can’t believe how blind they were. And now, my Jewish friends, let me ask you this. If I put a gun to your head right now and said “Get on a plane to Israel in the next hour or I pull the trigger…”, you’d get on a plane, right? Which means that you don’t believe that what’s happening now across America and Europe constitutes a gun, so here’s the question. What does? What event would constitute a gun? What event would make you realize you need to get out now? Are you reading the writing on the wall? Is there any event that you’d say “Enough is enough! I’m outta here!” Now before you attack me for being insensitive, let me say this very clearly. I am not in any way belittling the challenge of picking up your life and moving across the world! I get it. I do. It’s super difficult. Nearly impossible. I get it. You’re comfortable. You were born there. Your parents were born there. You can’t just pick up and leave. Well, would you if your life depended on it? What about your kid’s life? So tell me, what constitutes a gun? Antisemites in congress? Pop stars declaring their love for Hitler? Jews being beaten in the streets? Widespread violence against Jews? Antisemitic slurs all over the streets and on the internet? A president/prime minister turning on the Jews? Literal antisemitic legal action in an international court? Tell me please, what event has to happen for you to realize you’re in danger? Is there even an event? Would you stay there no matter what happens? My brothers and sisters, if you live outside of Israel and are reading this, you probably feel very judged by my words. I get it. And I’m sorry. But believe me, I write these words with great sadness and I write them from a place of love. You are no longer safe in the streets of NY or London. You’re not safe in Paris nor are you safe in Montreal. In fact, it would be shorter to make a list of places that you are safe in outside of Israel. Wait. I know what you’re thinking. “Jews are safe in Israel?!! Do you not know what’s happening there? Are you not familiar with 10/7? How could you say you’re safer there? More Jews have died there than here!” Fair question. You’re right. Times are scary here. The war is scary. People are dying. Their houses burning. They have to evacuate their homes by the thousands. It’s true. Not going to sugarcoat it. There is, however, one small difference. Here, someone cares about you. Yes, we messed up BIG on 10/7. But understand that here, in Israel, we have the world’s most powerful army dedicated to one thing, making sure you are safe. Of course there have been failures. The violence in the Middle East doesn’t rest for a second. The IDF has the hardest job in the world but the difference is that here, there is an IDF. Here, there is a government that might be deeply divided politically but every member of the government agrees on one thing. They all agree that this country has one job and that is to protect you! Listen, Israel will win this war and our enemies will be no more. Can you say the same for antisemitism in your streets? Are things going to get better over there? Is the genie going back into the bottle? Do you believe that the horrible Jew hatred we’re seeing in the streets will go away? It won’t. Please, read a history book. Things are about to get much worse! In America or Europe, you might be safe for now despite being a Jew. In Israel, you are safe BECAUSE you’re a Jew. That’s the difference. The state of Israel is a historical wonder. It’s an unprecedented occurrence that a nation returns to its homeland after thousands of years of exile. We are still experiencing growing pains or maybe they are labor pains, but Israel will continue to flourish and will always be a place where you are home. Israel will always be your home. So, I want to leave you with an action item, or a call to action, as we call it in the marketing world. If I told you to get on a plane in an hour, I would have wasted your time reading this. You aren’t getting on a plane in an hour. So what’s my ask? What practical advice do I have for you? My advice to you is… Make a plan. That plan can be a 2 year plan, a 5 year plan, a 10 year plan, I don’t care. But have a plan, an exit strategy. If you have the means to buy a property in Israel, do it now. If you don’t, then make a plan for how and when you can get out. If your parents are elderly, maybe after their passing. If you have a kid with special needs and you feel like they can only get their needs met where you are, then maybe after they graduate. If you have a high paying job and are not willing to give that up, then set a number that when you hit that number, you’ll have enough and you’ll get out of there. Just. Make. A. Plan! And let me tell you one more thing while I have your attention. If you’re over 40, surely you remember how hard it was to live in Israel. You couldn’t buy deodorant or tuna fish in Israel. It was basically a third world country. It was rough. But not anymore! Sure; Israelis are rough around the edges, but living in Israel today is incredible. I look at my wealthy friends outside of Israel and I look at my life and the life of most of my friends and family in Israel and I do not, in any way, believe that we are living a lower quality lifestyle than them. I wake up every morning in Israel and I pinch myself while thanking God for allowing me such an incredible life full of so many blessings. Yes, I have moments of difficulty. Losing my brother to terror was definitely one of those. 10/7 was another. Things aren’t perfect. But living in Israel today, despite all the challenges, is living in paradise. I know that sounds nuts to you because, ya know, war and stuff, but even with that, I’d never want to live anywhere else. So please, my brothers and sisters, make a plan. Begin to internalize that you are not home over there. Think about it this way. You have a home but you have to leave it for an extended business trip. No matter how long your trip is or how comfortable the hotel is, you never forget that you are not home. And you will never decide to stay where you are. You’ll always want to go back home to your family. You’ve been on an extended business trip, folks, but it’s time to come home. In every generation, we get comfortable and we begin to believe that we are home. But then our hosts remind us, using this tool they built called antisemitism that we are indeed not home. We thought we were home in Egypt. And in Spain. And in Rome. And in Babylonia. And in Germany. And we think we are home today in NY, LA, London, or Paris. But we’re not and our so-called pro Palestinian friends remind us every day that we are not safe in the streets. They remind us that the police don’t care, that no one cares. Come home. We need you. You need us. It might get rough sometimes but home is home and your home is Israel. If you read this entire post and internalized it, when you get off the plane and pop in your new Israeli SIM card, shoot me a message so we can plan our first shawarma outing. On me! Am Yisrael Chai! Come home. We are waiting with open arms. 🇮🇱❤️