After a couple of routine meetings in which the rabbi struggled to maintain his concentration, he finally had a chance to make a phone call. Quickly grabbing his iPhone from his desk, he immediately found the contact he needed. After one ring, he identified the voice he was longing to hear.
“What’s happening, Eitan? You miss me already?” Yehoshua said as a huge smile came to his face. It was already evening, and Yehoshua was in his car, fighting Jerusalem traffic on his way home.
“I miss Israel, that’s for sure. You, a little less,” Eitan retorted.
“If you don’t miss me, then why are you calling my friend?”
“I need to get your opinion on something. And I want you to be honest with me,” Eitan said, pacing back and forth the length of his office.
“I always am, you know that. Eitan, tell me, what’s on your mind?”
“It’s the situation here. You know, it’s nothing like what I saw in Odessa, but people are afraid. The head of the ADL has been on TV the last few nights talking about the rise in anti-Semitism and the numbers are really staggering,” Eitan said, wondering if Yehoshua could sense the urgency in his tone.
“It is definitely bad there, that is for sure. But America is not the Ukraine. And it is definitely not Germany in the 1930s,” Yehoshua said in hopes of calming his friend down.
“You know I was just speaking to someone who never gets alarmed, and someone whose I opinion I value. To see his concern was jarring,” Eitan said.
“Well, the truth is, you should be concerned.”
“Yehoshua, you just said this isn’t Ukraine or Germany. I was hoping you were going to make me feel better,” Eitan said.
“No you didn’t. You said you wanted me to be honest with you. You wanted to know if I thought things were going to get more dangerous over there.”
“Do you guys keep tabs on that? Are you in touch with the FBI? Do you follow the numbers of anti-Semitic events that are occurring across the States?”
“You would be amazed what we know,” Yehoshua answered.
“Actually, I figured you know everything.”
As his car stopped at a crosswalk where a group of ultra-orthodox Jews crossed before him, Yehoshua wrestled with how much information to divulge. Certainly the rise of antisemitism in America was common knowledge. But did Eitan really need more bad news?
“Listen, Eitan, you have been through a lot these last few weeks. You don’t need to fight every war against our people this year,” Yehoshua said.
“That is true. But you know me. Once I get worried about something, I can’t rest until I’ve done something about it,” Eitan replied.
“Don’t I know it,” Yehoshua said as his sedan started up again towards his neighborhood in the Judean hills. “The truth is there are developments that we are concerned about. We know the FBI is doing everything they can to neutralize any threat, but the increase in organization of these hate groups is staggering. It seems like new ones pop up every day. And the well-funded ones are as dangerous as ever. In a lot of ways it reminds me of the situations in certain European countries. Like in London and Paris, where every synagogue requires barricades and armed forces for protection,” Yehoshua said, knowing he was letting the cat out of the bag.
“Really? It’s that bad?”
“No, but it could be. How many more Pittsburghs will it take for the Jewish communities there to change their ways of operating?”
“We spend a ton of money on security, but we are a large temple. Most temples can’t afford anywhere near what he we spend,” Eitan said.
“In Europe the security is often provided by the government, but I doubt that would be likely there. And you know the Israelis will never pay for it.”
“Why not?”
“Because as soon as you ask, they will say, you don’t need to be safe there. Just move here,” Yehoshua replied.
“They may not be wrong,” answered Eitan with a frown stamped on his face.
“Listen, go get ready for the High Holy Days. Inspire your Jews. The antisemites will be waiting for us when you finish.”
“Really, Yehoshua? You don’t think this year they will repent and become our friends?”
“I’m not holding my breath, but if they tune in for your sermons, you never know!”
Eitan could hear his friend laughing halfway across the world. “Thanks for chatting, Yehoshua. Let’s talk soon. L’shanah Tovah.”
“Same to you my friend. Shalom.”