Sounding the Alarm

The following is my latest column in The Jewish Link of New Jersey, in which I assess how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fared in the context of his recent speech to a joint meeting of Congress about the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran:

SOUNDING THE ALARM

By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.

“As far as I can tell, there was nothing new.” With those ten terse words, President Obama casually and callously dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint meeting of Congress.

In an interview after the speech, the President noted that he did not watch Netanyahu’s address. However, after stating that he read the transcript of the remarks, he declared that Netanyahu failed to “offer any viable alternatives” with regard to a possible deal with Iran, which is intended to address the rogue state’s nuclear program.

The President completely missed the point. In order for his efforts to be deemed successful, Prime Minister Netanyahu did not have to come to the United States and propose alternatives to the deal currently being negotiated between Iran and the P5+1 countries, which are the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia. Netanyahu was in no way required to lay out a detailed plan on how to best address the Iranian nuclear threat in order for his remarks to be effective.

All the Prime Minister had to do in order for his mission to be considered efficacious was raise a red flag, spotlight the specter of a bad deal, and sound the alarm. Looking at it from that perspective, Netanyahu’s unquestionably accomplished his goal.

The Prime Minister entered the House Chamber to a reception that was reminiscent of the incredible ovation that greets the President when he enters that same majestic room each year to deliver his State of the Union address. Lawmakers clamored to shake Netanyahu’s hand and the applause for the Israeli leader was quite vociferous. Despite the politics that had enveloped Netanyahu’s visit, there was a palpable sense of excitement and intrigue as he took to the rostrum to deliver his remarks.

And then the Prime Minister did exactly what he needed to do – he sounded the alarm.

During his speech, which generated two-dozen standing ovations and frequent sustained applause, Netanyahu pointed out that we are not dealing with a nation comprised of boy scouts – we are dealing with Iran. Referring to it as “[t]he foremost sponsor of global terrorism,” the Prime Minister rightfully reminded the world of Iran’s past transgressions of terror.

Besides citing its “goons in Gaza, its lackeys in Lebanon, (and) its revolutionary guards on the Golan Heights,” Netanyahu recalled the hostage crisis in Tehran, the murder of American soldiers and Marines in Beirut, and the deadly role Iran played in the bombing of the Jewish community center and the Israeli embassy in Argentina.

After rehashing Iran’s notorious track record of terror, Netanyahu explained why the deal presently being negotiated is a bad deal. He mentioned two major concessions that he believes make this deal fundamentally flawed. First, the deal reportedly would leave Iran’s “vast nuclear infrastructure” intact. Netanyahu voiced his concern that “[t]housands of centrifuges used to enrich uranium would be left spinning,” thereby making it fairly simple for Iran to continue stockpiling enough uranium which could be used to develop a nuclear bomb in a relatively short period of time. Second, the Prime Minister expressed his dismay at the fact that the proposed deal purportedly contains a sunset provision, which provides that the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program will expire in ten years.

In addition, the Prime Minister set forth a number of conditions that he believes Iran must meet prior to having the sanctions eased, independent of its nuclear program. Netanyahu said that at the very least, Iran should be required to “stop its aggression against its neighbors in the Middle East,” “stop supporting terrorism around the world,” and “stop threatening to annihilate…Israel, the one and only Jewish state.”

With his historic address to Congress, Prime Minister skillfully and successfully sounded the alarm. He used what was perhaps the biggest stage available to him to broadcast the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran and to caution against entering into “a very bad deal.”

Telling Congress that the deal could ultimately lead to “a Middle East littered with nuclear bombs and a countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare,” Netanyahu said that the proposed agreement “doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb; it paves Iran’s path to the bomb.”

As the negotiations with Iran continue and the train hurtles down the track at an extraordinary rate of speed towards a possible deal, Netanyahu did everything he could to convince the United States and the world that the train desperately needs to slow down and reassess the direction in which it is headed.

“The alternative to this bad deal is a much better deal,” said the Prime Minister.

With the future of his country at stake and the safety and security of his people at risk of being compromised even further, the Prime Minister did exactly what he needed to at this critical juncture. Netanyahu’s speech to Congress was not about politics, it was about perseverance in the face of tremendous adversity for the sake of his nation.

Despite the warm response that Netanyahu’s speech engendered from many members of Congress, there were certainly those who were not as enamored with his remarks.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said after Netanyahu’s address that she “was near tears throughout the Prime Minister’s speech – saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States as part of the P5 +1 nations, and saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran and our broader commitment to preventing nuclear proliferation.”

In addition to being somewhat puerile, the remarks by the House Minority Leader summed up what I believe to be the core of the issue. Rep. Pelosi and others apparently view the Iranian nuclear issue through a lens that is clouded by politics. What she failed to comprehend is that Prime Minister Netanyahu views this issue through a lens that is clearly focused on survival.

Israel and the world cannot afford a deal with Iran that comes about just because some folks want to be able to say that they reached an accord. A bad deal with Iran that fails to adequately address the salient points raised by Netanyahu is not worth the paper that it is written on. Anyone who truly listened to the Prime Minister’s address and heard him effectively sound the alarm knows that to be the case.

N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler

President 'Sugarcoats' Terrorism

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appears in the current edition of The Jewish Week:

President ‘Sugarcoats’ Terrorism

Wed, 02/25/2015

N. Aaron Troodler

The important sentiments expressed by Gary Rosenblatt in his column last week, “First Step To Defeating Terror: Call It What It Is,” were right on the mark. As Jews in the United States, we are privileged to enjoy the religious protections afforded to us by the U.S. Constitution and are fortunate to be able to openly practice our faith without fear of reprisal. That being said, it behooves all of us to recognize that terrorist attacks targeting Jews in Europe are on the rise and the brazen anti-Semitism being exhibited in European countries is becoming rather commonplace.

Although I understand President Obama’s reluctance to impugn the entire Muslim religion, I cannot comprehend how he can in good conscience sugarcoat acts of terror perpetrated by Islamic extremists and downplay the violence that is aimed at Jews solely because they are Jews. When it comes to targeting Jews, there is no degree of randomness, as suggested by President Obama.

If it looks like anti-Semitism and feels like anti-Semitism, we need to readily acknowledge that it is indeed anti-Semitism. We cannot shy away from confronting anti-Semitism whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head and we are certainly not going to win the war against anti-Semitic terror if we cannot even admit that there is a battle that we need to fight.

Teaneck, N.J.

The writer is a publicist for the National Council of Young Israel.

Exclusive: Senator Cory Booker to Attend Israeli Prime Minister's Speech to Congress

The following is a news story that broke earlier today, which I got exclusively from Senator Cory Booker for The Jewish Link of New Jersey about his plans relating to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming address to Congress:

Exclusive to JLNJ: Senator Cory Booker to Attend Israeli Prime Minister’s Speech to Congress

Thursday, February 26, 2015

By N. Aaron Troodler

As the controversy surrounding Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming address to Congress about the global threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran has risen to fever pitch, many Democratic members of Congress have come forth and publicly declared their intention to either attend the highly publicized speech, or, alternatively, skip the Israeli Prime Minister’s address. One notable exception from the chorus of prominent lawmakers who have opined about Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech is Senator Cory Booker.

In light of his profound affinity for Israel and the Jewish community, Senator Booker’s silence thus far regarding Netanyahu’s highly politicized address was particularly noteworthy and led to speculation whether or not the high-profile lawmaker would attend the speech. Complicating matters is the fact that Booker is the only senator in the Congressional Black Caucus, which has seen a number of its members declare their intent to boycott Netanyahu’s speech.

Senator Booker ended his silence this week. In an exclusive statement to JLNJ, the Senator said he will attend Netanyahu’s address to Congress and explained his rationale for doing so.

“I am deeply troubled by the politicization of America’s vital relationship with Israel, and the disregard for longstanding diplomatic protocol displayed by House Republican leadership,” said Senator Booker. “This is an affront to our president, to members of congress, and a betrayal of the long-held American principle that when it comes to national security, politics ends at the water’s edge. I am committed to upholding that principle -- when America’s and Israel’s security is on the line, and we’re dealing with a situation as dire and complex as Iranian nuclear negotiations, I will listen to all sides, and will not miss an opportunity to hear from the prime minister of one of America’s closest and most important allies.”

Citing the importance of the US-Israel connection, New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, a leading advocate for strengthening the United States’ bond with Israel, noted that he will attend Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address, despite his displeasure with the manner in which it came about. Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat and a staunch defender of the State of Israel, exhorted his Democratic colleagues to attend the speech and not allow partisan politics to stand in the way of the US-Israel relationship.

Senator Booker’s deep connections to the Jewish community are well known and he is widely recognized as a strong supporter of the State of Israel. “The Jewish community is extraordinarily important,” Senator Booker said in a 2014 interview. In 2013 he said, “I have a very strong desire that we do everything for the continuance of, and the establishment of, a real secure Jewish state of Israel. That’s very, very important to me and drives a lot of my thinking about foreign policy in terms of the Middle East situation.”

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

The following is my latest column in The Jewish Link of New Jersey, in which I write about the controversy surrounding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled address to Congress and discuss the importance of bipartisan cooperation in order to maintain the strength of the US-Israel relationship:

CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.

Diplomatic protocol is sacrosanct to world leaders. Adherence to the unofficial rules of international diplomacy is universally expected and any deviation from those rubrics is viewed as a serious breach of this unwritten code.

As savvy as he is, Ron Dermer, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, committed a big blunder when he worked exclusively with House Speaker John Boehner to arrange for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress in March.

Let us forget for a moment that the speech was scheduled to take place just a short time prior to the upcoming Israeli elections for the Knesset. That alone elevated the Ambassador’s actions to a major faux pas. Let us instead focus on what the core of the problem appears to be, namely, that the White House and the Democratic leadership in Congress were kept in the dark until just shortly before the Prime Minister’s plans were made public.

By collaborating with Speaker Boehner, to the exclusion of his colleagues across the political aisle and without involving the President, Ambassador Dermer committed a gross miscalculation that appears to have thrown the state of the U.S.-Israel relationship into utter turmoil. Amidst angry statements from the White House and threats from Democratic lawmakers that they will boycott the Prime Minister’s address, the once seemingly unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel appears to have ruptured to a certain extent.

Vice President Biden announced that he would not attend the speech, and a slew of Senators and Representatives stated that they would boycott the address. Viewing the speech as a sign of disrespect to President Obama, many members of the Congressional Black Caucus declared their intent to boycott the Prime Minister’s address, including renowned civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis.

I understand why the White House and the Democratic lawmakers, many of whom are strong supporters of Israel, are angry. This entire situation was handled poorly from the outset and the controversy that ultimately arose could have easily been avoided. That being said, it is time to move on and to look at the bigger picture.

U.S. Congressional leaders need to coalesce around Prime Minister Netanyahu’s planned speech to Congress and not allow the partisan debate surrounding the speech to undercut the strong U.S.-Israel relationship. The Prime Minister’s address, which is scheduled to take place shortly before the March 31 deadline to reach a deal concerning Iran’s nuclear program, is expected to focus on the grave threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran and spotlight the ramifications of a potential agreement that softens the sanctions and empowers one of the world’s most notorious and active state sponsors of terrorism.

With the deadline to reach an agreement with Iran regarding its nuclear capabilities rapidly approaching, an address by the Israeli Prime Minister, who has long warned about the existential threat that a nuclear Iran poses to the world, not only makes sense, but is vitally important. As someone who has closely monitored the Iranian situation and whose country and citizens have repeatedly been the targets of terrorist groups intent on destroying them, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s perspective on Iran is a credible and critical piece to a very complex diplomatic puzzle.

At the same time, while I fully support Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to accept an invitation to address Congress, I am deeply troubled by the partisan divide that has ensued and the political rancor that it has engendered.

I am extraordinarily grateful for the United States’ longstanding and resolute relationship with the State of Israel and recognize that the enduring nature of the U.S.-Israel relationship has always been rooted in bipartisan support. It is my hope that Prime Minister Netanyahu will proceed with his address to Congress as planned and that lawmakers from both major political parties will attend and listen to what he has to say on an issue that has global implications and with which the Prime Minister is intimately familiar.

We cannot afford to allow partisan politics to overshadow a key issue that warrants bipartisan support. In this instance, where the status of the United States’ relationship with its key ally in the Middle East seemingly hangs in the balance, bipartisanship and cooperation must transcend party politics.

“Israel’s survival is not a partisan issue, not in Israel nor in the United States,” said Prime Minister Netanyahu. “I am going to the United States not because I seek a confrontation with the President, but because I must fulfill my obligation to speak up on a matter that affects the very survival of my country.”

There is no question that the planning process surrounding the Prime Minister’s Congressional address may have been flawed, but that should not diminish the importance of the subject matter to be discussed. Lawmakers in Washington, DC need to break through the partisan squabble that developed after plans for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech were announced, check their egos and emotions at the door, and come hear what he has to say.

Can’t we all just get along? For Israel’s sake, I hope that the answer is “yes.”

N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler

Feeling Like the Neglected Child

The following is my latest column in The Jewish Link of New Jersey, in which I examine how Governor Chris Christie’s presidential ambitions are impacting New Jersey:

FEELING LIKE THE NEGLECTED CHILD

By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.

Some may say that New Jersey residents have a bit of a complex. They often feel a sense of inferiority when compared to the flashy and famous neighboring state of New York which is right across the Hudson River. Despite all that the Garden State has to offer, many New Jerseyans have grown accustomed to playing second fiddle to their neighbor known as the Empire State.

Yet, there is a renewed sense of inferiority among New Jersey residents these days when they turn their eyes towards Trenton. The one person who should theoretically be their biggest cheerleader and offer them infinite consideration and endless support has sadly turned his attention elsewhere. Governor Chris Christie has seemingly moved on to bigger and better things and appears to have left New Jersey in his rear view mirror as he continues his national tour.

Perhaps if New Jersey was named “Iowa” or “New Hampshire,” Chris Christie might pay more attention to it. If New Jersey boasted the first presidential primary election or caucus in the nation, maybe Chris Christie would give it a second look. After spending all or part of nearly 140 days traveling outside of New Jersey last year, Governor Christie’s apparent desire to put as much distance as possible between himself and the Garden State is a stinging rebuke to the people who elected him to govern, not once, but twice.

Christie’s fascination with the national stage, and, in particular, with the key battleground states, is attributable to his not-so-secret desire to ascend to the presidency and take up residence in the White House. Instead of thinking of ways to make New Jersey better, Chris Christie is spending his days contemplating ways to make Chris Christie better.

New Jersey residents are not taking too kindly to their absentee governor who harbors national ambitions. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that Christie’s approval rating is at the lowest point that it has been in nearly four years. One year after the Bridgegate controversy exploded, just 46 percent of New Jersey voters approve of the job Chris Christie is doing as governor, while 48 percent disapprove of his performance. The last time that Christie eclipsed the 50-percent mark was when he garnered a 55-percent approval rating one year ago.

In fact, the majority of New Jersey voters do not believe that Christie should run for president. Another recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 56-percent of Garden State voters say that he should not embark on a White House run, 57-percent say he would not make a good Commander-in-Chief, and 52-percent believe that a presidential campaign is distracting Christie from properly performing his duties as governor. In addition, in the event that Chris Christie formally enters the race, 66-percent of New Jersey voters are of the opinion that he should resign as governor.

In what amounts to a strong indication that he is seriously leaning towards a presidential run, we learned recently that Chris Christie has established a political action committee (PAC) that would allow him to start hiring staff members for a 2016 campaign. Christie, who named his PAC “Leadership Matters for America,” could utilize this new tool to fund his travel expenses and other miscellaneous activities.

Yes, “Leadership Matters for America.” However, my dear Governor, in case you have not yet realized it, leadership matters for New Jersey as well. While you seek to exhibit leadership on a national level, you seem to have forsaken the mantle of leadership that you were handed by the electorate in New Jersey.

While you jet around the country and lay the groundwork for what appears to be an inevitable presidential run, you inexplicably and inconsiderately turned your back on the people that you pledged to represent in New Jersey. It seems as if you would prefer to be in any other state in the union but the state that you were charged with managing. New Jersey has gone from being the “Garden State” to becoming the “Forgotten State.”

Instead of hobnobbing with Jerry Jones in the posh owner’s suite and on the sidelines at Dallas Cowboys games, perhaps you should focus on the job that you have to do at home.

Aside from engaging in damage control measures as a result of self-inflicted controversies and scandals, there is real work to be done here and important issues that need to be addressed.

With improvements needed to the state’s transportation infrastructure, including many of its roads and bridges, money needs to be restored to the Transportation Trust Fund. With so many New Jersey residents still suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, more help is needed for those whose lives were torn apart by the storm. With New Jerseyans struggling under a crushing property tax burden, relief is desperately needed. With the state pension fund in dire straits, stabilization of the fund is imperative.

New Jersey residents did not elect Chris Christie to be their governor for the 62-percent of the time that he was actually in his home state last year; they elected him to be their governor for 100-percent of the time. With a governor that is going more than he is coming, New Jerseyans feel like a neglected child whose parent has abandoned them.

Leadership requires one to lead, not leave. It is okay for Governor Christie to have political ambitions; however, his professional dreams cannot come at New Jerseyans’ personal expense. An absentee governor is not the answer to solving New Jersey’s problems. Someone ought to tell that to Chris Christie.

N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler

Israel Education: Learning To Love The Land

The following is an op-ed that I wrote, which appeared in The Jewish Press:

 

Israel Education: Learning To Love The Land

 

By: N. Aaron Troodler

 

Published: January 30, 2015

 

As parents, we spend a tremendous amount of time focusing on our children’s education. We do whatever is necessary to ensure that they are well-versed in a wide array of academic subjects and make certain they have the tools necessary to succeed in today’s world.

 

As religious Jews, we also invest a great deal of time, energy, and financial resources ensuring that our children receive a quality religious education. Learning Jewish law, tradition, and philosophy becomes a critical element of our children’s daily lives, with the intended result being a deep understanding and appreciation of Judaism and a desire to further develop their connections to God, Torah, and the Jewish community on their own.

 

But there is another component to our children’s education that is crucial in the development of their Jewish identity – namely, their knowledge of and connection to the land of Israel.

 

As Jews around the world battle a virulent strain of anti-Semitism and a growing animosity toward the state of Israel, it is especially important that we teach our children about their roots in the Jewish homeland and our national responsibility to protect our birthright at all costs.

 

With its historical, religious, and cultural significance, Israel is an integral part of our “Jewish DNA.” It is the common thread that connects all Jews around the world and serves as a unifying force, bringing us together as a nation in furtherance of a common goal. Very often, the centrality of Israel in our lives is the only thing on which we can all agree.

 

Educating our children about Israel is not merely an exercise in familiarization with historical Jewish storylines. Rather, it is about helping them comprehend just how vital Israel is to our very existence as Torah-observant Jews. Armed with this information, our children are better equipped to observe the Torah's commandments and stand as staunch advocates and stalwart defenders of Israel.

 

Jewish students on college campuses across the United States face numerous challenges relating to Israel and their Jewish identities. Whether confronting university professors who express anti-Zionist sentiments in the classroom or fellow students who launch anti-Israel campaigns on campus, our children have to be ready, willing, and able to hold their ground on the front lines of the perpetual battle to establish the truth about the Jewish state. They must be prepared to combat the lies and vitriol with the facts, their resilience stemming from a love of Israel and a well-developed Jewish identity.

 

Though the physical journey to Israel is long and complicated for many, it is clear that the best way to strengthen Israel and ensure its survival is by populating it with Jews from all over the globe. At some point we need to stop simply defending and promoting the state of Israel and to start living the Israeli life. Otherwise, our pro-Israel advocacy will ring empty and our religious Zionist ideals will remain unfulfilled.

 

As a father and an ardent Zionist, I am exceptionally proud of my eldest daughter, who chose to spend her high school years in Israel as a participant of Naale (the Elite Academy Program), which is co-funded by the state of Israel and the Jewish Agency for Israel. She made this decision on her own, as a result of her incredible love for the Land of Israel, because she could not conceive of spending her formative years anywhere other than our homeland.

 

Now in her second year of the program, my daughter is totally immersed in Israeli life and engrossed in Israeli culture. She is thoroughly enjoying every moment of her ideals-driven and spiritually heightened Israeli life. She is truly living the dream.

 

While we can’t all take advantage of this particular program, we can agree that this type of education is essential in that it ensures the future of religious Zionist ideals. With the elections for the World Zionist Congress underway, we have an opportunity to advance religious Zionist educational programming by setting the agendas, priorities, and policies for the Jewish Agency, the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish National Fund, and Keren Hayesod. And all we have to do is vote.

 

My daughter's experience is a testament to the wonderful things that can happen if we focus on teaching our children to love the Land of Israel. As such, I have cast my vote for the Religious Zionist Slate (www.VoteTorah.org), a party committed to shaping the future of the Jewish nation through the continued growth of Torah and Zionist education worldwide.

 

As Jews, there are countless ways we can demonstrate our deep commitment to Israel. But, at this moment, none is as important as voting in the elections for the World Zionist Congress.

 

Israel is the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and we have an inherent obligation to teach our children about the central role the state of Israel plays in our history, tradition, and everyday lives. It is a lesson that will pay dividends for generations and help maintain Jewish continuity for eternity.

 

About the Author: N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and a principal at Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. He also serves as director of communications and public relations for the National Council of Young Israel.

 

A Sense of Inevitability

The following is my latest column in The Jewish Link of New Jersey, in which I reflect on my recent trip to Israel:

A SENSE OF INEVITABILITY

By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.

During my recent trip to Israel, I spent some time at the Knesset in Jerusalem. In place of the heated rhetoric and tempestuous debates that often reverberate across the Plenary Hall, there was the sound of silence. With Prime Minister Netanyahu’s dissolution of the 19th Knesset, the lively and fiery discussions that generally take place there are on hold until the elections for the new Knesset are held in March.

The conspicuous absence of political dialogue was troubling to me throughout my two weeks in Israel. As someone who could be considered a “political junkie,” I was looking forward to speaking about the impending elections with Israelis during my stay and hearing different perspectives on how this latest episode of Israeli political drama may ultimately play out.

The fact of the matter is that but for a relatively small number of campaign signs and some talk on the radio about the primaries in the various political parties, there was little evidence of the upcoming election and politics was rarely discussed.

Yes, there was some talk of the snow that fell in Jerusalem and Northern Israel when I arrived. Yet, the leading topic of conversation while I was there was about the recent acts of terror in France and the frightening rise of global anti-Semitism.

With Jews in Europe being targeted simply because they are Jewish and terrorists in the Middle East intent on destroying Israel and murdering Jews, the reality is that we live in increasingly scary times.

My visit to Yad Vashem reminded me of the perils of anti-Semitism and the danger of getting too comfortable in our surroundings. As I watched people from all walks of life view the photos which document one of the most horrific tragedies known to mankind, I was reminded of how critically important it is that we continue to educate people about the dangers of bigotry and hatred. As I observed dozens of members of the Israel Defense Forces who were on a guided tour of the museum study the exhibits that detail the atrocities of the Holocaust with wide eyes and an apparent sense of wonderment, it struck me that they were comprehending why it is that they put their lives on the line every single day in order to defend the State of Israel and protect the Jewish people from the dangers that threaten their very existence.

In light of the intense focus on the upsurge of anti-Semitism, there was one question that I was asked repeatedly during my time in Israel. I heard it from the storekeeper in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Oleh from New York who moved to the city of Efrat twenty years ago, and the taxi driver in Tel Aviv. The question that was posed to me was not if I am going to make Aliyah, but when I am going to make Aliyah.

With the growing feeling that Jews in the Diaspora are facing an uncertain future, there is almost a sense of inevitability on the part of Israelis that we are all going to ultimately relocate to the Jewish State.

As I stood in the holy city of Hebron and prayed at the Mearat Hamachpelah, I had an experience that initially shook me, but which ultimately strengthened my resolve. While davening Shemoneh Esrei in view of the final resting place of our forefather Abraham with as much intensity and concentration that I could muster, the silence was suddenly shattered. The sound of the muezzin calling the Muslims to prayer over the loudspeaker from the nearby mosque was virtually deafening. As I prayed alongside my thirteen-year-old son, the thunderous cry of “Allahu Akbar” was ringing in my ears and sent a shiver up my spine.

After a moment, I smiled as I understood that the Muslim call to prayer, which shook the walls of the Mearat Hamachpelah, actually helped intensify my davening and bring me even closer to G-d. The loud call of the muezzin reminded me why it is crucial that we, as Jews, maintain a close and special relationship with G-d.

As Jews, we may be small in number, but we are strong in spirit. The fewer than 1,000 Jews who call Hebron home may be dwarfed by the hundreds of thousands of Arabs who also dwell in the city of Hebron, but that is of no consequence. We maintain a healthy and vibrant presence not only in Hebron, but throughout Israel, and nothing can change that – not the muezzin who is crying “Allahu Akbar” and not the Palestinian Arabs who wish that we were not there.

The idea that Jews moving to Israel is a virtual certainty is not so far-fetched when you take into account the world we live in and recent events that have shaken the core of world Jewry.

As an Orthodox Jew in the United States, I proudly wear my Judaism on my sleeve and relish the freedom of religion that we are privileged to enjoy. However, there is something special about being in Israel that always makes me prouder than ever to be a Jew. Israel is the land that Jews from every corner of the globe can always call home. It is a Jewish State where we not only feel comfortable, but where we truly belong. Some of us may move there next month, some of us may move there next year, and some of us may not actually have any plans to move there in the foreseeable future, but based on the sentiments that I heard while I was there, our ultimate relocation and eventual Aliyah is inevitable. It is not a question of if, rather, it is a question of when.

N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler