The Problems Being a Jewish Mother Patriot

Ruthie Blum reveals just how hard it is for a Jewish mother to be a patriot at the time of war.

Maternal cognitive dissonance
On Thursday night, after 10 days of aerial warfare between Hamas terrorists and Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a ground incursion into Gaza. It was a move that much of the public, many members of the political echelon and the thousands of reservists who had been called up eight days earlier, felt was long overdue...
...Because of this, when rumors that the infantry was given the order to enter Gaza were confirmed, I was among many Israelis who heaved a huge sigh of relief. I even apologized to Netanyahu under my breath and on Facebook for having doubted the skillful manner in which he was handling Operation Protective Edge.
I simultaneously began to panic.
It is one thing to be convinced, as I was and still am, that a ground incursion (with Israeli soldiers going literally and figuratively door-to-door to snuff and stomp out terrorists and tunnels) is the way to go. It is quite another to cheer on such a campaign when one's own child is taking part in it.

An infantry reservist, my son was called up on July 9.

Geula Cohen with son
MK Tzachi Hanegbi

It doesn't matter how gung-ho a mother may be, she's still a mother and a Jewish mother is among the most paranoid and overprotective you'll find anyplace in this world.

Geula Cohen and I

Ruthie is in good company. Former MK and Jewish Underground Lechi (Stern Gang) heroine Geula Cohen has been heard to say during the time, those years that Gilad Schalit was being held by Hamas Arab Terrorists that if it were her son she'd fight like mad to get him released no matter what the cost, but she would also hope that nobody would listen to her. Because a mother's protective instinct isn't always what's best for the nation.

As hard as it is at times to send our sons off to war, or when they are independent married adults, know that they are in danger on the front-lines, we also know that for the safety and security and future of The State of Israel sometimes we must fight. When I look at the graves of the young men who were killed by Arab terrorists in our Shiloh Cemetery, I know too well that if we don't go out to fight our enemies, they will come to us. That's what terrorism is, the "convenient war." One doesn't even need to wear an army uniform to be killed.

It's better to go down fighting and to kill, destroy the Arab terrorists or they will just come here to kill us and destroy the State of Israel.

May this war be the war to destroy the Hamas Arab terrorists, speedily and with as few Jewish casualties as possible.

Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach!

May We all Have a Peaceful and Blessed Shabbat!