Student Opinion

The last week has taken a toll on many; Jews specifically, but really, it had a profound impact on people of all backgrounds around the world. The war in Israel hasn’t been an easy ordeal; many of us have family and friends either living in Israel or serving in the IDF. There’s a constant fear of what could happen next, and although fear is a valid emotion to an event, especially such a one, we can’t let the fear be stronger than our faith in HaShem and the state of Israel. It’s important to always keep the strength of Israel in mind. The state of Israel and the Jewish nation have been through a tremendous amount, but no matter the conflict, we got through it, and it in turn made us a stronger nation.

As a school, we have been doing many things to aid Israel, including praying, which is something many of us do independently at home as well. Although it may seem that there isn’t much we can do to help the people in Israel, we can spiritually help them by strengthening our connections to Hashem. Another way we got together as a school was at the rally for Israel, where a total of 6,000 people showed up, members of our high school included. Another way we have been helping the state of Israel at school is by participating in and creating our own fundraisers. Recently, donuts, coffee, and other treats were sold at school, and within a week, we had raised $3,000. Other fundraising efforts include the Hoops Fundraiser and the Chickie’s Food Truck for lunch. Some students have independently created their own fundraisers as well. Additionally, there was an opportunity this past Sunday to purchase necessary supplies on Amazon for the soldiers. Still another way that we have been encouraged to assist is to stay away from social media. Hamas is posting harmful videos of Jews, and one way we can stand up against this is simply by not watching these videos to support them.

Although living through a time like this is beyond difficult for all of us, it is important to keep in mind that there are ways to help, such as praying, attending peaceful rallies, funding the war, and staying away from harmful posts on social media. As a nation, we will get through this if we all continue to stay united. Am Yisrael Chai!