But my Brother, if we must fall, may it be for Israel.

It’s a new year. 5771 has begun and all of us hope it will be a year of joy and happiness. Yet for Israel there is still turmoil and the knowledge that attack from those who are hostile could be at any time.

I don’t feel any safer here in the UK. Our Rabbis spoke this Yom Kippur about the dangers, the rise in Anti-Semitism and that we cannot afford to be complacent. Europe has become a place of danger for Jews, much like it was in the 1930’s. He spoke about G-d being our only judge.

Yet people often judge each other, be it because of age, social status or whatever the issue, but the last few years of my life have taught me that one can find wisdom and great maturity in a youth and childish selfishness in one who has lived many decades. There are no rules.

There is a young man I began to speak with on Facebook when he was just 15. I was intrigued that he would want to chat with me; I have children his age. I now know he connected with me because he sensed my love for Israel and my connection to my Judaism.

This young man lives in France right now. He is highly intelligent, both emotionally and academically. But his sole aim is to go and serve Israel. I’m going to share, with his permission, some of what he wrote to me:

I know we did not chat a lot since we were friends on Facebook but here is my news. Since I told you that I wanted to become an officer of the IDF when I was only 15, I just wanted to tell you that I am training for next year, and that my step-father who was an officer of the IAF during Yom Kippur War, and who's family is entirely composed of officers of the IDF, is going to make sure I will be strong enough to be part of that great battle in which many may die. To end this little mail, here is a poem by William Morris :

"Come, join in the only battle wherein no man can fail, 

Where whoso fadeth and dieth, yet his deed shall still prevail." 

And here is something that my cousin wrote few days before being killed during the Lebanon War in 2006 (He was a first lieutenant):

"Oh you my Brother in pain,

Please help me to succeed

In those days of terror,

Please allow me to prove myself a man.

Oh you my Brother in arms

Let’s stand together,

United, so that death

Will no longer be a fear to us.

Oh you my Brother in life, 

Please join in my prayers.

So we can go back to our mothers.

And perpetuate our humble life.

Yes, let’s hope life will triumph 

In this battle against darkness.

But my Brother, if we must fall,

May it be for Israel."

I am proud to know him. He is not forced to do this he chooses it. I asked him if he minded me sharing his note to me, because I was moved to see such courage in such a young man.

He said this:

Dear Monique, I don't see any problem in sharing that note, because I want people to know the truth about our involvement in the struggle for liberty. I am going with three others young Jews to enlist in the IDF. One of them is a American Jew, another one is a half Polish Jew from Guatemala, the third one is a German Jewish, and I am half Chilean. We do not think we are doing this as an act of bravery, neither as it is an act of sacrifice. We are simply four young Jews, whose countries failed to provide them the chance of growing up and living within security.

We do not want our children to be afraid of saying "Yes, I am Jewish." because they will be stabbed. France failed in her mission. We were not born to be soldiers. My American pal wanted to be a lawyer, the Guatemalan wanted to be a doctor, and my German friend wanted to be an engineer. I simply wanted to be a history teacher in College. But now, as we walk in the street, people look at us as if we were the devil himself. Why? Because my friends look like the wandering Jew.

I look like a south American whose blood is a mixture of everything. My Grandmother was an Indian, my Dad, a Colonel from the Chilean Army. I never met him – he was put in jail after the end of General's Pinochet military regime because he committed crimes during that time. We only have one thing to share: our Jewish heritage. And now we are going to hold with love this flag of a country that only exists because some people, our brothers and sisters, made it a special place in their hearts. And this country which is all the countries of the world at the same time is named Israel and this is a truth about Israel: People from all over the world, hold a flag that some others want to snatch from them.

But Israel will live forever, since we will go forward, forward, simply forward with our flag.