Thank you to Ann Goldberg for her thought-provoking article titled “Those Boys of Yours” in the November 26th issue of the Where What When. Ms. Goldberg’s intent was to remind the reader of the adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” and not to assume that if a boy sits and learns he is part of the small, misguided group that is currently creating a chillul Hashem in Israel.
That Ms. Goldberg’s friends and/or acquaintances would assume that her family was involved in the incidents she is discussing because they have “that look” (black hat, white shirt,

Blue sky and thick sand as far as the eye can see. At some point in the distance the two blend as one. I sit on a picnic bench under an aishel tree as a cool sweet breeze is blowing. I reflect on the Hebrew vocabulary words I have learned over the past six months: tekes, hashba’ah, masa kumta, and chayal boded. The chayal boded is my son, a lone soldier. My heart beams with pride and my eyes well up with tears.

The sounds of fighter jets and explosions jar me from my thoughts. I should be alarmed, yet I know I am safe. If only I could wrap up this moment and hold on to the serenity I feel.