By Freddy Zalta
10.22.23

Soldiers on the battlefield are mostly young men or women. Some are barely able to purchase a beer or rent a car.


They are thrust into the battlefield by the leaders who get to pick and choose when and where they will be called to action.


They are valiant, too young to understand the duty they are performing can change worlds on this planet we reside on.

American armed forces have fought for freedom in almost every country in the world. They have fought and continue to fight for freedom for strangers. God bless them for their service and their sacrifice.

Currently, the American armed forces has 1.4 million brave soldiers.

In Israel, there are wars that determine the survival of the Jewish nation. Israel, to the Jewish people is home. In the words of Golda Meir, “There is no where else for us to go.”

In its 75 years of modern existence(Israel has been the Jewish homeland for over 2000 years), Israel has lived in a constant threat of war, terrorism and worldwide condemnation for doing what it takes to survive.

The citizens of Israel have lived and died through wars, suicide bombers and all out offensives by their neighbor’s who’s main objective is to try and destroy the Jewish nation.

For the past 75 years this nation has been the first to offer assistance to any county faced with natural or man made disasters. Earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorism, plane crashes, hurricanes, buildings and mines collapsing, to name just a few.

This nation has developed technical, medicinal, environmental, agricultural and other solutions to complete it’s mission of tikun olam. (The betterment of the world)

On October 7th, 70 Israel soldiers were killed in an ambush on their base.

The Israeli armed forces has 149 thousand brave soldiers in their armed forces.

In the course of several hours the equivalent of 700 American soldiers were killed.


In the course of several hours, the equivalent of 32 thousand civilians, men, women, children, babies and the unborn were torturously killed.

Think about the worst day in the history of the United States, September 11, 2001, when 2996 people were murdered.

I am simply comparing the numbers, yet there are other differences and one common factor. I am not diminishing 9/11 at all.

On October 7, men, women and children (babies and the unborn) were tortured, tied up, beaten, raped and decapitated. There were also over 200 hostages taken.

The one common factor is of course the ones who carried out these atrocities. The members of the extremist Muslim groups such as ISIS and Hamas, to name two.

This is not an accusation against Islam. There are almost 2 billion Muslims in the world. To say all Muslims are bad and evil would be tantamount to saying all Jews have horns on their heads and big noses.

This is a war against evil sects of the religion who have been brainwashed and indoctrinated into the belief that the infidels, the Jews and the Americans (two main examples} must be destroyed in the name of their god.

There is no understanding of how this can continue, peace with this mindset is impossible.

Most shocking is the fact that there have been thousands around the world cheering on the actions of October 7 and not enough condemnation. Out of the almost 2 billion Muslims, a handful have spoken out against the Pogrom of October 7, while too many have been silent or have championed it.

The silence among the non Islamic or Jewish population has been telling. If any other people had been the victims of the October 7th attack, there would be no demonstrations blaming the victims.

Yes there have been condemnation, but the silence of our friends is most telling.

We, the Jewish people, can only rely on each other in times such as these.

Yesterday I read about a soldier being killed in action and I became internally emotional. I realized that I haven’t done much other than attending a pro-Israel demonstration in Times Square. At my age and financial situation my actions are limited.

I read about a 9 year old boy who was spending his birthday in captivity. I thought about other 9 year olds I know and I could not imagine what his loved ones were going through.


I read about the 12 year old boy, who attended the funeral of his whole family, killed on October 7th in their home.

I read about the UN Secretary General giving credence to the inhumane acts of the terrorists.

I read about the pro Israel and the pro Palestinian demonstrations, the contrasts are very revealing.
In the former there were cries of, “am yisrael chai,” (the nation of Israel lives on forever), while at the latter there were cries for the total eradication of the Jewish nation. (From the river to the sea… )

While the murderers screamed, “Allah Akbar” as they shot, raped and decapitated.

The Jews recited the mourners prayer, as they buried the murdered, which ends with a prayer for world peace.

As word of the Pogrom spread, hundreds of thousands of Israeli reservists reported for duty from around the world. Hundreds of thousands of previously except citizens volunteered to join the forces.

Different fabrics of the Jewish population around the world forgot about their differences and united as one people.

Fathers and mothers leaving their families, sons and daughters leaving their homes and their business or jobs. Unsure if they would ever return but steadfast in their determination that they would do their part to ensure that never again would a genocide happen in their home.


“Never again,” this has been a Jewish mantra since 1945 after it was revealed that six million Jewish people had been enslaved, starved, tortured, used as guinea pigs and exterminated.

Never again, happened again.
How can anyone ignore what Hamas and their people did? And then rationalize the unrational?

A prayer, may the forces of the good annihilate the forces of evil and may Israel and the world live in peace.