Message to VP Vance - From one survivor to another
Your very touching story of survival, as portrayed in the book and film, Hillbilly Elegy, documents the amazing journey of a poor boy, who, despite coming from an abusive family in the hills of Appalachia, goes on to attain the success and status that few ever realize.
It is because of all you had to overcome, that you, of all people, should be able to easily identify with the proverbial underdog who, against all odds, goes on to achieve the impossible.
In fact, your story is not much different than Israel’s story. Ours is the tale of an abused people who came from deprivation and obscurity, fighting and scrapping for everything we got while struggling to be the best!
In just 78 short years, we made a name for ourselves, earning a reputation for excellence in whatever we put our hand to. Whether it was technology, medicine, agriculture or military defense, few could hope to compete with the superior levels we’ve managed to reach!
Just as in your case, nothing would prove to be too hard. Through your patriotic military service, you obviously gained a great advantage, providing you with a stellar education, but without your hard work and unstoppable drive, you still would have never been able to distinguish yourself from all others.
Likewise, Israel has been blessed with some advantages, by way of a few faithful friends, who have helped us along the way, but that doesn’t minimize our own unrelenting determination and unyielding diligence to achieve what we have!
Perhaps, that is why it especially feels like a bit of a betrayal to hear you say that Israel is an ungrateful ally, who doesn’t show enough appreciation for the many benefits received from the U.S., specifically when it comes to weapons, which have been provided by your country.
While you may believe that we are lacking in sincere gratitude, especially in light of America‘s recent help in fighting an existential war, over the last few years, it might be helpful to hear a slightly different perspective from Dr. Qanta Ahmed, a highly respected British physician, Senior Fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum and commentator.
Recently appearing on Sky News, Dr. Ahmed spoke about the several visits she personally made to Israeli weapons manufacturers. Her comment was that any American investment, in the research and development of those weapons, “actually comes back to benefit the US first.”
Consequently, Dr. Ahmed stated that she found your comments to be “stinging and offensive,” especially to pro-Israel, Jewish and evangelical voters, all of whom are a major base within the Republican party. Calling your position “immature,” she says it exposed your own personal political leanings, which she believes would not be appreciated by members of the party you represent.
That is because Dr. Ahmed’s background, including having worked in Saudi Arabia, along with her substantial expertise in Middle East affairs gives her the great advantage of being intimately familiar with the Islamic mindset and culture in a way that even you, as the American vice-president do not have.
Given the many American lives, taken, by the former and current Iranian extremist regimes, over a period of nearly half a century, as well as the anti-Semitism fomented and financed by Iran, Dr. Ahmed knows that this conflict is not as simplistic as you may think!
She goes on to say that Iran poses a grave threat, missed by many Americans, mostly due to the massive distance between the U.S. and Iran, separated by two great oceans. So, while Americans may be worried over the price of gas, Dr. Ahmed knows that there’s so much more to this deep conflict which cannot be resolved through a negotiated diplomatic solution that may sound impressive but will not be honored.
Ironically, prior to October 7, Israel may have believed that she was no longer in survival mode, given all the amazing advances she made throughout her 78-year existence, including the good will that is often displayed by our country towards other nations during their moments of anguish, caused by natural disasters.
But now, all of that has been forgotten and replaced by the rapid dissemination of a vicious smear campaign, casting Israel as the oppressor who has perpetrated a genocide upon her Gazan neighbors.
So, here we are, back at square one, having to remind everyone that we are not the monsters a dishonest media is making us out to be. Israel is fighting an ongoing war that threatens humanity’s freedoms and very existence! Certainly, that makes us deserving of all the help we can get, because, as the front-line warriors, we are battling this insidious evil for all mankind.
Why then, wouldn’t we have the support of every government that cherishes liberty, especially yours? Valiant warriors, who are willing to put their lives on the line to defend freedom, is something with which you are personally acquainted, so why do you seem to hold us in contempt for having the courage to physically fight an enemy who cannot be subdued by diplomatic means?
With God’s help, Israel has survived many wars that were meant to take her out, and we, a tiny country – the size of New Jersey, will continue to defend our interests in the best way we know how, because we are committed to life!
As our closest ally, America has had the great benefit of what we’ve been able to offer by way of superior intelligence, innovative weaponry as well as technological, medical advancements and much more. By sharing these with your country, they represent the tangible gratitude that you seem to have overlooked as you criticize our justified hesitance to back a plan we already know will not put an end to this fight.
Committed to never again finding ourselves as helpless victims, barely surviving the onslaught of our enemies, we will not capitulate to a very flawed plan which has no chance of success, nor will we apologize for that choice.
As a man who has risen from the disadvantaged and impoverished life you once lived, you, also, would not wish to return to survival mode, barely able to hang on.
But if I may offer you some sound advice, that will guarantee your political survival, standing with Israel is the best possible path, because supporting God’s team can only end up ensuring your own success!
A former Jerusalem elementary and middle-school principal who made Aliyah in 1993 and became a member of Kibbutz Reim but now lives in the center of the country with her husband. She is the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, based on the principles from the book of Proverbs - available on Amazon.
