"What are you going to do about it?"

By Anthony Herman, student at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

I was asked to tell you about my experience in being part of Magen David Adom's response to the Haifa suicide bombing on a bus last week, but I will not. The story is not about me. It is about the 15 people who were murdered, and it about the 15 families that woke up the next morning without their loved ones. The story is about those who were injured, and who each day must now live with not only the physical, but also the emotional scars. The terrorist placed nails and bolts in the bomb to cause the maximum pain.

What evil lies in the heart of such a man? What evil lies in the hearts of those cowards who sent him to do their dirty work? What evil lies in the hearts of the masses who support such actions?

Much innocent blood was spilt that day, and as I lay awake that night I could not help but think. I thought and thought, trying to find something positive; something to relax my mind. I concentrated on the actions of the Israelis in the street at the time of the blast. Not thinking of their own safety they rushed to the aide of the stricken. I thought about the response of Magen David Adom and the other emergency services. The night before, Arab terrorists placed a car bomb in Jerusalem specifically to attack the emergency services, but no-one in Haifa paused in their determination to help. I thought about the hospital workers who helped open the doors of our ambulance in their haste to treat the injured. I thought about the volunteers who rushed to the hospitals to make coffees and hand-out cupcakes to the families of the wounded. And I thought about tomorrow! What does tomorrow hold?

Today there is much pain, but tomorrow will be better. I am amazed by the strength of Israel. In Israel there is the very best of being Jewish. Here, Jews are proud and strong; resilient and tough.

Those of us who live in the Diaspora should remember that we enjoy the comfort of the security blanket that is Israel. But we can not only take!  We must give back as well. Now is the time to get involved and openly express our support and commitment to our Homeland. The bottom line is that just because we are in the Diaspora, we can not shirk our responsibility.

Please, please, do something. Please do not let the cries of the wounded and the mourning fall on deaf ears. There are enough deaf ears among the other nations. There are only around sixteen million Jews in the entire world! We must stand together. Israel is on the front line, and Diaspora Jews must provide support. My future depends on it, and so does yours.