Tonight I had the pleasure of going out to dinner to celebrate my step-daughter’s birthday. It seems so calm, so ordinary, so peaceful. We had the opportunity to see their house. In their yard they have a fig tree and a grape vine. Next door there is an avocado tree and a pomegranate tree. They seem to be living out the verse, “Every man ‘neath his vine and fig tree shall live in peace and unafraid.”

On their porch they are growing herbs, tomatoes, flowers. They could easily build a sukkah. It could have been Jerusalem, or Tel Aviv. It reminded me of the verse in the song “Bashanah Haba’ah” “Bashanah haba’ah neshev al hamirpeset….Od tir’eh, od tir’eh kama tov yihiyeh.” Next year you will see how good it will be when we sit on our porch.

We strolled slowly to a restaurant, passing more flowers and trees. Myrtle, cork, bougainvillea, birds of paradise. We enjoyed walking down a quintessential Main Street USA street, stopping for California fusion food–Mexican and Asian, with baseball and World Cup games on big screen TVs. It was fun. It was festive. It was safe.

The contrast could not be more clear. Half a world away, the world does not feel safe. Thousands of miles away, peace is elusive. Dozens of Kenyans were killed in the coastal province. Al Shabib, an offshoot of Al Queda has again claimed responsibility saying that it is in retaliation of Kenya invading its Muslim neighbor, Somalia.

Thousands of children arrive in the US as unaccompanied minors. Children who have lived in unspeakable poverty and have witnessed unspeakable violence. Our country’s solution, put children in detention camps.

40,000 Israeli reservists called up for duty. 130 rockets fired into southern Israel since Sunday night. Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have been hit. Friends of mine sit in bomb shelters. Israelis have downloaded the app for their phones, “Tzeva adom, red alert,” to warn them of incoming missiles. This is no way to live.

I worry that we will have another generation where people will not sit under their vine and fig tree. We are too afraid. We need to protect our people. Iron Dome works–sometimes. As of 4:26PM today Israeli time, it has intercepted 16 rockets, just today, including one aimed at Tel Aviv. It missed another one that fell into open space in Tel Aviv . It boasts an 85% success rate, limiting most injuries to shrapnel wounds and shock.

What can we do here in the United States? We can stay informed. We can reach out to colleagues, friends and colleagues in Israel–and Israelis living overseas. We can continue to support Israel. Buy Israeli products. Eat Israeli food. Support Israeli causes. Two of my favorite organizations: Rabbis for Human Rights who works to promote peace in the occupied territories by reminding us of the Deuteronomy law of not cutting down fruit trees–those very figs, date palms and pomegranates. Oh, and olives!  http://rhr.org.il/eng/ and  The Parents Circle which works with parents who have lost children on both sides of the conflict to promote tolerance and peace. http://www.theparentscircle.com

Let’s just talk about the children. In Kenya, in Israel and in the US. Who will speak for the children? Who will find a way to make it safe to live for children? I hope that my granddaughter enjoys many days playing on her marpeset in California. I hope that she kicks a soccer ball and plays with dolls and sits under her vine and fig tree.

I speak about peace routinely. Tonight I pray for all those mothers who send their children off to fight war, for all those mothers who must put their babies to bed in bomb shelters, for all those mothers who must find ways to sing songs of hope. My favorite lullaby: “Ufros Aleinu Sukkat Shlomecha”, Spread over us the shelter, the sukkah, the fragile, temporary shelter of Your peace.” Apparently it has to be G-d who makes peace. We humans can’t seem to find it. Maybe one day we can play on our porch, under our vine and fig tree and none will make us afraid. Maybe next year. But tonight, I am very sad and very, very afraid.