Monday July 21st

Tonight I attended the funeral of IDF Sgt. Sean Carmeli in Haifa. Sean was killed defending Israel last night in Gaza. And unlike most IDF soldiers, Sean was not born in Israel; he was born in Texas. He made Aliyah a few years back and began his IDF service like any other Israeli. Soldiers like Sean are often called "lone soldiers", as they have little to no family in Israel. So, when Sean was tragically killed last night, there was much concern over who would attend his funeral and pay their final respects to a man who had made the ultimate sacrifice for his people and for his adopted homeland. However, the people of Israel did not forget the incredible sacrifice Sean made for them. There was a massive news and social media campaign and the funeral was even pushed back a few hours to allow people more time to travel. Over 12,000 attended. And as someone who was there, and witnessed it first-hand, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. To see the number of Israelis, including fellow IDF soldiers, in attendance was remarkable. The emotion displayed by the people around me was heartbreaking. Every single person there had lost a brother, a son and a friend. A piece of them was now missing and would never be replaced. To watch Sean's father say Kaddish for his boy who was now gone forever was one of the most painful and sympathetic moments of my life, something I will never forget. My experience tonight changed my perspective on a lot of things, and will continue to do so as I think about it further. But mainly, it brought the conflict home. Tonight, war became a real thing. It's no longer some distant story. Its right here. I can finally begin to comprehend what war does to a family, a community, and to a nation. And it is truly devastating. I can say without any doubt in my mind that no nation or no people want peace more than the Israelis. That's what the media, the politicians and the world fails to understand.