To Jew is to Do

A glimpse into the IDF: Israeli tour guide Tuvia Book on serving as a medic in Gaza, education, and some book recs.

This week’s Drop is dedicated to my former colleague and friend, Ayela Meroody (z”l), who passed away this week. Ayela welcomed me with open arms last time I was in Tel Aviv. I worked with her at Alexander Muss High School in Israel, an amazing high school study abroad program, where this week’s guest also used to work. For a country so small, its people sure have big hearts. Ayela taught me that.

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A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of hearing my pal, Tuvia Book, give a talk on his recent experiences serving as a medic for the IDF in Gaza. I wrote a d’var Torah about it, connecting it to Leviticus, since the first few parshiot are all about sacrifices, an outdated Jewish custom. Or so I thought.

The d’var compared his selfless decision to volunteer during a war to a modern-day sacrifice. He was joined by Jews all over the world in the decision to drop everything and risk their lives to come together and voluntarily serve in Gaza. Hmm. Maybe we’re not so different from our desert-dwelling ancestors after all.

When there isn’t a war, Tuvia is a tour guide and educator, connecting Jews to their heritage in the place it all began, the Land of Israel. Meet Tuvia.

What specifically motivated you to drop everything and volunteer as a medic in the Israeli army during the war?

We learned in basic training: to Jew is to do, meaning that there are times in history where you must step up to the plate to become, in the words of Gandhi, “the change you want to see.” We all know that we do not have another land, and this is a war which was imposed on us (there was a ceasefire in place until October 6), and we have no choice but to fight until victory. I volunteered for a year. Not to take lives, but to save lives.

What has your experience been like?

I have been privileged to be serving in a very special IDF unit consisting of physicians, paramedics, combat medics, and combat troops. Every single person in my unit is a volunteer. Our mission is to provide rapid medical response, stabilization, and evacuation for our soldiers, our heroes. Everyone in my unit has come selflessly and voluntarily from all over Israel and indeed, all over the globe. They are men and women who represent the entire spectrum of society, religious, and political beliefs. United by one desire to destroy the evil forces who sowed terror and death upon Israel on the Black Saturday of October 7. (Source: The Times of Israel)

How do you think your experiences in the IDF have impacted your life and perspective on Israel and the Jewish people?

I learned just how united Israel really is. The IDF is one of those rare occasions when we’re on the same page. It’s when everyone realizes we need to get rid of terror, no matter what our politics are. They thought they could break us when Israel was at a time of civil war. Instead, October 7th united us. The spirit is strong in Israel. You feel that in the army. It’s only when you read the media that it seems weak. The sense of national unity is very uplifting.

From an educational standpoint, what do you think is/are the most important part/s of Jewish history that Jews should know to understand their relationship with the land of Israel?

It’s like what Natan Sharansky said: “If you don’t have a sense of history, you don’t have a sense of understanding.” Jewish education focuses too much on the negative. They don’t learn the positive, like when the Temple was built, what Jews did in Spain before expulsion or in Germany before the Shoah. Who were the Jews of Spain? Why was it called the Age of Enlightenment? A typical Spanish Jew spoke five languages and they were doctors and poets. When they learn about Israel, it’s a series of wars, but they don’t learn in 1950s the population doubled in size, in 1978 we signed a peace treaty with Egypt. There’s a danger in knowing only the negative stuff – the danger is you’re taught that it’s such a burden to be Jewish.

Regarding Israeli history, the most important topics are the history of Zionism and the founding of the State of Israel. They can read my book, For the Sake of Zion, which has sold 25,000 copies. It’s a basic textbook on Zionist literacy, explaining the Jewish connection to Israel, why Israel’s not an apartheid state, etc. If you don’t know your own history, then you can’t make the case for Israel.

What other books do you recommend for learning about Israeli history?

For every person who cares about Israel, these are the books that should be on your Zionist bookshelf:

• Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn by Daniel Gordis

• Why I am a Zionist: Israel Jewish Identity and the Challenges of Today by Gil Troy

• The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism by Dennis Prager and Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

• Exodus by Leon Uris (the best entertaining novel, an oldie but a goodie)

• Jewish Journeys: The Second Temple Period to the Bar Kokhba Revolt by Tuvia Book (2nd volume is coming out this summer)

• The Atlas of Jewish History by Martin Gilbert

• Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle by Dan Senor and Saul Singer

• The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World by Dan Senor and Saul Singer

What do you want the world to know?

The bottom line is that people hate strong Jews. They love their Jews to be weak. I’m proud to be part of a generation of Jews that defend themselves. In the history of Jews, we live in 2024, not 1924.

I also want to point out that Israel is hurting and now is the time to visit. Israel is losing a billion shekels a day in this war. There are 100,000 Israelis displaced. Don’t just share on social. Go and roll up your sleeves. There are many ways to show your support, and actions speak louder than words. Sending money is nice, but going there is better. There is nothing better than showing you care. Israel is always there for us, theres always pogroms and can take us in. It’s a symbiotic relationship, or should be, at least. That’s what real friends are, not fair-weather friends during the good and the bad. That’s how we get strong identities. So go to Israel. Do the first commandment - lech lecha - do some agriculture, but don’t only go when it’s bad.

What’s next for you?

I’m heading back to Israel and guiding two solidarity missions: a group of Jews and Christians from Utah and then a group from England. Then I’m going to Aruba for Passover, where I’ll be a scholar in residence for Chabad. Then I’m going back to Israel in May where I’ll be a keynote speaker at Ammunition Hill, a lone soldier center base. Then a few days later I’m going back into the army, maybe Gaza or maybe the north, depending on what’s going on at the time. Wherever there’s wounded people, that’s where we’ll be.

And lastly, what are your Shabbat plans?

I’ll be guiding a group at the Kotel on Shabbat in Yerushalayim. I’ll take them to the Kotel on Friday night, go to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, walk around the Old City including the Christian and Jewish Quarters, and the Tower of David Museum because it’s one of the museums open on Shabbat.

Thanks, Tuvia. I wish you well on the next leg of your journey. Thanks for everything you’re doing on behalf of the Jewish people! Shabbat Shalom.