This is a very good column for Tisha B'Av.
I'm fasting today, and trying to focus on the good. And the good is Jewish survival.
"The funerals were devastating. The cries of orphaned children, widowed wives, and the worst of the worst – deep wailing from glossy-eyed and near fainting fiancés – still echoes in my ears."
"I approached one grieving mother at the conclusion of a funeral and blurted out the cliché that we have been trained to say: “I am sorry for your loss.”
"She replied without hesitation: “Sorry? I am not sorry for my loss. I am devastated and we will mourn for the rest of our lives. But I am not sorry. I am proud that my son died defending the state of Israel and the Jewish people.”
"What a statement! What a perspective! We truly are a remarkable nation."