Rosh Hashanah found me sitting uneasily in an air conditioned shul, trying to absorb the exquisite prayers and watch as the radiant words floated majestically from the lips of the congregates into the mysterious depths of the heavenly universe. My eyes remained focused on the pages that rested before me, but my thoughts constantly wondered: concentration proved a daunting feat because I remained conscious of the salient fact that my nation unwillingly engaged itself at war.

Tragedy has been forcefully positioned at the epicenter of Jewish culture and it lurks there strategically like a virus that attacks the instant we turn our backs. Just as we look forward to the initiation of a new peace agreement, a bomb explodes in Israel; we enjoy the religious freedom granted to us in America when a devoted member of Aryan Nations sprays seventy rounds of ammunition through a Jewish community center; we celebrate our sacred heritage with pride right before a synagogue is burned to the ground.

Jews are being assaulted from both sides - there are those who wish to destroy us and those who wish to "save" us. To me, the latter is most disturbing.

The Southern Baptist International Mission Board recently launched an aggressive campaign to convert Jews to Christianity with the publication of a prayer book released to over 40,000 churches nationwide on Rosh Hashanah. Filled with photos of Rabbis and Jewish holy sites, the booklet offers tips on how to evangelize Jews on these "ten holy days" which began September 11. "Pray each day for Jewish individuals you know by name," it suggests. "As the shofar is sounded, Jews will be asked to remember Abraham's call to sacrifice his son Isaac. Ask god to reveal his own fatherly sacrifice…"

These Missionaries seek to destroy the Jewish nation. In my opinion, they are more cunning than the barbarous Nazis who at least announced publicly their hatred toward Jews. Protestant spokesman Mark Kelley described his dream in which "all Jews see the light and convert to Christianity." "It's not a genocide," he dutifully explains, "it's a fulfillment."

By releasing these books, the church has essentially initiated an international holocaust against us. Do not be fooled by the manner in which they attempt to remove the Jewish nation from the face of the earth. They simply deliver their poisonous gas and crematoriums in attractive packages that resonate with a blinding sense of willed knavery. They judiciously beautify their gas chambers with the attractive decor of flowers and silk. The hoped-for success of the Protestant conversion strategy rests on one assumption that currently holds true: the great majority of Jews are secular or atheist. Missionaries therefore stalk unsuspecting Jews in an attempt to teach them the "truth," effectively luring them into the gaudy undersurface of Christianity. They attempt to befriend the Jewish secularist as they slowly expose his spirit and gradually fill the cannular void with a "newer, better religion."

This situation is one of grave concern and we must retaliate before it is too late. In order to formulate an appropriate response to these recent attacks, we must first look at our history by embarking on a grand tour of recollection, by humming the tunes of all those frustrating anthems that sent us marching so resolutely toward our universal destinies. In so many cases, it can be argued that tragedy and loss of Jewish spirit could have been prevented by strong guidance, education and unity. Three entities that are not easily attained.

Yeshiva University, as an internationally renowned Jewish institution, has demonstrated the power to produce monumental change. We possess the financial resources, religious leadership and educated personnel to construct a passageway through which to lead others.

Each of us can significantly impact Jewish culture. YU is not merely a four year college, it's an education with strings attached. By receiving religious instruction, it becomes our duty as cherished citizens of a threatened society to uphold substantial leadership positions in the Jewish community and in the world at large.

The stereotypical Yeshiva student tends to settle for mediocrity, but this will not suffice anymore. Furthermore, it is not enough that we become doctors, lawyers and accountants, we must become the chiefs of surgery, senators and CEO's while maintaining our religious identity so we may serve as role models and influence those in power.

Things do not look good for the Jews as we approach the new millennium. We find ourselves constantly under attack and threatened by internal discord. It is time to unite and time to educate before we are lost in the confounding expanse of ignorance and disharmony. We are charged with a consequential mission upon which rests the fate of the Jewish people. If we do not carry out this responsibility with diligence and commitment, the outcome may be disastrous.