Live From Israel War Day 7
Shabbat is coming. We are members of two local synagogues. One sent a letter that they are closed as they do not have a bomb shelter. It is over 100 years old, and it wasn't a requirement. The other sent a series of letters. One from the Rabbinate telling people that if they hear a siren and they are saying the Amidah, they can sit. The other was telling us to leave a radio or TV on in case we need to hear instructions.
El Al, the national airline that has not flown on Shabbat, for over 40 years, will be doing so tomorrow to help soldiers and reservists get back.
It is nice to see that rational heads are prevailing at this time, and I hope it continues.
As I write this, I am sitting in my bomb shelter (it is also my office) waiting for the war to start. As I mentioned in previous posts, in my opinion, it is only a matter of time before Hezbollah comes to the rescue of the besieged Palestinians. An Iranian official basically said that they would if the bombing of Gaza doesn't stop.
I have stocked up on water, heavy-duty portable batteries, toilet paper, and canned goods. I have enough tuna to normally last 2-3 years.
My ability to watch foreign news is being diminished every day. I usually watch France 24 and Sky. Up until now they have been okay, even good. I was even able to watch CNN, which I haven't done in over 5 years. I have also been reading the New York Times.
I watch as every day the sympathy that the world is now showing starts to disappear.
And the war hasn't started.
Israel faces all bad choices, but unlike previous confrontations, there really is no choice this time. Hamas must be obliterated, and they use human shields. Most people, including members of my own family, really don't care anymore. As I said, my sympathies are gone. What I am worried about is making sure our Israeli boys and girls, men and women are able to resist the urge for revenge.
We all want it. We are entitled to it. We demand it. but if we show the same brutality that has been thrust upon us, we have lost. For those who think it can't happen, it has in the past and it can now. I can't help but think about the entire generation that will be permanently traumatized. I know that I have a type of PTSD from growing up in the house with two Holocaust survivors. I know to some extent that it was passed on to my kids. My dream always was that future generations would not suffer from this.
This dream is gone. The trauma of this event will last a long time. It means there will never be peace here. It means there will always be an occupation. It means that people will always try to wipe us off the map, and it means we will always have to train our kids to kill.
It will never end.
I don't want to end on this note, so I will mention a few things that brought a smile to my face the last few days.
An Arab-owned pizza store decided to run an ad showing the Holocaust survivor who is being held in Gaza endorsing their pizza. The army destroyed the store.
Several pro-Palestinian supporters were walking down the street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and two Haredim took their flags, beat them with it, and wrapped them in an Israeli flag.
A 25-year-old woman was recently made the security coordinator of her kibbutz down south. Last week she heard the explosions and gunfire and realized this was out of the ordinary. She called together the kibbutz security force, and, although most thought she was exaggerating, took position. They managed to kill 25 terrorists and prevented a massacre. She killed 5 of them.
I know we will win this. We must win this. Everyone here knows this is an existential threat. This is not an exaggeration; it is what our leaders are saying.
I want to end by saying that if you are not in Israel, call your friends and family who are. Check in on them. It means more than you know.