How often have I sat around with friends my age and complained about the next generation? How often have we worried about how they will manage to maintain normality when they do not have basic skills? Well it turns out that they have basic skills and more. They are overcoming amazing obstacles, especially our government. In every aspect of our lives right now it is the next generation that is winning this war. They are not only the fighters, the communicators, the chefs, the doctors, the healers, and all that. And they are doing it all with such dedication and originality, I can only admire them.
We are also losing them in the defence of our country. Each one a gem, fighting from love of their country, not hatred of their enemies.
No, I’m not going to tell you about what happens as it happens, but I will tell you how it feels.
Yes, we’ve been busy avoiding rockets. It takes great concentration to be ready at any given moment to run for shelter. You have to know where every shelter is wherever you are, and be dressed for it. We sleep in our clothes because the shelter is 2 stories down and full of people nowadays. We open the door of our building to make sure that passersby come in, and usually there is someone we don’t know with us. The rockets last night were particularly loud and shook the building so much that my neighbour said – “well, we won’t have to argue about remodelling any more. But even though there were many of them, we weren’t hit at all, and went upstairs to our dinners when it was over as if nothing had happened. The neighbour’s salmon burnt, but not too badly.
The area not far from us, though, had holes 30 feet deep.
I believe the Iranians thought they were targeting military bases, and we were just collateral damage. But the weapons they were using were so powerful there was bound to be serious civilian damage. And I don’t think they cared.
Yes, I know we hurt people in Lebanon and Gaza and Yemen as well, and it doesn’t matter to the victims that it was on purpose or not, but I am sure we haven’t thought about how the lives of every one – injured or not – has been radically altered in every way.
And I have started using a timer on my stove so the food doesn’t get burnt if I have to run off. Highly advised.
We spent the morning checking on relatives and friends. So far all’s well, but considering the fact that civilian targets all over the country were attacked in two very violent waves. Down in our shelter we heard the booms with great noise and trembling. Some of our younger neighbors were paralyzed with fear, but the old people who managed to get down to the shelter were almost blase’ – following the news with whatever internet access they could achieve…
I need to add that about half of the people in the shelter were Arab.