3 alarms last night – all intended to reduce our ability to think straight. And kill us too.
rockets penetrate apartment buildings – where children might have been sleeping…
19 people injured last night.
We neighbors sit in the shelter trading our knowledge of war from previous wars, and then return to our beds with higher blood pressure.
of course we blame our government, of course we are the ones who would never leave this country…
who needs sleep? 3.25.26 Read Post »
Sometimes politics slips through but most of the time I try to concentrate on surviving. So when I was asked what my daily life was like, I wrote that about five times a day I race two floors down to the shelter, listen to the booms, wait for the all clear signal, and then crawl back up the two flights directly to the refrigerator.
So what I think of politics, morality, etc. is far from my mind in the effort to survive.
We sit around sometimes in the shelter, especially when the rockets are extended, telling stories of previous wars. Last night, when we thought there might be some kind of deal, someone started talking about the time he spent a year in Gaza long ago returning war prisoners. Someone else spoke of the war that broke out in 1948 when the UN declared Israel a state. We sit within the bare walls of the shelter, worrying about the damage done by the present rocket that shook our walls.
It seems endless.
swapping war stories – 3.24.26 Read Post »
i’ve been waiting for this for a long time:
22.3.26
Statement by the Senate of Tel Aviv University
For a long time now, we have been witnessing acts of violence by Jewish
residents in the West Bank against Palestinian residents. These acts, which include
severe harm to persons and property, intimidation, humiliation, and
displacement, have in some cases escalated into shocking acts of murder. These
phenomena have intensified over the past month, under the cover of the war with
Iran.
As citizens of the State of Israel, we bear a heavy moral responsibility and
feel deep shame in the face of this rampant Jewish terrorism. We protest the failure
of the government and security forces to act with the necessary resolve against
this phenomenon by using all means at their disposal. Terror directed against
innocent civilians does not change according to the identity of the perpetrator or
the victim; terror is terror, and it must be eradicated.
The State of Israel, as the authority responsible for the territories, bears a
clear obligation under both international and Israeli law: to ensure the safety and
well-being of all residents, Jews and Palestinians alike. Beyond this legal duty, the
government bears a paramount moral obligation: not to permit the shedding of
blood in the West Bank, whether by action or by failure to act. As a people who
have experienced pogroms and persecution driven by racism, we are bound to
remember where such a path may lead. We must not stand idly by.
History teaches us that in times of war, human rights are often pushed to
the margins in the name of the demands of the moment or the pursuit of victory.
We refuse to accept this reality. Jewish terrorism serves no legitimate purpose; on
the contrary, it erodes the very foundations of our existence. Silence in the face of
terror from within is a moral stain that cannot be erased, for the strength of the
State of Israel is measured not only by its military power, but first and foremost
by the integrity of its values.
University protest – 3.23.26 Read Post »
Getting back to sleep after a rocket attack is never easy, and it doesn’t do much good to make sure everyone is okay and watch the news.
There simply is no end in sight, and we’re in the middle.
after a rocket Night Read Post »
People around here are very tense – justifiably – and can be short tempered at times. So this would be a good opportunity to write your Israeli friends and tell him you care about them.
I know I was greatly uplifted today by old friends who reminded me of good times. Because today was a particularly hard one for most people in this country.
be nice to your friends Read Post »
This has been such a conflicting sabbath. We got a chance to see so many people we love, and had only one rocket in the morning, and I was beginning to think the whole situation might be cooling down – and then the attacks on Dimona began.
I will never forget this Shabbat.
Eleven times in the shelter today. And I can think of 11 productive things I could have been doing instead.
My neighbor in the shelter says she takes the bus up north to pick up her grandkids for the weekend, and I am filled with envy. I have myself laid face down on too many places during a siren to go and pick up my grandkids. and take them home. I’m too scared. And I spend my day calculating the chances of getting bombed.
My grandkids living abroad invite me to move to their world, but somehow I remain certain that despite its faults and corruption, this place can become the dream I once believed it was.
eleven and counting – Read Post »
