Excitement of the first war days wore off and now it is fear, frustration and exhaustion. Of course the hardest impact is down South. Our relatives in Ashdod hear the sirens every 3-5 min; kids sleep in the sheltered rooms and parents rush there at the first wailing of the sirens. A building not far from them had been hit. They are hesitant to come over as roads are exposed, their family is large and we don't have a sheltered room in our house. My cousin sounded very angry on the phone insisting on the Army entering Gaza and finishing the job on the ground. Like many others living on the fire line he is tired of years of random bombings - few hundred every year. But according to military predictions ground invasion will be a bloody mess for both sides and even if Hamas is completely destroyed, next in popularity is Islamic Jihad that have a strong support in Iran.
In Tel Aviv we have had one or two daily sirens every day in the last four. Most of them have been intersected by the Iron Dome defense system. This system had just been installed above Tel Aviv three day ago and is being tweaked by the engineers as rockets fly by. So far, great success rate but no guarantee, so with every siren we rush to the "safest" room, lie on the floor covering our heads and wait for the siren to stop and then count the seconds to a loud "boom" hoping it wont occur above us. Yesterday the sirens went off during school hours, kids were taken to the shelters and we received an instant message from Nadia's teacher within a seconds that everything is OK.
Throughout the day life mostly continues as normal. But anywhere I go I am trying to note a potential cover spot in case sirens will start - in the park, at the store, on the freeway. Preparing to run to the supermarket today I was hesitant whether to take the baby with me or leave her at home with my dad; kind of a life roulette. Our audio sense has never worked so hard and felt so critical. Ears are attentively tuned to the street sounds trying to classify the noise as the war alert (siren) or routine noise of police sirens, motorcycle roar, airplane engines. Sometimes it seems to start similarly, takes a second of worry, but then there is usually a relief. My grandmother used to be an expert at such sounds during the Second World War in Russia. She was only 17 but responsible for distinguishing enemy airplanes from the Russian planes by the sound before they are in sight.
Two of our son's teachers and some of the fathers of our kids friends have been called to the army duty. 8-months pregnant mom of one of Nadia's friends stayed behind, working and managing with 3 young kids (and a dog) by herself. In general most of the Israelis (men, under 47 years old) would do anything to avoid the mandatory yearly 2-week army duty bringing excuses from work, doctors, and even rabbis. But in a case of war, such as this one, the show-up rate is almost 100%. According to the news, the army is parked at the Gaza entrance ready to enter. Most people here hope it wont happen but everyone also knows that any peace with Hamas can be only temporary.
In Tel Aviv we have had one or two daily sirens every day in the last four. Most of them have been intersected by the Iron Dome defense system. This system had just been installed above Tel Aviv three day ago and is being tweaked by the engineers as rockets fly by. So far, great success rate but no guarantee, so with every siren we rush to the "safest" room, lie on the floor covering our heads and wait for the siren to stop and then count the seconds to a loud "boom" hoping it wont occur above us. Yesterday the sirens went off during school hours, kids were taken to the shelters and we received an instant message from Nadia's teacher within a seconds that everything is OK.
Throughout the day life mostly continues as normal. But anywhere I go I am trying to note a potential cover spot in case sirens will start - in the park, at the store, on the freeway. Preparing to run to the supermarket today I was hesitant whether to take the baby with me or leave her at home with my dad; kind of a life roulette. Our audio sense has never worked so hard and felt so critical. Ears are attentively tuned to the street sounds trying to classify the noise as the war alert (siren) or routine noise of police sirens, motorcycle roar, airplane engines. Sometimes it seems to start similarly, takes a second of worry, but then there is usually a relief. My grandmother used to be an expert at such sounds during the Second World War in Russia. She was only 17 but responsible for distinguishing enemy airplanes from the Russian planes by the sound before they are in sight.
Two of our son's teachers and some of the fathers of our kids friends have been called to the army duty. 8-months pregnant mom of one of Nadia's friends stayed behind, working and managing with 3 young kids (and a dog) by herself. In general most of the Israelis (men, under 47 years old) would do anything to avoid the mandatory yearly 2-week army duty bringing excuses from work, doctors, and even rabbis. But in a case of war, such as this one, the show-up rate is almost 100%. According to the news, the army is parked at the Gaza entrance ready to enter. Most people here hope it wont happen but everyone also knows that any peace with Hamas can be only temporary.
Maria, we are thinking of you and sending our prayers that you continue to remain safe. We look at your old house from our back window all the time and think of how you must be coping. Our thoughts are with you all!
ReplyDeleteDear Maria and Moshe,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the update. I hope the danger will pass quickly. Everyone here is thinking of Israel.
-Julie
Maria, good to hear your description, but also, it breaks my heart. Stay safe, my friend, and may this all end soon. --Adena
ReplyDelete