אלינור
Every time I speak to someone who doesn’t live in Israel I’m asked, How can you stand living in a country that’s in a constant state of war? The answer always depends on just how hot the situation is and personal factors like who you are, where you are and what’s going on in your life. For me, war in Israel is as distant as it is for you—and I hope it stays that way.
My answer has always been: I get up in the morning then get on with my life. When there were no small children around it was easy. Grab the gas mask, go to work. When the grandsons were little, it became tougher, imagining distant army service. The eldest is now 19 and serving in the IDF. That’s all I’m permitted to say.
Living in Jerusalem was scary when the Gulf War broke out, until we realized that the missiles were flying over our heads because their landing one of the many mosques was simply inconceivable. Our worries then shifted elsewhere—who did we know in Tel Aviv, where are the missiles falling and how are the people in the north coping?Now we live in a small town much closer to Tel Aviv. Are we worried? Not particularly, not openly, but it’s there. It’s always there.
The unfairness of what’s happening out of Gaza is a sharp pain, at the moment. They send over rockets, we retaliate briefly—almost surgically— and we seem to be at fault. Have we become Goliath to their David?
We stand ready for attacks from Lebanon, Syria—you name it, they’ve all threatened us—but will they come to the support of the Gazans?
It’s just impossible to worry about everything, so we get up in the morning and get on with our lives.
cross posted from Geoffff's Joint
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