Letter From Israel

 elinor        אלינור   

                                                                                                                     

War Again! July 2014

I would say that it’s becoming tiresome, this never-ending battle, but this time it’s different.  Three kidnapped young men, dead before negotiations could even begin.  The young Arab boy, burnt to death.  Instead of perceiving these two tragedies as done and done—let’s move on before more young people are killed—each side is trying to convince the world that its might is right. 

At the bat mitzvah party we attended a few evenings ago:  The father was giving his well honed speech when a friend came racing into the hall, ran up to him and whispered just enough for the father to stop his speech and tell us:  There has been a warning siren.  If there is another one, please make for the basement immediately.  There wasn’t another siren, but I had two immediate thoughts:  Thank goodness for that and I didn’t know Israeli shules had basements.

TEL AVIV IS CLOSED DOWN!! Tel Aviv has been closed down for the first time in memory.  Hundreds of rockets are coming, thick and fast.  We live about 6 kilometres from TA and it’s blue skies and graduation ceremonies here.  We will attend one tonight.  Out of doors.  Let us pray that the local Iron Dome will continue its record of close to 100% knockouts.  (Wow—now I understand the name of the ice-cream that emerged after the last conflict!)

People in TA are being instructed to stay indoors, not to try to reach their homes.  The restaurants are burgeoning, making this into a memorable gastronomic event.  Shoppers, workers, teenagers rummaging in the stores for end-of-summer bargains all suddenly become family to one another.  Jerusalem is no doubt experiencing the same thing.  Been there, done that.  My first war took place there. 

There seems to be no end to this... 

cross posted Geoffff's Joint