Hi, everyone - we figured it was time for an update (long overdue), in light of the current situation, so here goes.
Of course the past month or so has been horrific here. First the three boys' kidnapping, the awful 18 days of waiting, and then the tragic result. Then the killing of the Arab boy and now the war.
Despite all of this, life goes on - kids go to school/camp, people go to work, shopping, etc. But you can see it on everyone's faces - waiting for the next siren, knowing it can happen at any second.
The sirens are terrifying - the sound itself sends shivers up your spine. It is a low sound which builds to a loud moan and keeps going. Thankfully, before this the only time we'd heard them was during the national siren soundings on Yom HaShoa and Yom HaZikaron - on those days at a specific time, there is a siren and everything stops (including traffic) and people stand with heads bowed for one or two minutes.
But now it is the real thing. The first time I heard one was when I was babysitting for Leezy's boys - they sleep in the house's safe room (most families use the room as a bedroom or study) so I went up but was dumb and didn't shut the metal door. After a minute it was over, but for me it was an entry into a new world.
The next time was this past week - we had two sirens in a relatively short time period here in Modiin. We went into the safe room and promptly heard a boom - which means that the rocket meant for Modiin had been intercepted.
Just the thought of that rocket over our heads - hard to explain. I don't understand how the families in the cities near Gaza live like this.
After those sirens, and one Sunday morning at 6 am, life for me will never be the same. Everyone has the same story, mine is not unique. Suddenly, the sound of a truck coming down the street scares you, the screech of wheels, the innocent sound of a toy truck siren - each time you stop and listen - is this it? Is there another one? I keep waking at night thinking I'm hearing something - was that a siren?
In such a small country, nothing is "over there" - everything is "here." Our city's "Iron Dome" anti-rocket system is visible from almost anywhere, and all of us have either gone up to the site or contributed to someone going up there to help the soldiers with clothes, food, cold drinks, support. They are so grateful and so brave - thanking us and telling us they are getting fat from all the cookies that people bring.
All of these soldiers are our boys and girls - literally. Not one family doesn't have a family member or friend who was called up in the past week, so it is very, very, personal. In shul when they say the prayer for the welfare of the army, you hear whimpers and moans.
The kids are resilient - they have grown up with this, there has even been a "red alarm" song circulating that kids in camps are supposed to sing as they march to the shelters. Listen to it and you'll hear the sound of the siren as well.
So that's how it is here. So scared but so glad to be in it and not watching it - we all feel this way.
Love to all of you - and thanks for your love and support.
S&B
