Sirens

Yom Yerushalayim was a very mixed day of emotion. Waking up the morning, the kids got dressed in blue and white. We were relieved the school did not have trips planned to Jerusalem, as we had a feeling things might be intense. And we were very sorry to learn as the day developed that this was right.

In the morning, from our windows we could hear school bells ring Jerusalem of Gold and Hatikvah (The Hope, Israel's national anthem). Grateful to still have these little moments where we are in awe that we are here. And it's not a brainwashy thing. There's a very unique sence of belonging here and ease of practicing Judaism. 

Later in the day Kube Yerushalmi was bought for the themed dinner with local friends. Didn't have time to make or find pre made Yerushalmi kugel but it felt fun to consider something a bit different. Dinner was called for 5 to 6 pm. After we finished and were chit chatting, we suddenly heard a siren wail like an ambulance. It took a moment to process what it was. Seeing birds fly in a crazy flock (never a good sinn) and two people run to cover, we realized this was not a drill. Luckily, the kids did not go outside the building to play (youngest of ours being a 2 year old, that would have been very irresponsible) and so we had enough time to respond and go into the sheltered room.

A few things crossed my mind, as we sat there for ten minutes, waiting for the siren to stop. The first was that it's a blessing Israel has this technology in place and strategy to warn its civilians. It's not like we as a country randomly send over rockets and threaten the existence of a country. In the United States, I had nights afraid that a nuclear bomb would hit without warning and no chance to even try to survive. And so, in that room, things were very calm. The second thought that came to mind is just how sad extremism is to take lives. Many on both sides don't want to live this way. There are bad apples everywhere, and it's hard to explain this to children that it's a universal problem.

At night we made sure our safe room had water, a flashlight and that the window would close (had to call a friend in the morning to help us close the last few inches). We went to sleep, knowing there would be more sirens in other areas of the country. But sleep seemed to be the only thing really left to do and hope the next day would be better. In the morning we drove the kids to school, just so they wouldn't have to deal with a siren going off on their walk. The school, we imagined, would explain appropriately the safety measures to take. 

Prayers for a unified Jerusalem and to allow the Jewish nation to have a country of their own. 

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