Billboard-israelisoldiersmother

Wonder what Israel is doing? Here's an incredible sample...

So, if you think Israel is evil and you want to boycott her...don't forget to put this on the growing list of things you should really do without.

Boycotting Israel may kill you...seriously.

 

Davidi continues to move slowly towards the army while working to complete his final year in high school. It isn't easy - so many decisions that he has to make. He's balancing tests while preparing for the trip to Poland that will take place in just a few weeks.

He got his passport; has begun to think about the warm clothes that he needs and the suitcase he will carry. They are told that they must keep their passports with them at all times and had a security expert come to their school to speak to them. Poland is not considered the friendliest of places to visit when you are a pack of 70+ obviously Jewish young men on a quest to remember the crimes that were committed there during World War II.

And, in the midst of this, the school is sending the boys to various places so they can decide their paths. Some will go directly into the army, though this is probably the minority. It could happen as soon as August, but for others will be put off to the November gius (draft).

Some will choose to go to mechinot - pre-army preparation academies. For these boys, they will combine various interests as they are eased into an understanding of what the army will expect for them. Elie went to a fantastic mechina in Nokdim. There, he learned part of the time (Jewish religious studies) combined with hours physically getting stronger. He liked it so much, he opted for another year there, or part of it, before entering the army in March, 2007.

Another option - the one that Shmulik chose - was to attend a Hesder program. This is a combined program of study and army and lasts for 5 years. In Elie's case, he learned for almost two years and then entered the army on his own for three years. To say he was "on his own" isn't exactly true - he had the power and the support of the mechina and went back there when he could. After he finished the army, he maintained his connection to the  mechina and it was the mechina's amazing Rav Itamar, who performed Elie's wedding.

Shmulik's Hesder also brought him into contact with an amazing rabbi - though I think the connection has lessened since he left there. He learned at the hesder for the first 1.5 years, than did another 1.5 years in the army. In his case, as with most Hesders, he went in as a group and stayed with the group for much of the first 7 months in the army. After he finished 1.5 years in the army, he went back to the Hesder until he finished the program this past summer.

Davidi is weighing his options. He was thinking about going into the paramedic program, if they army accepted him. He looked into a Hesder program that is linked to this program and was accepted. Last week, he went to another Hesder, a new program that is just starting next year and he liked what he saw. He likes the idea of joining in, shaping a program that is developing. This Hesder seems to be different that it is shorter - only 4 years instead of 5, and also involves being in the army longer - 2 full years, instead of 1.5.

All these are ideas floating around in the head of a just-18 year old. Poland, the army...I can't help but compare what must be going through the heads of most 18-year-olds outside Israel.

What all this means for Davidi is that he has to make some decisions in the coming weeks and months. Big decisions. Life-shaping decisions.

What it means for me - watching from the sidelines. Learning to let him go, hopefully to fly. I don't love the idea of this new Hesder; I'd prefer him to go into a more established program, though the Rabbi founding the new one is quite impressive and does have an excellent background.

I want him to go to Poland...but mostly, I want him to have went to Poland and already be home safe. We bought him a new camera to take to Poland - very small, compact and perfect for the trip. We bought him a new watch...something that will likely go with him into the army.

And deep inside, there is this part of me that thinks of Davidi, the little boy. Eighteen years goes by in a flash...so fast. He's not little anymore. He's so tall...so special...

I love Fridays - it is a release from the pressure of the week and all the things I needed to do and didn't. I should have; I didn't - push that to Sunday. Today is an isolated island connected to a day of such intense happiness and rest.

I did well this week. I started on Thursday - though I often can't. This week, I did the shopping early enough so that last night I was already able to cook the fish, the chicken, the soup, a hearty beans/chicken/meat/potatoes/barley/wheat mixture called cholent, and prepare the dough for the challah to rise overnight.

I have a bit more to cook, more to clean. I have laundry I need to hang in the wonderful Israeli sunshine that dries things even faster than the electric dryer I have upstairs. I don't love doing dishes, but hanging laundry is a pleasure because it is done standing on my balcony, overlooking the hills of Judea.

I woke this morning feeling that all is in control. How long that will last is anyone's guess. For now, I have Shabbat to prepare; cakes to make, a floor to wash.

Lauren isn't feeling well but still has to drag herself to a special Friday work-related meeting. Elie has a test. Amira stepped forward and offered to take little Michal overnight and now she is with me until Elie comes back from his test. They will join us for dinner later this evening.

Shmulik is coming for lunch tomorrow, along with Amira and Haim and their son. Yesterday, I went to the gan (nursery school) with Amira to pick Yosef David up...and as soon as he saw me, he ran past Amira, called out "Savta" and came to me. Rotten thing for a mother; amazing thing for a grandmother. And since the daughter loves her mother, she smiled and took it so gracefully.

Davidi and Aliza are home. So, it is a Shabbat that I am blessed to share with all my children and my two grandchildren. Rarely do you feel that life can't really get better than it is at this moment...

When it happens, I think the most important thing is to cherish the moment, thank God for it, and hope it lasts as long as possible.

Moments after posting my last blog entry - again, my phone rang. Again Color Red alert - second time today - incoming missile.

It was aimed at Ashkelon - shot down by our Iron Dome Missile Defense system.

I'm sitting here - not exactly afraid to go back to the kitchen and continue cooking...but hesitant. Yes, hesitant - that's a good word. The sound of the phone calling out "Color Red...Color Red...Color Red..." over and over again is more than I can describe in words.

I just got a new phone...it's a Smartphone, cheap and powerful enough to be fun. The first thing I did was go the App store and download a bunch of really fun (and free) applications. I downloaded one that I had heard about and briefly tried out a few months ago.

This time, it worked. It terrified me, froze me in place. What it does is broadcast live the "Color Red" announcements alerting an area to an incoming missile. I was sitting quietly at my desk when I heard a muffled, strange sound. I realized it was coming from my phone.

I picked up the phone and held it as I listened, "Tzeva Adom. Tzeva Adom. Tzeva Adom." It took me a couple of seconds to realize it was the alert for an incoming missile. And sure enough, seconds later, it came through that a rocket had landed in an open field near Hof Ashkelon.

Why do you have that? My daughter asked me. It's one of those strange things - the need to know in as close to real time what is happening to people in this country. If they are awakened in the middle of the night; startled in the middle of the day, what right do I have to live in quiet and calm?

No, my terror didn't help anyone - and it wasn't really "terror" because even as my mind grasped and translated the words, not for a moment did I think the missile was coming here.

It's a strange feeling to known that a missile is flying towards your country and there is nothing you can do about it. You feel like there is something you should be doing but, of course, there is nothing.

The seconds pass; the missile lands; no injuries are confirmed...and left holding my phone. In southern Israel, tens of thousands of Israelis didn't have the luxury of freezing, as I did. Their "Tzeva Adom. Tzeva Adom. Tzeva Adom. Tzeva Adom...." announcement meant they had to run to shelter with mere seconds making the difference between shelter and tragedy.

It's a horrible application (and totally brilliant)...and I know that so long as there is an Israeli within rocket fire range, I won't uninstall it because it is one of the most important apps in the Android world. There are frivolous ones, silly ones, helpful ones - this one is none of those.

It is an application that broadcasts those agonizing seconds, brings terror to your phone in a way few other things can.

According to Brigadier General Aviv Kochavi, IDF Military Intelligence Chief:

Some 170,000 rockets and missiles are threatening the State of Israel from all regions. Up until recently, the number was much greater and it has decreased, but it will go up again.
They are much more precise and a lot more lethal. The most significant thing we would like to point out is the fact that the enemy has the capability to land mass amounts of arms on Israeli cities.

That's a heck of a lot of rockets, let me tell you.

The Brig. General went on to explain that about 100,000 of them are being stockpiled in Lebanon under the control of Hezbollah, Iran's little puppet. The rest presumably are being held by Hamas.

Apparently, the Reuters journalist was stupid enough to ask for clarification and more information (it reminds me of the Indonesia "journalist" Faisal, who wrote to me during the Cast Lead war wanting information about my son, his unit, his job in the IDF), which Kochavi kindly denied.

My mind crashes at the image of a massive missile launch suddenly and without warning unleashed against Israel. Sure, the IDF jets will scramble and Iron Dome will take down a few, but I think we all know that if such a thing were to happen, the initial casualties would be ...yeah, I'm a writer and I can't get myself to write that next word, so I'll leave it to you to fill in the blank.
So, knowing this, what should we do?

Protest to the UN? Seriously? Expect help from Obama? Yeah, not. Begin a war? No, that might set them back a few months, but the threat remains in the long term. If necessary, we may do that, as we did in Jenin and Cast Lead and Operation Pillar of Defense and so many other times.

But...

So, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to live my life here in the country of my choice, though not the country of my birth. I'm going to put my trust in God and country, or perhaps God and military.

I'm going to believe that God will steer those missiles to the open fields that seem to be a constant landing ground. During the Iran-Iraq war, 40 SCUD missiles were fired at Iran with a death toll of upwards of 2,000 people. During the Desert Storm war, 39 rockets were fired into Israeli cities, with a death toll of 1...the man had a heart attack. Sure, we had massive damage - but to buildings. If you don't believe in God, well, never mind...I believe in God and I believe He stands between us and our enemies every minute of every hour of every day.

So today, Thursday, I'm going to make my shopping list and go buy things I need to make sushi for 70 people, challah for my family, another family, and a bit for the rehabilitation center nearby. I hope I'll do some of the cooking; I'll definitely straighten the house, do laundry, and add more posts to a personal website that got smashed months ago and I've finally managed to bring back online.

I'll see my granddaughter later today, and hopefully my grandson too. I'll talk to or see each of my children, I hope, and I'll change the sheets and manage to do that load of towels that keeps getting pushed aside because everyone needs THEIR laundry done now.

In short, I'll live this moment and the next with total disregard to those 170,000 rockets because I may have 170,000 reasons to be afraid, but I have a million reasons to be grateful and proud.

It's Thursday in Israel. Shabbat is coming. Each week, it is like a massive umbrella comes down, a cone of silence like from that ancient TV show. Go away, we tell the world...nicely, but go away. We can deal with you on Sunday through Friday because we don't have to deal with you today.

And yes, we'll tell those 170,000 rockets that we aren't going to worry about you today. Today, we will live our lives to the fullest, make the most of who we are and what we are. And the greatest secret of all is that we will do the same thing tomorrow, and the day after that.

We know that those rockets will have to be taken care of...and they will be. In any manner of ways. Perhaps a suspicious explosion. Perhaps a computer virus that reprograms their directional signals. Perhaps some other technical glitch, the marvel of our soldiers and the greatest of minds.

Perhaps there will be a war...perhaps only an operation. Whatever will be, as that old song goes, will be. The future and all that...

But as a citizen of Israel, all I can do is live my life today, marvel at the sun, hope the chicken will be on sale, and hope the avocados for the sushi will be ripe.

May the God of Israel watch over us, our sons and daughters who guard our borders, our military intelligence leaders who watch those 170,000 rockets.

Shabbat shalom from the blessed land of Israel.

I guess somewhere in my brain, I knew that as my children got older, they would marry and I'm blessed that three of them have. I guess that somewhere in my brain, I knew that my children would have children, and I'm blessed that two of them have.

It is amazing to watch your daughter become a mother; your son to become a a father. I think they will both be better parents than I ever was, though I know I tried and continue to try so hard to live up to the image of the mother I want them to remember.

Elie came here the other day and told me the cutest story. From a young man who talks more of the harder things in life, this was so special. They need to get little Michal a US passport so that she can fly with them to visit Lauren's family. So while Lauren was at work, Elie was going to go to the photo shop and print out passport pictures and get the process started.

Only, the photo shop's machine broke down minutes before Elie got there and there's only one place in our mall that does this. Unsure what to do, Elie went to the Ministry of Interior office - yes, right there in the mall and learned something. They do pictures...but not for babies.

Except, Michal was so cute and Elie really wanted to get it done, so the women decided to try. After you take the picture, the computer rates whether or not the picture is "good" enough to pass. Two women tried to make sure smile and get the picture right. This is the image in my mind - these women and Elie playing with a baby. They couldn't get enough of her.

Finally, after getting two "14"s - when you need a 15, one of the women went to the supervisor and told him - enough, give this one your signature, and he did.

There are other images lately - of Elie adeptly changing Michal's diaper, of him picking her up with two hands under her arms and holding her at eye level and saying to her and her alone, "Abba love you!"

I am blessed to have children, a son and daughter-in-law, a daughter and son-in-law, who are amazing parents. I don't think I was ever as patient, as calm, as knowledgeable as they are.

When your son becomes a father, when your daughter becomes a mother - the gift they give to you is perhaps among the most precious in the world. They tell you that no matter what you did or didn't do as a parent - they came out not just alright, but amazing.