Gemahim, gemahim everywhere

Among the crazy things I am doing this year is taking a course in journalism in a college in Yerushalaim.  

So, here I am pretending to write, and in the break I run to the facilities to wash my face.  And there, at the mirror, is a box of make-up wipes, with a note on them: "גמ"ח למי שרוצה לקחת" = Gemah for whoever wants to take.

Ceasefire

I guess we don't yet deserve to win.

Very sad.

Yes, we still have to thank HaShem for the many, many miracles.  The miracle of Iron Dome.  The miracles of so few people being hurt.  

But watching the enemy celebrating their victory in Azza right now is really painful.

Kipat Barzel

I apologize for forgetting to mention another Israeli leader, with whom I do not agree, who did a tremendously important thing for Am Yisrael.

Amir Peretz, who is way too left for my tastes, was the initiator of the Iron Dome batteries, which have shot down over a hundred missiles from Azza in the past 3 days.

No one is perfect.  There are a lot of different groups with their own ideas of how to help Am Yisrael and develop Eretz Yisrael.  And Hashem is using many of those groups to bring blessing, salvation and Geula.

It is up to us to appreciate all of Hashem's hasadim and his messengers.

Hessed, hessed everywhere

Of course, you will not be surprised to hear that the "Isuzu 4x4" email forum has created an internet link for purposes of hosting families from the areas under fire.

And the fact that none of us are surprised shows how great Israelis are.  No one is too concerned with his own personal life and leisure to be apathetic now.

I hope that the rubbing shoulders involved in hosting people from the south, will help the hosts from everywhere in the country feel closer and more caring about our brothers all around the country.

Gaining Historical Perspective

DH was at work , minding his work-related business, when a co-worker, presenting information at a meeting, gets a call from her babysitter in Gedera.  "What should I do,  we were just ordered to spend the next few hours in the miklat."  Should she take the kids to her parents' house?  Stay at the house with no adult till she gets home?  Go to a neighbour?

Parents have to leave work early - if their work is within those 40 km from Azza, work is over for today or longer.   If not, they have to stop, abandon what they are doing, and get back to the kids.

They pick up all ten kids who are still waiting for a bus at Masmiya.  yes, the car has only 7 seats.  But leaving them out there exposed - is that better?

The makolet is open for a couple of hours.  People are trying to get out as fast as they can.  While they want to make each other feel better, each person is preoccupied with their personal worries.  One woman's preemie nephew has been moved to another hospital.  One grandmother ha five grandchildren serving in the army now.   Everyone is a bundle of nerves, fuses are short.

How many wars have you been in Israel for?  How did affect your mood?

Israel has had more than one war per decade.   And that is without counting all the "periods" of terror attacks, pogroms, and general anti-Jewish/ anti-Israeli activity by Arabs, that have been going on for over one hundred years.

Nerves in Israel are tight.  Moods fluctuate quickly.  it would be interesting to do a psychological study of the Israeli Personality.  But we all know , without any statistics, that an Israeli is a loving, caring, tense, hurried-and-worried, doing-the-best-she-can parent, sister, grandmother, daughter, who has been too too many funerals.

That our neighbours and coworkers are not complete traumatized is a miracle.

I think that it behooves us to show some appreciation for what "Israelis" go through and have been going through for all these decades, in order to enable our generation to make Aliya to a first-world country that was complete desert only 75 years ago.  
More understanding, patience and kind words to our Israeli neighbours, more emotional support, and more involvement in national issues, seem a good way to start.


My latest idea is to collect games to take to people living in their miklatim.