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"When the sirens sound, residents have less than a minute to take cover. But, where do you hide when you are in an open field?"
Jerusalemites unaffected by war; those near Gaza feel the impact
Special to The Voice & Herald I ARRIVED in Israel on Monday evening, Dec. 29.1 have been to Israel many times during the last 40 years. However, this is the first time that I have visited Israel during a widening war.
The first sign that this flight was atypical became clear one hour before landing at Ben Gurion Airport. At that time, a flight attendant informed everyone that no one would be permitted to leave his or her seat 30 minutes before arrival. She strongly suggested that everyone "take care of business" before that time. I had not experienced this regulation before. Then, just prior to the final reminder, passengers were told not to leave their scats - that anyone who did would immediately be escorted back to his or her seat. She was apologetic and informed everyone that this regulation was the policy of the Israeli government and not of Delta Airlines. Her final message was that Delta is required to divert the aircraft to another country if even one passenger is not seated. All passengers got the message and stayed in their seats.
I was pleasantly surprised to meet my son Daniel (also known as Dani) at the aircraft's exit door. He was able to use his connections with Nefesh B'Nefesh (an organization that helps people make Aliyah) to make this possible. As he is a member of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Dani greeted me in uniform. How proud I was!
We traveled to Jerusalem where we stayed overnight and Dani returned to his base early the next morning where he is a student in a medic training program. The next evening  Wednesday - Dani was given permission to leave his base to spend some time with me. We took the opportunity to visit relatives at Kibbutz Gat, near the town of Kiryat Gat which is in range of rockets launched from Gaza.
I did not "feel" the war while in Jerusalem. The populace was calm and it was business as usual. However, I received a reality check during my time at Kibbutz Gat. My relative's daughter, Iris, was visiting with her two young sons. Iris and her family live near Ashdod which has been hit several times by missiles launched from Gaza. Her children were to stay with their grandparents that evening because schools were closed in the region because of the danger of a rocket attack and Iris had to work. I could see fear and stress in Iris' face. The children, too, were clearly aware of what was happening. It was fortuitous that schools were closed because a few days before my visit, a rocket crashed through the roof of a school building in Beersheba during the time children would have been in school.
During dinner, I heard the following story. The family - grandparents, children, and grandchildren - had gathered together a week before at the kibbutz cemetery to visit the graves of loved ones. During this visit, air raid sirens from Kiryat Gat were heard warning of a missile attack. When the sirens sound, residents have less than a minute to take cover. But, where do you hide when you are in an open field? The parents did their best to protect their children. One girl turned to her father and asked, "Does this mean that I am going to die?" Fortunately, it was a false alarm. However, one can't help but wonder how such events might affect the psyche of children who are exposed to these kinds of terror.
On Thursday, I anticipated with pleasure spending a beautiful Shabbat in Jerusalem with Dani. Thursday afternoon he called and said all military leaves had been canceled because of the situation in Gaza and that he would have to remain on his base for the weekend. Although disappointed, I understood the situation. A few short hours later, Dani, euphoric, called to say that he would, after all, be allowed to leave the base, though he would need his mobile phone with him at all times, including during Shabbat. An observant Jew, Dani found it "weird" to have his cell phone with him while attending Shabbat services.
It is now motzi Shabbat (Saturday night) and I recently learned that Israel launched a ground invasion into Gaza. I hope and pray for the safety and well-being of the brave soldiers of the IDF who are fighting to protect citizens in harm's way.
Ezra Stieglitz is a member ofthe editorial board o/The Voice & Herald and a professor at Rhode Island College.
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