Thinking About Israel: A New Kind of 'Normal'
Waking up in the morning, and running to turn on CNN is a rather unusual activity for me to engage in at 5:00 am. Sometimes, it is also the case that I wake up in the middle of the night and come to the computer to check the Jerusalem Post Also, I go to this make-up site where I communicate with women from Israel, to see whether there are any words from them, as I am constantly thinking about their safety. When there is silence, I worry, thinking about what life must be like for them now, and many in Israel, as I wonder how what are thinking and how they are passing their days. My primary concern is for the people of the State of Israel, their families, and everything that they have had to endure there, daily being surrounded by many people who hate you, and having to live like this day after day. I cannot imagine what this must feel like, at any level.
Daily, I receive emails telling me what can be done to support Israel. Activities include fundamentals such a prayers, to sending money, buying goods made in Israel, and showing support through rallys and other activities. As many of you know, we are leaving for our trip in 2 weeks, and now, more than ever before, it feels as if this trip is more of an obligation than anything else. One can forget how comfortable his/her life can be, how we take something that feels small and unimportant for granted. After such difficulties, death, and illness of family members, I have learned that nothing can truly ever be taken for granted, since what we think we have can change, perish or evaporate into thin air in an instant. This difficult lesson, I have had to experience personally. Going to Israel, now, at this time, is my way to offer my heart, my hand, and my support to my fellow Jews who must live through these difficult times, each and every day, with uncertainty, yet shrouded in a veil of prayer and hope that life will be better.
Comments from our friends and family go from fear, trepediation, and horror, to telling us that we are admirable to offer such kindness at this time. Frankly, it does not really matter what others say, or think about why we are going. What truly matters is that this crisis will end.
So I say and give many thank yous to the soldiers, the members of the IDF at this time. May you return to your homes quickly and safely.
Thank you for your minds.
Daily, I receive emails telling me what can be done to support Israel. Activities include fundamentals such a prayers, to sending money, buying goods made in Israel, and showing support through rallys and other activities. As many of you know, we are leaving for our trip in 2 weeks, and now, more than ever before, it feels as if this trip is more of an obligation than anything else. One can forget how comfortable his/her life can be, how we take something that feels small and unimportant for granted. After such difficulties, death, and illness of family members, I have learned that nothing can truly ever be taken for granted, since what we think we have can change, perish or evaporate into thin air in an instant. This difficult lesson, I have had to experience personally. Going to Israel, now, at this time, is my way to offer my heart, my hand, and my support to my fellow Jews who must live through these difficult times, each and every day, with uncertainty, yet shrouded in a veil of prayer and hope that life will be better.
Comments from our friends and family go from fear, trepediation, and horror, to telling us that we are admirable to offer such kindness at this time. Frankly, it does not really matter what others say, or think about why we are going. What truly matters is that this crisis will end.
So I say and give many thank yous to the soldiers, the members of the IDF at this time. May you return to your homes quickly and safely.
Thank you for your minds.
10 Comments:
It is sad that strife has become the rule rather than the exception in that part of the world.
PFP
when people change the world will change, evil has poisoned the mind of many nations and cultures... Government has not control without the support of the people.... It is up to the people in all communities to make a change.. Isreal,the US, wherever... As long as we allow and participate in cruel activities it will continue... Evil and ugliness has to be feed.. People just have to starve the beast literrally to death...
Praying regularly for peace.
Seeing how the troubles in the Middle East right now can effect people all over the world gives me hope we can all over come these wars in time..together..in peace.
I have friends who just moved to Canada from Israel and they are grateful to have left when they did with their little boy but so worried for loved ones.Tough times but together,we can overcome in time.I will never give up on peace.
Never.
There can be no peace until Iran and Syria stop the meddling and funding. That's a tough task, especially with Russia and China taking a softer stance against those two countries than we are.
Yes, my fervent prayer is for an expedient end to the crisis. I hope Israel roots out Hezbollah ASAP, but not before the job is done.
It seems unlikely, from everything I know about this area that peace is possible. What I hope and pray for is that this crisis ends quickly, so that life can return to some sense of normalcy. I can only imagine the toll this is taking on everyone. Personally, I am sitting in the comforts of my Ca. home, and come sick each and every day I read about these confrontations.
Yes, Syria and Iran are indeed factors to be reckoned with, along with China and Russia too.
Peace to Israel
I hope the soldiers go home too and stop killing so many civilians and destroying the landscape. I'm sure they miss their mothers just as much as anyone else. All these missiles and the hundreds of "bunker-busters" that the U.S. today announced it will be sending Isreal will surely do much more damage before we see the kind of peace Condoleeza is hinting at. Just think of what it will look like if these destructive devices are designed specifically to be able to blow 40 meters into the ground, through concrete or whatever!
I admire you for continuing your trip to Israel (I think this kind of confidence in travel is especially needed now). I fear that Isreali and Lebanese tourism will be killed by all this, at least for awhile. It's too bad, Beirut is/was such a cosmopolitan city and it's too bad things have been poor for so long now in Gaza. I encourage both sides to see the merit of a ceasefire instead of a priority in "overcoming". While Moshe Dayan, Arafat, Rabin, Sharon and others have faded away in the fight to overcome enemies (and in a few cases, actually diplomatically work with them), the crisis continues. We all have to constantly learn and relearn how to live together in peace.
Not that I want to depress you or anything, but I would recommend this blog for its coverage of the issue:
http://terrorism-news.blogspot.com/
I’m in London and I have to say I never thought I’d see the day when suicide bombers struck us here.
I grew up feeling quite safe. None of us ever thought we’d see suicide bombers on our streets, wars we’re something that always happened ‘elsewhere’
Now we’re a nation that’s got used to bombings (I.R.A originally) and there’s a part of us that is always on edge now when using public transport since suicide bombers struck.
In London we’ve had to come to terms with the fact that this will happen again. More of us will be killed; the level of violence and frequency of attack will continue to increase. I have no faith in our government to do the right thing.
I also hope that this ends soon for everyone concerned. The world feels so full of carnage and destruction; it’s heartbreaking seeing it all unfold on the news. Just wanted to let you know that we are thinking of all that are caught up in this, we pray that peace comes fast and more importantly that it holds out.
Jamie
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