A COUNTRY AT WAR

A Country At War

Israel is at war. Battling to destroy Hamas, a band of evil people bent on killing and destroying as many Jews as they can. What does a country at war look like? How do people feel? What are Israelis’ reactions to the situation where thousands of soldiers are called up to the front, and where the Jew-haters fire missiles into areas that are closer and closer inland? (The fact that they have been firing missiles onto Jews and their homes, kindergartens, shops, streets for years, even before the Disengagement, and why this has not really bothered most people, is for another time.) I’ll give you a taste of what it’s like to be living in a country that’s at war.

Everywhere you go, you hear people worrying about the ‘Southerners’ - the Israelis who live in the south of Israel, which is the main focus of the missiles from our enemies in ‘Aza (Gaza).

When the news comes on on the news, the bus driver turns up the volume, and everyone is totally silent until it’s over (that’s really something for a busful of Israelis)

Army Radio played ‘Shir Lama’alot, Esa Einay el Heharim…’ (’A Psalm of Ascents; I raise my eyes to the mountains…’) the other day, in support of the soldiers and the residents of the south, and perhaps as some sort of prayer for them.

I also heard Army Radio broadcasting a short interview with the mother of a soldier who had been injured in the war. Her main message: it was miraculous that he was only injured as much as he was injured: thank G-d.

Everywhere you go, you see banners and posters declaring support of the IDF and of the residents from the south.

Also on the radio: a software company started a website where families from the south can be paired up with ‘adopting’ families from other areas, so that they can get some peace and quiet from the terror and anxiety and worry of living in a place where at any moment a missile could land on your roof or head. Families can apply anonymously if they wish.

An initiative of the Chief Rabbi of Rechovot pairs volunteers with soldiers who are in the battlefield, where the volunteer gets the soldier’s Hebrew name, and prays and does Mitzvot as a merit of protection for that soldier. (Want to participate? Send an email to maortlmo@gmail.com )

Organizations are bringing southern residents into the centre of the country for visits, to stay for a while, to take their minds off the situation… Individuals are actively getting involved too.
People are praying for the soldiers’ safety and success, and for the safety of the residents of the south.

I feel a sense of great unity of purpose amongst Israelis of all types and leanings, in the justice and necessity of this war.

Do you have a special story about the war, about a heartwarming response to the situation of the Israelis in the south, or about a strong supportive gesture for the soldiers? Add it in a comment!
May our beloved soldiers succeed in stamping out all evil in ‘Aza, and in destroying our enemies. May they bring calm and tranquility over all of our Land, and may G-d protect and safeguard our soldiers and all our brothers and sisters, precious Jews, especially those in the south, within range of the missiles that our enemies are firing at us.

taken from : Tzipiyah.com