There is a war going on in our country.
Fathers, brothers, sons, cousins and friends are leaving their families to go fight this war. The people left behind remain worried, nervous and on edge. They brace for the worst and pray for the best.
Wars are different when your life is touched by it – when you know the soldiers fighting. In Jerusalem, our lives are not affected physically by what’s going on, at least not yet. But emotionally, it is on our minds and spoken about constantly.
It is a harrowing to see and hear the goings on of the war, yet I am grateful I’m here. I want to be affected by what’s affecting my people. Recently, I went to Sderot and Kiryat Malachi. I spoke with children who live there, and they told me a story about a prank one of their friends pulled.
Here’s the backstory: Whenever a rocket is on route to a town, an alarm sounds so the people have ten – fifteen seconds to get to shelter. This alarm was downloaded to someone’s cell phone and as a prank set off. Everyone ran in different directions while the prankster yelled, “Bedicha, bedicha!” (It’s a joke, it’s a joke!)
I look at their reality, and think about why I am in Israel. I think about the people living in the cities that are being attacked. It boggles the mind how small we are as a people and yet how our religion and country seem to be larger than life. I yearn for a day when our struggles end and our faith proves the truth. Until then, I live here and help where there is opportunity. I hope and pray that’s enough. Otherwise, I might need to join the army.
