Pride

November 22, 2012

I'm tired. I'm emotionally and physically worn out from this past week and I'm not even a fighter in the army.  As a soldier on the Naval base in Ashdod, I've been bombarded by missiles the past two weeks. Every 10 minutes I had to drop what I was doing and run to a bomb shelter.  But that hardly was exhausting. As part of my position in the army, my soldiers turn to me for help and advice.  Not only do I educate them and take them on hikes, but I'm also a friend, a shoulder to lean on, and a break from reality.  So when my soldiers came in day after day, night after night with horrifying stories, tears in their eyes, broken down spirits, and a longing for their moms, I, too, felt what they felt.  These are 18 year old boys that should be drinking beer and hanging out with friends.  They should not be going out to sea in a war against terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Running for our lives is something that Israelis are not willing to accept.  This ceasefire is temporary.  No more than 10 minutes after CNN reported that the ceasefire had been put into effect I was running to a bomb shelter yet again.  These past two weeks was just a small taste of what goes on in Israel.  The rockets didn't start two weeks ago, they started 12 years ago.  We just didn't fight back as hard, because we have heart. We understand the value of human life,  we understand the implications of our actions, and we understand the importance to defend our homeland.  And defending the civilians of the south and of all of Medinat Yisrael was what the past two weeks were all about.  I can only pray that it worked...

November 30, 2012

It seems as if the world has forgotten already that a week ago there was a war against Israel.  They have forgotten about the civilians that ran for cover, about the bus bomb, about the rockets that fell like rain over the south and the center of Israel.  Sometimes I feel that in Israel, too, people have forgotten.  But then, every once in a while I hear a noise and I stop and think about where the closest shelter is. Sometimes, even after the ceasefire, my "tzeva adom" application on my iphone goes off when there is a rocket in Sderot or the surrounding areas.  And then I remember.  I remember that even though the news is no longer covering the situation, there still is a situation.  And I have to admit, that I have tried SO hard to think about the other side.  But I just cannot seem to understand how people sympathize with Hamas.  With the citizens of Gaza, I  do sympathize.  I feel terrible they truly believed that Hamas would help improve their state of living.  I feel terrible that they live in fear of their government.  That they send their children to learn how to be terrorists, that instead of listening to Israel's warning to evacuate a building, they gather more people--ready to die--when Israel comes to bomb (which they usually won't if there are people inside).  

But we are not the bad guy.  We are simply doing what Hamas does not: protecting our citizens.  The past few weeks have made me so incredibly proud to be Jewish, Israeli, and most importantly, a soldier.    I am a part of something incredible.  I am a part of a movement that works night and day, week after week, month after month, year after year, to protect my country.  I may not be a fighter, but I help this country survive.  And every day I am happy to be here.