Dear friends and customers,
I want to share with you some of what we are all going through in the past weeks.
Those past 20 days were the most difficult days I have ever experienced.
I keep asking myself, what is next? What is the point if my children will not grow old?
I'm in a permanent state of grief, nothing seems important anymore. Things that used to bother me, I do not notice, things that made me laugh, now make me cry.
I live in a small community, (Sede Eliezer, Upper Galil, Hula Valey), 6.8 km (4.5 miles) form the Lebanese border. Almost every town and settlement north of us was evacuated.
Since October 7th or as we now call it Shiv'a Be'october (translated to a shiva in october), we are surrounded with IDF troops, making us all feel a bit more secure. Because underneath the grief there is a deep fear. We always felt secure and protected, not anymore.
Everyone in this small community is on it- some are taking care for our soldiers welfare- like food, laundry and showers, others are creating activities for the children (no schools are open in our region), we guard and patrol our small village, give laundry services to our evacuated friends, and we cry.
My two dogs also show signs of trauma. Where we live, you constantly hear the rockets launch (or fall) and the cannon bombs. All combat aircrafts fly over my house, not to mention the loud siren when we are being fired at. All this music scares them. They too know to run straight to the safe room once the sirens are on. Being so close to the border means we only have 30 seconds to get in the room and close the door. Since October 7, we all have a wood “thing” that locks the door from the inside. Lesson learned.
In this massive darkness, the people, us, are a strong light.
We were the ones that took control over this civilian crisis when our government was, and still is dormant!
Together, Jews and non Jews, religious and secular, all Israelis! All those tribes that we thought could not live together- we held hands and stood up. And I am so proud, prouder than I've ever been. And thankful.
Thankful that this is my home and those are my people!
And maybe, just maybe, that is point of it all.
I wish us all peace