I too live in Israel. I moved about a year ago and my apartment was destroyed in June. It's been fixed, but with no shelter i stay with my son, daughter-in-law and three young children running down 3 flights to the shelter. This article perfectly encapsulates the reality here. The alarms are a real nuisance, but there is no panic. May we have a quick and decisive victory.
Your essay really moved me. I can’t imagine living with that constant cycle of waiting, sirens, and shelter. I’m grateful I missed Vietnam by only a few months — war is something most of us can barely grasp unless we’ve lived it.
As a Jew in the diaspora, I want to share something personal. Since October 7th, something has changed. I live in Canada, but it no longer feels like home the way it once did. Israel — even though I’ve never been there and likely never will because of age and health — feels like the only true home I have.
In a strange way, I even envy you. Not the danger, of course, but the fact that you are among your own people, sharing the burden together. Many of us in the diaspora feel increasingly alone. At least in Israel you are surrounded by brothers and sisters. That sense of belonging is something many of us outside Israel are struggling to find today.
Hana, a heartfelt thank you. So eloquently written. I’m a Brit on an extended stay in Israel, with a view to making Aliyah. I had returned to London for a week when the war started, and thankfully El Al flew me back to Israel on March 12. Being back in Israel, as you say, the country does its utmost to protect its people. Like you, and everyone in Israel, I get on with my life, sirens, shelters and gratitude.
Thanks you so much, Hana. We Diaspora Jews cannot imagine what it’s like to be in Israel right now and you have provided a vivid, personal perspective that does shed light on it. Please know that, trite as it might sound, you are not alone. There are a lot of us out here who try to keep as informed as we can and send our love and admiration.
I am living through the war in Tel Aviv. And while I appreciate and share your observations about Israelis showing incredible care towards one another, as if we truly are all related, I wish I could share your sentiments about being cared for by the Israeli government. My two friends who are wheelchair bound have no access to a shelter. None. The elderly and disabled are systematically abandoned by the government that has a legal duty to protect them. Recent articles in the Jerusalem Post talk about this neglect of our most vulnerable. A petition was recently submitted to the government to get them to act. To enforce the laws already on the books to protect the disabled and elderly. It would help the cause if this was highlighted in your report and any future reports about what is happening on the ground in Israel right now.
I too live in Israel. I moved about a year ago and my apartment was destroyed in June. It's been fixed, but with no shelter i stay with my son, daughter-in-law and three young children running down 3 flights to the shelter. This article perfectly encapsulates the reality here. The alarms are a real nuisance, but there is no panic. May we have a quick and decisive victory.
Your essay really moved me. I can’t imagine living with that constant cycle of waiting, sirens, and shelter. I’m grateful I missed Vietnam by only a few months — war is something most of us can barely grasp unless we’ve lived it.
As a Jew in the diaspora, I want to share something personal. Since October 7th, something has changed. I live in Canada, but it no longer feels like home the way it once did. Israel — even though I’ve never been there and likely never will because of age and health — feels like the only true home I have.
In a strange way, I even envy you. Not the danger, of course, but the fact that you are among your own people, sharing the burden together. Many of us in the diaspora feel increasingly alone. At least in Israel you are surrounded by brothers and sisters. That sense of belonging is something many of us outside Israel are struggling to find today.
Hana, a heartfelt thank you. So eloquently written. I’m a Brit on an extended stay in Israel, with a view to making Aliyah. I had returned to London for a week when the war started, and thankfully El Al flew me back to Israel on March 12. Being back in Israel, as you say, the country does its utmost to protect its people. Like you, and everyone in Israel, I get on with my life, sirens, shelters and gratitude.
Beautiful and simple prose about something so complex. Thank you Hanna. Stay safe.
Beautiful, sensitive and poetic!
Easy to not think about the individual’s experience of war and the accompanying stress of trying to hold your life together.
Bless you and your countrymen. Stay safe and know that there are many who believe in Israel. Shalom.
Thanks you so much, Hana. We Diaspora Jews cannot imagine what it’s like to be in Israel right now and you have provided a vivid, personal perspective that does shed light on it. Please know that, trite as it might sound, you are not alone. There are a lot of us out here who try to keep as informed as we can and send our love and admiration.
I am living through the war in Tel Aviv. And while I appreciate and share your observations about Israelis showing incredible care towards one another, as if we truly are all related, I wish I could share your sentiments about being cared for by the Israeli government. My two friends who are wheelchair bound have no access to a shelter. None. The elderly and disabled are systematically abandoned by the government that has a legal duty to protect them. Recent articles in the Jerusalem Post talk about this neglect of our most vulnerable. A petition was recently submitted to the government to get them to act. To enforce the laws already on the books to protect the disabled and elderly. It would help the cause if this was highlighted in your report and any future reports about what is happening on the ground in Israel right now.
Completely agree. I am very fortunate to have a mamad, but this war is also a story of the haves and have nots. I’m researching for a future article.
Thank you for your honest insights, Hanna. Be safe, be happy.
Thank you Hana for bearing witness. Stay safe.