Hamas War

Monday, February 9, 2009

Things That Go Bump in the Night

"The Syndrome of the South." Sound like a new dance? Nah..... It goes like this:
What do "normal" people do when things go "bump" in the night..... or during the day? Therein lies the answer to the above query.

Let me give you an example: Yesterday I was at a wedding in Jerusalem where many of the participants were from Sederot and Netivot . We arrived early before the band really got going, when suddenly something big fell. There was a huge BOOOOOOOOOOOOM. And, tens of people literally jumped into the air and made various sounds all meaning more or less, "YIKES! What was THAT?????" Then, one of the women started laughing and said, "Just look at us! You can see exactly who went through the Cast Lead Operation in safety and who was bombed. This is the Syndrome of the South!"

Yesterday morning started out more or less as usual. Putting on my make-up I listen to the news, a bad habit that I picked up during the war. (Bad, because since Arutz 7 was banned from the airwaves here, you can't get anything vaguely resembling objective reporting on the radio. I don't own a t.v., but guess the same goes for there as well.) Anyway, back to my morning: midway through putting on mascara the radio newscaster announces, "Color Red alert in Sederot! Color Red alert in Sederot!" (Several of my pupils slept through this one.)

A few seconds or perhaps a moment later my husband (0n his way out to shul) and I hear a faint baby booooom in the distance. **sigh** Just another day. But, this brings me to my second query, now that we all know what the Syndrome of the South is. Why the *&%(*&^$*&_+)((*^( doesn't anyone give a ding-dong that we are still getting rockets lobbed at us? Because thankfully nobody has been killed? Does anyone reading this have any idea whatsoever as to just how traumatized Sederot's citizens are after 8 years of rocketing? Not to mention the newly traumatized of Cast Lead. On my way to the wedding, I sat on the bus near a friend whose daughter has been a Sederot resident for the past 7 years. The Thursday before that wretched cease fire (wretched because since we're still getting rocketed, apparently the work wasn't completed,) a young mother of three had her home sustain a direct hit by a rocket. Thankfully only her husband was home at the time, safely situated in his "mamad." (bomb shelter room)

But, nothing in life is simple. I spoke with the family whose home in Netivot sustained a direct hit that first Shabbat when our Air Force began bombing Chamas. I asked him how his family was doing. His response was that it isn't simple at all. During the war, things seemed under control and everyone appeared okay psychologically speaking. But, with the war's end and the lowering levels of adrenaline, it seems his kids need counseling and thankfully are getting it. But, I ask again, my heart beating with anger as I type these words: Why the HE** doesn't anybody care that we are still getting rocketed?????? If you have an answer for me, please post a comment.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

You ask, "Why don't people care?" Most don't care because what is terrible where you are doesn't impact them where they are. It's a lot like why people don't care if you have an invisible illness either. They're busy with their own life, circumstances and problems and basically don't want to think about someone else's situation. Basically most humans are selfish and lazy and though they may care they don't or won't express it.

There isn't much I can do personally for you my dear other than to send positive thoughts your way.
Gentle Hugs ;-D

Anonymous said...

Probably because "there is nothing new under the sun".

When our ancestors were cooped up in shtetls, they got blamed for events that were hundreds of mile away from them.

And G-d forbid that a Jew defended himself when a pogrom reared its ugly head... that made us twice as evil!

The one thing that will probably not change before the redemption is that the goyim will always expect us to roll over and get beat. They will never see us a justified in defending ourselves.

It's been this way for at least 2000 years... so, the only thing we can do is strike back at our enemies and defend our children. I really could care less what the non-Jews (or left-wing Jews for that matter) think about us.

If we defend ourselves, we're evil. If we show mercy, we're still evil. But I'd rather be alive and thought of as evil than do be dead under the same circumstances.

Batya said...

Esther, thanks for posting this. The ramifications go on forever. I remember jumping and screaming in the bus when someone closed a window. It's physiological.

Netivotgirl said...

Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond. It means a great deal to me! Before I was in THIS war, I thought I understood my pupils from Sederot, but I was wrong. Had I really understood how miserable this situation is, I'd have written Knesset members, phoned the media and in short raised HE** to have the world know how untenable this situation is.
G-d bless you all for caring enough to respond!

Hadassa DeYoung said...

Shalom!
Unfortunately the answer is very simple. The missiles are landing in the Negev. For those unfamiliar with Israeli demographics the answer to the following question is necessary. Who lives in the Negev? Largely immigrants mostly from Arab countries, Ethiopia and the CIS. The fact that most of these immigrants are at least traditional and many are religious does not "help" matters. The fact that problems with Gaza persist even after the expulsion of the most annoying groups of all - traditional/religious SETTLERS, many of whom are immigrants, is especially troubling.
A lot of whistling car noises resemble very closely the launch of a mortar, especially at night. I've been told that Elon Moreh is too high to be in missile range of the Arabs from Shechem but I often wonder... Over 9,000 GKers and their guests know exactly what you're going through.
Hang in there Netivotgirl! If we break, they win!
Hadassa DeYoung, K'far Darom,Elon Moreh

Netivotgirl said...

Hadassah, Thank you for taking time out to voice your support!!What you wrote is politically incorrect but SOOOO factual that it hurts! That's why for years I've been hoping that a rocket land in Hertzylia Pituach or Givatyim.... NOT WANTING people physically hurt at all, just to let them FEEL what it's like!

Our country, sadly, is broken up into camps. The tiny elite ashkenazi non-frum Tel Aviv area one, and the traditional to Orthodox Jews elsewhere.

If you are from Kfar Darom, we have many friends in common, Hadassah. Ariella Lilental works at my Ulpana. Noga Cohen was my pupil (in the middle ages:)

When friends of mine in the Gush (One of my dearest friends is Miram Namburg of Neve Dekalim) would tell me their kids could recognize the ammo and rockets, what it is; whose it is; from where fired; etc. I used to think it was an exaggeration. I now know better.

Let us together pray for Moshiach's arrival and the return of all you GKers to your homes, may they be rebuilt speedily in our days!

Hadassa DeYoung said...

Shalom!
Every child over the age of ten could tell the difference between the launch of an anti-tank missile and that of a mortar. We experienced only a few Katushas and no Grads so we weren't experts on those. Flares are launched out of same kind of launcher as a mortar and the launches are almost identical so those night-time noises were quite confusing.
Noga Cohen was my neighbor (adjacent lawn) for our last years in the Gush. Their move from one end of our row to the other was postponed for two years because of the kids re-hab. I'll never forget our late night sessions helping her with various English matters or the mortars that repeatedly broke their windows (and more). The car alarm people knew when it was a mortar that set off the alarm. Nothing ever phased Noga!
G-d willing, we will return (again)!
Send me your email address through Batya if you like.
Hadassa

RivkA with a capital A said...

The people care! At least most do. The elections show what the people want. What the politicians decide to do it a completely different story.