Guest Post: Waiting for Normal Life to Return to Netivot

From Life on the border with Gaza - things people may not know (but should)

Waiting for Normal Life to Return to Netivot
by Esther Hilf Revivo

We had a quiet (I wish) night Motzei Shabbat. There were 4 rockets sent to the Eshkol Region -- but nobody gives a ding-dong about THAT! The tanks are still there so the terrorists are behaving themselves, relatively speaking. If you call 40,000 people rioting and throwing thousands of grenades and other explosives at our IDF all through the night behaving. But there was no breaching of the fence.

Our government has to look for a long-term solution, which it does NOT CARE TO DO! So we, especially those on the border, continue to suffer from the whims of Hamas, as do innocent Gazans who want peace, and indeed they do exist! I've heard one speak twice on my laptop via Adele Raemer, a friend living on the border Kibbutz, Nirim.

We are fed up with the apathy of the government, media and all of the country outside of the area affected by the present violence. Below I will present an article posted in The Times of Israel on Friday, March 29th, by Joshua Davidovich and address each of his points.

I originally penned this on Friday but nothing has changed since then. We are in the same stalemate! Rioting continued on the border and the noise was unbearable at border settlements and clearly heard here in Netivot from Friday until motzei Shabbat! We were awakened on Shabbat at 4 and 6 a.m. by huge BOOMS from an IDF tank that targeted a Hamas outpost. The government reacts but is not proactive in seeking solutions.

Before I answer Mr. Davidovich’s points, let me tell you that ALL of Netivot has descended on the shops to fill up on food, bottled water and gas for their cars. We are mentally prepared for war. Everyone is walking on eggshells and feels terribly tense. The noise last night was horrific. I couldn't stop thinking of our soldiers out there. Well, here are what aforementioned Joshua Davidovich sitting safely in Central Israel had to write and my responses:

1. "BRACING FOR THE WORST: Massive protests on the Gaza border are not planned to take place until Saturday afternoon, but Israel already seems to be at peak gird."

BOOOOOOOMING all last night. That was Thursday, March 28, 2019. The first arrivers to the party threw HUGE explosives at our IDF. One thankfully blew up in their faces seriously wounding 5 terrorists. What a boom that was. My friends at the border had ANOTHER sleepless night. How much more can we take?

2. “According to the Walla news site, senior commanders are preparing for a variety of scenarios, including the possibility of deterioration to the point of a large-scale ground operation. TOI’s Judah Ari Gross notes that “The Israeli military is preparing for the possibility that Saturday’s protests will be some of the most violent yet.”

We know. We see the tanks and here the drones etc. But there have been preparations before and the GOVERNMENT HAS WIMPED OUT. We’ve had a year of Hamas violence specifically rockets, grenades, incendiary balloons, etc. AND WE ARE FED UP!

3. “Though Hamas is referring to the Land Day demonstrations as the ‘million-man march,’ only a few tens of thousands of people are expected to participate. The weather, which is currently predicted to be cold, rainy and windy, may help keep the numbers even lower than that,” he adds.

A FEW? How are "only tens of thousands” a few?! Get your butt down here to smell the fires; hear the noise from the grenades thrown at our soldiers, and tell me how you would feel if you were not be able to calm your children's fears nor stop them wetting their beds at ages 10- 12!!!

4. “According to Yedioth Ahronoth, troops will be stationed along the border starting Friday, with ‘tensions reaching their peak.’ Trying for a truce: Reports indicate that Egyptian mediators are still working furiously to try to broker some sort of calm ahead of the expected melee. On Thursday, the delegation passed a message from Israel to Hamas, telling the Gaza-ruling terror group: ‘Any mistake you make on Saturday could lead to war,’ Channel 12 news reports."

Yeah, yeah. Heard that for a year but we still have no solution. HAMAS IS STILL CALLING THE SHOTS! We only react mildly, which doesn’t help at all.

5. Walla’s Amir Bohbot said that it will be hard to predict how the demonstrators will act following the “extreme speeches and incitement to violence against Israel. “ Especially after the brainwashing by Hamas, which according to events of the last year is leading them back toward Israel.”

BRAINWASHED. That is the problem exactly. From kindergarten, if not earlier, children are taught to "KILL THE JEWS!" Hamas, as you all know, has special camps to teach elementary school age children how to become terrorists. May Hashem (G-d) continue to create miracles for us, and may the government have the guts to finally do something other than allow more Qatari money into Gaza!

Shabbat Zachor, Remembering 23 Years Since "My" Terror Attack

Davka Shabbat Zachor...

• It's a full year-- innocent Jews in Southern Israel have been suffering from riots and attacks and fires from Gaza...
• Twenty-three 23 years since I was injured in a terror attack.

This Shabbat as I sat in shul reading the special Maftir (Torah portion) and Haftara, ISamuel 15:1-34 (click and read the entire chapter;) the words were so clear and simple.

זָכ֕וֹר אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה לְךָ֖ עֲמָלֵ֑ק בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶ֥ם מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃
Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt—
אֲשֶׁ֨ר קָֽרְךָ֜ בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְ וַיְזַנֵּ֤ב בְּךָ֙ כָּל־הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִ֣ים אַֽחַרֶ֔יךָ וְאַתָּ֖ה עָיֵ֣ף וְיָגֵ֑עַ וְלֹ֥א יָרֵ֖א אֱלֹהִֽים׃
how, undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear.
וְהָיָ֡ה בְּהָנִ֣יחַ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֣יךָ ׀ לְ֠ךָ מִכָּל־אֹ֨יְבֶ֜יךָ מִסָּבִ֗יב בָּאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יְהוָֽה־אֱ֠לֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵ֨ן לְךָ֤ נַחֲלָה֙ לְרִשְׁתָּ֔הּ תִּמְחֶה֙ אֶת־זֵ֣כֶר עֲמָלֵ֔ק מִתַּ֖חַת הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם לֹ֖א תִּשְׁכָּֽח׃ (פ)
Therefore, when the LORD your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

2 So said the Lord of Hosts, 'I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid (wait) for him on the way, when he came up out of Egypt.
בכֹּ֚ה אָמַר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת פָּקַ֕דְתִּי אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָֹ֥ה עֲמָלֵ֖ק לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲשֶׁר־שָֹ֥ם לוֹ֙ בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ בַּעֲלֹת֖וֹ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם:
3 Now, go, and you shall smite Amalek, and you shall utterly destroy all that is his, and you shall not have pity on him: and you shall slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.' "
געַתָּה֩ לֵ֨ךְ וְהִכִּֽיתָ֜ה אֶת־עֲמָלֵ֗ק וְהַֽחֲרַמְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ל עָלָ֑יו וְהֵמַתָּ֞ה מֵאִ֣ישׁ עַד־אִשָּׁ֗ה מֵֽעֹלֵל֙ וְעַד־יוֹנֵ֔ק מִשּׁ֣וֹר וְעַד־שֶֹ֔ה מִגָּמָ֖ל וְעַד־חֲמֽוֹר:

Unfortunately, the message, the mitzvah, is still very relevant. That's because King Saul did not obey Gd's orders, that important mitzvah. Saul didn't immediately execute all of Amalek. Yes, it's a mitzvah to execute/kill Amalek and his descendants, those enemies who aim to destroy us. It isn't cruel to kill them, even the women and the children. We won't have true peace until our enemies are dead and gone.

That's the message or Zachor,Remember. That's the message of Purim. We dress up in costumes to disguise ourselves, and lehavdil, to differentiate, our enemies of today dress in proper suits and come armed with NGOs, diplomats, academics, journalists and smiling surgically enhanced celebrities using doublespeak to demand our destruction in pretty euphemisms.

Today, thousands of years after King Saul failed in his Gd given mission, more innocent Jewish families are in mourning, because more Israelis are being murdered by Arab terrorists. And successive Israeli Governments continue the ways of Saul by warning our enemies, rather than executing them.

• Wasting expensive ammunition on empty buildings will not bring us peace.
• Apologizing for killing or injuring rioters, regardless of their age/sex, will not bring us peace.
• Giving diplomatic immunity to terrorists and their supporters will not bring us peace.
• Negotiating and compromising will not give us peace.

May this year be the year we totally destroy Amalek, Gd willing!

Chag Purim Sameach

Guest Post: Letter From an Israeli Mother on The Gaza Border

We live within 7 kms of the Gaza border fence. We don't live as close as some and for that we are lucky and thankful but we are close enough and being in the center hear all the noise from the north down to the south and the activity in the Sinai from the Egyptian army.

An abnormal way of life has become 'normal' for us. When there is quiet, life is fine but always in the back of one's mind is the realization that it will not last.

My husband was evacuated from the Sinai as a result of the Camp David Peace Accord with Egypt in 1982 and we built our house before the Israeli withdrawal from Gush Katif. Why do I mention this? because when we built there were no rockets and we, along with a few other families, built the our mamads* according to the legal requirements which means that they are the size of a broom cupboard. We can't sleep in it, standing room only. Ok for when there's no rockets but a nightmare when they rain down and you have to scramble from bed at 02:00 wake and shift the kids and do it all in less than 15 seconds. !!! What about disabled people ?? Two of my girls suffer from living here. The middle one suffered for years from Compulsive Stress Disorder and the youngest has other stress related symptoms.

The kids here are terrified from the balloons** and bedroom windows have to be locked and securely covered by curtains so that there are no cracks because they are terrified of seeing faces at the windows.......as they explained .....the terrorists come at night. Whenever we go anywhere the first thing they do is check out where the shelters are and if they have enough time to reach one should there be an alarm. A few years ago when I took my youngest to visit her grandparents overseas she stunned us by one day asking quite matter of factly as we were driving along:

"Imma, the bus stops....where are the bomb shelters? Where do they hide when the rockets fall?" 

We were lost for words.... and then explained.

Last summer my youngest went to a Bar Mitzvah pool party, and we had to run the gauntlet and fetch her as rockets were falling all around us and kipat barzel*** sent out above our heads as we drove home. She was shaking like a leaf but didn't say a word. So yes the kids are traumatized here and sadly many of them don't know any other way of life. Years ago the school would take out the odd child from class to have a tipool (therapy session.) After Tzuck Eitan**** the situation was so dire that they decided to treat the kids by class. They would start the day with meditation. Kids wet their beds, siblings sleep together and nightmares are frequent.

Even in the quiet times there is noise but I think one of the most unforgivable things is being lied to by the security forces, being told that nothing happened when clearly something has. When rockets have fallen and they've denied it. We aren't stupid and people talk. The lack of information is frightening and frustrating. We are told (sometimes) on a need to know basis which doesn't help a parent when their kids are all over the area with friends.

Mary-Ann Lev

*shelter/secure room
**For the past year, Arab terrorists from Gaza have been launching balloons and kites equipped with incendiary devices that have caused serious fires here
***Iron Dome defense system
****Operation Protective Edge]