[img]96|left|||no_popup[/img]Dateline Jerusalem — Today the siren went off, and my entire office in Jerusalem had to scramble to “safety” — to the bomb shelter in the building. Problem was that no one heard the siren but me. I only heard it because I sit by an outer window, which was open, and I knew when the siren was supposed to go off.
The shelter turned out to be a “safe” room across the hall.
Just a bit before the siren went off, someone unlocked its door.
I wonder what would have happened if this had been the real thing, not a civil defense exercise.
Who has the key?
If I were at my apartment, I would be running down four flights of stairs to the shelter in the basement of the building. But, since the time between siren and attack is in seconds, the stairwell also might be my only option.
Not Healthy for My Claustrophobia
My building is old so I do not have the luxury of having a “safe” room built within my apartment.
Safe rooms in apartments have walls, doors and windows of steel and concrete that supposedly could withstand a missile attack.
The people who work on my floor in the building where I am employed all huddled together in the room across the hall. It had a ladder for escape through the ceiling, but the hatch was stuck. It had a large container of water that was so polluted and smelly I could never drink from it in a million years. It had a bathroom with no lights or toilet seat. There were a few chairs in the 10-x-15-foot room. Most of us had to stand. There were air vents, but no air conditioning. All in all, it was good that the drill did not last for more than 10 minutes. Considering I am claustrophobic, it also was good that the door of the room was not shut. Not exactly a realistic drill.
This week, the entire country of Israel is going through a civil defense drill to prepare for the inevitable war that is coming to us at any time now.
What with Israel being denied the weapons it ordered from the U.S. to defend itself, with the U.S. sending money to the Palestinians and Lebanese to allegedly train their “police” and armies against Hamas and Hezbollah — but who in reality are arming themselves against Israel — and with the Obama administration threatening not to support Israel in the U.N. as it has for the past 60 years, Israel is forced to prepare for war.
Some people say that for peace, Israel might just have to give up the Israel we know.
That means giving up land, giving up water rights, giving up security, giving up sovereignty to govern itself…giving up Israel…giving up a haven for the Jewish people. But just as Jews and others did nothing prior to the time of Hitler, history seems to be repeating itself.
How long will it take to realize that there is a real threat to Israel's existence?
I have noticed one thing.
A Coincidence? I Don’t Think So
There seems to be a chasm between secular and Orthodox Jews that is directly proportionate to that of the rift between those who want to give up land for “peace” and those who want to be able to pray at Judaism's holiest sites.
The problem is that for years now Israel has been giving up land for peace and the only thing it got in return is less land and more rocket fire against Israeli citizens. Why is it that all the concessions have to be unilateral?
For those of you who know me, I used to be prepared for earthquakes in California, with everyone room in my home (even bathrooms), office and car having earthquake supplies (food, water, clothes). Now I just carry a briefcase with me wherever I go. It is the size of an airline carry-on bag, filled with the same supplies, not for earthquakes, but in the event of rocket fire or missile attack.
I was a Girl Scout. I still live by the motto “Be prepared.”
I also believe if I can think of something happening, it will happen.
Once I wanted to get insurance to protect against an airplane crashing into my home. It didn't, it crashed into my mother's instead.
I once did not take a job because I was concerned that the four-level freeway would collapse during an earthquake. In that event, I was afraid I would not be able to get to my children. Sure enough, California had a quake and the freeway collapsed. Good thing I did not take that job.
Let us hope that I am wrong about Israel's need to protect itself.
But, who am I kidding?
It is obvious that if Israel is not concerned with its safety and existence, no one else will be concerned for Israel.
L'hitraot, Shachar
Shachar is the Hebrew name of a California-based attorney and former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy who moved to Israel 22 months ago.
