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Dateline Jerusalem — I love living in Israel.
Despite constant security measures wherever you go and rocket fire
from Gaza, my blood pressure never has been lower. Believe it or not,
there is something very calming about living here.
And I also feel safe.
Perhaps it is the knowledge that security is taken very seriously,
or perhaps it is the feeling of G-d's presence.
I do not think twice about walking home alone from a friend's
house at midnight. Where else could a woman feel so safe?
Some people have bars on their windows here, but it is not to keep
out burglars, but to keep in children who might fall out the windows.
There are no screens for the windows. People just slide them open
to take in the fresh air and breathtaking views, to speak with
friends and neighbors.
I have no bars on my windows. When I slide them open, I can actually
lean over the ledge.
Here, everyone is aware of their surroundings.
No one dares leave a backpack or package unattended.
Because of years of suicide bombings before the security fence/wall
was built to keep out Palestinian terrorists, there are security guards
wherever you go.
And, of Course, the ‘World’ Checks in
Since the establishment of these security fences/walls, there have been
no suicide bombings. Yet, the "world" insists they be torn down.
They are likened to the Berlin Wall, which was built to keep people in.
Yet the opposite is true here. These were built to keep people (terrorists)
out, and they have been successful in doing so.
If you drive to the mall or a market, you have to pop open your trunk for
the security guard to check your vehicle.
Then, once parked, you cannot enter the building without having your purse
checked. They look inside, they pick it up, feel its bottom. The same thing
occurs when you enter bus and train stations, the bank, and even most
office buildings.
Specially trained dogs frequently are seen sniffing around the train platforms for bombs,
and they often ride the trains with their handlers.
With all the security measures taken by Israel for the safety of its citizens,
I have never once felt that my privacy or personal rights were violated.
A Motivation for Relocating
I appreciate the fact that I can live in a country where my safety is of utmost
importance to the government. The fact that there are laws requiring apartments
and homes to have security/safe rooms and/or bomb shelters is one of the
reasons the death and injury rates were so low during the recent Israeli-Gaza war.
Israeli airline security methods are now being used by airports all over the world.
The airline personnel are trained to ask certain questions, to watch passengers' eyes,
facial expressions, Adam's apple, body language, nervous mannerisms.
When I was sick and flew with a fever, I must have been perspiring profusely,
as though it were a nervous reaction.
I was questioned extensively before being permitted to fly.
I am pleased that although I did not fit the typical terrorist profile, as I am a
religiously dressed grandmother, Israel's airline personnel were thorough
enough to make sure I was not a threat to their passengers.
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 last year.
