Dateline Jerusalem — Frank Sinatra's Stormy Weather describes my day wading through the rivers of my town as the lightning, thunder and deluge of water rain down from the skies of Israel. I really feel like A Rainy Day Woman. I realize Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall. Where I live, though, in the center of the country, Israel has received the highest concentration of rainfall. According to the Israel Meteorological Service, central Israel has been bombarded with the heaviest rains in 20 years, close to the greatest amount of rain in 75 years. Not that I am complaining. Especially since rain is much needed during a Shmitta year when the land lies fallow. To quote Burt Bachrach, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. These giant dripping wet raindrops translate into thunderstorms with 50 mile per hour winds. Some areas were peppered with five inches of rain overnight.
As I Listen to the Falling Rain after switching off my air conditioner this week and turning on the heater in my home, I realize how necessary rain is to Israel. Ten months of the year Israel has dry weather. Although the rainy season officially begins in October, and this year there were several raindrops the first nights of Sukkot, usually the rains do not begin until December. Even then, the rain is occasional, usually no more than a few days the entire month. Last year I bought boots and did not wear them once. Israel has good weather most of the year. There are no bad seasons, except some summers can be quite humid in coastal areas. Otherwise, places like Jerusalem and Be'er Sheva have relatively dry days. No wonder Creedence Clearwater Revival's Have You Ever Seen the Rain? is a common question of tourists.
Lake Kinneret, often referred to as the Sea of Galilee, is Israel's largest freshwater lake, the source of most of its water. A few years ago the level l was dangerously low. Israel had been on water rationing. Because of this recent storm, it has now risen by over 1½ inches in a couple of days. The storm has also brought cooler weather and snow on Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, much to the joy of Israeli skiers. By February the snow should melt and raise the level of Lake Kinneret.
I am like Gene Kelly, Singing in the Rain, because only precipitation is falling on Israel. Currently there are no rockets, missiles or mortars raining down on the country. An IDF vehicle was fired upon from Gaza while patrolling an area by the border, a civilian vehicle in the West Bank was fired upon by Palestinian terrorists, and 30 Hamas terrorists were arrested with M-16 semi-automatic rifles, ammunition and bomb making materials. Other than that, it's been a quiet day allowing me to listen to the Rhythm of the Rain. Seems Palestinian terrorists are not waterproof. Stormy weather has kept them from rioting in the streets of Jerusalem. Therefore, you won't hear me say Rain, Rain, Go Away. Instead, I will follow Johnny Mathis and say Let It Rain.
L'hitraot. Shachar