Well folks I don't know what story the media is telling in America, but it is raining rockets here!!! Followed by retaliatory Israeli Air force strikes that sounds similar to thunder except it lasts about 2 minutes. I have been attempting to send an email for 2 days now; however I am continually interrupted by the Air Raid sirens followed by barrages of missiles/rockets.
The fighting has been going on for about a week in the North now, and the attacks are getting longer and more frequent. At least 3-5 times a day for the past few days we are startled to death by the air raid sirens warning us of an imminent attack. Just to give you a hint of how loud the sirens are- if you put your ear next to a police siren, multiply that by a million. From my Kibbutz we can hear the sirens going off in Haifa (9kms away). From the second we here the siren, we have about 1 minute before the rocket hits and to get in the bunkers. When you first get into a bunker a third of the people are in shock, a third are hysterical and another third are searching for a way to deal with it. Everyone crowds around the TV to see where the rockets have landed (praying its not in an area where they have friends or family). Some times the attacks are so long it is unbearable to look at the tv for another second- volunteers, adults begin playing with the children's games just to distract themselves. Today we actually completed a 1,000 piece puzzle we were in the shelters so long.
Bunker life at first wasn't that bad to be honest. There was a big screen tv, bathrooms, and snacks. But with the increased attacks and being prevented from leaving, the bunkers are starting to get real dirty, and reaking of B.O. At this point I don't even know if its people or just the nervous air.
During the days its not as bad as the nights. In between attacks we are able to walk around out side (there are bunkers every where) and clear our heads. In between attacks I usually sit under the lemon trees and talk to Lei (for about 2 hours) until we hear the alarm to go back in the shelters (She lives in the Carmelia neighborhood of Haifa and spends twice as much time in the shelters as me). We still haven't hung out but constantly discuss what we would like to do when the war is over. When I am not talking to her, Rob and I discuss politics and the current situation. Yesterday rob and I were walking through the pamagranant trees, discussing how excited we were for them to become ripe. As we were about to forget where we were; we wound up walking right into a soldier cemetery for the kids who died from the kibbutz. After walking past the first 6 or so graves and having Rob translate the Hebrew inscriptions I just couldn't take anymore. I could not listen to one more inscription reading, "18 yrs old, 19 yrs old, killed, died serving country, Terror". It was just too much- even for me!!! The craziest thing is that most of these kids died fighting in the Lebbenon war- and here we are six years later fighting the same enemy. As we were walking were walking out the cemetary we passed 5 matching gravestones with the word "MURDERED" inscribed across the head stone. As it turns out a grandmother, mother and three kids from the Kibbutz were on there way to Haifa a few years ago when a suicide bomber blew himself up in front of the Kibbutz- killing all five. Never in my life was I so upset about the deaths of people I didn't know- as I was when I was walking past. (When you google search Kibbutz Yagur its the first things that pop up).
Night time is the most dangerous time. At night they recommend that if the siren goes off stay put in your room. They say this because, if a rocket lands in your room your dead end of story. If it lands next door(10 ft away), you'll probably make it. But if you are running to the bunker and a rocket falls and your 40 ft away the metal balls that are stuffed in the rocket will tear you apart. So due to this Ketch 22- for the past 3 nights we have been sleeping in the bunkers. The best way to describe it is to picture a room (different bunker from before) about 35 feet by 15 ft. With blankets covering the floor, and people who never spoke to each other before, lying less then 6 inches away from each other; with someone else's feet less then a foot away. (pics to follow) But all things considering we do not have it as bad a Haifa(where rockets land a couple times a day) or some of the cities on the border both Jewish, Druse and even Arab (Where they have NOT left the shelters for a week- and are running out of food/water). The reason why we are always under threat is because we are in between Haifa, an Air force base, and an oil refinery thus we aren't strategic- we are more like a miss fire within 8 miles of a target.
The worst thing of all about the entire situation is how much the kibbutz has changed. We started the volunteer program with about 50. As of today there are only 12 people left. Everyone else is either left for the south or hoped on the next plane back to America. Even the people on the kibbutz themselves have changed. Before the war you saw hundreds of little kids everywhere- walking around the Kibbutz with there classes, nursery schools, playing in the play ground, family walks or at the pool having swim lessons. Now if you even see a kid out side for a second it is a rarity. Many people with young children packed them up and took them to the south. Others wont even let there kids out their homes or shelters for a mili second. From talking to the women here they say the children have no idea what war is or the results but they are terrified of the situation! They scream, cry and nearly break down the second the alarm goes off; most wont even leave their mothers side. There are NO more smiling Israeli kids singing Hebrew- its all changed. It doesn't even feel like the same place it was a week ago. its now a ghost town.
Israel is now in desperate need of help and there is actually alot you can do. If you have a second please contribute to organizations that are supplying the north with food, medicine, and are lobbying President Bush to continue his much appreciated and unprecedented support of Israel- Even if you can give $1 you will be making a difference and help to save lives.
Dave
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