I first need to start off with a sincere apology to all those who have notified me and were offended. When I wrote yesterday that the atrocities found, and are still being found, were worse than the Holocaust, I in no way meant to diminish the horribleness of the Shoah. Please forgive me.

When I finished yesterday’s post, I went downstairs into the kitchen and began to prepare dinner. It was already 6:00 pm and I was running behind. I like to have things finished by sunset these daze just in case. Just in case….I put the chicken in the oven, and made the salad and then BAM!!! All hell broke loose. It started with the first red alert in our area. Warning: aircraft incursion Tsfat. Sheeeesh that’s close! So many friends in Tsfat. How the heck did it get that far in? Then BAM BAM BAM, Hostile aircraft intrusion Gaaton; Hostile aircraft intrusion Nahariyya; Hostile aircraft intrusion Tiveria (Tiberius); Hostile aircraft intrusion Rakefet…. and then the sirens sounded. We scooped up the dog and a couple other things and got down into the safe room. My cell phone is dying a slow, agonizing death (oh John, why didn’t I listen when you wanted to buy me a new one?), so I had no service. For some reason, John did, so we tried to figure out what was going on.

I’m not sure if the 20” thick reinforced concrete walls had anything to do with the noise level, but we heard no jets strafing, no helicopters as we should have. We prayed. We prayed for about 40 minutes. Usually the all-clear siren goes off when there is an all-clear after about 10 minutes. Something was up. John was getting messages from friends near Haifa. They too. Our housemate (friend) from the States who comes here for work and stays with us from September-December was in Haifa. In a sheltered parking garage. We were hearing from people from throughout the North, everyone wondering what the heck was going on. We kept getting these emergency texts, but no sound that there was action. So weird!

All the afternoon, as you can seen behind the pop-up, the missiles kept flying into the South from Gaza non-stop during the afternoon now into the evening. Non-stop. Were we scared? No. We were perplexed. It was great practice though. John had contact with the outside world. We were connected digitally with myriad friends in the same boat, all giving updates. That was good.

Our ‘mammad’ is 6X8 feet. In it we had 2 large Tupperware boxes and 2 large storage buckets filled with food enough to last us about 2 weeks if we were prudent. We had our water bottles, a camp lantern, flashlights, candles in case of power outage. Emergency medical kit very well stocked. Emergency radio. Propane cook stove, plastic dishes, sleeping bags, religious paraphernalia, bug out bags (where are we going to go? Again huge joke, people keep asking us if we have an emergency escape out of the country) We have copies of important papers….and much more. And there is absolutely not enough room for 3 adults. Two plastic chairs and my chair were not going to make it. Plus we needed diversion. A couple games like Set and small board games. I’m mean it was already well over an hour and we knew if we had to be in the mammad for 72+ hours… Plus it’s a cement block in essence with an emergency old-fashioned non-exploding light (I never knew. My husband told me. The things we learn when least expecting) in a cage on the ceiling and an air filter (kinda) that vents to the laundry room.

So we learned so much It was a great trial run. Literally a grace period for us. We were in the room for a little over an hour and a half. I took mental note of the disorganization. John took mental note of the logistics and technical. When we get out…… when will we get out? Amazing how slowly time passes in a place like a safe room. We prayed for all the hostages, for those that are trafficked, for the victims and their families.

As soon as we got the all clear (someone had a TV in their saferoom and it was all on the news), the questions started flying. What happened? How? Finally we received our answers-

We still don’t know how the SNAFU came about. Some ignoramus pushing the wrong button? Highly unlikely. Computer hack? More likely. Iranian operatives/Hizbulla testing us? Dunno. A psy-op? So many conspiracy immediately started to float, but here is what was reported:

IDF: Aerial infiltration from Lebanon ruled out, alarms malfunctioned. “Red alert sirens caused fear of large-scale infiltration of possibly dozens of aircraft from Lebanon. The IDF has ruled out an aerial infiltration from Lebanon after warning sirens were activated in many communities in Northern Israel this evening (Wednesday). The sirens were apparently activated due to a technical malfunction. ‘Upper Galilee Regional Council chairman Giora Salz had told channel 12 news that, ‘ manned paraglides have been observed entering from Lebanon. We ask all residents to lock themselves down.’ He called on residents to lock their doors and announced that the members of the council’s emergency department should prepare for an all out attack. A suspected 15-20 paragliders were at one point believed to have penetrated Israeli airspace. The same method was used during the Hamas invasion of southern Israel and massacre of over 1250 Israelis on Saturday. An IDF spokesperson informed that all residents in the area of the North enter their protected areas and stay there until further notice. Combat helicopters (we heard one…) were launched and it is estimated that. Several UAVs were launched from the Lebanon area towards the Galilee. Hamas claimed they fired the direction of Haifa). Combat helicopters were dispatched to shoot the potential threats out of the sky. IDF forces scanned the area from the ground and from the air. Residents were instructions of the Home Command and act according. A security source stated that it was suspected that the craft that crossed the border were sent to attack military bases in Central Israel, and not to attack communities. In the end the IDF stated that the investigation had found that there had been no infiltration and that the alarms had activated due to a malfunction. As a result of the siren alert, United Hatzalah volunteer paramedics have treated over a dozen people who suffered light injuries while running to their protective rooms.’

So, that’s the whole story. If you are like us, there are still a lot more questions.

Max called later in the night and confirmed that, in fact, Hamas tested out a long range missile which had landed on Carmel Beach in Haifa. No damage. He sounded good. As good as can be expected amid all the tension. We made some jokes, dark humor again. Hamas have been using the credit cards looted from the victims place Amazon orders. Hahaha! We’d love to see them try to get delivery. We joked about all the things they ordered. It diffused the heaviness. He talked about the big box of casseroles they got and WhatsApp’ed me a photo: “Shirit, age 35, good cook, seeks husband” on a note taped to the lid of the bottom casserole. It’s pretty funny, actually.

Early start this quiet morning up here, relatively speaking. We got to work cleaning and rearranging the mammad. John brought the router from upstairs to downstairs so we’d have better Wi-Fi. He’s the most amazing man! He worked up a system so we could have an electrical outlet in order to have a way to recharge our phones. I’ve moved out the unnecessaries and vacuumed the place out. Moved an army cot in. Rearranged. Helped a friend with a wood block to secure their safe room. After 6 hours of reconfiguring the space and retiring the electrical, John found an electrical outlet – hidden in plain view! Mills, if you’re reading this one, I officially downgraded him from SFG to SG. And so it goes.

Today is another difficult day. I am going to rant a bit now. Give some more recent developments, so if you are sensitive or squeamish, stop reading now. There are things that need to be said. About taking the time to pamper myself or take a hot bath, I’m not in California suburbia at the moment, and even if we had a working tub, I cannot afford the time or the luxury. About forgiving the people of Hamas, we are all sinners, there might be time for that later, but I just got another call from a friend. Sobbing. Couldn’t catch her breath. Her niece, a beautiful (I’ve met her twice) 19 year old IDF soldier was brutally abused – they found her body sodomized, perhaps multiple times. She was shot in the legs. She was shot in the head. How can I forgive monsters at this time? Perhaps later. I have left out telling the worst.

I know you guys in the US are. Dealing with confusing times, yet please. This is not a staged, carefully orchestrated production to divert attention from the President. this is very real and very raw and we are taking the matter very seriously. I now have good friends who I tearfully want to say good bye to who have been called up. Strong men of peace. Avi, Yair we love you. come home soon. For those denying this is actually happening, do you also deny the Holocaust happened? That is the stance of radical Islam. Choose sides. Now. Carefully.

For the two that have said we had it coming and we deserve this, that’s what happens when you occupy and colonies in an Apartheid manner, I have come against this one multiple times before. It, too, is well crafted propaganda. When this happens to your elderly, your children, your women, and broadcast on TikTok for all to see. on Al Jazeera. on Memri. How do you expect people to feel? What do you expect people to do? I have heard the public in the Western world have been spared the images that need to be seen for what it oils. evil. Acts of pure evil. People I know on social m,Edina here re being silenced on Instagram and Facebook for speaking out and showing the world. We defeat evil by looking it in the eye, by speaking out and standing up.For those of you who are giving me Biblical words, There is a time for peace and A time for war. That’s Biblical too. Joshua, David, Yair, Judith, the Macabee brothers. All great warriors who defend their people which allowed them to continue.

The world United when Iran killed women who were killed under their own brutal radical Islamic regime. The world unlisted under the death of George Floyd. but this. I’ve been watching pro- Palestinian marches in the States using the imagery of the paragliders who invaded our country. There are parades and demonstrations and ‘anti-Zionist’ rallies in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Sydney, Brazil with people chanting ‘Gas the Jews. kill the Jews.’ Well, I have news. Now is the time to take a side. To choose ice over death, good over evil. And this is true evil.

If you are not a person of prayer, now might be a good time to start. Pray. For us. For yourselves. We are in need of lots of miracles right now. I’m finished my rants. I pray tomorrow brings us a better day. For us and for the world. I bid you peace. Time to shower while I can. We do not know what sunset will bring.