Many of you have asked about our lives here and if we are okay. We are trying to live as ‘normally’ as we can in this world, despite the constant balagan, disruption and sheer craziness in every way, that surrounds us.

Personally, John is still fighting an internal infection as he has been for 8 months now. He had major intestinal surgery in January, and we absolutely thank and praise G-d that there remains no cancer, the wound still has not closed completely. Dressings are still changed twice a day. He has no fever, no pain, no spread of infection. So we continue-

Five weeks ago I was diagnosed with four large kidney stones. My one kidney is very enlarged and a stent has been put in. I am scheduled for numerous tests at the beginning of December and then will proceed with surgery. Added to this, my lower back and extreme sciatica is a problem, so I do as much as I can do for the day, then continue with my writing for various outlets when my body yells “stop!”

Thank goodness that we here in our little corner of the mostly peaceful Galilee are tucked away from any shelling or missiles. I have seen four iron dome interceptions. We can occasionally hear the booms of anti tank missiles and bombs. A couple of times the house shook. Drones are constantly humming overhead and we hear the IDF jets, (dear earthly angels) strafing the sky regularly. It’s not completely normal, but we are going along with our new lives.

I tend the affairs of the house and work in our rooftop garden. The green beans, tomatoes, chard and winter lettuces are at their peak. I have won my war with the terrorist aphids and will harvest my beautiful broccoli raab tomorrow. I have four glorious yellow beets which we will enjoy for Thanksgiving next week.

Venturing out of the house, you would hardly know anything is different. People are shopping, schools in our city are open, and people are out and about. Still, at all the entrances to the city there are armed checkpoints. There are armed guards at all the shopping areas and stores and bags and people are inspected before entrance. All public bomb shelters are marked and open. It gives one a sense of security.

Yet, the war is always before us. Two local soldiers have been killed in Gaza. One at the beginning of the war and one young man, Shahar Cohen, fell two days ago. The funeral was yesterday and hundreds of people showed up.

Driving locally we see banners of those who were kidnapped to Gaza on the morning of October 7. Some were at the concert for peace, others include whole families who were abducted from their homes. Young and old. All with stories. With relatives from the area. With friends and university classmates. The couple that just got married two weeks previously. The grandparents in their 80s. A woman who survived the horrors of Auschwitz. The 8 month’s pregnant woman. It’s heartbreaking. The signs for the hostages are everywhere. None are ever taken down. They are all collectively our sons and daughters, our parents, our friends. The war is constantly in front of us. We are all affected.

There is so much respect for these signs and banners. One very elderly gentleman can be seen every morning in one of the town squares going before each photograph. He touches each picture and puts his hands to his lips. Over and over. It really makes you cry….

Twice a week we make food to be delivered to the soldiers in the Northern border fields. Because there are so many reservists scattered throughout the forests, mountains and fields, they can’t all go to the base, so the food comes to them. In the morning the army comes around with delicious chavitah (kha-vee-TAH) sandwiches…flat herbed omelets with sides of chopped Israeli salad, cucumber and tomato, and yogurt cups and fruit.

Roving grillmasters, volunteers and pop-ups appear in the afternoon, making burgers and grilled meats to serve to the troops free of charge. People send pizza deliveries also – as close to the soldiers as the delivery guys can get. I make pasta salad chock full of roasted or fresh veggies with added beans for protein- olive oil, vinegar and oregano. I also do a chopped fresh fruit salad. And a mixed garden salad. And miniature pumpkin breads or zucchini breads. All are standard American fare. We do 20-24 shareable quart containers at a time, label them and bring them to the food depot. So much food!!!!! So many soldiers who will never go hungry.

When we homeschooled, we learned how armies of the past often took their womenfolk with them to do the cooking and the laundry. There are people up here who take in loads of wash so the troops can have something clean. It’s amazing how generous people are with their time and talents here, but we know it’s all for the brave guys and girls putting their lives on the line to defend us…. Just a few miles away.

We’re seeing a lot more people “packing heat” these days. In the United States, I don’t believe anyone thinks of an unconcealed carry law… especially like ours. But in Israel one must go through an application process to establish need and stable background; then a battery of training before an arm can be purchased. Also, the Ten Commandments of the purity of arms must strictly be adhered to- not using a weapon to threaten or force. It must be in self defense only – or in defending someone else… I really feel safe when I see there are those out there who will be able to protect me in the small chance of attack.

The gentleman staying with us goes out in the early mornings to pick fruit and veg and to help at the local farms. Yesterday he was literally right up on the Lebanese border. There was a community that was evacuated, but their main income is from egg production. Marc went up with an armed security group to feed the chickens, clean the coops and collect eggs. He heard exchanges of gunfire between Hizbulla and the IDF all morning. He thought it was eggs-citing (haha) with lots of stories to tell when he returns to the States in a couple weeks.

For perspective, the bottom white structures are the coops on the Israeli kibbutz. The structures at the top are in Lebanon. Many of the families who lived in those homes have fled or were kicked out by Hizbulla. They are now being used by the Iranian backed army to shoot down at Israeli civilians.

Some are fearless, like Marc, adventure seekers. Others are more hesitant. We mark our steps cognizant of our surroundings. Ultra aware. High alert. One friend always on the lookout for a place to duck and cover near a wall, inside a building, in a ditch beside the road…just in case. Another friend who lives further South where you never know when a siren will go off, tries to plan out her bathroom and shower schedule. Seriously, how to run to a community shelter in the basement of her apartment when you are most indisposed? Showers are now brief luxuries. It’s a different lifestyle, but people can be very adaptable, at least for the short term.

Most people in Israel live in apartments. Space is a premium. Those apartments with bomb shelters, mamads, are often doubly used as bedrooms. Many a family have moved their children into the safe room so the kids won’t have to make a shelter run at night. More often than not, the parents sleep there too, now. It’s a bit for convenience, but mostly to reassure frightened children that everything will be okay. And more often than not, daddy has gone off to war, so it becomes a nest of safety for all of them. I can’t even imagine-

Mostly we walk around in confusion. Why? The answers will come later. Do we cry? If we cry now we might never stop. We are strong. We are resilient. We are anxious. We are nervous. Our neighbors have 3 sons. All are serving in the army. Cigarette sales are at an all-time high. So is ice cream. We can’t eat. We binge eat. We sleep fitfully, images of that Shabbat shachor, that Black Sabbath play like movies on a continuous loop under our eyelids. We are hopeful. We are prayerful. We lift our voices heavenward. Who else can we trust? We go to funerals. And weddings. Those glorious weddings!!! We dance. We sing. We live. We are Israel.

As I have just finished this post, another one came in. We have another funeral tomorrow. Please make it stop soon-