Normally I’d be cooking up a storm for a crowd because tonight marks the beginning of the High Holy Day period. Rosh haShannah is a time of new beginnings, usually a time to celebrate and pray for G-d’s blessings for the coming year.

The year started absolutely horrifically as you know. We have been living under the threat of rocket fire and the loss of soldiers. We have seen the video of the rapes, the bombings, the torture and kidnappings and massacre. We have searched for missing friends. We have cried with the testimony of the returned hostages and collectively prayed for the release of those still held captive.

This past week has been nothing short of miraculous. Thanks to Israeli intelligence, planning, cunning, and daring, the IDF took out all three top tiers of Hizbulla leadership in Lebanon. I thank G-d for pulling g it all together with perfect timing, perfect intensity, and perfect ability for it all to come together.

Hassan Nasrallah was a very evil man, despite how the obituaries are portraying him. He was the mastermind behind the attack of the Beirut US army base in 1983 that killed 243 American servicemen and wounded scores of others. He was the planner of the Buenos Aeries bombing of the 1994 Jewish Community Center killing 85, wounding over 300 – as well as the Israeli Embassy bombing 2 years prior. Nasrallah, the head of Hizbulla, brought once-prosperous Lebanon down to an impoverished country. He diverted funds meant for the people and for infrastructure and put that into his war machine.

There were plans to pour over the border through underground tunnels and by sea into Israel this Rosh haShannah. The Iranian proxy group had plans to do the same type of massacre that was done in Gaza. It was called Galilee Overthrow. The Ayatollah of Iran, Khameni, vowed swift justice upon Israel for the assassination of Nasrallah.

Yesterday, missiles had been fired steadily throughout the day at Northern Israel. Our ground troops had moved in and were clearing out all the weapons storage and tunnel shafts. Hidden launch pads were being destroyed. We didn’t have more than two sirens in our neighborhood, but could hear the continuous bombing in the distance.

It was really strange. I don’t know if it was me, if I was imagining it, or if it was real, but all day long into the early evening, I would hear shofar blasts. During the time of the holy days, and the entire month previous, it is customary for the shofar, the ram’s horn to be blown. But over the past nine years, no matter how hard I listened, I rarely experienced this powerful call to awaken the spirit. But yesterday, I would hear loud bursts, then later short staccato blasts, then long, long drawn out shofar wails. It was the oddest thing.

Last night, shortly after dinner, we got word that Iran was planning something, maybe for later in the night. Stay near a shelter. Listen to the messages of home front command. Nothing else. OK.

Confession: when I was younger I used to smoke cigarettes. At times of extreme stress, I get the pressing urge to go buy a pack of cigs. This time, no. But it would be nice to have some popcorn while we waited. And if we had to wait through Saturday (would our flights be cancelled?), it would be great to have some snacks. Lots and lots of crunchy snacks.

So, I sent John to the store to buy snacks and went upstairs. Within 3 minutes of his leaving my whole screen started lighting up like never before. It wouldn’t stop. Dimona!!!!athey are after the nuclear plant! Tel Aviv!!! Jerusalem!!!!Beersheva!!! I started hearing sirens in the far distance so ran out on the mirpesset (our rooftop patio) to see what was going on….

It looked like an alien invasion! Seriously like something out of a sci-fi movie. Unbelievable. They were coarsing through the sky like a pack of mad hornets, but no sounds. All heading south. I didn’t see one Iron Dome interception as we usually do.

OK. So at that point, I was a bit jumpy because I didn’t know what was coming next. I ran inside and sent an urgent prayer alert to my three friends back in the States. “It has begun. Please pray for us. We are under attack.” We only had about a three minute warning. Marc, who lives with us, quickly made tracks for the saferoom. I told him to look out the window first. His jaw just dropped, mouth gaping open. Then the multiple pound, resounding booms echoing through the valleys, bouncing off the mountains. And the faint red glow miles to the south.

Then all was quiet. Whew!! That was a close one. My battery was at 3%, so I plugged in my phone (didn’t even think about the emergency power pack) and went out on the balcony. All was incredibly silent except for the neighborhood children excitedly speaking to each other next door. I began to pray and thank G-d loudly for His protection. Then I began to sing. Sing!! sing!! With my frog voice croaking loudly hymns of thanks and praise.

Then it started up again. They came by the hundreds. Like a meteor shower. Sailing past from north to south over our heads. I heard the alarm on my phone as it went off and wouldn’t stop. This was the big one. It was headed for the population centers of central Israel. I’m really trying to describe, but I just ant find the words. It was powerful. It was horrific. It was beautiful. I was not afraid. Somehow, I knew G-d would protect us and I just prayed. Loudly.

Craaaaaap!!!, John!!! Where was John??? Why did I so selfishly send him to the store? Was he still there? Did he hear and see what was going on above us in the night sky? Was he, by now, on his way back home???

Then the lights. Orange red glows coming from the South. The thuds. The ground shaking and convulsing. The booms. It was literally a wall of blasts and shockwaves that rocked the entire country. All at once, one after the other. Holy cow!!! Then silence. My neighbors and friends all started sending each other texts. “You OK? “ “Will there be more?” “Is everyone safe?” “Do you need anything?” “Hey, I got some great videos! “Can we come out of the shelters? I think we should all stay inside our safe rooms for the night.”

The videos and news started getting posted online at a rapid clip. Lots of spectacular “fireworks.” Our very good friends were enroute to celebrate the holidays with their kids and grandkids in Kfar Sava. They had to pull over on the side of the road as the sirens wailed. It was incredibly frightening and real for them.

John returned just a few minutes after it all went down, laden with bags of popcorn and pretzels and chips and crackers. There were about six people in the grocery store still doing their holiday shopping. As there were no sirens, no one seemed phased. An IDF soldier was standing near the bomb shelter smoking a cigarette when he left the store. That was all. He was completely unaware that anything had happened. We drive an old car that lunges, so he didn’t notice if there were thuds or rumbles.

Miraculously, there was only one fatality. A refugee from Gaza, a Palestinian man was hit by a falling missile. Several people had to be treated for minor injuries as they fell rushing to a protected area. More than a few were treated for shock and anxiety. Several windows were blown out near the desert. A restaurant in Tel Aviv was hit by falling shrapnel.

Other than that, no military bases were hit and rendered inoperable. Ben Gurion Airport closed for about an hour, then re-opened. It was reported that 181 intercontinental ballistic missiles were launched from various sites across Iran, coming at Israel in waves. It took only 12 minutes, average for them to reach their intended targets. The later report has been revised to upwards of 400 missiles I three separate waves.

From our friend, “the general:” The dimensions and mass of the ballistic missiles are built in such a way that even if the explosive warhead is eliminated during interception, ore 5an half a metric ton of various burning components such as metal, engine, fuel tank, and reinforced structures still remain in an altered trajectory. This usually results in substantial destruction and collateral damage upon impact. “

Basically, it comes down to this. The Chanukah message. “A great miracle happened here.” Ness gadol haya po.” נס גדול היה פה!

So we celebrate His miraculous protection. This incredible miracle. Were the missiles all intercepted? The US said they shot down 12. Jordan intercepted 37. And Iron Dome? David’s Sling? So far I have heard no word. It doesn’t matter. We dodged a big one. It’s incredible.

I was not going to do any cooking. We are still in the major grieving period for John’s father’s passing. We leave Saturday night, right after Shabbat. With this huuuuuuge long layover in Italy. We will arrive in DC Sunday night. Extended family members and friends are begging us to stay. To move back to the US. We are incredulous. There is no way we will leave this country at this time. It is a Land of Miracles and we are witnesses to history.

I got up early to shop and cook for the rest of the weekend. John and I will have a small celebratory Rosh Hashanah Seder with all the symbolic foods. We will pray for a better year. May our enemies be defeated. May we enjoy new life (one of our daughters is expecting again!) May we be the head and not the tail. May we enjoy a year of G-d’s blessings and abundance. May it be a sweet year of only good news. May any bad judgements, decrees or laws against us be nullified. May all those who seek to harm us flee. May our names be inscribed in the Book of Life for 5785.

Shannah tovah u’metukah 🍯🍎🍷

📖 שנה טובה ומתוקה. גמר חתימה טובה. ✍️