The holiday season is over. Chanukah, Christmas, New Year’s celebrations throughout the western world have concluded. For us here in the North of Israel, it has been relatively quiet and peaceful, albeit rainy and cold. For the people in the center of the country it was another story altogether. It was their turn. Every. Single. Night. Between 11:15pm and 6:00am the Houthis in Yemen would launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at Israel. Red Alert sirens blared over large swaths of the country forcing men, women and children; Jew, Christian and Muslim; elderly and babies in their mothers’ arms into bomb shelters, safe rooms and stairwells. Fortunately most were intercepted by Iron Dome or David’s Sling.

Last month an elementary school in a highly populated central Israel city was demolished. Thankfully, it was during the night and no children were present. A kindergarten and its adjoining playground were also hit last month. Huge chunks of shrapnel fell in Jaffa, Beit Shemesh and on freeways, because what goes up must come down, s. even if it’s in pieces. There have been civilian injuries and casualties. Thank goodness, most injuries were minor and involved accidents running to protected areas.

In the Tel Aviv suburb (actually a large city) of Herzliya, an 83 year old woman was stabbed by a Palestinian terrorist who had crossed into Israel from the West Bank. The woman, a Holocaust survivor with her spider walker, was waiting outside her retirement home to be picked up for her appointment at the clinic. The terrorist was quickly neutralized by armed civilians. Yesterday, three people were killed on a major road in the West Bank (Samaria) that connected two Jewish populated cities. The bus they were on was gunned down by a Palestinian terrorist. Mostly, people here are trying to live as normally as possible.

As the New Year takes shape, there are two conversations that keep recurring. Will any of the hostages that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have kept for over a year be released? So far, Hamas has been playing psychological games with Israel and the media, saying they can’t locate all the hostages, refusing to release a list of names of those still alive, and offering to release dead bodies for live terrorists including those serving life sentences for masterminding heinous terror attacks.

Last week a video was released showing proof of life of Liri Albag, a young woman IDF soldier who was taken captive from her military base on the Gaza border on 7 October. Video had surfaced this past summer showing Liri among a group of other girls, all badly beaten and being selected for captivity as sex slaves for Hamas. It shook the nation to its core, and this latest video was supposed to put pressure on the Opposition party to unseat Netanyahu. We pray for her release, but remain resolute that our government is doing everything with8 their power to ensure safe release or rescue of all being held in Gaza.

The other topic of conversation up here in the North is, “What do you think will happen after the ceasefire ends?” The ceasefire between the Hizbulla forces in Lebanon and Israel is due to end on 24 January. It’s on everybody’s mind. In the meantime, the IDF has been rooting out terror tunnels, finding and capturing or destroying major amounts of stockpiled missiles, rocket launchers, guns, mortars, ammo. The IDF has filmed parking lots filled with military equipment from Iran, Russia…..and the US via Afghanistan that they have confiscated from enemy territory.

Have they found all the weapons meant for our destruction? Have the terrorists been routed? Will the UN Forces in Lebanon insure that any Hizbulla operatives will stay over the demarcation line across the Litani River (unlike last time)? Will it be safe enough for families and businesses to move back to the border communities? Over 43,000 are still displaced. Will the missiles start up again forcing us to take cover at all hours of the day and night? Only time will tell.

To our East, the Assad regime collapsed to Rebel Forces last month. Things are very uncertain in that direction now. Israel has been diligently conducting air strikes on all the weapons storage facilities in Syria for the last several weeks. They have discovered and destroyed chemical weapons labs as well as a huge underground facility for manufacturing missiles. Railways and highways used to transport weapons from Iran to Lebanon have been blown up. Israel does NOT want these armaments to fall into the wrong hands, so they are, in fact, making the world a safer place for everyone.

The new leader of Syria (they have not officially formed a government yet) is Ahmad al Sharah. But who is he? Does anyone know anything about him? He claims he wants peace. He says the Rebels harbor no ill will or may intent towards Israel or the Jewish people. They just want to live in peace. But who is this person, really? Can he be trusted? Doing some research, al Sharah joined al-Qaeda in Iraq and fought as an insurgent there from 20003-2006. In 2006, he was captured by 5e US Marines and imprisoned there as an enemy combatant until 2011. He w@s labeled as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” by the U.S. in 2013 and put on a no fly list. Under the Trump administration, al Sharah had a $10 million bounty put on his head. He was a vocal opponent of Israel’s control of the Golan Heights and advocated for the 1974 Disengagement Agreement where Israel would relinquish any and all territory won during the Yom Kippur War.

Since the al Nusra Rebel Forces have taken power, the Christian community of Maaloula, one of the oldest extant Christian communities in the world, has come under direct threat. Their Christmas celebrations were stopped, and armed rebels roamed the streets and looted holy sites including the Mar Thecla Monastery, a Melkite Greek religious and historical treasure. Statues of the Virgin Mary were shattered at Mar Sarkis Monastery and calls by the nuns for help from the Syrian army and the Orthodox Church have gone unanswered.

Also under threat are the several Syrian villages on the Northeast ridge/slope of Mt Heron. The southern ridge of Hermon was controlled by Israel until the Syrian army abandoned their posts on that northeast part, allowing the IDF to move in. Mt. Hermon (mentioned numerous times in the Bible) is the tallest point in Israel/Syria and thus, a military strong point from both a defensive and an intelligence gathering position. It forms borders with Lebanon, Syria and Israel and is the home to several Christian (Aramean and Melkite) and Druze villages. These villages of Christians and Druze have been pleading with Israel to be annexed into Israel. We have yet to see how that turns out. The Druze have pledged their allegiance to Israel and will make a strong, United fighting force against mal intended Rebels.

There is much to report from Gaza as well, but I shall save that for later.

This blog, Israel Dreams, started ten years ago to chronicle our lives as adventurers in a new country. Moving from the rather affluent suburbs of Los Angeles to the (then) rather sparsely populated periphery of Israel was an exciting endeavor fraught with joys, challenges and continual mishaps. We learned to laugh at our many mistakes, chalking it up as part of the journey. There were new places to discover; new people to meet; often a clash of cultures as we struggled to understand our new neighbors, both literally (it was a struggle for me to learn conversational Hebrew…. my husband pretty much gave up the battle….and my son grew so proficient that Israelis thought he was a native) and figuratively.

Israel Dreams has taken me on an exploration of archaeology, history, the Bible, the vast Roman Empire, Crusader and Ottoman periods, and modern times. I’ve shared about religions and customs that were new to me – the Druze, Baha’i, Circassians and Bedouins and even the various sects of Judaism, each with their own unique lifestyle. We’ve tried new foods, and my sharing of recipes has become quite popular. We’ve gone to art and music festivals together. Museums. National parks. Forests and beaches.

Together we have walked through my son’s military service and his university studies. Many of you, dear readers, have been with me through my cancer journey and my husband’s more intense cancer efforts journey. Our Hebrew vocabulary expanded with each new corner as I struggled to keep my head afloat understanding life as a soldier’s mom and as I navigated my way through the Israeli health care system.

And then, the worst hit. 7 October, 2023 changed all of Israelis’ lives forever. The Hamas massacre and the subsequent war in Gaza was followed by a more half-hearted attempted by Hizbulla in Lebanon to join the war. Our divided country was united. Together we will prevail became our national slogan. The war effort was in short order fully under way. My blog turned from fun feature articles and interviews with interesting people into full blown war coverage. It was non stop daily reporting, realizing much of the truth of the situation here on the ground was at very best, underreported, if not fully misrepresented by the larger press.

So, now I turn to you, my loyal readers and subscribers, some of you who have become dear friends. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ? I could go on giving daily updates on military and political maneuvering? I could resume travels throughout the country to the best of our ability. The latest and more exciting archaeological uncoverings; interesting features on the people and their different cultures in this very diverse land; articles on religions and religious (Judaism, Christianity, Muslim, etc); daily life in a foreign land; nature and sites of exquisite natural beauty; food and recipes? The ins and outs of making Aliyah (becoming an Israeli citizen)? The increase in development and change in demographics in the past decade? The vast technological advances in this ‘Start Up Nation’? The choice is yours as the new year brings me to a crossroads.

Please drop me a quick line as to your preferences. I’d love to hear from you, either in the comments section or personally, for those who have my private contact info.

I appreciate each and every one of you. My audience is worldwide and diverse. You are loyal, supportive and thought provoking in your questions. I look forward to taking you with me through the next decade as I’ve transformed from a “new immigrant” to just “that American lady living in Israel😉.