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-

As of today, the situation throughout Israel is volatile. Engagements are constantly shifting. I will report on the four main areas of military concentration based on direct information from IDF sources, FIDF, Zaka relief and support services and Israeli sources. Information coming out of Gaza and Lebanon are mostly Hamas propaganda unless they are direct quotes from military officials.

I am not sure how much of the truth is being reported by Western media outlets. Much of what I am reading and hearing has a Hamas, Palestinian bias. Reports from Hamas Health Authority, Hamas Operations or Hamas Aid Society are not reliable. There is no way to tell the number of casualties at this point, but their numbers seem to be drastically inflated.

Gaza Update

The IDF has escalated ground efforts, pushing deeper into Northern Gaza. The ground forces are working in unison with the Air Force and navy targeting Hamas terror positions only. These include observation sites, anti-tank missile operations systems, and rocket launching sites.

The soldiers are still under rocket fire. Missile barrages, although more infrequent, are being launched into central Israel day and night. Friday afternoon before the Sabbath began, the greater Tel Aviv area was bombarded. There were damages to buildings and cars, but no civilian casualties. Iron Dome intercepted most of the missiles.

Israel encircled the area surrounding Gaza City, clearing out the terror strongholds in Jabalya as well. The IDF moved ground forces into Gaza City, going house by house using urban warfare tactics. They have seized over 9,000 war items – missiles, RPGs, mortars, guns, explosives and chemicals used in making ammunition. Weapons manufacturing facilities were uncovered within actual schools, in rooms adjacent to classrooms. A missile launch pad and storage facility was housed in the Scouting building. Tunnel entrances near an amusement park have been sealed. Several weapons manufacturing sites have been discovered within actual residential buildings directly adjacent to bedrooms. These all constitute War Crimes, using civilians and children as shields.

Over 15,000 targets have been struck with surgical precision, including operations command centers and weapons and logistics depots. Top Hamas commanders and operatives, those responsible for the planning and campaign the 7 October invasion into Israel and massacre, have been eliminated. Top snipers, weapons coordinators and military personnel have been eliminated,

There has been heavy gunfire reported with anti-tank missiles fired at IDF forces by Hamas operatives. The Israeli navy captured shipping containers on a Northern Gaza beach containing 20 missile launchers.

To date, 1.5 million leaflets have been dropped instructing civilians of the imminent risk as ground and air forces move in on certain neighborhoods of Gaza City. This is to warn innocent civilians to clear the area before troops advance. 20,000 direct phone calls have been made. 4.5 million text messages have been sent in Arabic and in English. 6 million pre-recorded calls were made to warn civilians of impending danger.

Evacuation corridors have been established by the IDF- the two main routes are currently along the Gaza Beach and the Salah-Al-din Road. Evacuees are to hold their hands up and carry white flags. Tanks and snipers are along the routes as Hamas is trying to prevent civilians from leaving. Recorded calls have been published of Gazans whose keys have been confiscated or by Gazans reporting Hamas terrorists shooting at them and attempting to block escape passages. These are confirmed by published IDF satellite imagery.

Windows of movement have been issued by the ZiDF. So far, 50,000 civilians passed to S Gaza on Thursday from 09:00-13:00 and an additional 50,000 on Friday. Yet the Hamas terrorists prevent many from leaving. Most Americans and Italians are out.

In Southern Gaza City, Nasser and Rantisi Hospitals are being evacuated. This extraction is being carefully coordinated by IDF COGAT units which is closely monitoring all developments. Recorded phone calls in Arabic between the IDF and the hospital directors give clear instructions on evacuation procedures and accompaniment to safety in Southern Gaza following Salah-a-Din Road.

There is false information that is circulating through Western news agencies that the Shifa Medical Center complex is under siege by Israeli forces. This is unequivocally untrue. Shifa doctors, many trained at Israeli hospitals such as Beilensen and Ichilov, are refusing to evacuate. The medical center is a large, modern complex comprised of many buildings. These serve as command and control centers for the Hamas Nakhba terrorists. Many exit and entrance tunnels to the vast underground “Metro” network are underneath the hospital.

International law allows the bombing of any institution, including hospitals, that house enemy operations. The IDF has been in close communication with many of the staff to evacuate all innocents. It remains a very complex, very volatile situation, changing all the time.

Both the IDF Spokesperson, Col Daniel Hagari (in English) and the Head of Coordination and Liason, administration coordinator to Gaza under COGAT, Col. M. Tetro (in Arabic) stated in a televised speech: “ There is no siege on Shifa Hospital. The east side of the hospital is open on Al-Wadi St. to Salah-Al-Din for the safe passage of any Gazan who wish to leave the hospital. We are speaking directly and regularly to hospital staff. We especially requested to help babies and patients on the pediatric unit to get to a safer hospital and we will provide assistance in any way necessary. I call to your attention that it has been 37 days since Hamas has captured our babies. We know not where they are, if they are alive, or what condition they are in.”

Eilat on the Red Sea

Eilat is the southernmost city in Israel. It has a population of almost 53,000. This upscale resort city has an international airport and is currently offering temporary housing to over 1200 displaced families from Central Israel.

In the past week Houthi Rebels from Yemen, an Iran-backed terror organization has launched several long range missiles from Yemen. Two were intercepted by the US. The Americans stated that they downed a UAV MQ9 Reaper drone carrying out hostile surveillance and espionage activities. Two US carrier strike groups are situated in international waters off the coast of Saudi Arabia.

In a first, on October 31, Israel’s Arrow 2 air defense system successfully intercepted its target over the Red Sea, a long range surface-to-air missile fired from Yemen. It was the first interception of a missile outside the earth’s atmosphere. In addition, a Cruise Missile was intercepted by IDF F-35 fighter jets.

A UAV from Syria flew the length of Jordan to Eilat on Friday afternoon before crashing into a middle school. According to the London-based Syrian Observation for Human Rights, the IAF struck military sites of an Iranian proxy terrorist Hizbulla cell near Damascus killing 3 terrorists in response to the attack.

West Bank (Judaea & Samaria)

The Israel Defense Force is continuing to operate against any and all terror activity in the areas of the West Bank with almost 700 arrested since the start of the war. Over 100 of those detained have direct ties with Hamas.

There have been two diversions of civilian cars and shootings in the area last week. In the first incident a man was killed; in the second, a car was forced off the road. The mother and father were shot and are in serious condition at a Jerusalem hospital. Their 5 month old child in a rear car seat was unharmed. There were reports of 12 separate shooting incidents by snipers into villages in Samaria.

Demonstrations were held in Ramallah and Nablus(Sh’chem) Friday, the latter becoming violent. Rocks were hurled at IDF armored jeeps passing through Bethlehem. Jenin remains a hotbed of terror activity. The ‘Quiet War’ continues here as illegal weapons manufacturing and smuggling operations continue to be uncovered as well as frequent militant clashes with the Israeli army. I

will cover the West Bank at another time but I refer you to visit the sites of Pulse of Israel and The Israel Guys for the most up-to-date news on that area.

Hizbulla and the North

As the threat of escalation looms ever closer, I’ve been hearing the booms coming from the Northern front (Lebanese border) for the past three days. They are becoming more frequent and not an hour ago I received my red alerts of incoming (not in our immediate area) and went outside to see two beautiful Iron dome interceptions glowing golden red over the Mediterranean. Because they were so far away, the booms came about a minute later. Unfortunately I didn’t film it.

Last week the daily routine continued with Iranian backed Hizbulla firing short range and anti-tank missiles into Israel. 20 missiles were fired towards and into the Golan.

A Hizbulla drone exploded on an IDF base wounding 2 soldiers. It’s a worrying situation. On Friday, 3 unmanned aircraft invaded Israeli space and were shot down; one infiltrated quite a ways towards Haifa before it was taken out.

So far 5 IDF soldiers have been wounded by anti-tank missiles, 6 soldiers have died and 2 civilians. 71 Hizbulla terrorists have been eliminated.

This morning short range rockets from Lebanon (Hizbulla), struck two cars, on the road paralleling Dovev. Several cars were damaged by collateral damage and people were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Tehran appears to be creating operational support for Hizbulla in order to further an escalation. They have increased Shi’ite Militias in Syria and as backup in Lebanon. Thousands of the elite IRGC have now moved into the Syrian Golan.

There was another regional meeting of the Arab League this week after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his quick trips to Israel and Baghdad. There were threats by several Arab leaders to continue 7 October type incursions into Israel and commit repeated massacres. “We will do it again. And again. And again.”

Things are beginning to get a little hotter here, but so far, on the Northern front the IDF has only responded proportionally with return fire so as not to escalate the war into another front.

In other news, US forces continued to get hit. American forces in Iraq & Syria were attacked by Iranian proxy drones at least 38 times over the past month. 46 US military personnel have been injured according to the Pentagon. US retaliation has killed 9 IRGC and struck munitions storage sites. The attacks continue almost daily with rockets fired and drones against US forces. The Americans have deployed ships in the Mediterranean armed with Patriot Defense Missiles Systems and fighter jet squadrons. Also, they have added hundreds of additional troops to the MidEast region.

In the meantime, Hamas has just released photos of two of the hostages, a 12 year old boy and an older woman. They would like to arrange a deal – 50 of the hostages for all Palestinians and Hamas operatives being held prisoner for committing terrorist attacks.

We continue praying for no escalation on other fronts and for as few casualties as possible. so far over 1400 Israelis have been killed, over 5300 wounded and 241 are still being held hostage. 39 Israeli soldiers have fallen in Gaza and 6 on the Lebanese border.