Not All is Doom and Gloom

Most of the articles that have been written about the Gaza War, including some that I've written, have a doom and gloom feeling about them.

But truthfully, all is not doom and gloom. First of all, for the first time in many years our country is united. Almost all Israelis, aside for a few whom personally I feel are misguided, agree that Hamas must be stopped and brought down.

Everyone wants to show support for our country and our soldiersPrayer groups are everywhere. One group divided the Psalms into sections and women are saying the entire Book of Psalms every day. Prayers for a complete and speedy for our injured soldiers and prayers for the well being of our soldiers on the battlefield are recited privately and in synagogues. Everyone is doing their part.

Israeli flags are everywhere. One might think that Yom Haatzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, is around the corner. You see citizens proudly flying Israeli flags from their cars, on balconies, from windows, and in Sderot, the residents strung long banner of flags across all their streets. Everyone wants to show support for our country and our soldiers.

Companies and organizations have shown what good citizens they are. Children of the South have been given "respite days" and taken to the large Biblical Zoo, to concerts and plays, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Ramat Gan Safari park, out to eat, just to name a few activities. My school age grandchildren went to Hadera to see the Israel Electric Power Plant.

Clowns are everywhere and when the children didn't go on an outing and were in shelters all day long, the entertainment came to them.

Some of most popular children's entertainers put on shows in the shelters. Entertainers who make balloon figures brought smiles and laughter to the children. The performances may have been for only an hour or two, but this was an hour or two that children forgot about the war.

Arts and craft teachers and art therapy experts spent time with children having them create magnificent art work and at the same time, worked out their fears.

Across the south and the rest of the country, beautiful things are happening. There are so many projects to provide warm clothes for our soldiers. Private people are preparing care food packages and are sending them to the front. Restaurants and pizza shops have been donating pizza, soda, sandwiches you name it.

Strangers in the rest of the country are opening their homes to the residents of the South. They have offered open invitations to come and stay with them for a few days or Shabbat.

Companies are giving large discounts on their services. Bank of Israel is helping people who can't get out to do their banking, major allowances on their overdrafts.

Children are learning in fortified classrooms and bomb sheltersSlowly life is coming back. Children are learning in fortified classrooms and bomb shelters. Residents are starting to go back to work. Shops that were closed for a week or two are now opened.

My husband was in downtown Netivot yesterday, and he told me that the center of the city was busy.

Even though people are doing what they have to do, everyone has in the back of their mind that a siren could go off at anytime and they only have fifteen seconds to seek shelter.

And guess what happened a half and hour after my husband came home.... you got it, we had an air raid siren.

G‑d willing, our actions in Gaza will be successful and the raining of rockets will stop forever.

Am Yisroel Chai!