Southern Israel is once again being battered by rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
Over the course of the Jewish Sabbath, 10 long-range Grad missiles and more than 20 short-range Kassam rockets and mortars exploded in the shell-shocked region, the Israel Defense Force said. Ordinance exploded south of Ashkelon on Sunday, as well. But for a change, the town of Sderot, which practically lies on the border between Israel and Palestinian-controlled Gaza, was spared.
Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Moshe Pizem said that over the weekend, he, his wife and several children and grandchildren headed to their bomb shelter whenever the Code Red siren sounded. As with any drawn-out conflict – especially in the oft-targeted city of Sderot – people have different reactions to the rising and falling pitch of the air raid siren.
But according to Pizem, his tiny new granddaughter responded to the threat in a novel way. She started laughing when her mother grabbed her during one of the many runs to the shelther.
“I guess she found all the commotion and noise around her quite exciting,” the rabbi remarked. “As we were running to the shelter, the baby laughed. Even something like this can bring a blessing.
“Thank G‑d, we’ve been safe here. Others in the country have not been so lucky.”
Pizem added that residents of Sderot – as elsewhere – would be spending the next few days with the hyper vigilance that usually follows such a barrage.
“Mothers will keep their children close by, and all of us will be exceptionally aware of our surroundings,” he said. “We only have 15 seconds within which to seek a safe space – so we have to make the best use of that time. It’s important to know where you are at all times under those conditions.”
Unlike in previous attacks, Sderot is one of the few places that has not been hit. Tragically, 56-year-old Moshe Ami of Ashkelon was not as fortunate, and succumbed to shrapnel wounds he suffered in a rocket attack Saturday night. In addition, a baby and young girl were among the 16 people wounded during the worst of the rocket fire.
Some 200,000 students in southern Israel were kept home from school as a result of the attacks, with schools in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Be’er Sheva, Gan Yavne, Netivot, Ofakim and other locales shutting their doors.
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