So, My wife and I were on our way to our son’s Shul Shabbos morning, Simchas Torah in Israel. It was a about 8:20 AM. The sky was blue. The temperature was about 75 degrees in what seemed like a perfect day.
As we were walking down the street, I heard what seemed like several bombs going off in the distance. Didn’t know what to make of it since I wasn’t really sure what I was listening to. When I got to Shul my son told me those were not bombs. It was the ‘Iron Dome’ doing its job blowing up rockets in the sky. He said it calmly so I wasn’t too concerned.
At about 10:30 in the middle of Hakafos, I started feeling a bit nauseous and decided to go back to my son’s condo to rest awhile. On my way there I heard more of those bomb like noises , one of which was very loud, that was followed by air raid sirens. People in the streets started running to bomb shelters which every condo in every building is equipped with. I started running too. NEVER experienced anything like that. I actually believed my life was as in real danger.
As the day progressed news kept coming in about what was actually happening. Which was that at about 6:30 that morning, an organized attack by Islamic Jihad terrorists located in Gaza broke through security barriers killing IDF personnel and then attacking a ‘Rave’ party, killing hundreds of people and injuring a great many more.
They also took hostages. Among them women, young children, and the elderly. They were taken into Gaza and spread throughout the area in different locations. To be used as human shields - anticipating an Israeli incursion into Gaza as a response to their attack.
As of now, there are at least 700 Jews killed and over 2500 injured. There are about 125 hostages.
This is the worst attack against Israel since the 1973 Yom Kippur war. What’s even worse is that the number of Jews killed in a single time is greater than at any time since the holocaust! That is a very sobering thought.
Israel, through the IDF, responded immediately. Most of the terrorist have been killed. And some of the hostages have apparently been saved. That is how things stand now as of this writing.
I am proud of my country’s response to this event. President Biden condemned this attack in no uncertain terms and promised to have Israel’s back and once again said that the US relationship with Israel is unbreakable.
And then he put his words into action, sending the United States’ largest aircraft carrier and destroyer ships to the region as well as various enhancements to Israel’s military aircraft. just in case Israel needed it.
Most European countries condemned it too. The UN Refused to make any comment about it. (Why am I not surprised?!)
Palestinian Authority Leader, Mahmood Abbas refused to condemn the attack! I’m sure he’s loving it.
For its part, there’s been an attempt to form the unity government in Israel taking politics out of the situation.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has promised to do whatever it takes to prevent this kind of thing from ever happening again. I think there is pretty much a consensus about that from all concerned regardless of political affiliation.
I believe Israel’s response will be unlike anything we have ever seen before. What that will be has not been made public and is beyond my imagination. Whether it will work or not… we will have to wait and see.
What Netanyahu did say is that it will be a long war with the goal of eliminating Hamas and Islamic Jihad leadership.
I have been told that Rav, Dov Landau, one of the leaders of the Charedi world in Israel ran to donate blood immediately upon hearing of this attack.
To the best of my knowledge all Shuls have been adding a couple of chapters Tehillim after each of three daily Teffilos, (public prayer services).
Universities and schools have been closed in all sectors including Charedi schools. Post high school Yeshivos are opening early so that there can be additional Torah study for the sake of heavenly mercy upon the Jewish people at this time of crisis.
What caused this breakdown in Israel’s vaunted security apparatus is yet to be determined. But my guess is that ‘heads will roll’.
As for us - my wife and I are relatively safe in Bet Shemesh. This is where my son and his family are located. Life goes on here in a relative normal fashion. Fighting is mostly contained to the southern region where Gaza is located.
Two of my American grandchildren studying in Jerusalem for their ‘gap’ year are safe too and are in lockdown - barred from leaving campus. They are in relatively good spirits considering the situation.
United Airlines, where we booked our flight to return to Chicago, has canceled or delayed many flights in and out of Ben-Gurion airport. We are scheduled to return on Thursday. No clue whether that’ll happen.
That’s it for now. I will keep everyone posted anything new develops.