A knit kippah or one of iron? Go with iron when Hamas sends missiles.

I write this afternoon (March 15) after just having completed a couple of wonderful preparatory bike rides before my big ride in a little over one week (Riding for Reform). Today is rainy and cold in Jerusalem so I went into the desert and found some wonderful paths to explore and get in a good workout. I saw some incredible sites: wildflowers in the desert thanks to all the rain this winter, bedouin walking their herds of goats and camels, and army tanks and soldiers training. Welcome to the Judaean desert.

Being in Jerusalem right now, we are not at all affected physically by the bombs being sent by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, though this morning an Israeli soldier was stabbed on the train by a Palestinian assailant who saw her as a perfect target. While generally we have complete freedom of movement, nearly one million Israelis in the South are in bomb shelters and safe rooms. Schools have been canceled and I understand the roads there are very quiet. Two days ago, we went to pick kohlrabi for a tzedakah agency that distributes food to the poor (Leket Yisrael). The fields where we worked are very near the airbase where some of the planes were leaving on missions to Gaza. We had regular reminders of how tense the situation is ... even with a 'cease fire' that Hamas violated immediately. Amir, who coordinates volunteer efforts in the fields, lives in the region where people are in bomb shelters. He and his wife are staying with their infants at his in-laws in Ashdod (also an area targeted by the bombs) because his in-laws have an inside safe room...making it easier than taking the kids four flights down to the bomb shelter in his building. And his apartment is right next to the air raid siren, which is really loud and frightening he said. I bet it is. Not that you can really make it to the bomb shelter in time since there is only 30 seconds from the time the siren sounds to the bomb's landing. Many of the bombs, thankfully never arrive to populated areas due to the anti-missile devices known as 'Kipat barzel' or 'Iron Dome', which were funded in large part by the United States government owing to the help of President Obama.

And yet life goes on...because it has to. Tomorrow is the Jerusalem Marathon, we have plans to be in Tel Aviv, and in the North, they are expecting snow. Having been here before during moments like this, I realize how grave the situation is and how resilient Israel is but I never cease to wonder how and when Israel will be able to live without the need for bomb shelters, excellent military might, and foreign aid.

There is so much that threatens Israel's fragile existence - both internally and externally. Now is a time for prayer and hope that somehow resolutions to the myriad of problems afflicting Israel will arise. I believe in God and I believe in man. Both have let me down before but both have lifted me up as well. I hope and pray that we - as men and women created in the image of the Divine - can find a way to keep ourselves and those around us safe and secure. 

May the coming days restore quiet to Israel's South and may all of Israel's citizens and borders be secure and safe. May all the people Israel be at peace with themselves and with one another. And may the world be at peace with Israel.