October 7, 2023, was the day that normal, everyday life in Israel came to a sudden halt. Since then, Israel has been surrounded by enemies on all sides with attacks and threats from Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south. After nearly a year and a half of significant loss of life, destruction of property, and a near complete disruption in everyday life have made Israelis refugees in their own country as they displace to safety.
A wise man once said, “take care of yourself and others, and crises will pass.” Renewal is beginning in northern Israel with local businesses returning. In one of many instances of this postwar healing, Tosha Bakery in Chziv reopens as a scene more akin to a peaceful painting rather than a former warzone:
On the ground of an Israeli national park just opposite the Mediterranean coast near the border of Lebanon, the indoor-outdoor café and bakery is bustling anew with activity, the chill soothing music in the background interspersed with the calm waters of the shoreline just across the street.
The serene pastoral atmosphere amid the trays of site-made croissants and jugs of sugar-sweet freshly squeezed orange juice from produce from the Golan Heights belie the tension that existed here last year when the area was evacuated during the 14-month long war with Hezbollah; most of the residents have since returned to their homes and businesses following the November ceasefire, hoping for a bout of peace but wary of the future.
“You have to be an optimist,” concedes Tomer Suissa, 35, from the small Galilean village of Shavei Tzion, who co-manages the recently reopened Tosha Bakery where he serves as the pastry chef. “If you are not an optimist, you will not be here.”
Shavei Tzion saw tens of thousands of its residents evacuated during when Hezbollah launched about 17,000 rockets, missiles, and drones into northern Israel. In fact, Tosha Bakery was hit by missile fragments and shrapnel, damaging the pergola. Suissa and management feared that they would have to close completely because of it.
Optimism and resilience are the keys to repairing the tears in any community caused by war for renewal. Let’s pray for the day when war-torn northern Israel, and the entire nation, is blessed with God’s most precious gift of shalom, peace.