For One Mom, Rocket Fire Will Never Be the Norm

Stand for Israel  |  May 7, 2019

Since Israel is such a small country, when Gaza terrorists launch rockets, most Israelis fear they could be hit. That fear is especially the case for those who live in southern Israel, along the Gaza border. Writing at Ynet News, an Israeli mother tells us just what it’s like to have her family’s lives disrupted by regular terror attacks:

Gan Yavneh is a small community within the range of missiles from Gaza. It’s almost like we live a regular routine, except the kids stay home from school and we don’t go to work.

We are tired. It’s hard to get back to sleep after running to the shelter and back a few times. As soon as the siren starts, all plans go out the window and then we begin the “waiting game.”

Friends are reporting that their kids slept in the shelter, but our Amit, aged 16, wants to sleep in his own bed. He promises to run right out when the sirens go off. Noam, aged 10, brings a mattress into our bedroom. She wants to sleep with us. She says she feels safer that way. We were hoping for a quiet night. Optimism is important. But the sirens kept blaring and we kept running.

Optimism aside, I cannot sleep. My friend Dorit texts me to say she has finished her shift at work but is too scared to drive home. I call her and try to cheer her up. Then I hang up and go back to watching the news.

It’s a new day, but honestly it feels like we are under curfew. Noam is being sweet. Keeps herself busy. She watches some television and urges us to play board games with her.

Some games are great. At first, I lose but I get better as time goes on.

“Mom,” she says, “let’s go to the store and get ingredients to make a cake.”

But local authorities stress how important it is to stay close to the shelter, so we will have to make do with what we’ve stocked up on…