Monday, October 12, 2015
Elder of Ziyon
Imagine waking up on a beautiful, cool October morning after the holidays here in Israel. You walk your daughter to school, kiss your husband goodbye, and proceed to the trempiyada here in Tekoa Israel. The Trempiyada as we Israelis call it is the bus stop and area where residents of my settlement hitch to various cities and towns in Israel; mainly Jerusalem and surrounding municipalities.
On a good day, I immediately get rides going to my ulpan in Beit Haam near Nachla'ot. Wednesday was just an ordinary day or so we thought. Once in the car with the lovely young couple, we proceeded to drive on the road Palestinians share with us. I say that because it's our country, and they should thank us and G-d for letting them use our roads.
Anyone who has driven these roads knows about the big red signs that forbid us from entering Area A of the PA Authority designated as Judenrein (Jew-free). We came upon a Palestinian car carrying four men. The driver attempted to pass them, however, they slowed down purposely and proceeded to start road blocking us from passing. If the driver went left, the PA licensed plate car went left, if we veered to the right, they went to the right. Silence descended upon all of us. I could feel tension rising in all of us. The blocking, slowing down brought me to visions of being ambushed. I really thought it was going to be a disaster if we didn't swerve away from this car.
In a matter of minutes, three lives could have been gone if this smart, young woman did not take the opportunity when there was no oncoming traffic in the opposite lane. Hashem gave us a way out, and it wasn't my time. In a matter of seconds a son, daughter, sister, mother, wife, brother, husband could have lost their lives at the hands of four Palestinian Arabs.
Fast forward five and a half hours later on the same road: I tremp back to Tekoa from the Har Homa bus stop, and I am always lucky to get a ride with a Tekoa resident who knows me. Passing by Beit Sahour, we saw rocks the size of boulders, concrete used for building and knew a car had been attacked. It happened at approximately 9:00 am in the morning. Minutes after we passed by this Palestinian village. It could have been me. It could have been anyone living in Tekoa and the surrounding settlements in Gush Etzion.
Over fourteen stabbings in three days. The first would-be suicide bomber of the season, a brave police officer who risked his life to divert what could have been an untimely tragedy for all of us in our great Jewish homeland.
The world is silent. The UN is furiously coming up with recycled resolutions. Mogherini is useless in demanding a Palestinian State all so she can remain relevant in a continent that has no use for her EU position. John Kerry is morally equating the conflict.
Our military; the brave, young men and woman of the Israel Defense Forces are doing everything humanely possible to keep us safe from harm. My brothers and sisters, I beg you, now is the time no matter where you are in Israel, stop when you see a chayal or chayelet and thank them for putting their lives on the line so that we and our children can live.
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