It was Saturday morning. I woke up to the sound of the Red
Alert siren app ringing, announcing in-coming missiles somewhere in Israel.
Where? I knew it wasn’t in Haifa (yet) because the municipal
siren wasn’t screaming outside but elsewhere in Israel, people were running to
their bomb shelters.
In the north or in the south?
Missiles in the south, would be Hamas showing off. Missiles
in the north might be the indication that the war everyone knows is coming, the
war where many Israelis are expected to die, entire Israeli towns might need to
be evacuated, the war with Iran, has arrived.
The Red Alert app was warning of missiles in the north.
I sighed, lying in bed, hoping I wouldn’t hear the municipal
siren go off, warning of missiles on Haifa. I didn’t feel well and the idea of
having to get up and run to the bomb shelter (which because our house is old,
is outside) was not appealing, to say the least.
When that war comes, missiles on Haifa will be a
given. It’s not a question of “if,” it’s only a question of “when”.
Then there was an enormous BOOM.
What was that?! It wasn’t the sound of a missile slamming
near-by. I’ve heard that sound before. It wasn’t the sonic boom of fighter jets
overhead (I’m used to that sound). This was something else, something very,
very wrong.
Sick with uncertainty, it was not long before I discovered
that an IAF F16 had been shot down. What I had heard was the plane slamming
into the ground some 18 kilometers from my home.
Oh my God.
I don’t think people who live outside Israel can understand
the depth of horror… I have a hard time
coherently articulating the meaning of this single event. The plane is
precious, the pilots flying it even more so. It’s not about the cost of the
plane or the enormous investment in the pilots themselves (although that is
part of the equation). It’s about life – that of the pilots and the lives of
all of the people they are tasked to defend.
Can anyone who has not lived here understand? Ours are not
Rambo-Hollywood fighters, faceless tough strangers sent to do a mission we don’t
understand. Our soldiers are our children, our husbands and brothers, daughters
and sisters. They are us and we love each and every one of them – including
those we have never met, including those who would not be our company of choice
in a normal situation.
IAF pilots have an added special position. Their training
necessitates physical and mental capabilities few can attain. Throughout
Israeli history the IAF has executed miraculous successes: saving Israel from annihilation
during the Six Day war, flying to Entebbe, destroying the Iraqi nuclear
reactor… time and time again the IAF has been there to rescue the nation.
It’s been almost four decades since an Israeli fighter jet
has been downed by our enemies.
The entire country is following the medical condition of the
injured pilots. We don’t know their names, there are no images of their faces
or interviews with their families on the news (pilot identities are
classified). It doesn’t matter. We don’t care less because we don’t know them
and we will all breathe easier when we know they are ok.
Today Israel’s enemies grow bold. With enablers that are
willing to look the other way (or actively assist) for financial gain (or pure
Antisemitism) Iran is a breath away from a full-blown war that will affect much
more than “just” Israel.
Since Saturday, there was an attempted lynch of two Israeli
soldiers who accidently drove into Jenin. They miraculously escaped with their
lives. The female soldier who was attacked, keeps crying and describing over
and over to those who visit her in the hospital how the bloodthirsty mob
deliberately attacked her, mostly her and not the male soldier she was
with.
Last night there was a car accident that killed two IDF
soldiers. Car accidents happen all the time but when soldiers are involved, it
is worse. If soldiers have to die it should be in defense of the country, not because
of an accident. For a purpose, not by mistake.
So why am I writing this? Maybe because there are still
people who think that Israel wants American help, American soldiers - we don’t,
we just don’t want to be prevented from doing what needs to be done to protect
ourselves. Maybe because even many of those who care about Israel don’t really
understand the Israeli experience. Maybe my words can provide a little bit of
insight. Maybe understanding us better can evoke a little more compassion.
Maybe.
