Saturday night -- Motzei Shabbat. I can't say it was a quiet Shabbat, although for the most part it was very quiet. There were 8 warning sirens throughout the day, and we heard a number of booms too, but apparently all the rockets landed in open spaces and no one was hurt and there was no property damage. Not the case throughout the North -- there was a lot of shelling and several people were hurt. Those poor people in Nahariya -- that seems to be a favorite target and there has been a lot of damage and some injured people.
We did have an interesting experience, though. Our synagogue is quite small and is really a square building with three walls of windows. It is a lovely place for services, but since there is no protection in the building and no nearby miklat (bomb shelter), we had our services last night and this morning in the miklat of the Reform congregation!!! I must say it was a lovely shelter -- wooden floors, newly painted walls, air conditioning, and an elaborate ventilation system. Everyone commented on how nice it was. There was a bar mitzvah -- a lovely young man who did really well with his readings. His family were from England and they expected a lot of guests who couldn't come because of the situation here. We were worried that no one would come, but in the end there were at least 60 or 70 people there. We sat in plastic chairs like you have in your back yard. There were sirens in the middle of the service, and after the service they had set up the kiddush reception upstairs in the main sanctuary of the synagogue, but there were sirens in the middle of the eating (twice) and everyone had to troop down three flights of stairs to the miklat. By the end of the second time everyone had about had it and we all went home. I doubt the young man will ever forget his Bar Mitzvah, and neither will we!! Also, from the look of things, it won't be the last time we hold our services there.
Frank and I both had long naps this afternoon, and I spent quite a bit of time on the phone after that, and Frank had a long Skype conversation with Yoni, his son. Tonight everything is quiet and peaceful. Times like tonight you wouldn't think that a thing was wrong. But you know, it's all wrong. Our troops are massing on the Lebanon border. My friend Naomi's son-in-law was called up out of miluim (reserve duty) and is on his way. I know lots of people whose children are now in the service. It's grim.
I think we will go south to Be'er Sheva on Monday, just for a few days. We'll keep you posted.
Love,
Pat
We did have an interesting experience, though. Our synagogue is quite small and is really a square building with three walls of windows. It is a lovely place for services, but since there is no protection in the building and no nearby miklat (bomb shelter), we had our services last night and this morning in the miklat of the Reform congregation!!! I must say it was a lovely shelter -- wooden floors, newly painted walls, air conditioning, and an elaborate ventilation system. Everyone commented on how nice it was. There was a bar mitzvah -- a lovely young man who did really well with his readings. His family were from England and they expected a lot of guests who couldn't come because of the situation here. We were worried that no one would come, but in the end there were at least 60 or 70 people there. We sat in plastic chairs like you have in your back yard. There were sirens in the middle of the service, and after the service they had set up the kiddush reception upstairs in the main sanctuary of the synagogue, but there were sirens in the middle of the eating (twice) and everyone had to troop down three flights of stairs to the miklat. By the end of the second time everyone had about had it and we all went home. I doubt the young man will ever forget his Bar Mitzvah, and neither will we!! Also, from the look of things, it won't be the last time we hold our services there.
Frank and I both had long naps this afternoon, and I spent quite a bit of time on the phone after that, and Frank had a long Skype conversation with Yoni, his son. Tonight everything is quiet and peaceful. Times like tonight you wouldn't think that a thing was wrong. But you know, it's all wrong. Our troops are massing on the Lebanon border. My friend Naomi's son-in-law was called up out of miluim (reserve duty) and is on his way. I know lots of people whose children are now in the service. It's grim.
I think we will go south to Be'er Sheva on Monday, just for a few days. We'll keep you posted.
Love,
Pat
posted by Frank and Pat Fischer at 10:30 PM
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