Doorway with Chimes

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Rosh Pina, late December 2008

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Visit Wordless Wednesday to see what other people aren't saying.

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The Day the War Started

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The day the war started was the final day of my parents' visit. We'd taken them down south to visit the Joe Alon Center, a living history museum celebrating the culture of the region's Bedouin tribes. On the way there we noticed quite a few planes flying in formation overhead. That's odd for a Saturday, I thought to myself. I wonder what's going on.
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Turns out we arrived at the museum just about the very moment that Israel began its bombardment of Gaza. Blissfully unaware, we had a lovely time visiting the museum and learning a bit more about Bedouin culture.

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The kids particularly enjoyed the miniature Bedouin tent. Maya spent quite a long time pretending to be the mommy and serving typical Bedouin food to her "children". I bet you didn't know that Bedouin eat spaghetti - with chopsticks!

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Mom (the real one) particularly liked the fact that they had a kids' play area set up right in the middle of the museum, with miniature Bedouin tent, puzzles made from photographs of typically Bedouin scenes, and even this strangely incongruous (but ruby red!) ride-on moose.

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It wasn't until we left the museum and headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch that we learned what was going on. So much for our lovely, peaceful visit. Reality returned with a vengeance.

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What's the code of behavior for blogging a war?

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It's a strange thing, figuring out how to act when your country is at war, when your friends and fellow citizens are being fired on, but your own life is going on business as usual.

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Do you blog only about the war? Not talk about it at all? Try to put "something" into every post so that people remember that the Hamas has been firing deadly rockets into Israeli towns for eight years, so people see that Israelis are not war-mongering while casually going on with their lives while Gaza burns?

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The south of the country is a living dichotomy. People trying to keep some semblance of normal while rockets rain down (27 so far today, and it's only three in the afternoon). Here in the center, life goes on. Yesterday I took my children to a much looked forward to children's holiday show, today it's board meetings and jujitsu and parent teacher conferences, except that one of the women at the board meeting has had rockets fall next to her kibbutz, and others had to stay away because of the war, and still others are worrying about children or friends in the army.

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It's not quite life as usual.

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So what is the etiquette for blogging during wartime for those of us who've chosen not to live-blog the war? Do you obsess about the war? Hard enough not to do in real life, will doing it on the blog make it even worse? Do I reassure all you readers that I'm fine, and present my life as some degree of normal so that you don't worry, or do I present the situation as it exists in other areas of the country to present an alternative to the international press you tell me is showing only one side of the story?

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Damned if I know.
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Here, have a photo instead.

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And in the midst of it all

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How quickly things can change. While I was writing this post they announced that Israel has finally begun the long-awaited and equally dreaded ground invasion of Gaza. Israel held off as long as it possibly could, and tried every other method possible, but the moment has come. There is no alternative. All my thoughts and whatever prayers I know how to offer are with our soldiers and those in the South as we begin this new and infinitely more difficult phase.
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Send whatever good thoughts you've got our way. We're going to need them in the days to come.
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Taken from my rooftop balcony this evening. These are straight out of the camera, the only thing I did to them is add the frame. Incredible, isn't it?

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I can only hope that those in the south had a chance to see this incredible beauty this evening, instead of seeing terror raining down from the skies, to remember that there is good in the world, and beauty, and the hope of peaceful days to come.

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(I should probably have saved these for Skywatch Friday, but they were too good to wait. Maybe I'll post more then - I took nearly forty. )

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Too close for comfort

We're still out of range, but that eight-story apartment building in Ashdod that got a direct hit yesterday?

My friend lives in the building next door.

Gaza War - Putting things into perspective

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Please watch this short (2.33 min) video, and if you comment here, please keep it respectful.
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Thank you.
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