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Mazal tov
20:45
Sirens
The red alert app on my phone lights up.
A number of city names appear on the screen.
Ramat Gan, Kiryat Ono, Petach Tikva, Holon, Mikveh Israel, Givataim, bat Yam, Bnei Brak Azor…. Tel Aviv
*Rocket alert in your zone.*
*Find shelter immediately.*
10 seconds in
It becomes kind of a ritual, an automated reaction, no thinking involved.
Run, just run.
Don’t think.
Where are the kids? Neri was on the bus on his way home.
Ela… she’s… where is she?
Don’t think. Run.
I mean, don’t run. Don’t fall.
Put your shoes on, take the keys, take the phone, turn off the oven.
Faster.
15 seconds in
The sirens are blaring.
In my building, we don’t have a shelter, so every rocket alert, we run to the building next door. They have an underground floor.
It’s the best of bad options.
20 seconds in
I’m at the door, going down from the third floor.
On the second floor, Shaked, with her newborn, is stepping out of her apartment.
She’s looking at me.
-Go, go! I’m slow because of the baby.
-You go. I’m behind you. Don’t rush. We’ve got time.
25 seconds in
Actually, we don’t.
I mean, we have around a minute, maybe a minute and a half, depending on where the missiles are coming from—north, south, east?
Don’t think. Walk down.
To get to the neighbors’ building, we have to jump over a small concrete fence.
It’s raining outside.
She’s handing the baby to one of the neighbors who’s already there.
She jumps, then takes the baby back.
40 seconds in
We’re five people at the door.
It’s not opening.
Dany is entering numbers into the intercom.
Door locked.
50 seconds in
The sirens are still blaring.
It’s raining.
Shaked is barefoot, trying to shield the baby from the rain, but she’s barely dressed herself.
Phones Alerts are screaming.
Dany looks at me.
-Ronny, what’s the code for the door?
Don’t think.
I getting to the panel.
Slowly so i dont miss : #1234
The door opens. We rush in.
60 seconds in
As we head one floor down, the booms begin.
Here in Israel, we call them “booms.”
But really, they’re explosions.
Most of the time, it’s the Iron Dome intercepting rockets in the sky.
The whole building trembles.
Boom, Boom
There are around 10 people already in the shelter. We smile at each other.
We know each other from previous meetings here, sometimes in the middle of the night ppl in their pyjama, kids still sleeping or at six in the morning with bad breath
In the first months, the alerts were terrifying.
A rush of adrenaline every time. The whole body shaking, and a long, slow comedown-Back-to-normal after
Now, it’s just scary. No adrenaline. just a quick millisecond of panic and then normal feeling. Like the body has given up.
No going back to normal… It’s normal all the time. It’s scary all the time.
1 year and 2 months in
2, 3, sometimes 4 times a week.
It’s just life.
1 minute 30 seconds in
We usually stay in the shelter for around 10 minutes, waiting for the danger of another round of rockets or debris falling.
I m calling Neri.
-Where are you?
-I’m in a shelter under a falafel shop near Rabin Square.
-You were on the bus?
-Yeah, it stopped. We all got in the shop
-You okay?
-I’m fine.
i m looking at Dany.
-By the way… Mazal tov. You just got married last week, right?
-Right.
I look at the group.
-He just got married
-Hey, Mazal tov!
Everyone’s trying to play it casual… maybe it is. it kind of became
Someone shows a video of a burning bus on his phone.
-It s in Bnei Brak .!
-debris or impact?
-they dont say yet
We start heading out. Dany takes off his shirt so Shaked can shield the baby from the rain.
-I was going to take a shower anyway, he jokes.
I’m back at the apartment.
-Neri, you’re on your way?
-Yeah, I’m back in the bus.
-Come home. I made you some bulgur and fish
-Hate fish
-Come home
11 minutes in
I’m sitting on the couch.
Like it’s normal. Like nothing happened.
I’m trying to write everything down so I don’t forget.
But my hand is shaking.
—-
In the last 24 hours, there have been 33 rocket attacks all over Israel
—-
Wherever you are, Lebanon, Gaza, Israel, … I wish you Peace and I hope this ends soon.
Good night
