The Sounds of Fresh Air Raid Sirens — and Perpetual War
"Even though I believe another long war would be disastrous to the morale of this country, not to mention the infrastructure damage and loss of life, the people in the North deserve more."
By Rick Borenstein
Tel Aviv
I never thought I would still be writing about wartime Israel a year after I started last October 7. But here I am, again, on Day 355, trying to make sense of the situation.
At 6:29 this morning (does anyone recognize the symbolism of the time?), the air raid sirens went on in Tel Aviv for the first time in months. I thought to myself, “it was only a matter of time till it happened.” I went out to the terrace to see what was going on, but Doritte dragged me back to the shelter saying, “this time is different.” The culprit was a medium-range ballistic missile intercepted not by Iron Dome, but by “David’s Sling” (a medium-range missile defense system). If this was an isolated instance, perhaps no harm, no foul. But if it turns out to be a common occurrence, I pity the poor souls in Beirut. Haven’t they suffered enough?
I believe this war against Hezbollah in the North is critical to the security of Israel. Our citizens are entitled to live in peace without the constant threat of rocket attacks or invasions. It’s unimaginable to live with the constant threats, not to mention the destruction of our towns and villages within 10 kilometers of the border after almost a year of bombardment. More than 60,000 people have been displaced and are living in hotel rooms. Negotiations to push Hezbollah north have failed despite months of efforts by the United States and France. The adage that the Middle East only understands strength seems to be again true. Will Hezbollah back down, even in the face of losing 30-50% of their arsenal in the first week? Doubtful. Will they do something stupid like attacking Tel Aviv? Likely, and that will mean the destruction of Beirut once again. Please, tell me, what is the point of all this?
From my point of view: “Maspik Kvar!” (“enough already!” in the local vernacular.) Frankly, I’m tired and depressed by the never-ending drama and perceptible sadness that pervades everyone in this country. But Hamas is one thing, Hezbollah is another. Even though I believe another long war would be disastrous to the morale of this country, not to mention the infrastructure damage and loss of life, the people in the North deserve more. We must solve this.
After one year of war, immediately preceded by six months of the “Judicial Overhaul” debacle, Israel is experiencing a brain drain as well as a financial drain. War-based spending deficits are rising and the politics here in Israel make the US seem like amateur hour. We’re talking nasty, repulsive politics where the draft exemption for the Haredim (ultra-religious) is ironically once again a central issue.
This is the time we need more of the Land of Milk and Honey metaphor. We need more light, less darkness. Bring back the good life. Each of us does what we can to maintain a sense of normalcy in unnormal times. Doritte and I are traveling to China during the Jewish Holidays if we can get out of the country. Our outbound flight on Swissair has already been canceled, leaving us hoping our backup through Athens still operates. Not a great start! And this war is just starting. Literally, anything can happen if the big missiles fly. If we get out, I guess we’ll deal with getting back into the country when the time comes. Both of our flights back into Israel this summer were canceled. It took me 38 hours to get back from San Francisco in August. Such is life in a country at war.
I always thought it would be a possibility that I might want to return to live in California if the shit really hit the fan. But upon reflection, I don’t think I would if the rest of my adopted family stayed behind. Israel today is not the country I thought I was signing up for when I came nine years ago. I knew the possibility of war was always in the Israeli equation, but I’m pretty sure I never envisioned anything this long, this hard, with no end in sight. Yet it is home now.
Shana Tova (Happy New Year) to all. I’ve attached our New Year’s greeting to this post.
RICK BORENSTEIN is a “Silicon Valley escapee” who now lives with his family in Israel. He a coach, investor, NGO adviser — and Tel Aviv-booster.
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