Page 50 - HaMizrachi #15 2019 Chanuka USA

Diary Diary

Entries from Entries from

AshkelonAshkelon

by Ariela Schwartz

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019 our nine-month-old baby, Carmel, and a four-year-old who hasn’t yet learned
my husband pulls Aliza, our sleeping about death understands what it means
was interrupted from a restless four-year-old, out of bed and carries to run for her life?
sleep at 5:30 am when my husband her out. Whoever gets to the door first
I came into the room. “Ariela, just unlocks and opens it for the other one, The booms were constant. The sirens
so you know, there’s stuff going on in then closes it behind them. continued: 7:04, 7:11, 8:31, 9:12, 9:54.
Azza (Gaza). You should get dressed.” “Just letting you know I’m going to the
After hearing a deafening boom, my The adults keep cool, smiling at the bathroom,” is another way of saying
husband, Asher, had checked the news children gathering on the stairs, some “You are now responsible for keeping
to see if there had been a gas explosion repeating loudly that everything is fine both of the kids safe, don’t wait for me
nearby. What he heard had actually as they try to drown out the booms in case of a siren.”
come from Azza, 15 kilometers away. from overhead – some so loud that they
shake the entire building. Internally, My husband and I discussed leaving
The Israeli Army had taken out an people are keeping tabs, counting each Ashkelon to go to stay with his parents
Islamic Jihad leader, which meant it was explosion… one-two-three, four…five... in Efrat, where there are virtually no
only a matter of time before rockets sirens, ultimately deciding against it
would start flying in our direction. The sense of urgency and fear starts to for fear of being caught by a siren while
We live in an old building in Ashkelon lift when someone inevitably cracks a driving with the kids in the car.
– no elevator, no safe rooms in the joke about meeting up for coffee during The day went on and the rocket-fire
apartments. We’re separated from our the next siren or having a building- continued with us stuck inside our
bomb shelter by four floors. With only wide pajama contest. apartment building, glued to the news.
30 seconds to get to safety, when there The next siren came exactly 30 minutes No showering, no trips to the park
is a siren we follow protocol and leave later, at 6:35. across the street, no makolet (grocers)
our apartment, shut the door behind runs – just waiting for the next siren as
us, descend one flight, and gather on The look of sheer terror mixed with we try to entertain our kids with games
the north side of the building. surprise on Aliza’s face as she hears and coloring books.
each siren sticks with me. She’s well-
We were well prepared for our first practiced, and every time without fail, Finally, the rocket-fire eased-up
siren at 6:05. We followed our plan as she drops whatever she’s doing and toward the late afternoon. With the
we had countless times before. I grab runs to the door. How could it be that uncertainty of what tomorrow would

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