Page 51 - HaMizrachi #15 2019 Chanuka USA

bring, we got the kids ready for bed as TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019 We were thinking only of our girls.
usual.
This evening my husband and I went Across the street, up the stairs to our
At 7:00 pm, an announcement was to a barbecue with friends. We hired a building, into the building, and up the
released that schools and work would 16-year-old babysitter to watch our two three flights, we ran. As people made
be canceled the next day as well. girls, leaving well after they had both their way down, as far away from the
Clearly, the army was prepared for fallen asleep. roof as they could possibly get, we were
another long day of rocket-fire, so
while it was quiet, we made the quick About 30 minutes after arriving at our moving up.
decision to leave Ashkelon and head for friends’ house, our phones lit up – red We got to our front door to find our
alert in Sderot. A few minutes later, my
Efrat.
phone pinged with a message from the babysitter standing in the hallway,
Within half an hour we were on the babysitter: “Hey, sorry to bother you! holding our baby, with our four-year-
road. With our windows rolled down Not to worry you, but there was just a old right next to her.
so that we would immediately hear a red alert in Sderot. I wanted to know
siren, we were prepared to stop the car, where to go when there is a siren, just I didn’t know who to hug first. Do I
jump out, unbuckle our kids, and cover in case.” take the baby into my arms? Do I scoop
them, our bodies turning into shields I wrote back to her that it’s a little bit of up my four-year-old? Do I squeeze this
for our little ones. Thankfully that a problem – we don’t have a safe room 16-year-old girl, who put the safety of
didn’t happen. Each kilometer that we in our apartment, so when there’s a my children before her own?
drove east brought us more relief, and siren, we pick the girls up and take
half-way through the drive, we felt our them out into the stairwell. I added Once the kids were back in bed, Liraz,
bodies relax for the first time all day. that if she can’t manage to do that, it’s our babysitter, started to tear up. She
Leaving Ashkelon during a tense completely understandable, but she explained that she’s used to being
taken care of during sirens, not being
time is always extremely difficult for should try to get them both into the responsible for others. She said that she
us. We’re bailing – on our building, hallway in our apartment – away from was proud of herself that she managed
on our community, and on our city. windows to the outside.
We’re unable to participate in the Life carried on as usual in Ashkelon, to get out with them on time. I was
volunteering committee that brings we thoroughly enjoy our evening, proud of her too.
necessities to the elderly and sick when finally leaving half an hour after we had I’m usually calm during sirens. I’ve
they are unable to leave their homes. originally planned. experienced them more times than
Ultimately though, the decision is an
easy one. The lives and mental health At 12:00, I messaged the babysitter to I can count. This time was different.
of our children come first. let her know – “We’re on our way! So This time I was away from my babies.
sorry for the delay.” It would be about This time we were separated by a
In between “rounds,” as we call them another four-minute drive home. 30-second run.
here in Ashkelon, life carries on as
usual. It’s incredible how quickly the 12:03. We were driving around the
whole city bounces right back after a traffic circle that puts us on our street. I Ariela Schwartz made aliya in 2010 from
ceasefire – from a ghost city one day to was mid-sentence and suddenly “Shh!!!” Baltimore, Maryland, and works as a
a busy and bustling city the next. My husband said and rolled down the Health and Medical Content Writer
window. There it was. The slow and arieladschwartz@gmail.com
On a regular day, every park, steady rise of a siren filled our ears. We
restaurant, store and mall in Ashkelon had 30 seconds.
is bursting with people. People who
always know where the nearest bomb As soon as we were on our street I
shelter is located. Not a single heart yelled “STOP THE CAR!!” and we Al HaNissim...
came to a screeching halt.
in Ashkelon doesn’t skip a beat at the Over 600 rockets were
sound of a distant motorcycle, an My door was already open when the fired into Israel from Gaza
ambulance, or any other sound that car stopped. With adrenaline pumping
resembles that of an air-raid siren. through our veins we ran – not to the during the most recent
closest building where our car was flare-up of tensions.
And every single night, before we go to stopped – across the street and over m
sleep, my husband kindly checks that one building to get to our kids. Not one Israeli citizen
our bathrobes are hooked on top of our was killed.
towels for easy access – just in case. We weren’t thinking about our safety.

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