As we boarded our flight in Tel Aviv for the journey back to Chicago, we spoke of how deeply affected we were by our few days in Israel. We were also highly concerned with the disturbing threat from Hamas - that as soon as the 72 hour ceasefire concluded, rockets would immediately target the communities of southern and central Israel.
On Wednesday and Thursday these cities enjoyed the blessed relief of quiet. We visited Be'er Sheva, singing songs and sharing stories with Russian immigrants who hadn't emerged from bomb shelters for over 3 weeks. We played games and delivered gifts to pre-school children, who have been traumatized for weeks by rocket fire. We spent the afternoon in the southern city of Sderot, working with the organization Ayalim on their project of building a student center. With every step we took there was someone to grasp our hand and thank us for coming to them. However, it was the members of our group who were experiencing unbelievable gratitude.
We spent time in the community of Sha'ar HaNegev before departing for Jerusalem - we will share those experiences in our next update. Suffice it to say that when we landed in New York a few hours ago everyone on the plane turned on their phones and were dismayed to read that the Hamas threat had become reality, and we grieve that fighting has resumed. It's difficult to believe that our friends in Be'er Sheva, Sderot and Sha'ar HaNegev, with whom we walked outside just a day ago, are once again coping with the anxiety of sirens, and the trauma of a 15 second window of time to make it to a bomb shelter.
We're now at JFK, waiting for our flight back to Chicago. While we're tired, we are lifted up by the awe inspiring resilience of our brothers and sisters in Israel.
Our next update will be coming soon, and we look forward to seeing everyone.
Praying and working for peace,
Julie and Deb