Under Fire, part 46

So much for a quiet Shabbat: At 14:05 the sirens start up for the first time today. No booms around us, but a few minutes later we hear that there have been strikes (and injuries) in Kiryat Shemona and S'fat.

It reminds me of a friend's quip about the UN's plans to disarm Hezbullah: "A month ago Hezbullah had over 10,000 rockets and missiles, and they've shot about 3,500 at us, so you see, they are disarming!"

So my day of rest and recouperation might not be completely stress-free. After two days in Tel Aviv (and nine hours of training), I want nothing more than to laze around with the weekend papers and (if I suddenly feel terribly daring) trim Nadine's nails.

Against this backdrop of the war, daily dramas are played out: Yesterday, Gill gets a call around noon that his uncle has passed away after a long and difficult illness; he rushes from the house to drive to the center of the country for the funeral (thus missing the heavy afternoon barrages that shake the north). All around us, babies are born, people pass away, weddings are planned, bar mitzvahs are held, and life goes on. Dod Micha z'l was the last of his siblings and the end of an era. May his wife, his children, grandchildren, and many nephews and neices all find comfort in their memories of more joyous times.