A week of running...to shelter and to the Finish Line

Tumultuous sums up this week pretty well. 13 sirens calling me to shelter. The last one in Shaar HaNegev where I signed up two new groups to volunteer with Project Laad. There in the Sderot area, instead of the air raid siren (going up and down, on a loop), there is a soothing female voice saying "צבע אדום/tzeva adom/Red alert." I say they adopt that lady and her lovely voice elsewhere. The issue there, as Sderot is closer to Gaza, is that you only have 15 seconds (as opposed to one minute in Beer Sheva) to get to shelter.

Three of my Beer Sheva friends are quoted here in Haaretz about the craziness this week.

So I survived, headed to Tel Aviv, had a beer with my good friend Joshua. Then after work meetings in Tel Aviv, caught Rabbi Winick and Ori from the phenomenal January taglit trip for Asperger's participants. Today I participated for the second time in the second annual Jerusalem Marathon's open route fundraiser for the Israel Cancer Association. What a treat to enjoy the amazing energy of thousands of runners, and then the very muddy after-party in Sacher Park replete with Zumba and all sorts of fun stuff.

Yesterday I got the grade for my last exam.

Reflecting on the great and far-less-so this week, I'm bringing in Shabbat with a nerve-soothing, reflective song by the late, great Meir Ariel: נשל הנחש/Neshel HaNachash. Much love and שבת שלום מירושלים עיר הקודש/Shabbat Shalom from Holy Jerusalem!

אריק/Eric