An older Israeli dies, Hamas celebrates

I just got back from one last celebration tonight for the bride and groom, Racheli and Mark...

The host couldn't even join the party he organized, as he, like tens of thousands of other young Israelis (several of my friends included) was called up for reserve action. The party went on with another round of beautiful, joyous music by the violinist bride, flautist groom, and accompanists on guitar and hand drums. But of course, conspicuous beneath the ecstatic celebration for the amazing couple, we're all feeling this war heavily on our hearts.

הכל בסדר/ha'kol b'seder/everything's ok

Everything's fine here in Jerusalem (despite the siren Friday evening and two rockets landing nearby. Can't miss David Horovitz's crazy insightful analysis of that one). But back home in Beer Sheva, everything is very much not ok. A 73 year old man collapsed while running for shelter (one neighborhood over from me) during an Air Raid Siren (just one of over ten there on our holy Shabbat day of rest), due to a barrage of rockets fired at the city. Magen David Adom medics attempted to resuscitate the man, but he was declared dead. So I'll make my way to bed completely and utterly heartbroken for his family, my family.

My wish

שיהיה שבוע טוב ושקט/May it be a good, quiet week for the Jewish people. May we defeat the terror emanating from Hamas and their cohorts so that my people will never have to spend another Shabbat running for cover during prayer services. May Hamas stop despicably harming millions of people by aiming murderous rockets at our civilians while launching them amidst their own civilian population. May the world see through their pugnacious lies, stop hating on my people by even considering for a second that terrorism can be justified, and start to understand that we take outrageous efforts to kill only those who would wish to harm us, scrupulously avoiding Gazan civilian casualties. May those tens of thousands of soldiers be wildly successful in their mission to provide septuagenarians and all my brothers and sisters with a normal life in which we will not constantly walk around with a bull's eye on our heads, and may the soldiers all come home safe to their worried families and give their moms and wives and kids a big kiss. May those who are in shape successfully continue running on time to shelter to stay out of harm's way and do their part to keep this from escalating out of control. And may those who are unable to run, please G-d, hear no more air raid sirens. Ever. The Holocaust survivors for whom I work have been through enough already.

Most of all, may our enemies (of which we have no shortage) once and for all figure out that no matter how hard they may try, no matter how much they wish that we, the proud Jewish state of Israel, would cease to exist, that I would die or go back to the US...they will fail! They have failed in their murderous intents for nearly a century, and with G-d's help, we will continue to defeat them.

Yes, I am angry...

But I have nothing but love for you,

אריק/Eric

P.S. GO BLUE, Nice Michigan win for a diversion! While we manhandled Iowa this time, one of my all-time favorite memories was watching with Dad as we made the spectacular comeback against the Hawkeyes in 1997, a huge part of our National Championship run. Now Beat ohio!