It is my practice on Fridays, before the onset of Shabbat, to send a message to everyone in the office.  I try to be at least a little bit inspiring and encouraging.  In this pre-Shabbat message, I simply said: “Pray for peace, but pass the ammunition.”  I knew that war would shortly ensue.

When I arose in Israel Saturday morning to go to Schule, I peered out of the balcony.  The streets are always quiet on Saturday mornings, but this morning seemed different than others.  There were absolutely no cars on the street whatsoever.  No people.  What I did see, which mildly bemused me, were a few people walking their dogs.  The dogs get walked, no matter what the risk.

During the Covid lockdown, we were in Haifa, Israel.  The government issued an order that people were required to stay in their homes for Passover, so as not to spread the disease, but there were three exceptions.  One could leave their home to get medicine or medical help; to attend a protest; and to walk their dogs.  That is no joke.

After a week of being cooped up, my son Joshua and I decided to take a walk.  A civil defense man came up to us and asked us where we were going.  We told him, with a wry smile, that we were coming back from a protest.  He and told us just to go straight back to our apartment.

As I was about to walk out of the apartment, headed for the Synagogue, the first sirens went off at 8:15 a.m.  Since I am Shomer Shabbat, I had no idea what was going on, and I had not checked my phone.  I waited until the siren stopped, plus a few minutes, and headed off for the small Synagogue at the end of the block.

It was my grandson’s birthday, and his father, my son-in-law, Netanel, was to read the weekly portion from the Prophets.  The Bible has great meaning here.  Purim is around the corner.  This is the holiday where the Persian government sought to murder all the Jews in its kingdom, which spread in those days from India to Ethiopia.  The Jewish people were saved by Esther and her Uncle Mordechai. ........

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