Sderot Event

Tonight I actually made it all the way to Sderot for an event I was invited to on facebook. Originally I wasn't going to have Thurs. afternoon off but miraculously I got what I wished for. It worked out more than great for me because I went out on a date while getting to go to this event in Sderot, and I brought someone along, which is even better for Sderot! So it worked out really well, baruch Hashem.

The event I went to spread the story of Sderot through a writing contest. The children and adults of Sderot were asked to write poems and songs about what life is like for the in Sderot with all the qassam attacks. There were some very deep and moving things to be heard. I hope the reast of the stories get published.

I hadn't been in Sderot since I was in Israel last, which was over a year ago. That place will always have a very special tender place in my heart. I used to go there a lot while I was in school at Neve in Jerusalem. I was volunteering through and organization called "Lev Echad" ("One Heart") that was trying to lift the spirits of the residents and improve their lives. We went to help people with their specific needs and tried to give them support during a very difficult time. Sderot at the time was turning into a ghost town as more people were leaving the city to relax from the constant stress of qassams. A lot of people couldn't leave their city because of various reasons and were staying home all day and were in need of assistance. A majorly uplifting part of our presence in Sderot was when we would all go on a parade singing, dancing, waiving Israeli flags high in the air and banging on drums as we marched the streets. People would come our of their houses to see and we would cheer them on as they clapped, waived, and cheered us on. Looking up, I would see windows opening and people clapping and waiving from their apartment windows high in the air. It was an incredibly uplifting experience. For some, it was a rare occurence to see so many out on the streets, and very often they were very happy to talk to us as we went by and hugged them and encouraged them. Sometimes people would join our parade for part of the way when we passed through their street. It's something very special about Sderot, how people are all so different there but still everyone is together. I wish it on the rest of Israel. In the State of Israel and abroad.

It was a bit strange tonight to see Sderot after so long. Knowing it has suffered so much while I was gone, I also noticed the changes that have been added. When I was last in Sderot there were no fortified bus stops or little buildings to run to on the street the way they have them now. I only remember there being one. Now the city even has a fortified caterpillar in the playground for the kids. It shouldn't have to be this way. It shouldn't have to come to this. The government has a responsibility to its citizens and should be protecting the people of Sderot from Hamas's attacks. Why and how is it that a government is allowed to continue running while it lets its citizens be attacked for eight years and doesn't even compensate them properly when their house is damaged from a qassam. The situation there is extreme and sad, but I know that G-d has his plan. The people of Sderot are strong.

It took me a long time to readjust to not jumping at every boom that I hear. After being in Sderot for a while, and hearing and feeling qassams, everytime there was a boom my brain jumped and sreamed "qassam!" And that's not even from living there for a month straight. The situation there is extreme, the stress and trauma there are all over the city, and yet it seems to have been accepted because the media seems to have forgotten about the poor city, and the government doesn't seem to view Sderot as a big priority.

I really hope to be able to make a difference there again. It would be an amazing opportunity. I am hoping to offer my services as a massage therapist maybe once a month. I still need to see how I can work things out with sherut leumi, that keeps me very busy as it is.

Oh, by the way, I completely hid the fact that I went to Sderot from my mother because of how hyped up it is in the news. As soon as you hear the "colour red" siren you run for cover and then after fifteen seconds you check to see that everything's ok and move on with life.