Update from Israel, July 26th, 2006
by Forest Rain, Lionheart
There were so many sirens today I lost count. I don’t know how many missiles hit Karmiel today… again and again the sirens wailed. Into the bathroom, the safest room in our apartment. All the other rooms have windows and exterior walls. To be killed in the bathroom a katusha would have to come through the roof. Or hit the apartment below and cause ours to collapse, or cause a fire…
The missiles often hit with no warning. That’s a problem, no time to take cover. My two cats have already gotten used to being scooped in to the bathroom when the sirens go off. They know that something is very wrong so they don’t struggle, no matter how I pick them up. My elderly girl cat, Ella is usually very particular about the way she is held. Her lack of complaint when I now pick her up shows me that she understands the urgency. My boy cat Fred is very frightened by the explosions and the sirens. Yesterday I went to take a bath and he ran into the bathroom and stood in the corner shaking. He didn’t realize that at the moment there was no danger. Today the cats got so tired of repeatedly being dragged in to the bathroom that they both decided to just stay there.
People seem unable to grasp the enormity of the difficulties we are currently facing. Maybe it’s easier to understand the fear of an innocent animal being bombarded with missiles because he lives where he does.
I have much to write about but have lately been so exhausted that I am reluctant to approach the computer. What I have managed to do today is gather together 3 easy ways to help that as far as I can see aren’t being taken care of by others where you can step into the gap.
The people of Israel need your help! This war against the terrorist army of Hizballah has put our country under extreme strain; you can help us hold up under the pressure!
Ways to help Israel in this time of crisis:
Acquire and use the HAS credit card. With every purchase you will be supporting Israeli charities. More information in my blog article: “Supporting Israel one swipe at a time… “
Support individual Israeli businesses. The daily barrages of rockets on northern Israel have caused a situation where the people of northern Israel can not go to work, can not make a living and provide for their families. The tourism industry is ruined for this season, as is the agriculture industry. You can help support independent businesses buy purchasing their products online.
Goood (http://www.goood.co.il/) is the online store of my friend Yaron Gordon, a kind and generous man who was of great assistance to the Healing Teddies Project. Yaron’s physical, offline store is in the mall down the street from my house. These days he can’t go there to work and the residents of the area can not go there to shop. You however CAN shop in Yaron’s online store which features hand crafted pieces by fine Israeli artists. By shopping at his online store you can support Independent artists and boost Israeli economy, helping Yaron and his artists stay in business!
Keren Kayemet LeIsrael Another result of the attacks is extreme environmental damage. On impact many missiles have caused fires, some have ruined people’s homes, and others have ruined Israel’s beautiful 50 year old hand-planted forests. KKL-JNF workers in the north are fighting Katyusha-caused fires, trying to protect our forests. It is very difficult to do so as Israel’s firefighters are understaffed and these areas are still under attack.
Have you seen the pictures of a hillside overlooking Kiryat Shemona going up in flames? That area is (should I now be using the word was?) so beautiful. The entire Galil is beautiful but I particularly love the expanse between Kiryat Shemona and Metulla. Tel Hai, the college I attended, is nestled in open space between the two towns. The contours of the land, it’s colors and textures fill my spirit so that it became one of the major reasons I chose Tel Hai as my college. It brings tears to my eyes to see the devastation there.
Terrorists are trying to take away the beauty we have created in this country, burning the greenery. They are taking away our very oxygen. You can help Israel restore her beauty by planting trees via Keren Kayemet LeIsrael. As soon as humanly possible they will plant your trees to revive the land and make it flourish again. You can choose where to plant your trees via the map on the KKL website and they will send you a certificate of verification. This is a very good project to do with children, giving them a chance to make a difference in the world, planting beauty where terrorists tried to sow destruction! Click to Plant at: http://192.116.234.203/kkl/index.asp
I know we can have a better world. It can be marvelous, glorious (some of it already is!). But there is much to be done before it can be that way…
Please continue to pray for protection of all innocents, healing for all the hurting! Light a candle, wish upon a star… Dare to dream, act to fulfill it!
Inspiration from Zion: This is a Love Story 