Israelis are different from any other nation on earth. It is no wonder we are so misunderstood.
How can anyone who has not lived our experiences understand?
We love to complain—but we do it for sport. The worse things become, the less we complain. Only an Israeli understands the ghastly understatement: “It wasn’t a simple situation at all.”
That’s why I believe this image by my talented friend Itzik Samuha is so important.
His sparse image captures the Israeli bomb shelter experience in a way that copious words cannot.
Those who follow what is happening in Israel have seen countless videos and posts conveying resilience—people singing, dancing, holding parties, even getting married in shelters while missiles fall outside. And those are true depictions of our wonderful nation.
But there is also this.
Every time the sirens wail, we rush to the best shelter available. Some have safe rooms in their homes. Others have communal shelters in their buildings. Those who have neither go to a public shelter.
We grab what matters—kids, animals, phones—race to the shelter, and then we wait.
We wait to see what will happen this time.
Will our missile defense system intercept the incoming missiles?
It usually does—but not always. If not, where will the missile hit? Who will it hit?
Even when there is an interception, the danger isn’t over. Shrapnel—twisted, burning metal, sometimes as large as buses—falls from the sky, slicing through roofs, igniting fires, leaving craters.
We wait for the all-clear.
We wait to hear what was damaged. Were people injured? Killed?
And for those who have seen impact sites with their own eyes—not just through a TV screen—the waiting is much worse.
Then we go back to whatever was interrupted by the siren. We make dinner, play with the kids, walk the dog, go back to work, or try to sleep.
We go back to living as if we hadn’t stared down death.
And that is something those who have not lived this cannot fully comprehend.
But there is another layer not captured in this image that is worth pointing out: every man, woman, and child who has been forced to sit with death gains a strength others do not have.
Israelis are unlike any other nation on earth. We are stronger and more capable – not because we want to be, but because we are forced to be.
If you appreciate my writings and would like to support my efforts, please consider a PayPal donation to help me bring Inspiration from Zion to people around the world.
Inspiration from Zion: This is a Love Story 