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Natalie Sopinsky
Spokesperson for Hatzalah Yehuda v'Shomron

Distracted

Over here, things seem quiet if you don’t read the news. The hills in the morning are peaceful. I lost the leash and spent 2 hours looking for it. I left it on a rock while giving the dogs water. When I take them off the leash, and let them run, I normally carry it with me.

But the news distracted me. The fast- prisoner-release and slow-hostage-release agreement was on my mind in dampening my senses. And I forgot the leash.

It isn’t just a leash like you see with a single dog….it isn’t a piece of fabric. It is a leash and attached to it are two connected chains. This allows me to hold onto both dogs at once. Two powerful dogs. Thus…the chains.

While letting them run, we saw a horse galloping towards us. Atop the horse was a young teenage boy from around here…a shepherd. 

The dogs were not excited by the horse, but I was. When I was remarking on the horse (yes….I do talk to the dogs) I noticed my hand was empty…no leash. Where was the leash?

I circled back trying to retrace my steps. But how do you retrace your steps when you aren’t focused? How do you retrace your steps when you are barely noticing the world around you and are so overwhelmed by thoughts inside your head you don’t notice a horse galloping towards you until it is right in front of your face?

We – the dogs and I – had left the house at 1pm. This is unusual. We normally walk in the early morning hours only. Sometimes again at night. The point of these times is to avoid people.

But I was jittery and stuck on the news so decided to get out of the house, away from the Facebook news. I thought a walk would serve as a distraction.

After the horse caused me to realize I had lost the leash, I spent two hours looking for it. Around and around, back and forth, criss-crossing over the hillside.

Where did we stop for water…a low flat rock in a grassy area? Did I notice a deep hole nearby? Piles of rocks? The field? Was I facing the security road or was my back to it?

Over and over I walked. I passed the same areas several times, but it was a big hill. I didn’t succeed. The sun started to set. It was already 3:45. I was tired and so were the dogs.

We went home.

I figured I’d try again in the morning.

And we went the next morning. And after an hour and fifty minutes, we found the leash.

I am not one to give up. When I lose an item, I look and look and look until I find it. 

My mom used to say “Natalie finds everything.” And I tell my children the same thing when they lose an item…”Leave it to me….I’ll find it. I find everything.”

Have I lost my faith? Has this ceasefire/slow-hostage-release/horrendous-terror-release caused me to lose my hope and belief in Israel?

I will find it again. Hatzalah Yehuda and Shomron, the organization I have dedicated my life to, is still doing what they have always done. Saving lives in the most serious regions. Where people need us the most.

Nothing has changed with that. 

About the Author
Natalie Sopinsky, a Delaware native, was raised in an all-American Conservative Jewish family. Today she is a pistol-wearing hitch-hiking settler living in the Hebron Hills with her husband and children. A lawyer & lifeguard, Natalie represents the 150 communities in Judea and Samaria as Director of Development for Hatzalah Yehuda and Shomron, the main US charity for emergency medical needs in the Jewish heartland. www.hatzalah.org.il; Natalie also hosts the weekly radio program “Returning Home” on Israel NewsTalk Radio https://israelnewstalkradio.com/returning-home/. Since Oct. 7th War – Natalie has two sons serving in the IDF, both in fighting units. There are thousands of families with children fighting…and husbands…and brothers. Natalie’s third son will enter the IDF in March.
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