Initiation by Siren

My first trip to Israel has been utterly initiatory in so many ways. When I first arrived on June 10, the minute I entered the lobby of my Tel Aviv hotel, a low-pitched, distant siren went off and the man at the desk ordered everyone to run downstairs into the safe room. There I met a bunch of very interesting, nice people, including a non-Jewish couple from Amsterdam who love Jews and really want to move to Israel, but cannot because they are not Jewish. So they visit as often as possible. They said there are so many Muslim immigrants in the Netherlands, and the government is so woke that it’s very difficult living there.

Also in the safe room were a woman and her husband from Florida who had come for a wedding, and a young Israeli man who now lives in Ireland. There was some talk about how difficult it was for Jews in Ireland, and in France, and in the UK, and in Spain, and on and on. Our little group also included a beautiful young Israeli couple from Haifa who had come to Tel Aviv to hang out for the day. Only the Dutch and German couples and I were hotel guests; the other people had just run in off the street at the sound of the siren.

We also spoke about Greta Thunberg’s flotilla, and how she and her companions declined to watch the October 7 atrocities film that was presented after they were detained. The man from Florida said he wished Israel had let them go into Gaza to see how they liked it there.

I’m so spoiled by how safe life is in Marin County that I marvel at how seriously Israelis take the sirens, even though Iron Dome almost always (I guess “almost” is key) intercepts the missiles. I asked if people ever ignore the sirens, and was told no. Before coming here, I had told myself that I wasn’t going to bother getting up in the middle of the night if sirens occurred then, but I now decided I would do the right thing and keep myself safe rather than sorry.

And I had another chance to do so just last night, at 3am on Friday the 13th! I was awakened by a siren at 3am and went down to the safe room. The Dutch and Florida couples I gathered with on Tuesday were there, and several new arrivals, including children who didn’t want to be awake. We assumed we had been called there because of a Houthi missile, and were shocked to read on X that Israel was not being attacked; it was now attacking Iran.

We learned that the alert signified we should be ready to return to the safe room soon, and that there would be a 10-minute warning when we did need to go back, and that we should then plan to stay for an extended period of time, with supplies. This was quite terrifying.

It felt like another initiation, further jolting me out of the torpor and apathy and coddled condition in which I tend to live. Being in Israel while this is happening, and awaiting what is next, has been incredibly sobering. I feel a visceral sense of solidarity with people who have endured war throughout history. Living at high alert, preparing for the worst.

We heard that Iranian “responses” were expected within the next two hours, and that Israeli airspace had been closed. The flights of a few participants en route to our mission have been turned away.

Feeling increasingly anxious about the prospect of being confined to my less-than-optimal hotel shelter in Tel Aviv for an unknown period of time, I decided to go ASAP to the hotel in Jerusalem where our trauma mission group is scheduled to gather on Tuesday. I felt I would be safer there, in a larger facility with more established infrastructure.

Part of me was observing these impulses and choices, and thinking so much about the decisions people have had to make at the last minute to save themselves, their loved ones, their property. I felt so lucky to have options at all, and the resources to enact them, and the safety to be out of actual danger at this moment. To help metabolize all the adrenaline, I kept telling my body that nothing bad was happening right here, right now; I am safe.

I reached out to my airport driver, but didn’t hear back for a couple of hours. I assumed he felt it wasn’t safe to drive or be out on the roads in case of incoming missiles and drones. By then, I had packed up my room, ever alert to potential sirens I feared were imminent. I texted him again and said I was scared, and would need to find another way to leave ASAP. I was surprised I was easily able to order a GETT taxi to pick me up. I had assumed it was not safe to drive, and that everyone would be wanting to shelter in place. I was mistaken.

Although the streets were quiet, they were not empty. My GETT driver pulled up as if it were a normal day, and asked me how I was doing. I said I was scared. He immediately hugged me and said, “Don’t be scared! Look up at the sky! It is blue! We have the best defense in the world! Only worry about things you can control! Whatever happens is meant to be! Absorb my strength, absorb my attitude! Be positive!” It was incredibly moving and powerful.

About ten minutes before we reached the hotel, I received a text from Gil, my airport driver:

Dear Deborah, 

I would like to invite you to my home (in Rehovot).

I would be happy to come and pick you up from Jerusalem and you can stay with my family. 

Awaiting your reply 

Gil

I told Gil he was too kind, and thanked him with all my heart, and said that it really wasn’t necessary, as I had friends in Jerusalem and I had already paid for the hotel. I said I would never forget his generosity, and very much looked forward to seeing him in early July for my return trip to the airport.

When we pulled up to the hotel, my GETT driver hugged me again and touched my face, like a father, with a huge smile. He told the luggage porter to take good care of me. He told me to remember what he had taught me, and not to throw it away. The porter said “You are safe; you are with us now.”

There is something about the threat to one’s existence that drops down the barriers and opens the heart and one’s courage.

Iran launched 100 drones toward Israel; they were expected to arrive at 1pm. At 11am, we got word that Israel knocked out all the drones, so the current warning was averted! I feel so proud of Israel! This is truly the greatest country on earth, and I am so proud to be part of it!