The Girl with the Rifle

Yesterday as I was waiting for the bus  I couldn’t help noticing a  young woman who was standing beside me. She was naturally beautiful – no makeup, thick blond hair, simply but tastefully dressed in jeans and a sweater, and busy on her phone. When the bus arrived she turned to get on and it was only then I saw that she had a rifle slung over her shoulder. In Israel a person in civilian clothes carrying a weapon is either an off duty soldier or a reservist. They are obligated to have their weapons with them at all times to prevent any mishaps that might arise from leaving them at home. So effectively they serve as civil defence and have to be constantly on the alert. They are a fairly common sight on the streets of Tel Aviv these days, and on a number of occasions have taken out terrorists in the midst of a car ramming or a stabbing rampage.

What struck me this time was the ordinariness of this woman, like millions of others around the world she was on her phone while waiting for the bus to go to work. Just so normal. Only this woman was carrying a loaded combat weapon. No big deal. Because this is Israel where a situation like this has become normal.

As I was on the bus there was a lump in my throat that wouldn’t go away. I was thinking of how lucky we are to have a country where we can defend ourselves from those who want to destroy us. Where young men and women so willingly carry that burden of defence, out of love for their country and the commitment to its continuity. It’s beyond patriotism. It’s a will to survive, genetically engrained from the trauma of generations, inherited from their forebears, almost every one  of whom came here as a survivor of or fleeing some unspeakable horror.

Tonight is the eve of Yom HaShoah. Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Tomorrow at 10:00 am a siren will go off to commemorate the day. The whole country will stand at attention in sombre reflection We will pay tribute  to our  tragic past. We will think of the hostages still held in captivity and the hundreds who perished in the Hamas holocaust. We will acknowledge our challenging present, surrounded on all sides by enemies who want to destroy us and by a world that supports them.

As we mourn, we will also stand strong. And proud. Because we have a country and a beautiful young woman with a rifle who will do whatever it takes to protect it. And a whole generation of thousands like her, who mean it when they say never again.

Am Yisrael Chai!!