Thoughts on living through this unique era, in Eretz Yisroel
Friday, June 13, 2025 יז סיון תשפ”ה
I am awoken at 3 AM by loud ringing that sounds different from the usual–it seems we should be ready to go to the Mamad but don’t actually have to get out of bed and move there yet. What is going on? Apparently Israel has attacked Iran and we need to be prepared for retaliation. I am exhausted from a week of late bedtimes and early risings and was so not prepared for this… I tell my husband we may get a siren and then fall back asleep.
I get an automated phone call at 7:40 AM with the same message, and a warning that we may have to move to the Mamad for an extended period of time, not the 10 minutes that’s been standard up until now. Blearily I recognize that my plan to sleep late for the first time since last Shabbos may not be feasible, as I need to get the cooking done before the Iranian drones arrive. Nevertheless, I cannot get myself to move.
At about 10:30 AM I grant myself a power nap on the couch before getting back to the kitchen. During that time my neighbors on the chat discuss that a siren is imminent–but I don’t see this until I wake up at 11:15 and see that not only was there no siren, but the immediate threat has been neutralized! Chasdei Hashem! In fact, there are no sirens the entire Friday afternoon!
About two hours before Shabbos my neighbor asks if she can send two of her guests to sleep over, since one of her arranged hosts had canceled. Her daughter has just given birth to a girl and they’re having the entire extended family for Shabbos to celebrate the Kiddush. No problem. We actually had no guests coming at all this weekend, which was highly unusual for us. We host seminary girls throughout the year, often turning girls away once our six beds are claimed. Now that most seminaries have already closed for the summer we were going to have just two girls, Meira, who lives with us and attends Neve, and her friend who was flying in from America. For some reason the American girl’s domestic flight was canceled on Thursday so she couldn’t make her connecting flight to Israel. Meira was visiting friends overnight and planning to travel to us on Friday.
Well, with the developing situation on Friday–and the fact that all public transportation was suspended–we encouraged Meira to stay with her friends over Shabbos. So we would have a rare quiet Shabbos with just one local guest joining us for each meal.
15 minutes before Licht Bentschen the same neighbor called me, frantic, asking if I had any more beds. A second arranged host had canceled last-minute and she had nowhere to put her Machatonim and three more of their children! With tremendous gratitude for the amazing Hashgocha Protis I quickly told her yes, send them over! Setting up for our surprise guests (the youngest girl slept on a camping mat) took the time I had planned to shower and perhaps daven Mincha, but that was OK.
As soon as I lit the candles we got our first siren of the day. What Hashgocha that it wasn’t before, during last-minute Shabbos preparations which included putting our phones and computers on standby in case of emergency! We herded everyone into my husband’s office and shut the door, and I continued my Licht Bentschen Tefillos by heart. One of the boys had managed to notice on his phone that this missile was from Yemen, which meant we only had to wait ten minutes in the Mamad, rather than the longer time advised by the Home Front. Truth be known, this directive was very unclear and no “it is safe to leave” messages appeared on the computer throughout Shabbos, so we left after 10-12 minutes each time and hoped for the best.
Our dinner guest, Rachel, arrived on time with a bag. My husband had told her earlier on the phone that she could stay overnight if she preferred, but now all our beds were taken, so we suggested she sleep on our very comfortable couch. Another pre-alert sounded as we made Kiddush and HaMotzi, but Boruch Hashem we managed to start eating before we had to leave the table for the Mamad upon hearing the actual siren. There was a tremendous amount of noise from the booms outside as well as the blaring from our phones and computers; if we have to do this again next Shabbos I’m going to turn some of the volumes off!
We finished eating without further interruptions and sleepily went to bed, skipping dessert. I was so grateful that I’d thought to give the family a key so we didn’t have to wait up to let them in. First time I was in bed by midnight all week!
Shabbos, June 14, 2025 יח סיון תשפ”ה
My rest was short-lived, for we were woken by a siren at 1:15 AM. The ten of us crowded cozily into the Mamad and I resumed saying Tehillim (I had decided I would just pick up where I left off each time). My friend’s Machateiniste joined me and the rest either stared at the desktop screen or slept sitting up. When we left I went downstairs and brought up more chairs and Sifrei Tehillim, so when the scene repeated itself at 5:15 AM no one had to stand.
After that it was blessedly peaceful for a while. I woke up at 11:15 AM to a quiet house, wondering if everyone had left or was still asleep. Somehow most of the family had actually woken up on time and made it to Shul for the baby’s naming! Rachel and I got dressed and went over to my neighbor’s house to catch the end of the Kiddush and meet this precious new Neshama, and of course partake of the yummy pink goodies 🙂
Our lunch guest is a nurse in a maternity ward, and she described to us the details of her 12-hour shift the previous evening. Imagine having to move two dozen newborns to a safe area, not to mention their postpartum mothers! We finished the meal fairly quickly and went off to nap.
At 5:15 PM I woke up to get ready for our scheduled ladies’ Ahavas Yisroel Chaburah, though I was doubtful anyone would show up. Our usual leader was away, too. To my surprise, more women came than usual! We had a lively shmooze before reading and discussing the week’s lesson from Tomer Devorah. At precisely 6:30 the beginning of a siren sounded, but before we could figure out that it was a false alarm almost everyone had bolted. Only my two in-building friends and one other woman from close by remained to finish the last question and the “Geulah Corner”, which connects each week’s Parsha to Bi’as Moshiach. May we see it with our own eyes very soon!!
Rachel, my husband and I started learning Pirkei Avos together, but once they got into a discussion I read the rest of the Perek myself since I still had Tehillim to say and Mincha to daven. Not long after that I realized Shabbos was over, and I could now find out how our family and friends across the country had fared. There were hits, and casualties. Hashem Yinkom Domom. And at the same time Hodu LaHashem Ki Tov, because it could have been so much worse.
After Havdalah I drove Rachel home, started cleaning up from Shabbos, caught up on more messages and debated whether I could finally shower–would there be a siren? We got standby alerts but no siren so I decided to risk it. As it happened, I was fast asleep when the next siren came at 2:42 AM. We were cleared to go back to bed a half hour later.
Sunday, June 15, 2025 יט סיון תשפ”ה
Since today is Father’s Day in America I wished our sons and sons-in-law a happy day (two of them for the first time BH!), and reminded them to call my husband. Throughout the day most of the kids did call, so Mordechai updated them on our exciting lives 😉 In between he kept going out, as a volunteer for Yedidim, to help people with their stuck Mamad windows and doors, in addition to the usual jump starts and other automotive assistance.
Just after 4 PM we received another alert, and BH he was close by and was able to get home before the siren sounded. This stay was also less than 20 minutes.
A local Kenes Tefillah was scheduled on Zoom for 8:30 PM, so I logged in on my laptop with my Tehillim. Initially I forgot to say the Perakim I had signed up for, but during a lull because of connectivity issues I had time. We were on edge again because an alert came in at 8:34, but Boruch Hashem we have internet reception in the Mamad so I could just go upstairs with my computer and continue. At 8:42 the siren blared, interrupting Rabbi Kornfeld’s Divrei Chizuk. Mordechai was on the desktop talking with our daughter and son-in-law, I was trying to hear the Rov, and then my phone rang. My student was calling, but it was just too noisy and distracting for me to speak to her, so I messaged her that I couldn’t talk right then. We got permission to leave about 15 minutes later, and I called her back after the Kenes ended.
Another alert came in shortly after midnight, but no siren followed; the missile wasn’t aimed at our area. Good night!
Monday, June 16, 2025 כ סיון תשפ”ה
We were awakened from deep sleep by an alert at 4:05 AM, followed by the siren at 4:12. I managed to say a couple of Pirkei Tehillim before we got the all-clear at 4:30. I saw an amusing meme yesterday that several people appreciated: עם כלביא יקום–סבבה, אבל לא כל שעתיים
I’m feeling frustrated this morning. We’re on the fourth day of the war and Moshiach hasn’t been revealed yet! Also feeling a bit of Covid-era cabin fever, since Mordechai feels it’s too risky to drive all the way to Yerushalayim so I’ll have to have my weekly meeting by Zoom. I’ll still get to leave the house to pick up my clothes from the seamstress, go to my exercise class later, etc. but I’m basically limited to the Bet Shemesh area. Which also means I can’t visit the kids.
The 4 AM siren was initially indicated as a severe attack, but while we got the message that it was safe to leave within 20 minutes, I found out this morning that several people were killed overnight, including three who were IN THEIR SAFE ROOM but the missile directly hit them! Hashem Yerachem! And Hashem Yinkom Domom!
Wondering whether I’ll be able to go on my scheduled trip to America that I’ve really been looking forward to, and that my granddaughters have been looking forward to as well! It’s almost certain that the airport won’t reopen by a week from now, but I wonder when it will reopen and what part of my itinerary I’ll still get to do. I said on Friday and Shabbos that I don’t mind at all if I get to stay in Eretz Yisroel and my family comes to me on eagles’ wings! But what if that’s not Hashem’s plan in this timeframe? I think I should ask someone–maybe Yocheved–to join me in learning Shaar HaBitachon because I need more Vitamin B to get through this with Simcha and confidence.
It’s just after 6 PM and B’Chasdei Hashem we’ve had no sirens today. After my Zoom meeting I did invite Yocheved over and we had a good learning session. We didn’t set a firm time to meet again but we’ll check in with each other tomorrow BezH. Then I went out for an errand by car for the first time since Thursday, and was thinking how much has changed in one week. Last Monday I was running around without a stop–Yerushalayim, Osher Ad, the book swap fair, the Mega-Mall event, and then hurrying to unload and put the groceries away so I could catch the bus back to Yerushalayim, to meet Mordechai at the singles’ event where we’d get to hear Jonathan Pollard speak. It was a long, eventful and fulfilling day! Quite a contrast to today when I didn’t even get dressed until 2:30 PM…
I got the official email from Delta/El Al that my flight is “changed” (interesting that they didn’t write “canceled”!), which wasn’t surprising, especially since prior to that I’d seen DansDeals post that El Al’s flights are canceled through Monday. But how would I break the news to the girls? My son wrote that he and my daughter-in-law have already discussed with them that I may not be able to make it so he doesn’t think it’ll be such a shock, and we can just tell them straight. I guess that makes it easier. I also appreciate what my sister wrote, “…focus on the next time you’ll get to see them, and the miracles and good things happening.” Excellent idea!
After picking up my mending I drove by the supermarket, intending to shop, but changed my mind. I can do it tomorrow, B’ezras Hashem. Right now I need to eat something, daven Mincha and say Tehillim, and then go to two exercise classes back-to-back; I think it’ll be good for me. May we continue to have quiet!
It’s now 10:45 PM and miraculously we haven’t had any more sirens or warnings! There was a siren up north at around 7:30, but Boruch Hashem from what I saw there were no casualties. I’m online with Delta to get my entire itinerary refunded, since they told me the first available flight would be August 13 and I can’t be away by that point. But I’m really OK with this, BH. One of my neighbors posted that Thursday is כג סיון, when וַיִּקָּרְא֣וּ סֹפְרֵֽי־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ בָּֽעֵת־הַ֠הִ֠יא בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י הוּא־חֹ֣דֶשׁ סִיוָ֗ן בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁ֣ה וְעֶשְׂרִים֮ בּוֹ֒ וַיִּכָּתֵ֣ב כְּֽכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֣ה מׇרְדֳּכַ֣י אֶל־הַיְּהוּדִ֡ים and we can dictate to Hashem whatever we want! This day when Mordechai dictated the letters to counteract Haman’s decree is forever a power-rich day, and I’m excited to utilize it!
Tuesday, June 17, 2025 כא סיון תשפ”ה
B’Chasdei Hashem we haven’t had any sirens in over 24 hours!! We got warning alerts at 12:20 AM and 8:30 AM, but the missiles bypassed our area, Boruch Hashem. More importantly, there were no casualties (and only two impacts with damage)!
We had Rebbetzin Schoonmaker’s wonderful Va’ad on Zoom today, and then Yocheved came over again to learn. Imagine if we can keep this up every day! Going to take care of some household things now.
I have to add another Moshiachdik observation: The weather has been incredibly temperate. Normally by mid-June it’s in the 90s, especially here in the House of Sun! But it’s been in the low 80s and I’m comfortable with the windows open and no air conditioning, most of the time. Thank You Hashem!