Sadly, what Americans are seeing on TV and reading about in the papers regarding the current events and terror attacks in Israel are not even a fraction of the big picture. The real story is about the miracles that are being seen in Israel every single day as Hashem protects these courageous and dedicated people.

Everywhere we go we have heard explosions with rockets coming sporadically out of Gaza. The more we travel, the more serious damage we see—the cars and buildings with holes in them from ball bearings and shrapnel placed in rockets, which are meant to hurt as many innocent people as possible when they explode. So the miracles—and there is nothing else that you can call them—are self evident. Buildings and cars and livestock are being destroyed, but with some few and tragic exceptions, most Israeli people are physically unharmed.

We were all heart-broken to read that on the eighth day of rocket bombardment from Hamas, an Israeli man who had gone to the Israel-Gaza border to bring food and good will to members of the Israel Defense Force was killed. Reports say 37-year-old Dror Chanin was at the Erez Crossing when he was struck by a mortar shell and shrapnel. He was rushed to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, where he was pronounced dead. Dror was doing holy work, putting himself on the front lines to uplift soldiers. May his family be consoled among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

We have been visiting soldiers, too. It is a very moving experience to meet these young people who put themselves in harm’s way to protect so many others. Despite the conditions, they are so happy to see us, to receive the food we’ve brought, as well as small articles like socks and underwear. These soldiers don’t have enough of anything—they were called up in haste and had to get ready quickly, so no one had enough, but everyone is making due.

So many lessons in this for all of us.

Dov

00000