War Report #4

Sabbath eve, may our Sabbath be quiet. (Fat chance.)

Day 8, Iran portion of the Hamas War, June 20, 2025

Here's what I posted on Facebook:

I am staying with friends. I do not want to be too specific; suffice it to say that there are between 15-25 people in a house of maybe 1800 sq. ft and 2.5 bathrooms.

Photo of mamad by author.

Everyone is on edge, although coping. Two nights ago, the two youngest--5 months and 3 years--were both having meltdowns. One would calm, the other would scream; he'd run down and the first would pick up again. Part of the issue for the 3 year old was that his father, a physician, was going to be leaving at dawn the next morning for his hospital, with no clear date for his return.

I happened to see a FB post from a home decor group in which a writer was asking for advice because her refrigerator was 30 inches deep and her new home's kitchen counters were only 28 in. deep. This meant the fridge would poke out 2 inches. I did not comment; what I wanted to write was, "I am sharing a small house with 8 adults and 8 children, running for the safe room every time the siren blares, praying for the two sons who have been called into active military service and that no one we know is killed, and you worry about a fridge that protrudes two tiny inches from the counters?"

The fact is, we are fighting this war so that no one will have the threat of nuclear annihilation hanging over their heads, because Iran has said countless times that first they will take out the Little Satan (Israel) and afterwards the Great Satan (USA). It would be a relief to have the mental energy to worry about trifles like this writer.

Today, in honor of the Sabbath, I am going to focus on the miracles that we--the People of Israel--have experienced.

1) "I am a living witness to the attack on the center of Tel Aviv yesterday morning at 4 AM. I was staying in a safe room with 3 other women, pretty much as close as one could be to the direct hit. Its very important that you understand the following: This was a neighborhood of young, relatively "secular" Israelis who do not wear any kind of head coverings. The cover themselves more in tattoos than clothes.

From the young soldiers in the search and rescue crews that got us out of the apartment to the store owners on the street below, everyone was literally telling jokes, laughing and smiling from the minute to the hours that followed the attack. The vast majority of us know that we had once again experienced another open miracle: we were safe and completely protected from evil by the Guardian of Israel, and that we are His Children. The air was filled with a powerful 'Yirat Shamayim," awe of the greatness of our Creator in Heaven. There was zero looting of any kind despite none of the stores having windows or doors left. How was it that not one person was killed? How was it possible that the rocket landed in the one patch of empty land, an unused parking lot, in the center of all the buildings? (I often wondered what was the purpose of that empty lot? Now, I know.)

The majority of Israelis (of all faiths) know we dwell in truth, goodness, kindness, love, and righteousness. As I was rendered apartment-less, I wandered in and out of other people's apartments and spaces--some that were utterly destroyed and some that were still functional. Despite the damage to property, there was a tremendous sense of joy in the air! I ended up resting on the sofa of two guys, L. and N., who had just moved in the day before to their now windowless apartment. By the time I arrived around 9:30 AM, they had cleaned up all the glass, taped up the open spaces, put up shelves, arranged their plants, and unpacked their dishes. One had just returned a month ago after spending three years in Australia. He said, "Here we are at home. Here we know what's true."

When the interviewer from ABC News asked me earlier, "Where will you go now that you don't have an apartment?" I looked at him in an odd way. I said, "Of course I will have somewhere to go. We are one family. There's always somewhere to go in Israel." And this is true, everyone's home is open to everyone else. We trust each other; we trust God, the One God who neither slumbers nor sleeps. During the missile explosion, I was very calm and calmed others. We sang, we prayed, we recited psalms. I knew God was protecting us. We walked out without a scratch and found all three of my friend's cats within a few hours.

I had a taste yesterday of what it would be like if we lived in a world where everyone shared "Yirat Shamayim / Awe of Heaven." It was glorious! May this understanding that we are all being watched over, and are accountable to a Loving, Wise Source spread globally.

DO NOT GLOBALIZE the intifada.

GLOBALIZE a movement that spreads an AWE OF THE GREATNESS OF THE CREATOR OF LIFE.”

by Aviv Yafo #storytelling #israelinstagram #israelnews

2) The surgical floor at Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva took a direct hit two nights ago and was totally destroyed. A few hours earlier, a hospital administrator had said, "This building is not secure," and everyone was moved to a safer place. The building was unoccupied; no one was killed. A few patients in other locations suffered from shock and minor injuries, but that was all.

3) Shrapnel--the shot-apart bits of both missiles and missile-destroyers--fall to earth in 10-15 minutes. Israelis have been told to stay in their secure place following attacks; shrapnel damage is the most common problem. Miraculously, almost all shrapnel falls in streets, parking lots and sidewalks.

We know that all these near-misses are miracles. God's protection is a major reason that ...

---

As I wrote those words, we got a warning that an attack was imminent. Because these missiles come all the way from Iran, our scientists can see when they are sent and when they will arrive. We have now a 10-minute warning to get to our shelters. I put on my shoes, attached the leash to my dog's collar, used the facilities, and went downstairs to the safe room.

For now, the dangerhas passed. The Sabbath begins soon, and I still have to get prepared personally, which means finding a few moments when the other adults are not using the showers. This last attack took a half-hour--the missiles came in waves released close together. After, the 7-year-old asked me to help her with a little sewing kit she got for her recent birthday, so I spent a half-hour with her. Now I do not have time to complete this post as I had intended. I will post more after the Sabbath, God willing.