Milestones Marked by Terror

There are few things Americans can mark as milestones when pitted against the timeline of terror. I shouldn't say "Americans", maybe just Americans who live anywhere else but Israel. While living  in Israel, I would have frequent conversations with friends that would be pitted with comments like "was that before or after Operation Cast Lead?"

I have quite a few life milestones that have been etched into my brain against the timeline of terror. Shortly after arriving in Israel (in 2006), I caught my first glimpse into Israeli life - Israel encountered the 2nd war in Lebanon (the first being in 1982). I received emails from family members saying "come home NOW". My grandmother told my aunt to drug me, put me on a plane, and ship me back to Detroit ... and, no, she wasn't kidding. Some would say my change of citizenship was just 'bad timing' but I'll never forget delivering toys to kids in the north who spent summer vacation in bomb shelters. There were a few close calls and a few hours spent in various bomb shelters but who else can say their first few months in Israel were marked by a war? Not many.

Then there was Operation Cast Lead - I was working with an organization called 'Friends of the Reserves' and had just met a really nice young guy. I didn't recognize that I actually had feelings for this guy until he was drafted to go down to Gaza. Having little family in Israel, I imagined him dying to save his soldiers. So, naturally, I wanted him to know that someone had his back - someone cared about him. I wanted him to know he didn't have to be a martyr. One kiss later, I knew I was with the man I was meant to marry (and later DID marry). A few days after realizing we'd have to plan dating by ear, his reserve notice was called off and I saw him the following weekend...and the weekend after that...and the weekend after that.

Fast forward a few years and we now have a son. We're no longer living in Israel but Israel is, yet again, defending herself against terror. Someone asked me what sparked this. Was it the assassination that just happened? No. It's the sheer fact that over 800 rockets have entered Israel in 2012 ALONE. It's the fact that over 200 of them happened after November 10th (only 5 days ago). Israel has had enough. We gave up Gaza in 2005 - our citizens moved out. There's absolutely NO reason whatsoever to be bombarding Israel with rockets.

So, what milestone happened today? My son started crawling. I will always mark this milestone with the notion that for the first time since the Gulf War, Tel Aviv came under attack.

While life clearly goes on and the world keeps moving, I remember that the words "Never Forget" are really like vows to the Jewish people. Never again will we let someone control us. We will never forget the past. Terror has no place in our lives.