Rockets in School Today

My professor in Be'er Sheva just called to tell me that a rocket landed next to my dorm at Ben-Gurion University. The warning sirens went off, and as far as we know, no one was hurt, though we may not have windows for a little while.

Strange to be living in a "war zone." Sitting in my cosy bedroom in Jerusalem, the sun has just set, and the only sounds are of dogs barking in the distance and an occasional car on passing on the street outside. The "situation" has affected my work - it seems almost silly to talk about Palestinian-Israeli cooperation under the circumstances, though we keep trying. It has affected my friends, some of whom have been called into the reserves. It has affected the atmosphere - fewer people around at times, more tension, more stress, more sadness. But it seems to me that it's easy to live in a bubble here or anywhere, to carve out normalcy and close your eyes to the images. My professors keep working at Ben-Gurion. The sirens go off, and they head into a safe room. But they keep working.

In Gaza though, there's no escape. Last night, 40 people, women and children mostly, tried to escape by hiding in a school building. There were no sirens for them, and no place to go if there had been.

It's hard for me to accept that there was no other way. I'm hearing more vengeance rhetoric than strategy. I'm seeing lives destroyed to protect others. While the rockets fall, the toll is always harshest for those who are caught in the crossfire. Somehow, the moral compass seems to be blowing in the wind.

Whatever your political views, here is a way to help. Physicians for Human Rights - Israel is leading the effort to provide immediate medical relief services to civilians in Gaza. They are in desperate need of financial support. Lives are lives, and there are a lot of them right nextdoor to me hanging in the balance.
http://www.phr.org.il/phr/