Una carta

Estas son las palabras que escribía una amiga hace unas horas, y las pongo aquí porque comparto sentimientos:

I'm sad, scared, and mad, and I am tired of being all of these things... I originally wrote this in response to an article a friend posted, a friend who I actually think is really smart and I respect but I don't think fully understands the situation here in Israel, like most of the world. I admit it may be a little ranty and also repetitive but so is Israel being in war and so are the deaths of innocent people on both sides, and the rockets being launched at Israel... so here is my rant.

I certainly hope the war ends soon and tomorrow morning I will be standing in solidarity with Arabs and Jews who also want an end to the violence and war. I am not a representative of Israel's far right that dominates the current Israeli government. However, I will say the following: This article just restates the obvious. The whole world is villainizing Israel and Jews in general. However, none of this is new for most Israeli's. Israel is clearly always held to a double standard. I mean look at the atrocities our neighbors commit (hundreds of thousands killed in Syria), yet Israel is who the world accuses of war crimes. You know I am progressive and I often disagree with much of what Israel does (in fact, this is what motivated my move to Israel) but living here through this time of war has changed my perspective on a few things. I am seeing the reality more clearly than ever before. And I really resent how Israel is being portrayed by the media and the rest of the anti-Semitic world. What is happening in Gaza is tragic, any innocent life lost is tragic and I will tell you it pains every Israeli I've met to watch, hear, or think about this. Our country is collectively sad and scared right now. Yet, what Hamas has chosen to do to its own people is far more tragic.
When it is said that, "Hamas uses the civilians of Gaza as 'human shields'" it is absolutely true in the sense that Hamas stores ROCKETS in SCHOOLS with children! They are currently firing rockets (with the goal of killing me) from HOSPITALS! This is not by accident and this is obscene and their goal is obvious. It's as obvious and stupid as putting a castle made of blocks next to a toddler and getting mad at the toddler for knocking it down. They don't care about human life at all. I get that the discrepancy in causalities is large, but that is their point. Hamas wants it this way so that if nothing else, Israel will continue to look like the villain and they the victim. Bill and Hillary Clinton have acknowledged this as well as many others who understand the situation on a deep and accurate level.
Frankly, Israel shouldn't be blamed for caring about its own people and protecting them. Israel should be praised for this. We are the only ones in the Middle East doing this. Hamas hasn't even built its own people a sewage system… but has built over 30 intricate, underground tunnels for the sole purpose of killing Israeli's. Why the people of Gaza are not outraged that the money and engineering skills of their government have not been spent on improving their lives and is an atrocity, is beyond me?! Or maybe they do but have no voice? Idk. Israel is not dealing with a rational actor here. I don't know if the rest of the world fully comprehends the predicament that Israel is in… but no matter what we do we are the criminals and they the victims. They are never expected to help themselves or say no to violence. We are expected to let ourselves perish. I'm convinced that's what the world has always wanted of the Jews. You think the majority of Israeli's want this war? No. But we are also sick of being woken up at 2:30 AM by rocket sirens which give me, in Tel-Aviv, 90 seconds to get to shelter. It only takes one lucky shot by them to do devastating damage. I have serious problems with the blockade on Gaza and the lack of freedom of movement that has incurred over the past years but in so many ways Hamas did that to itself by importing weapons and kidnapping Israeli soldiers. THIS IS ALL SO EXHAUSTING AND UNJUST.

A soldier on the border with Gaza writes...

What's happening here in the staging area [area where soldiers prepare to enter Gaza] is beyond comprehension, not rationally, not emotionally and beggars the imagination.
Almost every hour a car shows up overflowing with food, snacks, cold drinks, socks, underwear, undershirts, hygiene supplies, wipes, cigarettes, backgammon and more. They're coming from the North and the Center, from manufacturers, from companies and private businesses, from prisons, Chareidim and Settlers, from Tel Aviv and even Saviyon.

Every intersection on they way down here we get stopped, not by the police, but be residents giving out food. What is amazing is that the entire situation wasn't organized and everyone is coming on their own without coordination between the folks coming.
They're writing letters and blessings, how they're thinking of us all the time. There are those who spent hours making sandwiches, so they're as perfect and comforting as possible.
Of course representatives of Chabad are here to help soldiers put on Tefillin and distributing Cha'Ta'Ts (Chumash, Tehillim, Tanya) for every troop transport and Breslov are showing up to the border and dancing with the soldiers with great joy.
The Chareidim are coming from their yeshivot to ask the names of the soldiers with their mothers' names so that the whole yeshiva can pray for them. It should be mentioned that all of this is done under the threat of the terrorist tunnels and rockets in the area.
Soroka Hospital (in Be'er Sheva) today looks like a 5 star hotel. A wounded friend who was recently discharged told us how the MasterChef truck is parked outside and is preparing food for the wounded.
It goes without saying the amount of prayer services that are going on. On the religious front as well, there are lectures and Torah classes, all the food is obviously Kosher. Shachrit, Mincha, and Maariv with Sifrei Torah. They're giving out tzitzit and Tehilim by the hundreds. It's become the new fashion! The Rabbi of Maglan [Special Forces unit] told me that almost the entire unit has started wearing them, because the Army Rabbinate has been giving out tzitzit that wick away sweat. They're gaining both a Mitzva and a high quality undershirt. We've started calling them "Shachpatzitztit" (a portmanteau of the Hebrew term for body armor and tzitzit). We're having deep conversations late into the night without arguments, without fights and we find ourselves agreeing on most stuff.
We're making lots of jokes at Hamas's expensive and without politics. There's lots more to add but my battery is running low and the staff has been requesting someone give a class on Likutei MoharaN (Breslov).
How happy is the nation that is like this.

Imagina...

Imagina que vives en un pequeño pueblo de Almería, y que unas 3 veces al día sirenas te alertan de que van a caer misiles en tu zona.
Imagina que son 15 los segundos que tienes para buscar un lugar seguro y refugiarte.
Imagina que estás de camino al trabajo, y que en esos 15 segundos tienes que parar el coche de forma segura, y meterte en el edificio o refugio más cercano si te da tiempo, y si no tirarte al suelo protegiéndote la cabeza con las manos.
Imagínate que en el asiento de atrás llevas un bebé. O imagínate que aparte también llevas otro hijo de 5 años.
Imagina que tu madre está en una silla de ruedas en una residencia de ancianos, y que la única forma de protegerla cuando suena una sirena es cerrar los ojos y rezar por ella.

Imagina además que tienes otro hijo de 18 años que está en el ejército, al igual que otro dos de tus sobrinos.
Imagina que ese goteo es constante y se repite durante años.
Imagina que ahora, en vez de 3 veces al día, son 7 las sirenas.
Imagina que le pides a tu gobierno que por favor haga algo y tu gobierno te pide que tengas paciencia.
Imagina que el número de sirenas se intensifica, y que en vez de 7, ahora son 15. 15 sirenas, 15 segundos para protegerte.
Imagina que esas sirenas también suenan por la noche, y empiezas a dormir vestido.
Imagina que le pides de nuevo a tu gobierno que haga algo, y te piden que tengas más paciencia.
Imagina que tienes una hermana que vive en Madrid, y te cuenta que allí también están empezando a lanzar misiles.
Imagina que tienes un primo que vive en Santiago de Compostela, y te cuentan que también allí empezando a lanzar misiles, en una ciudad santa.
Imagina que esos misiles tienen como objetivo dañarte a ti, a tu bebé, a tu hijo de 5 años, al de 18, a tu madre, a tu hermana, a tus sobrinos, a tu primo…
Imagina que por fin tu gobierno comienza a actuar contra aquellos que están lanzando esos misiles.
Imagina que en el otro lado también hay gente inocente como tú.
Imagina que su gobierno no les protege.
Imagina que sufres por esas víctimas, pero también sufres por tu bebé, tus hijos, tu madre, tu hermana, tus sobrinos, tu primo…
Imagina que esas sirenas se intensifican, y que en vez de 15, ahora pasan a ser 20. Y que además nunca sabes cuándo va a sonar la siguiente. 15 segundos para esconderte.
Imagina que llaman a tu hijo y a uno de tus sobrinos, y les dicen que tienen que irse a la frontera.
Imagina que tu hijo tiene 18 años, y tu sobrino 20.
Imagina que no sabes lo que va a pasar.
Imagina que la gente por la que te preocupas, en vez de 8, son 50.
Imagina que una de tus amigas acaba de dar a luz, y su bebé se encuentra en una unidad de neonatología que es refugio antibombas.
Imagina que en tu casa te educaron para la paz, y hay guerra.
Imagina que pese al esfuerzo que tu gobierno hace por causar el menor número de víctimas civiles posibles en el otro lado, la gente sigue cayendo.
Imagina que tú sigues sufriendo. Por ellos, por ti, por tus hijos, por tu madre, por el hijo de tu amiga..
Imagina que todo esto comienza a salir en los medios de comunicación de todo el mundo.
Imagina que las sirenas siguen sonando, no puedes trabajar, no puedes dormir, no sabes cómo consolar a tus niños, como reconfortar a tu madre y no sabes qué va a pasar con tu hijo y tu sobrino que están en la frontera.
Imagina que en los medios de comunicación solo hablan del sufrimiento del otro lado, que tú también sientes.
Imagina que esos mismos medios, callan tu dolor, el de tus hijos, el de tu madre, el de tus sobrinos, el de tu hermana, el de tu primo…
Imagina que esos medios ayudan a generar más odio.
Imagina que estás sufriendo.
Imagina que tienes una amiga que vive en Noruega, y que no te llama para ver cómo estás.
Imagina que cuando de casualidad se interesa por ti por otros motivos, se queda en shock de lo que le cuentas porque no se había enterado de que te están lanzando misiles.
Imagina que tienes otra amiga en Alemania, y que aunque ella sí sabe lo que está ocurriendo, no te escribe para ver cómo estáis tú, tu familia….porque vuestros puntos de vista en un tema tan complicado y que a ella en realidad no le afecta no coinciden.
Imagina que hay más sirenas, más misiles, más heridos, más muertos y más sufrimiento en ambos lados.
Imagina que en medio de las tinieblas, hay un halo de luz en forma de una posible tregua.
Imagina que te agarras a esa esperanza, aun a sabiendas de que solo te va a traer paz durante unos meses, y que esa esperanza se desvanece.
Imagina que sabes que esos misiles que te caen diariamente se esconden bajo colegios, mezquitas, hospitales, guarderías, túneles subterráneos…
Imagina que las sirenas siguen sonando. 15 segundos.
Imagina que el gobierno debe tomar una decisión, y si no quiere bombardear desde el aire esas mezquitas, hospitales, guarderías, colegios y túneles, debe entrar.
Imagina que son tu hijo y tus sobrinos los que entran.
Imagina que cuando te enteras e intentas llamar por teléfono para saber lo que está ocurriendo, ya nadie contesta al otro lado….

Imagina que, pese a todo esto, hay quien sigue confiando en la paz.
Imagina….