Wake up

I've been seeing many articles and pictures lately of the sad events going on in Jerusalem right now. Stabbings...unfortunately more and more. People are being killed and wounded in this amazing city that is not even allowed to be listed on passports anymore. I saw a photo of a coffee house, usually crammed with people on a Friday morning...it was virtually empty. People are afraid...that's what this says to me. Israel's police and security, are working round the clock, and apparently, the sounds of sirens and helicopters are making it difficult for folks to concentrate on their daily activities.

It all seemed to start with the violent drive by shooting of a young couple in the West Bank. The husband and devoted father was the (president?) of a Hebrew school for women in Jerusalem. Admittedly, I'm not looking at an article right now, so I'm not positive that he was president of the school, but he had a prestigious position. I just now read another update on a young girl who was stabbed, and then run over! It says she has survived...but is in critical condition. People are praying for her recovery, including me.

Apparently, people have now come forward and taken responsibility for the attack (on the couple), calling it a heroic act of martyrdom (or something to that affect) because four of the couple's six children witnessed it. Evil. Pure evil. And now these violent stabbings keep coming. As I tell people, please make sure you are getting your news from somewhere else besides the channels you flip when you're watching TV. In general, many of the reports are extremely one sided, they are based on assumptions, and many of the photos out there are not even credible. Try to varify where pictures and images are coming from, because there are many fabrications. Try to get your news about Israel from people who are actually there going through it. There are plenty of online stations, podcasts, blogs and FB pages directly from Israel, or who independently report on material simply not covered by the mainstream media.

I cannot imagine what it's like to be there in Israel, and kept awake all night by the sirens and warnings. I suppose the good thing is that the warnings let people know to get to safety, but the bad news is that they keep coming, leaving people afraid and on edge. Even as someone who is an outsider, Israel as a whole, to me, seems to experience a tremendous sense of family, and reaching out to those in need...even when it comes to those who want to teach their children that Israel and her people...should be wiped off the map. Israel will always protect and defend herself, as she should, but her people will also reach out and help, even their enemies. It seems that the only democracy in the middle east is struggling now to recover from things inflicted on her. While this theme is certainly not uncommon for her, this particular wave of terror seems to be clearly leaving it's mark, if you will. Israel needs our prayers and our support...

You know, the city I live in has a horrible stigma attached to it. We seem to only make the news because of things like car theft or gang activity, and we are only mentioned in Hollywood so people can make fun of us, and say what a looser you are if you live here. I'm not saying it's the same for Israel...not at all, but my point is that only if you live here yourself do you gain another perspective. The food grown here is sent literally all over the world, we have the longest, continual lit up display of Christmas decorations and trees in the US, and setting it up every year is a HUGE deal, as you can imagine. We have more buildings and structures listed on the registry of historical landmarks than any other town in the surrounding area, and recently, one of the most haunted places anywhere...in the US or outside, right here in my town, had to be bulldozed to the ground because it's owner did not have the funds to restore it, maintain it, and open it (as an attraction) to the public.

"Big deal," you might say...but if you LIVE here, as I do...these things ARE a big deal. There was a movie-mini-series filmed here back in the 80's, and for a long time, our mayor was a Hollywood actor. If you're a resident here, these are all POSITIVE things that (hopefully) contribute to daily life and even make it exciting. But if outsiders are generally taught that your town has nothing but vioence and theft, and a bunch Of uneducated idiots who join gangs, this can make you a bit hesitant to broadcast to the world where you come from. Even worse, many who live where I do have "given in" to the stigma perpetuated, and they become depressed, and when they talk about where they come from, they say they hate it! Despite the horrendous crime, that does occur here, most of us actually live pretty normal, wonderful lives. Generally, it seems to be those who look at us through the eyes of a stigma, or stereotype that is perpetuated, who want nothing to do with us...and try as we might to break the stigma, the media, who mostly puts it out there keeps projecting this negative image.

It seems to me, that Israel does go through the same thing, as far as a misunderstanding of the AMAZING place it is, because of stigmas perpetuated by the media. These are stigmas Israel and her people are always dealing with, and wanting to change. But on top of that, Israel is also in the middle of a war zone. When waves of terror hit, such as these stabbing attacks, Israel's people hurt, their heart's break...they are deeply saddened by the loss of life, and the injuries of the wounded. I know that these kinds of terror attacks and the reasons they take place are of a different nature than the crime that takes place in my town. The fact is that where I live, we don't have sirens sounding because rockets are about to hit down on us, and suicide bombers detonating themselves so that Allah can be praised is simply not something we are familiar with...not on a daily basis...not in a tiny country only about the size of New Jersey...not because of violent groups of individuals. Now this is NOT to say that these sorts of things do not exist at all in the US and other places...they do; but not to the degree that they are just normal occurrences.

But what's worse is the terrible mud-slinging that goes on, especially on social media sites, in the middle of such unbearable tragedy. Six children have lost their parents in a violent, unbelievable way. And now, many have been critically wounded, and some have lost their lives, as a result of these stabbings. And so, here come the "threads" of arguments...people slamming Israeli's, slamming Palestinians, insulting, name-calling, cursing each other, pronouncing G-d's punishment on...pick an ethnicity...Israeli's? Palestinian's? Arab's? It goes on and on...with biting sarcasm and remarks that cut deeper than the wounds of these terrified victims.

There's just one thing: THIS DOES NOT HELP ANYTHING!! This is not an Israeli thing, it's not a Palestinian thing, it's not an Arab thing...so much as it's a human being thing. People are scared, people are angry, people are being attacked, people are attacking back, people are lashing out, people are putting in their "two cents" as they say... Then four, then six, then ten, if you will. Look, six children have lost both their parents here (!!!). I realize I've said that twice already, but it bears repeating. So tonight, give someone you love a big hug, thank the Lord for them and hopefully sleep peacefully. In the 60's, one of the mantras was "Make love and not war". Who knows, this could be the worst thing I could say considering the circumstances about which I am writing. But the point I'm wanting to make is: There is a place for Facebook rants, but it isn't in the comments section of a story about someone's violent, untimely death...especially where children are involved. Now, I know what you're thinking: The children didn't die, the parents did. Yes. True. This is exactly my point. These precious children will someday be adults, who need our protection and our prayers and our tender loving care. They are probably numb inside, or going out of their mind with grief (if they're even able to comprehend anything that's going on). I understand that this young couple's youngest child is a four month old baby.

Listen, I know it's hard because most of us are on Facebook/Twitter/Texting autopilot...but we need to remember to treat things that are sacred as though they are...sacred. Death is sacred, because life is sacred. Birth is sacred. Childhood is sacred (and entirely too short). Honoring our parents is sacred. Choosing to withhold our opinion so we do not wound another's spirit, is sacred. But most of us are on autopilot, asleep in the trans of tapping and clicking, liking & unliking, typing "LOL" rather than unashamedly letting it out so that others can HEAR it. (Laughter is infectious, you know.). Pure emotion, let out, uninhibited, in the right moment...is sacred..

Pray for Israel. They need it. Educate yourself on who's who and what's what. This way, when you hear B.S. You'll know it. Hug someone precious to you, as I said, speak kindly to people, because it's no joke that our words can cut even deeper than the wounds of a knife. Pray for the loved one's who've lost someone dear to them. Remember, the expression "Wake up and smell the coffee"? Okay. Nuff said.