Siren Alert

I had just finished eating breakfast together with Mr. NMF (a rare occurance, but he had to go in late today), while simultaneously trying to hold NBD in my arms (Yes, she's going to be spoiled rotten. Oh well. You can't love a child too much, is what I say!) I left the kitchen, and started to hear a noise. It sounded vaguely familiar, not something like the wind rushing through my screen door- and then I realized, it was the siren.

The emergency air raid siren- the one that's supposed to sound in case of a terrorist attack on Jerusalem.

I turned to Mr. NMF- and questioned, "Was that the siren?" When the answer was affirmative- we both grabbed stuff. I took a phone, and Mr. NMF took my computer, starting to check on websites to see if that was real or not. Thankfully, when I called my neighbor, she told me it was a test run, and there was nothing to be worried about. Jameel (or rather JoeSettler) at the Muqata alerted us to that fact also.

But it got me thinking. How prepared am I? Do I have stockpiles in case of emergency in the small sealed room of my apartment? Do I actually know what to do? Do I actually expect something to happen?

I wasn't quite sure. Mostly, here in Jerusalem, we live such a relaxed, idyllic lifestyle- that a terrorist attack shakes us up quite a bit. It's not like it was in years past- where there was a terror attack every week- and my friends and I had posters on our walls of the Jews brutally murdered by these attacks.

Am I ever going to be prepared- emotionally and physically- for a terror attack? It's like my mind was in shock- the siren is on, that means there is a possiblity of attack. I couldn't even think past the fact of: it can't be. Not here, not now. No.

Yet I know people who have been killed- I know people who have lost husbands, fathers, sons, daughters, mothers. I know there is a possiblity, that if I step on a bus- a terrorist could get on too. In Haifa just recently, with tremendous Siyata Dishmaya- help from Heaven, a terrorist attack was averted- equal to 10-15 sucide bombers.

So it could happen. But, I live in hope, as the 'frog said to the princess'- and I don't think I'll ever truly be prepared for a real siren. Bitachon- faith in Hashem. I fear no evil- because Hashem is with me.