Sleepless in Israel: Cluster Bombs & Hezbollah Barrages Have Israelis Running for Coffee

Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, This week, like many Israelis, I am running on very little sleep. Sometimes irritable. Sometimes giggly. Sometimes optimistic and sometimes scared. Sirens are waking us up again and again throughout the night, sending everyone running for shelter. Last night the alerts came almost every hour, and by morning most of us were already exhausted before the day had even begun.

Today brought more impacts across central Israel. Emergency crews responded to several sites where missile fragments and interception debris damaged property and injured civilians. 

Monday I went out for a jog, got caught in a Hezbollah missile barrage that came without a warning alert from Israel’s Home Front Command and quite literally ran for my life toward the nearest parking garage. It took me a while because I was in a field. I watched the missile get intercepted over my head. Thank G-d for the Iron Dome defense system.

I have learned something simple this week: if I manage to take a short nap and eat a proper meal, I can function decently. In the middle of constant sirens and long nights, even small basics help keep you steady. Between the sirens, life seems normal. People are having coffee, making business calls. But because I lost my home in the last bought in June, I am keenly aware that day by day the people who are affected by the missile touch-downs are dealing with a heavier reality. I try to believe that I did my time already when the missile hit my home on June 16th and I had to be extracted by emergency responders. It took me about 6 months to recover – and still – I am waiting on some answers to claims I made for compensation, replacing broken camera gear and sweeping up glass that somehow is still embedded in recovered books and bags.  

The longer the shelling continues, the more buildings will be damaged and the more lives will be disrupted. For now, people across the country are doing what Israelis have always done—going into the protected spaces when told, checking on neighbors, helping one another, and getting up each day ready to keep going, even if we are a little more tired than usual. After we get cleared to leave the shelters, I notice that the line for a coffee at the kiosk near me is very long. We are now in a new normal. Even if that seems weird to you, and everyone outside of this little country of 10 million people.