So Far and Yet So Close

August 14, 2006 - 9:57 AM by Allison

This July-August war caught many Israelis on vacation. There’s a saying that it’s harder to be away from Israel worrying about what’s going on at home when something difficult is happening than it is to be there.

Like most cliches, it’s true. I’m having a fairly relaxed summer in Israel, despite it all — partly because I know that if something big happens, I will know about it immediately. If I was away, I would constantly be checking the news to make sure I didn’t miss major events. Dave is trying to find a healthy balance.

Here I am in sunny California. The weather is perfect. The family is all together, celebrating a birthday party. Children and adults alike are having fun on the water slide, swimming in the pool, and eating tasty BBQ meat.

Despite this, I am here, inside our relatives’ house, constantly checking the news back home. The rising Israeli casualties. The ceasefire agreement as we attempt to win decisively against an organization bent on our destruction.

This trip is for my brother-in-law’s wedding. A time of great joy, not to mention relaxation. And I am having fun. It is just that my fun is always accompanied by a sense of great concern for friends’ back home, not to mention the future of my country.

I cannot rest. I can only worry, hope..and pray

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