Bombs are dropping. Why are you shopping?

In Portland several years ago when the Gulf War first started, there were protests weekly in the city. It so happened that a throng of protesters were standing in front of what was then Macy's when I wanted to enter. They yelled, "bombs are dropping! Why are you shopping?!" I said, "I need socks."

War has come to Israel, but you sure wouldn't know it from the people that flock to the suburban stores to shop. Just a half hour outside of Tel Aviv is a big shopping area with an Ikea and a host of other 'big box' stores. In the photo above, people are lining up not because there is a big sale (well, actually there is a sale), but because of security. Security points like this one are are a way of life in Israel, even before the war. You go through a metal detector and your purse or bag is searched. When you enter a garage, they often open up your trunk. They are polite and fast and thorough. Israel has to do this, people want to kill them.

So we drove to the suburbs today, ostensibly to buy Jeff a proper pillow (no down for him, he needs foam), and ended up cruising the other major markets as well. Things are packed on a Friday morning, as most shops shutter for shabbat at 2 or 3pm. We went to Ikea, a Whole Foods like store called Tiv Tom, and another store which was kinda like Target with groceries but without all the designers and branding. Visiting museums and historical sites are all part of travel. But show me where a man shops, and I'll show you his soul!

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Ikea is just like every other Ikea on the planet, except that they serve hummus in addition to meatballs in their cafeteria. And you can buy Absolut at the absolute cheapest price around. I was fearful of spending too much money, but I showed restraint and just bought what we needed: some glasses, a lamp, a some more hangers. And the pillow, which is the most expensive thing we bought today by far, about $40.

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The Target-like store is fantastic. It has a

football-field length deli case with feta as far as the eye can see. We pick up a few things including some tasty halva and baklava for tonight's dessert. That's the halva lady on the right, there.

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The Whole Foods-ish store, Tiv Tom, is quite posh. Their deli is selling sushi and they have a Sur la Table like housewares department. Prices reflect this. The have a sausage and cured meat station that is shaped like a big square, with a long line snaking around it. There are many samples and everything is so delicious. A whole other section is is devoted to 'bulk': dozens of pickles and salads, spices and spice mixes and bins of different tea blends. The descriptions are written in English, too! I buy several rice mixtures and some other seasoning blends. Prices are pretty good. You end up spending about $1.50 for a pint-sized container of mix. I love tasting before you buy. Things are unfamiliar to me and expensive here. I am much more likely to take a chance and buy something if I can taste it first.

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The title of this post is, "Bomb are dropping", so I'd better deal with that. Even though there are a lot of people shopping and carrying on with their lives, it is by no means business as usual around here. The animosity towards Israel in the international media is especially troubling. I don't want to wage an un-winable war of words with anyone, but if you are not living here you can't possibly understand the need for Israel to continue defending itself.

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I want to clarify a few things and give the whole picture. First and foremost, Hamas (the 'political' party that runs the region) is a terrorist organization funded by Iran (among others), which has been bombing Israel for years. Before we decided to move here, we researched the region and read about the many bombings that had been happening in and around where Jeff works. A shopping mall in one area we were interested in living in, Ahskelon, had been bombed by Hamas in May. Intel would not longer allows its ex-pats to live there. The bombing from Hamas has been going on for a long time, and the international reports that say that Israel initially broke the cease-fire are ridiculous.

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There is no international media inside Gaza, there is only Al-Jazeera. It's a whole 'nother argument why Israel is not letting international media inside the area. But the pictures, video and indeed many of the statistics (especially those about civilian casualties) that the international media are getting are from Al-Jazeera. The old adage is true is that if it bleeds, it leads. Hamas is bleeding, so the international media could care less about the just motives of Israel. One friend argued with me that I might only be seeing one side of the story. I am obsessed with the war. I mean, I live here, it's only fitting that I would read endlessly about it. I get almost all of the international tv news and read two newspapers a day in addition to reading all of the internet sites (NYTimes, et al). It isn't me that's only getting one side of the story.

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I could go on and on about the atrocities that Hamas has committed against the country, but there is just one simple point that I need to make. Hamas has openly declared that its goal is not to just eradicate Israel, but all Jews. It is not just their political goal, but their sacred religious goal.

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Jeff sees the victims of Hamas' reign of terror every day at work. If we had decided differently on where to live in the country, I would be sending you these updates from inside a bomb shelter. The sad fact is that a lot of Jeff's co-workers live in the strike zone and are constantly hearing the sirens warning them to get to a bomb shelter. The siren goes off and you need to get yourself and your children to a bomb shelter within a minute. No matter what time of day it is, no matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, you have a minute to get to a safe place. Can you imagine what that does to a child day after day? More Israelis aren't killed because they *do* have this sophisticated warning system and bomb shelters, but the schools have closed and life is far from normal for them. And Hamas has been bombing Israel for years!

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Israel may be losing the PR battle but the important thing is that it is continuing to protect its people, regardless of the pressure of the world community. And right now, I am one of its people. Hamas is bombing 45 miles from where I live, and 12 miles from where my husband works. Hamas has frequently used suicide bombers. So yes, you can be sure that I want Israel to keep fighting until there is a regime change in that region, or until Hamas is no longer able to send missiles into the country.

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I have received and responded to all of my friends' and family's e-mails about us being safe. Yes, yes we are safe! Do not worry, I tell you all, we are safe! But over a million people, hundreds of thousands of them children, are not. And Israel must be allowed to protect and defend them.