Sleepless in Selichot; #faithunderfire - War Notes
Elul: 'The lion hath roared; who will not fear?'
(Personal notes, updated as of 20:00 - yes, they’re as ragged as I’m feeling, and the terror rockets are literally still slamming down across the Galilee Panhandle as I’m typing these words. Deal):
I (mistakenly) woke an hour earlier than planned this morning (04:30 - thanks for asking) to attend the first day of "selichot" services commencing the month of Elul and continuing to Rosh Hashanah (and, for “Edot Hamizrach,” Jewry, like in my village, continuing through to Yom Kippur).
…hustled over to our synagogue, only to find I was a day early... which - I’m praying (well, duh’), the Lord will give me brownie points for effort, tho😉.
Drove the short distance back to the house and laid down briefly, awaiting the start of "regular" services at 06:00. I needn't have bothered: two successive roars passing overhead shortly before six signaled what I (again, mistakenly—sleep deprivation can do that) assumed were "just" a pair of Israeli Air Force jets on a mission.
But, still, something in the tenor and length of the noisy aural passages high in the sky above struck my journo “spideysense” as being subtly different — not an F-16, not an F-35 (hey - after 11 months of war, you get to recognize the higher jet whine of the former vs the more guttural roar of the latter).
Anyhow, your bleary-eyed, intrepid-reporter-on-the-scene (in this case, in bed, in a dark room, squinting at his phone alerts), with my laser-like concentration (kidding), zeroed in on the source of the aerial metal storm and fireworks:
The IDF, launching either Iron Dome or Patriot defensive interceptors from our sector, downed at least two Iraqi inbound explosive UAV drones while they were still over Jordanian airspace.
Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq claimed they were aimed at both Haifa and Eilat.
Ho-hum.
Meanwhile, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in Southern Lebanon fired at least 65 rockets and other aerial munitions into Israeli towns and villages in the Galilee Panhandle and along the northern border throughout Wednesday, Sept. 4th, according to the IDF.
Less ho-hum, more hoo-boy:
This is part of what the barrage did to a home in Kiryat Shmona.
There were no immediate reports of physical injuries, however, thousands of schoolchildren in regional educational centers were forced to spend much of their day in bomb shelters, traumatized Along, no doubt, with their worried parents awaiting their safe arrival back home - which, for some 80,000 Israelis, is not “at home,” at all but rather a hotel room, or other “temporary” lodging, further back than the self-imposed 5 km battle zone with Hezbollah, back on Oct. 8th, 2023.
Several volleys of rockets slammed into the near-empty town and the vicinity, hitting an apartment and local highways, according to security officials:
One of the incoming rockets (or an Iron Dome interceptor), falling to earth sparked off a brush fire around the iconic “Roaring Lion” statue at Kfar Giladi:
"A picture that every citizen of Israel should see. The ethos of "the Roaring Lion" in [Kibbutz] Kfar Giladi, against the backdrop of the State of Israel. Intense moments this morning when the lion was in danger. A picture that shows the settlement situation in the Galilee: on one side the lion stands firm like the inhabitants of the Galilee. On the other hand, sovereign territory is scorched and wasted like the policy of the Israeli government.
"We will not break and we will not surrender - but there is a great betrayal among us, from side of those running the country that are deliberately ignoring the situation in the north. As if to say, ‘if we don't talk about it, then they won't know about it.’
"Help us reveal the truth about the war raging in the north.
"Photographed by: Eitan Buchritz, who also put out the fire together with the firefighting crew (Thank you!)" - Nisan Zeevi (Kfar Giladi security team chief)
אַרְיֵ֥ה שָׁאָ֖ג מִ֣י לֹ֣א יִירָ֑א אֲדֹנָ֤י יֱהֹוִה֙ דִּבֶּ֔ר מִ֖י לֹ֥א יִנָּבֵֽא׃
A lion has roared,
Who can but fear?
My Sovereign GOD has spoken,
Who can but prophesy?
(Amos 3:8)
Satirical graphic map:
"Northern residents are coming up on a year under nonstop fire, and are evacuated from their homes. They could only dream of a government that sticks to its solution for them; one entirely devoted to one thing and one thing only: 'The [Philadelphi] Corridor.'
"So I had an idea: 'Yesh Pitaron - Philadelphi Tzafon!' [There's a Solution - 'Philadelphi North!'"
[Israel is demanding to hold on to the sensitive border route between Gaza and Egypt in any potential ceasefire deal with Hamas, citing at least 100 advanced weapons smuggling tunnels running under the straight 8.7 mi/14km Corridor between the Mediterranean Sea and the Israeli Kerem Shalom village, inland.]
Elder of Ziyon:
"Wednesday, August 28, 2024Hezbollah's rocket launch sites are near a UN facility. UN silent.
Here is a sizable UN facility in southern Lebanon near the town of Hanniyeh. You can see "UN" painted on the roof of the main building.
"The IDF released photos of some of the Hezbollah launch sites from the attack on Sunday. One of them was only 150 meters from the UN facility, and dozens of others were nearby within 500 meters of the UN site.
"Hezbollah has built a massive rocket launch infrastructure right under the UN's nose - and the UN is silent about it.
"The only press release from UNIFIL and UNSCOL since the attacks was a generic "both sides" statement that did not mention that Hezbollah is using the UN as human shields.
"Even though the IDF released this photo and a press release detailing how Hezbollah rocket sites were near various civilian structures, practically no media covered this. Part of the reason is that unless the UN itself makes a statement about the gross violations of UNSC 1701 that these represent, the media isn't interested in IDF statements alone.
"But if the UN would complain about the rockets sites under its nose, it would look bad.
"So no one reports this."
Psalm 94 - read on Wednesday morning services:
”God of retribution, LORD,
God of retribution, appear! Rise up, judge of the earth,
give the arrogant their deserts! How long shall the wicked, O LORD,
how long shall the wicked exult, shall they utter insolent speech,
shall all evildoers vaunt themselves? They crush Your people, O LORD,
they afflict Your very own; they kill the widow and the stranger;
they murder the fatherless, thinking, “The LORD does not see it,
the God of Jacob does not pay heed.”
Take heed, you most brutish people;
fools, when will you get wisdom? Shall He who implants the ear not hear,
He who forms the eye not see? Shall He who disciplines nations not punish,
He who instructs men in knowledge? The LORD knows the designs of men to be futile.
Happy is the man whom You discipline, O LORD,
the man You instruct in Your teaching, to give him tranquillity in times of misfortune,
until a pit be dug for the wicked. For the LORD will not forsake His people;
He will not abandon His very own. Judgment shall again accord with justice
and all the upright shall rally to it.
Who will take my part against evil men?
Who will stand up for me against wrongdoers? Were not the LORD my help,
I should soon dwell in silence. When I think my foot has given way,
Your faithfulness, O LORD, supports me. When I am filled with cares,
Your assurance soothes my soul.
Shall the seat of injustice be Your partner,
that frames mischief by statute? They band together to do away with the righteous;
they condemn the innocent to death. But the LORD is my haven;
my God is my sheltering rock. He will make their evil recoil upon them,
annihilate them through their own wickedness;
the LORD our God will annihilate them.”
Words are hard to come by, these 7,000 miles or so away. Injustice and suffering come to mind. The cry of the Psalm 94 writer rings out in distress wondering how long. Is Hashem paying attention? But confidently concludes, "But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them." And so He will.
The writer is encouraged, as I am, that G-d will act, that justice will happen. I sense and feel northern Israel wondering how long? We don't know.
But the words of David in Psalm 27 provide confidence that relief and victory will come, concluding with "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!". That is my prayer and hope for you and yours and all the 'northerners'.
Thank you for sharing your struggles and realities of living not far from the confrontation line. Trust the" girls" (bees) are ok.