There is so much happening. The 2 Spies are out of words and almost out of energy. Going to turn it all off for a few minutes and just dwell in Tehillim (Psalms). We do want to share this with you.
No explanation. This video says it all. Thank you FOX News.
(Today's blog is dedicated to our dear friend CR as her precious Yishai has gotten his call-up. I remember well dear Sister what it is like. Hugging you.)
Things have escalated here. Most of you already know that as you are following the news closely. And praying along with us. We appreciate your support and concern.
Because of the escalation, 16,000 reserve soldiers have been called to duty. Possibly more since the sirens have gone off in Jerusalem this evening. War here is an amazing process to watch. Our leaders make decisions like no other country in the world.
Hamas has placed their 'launch pads' in highly populated areas not caring who gets hurt. In order to minimize civilian causalities, the IDF has dispersed warning leaflets above several locations in the
Gaza Strip. This video is from Thursday, Nov. 15, over Khan Yunis.
The Arabic leaflet reads: "Important announcement for the residents of
the Gaza Strip: For your own safety, take responsibility for yourselves
and avoid being present in the vicinity of Hamas operatives and
facilities and those of other terror organizations that pose a risk to
your safety. Hamas is once again dragging the region to violence and
bloodshed. The IDF is determined to defend the residents of the State of
Israel. This announcement is valid until quiet is restored to the
region. Israel Defense Forces Command."
Rather than fire random missiles into Gaza in
an attempt to stop this onslaught and the cowardly rain of rockets from
there into Israel, the IDF is preparing to send precious soldiers in on
foot in order to spare Gazan civilians. IDF commanders began Friday morning to brief their troops in advance of a possible ground operation in Gaza.
As parents who had 2 sons who served, we well remember... please join with us in offering continual prayer for our precious sons and husbands.
We have had a marvelous couple of days of pouring rain~ What a wonderful way to begin our winter. With being inside nursing our colds since Thursday it's sometime hard for The 2 Spies to remember that there are other things happening in Israel.
The major happening is the shelling from Gaza into Southern Israel. This is not a new occurrence but over the weekend there were more than 100 rockets. It is easy to limit our imaginations as to what it must be like to live in such an area as S'derot. The 2 Spies were visiting S'derot a few years ago (during the war with Gaza). The "צבע אדום" ( 'tzeva adom') alarm went off. Praise G-d we were parked right next to a reinforced bus stop~ which makes it an emergency shelter. They use a woman's voice to not be as frightening, but it is, to me, a little more creepy. The impact of the shell was deafening and there was more than one.
Just that one time experience has moved our hearts for the people of S'derot and the Southern regions who have lived under this threat for years. Remember, Israel forced 13,000 people out of their homes and gave the area away in order to broker peace.
We want to share this short video with you to give you an idea of what it is like. ( You will hear the woman's voice as the alarm) Please forgive the starkness (and language). Also our diversion from our usual positive report. If you come back tomorrow we will share a positive side of this situation~ and a way that you can help.
In the meantime, please pray for these precious people.
The 2 Spies could not stop smiling while watching this young soldier's
video. He has a unique way of documenting his military beginnings. We
hope you enjoy him as much as we do. Be sure to leave a comment for Ron
below~
IDF soldier Ron Bronstein has found a way to blow off steam in between training drills and boot camp. He shuffles.
The 24-year-old from St. Louis has been with the Israeli military
since March of this year, and he brought his special brand of dance
rhythm along for the ride. Over the last few months he’s enlisted
friends to help film him as he dance-shuffles across desert scapes,
barracks and air force facilities. Basically, every day he’s shufflin’.
“The day I was drafted, I stood excited at the enlistment office and I
wanted to document the moment, to preserve the experience. At every
stage, from being drafted to the end of basic training, I asked my
friends to document me dancing, and that’s how they got to know me, as
the guy who every few minutes asked them to film him,” he told Yedioth
Ahronoth.
Bronstein made aliyah in 2007. He uploaded his dance video last month
onto YouTube, and it has already garnered nearly 70,000 views.
On Wednesday, while The 2 Spies went to work packing up our house, while the children went to school, and Mommies went grocery shopping.... today while you were at work or the gym or playing video games... there was something happening on the Golan in Israel.
Soldiers were called up from their homes and from service in Judea and
Samaria to take part in a surprise war drill in the Golan Heights
Wednesday. G-d is our Shomer (guard) and He chooses to operate through these amazing young men & women. They rose to the challenge and were successful.
Praise be to the L-RD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
Terror attacks. Loss of life in military service. Untimely death of a young loved one. How do people cope? How does a parent keep breathing and putting one foot in front of another when he has outlived his precious child? Today The 2 Spies would like to share with you the solution that one group of fathers has found. May we find strength and encouragement in their story. Shabbat Shalom.
Link to Story
The Bereaved Father’s Choir is made up of a group of bereaved fathers whose children fell during their military service or were killed in terrorist attacks.The group members cope with bereavement by getting together and performing Israeli songs. They say that singing helps them to cope with the difficult loss.
Moshe Har Melekh lost his son, Shuli, eight years ago. One day after marking his son’s yahrzeit (anniversary of death), he joined his choir friends for their weekly meeting.
“I think I get the strength to sing from my son,” Har Melekh said, explaining how he gathered the strength to sing one day after remembering his fallen son. “He was a happy man, he believed in life, he believed that you have to continue. He believed in the land of Israel and in Israel’s Torah so I think that our being here today is exactly what he would have wanted.”
Har Melekh said that despite the great losses the men feel, the songs they sing are not sad.
“I think the songs are happy,” he said. “We sing together for the future: for our children, for our grandchildren. I think that singing together gives hope to all of us.”
The choir has already released one album and will soon release a second one. The choir recently recorded a song with the IDF’s Chief Cantor, Lt.-Col. Shai Abramson and, as Har Melekh explained, “We are getting together with the IDF to say that we are here despite what happened to us. We hope that our loss was not for nothing.”
One choir member, Cantor Moshe Keinan who lost his son Avihu, recently released a single put to the tune of Jewish Canadian singer Leonard Cohen’s song, “Hallelujah.” The words Keinan sang, however, were completely different and reflected his own personal loss.
From my soul to my G-d, I call you
I trust in You and shall not fear
G-d is my strength and stronghold,
and my song
Open a gate of repentance for me
And I will pass through it crying
All souls shall praise G-d, halleluya
There is an awesome right of passage here in the Land that most everyone experiences~ Military service. All 18 year olds are expected to enter the armed forces or do alternate service. It is a reality of living in a country surrounded by enemies and it is a responsibility that the youth carry on their very young and inexperienced shoulders. But they do not carry it alone.
There are those who served before them, walking beside them helping them with their load. There are family members, friends and neighbors, who encourage them, pray for them and cheer them on in their duty. There is a special place in our hearts for these young men and women and we all see them as 'our' children. There is a mixture of our pride for them and our fear for them.
Not everyone has an 'incredible' time in the military but one thing all have in common~ it makes changes in your life for ever. Some for good. Some not so good. The bottom line is that G-d is there through each step holding each soldier in His hand and all will eventually turn out for the good.
(The 2 Spies have adopted their own army unit to pray for the soldiers and send them 'goodies' and needed equipment)
