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The Rockets' Red Glare

How Sderot residents cope with life in a war zone.

Suzi Brozman

Saliman, Denver natives who have been
members of Nahal Oz for 37 years. They
say the arrival of Kassams has changed
When residents of the southern Israeli
everything in their lives. They used to
city of Sderot talk about rocket attacks,
love to walk, but now Eleanor says she
they say "when," not "if" This town, sit-
won't. There are too many snipers and
ting right on the border with Gaza, is
missiles for safety Her heart pounds
the daily target of Kassam rockets and
irregularly. Her doctor says it's stress-
mortars launched from inside Palestine.
induced, and he gave her medication.
For more than se/en years, the piercing
"You don't know how many people
whistle of rockets, the loud boom of mor-
are taking pills," she says. "If our chil-
tar shells and the shrill tones of the Code
dren were small, I don't think I could
Red early alert system have punctuated
continue to live here. This is our home.
every activity of the city's residents.
This is where we live. Our fields are the
When the Code Red alarm sounds,
border!'
people have just 15 seconds to get to a
Her husband, Don, took over the
"safe room," a shelter or room in a house
story.
or public building equipped with a
"There used to be hundreds of trucks,
reinforced concrete roof Imagine being
and there was a blimp here, but the
in bed or in the shower or crossing the
terrorists tried to shoot it down!" Their
road or in a car or grocery store when
home has cement roofs as well as a
the dreaded siren sounds. Imagine your
secure room. They try to act like they
children standing on the street, waiting
used to.
for a school bus. Imagine being a senior
"It's part of our way of life Don says.
citizen living on the third floor of a build-
"If we hear gunfire, we don't stop. We try
ing whose safe room is in the basement.
Staff photo by Suzi Brozman
to go through a day like a normal day!"
Don and Eleanor Saliman try to maintain a normal life on their kibbutz that's on the edge
Those living here don't have to imagine
Their children rarely bring the grand-
it. They live with it constantly. And many of the border with Gaza.
children to visit, so Don and Eleanor
ignore the alerts, knowing there is no
have to go to them.
way they could reach safety in any event.
What we found was at once shocking
Israeli citizens, but only the governments,
They are angry and frustrated.
and reassuring. Shocking because nobody both Israeli and llamas, that seem to be
"It's our home he says. "We don't want
n early June, I was invited to join
should have to live under the constant
perpetuating the warfare without regard
to leave, but the government seems to
a media fact-finding trip to Sderot
threat of attack, and reassuring because
to the civilian populations.
want that. Why aren't they doing anything
and Ashkelon to learn just how resi-
experts are at work to alleviate at least
to help?"
dents of these southern cities cope with
some of the symptoms of stress.
Kibbutz Life
But in spite of this, they try to maintain
the pressure of living in a war zone. The
As for the causes of the stress, residents
After a full day of interviewing students
a semblance of normality — visiting
answer, sad to say, is "not well!'
say they are angry at the Israeli govern-
aged 5 through college age, teachers and
a senior citizens' center several times a
Sderot has seen an exodus of any citi-
ment for ignoring them. Repeatedly, we
professionals, we headed to Kibbutz Nahal week, playing bridge, taking spinning
zens who can afford to move. Those who
heard the sentiment that if one rocket
Oz. There we were to spend the night with and art classes, reading, watching TV and
remain are depressed, both economically
were to fall on Tel Aviv, the government
kibbutzniks who live right on the border
communicating with friends all over the
and emotionally, from the daily struggle
would respond immediately, but they see
with Gaza.
world on the computer. And they were
to maintain some semblance of normal
themselves and their town as politically
I should have been tipped off when we
generous and charming hosts.
life. Main priorities of assistance programs expendable.
were obligated to sign a waiver, but for
It wasn't until we left the following
include helping people deal with post-
They feel helpless, knowing the
some reason, the danger wasn't immedi-
morning that we heard about the mortar
traumatic stress problems and trying to
Palestinians just across the border used to ately apparent until late that night when I
attack that injured a Palestinian worker on
set in place emergency reaction systems
be their friends, customers, shopkeepers
heard machine gun fire, and then the roar the kibbutz and, later in the week, a bar-
to lend a semblance of order to a chaotic
and workmen. They say they used to buy
of Israeli tanks heading out to patrol the
rage of 18 rockets fell. Would I go back for
world.
just about everything, from food to build-
border.
another night? Probably not, though my
Our group visited schools, a military
ing supplies, in Gaza — but no more. All
Then I began to wonder how I could
hosts hospitably invited me and my hus-
base, community centers and a kibbutz to
communication between the communities wake up, orient myself in a strange room
band to vacation with them.
learn about the conditions and the steps
has been cut off.
and get to the secure room in the 15-sec-
But you're not safe anywhere. We had
being taken to help those in the path of
Though our group was not allowed to
ond grace period between the phone-acti- visited nearby Sapir College that afternoon
terror attacks. We visited a house that had
cross into Gaza, I was able to talk with
vated alert and the landing of a Kassam in and the school took a direct hit just min-
taken a direct hit. We climbed a hill to
several Arabs later during my stay in
places you don't want to think about.
utes after our departure. Danger certainly
stare down at the border.
Jerusalem. They, too, do not blame the
My hosts were Don and Eleanor
is a fact of life in this part of the world.

Jewish Renaissance Media

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Hsi

July 17 • 2008

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