The Word On The Street

"The WORD on the street" is a way for those living in the United States to be connected with those living in the Land. The day's events, politics, pop-culture, family life, maybe even what’s on the dinner menu—all of this and more is likely to be found here. Visit regularly to hear the WORD on the street from our MAs and friends in Israel.

A helpful fellow shopper saw a woman struggling

03 August, 2010

A helpful fellow shopper saw a woman struggling with her weekend supplies and offered to help her to her car. “Our son came back from Rumania yesterday....alive,” the woman blurted out. “Oh, I know someone whose son came back alive, too,” joined the helpful stranger, both knowing full well the sons could have returned in coffins. They continued to the car in silent rapport; there was no need to say more. It was the day of the funerals of the six airmen killed in the helicopter training accident in Rumania, a tragedy mourned by all of Israel. Israelis have become so used to spontaneously sharing tragedy with the man on the street, with the man in the bomb shelter, with the woman in the supermarket: terror attacks, missile attacks, training accidents...everybody knows somebody, dead or alive who was “there” when it happened.

But why training accidents? Why the constant training? And why does Israel need to train outside its own borders? Because all Israel's borders are enemy borders. Even from Egypt rockets were shot into Eilat yesterday, rockets originating in Iran. Missiles we are used to: three thousand came from Lebanon a few summers ago. Since Israel painfully uprooted families and pulled out of Gaza, 1,396 missiles have landed over the border. It has cost Israel 130 million shekels to build five thousand bomb shelters to protect us from missiles from Gaza. Our enemies are too close for an anti-missile missile to protect in those areas. But life can't be lived in a bomb shelter, and the trauma of summer holidays spent in a shelter still remains with many of our children, many who will soon have to take their turn at being soldiers defending their country, a country no bigger than the state of New Jersey.

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” let Israel now say, “when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive…” Psalms 124:1–3

Hebrew Christian Fellowship