Motherhood in Israel: Navigating Challenges with Resilience

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In Israel, parenting can sometimes feel like a series of unexpected tests. On one particular evening, the most pressing dilemmas for my children and me were whether to indulge in another scoop of strawberry ice cream, if we had time for one more game of Go Fish before bedtime, and which story to read—King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub or Where the Wild Things Are. After deciding on both, the evening took a sudden turn.

Their hair was still damp from the shower, their eyelids heavy with sleep, when the piercing sound of the siren erupted. This is not a drill. Living in Israel means being acutely aware of the ongoing threats from a terrorist organization that has targeted us for over a decade. Everyone here, regardless of faith—be it Muslim, Christian, or Jew—faces the same danger.

What’s astonishing is how quickly children adapt. Just as I was taught to “Stop, Drop, and Roll” in earthquake-prone Los Angeles, my children instinctively knew how to respond when the sirens blared. They dashed for their flip-flops by the door—thank goodness for easy slip-ons! When my daughter struggled with hers, I scooped her up, and we hurried past the purple scarecrow they had constructed, intended to ward off the rockets, and ran toward the nearest public bomb shelter.

Yes, you read that correctly: a public bomb shelter. They are a common feature throughout Israel, integrated into daily life. The air raid sirens, the Iron Dome defense system intercepting threats mid-air, and the countless safe rooms are all woven into our existence here. Just as we reached the shelter, the ground trembled beneath us—a stark reminder of our reality.

As we entered the bomb shelter, my children began to sing a tune they had made up: “Red Alert, Red Alert, hurry hurry hurry because now it’s dangerous!” While I grew up with nursery rhymes about buses, they learned songs about surviving rocket attacks.

Inside the shelter, amidst the chaos, laughter emerged. We munched on Pringles and chocolate milk, played Go Fish with neighbors, and prayed together. In Jewish tradition, we have a saying: when things get tough, first you cry, then you get angry, and finally, you find a reason to laugh. As news filtered through our phones about a rocket landing just minutes away, we skipped right to the laughter. What else can you do in the face of such overwhelming odds?

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In summary, living in Israel as a parent is an experience filled with both challenges and moments of unexpected joy. Embracing the reality of our situation has taught us resilience, laughter, and the importance of community.