Israel-Hamas war: Thoughts amid the biggest rocket barrage in Israel - opinion

I have all the Jewish news apps on my phone. It’s a constant bombardment of notifications. And this didn’t start with the war either; I’ve been a bit of a news junky for some time now. I should qualify that – I read all the push notifications and open some of the articles.

This reality takes on a new fervor during times like these. In addition to my news apps, I installed the “Red Alert” app that tells you when and to where rockets are on their way.

A few days ago, I set out to pick up my youngest from a play date – an innocuous little trip that’s usually uneventful. But as I started out, the Red Alert app began sounding. Not a shock because these sirens occur multiple times a day. There are usually a handful of sirens in cities in the South or the North and the duration of notifications lasts around a minute.

But this time was different.

The alerts continued for my entire walk – at least 10 minutes. This meant there were hundreds of rockets in the air and thousands of people running for cover.

How could the Iron Dome possibly handle all of this at once?

Eerily, it was quiet in Efrat, so my son and I walked as we always do. He began telling me all about his playdate, but I couldn’t hear him. My mind was racing, thinking of everyone all over the country, huddling in bomb shelters. I needed to do something. I felt so scared and powerless, knowing that within moments I could be getting more notifications detailing the damage and victims of the attack.

All I could think to do was pray.

It’s amazing how many functions our phones have these days. I switched from the Red Alert app to my Tanach app and opened the book of Tehillim (Psalms). We’ve added three Psalms to the end of prayers in response to the war. My focus during these chapters is usually to keep the soldiers and captives safe. Now it felt like it was for the entire country.

As unfortunately happens with all prayer, at the end of the morning service, these verses have already become somewhat rote. But not this time. Somehow, even with my son jabbering away in his youthful innocence and the Red Alert app constantly binging, my kavanah (concentration in prayer) to protect the targets of Hamas’s rage was at an all-time high. The words seemed to come alive on the screen: Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.

I NEVER wanted those words to be more true. I prayed that God would never stop protecting us.

As we entered our house, the alerts finally stopped after what felt like an eternity. And the subsequent bad news never came. The Iron Dome had done its job and the remaining rockets had fallen in open areas.

The present situation in Israel is difficult on so many levels. Trying to process these types of events and be present for our children is exhausting. And then you get another email.

We have never been that close with my father’s side of the family. I didn’t see much of them growing up. As I got older, as one always does, I learned more about my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Those who lived close by were disconnected from Judaism and usually turned down my parents’ invitations to holiday meals. Those who lived far away struggled with our support and love for Israel. This put a strain on phone conversations and emails.

This past weekend that all changed.

The email I received was from one of our family members out West. He had recently attended a presentation detailing a rabbi’s visit to Israel just after October 7. From what my cousin wrote, the presentation was life-altering for him. “With the exception of the beginning of the Six Day and then the Yom Kippur Wars, I have never seriously considered a world without Israel,” my cousin wrote. “The prospect of life without a Jewish nation, particularly when there is such virulent hatred of us, is unimaginable. It has taken me 74 years to arrive at this conclusion; however I am now there.”

As much as day-to-day living in Israel is scary and challenging, there’s much more going on. If you want a silver lining, even though it seems almost inappropriate to say at such a time, this is it – to hear from Jews around the world that they’re reconnecting to our Homeland. There’s not much more that you could ask for.

It seems like the polarization the world has been experiencing on a political and social level has moved into another realm as of late. There are those who support Hamas and those who support Israel.

To hear of Jews who formerly blamed Israel for the tensions in the region being shaken awake to the reality that Israel has always protected herself in the most moral way possible gives me hope for our future. I only pray that the suffering we’ve had to endure for such an awakening will end swiftly and successfully.

The writer is a rabbi, a wedding officiant, and a mohel who performs britot (ritual circumcisions) and conversions across the world. Based in Efrat, he is the founder of Magen HaBrit, an organization protecting the practice of brit milah and the children who undergo it.