Israel is going through a hard time.

Two days ago, the IDF killed one of the leaders of the terror organization, The Islamic Jihad. He was responsible for many terror attacks that hurt Israelis and had more plans to hurt Israel.

As a result, more than 400 rockets were fired from Gaza to Israel over the last two days. From Otef Gaza (the Israeli area next to the Gaza Strip) to Tel Aviv, Israel was a fury of sirens as people ran to the nearest shelters as quickly as possible. Those in Otef Gaza are living this impossible daily life as they hide in shelters for long periods of time. They suffer the most and live with constant, daily sirens. They only have 15 seconds to run to the nearest shelter.

Imagine what you would do in that small amount of time.

Fifteen seconds for putting on shoes - are not enough. Fifteen seconds for a regular phone call - are not enough. Fifteen seconds to move from the house to the car and to start driving - are not enough.

So running suddenly from wherever you are to the nearest shelter - maybe from the shower, in the middle of the night, during a phone call, walking down the street - in 15 seconds, is not a normal life. This is a difficult reality for everyone, especially for the children growing up with sirens, rockets and shelters.

Two days ago, all the schools from Otef Gaza to Tel Aviv were closed and people stayed in their homes all day. 

But it is important to remember that Israel is also strong and protects itself. We are not just running to the shelters. Israel uses its incredible technology, the Iron Dome, to successfully bomb some of the rockets while they are flying.

Even though Israel has this system, we are very upset and worried. Our family and friends are hiding in shelters while we write these things. Schools have been cancelled and daily life has stopped in many places in Israel.

We hope this situation will be solved as soon as possible, and we want people in our community, the Beth Tzedec community, to be aware of what’s happening. We want to ask you to pray for Israel and for no one to get hurt.