‘A hint of realism.’ Alex Rubel ’20 – Ramat Bet Shemesh

We only had one siren and I was not in the shelter at that time. I was coming back from Jerusalem on the bus, and I was walking back from the bus stop. I had to cover on the street with a few people that had just gotten off the bus, and we took cover next to a building by a street. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience and it was definitely frightening, I didn’t really know what to do. The siren ended in a short amount of time. I know that you’re supposed to stay in a certain position, but, to be honest, it wasn’t that long of an event.

It’s different to live through it than it is to see it on social media, in a very, like, counter-intuitive way. When you see it on social media, you see it through the perspective of organizations that are trying to grab your attention and suck you in emotionally. When you’re here and you’re living through the experience itself, there’s actually like a hint of realism.

[To those wondering whether to come to Israel,] I would say this: We celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim — they are holidays that mark Jewish conquest of Israel, how we’ve become sovereign in our own land. But these conflicts around today remind you that the battle for Jewish sovereignty is really eternal. It doesn’t really stop or start
anywhere, and as Zionist Jews, we should feel a connection to our state, to our people.

This really has enabled me to feel a part of Israel. And you just realize that you’re part of a larger group. And you represent ideas that are greater than any individual self.