Friday, June 20th

Remember back when a Hamas rocket that was aimed for Israel accidentally malfunctioned and landed in the parking lot of a Gaza hospital? Hamas immediately reported that it was from Israel and that over 500 people were killed. Remember how the world went nuts, condemning the “Israeli bombing of a hospital” until the real story was uncovered and confirmed? To this day, the Canadian government has still not apologized for blaming Israel.

Fast forward to this week, when an Iranian ballistic missile made a direct hit on Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva. Have you noticed that all those countries that back then were so quick to scream about the “war crime of Israel” are now silent?! Silence is not golden, it is infuriating. Once again, we are reminded that we take care of ourselves and can’t waste time worrying about what the others say. Perhaps one day the rest of the world will see that Israel is doing the dirty work in Iran that no one else is willing to do. But for now, we just have to support them while they Get The Job Done. 

Below is a description from a nurse in the obstetrics ward of Soroka hospital. My stomach churns as I read it, I marvel at the miracles from above. (Only the evening before, the main building had been evacuated, patients relocated underground.) I hope that my acknowledgement of miracles in no way diminishes anyone’s respect and admiration for the Israeli intelligence, government, and IDF that is doing everything to protect its citizens. I think that Israel is G-d’s partner in those miracles.

Every Shabbat, I power down my computer, phone, all electronic communication.  Since I no longer subscribe to a printed newspaper, I spend 25 hours hoping to hear — and imagining — good news when Shabbat is over. As we enter this Shabbat together, we will continue to pray for the safety of our Israeli families and friends, and a swift end to the terror, and -dare we say it? – a true and lasting peace for the world.

Shabbat Shalom. Am Yisrael Chai!

From a nurse at Soroka Hospital:

This morning at 7:04 we got notified that there would be ballistic missile sirens in a few minutes. We were in the middle of shift change, and I ran to move a woman from an outer room to our (slightly) more protective inner rooms. I took her off the fetal monitor, and she slowly, slowly took her time getting off the bed. “Hurry,” I said. “We don’t have time! Take your bag.”

I rushed her into an inner room at 7:11 as the missile siren started, we closed the door, and I started connecting her to the fetal monitors in the bed she switched to. Less than a minute later, a boom shook the entire building, bringing down part of the ceiling, shattering glass – the door slammed open, the power went out and loud fire alarms sirens began. Everyone screamed – the sound was so loud that none of us could hear anything for minutes after – and a man ran out saying “My wife is in the other room!” I ran to shut the door and we all huddled together, further back in the room as possible- Muslims, Bedouins, Jews, Christians.

We weren’t in a safe room, because we don’t have one in the obstetric emergency room – we were just in a normal room without windows.

Our hospital was directly hit by a ballistic missile from Iran. The building two buildings away from us – the main surgery building with all the operating rooms – pummeled. The labs, the sterilization, the lunchroom. Gone.

The building that was hit was evacuated and the ward rehomed – underground- YESTERDAY EVENING. The death that almost happened.

Every single building in the complex has multiple windows with burst glass, broken structure and cracked foundation.

It is a pure miracle that we are alive and unharmed physically.

There were no deaths, and most of the injuries are light. That is a miracle, and proof of a country that cares for its citizens. We had warning. And we had mostly been set up for safety (minus our ward .)

The hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Israel and the ONLY hospital that serves the majority of southern Israel, is completely out of service now. Foundational work that will likely take months to fix.

My ears are still ringing, and now that I’ve been home for an hour, I can’t stop shaking.
Because what if…

It was so loud.

A slight calculation difference and that ballistic missile would have hit straight into the delivery rooms – which are on the third floor- and technically protected rooms- but a direct hit would destroy them. So many women in labor almost murdered.

So many miracles today.
I can’t believe I’m living through this.