In light of recent events, I would like to address the situation in Israel right now. This is a brief recap before explaining how everything impacts me. Five days ago an anti-tank missile sent from Gaza hit an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) jeep and injured four soldiers. In the following days there continued to be attacks from Gaza into Southern Israel. This led Israel to protect its citizens by having the IDF attack terrorist groups in Gaza. Specifically, Israel attacked Hamas terrorists and assassinated one of the top leaders yesterday (Wednesday). Since this event, the rockets and missiles into Southern Israel have increased and will probably continue to worsen over the next few days. Due to this fact, the IDF has recalled reservists and are preparing for what may come.

Now, since I live in Netanya (about 65 km away from Gaza), I am in a generally safe location. Keep in mind, safety is never guaranteed when living in Israel. In many southern areas schools have closed and in some places people have been advised not to go to work. We are far enough away that daily life in Netanya must continue. I awoke this morning and read the news for about a half hour before I needed to leave for work.

As I entered the school that I work at, I was not sure what to expect. Would today be a normal day as if nothing was happening? Would the teachers talk to their students about the situation in Israel? Would kids come to school or would parents keep them home? I had no idea.

As I walked into school and said hello to my teacher, I realized something was wrong. She began to tell us that she did not get much sleep last night and that her husband, Yaakov, was called back to the army. Her husband is a fifty-something year old who VOLUNTEERS in the army reserves. He has chosen to volunteer and defend his country in times of need. He received a phone call last night to come back and he responded. He is a tank driver in the army and as I was speaking with my teacher, he was driving to Gaza. She looked distraught and unable to concentrate. However, she was very willing to talk with my teaching partner and I about everything and answer any questions we had.

Essentially, her husband has no idea how long he will be there and he will not be able to use his phone in Gaza so our teacher will have no idea of his whereabouts or whether he is okay. I feel so bad for her because I cannot imagine how she is feeling and the concern that she has for her husband.

During our second class today our kids had some type of rehearsal for a small ceremony type thing they have on Sunday. So, instead of teaching English, our teacher took my teaching partner and I to the school's bomb shelter. I did not know where the shelter was nor had I ever been in one before. She wanted to test the keys to make sure she knows exactly which key to use in case the alarm sounds and it becomes necessary. She figured out the key on hers and another teacher's lanyard and marked them so that she could easily spot them if needed. She let us go into the bomb shelter to see what it was like. Walking into the bomb shelter is unlike anything I've ever done. It was essentially two rooms and a bathroom all underground. There were four ladders to escape if necessary and nothing else. I can only imagine what it is like to cram half of the school (since there are 2 bomb shelters) into this small space when an alarm sounds. In order to be prepared, the children here have bomb drills similar to what we have for tornadoes or hurricanes. Also, these kids have attack days (I don't know if that's really what they're called.. but you get the point) rather than snow days. Can you imagine growing up in a place that has to worry about the threat of an attack? It is very real here.

This whole situation became a lot more real for me now that I am living in Israel. This is their reality. Reservists are called back to the army. Civilians have friends, family, and loved ones in areas where rockets and missiles are hitting. And there is worry and fear of what is to come.

No, this is not always the case, but it is certainly what I am witnessing right now. Our programmer has another Israel Teaching Fellows group in Be'er Sheva, which is a city that has had many attacks in the past 72 hours. Luckily, the group was evacuated last night and brought to Netanya for safety purposes. Today in Kiryat Malachi, an apartment building was hit by a rocket and three people were killed. This is in the south near Ashdod but not far away from Be'er Sheva, so it's really good that the other ITF group was evactuated just in case.

I am not saying this to scare anyone back home. I fear what will come for Israel and the south, but I do still feel safe in Netanya. I just wanted to share my perspective and observations as an American living in Israel during this situation. Please keep Israel in your thoughts during this time.