When my hubby and I saw that Iran had bombed Bet Shemesh, a community outside of Jerusalem, we were horrified. That’s where our daughter Elana and our four grandsons live.
Photos of the decimated village and stories of nine dead in the bombing filled the news. It was 24 hours before we heard from Elana. You can imagine what a relief it was to see her post this on Facebook: “War has started again. Thank G-d we are all ok…”
(READ MORE: Deborah Levine: Resilience in the face of violence)
But like the 12-day war in June 2025, the rockets keep coming and the warning sirens seem endless. This war affected the Purim holiday, with its tradition of gifting packages of food and drink to friends, family and community members.
“Nothing like getting a pre-rocket alert while you’re waiting in the car for your son to give his friend a gift package,” wrote Elana. Thankfully, they weren’t killed while fostering friendship and ensuring that everyone had food for a festive meal. Elana got home in time to head to her family’s basement safe room as the bombs fell. I can’t imagine how scary Purim was for them!