Our ShinShinim

Sharon -

 I’m sure all of you are well aware about the recent events occurring in Israel. Two weeks ago, Friday night, I saw the first alert of sirens in Israel. At first, I thought this is just another round - a feeling that is all too familiar for Israelis. As you all know - the past few weeks have been anything but a normal reality. 

What has been even more abnormal - is not being back home. I’m not used to seeing the YNET notification of sirens in Jerusalem, and hearing nothing.

And to be completely honest - in the beginning I felt very guilty. It did not make sense to me that my friends called me in tears when they couldn’t sleep, and I could walk in yorkdale almost feeling normal.

Back in Israel, I was an EMT for the MDA organization. In the past few weeks, my friends from home have done double and triple shifts in the south of Israel, treating people under fire. They work everyday collecting blood donations without rest. The oddest feeling was not being with them.

However - over the last two weeks, I did find ways to help. The toronto jewish community is the single community to donate the largest amount for aid in Israel.

Omri -

I want to tell you, in this particular time, a story about two people. Both of them are from my town, Gedera. 

Kim Damthi, a wonderful person with the most beautiful smile you will ever see. She is full of life and joy and always wants to make everyone happy around her. A real angel. I've known Kim since my youth movement days. She's older than me, but she's one of those people that age doesn't matter; you’ll definitely know her.

Kim went out to enjoy a music festival called Nova. This music festival is all dedicated to life, peace, and free music. This festival takes place every year around Simchat Torah in the open fields of towns near Gaza.

But just as they were celebrating, the altars started to play all around the cities and towns near the Gaza border. even in my town which is 20 km away.  As all the people in the festival tried to find a place to hide or a shelter, a group of terrorists who broke the border between Israel and Gaza started to shoot them, to slaughter them. 

Kim was one of the many victims who got killed that day.

Kim was buried in my town cemetery on the same day, one year apart, from the day her best friend was buried, Ido Bruch. Ido was murmured as well, while serving in the army protecting the border of an the Sumron. 

The second person is Omer Venkert. Omer is my friend’s big brother who was kidnapped and is held hostage in Gaza as I speak. Omer is one the actual funniest person I ever met. 

As more videos and photos have been posted by Hamas of the abuse that the hostages are going through, the little comfort we can find is that we can still see that he is alive. 

This is the reality of many communities in Israel right now, we don’t care about any deployment who visits Israel, or any help that has been or hasn’t been given. we care about feelings safe in our own country no matter where we decide to live, no matter which border is close or not, but on our historical land.