By Judith Jochnowitz

Dear Friends,

Fifth Shabbat in war and shelters....  That's more than in the '80's when we sat on cartons around a makeshift table waiting for Lester to arrive from the army for Shabbat dinner in our basement storeroom.  Fifth Shabbat without services in our shul.  How can we risk injury or worse en route, not to mention that services are held in a plastic-roofed building.  There's talk of a 72-hour ceasefire to bring humanitarian relief in Lebanon.  Who around here has a chicken or anything similar to cook for Shabbat?  Stores may open for a few hours in the morning, but take yesterday morning for example.  My husband tried to prepare eggs for breakfast.  By the time the 2nd egg hit the pan the 2nd siren had gone off.  Up and down the stairs to/from the shelter and hours later, he ate cold eggs, back in the shelter.

The earth shook all night.  My grandmother's glasses, carefully placed so they wouldn't touch, are rattling with each shelling.  Perhaps the house settled on an angle, it wouldn't surprise me.  Windows are open 24x7x 4 weeks to reduce potential damage.  Screens are clotted with dust; maybe that keeps more from filtering into the house, but who's upstairs long enough to notice the dirt.  Clothes must be laundered for work, but with limited upstairs minutes, they never get hung in the closet before their next use.
 
Driving is accompanied by tension and fear beyond the norm for Israeli roads.  Can a siren be heard between towns?  What if there's a blind turn or no shoulder when it goes off?  You travel with the window open and radio off so you can hear every sound, always watching the right side of the road for a place to take cover.

Just so you will see how I'm spending my days.  Journalists and other visitors are not allowed to wander by themselves, as they may end up in the underground maze like the man on the MTA.  A few pro-Israel paragraphs in an Amnesty International report account for  upwards of three hours.  Similarly in Human Rights Watch.  Time well spent. 
http://amnestylebanonisrael.blogspot.com/2006/08/israel-mission-update-3.html
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5417.shtml

Since the second Lebanon war began: 
As I leave for Shabbat the total number of wounded has risen to 1736, of whom 289 are soldiers.
WGH has taken in the largest number of casualties of any hospital. 
WGH moved its Emergency Department three times, besides having to divide it among three buildings.  The old building is simply not safe for patients and staff during an attack.  Trauma ED is now a row of beds in the hallway of the imaging center. 
WGH must build a safe, 21st century ER commensurate with our operating rooms and underground hospital! 

B'shalom,
Judy