When the going gets tough. The tough get blogging! Despite relative calm in Israel’s south since the end of Operation Cast Lead, last Thursday saw a drastic escalation in tension when terrorists killed 8 Israeli’s and wounded many others.
As an Olah Chadasha (new Immigrant) living in Israel you are always aware that your chosen country exists in a somewhat hostile and volatile neighbourhood. Our neighbours in the south prefer to welcome us with a barrage of rockets and mortars than say, a homemade pie or cup of tea! Since Thursday, in excess of 100 rockets have been launched towards southern Israel.
Despite a ceasefire agreement, terrorists continue their barrage on Israeli cities and towns. This weekend while many enjoyed rest filled respite from a busy week, citizens in Southern Israel spent theirs in bomb shelters and on alert. How does one describe the anxiety that you feel when the victim whose description you have just heard matches the person you know? And then the bitter sense of relief when you realise it is not your friend but another family/person has lost someone they love? Or that fear you feel when the people you love could be called up to serve in the army at any time? It has been said time and time again that we see our young soldiers as sons and daughters that belong to us all. When you live here that feeling is so pervasive you ache. Our army who is often vilified by the world media are our fathers, sons, daughters, lovers, wives, mothers, husbands. They are the people we love. This is Israel when her citizens are under threat.
I have never been one to rest on my laurels and am quite famous for my well used soapbox and seeing that this blog is dedicated to my rantings, funny or otherwise, I will take advantage of the platform it allows to shoot my mouth off.Now that I have a small cult following of dedicated readers (thanks Guys, your cheques are in the mail!) I invite you all to share your opinions and
vent your frustrations here. One rule though: any interpersonal insults or abuse will be removed.
Of course what compounds our sense of frustration and anger at the situation is not only the fact that once again, we are reminded about the security challenges that we as a nation face but that the world media is silent. Where are the condemnations from the UN? United Nations or Useless Nations? Where are the world leaders when we need them to open their well excercised mouths while our citizens are running for cover? Where are the outcries and chart topping songs of the celebrities and human rights activists when international law is
flagrantly breached and Israeli citizens (and we come in all shapes sizes, religions and cultures) are targets? WHO SPEAKS FOR ISRAEL’S CHILDREN???
I have decided that it has become incumbent on us,the average person that cares, to launch an information offensive. Many point fingers at the Israeli PR machine. I have to disagree.
As someone who is addicted to information and digests a steady diet of news fed to me by info merchants, I cannot fault those in the relevant positions their ability to disseminate the facts as they happen. Yes, I do feel a difference in opinion from some heading towards me at lightening speed!You are entitled to your opinion but I can confidently say that my email box has seen a steady stream of info coming in from people in the know.
In an age where social media networking tools such as this, afford opportunities for ordinary citizens to become newscasters, I urge you all to get blogging/emailing/tweeting/facebooking/writing to your local papers and become activists. In my many years of advocacy work for Israel and my experience working both sides of the media coin I have discovered that despite the amount of information available to certain editors or producers or people of influence, their mandates will always be decided otherwise. No, CNN and the BBC are not going to magically change editorial policy anytime soon. Sadly.
We can jump up and down and play the blame game or we can take matters into our own hands and become informed and active. Everything we need to know is available at the click of a button and a few second subscriptions to the relevant sites. If you need help or need to be pointed in the right direction, I am more than happy to help. Be smart! Remember that the information you share and how you communicate it represents us all.
At the risk of sounding like a giant cliche, I say, lets take back our power, become informed and take to the…erm…..information super highway now.
Now who is with me?
Roro's Rantings 
The giant cliche is relevant. We need to step off PC platforms and roll up sleeves. Time for procrastination and concern about “what do they think of us?” is past “Sell By’ date.
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We cannot leave the responsibility to getting the truth out to the so-called professionals, as they are limited in what they can speak either by diktat or diplomacy. However, we, as simple citizens, with our contacts both here and abroad, have no such limitations. Nor do we have to restrict ourselves to quaint and tired interpretations-we can afford to be blunt, forward and mostly, write without regret.
Remember that the field of information is also a field of battle whose weapons are words, and words can be razor sharp and cut deep and deadly. For those of us who are either too old or infirm to shoulder a rifle, we can still arm ourselves with information and disseminate it as quick and as straight as any bullets from a rifle’s barrel. Our task is to defend the defenders and offend the offenders and we cannot fail.
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well said Rolene, when I see these young soldiers riding the bus my heart breaks for these children who have to make truely adult decisions on a daily basis to defend their and our right to simply exist.
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