I Saw the Rocket's Red Glare

With our new upgraded warning system, we receive an initial warning when ballistic launches are detected from Iran. It’s a fifteen-minute lob from Iran to Israel, so ten minutes later when trajectories are determined, localized warnings are sounded for the areas under attack. At the first warning, Israelis are to position themselves close to a bomb shelter so that if their area is under attack, they can secure themselves inside the shelter within one minute. This early warning system was developed when the Houties started shooting missiles at Israel from Yemen. It’s a fifteen-minute missile ride from Yemen too, and very quickly Israel realized that you cannot have an entire nation ready to rush to the shelters at three in the morning every time there was what was at the time single-missile attacks from Yemen. In that way an Iranian proxy helped us develop a very efficient warning system that has proved to be valuable against the hundreds of missiles being launched against Israel from Iran.

These systems, like all technological marvels, have a running-in period while the technicians work out the bugs. One such bug occurred this last Shabbat evening (Friday night). We tried to organize a neighborhood Shabbat evening prayer since the synagogues were closed. We were stretching the no-crowds directive but since we were all within a minute of our bomb shelters, we felt that we were acting responsibly. We felt comfortable, remembering the years of neighborhood “Corona quorums,” this time lacking only the face masks. We were about ten minutes into the prayer when the pre-alarm sounded. Relaxed, happy for the early warning, we dispersed and went to our shelters. We never received a localized warning, and I managed to finish my prayers and say the evening Kiddush with my wife. We ate, and after the blessing after the meal, went outside for some fresh air and discovered that our neighbors had the same idea. There we stood, looking skyward, not knowing then that the night was to be a long one.

It was not new to us. Here is an example from 2012, when we were still in our temporary housing after having been evicted from Gush Katif in Gaza. The government belatedly realized that in their rush to expel us, they had forgotten to provide adequate bomb shelters and hurriedly solved the problem by dropping huge sewage pipes in each neighborhood:

After all these years of missile attacks, Israelis, especially those on the younger side, want to demonstrate a measure of nonchalance, even while following the directives of the Home Command.

We were standing in our back yards all nonchalant when the bug in the system appeared. Looking up at the night sky we saw rockets launch from all around seemingly pointing to a spot right above us. It didn’t make sense at first. Why are these defensive rockets launching so closely when there hasn’t been a pre-warning or a local warning? We were transfixed, but not for long. Our younger neighbors gathered their children and ran to the bomb shelters. My wife and I made our way to our shelter but before turning the corner I took one last look and to my surprise I saw two mighty missiles launched like twins, which were different from all the missiles we had just seen launched that had converged over us coming from the North and East. For these came from the West, and to the West there was only the Mediterranean Sea. Those rockets were not Israeli. They belonged to the true ally of Israel. Quietly, without fanfare, and without participating in attacks on Iran, the United States of America showed up when it mattered, and took station off the coast of Israel, ready to help in Israel’s defense. Those rockets rose together, torches of flame, creating two great columns, a Boaz and Yachin of a heavenly temple now consecrated in the skies over the Holy Land. Two great pillars standing tall in true friendship, against all comers.

God bless the Israel and God bless the United States of America.

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