Director's Corner

Sunday, December 28, 2008 / 1 Tevet 5769

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, which was both Shabbat and the sixth day of Hanukah, we heard an explosion at 11:30 in the morning. At first, we thought it was thunder and lightening and that finally winter had arrived. However, when we saw columns of smoke rising from the nearby Gaza Strip, we quickly understood that it was an IDF attack.

The houses in the Village shook every time a bomb fell in Gaza and it felt like we were about to be bombed as well. And then we suddenly understood – the planes, the columns of smoke and the whistling of the falling bombs signaled the beginning of a war.

Then, like we have done every other time during the last eight years, we took a deep breath and began “managing” the situation: checking the apartments, getting the students into the shelters, answering the phones and receiving instructions as well as round-the-clock updates, etc. This is a “routine” that is difficult to describe since every minute passes at a different pace.

Together with my staff, I provided for the needs of the 59 students who remained in the Village over Shabbat Hanukah. The staff and the students, who are well-acquainted with the routine in these situations, followed our instructions and quickly entered the shelters when required. This made it much easier for us to effectively deal with the situation.
Luckily, due to the Hanukah vacation which will end tomorrow, most of the students were not at the Village.
 
And what indeed will the situation be tomorrow? No one knows and no one is willing to guess. According to the media, the population in Gaza perimeter should prepare itself for an extended period in which the “resilience of the home front” will be tested. It is the men, women, children and students who must bear this almost impossible burden. In the meantime, the Sapir College has closed its gates as per the instructions of the Home Front Command and the army is in charge of the region. Between the bombing and the Kassams, there is a tense quiet in anticipation of what will follow.

During the summer we enjoyed a period of calm that lasted almost two months. People walked the streets without apprehension and the stores were full. Everyone became used to the quiet and calm and to ordinary living. It is difficult to make the sudden switch back to the situation before the “tahidiya” – we had a taste of calm and tranquility and would like to continue living normally like any other citizen.

Yesterday was the most difficult day of my life. This is despite the fact that I have been in this position for eight years during which I have experienced numerous security situations and have been responsible for hundreds of students. For the very first time, I thought to myself: “What am I doing here?! I have two children, aged 2 and 4!!” But at that same moment, I understood that I would continue, together with the Village’s dedicated staff, to do what we have always done and what we all believe in – to absorb olim, to create good citizens and to inculcate Zionist and Jewish values – despite everything.

The support of our fellow Jews in the Diaspora, and particularly the San Diego Community, our partner for the last decade, is what provides us with the strength to go on. The knowledge that Jewish communities abroad are concerned about us and continue to provide us with support enables the residents of Ibim, including myself, to continue fulfilling the important Jewish mission of strengthening Sha’ar HaNegev.   

Soni Singer,

Director, IBIM Student Village