I just wanted to hop here to share my personal experience, regardless of large scale national and international implications.
I was born in the USA, and was raised there, in Israel and the UK.
As it happens, I am now in my 30s, living in Israel, with a partner and a 2 year old.
That life stopped and changed on Oct 7th is NOT a cliche.
I am privileged, and I was "unharmed" in the events.
I lost friends. I have friends who've lost their homes and their neighbors. There is a colleague kidnapped in Gaza after witnessing his daughter murdered in front of him and the rest of his family.
This isn't propaganda. This is our life.
I don't live around the Gaza strip, but I had to wait in bomb shelters with my family. I had to pull my 2 year old out of the bath in the middle of splashing because there was a missile alert. I was being shot at. My daughter was being shot at.
I am not talking about the horrors of Oct 7th, and indescribable things which I did not witness, I am talking about a citizen of the world, being attached. feeling loss and unsafe.
I still fear being outside, or far from home, in case it escalates again on our side, and I am just happy that my friends who serve in the reserves are not in Gaza right now, but I know that other soldiers are there, and I can't imagine the fear and dread their family and loved ones feel.
The levels of trauma here are so intertwined and diverse, and hit us ALL. No matter where we were that Saturday morning. And I still remember the shock of hearing the alarm at 6:30AM on that Saturday.
I wish the dialogue will not dismiss the real real real pain and trauma that is being felt here, and I am sure in other places too.
My trust in humanity (The little I might have had), my trust in leaders, and my feeling of safety has been utterly shattered.
I just wanted to hop here to share my personal experience, regardless of large scale national and international implications.
I was born in the USA, and was raised there, in Israel and the UK.
As it happens, I am now in my 30s, living in Israel, with a partner and a 2 year old.
That life stopped and changed on Oct 7th is NOT a cliche.
I am privileged, and I was "unharmed" in the events.
I lost friends. I have friends who've lost their homes and their neighbors. There is a colleague kidnapped in Gaza after witnessing his daughter murdered in front of him and the rest of his family.
This isn't propaganda. This is our life.
I don't live around the Gaza strip, but I had to wait in bomb shelters with my family. I had to pull my 2 year old out of the bath in the middle of splashing because there was a missile alert. I was being shot at. My daughter was being shot at.
I am not talking about the horrors of Oct 7th, and indescribable things which I did not witness, I am talking about a citizen of the world, being attached. feeling loss and unsafe.
I still fear being outside, or far from home, in case it escalates again on our side, and I am just happy that my friends who serve in the reserves are not in Gaza right now, but I know that other soldiers are there, and I can't imagine the fear and dread their family and loved ones feel.
The levels of trauma here are so intertwined and diverse, and hit us ALL. No matter where we were that Saturday morning. And I still remember the shock of hearing the alarm at 6:30AM on that Saturday.
I wish the dialogue will not dismiss the real real real pain and trauma that is being felt here, and I am sure in other places too.
My trust in humanity (The little I might have had), my trust in leaders, and my feeling of safety has been utterly shattered.