Monday, August 7th,

Dear Friends,

Yesterday morning I sent you a letter, and wrote that I am optimistic because 70% of the children came to preschool and to our summer camp (last Friday almost 200 people joined us for Kabalat Shabbat). But after the attacks on Haifa yesterday, leaving 3 people dead and many more wounded (one of the most severe attacks in Haifa’s history), today less than 20% of the Or Hadash children arrived. Many other families left the city and others decided to stay but sent the children away to relative’s homes.

Many of the preschool teachers and their assistants experienced anxiety problems since yesterday night. Some of them were not able to arrive to work today, and those who did arrive were anxious and afraid.

Yesterday I wrote that me and my wife decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary at home, because we couldn’t find any restaurants open. That was probably a blessing, because had we gone to a restaurant at the Central Carmel or at the German Colony, as we used to in past years, I might have been wounded from the attacks.

One of the 7 katyushas landed close to my parent’s house (immigrants from Argentina), another missile landed close to the house of our Chairman Dr. Yuri Kligerman (a senior lecturer at the Technion and a new immigrant from the Ukraine). Worst of all, the mother of a board member of our congregation, Dr. Roxana Reichman (a senior lecturer and staff member at the Gordon College), passed away. She had a heart attack coming out of the shelter from the sirens and the intense noise of the explosions.

Please say Kaddish for Tamara Luka, z”l.

Letters of condolences can be sent to us and we will send them to Roxana.

The general mood has reached a new low. I try to always maintain my sense of humor and to be optimistic, but it is difficult to find comfort during times like this. It is difficult for our preschool staff to organize activities for the children and to give them explanations about what is happening.

As you know, yesterday 12 reserve duty soldiers were killed. In one minute 12 families lost their source of strength and their stability.

TV reporters say that the Hizballa is intensifying the katyusha attacks, because Syria and Iran want to do everything to avoid signing the ceasefire agreement that the US and France created.

I also cannot understand why the Lebanese Prime Minister, who wanted ceasefire only a few days ago, does not want to sign the agreement anymore and became Hizballa’s ally.

Every day I try to keep in mind that soon a ceasefire will be declared, but this is already the 27th day of war. A war with hundreds killed and thousands wounded. A war with a million Israeli refugees and another million Lebanese refugees. There is no doubt that a war is going on, there is no other way to call it.

A close friend of our secretary’s, who worked with her husband died yesterday following a severe injury from the attack. Luckily for our secretary’s husband, he didn’t work the night shift, otherwise he could have been among the victims.

Yesterday half of our Bar Mitzvah students showed up for their Bar Mitzvah tutoring class.There are about 120 Bar Mitzvah ceremonies at Or Hadash each year (and I teach them all). Of the 5 students who came yesterday to Or Hadash, one student’s father committed suicide during the war. Another student’s father is dying of cancer. The mother is torn between sending the children out of Haifa and letting them see their father.

Most of the children couldn’t concentrate on their studies and those are the ones who haven’t canceled their Bar Mitzvah yet.

On Wednesday, the IMPJ’s young adults forum was supposed to have the 16th of Av celebration at Or Hadash (“lovers’ day”), but the activity was canceled since many of them were called upon for reserve duty and the lecturer is already in Lebanon.

I am writing to you all although Israel is bombed, wounded and hurting. Still, television reports show the suffering of the Lebanese people. No one empathizes with the Israeli people besides the Jewish people in Israel and abroad. You should know that every email you write, every phone call and every letter we receive is the most important support we get. In the North of Israel people are confused and afraid.

Please keep writing to us.

B’Tfila L’Shalom (with a prayer for peace),