A letter from Ronit Salomon at Kibbutz Or-Haner  ------ near  Israel's Military Operation against Hamas in Gaza "We have been waiting too long, having absorbed these rockets attacks for more than 7 years. 7 years - too many. " -- Ronit Salomon, Kibbutz Or-Haner

Kibbutz Or Haner, December 29th, 2008  [The kibbutz is in the Israel Partnership Region of the Quad Cities Jewish Federation, and Ronit's letter is directed to the Executive Director of the Federation, Allan Ross, who has made the letter public. --MF]   Dear Allan,   It doesn't matter how you get prepared for the most difficult, complicated and hard to take scenarios.  You find yourself confused, terrified, scared......in one of the most unbelievable situation you find yourself involved.   We all hoped that something would happen. That there would be some kind of Israeli response and as soon as possible because we couldn't take it anymore - the missiles, the mortars, the snipers.....we couldn't think about ourselves but about our friends and neighbors in the kibbutzim nearby and in Sderot, a town where we used to do our shopping and feel the tension every day when we hear the RED Alert alarm, keeping our hopes that we would retaliate for the Hamas attacks.   We wanted our government to react. To give us answers that will make us feel that we are not alone in our way of life. That no one forgets our existing. We have heard the warnings coming from our minister of defense, our prime minister, our ministers who warned the Hamas leaders to stop their missiles shooting to our area every day despite the cease fire agreement. We felt like human targets for Hamas who upped the danger more and more..   And the reaction finally arrived Saturday morning.  The kids were busy with their Hanukah activities. We had been in the purple hall, enjoying famous musicians who came to sing here in the kibbutz despite the situation. Then started our Air Force's attack. Since Saturday morning our Air Force continues to bomb different targets in the Gaza Strip.   I must admit that despite these terrible voices of war, I feel more tranquil. I am trying to do my best to keep safe, taking care of my kids, hoping the older ones will know what to do when they need to. We all trust our army to do what is needed to bring the quiet to our area. We have been waiting too long, having absorbed these rockets attacks for more than 7 years. 7 years - too many.   Since Saturday we have been told to keep staying in safe places, protected and close. Indoors activities are welcome and the farmers have been told not to work the fields and keep staying indoors. We closed the kids houses and the students won`t get back to school tomorrow, when their Hanukahs holiday will end.   We are trying and doing as much as we can to send the kids out of the kibbutz, out of the area. We don't want them to stay here in this atmosphere, with these bomb sounds, with the fear of the rockets which are sent to us so many times a day.   Today we send the kids to Tel Aviv, to one of the Fun parks...Personally, I would rather  they will stay there and not coming back home right now. Last week the teenagers were invited to one of our northern kibbutzim and they stayed there 1 day. That was even before the operation in Gaza.   We have an emergency crew in the kibbutz and I am a part of it. My responsibility in this crew is to inform the community about any changes, any information, any note about the sensitive situation we are in. By messages via cell phones (SMS) or by the Beepers (which we all have in our houses), or a special channel on TV where the people can read the news and the notes we send them. The people should arrange whatever they need if we will have to stay at the bomb shelters, none knows for how long it will be and when. We are trying to arrange everything that might help to make our stay, especially the kids`s staying in these shelters - such as furniture, games for the kids, air conditioners, TV`s, everything that might make our time over there comfortable as possible.   Due to the army's orders we closed our dining room and the people can get food only once a day. The Clinic and Mini market is also closed. There are families which decided to leave the kibbutz for a while for relatives' houses in other parts of the country. I guess they will be back when things will calm down a little bit although we all know it will take much as needed to arrange this quiet we are all expecting and hope for.   We all hope that this operation will bring the quiet to our area for many days. We surely need that.   We pray for better days in the new year, 2009.   Thank you, Allan, for your encouraging and supporting and to all of you, our friends. We know you are with us all the time.   Love and Happy New Year to all of you.   Ronit Salomon, Kibbutz Or-Haner, Shaar hanegev Region, Israel.   ************************   ****If you get a chance, please send Ronit and Kibbutz Or-Haner a note of support to:  ronchili10@gmail.com.