Here’s something you don’t usually see in the mainstream media: The Israeli citizen’s point of view.
Yesterday, Elie and I drove to the mall. A few weeks ago, we had been there to drop off something that needed to be fixed and yesterday, we decided to go and pick it up. Last time, as the guard approached the side window, I went to pop the trunk of the car with the internal lever near the driver’s seat. At the same time I was bending down to pull the lever, Elie pulled out his army ID card. As I pulled the lever, the security guard looked at the car and said, “Shalom, Achi.” Achi means “my brother,” and is not just a greeting between boys, but an incredible thing that I love about Israeli society and culture. It means we are connected; it means, I know you as my brother. It’s another one of those very Israeli things, like the slaps on the back between soldiers, the handshakes and the quick hugs.
So, with a flash of an army identity card and one quick “Shalom, Achi”, we were passed through. No additional security check was needed. I laughed as I drove through and asked Elie why he didn’t tell me he was going to do that. The trunk was now bobbing in the back window, needlessly opened because the guard didn’t need to check beyond the fact that I had an armed soldier in the front seat.
It’s a story about security. Read the whole thing.
It is interesting to see what goes on in Israel, especially when here in the US if someone disagrees with you they are being “Suppressed.” Most people can’t even imagine going through the daily actions Israelis have to go through for their own security.
Could you imagine Americans (living in America of course) EVER being so vigilant? Most people won’t even hang up their cellphone long enough to see where they are driving, much less keep an eye out for suspicious people in malls and such.
I think the most terrifying article I ever read (and it might have been here or at Boker Tov) was an Israeli mom who was carpooling a group of neighborhood kids to school. During the trip the sirens went off indicating an incoming rocket attack and due to the timeframe she would only have time to get one kid out, the others would have to remain in the van.
Which kid would you choose? Which kid would I choose? How would we explain to the other families why we didn’t choose their kid?