For Israelis, the alerts to mobile phones and sirens warning of rockets are always looming in the background. But the 3 a.m. alerts on Friday in Israel hit differently for some of the current and former Minnesotans who are in Israel.
“At 3 a.m., I think it was a siren, but there was a different sound on the [Home Front Command] app this morning,” said Ariel (Biel) Waters on Friday before Shabbat started in Israel. “We all thought we had to go to the shelter right away. Then it became clear that there wasn’t anything imminently heading at us. They were letting everyone know they were attacking Iran and to be prepared.”
Later Friday morning, the Israel Defense Forces shared publicly the details of the attack, targeting Iran’s nuclear weapon enrichment capabilities and some key military leadership. The strikes came amid tension over Iran’s nuclear program. Earlier this week, the Iranian regime was censured by the United Nations watchdog group the International Atomic Energy Agency for obtaining weapons-grade uranium.
Iran had attempted to retaliate earlier Friday, but the UAVs – unmanned aerial vehicles that were launched at Israel were shot down before entering Israeli airspace. Later on Friday night in Israel – after Shabbat started and interviews were conducted – Iran launched barrages of ballistic missiles at Israel in response.
“It’s a blessing and a miracle that we have these capabilities,” said Waters, who grew up in the Twin Cities and made aliyah more than eight years ago. “We’re grateful [our child] is too young to know what’s going on. But this morning, we made sure we had enough water and canned foods just in case. Our neighbors in the building put a message out to clear our bomb shelter and make room for mattresses in case we need to stay an extended time.”
Throughout Friday in Israel, Waters said it became clear that people shouldn’t go too far from their shelters. The Home Front App had said no large-scale gatherings or non-essential trips out. For Waters and her family – her husband and young child – that’s in their building. But not everyone is so fortunate.
Emma Dunn, a Minneapolis resident working for Honeymoon Israel who has been in Tel Aviv for the last 2 ½ months, doesn’t have a shelter and has to leave her building and cross streets to get to the nearest one. She can get there in under 90 seconds, but doing so in the middle of the night can be a little disorienting.
“I have a strong trust in the defense systems and the IDF.” Dunn said. “What’s been a stress reducer is that the Home Front Command app has given us more notice about a siren coming.”
Wendy Smith, who has also been in Israel with her husband Colin for the past 2 ½ months, said things feel very different than other times when she’s been in Israel and there have been sirens.
“When you see the rhetoric out of Iran, it’s scary,” she said. “It was surreal this morning.”
Smith said that she had Israeli friends and family who called to check in on them – and also tell them what all the alerts mean. She arranged for her daughter, who is finishing 8 weeks at Alexander Muss High School in Israel, and another friend to spend Shabbat with them.
“When she called us Friday morning, hearing trepidation in her voice is a whole new experience to us as parents,” she said. “Now I understand what Israelis feel like and how they’ve been living for 18 months or more. Who should have to live like this? It’s awful.”
Waters said that while things have been challenging since Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, some things have gotten easier.
“Initially, after Oct. 7, I was, like, terrified of bringing my [child] anywhere outside, like going to a park, because I was afraid. Where are we going to go if there’s a siren?” Waters said. “It took quite a while to feel comfortable taking them to a park. Now, 20 or 21 months later, it’s like: okay, there’s a siren, then we go back to normal, and we don’t stop. It’s not allowing this fear and this war to stop us from continuing to live.”
Minneapolis Trip Postponed
The Minneapolis Jewish Federation’s trip for Jewish communal professionals, Minneapolis Mifgash, has been postponed due to the restrictions on gatherings and Ben Gurion Airport closing for an undetermined period of time.
Libby Parker, Jewfolk, Inc.’s executive director, was one of the 32 participants scheduled to travel to Israel next week.
“We undertook this project because we value your commitment to our community,” MJF CEO Jim Cohen said in an email to the participants. “I know how disappointed everyone will be. Right now, we must remain united in our support for our brothers and sisters in Israel and pray for their safety. This cohort has already demonstrated the strength which comes from being together.”
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