Yael’s Corner

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Living Our Lives in Joy and in Faith

June 15, 2016

“No attacker can stop me or the people of Israel from living our lives in joy and faith.”

This piece was written by Yael Eckstein in the wake of the deadly shooting that took place in Tel Aviv the night of Wednesday June 8, 2016

Shalom,

Last night, many of my girlfriends went out for dinner. We planned it for weeks. Many of us being post birth, it was a night that we waited for with excitement. I ended up being too tired, and fell asleep at 8:30 with my kids.

This morning when I woke up, headlines about a deadly attack in Central Israel, in a restaurant, were everywhere. For a moment my heart started beating fast. I live in central Israel, and all of my friends went out to a restaurant last night. COULD IT BE?!

Reading through the details I saw that the attack occurred in Tel Aviv. 'Phew' I thought, but just for a second. Because really there's no relief. It might not have been my group of friends caught in the attack, thank God, but it was someone else's friends. It was someone else's mother and father, sister and brother, child and loved one. And especially here in the holy land, we are all connected.

This morning my Facebook newsfeed was full of stories of people present at the attack, and friends loved ones lost.

Today my children will come home from school and ask the same questions that they do every time there is an attack. Because honestly, there is no sufficient answer to bring closure to such an unnatural and horrifying reality where people go out to coffee shops and never come home. Once again, I will comfort them with words of faith.

But Israel is the land of paradox.

At the same time that we mourn the dead, we will not give up on living life. And loving life. And being happy.

Tonight I have an event in Tel Aviv, and you can bet that I am not canceling my attendance.

I will go in honour of the four people murdered last night. And the dozens of wounded. I will go on honour of freedom.

Because no attacker can stop me or the people of Israel from living our lives in joy and faith.

With blessings from the Holy Land,

Yael

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