The ‘day after’
On a mission to Israel’s battered North, a view of a people both bowed and defiant

by Jill Huber
NJJN Bureau Chief/Monmouth

Sandra Blackman of Rumson had traveled to Israel three times before she made a trip as a member of a Hadassah solidarity mission. But it was the most recent trip, made last month amid violent outbreaks in Israel’s northern region, that stands out as her most significant visit.

Blackman was one of 70 Hadassah members from throughout the United States who went on the three-day mission to the Haifa area. She was the only participant from Hadassah’s southern New Jersey regional chapter, which includes Monmouth County and Hadassah’s Red Bank chapter, of which she is a 30-year member.

While in the Haifa region from Aug. 7 to 11, Blackman witnessed a country under siege, but she also saw numerous examples of the indomitable Israeli spirit. After landing in Tel Aviv, the group took a chartered bus to Haifa; they were forced to evacuate the vehicle when air raid sirens sounded. Their guide told them they had 22 seconds to vacate the bus and find shelter — and they were cautioned to walk, not run.

The group went to a nearby apartment building, where an Israeli gentleman welcomed them and provided refuge.

“He told us he was used to the sirens and to people ‘dropping in’ if they happened to be nearby when the sirens went off,” Blackman said. “He took us into his apartment without a second thought and we stayed there for 15 minutes. Our guide had told us that if rockets didn’t fall within that 15-minute time span, it was safe to return to the bus. We were lucky. No bombs or rockets hit this area.”

The group went on to Rambam Hospital in Haifa, where they saw empty wheelchairs and gurneys parked outside the facility. Hospital staff members said placing the equipment in that location was the best way to quickly accommodate the injured when they arrived, Blackman said. The staff also said that a trauma room had been set up in the hospital’s shelter; injured soldiers were brought in and treated there later that night, Blackman added.
“The medical staff at the hospital said that the teamwork there has been amazing and that every citizen and soldier works together in a completely selfless manner,” she said. “One of the administrators said that he thought that we, as Hadassah members, are now soldiers because we stood in solidarity with them.”

Blackman learned that since hostilities began in July, the hospital often treated the injured amid falling rockets and bombs; more than 50 missiles landed within 500 meters of the facility, she said.

On their second day in Haifa, the group was back on the bus when the sirens sounded again. This time, they made their way to an eight- by 10-foot shelter in a nearby building. Ten area residents also took refuge there as the Hadassah group entered.

“All was calm until an Israeli woman began screaming that she couldn’t take it anymore,” Blackman said. “This wasn’t her first trip to a shelter, and she was worried about her husband, who was on the outside.”

After 15 minutes, the woman calmed down and apologized to the others for her outburst.

“I told her she had nothing to apologize for and thanked her for being there, for staying in Haifa and putting up the fight,” Blackman said. “We later learned from social workers and medical personnel that this woman, and many others in the region, are suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and that it will be years before the effects of PTSD begin to subside. They also told us that many will suffer from it for the rest of their lives.”

As they traveled through Haifa, Blackman learned that approximately 70 percent of the residents had left the area to seek safety in other parts of Israel. Many businesses were closed, and there were no tourists in the vicinity. The 70 Hadassah members were the only occupants of their hotel.

But there was a strong spirit among those who stayed in the region, including Haifa Mayor Yonah Yahav. During a meeting with the group, Yahav said that although the economy is suffering in Haifa, the Israeli cause will prevail.

“He told us about a nearby traffic circle that had been hit by a Hizbullah rocket,” Blackman recalled. “He said that within two hours, the roads had been cleared and repaired and that flowers had been planted along the sides. He said, ‘We will live normal lives. No way will they stop us.’ You couldn’t help but believe him.”

The group visited an indoor shopping mall in the center of Haifa; its underground garage had been converted into a recreation center for 200 Jewish, Christian, and Arab children who were spending 10 hours there every day. The Hadassah women brought toys from home to distribute to the children.
“The surroundings were pretty grim — concrete walls, dull colors — but at least the kids were safe there, and they were provided with hot meals every day,” Blackman said.

The women stopped in at Neurim Youth Aliyah Village, which is operated by Hadassah and other Jewish organizations. Several hundred children, many from Ethiopia, were housed there after the outbreak of violence in the North.

“They’ve endured so much transition in their young lives,” Blackman said. “They moved from Ethiopia to Israel, and now this. But they’re strong. They also have that special spirit.”

It became clear that that spirit is part of Blackman’s own character.

“I stand with my fellow Jews,” she said. “We know what is happening in Israel, and the people there should know that we stand by them. How can you see them suffering and not support them?”