Yesterday I was having an argument with my adult daughter. Not such an unusual incident between mothers and daughters, but this subject matter was a bit odd. We were arguing over whether her living arrangements in Beer Sheva allowed her eight seconds to reach the bomb shelter or 60 seconds. We agreed that if it was a Kassam rocket she only had eight seconds to get to safety, but if it was a Grad missile — which is what hit Beer Sheva this week, she had a full minute. I am not sure if we were correct, and I am even less sure if it matters. After all, it is simply impossible to be awoken at 5:30 am from a siren and run down two flights of stairs to a bomb shelter in under a minute.

Raising her and her siblings in Jerusalem in the years when there were 3–5 bus bombings a day was not only frightening and difficult, but it left a nation of children traumatized. Professional healthcare workers don’t know the long-term effects of war — experiencing that kind of terror — on children. It is too early to tell, although major research is currently being done on that issue. Both Israeli and Palestinian children are being examined for long-term trauma as a result of being exposed to this ongoing conflict. I do know that when my daughter went off to the army for three years, I was relieved.  I hoped that being out of Jerusalem would be more peaceful for her. Who would have thought that being in the army would be more peaceful than living as a civilian in the capital of Israel? When she went off to South America after her army service, I was a bit unsettled, but when she decided to come home and go to university in Beer Sheva I thought at last I could sleep well at night. Beer Sheva is a mother’s dream — a sleepy dusty town in the Negev where they really do roll up the sidewalks at 8 pm. I was wrong. In the  month of March alone, over 80 missiles have been fired out of Gaza into Southern Israel, several hitting Beer Sheva. When she was young she used to tell me she wanted to move to Hawaii where it was so calm and peaceful. I personally dreamt of New Zealand. Counting sheep sounded good to me. But fate is fate I suppose and with earthquakes and tsunamis, there really is no place to hide. So I suppose I will buy her a good pair of running shoes and pray that she stays safe.

Speaking of buying, on March 30, responding to a global anti-Israeli boycott on the same date where protestors will stand outside stores asking shoppers not to buy Israeli products, NCJW is joining the campaign to urge schools, campuses, synagogues, community organizations, and individuals to counter the boycott and celebrate Israel by designating March 30 as a day to purchase Israeli goods at local stores. 

Linda Slucker, NCJW’s president, and Nancy K. Kaufman, NCJW’s CEO, have asked us to show our support for Israel, and a peaceful coexistence in the region, by participating in the Buy Israel Goods “BIG” Day effort and purchasing Israeli products on Wednesday, March 30.

For more than 60 years, NCJW has been committed to ensuring the survival and security of the State of Israel and has been actively involved in contributing to the country’s progressive future by sponsoring programs that foster and support education, promote the empowerment of women, and bridge the gaps in society for Israel’s vulnerable women, children, and families. In recent years, a dangerous and very serious delegitimization campaign has been waged against Israel on the international scene, within political arenas and on U.S. college campuses. Supporting an effort like BIG Day is just one of the many ways NCJW is standing for the establishment of a just and permanent peace for Israel and helping to create a vibrant future for the women, children and families who live there.

So please mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 30, and find a local shop that sells your favorite Israeli goods. Join NCJW in support of Israel on BIG Day!