Is this a dvar? No. It is a response to the many texts, whatsapps and messages of concern.
Today we continued the sanity plan:
Volunteering - details below
Zoom Yoga - Big, tattooed (flexible!) guy, from London, 50 people in the Zoom
Not sure what is next (trying to write this earlier in the day) — no wait, it’s dinner!
Today is Wednesday. I was at the nearby improvised sandwich factory from eight until two ish. 700+ omelette sandwiches were made. I was on the omelette station. It evolved like this:
On Tuesday, I noticed that the chef was stuck on the omelette station. Running three skillets. If he wanted a break on Wednesday, I mentioned, I have run five concurrent skillets of crepes. Can probably handle three of omelette.
So today, arriving at 8:00, he gave me a quick run down, and I was off and running four induction hot plates. Omelettes by the dozen. (A neighbor donated the fourth hot plate.)
Every hour or so the chef spelled me for a break. A couple more hot plates were donated... non induction... circuit breakers blew... resourceful teens ran extension cords from the house next door (every outlet in the cafe is on the same circuit?). Ultimately seven skillets were going. I made hundreds of omelettes. My arms are sore. We stopped around 2:30 when nearby bakeries ran out of bread.
We don't know where the sandwiches go. Beit Chabad picks them up and shuttles them to impacted communities.
(For reference: Observation indicates you can run five to eight induction hot plates, but only two or three old fashioned hot plates on a circuit.)
Stepping inside to get water, a neighbor from Seattle is there, buying coffee. Fun! My former neighbor! A couple hours later, a heretofore unmet classmate from the Middlebury School of Hebrew appeared.
Side Bar
When part of the country is under missile attack, volunteer hosts in other parts of the country are sought. People open their homes to host couples and families. Visiting a friend, he said, "I tried that. First family that matched declined: They required their Haredi kashrut. I am strictly kosher, but not their kosher. Second family wouldn't come because there was no safe room (bomb shelter) in the building. The third family wanted to bring a dog. I was OK with a dog, but they didn't want to be in a city that might have a Red Alert, so they backed out. I don't bother any more."
Reality
From the larger social network, frequent reports of attending funerals. From the nearer network, parents concerned about their children's deployments in the army. Even concerned about military office work, where bureaucrats and intelligence officers have to deal with the extreme unpleasantness. Some news reports relate to Kibbutz Zikim and its nearby beach. It is near Gaza. My sister was on Zikim years ago.
(The caption above reads: Terrorists neutralized near Zikim)
That is the news.