On the morning the war began with Iran, a sound question: What’s in your bomb shelter?

By Jonathan Feldstein

My wife came into my home-office which doubles as our guest room, and spare pantry. She wanted to take some snacks from the pantry to put in our bomb shelter. Just in case. There have been warnings that have now begun, that we might find ourselves taking cover in the bomb shelter for hours at a time, and even after the first wave or waves of air raid sirens, we may run out of essentials and be forced to sit waiting, without even a warning to tell us it’s dangerous outside. 

At least if I die at the tip of a warhead of an Iranian ballistic missile, there will be pretzels and peanut butter.

We also have energy bars and water – and empty bottles. Just in case.

We have an old nonelectric analog slimline phone which we had to buy at the beginning of the war, in case power is knocked out but the phones still work. At least we’ll be able to call other people with an old analog phone, and an antiquated land line.

We also have a personal solar panel to charge our phones and small appliances. But who knows if our cellular service will work. There had been lots of questions with news reports and rumors of an imminent Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. Every news cycle there was something new. It’s too fast paced to keep up with every new scoop or rumor, and it’s not healthy to do so.

Now that the attack has taken place and I have been up for hours, I have been following the news of the apparent successes of the initial wave of attacks and receiving reports warning of a second wave. This was followed by the loud rumbling of fighter planes overhead, and even seeing what appeared to be surface to air missile defense being fired from over Jordan. We are now waiting for what’s likely to be a significant response from Iran that can send us back to the bomb shelters, maybe for hours.

It’s not just the physical stress and preparations for a war with Iran, coupled with exhaustion of not sleeping, but psychological stress as well. For every Israeli, the stress and anxiety will manifest itself differently.

We are supposed to go away for Shabbat this weekend to see friends.  Under other circumstances, that would be really nice but now that the military operation has begun, schools and places of work closed, along with the airport, and all public gatherings including prayer services, I’m feeling the need to be at home.

None of our kids live at home. We are supposed to be empty nesters except for the weekend every other week when my active-duty military son comes home.  But then again, after the war began 20 months ago, four of our kids have moved back in full-time, while one son and son-in-law were called up to reserves.

While my son-in-law was serving, my daughter and their three kids were in and out of our house pretty regularly, balancing the desire to keep things “normal” in their own home with needing a break and extra hands to occupy my grandchildren, and giving her a break. So much for being empty nesters.

So, who knows what will happen and where my kids would be, or even if it would be considered safe to drive from where they live (in older apartments with no bomb shelter) to our house, but my place is with them. Just in case.

In the coming hours we’ll find out who is coming home!

I think about this every time there’s another Houthi missile fired from Yemen, averaging at least one every two days. It’s become so frequent and regular that scurrying off to bomb shelters is part of our annoying daily routine. I expressed that to my radio-host friend Jake Smith. Jake mentioned it in our interview yesterday, not able to imagine our reality. Here’s this week’s Houthi missile/reality.

Now that the military operation with Iran has started, friends have contacted me from all over the world, praying and asking what they can do. My simple, focused prayer request sent hours earlier hit a nerve because our situation is unimaginable, even for those of us living it.

Many have asked how they can help financially. Since I still maintain my integrity amid the stress, I have told them that I honestly can’t say what might happen or when or what all the needs will be or how they will be fulfilled.  However, as Israel and Israelis are preparing for war, I have told them that the Israel Emergency Campaign will be ready to do what’s necessary, when it is necessary. It has a great track-record, and I know that’s reliable and honest, even if we don’t know what the needs will be yet.

There is a lot I don’t know, but there are a few things that are clear. The Iranian nuclear threat, to Israel and the world, is an existential clear and present danger. If they really didn’t want a nuclear weapon, the negotiations would be easy:

JUST STOP ENRICHING URANIUM TO MILITARY GRADE

However, the negotiations are a farce, a smoke screen for what the IAEA has revealed: that Iran is breaking every standard and well on its way to having the ability to produce a nuclear weapon. Perhaps that’s all a moot point now.  Hopefully.

The best-case scenario of Iran obtaining a nuke is that they will use it to blackmail, not only Israel but globally; the worst case is that they will use it. Those who think otherwise are fooling themselves.

I am not a war monger but the regime that funds global terrorist proxies as they do; lives by the Islamic principle of taqiyya that permits lying to infidels; oppresses and violates the human rights of all Iranians, and threatens US facilities throughout the Middle East if they fail to reach a deal that goes their way, needs to be stopped.

With time running out, despite the severe backlash that will inevitably occur, I told Jake it’s time to take out all Iranian nuclear sites, the IRGC facilities and its leaders, and even the Supreme Leader himself. Sometimes peace comes through treaties. Other times it is achieved through a crushing defeat. Now is the time for the later; not to kick the can down the road.  Thank God it has begun, and initial reports are encouraging. However, it is far from over and prayers are needed for Israel, our leaders, military, and all the citizens.

I have no idea what will be both nationally and personally, but for sure these are days of immense anxiety and stress.

It’s scary but at least:

 I have pretzels and peanut butter; what do you have in your bomb shelter?

About the writer:

Jonathan Feldstein ­­­­- President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.

While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

The real situation in the Middle East

By Neville Berman

For 19 years, until his retirement in 1981, Walter Cronkite the legendary TV news presenter for NBC, ended every broadcast with the words “And that’s the way it is.”  Well, here is the way it is in Israel.

Israel is a country divided. The war has gone on for over 600 days. Tens of thousands of protestors are demanding that the government ends the war in Gaza and gets all the remaining hostages released even if it means leaving Hamas in charge of Gaza. The government has decided that it is not willing to pay this price. The country is divided between those that support the Prime Minister and those that believe that he needs to resign.

It is divided between those that want to build new settlements in Judea (known as the West Bank) and those against the settler movement.

It is divided between those that want to limit the power of the Supreme Court and those opposed to any changes. It is divided between the ultra-orthodox yeshivas who want the exemption of their students being called up for military service to continue, and those who demand that they should serve in the army like everyone else.

Any of the above issues could result in the collapse of the coalition government. In the meantime, Israel continues to do what Jews always do. They argue about every issue. Millions pray, and others don’t.  Meanwhile on the international front, antisemitism has increased dramatically. 

The United Nations and the European Union have totally exonerated Hamas for all the atrocities that they have committed.  They are falsely accusing Israel of committing crimes against humanity, of killing babies, of causing starvation and genocide in Gaza. The UN is determined to implement an immediate ceasefire, and to reward Hamas by creating a Palestinian State. The fact that the Palestinians have refused six offers of a two-state solution does not seem to faze the international community. Unfortunately, Bob Dylon’s vision of an “Age of Aquarius”, that will bring peace to the world, died with the atrocities committed by Hamas on the morning of October 7, 2023.  

Hamas and the Palestinian authority have always played the victim card. Their leaders know that as long as they are perceived as victims, money from the gullible West will flow into their pockets. The result is that Hamas never builds anything that will bring prosperity to Gaza. Every Palestinian leader is wealthy from skimming off donations and stealing from their own people. Hamas leaders living in Doha are reported to be worth billions of dollars. No matter how much in debt European countries are, they always come up with money for the poor suffering Palestinians. 

The bottom line is that the Palestinians are waging a war aimed at ending the State of Israel and replacing it with a Palestinian State “from the river to the sea.”  It appears that there are none so blind as those that do not want to see that the Palestinians are not interested in a two-state solution.

Iran remains the number one problem in the Middle East. Iran has spent billions of dollars building up a crescent of proxy terrorist organizations with the aim of destroying Israel. The policy has failed. Israel has succeeded in decapitating almost the entire leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah and has significantly reduced their capacity to wage war against Israel. Assad has been overthrown in Syria and its new leadership has turned against Iran.

For years Iran has claimed that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, and that it has no intention of building a nuclear arsenal. The truth is that Iran is enriching uranium to levels that have no possible civilian use. They are clearly aiming to produce a nuclear arsenal. Iran is an inveterate liar, and none of its claims are believable. America and Israel have both stated that Iran will not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. One way or another Iran’s nuclear enrichment program needs to end. The clock is ticking down on how this will be achieved.    

Qatar has approximately 320,000 citizens and is controlled by the Al Thani family.  Qatar is flush with hundreds of billions of dollars from oil exports. It is using this wealth to pour billions of dollars into building Middle Eastern Departments on all leading American university campuses. The aim is to influence the future leaders of America to stop supporting Israel. Qatar is using the American constitutional right of free speech to promote chaos and hatred in America. Qatar has funded Al Jazeera that broadcasts 24/7 to hundreds of millions of viewers around the world in both English and Arabic. It broadcasts a nonstop condemnation of Israel and accuses Israel of committing genocide and crimes against humanity. Al Jazeera has radicalized millions of its viewers to hate Israel. Qatar is acting as pyromaniacs, while pretending to be fire-fighters. They are actually supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood that believes in the domination of Sharia law over the whole world. They are using their enormous wealth to buy influence and to promote Islam in the West. They are a direct threat to America, Israel and western civilization.  Unfortunately, President Trump considers Qatar as an ally!

The Houthis in Yemen are over 2,000 kilometers from Israel. Despite their poverty, they are supported by Iran and are shooting intercontinental missiles at Israel. The Houthis are going to pay a steep price for their stupidity.  Every state has the right to enter into agreements with other states. Just imagine if the Palestinians had a State and they requested help from Iran or Russia. Instead of missiles fired from Iran or Yemen at Israel, they will be fired from a few kilometers away from Ben Gurion airport and Jerusalem. With a direct line of sight of Ben Gurion airport, all civilian air travel will be under threat. If one spends just a few minutes thinking about the effect of planes blowing up either on the ground at the airport, or while arriving or leaving Israel, it becomes obvious that a two-state solution is really an oxymoron. It is unworkable, unsustainable, and dangerous. It is a recipe for a much wider war with devastating consequences. It is time for those seeking to promote the western concept of democracy, human rights and a two-state solution to understand that the Palestinians have a totally different idea in mind.  A Palestinians State will not bring peace to the Middle East.

The best that the Palestinians can expect is autonomy to run their own affairs in area A of the Oslo accords and Gaza.  They can forget about the right of return of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to Israel. No such right exists anywhere in the world. 

Despite all the attempts to annihilate the Jews, they have miraculously survived and have returned to the land of their forefathers as predicted by the Jewish prophets in biblical times. The desert has been transformed into productive farmland. Hebrew has been resuscitated as the spoken language of Israel. Israel has become a technological powerhouse of innovation and inventions. The economy and people are resilient, and one way or another Israel will survive, prosper and continue to make the world a better place. All things considered, Israel is a living miracle.  

 And that’s the way it is. 

About the writer:

Accountant Neville Berman had an illustrious sporting career in South Africa, being twice awarded the South African State Presidents Award for Sport and was a three times winner of the South African Maccabi Sportsman of the Year Award.  In 1978 he immigrated to the USA  to coach the United States men’s field hockey team, whereafter, in 1981 he immigrated to Israel where he practiced as an accountant and then for 20 years was the Admin Manager at the American International School in Even Yehuda, Israel.  He is married with two children and one granddaughter.

While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

From climate crusader to freedom flotilla freedom fighter, even Captain Ahab had more self-awareness.

By Andrew Fox

The Greta Thunberg Travelling Empathy Circus docked in the Mediterranean last week, its sails puffed full of self-righteous wind, carrying the climate saint herself aboard a vessel bound for the shores of Gaza. Or so she hoped.

Instead, the flotilla – a flotilla! – was intercepted by the Israeli navy last night. The group, composed of well-meaning activists and the usual cohort of professional indignants, had attempted to breach a security blockade that has been in place for nearly two decades. Then, in perhaps the most self-absorbed act of performance art yet in her already overstretched career of symbolic gestures, Greta took to social media to announce that she had been “kidnapped”.

Kidnapped?

Not detained. Not arrested. Not questioned.

Kidnapped?

Let us pause on that for a moment. As she spoke that word, Israeli innocents, dragged from their homes on 7 October, were being held in tunnels beneath Gaza; still hostages, still tortured, still unseen by the very same media industrial complex that hangs on Greta’s every muttered aphorism about the “system” stealing her dreams.

One wonders if the irony ever touched her, even for a moment.

This is not activism; it is narcissism masquerading as the rhetoric of moral urgency. It is the political equivalent of a wealthy teenager running away from home to make a statement, only to call the press for coverage and an Uber for the return journey.

Just like that, the climate crusader became a freedom flotilla freedom fighter, in a saga that feels less like history and more like an overwrought TikTok skit:

“White Girl Finds Herself on the High Seas.”

Let us dispel the fantasy that Greta is some generational prophet. She is a product of PR handlers, of post-ideological Instagram politics, of a generation that confuses virality with virtue. Her interventions have consistently carried the theatrical air of a school play written in crayon and directed by individuals with saviour complexes. This latest escapade merely confirms what many suspected: Greta has outgrown climate change. The original cause, having reached its peak in moral clarity, no longer satisfies the appetite for drama. Now, like any brand in decline, she pivots. Gaza is the new climate; victimhood is the new activism.

If you want to play with fire, expect to get burned. Reports suggest that Greta, along with other detainees, will be shown footage from the 7 October atrocities, the defining trauma for Israelis still reeling from the bloodshed.

Good.

She should watch it: every gory frame; every slaughtered festival-goer; every burned corpse; every grandmother dragged from her home. She should watch it all and sit in silence for a change, instead of trying to turn every global tragedy into another Greta-centric chapter of her self-authored mythology.

This is not about denying the suffering of civilians in Gaza or about opposing protest. It is about proportion, decency, and reality. Greta’s self-aggrandising stunt insults the real victims on all sides. It reduces the complexity of a brutal, decades-long conflict to a teenage morality play with herself at the centre.

Greta was not “kidnapped”. She was interrupted.

For the rest of us still trying to live in the real world, to make sense of its horrors without resorting to cosplay and Instagram reels, that is at least some small mercy.

About the writer:

A veteran of three grueling tours of Afghanistan, Major Andrew Fox holds a Batchelor’s degree in Law & Politics, a Master’s in Military History & War Studies, and is currently studying for a PhD in History.

*Feature picture: Ship of Fools. Sailing into a dangerous war zone under the pretext of delivering food fooled few.

While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).