| We don't want to be on the ‘menu' as the ‘October Surprise'! |
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Recently I heard a news program about the forthcoming American Presidential elections. They mentioned something that was called: The October Surprise. This new (for me) title referred to events that occur in October that have an affect (or can effect) the November elections. Well Al-Qaeda's actions in Taba and Ras al-Satan (literally head of the Satan!) has shaken its ugly head and may very well provide such an election deciding ‘event'. _option_option_optionOver Simchat Torah this past Thursday (outside of Israel it was Shemini Atzeret), when we learned of the Mega Bombings (three separate incidents that were scheduled to go off at the same time) in which at least 13 Israelis, six Egyptians and six tourists from Russia and Italy were among the 32 people killed. A bomb-laden vehicle crashed into the foyer of the Taba Hilton and twin blasts took place almost simultaneously at the resort of Ras al-Satan, some 50km away. From the data collected so far by investigators, the two attacks occurred 25 minutes apart. The first, close to 9:50 P.M., took place at the Taba Hilton. As if the idea of killing people by remote control and car bombing is not horrific enough, it is thought that there was also a female suicide bomber involved in the Taba blast. According to eyewitness reports, the woman carried an explosive device, and blew herself up near the hotel's kiddy section of the pool, she chose her victims! This heartbreaking ‘event' reminded me of my first week on a new job. On September 1st 1985, I began working as the School Psychologist for a school in the then new neighborhood of Ramot, Jerusalem. I received a phone call on Chol Hamoed Sukkot telling me that some of the students of the elementary school were at Ras Burka in the Sinai and were among those of the seven Israelis killed by a ‘deranged' Egyptian soldier. What we all later found out, was that one of the dead was the mother of a school child who shielded her daughter with her own body, another was a ten year old who tried to get his wounded younger brother out of harms way. Murmurings that are going around include: Why do people go to Sinai when we read about the difficulties our forefathers and mothers had getting through it? Why Sukkot? Why didn't they listen to the Army's and Secret Service's warnings not to go to Sinai at all this holiday? There are some considerations: Chol HaMoed (the Intermediate Days of Sukkot or Pessach) are one of the few dates in Israel that the country has ‘off' when it is neither Shabbat nor Chag. Israelis of all shapes, ethnicities and religious leanings flock to Jerusalem as well as every park and national recreation area. There is even a ‘pop-up' Sukkah http://www.jewishglobe.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=23) for trips for those who want to have a sukkah ‘on-the-go' as it were (even though Halachacali-ask your Rabbi- one is not obliged to do this Mitzva while traveling). Yes, the army warned about having ‘inside information' regarding heightened danger in the area of Sinai, but haven't we all been living ‘under-the-gun' for four years! One of the people interviewed, coming safely ‘home' from Sinai, said that she didn't feel that Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were ‘too safe' either. In times such as these I have noticed (over my over thirty years in Israel) that people become believing (or fatalistic) and develop what I call ‘the-bullet-has-my-name-on-it' syndrome. They have experienced so many ‘near misses' that they ‘test' Hashgacha Pratit (Divine Providence) and might ‘challenge' GD by being ‘careless' or ‘thrill seeking', but this is my attempt to explain human behavior and not point a finger in rebuke. I sincerely think we should be very wary of ‘blaming the victims'. How many times do people try to ‘explain away' abuse or worse by saying he/she deserved it because ___ (fill in the blank yourselves). No-one ‘deserves' being abused or killed!!! Our heart goes out to all the ‘new' families who are injured and mourning, may Gd grant us that this is the year when we will live peace and quiet, and with no surprises! |
