This is how my phone conversation went this morning (more or less).ME: "Umm, it's about the gas masks."
Girl: "Yes?"
ME: "I need to order my gas masks."
Girl: "Yes. Could I please have your ID number?"
I give her my ID number.
Girl: "And what is your address?"
I give her my address.
Girl: "Yes. I see. You are eligible to four gas masks," and she gives the names of MM, MB and MG.
ME enthusiastically: "Yes, that's us."
Girl: "Ok. Do you want to pick them up or do you want a delivery by courier?"
ME: "Courier."
Girl: "It costs NIS 25 ($6.5). Do you have a credit card?"
ME: "Yes." And I give her the number.
Girl: "The courier can arrive on May 10th. Do you prefer morning, afternoon or evening?"
We decide afternoon is best.
Girl: "Your order confirmation number is.." and she gives me my number.
ME: "Thank you."
Girl: "You're welcome. Bye."
There. I did what the government has requested all Israeli citizens to do. I ordered our gas masks. A gas mask for MG aged 10. A gas mask for MB aged 14. A gas mask for MM aged 47. And a gas mask for ME, aged 48.
In January the government announced it would gradually redistribute the gas masks - protective kits against an eventual chemical attack - to its 7.5 million citizens without giving a reason. However, the common assumption is that the move is due to escalating tensions with Iran. Its President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has verbally threatened Israel a number of times, promising our annihilation.
This is the third time the Israeli government has distributed these protective kits: we were told to wear them during the 1991 Gulf War and were told to have these kits ready for use during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. However, after the war the government recollected the masks.
So anyway. That is what I did this morning. I ordered our gas masks. After my gym class. And before I went to buy my vegetables for the weekend. Just a regular day in crazy Israel.
Photo credit: Home Front Command Information Center
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Dear ME,
ReplyDeleteI know this cannot be an easy thing. It is something that we do not know yet in the US, but I don't doubt, that at some point in our future we will.
I admire Israel more than any country in our diverse world. I appreciate your independence and your strength - something I see attempting to be eroded here.
I know from your posts that it is not easy, and I am sure at times you have mixed feelings about Israel's stance. But there are millions of us out here that look up to you and your nation.
debi
Wow - this really highlights the fears you must learn to live with in that part of the world. It's so easy to get too comfortable in our little bubble here in the U.S. (Although who's to say we may not be ordering our own gas masks some day.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting it, it really made me think.
I have often wondered how the average Israeli copes with the constant cloud of threats. It's very sobering to read this post and think that gas masks are a part of everyday life. How do you explain this to your children?
ReplyDeleteHi Hotflash Diva, debi and Sarah O. Thank you for your comments. Indeed, if you think about it it is mindblowing. Jews once again perhaps confronting gas....However, I must say, we here take it quite matter of factly at the moment. There is certaily no air of panic. It is just like we got used to opening our car booths or our bags before entering a mall or hesitating before riding on a bus. It is something we do, and don't think too much about all the time. My kids don't know about the gas masks yet, but will probably see them when they arrive. We will just have to tell them that it is a precaution, and try not to dwell on it too much. During the 2003 Iraq war we (and many other parents) decorated with stickers and painted the cardboard gas mask boxes of our son and daughter - they were eight and four at the time. They had to go to school and kindergarden with their gas masks. Luckily there was no attack. I remember my son drawing the picture of a Scud falling in the garden. It was a scary time, but we tried to lower the drama in any way we could. Of course deep down you always wonder: is the danger closer than we think? What does the government know that we don't? Is the threat truely great, or is it a scare-mongering tactic for political gain? All this crosses our minds. I am planning to write a longer post about Ahmadinejad and his threats. So stay posted! It is also true that today unfortunately there is no safe place in the world. I often cringe at the lack of security abroad: on the subways and in malls especially. But then I chide myself for being overly paranoid and unduly influenced by our life here. Thank you for your support, and for reading and commenting. ME
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