A Haunted Dream

Nicole Nathan Bem

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–>

It is Day 22 of the war here. I feel sluggish, anxious,
unfocussed. It is as if a powerful earthquake shifted the plates below my feet.
I feel its tremors below and do not know what the future will bring.

This ‘earthquake’ has shaken both Israel and the world to
its foundations, unleashing evil and darkness. Hatred and lies are spewing as
never before. Shaken, I feel as if our cherished concepts of kindness and
light, and of goodness and love have been trumped.

This feeling reminds me of The Lord of the Rings, when
darkness unleashes a power causing “a time of peril
unseen, of fear without form, an uneasy vigil; or a haunted dream, leading
through despair to the shadow of Death.”

A haunted dream come true, this is our
reality in Israel’s south. Here, terrorists dig tunnels and emerge from holes
in cover of darkness falsely disguised in IDF uniforms with guns and masks and
death on their minds. They come to wreak terror upon families huddled in beds
and children fast asleep in their cribs.  

A peril unseen, rockets are shot high
into the skies, aiming for civilian populations. The rockets soar and the
sirens wail as we sleep, drive, or work, sending us running, filling us with
panic and fear.

Darkness unleashes a power in Israel
and also across the world:

In Miami, Hamas thugs aggressively demonstrate
on downtown streets screaming ““Khaybar,
Khaybar, ya yahud, jaish Muhammad sa yaoud.” (The threat of Muhammad’s to
exterminate all Jews.)

In Paris, mobs shout, scream, beat,
plunder and smash.

In The Hague, the Islamic State
(formerly Isis) proudly wave black flags under the cry “Death to the Jews.”

In London, there is a warning that the “black flag
of jihad” will fly over Downing Street.

In the media worldwide, journalists write
lies, weave fabrications and uphold terror.

In world politics, democratic leaders
and ‘peace’ organizations condemn a country for defending itself and pity those
bent on destruction and death.

It seems as if the world has shifted to
a place of darkness and lies and all seems upside down. I dream of those quiet
days in the ‘Shire’ and wish we could return. But I feel as if something huge
has shifted the precarious balance we once enjoyed–and I do not know how we
can get back home to a life of surety, security, love and comfort.


As J.R.R. Tolkien wrote
in The Hobbit:


The bells were ringing in the
dale
And men looked up with faces pale;
Then dragon’s ire more fierce than fire
Laid low their towers and houses frail

We will not allow this dragon to make
our faces pale and hope to vanquish this evil darkness. But for those who do
not live here in Israel, please be aware that this shift has unleashed fumes of
ire that have been simmering undercover for some time. And they are gathering
force worldwide. 

I always like to see the positive side
and do not want to sound like a doomsday sayer, but Israel is like a canary in a
coal mine. And it is dark down here.

Are you feeling the earthquake’s aftershock?

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Published by Nicole Nathan Bem

I am a writer and editor. When I moved to Israel with my family in 2005, I decided to create this blog, wanting to capture the intensity of living in this land. Days are never static; they are vibrant and there is a depth of emotion here that I feel nowhere else. These pages are my honest reflection and observations of life in Israel as an Anglo immigrant.

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