(From this time last year I wrote this, when war broke out with Gaza in November 2012)

Here in Jerusalem people are getting ready for Hannukah which is the end of November this year and buying doughnuts.

As well as this I got a few packages from work this week – gas masks.

We have to keep them in the sealed bags until there is a need to use them.    The reason being is the news has spoken quite a bit about more threats, this time not so much from Gaza (although there has been more rumours of shipments of FAJA-5 rockets from Iran sent to north Africa)     but this time from Syria.

Syria has had plenty of involvement with chemical weapons for sometime now, including Anthrax and different types of toxic gas including Sarin (stuff used by the Nazis)

Stuff on my dining table: 6 pack of 2 litre water which we would have to grab and take to the bomb shelter, thing in bag  is a gas mask, bible, mug of tea, room mate’s camera bag.   When the siren goes off, I have to have my keys, phone, bottles of water handy.   Or the other type of siren means stay in and put on gas mask.

For folks reading this in the UK or some other western country, you may find it hard to understand why I am still here in a country threatened by war from multiple enemies.    Some people I work with include New Zealanders living in cities shaken by earthquakes that have knocked their houses down so many times they have given up rebuilding them.    People in different nations have to learn to live with and be prepared for different threats.