“I Thought I Was Going to Die”

On our last trip to Israel, on one of those comfortably warm winter days you get in Tel Aviv, Debbie and I had a lovely lunch with Cantor Judi Roland and her husband Michael, who moved to Israel from New York four years ago.

We ate in an Israeli restaurant that offers traditional Middle Eastern food with a modern twist. Judi and Michael told us that it was one of their favorite places because of the great food and because, as soon as the war started, the owners turned to cooking for the IDF. We talked about family, kids, and life, and when we left, promised to keep in touch and see each other again.

We haven’t heard from them since. And then I saw Judi’s Facebook post: “I thought I was going to die. It was like the World Trade Center all over again. Stuck on the 29th floor of a tower hit by a missile. Smoke filling the halls! Michael, Ben and I huddled together in the mamad (shelter) praying for a quick death. Then the army came and saved us. We walked down 29 flights of bombed out stairs and gushing water raining down from broken pipes. We could take nothing with us. It was like a scene from a disaster movie—except we were in it.”

Judi posted this picture on Facebook, and she tells her story in upsetting detail in the second interview on a Ha’aretz podcast. If you listen, you will be taken by the bravery and dedication of the IDF soldiers who brought the family to safety.

With prayers for safety and security for Israel and for all in the region who seek peace.

Rabbi Dennis Ross