Envelope families face a double challenge: economic and social difficulties in the face of the corona crisis and the danger of terror balloons in days of security unrest • Three families talk about their new-old emergency routine
"We must put an end to this because it drains the forces." The fires in the Gaza Strip
"Our forces are running out" - the Porat family, unknown
Julie (36) and Noam (44) Porat are parents to four children: Uri (15), Alon (9.5), Ella (6.5) and Rotem (4), and they also raise a dog named Libby. The family lives in Alumim, where a fire from an incendiary balloon broke out near the fields this week.
“The corona is an ongoing emergency routine, and we live in a perpetual emergency routine because of red paint and incendiary balloons that we had to get used to as well,” says Julie. "The great freedom actually lasted from Purim because there was not really a complete return to routine. We as a family have already gone into isolation three times, and that has raised and raised a lot of concerns.
Fires in the Barry Reserve, animals fleeing the fire // Photo: Newsenders
"The children were very worried that if any of us were supposed to be in solitary confinement, he would not be able to enter the emergency room and be with everyone. These are things you need to address. "A tense security situation is the last thing we needed, because most of our resources are invested in dealing with the corona."
"We do not always see the fires, but smell and know that something is happening in the air. It affects the whole family and raises the level of stress, anxiety and tension again. We try to convey resilience because it gives optimism, but reality is reality, we must put an end to it." Because it drains the forces. "
What do children do on vacation?
"We had to change our lifestyles and the one who helped us a lot was the community, the council and the community center. During the isolation period the packages with the art materials reached us as far as the house. "This week they brought to a kibbutz a circus that could be watched at Drive In, and in addition there are activities and workshops through the zoom, there is a dance class at Zoom."
By: Noam (Devol) Dvir
"Security and economic uncertainty" - Ben Shoshan family, Enrichment Path
"It's really unpleasant to see smoke billowing from a different place every time. After all, we know what these balloons mean. Then comes the IDF's reactions. And there are noises and booms. When children hear the sound of gunfire, it does not matter if you say it is ours, they are equally frightened, "says Yifat Ben-Shoshan, 50, a resident of Netiv HaAsara, who is married and the mother of two children, aged 13 and 9.5.
Along with fires, there is no substitute for a long stay at home in light of the health crisis. "The corona disrupted our lives, we will add to the fires," notes Ben-Shoshan. "We do not go for outdoor activities. There is no public pool in the summer, for the first time in the history of the enrichment lane. See fewer children outside, and now great freedom, so they sit a lot in front of screens. Fires and corona and great boring freedom.
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"The corona has overcome all our pleasures of life, so we are locked up in homes and there are no cultural activities. This unbearable situation has caused my two children most of the time at home. They do not go to friends because of the corona. They have nothing to do, bored, and no answer. To face reality The unpleasant outside, it's a lot of time agreeing, at levels we did not know before - television and telephones and computers. It made them indifferent and unmotivated. The period is really abnormal. It used to be security uncertainty, now it is economic, educational and social uncertainty, And no one is giving us solutions. "
By: Gadi Golan
"Fear at night" - Ozen-Tanner family, Kibbutz Karmia
"The great freedom, the corona virus and the fires, this is a phenomenon we have never experienced before. This combination is a huge problem for everyone," says Sivan Ozen-Tanner, from Kibbutz Karmia, 47, married and mother of four children aged 17, 15, 10 and 8 "Explosive and incendiary balloons have become routine in our lives in recent days. The fires surround us on all sides, at all hours of the day and at night the IDF attacks are heard."
Ozen-Tanner feels she is in an absurd situation: "Between the rockets and the explosive balloons, I prefer the balloons. When there are rockets it's scary to leave the house. Balloons fly leisurely upwards, and you can defend against them, as long as they do not fall in the field." Ozen-Tanner faces questions that arise among her confused children. "The little kids ask a lot of questions, and they're more scared. Balloons are a joy and a celebration for them, and now it's a derogatory word, world order has gone wrong with them. They see it, talk about it with friends, see it on the news. Two of the kids, the little ones, were even treated. In the center of resilience.The treatment did not quite help, unfortunately.
"The children face quite a few fears, which exist during the day, and they come and catch them mostly at night, just before bed. After each round of fighting, the children have regression. And it is very difficult to deal with it. The great freedom, the corona virus and the fires merged into an unbearable situation. "It's not a short time."
By: Gadi Golan
