Now, at the most complex time in her life, Inbal Yahav feels pride in her country. "There's no place like home in Israel and there's nothing like the amazing citizens here," she says.
Evacuees from the Dead Sea envelope: "We are in the lowest place in the world and from here we can only go up" // Yoni Rikner
"An anonymous person gave us a house to live in in the Nof Yam neighborhood of Herzliya, the volunteers in the neighborhood furnished it for us, and the municipality helps with education, emotional support and takes care of us as if we were residents of the city. If I ask for the moon, they'll pick it for us too. I feel a bit like I'm on a mission in another country because I don't know what will happen tomorrow. Will we return to our home? When? I don't want to go back to the path of enrichment if the house needs to be protected. It's still hard for me to understand how we lived running to the safe room for over 20 years."
"The community there is amazing and the children miss home too, but the big question is what kind of situation we will return to. It's important for me to be where my whole family is. I wish I could make a small village just for us. I'm not attached to the building or the place, just to have our family around us."
On 7 October, Inbal stayed in the safe room and Shahar stayed outside to guard her. "I heard a lot of shots and I was sure the army was fighting the terrorists," she says. "Because there was no electricity and almost no cellular reception, I didn't see the harsh messages sent to the town's WhatsApp group. There were terrorists in my sister's house and they hid in the basement. I texted with family members when I could, and it felt like everyone was fine. Dawn even managed to bring his mother to us."
When did you know that Netiv HaTen lost 21 of its residents?
"Only a few hours later did I see announcements of fatalities, among them my brother-in-law, Amit Wax, and his brother Yigal."
In the afternoon, the extended family was evacuated to Kfar Maccabiah, and a week later they moved to three nearby homes in Herzliya. "We are in an intermediate situation. Coupons. Our community was a closed military zone. We will stay in Herzliya until the end of the school year, and after that we will uproot the children again. I have no idea how many times it will happen until we're in a permanent home."
The New Home - The Yahav Family, Photo: None
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