Hashem Rescued Us: A Tour of Sderot Before the War Ends

We meet the editor of the "Yom LeYom" newspaper, Rabbi Yitzchak Kakon, in the area near his home. He seems quite concerned; initially, he was not willing to talk much but only said, "When the people of Israel know what happened here, they will take to the streets and demand the establishment of a state inquiry commission. There was a greater failure here than in the Yom Kippur War."

 After about an hour, we understood what he meant, and as someone living in Sderot with his children here, he truly has reasons for concern. After all, his house is located directly across the agricultural area whose direct line is to the edges of the Gaza Strip, and who knows how many tunnels have been dug in the open area. "In this area," he points from his porch to the area, "a lot of rockets fall. When they say a rocket fell in an open area, it's usually here. And these are miracles we have been seeing before our eyes for thirteen years."

As his neighbor from Netivot, it's hard for me to think how the Israeli governments sat quietly: A whole city of tens of thousands of residents, including thousands of children, is under fire, and it turns out that all the operations and sub-operations carried out in the Gaza Strip were just for show. No more.

Today, when the people of Israel begin to be exposed to the magnitude of the danger, and most Israeli cities are under heavy fire from Gaza, it is clear that while we thought we had eliminated the rockets from Gaza, they - the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists - have been rearming. And today, the rockets are accurate, powerful, and even reach Haifa. A stinging failure.

Rocket impact in Sderot (Photo: Flash 90)

"The Day After the War, Everyone Will Understand the Miracle"

We walk around Sderot and find worried residents, even very worried. Each one feels there was a great miracle. "Only Hashem has protected and will protect us," says Charlie, a resident of the city. "You don't understand the magnitude of the danger posed by the tunnels. They found tunnels here around Sderot that were intended to harm us and our children. Who knows what they planned. There are many rumors, and even the Prime Minister said in a government meeting that there was a great miracle here. I don't want to know the truth because it would frighten me, but I hear half-truths and it's enough for me."

As we walk among the residents, the picture becomes clear, and in fact, we recall the words spoken to us by the newspaper editor, and the sense of realization dawns: There was a plot here by the terrorists to harm the residents of Sderot and the Gaza envelope, and who knows, maybe beyond, even to our city Netivot, and perhaps even Ashkelon and Ofakim.

"I am the last one who wants to panic the residents of Sderot," says Kakon when we present him with the information we have, and it seems he knows much more than what we have heard so far, and indeed, this is what we understand between the words he says.

He carefully articulates, also asking not to talk about everything we know. "It could bring the residents of the south to the streets, and the government would conduct the war from the gut - under the pressure of the people demanding to erase Gaza, no less. The Prime Minister needs to decide with wise tactics, but if he abandons the residents of Sderot and the Gaza envelope to the Hamas terror tunnels, then, as I wrote in my 'opening article' this week, we will take our family and ascend to Jerusalem. We will not be willing to live in Sderot, and we will not be the only ones. Bibi Netanyahu knows this well. But now, during war, let him manage the battle quietly."

In any case, we asked him to unveil the truth and make things clear for us: "I can reveal," Kakon agrees to tell us with a trembling voice, and according to him, this is based on what the censorship currently allowed him to say: "Thousands of terrorists planned to emerge from the tunnels all at once on the upcoming Rosh Hashanah night. They didn't plan to eat apples with honey with us; they planned to slaughter our children and take us - the parents as hostages into the tunnels, and then imagine what would have happened here. I won’t go into details about the locations of the tunnels that have been found so far. The reason they planned for Rosh Hashanah is because most IDF soldiers are on vacation, and by the time you recruit tens of thousands of soldiers, they will have already executed their plan and hold the hostages in the tunnels."

We understand from Kakon that this week, the censorship allowed us to reveal only the title of the miracle, and he seems quite worried and rightly so. "I can't elaborate beyond what is allowed to be published, but I can hint that Hamas and Islamic Jihad planned this difficult campaign like a trained army, over the years. In my opinion, it could have been an event after event all over the country, and only by Hashem's grace, we were saved in a great miracle."

"As of this moment, there are over four hundred and fifty tunnels, including pits and shafts. Most of the tunnels are equipped with the most advanced technology. IDF uniforms were also found in the tunnels. Light and heavy weapons intended to take over the houses of the residents here in Sderot and the settlements along the border. Anesthetics and handcuffs were also found, intended to capture residents as hostages.

"There was a great miracle here. Only Hamas and Islamic Jihad know what a great miracle it was for us. They, who planned everything meticulously over the years, when intelligence and the Shin Bet were asleep at the guard, they see how much Hashem guards and protects us. This is what we must take with us, and I say this as someone whose family and I were targeted for assassination by Hamas terrorists, Hashem have mercy. The people of Israel, not just us, must after the war in Gaza, designate a day and turn it into a holiday, really so, it is a day that we should thank and praise Hashem for saving us from a severe and evil decree. And I tell every Jew living in the country, know that their plot was to annihilate not only us border residents. Their plot was to attack from the north and the east. And you can imagine what they would have done in East Jerusalem once Israel's deterrence power collapsed and there was a disaster of a magnitude that Israel had never known. I say these things to awaken the people of Israel, because you too must give thanks to Hashem for this revealed miracle that the tunnels were exposed, and by his great mercy, the plot to destroy us was thwarted."

Rocket exploded in a house in Sderot (Photo: Flash 90)

Haredim in Sderot Support the Soldiers

After hearing and understanding, we join Sderot Deputy Mayor, Rabbi Oren Malka, chairman of Shas in the city. In his pocket, a package of amulets for the soldiers. The amulet is a special prayer composed by our great rabbi of blessed memory during the Second Lebanon War, and these days the Shas movement, under Rabbi Aryeh Deri, has printed thousands of such amulets, the size of a business card, so that it would be convenient for soldiers to carry the amulet in their pocket. On one side is the prayer and on the other is the picture of the revered rabbi. And indeed, Rabbi Malka passes from soldier to soldier, giving each a bag containing food supplies, clothing, soaps, a Book of Psalms, and the amulet.

The soldiers are enthusiastic; they demand more amulets for themselves and their friends who are currently at the front line in enemy territory. "We need the protection of the revered Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Thank you for bringing it to us. It will protect us," one officer tells Rabbi Malka.

With Rabbi Malka, we descend to the gathering points. He is well-known there, especially among the commanders. It turns out that his phone rings at all hours of the day and night, and everything the soldiers on the front lines request, he takes care of for them. And not just another combat ration. It turns out that Rabbi Malka operates volunteers - residents of Sderot - who prepare homemade and hot meals for soldiers arriving for refreshment at the gathering areas. And the soldiers are thankful and joyful. It turns out that he not only takes care of hot food but also of showers, and for this purpose, he made sure to open all the mikvahs for the soldiers during the day.

Whoever sees the Haredi public mobilizing for the soldiers understands that this public, which volunteers all year long, especially in saving lives and, Heaven forbid, with ZAKA, "this holy public," as the soldiers repeatedly emphasize to us, "are here with us every day. We see you with us in the line of fire. You make sure we have hot food, cold drinks, showers, but what most moves us is that scholars come by here and take the soldiers' names because there is a large council where each prayer is responsible all day to learn and pray for each soldier," so says Avi, one of the commanders, "It strengthens and moves us."

* * *

We return to the street in Sderot and hear from residents, on the one hand, concern for the security situation that they have been exposed to, and, on the other hand, joy that finally, the root causes of the dangers from Gaza, especially the tunnels, are being treated.

As we are about to leave the city, we see a military vehicle from which emerges a high-ranking commander from a special unit, all dusted, and he requests to speak with Rabbi Oren Malka. It turns out the two are planning the refreshment for soldiers currently on their way to Sderot from another day of fighting and battles somewhere in the Gaza Strip.

And we are surprised. They first wish to shower, and the mikvah is opened for them. Then our eyes see soldiers with tzitzit peeking from their uniforms. Amazing. It turns out that every soldier in battle wishes to go out with a tzitzit on his body, a Book of Psalms, and an amulet - the prayer composed by the revered rabbi, which they place in their pocket. A sanctification of Hashem’s name in the battlefield.

The article was published in "Yom LeYom". Interested in a two-week free subscription? Click here.