Not even on the holiest day of the Jewish year were Israelis given the opportunity to rest, as was seen on the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when a coalition of Arab countries attacked simultaneously in an attempt to catch Israel off-guard.
There is a ever-present threat to Israel’s northern and southern borders from missile and rocket fire. In 2011, Hamas fired 627 rockets and mortars from Gaza into Israel. In January of this year alone, 14 missiles and mortars were fired into heavily populated areas in Israel.
This danger to the livelihood and lives of Israelis has engendered a culture of constant-preparedness. This mentality has been passed down to the next generations as Israelis raise their children to always be conscious of the nearest bomb shelter. At a young age, children also learn in school the basic steps of putting on a gas-mask.
IDFBlog
