{"id":2189,"date":"2014-09-03T20:42:25","date_gmt":"2014-09-03T20:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/?p=2189"},"modified":"2014-09-05T04:38:12","modified_gmt":"2014-09-05T04:38:12","slug":"these-streets-of-miracles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/these-streets-of-miracles\/","title":{"rendered":"These Streets of Miracles"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Esther Korson
\n\"NES\"<\/a>
\nAs of today, the 31st of August, it really seems as though \u2018Operation Protective Edge\u2019 is over. The cease fire, brokered by Egypt last week, has held. Today, the Home Front Command declared that all areas of the country could return to normal life, including those areas in the south that have been the most battered by rocket fire over the 51 days that this conflict lasted. Schools will start everywhere in Israel on schedule tomorrow. However, before this chapter is closed, there are a few things that I would still like to share with you relating to this war.<\/p>\n

Before I continue, I have to give you a little personal history. In recent months, I\u2019ve had two experiences that in an odd way truly helped me to understand in a deeper way what our young soldiers were facing on their way to the front. First of all, I had a rescue (an amazing testimony!) from what could have been a fatal accident, and secondly, I had a lumpectomy in June for breast cancer. The surgery was successful and I\u2019m now travelling each day from my home in Jerusalem to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital for radiation therapy to help prevent the cancer from returning. With that in mind, here is what I\u2019d like to share with you.<\/p>\n

On one of my first mornings heading for Hadassah Hospital, I stopped off at the Central Bus Station for a bagel breakfast (Typical Ashkenazi fare of American style bagel, cream cheese and smoked salmon, yum!) A few minutes after I sat down to eat, a soldier sat down at the table next to me. Perhaps because I have literally faced death in a real way recently\u2014with the near fatal incident and then with cancer\u2014I immediately began to cry. I had been feeling vulnerable facing weeks of radiotherapy, but I knew it was nothing compared to the vulnerability this young soldier would be facing heading back to the war. It made the burden to pray for our soldiers more real than ever! And seeing him helped me to put my own situation in its proper perspective as well.<\/p>\n

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