So close, but...

Surreal for sure. Israel is a tiny country, really a very tiny country, but you don't have to go far to feel that you're in another world.

Today I visited the latest member of the clan in Rosh Ha'Ayin, which is about ten minutes from Ariel. Ariel is a large city in the Shomron. Rosh Ha'Ayin was in Israel's hands pre-1967. After that we went to the "Giant Mall" in Petach Tikvah, again just a short distance away from there.

It's a nice size mall with all sorts of stores, mostly of the major chains, making me feel like I was in the Malcha Mall in Jerusalem. Actually, the Petach Tikvah one is about the same distance, or driving time from Shiloh as Malcha. But that's another story.

As my cousin drove me to Ariel, for my return home, we commented on how lovely the area is, and also how empty it is. There's plenty of room for Jews and Arabs. If the Arabs wanted to live in peace, there'd be no problem. But the truth is that the Arabs don't want peace at all, no matter how you flavor it.

We didn't listen to the news all day. It 's so rare for us to get together like that. We never listen to the radio when we're together. Then as we approached Ariel, it was time for the 6pm news.

One Killed In Nahariya Attack as Barrage Sweeps the North

It felt like a million miles away, but it wasn't far at all. There are modern highways in Israel, and within a couple of hours, you can get almost any place. And that means that the enemy is very close, too.

Hashem Y'shmor!