Beneath the Still Waters

It was rather surreal this morning at the pool. On one hand, it was "business as usual." The pool was as gorgeous and refreshing as ever. The usual crowd of mothers, grandmothers and some younger single women took advantage of the "18 and over time." The only exception was a nursing baby cared for by her aunt so her mother could swim, too.

You'd think it such an ordinary, lovely early summer day. The water surrounding us was so still. But beneath that, under the still waters we were all worried. Praying to the depths of our souls for the kidnapped, the teenage boys who had been captured by Arab terrorists. May the IDF succeed in rescuing them safe and sound. May some Arabs discover a conscience, maybe one of those halachik Jews* living as Arabs find his pintele yid and make the rescue possible, rescuing him/herself, too, in the process.

Don't you dare think that our moments in the pool mean that we are not in the pain and worry that Paula describes in her well-written post.

Gilad Michael Ben Bat Galim, Yaccov Naftali Ben Rachel Devora and Eyal ben Iris Teshura

*Since before the establishment of the State of Israel and until today, there are Jewish women who marry Arab men, live with them in Arab towns, and have children who are Jewish by Jewish Law. Every once in a while amazing stories are revealed about Arabs who are repelled by the world they have grown up in and are attracted to Judaism. And then they discover that they are descended from Jewish women. Unfortunately these stories are rare, and even more unfortunately Jewish women are still going off with Arab men.