As this is a sensitive topic, I’d rather start with framing it. I will focus on physical civilian defense and the realities of living in a high-risk area. I will not explain the history of the region or try to justify one or the other side of the conflict. The civilians who live in this place during an attack do not care which international law was broken by the repeated attacks, whether the attack was justified, or even who fired the rockets....
Here I was, a Jewish Latvian who happens to speak Russian, climbing up Mount Meron with Latin Americans in Israel during a war on a random summer Saturday and thinking, “What the heck am I even doing here?”. Great question, me, great question… Why do I speak Russian even though I am Latvian? Why do I call myself Jewish if I have never had a bar mitzvah? Why in Israel do I have myself surrounded with Latinos?...
Who am I? I like to believe that every person who manages to get to a point when they can call their life comfortable, whatever that means to them, has two options: (1) be content with the current state of things, or (2) challenge themselves and seek improvement. The first one is easy - you don’t have to do anything because you are, well, great already. The second option is a bit more complicated, as it involves stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing the unknown....