“Today has been particularly nutty,” I wrote on our extended family WhatsApp group on Wednesday. A little while later a relative in America replied: “Nutty is a very unusual way of saying “frightening” “threatening” even “challenging.”

Not sure though how else to capture the absurdity of warnings going off while trying to follow the dance moves of DJ Raphi being projected onto the wall of the house as a fun family activity for those ranging from 3-76.

In Israel right now, our days refuse to fit into neat categories. The mundane and the momentous sit side by side on the same living room couch. One minute we are cheering on the “Little Giants” in a nostalgic showing to our kids of a good old movie from the nineties, and the next someone reads out a historic headline from their phone. Daily meaning is found in small gestures – a message from a friend overseas who checks in, a neighbor who pops by, a child sharing a thought that reminds us what really matters. And then every once in a while, when a siren ends and everyone is safe, when a moment of fear gives way to relief, we catch a glimpse of the miraculous. Events unfolding at a pace and in a fashion that feels biblical and that leave us breathless.

Living in Israel during these times means holding all four at once: the mundane, the momentous, the meaningful and the miraculous. Somehow, in the middle of history unfolding around us, we are still living our ordinary lives, just trying to get by, entertain kids, clear the sink of all the dirty dishes and be there for our parents and for each other. All without forgetting to be grateful to the soldiers fighting on our behalf and with taking note of God’s hand in every aspect of this experience.

The history books will remember the strategies, the unprecedented cooperation between Israel and America, the battles fought, the painful and very real losses and the jaw dropping headlines. But for Israelis living through this moment, we will also remember the way the mundane rhythms of daily life stubbornly must continue (we still need to eat dinner!), the unmistakable sense that we are living through something momentous, the meaningful ways people show up for one another and the flashes of the miraculous that remind us just how fragile and precious life is.

In Israel right now, the mundane, the momentous, the meaningful, and the miraculous are all part of the same day. A zoom class, a family wedding in the middle of war, a supportive conversation with a good friend and then my son coming downstairs to show me the “really awesome video” he took from our roof of missile interceptions in the night time sky (when our area was spared a siren).

Israelis have gotten really good at navigating in and out of these different extremes. We know that all four can exist at once, sometimes within the same hour. The past few years have taught us that life insists on marching on, even when war is raging. This morning the stores were packed, not a parking spot to be found, as Israelis got out to shop for Shabbat, grab a cup of coffee, breathe in some fresh air and prepare themselves for the next few days ahead.

The resilience of Israelis is one of the most remarkable aspects of living here. The missiles start falling and the memes start flying. Lock us down, and some new and creative apps will be released. Shut our synagogues, and instantaneous, joyful megilla readings in shelters will pop up.

This is life in Israel in times like these. We make dinner in the shadow of history, jump out of the shower when we get an alert, celebrate life cycle events that begin with siren instructions and all the while never lose sight of the miracles that we are privileged to witness unfolding before our eyes.

Yup, I think “nutty” just about sums it up.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)