By Ulla Hadar
KIBBUTZ RUHAMA, Israel — Parents and children don’t always agree on everything, but on one subject in Sha’ar Hanegev, the municipality lying alongside the Gaza border, there is nearly unanimity. Hearing sirens go off to warn of incoming rockets can be very stressful, whereas bicycling in nearby areas out of range is relaxing and healthful.
I asked children of our area–and their parents — about their reaction to the sirens and about off-road bicycle treks that I lead for the children’s welfare.
Concerning their reactions when they hear the “Code Red” siren, answers ranged from Rotem Ferdman, 10, saying “I am scared but it does not stress me too much because I know we have fortified buildings at the school and at home at well” to Or Golan, 11, confiding, “when an alert goes off I start thinking, ‘someone must have been hurt!’ or ‘We need to get hold of the emergency squads!’ or ‘What’s going on with my family?”
Other reactions to the sirens included those of Lior Itamary, 12, who said”I feel extremely stressed” to Eyal Goren, 10, who responded, “It frightens me quite a bit.”
Rotem’s mother, Yael, says “there are days when I do not send my children to school despite that I know the school is protected and fortified. There are days when I feel bad about sending them to school knowing the situation and that I am not there to protect them. ”
Lior’s mother, Hagit, said, “When I had to send my first child to first grade in the Sha’ar Hanegev school, it was a very hard decision for me, because of the constant rocket threat. I do not regret our choice, but there are days that are very hard for me and I go around with a bad feeling. G-d forbid that something will happen to them, I will never forgive myself for the decision!”
My kibbutz, Ruhama, while part of the Shaar Hanegev municipality, is located farther from the Gaza border than most of the other kibbutzim and thus far has been spared any direct rocket attacks. The wilderness area surrounding Ruhama is a national treasure, a place where one can bicycle and forget, at least for a while, all the animosity that is centered at the border.
In our community, we have organized a bike riding excursions for the children– an activity in which they can feel relatively secure, if not perfectly so.
Rotem says he still feels stressed because “if there suddenly will be a siren I have no secure place to hide, because the bike rides are out in the open.” Nevertheless, he added, “my favorite place to ride is in the fields of Ruhama. I enjoy the nature and the views that surround us. Especially the long rides, like the ten kilometers, are the best. To ride with my friends in the Bike Club also brings pleasure to me. In the future I would like to ride on longer trips and go on more challenging rides.”
Lior says “when I am biking I feel much more relaxed.” Like Rotem, “I enjoy riding the single trails and in the fields.” She especially enjoys “the rolling hills, going up and down.” She says she wants to develop her skills as a bicyclist and to challenge herself.
Eyal notes that “I feel very safe when I ride in the area of Ruhama. I know that no rockets have fallen here.” While sirens occasionally go off, “I feel strong when I am riding my bike.” The Maslulla exercise field near the kibbutz is part of a favorite course because “here it is possible to ride fast in a closed environment.”
Eyal says he wants to learn such bicycling skills as the “wheelie,” the “bunny hop,” and riding up and down steps.”
Comments Or: “When I ride my bike my mind is free to think of other things than the stress. Biking is two major things for me: a sport and enjoyment.” He said he likes “to ride in the fields of Ruhama, not the sandy or muddy trails, but the good field roads that we usually ride on. Here there is little chance for a ‘red alert’ and that makes me feel good.”
Someday, said Or, he hopes he will be able to bicycle abroad in some sort of competition.
Parents of these children say they consider the bike excursions to be, in Yael Ferdman’s phrase, “a breath of fresh air” for their children — “to be able twice a week to go to the club and be able to enhance themselves in an activity and not to think about war, sirens and rockets. For us as parents, it was also a relief, to know they had an activity that not only takes their minds off the current situation but also gives them strength. They get fresh air and interactions with their friends and all in all have positive experiences.”
Agreed Hagit Itamary: “Even without looking at the situation that surrounds us, this is a sport that empowers them. They experience independence and learn skills, strength, discipline, friendship and more. My children look forward with anticipation to each lesson. If they succeed with a new skill, they do not stop talking about it. They feel strong and successful…. Their minds are occupied with issues that do not stress them.”
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Hadar is a freelance writer and sports enthusiast residing in the Sha’ar Hanegev muncipality, which is the sister region to the Jewish Federation of San Diego County. She may be contacted via ulla.hadar@sdjewishworld.com