Are we really safe anywhere? Random thoughts.

As I was watching Baltimore burn, I got an instant message from a friend who saw I was online and wondered if I was safe here in Jerusalem.  

I have shared some but not all of the incidents, many in my ‘neighborhood’ that have occurred since I arrived last summer, for many reasons.  One, I don’t want my friends and family to worry any more than they already do about my safety, and two, while they are hideous, these days, here and there, they are pretty common and in a way, unremarkable.  I’m sorry if that sounds hard.  It’s not that I don’t care about the injured and sometime killed.  I do.  It’s not that I think it is ok, I certainly don’t. But it begs the question, are we really safe anywhere anymore?

Remember when you could walk into a store and not see a display of missing children? Or when you could go for a walk at night and not worry about being mugged. I do. But times have changed.  We live in a dangerous, fallen world full of people with evil intent.

Several months ago, a terrorist ran his car into a light rail station, injuring several and killing a toddler. Now there are barricades on the road into the station making a recurrence impossible.  After that, a terrorist at the next station avoided the barricades for the road, hopped the curb with his car onto the tracks and careened onto the passenger platform.  Those intent on harm seem to find a way.



Last week, a terrorist turned across two lanes of traffic and plowed into a bus stop, killing one and injuring another, now we have these accessories appearing at the bus stops throughout the city.






Then there was this in my morning email: The Israel National Police advised the U.S. Embassy that a demonstration planned by members of the Ethiopian Israeli community is scheduled for today…This demonstration has the potential of drawing large crowds. A similar protest held in Jerusalem on Thursday lasted several hours and turned violent, resulting in injuries, arrests, and property damage. We advise U.S. citizens to avoid the area and to monitor local media for updates…Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.  You should avoid areas of demonstrations, and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations.

Right after I read that, I saw a news report about a May Day protest that turned violent on the West Coast of the United States.


And then from my little home town of just under 13 thousand, on May 7th, "..a 22-year-old woman was reported missing after she didn't return from an early morning walk Thursday, according to the Herrin Police Department."  Happily she was found uninjured, but what the heck?









So, thank you all for worrying about and praying for me.  Please don’t stop, either for me, or for the region or for the world.  I’m sure I've said it more than once, I covet your prayers.  I appreciate them and am sure I am safer for it.  




(The photos of the military and police are for a friend who asked for pictures of handsome Israeli men.  You know who you are, and you're welcome)