Since we are not taking any major vacation trips this summer, I had decided that I would take off certain random days of work so that Raphaela and I could do local day trips, have bits of vacation inside a regular work week. I also felt it was important to spend time with Raphaela before she starts First Grade in the fall, to make her feel special.
I had decided that tomorrow would be one of those days, a hike/exploration of the Herodian archaeological site followed by an afternoon of fun by the pool with our adopted family in Tekoa. [Near Herodian, very much over the Green Line, a stressful car ride on a regular day]
First came the heat wave, over a week of temperatures throughout the country in the mid to upper 30 degrees Celsius. Not a time to be out in the sun and hiking the top of a mountain, no matter how interesting and historical it might be.
Then came the promise of violence, from Jews and Arabs alike, following the burning death of an Arab baby, one day after a deranged Ultra-Orthodox man stabbed six people at the Jerusalem Gay Pride parade. So I have to ask myself, given that the road to Herodian and Tekoa runs through several Arab villages, is it actually safe or smart to drive there? Am I putting my life and that of my daughter in danger, or am I over-reacting to the news and the politics and the threats of Armageddon?
I may be more aware than some, since I was almost killed by a Palestinian sniper during the Second Intifada, in 2001.
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