April 2023 Personal Letter

FROM SARAH, OUR SABRA ON THE GROUND IN ISRAEL

FROM SARAH, OUR SABRA
ON THE GROUND IN ISRAEL

Dear Friend,

Greetings from Israel. Since 1993, all newly built homes, apartments, and office buildings here are required to have a room called a mamad. This Hebrew acronym refers to a safe room.

The room must be constructed from reinforced concrete with at least 29.5 square feet in floor space and a minimum height of 8 feet. Outer walls must be around 10 inches thick. Regulations require a door and a window that are not on the same wall. Windows must be made of reinforced glass that can be closed off with a special, heavy metal shutter. A sturdy, metal door must be strong enough to withstand the force of a blast.

Multipurpose Protection

Essentially, the mamad is a bomb shelter. But it’s supposed to be more than that. By law, every mamad must be fitted with a sophisticated air filtration system to protect the occupants in the event of chemical warfare.

If you visit a home in Israel, you will likely see one of these rooms. Yet most people convert them to a storage room or a child’s bedroom. In our house, our youngest son’s bedroom is in our mamad. I am thankful that during the time my children have grown up here, we haven’t had any major wars and we have not had to use the room for its intended purpose.

I don’t know of any other country that requires its citizens to have a reinforced safe room in their house. Do you? So how did this legal requirement originate?

THREATS FROM LEBANON

When I was a baby, my parents lived in Kiryat Sh’mona, which is on the border with Lebanon. At that time, Lebanon fired rockets each night over the border. Sirens would awaken the residents of our town, who then ran to one of the bomb shelters that were located throughout the neighborhoods.

At that time, my mother spoke very little Hebrew. Often, she had to take me to spend the nights in these shelters that had shared sleeping spaces. After eight months, it became too much for her. Thus, my parents moved us south to the town of Nazareth, where I spent my adolescent years.

THREATS FROM IRAQ

During the First Gulf War (August 1990–February 1991), my family lived in an old farmhouse that did not have a mamad. We had nowhere to go when Iraq launched missiles at Israel in the winter of 1991. If they made a direct hit, those powerful Scud missiles could destroy a small building.

The missiles, however, were not the primary threat. Israel’s leaders feared that Saddam Hussein would also launch a chemical or biological attack against us. Thus, each family had to designate a room as the “sealed room,” in which any doors and windows could be secured with plastic sheeting and masking tape!

When we heard the siren, we ran into that room and put on our gas masks. My father would then seal off the room, and we would sit there — staring at each other and struggling to breathe through the masks until the radio broadcasted the all-clear signal.

My oldest brother and I were young school kids, while my youngest brother was a baby. He could not wear a gas mask, so we had a plastic, incubator-looking cube for his protection. It was essentially an anti-biohazard crib. After my mother put him in it, he would cry continuously, and we could not touch or comfort him.

Each night when the sirens sounded, my family would either stop what we were doing or wake up, and then we would go to the safe room, which was my room. Along with my baby brother’s crying, we had extra drama because of our dog. I dearly loved Honey, our German Shepherd. My father, however, would not allow him into the room for fear that our oxygen would run out over an extended time. So there we sat — me crying about the dog, my little brother crying in his plastic bubble, and my mother weeping because she couldn’t hold him.

Prepared for Attacks

Every citizen received a kit with a gas mask and a quick-release atropine syringe, along with training about using the atropine pen if chemicals were released in a blast.

As we youngsters left for school each morning, along with our school bag and lunch, we had to carry our gas mask kit in case an attack occurred during school hours. Then, at night, we had a curfew, which meant everyone had to stay inside their houses.

While Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles on Israel during that seven-month war, thankfully none carried biological or chemical warheads. Nonetheless, since those “sealed rooms” were ineffective against conventional rockets, each new home subsequently was required to have a mamad. Moreover, every existing home that is renovated must add one to protect its residents from both conventional and chemical attacks.

Potential Border Threats

Israel recently released its updated forecast on the impact of a large-scale war. Updated every few years, the latest report shows that 70% of Israelis now have an adequate safe space, noting that only two people have died who were inside a mamad during an attack since the first Gulf War.

The new report identifies 40 threats. The greatest concerns relate to war on Israel’s northern border (with Lebanon and Syria) and along the Gaza border. Noting Hezbollah’s plan to infiltrate the northern border via tunnels or other means and take captives in at least one village or town, Israel’s official plan includes thousands of hotel vouchers to be distributed to border residents. This will allow them to temporarily move out of harm’s way, whether from rocket attacks or enemy infiltration. Previous experience suggests that many residents, especially families with children, will move from the border areas to the interior of the country.

Recalling the horrible riots from May 2021 between Arabs and Jews in the Land, the report advises that similar riots would probably happen again in larger force. This would prevent thousands of Arab truck drivers from working, which could hinder the delivery of essentials like medication, gasoline, and food throughout the country. The absence of Arab workers would also affect pharmacies (most of which are staffed by Arabs), senior adult homes, industrial cleaning, and building maintenance.

According to the report, on each day of a projected 21-day war, 1,500 rockets would be launched on Israel, destroying at least 450–500 large buildings. Thus, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would have to help rescue people trapped under collapsed buildings. The IDF would also help keep order, open roads, move supplies, and more.

The new report also includes details on cyber-attacks, which could hinder communication systems, public transport, and energy systems like the electricity grid. [Perhaps U.S. citizens could benefit as much as Israelis from such a federal government report about potential threats! — Editor]

Living in Israel is not for the faint of heart. Even so, the Lord has continually been impressing these verses on my heart: “Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me” (Psalm 144:1–2).

As a mother in Israel, I stand firm on these verses in prayer and declaration!

Im tirdefu lada-at oto —
“Press on to know HIM!” (Hosea 6:3 NLT),

   
Sarah Liberman

P.S. Even if we Israelis must fight physically, you as a Believer in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah continue to fight with us spiritually. Unified as the Body of Messiah, we must remain confident in God’s promise of protection for His people. Let us all continue to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). ✡

: Safe Travels!

People often ask if we feel safe when traveling in Israel. Truthfully, we always do. Once, while on an Israel tour, we heard about one of the Walmart shootings in the U.S. Later at dinner, our group of pilgrims discussed how we felt noticeably safer in Jerusalem than we do in many places back home.

While Israel’s neighbors are not the friendliest, we would never take a group there if we had any safety concerns. So please come to the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to experience its wonders for yourself. If you are a widow or widower, bring a friend. Or perhaps sponsor your family to travel with you. A Holy Land study tour would be one of the best investments you could make in the spiritual lives of your loved ones.

Contact Sandra, our travel manager, at 214-696-9760, travel@levitt.com, or levitt.com/tours. She can help you prepare for your journey of a lifetime!

Sha’alu shalom Yerushalayim! —
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” (Psalm 122:6),

David & Kirsten

P.S. Through your faithful prayers and giving to ZLM, you not only help provide scholarly teaching about the Jewish roots of Christianity but also assist fellow ministries and share the Gospel of Yeshua in Israel. For creative ways to further your support, please visit levitt.com/donate or contact our office. ✡

Our Jewish Roots TV programs in April

As we finish our encore presentation of the series Sar Shalom: Prince of Peace, we encourage you to watch the premier of our new series, The God of Miracles. Recently, Kirsten and I (David) flew to Dallas to tape the studio segments of these powerful television programs. Dr. Seif’s teachings are insightful and moving.

Kirsten and I recorded three new Biblical songs, and we have uplifting interviews with people who have experienced miracles. You won’t want to miss a single episode! These new programs will be available at levitt.tv on the same day they’re on the networks. Please encourage your friends to watch.

Sar Shalom: Prince of Peace

God’s Spiritual Provisions

Matthew 7:7–12 addresses tenacity and God’s benevolence in the Christian’s life. The “narrow path” we must walk (7:13–14) is rejected by most people. While our “fruits” testify on our behalf, we can beware of those whose lifestyles and teachings stand as an indictment against them (7:15–20).

Yeshua: Foundation Sufficient for Salvation

God works despite evildoers. Deception of self and others will give way to truth at Day’s End (7:21–23). Jesus advises us to build our hope for salvation on the right foundation — Him (7:24–29). Jeff reviews the entire Sermon on the Mount and offers closing reflections with David and Kirsten Hart.

The God of Miracles

We can’t read many pages in the Bible without encountering miracles. In this nine-part series, we see our miraculous God at work as recorded in Scripture — from Genesis to Revelation. Jeff teaches from the Holy Land. We also hear testimonies from people who have experienced the Lord’s supernatural work in their own lives.

The Holy Spirit

The Genesis account of creation reveals God’s Spirit hovering over the waters. This same Holy Spirit hovered over human beings at Pentecost, saving 3,000 people, and now indwells Believers today. Jeff teaches from the Western Wall and the Southern Steps in Jerusalem.

The Exodus

This program reveals the Lord our Deliverer as presented in both the Old and New Testaments. From the Judean wilderness and Nehemiah’s Wall in the City of David, Jeff illustrates how God is devoted to building and rebuilding lives. The Lord can deliver you from whatever you are going through.