Situation in israel

amother

↑ Slateblue ↓

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 10:09 am

amother Cappuccino wrote:

There's a built in awareness of being able to rate the danger that nonIsraelis don't have.
Either being terrified around any Arab or overly confident that everything is ok.
That type of thing.

And understanding the language around you well is a huge thing.

My kids are Israeli and don't have that any more than Americans.
My Israeli neighbors don't have that either...
Maybe years ago they had that and don't anymore? Only some Israelis have that?

amother

↑ Slateblue

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 10:12 am

amother Cappuccino wrote:

There's two different conversations at play.
Whether there's actual danger, etc.
And the schools reactions in the past and their plan on paper if things chv change

We are spending a lot of money to send our children (even if they act all mature and grown up) and we want to know what the schools safety plan is.

If I went to an open house and asked about the process if my child got sick, and the principal gave a lecture on emunah and davening and iyh they shouldn't get sick, I'd have the same reaction. In that I'd be concerned about the ability for this school to relate to my children and keep them safe to the best of their hishtadlus.

At an open house, when a mother asks about the "situation", we want to hear what steps were taken 8 weeks ago, we want to hear that they're in communication with government agencies, that they're adjusting trips accordingly, that they have a call or text alert system in place just in case.

Look, if we're choosing to send our girls, we know it's not an actively dangerous situation. But don't turn us into bad people with no emunah because we want to know the safety plan in case it TURNS dangerous (chv) before plunking down 30k upfront non-refundable.

I think you're only choosing to read parts of my post...
I was mostly responding to previous posters (not you at all, yet you keep answering me)
Either way, I'm out

↑ Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 12:35 pm

amother Lotus wrote:

For an Israeli this is the right answer. You’re in the USA so you don’t relate to the response. Seminaries in yerushalayim are learning normally but they’ve all added extra learning and davening and chesed hours. Everything is in Hashem’s hands and it can change at the drop of a dime. The world could go to war with Yemen. We could go into Lebanon. We don’t know literally 20 seconds from now so we don’t know, we’re Jews and we simply adjust as the times require of us. That’s the message of the war, we don’t control it. Today, they’re not in yerushalayim so we’ll continue. Tomorrow, only Gd knows. Those of us here fear far more for your safety in the States than those of us here. This is the reality here. She could have been more patient but I’m sure she tells this to her current parents every day for almost 60 days now.

I understand American parents want clear answers about safety.
That said everyone needs to understand that war is not something which is in our control. People follow the instructions of pikud haoref (don't know how to translate) and schools follow the instructions of ministry of education.

amother

Scarlet ↓

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 12:42 pm

amother OP wrote:

My daughter was at a seminary open house earlier, the woman was asked what is with the situation (my daughter thought the questioner meant what is the seminary doing in such a matzav). The answer was so flippant- the war is not in j-m, nothing has changed there, it is all in hashem's hands, more worried being in the USA.....
I feel like the right answer to make me want to entrust my daughter to her is - we asses every situation carefully and take precautions when needed. We are in touch with authorities etc.....
Am I wrong to think she doesn't know what she is doing???!!!
Is that how all sems are?

I live in Jerusalem and the war isn’t here, nothing has changed here, I’m more worried about being in the USA too.
Everything she is saying is real. Not sure what is bothering you.

amother

↑ Snowdrop ↓

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 12:44 pm

Bnei Berak 10 wrote:

No one expects the school administration to be in control of war or to say it won't get more serious. What parents are rightfully expecting is schools to say what rules and procedures were in place since 10/7, how it affected their daily activities (trips, etc), and if they'd change anything in their approach should the need, cvs, arise. Not to say "im yirtze Hashem, everything will be safe, just as it is now, BH".

amother

↑ Lotus

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 12:47 pm

Bnei Berak 10 wrote:

Exactly this. Israelis are just ok without the clear answers. Gd has it. We also all know there is no THE safety answer. We’ll make one up after something happens. We couldn’t predict this because Hashem didn’t want us to. My friend at work tells me when I complain about lack of planning that plan is a 4 letter word in israel. Look up how much America spends on stockpiling drugs just in case of any type of emergency anywhere. Look up how much Israel does. Adjust it to population size. It’s a different perspective and culture.

Pikud haoref is translated to home front command.

↑ Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 12:55 pm

amother Snowdrop wrote:

So your question to sem should be: do you follow the instructions and recommendations of israeli ministry of education as well as the home front command? Do you follow them on a steady basis?

amother

↑ Scarlet

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 12:57 pm

Just FYI I’m extremely, critically careful about security too. But I believe Israel and *especially* Jerusalem is safest, *even* if there is a war with Iran and especially then. Many poskim and mefarshim speak about this at length, Hashem has His eyes on Jerusalem at all times…
We often times see a situation such as a shooting and say, omgosh, so dangerous! When in reality compared to the numbers of the general population of 1 million in jlm the chances of this type of occurrence is extremely small.

The great amount of connection to Torah learning your daughter will have is definitely worth it and will be rewarded manifold for your decision to send her, if that’s what she feels comfortable with doing too.

-Your girls aren’t going to crowded bus stops regularly, they will probably stay near their neighborhood makolet.
I will share some things that helped me a lot with this situation.
- Jerusalem stopped getting targeted rockets over a few weeks ago. There is no red alert here simply because Hamas has been pushed into southern Gaza and can’t reach it accurately any longer without getting into Arab areas. If it does happen again, which it may, the iron dome has very successfully shot down the rockets. It doesn’t shoot them down if it sees it’s going into Arab cities or districts, or open areas. It’s highly unlikely to go into a haredi area
- In the same vein, despite all the rocket barrages in Tel Aviv, none have hit Bnei Brak because of the shmira of Torah learning there. All the more so Jerusalem.
- The nissim and hashgacha pratis stories in the war. If you email valnisecha@gmail.com you can get it as a pdf format.
- Do your due diligence. Get a pepper spray. Avoid crowded places. It’s not a bad idea to generally be aware of who’s around you.
- Daven to Hashem for safety. You can carry around a Sefer tehilim when traveling.
- If war truly breaks out to such a degree that Iran gets involved, you can bet that America is going to get a lot of rockets too, and by then it will be a world war! In which definitely Israel is safest. (Paraphrased from a phone conversation I had with a big Dayan here)
It is your decision at the end of the day. I personally would send my daughter without hesitation.

↑ Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 1:03 pm

amother Lotus wrote:

We follow pikud haorefs instructions and schools follow what ministry of education says and hopefully we use our common sense too.

amother

↑ Cappuccino ↓

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 1:03 pm

No ones asking for any sort of guarantee.

We're asking seminaries what safety plans they've put in place.

I also was in seminary the year of the intifadah. Immediately after Sbarro's, the seminaries responded with a plan to make our parents comfortable.
Originally we weren't allowed to have phones in seminary (more than 20 years ago), they adjusted the rule and made a mandatory to have the seminary group phone.
They instituted a group alert system.
They adjusted some of our trips.

As a parent, I show up to open houses to ask the seminary to show me that they're the best place for me to entrust my child for a year physically, spiritually and emotionally.
I'm not asking for a guarantee.
Just the steps they've implemented. In all areas.

And a school that refuses to share any steps is a red flag.
A school who shares that they rearranged their annual Tzfas Shabbos because now is not the time, but instead they had a beautiful Shabbos in Bait Shemesh (lets say) gives me confidence.
A school who brushes it off makes me wonder if either 1)they aren't adjusting at all 2) they don't want to talk about the matzav because they are afraid to scare us off and they want our money.

Thisisnotmyreal

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 1:07 pm

I don't see that this question makes sense. If you are nervous to be in Eretz Yisroel (ארץ אשר תמיד עיני ה' אלוקיך בה מראשית השנה ועד אחרית השנה)
Then you shouldn't be going. Asking this question shows a major chinuch deficiency.

When sending to Eretz Yisroel you are doing so with the appropriate Emunah and Bitachon. If you can't have the basics maybe these seminaries aren't for you.

I don't see any connection to the protocol of a girl getting sick. This question is so tone deaf.

↑ Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 1:08 pm

amother Scarlet wrote:

We haven't had rockets landing in bnei brak BH but we had one part of the downshot rocket landing in the city. It was big. There's a good reason why we must not to out 10 minutes after a rocket has been shot down.

amother

↑ Snowdrop ↓

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 1:10 pm

Thisisnotmyreal wrote:

Sure, the parents requesting a safety protocol for war times lack chinuch, emunah, and bitachon :eyeroll:
Much appreciated

↑ Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 1:20 pm

amother Cappuccino wrote:

The safety plans implemented with Sbarro need to be updated. At that time Jlm was the hot point. The war is in Gaza now and life in Jlm is regular.

amother

NeonGreen

Mon, Dec 04 2023, 2:10 pm

My DD was in seminary 2019-20, when the seminaries closed suddenly in March due to Covid. There was a huge difference in the way different seminaries handled the situation. Some (including DD's) chartered a flight together to send the girls home (the parents had to pay), and communicated with the parents about it. They provided transportation to the airport and sent along madrichot/teachers to see the girls off, and provided the girls with food for the trip. Other seminaries just announced to the girls that the seminary is closing and left them to make their own arrangements, including booking flights, transportation to the airport, etc. It was a very frightening time and I was so happy with the way DD's seminary handled it (as well as what they put into place for zoom learning for the rest of the year, so girls could salvage as much of their seminary experience as possible).

After that experience, I felt that parents looking into seminaries should ask about how seminaries handled that sudden Covid closing. Hopefully nothing like that will ever happen again, but you want to know that the people you are entrusting your daughter to across the ocean will take achrayus and act responsibly whatever situation might develop during the seminary year--be that (lo aleinu) a pandemic, a war, or an illness/injury.

So I absolutely agree with OP that the flippant answer she heard would be a turn-off to me.