"The situation can change in an instant, you can't plan anything" • The Great Freedom and the growing threat of war

(haipo) - How do you plan the big holiday when you can't know how the war will develop?

Israel has been at war for eight months, and as of now there is no end in sight. The students of the elementary schools and the children of the kindergartens left today (Sun. 30/6/24) for the summer vacation, while the middle schools and high schools started the long vacation already 10 days ago.

The southern arena has been under attack since the beginning of the war, but these days the fear of a significant and almost inevitable escalation in our region is growing. The northern settlements have been evacuated from their homes for many months and are constantly under attack, with the threat from Hezbollah increasing in recent weeks, the situation is getting hotter and the uncertainty about the developments is only getting deeper.

How can you plan the big holiday?

Against this background, the parents of the children are trying to plan the summer vacation, the teenagers who went on vacation today, are pondering how they will spend the two months of free time that are spread out before them and that they have been waiting for so long.

In a routine situation, for the most part, after kindergarten or school ends, the young children continue to summer camp, and after it ends, the parents, relatives, grandparents look after them. Many plan a family vacation in Israel or abroad. Others spend time near home, travel around and return to sleep at home.

This year the security situation also affects the planning of the summer vacation. Parents check to see if there are protected spaces in the camps, others prefer not to plan trips abroad during such a period, whether because of the growing anti-Semitism or for fear that if a campaign begins in the north, flights will be canceled. And of course many fear the possibility that they might find themselves "stuck" abroad, with the children or without them, unable to return to Israel.

"We planned to travel in the north and the Golan Heights"

Olga, mother of daughters 11 and 8, tells about the plans that were shelved, alongside those that nevertheless came to fruition: "I am planning an alternative summer camp for the girls for a few weeks, it is a vocational camp that one of the mothers in the class independently initiated. Every day the children come to a business or a professional and he teaches and explains For them according to his occupation, we didn't really plan, because it's impossible to plan like that now. We didn't think about a protected space in the summer camp, for example. In addition, we have a subscription to the pool and we intend to be there all summer. Some plans to travel in the north and visit friends in the Golan Heights have been shelved. It is impossible to plan for the long term. Questions arise from childhood and as a result we also think. They ask if we are going to pick in the Golan Heights and what to do if there is an alarm, where are we going? It raises concerns."

"The situation could change in an instant"

Father of two children aged 3.5 and 10, says:
About a summer camp in the center of the country that his son was supposed to attend with friends, but it is not certain that it will take place. "We want to send the children from Haifa to a summer camp in the center. This is a culture and music camp in the center of the country that is run as part of a boarding school, but the existence of the summer camp is in question at the moment, because it is not clear what will happen. We will know in about two weeks, but in the meantime we have received a message that the chances are that the summer camp will be canceled We were also thinking of going to Tiberias, the Golan, to the north, but in the meantime all our plans have been canceled. The security situation is very volatile and may change in an instant."

"There is concern, but the feeling is that we are in a bubble"

Moore, a mother of children aged 8 and 5, tells Lahi Fe:
"In the beginning we were more stressed, but the truth is that now I haven't checked a protected area after I registered my daughter for summer camp. Last year we went on vacation in the elk forest and did some harvesting in the north. Right now, of course, it is not possible to travel to these areas," she says.

"There is some concern, but yes it feels like in Haifa we are in a bit of a bubble with the whole situation. Obviously there is the fear that something will start here from the north, but right now we are trying to maintain a routine as long as there are no alarms and missiles here, thank God. I am more stressed than anything to go abroad , To be honest".

"We wanted to go to Eilat, but we are afraid"

Adi Perezs, a resident of the Hadar neighborhood:
"We are thinking of going on vacation with our son. We were thinking of going to Eilat, but it's scary, because it's not clear what we're supposed to do if there's an alarm when we're halfway there. Not to mention that there might also be alarms when we're in Eilat. You can't go to the Golan, there's nowhere to go Weekends. It's really bothering us. We're in a private kindergarten and we have kindergarten until the last two weeks of August and I really don't know what to do.

Adi continues: "I don't even think about going abroad, because of the whole situation. We really wanted to go to Eilat, but we are afraid. We have an attractive shelter in the building and we won't take any chances. It seems that in the end we'll stay at home and go to the pool, maybe we'll consider the Dead Sea."

"Continue as usual, anxieties cannot manage us"

Karin Sprott, mother of 4 children - 15, 13, 8 and 3:
"We continue the routine as usual, until things don't seem to change. I also have anxieties about the situation, but I really try to control them, because it can't manage us. I can't deny my son a trip he's been waiting for all year. I can try Save as much as I can, but unfortunately nothing is certain in life...

"The two older children will be at summer scout camp in July," continues Karin, "the third is at the Reali camp, not at the school camp, because he is a child with attention and concentration so I prefer spaces. The fourth child is in daycare, and we plan to spend all of August in Thailand, Today we were at the school week. It's just wonderful how they woke up the city, Yossi Shalom is doing a great job despite the anxiety."

"We have to take a break from all the sadness"

Missy Baron, mother of Stephanie, 15 years old:
"Every summer we fly abroad. Now that Stephanie is a teenager and independent (turns 15 in two days) she can stay home alone and make plans with her friends for the rest of her days off. In addition to traveling abroad, I usually take a few more days here and there and look for something fun to do together. For example, last year we did a glassblowing workshop in Caesarea port and a make-up workshop for girls in the Tel Aviv area.

"The purpose of the holiday is to rest and relax from all the tensions and efforts of the school year.
This year, due to the situation, I don't want to give up the trip, because we have to take a break from all the sadness. Where are you flying to? Where is the least likely to be attacked if they find out we are Israeli? What if you have to cancel because of the situation? If suddenly a wide-scale war breaks out in the north, we have no doubt that Haifa is in the crosshairs.

We took out cancellation insurance for any reason at a crazy cost, which will affect summer expenses, ie, less indulgences, but at least we won't lose all the money. This year I will not look for workshops or entertainment that are not in Haifa, unless it is possible to cancel at the last minute. The stress that we might be caught by an alarm on the way to the workshop or during the workshop simply makes us not want to go. The fear of what could be affects everything... We don't travel on weekends, because where would we go? north? No, South? There are alarms almost everywhere, maybe except for Netanya. Even going down to the bay we are not calm. If the goal is to enjoy, then it is not total enjoyment. So it is true that we will fly abroad, but what about the other 50 days? We will probably stay close to home most of the time."

from the Ministry of Education It was reported that there are currently no special instructions for parents in preparation for the holiday. "We are acting according to the directives of the Home Front Command, currently the Haifa district is defined as normal."