The daughter and grandson of Bussumse Annet Betsalel are stuck in an Israeli bomb shelter. They have sought a safe place after the heavy attacks by Hamas fighters last Saturday, which have already killed hundreds of people. They want nothing more than to go home, but that is still too dangerous. “I’m not necessarily worried, but I am very worried,” she says.
Annet was in the synagogue in her own Bussum on Saturday, not knowing what was happening at that moment in the beloved country where she lived for fourteen years.
Her phone is turned off, soon people from the community come in panicking. They have just heard the news of the attacks, which is why they are very frightened. Yet Annet remains calm. “I first thought, we’ll wait until we know more. You don’t know what exactly is going on. Fortunately, I have not received any messages from people who are in acute danger. Then you are a bit calmer. But yes, despite That’s what you’re worried about.”
Stuck in a bomb shelter
It soon turns out that her daughter and grandson are in a bomb shelter. They are visiting family in Israel and are literally overwhelmed by the attacks.
Daughter and grandson Bethsalel were also in a synagogue. Shortly after the first reports of the attacks, the air raid siren went off. They quickly entered the shelter with all the visitors. “The service continued as normal in the shelter. Very surreal, but nice that people supported each other at that moment,” says Annet.
Good contact
Now, a few days after the attack, the situation of Annet’s daughter and grandson has improved somewhat. “I received a message from her last night at half past eleven. It said that she had gone to a friend who lives closer to the airport. There are checkpoints on the roads every few hundred meters to look for infiltrators. She was “I’m convinced that the ride from Jerusalem to the airport would otherwise take a very long time. Maybe she can still catch a flight,” says Annet with relief.
“I hope that all concerns will be removed when she has landed safely in the Netherlands. I am concerned. As a mother and grandmother. But relatively speaking to many other people, my concern is minor.”
“My daughter distracted her child and tried to let her play with other children, in this way she tried to reassure the children in the shelter”
Old feelings
The attacks also bring back unpleasant memories for Annet. She lived in Israel for fourteen years and experienced several attacks.
“It’s all so visible. Full of pride and glory, images of bloodied, kidnapped or even dead people are posted on social media, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. That goes beyond your imagination. Then old feelings come back to the surface.” , she says.
Annet’s husband, Amir, was sixteen when the Yom Kippur War broke out and his father had to go into reserve service. Amir stood in front of the class because all the teachers were at the front. “People really thought: this is the end of this country. This is it. We are being attacked from all sides. What is happening now is not in the same category. But in terms of feeling we are surprised and surprised by the way it happened. That feeling comes back on top of everyone.”
For this reason, Annet also hopes that it has not had too much impact on her grandson, who is now eight years old. “My daughter distracted her child and tried to let her play with other children, in this way she tried to reassure the children in the shelter. Because she is a child who is aware of things.”
Great support
At the moment Annet can do little for her family. “It is a great support to see that the Dutch government has received support for Israel. A message of sympathy has also been received from the municipality. I think that is very nice.”