Chefetz Chashut

So, about 20 minutes ago, I was eating lunch with the Hasbara Fellowships group at the Aish FCO (Fleishik Cheder Ochel). Once satiated, I made my way outside for a smoke, only to get yelled at to go back inside by a member of the Israeli police, bomb division. Not 10 feet from where I was standing, the police identified a bag without it's owner. Now let's take a moment and reflect on that.

Back in Canada, if I were to find a bag sans-owner, I would try and be a good samaritan and search for the owners name, phone number or address. Not in Israel. Here, we live in a different reality. Here, anything unidentifiable is a possible threat. Here, good will takes a back seat to safety and security. Here, we don't take any chances. It is called a Chefetz Chashut.

As a testament to both the efficiency of the Police, and the frequency for which these events occur, the situation was resolved within 20 minutes.

All pedestrians were moved away, preferably inside, when a policeman placed a protective covering over the bag in question, closed it, then proceeded to detonate the bag with an explosion that boomed throughout the Old City.

And that was it. People started to walk through the cordonned off area. Students went back to class, tourists went back to the shops and the scene, which was serene and quiet only moments before, returned to the normal hustle and bustle that is Jerusalem during tourist season.

Sure, people took pictures of the remnants; mostly snacks---bamba, bisli, some fruit---but this whole event was quite telling. A threat was identified, and within minutes it was removed. As a reflection on Israeli society this is both disturbing and fortunate....Disturbing because this is life in Israel. After 6 years of terror, this is accepted as a part of society. Sure it was a pain in the tuchus, but it was done. No second thoughts after the fact.

Can you imagine what would happen back home if this were the norm? Today's events, while thrilling to myself and others, doesn't even deserve the attention of the media. It is simply done. No international press coverage. Nothing. Does that make any sense at all?

Thank G-d all is safe. For me, the craziest part of it all is that by tomorrow at this time, everyone will have forgotten about it.