Today, I went to a local cafe that decided to reopen after a few closed days for a muffin.

While I was there, the cafe owner – a nice, frum man from Mexico – was talking to his co-worker and explaining how last week he’d try to volunteer for the army, but they wouldn’t let him.

I said I can even just shlep stuff, he said, but they still told they didn’t need me and I should stay home.

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His female co-worker then turned to him, and said one of the strongest things I’ve heard in a very long time (outside of Musrara…)

She told him:

I know a lot of people at the front, and what makes the front strong, is when they know they have a strong back.

You are helping to create a ‘strong back’ – a feeling that life is continuing, and things will be good again.

And by doing that, you are giving so much help to ‘the front’.

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The cafe owner didn’t look so sure, but I agreed with what she said a million per cent.

It was awesome to sit and eat a muffin, even just for 10 minutes, and to dream of ‘normal’ and ‘peaceful’ returning to Israel very soon.

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On the way walking home, the siren went off in Jerusalem for the first time in a week.

I was walking along the main road, there was no where to go, nothing to do.

So I carried on walking, and I just started yelling out Ein Od Milvado!!!!

Two worried secular people got off a bus and shot me a funny look, but that just made me switch into English:

There is only God!!!! This is all just from God!!!!

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The ‘Iron Dome’ then apparently fired, and there was a boom overhead.

And then quiet returned – that kind of eery, people-got-worried-and-scared-again quiet.

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There so much yucky horrible stuff going on at the moment.

Sometimes, it’s taking me out.

I have now deleted the remaining two Israeli Telegram channels I’ve been auditing (I don’t have the Telegram app), and I’m making a conscious decision to take down my ‘news’ even more with each passing day.

Because I don’t want to live my life in fear, and I have to be the strong ‘back’ for my family, and for my friends, and for the people we are all connected to, and praying for, at ‘the front’ of this problem.

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It’s a very narrow bridge.

The ‘yuck’ that came out of hiding last week in such an evil way is not news to me.

As my husband was telling me, things are so bad, it’s going to take something very, very big to dislodge all this derech hateva – and that’s not something that is in my hands to bring about, no matter how loud I shout about it.

Either it will be revealed, or it will continue to be covered up.

But now that we know who was actually behind all this at the state level, I am making the decision to move on again from that part of this story, and to just focus 100% on strengthening people, encouraging my fellow Jew to hang in there, and telling people as loudly as I can there is no despair in the world!!!!

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I was just at the Rav tonight.

There was so much dancing and singing going on – clarinet, keyboard, bongo, even a singer on the mike.

It gave me so much chizzuk, that at least in that very small patch of Jerusalem, things are kind of carrying on ‘as normal’.

The Rav – and the rest of the lamed vav tzaddikim – are the ‘strong back’ for all of us right now.

We live in scary, difficult times.

But there are still solutions to our massive problems, albeit they are spiritual, not physical ones.

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I finished another sefer tehillim today, and as I continue, I am noticing how much calmer and happier it makes me, to read tehillim throughout the day.

I thought I was doing the Rav a favor by taking this on, but now I’m understanding just how much I’m doing myself a favor.

So, to sum up:

Turn off even more of ‘the news’ – even if it’s true and totally well-meaning.

Keep praying, dancing and clapping.

And tomorrow, make some nice cupcakes or cookies for your family, and try to get things back to something resembling ‘normal’ as much as possible.

Because a strong front requires a strong back.