OUT OF THE MOUTHES OF BABES

Yesterday morning, my four year old grandson wanted to talk to me. Here is the conversation:

‘Bubbie! I’m going to war!’ (I thought I would die.)
‘You are?’

‘Yes! And I’m going to kill everyone.’ (oy)
‘You are?’

‘Yes!’
‘Who are you going to kill?’ ( I thought that that was a good question, no?)

‘I don’t know.’ (thank God)
‘The bad guys?’

‘Yah.’
‘Who are the bad guys?’ (an important question I thought, and besides I wanted to hear his answer. When I was growing up that was easy…we were the cowboys and they were the Indians and we took two clothes pins and made guns…peooo peooo.)

‘I don’t know. But, Bubbie, I can’t talk ‘cuz they’re waiting for me to go to war.’
‘Who?’

‘All the kids next door.’

By that point I could hear my daughter-in-law saying in English on the other end of the phone, ‘Bubbie, did you hear that?’
‘Oy.’

‘This is not good, Bubbie. He told me he doesn’t know when he’ll be back.’
‘Ask him if he’ll be home in time for lunch.’

‘Honey, will you be home from the war in time for lunch?’
‘Sure, Imma! Bye!’


Of course, both his mother and I were shaken up by that conversation. No one realizes just how much the little ones pick up from the discussions around the table and the daily news bulletins. And the truth is that the kid just spent a month listening all about his country being at war.

From there I grabbed a cab and picked up Bubbie Channah and off we went to the demonstrations. Turns out there are two of them. One is to have this present government investigated…we signed that. And, then up the road we found the milluimnikim, the reservists.

By their stand a heated conversation was going on. The news was out in full swing with cameras and microphones. Bubbie Channah pushed through them all and picked up a pen to sign the petition. Maybe she’ll be on T.V. A Guiness’ Record? The oldest rebel in Israel? Nah, we have lots of old rebels here and all of them have a cause. (sorry, I couldn’t help that one.)

When I signed the petition, I told the milluimnikim about the conversation I had that morning with my little grandson. And I added that unless they are successful, my baby may have to go to war. And that I didn’t want him to be in uniform with the same kind of leaders that we had this past month.

We smiled. We understood each other.

I felt great. Go, my Israeli friends. Go to the demonstration and make your voice heard. These young men need our help and by helping them boy oh boy are we helping ourselves. Their cause cannot go silently into the night.

Then Bubbie Channah and I went to meet Rena for lunch. At the old Sbarro restaurant on the corner of King George and Jaffa Roads. Yup the same one that was bombed twice.

We don’t want that to happen again either.

Have a great day…stay safe…thanks for dropping in.