Zoom calls and ballistic missiles

The routine has become strangely normal.

You’re on a Zoom call, or the kids are in online classes. Someone’s microphone is unmuted, someone else is sharing their screen, and then the siren begins—that unmistakable rising howl that sounds like it was borrowed from a horror movie soundtrack.

“I have to go.”

Laptops close. Phones are grabbed. Kids gather their schoolwork and head toward the home safe room or head outside to the public shelter.

We wait.

A few minutes later, the all-clear sounds. Everyone returns to their seats, and the online meetings are loaded back up.

“Sorry about that,” someone says.

And life continues.

It is one of the many small and surreal ways daily life in Israel adapts to circumstances that would be unimaginable elsewhere. War here does not arrive as a single dramatic moment. It becomes part of our routine. Part of homework, grocery shopping, conference calls, and even bedtime. As a mom of five kids, that’s the most difficult one to cope with.

But the most remarkable thing about life in Israel is not that we run when the sirens sound.

It’s that we insist on living to the fullest in the moments between them.

I was born in Israel, which means that depending on how you count, I’ve lived through somewhere between a dozen and…honestly, I stopped counting…wars and military operations.

Because here we don’t just have wars. We also have “operations”—the polite Israeli euphemism for rockets, sirens, reserves, sleepless nights, and novel-length text conversations making sure everyone is still alive.

And yet, if you want the real statistic, it isn’t how many wars Israelis have lived through.

It’s how much life has happened during them.

Since I was born, millions of Israeli babies have come into this world. Cities grew. Forests were planted. Startups launched. Weddings were celebrated. Grandparents became great-grandparents.

In my day job, I feel immense pride in promoting the philanthropic investments Jewish National Fund-USA is delivering for the land and people of Israel. In moments of crisis, this work is what gets me through it. From providing bomb shelters and fire trucks to delivering first-aid equipment to sending care packages to families and soldiers, and so much more, this is the work that truly shines. As we say at Jewish National Fund-USA, we were there yesterday, are there today, and will be there tomorrow.

Every time someone tries to frighten us into disappearing, Israelis respond in the same stubborn way our enemies hate.

We create more life.

To hear more stories of resilience from Israeli women, register at jnfusa.org/wfitoi for Jewish National Fund-USA’s Women for Israel Live Emergency Briefing on March 19 at 11 AM ET. To donate during Women’s Month and take advantage of a $1m match, visit jnf.org/womensmonth

Yael Levontin is Jewish National Fund-USA’s Israel PR and Communications Manager.