海角大神

As I checked into my Jerusalem hotel early Monday evening, a couple of muffled booms at first had me wondering if I was back in Ukraine. Reporting there in June, I鈥檇 heard 鈥� and felt 鈥� similar distant explosions.

Ronit, the desk clerk reviewing my documents, was at first matter-of-fact. 鈥淩ockets from Gaza,鈥� was her clipped response to my inquiry by raised eyebrow.

Later, when I came back downstairs to go hunt for dinner, Ronit had more to say. 鈥淵ou know we have this ... like a big cover or top that is supposed to stop the missiles.鈥�

鈥淚ron Dome?鈥� I ventured, referring to the Israeli air defense system to intercept missiles. 鈥淵es, Iron Dome,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f it works, we hear sirens but there are no explosions. So it didn鈥檛 work this time.鈥�

Earlier the same day, air raid sirens had briefly forced the Israeli Knesset to halt the opening of its fall session. In the evening, sirens in Tel Aviv had forced U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his staff to shelter in a stairwell during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

I told Ronit that if I鈥檇 heard sirens, I would have felt like I was back in Ukraine. Sirens there had been a common occurrence 鈥� a warning of incoming Russian fire.

鈥淎h, Ukraina!鈥� she lamented. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a terrible situation, too. I鈥檓 worried that鈥檚 what we could become.鈥�

The street fronting the hotel was eerily quiet, many businesses still closed 10 days after Hamas鈥� shocking and deadly attacks. But when I found an open restaurant, its freshly printed menu suggested another way in which Israel is mirroring Ukraine. In the right-hand corner, the menu informed customers that the restaurant had started supplying meals to Israel鈥檚 soldiers and was accepting donations to keep the effort going.

It reminded me of the solidarity, unity, and gratitude I鈥檇 so widely seen in Ukraine.