A poem about the current situation in Israel

By Anat Litwok

 

Anat Litwok

Anat Litwok

Anat Litwok grew up in Marlboro, NJ and attended Rutgers University. In 2011, when she was 20 years old, Anat made aliyah and was inducted into the IDF as a ‘lone soldier’. She now lives on a kibbutz in northern Israel.

 

An American Child’s Bad Summer Day

There is a storm outside today, so I can’t go out and play.

Raindrops keep falling by my house, I wish they’d go away.

Puddles are forming on the ground where the raindrops hit.

Thunder just roared and a couple seconds later the whole sky was lit.

Lightning struck an electrical wire, and a tree fell near a jeep.

There’s nothing to do around the house, so I’ll stay in bed and sleep.

I wake up to my alarm and the calm of the rain against my door.

I wonder when the rain will stop, I can’t take it anymore.

There is a storm outside today, so I can’t go out and play.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a sunny day.


An Israeli Child’s Bad Summer Day

There is a war outside today, so I can’t go out and play.

Rockets keep falling by my house, I wish they’d go away.

There are huge holes in the ground where the rockets hit.

I heard the iron dome go off and a couple seconds later the whole sky was lit.

A rocket struck my friend’s house, and one hit near my school.

Everyone around is so tense, I’m just trying to keep cool.

I’m awoken suddenly by a siren, and my younger sister’s scream.

Even when I’m awake I feel like I’m living in a bad dream.

There is a war outside today, so I can’t go out and play.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a peaceful day.

 

Anat Litwok with her fellow IDF soldiers

Anat Litwok with her fellow IDF soldiers

Rutgers Hillel is proud to support our alumni, friends and family in Israel.

The Rutgers Hillel Center for Israel Engagement is driven by a core belief that a positive connection to Israel is essential for a strong, healthy Jewish identity. Through the Rutgers Hillel Center for Israel Engagement students develop strong connections to our homeland and the experience to be Jewish leaders.