At a well known secular high school in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ra'anana, the majority of the student body obediently brought their gas masks to class. However, many students are taking the situation lightly. Those with an ?artist?s touch? have taken the liberty to decorate their protective kit boxes to the point where they could be put on display at the local art gallery.
Life goes on normally and lives seem unaffected by the security situation. A 15-year-old girl who came on aliya from Russia in 1993 stated bluntly, "I don?t care about it," as she walked nonchalantly into class with her brightly decorated box. She stated that plans to get together with friends over the weekend have not been cancelled, nor does she anticipate that they will be.
One 18-and-a-half-year-old ‘Homefront veteran’ from the 1991 Gulf War I, who did not bring his mask with him, proudly claimed that his family did not prepare a sealed room in their house. When asked why he wasn’t concerned about security, he answered, "I’m not at all afraid. Nothing is going to happen. Let Saddam try to start with my country. It will be the last thing that he ever does."
Many of the youth inferred that their parents were more concerned about their safety than they were. One 16-year-old said that he brought his mask because of his mother’s insistence. He would’ve been just as content to leave it home.
For much of the populace, tensions remain quite low as Gulf War II is raging in Iraq. Although Hussein?s army shot 39 scud missiles into Israel back in 1991, Israelis have developed an ‘I believe it when I see it’ attitude. High school youth in Ra'anana are merely an indicator of what many Israelis believe: Since experience is the best teacher, Israelis have good reason to simply take things in stride.
Life goes on normally and lives seem unaffected by the security situation. A 15-year-old girl who came on aliya from Russia in 1993 stated bluntly, "I don?t care about it," as she walked nonchalantly into class with her brightly decorated box. She stated that plans to get together with friends over the weekend have not been cancelled, nor does she anticipate that they will be.
One 18-and-a-half-year-old ‘Homefront veteran’ from the 1991 Gulf War I, who did not bring his mask with him, proudly claimed that his family did not prepare a sealed room in their house. When asked why he wasn’t concerned about security, he answered, "I’m not at all afraid. Nothing is going to happen. Let Saddam try to start with my country. It will be the last thing that he ever does."
Many of the youth inferred that their parents were more concerned about their safety than they were. One 16-year-old said that he brought his mask because of his mother’s insistence. He would’ve been just as content to leave it home.
For much of the populace, tensions remain quite low as Gulf War II is raging in Iraq. Although Hussein?s army shot 39 scud missiles into Israel back in 1991, Israelis have developed an ‘I believe it when I see it’ attitude. High school youth in Ra'anana are merely an indicator of what many Israelis believe: Since experience is the best teacher, Israelis have good reason to simply take things in stride.