"...The blast of the attack in Netzer Hazani on Tuesday morning sounded quite horrible. The synagogue was filled with Rosh Chodesh [New Month] morning worshipers. One rocket exploded on the pavement near the community office building, and much shrapnel ricocheted into the very long synagogue window, filling the front of the building with glass and shrapnel. A few pieces even reached the other end of the synaogue, but thank G-d, totally amazingly not one person had even a scratch on his body. Thank G-d!"
"Two minutes later, the TV crews were there filming the contradictory colorful banners and flags decorating the main square, and the big broken windows with the giant holes where the pieces of the rocket flew in. They expected to hear about the cancellation of the festivities planned for the day. Instead, at exactly 2:30 PM, with many guests from all over country and Gush Katif, we began writing the last letters of the Torah Scroll that we had ordered in memory of our beloved Rabbi Yitzchak Arama, may G-d avenge his blood. [Rabbi Arama was shot down by terrorists as he was driving with his family in December 2002 - ed.] This took place in [his widow] Oshrat Arama's home, with their family and guests.
"This was followed by such a sincerely joyous emotional parade around the the entire Yishuv, with a band playing music and with the celebrants taking turns for the honor of dancing with the Torah scroll, singing of their great love of the Torah and accompanying the Torah scroll to the sanctuary in the synagogue as a bride on her wedding day...
"Then we moved on to the ceremony of placing a mezuza [doorpost parchment] in our new festivities hall, with thick concrete walls and ceiling against shells and rockets, that we just managed to (almost) complete. The hall was set up most beautifully, and about 500 people sat down for the festive mitzvah meal. Next door, in the youth club building, the young children were having their own program with teenage counselors, with their own hot dog-and-pita meal. The mitzvah meal was centered around the inspiring Torah thoughts of Rabbi Dov Lior of Hevron-Kiryat Arba and Rabbi Chanan Porat of Kfar Etzion. It was quite an inspiring day, which gave us all lots of renewed energies for the challenges ahead..."
"Two minutes later, the TV crews were there filming the contradictory colorful banners and flags decorating the main square, and the big broken windows with the giant holes where the pieces of the rocket flew in. They expected to hear about the cancellation of the festivities planned for the day. Instead, at exactly 2:30 PM, with many guests from all over country and Gush Katif, we began writing the last letters of the Torah Scroll that we had ordered in memory of our beloved Rabbi Yitzchak Arama, may G-d avenge his blood. [Rabbi Arama was shot down by terrorists as he was driving with his family in December 2002 - ed.] This took place in [his widow] Oshrat Arama's home, with their family and guests.
"This was followed by such a sincerely joyous emotional parade around the the entire Yishuv, with a band playing music and with the celebrants taking turns for the honor of dancing with the Torah scroll, singing of their great love of the Torah and accompanying the Torah scroll to the sanctuary in the synagogue as a bride on her wedding day...
"Then we moved on to the ceremony of placing a mezuza [doorpost parchment] in our new festivities hall, with thick concrete walls and ceiling against shells and rockets, that we just managed to (almost) complete. The hall was set up most beautifully, and about 500 people sat down for the festive mitzvah meal. Next door, in the youth club building, the young children were having their own program with teenage counselors, with their own hot dog-and-pita meal. The mitzvah meal was centered around the inspiring Torah thoughts of Rabbi Dov Lior of Hevron-Kiryat Arba and Rabbi Chanan Porat of Kfar Etzion. It was quite an inspiring day, which gave us all lots of renewed energies for the challenges ahead..."