Welcome Home. Now, thank GOD that you have YOUR home BACK. Once we can recognize that we thank the ministers, the IDF, our brothers and our sisters for all we have, we need to thank GOD for having even this option. There are no atheists in foxholes and you live in a foxhole here EVERYDAY!

tha there´s no point on being liberal when confronted with a murderous maniac zombie with whom you can´t reason. That´s what the Islam has done to the arabs. Delenda est Islam.

self-indulgent crap

so some liberal, anti-military, when faced with missiles and terrorists close up realizes the mistakes of her ways and thank the military? How long will it last until she becomes confused again?

What you call "Becoming Israeli" is simply 'growing up'. It happens sooner or later, not just in Israel. Intense encounters with reality usually speed up the process. Welcome to adult life and welcome to Israel.

Almost felt like a priest listening to a guilty confession with that bit of writing.

There’s a huge market niche in US journalism for that touchy-feely mumbo-jumbo crap. I wonder what does it take (in $US) to publish such immature stuff in a leading national paper? It’s a huge self-promoting push for an indistinguishable blogger to put Yediot Aharonot trade mark on a rather weak resume. Linked-in profile aimed at American jobs pool.

i am a 40 year old olah hadasha, living here for 4 years yet still felt the confusion and adrenalin you talk about. i am still working out what happened (to me) during those 8 days and how it has affected my view of the world. no matter whose fault it all is, there's nothing like polarising a liberal thinker with a few rockets!

Small comfort, I know, Especially with those rude and unsupportive comments below. But at least we`re in this together. And that man who gave you "the chin", he knows what you went through. The dismissive gesture is meant to `dwarf the moment`. Make it less threatening. You`re stronger then you think.

this is complete junk. touchy feely creepy junk! yak!

I think I should have written this article, but the residents of the south were the ones that really were hit. I am sick of hearing about the olahs from tel aviv that heard 4 siresns and were "terrified". Tryi being a new olah in beer sheva, like me with 20 missiles falling in one day and hearing the iron dome shoot them down. I'm sick of hearing these people in tel aviv complain!!!!

This is definitely an American, writing this article. I mean I've been here for many years, and these things just don't phase anymore. I know a few sirens is not routine, but c'mon, its not the end of the world. It lasted for a short time, and was really not all that frightening as she makes it out to be. She will need to be a whole lot stronger if she plans to make Israel her home, or she'll go nuts.

Typical Israeli's with insensitive comments!