Between air raid sirens and hurried descents down 12 flights of stairs, accompanied by the cries of their six-week-old babies, Sahar and Omer Shashua found themselves marking one of the most significant moments of their lives in their building’s shelter in Holon.
There, underground, their premature twin sons, Ari and Yar, were circumcised this week. “It was a difficult decision,” Sahar said. “You want to hold a normal celebration for the whole family, invite people and celebrate properly, but then you realize you have to make do.”
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'Not the big event we imagined': Brit milah of the twins at the shelter in Holon
(Photo: Avigail Uzi)
Since the start of the war, the couple have been juggling new parenthood with a security reality that dictates their daily routine. Every siren has become a complex operation: the babies wake up, the dogs panic, and within minutes they must descend on foot from the 12th floor to a crowded, noisy shelter.
Amid the chaos, they decided to hold the brit milah ceremony in the shelter. “We debated a lot with our families whether to do it at all, who would come and how many,” Omer said. “In the end we understood there was no real alternative and decided to invite only immediate family. It’s not the big event we imagined, but it’s what was possible.”
'It felt like something that united everyone'
The unusual conditions — and even sirens that sounded during the ceremony — did not diminish the experience for close relatives, a small group of friends and building residents who joined.
“We wrote in the building’s group chat to update people, so they wouldn’t come down to the shelter and be surprised,” Omer said. “Everyone sent congratulations, and some even came down specially to watch the ceremony, to take part, even if just for a moment.”
“It felt like something that united everyone. People helped us with lighting, with organizing the space. It wasn’t just our event — it belonged to the whole building,” Sahar said, adding that the emotions remained mixed. “You want to be happy, but it feels like you’re being forced to scale down your joy. The night before there were sirens and we barely slept. It’s not an ideal situation to arrive at an event like this.”
It was not the first time the couple marked a joyful occasion under difficult circumstances. “Our wedding was during COVID,” Omer said. “Every time we reach happy moments, they happen within a complicated reality. It was a joyful event, but the fact that we’re doing it in a shelter is a reminder of the reality we live in.”
Sahar summed it up: “It’s a kind of small victory, but it also shows just how complex the situation is.”