Today, April 16, 2011, is the ten year anniversary date of the first Kassam rocket that was fired at Sderot by Gaza terrorists on April 16, 2001. They set their sites on Sderot on Shabbat; A day of rest, a day to lay all your burdens and troubles down for the one day and rest. They chose the day of rest to change our lives forever.

Gaza terrorists fired the first rocket at southern Israel, aiming for the town of Sderot. On the Sabbath, ten years will have passed since that day. Rocket fire remains a serious concern in southern towns, which were hit by a barrage of rockets and mortar shells as recently as last week.

After the first rocket attack everyone thought it was a “one time” incident. No one ever thought that on that day ten years ago that a line would be drawn in the sand and that the launching of Kassam rockets against innocent men woman and children would become a daily threat to our security. No one could have imagined that for the next ten years “Tseva Adom” would become a common day sound, sending people running and children crying.

Back in 2001 there was no “Tseva Adom” warning system. You had no chance to run and hide or to find your kids to try to protect them. There was no fifteen second warning. All you hear was a boom. Fifteen seconds is not a lot of time to get up out of a sound sleep and run to your safe room. It is hardly enough time to get out of the shower, grab a towel and run “to safety or stop your car and find a hiding place.

Over the past ten years 11 people have been killed in Sderot, four of them being kids the others were fathers, husband’s mothers and wife’s. Hundreds have been physically injured and thousands upon thousands have been injured mentally. 

Today, ten years latter you walk down the street always looking for the next place to hide; you do the same when you drive. The widow in your car is open a little so you can hear “Tseva Adom” when it sounds. Seldom do you every play music in the car… you just may go back ten years and just hear a boom.

Since April 16, 2001, Hamas has smuggled in more advanced medium-range rockets and they have expanded their attacks beyond Sderot and the Gaza belt. Cities like Ashkelon, Be’er Sheva, Ashdod and Ofakim know all to well what it is to live with the daily threat of being the victim’s terrorist attack from Gaza.

“Cast Lead” in December of 2009 took some of the wind out of the sail of Hamas but in recent months we have once again seen an escalation of rocket fire, not only on us but on Ashkelon, Be’er Sheva, Ashdod and Ofakim as well.

It has been said and bears repeating… There will never be peace between Israel and the Palestinians until the Palestinians love their children more then they hate Jews.