Man plans and God laughs… This quote is true every day, but this summer has proven to truly bring this phrase to fruition, though, I would hope that He is not actually laughing. I certainly do not want to minimize the grave situation in Israel. Day to day things change, and with technology it helps us to feel closer to those we know and love thousands of miles away. There are apps so you can know when and where there are si­rens, there are apps where you can get the lat­est news updates to the minute; you don’t even need to be in Israel to experience the anxiety and fear that they must be feeling. Sometimes, you just need to step away and breathe, which doesn’t seem fair when our friends and family in Israel cannot do that.

Son #2 chose to go on Yad b’Yad this sum­mer, which is a program that goes to Israel, de­signed to bring together both mainstream and special needs children. He could have gone on Sulam, which is the program run by Morasha, a camp that he has gone to for years. He could have gone on Seneca China, because I told him that since I was never going to see the Great Wall, I at least wanted him to see it, because you always want more for your children (he and his friends made fun of me for that suggestion…), but he chose Yad b’Yad. And then the rockets started flying. And the emails started coming, “We are going.” (Take a Xanax.) “We might still be going.” (Take another Xanax.) “We are post­poning.” (Do I need another Xanax?) “We are postponing a few more days.” (Keep the bot­tle ready.) “Unfortunately, due to the current sit­uation, we have to cancel our trip.” (Back to ice cream.)

On the one hand, I was really disappointed that he wasn’t going to Israel. We aren’t one of those families that go there at least once a year (not that there is anything wrong with that). In all honesty, we have never taken a trip there as a family. Son #2 was there once, three years ago, and I was looking forward to him having the ex­perience that a kid can only get on a summer program. (Not that I would know firsthand, be­cause my parents didn’t send me. That is for an­other article.) But, on the other hand, he is the only one of my children who has promised not to put me in a nursing home, so I was re­lieved that he wasn’t going. However, as a Jew­ish mother, I have come up with a whole list of new things to worry about in his new destina­tion: the west coast. We have mudslides (take a Xanax), earthquakes (take more Xanax), wild­fires…need I say more?

Sometimes I wish I could be more like son #2. He took the whole thing in stride. He has never been to the West coast (since we haven’t gotten there yet to see baseball stadiums) and deep down, I know he was excited to go some­where that his older brother has never been to as well…(though, he would never admit it. On the other hand, son #1 was more than happy to say “Hey, I have never been to California”…Ahh, brotherly love at its finest.)

The people who run Yad b’Yad have been amazing. They had to change an entire summer program, literally, upside down. Booking flights and finding hotels and activities for all of these kids could not have been easy, but they did it (I think, so far, as of writing this, which is a week and-a-half before it will be printed, the group has gone to Sea World which, according to ru­mors, is just like being at the Dead Sea…).

I am sure there are kids on this trip who have never been to Israel and were really upset. That being said, there is a true beauty to this pro­gram. My son expressed it and it was expressed in the emails we received from YBY…It’s not the destination that is always the priority, it is the experience of having all of these kids together, with all different limitations, and making them feel like one. Inclusion, that seems to be the motto of this trip; whether it be in Israel, Califor­nia or Pittsburgh (where I thought they would end up.) They will still have an incredible sum­mer, will learn so much about each other, and I am so excited for all of them.

Back to the reality of what is going on now: May our prayers be answered, our soldiers kept safe, and may there be peace in Israel.

By Banji Latkin Ganchrow