Chabad Shluchim Witness Border Breach

Bracha Leah Sassonkin’s front door stands just over 300 feet from Israel’s border with Lebanon. The view she had yesterday of the attempt by Palestinians pouring out of buses trying to breach Israel’s border was too close for comfort.

Mrs. Sassonkin, Chabad’s representative to Metula, watched from her window as soldiers rushed to the area and tried to contain the illegal crossing. But Sassonkin stayed calm. “My children were with me and I don’t want them to get scared.”

In previous years bombing and rocket attacks along Israel’s northern borders forced the Sassonkins to take shelter in their home’s blast proof safe room. Yesterday Mrs. Sassonkin and her children simply stayed indoors. She kept an ear out for a warning over the loudspeaker to pack up for the shelters, but none came.

“Unless it’s really dangerous, the army doesn’t want to add to the stress.”

Founded in 1896 on land purchased by Baron Rothschild, Metula projects like a pyramid from Israel’s northern borders. Surrounded by the mountains of the Galilee and Hermon to the west and east and bracketed by the Golan Heights on the south and Lebanon on the north, the area is largely, proudly agricultural.

Metula residents friendly with the Rabbi Moshe and Mrs. Sassonkin drop off the best of their crop, apples, pears, when the harvest comes in.

Chabad of Metula offers classes, Shabbat services, and a mikvah, one of the few in the area. Despite the events of the day, Mrs. Sassonkin did not see a downturn in attendance at Chabad’s functions.

“It did not stop anyone. You just get used to these things,” she said.