A Shattered Peace

The coordinated, multistage attack on Eilat that left eight Israelis dead and dozens more wounded on Thursday has shaken the tranquility of Israel’s southern resort city.

Rabbis Levi Gerlitzsky and Levi Lipsch of Chabad’s yeshiva in Eilat hurried to Yoseftal Medical Center, where the wounded were being treated. They arrived at 2 p.m. on Thursday reaching out to those gathered outside the emergency department.

“People were arriving in cars with shot out, shattered windows. The atmosphere was strained. Soldiers were under tremendous pressure,” said Rabbi Gerlitzsky.

Compounding the tense atmosphere was the mounting number of attacks: shooting of passengers on the 392 bus line on Highway 12, the murder of a bus driver, four passengers in a car, a female driver, and a 22-year-old soldier from the Golani Brigade.

“The wounded just kept on coming.”

Located some four hours south of Jerusalem, and still further from Tel Aviv, Eilat is accustomed to quiet. It’s an oasis, a tourist haven.

“The community does not feel like they are subject to attacks like the rest of Israel. Despite the attacks, over Shabbat people were very calm and unafraid,” said Rabbi Gerlitzsky.

Others are thinking twice about traveling on Highway 12, one of the main highways leading north out of Eilat. Rabbi Shimon Eisenbach, Chabad’s representative in Shakhmon Eilat, has heard people discussing the need to bring weapons along with them on the road.

Others view the attacks as a wake-up call to strengthen their commitment to Jewish unity, said Rabbi Eisenbach.

“For years it was quiet here. Without Mubarak in place, there is less control over the border. But the Lubavitcher Rebbe warned us over 30 years ago that we cannot depend on peace treaties with Egypt,” said Rabbi Eisenbach.