– Here you can see how he has grown from the time one picture was taken to the next. The proud mother points to her eldest son in the picture. She shows off her most loved ones that adorn the wall in the family’s home, a town outside the big city of Haifa. One girl, three boys. The ticket is of 90s quality. Now the children in the pictures have become a woman and three men. And Ruth Bridger has long since become a grandmother. But she is also a mother, and her three boys, three ordinary fathers of small children, have one by one been called up for military service for Israel. Three sons and a daughter. Together with 300,000, the sons in the home are called up for war. Photo: Nadir Alam / news – They understand that this conflict is not good for anyone. None of them go out just to be aggressive, says Ruth Bridger. The interview with Bridger was done before the extensive bombing of Gaza, which started on the night of Saturday. – Pieces in a game She cannot go into detail about the sons who are now being sent to war. She has also promised them not to show pictures of them as adults. But she wants to stand up to put into words what many in Israel think about the situation the country is in. – That’s the first thing we ask each other. Where are your children now? What are they doing? Is everything going well with them? Are they safe? Israel has intensified the bombing of Gaza. This picture was taken on Saturday 28 October. Photo: ARIS MESSINIS / AFP Ruth talks about how the mothers in the neighborhood share the turmoil they feel when their children are sent to war. Although Israelis are divided in their views on the Palestine conflict, and not least the government’s solutions, there is great support for the country’s army. Right now, Bridger believes that war is the only way out, even if it costs many civilian lives. – I know that there are civilians there who are innocent. They are pieces in a game, Bridger believes. Like most in Israel, he places the main responsibility on Hamas. – They say Israel has no right to exist. So how do I feel about the poor, innocent people in Gaza? My heart goes out to them. I don’t know what they can do to change their leaders. – To survive Ho grew up in the USA, but moved to Israel in 1982. With her Jewish background, she feels at home in the melting pot that is Israel. She finds it sad that the country is in what seems like an eternal spiral of conflict. But at the same time, she sees the need to crack down on Hamas, a group she believes would have wiped out all Jews in Israel if it weren’t for the Israeli army. – Here are all the cutlery that can be used for meat. And here is the cutlery that can be used for milk, says Bridger. She shows around the kitchen, and explains that she tries to follow the Jewish “kosher” rules. Although her own family is not so strict about the rules, she would like everyone else to feel safe when they are visiting for dinner. Ruth Bridger is busy with today’s salad. Every weekend you are invited to dinner. Often a large family dinner. Photo: Nadir Alam / news Saturdays in Israel mean Sabbath and family dinner. But it will be the third Shabbat dinner in a row without the sons. That’s the way it has to be, she thinks. – We know that we must have this defense to survive. It was proven to us on 7 October, says Bridger and refers to the date when Hamas carried out the massive terrorist attack against Israel.
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– Must have this defense to survive – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
