An Amazing Day in Sderot

It’s amazing how your entire perspective can change in one moment.

This morning my cameraman and I went to the entrance of Sderot and filmed a convoy of thousands of cars — an estimated 10,000 people — driving into Sderot. With Israeli flags flying, signs reading "SDEROT WE ARE WITH YOU" and red ribbons attached to their car antennas, they honked and clapped as they approached. They sported big smiles and waved their hands out the car windows, and then they hit the streets to do all of their Shabbat shopping.

I stood in the middle of the highway and cried.

I later found out that this was the initiative of a few individual citizens from Modi’in, who felt that the government wasn’t doing enough for the people of Sderot. They simply woke up one day, and decided that it was up to them to act– to help repair the economic crisis, and to simply bring a message of solidarity. They started the convoys several months ago, and though there had been several before this one, today was the biggest yet.

I met people from all over Israel, from all walks of life: young, old, religious Jews, hippies, a team of cyclists, a parade of motorbikes, a singing group. The citizens of Sderot were incredibly moved — I saw so many happy faces on the streets. When you have a camera, people feel they can just come up to you and start talking, and we filmed some amazing reactions.

What happened today felt like a miracle. It made me so proud to be a Jew and to be living here. It made me think that maybe there is a reason that we as a people keep surviving — despite governments, politics, and all the scary things that happen in the world, throughout the generations we seem to continually come to rescue one another. Today I saw the meaning of "Am Yisrael Chai." I am full of joy and gratitude, and I know that all of Sderot shares my feelings.