Nadene Goldfoot
In 1980 I had made Aliyah to Israel and was living in Haifa for the first 10 months. As you know, just before my 3 hour Hebrew language test, I had fallen (passed out) while taking my German shepherd, Blintz, outside at 10pm for her potty break. I had been studying for hours with my tutor. I fell outside on my right elbow, breaking it into bits and had still been holding onto Blintz's leash ! People had been afraid to stop and help me because of Blintz guarding me. Finally, Danny came out looking for me. I was taken to the Army Hospital in Haifa in a student's car without shocks.
On June 15, 1982, I had an appointment at the hospital in Haifa from Safed, and this was the very day that the war started. They wanted to take the screws out of my elbow now before they caused an infection. I had to travel by myself on the bus to Haifa. At least all the tanks were coming up the highway as my bus was going down. 
Beit Castel gallery in the artists' colony in Safed
The doctors saw me on the only day possible. After that, they have been absolutely loaded with cases as it's the army hospital. They said that they would have no time to take out my metal from my arm this summer. Maybe next summer, they said. I have improved better than expected, better than most people would have. I think playing the piano and mainly typing on my Olympia typewriter has been excellent therapy to regain the use of my arm and hand. I saw all 3 doctors at once. The young Israeli doctor has a false leg.
Below, inside RAM2, the IDF Medical Corps Unit that cares for hospitalized soldiers.
Ned, the 29 year old teacher I teach with went into the army last week. He was called in at 1:00 am and just called me tonight. He was home for a night and is okay. The other English teacher, Andy, was also home for a night last night after being called into his milueem service. Even our veterinarian was called into the service for his milueem. He's now a medic in the IDF.
now a medic in the IDF.
Hatzor, in the upper Galilee, was the largest Canaanite city in Israel. So large, in fact, covering 200 acres (10 times the size of Israelite Jerusalem), that scientists at first did not believe that all of it used to be a city. They thought it might have been a chariot park. But probes at different points proved that stone remains filled the whole area. Now it's near an Israeli city where my friends, the Goldbergs, live.
Danny and I went to the town of Hatzor last night for Avram Goldberg's birthday and gave rides to soldiers who were hitchhiking both coming and going to their posts. That's the only way they get from the battlefield to home when given a 24 hour pass. It's very important to give them a lift. We picked up one nice kid who had a brother in the 10th grade at Danny's high school. He was so glad to get home to Safed and peace and quiet.
The students in our high school and junior high have been wild. Here it is, the end of school, thank goodness. During the worst part of the alert, they had their radios on all the time in class. Some were so worried and exhausted. Others were just wild and out of control. They all have brothers and fathers and uncles in the war. Since Andy and Ned have been gone, Margolite, the Russian "English" teacher and I have been handling all the classes. Ugh! I started it by coming in on my day off and she did also (without being told). I just figured with the news that the school would be short-handed. Now we feel like we've been through the war, too.
I also baked a chocolate cake for the soldiers and Danny took it to school where it was taken to the soldiers. All of my lady friends were busy baking cakes. The South African teacher at Danny's high school, Elitta, has her husband and son in the army right now, and her son is a young paratrooper. I don't know how she can continue to teach. Its very hard on her.
By the way, Kiriat Shmona is now much safer than it was. I'm glad to find out that the Hamishbeer Department Store (like Meier & Franks in Portland) is fine. Maureen was up there the other day and volunteered by teaching some children art for the day and said she would never do that again. They were really hard for her to handle. She's a great artist but not even close to being a teacher.
The city of Kiriat Shmona established in 1949, was named after the eight people, including Joseph Trumpeldor, who died in 1920 in the Battle of Tel Hai. Shmona means 8, the 8 Jewish militiamen. In 2022 it had a population of 22,492, the majority of whom are Jews, particularly of Moroccan descent. Located near the Israel–Lebanon border, Kiryat Shmona is Israel's northernmost city.
We've had about 170 young men, boys really, killed so far, and I hope no more will die, "barukh hashem". I don't know how these mothers can stand it when their 18 and 20 year old boys are killed. When the count was at 25, the students were hysterical in class. Every time a helicopter went by, and we live right by the hospital, they were falling apart for fear they were bringing in someone they knew.
One of the 8th graders that I teach volunteered at our Safed Hospital. They like to have the boys of this age helping. Part of the reason is it is an education for them, and they are really helpful. They are better workers than I would be. He was able to help either a Syrian or Lebanese soldier patient just because they both could speak English. He now realized that speaking English was very helpful in communicating with others. He said that he saw a lot of things that a 14 year old boy shouldn't have, though. It was very traumatic for him.
Resource:
My book: Letters From Israel, by Nadene Goldfoot, copyright 2003; p. 191-195
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bnai_Zion_Medical_Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiryat_Shmona
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Lebanon_War
https://kibbutzvolunteers.org.il/kibbutzes/kibbutz-hatzor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiryat_Shmona
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