So, I had my first bomb scare this morning...

As I prepared my duffle bag this morning and selected my “Oh So Smooth Yet Mildly Funky Hip Hop” Playlist on my iPod, the last thing that I expected was anything less than a seamless commute to work. Some of the other interns and myself have agreed that while in Israel we have become engulfed in a vacuum of ignorance. This is not to say that we have not kept up with world news since we’ve been here, but rather we have been focusing on the aesthetic appeal of what can otherwise be described as a visceral coming of age experience. There has been plenty of newsworthy items in the press of late including protests in Jerusalem and Shimon Peres issuing a time sensitive plea for peace. Perhaps we have assimilated so much into Israeli culture that these items have appeared to be more “business as usual” than anything else. Up to this point I have not felt, in the least bit, unsafe.

I stepped onto Bus 25 on Allenby just 100 meters from my apartment on Sheinkin street. It was quite crowded but I made my way to the middle of the bus where I literally rubbed shoulders with an Israeli hipster and an older Muslim woman. About 15 minutes into my journey, the bus came to a screeching halt and there were cars lined up in front of us for at least 2 blocks. I just figured this was typical traffic on Ibn Gabirol street on a Wednesday morning. But we simply were not moving and it had been 5 minutes. The Bus driver then said something in Hebrew over the intercom and people started exiting the bus in droves. I’m still thinking maybe there was a bad car accident ahead (like in LA). So I begin walking up the street to walk past the “accident” in hopes of catching another bus where perhaps they were being re-routed. There are lots of police ahead and I’m thinking they really are thorough about their accidents in this country. Then I’m thinking there may have been a fatality but I don’t see an ambulance. I get to a point where the sidewalk is now taped off and people are ordered by a physically imposing bald Israeli officer to either wait or leave. One guy tries to go around the tape on his bike and the officer screams at him to come back. Young Israelis begin to take video on their smart phones and I begin to realize something is incredibly wrong.

I ask at least three people if they speak English, to no avail. You don’t realize how imperative it is that you speak a language until you feel like your life is in danger. I finally came across a young college student who informed me that there is a bomb scare across the street. As I peered over some shoulders I could see a Leumi Bank branch and a small white package in front of the main entrance. There was a bomb squad officer who approached the package very cautiously and put a diagnostic device near it. I ask my new friend if this happens a lot and how long this could take. She replies, “Oh yeah, this happens all of the time…it should be over in 15 minutes…no need to leave.” 10 minutes later there is a slew of intercom talk between officers. The bomb squad officer was pacing back and forth near the object. He then takes refuge behind his vehicle and then, BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone including myself momentarily ducked for cover. Apparently, rather than removing the object and risking explosion, he initiated an explosive blowing up the object. Seconds later he waved to the other officers to let everyone through and resume traffic. Pedestrians were walking around the massacred object with only a few stopping to actually see what it was.

Business as usual.