Even Children Know

I have been extremely busy lately, preparing for my newest show DAMES 4- THE PROMISED LAND. IY"H. It's going to be great. Mostly, I have been preparing the Purim issue of my magazine VOICES.
So, I haven't had a moment to write a blog, but I had to stop to write to you now.
Despite my heavy schedule, I took time this morning to atend an important event - the sixth birthday of my granddaughter Rivka. The party in her gan was filled with excited little girls, a fabulous preschool teacher and some of her family. There were games and songs and dances. Everyone participated. Even me.
I was given a place of honor, a little chair, less than a foot off the ground, and I sat down to a delicious little five year old chatterbox. She was excited that I came. She knew exactly where I lived and how much fun Rivka thinks it is when I come to visit.
We were smiling and laughing, and talking about all kinds of things and she said, "You know on Shabbat, Arabs came into a Jewish home and murdered a little boy my age and a baby and their Ema and Abba. And the baby's name was Hadas. The Arabs murdered them dead and they're not alive any more, and the children who are not dead do not have an Ema or Abba, because the Ema and Abba are dead and there is no Ema and Abba for them."
She was talking about the terror attack in Itamar in which Arabs jumped the Itamar town fence, broke into the Fogel family home, and butcher everyone whom they found - even the little baby.
I was so shocked that this came out of the mouth of a little girl with teeny blonde pigtails and giant blue eyes, I just could not stop staring at her.
At a loss of how to respond, I said, "I know. That was very sad." And I turned away.
The party continued.
Our lives in Israel are unlike any other place in the world. Every Jew is our brother. Every tragedy is felt deeply and personally, even by little children.
We try to shield our children from bad things and tragedy, but in our little country, it is almost impossible to do so.
May Hashem bless the Jewish people, watch over them, protect them and give them some real joy.