Bus bombing update

Well, by now you've probably heard the news about the two buses that were attacked by suicide bombers in Beer Sheva today. Everyone here is okay, as are our friends and families. It is a bit of a surprise because it has been 5 months since the last suicide bombing and Beer Sheva has been out of the fray mostly. It is certainly unnerving. Some of us in the lab had been planning to go to Beer Sheva today, but decided against for various reasons. It is likely that we would have traveled along the street that was hit because that area is between the main bus station and the university campus (Beer Sheva campus, not the one in Sede Boqer). It made me think twice about running routine errands like getting a university ID or grocery shopping. On the other hand, those things need to be done, and it is pretty unlikely that anything will happen there again right away. I suppose, in some strange sense, it would be good to go soon for just that reason - security is high, and the likelihood that another attack will happen again right away is slim. It has made me a bit more nervous, which is frustrating.

This has also emphasized just how small this country is. Even though it feels like Beer Sheva is a long way away, it is really only about 40km from here. And Gaza is only another 25km beyond that. The Egypt border is probably 50km away, and Jordan is about the same (farther by road, than in a straight line). Eilat in the south is only about 2 hours away. The spot of the bombings today is one where I've been several times already. And most people here know many people in Beer Sheva, many in the area of the bombings. In Sede Boqer, it is easy to feel like you are a world away, but events like this emphasize just how close things really are.

At least Sede Boqer is still sleepy.