Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-04-08
As we huddle in the shelter during the first of three missile alerts after midnight, bulletins beep on our phones. According to the US, or at least its...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-04-07
I stand outside the dining hall like a carnival barker, waving my arms and calling to passing residents: "We will be doing Kiddush right now, inside, near...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-04-06
I'm sitting in the shelter during the day's fourth missile alarm, reading WhatsApp messages. A friendly dog wanders over and slaps her paw down on the phone....
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-22
I think I'm going to pause these daily posts. The days and alarms are blurring together. Nothing seems to change other than the growing tally of who has...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-21
Nothing much happened here today. A couple of runs to the shelter, some mix-ups over meal schedules, but that's it. There are reports of heavy attacks on...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-20
The son of a resident sits on the stage in the shelter playing his guitar. He leads some of the crowd in singing "Oseh Shalom Bimromav" ("He Who Makes Peace...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-19
The roar from the Cultural Hall is deafening. I imagine that it could shake the elevators at the far end of the House into working properly. According to the...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-18
Today has been a blur. Both too much and nothing is going on. What had been disruption is settling into a punctuated stasis. I don't wonder whether there...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-17
A full alarm is sounding by the time that I get to the elevator. Several other people from my hall are waiting for it. One resident wanders past us to her...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-16
I'm still up and dressed when the day's first alarm sounds at about 1:30 AM. Only five people get to the shelter before me, but it eventually fills up....
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-15
As I settle down to try to sleep, late at night, I realize that I can't find my phone. I know it's somewhere in my apartment, but I don't see it. I'm not...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-14
Nothing much has happened today. At least not yet. We did have four or so alerts since I posted last night. Only one (or possibly two) led to alarms. I went...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-13
The door of the smaller elevator in our wing always squeaks the same three note sequence when it opens: a brief squawk somewhere above middle C, then up a...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-12
After alerts and alarms at half past midnight and 4 AM, I get caught up in a dream where I'm walking through midtown Manhattan. The street names and numbers...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-11
I'm happy when the night's third alert goes off. It's about a quarter to four in the morning. I've been deep into a nightmare (something about my parents...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-10
A couple of other residents are sitting next to me in the shelter early in the day, with their daughter between them. The daughter tries to take a selfie of...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-09
After the night's second missile alert, around 1:30 AM, a relative north of us writes on the family WhatsApp that shrapnel, or something like it, has fallen...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-08
I'm in the nurses' office when the missile alert goes off. It's about 7:30 AM. They've already checked my blood sugar. There's enough time after the alert...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-07
During one of the mid-afternoon missile alerts, a neighbor who used to work here (and who, word has it, is coming out of retirement to cover some shifts at...
Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2026-03-06
Other than a couple of alerts this morning, the day is relatively quiet. In the evening, once Shabbat starts, we have three, about an hour apart. The...