There may be no city in Israel like Ra'anana. It's not very newsworthy. The coexistence and mutual understanding between the religious and secular communities is not very interesting to anyone. Candidates run under the theme of "keep Ra'anana nice."
No one gets lost in Raanana since the streets were laid out by the New York founders in a Manhattan-like grid. Friends visiting from other cities sense that Ra'anana is a bit different – no bus station smack in the middle of town, lots of well-maintained parks, and a vibrant main street called Ahuza.
In Ra'anana, you are just as likely to hear kids speaking English, French, or Spanish as Hebrew. In short, the place has a vibe different from other places in Israel.
Ra'anana, just like anywhere else in Israel
The events of October 7 thrust the city into a spiral like the rest of Israel. It seems like every mother picking up her child from gan has a reservist husband fighting in Gaza or the North. When the war broke out, we asked our daughters which of their friends' husbands were called up. The answer was: "All of them."
When the devastating tragedy of a combat casualty from Ra'anana is announced, a connection is quickly discovered – what synagogue did his parents attend? What HS - Ostrovsky? Metro West? Amit? Bnei Akiva or Scouts? Like other places in Israel, when there are funerals, the streets leading to the military cemetery are lined with people waving flags out of respect.
Today, terror came to Ra'anana. A fatal car ramming followed by stabbings, children running down outside of their school, terrorists on the loose, and citizens going into self-imposed lockdown.
All of a sudden, Ra'anana residents began receiving messages: "Hope you are OK" and "Is it safe to go out?"
Sirens from police cars and soldiers in battle gear were out on the streets on alert for additional terrorists. Surrealistically, combat soldiers in Gaza were checking in on their parents in Ra'anana.
Yesterday's attack in Ra'anana should not be surprising; we are in a war for our existence. October 7 was not about removing Jews from the kibbutzim near Gaza. It was about removing all of us from all our land, Ra'anana included.