Does anyone ever wake up in the morning thinking it might be their last day to live? Certainly not me. But on Thursday morning, February 22, 2024, on my way to Jerusalem as I approached the A’zaim checkpoint, death was waiting for me on the highway.

Highway 1, from the Dead Sea area through Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, funnels thousands of people daily. Usually, traffic accumulates at the bottleneck of the checkpoint, but on that morning, before ever reaching the checkpoint, we all came to a sudden stop. Naturally, I thought it was an accident, but within moments, the atmosphere changed – sirens blared behind me, and an armed police officer ran with urgency between the maze of cars. It was code red – IDF armored vehicles, border patrol, police cars, ambulances, and medics on scooters pushed through the three-lane freeway with no shoulders.

“There’s been a terror attack next to Ma’ale Adumim. Is everyone okay?” my brother-in-law asked in the family group chat.

“I’m okay,” I replied, searching Instagram for an...

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