Top This Delivery, Amazon!

By Judi Markowitz / Huntington Woods, Mich.

Shopping online has reshaped modern life with near-instant access to almost anything imaginable. Tap on your keyboard, and hours later, your desired gizmo or gadget is at your front door. However, the most remarkable home delivery I’ve ever heard about took place quickly and efficiently in Jerusalem. It can only be described as the perfect package.

A few weeks ago, Rachel Flasterstein, a longtime acquaintance of mine, told me about a birth that left her uncharacteristically gob smacked. This wasn’t Rachel’s first reproductive rodeo, either. She has practiced as an OB/GYN physician on the East Coast for more than four decades. Since graduating from medical school in 1985, she has delivered thousands of newborns.

Plans were made months before her daughter-in-law Sonya’s due date, so Rachel could travel to Israel and help care for the new baby and her three other grandchildren.  Her son, Nathan, felt a sense of ease knowing his mother was on her way.

Rachel knew there was a degree of uncertainty surrounding her arrangements, as anything could change at any moment due to the war with Iran. She moved the date of her trip forward in order to rearrange her hospital and office schedules to accommodate patients and then booked a round-trip ticket with El Al Airlines. Rachel thought everything was in place for this all-important trip.

Oi vey!  Five days before her departure, the airlines notified Rachel that her flight was cancelled. She now was scheduled to leave earlier than expected. All her carefully laid plans unraveled. Rachel quickly called her office to unscramble the mess, ensuring that her patients at home would still receive the care they needed.

Lillian, Rachel’s 91-year-old mother, was another important piece of the puzzle. She lives with Rachel and requires skilled care. Now, new help had to be found so that Lillian would be properly cared for. The pressure was on, but Rachel managed to secure a compassionate woman to stay with her mother. She now felt confident leaving the country.

But when Rachel boarded the plane, she realized that it was an Israeli rescue flight. The plane was filled with Israelis who were desperately trying to return to Israel to help with the war effort or simply to reunite with their families during these trying times. Rachel quickly understood that her status as a doctor was the main reason that she had been able to secure a seat on the flight.

When Rachel arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv 11 hours later, her plane circled the airport after incoming bombs were detected, delaying its landing. The war was in full throttle, and she didn’t know what to expect.

Rachel later told me, “Once we deplaned, sirens began blaring and cell phones were sounding the alarm for us to take cover. We were shepherded into a Safe Room under the airport. Fortunately, I managed to speak with someone who understood English and asked about the warning signal I had heard on other people’s cell phones — it was an app, and I quickly downloaded it.”

Finally, when the ‘all clear” sounded, Rachel hurried to Customs in order to leave the airport. However, there was a repeat performance — the sirens sounded again, and Rachel and the other travelers were forced to seek shelter once more. After a 20-minute stint, things settled down, and Rachel was able to head out at last.

Rachel arrived at her son and daughters-in-law’s house after a stressful train and bus ride. Sirens were screaming and bombs were flying overhead, and she prayed. Once in their home, Rachel felt a sense of relief, with an abiding respect for the actions taken to protect people from impending harm. That night, she slept in a bedroom that was equipped to withstand blasts and shrapnel.

For a couple of days, things were quieter; But on the third day, Rachel was woken early in the morning by Nathan, with the news that Sonya was in active labor. They called their doula, a trained, non-medical professional who would provide Sonya with comfort and guidance during childbirth. One problem, though–the doula was in the next town, 15 minutes away.

Rachel snapped into action. She immediately went to Sonya to assess the situation and to help in any capacity. She asked Sonya if she wanted to call Hatzalah, a Jewish volunteer emergency medical service, to take her to the hospital. The situation grew increasingly tense, with bombs potentially imminent and Sonya began to feel the baby coming. With past pregnancies, Sonya delivered within minutes of arriving at the hospital. Given the dire situation, Sonya didn’t want to take any chances.

When the doula finally arrived, she immediately began assisting Sonya with labor support. Sonya then decided that she didn’t want to risk leaving the house, given the dangerous situation, and asked Rachel to step in and deliver the baby.

What was it like to be in such a nerve-wracking situation?  Rachel recalled, “During the delivery I was in business mode, only thinking about the present circumstances. I was going through the maneuvers of delivering the baby and, ensuring that in a home birth setting that the baby was safe. I could tell there were two cords around the head, the hand was coming with the head, and it was a compound presentation. I felt confident that the baby was going to be vigorous. At first his color was a little off, but I stimulated the baby, and he picked up fine. Everything was okay.”

 “Afterwards I was able to feel the magnitude, the enormity of the situation. It kept me going — the happiness that you feel when everything goes well, and you did something that someone genuinely appreciates. And doing it in a place where miracles are happening continuously — it was a powerful experience.”

 “While I was delivering my grandson,” she continued, “the threat of ballistic missiles raining down on us remained close in our thoughts, never far from my mind.  Through the efforts of the Israeli Defense Forces there are various mechanisms to intercept bombs that are meant to destroy Israel. There’s David’s Sling, the Iron Dome, and a few other systems that are employed. While witnessing an interception, it almost looked like a sun and had a brilliant light, but it was too close and perfectly round.”

For Rachel, the momentous events were both sobering and profound. In a place where uncertainty can interrupt even the most sacred occasions, her experience underscored the quiet resilience required of the Israelis, who carry on with their work and their lives under constant threat. Yet even in a time of sirens and shelter runs, there is an enduring sense of purpose: the delivery of a child, a reminder to all of us that hope persists despite fear.

---

Judi Markowitz is a retired high school English teacher of 34 years. She primarily taught twelfth grade and had the pleasure of having her three sons grace her classes. In addition, she taught debate, forensics, and Detroit film. Judi has four adult children and nine wonderful and energetic grandchildren. She is married to Jeffrey Markowitz, whom she met in high school. They now spend much of their time running around with their grandkids. The View from Four Foot Two is Judi’s first book.