They came in pairs and as individuals; on wheelchairs or with the help of a cane. You could occasionally see a granddaughter supporting her grandmother, adults in their sixties helping their 80-year-old parents. There were also the foreign caregivers accompanying aging Israelis, and there were women who came along with their husbands, and vice versa. Every possible variation you could think of was there: Arabs, secular Israelis, ultra-Orthodox Jews, Ashkenazi, Sephardi. The list goes on and on. In short, there was a microcosm of Israel there.
Despite this being a key moment in the pandemic, the vaccination rollout in the Jerusalem Sports Quarter was carried out in an orderly fashion, with people arriving at their allotted time and conducting themselves with civility.
I heard no shouting and I saw no skirmishes. Young ushers who realized some of the patients were having a hard time hearing, guided them and walked them through the injection process that was to unfold. The whole thing was carried out in an orderly fashion and with surprising speed.
One after another, in intervals of 15 seconds, people got their injections. When our turn arrived, my father went forward, provided ID, and got the jab. Fifteen minutes later, after it had become clear that he was not suffering from complications, he was let go.
And what a sigh of relief that was when we were heading home! Finally, our long national nightmare is on its way out at a rapid pace and with stunning efficiency.
The past year has turned life on its head and now, so it appears, normalcy and sanity are just around the corner. Soon we will be able to do away with lockdowns and restrictions and chuck the social distancing, masks and various conflicting guidelines. Older Israelis will no longer have to stay confined to their home, order will re-emerge and routine will reign supreme.
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Yes, there is still the second dose that we have to get before the vaccine fully kicks in, and we have to pray that there are no additional surprises – variants and the likes – that could disrupt things. But the bottom line is that we are fighting back with vaccines, and those who are the most vulnerable are being inoculated first. That is what matters most.
The "Year of Corona" was the year that showcased Israelis at their best. For all the flaws, failures and shortcomings on the way, we are indebted to the thousands of people who have worked tirelessly to help us get out of the woods in these difficult times. As someone who has been covering our various decisionmakers who have been tasked with charting a way forward, I have a full grasp of just how many hours they have had to put in so that we can reach this critical point, and the toll it has had on them.
This appreciation goes all the way from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu down to the health minister and the medical staff, as well as to the bureaucrats we all love to mock. They sacrificed everything to make this happen, and despite all the missteps, you can't argue with success: Here we are, with a vaccine.
"I appreciate the fact that Netanyahu and all Israelis prioritized us over younger Israelis," my father told me on our way back. "After all, they are the ones who had had to suffer the most for this past year, not older people like me." From afar I could see the sports complex colored by the majestic Jerusalem sunset. In normal times, this complex would see a lot of shots at a basketball hoop, not at people's shoulders. Soon, this too shall return.
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