Articles & Reports

The War in Israel

By Ethan Rish

On Saturday morning, October 7th people woke up on Shabbat and Shemini Atzeret (two Jewish observances) after a long night of partying and celebrating only to hear violence and mobs outside. The mobs were from a terrorist group called Hamas. Hamas was originally  from the country of Egypt. They are Sunni Islamic. Sunni Islamic’s believe every culture that is not Sunni Islamic does not belong. Hamas and Sunni Islamic’s believe Israel belongs to Palistinians, not Jew’s. That is why they call it Palestine. Although they originated in Egypt, Egypt does not support them. Egyptians are Sunni Muslim. You should not be worried, in the United States Sunni Islamic’s are modern and do not believe that.

This war is because Hamas believes that Jew’s don’t belong in Israel.  The United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, and  Norway support Israel. This war is not a surprise. Hamas and other countries threaten them and raid them all the time. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) put an end to it. But because Hamas is keeping hostages of Israeli civilians they are working on raiding the place where the hostages are. 

The United States is not officially involved. They have sent them supplies and money to perform operations. The United States has also sent an aircraft carrier that is waiting in the ocean for the IDF to inform them that they need backup. They have several American hostages that were in Israel. If there are more, the United States will go in and get them. The war is heading at Israel in waves, meaning Hamas is coming as groups at different times. At first it was about every 25 minutes, then every hour, finally, every couple of hours. Now there are more weapons and missiles being used. In memory of the people who died in the war and good luck in this fight!

Life Is Life

By, Ben

Chapter I

Drew Heath woke up to his alarm, as he opened his eyes and turned off the alarm, He started to remember why he set his alarm so early. He was gonna get his new job. He didn’t want to end up like his parents, did he?

His dad was fine, a pretty nice and decent guy. But the problem about him was that he was alcoholic, with smoking and drinking beer becoming his daily habit. Everyday, Drew               could smell that rotten smell.

After he complained to his dad, his dad instantly apologized and started smoking in those zones that are for smokers to smoke. 

Drew everyday was worried about his dad. He was really unhealthy and he might die. And besides, his dad was his only nice parent. Although either way everyday his dad was just too tired making Drew have to live with his mom. 

His mom was strict and abusive. She never let him go play with his friends in his childhood. 

And because of her, he never had or has any, after his mom forced him to say that he hated them and didn’t want to be friends. Because if he told the truth then the people he wanted to be friends with would blame his mom which would make her look bad.

And if he was honest anyway, she would slap him and then ground him for a day. That second punishment didn’t matter because she would never give him any entertainment either way, with forcing him to study for every second of his life where he doesn’t eat and is in the house. Even after he memorized everything, and triple checked. 

Later he started to get depressed, he just wanted a good life. But his mom already took it from him. When he was 18, he made a choice. If his terrible life couldn’t be fixed, he might as well break his mom’s. 

He stopped listening to her, spreading true rumors about her, he also finally made friends and apologized. After his mom found out, she was angry at him. This time, he thought she would ground him for a year or something like that, but instead, She did something much, much worse. 

She yelled at him then carried him out of the house and shut the door. He could still hear her cursing even after the door was completely shut. Because the door was locked. 

He couldn’t open, so he begged to let him back in, but all she did as a reply, was continue to curse. So Drew walked away. Luckily, he was really close to graduating and didn’t need anymore education. So he started his life as an early adult.

And that was why he didn’t want to end up like his mom. He wanted to be serious but still not strict.

So he changed into a formal suit, ate breakfast at Chick Fil a, brushed his teeth and was pretty much ready to get the job at the grocery store. He then hopped into his jeep and drove to the grocery store. And before he knew it, he was at the store while it was still closed. 

So he entered the store and saw an employee. “Hi, I apologize, but I don’t think you are supposed to be here. The store hasn't opened yet. You seem kind of fat though.” The  employee’s expression was full of humor and unseriousness. Perhaps this store wasn’t too strict like he hoped?

After all, he was right. After Drew’s mom banned him, he decided to try alcohol for the first time after his mom never gave him a liter. Although he didn’t want to end up like his dad, so he decided to only drink a little beer. 

He got addicted, he started to drink a lot on a daily basis. He then tried fast food for the first time, and again loved it. He also ate at fast food restaurants extremely often. And that was how he got kind of obese and almost as unhealthy as his dad.

“Hi, do you know where I can be an employee?” Drew asked.

“Follow me. But I am warning you. The boss isn’t the nicest person. He mostly only accepts perfection. I was lucky to be hired.” The employee warned. 

Then Drew followed him to a room where he saw a tall, skinny man sitting on a chair that was next to a desk with a lot of papers. 

“Sir, someone wants you to hire him.” The employee said. 

“Thank you Max, but now get back to work! And send this guy back to the junkyard. Remember what I told you. We only  accept perfection!” The boss yelled at Max.

“Please boss, can you just hire… What is your name?” Max asked. “Drew Heath.”

“Please boss, can you just hire Drew? Don’t judge him just because he is fat.”

“He’s not just fat, he is alcoholic and lazy.” “How do you know that?” Max asked.

“I actually am lazy and a little alcoholic.” Drew said.

“Exactly! Now Drew get out of my office, and Max, make sure he doesn’t come here ever again or else I will fire you!” Max hesitated. 

“NOW!” Max led Drew out of the store, once they got out, Drew was gonna leave to get McDonald’s or something like it. But when he was about to go into his car, Max called him.

“Drew, wait! I have to talk to you.” Drew got out of the car and walked towards Max.

“I just wanted to say, I’m sorry. I wish my boss accepted you the way he did to me. I tried and did the best I could, but I have failed.” Max said.
“Don’t blame yourself, it isn’t your fault your boss didn’t accept me.”

“Trust me, Drew. It was just luck that he recruited me. Everyone else is too serious, almost all of them are really mean. One of them is a narcissist.”

“I can see what your boss’s type is. Have you ever thought about rebelling?” 

“Let’s just say that that is illegal. The only  time there can be a new boss is every five years. This is the fourth. I’ll try to be the boss next year when I can.”

“Oh okay. That makes sense. Can you please recruit me when you are the boss?”

“It isn’t as simple as that. Everyone likes him more than me. I ran five years ago and failed.”
“Okay, so can you please contact me if you ever succeed?”

“Okay, I will see you sometime again.” Max went back to the store. Drew did his best to sound optimistic, but he secretly wasn’t. 

Realistically he didn’t have any hope. He went to his car, and looked at the store for what would be the last time of his life.

Chapter II

Drew drove away from the store. He looked at the store  one last time again even though he said it would be the last. He just wanted to see Max for one last time. But Max has already gone inside the store to work by doing something Drew didn’t know. 

He glanced at the store once again then he drove to KFC. One of his favorite places to eat at. He then ordered some food, and went to his house and ate, he still wished he could get the job.

He heard that all the other jobs that were close by were full. He quickly finished eating even though he wasn’t in a hurry, because there was nothing he could be in a hurry for.

He at least had freedom unlike a little less than two years ago before his mom kicked him from the house and bought him a house and gave him some money. Nobody would be cruel enough to not help their children survive when they kick their children out of their house which is already too cruel. Not even his mom.

He could remember the look his mother had after she learned he told people the truth. “You are not my son.” “Mom, I’m sorry, if you are so concerned about people not liking you, let’s just move.”

“I like this place, I’m not moving anywhere. But Drew, you are moving out of my house. Never look at me again. You should be grateful for me. I gave birth to you. And that was the biggest mistake of my life. Because look at you. A failure, a snitch, and you complain about me being mean. Is giving you food and water not generous. Does providing you with health and education make me a bad mother.”

“Well yes, but–”

“Exactly, now look at how you pay me back. You ``revealed my secret, that was meant to be between us. Get out of my house!”

“But mom,”

“What! But mom is your excuse for everything. I am mad at you, ‘But mom,’ I give you food, ‘But mom, I don’t let you have friends, ‘But mom,’ Who do you keep doing this?” He could hear pure anger in his mom's voice. Drew then started crying. 

“Tears won’t bring anything back, I tried to teach you that money is more important than anything like my parents taught me, how do you think I got this rich? Now get out of my house!”

“But– mom… I–” Drew was quieter than he meant to be.

“Get out!” His mom thundered, and carried him out of the house and gave him a few thousand dollars. “You should thank me. You are lucky I am helping your survival, after all you did.”

“I will never thank, you. After all you did. You are a monster and you were from the beginning. You may be successful, but if I ever have kids of my own, I will raise them properly unlike you. if I disappeared without you noticing until that happened., you wouldn’t care. You–”

“Disappear!” She shut the door. Drew then used the money to buy a house and some clothes, and some basic house stuff. Half not regretting leaving the house. He wasn’t with his mom anymore.

He later used the money to buy some fast food, and got money pretty well by doing small sales and stuff like that. He later bought a jeep, then after about a month drove to the grocery store and failed to get his job.

He then was in the present. He got into the car, and left and went to his house to think of what to do now because he didn’t have anything better to do. He later decided that for the greater good, he should forget about Max and get a different job.

He checked on his phone but all of the jobs that were close enough to drive to were full. And the only one that wasn’t full was the grocery store. 

He didn’t like the idea of abandoning Max anyway. He would have to think about what to do about that later.

But for now. He was just tired like he always was. He went in. He went into his bed to take a nap.

As he drifted off to sleep, he dreamed about… LEGO FIGURES HAILING ONIONS, IT IS A DREAM, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?

Well he did feel rested now. So he decided to just take a break from all this stuff, and play on his phone.

All this playing distracted him from more important stuff. He kept playing, not being aware of time.

You know what? No, I will focus and continue to find something out. 

But that was the problem, he didn’t have any ideas. Everything which he could do had a downside. 

If he talked to Max’s boss, he would not accept it. If he gave up, he would have failed already. If he waited for the next election, Max would lose again. If he tried to threaten Max’s boss, he would probably do something about that. If he tried to make his own job, he would fail.
It seemed like there was no hope. And that was because there wasn’t. His only option was to sue Max’s boss and hopefully succeed. No, he wasn’t like him. He wasn’t gonna do something like that.

He just couldn’t bring himself to do it somehow. Maybe it was empathy. But no, he couldn’t put himself in Max’s boss’s shoes.

The only thing he could think of was money. But Drew wouldn’t make him lose money. Only make him gain a little extra but not much. Drew could think of himself easily running the cash register or refill shelves.

But he still couldn’t sue him. He still didn’t know why, but he was gonna have to think of something else.

Chapter III

Drew, paced around in a circle, thinking about what to do if he were to get this job. His best idea, which still wasn’t much, was to talk to Max’s boss. 

But he still needed something better than that. He knew what would happen if he did that plan. He might even only have one chance. 

That meant that he needed something that couldn’t fail. Perhaps the other employees were like Max, and would accept him. And if their boss didn’t accept Drew, then they would quit, forcing him to do it. 

But what if they were mean, and then that would still be Drew’s only chance. Perhaps he could meet up with Max and ask him. He has experience.

But how will he meet up? All of these questions were starting to destroy his confidence.

He had to stay positive. Maybe he could convince Max’s 

boss to pull it off. 

But how–

He had to stay positive.

will I

No.

do it?

There was one answer. He couldn’t do it. Still, he had to try. He at least could put some effort.

So he went outside and hopped onto his car. He drove to the store. When he went there, he met a friend.

“Hi, Max.” Drew greeted his friend. “Hi, but sorry. You can’t be here, he kicked you from this store after your previous attempt of getting hired.”  

“I am not shopping. I am gonna try to be hired again.” Drew said. “Well good luck with that. I am completely sure you will succeed.” Max said a little sarcastically.

“Are you being sarcastic?” Drew asked. “Sorry, I just can’t promise you that you will succeed.” Max replied.

“I am not sure either, but I will try my best.” Drew said. 

“Well I will leave you off with that. I wish you the best of luck with that.” And Max walked away.

Drew walked into the store and went where he remembered Max led him. As he got closer to where he was trying to get there, he saw three people all in formal uniforms, the same ones that Max had.

Why didn’t I ever notice that Max has a uniform?

“You, whatever your name is. Our boss only remembers names of people who are important. You can’t be here!” One of the employees said.

Haste won’t make anything easier for Drew so he decided to do a different approach. 

“Hello, my name is Drew Heath. Nice to meet you. I would like to speak to your boss so can you please let me speak to him?”

“Hi,” another employee said. “Nice to meet you, Drew. My name is Samantha, though–” Another cut her off.

“I don’t think he would like to see you as much as you do because of your so-called ‘destiny’. Come on, let’s leave Andrew here off to talk.”

So they left, and Drew proceeded to go forward, until he was there. “What are you doing here? You can’t be here!” Drew’s hopefully future boss said. 

“I am here to get you hired. I know I am not much, but–” “Exactly, I wouldn’t hire ‘not much’ people.”

“Look, I need this place! I have been abandoned by my mom, everyone hates me, and I am also starting to hate myself, I am not here for money only. I just want some good in my life! I can’t join any other job because the others are full!”

“If you want a job then move.” “I wouldn’t be smart to buy a house in this condition.”

“Look, Drew. I would never hire you. And if you want a job, then make someone lose theirs, making it available.”

“I would never be that selfish! Can you please just hire me? I will try my best.” “Never you, Max puts at least some use.” “Can you just hire me? I won’t do any loss.”

“Fine.” “Thank you so much!” “I will pay you a million dollars for you to leave this place!” Drew realized there was no point. He left the shop, and didn’t look back.

He realized that if he didn’t get the job, he wouldn’t miss it either. He anyways didn’t want a job with one person liking him, a strict boss, and maybe some other stuff he didn’t know. 

But he wasn’t sure about that either. He still did need something interesting in his life.

But he didn’t want something interesting like that. He wanted something he  actually deserved.

Something someone who suffered a whole eighteen years with an abusive parent deserved.

But the real question to see if he deserved this job, was, were the other workers actually mean like he anticipated?

The only way to know the answer to that question was to ask Max. And for once, he was lucky. He saw Max go outside.

So he followed him. And as he went outside, Max turned around.

“Oh, hey, Drew! I didn’t see you there. Did you succeed? Was your second job interview better than last time?” Max asked affectionately.

“Sadly no. I failed, and couldn’t get the job.”

“Oh. And do you think you would be okay with this job?” Max frowned. 

“Don’t worry about me. I owe you so much and you shouldn’t be thinking about me.” Drew said.

“Why shouldn't I worry about a friend. It has been only a few days since we have met, and we are already good friends.” 

“Okay, fine. But let me ask you a question. Do you think the other people working would accept me?” Drew asked.

“Well, there is one person who is a little kind and has about a ten percent chance of accepting you.

“Well what about the other people?” Drew asked.

“There are eight people who will not accept you. They are unkind. Then there are two people who are loyal to their boss and will hate you no matter what.” 

“Okay thank you Max” Drew said. Max nodded and went into the shop.

Chapter IV

So when Max went to the shop, Drew walked to his car to go back to his house. But as he was headed for his car, he saw a window, and in the window he saw Max and his boss talking.

He could slightly hear the conversation. “Please, sir, hire Drew. He can’t go on like this!” Max said.

“‘Please hire Drew, he really needs it,’ When will you and Drew understand that I won’t hire him!”

“I won’t force you, but you have to understand, Drew is depressed and helpless, look at him frown.”

“NEVER! NOW GET OUT BEFORE I FIRE YOU TOO! YOU COMPLAIN WAY TOO MUCH! YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO BE MORE LIKE MY OTHER WORKERS!”

Max was clearly startled by his boss. “Please sir.” Max said quietly. Max’s boss got out of his large chair, and walked to Max. Max started to back away. 

That continued until he led Max out of the room. Max then opened his mouth but while Max was halfway through his first word which Drew couldn’t hear well enough to understand, Max’s boss closed the door. 

As Drew went into his car to think about what to do next, that conversation he eavesdropped gave him one thought. 

I am a goner. 

So Drew went to a bar and gave some money to the tender. He felt like some alcohol will make him forget about his job for a few hours.

“Can I please have some beer?” Drew asked. “Oh yeah, sure. Beer coming right up.”

So Drew waited. After half a minute, he got the beer. He quickly finished it in a few seconds.
When he finished, he wanted more. So he asked for three more bottles. Later when he was finished he was tired.

He went into his house and collapsed onto his bed. He then fell asleep before he even had the idea to do that. 

He then woke up, still having a headache. He also  couldn’t get up, he was still tired. So he lay down for a few hours. Until he realized.

My job! Why did I forget? Why was I so careless? Oh yeah, I almost forgot I couldn’t do anything about it. 

Which was why he now had to continue thinking. This time focusing.

So, let’s see. It is already clear that I can’t convince him. Maybe I can convince the other workers to vote for Max next year. I am sure I can last another year. My mom gave me a lot of money as at least a little pity.

If he wanted to do that, he had to ask Max again. That could be a problem, because now felt like he couldn’t take a step a hundred miles from the store, which was where Max usually hung around doing whatever his job was.

So he needed to come up with a way to do that. He couldn’t do it when the store closed because first of all, he doesn’t know where Max lives, and second, he wasn’t a stalker.

Well he guessed he just needed to try and hopefully succeed. What if he could do it in secret. But then he realized he shouldn’t bother. Stealth was one of his weaknesses, just like almost everything else about him. 

He realized that he should try. It was not like Max’s boss would be able to fire him without hiring first.

But then he also knew that if he got caught, it would lower his reputation, which would lower his chances of getting hired.

But also if he didn’t do that, and he didn’t get confirmation from Max, that might lower his chances of succeeding even more.

Again, he still had to try. So he snuck up to the store, only seeing Max outside, throwing out expired food. So he quickly ran to him. 

“Meet me at 8:20.” “Okay,” Max replied quickly. “Now quickly leave, before someone sees you.” That he needed  to leave before someone saw him.

So Drew ran into his car and drove to his house. But as he exited the store, Max’s boss came to Max, not seeming to notice Drew. “Max, who were you talking to?” Max winked at Drew. “Nobody. I was jus_” But before Drew could hear what Max said next. He already drove too far away to hear

He wondered if Max understood that he meant to meet at 8:20 which was the time where the store closed.

And I guess I will  find out after about three hours. But for now, I should waste my time. Might as well do that if I can’t do anything about the job for now.

So he went into his jeep and drove to Mcdonald’s. Some decent food will make time fly. He thought.

So he ordered chicken nuggets and fries and sat down. And he was right. It did make three hours seem fast. More accurately just three minutes.

That meal just took him three minutes plus one minute of waiting time. And he was pretty full so he needed to think of something else to do.
So he came to his house to do some good binge watching with one hand holding the remote and the other holding a bowl of potato chips.

After wasting another hour, he was too tired to do anything else. He decided to spend the last two hours taking a nap.

Although, it was kind of hard for him to sleep. He thought he might miss the time. And he really didn’t want to get up right now and set his alarm.

I guess I have no choice. He got up and walked to his alarm. After he set it, because he was already up and close to his bed. He slumped on it, relieved to finally get some rest instead of failing to solve his problems.

He threw his pillow to hopefully turn off the lights but wasn’t even close.

Oh well. He got up and turned off the lights. Now he could finally get some sleep.

So as soon as he finished processing all the progress he had made, he fell asleep, ready to meet up with Max.

To be continued…