Word: masks
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...another planet. When the sirens sound, Shirin, who is just 5, remains serenely unconcerned, though the missiles could as easily fall on her home as on Tali's. She huddles with her parents and three siblings in a sealed-off room, but no one reaches for a gas mask. "I'm not afraid," brags the young girl. "It means that Saddam is throwing something at the Israelis. That's good...
...frightened of missiles. A new hot line started by the Ministry of Education handles about 1,500 phone calls a day. Some youngsters simply seek a friendly ear in which to confide their fears. Others, however, want practical advice. Can I chew gum while wearing a gas mask? asked one. Answer...
Many children have trouble sleeping. Others say they hear sirens all the time. Little ones are afraid to lose sight of their parents. And there are complaints about the foul-smelling, claustrophobic gas masks, which have caused children to vomit. Families are haunted by the fact that a toddler suffocated to death in her mask. Talma Rosen, a Tel Aviv mother, faces a torrent of questions from her sons Jonathan, 6, and Daniel, 10, who ask about weapons systems and moving to a safer place. "I have told them that the chances statistically of us getting hurt are very small...
...near Bethlehem: "My children have picked up my fear, and there's no way now to calm them down." Because of strict U.N. curfews, Palestinian youngsters in the occupied territories are cooped up at home most of the day. Another source of outrage and anxiety: a shortage of gas masks. Israeli authorities initially refused to issue the masks to Palestinians to ensure that they would have no protection against tear gas used to quell demonstrations. The Supreme Court has overruled this policy, but mask distribution is lagging...
Slowly, children are learning to handle the pressure. Some have decorated their gas masks with feathers or flowers. Daphna Glazer, a four-year-old from Jerusalem, asked her father to make a mask for her teddy bear. Elihai Radzinski, 15, has volunteered to stay up most of the night listening to the radio so he can quickly alert his family of government warnings. Others take a stoic view. "I'm not frightened anymore. Once I get the mask on, I spend the rest of the time in our sealed room playing Nintendo," says Yoni Radzinski, 10, of Herzliya, a town...