Re-thinking Next Year's Travel Plans

When this is going around Israel like hotcakes (latkes?), I may have to re-think.

This is a list of bomb shelters and times to "duck and cover" according to the tweet I saw in Israel.  Why should I care?  Because I am scheduled to teach a short course in Jerusalem next spring.  I think I have a basic rule--not to teach anywhere that requires me to know where bomb shelters are. 

Sure, I knew before this past week that Israel has a few problems with its neighborhood, and I agreed to do the course knowing that.  But it is one thing to think about the possibilities and it is another to have to ponder flying into a war zone.  Crap.

Why did I agree to teach a course in Israel?  Because I am working on the next project on civil-military relations, and getting a paid trip to hang out in Israel would be most useful for the project.  I have never been to the Mideast, other than a brief stay in Dubai on the way to and from Afghanistan.  Oh well, I guess I will leave my options open for as long as I can.  Time to email Israel.