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"When I hear firecrackers, my heart drops to the floor. I'm certain there's a terror attack. It's a kind of panic that paralyzes me and it takes me back. An incident like this can send me straight to bed, in hysteria, crying and needing sedatives. It can take me days to return to my routine. This is how I’ve been living for 20 years."
This is how Keren Chizik, 40, from Ra'anana, described the impact of loud Purim firecrackers, including fireworks, cap guns and other noise-making accessories, on herself and many others who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Chizik served as a combat medic in the Gaza border region, where she experienced hundreds of traumatic incidents that left her struggling with PTSD. "We were called to incidents almost every day," she recalled. "There were many terrorist infiltrations and constant gunfire. There was no Red Alert rocket warning system back then. We were constantly responding to emergencies and seeing the wounded. A few months after my discharge, I started experiencing PTSD symptoms. Today, I’m diagnosed with severe, complex and chronic PTSD.
"Eight years ago, I was introduced to the concept of service dogs for PTSD and I became involved in the field. Now, I have a service dog — one of the first in Israel — and she has completely changed my life."
Chizik, mother to a 10-year-old boy, believes that children can understand the impact of firecrackers. "Kids at this age are well aware of what's happening in the country," she explained. "It's absolutely possible to explain to them that these explosive Purim accessories frighten everyone — especially after October 7. It affects heroic soldiers who defended our country. It paralyzes us. So why is it necessary? We can do without it."
'Every boom takes me back to war'
Alon Katz, 39, from Haifa, also suffers from PTSD. During his military service, he participated in various operations and fought in the Second Lebanon War. "I was in combat situations that were extremely complex," he said. "I was discharged in 2007 and soon after, I began experiencing troubling behaviors. Two years later, the PTSD symptoms hit hard—I started having panic attacks and other issues I had never faced before."
Katz remembers firecrackers being popular during Purim when he was a child. "Back then, the loud booms were cool, but today, it’s different. Every sudden explosion in the middle of the day brings back the smell of gunpowder and takes me straight back to war. I instantly start scanning for terrorists or explosives. I feel like I'm in a battlefield, on high alert, making sure there's no threat around me. It’s like being transported back 20 years—to a checkpoint, hearing explosions from all directions. It’s like walking down the street and suddenly smelling Lebanon."
'It can take me a month to recover'
According to Katz, it takes him a long time to recover after hearing a firecracker explosion. "For a child, throwing a firecracker takes a second. But for me, it takes hours to calm down. What sets us apart—those of us with PTSD—from the rest of the population is that our injury makes us react physically differently to our surroundings.
It completely throws you off balance. The ability to regulate yourself afterward, to calm down, can take hours. It’s not fair. Why should I have to suffer for hours? Why should I be in this situation? We’re already in a difficult time—we’re at war."
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Katz believes education is key. "I'm speaking to children, but also to parents. Please consider us—the ones who were there for you, protecting you and your children, so you can go to work, to school and live your lives. We deserve to be treated with respect and to live as normal a life as possible because we already face so many challenges. Firecrackers make it even harder for us."
'I instantly go into high alert'
Kobi Levy, 36, from Ashdod, also suffers from combat-related PTSD. "Every time a firecracker goes off, I panic and immediately go into a state of extreme alertness, as if my finger is on the trigger," he explained. "Last year, it took me nearly a month to recover from an incident like this. I’m really asking and hoping that this year, Purim will be completely firecracker-free. It would make a huge difference for us."