Stop Giving Storms Human Names
From sexism to childcare, a new system is needed
“Sachar Adom”
In the early 2000s, Israel installed an alarm system to alert those living in the southern parts of the country of an incoming missile strike from Gaza. A few seconds before the “Kassam” missile would hit, sirens would be heard across designated areas with a female voice calmly calling out “Sachar Adom” — “Red Dawn”. This was deemed less frightening than the sound of a regular siren going up and down. The thing is, in Israel, “Sachar” is actually a very common first name, for both boys and girls.
Many parents and children complained that the system associating the name “Sachar” with a missile strike is causing them additional mental difficulties on top of a very stressful situation. A 9-year-old Sachar told of how other children are making fun of her when she comes to school, or when she’s wearing red. There were many other complaints. Eventually, the system was changed. Instead of “Sachar Adom”, the new recording said “Tzeva Adom” — “Colour Red”.
While writing these lines, the damage caused by hurricane “Ian” is still being assessed. Dozens died, and the physical destruction could amount to billions of dollars. Alongside all of the victims and damage, I can’t help thinking of little Ians, having their names…
