It’s hard to imagine that leaving your home to buy a loaf of bread or shop for a pair of jeans could be dangerous or even life-threatening.

That’s the way Barbara Oxman describes life in Hadera, Israel, where terrorism is a part of everyday life.

“I’ve been visiting my family in Hadera for 25 years, and I’ve never felt this uncomfortable being there before,” she said.

And that’s saying something in a country where in-home bomb shelters are required by law and gas masks are issued to the civilian population.

Hadera is about 30 miles north of Tel Aviv with a population of about 79,000, nearly identical to Lawrence’s.

Oxman, born and reared in Lawrence, now lives in Bethesda, Md. She was in Hadera in late March attending funeral services for her father, longtime Lawrence resident Herman Cohen.

With the daily threat of suicide bombers who blend with the local population, leaving the security of your home can be traumatic.

“My mother has a favorite bakery she’d go to on Friday for her bread, but now she’s afraid to go downtown,” she said.

She recalled on past Fridays downtown sidewalks and businesses were crowded, but during her last visit they were nearly vacant

“The beach (Mediterranean Sea) is only 11 miles away, but few go there anymore. No one goes to the movies, parents drive or walk their children to school, and few take the bus anymore.” Oxman said.

In November a terrorist’s car bomb exploded next to a bus on a busy downtown Hadera street, killing two and injuring dozens. The force of the explosives slammed the bus into a store and set several businesses on fire.

“There are roadblocks all over the city,” she said. “When you go to the shopping mall, soldiers check you, your purse and your car.”

She noted that because most consumer items are imported, prices were twice as high as those in the United States.

Oxman said that reading in The Washington Post that Saddam Hussein was paying between $10,000 and $25,000 to families of Palestinian suicide bombers was not conducive to improving Israeli-Arab relations.

She also noticed that people who didn’t used to smoke cigarettes are smoking, attributing it to tension.

“Some talk about leaving, but most of the people I spoke with are resigned to staying.”