191017
17th
October 2019
Shabbat
Shalom, Moadim leSimcha, Happy Feast of Tabernacles!
I am so
confused with all the days of Festivals that I am not sure what day it is, but
then it must be Thursday because I have an urge to write to you, and Friday
when I send it!
The
international news centred around the much criticised US withdrawal from
Northern Syria. Suddenly after 500,000 civilian deaths everyone woke up. To try to put things into perspective is not
easy but basically it all centres around a despot, a tyrannical leader called
Bashar Al-Assad who inherited his position from his father. Anyway, there were
rumblings of dissent as Assad's regime became more and more tyrannical and a
rebel force began amongst the people. They were soon overpowered by radical,
Iranian backed groups, including Hezb-Allah; then in came the Russians to fight
alongside the tyrant Assad; this produced a back-lash and the Iranians came in
with their sidekicks the Turks. In time the Turks became the strongest force in
Syria…………… and yes, Assad is still there. In the meantime some half a million
ordinary Syrian citizens died, an unidentified number from chemical weapons –
but that was from Assad whose strength was encouraged by Iran. As I said last
week, don't even try to judge actions in the Middle East by Western standards
because it doesn't work – you cannot transfer the same policies because the
situation is so complex. This is the Middle East. What I truly don't understand
is why everyone concentrates on this neighbourhood when thousands die weekly in
Nigeria, Yemen, Libya, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_armed_conflicts#/media/File:Ongoing_conflicts_around_the_world.svg
and the major cause of death in children in those conflict zones, indeed in the
world, is unpotable water!!!
Last
night Mike Pence
announced a Turkish cease fire (albeit 5 days) in Northern Syria in an
agreement brokered by the USA. Everyone laughed at the Trump letter to Erdogan
for its "illiteracy" and childish language. Well who's laughing now?
Apparently it worked! https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Pence-Turkey-will-pause-operation-to-allow-Kurdish-withdrawal-604996
Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, released his 2019 annual report to
the UN General Assembly. It is the first UN human rights report wholly
dedicated to anti-Semitism. It thoroughly and thoughtfully examines and
documents anti-Semitic violence, discrimination and hostility that, in Dr.
Shaheed’s words, are “increasing in magnitude” and creating a “climate of fear”
in Jewish communities worldwide. The report finds that anti-Semitism is “toxic
to democracy” and “threatens all societies in which it goes unchallenged.” https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/un-finally-confronts-anti-semitism-as-a-human-rights-problem/
I posted an
observation on Facebook
on the miracle that is Israel that all four leaders of the Blue and White Party
are the children of Holocaust Survivors – indeed three of them were IDF
Commanders in Chief! The question that arose from that post was whether they
are able to lead and give our young people the motivation for a Jewish State,
with the emphasis on Jewish, because that motivation is all but, lost both In
Israel and the Diaspora. Since we come from a generation that forgot to tell
their children, and before us a generation that needed to forget, we raised a
generation that is ignorant of its past, thus does not know how to build the
future.
News in short and in
no particular order
1.
MP
Dame Louise Ellman, a Jewess, has quit the Labour Party after 55 years, saying
Jeremy Corbyn is "not fit" to become Prime Minister.
2.
Dreadful fires hit in two places in California
3.
A family of five was playing on Zikin Beach in Southern Israel
when lightening struck them. All were electrocuted and a 14 year old died
4.
Many thousands of Christians came to Jerusalem for the Feast of
Tabernacles annual parade organised by the ICEJ
5.
Venezuela, Libya and Mauritania have been elected to the UN
Human Rights Council. One has a dictator who has plunged his country into
poverty and the other supports slavery!
6.
Gal Gadot and her husband have formed a production company to
produce a film about Irene Sendler who saved thousands of children during the
Holocaust. Gal Gadot herself will play the title role about a real life
Superwoman.
7.
PM Boris Johnson and the EU both announced that a Brexit deal
has been reached but the stumbling block is over Eire and Ulster.
8.
Trump threatens Erdogan with economic sanctions if he continues
his aggression in Syria.
9.
Andile Gumbi (36) held the lead role in the South African
production of Daniel, the Musica at the Jerusalem Theatre when he suddenly fell
ill and was rushed to Shaare Zedek Hospital where the doctors are fighting for
his life
As I
told you last week,
we have been Succah hopping all week. Starting with Amiad and Noga, Yonatan and
Ella for Friday night, then lunch with Rina and Yechiel, a quick visit with the
Yekutieli family where Sammy took me to his veranda and explained his
fascinating interpretation of the view and showed me an amazing book of his
family's history; upstairs to Rachel and Yossi for a surprise 70th birthday supper for Yossi. Sunday Shiri and
Leor and the girls; Monday, singing with the choir in the Succah of Rafael and
Baya in Har Gilo which is even higher than Jerusalem and gave us a spectacular
view of the forked and sheet lightening over the city – spectacular but it sent
many people running into the house! In fact bits of Succah could be found all
over the place from the subsequent strong winds; Tuesday and all the Ravivs
were the Ishpuzim in Rachel and Igals Succah where Rachie put on a spectacular
spread and Ayala, aged 10, gave Zvi's grandchildren a course in making Slime!!
The girls came back to us to stay and in the morning Zvi took them on the light
rail to Mahane Yehuda which they absolutely adored!
Wednesday,
at the Kotel
(Western Wall) the ceremony of Birkat ha Cohanim, the Priestly Blessing,
took place. About 120,000 people gather to hear it. It immediately took me back
to my childhood and the festivals where my Daddy and my brother would go
outside for the start of the ceremony when the Levites (teachers) would help
them prepare to go up onto the dais to bless the community. The men of the
Silver and the Katz family would stand up there, at first facing us and then
turn away, cover their heads with their prayer shawls and turn back to the
community reciting the ancient words. One was not supposed to look at them during
the blessing but hey, this was my Daddy and I loved looking at him and was so
proud of his important role. He used to bless me every morning anyway as I
stood with him as he said his morning prayers. Here is the massive ceremony at
the Kotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=XfGwbEy2I2s
Yesterday
the first of our current guests arrived and what a joy it was! Merle and
Frank Friedman are from South Africa and are in the process of moving to
Israel. I loved their first reaction – to go straight out onto the veranda and
take photos! Merle loves flowers so when she saw the display of hibiscus
blooms, the geraniums, pelargoniums, my special fuchsia plant called Valerie and
the array of culinary herbs she was in seventh heaven! In the morning Zvi took
them to the "open" Succah in the President's Home, which I understand
was absolutely spectacular with Israeli agriculturalists cutting tree-fresh
fruits for everyone. After the Presidents home they went to the Islamic Museum
where they were wowed by the exceptional clock collection, then home for lunch.
Last night we all went down to the Pais Basketball Arena for a wonderful
reception for the ICEJ Tabernacles celebrations. It was wonderful to see old
friends Jay and Meridel Rawlings, Malcolm Hedding and of course Tim King, all
the original founders of the ICEJ. Tim gave me an update on his incredible
daughter Anna who first became very well known as a model with her fiery red
hair and beautiful face, gave up her career to volunteer for the IDF, became an
Honorary Citizen, got her Master's degree in Conflict Management and most
importantly gave Tim a beautiful grandchild!! The show afterwards was
absolutely spectacular.
So
to Shabbat,
followed by the last days of Succot and time to take down the wind-blown succot
and store it for another year, such is the cycle of festivals. The final and
then first festival of that cycle is Simchat Torah – literally the joy of Torah
– when we dance, sing and throw sweets to children for the sheer joy of coming
to the end of our weekly Torah readings and make ready to begin all over again
with the story of the creation and of course Adam and Eve, which brings us
neatly to Rabbi Jeremy Rosen's writings – Sin is not such a big deal! He
also explains that the famous and sinful apple of the story could have been an
orange, or a grape or fig!!! http://jeremyrosen.com/2019/10/sin-not-such-a-big-deal.html
You
already know my Friday routine – I wake early, write my letter to catch you up
with the week, tidy the house, set the table for Shabbat, prepare food then go
to Rachel to see her and the children and get my hugs then back home over the
hill of Samuel's Tomb, see the panoramic view, down to Ramot to get anything
that's missing from tonight's menu……….. oh tonight……. We obviously have Merle
and Frank, Prof. Gabby Barkay who will regale us with tales of his Sifting
Project https://tmsifting.org/en/brief-introduction-to-the-project/,
Zvi's Mexican cousin Sergio Verbitsky and his new wife and Mika and Aharon
Sarig. Oh boy, I haven't even started to cook so I really ought to find some
extra special songs then go to get organised!!!
I was
looking for songs appropriate to Simchat Torah and then, of course, this song
by Koolulam came up called Good Deeds Day – It should be good for you! I love
it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlkMPQl-vDI
You
know this song, I've given it many times, but this version it exceptional –
Salaam, Shalom, Peace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMomBbCyDlI
HaTikva,
The Hope – we must never forget who protects us and our incredible young people
With
all our love and blessings from Jerusalem, the most beautiful city in the
world, open to all and loved by most.
Shabbat
Shalom and Chag Sameach, Feast of Tabernacle Blessings
Sheila
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