19th of December 2023
Shalom, shalom
OK I admit it, I have been putting off writing to you. After the
tragedy of Friday I cannot bear to even think about the families of the three
young men, three hostages who somehow succeeded in escaping their captors, who were
mistakenly killed by our own troops.
Perhaps I should start by explaining that the rules, the absolute
rules of the IDF that even when faced by an enemy who is clearly unarmed and
holding a white flag, is to down arms, to cease all fire. Having said that,
these soldiers had been involved in fierce fighting, scouring houses with booby
trap and terrorist cells around every corner and doorway for two months solid.
I’m not excusing their reckless behaviour but at least one of them was traumatised
to the point of being terrified, so that even when his senior officer yelled to
him to cease fire he continued. After surviving 70 days of dire conditions in
captivity, three young men died. Yotam
Haim, Samer Talalka, and Alon Shamriz – may their souls rest in peace.
For anyone who doubts that hospitals,
kindergartens and schools were used by Hamas as weapons stores should listen to
the testimony of the Head of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Ahmad Kahlot, said that
Hamas took over the hospital storing weapons in the basement and using the
hospital as a base in Jabaliya. The fact is that many Hamas operatives, even
those of high rank, are singing like nightingales to the Secret Services (Shabak)
and to their amazement they are treated
according to the Geneva Convention for War prisoners.
We have known about the vast tunnel
system built by Hamas with your tax money but nobody actually expected the
tunnel that was discovered this week. At least 4 metres wide and 3 metres tall,
50 metres deep in the ground and 4 kilometres long, perfectly engineered by
Yahyeh Sinwar’s brother Muhammed, the tunnel had only one fault – it met the
solid, reinforced cement, underground wall the length of the border with
Israel! The tunnel is large enough for a Jeep to drive through without any
problem, its walls slid and beautifully engineered. More of your tax money!
Talking of which, neatly wrapped up in plastic bags the troops found over a
million dollars in dollar and shekel bills in a Hamas leader’s house!
As the IDF gets closer and closer to
the hostages, they found a large underground chamber with evidence that many of
the hostages were tied to chairs and hidden behind a plaster wall but sadly by
the time the soldiers got there they had been moved. In another cruel act,
Hamas released a video of three elderly male hostages, their heads virtually
shaved and their beards long in the fashion of Hamas, reading a written speech.
They looked thin and distressed but, if the video is as recent as we are led to
believe, alive. Negotiations are underway again, to release as many as possible
of the remaining hostages. It will mean releasing some serious terror offenders
but time is running out and Hamas knows that the lives of the hostages is
paramount, which they use against us yet again.
Somehow, nobody notices that while pleading
poverty, Hamas has plenty of money for missiles which they are still launching
with great regularity. Just in case you believe the rubbish about a siege on
Gaza, staple foodstuffs have been coming through Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings.
Atop the trucks Hamas operatives brandish weapons as the starving crowds rush
the trucks hoping to steal something to feed their families because all the
food goes to Hamas supporters! The Northern border is also subject to barrages
of missiles, but the North is far more dangerous to the South because they have
the power and the clear backing of Iran.
Of course things are not all bad,
remember I told you that we are not capable of hiding in our homes trembling in
fear – we still go out.
Zvi and I went back to the Chabad
House to make sandwiches, but this time we took a friend with us. Philip Bloom
is from Boston and has been coming to Israel to volunteer for months at a time
for 35 years or more. The Rabbi asked Philip to light the memorial candles to
the soldiers who lost their lives and take part in the prayer for their souls. Philip
then told us that he had brought something very special for the soldiers. The students
of the Beis Yaakov school in Boston had written beautiful letters to soldiers
and although Philip had handed out several to soldiers he met, he still had
many. Since Rabbi Shlomo was going down to Kibbutz Be’eri that evening to make
a barbecue for soldiers he offered to take them with to the delight of the soldiers
who made a special video for the students. Well done Philip.
Yesterday I took part in a fascinating
webinar. It was an ELNET https://elnetwork.eu/
webinar Chaired by the wonderful Joan
Ryan and David Hirsh was the speaker. David spoke so cleverly, without embroidery,
and he answered Joan’s questions with great eloquence. As he said, October 7th
and the responses to October 7th showed us who people really are. I
am very proud that Impact-se works closely with ELNET. One of the main subjects
discussed was Anti-Semitism, how to deal
with it and ultimately how do we prepare our children and grandchildren to deal
with it. It reminded me of my work with AJ6, or the Association of Jewish 6th
Formers – young Jews between the ages of 16-18, preparing, writing, material to
ensure that they had all the necessary information at their fingertips to draw
out when needed, when faced with an anti-Semite. We brought groups to Israel
and taught them everything they needed to respond. Instead of running or stammering
and irrelevant answer or worse, they were prepared. Sadly, soon after I left,
AJ6 was absorbed into the Union of Jewish students and disbanded, nothing to
replace it. If ever it was need it is now – I beg of someone to revive AJ6 in
the UK and to create its equivalent everywhere else.
When someone was brutally honest my
father always said “He isn’t backwards in coming forwards” which could easily
describe Bill Maher. I so enjoyed this particular monologue https://youtu.be/KP-CRXROorw?si=_ZikXtJ7FkwFi_3C
A whole slew of stars have chosen to
stand with Israel by coming to Israel. They don’t take the easy route either. Jerry
Seinfeld and Michael Rapaport are among them and chose to speak to the families
of hostages, to visit Be’eri, to talk to grieving families and to generally
raise the morale of young Israelis.
As Churchill said during World War 2
“Now this is not the end. It is not
even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
We have a long way to go before the people of the kibbutzim, towns, moshavim
and villages, the green lands of the Salad Trail of the Western Negev will be
rebuilt and re-established but they will, it will just take time.
Ayn li Eretz Aheret – I have no
other country - https://youtu.be/kiOic1JiMQA?si=HW5M-Hih0A26xkQk
I was thinking and thinking what
music is appropriate to end this missive and no matter where I went, I cam back
to the same song. Neighborhood Bully by Bob Dylan. https://youtu.be/-ETdLfXI6r8?si=5S5ByucAYC64iiRc
The lyrics aren’t clear as he sings
them so here they are. In the meantime I wish you a good week, I hope you are
all getting really excited as Christmas nears, who knows maybe with a miracle
or two it really will be the season of joy and goodwill
Well, the neighborhood
bully, he's just one man
His enemies say he's on their land
They got him outnumbered about a million to one
He got no place to escape to, no place to run
He's the neighborhood bully.
The neighborhood bully he
just lives to survive
He's criticized and condemned for being alive
He's not supposed to fight back, he's supposed to have thick skin
He's supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in
He's the neighborhood bully.
The neighborhood bully
been driven out of every land
He's wandered the earth an exiled man
Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn
He's always on trial for just being born
He's the neighborhood bully.
Well, he knocked out a
lynch mob, he was criticized
Old women condemned him, said he should apologize
Then he destroyed a bomb factory, nobody was glad
The bombs were meant for him. He was supposed to feel bad
He's the neighborhood bully.
Well, the chances are
against it, and the odds are slim
That he'll live by the rules that the world makes for him
'Cause there's a noose at his neck and a gun at his back
And a license to kill him is given out to every maniac
He's the neighborhood bully.
Well, he got no allies to
really speak of
What he gets he must pay for, he don't get it out of love
He buys obsolete weapons and he won't be denied
But no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side
He's the neighborhood bully.
Well, he's surrounded by
pacifists who all want peace
They pray for it nightly that the bloodshed must cease
Now, they wouldn't hurt a fly. To hurt one they would weep
They lay and they wait for this bully to fall asleep
He's the neighborhood bully.
Every empire that's enslaved him is gone
Egypt and Rome, even the great Babylon
He's made a garden of paradise in the desert sand
In bed with nobody, under no one's command
He's the neighborhood bully.
Now his holiest books
have been trampled upon
No contract that he signed was worth that what it was written on
He took the crumbs of the world and he turned it into wealth
Took sickness and disease and he turned it into health
He's the neighborhood bully.
What's anybody indebted
to him for?
Nothing, they say. He just likes to cause war
Pride and prejudice and superstition indeed
They wait for this bully like a dog waits for feed
He's the neighborhood bully.
What has he done to wear
so many scars?
Does he change the course of rivers? Does he pollute the moon and stars?
Neighborhood bully, standing on the hill
Running out the clock, time standing still
Neighborhood bully.
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