18th of October 2024
Shabbat Shalom, Succot Sameach, A Holy Tabernacles, Moadim le
Simcha which if translated loosely means “reasons for joy” which is the
greeting for the middle days of a festival, and of course, finally, a reason
for relief if not joy, the man who planned and executed October 7th
2023 has met his maker, undoubtedly to discover that his maker, his real Maker,
the Almighty, doesn’t want him!
I know that for you, those of you outside Israel, it is still a
festival day, but you can always wait and read it when Shabbat is out.
Yahye Sinwar died surrounded by arms, grenades and many thousands
of shekels, but not hostages. He was identified with ease, not just from his
appearance but from dental records and DNA from the time he was in Israeli
prison for 22 years for killing Israeli soldiers then released in exchange for
Gilad Shalit, along with over 1,200 other terrorists. He was discovered and
eliminated by a platoon of Tankistim yesterday. In Britain we always said “Good riddance to
bad rubbish”
The north of Israel is still being pounded by missiles and rockets
yet we still build our tabernacles, our Succot, those flimsy, beautifully
decorated buildings that represent our journey to freedom, and freedom is the
one thing that those Iranian puppets cannot take away.
Today I am not going to write, at least not very much. I was sent a
truly magnificent piece of writing and I believe that to improve on the perfect,
simply to massage one’s ego, serves only oneself. It is written from the point
of view of an Ex-Pat Brit. It is one of the most brilliant articles I’ve ever
read. Miriam Lopian, British medical specialist recently moved to Israel. A
seriously must read
”October 7th caught us all by surprise, but I must admit that my
anxious brain has always been waiting for it, and I don’t think I am
alone.
I was prepared because the modern Jewish state was reborn during an
era defined by the cry of "never again." Never again would we
march like sheep to the slaughter, but not never again would there be another
attempt to annihilate us.
I was prepared because our entire state is built to function with
this threat etched in our hearts. We hand over our family members to serve in
the Israel Defence Forces from the age of 18; in Israel you are never too far
from a bomb shelter, lest you get caught in a rocket downpour and a massive
concrete wall separates Israeli and Palestinian villages, purposefully built to
defend against terror.
I was prepared because we have had to degrade ourselves and the
spirit of our peace-loving people by enforcing military control over large
territories and restricting the movement of fellow human beings because of the
very real threat some of these people pose.
I was prepared because I know you can’t simply walk into a mall
here without being searched for weapons and the world's most brilliant minds
are working around the clock to gather intelligence on every suspect across the
Middle East and beyond.
I was also prepared, thanks to my education in Jewish history,
which taught me the enduring precedent of millennia-long animosity towards the
Jewish people. The Bible, the world’s most widely read book, introduces
this narrative with the story of the Exodus, where the Israelites escaped 430
years of slavery and persecution by the Egyptian Pharaoh’s, and were led to
their homeland—Israel—more than 3,000 years ago. This theme of persecution and
resilience is a consistent thread throughout our history, with various
civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, Persians, and Crusaders
each playing their part.
I was prepared because I personally know countless people alive
today who bore witness to the ease with which the most civilized nation of its
time systemically exterminated over 6 million Jews. I know that from its
inception, the newly decolonized State of Israel has served and continues to
serve as a refuge for Holocaust survivors and Jewish refugees from around the
world, including those fleeing Western democracies, Arab dictatorships, and
Eastern European communist regimes.
But I don’t need to evoke history to remind me of the threats our
people continue to face. Our enemies, some of whom reside mere kilometers from
me, behind the security wall, electrified fences, and checkpoints,
and even some who sit in our university lecture halls, take great pleasure in
regularly reminding us of their murderous intent.
I was prepared because I know what they are taught in their
schools, and I know that they hide stashes of advanced weaponry in their
children's Disney-decorated wardrobes. I also know the financial reward they
receive from their government, who receive billions of dollars in international
aid, should they accomplish their deadly missions.
I was unprepared, however, for the barbarity and sadistic nature of
the violence inflicted upon my people on October 7th, including the acts of
burning, rape, and mutilation, and the sheer glee with which they carried out
these atrocities—actions that have no precedent, even among non-human species
on the planet.
I also wasn't prepared for the aftermath, which began on October
8th and has continued daily since.
I was unprepared when I witnessed British citizens dancing along
Edgware Road in jubilation on that day, while we were still counting our dead.
I was unprepared to witness old friends and medical colleagues
marching in Trafalgar Square supporting the genocide of my people, chanting
"From the River to the Sea," while the Police looked on with
indifference.
I was unprepared for the deafening silence and hypocrisy of the UN
Commission on the Status of Women and the #MeToo lobby in the face of the
widespread sexual violence extensively documented on October 7th, yet despite
this, many claim there is still not enough proof.
I was unprepared to discover that the murderers who participated in
this barbaric carnage were employees of the UNRWA and Al Jazeera, both of which
continue to operate freely.
I was unprepared for the silence of Michelle Obama, who proudly
campaigned to “Bring Back Our Girls” for the Nigerian girls held by Boko
Haram but not for the American citizens, toddlers, teenage girls, or even the
Holocaust survivor hostages from Israel.
I was unprepared for the sight of a one-year-old ginger toddler
featuring on a ‘Kidnapped’ poster, still waiting for the Red Cross to
visit, and I was very much less prepared for that poster being defaced
with swastikas so many times and in so many countries.
I was unprepared for the fact that the British Police instructed
someone not to walk next to a Palestinian protest in London because he was
“openly Jewish,” and they couldn’t guarantee his safety.
I was unprepared to encounter "I love Hezbollah" signs in
Central London, even after I had become accustomed to the "I love
Hamas" signs and even though they are both designated terrorist
organizations by the British and American governments.
I was unprepared for Iran to launch hundreds of ballistic missiles
at my home, my family, and my friends with the sole intent to kill me and my
people. At the same time, those around me continued engaging me in irrelevant
small talk.
I was unprepared to learn that the esteemed halls of Ivy League
institutions are infested with venomous hate and racism. Despite their
privilege and education, thousands of their students remain painfully ignorant
yet eager to be useful idiots, rallying to a cause they themselves fail to
comprehend.
I was unprepared for a reality where Kamala Harris is commemorating
the 7th of October by planting a pomegranate tree in her garden while the
Ayatollahs in Iran are busy getting on with testing their nuclear
facilities.
I was unprepared for the Asserson report to reveal that the BBC's
coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict violated its own guidelines on more than
1,500 occasions. Yet, the BBC would continue to spew its hate as usual.
I was unprepared for Kay Burley to accuse Eylon Levy on Sky News
that Israel releasing 150 convicted Palestinian murderers in exchange for 50
Israeli civilian hostages underscored the disproportionate disregard Israel had
for Palestinian lives.
I was unprepared for the New York Times to eulogise Hassan
Nasrallah, as a “powerful orator, beloved by Shi’ite Muslims” who “provided
social services for Lebanon.” and wanted “one Palestine, with equality for
Muslims, Jews, and Christians.” All the while, Syrians, Lebanese,
Iranians, and Israelis celebrated his assassination as it ultimately unloosened
the noose around our necks a little.
I was unprepared for Naomi Klein to write an article in the
Guardian yesterday entitled, "How Israel has made trauma a weapon of
war," nor was I prepared for Raz Segal’s “Israel must stop weaponizing the
Holocaust” a year ago.
I was unprepared for UN Secretary-General Antonio Gueterre's
failure to condemn the Islamic Regime of Iran for lobbying 180 ballistic
missiles into Israel. However, the UN's shocking conduct warrants its own
entirely separate article.
I was certainly unprepared for the fact that on October 7th, 2024,
I would be writing this from my bomb shelter, which ironically reminds me of a
gas chamber I saw in Majdanek, whilst thousands of Americans are converging on
the steps of Columbia University in New York, chanting “globalize the intifada”
and again, silence.
I never thought I would understand how the Holocaust happened, but
now I do.”
I wish you all a peaceful weekend, a truly Shabbat Shalom. Tonight
is Shabbat, the middle days of Succot which returns on Tuesday night. In the
meantime, I wish you Moadim le Simcha, a reason to celebrate, many reasons for
joy and time to enjoy them.
Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem, glistening on the horizon as I stand,
ever grateful for the View from my Veranda.
With love
Sheila
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