Not the End

11^th July 2025

 

 

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends. A strange Shabbat, rather like all the Shabbatot for the last 643 days. We are sad, even as we dance; we are sad even as we laugh. The deepest sadness is caused by the knowledge that the world was ready to take our grief and blame us for the ills of their world, lauding the oppressor and calling for our demise.

 

Gosh that was quite a beginning. As this missive continues, I promise to try and lift all our spirits, because so many good things are happening, but when synagogues are burned and Jewish restaurants targetted we know something is wrong, horribly wrong.

 

When the ancient graduation ceremony of Cambridge University is disrupted by young graduates who refuse to take the hand of the Proctor and pull out a Palestinian flag and wave it in his face, then the wrong has reached a very dangerous level.

 

While in the Knesset, former Speaker Yuli Edelstein’s proposed conscription law was yet again attempted, yet again procrastination by the PM held it back, five beautiful soldiers of the Haredi battle unit lost their lives in Gaza. They fell victims to yet another Hamas booby-trap. Moshe Shmuel Noll, Meir Shimon Amar, Moshe Nissim Frech, Noam Aharon Musgadian, and Benyamin Asulin. May their souls rest in peace. Fourteen others were injured in the ambush. Their families mourn as we mourn with them, but, I am ashamed to say that Naturei Karta’s, Frey, a convicted terrorist, proclaimed that the world is better without them. It is fascinating that all of the heroes of the Bible and those who closely followed the laws, believed in fighting to survive, from Bar Kochba to Yehuda Maccabee. Maimonides was a physician, in fact all of these who studied the Torah so intensely and provided us with explanations, all worked at other professions. I’m sure you can see where my train of thought is taking me, albeit with my usual lateral thinking; there is no reason, in Jewish Law, that one is proscribed from working and defending one’s country.  In fact, Maimonides wrote “In Thy eternal Providence, Thou hast chosen me to watch over the life and health of Thy creatures. I am now prepared to devote myself to the duties of my profession. Support me, Almighty God, in this great work to do good to men, for without Thy financial aid nothing I do will succeed”. In other words, he chose to work, earn money to fund his healing.

 

As you probably know, yesterday, at about 05:00, we had yet another wake up call from the Houthis. Not the kindest way to wake up with that awful grating sound of warning and then the siren over the phone and then outside in the village. What you may not know is that they, the Houthis, blew up a Greek ship, in fact sank two ships this week. At least 5 dead and several missing. They board like the pirates they are, capture the crew, place the explosives and run, like the cowards they are, leaving the ship to sink with the crew. They are the last remaining proxy of the Iranian Axis of Evil, although Turkey would love to join!

 

Having a Doctorate or being a Professor of Medicine doesn’t make you clever! The British Medical Association is considering an embargo on their Israeli counterpart! Idiots! Our most important research is in the medical sphere and we are the best in the world.

 

Did you know that Saddam Hussein offered to kill the Ayatollah Khomeini? Just imagine! What did the Allies do? We killed Saddam Hussein instead.

 

Remember. At 8.52 a.m. on 7 July, 2005, a 999 call came into the London Ambulance Service control room reporting an explosion at Liverpool Street station. Dozens of calls followed and within minutes a major incident was declared. Suicide bombers had targeted the commuters during the morning rush hour. Fifty-two people died and more than 700 were injured in one of the worst terrorist attacks on British soil. 

 

As so many times in the past, the person in front of you gets the Nobel Prize for Peace while those who are no longer in the limelight are pushed aside. The most obvious example is President Obama, who received the honour almost as he stepped into the Oval Office! The name of Donald Trump has been put forward as this year’s recipient, and I am not arguing with that, although there are many more war situations and dire oppression in many parts of the world which are ignored by all, but President Joseph Biden deserves to share the prize. Under huge pressure from his own party he supported Israel militarily, financially and morally. What a forgetful society we are.

 

“Feeding people is the most Christian thing you can do.” That’s how Johnnie Moore, the evangelical leader now overseeing the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, summed up his mission—one that has delivered over 10 million food boxes to Gazans in just five weeks, even as Hamas attacks, UN criticism, and a second regional war tried to derail it. The UN has acted like a mafia when it comes to controlling the food in Gaza. They fueled a system for years that suppressed the people of Gaza. We’re disrupting that.” Moore added that the foundation has evidence Hamas is now targeting aid recipients—stealing food from civilians after they collect it.

 

OK time for some good news!

 

Sasha Trobonov, released from captivity after 498 days, is engaged! He proposed to his girlfriend and partner Sapir Cohen this week! Sapir was also held captive by Hamas for 55 days. The two were kidnapped together from Sasha's family home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7^th

 

A group of 15 Muslim leaders from across Europe arrived in Israel on Monday for a week-long peace-building trip. ⁠On their first day in the country, the delegation, which included representatives from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, as well as the UK, met Israeli President Isaac Herzog before visiting the Knesset and touring the Old City of Jerusalem. ⁠ Imam Youssef Masbeh recited Hatikva.

 

The United States Congress has introduced a bill to sanction the South African leaders. Anti-American and anti-Israel rhetoric and actions. Among the reasons - Abusing international legal forums to attack Israel. Supporting terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Building strategic military and economic ties with the Iranian regime. The intention is to cut all U.S. development aid to the ANC-led government, and freeze the assets and block travel of high-ranking political figures who promote or enable anti-Semitic and anti-Western actions. This is not hypothetical. It has started, at long last.

 

Did you know that “God Bless America" was written by a Jew? Irving Berlin wrote it during World War I in 1918 and revised it in the run-up to World War II in 1938. The later version became the National Song, sung at every sports meet and grand occasion.

 

They may not be your favourite politicians but President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have been meeting, almost all the meetings in camera, multiple times, trying to unravel the knotted problem of Gaza, of the hostages and of course the elephant that was in the room for so many years, Iran. I wish them well because this goes far beyond politics, far beyond the abilities of diplomats, it needs leaders who are ready to make a great deal of noise.

 

Last night was a huge celebration here on our project. In the manner of builders and salespeople of any new project, we were promised a library, coffee shop, meeting rooms and so in the exquisite building at our heart. Of course nothing happened until last night! A young couple have opened a wellness centre in the old convalescence home of the Histadrut (Union) and it opened with all of the residents of the area being invited to a wonderful event, beginning in the area in front of the building, then up into the refurbished stairs to the second floor for a second event and finally music. High time and much appreciated even if we lose our extra parking spots!!   

 

It happened, two nights ago!! The wonderful concert of the choir, with Zvi introducing them,then singing loud and clear; the concert that Zvi has been rehearsing for weeks and weeks. His conductor is Ronit Banit who succeeds in getting the best of everyone with kindness and excellence and it was stupendous! The programme was wide, from Handel to West Side Story to the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco. The concert was held in the beautiful concert hall of the YMCA, my favourite building in Jerusalem! The only negative of the evening was that for some unknown reason their coffee shop was closed! After the concert we went with our in-laws, Menashe and Galia, to find a restaurant, which we did and had a delicious, high quality meal. Obviously, we discussed the current situation, but we disagreed without insults, just discussed, as it should be. Delighted with the whole evening, we crept home to sleep!

 

Israel is a land where strength and the love of life are deeply intertwined—a place where every sunrise feels like a triumph and every laugh echoes with meaning. Born from struggle and shaped by courage, its people live with a fire in their hearts: dancing, creating, dreaming—even in the shadow of hardship. There’s a fierce, tender beauty in how Israelis hold joy close, celebrate every moment, and cling to hope with unshakable resolve. In every corner of this small, vibrant country beats a soul that refuses to give up on life, on love, or on tomorrow

 

And then comes Shabbat, like a gentle exhale—a sacred pause where time slows, hearts open, and the soul remembers what it means to truly live.

 

One of my favourite songs, and one of my favourite singers, is “Sailing” by Rod Stewart. It is a favourite in our family too for very special reasons. It says it all https://youtu.be/FOt3oQ_k008?si=hEpDqvheh49SnsNx

 

The Shabbat prayer from Fiddler on the Roof. My grandchildren went to see the show in London and were fascinated. https://youtu.be/RH3xL8H8tu4?si=c5l4FrLwfJqCzeAL   

 

The last song has a story! When Zvi was a teenager in Mexico, when his parents were shlichim (emissaries) to the Jewish School, the friends he made then are still his friends until today. Many visit us in Israel and Zvi spends hours on Whatsapp with them explaining the situation here in Spanish. Among those friends are Raquel and Ber Oberfeld. Raquel wrote to Zvi to tell him of one song, her favourite written by their Chazan, Meir Finkelstein. It is call “L’Dor V’Dor” which means from Generation to Generation, surely the greatest motto of our times. Here it is sung, in the original Hebrew, by a children’s choir in a Methodist Church in Pasadena, and a truly magnificent rendition it is. https://youtu.be/RmjXStk75Rk?si=WzShvWgGT0djKruB

“We are gifts and we are blessings, we are history in song We are hope and we are healing, we are learning to be strong

We are words and we are stories, we are pictures of the past

We are carriers of wisdom, not the first and not the last

From generation to generation, we will tell of Your greatness

We protect this chain

From generation to generation these lips will praise Your name

Looking back on the journey that we carry in our heart

From the shadow of the mountain to the waters that would part

We are blessed and we are holy, we are children of Your way And the words that bring us meaning, we will have the strength to say”

 

Surely a song for all religions of peace, for all of us irrespective of how we pray, what language we pray in and to which direction we face. There are good and bad in all religions, but the truly evil are those who take away a child’s right to childhood through hate teaching. Let’s keep teaching love, teaching tolerance and acceptance of those who differ from us, be it their skin colour, their mode of dress, and remember just because someone is tattooed with a rasta hairstyle doesn’t mean that they are not a fantastic, fascinating human being!!

 

Sending you love for a peaceful Shabbat. Love from the most wonderful, spiritual city in the world!

 

Sheila