Board of Peace

 

23^rd January, 2026

5 Shevat 5786

 

Shabbat Shalom to one and all. Today I am going to dive right in with the Trump plans for our area.

 

Trump is not the first to say it or do it. The famous phrase "Speak softly and carry a big stick" was popularized by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who used it to describe his foreign policy approach of peaceful negotiation backed by the credible threat of military strength, embodying "Big Stick Diplomacy". While he presented it as a West African proverb, it's likely he coined the phrase, which became a cornerstone of his assertive but diplomatic international relations strategy. 

 

“The Board of Peace” sounds very far-fetched, perhaps illogical and yet for the first time the word peace has been used in relation to Gaza. Since its inception after WW2, the UN needed a replacement, an unbiased positive replacement and this may just be the answer. Perhaps, just perhaps the strange bedfellows put together by a President who doesn’t take no for an answer could just work. This week has brought ideas and solutions which have never been tried before and the principle in business of keeping your enemies close is not as crazy as it may first appear. Perhaps, just perhaps (I will use “perhaps” great deal in this missive) this President of the United States is sufficiently unpredictable as to worry our enemies into some form of submission. It will be a very expensive operation but the Gaza rehabilitation and reconstruction plan set forward by Jared Kushner (maybe not the Las Vegas part on the beach) could just be an answer, not the solution but one which brings hope. The demilitarisation of Hamas brings a tiny flicker of light to a deeply complex society. “Perhaps” is an awful lot better than the deep dismay and inevitability of continued warfare that we Israels have known in the past.

 

The second major “perhaps” is Iran. Iran was once ruled by a secular autocrat who, by the region’s grim standards, governed with relative restraint. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, ruled until 1979, when he was overthrown in the Islamic Revolution led by Khomeini. The monarchy was abolished and replaced with the Islamic Republic, ushering in extreme Sharia rule whose consequences are plain today. President Jimmy Carter’s administration played a pivotal role in this outcome, shifting from public support, famously toasting the Shah in Tehran in 1977 and calling Iran an “island of stability”, to quietly “encouraging” his departure as the regime collapsed. What is too often overlooked is the extraordinary bravery of Iranians now protesting this theocracy. To demonstrate is to risk death, and it is believed that tens of thousands have been killed in recent months. Perhaps only the pressure of a leader unwilling to accept intimidation will help Iran reclaim its freedom and, one day, its former dignity.

 

Perhaps another “perhaps” we should hope and pray that President Trump’s team truly understands the constants shaping our region and the wider world. These are not isolated threats, but interconnected ones, extending far beyond the Middle East to include Russia and China, and rooted in ideologies that openly aspire to global dominance. Plans to undermine the United States were articulated years ago, openly and methodically, as documented in the material presented in Philadelphia. https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs5746/files/2023-10/the-hamas-network-in-america.pdf  Hamas’s reach, we now know, extends well beyond Gaza, into towns and cities across the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, and much of Europe.

 

None of this is comfortable to acknowledge. Nor is it comfortable to say that, in this moment, an unpredictable, blunt, and even bullying president may be precisely what is required. I know—without a hint of perhaps—that many of you will recoil at this, convinced I have crossed some invisible line into cheerleading. That is not the point. This is not about affection or admiration. It is about urgency, realism, and resolve. And if we can move from endless “perhapses” to a clear-eyed “definite maybe”, that alone would feel like progress.

 

Another, less hopeful issue is the matter of Kurdistan, or the fragmented parts thereof. Don't look at this area through the lens of the west, look at it through the lens of it geopolitical influences. following the post-WWI collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. With a population of 40-45 million, the Kurds are a major stateless nation, Kurdish homeland across four countries, Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria none of whom acknowledge, or are willing to relinquish their claim or give autonomy or sovereignty to the Kurds who are rising up in anger at the lack of international recognition of their plight.

 

And so to Israel. One issue now dominates the thoughts and conversations of Israelis, at least those who are proud of their country, prepared to serve it, defend it, and raise their children to do the same. It is the growing anger at a small but vocal sector that abuses Judaism itself, making declarations that verge on treason while blocking major roads into and out of Jerusalem with their demonstrations, preventing those who actually go out to work and pay their taxes, from earning a living, while chanting, “Better to die than serve in the IDF.”

 

For me, the deepest tragedy is not only the disruption or the rhetoric, but the damage this distortion of Judaism has done to young secular Israelis, pushing many further away from their heritage altogether. At the same time, we must also confront another hard truth: there exists a very small group, tiny, but destructive, of violent extremists who terrorise ordinary Palestinians whose only “crime” is living nearby.

These two pathologies are not equivalent, but they share a corrosive effect: both undermine the moral fabric of Israel, and both demand honesty, courage, and firm leadership to confront them; that leadership is sorely missing right now.

 

I would hate you to think that everything is doom and depression here. Nothing could be further from the truth. The restaurants and coffee shops are still full, wedding and function halls burst at the seams, their loud music annoying anyone within a kilometre! We enjoy life a fact that may seem strange when many countries have declared us “red” a no-go advisory, and the aforementioned  Iranians threaten to launch a bombardment of ballistic missiles if the USA threatens their regime.

 

My lovely friend Jill and her two daughters, Ilana and Rebecca were undaunted by the news (especially the BBC known in this house as the Biased Bigots Collective). They walked and wandered happily and freely in Jerusalem old and new, visiting Shouks (markets) Jewish and Arab, the Kotel, generally amazed at the freedom of all faiths and races. Of course, their visit to Mahane Yehuda included buying and eating (obviously) wonderful delicacies from the now famous Tzidkiyahu family stall right at the beginning of the market. Jill and I enjoyed everything at a somewhat more sedate gait, neither of us exactly running around! We had delicious Shakshuka in Motzeleh with Rachel, who loves Jill as I do and yesterday we set off for Kibbutz Be’erot Yitzchak  where Jill lived and learned for two years to see Tzippi and Eliyahu.

 

On Sunday night we were in Tel Aviv to celebrate the Golden Wedding of Harold and Rebecca Finger. They must be doing something right, or married in the cradle, because they both look amazing!!!

 

I nearly missed telling you the sheer joy of being with my amazing son Gideon who came back for a few days, this time relaxing and resting in an Airbnb in Tel Aviv, a well earned rest, given with love by his incredible wife Stephanie.

 

Now for the best part. As I wrote last week, I am now 80 years old and still going strong. Unwilling to allow anything to stop me. What I am about to tell you was the height of my achievements. I organised my own birthday party, keeping its contents basically secret from everyone except Rachel without whose help I couldn’t have managed. Please please, don’t be cross if you were not on the list of invitees, I was limited in my numbers. So let me tell you about it. The event was appropriately held in the events hall in Shalva, my home from home. As people walked in, they saw a big sign announcing the party with a photo of me as a baby on it, then to the stand with all sorts of gifts for them, the best of all were Rachel’s “seed bombs”. Everything related to my love of gardening. As people walked into the room they were greeted with the sight of gold and white balloons on each table and the exquisite violin of Sasha, aka Alexandra Babakhanov, a beautiful and highly talented dear friend who played as they mingled and then ate from the delicious buffet and great wines including Yossi’s wine called Blind Taste, explanation to follow. A few people asked to speak but one I insisted that she speak, my Kinneret Chaya. I felt so proud and overwhelmed by the words of Gaby Hirsch, Marcus Sheff, Gideon (Israelis were staggered by his prowess and eloquence), Zvi’s son Leor, my Zvi, our grandchildren all of those in Israel. Yosef, Amit, Tomer, Sheli, Gili, Ayala, Ori, Yuval, Ella and Yonatan, stood in front of my friends and said beautiful things, Zvi, Shaiela, Ehud, Ronit sang my two favourite songs (Lelechet Shevi Achariich and of course Al Kol Eleh) accompanied by Sasha. Then Kinneret Chaya told of her/our story; of her injuries and recovery and our deep friendship including many tears and laughter. She ended it with words I have been waiting to hear since the 30^th of March 2002, she had decided that she wanted us to write a book taking the constant reports of her progress from near death to mother of four. Watch this space.

 

The incredible number of blessings and messages that I received for my birthday left me dumbfounded, or as one says in the UK, gobsmacked! The donations to Dr Dan’s Room have enabled even more activities and programmes and honour the memory of a very special man. Messages sent to Rachel rady to surprise me on my birthday ay came from my siblings, friends and family and very special ones from my daughter-in-law and granddaughter in NYC. Callie did a beautiful drawing! I was deeply moved by Kalman Samuels’ and the video he made for my birthday including Dr Dan’s Room.  https://youtu.be/ILotk4B86nw?si=GQPW7NPGkzzWfGbf

 

I promised you the explanation of Yossi’s wines, the story of Yossi Samuel, son of Kalman and Malki, founders of Shalva. Yossi, despite being blind and deaf communicates with presidents, film stars and Prime Ministers and is a fully fledged sommelier! This video is long but watching it one understands that even with the most extreme of tragedies, a beautiful place, a refuge and a beautiful man can emerge. https://youtu.be/TKbN5d3qUTQ?si=z45tdQmuqNyGNzIh

 

Music, beautiful music, is what we need in our lives to guide us through the best and worst of times.

 

My first choice, as you can imagine, is one of Sasha’s favourites, playing as she stands in the vineyards in the South . https://youtu.be/_c_u5uo6RZs?si=fvDLygDJOr2Kj7Kw

 

The next song, the beginning of an incredible ride of fame for the Shalva Band. A Million Dreams could well be an anthem for everyone who refuses to just sit back and allow their fate to be decided by others. https://youtu.be/4HWaldJt5Bc?si=vvrEe-3n6gcsjSzm

 

Valerie Hamati and Tamir Greenberg sang together in the finals of the choice for Israel’s Eurovision Song Contest. They didn’t win, although I adored them. Valerie sang in Arabic, Hebrew and English and Tamir Hebrew and English. Halleluyah as you have never heard it before.  https://youtu.be/irEpp0NsgkI?si=pEqgEnK_mcj-LWue

 

That’s it folks! Jill and I are off to see Rachel and family, to attempt to push my way through the masses to reach the challot in Nehama Bakeries. I don’t have to cook today since Amiad decided that I shouldn’t prepare for the family after a very busy but fabulous week.

 

I know there are things I didn’t get to this week but I don’t want to tire you out before Shabbat!!

 

If I have anything to add before Shabbat it is – Don’t refuse to accept ideas that may come from a source that you may dislike. One doesn’t have to love the source to accept a chance of hope in a hopeless situation. Of course, that covers life in general, but especially our confused and angry world of today. Open your minds to every train of thought hat brings hope to us, to others and to those who until now thought their lives were not worth living. As John Lennon said “All You Need Is Love” It may sound banal but, hey, life is banal without it!

 

Shabbat Shalom from beautiful Jerusalem, the ever breathtaking sight from our Veranda.

 

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homeland

 

Friday the 9^th of January, 2026

20 Tevet 5786

825 days since October 7^th 2023

 

Shabbat Shalom to you and to your families.

 

Each week I try to find an apt quote, one that relates to all of us, whatever our faith, or lack of it. This week I chose the subject of Anti-Semitism. As you can imagine, there were many, but I don’t like to weigh you down with long-winded existential thoughts, I prefer simple truths and this quote from Jean-Paul Sartre is the simple truth.  “If the Jew did not exist, the anti-Semite would invent him.”

 

Why does it fit all of us? Because it is not only the Jew who is chosen for hatred, it is the vast majority (still) of normative people on this earth. Just this week 2 worshippers were killed during a funeral service, several wounded in shooting outside Salt Lake City church. Not the first LDS church attacked, certainly not the first nor the last church attacked.

 

The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, aka Albo, has paid attention to the strong criticism of his government following the Bondi attack on Chanuka. Unlike here in Israel, he has answered the call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the period before the attack and the laxity in dealing with rising anti-Semitism which should have warned of an impending attack. Has he learned a lesson? Will the Australian police and legal system pay more attention to the rising threat? Only time will tell but, much as we have rightly criticised Albanese’s government, at least they have responded which sadly other countries have not.  This article by Former Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, caught my eye https://www.scottmorrison.com.au/media/the-labor-party-made-australia-safe-for-antisemitism

 

This week, people about to board a flight to Israel in Milan Airport, were harassed and abused by a crowd of dozens of anti-Israel demonstrators. Why wasn’t it broken up at the very outset? Why did it reach the point that those passengers feared for their lives? As we say in the UK, I just don’t get it. Why, on the one side, are passengers not protected and more importantly, why do they need to be protected?

 

Have you seen the photographs of Angelina Jolie at the Gaza/Egypt border, her look of anguish so perfectly composed for the cameras? She, and so many of Hollywood’s self-appointed woke moral leaders, perform compassion effortlessly, as long as it fits the approved narrative. Yet time and again, they remain silent about persecuted Black Christians, because acknowledging them would disrupt the anti-Israel trope they so carefully maintain. The reality they ignore is brutal. In Nigeria alone, Open Doors reports that 4,407 Christians were abducted in the north-central region between 2020 and 2025. Adjusted for population size, Christians were 2.4 times more likely than Muslims to be kidnapped. This is not fashionable outrage, so it earns no photo ops, no speeches, and no hashtags—only silence from a woke elite far more interested in appearances than in truth.

 

Zvi and I are watching “Homeland” the US version of the Israeli series "Hatufim" (Prisoners of War), created by Gideon Raff. When the terrorist Abu Nazir is finally captured Abu Nazir tells Keri -

“We will succeed because you in the west with your beach houses and big houses are not a match for our determination and willingness to die for our cause”. As I have said so many times, complacency is the enemy in our fight to save society as we know it.

 

Crazy fact. The Emirates has limited funding for students that want to study in the UK for fear of them becoming a radicalised

 

Did you know that this has been a very important week in the Orthodox Church? The 6^th, 7^th and 8^th were the Orthodox Christmas. Just as in Judaism, the Christian Church has many denominations and the Orthodox Church itself is split into Russian, Ethiopian, Egyptian (Copt) Greek, Serbian, Romanian all of which have representation here in Jerusalem. Obviously the largest is the Russian, but all the others are also present here in this city of a thousand faiths.

 

When the Orthodox Christian Christmas appeared on my diary, I started to research the situation of Christians around the world and was horrified to discover that more than 380m Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/

 

So, Maduro, the dictator of Venezuela was captured proving yet again that President Trump does not threaten, he acts – probably the vast natural resources of that country helped the decision. The fascinating fact of the capture is that both he and Noriega were both captured on January 3^rd 30 years apart. One may ask if it affects Israel, as most things do. The decision to capture and officially arrest cruel dictator from South America has many implications around the world like throwing a stone into a pond and the ripples reach far and wide. It's put fear into the hearts of Iranian leaders and dictators around the world because President Trump goes far beyond the norms of international diplomacy into a world where the cruel are captured, arrested and held for trial

 

Here in Israel, we not only deal with Palestinian terror but also the terror imposed on Palestinians by the Hilltop Youth, the radicalized Jewish youth who attack ordinary Palestinians, burn their cars, homes and even physically attack. Finally, after far too long, the IDF has approved the wearing of electronic ankle bracelets by anyone suspected of such terror actions.

 

For weeks, almost daily, members of Peleg Yerushalmi (the Jerusalem Branch) the most extreme faction of the Jerusalem Haredi movement have blocked major roads at the entrance to Jerusalem and in Bnei Brak, chanting “Better to die than serve in the IDF” and clashing with police. Two days ago, the protests escalated when demonstrators attacked a bus, hurling stones and objects at it and threatening the driver, who called police in fear for his life. As the crowd rushed the bus, he accelerated to escape and tragically ran over 14-year-old Yosef Eisenthal, who the driver claimed he did not see, was killed. The driver has since been questioned and placed under house arrest. This tragedy was foreseeable: police, acting under orders from Internal Security Minister Ben Gvir, were instructed to go easy on the protesters and allow them to paralyse two of the country’s busiest roads, with devastating consequences.

 

Iran continues to issue its familiar threats towards Israel, speaking darkly of launching “a thousand missiles”. Meanwhile, inside Iran itself, a rather different drama is playing out. Large numbers of ordinary Iranians are taking to the streets once again, pushing back against more than four decades of clerical rule. The latest surge of protests followed a call to action from Reza Pahlavi, the exiled Crown Prince, whose name still carries a certain resonance. The son of Iran’s last shah, Pahlavi has long urged Iranians to challenge the Islamic Republic and has spoken of a future Iran aligned with the West, specifically including Israel. A curious historical footnote: on his 20th birthday in 1980, he declared himself Reza Shah II, a claim from which Washington promptly distanced itself. For all the noise about missiles, it may well be the steady determination of Iranians seeking change that turns out to matter far more.

 

Since lots of you have mentioned that you want to come to visit Israel, I thought I would include this interesting site of the finest parks in Israel! https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g293977-Activities-c57-t67-Israel.html

 

Our estate, home to about 230 families, sits on the grounds of a truly magnificent historic building, once a convalescent home for senior civil servants. Built in classic Jerusalem stone and bearing more than a passing resemblance to the White House, it’s a place we all love living in. That said, we have long and loudly bemoaned one missing detail: the promised coffee shop.

 

This week, at last, it opened, with great fanfare, marked by real celebration and, naturally, a lecture on coffee (as one does) and the new coffee shop. With the addition of a Wellness Centre and now a coffee shop, something lovely has happened: the whole community comes together, from toddlers to grandparents, sharing space, conversation, and caffeine. It turns out that sometimes all a neighbourhood really needs to feel complete is good coffee (and some excellent pastries) and a place to sit and enjoy them together.

 

The blessed rain came down last night with such force that we have a leak beneath on of our windows, staining the Jerusalem stone that we carefully preserved inside out apartment! Oh well, Hopefully no actual damage and the window man is coming on Sunday to check it out.

 

I have a very exciting week ahead of me! Not only will we celebrate my 80^th birthday, but great friends are coming to celebrate with me. Jill, Ilana and Rebecca, mother and two daughters, are flying in on my birthday and Gideon, my incredible, amazing son is arriving the next morning. The reason they are coming is to celebrate my birthday in a family and friends get together in Shalva which we will hold on Saturday evening. Arrangements made, Rachel has created some surprises for guests and hopefully everyone will enjoy themselves. I wish I could have invited all of you, but the hall is a small one. I don’t want gifts so have asked everyone to donate to Dr. Dan’s Room in Shalva, the Studio for the Performing Arts that we created in Shalva. https://give.shalva.org/daniel

 

Shlomo Artzi is so much more than a singer/songwriter. He is a fine example of a caring Israeli, an Israel through and through. He visits injured soldiers, sings to widows, shows up at funerals, a real mensch. This song explains the Israeli state of mind perfectly “We Don’t Need More” https://youtu.be/nrhOtJS3psQ?si=q4OI1hUEmbVOU24g

 

Each morning one says the prayer thanking the Almighty for returning us to life, to giving us back our existence. Modeh Ani, here sung by Omer Adam. https://youtu.be/npRw36_Ftmc?si=E6EwWj22bv_NIosH

 

I was thinking back to innocent times of my youth, to the hope we all had in our hearts that love, simple love could change the world. We almost succeeded but then the world turned on its axis – but I thought we could all use a reminder of those sweeter, kinder times of a social revolution started by four tousle hair boys from Liverpool and their genius musical director George Martin. https://vimeo.com/864434625

 

That’s all Folks! Time to get myself together for Shabbat! Zvi has left for his parliament in the Botanical Gardens. Before I go, however, I wanted you to be reminded of this speech. Can you imagine a leader whose only care is to see a world in which honesty and truth rule? This speech from the Great Dictator is a dream, Charlie Chaplin’s dream, but oh my goodness it is truly powerful.  https://youtu.be/J7GY1Xg6X20?si=O1p4OTAWCOcmGcOS

 

Shabbat Shalom to you all, one and all, with wishes for a more understanding world. Just remember, it starts with one, the power of one. We are the only ones who can control OUR environment and by doing so one by one, remembering that whatever words we say cannot be taken back except for words of love which should always go both ways.

 

With love from Jerusalem

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You'll Never Walk Alone

2^nd of January 2026

13^th of Tevet 5786

 

Shabbat Shalom, the first one of 2026, a new year filled with hope of change.

 

Some people shine in a way that cannot be taught. Their presence brings warmth, honesty, and a truth that may not always be comfortable, but always clarifies. Stanley was one of those rare people.

 

Stanley Roth z”l passed away suddenly this week, yet another deep loss for the Sydney community. For many years, together with his closest friend Harold Finger, he carried leadership with quiet strength, commitment, and love for Israel and for people. What makes his passing even more poignant is that only recently Zvi had written to the community about the moment, many years ago, when he began Young Leadership in the Keren Hayesod world, developing many people who became devoted friends. Stanley and Harold became the leaders that emerged from that original Young Leadership group and then helped to build what became one of the strongest and most extraordinary Israel-supporting communities. In recent years we got to know and appreciate Stanley more deeply as he became a supporter of Impact-se recognising the importance of education in the world order. The legacy of the Stanley’s of this world is not  in what they built, but in the light they leave behind. Our hearts reach out to Charmaine and Stanley’s family in their terrible loss.

 

It would seem that we, all of us, wherever we may be, are living in a dystopia, in a world where the leaders are taking us to places we do not wish to go, in simple terms, George Orwell was a prognosticator of the world to come when he wrote 1984. His depiction of politics in Animal Farm is so accurate that it could have been written today. 2026 will present challenges, old and new, that we thought would not return to this world, but as uncertain as the world seems right now, changes, changes for the better are up to us. Mistakes are made, not only in national politics where our choices were made on family tradition rather than understanding of the consequences, but in local politics as we see in New York City, conceivably the most important non-national vote in the world.

 

New York City’s former Mayor Eric Adams has released the city’s first-ever municipal report outlining his administration’s fight against antisemitism. Throughout his tenure, Adams built strong ties with the Jewish community, most notably by establishing the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism. His blueprint through 2026 recognises a painful truth: while no city can erase an ancient hatred that has endured for millennia, it can and must use every tool of government to confront it. Today, many in the Jewish community feel deeply anxious, especially as Mamdani enters the picture with a troubling record on antisemitism, supported by voters who backed him simply because he ran as a “Democrat.” One can only hope he listens to those fears and chooses to follow Adams’s lead rather than ignore them.

 

“In the 1930s, the rabbis of Poland also said that everything will be OK,” Professor Alan Dershowitz told JNS in an interview. “You can look at the faculty and students of today, and predict what the country will look like in 20 years.” He voiced concern that extremist views on both sides of the political aisle could increasingly become mainstream, arguing that the status of Jews in America is undergoing a “permanent, long-term change.” https://worldisraelnews.com/alan-dershowitz-in-the-1930s-the-rabbis-of-poland-also-said-that-everything-will-be-ok/  Thanks to Sheila Zucker for sending me this article

 

Back to our trials and tribulations and our many joys. The Prime Minister’s legal battle continues, held up constantly by his requests for rescheduling. I understand the reasoning behind allowing him great leeway on the frequent adjournments because if refused he could claim mistrial, a trial rendered invalid through an error in the proceedings. However, the constant indecision and media concentration on the trial creates an even greater social schism than before. If you add the question of Haredi enlistment, horrible violence in the Arab sector which has spilled over into towns in the South of Israel, we have a problem. I know that you get upset when I point out our problems rather than our phenomenal achievements which wars and political instability cannot stop, but you need to understand that your country is not the only one with leadership problems.

 

A fascinating, very Israeli, legal decision, The "Buzaglo Law" isn't a formal statute but a legal principle, the "Buzaglo Test," established by former Attorney General Aharon Barak in the 1970s, means that public officials must be investigated and treated like an "average Joe", ensuring that Jews of North African origin (Buzaglo is a particularly Moroccan name) are not discriminated against which, of course, includes all minorities. The goal was to ensure fairness and prevent preferential treatment for public figures. Hence the trial.

 

When news first broke that Israel had recognised Somaliland, many of us were surprised, and some of us had barely heard of it. Indeed, Israel is the first and only country to recognise Somaliland apart from Taiwan which is suffering recognition itself. We have even been castigated in the UN, but that’s a natural reaction to anything we do. Since then, I’ve taken the time to learn more and discovered that Somaliland is, in many ways, an exception in its region: a stable, peaceful, and genuinely democratic society in an otherwise volatile area. It is deeply wary of Islamist movements and has resisted Chinese and Russian influence. Added to this is its strategic importance at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden, directly opposite Yemen, which helps explain why this recognition matters far more than it first appeared. A fact that amazed me is that the people of Somaliland went through a genocide of which one of the leaders was none other than the father of, wait for it, Ilhan Omar!!

 

Iran is yet again in the headlines, partly thorough the demonstrations against their oppressive theocratic administration and partly because they hit the top of the killing charts! Iran has the highest number of official executions in over a decade, the diabolical number of 1,922. I come from a country where there is no death penalty except crimes against humanity and treason. We have only ever executed one person and that was Adolf Eichmann. It reminds me, as it does so often, of Shimon Peres musing on the stage at the President’s Conference and his words “I have no problem with a country that cannot find a new hangman having nuclear weapons but I fear a country where everyone wants to be the hangman having nuclear weapons”

 

New Year’s Eve at Mar-a-Lago brought together two prominent couples, the Trumps and the Netanyahus, for an evening of extravagant celebration. One can only hope that beyond the festivities, the gathering reflected meaningful conversations and shared understanding, discussions that may result in decisions  beneficial to both countries and, ultimately, to greater stability in the region.

 

I promised you good news and so I want to talk about the dreams and demands for the coming year.

Last year wasn’t a good year, or was it? We brought back many hostages who despite their haggard and troubled appearance, have begun to make themselves a life beyond their nightmares.

 

Israel continues to lead the world in agricultural technology, with more than 450 companies dedicated to solving some of humanity’s most urgent challenges—water scarcity, food insecurity, and sustainable farming. This is not new; it builds on generations of innovation, from the invention of drip irrigation to today’s use of AI, robotics, and precision agriculture. We have excelled in medical and hi-tech research to such an extent that it is almost impossible to fit the list onto a single page. In 2025, Israeli agricultural innovation was increasingly focused on AI-driven solutions, sustainable practices, and alternative proteins—not as buzzwords, but as practical answers to real suffering. These are technologies designed to cool a warming world: refrigerators that work without electricity, robots that reduce disease by eating mosquitoes, systems that pull clean drinking water from the air, and agricultural breakthroughs that allow crops to grow in places where starvation is a daily threat.

 

Most importantly, Israel doesn’t keep this knowledge to itself. We train specialists from developing countries to farm, to lead, and to improve medical care. We confront global warming and climate change not with slogans, but with solutions. Companies like UBQ Materials turn household waste into fully recyclable thermoplastics. Watergen produces clean drinking water from the air. HomeBiogas transforms organic waste into renewable energy and fertilizer. Combined with Israel’s expertise in desalination and water recycling, these innovations are quietly helping to secure a more sustainable future—not just for Israel, but for the world.

 

Now to the elephant in the room, education. Be it within Israel, to demand that Haredi education includes the 3 Rs to removing the child abuse of hate education throughout the world, particularly but not exclusively, in Islamist countries, never forgetting that several countries in the Gulf have chosen to accept help from Impact-se www.impact-se.org and give their children a chance to be children and learn to care about the world we live in.

 

Teaching acceptance could change the world, no, teaching acceptance will change the world. Tolerance means accepting the views of others, the prayers of others not accepting the cruelty of others and learning the difference. We have to understand those who differ from us. That’s what I want for 2026.

 

I pray that the wealthy countries will help the poor and that the belligerent countries will care more about their starving population and less about spending all their money on aggression.

 

I pray that we all look outside ourselves and find fulfillment in caring, helping, aiding, meeting, saying thank you for little things and big, and finally learning to love.

 

Perhaps my dreams are encapsulated in Prime Minister Golda Meir’s famous sayings

“We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us”

 

“We do not rejoice in victories. We rejoice when a new kind of cotton is grown and when strawberries bloom in Israel.”

 

Zvi will soon be setting off in the pouring rain to sit in the warmth of the “Parliament Room” in Caffit in the Botanical Gardens. 15 men will sit and talk about the trials and tribulations of living in this wonderful country and of the equal trials of Jews and Christians in the big wide world. Women are invited, before they are accused of being misogynists, but choose to join mixed and women’s groups where the emphasis is less on politics.

 

What music fits our hopes and prayers for a new beginning? Rachel found some this week.

 

As my 80^th birthday is looming, actually I’m thrilled to be entering a new decade, this particular song is really appropriate. You know the song but wait til you see and hear the wonderful singers! https://youtu.be/mt2dbMLw02A?si=Wydf1ZSpiGYR-3hn 

 

The next song was written by Nurit Hirsch and Ehud Manor, sung by Ilanit. It looks forward to sitting on the veranda/porch/mirpesset in the new year and I love it. https://youtu.be/wb0Y8DSa3oU?si=XrERCckY9miuJN-_

 

In 1963, a British pop group led by Gerry and the Pacemakers took a song from Carousel and made it a number one hit. It has since become a football anthem, a prayer and one of the most loved songs in the world. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is what I wish you for 2026. May you always have someone to walk beside you, hold you up and give you a sense of kindness. Gerry Marsden. https://youtu.be/GY2sIEbt9S8?si=LPSHnnJyXYy1JsDf

 

Shabbat Shalom sending love from rainy Jerusalem.

Sheila

 

 

 

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