2nd of January 2026
13th 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 80th 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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