Dementors and Heroes

 

1^st November, 2024

 

 

Shabbat Shalom. Hope that you had an interesting, even fun, Halloween, or to call it by its real name, All Hallows Eve.

 

I am a fan of J K Rowling, indeed I have been a fan ever since my eldest son Daniel z"l gave me the first book as a present many years ago. I always felt that Rowling had a deep understanding of terror and terrorists, the dark reality of Islamic terror, something that came out in her terrifying characters, the Dementors.

 

"Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Get too near to a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself... soulless and evil. You will be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life."

 

Many of the soldiers are religious, what is known as Modern Orthodox. This week an exceptional teacher, Captain Rabbi Avraham Yosef Goldberg z”l, died in action in Southern Lebanon after more than 220 days of reserve duty. His family wrote of his wishes.

A statement from the Goldberg family on Monday said that it would welcome “politicians from any party or camp,” to the Shiva (mourning period) but only if they arrive in pairs — one from the coalition and one from the opposition. The family’s statement echoes the spirit of Rabbi Goldberg and his principles during his lifetime: bridging gaps and building bonds. His widow, Rachel Goldberg spoke out saying that her husband appealed to yeshiva students to join the IDF “they need to understand that the people of Israel need them.”

 

Most of the Miluimnikim, the reservists, have left their families, their businesses, their professions, for 200 even 300 days this year answering to the call to defend our little country. Their young families have to manage without them for months on end knowing that they are in very real danger every moment. That is why we are angry at those who do not serve, not only Haredim, but Israeli Arabs and the Israeli elite.  Some of each of the above groups do serve but not in realistic numbers that could relieve those who do. So many of the volunteer reservists are religious, and many of the fallen are too, although once on the battlefield religious and political differences fade into oblivion with just one objective in sight. Large families, beautiful children now fatherless, the only kisses that small children can give their fathers are on photographs, so that they won’t forget them or their bravery. Young families who became single parent families, joining a club that nobody wants to belong to. Their faith, their love of Israel, their prayers help them through. Obviously, there are many secular families in the same rocky boat, but it never fails to amaze me how faith can help through the mourning process.

 

101 hostages are still held in captivity under who knows what conditions. 101 Hostages alive or dead we do not know, their families fearing the knock on the door. Rachel Polin Goldberg opened the door before the soldiers approached. “The dread of hearing the knock on the door with such bad news was something that I didn’t think I could bear,” To understand the conditions of both the hostages and the families please, watch this, hear this. https://youtu.be/VhBlSucz4VM?si=0HA9R7wL4rOSh4VT

 

Lebanon is very different to Gaza. The Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, although a Sunni Moslem, wants to find a compromise, does not support Iranian backed Hezb-Allah. The Druze and Christian Lebanese want Hezb-Allah gone and again unlike Gaza, they have political and actual power for change. In principle it now depends upon the United Nations and of course UNIFIL in activating and abiding by Resolution 1701 which demands a weapons free zone of 10 kilometres within the Lebanese border. The weapons stores and tunnels are different too, large and the tunnels are relatively luxurious. When you see vast explosions reported after Israeli bombing, it is the weapons stores - the Iranian missiles and weaponized drones that are killing Israelis by the day.  Imagine hundreds of attacks every day on your town, your country. I wonder how long it would take before your government forgot that it helped arm terrorists and fought back.

 

I can’t avoid the upcoming US elections, try as I may. I’m really glad that I don’t have to vote, we have enough problems with our own choices! Yesterday I had a meeting with the wonderful CEO of Impact-se, Marcus Sheff, to update me on the huge advances we have made, and the subject came up, inevitably this election determines who will lead the Western World against the China, Iran, Russia triple threat. We spoke of the polls and of the reportage, both are predominantly in CNN, NY Times and other supposedly intellectual media. The ordinary people, those who vote as their parents and grandparents voted are not considered because they are not influenced by the elitist media since they are not interested! The average Joe, quite rightly, wants to know how this election will affect his pocket, who will help him to feed his children not what is happening in far distant lands. As to who will win, I have no idea but I wish the United States of America a leader who will unite the people while realizing the impact of what they say and do on the rest of the world. I wish they had the eloquence of Bill Clinton who has never doubted who is right in our region. Just listen to this short video. https://youtu.be/eBCBP9mwTG4?si=eGgtdUIOxjPPW5Zn

 

Talking of Impact-se and our CEO Marcus Sheff, one of the purposes of our meeting was a progress report and I am happy to report that the work of the team continues unimpaired by politics and wars because only by teaching tolerance, unteaching hatred, can we begin to hope for any possibility of stability and peace in this region and beyond. Our research is extending beyond the Middle East, our influence upon education, on tolerance in education still has daily successes as leaders in the Middle East begin to understand that their countries can never progress, can never succeed if the children are taught to hate, to learn insular, closed policies which do not accept “the other”. Most countries have woken up, but there are still some who speak with forked tongue, predominantly Qatar. The world is waiting for the Israeli government to come up with a “Day After” plan, well just so that you know that Impact-se has a programme ready for the re-education of the Palestinians, the detoxification of young minds. www.impact-se.org

 

Did you know that the Israeli Government voted to ban UNWRA activities in our region? Well, if you click on the Impact-se link above, you will understand why. UNWRA in Gaza, and not only in Gaza, encouraged and even took part in October 7^th. Impact-se warned of the activities of UNWRA four years ago when due to Covid, their curriculum was put online and one of our incredible young researchers, Itam, found it and the research proved that UNWRA schools were inciting to hatred and encouraging Jihad and UNWRA teachers were also active members of Hamas. Instead of berating Israel’s decision it should be lauded.

 

There’s so much more to tell you but I think that with the best will in the world, we can only absorb so much tough news before needing some light diversion, or as Monty Python used to say “And now for something entirely different”

 

Jerusalem has several theatres, from the huge multi hall Jerusalem Theatre, to the wonderful Khan theatre and many smaller halls, all busy, all showing a huge variety of drama and music all sold out performances. The same for Tel Aviv. One piece of news that really pleased me is the opening of a new patisserie in Sderot! In fact, the reopening of an excellent shwarma restaurant, felafel, Middle Eastern restaurant, fine dining and sushi, all sorts of food options are feeding the returning residents and of course the soldiers who are posted there. Delivery services are back for take-away and although many residents are still unable to return to their burnt out homes in the Western Negev, southern Israel, the area is slowly but surely beginning to revive. Even under the current circumstances Israelis love to eat!

 

I know that you love hearing about our veranda, after all that is the title of my newsletter, so here is today’s report. The oranges on the little orange tree are ripening fast and yesterday I picked one and oh boy was it sweet! The limes are changing colour too, their lighter skins belying the wonderful green flesh inside. So different to the sharp, tart lemon, the lime has a much gentler flavour. Looking at those little trees, barely as tall as I am, spindly trunks, held tightly in their flower pots, yet producing bounteous fruits and I thought how similar they are to this little land, bound by its surrounding enemies, yet always thriving even during war, cruel war, that is imposed upon us. As I await the ripening fruits on the Kumquat and mini-lemon trees I remember that and it pleases me no end.

 

The clocks went back, or is it forward I find it so confusing! I swear that I get jet lag each time! Shabbat will come in much earlier tonight. Zvi will go to his parliament in the Botanical Gardens much earlier because they need to finish earlier, which may or may not give them enough time to put the world to rights. I wonder what the 10 or 12 highly intelligent and opinionated men will talk about today. I’m absolutely certain that their thoughts and decisions will be better than any government that we have or will choose next week. I would love to be a fly on the wall, in fact have been to a few sessions, but I think it more important to prepare for Shabbat! I find that too much talk promotes dissent rather than action, but that’s just my view and all of the men, right left and centre, enjoy the openness of their conversations.

 

Tonight’s supper, just Zvi and I, is going to be traditional. Chicken soup with kneidlach (delicious dumplings), roast chicken with roast potatoes, broccoli (Zvi hates it so don’t tell him), a chopped Israeli salad (my favourite) and I haven’t decided on dessert yet. I wish you could join us, sit with us, feel the warm glow of the Shabbat candles, hear Zvi’s beautiful blessing over the wine, enjoy our regular banter over the latest news and just be here. I can’t wait for the 15^th of November, because the wonderful Kim Taylor will be sitting at our table, joining us in every sense of the word. He’s coming for the Jewish Agency Meetings (yes this member of the LDS Church is not just welcome but very effective on various committees) which will be held in Tel Aviv (another thing I have to add. Why in Tel Aviv when Tel Aviv has rockets and Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel) and Kim wants to be with us so he’s arriving 2 days early so that he can spend Shabbat with us. Again, I digress as usual, but….. did you know that the Brigham Young University holds its prayers on a Saturday (Shabbat) on the Jerusalem Campus?

 

So, Simchat Torah and the anniversary of the October 7^th massacre has been and gone with many tears, ceremonies and not a small helping of anger; you’ve had a tour of our veranda and its cornucopia of citrus, you know what we are having for supper so it is probably time for some music.

 

 

Katan Aleinu! Loosely translated means We go this. Israeli singers recorded this during Covid but it fits our current situation. We got this, we will survive and so will you. We have met ignorance and misguided young people before and came out the other side. https://youtu.be/lHVAWnCXBkU?si=25qJ11SpTHHKmZIm

 

Hanan Ben Ari sings Moledet, a love song to Israel pledging loyalty and love for our homeland. Wonderful lyrics, words of true love https://youtu.be/9wYEWx1291g?si=kI9w9oSxAXuO9NsA

 

When I was working in London, with AJ6, a wonderful organisation for school students in their last two years of high school, preparing them for university and the anti-Semitism they may encounter on campus. The organisation is no longer, a terrible oversight considering the current challenges the young people face every day. But again, I digress, I drove everyone completely crazy because day and night (yes sometimes the work meant staying late) I played one song, one very important song, which eventually caught on and all the students and counsellors were singing it too. It is my favourite Hebrew song. It is the story of our little country. The Honey and the Sting – Al Kol Eleh – above it all.  https://youtu.be/Gbw2FTYHCTg?si=lygxjxQLJEjSLiiA

 

So nearly Shabbat. Zvi is getting ready to leave for his parliament, I will set the table, put the candles in their candlesticks ready for Shabbat and we will await to see what this weekend will bring.

 

I wish you peace, I wish you kindness, I wish you time to consider what you want for tomorrow, for our children’s future. Remember that here in Israel, we are fighting your fight too. Jew, Christian, Moslem, Buddhist, Hindu, all that we really want is to be able to raise our children to a better future without hate.

 

Shabbat Shalom from both of us. As I look over at the most beautiful city in the world, glistening white on the horizon, I pray for peace, real peace and understanding.

 

With love

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simchat Torah 2024

 

25^th October 2024

23^rd of Tishrei, 5785

 

Shabbat Shalom!

 

Did you know that you save my sanity. Each time that I write to you, share my emotions, try to explain how it feels to be an Israeli during the toughest time in recent history, each word helps to put things into perspective and when you write back to me, it lifts my spirits to realise how much you care. Most of what I write is positive, but sometimes I need to express my sadness and you seem to understand that and allow this Pollyanna an occasional dip into desolation. It never lasts long, but is inevitable.

 

Perspective? This is a country that, since its founding, has one basic principle encapsulated in the tenet “To be a light among nations”, to protect Israelis irrespective of faith, to ensure that we will never again be subject to attempted genocide, to ethnic cleansing. We build safe rooms, shelters, sirens, iron dome, our economy thrives despite huge defence spending; we have never built tunnels and our biggest issue is that we still believe in human nature.

 

According to the Hebrew calendar it is one year and one day since we woke to the most diabolical event since the Holocaust. There is only one Shoah but this was a very close second.

 

As Jews all over Israel were in the synagogues celebrating Simchat Torah, Hezb-Allah fired hundreds of missiles and drones over the entire area from Tel Aviv northward, sending millions of people into their shelters. The IDF, however, discovered many underground weapons stores with vast amounts of heavy weaponry, underneath civilian buildings. We also found tunnels, very different in structure to the Hamas tunnels, with entire “apartments” with kitchens, bedrooms, lounge areas and food stores, presumably so that the leaders could hide away like the cowards they are while putting ordinary civilians in danger. Incredibly all these tunnels, buildings, weapons stores are in the area that was declared, by the UN, as a clear zone in Resolution 1701. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-825939

 

Today is the day after Simchat Torah, the celebration of reading the last portion of Deuteronomy, completing the full circle by immediately beginning again at the beginning, with the reading of Genesis. The portion that we read talks of Moses seeing the Promised Land from Mount Nebo, seeing the promised land to which he led the Children of Israel, yet was not allowed to enter. Mount Nebo is in modern Jordan, close to Madaba and the famous mosaic map of the world with Jerusalem at its centre; years ago, Zvi and I stood atop Mount Nebo wondering at the sight of Jerusalem in the far distance. A friend blew a shofar (Ram’s horn), calling Zvi’s late Mother to tell her where we stood so that she could hear the sound of the Shofar. She reminded us that we were standing where Moses stood but thanks to the miracle of the State of Israel, we would be home in Jerusalem that evening.

 

This year, in addition to a night of dancing and joy in synagogues all over the world, it was a night of ceremonies, testaments to heroes and the fallen innocents. 5,785 years and we still fight for our existence, more than 76 years and yet Israel is still fighting her War of Independence. It is a world that has closed its ears to the truth and embraced the lie that we are the Children of Israel, that this is our homeland.

 

Perhaps the most moving of services this Simchat Torah was held in Be’eri, Kibbutz Be’eri or what still exists of the Kibbutz. Hundreds of Israelis joined the survivors in the little synagogue to celebrate life, to honour those who died and those who are still in captivity. 101 hostages are still in captivity in the most horrendous of circumstances. Are they alive? Who knows, but we must bring them home; no more procrastination, no more excuses, whatever it takes the agony must end. The ethos of our little country is that we never, ever leave anyone behind.

 

When I think about the last year of all the kindnesses and bravery perhaps the most Israeli aspect comes from the farmers and kibbutzim. Not a day has been missed when fields are ploughed, crops planted, tended and harvested. Nothing can stop the determination to continue life, to do what has to be done even under fire, risking life and limb. Hens have to be fed, eggs collected, cattle milked and feed put out, the farmers typify the character of this country. Nothing stops us.

 

The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem was formed many years ago, in 1980, when most countries chose to move their Embassies out of Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. Our friends Tim King and Jay Rawlings were among those brave people who stood by Israel and both live here and their children served in the IDF. Each year the ICEJ organises a Tabernacles Festival here in Jerusalem and this year was no different. To see and hear the unconditional support in every moment of the Festival warms our hearts and we give thanks to the leaders for persevering in bringing participants from the world over. https://youtu.be/sszgMGyh-n0?si=naPOfPCYyPlJNMYd

 

Mosab Hassan Yousef talked before the European Union, but many chose to ignore his words, to leave their seats empty, fearing the truth, preferring to stay in ignorant complacency. He speaks as a child raised in the hatred of the area https://youtu.be/aLskICrhHzk?si=Wfrmu3HavbdVbNOo

 

The weather has been perfect, the days gently balmy and the evenings cool, perfect for a walk. The veranda is at its best, the hibiscus, of which we have many, coloured peach, orange, purple and bright crimson, enjoy the softer weather and the various citrus fruits are changing colour, ripening limes and oranges; just as Israel is a tiny fruitful country against all odds, so these trees, tiny trees in their pots, thrive and give bountiful crops! It never fails to amaze me how dozens of limes can grow on a tiny spindly stemmed tree. They give me so much joy as I inspect my “estate” each morning, walking from tree to tree thanking them for their fruits. Some mornings we are rewarded by out of season strawberries too. Lest I forget, the herbs are thriving too. Rosemary, parsley, oregano, thyme, mint, basil, sage to name just a few! No herbal tea bags in this household, we just go out and pick whatever takes our fancy. The Passiflora is doing well but for some reason didn’t give us fruit this year but the flowers, oh my goodness, the flowers are spectacular.

 

Last night’s memorial ceremonies held stories of bravery but most of all songs that we sing, the favourite songs of those heroes, reach deep into our hearts. Here in Israel, we express ourselves in song and these are some of the best examples

 

“We are a nation of superheroes” a song about us, the ordinary people of Israel. About the bus driver who is a tank commander, the CEO who serves as an ordinary soldier, all of those who took part, and still take part in defending Israel. Jew, Christian, Druze, Moslem, Bedouin…. https://youtu.be/eDCjjzZm1l0?si=4CpDaJa5U2238Qc7

 

Vehi Sheamda, Those who stood. A song normally sung at Pesach, Passover, but it is the story of how many rise against us but the Almighty always stands with us. A song of hope, a song of belief, a song that gives us hope that this too will pass. https://youtu.be/6rnoQeukJP0?si=LqpaQOkCfyKf8XMW

 

A song about surviving and living life after the Nova party. An original video with some of the survivors of the Nova party singing with Benaia Barabi this touching song. It is in Hebrew with English translation

https://youtu.be/7cCzikUobC4?si=fKod6maDkoUg5qX-

 

Another week, another Shabbat, a day of thoughtful contemplation and prayer that we will not hear the words “we announce that the families have been informed that” as we learn of another soldier, of yesterday 5 soldiers, have died. It is never announced until each and every family has been informed.

 

I know that we will survive, in fact I know that we will thrive again, maybe changed but never broken and very much alive. This is the most caring society in the world and I am very proud to be part of it.

 

May God Bless you and keep you safe from harm.

With all my love from Jerusalem

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shabbat, Succot and Sinwar

 

18^th 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 7^th 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

 

Kippurim

 

10^th October, 2024

 

 

This week I wish you a good year, Shabbat Shalom, kind thoughts and a Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) of contemplation and accepting responsibility for our own mistakes.

 

When my children were small, I was a Cheder (Sunday school) teacher in the beautiful Reading Synagogue. Reading, Berkshire that is. It wasn’t an easy class, partly because I knew all the children and their parents and partly because they were from homes of a diverse level of beliefs, but I loved them all, knowing that at 10 and 11 years old, their minds were open to learning as at no other time. I think I managed to get most of my thoughts across to them.  I wanted them to learn and then choose for themselves, to make an educated choice.

 

When it came close to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, I changed my tack, doing my best to explain to them that although one can atone for virtually every sin in the book, along with a solemn promise to change and do better, there is one sin that the Almighty will not forgive and that is if you publicly embarrass another person. That is the sin that one must ask forgiveness from the person you have insulted, embarrassed or shamed publicly, from idle chit-chat to malicious gossip. It is so clever! In fact it is even cleverer than simply asking for forgiveness because if you ask for forgiveness three times and the other party says no, does not accept your plea, the sin reverts to them.

 

Could, or should this be applied to countries as well as individuals? The lies told about Israel every single day, nay, every single hour, are heinous crimes inducing dire results. Those very lies have changed the lives of each and every one of us and become more ludicrous and dangerous by the minute. The news media, bought to a large extent by Qatari money, has exacerbated the situation, perpetrated half truths which is absorbed by a thoughtless public. Perhaps the greatest sin is the twisted memory of the media who lap up the stories of destruction yet forget how it started, with the slaughter, rape, dismembering, torture and kidnap of good folk, irrespective of their race, creed or colour. It was lies taught every single day that turned men into savages capable of what they saw as revenge.

 

It is those lies that have turned every synagogue into a fortress and caused Jews throughout the world to take their mezuzot from their doorposts and the skullcaps off their heads. It is those lies, carefully orchestrated that have instilled existential fear into the hearts of Jews everywhere.

 

Nominations brought before the Nobel Prize Committee are presented by former recipients and one of those has nominated UNWRA for the Nobel Peace Prize! Surely the ultimate insult, taking that austere organisation to its lowest level ever – well almost the worst - Adolf Hitler and Stalin (twice) were nominated and Yassir Arafat actually received one! The lies told every day in the United Nations, which is the mouthpiece for calumny of the most vicious nature, most definitely fit the criteria for atonement.

 

This new year, the days after Rosh Hashana, should have been days of quiet contemplation and prayer, but it is a quagmire of killing, missiles, rockets, terror attacks and hatred. Hezb-Allah (not Lebanon), Hamas, Yemen, Iran, Syria and endless others have fired rockets and launched missiles at this tiny piece of land. Soldiers have died in a war we don’t want and never wanted, children have become orphans; wives widows and husbands widowers; parents mourn their children and the number of severely injured is enormous. Missiles hitting towns like Maalot, Rosh Hanikra, Nahariya, Carmiel, Haifa, and yesterday a deadly terrorist attack in Hadera. After many years the farms and towns along the south of Israel is much quieter whereas the north has become the target. This is a hard war but a just one.

 

All of the above is true, but Israel has some staunch allies; not only the Moslem countries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain who have banned any public support for Hamas, but a world wide expression of support from our greatest allies, the Christian Community. Their unwavering support for Israel, a support which comes from a sense of right and wrong, helps us to breathe, makes us feel that there is hope. I don’t need to thank you because it is logical that those with similar moral beliefs will stand together. I should not forget our steadfast Moslem friends too, those who stand up and speak out at great risk to their lives from their own people.

 

Since the internet has proven its ability to divide, to induce hate, let’s turn it into a tool for unity. If millions are convinced of lies they can be taught truth! Use their inability to think for themselves, to be convinced by cant, to our advantage. Not to lecture the truth but to learn how to talk their talk. It is not logical that we are so fearful of teenage TikTok-ers etc that we don’t fight back with simple truth in a manner that they connect to.

 

This past year the people of Israel have shone almost everyone taking on a role of helping others. Some in a dramatic role some of us just by talking to those who need support. From the first ghastly moments Moslem and Jew showed their true mettle, many going back into the line of fire to save young people at the Nova Music Festival. Several of them were honoured in a ceremony this week. People like Oz Davidian who left his family in their safe room and went back 15 times to save people running on the road. Noam Bonfeld, left his young family, sped south and with just a small hand-gun fought off dozens of terrorists calling his unit into action too. Rabbi Betzalel Heller, reported to his unit on October 7th, and minus a few short breaks, has been away from home fighting in the north and in Gaza for the 11 months since. Youssef Ziadna, A Moslem Bedouin, received a call for help from a young client, Amit, took his van to find her and soon found himself dodging bullets from all directions but it didn’t stop him. Youssef located Amit, and filled his 14-seater with 26 people, before driving them off-road to safety in Kibbutz Tze’elim. The list of heroes is long, includes every soldier, every young wife left behind caring for their family for months on end never knowing if their husband, father, will come home. We owe them huge debt of gratitude.

 

Strangely enough, as I have told you before, in the Jerusalem area, physically, life goes on although psychologically we are deeply aware of our situation. Watching Israeli television is somewhat surreal in that one can be watching a comedy programme but on the right of the screen there may well be a long list of villages, towns and cities which are under “Code Red”, incoming missiles, rockets or drones. We go to the supermarket and the theatre, the cinema and restaurants, but always with safety at the back of our minds. I have a special app on my phone which will give the “Red Alert” should we need to know. In truth I have only heard it on one occasion, last weeks Iranian onslaught of ballistic missiles.

 

Enough! Back to the reason I wrote to you today, atonement. I received a large number of greetings, wishing us well over the fast and that we should be enscribed in the book of life. Beautiful messages although, in my opinion, it isn’t really the book of life, it is the “good” book, that the Almighty recognises that we are deserving of praise for the past year. It is a complicated day, Yom Kippur. Complicated and yet so simple. It’s a day over which we have complete control, either be good, be a mensch, live a good life caring for others, or don’t. There are those who fast without praying and those who pray without fasting, and it really doesn’t matter. The streets of Israel become silent, no cars, only the shouts of glee of children who whoop down hills on their bicycles, taking advantage of the freedom of empty highways. Unfortunately that also means that the ambulance service is extra busy caring for broken bones! The silence is special, not an eerie silence but a warm, all encompassing silence. We tend to go to the synagogue nearby, in Mevasseret, something of a climb but it feels good to hear familiar prayers and after the Kol Nidre service which takes place on the eve of Yom Kippur, we join the hundreds of people “shpatzeering” walking, chatting, greeting and meeting along the main road as we walk home down the famous twists and turns of the Seven Sisters road, the old road to Jerusalem.

 

And now for my words, my atonement, from my heart.

 

To those I have wronged, I ask forgiveness

To those I may have helped I wish I had done more

To those I have neglected to help I ask understanding

To those I who helped me I give sincere thanks

 

Tamir Grinberg is an Israeli singer who sings of the prayer on all our hearts to bring the hostages home, to finally know that some have survived and that the families can bury those who were killed. Bring You Home https://youtu.be/wOVTFlTkwDs?si=a_Ur4tngkcnMd_I1

 

Carrine Bassilli is a young Lebanese singer, openly, and widely criticised, for her support of Israel. She chose to sing the Israeli Eurovision song “Hurricane” in Arabic and in the near future intends working closely with Eden Golan who bravely sang the song in Sweden. These are not the changed words that the Eurovision committee demanded these are the original, heart-rending words of the song.  Read the comments below, they are as important as the song.    https://youtu.be/lJlX8kwnAHU?si=t0uOCsr1hGJxK9mX

 

The Eve of the Day of Atonement (Erev Yom haKippurim) begins with a prayer, orison, plea to the Almighty to give us new beginnings. The beautiful, emotive rendition by Rabbi Azi Schwartz was probably not recorded on Yom Kippur, when we are not allowed to do so, but I loved his voice  https://youtu.be/5tJ_O1g9zNM?si=Xld8fzM9PePLXsSi

 

Another year, another war, another challenge but we have survived worse. We have to stand proud, proud of who and what we are. It is irrelevant if we are Christian, Jew, Moslem, Hindi, we are people who cherish our freedom, gosh what a misused word, and must unite. 

 

I wish you peace, I wish you freedom, I wish you the ability to show the world how good people behave.

 

Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach and of course G’mar Chatima Tova – May you be enscribed in the Good Book and know only kindness.

 

Pray for our hostages, those who came home but still suffer horrific nightmares, for those still in captivity, the bodies of those already slaughtered and of course for our soldiers, each and every one a hero. Bring them home.

 

With love

Sheila