Profound Contrasts

 

17^th April 2026

29^th of Nissan 5786

 

Shabbat Shalom to one and all

 

Tomorrow night we welcome the month of Iyar, a time that tradition associates with both natural and spiritual healing. It is said that the generation that left Egypt found healing during this month, a quiet reminder that recovery is a slow process but a positive one.

 

Iyar is also a month of profound contrasts. It carries the deep sadness of Yom HaZikaron, as we remember those who gave their lives, followed almost immediately by the joy and celebration of Yom HaAtzma’ut, marking the miracle of Israel’s independence. And woven into it all is Lag b’Omer, with its bonfires, weddings, and moments of light and community. It is, in many ways, a reflection of life itself here — sorrow and joy standing side by side, and through it all, the enduring hope for healing.

 

And so, as this new month begins, we offer a simple and heartfelt prayer: Oseh shalom bimromav, Hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu v’al kol Yisrael, v’imru Amen — May the One who makes peace in the heavens bring peace to us, to all Israel, and, we hope, to everyone, irrespective of race creed or colour.

 

What does a ceasefire really mean? Is it simply a pause, a moment to catch our breath and go for a walk with fear of a siren or does it carry the fragile hope of something more lasting? We want to believe in the possibility of quiet, of stability, of a future where Israel might reach a more enduring understanding with Iran and its proxies, as some of the Gulf states have managed. And yet, there is an uneasy question that lingers: are we asking too much, expecting a theocratic regime to change its nature?

 

And then there are the people of the north, towns and villages, Bedouin, Circassian, Jewish and Druze communities, either finally come out of their shelters or waiting to return home, if their homes are still standing, and wondering whether “home” can ever again feel safe. The word return itself is heavy with memory. I think back to being 17, in 1963, on my first trip to Israel, standing with friends with Lebanese soldiers at a simple barrier, taking photographs in a world that felt, if not perfect, then at least open and human. It is almost impossible to reconcile that memory with where we find ourselves today, and yet it is that memory which quietly reminds us what once was, and perhaps, what we still long for.

 

By the way, we have never and will never have any conflagration with the people of Lebanon. Don’t listen to the populist media, we have a fight with the interlopers, with the Ayatollah’s proxies, with Hezb-Allah who while we were still mourning October 7^th began raining missiles upon us.

 

Israel marked Yom HaShoah this week, once again that familiar seesaw of emotion, grief and memory alongside fleeting moments of shared humanity. Zvi was in a local mall when the siren sounded at precisely 10:00, that long, piercing wail that stops everything. And in that silence, he noticed Arab Israeli women standing with heads bowed beside their Jewish neighbours. It was a simple, deeply moving moment. Which is why it felt all the more painful to hear voices dismissing the day; when Shas leader Arieh Deri suggested that, as a Mizrachi Haredi, this mourning was not his, it jarred. Because Yom HaShoah is not only about history, but about memory, responsibility, and the fragile unity we cannot afford to lose.

 

I was thinking, it does happen occasionally, that most languages need a whole collection of words just to get through the day: hello, goodbye, take care. And then there’s Hebrew, which manages perfectly well with one word, shalom, meaning all of the above, yet its literal meaning is “peace.” Wherever you are in the world, if you’re Jewish, chances are you’ll be greeted with “shalom, how are you?” — which, when you think about it, is rather lovely, especially as so much of what we say, sing, and pray comes back to that same yearning for peace. These days, Israelis start greeting friends and strangers with “Shabbat Shalom” from Wednesday, which feels a little premature, I start on Thursday, but quite honestly, any greeting that wishes peace to everyone one meets, works perfectly well whenever they smile at me.

 

I’m worried about you. Even when missiles rained on our heads, I was worried about you. I look at the leaders of Spain and Italy and I’m not surprised at their encouragement of anti-Semitism, after all they haven’t acknowledged the Inquisition or Mussolini’s collaboration with Hitler, but when I look at the natural allies of Israel, countries that welcomed and honoured their Jewish community, the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, and see what is happening there it frightens me. I have so many loved ones in all of those countries and I feel that they are threatened, not just verbal insults, graffiti, but physical danger from insane hatred on the part of both extremes, left and right, and the Islamist extreme faction (not normal hardworking Muslims). I believe that each of the western countries should accept asylum seekers, anyone whose life is in danger; we must provide a safe haven for those who need it; but, and here is the big moral but, there must be a form of checking someone’s background, not racial profiling, for everyone who wants to emigrate from a war torn country or just wants to relocate from anywhere in the world, to ensure that they will be an asset to their new, adoptive country. Having visited Ellis Island where starving new immigrants were first deloused, heads shaved, showered, then had a medical examination and even if their problem was simple conjunctivitis, sent back from whence they came, I don’t want to return to such extreme restrictions, but simple checks there must be – for all.

 

Gosh I got serious!  Only because I care so deeply about all my friends who live outside Israel.

 

Each year, Barbara Sofer writes a column with the number of things she loves about Israel according to Israel’s birthday. I tried to find her column of this year with 78+1 reasons but it isn’t on line yet!! However here is her 77+ of last year and I will add my own “thing I love about Israel”. I love the way that the moment that we reach peace, or even an agreement with any country, Israeli curiosity sends them to explore that country, in fact our curiosity is the momentum and motivation for discovery and research in every field.  https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-851471

 

A quick run down of events

1.     Shari Arison celebrated 20 years of her “Good Deeds Day” initiative

2.     The leader of the mission to the moon, Dr. Jessica Meir who brought her 2 personal items on board, a Magen David and socks with a Magen David!

3.     Jared Isaacman is the Director of NASA which sent the astronauts on this incredible mission. (How do I know the last two items? Because our incredible friend and friend of Israel Roy Saloman and his partner Binnie made sure we knew, having written to Jared to congratulate him)

4.     I love that the moment we had a cease fire Israelis went out to enjoy both food and nature.

5.     On a less welcome issue, IMPACT-se’s latest report on Pakistan’s national curriculum reveals entrenched hostility towards Jews, Israel and the United States and strong allegiance towards Iran. Hardly an impartial negotiator.

6.     Good news. Israel Wins 2026 IIHF World Championship A dominant 5–2 victory over Iceland in Sofia, crowns Israel as Division 2B champions, the greatest achievement in Israeli hockey history.

7.     My newsletter is on www.IsraelSeen.com thanks to Steve Ornstein

8.     Former Ambassador Yoram Ettinger wrote a fascinating demographic study https://theettingerreport.com/category/jewish-arab-demographics/

9.     Israeli judoka Itzhak Ashpiz won a bronze medal at the European Championship in Tbilisi

10.  An Israeli was arrested at Taba airport for putting on tefillin: 'It is forbidden to pray in this terminal'

11.  Tomer and Sheli ran the 5k in the Jerusalem Marathon. The full Marathon was cancelled due to exceptionally hot weather and pollution (yukky sand from the east)

12.  Today is Friday which means tomorrow is Shabbat and this week, unlike many weeks before we stand a chance of really meaning the greeting/prayer Shabbat Shalom

 

And so to music

 

To honour those who fell, I give you a song composed by a soldier who fell in Gaza. Gam Ki Elech “Even If I Go”, a song composed by Yossi Hershkowitz z’l while he was fighting in Gaza where he fell in battle, performed by Yonatan Razel and Col. (Res.) Golan Vach at an event for the incredible One Family Organisation. https://youtu.be/aG6FtUcO1Lg?si=FwNL7XFFXmqsyyML

 

K’shey Ha Lev Bocheh, When the heart cries .Sarit Hadad gives it her all, every word a prayer  https://youtu.be/kBVPYTzoiPU?si=puxvSaHDta5Gloo5

 

Miri Mesika is not just a singer, to go to one of her performances is to be absorbed into her personal magic. She is fun, dances without her shoes, introduces us to her husband who is her musical director and here she sings Hope a simple song of what we all want https://youtu.be/kBVPYTzoiPU?si=puxvSaHDta5Gloo5

 

So Zvi has gone to his parliament, back in the Botanical Gardens after a break thanks to the Iranian missiles. Today they are celebrating four birthdays together, one will bring wine and they order pizzas and sweets in their own private room, hopefully managing to talk about birthdays instead of politics!!!

 

I hope to go to Rachel and see the children who are no longer children, to hear their news, to give and get hugs and of course to have my freshly baked bread roll (bulke) with egg salad and a really good cuppa (Yorkshire tea of course) I will come home to my newly found shloof (sleep) after lunch! Too hot to potter in the “garden” except a quick visit to smell the wonders of the orange, lemon and lime blossom and generally enjoy. Maybe I’ll hold off until the cooler evening.

 

I can’t resist! I have to give you one more song, the song that sums up life in Israel as no other. I know you won’t complain because it’s Koolulam, sung with the gusto of those who love this land, the only Jewish state in the world. Just look at the faces of the crowd, the sheer enjoyment of the song that says it all. Al Kol Eleh with the wonderful Shlomi Shabbat this is the spirit of Israel! We take the Honey and the Sting because we love this place we call home.  https://youtu.be/oxzR9Z-kG6Q?si=cFmFPVwdNKVOxSTw

 

Shabbat Shalom to one and all. I always say I don’t care in which direction you pray, as long as your heart is in the right place.

 

Talking of having your heart in the right place, I’d love to hear from you. People say “I love your newsletters” but you don’t write to me. Please, just let me know that you enjoy or even if you want something different, or like our friend Pablo Nankin, just send a note “Gut Shabbes”.

 

Jerusalem isn’t clear on the horizon but it’s enough to know it is there. So, Shabbat Shalom and love from the View from My Veranda of the Jerusalem Hills and the beautiful trees on the other side of the valley.

 

Sheila

    

The Day After

 

10^th April, 2025

 

Shabbat Shalom. Shabbat with a slight hope for shalom, slight but certainly more than for the last four Shabbatot. Passover and Easter have gone by and now it’s the Armenian Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. On Tuesday Israel will have a different siren, the true wailing siren of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

 

What do I feel is happening now? I feel that two wars have been and still are taking place. One is painfully real, fought with missiles, military intelligence, and a regime in Iran that openly speaks of expanding its revolution and reshaping the region in accordance with its ideological vision — a vision that seeks dominance, influence, and ultimately the spread of its theocratic model far beyond its own borders.

The second war is quieter and far more insidious, played out over years in television studios, universities, and editorial pages, where half-truths replace reality and events are carefully reshaped until Iran is spoken of as though it were somehow prevailing. To accept this narrative requires ignoring what is plainly visible: a weakened military machine, a fractured command structure, and a regime struggling to maintain its grip. Successes are minimised, setbacks magnified, and each development reframed to fit conclusions formed long before the first missile was launched. It is a deeply sad reflection of our times that alongside the real war there is also a war against clarity and honesty, a politically driven narrative that too often casts Israel as the problem rather than recognising the nature of the threat it faces.

 

Iran is the winner for now. The received legitimisation; they are not politically or militarily weakened; the Houthis and Lebanon are still sending missiles; they remain with their uranium and to top it all they have control of the Straits of Hormuz using it as a toll road. Shipping will cost the Gulf States dearly and us too, and by us, I mean everyone, raising the cost of living and putting money into their coffers.

 

I can’t help thinking about the weakling leaders of the UK and France, Starmer and Macron, whining about Israel fighting Hezb-Allah without mentioning Hezb-Allah launching rockets and missiles every hour, destroying the north and I have only one thing to say to them “If you aren’t in, stay out”

 

Yaacov Katz wrote “Israel and the US have, at the most basic level, dramatically degraded Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure - missile stockpiles, production sites, launchers, naval assets, air defenses, scientists, commanders, and more. That is no small feat. But the real question is what comes next.

The next two weeks of negotiations will determine whether those military gains can be translated into political success - removal of the 460 kg of highly-enriched uranium, real limits on future missile development, and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. So is this the time to celebrate victory? No.

Is it the time to mourn defeat? Also no.”  What Winston Churchill said in 1942, is true for us all now. 

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." 

 

What do I hope will emerge from this dreadful war, which has touched not only Israel but many of the Gulf states, the countries of the Abraham Accords, and those that border us? I hope that Israel will look beyond the immediate conflict and consider building relationships with a wider range of neighbours — not only strengthening ties with Abraham Accords partners, but also seeking meaningful agreements with Lebanon (not Hezb-Allah), Syria and the Palestinian Authority. Perhaps, out of this painful chapter, there may come an opportunity to shape a different future, one in which cooperation replaces hostility and our children, and theirs, can inherit a more stable and hopeful region. Perhaps the “Day After” will include teaching children of this region respect for the other. Perhaps Impact-se (www.impact-se.org ) will be able to complete its aim of teaching children to respect those different from themselves.

 

I just heard of a wonderful tradition in Jerusalem many years ago. Jewish and Moslem families exchanged food gifts on the last day of Passover. Moslem families sent Jewish friends a siniyah (a round copper bowl) filled with fresh bread, goat's butter, and honey. Jewish families returned the bowl with matzot (unleavened bread) and homemade jam. Some say that this tradition of exchanging gifts on the last day of Passover has been preserved to this day. Perhaps, maybe, possibly, conceivably if my last paragraph were to become reality we can reinstate that tradition?

 

By the way, last word on Pesach - Lina Landau gave the best answer as to why it took 40 years to walk from Egypt to the Promised Land and it is “Because Moses, being a man, refused to stop and ask the way!”

 

Going back to traditions and Passover, Maimuna. What is Maimouna and what is its origin? The Maimouna Festival, a predominantly North African and Moroccan Jewish Festival, which falls on the last night of Passover and entails a great deal of sugar, honey, nuts, baking, costume and décor beyond belief. Tables are filled with symbolic foods and flowers, originally commemorating the anniversary of the death of Maimonides' father, Maimon ben Joseph. Maimonides was one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages, born in Cordoba. Homes open doors and are filled with guests, visitors, neighbours celebrating in Moroccan dress and the end of eating Matzo! Women (yes, it is almost entirely a woman’s job, by choice) prepare weeks ahead and keep aside during Pesach then politicians of every origin visit the biggest tables! It is without doubt the most colourful festival but frustrating for people like me who are allergic to nuts and trying to keep their A1C down!

 

Yom HaShoah has taught the Jewish people painful and enduring lessons, yet at times it feels as though the wider world has learned very little. We recognise the warning signs of racism, the dangerous thinking behind eugenics, and the steady process by which Jews are once again singled out, bullied, and attacked in places where they once felt safe. What is particularly distressing is when influential cultural voices, especially in Hollywood, use their fame to promote simplistic and ill-informed narratives that inflame rather than enlighten. Influence carries responsibility, and Yom HaShoah reminds us that careless words and fashionable ideologies can have real and dangerous consequences.

 

For anyone who has not experienced Yom HaShoah in Israel, it is hard to convey its emotional power. When the siren begins its long, haunting wail, the entire country comes to a standstill; cars, buses, trains, pedestrians, all frozen in a moment that feels as though it carries the pain of generations, an echo of a time when humanity itself seemed to stop. When the siren fades, the question remains: have we truly learned? The language of hatred, the ease with which Jews are once again singled out, is deeply troubling. Yom HaShoah is not only about remembrance, but about responsibility to speak out, to stand firm, and to ensure that silence never again allows hatred to grow.

 

So here we are back to normal for the time being. After being very careful to limit our travels and check where there are shelters or roadside cover when driving anywhere, it feels strange to get in the car and just go wherever we want. Now that the missiles have, at least for the moment, fallen silent, spring in Israel is quietly doing what spring does best, inviting us back outside. March to May is a gorgeous time of the year, when the rains turn everything green and lush, wildflowers appear everywhere and nature reserves are again within reach. The Mevasseret nature trail down to the dam and reservoir opposite our home has come alive with wild cyclamen, lupins, and dozens of tiny, determined flowers pushing their way through the soil, a gentle reminder that life carries on regardless.

 

It feels like the perfect excuse to swap the pyjamas of the mamad for outdoor clothes and head out to places like the Deer Park in central Jerusalem where the Gazelles are now producing babies, the Botanical Gardens, always a favourite and for the more adventurous, Ein Gedi’s desert oasis, Ein Prat, the pools of Gan HaShlosha, the Haniya Spring in the Judean Mountains, or Einot Tzukim near the Dead Sea, the lowest nature reserve in the world. After weeks of sirens and uncertainty, a little fresh air, sunshine, and the quiet beauty of an Israeli spring may be exactly what we all need.

 

I’m thrilled to tell you that finally and at last I am going to visit Rachel and family today! Of all the things I missed, that is number one. The climb over Nebe Samuel (I just found out that there is a wonderful trail with that glorious view over Jerusalem, right there opposite Samuel’s Tomb; down the other side of the hill, Ramallah on my right and Jerusalem on my left. If I’m lucky the camels are out in the field before the traffic lights. I swear that from the top of the steep hill I can smell the wonderful aroma of baking Challot, or is it anticipation? Past the petrol station and its shops, both Israeli and Palestinian owned. I love to stop there and go into Nehama’s bakery where a multitude of people head for the freshly baked challot, burning hot from the ovens and then treat the children with a felafel next door.

 

Tonight, I’ll light the Shabbat candles knowing that we can sit down and have a quiet Shabbat meal without fear of interruption from that horrible hatra’a. Tonight, it’s just us and tomorrow our lovely friends Nattie and Yoel Zonszein are coming for lunch. I’m so excited because we haven’t seen each other for at least a month because neither of us was willing to travel to or from Tel Aviv. I’m especially excited to show Nattie our veranda, she loves plants and things that grow as do I. The little orange tree is smothered in fragrant blossom, the lime trees too, but they defy nature by carrying beautiful ripe green limes, small growing limes and blossom all at the same time and of course the grape hyacinth and rununculus, calaniot.

 

I am very proud that Steve Ornstein has asked me to post on his beautiful website, Worth checking this out! https://israelseen.com/author/s-raviv/

 

You know how much I love music, especially words that have deep meaning. Well, this song has few words but those words say it all. Song for Shabbat https://youtu.be/nWMmrVF0fy4?si=vIGjEzi9pPR1AsoX

 

If I were to choose someone who exemplifies the war since October 7^th 2023, it would not be a politician, not even the Chief of Staff, it would be Idan Amedi. His musical career was just taking off but without a second thought he joined his comrades in Gaza, He was badly injured, burned, lost his comrades, but came back to visit the families of those who lost their children, injured soldiers in hospital and so much more. He was known for the theme song of Fauda until then. Here it is. https://youtu.be/WqmtMDlo7Y0?si=neo3QMYemoKkAnDl

 

Koolulam decided to honour women. This war has shown us the power of women, not only in the shadows, supporting families, working, taking care of the home while their husbands fight for our existence. Israeli women fight, whether as soldiers, as paramedics in Magen David Adom, creating NGO’s to care for the families of fallen soldiers and so very much more. Here joined by Rita.  https://youtu.be/pB8LhGTvI5c?si=nuiuz_v7v4Zn63Xk

 

Yom HaShoah, the commemoration of a time when the purpose was that Jews would be eradicated from this world, genocide; but here we are! Alive and kicking, literally kicking back. No matter how hard they try to wipe us out we reappear and this time with our own country.

 

Mustapha Ezzarghani, a Moroccan Moslem wrote - Zionism is not what you think it is. And the louder people shout about it, the less they seem to understand it. Zionism, at its core, is not a slogan, not a party, not a government, not a man. It is the belief that a people—after centuries of exile, humiliation, and erasure—have the right to return, to exist, and to shape their own destiny in their ancestral land. That is not extremism. That is dignity.

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends. Enjoy your weekend, enjoy your Shabbat and your Sabbath. With much love from the View on Our Veranda, that magical view of Jerusalem on the horizon. May we live in peace, we deserve it.

Sheila

 

Contemplation in the Mamad

 

3^rd April, 2026

16th of Nisan, 5786

 

Shabbat Shalom! Is it really Friday today? Between the missiles from Iran and the Houthis and the rockets from Hezb-Allah and then the joys of Seder Night and matza crumbs all over the apartment I forgot completely that I owed you a newsletter!!

 

To all my Christian friends, I wish you a spiritual Good Friday, a blessed Easter Sunday and a weekend of peaceful contemplation.

 

Why speak of peaceful contemplation at all? Because when I listen to some of today’s anti-war leaders — those who refuse cooperation, restrict support, or insist that distance will somehow keep them safe — I cannot help but think, with real unease, of Neville Chamberlain and his promise of “peace in our time.” It is not a comfortable comparison, but history teaches us that good intentions and hopeful words are not enough when faced with brutality, bad faith, and open aggression. There are moments when the desire to stay out of conflict risks becoming a dangerous form of moral blindness.

 

Chamberlain’s later wartime speech, delivered on September 3^rd 1939, at 11:15, words which marked the beginning of WW2, were far more honest: Commonwealth “Now may God bless you all and may He defend the right. For it is evil things that we shall be fighting against, brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and persecution. And against them I am certain that the right will prevail.” Recognition that there are times when evil, oppression, and persecution must be confronted, not wished away. If history teaches us anything, it is that turning away from the threat does not make it disappear it only delays the moment when right must finally stand against wrong.

 

It’s very comfortable to allow Israel to be the vanguard, for us to break into our Seder Night 5 times as sirens herald another rush into the mamad, while those outside Israel enjoy a peaceful family seder, but we are, without question the canary in the coal mine and although your problem is not missiles on your heads, it is in many ways yours is more pervasive, killing off standards and traditions, even Christian Holidays, be they British or American or Australian, or Canadian. I know that most of you are fully aware of our situation, your support and love keeps us going, but do you also understand our anger? Do you realise that while the Ayatollahs and their proxies are determined to wipe us off the map, the West is blaming us for forcing Trump into war? Doesn’t anyone realise that nobody, nothing, can force Trump into anything he doesn’t want? OK your petrol costs more at the pump but if they fully close the Straits of Hormuz to shipping, everything will cost more! OK digression over…..

 

Actually, my digression simply takes another departure. A common complaint is, “Why are you bombing the poor Lebanese”, presumably the only side shown by BBC and CNN. First of all we aren’t, we are bombing the interlopers, Hezb-Allah, who turned a thriving Christian country into  the fierce internal enemy and attacker of Israel, a ferocious and murderous Iranian proxy currently sending rockets and missiles every half hour on towns and villages in the north, a gloriously beautiful north which has been physically destroyed, acting from well below the Litani in a clear infraction of UN Resolution 1701 which called for Hezb-Allah to retreat behind the 29 mile buffer zone bordering Israel,  in practice from the Litani River (another river that most people don’t know) to Israel’s border.

 

We lost another four beautiful boys in the battle on the Lebanese border. Noam Madmoni, 22; Maxsim Entis, 21; Gilad Harel, 21; Ben Cohen, 21. We lost them in a battle we didn’t want. May their young souls rest in peace and their families be consoled by the incredible support of the families of other lost soldiers.

 

Did you know that Iran’s covert operations are active in Kenya and Tanzania, close enough that Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of Uganda's president has blitzed X with posts such as "We stand with Israel because we are Christians," he wrote, adding in another post, "Uganda is the David that was forgotten and neglected by the world. We will defeat the giant, Goliath." Uganda, like Fiji, has offered to join Israel in the fray. The Fijian UNIFIL troops were, if I recall, the only ones who really upheld UN1701 and took part in Israeli everyday life. They even played for the Israeli team in 7 a side Rugby!

 

I have deep reservations about the recently passed Israeli law introducing the death penalty. Not only has capital punishment in Israel been reserved for crimes against humanity and used only once in the case of Adolf Eichmann, but the wording of this law appears to apply to Arab terrorists alone, rather than to all terrorists. That distinction is deeply troubling. We know, painfully, that terrorism is not confined to one community, from the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin to the violence of Jewish extremists against Palestinians today, we have our own dark examples. A law that is not applied equally risks undermining the very moral and legal foundations it seeks to defend, which is why Israeli human rights organisations and several Knesset members have appealed to the Supreme Court to have it overturned.

 

On March 29, 2026, one Israeli policeman blocked the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday Mass, marking an unprecedented restriction on Christian leadership. Although the restriction was lifted when the Israeli Authorities learned about it, one has to put it into perspective. The Western Wall Plaza of the Kotel was empty too, the restrictions on any areas that do not have safe rooms or shelters, and the Old City, which was built long before Iran became an enemy, has neither, were advisable. Hence restrictions on all religions, even the Temple Mount, to the chagrin of the Islamic Authorities, were inevitable. So, before the usual rush to judgement, and unwise decision of one policeman, one must consider the circumstances.

 

As we celebrate Pesach, we are reminded that this season also carries deep and painful memories. We still mourn the victims of the Park Hotel massacre in Netanya in 2002, when a Hamas terrorist Abdel-Basset Odeh, dressed as a woman, entered the Seder night dining room filled with families and elderly guests and detonated a suitcase bomb, killing 30 people and injuring around 140. Hamas claimed responsibility, and although the planners were later sentenced to multiple life terms, the passage of time has not eased the loss. For many, Pesach remains not only a celebration of freedom, but also a quiet moment of remembrance for those whose Seder night was stolen, and a solemn reminder of the fragility of life and the enduring need to protect it. otelHo

 

This short video of Douglas Murray put everything into perspective https://youtube.com/shorts/ji2PxgAjL-E?si=b7rUw_ofD2EPBPrj

 

 

Our Seder night was delightful! We sang Vehi Sheamda twice, once in our traditional family tune and once in the more modern version but most importantly we relayed to the children that although it’s tough and living in Tel Aviv they have to spend too much time going up and down stairs to their mamad, we will survive this as we have all the past attempts to make us disappear instead of which we watched all our enemies  fizzle out and disappear, even the huge and powerful Roman and Ottoman Empires! Much to our delight our cousins Sergio and Sara drove down from Netanya, unperturbed by the threat of missiles from Iran; Amiad, Noga, Ella and Yonatan came from Tel Aviv, Ira and Sheli from Ashkelon, Judy and Zamir from Tel Aviv and Tomer from Jerusalem. We had made arrangements just in case, for whoever wanted to stay over, but in the end just Sheli chose that option. Everyone read a paragraph, Sergio in Spanish and although Ira and I can read Hebrew, she read in Russian and I did in English as per family tradition! As usual there was far too much food because once you have had the eggs in salt water (many versions of what that represents)

 

Funnily enough nobody questions why it took 40 years for the Children of Israel, led by Moses, to walk the relatively short distance from the Red Sea (Reed Sea) to the Promised Land Clearly one reason is because the Children of Israel hadn’t invented WAZE, but what else? One explanation that I really like is that we were so argumentative that poor Moses, who was doing his very best to obey God's message met with dissatisfaction and confusion. The perfect example is the golden calf that greeted Moses when he came down from Mount Sinai, but it's not the only one. He was so frustrated at one time that he lost his cool and was denied entry to the Promised Land by the Almighty. Anyway, when they got to the Holy Land and The mission involved one leader from each of the twelve tribes, who scouted the land for 40 days to decide whether this was really all they had been led to believe. Most of the scouts got scared or just lazy and told lies about giants and put doubt into the people's minds until two honest scouts, Caleb and Joshua came back carrying grapes, and declared it the land of milk and honey.

 

Anyway, back to the Seder, the children had great fun searching for the Afikomen, Yonatan was thoroughly frustrated that his big sister found it after a harrowing 15 minute search!! I hope that your family seder was delightful and delicious.  I really want to try and see Rachel today, although I think her children will be elsewhere and, let’s face it, I won’t be getting my usual freshly baked challah roll with egg salad today!

 

So it really is Friday and although I’m scared to tempt fate, I have managed to get through my writing without a siren and Zvi managed to get off to his parliament. Now that all the local parliaments have relocated to the Harel Mall where there is a public shelter, I’m have a sneaky feeling that he won’t find parking. They most certainly have a lot to talk about this week!

 

If you don’t shed a tear to hear this song, to remember our pride at Paul Newman’s performance as Ari Ben Canaan in the movie Exodus, then you are too young to remember the movie! Here the golden voice of Andy Williams sings the theme song written by Pat Boone. Never more appropriate https://youtu.be/3JsfWgxSH3g?si=1n_meyi96rzfSS_t

 

In this world of fragmentation and disunity, perhaps we can find in our hearts to discover “One Love” It’s so long since I gave you Koolulam so today we find unity for this song, for Jerusalem, for all of us.  https://youtu.be/TZzK29_V8jQ?si=ZtivXih4T6HSwJUG

 

Louis Armstrong knew more about Judaism and Israel than most. His version of "Let My People Go" tells the story of Pesach. I love it. https://youtu.be/fHbC8Nhd46s?si=CiBCydVtjwBITPcl 

 

That’s it folks! May your prayers this festival, whether you are Christian, Jew, Moslem or non-believer, may your prayers be for togetherness, to defeat hatred by reaching out to those whose arms are ready to accept love and avoiding those whose hearts are closed. Remember that we are strong because we live to love, love to live and love life.

 

Shabbat Shalom, with all my love from Jerusalem, glistening white after the rain, the view from our veranda. I’ll be  thinking of you when I light my Shabbat candles tonight.

Sheila

Clean cupboards under fire

 ​CLEAN CUPBOARDS UNDER FIRE

27^th March 2026

8 Nissan 5786

903 days since October 7^th

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends, Shabbat Shalom and grateful thanks to everyone who has written, called, thought of us during this “campaign”. Why campaign and not war? Because if war is declared the “winner” is liable for compensation.

 

Last week was Eid el Fitr, Nissan and the Persian Nowruz and the Feast of the Annunciation, this week we have Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and of course we have Pesach! Seder night on Wednesday night, and that’s what I want to talk about, well, that and a few other things.

 

Pesach, Passover, Pascha, by any name it usually involves a great deal of cleaning, polishing, sorting, scrubbing, and the occasional philosophical debate about crumbs. This year, however, with cluster missiles occasionally flying overhead and rather more time than planned spent in safe rooms, mamads, miklatim, or the less dignified crouch at the side of the road in case an intercepted missile decides to land on one’s car, I have come to a simple and liberating conclusion: Pesach cleaning will have to be somewhat perfunctory this year.

 

In truth, we do not generally eat from the windowsills, under the bed, or in the shoe cupboard, although crumbs do have an extraordinary talent for travelling to unlikely places. The apartment, and particularly the kitchen, is already quite respectably clean, so I am prepared to accept that this year is indeed different from all other years. Rolls of Sellotape will be deployed to seal off cupboards with great ceremony, and the Pesach dishes will take up temporary residence on the shaish, the universal Israeli word for kitchen worktops, even if it technically means marble. It may not be textbook Pesach preparation, but under the circumstances, it feels entirely appropriate and, dare I say, faintly efficient.

 

I have already written to you about the sirens, the azaka (warning), the persistent tch tch tch of the pre-alert, and the now familiar routine that sends us calmly but quickly towards the nearest safe place. Much as we may grumble, we are quietly grateful for it, because when a missile leaves Iran we usually have about ten minutes to gather ourselves, collect phones and family members, and reach the mamad. Ten minutes, in Israeli terms, feels almost luxurious.

 

Those living in the north, however, do not enjoy quite the same advantage. While we found ourselves complaining about ten missiles in one day, some with cluster warheads, the north faced closer to six hundred rockets overhead in one day. It puts Pesach cleaning rather firmly into perspective; in many northern communities, towns and kibbutzim, simply getting through the day safely is quite enough to be getting on with.

 

A big question is whether or not we should evacuate those in the line of fire. We did it after October 7^th when Hezb-Allah had their last determined effort to kill Israelis, but since then only 43% have returned to their homes and if even more leave, we will have lost the north, a tragedy on every level. It is what happened to beautiful Lebanon and I don’t want it to happen to northern Israel.

 

I can’t remember if I told you but last Saturday Zvi’s boys and families decided to take a chance and come to us for lunch. Since we came home from Albania and going anywhere has become an adventure, and not necessarily a pleasant one, we have hardly seen them, so they braved the roads, obviously having schooled the children in the procedure if a warning comes through on their phones, and we had a wonderful time, especially since Shiri’s parent, Galia and Menashe, invited themselves – my favourite kind of guest!! When they left I called each and every one to ensure that they got home safely, truthfully I do that anyway but it became an imperative when they were on the road and not near their mamad!

 

I rarely put a video of anything from Sky UK but this one shows exactly what it feels like to be on the highway when the siren wails. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIoVE1Kt2FU

 

While many of us are still negotiating cupboards, Sellotape, and the finer points of Pesach preparation, the rather tired and depleted IDF is engaged in something far more practical, an operation affectionately known as “Operation Roaring Matza,” preparing the kitchens that feed our soldiers for Pesach. Wherever they may be stationed, very often far from home, they will still sit down to a full and traditional Pesach Seder on the first night of Passover, a quiet reminder that especially in difficult times, familiar traditions carry great importance.

 

At the same time, the strain on the IDF is becoming increasingly clear and raises the wider question of shared responsibility. In a small country such as ours, where everyone benefits from the safety and security the IDF provides, it seems only reasonable that more people take part in some form of national service, with exemptions for the truly exceptional in both Torah and academic study.

 

There are encouraging examples. This week the Haredi Netzah Yehuda unit entered Lebanon and fought with notable courage, demonstrating that those who serve do so with honour and commitment, a thoughtful reminder that shared responsibility strengthens us all.

 

From talking of that which strengthen us, we must also speak honestly about that which weakens and shames us. The so-called Hilltop Youth and other violent Jewish extremists bring disgrace upon us all. Their attacks on ordinary Palestinians are indefensible and run contrary to everything we believe in and have fought to uphold. Violence against innocent people, by anyone and under any banner, is terrorism — and it must be called out as such. It damages the reputation of the many decent, law-abiding families who live in Yehuda and Shomron and who simply wish to build their lives in peace. What is perhaps most troubling is the sense that not enough is being done to stop it. We see too few arrests, too little accountability, and far too little urgency. Terrorism is terrorism, regardless of religion or ideology, and a country built on law, justice, and moral responsibility must act decisively to confront it.

 

Tonight sees the eve of Shabbat haGadol, the Great Shabbat and its vital Torah Reading- Parshat Tzav, which reminds us that holiness is found not in grand gestures but in daily responsibility, discipline, and quiet service. The priests were commanded to keep the fire on the altar burning constantly, a symbol of steady commitment even in difficult times. As we approach Pesach, this message feels particularly powerful: our strength lies in continuity, in holding fast to our values, our faith, and our moral clarity, even when the world around us feels uncertain. Shabbat HaGadol calls on us to prepare not only our homes, but our hearts, to carry forward the enduring flame of responsibility, resilience, and hope.

 

Guess what? Despite everything that has happened and is happening and our moans about the dystopian government, we, Israel, is number 8 in the world happiness report! It may sound ridiculous it may sound counterintuitive but we know how to enjoy life. We are well above the UK (29), USA (23), Australia (15), Canada (25) and almost everywhere you live. Of course, our friend Leo-Dan Bensky is pleased with the results because Finland is number one again! How on earth can we be up there near the top? What is the magic element that makes us happy when we are surrounded by enemies, missiles and bad press that has reached heights unhears of for a tiny strip of land? What makes most Israelis happy? Unity under pressure? Maybe? But I think it is something very different, it is family, community, love for our soldiers, the generosity of spirit that shows concern for those around us; it is tradition. Traditional family gatherings, Kubeh Soup on a Friday lunch and Chicken soup on Friday night. It is truly family get togethers shared with neighbours, it is open doors to strangers who have nowhere else to go, so many aspects of life that make one happy. It has nothing to do with politics or our determination to argue it out, it is the freedom to laugh even when life isn’t funny.  

 

Zvi has gone to his parliament, actually even that relates to this “Campaign”. One member decided that it was too dangerous to meet so the took a poll and he was the only one who didn’t want to meet! Actually, if I back track a little, I joined Zvi’s mini-parliament this week and was amazed that most of the parliaments had relocated to the Harel Mall! So many groups of men all believing that thewy had the answers to the world’s problems and one or two women’s parliaments where they spoke about family with a smattering of politics and what excellent series was on Netflix this week. Women  know that we can’t solve the world’s problems but we can improve our family’s mood by bringing home the fun of meeting friends. Anyway, yet another digression, I was thrilled to see that the mall was full of shoppers searching for appropriate gifts for family and friends at Pesach.

 

Yesterday, in between missile attacks, I managed to finally get my hair cut. A new hairdresser, very close by, and I finally feel like a human being! The best part is that I spent time with my lovely friend Merle Friedman who lives right above the salon.  In fact, merle and Frank are coming for Friday night supper and I will make her favourite comfort food dinner; one pot chicken dinner. My favourite too. I have a “kitchen sink” soup in the fridge and an apple, rhubarb and strawberry crumble and I think we should be pretty full by the end!

 

This is a special time for all of us, no matter the direction of our prayers. We have to pray for the people of this region, that we will now security even if peace is elusive; I pray for you, for greater understanding and less anger in this upside down world. Let’s celebrate our identity! Yes that’s what I wish you all, every las tone of you, celebrate our identity.

 

This song has a strange title yet it expresses everything that is the miracle Israel today, How Are You Still Alive?  https://youtu.be/SDLgg21DemQ?si=4eCboOQOeptqfFfr

 

Marina Maximilian Blumin sings Hazakim Beyachad, Strong Together, with the wonderful men of the TV programme Zehu Zeh. It is in Hebrew so I will give you a precis of the lyrics. I will not apologise for loving this country, there is no other like her. Wherever we came from, be it Baghdad or Poland, we came home and we will not give up, we were always diverse and they try to split us apart but together we will overcome. https://youtu.be/N0nXqaRhPWM?si=FjD9PRjlwy0UD4Bm

 

Vehi Sheamda is probably the most important song sung at the Seder service on the first night of Pesach, in fact it is the story of being Jewish. It tells us that throughout the generation enemies rose to annihilate us, but the Almighty saved us each time. I pray that He will save us from our enemies and from ourselves. https://youtu.be/dJyptA5iqMA?si=_6Iy4ZcikYeKqAAD

 

Shabbat Shalom, be strong, be proud, love who you are and we will win through this too.

With love from our veranda and its amazing view of Jerusalem, shining in the distance after the rains.

 

Sheila

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