People not Headlines - back from Albania

 

23^rd July 2026

9^th of Av, Tisha b’Av

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends. We are back!

 

Today is Tisha B'Av, a day of fasting and remembrance. For thousands of years, Jews have mourned the tragedies that have befallen our people — from the destruction of the First and Second Temples to the expulsions, persecutions and ultimately the horrors of the Holocaust. Yet one lesson our history should teach us is never to belittle the suffering of others. That thought was very much on my mind during our visit to Kosovo.

 

Our friend Damian, together with his lovely partner Brickela, collected us from our hotel for the 400-kilometre journey across the border from Albania into Kosovo. Kosovo is a beautiful country, but one that still carries deep scars from the 1999 war with Serbia.

 

Brickela's family lived through that war, and hearing her speak about it through her tears, brought their history painfully to life. She spoke of slaughter, rape, burned homes and families forced to flee. As I listened, I was struck by how hatred so often follows the same dreadful path. The horrors of 7th October remain our own terrible wound, but recognising the suffering of others does not diminish it. If anything, it reminds us that innocent people everywhere pay the price when hatred is allowed to flourish. The memorials of Kosovo speak quietly of a grief that still endures and, thanks to Brickela, became far more than names on a monument.

 

Another thing struck me. Although Kosovo is an independent country, it remains staunchly Albanian. Albanian flags are everywhere. If there is a wedding, the invitees decorate their cars with Albanian flags and drive in procession through the streets. It is not a question of dual loyalty; rather, a recognition of shared history, language and peoplehood. Watching it, I understood instinctively. Thoroughly exhausted by the end of the day; from 08:30 until 02:00 the next day with 800 kilometres under our belts we understood that history experienced is thoroughly different from history in the news, Who should understand that better than Israelis?

 

One lesson stayed with me throughout our travels in Albania, Kosovo and Azerbaijan. These are predominantly Muslim countries, yet everywhere we encountered warmth, hospitality and a quiet acceptance of people who may pray differently or come from different backgrounds. It made me wonder whether some Western societies, so quick to lecture others about tolerance, might have something to learn from them.

 

So what’s been happening since our return?

Jewish settlers, extremists, set fire to a mosque near Hebron. I wonder what the Jewish world would say if it was the opposite and Palestinians set fire to the Jewish Synagogue in near Hebron

 

There comes a point when difficult questions can no longer be avoided. This week, groups of Haredi protesters once again blocked the entrance to Jerusalem, threatened passers-by and brought parts of the country to a standstill. Their anger is directed at military service, yet many refuse even to attend the recruitment centres to obtain the exemptions to which they may be entitled. I say this as someone who loves Judaism, values Torah learning and respects those who dedicate their lives to it, but there is nothing Jewish about intimidation, threats or treating fellow Jews as enemies. A country at war cannot function if entire sectors insist that the burdens of citizenship belong only to others. Faith deserves respect; so, do responsibility and the rule of law. Surely Tisha b’Av is the time to fight together not each other.

 

Iran has been firing missiles at most of the countries surrounding it, the countries of the Gulf which include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the Emirates and for two days running they have been firing at Aqaba, the Jordanian port on the Red Sea. It is as if they are waving a red flag at the United States while all of us pray that it will not come to an all out war. What drives the Ayatollahs? Is it desperation or are they ready to take on the world? What drives them to attack other Muslim countries when we know that Islam specifically decries such action? What is the advantage of Turkey, or should I say of Erdogan, in joining their confrontation while currying favour with Trump?

 

While the threat of Iran looms, things are warming up on the election front and rhetoric is rife, as it always is when faced by politics! What party will win I do not know, although I hope it will be led by an honest man or woman who cares deeply about our country and cares less about their own position.

 

Just by the way, Mamdani’s threats to arrest the Israeli Prime Minister are not only empty threats they bear no resemblance to the policies of New York. NYC has the reputation of accepting all, now there is yet another stain on that glorious city’s reputation.

 

One issue Israel must address honestly is the relationship between its Jewish and Arab citizens.

While having dinner in Tirana, we found ourselves sitting beside a delightful family. "Where are you from?" we asked. Rather hesitantly, the husband replied, "Israel," as though he was unsure what reaction he might receive. We laughed and immediately switched into Hebrew. The next question, of course, was where in Israel. Again, somewhat cautiously, they told us they were from Sachnin and hoped to move to Carmiel. Lina is a lawyer with the Israeli State Attorney’s Office and Mohammed is a mechanical engineer. As we wished them luck, they shared a painful story. They had found an apartment, agreed a price and reached the final stage of the purchase. Then, they told us, the sellers saw the name Mohammed and withdrew from the sale.

 

I found myself wondering how we would react if the story were reversed. Israel's Arab citizens are doctors, dentists, nurses, lawyers, engineers, teachers, judges and soldiers. They are part of the fabric of this country. We do not have to agree on everything to recognise a simple truth: a society is judged not by how it treats those who are like us, but by how it treats those who are not. 78 years after Independence we must recognise that every single Israeli citizen, with the exception of criminals, is an essential part of our society and just as we demand that Jews should be accepted as equal wherever they may live in the world.

 

Lake Kinneret has many names and so does its most famous fish. Christians know it as St Peter's Fish, Arabic-speaking fishermen call it Musht (comb in Arabic) because of its comb-like fin, in Hebrew it is Amnon, you may know it as Tilapia. Whatever the name, it brought back memories of my very first visit to Israel in 1963. I crossed the lake by boat to Ein Gev, then living under the shadow of Syrian guns on the Golan Heights, and there ate my first Musht. What caught my attention this week, however, was not the fish but the fisherman. Menachem Lev has been fishing the waters of the Kinneret for more than forty years. Once there were hundreds of fishermen on the lake; today he is the last. In a country that changes so quickly, there is something rather moving about a man who sets out at dawn to cast his nets, keeping alive a tradition as old as the lake itself.

 

So here we are again. The IDF is on high alert, Iran is increasing its threats to the United States and its closest ally in the region, Israel, aka the Big Devil and the Little Devil. There may well be another confrontation ahead of us; in this part of the world, we have learned never to say never. Yet despite the headlines, despite the threats and despite the uncertainty, I am enormously relieved to be home. Actually, I’m not relieved to be home, I’m delighted and thrilled to be home. It may sound strange to those of you who haven’t been to Israel, but it shouldn't. Israel is where I feel safest, not because there are no dangers, but because we face them with our eyes open. We prepare, we protect ourselves and, when necessary, we stand together. That is why, when we wish each other Shabbat Shalom, we truly mean it.

 

Finally, the World Cup. We watched the Argentina–England match in Tirana, surrounded by Argentinian supporters, apart from one English family whose ten-year-old son proudly wore his England shirt. The football was competitive but enjoyable until the Argentinian players turned it into a political statement by displaying a "Malvinas" banner, resurrecting the Falklands dispute. Fans will always wave flags; international sportsmen should know better. Spain deservedly won the final, but what followed was deeply disappointing. Instead of accepting defeat with dignity, several Argentinian players became involved in ugly confrontations with their Spanish opponents. What should have been a celebration of football became something rather less admirable. Instead of being remembered as Messi's moment, it became Argentina's shame.

 

My, oops I mean OUR mirpesset (veranda) is blooming! While we were away Gideon came for a quick visit with his little sister (Rachel) in our otherwise empty apartment, a rare moment for them both, and they ensured that the irrigation system was sufficient in the searing heat of an Israeli summer. Gideon enjoyed one of the delicious apples on the little Ana tree which was so full of delicious apples that Rachel had to add another bamboo support to stop it keeling over! The new herb garden was absolutely full of basil, dill, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme and the scent greeted me as I neared. All the citrus trees are either flowering or in various stages of bearing fruit and the hibiscus, oh the Hibiscus, red, crimson, peach, orange and purple all welcoming us home. The other herb corner with mint, lemon balm and louisa is growing so fast that they needed cutting back and what was a dry stick with straggly roots that my lovely friend Averil gave me is becoming a shesek (loquat) tree that is growing like a triffid!!

 

My first song is very tongue in cheek, sung by the excellent Eli Luzon, complaining about everything, but we wouldn’t live anywhere else! Ayzo Medina – What a country https://youtu.be/5jRCs94IfEw?si=Q_NUPfdmaFg4HIKi

 

This song, written in the 70’s for my children’s favourite show Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat is still so relevant, sung by Donny Osmond “Close Every Door to Me”  Listen carefully. https://youtu.be/d8reEiq4ui8?si=RJTtHAFvnHcA5Ee_

 

This last song shows my age from the time I was a flower child and thought that love could conquer the world Where Have All the Flowers Gone was probably about the Vietnam War but could have been about any war because sadly there is always one somewhere. https://youtu.be/ZgXNVA9ngx8?si=dKEg37TfdzA6gEt2

 

I want to finish by telling you about a very special man, my brother in law Raymond who passed away yesterday. I still remember the first time I ever saw him, I was just 11 years old, when my eldest sister Eddie came home with a handsome, if rather skinny, young man from Manchester and the whole family fell in love with him. They were married for 69 years and I know few couples as devoted. I send all my love to Eddie, Paul and Marilyn and to Ruth and all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren who will miss him horribly.

 

Sending you wishes for a Shabbat Shalom from our home to yours

Sheila

 

 

  

 

Heroes and Heroines

 

8th July 2026

 

Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Bazeh — We are one people, bound by a shared responsibility for one another.

 

I owe the amazing Maccabeans from three countries an apology.

When I heard that Australia, Britain and Canada were not sending their usual huge youth delegations to this year's Maccabiah Games, I assumed they had simply become overly cautious. I couldn't have been more wrong.

 

On Sunday, over lunch in our home, our Canadian friends Bill and Ellen Izso, Jeffrey and Samara Freeman and the wonderful Roy Saloman, explained the real story to Zvi and I. Bill, who had the heartbreaking responsibility of making the final decision, Told us after the Canadian Government travel warning insurance companies simply refused to insure hundreds of young athletes travelling to Israel. Faced with that reality, there was no responsible alternative.

His words struck me. "How can I bring hundreds of youngsters here," he asked, "when I cannot guarantee that Iran or Hezbollah won't launch rockets and that they will always have somewhere safe to run?"

 

Jeffrey and Samara happened to be in Israel on the 7^th of October, 2023 and witnessed something no insurance company could ever calculate. Hotels, guest houses, apartment buildings and private homes opened their doors without hesitation to anyone needing shelter. Jeffrey's conclusion was simple: despite everything, he feels safer in Israel than anywhere else in the world. Unable to fly home because the air space over Israel was cleared, they chose to do so much more than wait for a flight; they conquered fear and day after day drove south to the Gaza envelope to help farmers harvest fruit and vegetables after foreign workers had fled and Gazan labourers, obviously, could no longer enter Israel. Jeffrey was delighted to tell us that he learned to drive a tractor so they could move large crates of fruit. Such actions helped the farmers to survive.

 

Sometimes the headlines tell only half the story.

 

Last night our dear friends Bill Izso and Claudia de Benedetti were among those honoured with the Yakir Maccabi Award. They received it because, quite simply, they "get it".

They understand that the Maccabiah is about far more than medals. It is about bringing young Jews to Israel through sport, creating friendships that span continents and strengthening the bond with Israel. Bill told us that his own journey into Maccabi leadership began under the guidance of the wonderful Roy Saloman, who mentored him by leading through example. It is now Bill and Claudia who are passing that same spirit on to the next generation.

 

We couldn't be prouder to call them friends.

 

I sat down at six o'clock this morning intending to tell you about what I did last night.

I walked the few metres to the "Big House" auditorium to hear a talk by Sapir Berman. I went out of curiosity and left deeply moved.

 

Sapir began life as Sagi Berman, who went on to become one of Israel's leading football referees. Today she is a beautiful, confident woman who chose to undergo her transition in full public view, beneath the glare of media headlines and in one of the most macho professions imaginable. With extraordinary warmth, humour and honesty she spoke about finding the courage to become herself, and about the unwavering love of her parents, her brother and her football family, who stood beside her throughout that journey.

 

Why am I telling you this?

Because beyond everything else, Sapir is proudly Israeli. We often speak of physical courage in Israel. Last night we were reminded that moral courage deserves our admiration too. She took us from laughter to tears and left us with one unforgettable message: conquer fear, but never lose yourself. Perhaps what her story says even more about Israelis and Israeli society is that she is still loved, still admired and still speaking to audiences so that they will accept others.

 

The people I've written about today, Bill and Claudia, Roy Saloman, Sapir Berman and so many others, are all different but share something precious: they have the courage to remain true to themselves and to care for others. Perhaps that is the real meaning of Am Yisrael Chai. Not simply that the People of Israel live, but that we never allow fear to decide who we are.

 

Now I really am signing off. The suitcases are packed, I’m about to meet friends for one last coffee, the medicines are organised (an unavoidable reminder that we're no longer twenty!) and then Rachel will take us to the airport. I can’t end without sending special love to my son Gideon for his birthday tomorrow and to my amazing big sister Eddie and her lovely husband Ray for their 69^th anniversary today. 25,202 days of absolute love and partnership.

 

Be well. Care for one another. Stand tall, know who you are and never let fear stop you from being yourself.

 

As always, I'd like to leave you with a song. When looking for just the right song I discovered something special. We have songs to welcome people home, but none to say goodbye. Perhaps that's because, in Israel, we never really say goodbye. We simply say Lehitraot – until we meet again. So, I'll leave you with Koolulam singing Bob Marley's One Love in Jerusalem's Tower of David, where Jews, Christians and Muslims sing together.

Shalom. Salaam. One Love. Until we meet again.

https://youtu.be/TZzK29_V8jQ?si=3QaBxxfke1CMyr-o

 

With all my love from Jerusalem.

Sheila

1,000

2^nd July 2026

17^th Tammuz 5786

1,000^th day since October 7^th 2023

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends. I wish you a “Gut Shabbes”. When I asked AI how to say Shabbat Shalom in various languages, trying to reinvent myself as a polyglot, it told me very firmly that wherever you are you still say “Shabbat Shalom” but I suppose AI doesn’t speak Yiddish.

 

1,000 Days.

One thousand days since 7th October tore our world apart. One thousand days since the slaughter at the Nova festival and in the communities of the western Negev. For a country of fewer than ten million people, the cost has been almost unimaginable: nearly 1,000 soldiers killed, more than 1,000 civilians murdered, around 25,000 soldiers wounded, 885 children orphaned of at least one parent, 232 husbands and wives left to rebuild shattered lives alone, almost 2,000 bereaved parents and more than 3,400 grieving brothers and sisters. In all, over 6,500 Israelis have joined the nation's circle of bereavement. These are not simply statistics. 1,000 days during which thousands of homes were heavily damaged or destroyed in dozens of Israeli border communities resulting in the displacement of over 200,000 Israelis from the country's southern and northern borders.1,000 days and still no national commission of inquiry. 1,000 days and nobody has accepted responsibility. In a country as small as Israel, we lost neighbours, friends their children and our families and we must know why, we cannot heal without it.

 

Even as I read those figures, I find them almost impossible to comprehend. What is perhaps even harder to understand is the way much of the outside world now sees Israel. As I wrote last week, disinformation thrives on the relentless repetition of simple lies until they become accepted as truth. And so the world has been turned on its head. Here is a nation still fighting, seventy-eight years after its birth, for the very right to exist; an indigenous people who have rebuilt their ancient homeland into a vibrant, successful society, yet remain so profoundly—and so painfully—misunderstood.

 

If any good can emerge from the frightening rise in antisemitism across Australia, Canada, Britain, the United States and most of Europe, it is that many young Jews are choosing to come home. More than 22,500 new immigrants arrived in Israel this year, around a quarter of them from Western countries. They are doctors, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and young families who have come to the painful realisation that, despite all they have achieved abroad, there is only one country where they know they will never stand alone. That country is Israel.

 

This week we received one piece of news that gave me genuine hope. For the first time in decades, ordinary Lebanese men and women may finally see a future free from Iran and Hezbollah's violent domination. Whether it will happen remains to be seen. Until now, the very idea seemed out of reach.

I couldn't help thinking back to my first visit to Israel in 1963. There was no real border with Lebanon then, merely a simple barrier across the road. Like any curious teenager, I wandered over, chatted to the Lebanese soldiers and even posed for a photograph with them. (Today it would have been a selfie; in those days it was taken on a Brownie Box Camera!) Years later came the Good Fence, and then when members of the Christian South Lebanon Army and their families found refuge in Israel. It is terrifying how quickly our northern neighbours became our enemies. Perhaps one day it will be possible for one of our grandchildren to happily wander across the fence for a selfie, who knows. Peace will not come while Hezbollah controls southern Lebanon, but if its grip can finally be broken, perhaps our children and grandchildren will discover that neighbours need not always be enemies.

 

Few political transformations have been as depressing as that of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I remember when Turkey was the holiday destination of choice for many Israelis and trade was strong. The people were warm, the hospitality legendary, and it was hard to imagine that relations between our two countries that was so strong that our cooperation went well beyond military collaboration. Ben Gurion dreamt of an alliance of non-Arab countries (Ethiopia, Turkey Iran and Israel) could go so quickly down its current path. Over the years Erdoğan steadily turned Turkey away from its traditional Western alliances which culminated when his ambitions to join the European Union faded, he increasingly looked eastwards. His ties with Islamist movements and, ultimately, with Iran's regime grew closer and closer and his rhetoric became more and more hostile toward us. Netanyahu recently observed: "If we have learned one thing from the history of our people, it is that when someone says he intends to destroy you, take him seriously." It is a lesson Jews have learned at far too great a cost to ignore.

 

Thanks to the Israeli police's determined campaign against organised Jewish crime, many of the country's leading crime figures have been jailed, dramatically reducing the gang violence that once dominated the headlines. Sadly, organised crime within the Arab sector has continued to grow, and deadly shootings have become an almost daily tragedy, claiming innocent lives as well as criminal ones. No citizen should have to live in fear because certain neighbourhoods have become effectively beyond the reach of the law. That must change. Every community in Israel deserves the same protection, the same policing and the same security.

 

The Armenian Genocide is an historical fact. Between 1915 and 1917, the Ottoman Empire murdered an estimated one to one-and-a-half million Armenians. Israel is finally expected to recognise that reality officially, a decision I never understood why it took so long. Then we visited Azerbaijan. I began to understand the diplomatic complexity. Israel has close strategic ties with Azerbaijan, while the long and bitter conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has left deep wounds between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Many Armenians found refuge in Jerusalem, yet Azerbaijan remains one of Israel's closest regional allies. Morally, recognising the genocide is the right decision. Diplomatically, it is far from simple since Armenia is a close ally of Iran.

 

Only in Israel. When a missile struck near Bat Shlomo in northern Israel, it made a large crater in an agricultural field. But instead of leaving destruction behind, it uncovered a previously unknown underground spring. Today, that crater has become a natural pool where children paddle, teenagers swim in the cool water and families come simply to enjoy the unexpected gift. Ironically the spring is now called “Ayn Til” which translates as Missile Spring! It may not quite be turning lemons into lemonade, but it is a wonderfully Israeli way of turning devastation into life.

 

Athletes from all over the world are here for the “Jewish Olympics” the Maccabiah Games. As I wrote last week, Canada, Australia and the UK had difficulty in bringing a sizeable team, but wonderful Macabbeans marched on the catwalk of the spectacular opening ceremony last night. Roy Salomon, Bill Iszo (who is getting a special “Yakir Maccabi” award this year) and Tommy Bacher represented Canada; Roy is an incredible friend, a huge supporter of Israel and a dear, dear man. Michael Ziff proudly represented the UK and Lisa Borowick represented Australia. Michael Segal, President of Maccabi World Union declared the games open. We were thrilled to see a new generation of Maccabi leaders in the shape of Roy Hessing, a friend of Zvi’s Amiad for many years. Roy did a truly magnificent job.

 

The most special aspect of this Maccabiah has been spending time with Michelle Fainsod, Zvi’s cousins Billy and Ruth Shapiro’s granddaughter. On Sunday a whole group of Maccabeans are coming for lunch.

 

The Fast of the 17th of Tammuz marks the beginning of the three weeks of national mourning that culminate in Tisha B'Av. It recalls a series of calamities in Jewish history: Moses breaking the Tablets after the sin of the Golden Calf; the cessation of the daily Temple sacrifice; the breaching of Jerusalem's walls; the burning of a Torah scroll by the Romans and the desecration of the Temple by the placing of an idol within it. Together, they remind us that nothing is guaranteed. Faith can be tested, freedom lost and sovereignty surrendered. History teaches us that recovering them may take millenia.

 

I was watching the news the other day, probably not the wisest thing for one’s blood pressure, and suddenly realised that 3 of the most senior journalists on Channel 13 are Israeli |Arabs! The phenomenal Lucy Aharish who you all know, then Ali Mugrabi reporting from the North and Suleiman Muswahdah who is a senior political correspondent. I was thinking, how many Jewish reporters are there on Arab stations?

 

This week has been a week of girlfriends, the best! Gila and Merle on Monday, Carmen and Dana yesterday and we met in our coffee shop, not only chatting but also meeting the wonderful people who created the Wellness Centre in what was the Convalescent Home of the Original Union. It is now a Wellness Centre for those with PTSD. Merle, a renowned psychologist, was deeply impressed.

 

I have a confession to make... and I fear it may disappoint some of you. We are off to Albania again!

Before you ask, yes, I know, we've already been, but this time we decided to leave Tirana behind and see the lakes, mountains and little villages that friends have told us about, to discover another side of what is proving to be a remarkably beautiful country. The only downside is that I'll be taking a short break from writing. I really will miss our weekly conversations. They have become a very special part of my life. With any luck, I'll return with plenty of stories, a few surprises and far too many photographs!

 

My reason for writing today is clearly because it is 1,000 days, but also because we have a simply insane day tomorrow. Zvi has a meeting at the Efron Hora Dance Centre and then we go to Ein Kerem for a concert and finally to our lovely friends Shoshi and Kobi Lecket for Shabbat Dinner.

 

And so to music.

 

Daniel Wais became famous when he sang a song to his father who was killed on that fateful day in Kibbutz Be’eri. Daniel chose to express his sadness at the loss of both has parents through his music. https://youtu.be/mcq3dqK0n18?si=CnZxVguXGNA65W43 Song of Freedom, to honour all who lost their lives.

 

I love Shlomi Shabat especially in this tribute to Jerusalem. https://youtu.be/_kQCTlFuCqQ?si=rqNQI0uCYKf8tbGp

 

Tomorrow, the 1,001 day after the 7^th of October, is Shabbat and Omer Adam makes it a joyous occasion, so different from the other days of the week! I challenge you to stay silent! C’mon. sing along with us   https://youtu.be/_kQCTlFuCqQ?si=rqNQI0uCYKf8tbGp

 

Shabbat Shalom lovely friends. See you in a couple of weeks. Stay positive, be strong, this too will pass.

With much love from Jerusalem, the undoubted centre of the world

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

New York Baku and Jerusalem

 

26^th June 2026

11^th Tammuz 5786

993 days since 7^th October 2023

 

Shabbat Shalom!  I’m back! I missed writing to you last week but we had a wonderful time discovering the City of Baku in Azerbaijan. More of that later.

 

“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time”. Jack London 

 

Goebbels understood that propaganda works best when people do not realise they are being manipulated. He had no interest in reasoned debate. His target was always the “man in the street”, bombarded with simple slogans repeated until lies sounded like truth. Facts became irrelevant; repetition became everything. That is why today's disinformation campaign against Israel is so dangerous. It relies not on history or evidence, but on relentless slogans, manipulated images and accusations designed to provoke emotion rather than thought. “Genocide”, “apartheid”, “colonialism” repeated often enough, many people stop asking whether they are true. That is the power of propaganda: it replaces reason with reflex.

 

New York City may be the saddest example of all. For so many years it felt like a very Jewish city: not only because of the number of Jews who lived there, but because Jewish life, Jewish humour, Jewish argument and Jewish values were woven into its very fabric. New York, the city that was the true example of the Goldener medina – the Golden Country that Jews dreamt of; the place where they could find freedom before the founding of the State of Israel. To see such a city elect leaders openly hostile to Israel, who succeed in sending voices increasingly comfortable with that hostility to Congress, is deeply painful. It did not happen all at once. It happened because slogans were repeated, falsehoods were dressed up as compassion and hostility to the Jewish state was slowly recast as virtue, until too many people forgot what prejudice looks like when it is wrapped in fashionable language.

 

New York is not alone. The poison spreads wherever this propaganda is allowed to pass for truth. Manchester, Melbourne, Montreal and too many other cities have all seen the same ugly result: anti-Israel hysteria bleeding seamlessly into open antisemitism, with violent acts carried out by the far Left, by old-fashioned Jew-haters and by those who no longer bother to distinguish between the two. That is the true outcome of propaganda. It does not merely distort facts; it legitimises hatred and gives prejudice permission to act.

 

Theodor Herzl understood, with a sadness that still feels painfully familiar, that no matter how successful, patriotic or well integrated Jews became, we would still be “the other” when it suited the mood of the times. So he turned the whole question on its head. Instead of asking how Jews might fit in elsewhere, he asked why we should not simply go home. In doing so, he reminded us of something both simple and profound: that we are not a race, nor merely a religion, but Am Yisrael, the People of Israel. A people bound by memory, faith, history and destiny, whose hearts never stopped turning towards Zion. That is why we say Am Yisrael Chai. The People of Israel lives. Eitan Chitayat, together with Dr Einat Wilf say it all right here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1teGYJPo1EM

 

Israel must also have the courage to confront the wounds within its own open and democratic society. We cannot condemn the lies told about us abroad while ignoring the ugly truths at home: young Jews attacking innocent Palestinians, encouraged by ministers such as Ben Gvir; the intolerable burden placed on those who do serve in the IDF while large parts of the Haredi and Arab sectors do not; the disgraceful anti-enlistment riots by extreme Haredi that bring roads and cities to a standstill; and a government which, too often, seems more interested in reshaping the character of Israel than in protecting the values on which it was founded. This weakens Israel from within and hands our enemies the weapon they seek.

 

Fifty years ago this week, an Air France flight from Tel Aviv was hijacked by two PFLP terrorists and two German accomplices. At Entebbe, Uganda, Jewish and Israeli passengers were separated from the others in a scene chillingly familiar to Jewish history. Israel did not hesitate. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Defence Minister Shimon Peres sent planes and commandos 4,000 kilometres to bring their people home. In a ninety-minute operation, 102 hostages were rescued. Yoni Netanyahu was the only Israeli soldier killed, while Dora Bloch, taken to hospital, was later murdered by Ugandan forces. Entebbe remains a defining moment when Israel showed the world—and Jews everywhere—that we do not abandon our own.

 

Venezuela is no friend of Israel but when they suffer a truly catastrophic earthquake, as happened on Wednesday, the Israeli emergency medical and rescue delegations race to help in the rescue of those buried in the devastation and the clean-up left in the wake of the doublet earthquake, both over 7 on the Richter Scale within 39 seconds of each other with 26 aftershocks which has killed at least 164 people and destroyed infrastructure.

 

The Maccabiah is known, and rightly so, as the Jewish Olympics. However, this year major countries like Canada, Britain and Australia are not sending teams to the Maccabiah, citing insurance and flight problems, but 90 year old Samuel Marshall is not fazed, he is still leading India's delegation to the Maccabiah games, onto Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem for the opening ceremony. He has been involved since his first Maccabiah in 1957. Thank you, Samuel, you have shown the true Maccabiah spirit.

 

Israeli politics are warming up toward a September election (hopefully). Who is Gadi Eizenkot?

The quiet man, the former Chief of Staff, who in his own way, without deriding his fellow candidates, is reaching high into the polls. His honesty and refusal to enter the dirt and nastiness of politics came about when he left the current government after his son Gal z”l was killed in Gaza. He said that the government was not worthy of his son or the fallen, or of the hostages who died in captivity. That is not a biography you can manufacture and it's the one credential Netanyahu cannot answer.

I visited the IMPACT-SE (www.impact-se.org ) offices on the Tuesday before leaving for Baku. It was an exceptional experience, meeting the team who make things happen in our quiet, respectful way, changing the way children learn about others, bringing tolerance to schoolbooks where there was hatred. The young team of brilliant strategists, researchers and linguists led by Marcus Sheff, made me so proud to be Chair of the Board. 

Baku, Azerbaijan. Not the first place one may put on the bucket list of countries to visit but oh my, would you be wrong! Baku is the most beautiful city with fabulous architecture, incredible museums, concert halls, music academies, sports halls and arenas around every corner. The carpet museum blew our minds! Imagine a building in the shape of a rolled carpet! People were open and kind; religion, while Moslem, is clear, but I didn’t see one hijab except in the tourist hotel. In short, we highly and warmly recommend a visit to Baku, I promise you will be enthralled.

 

We got back from Baku on Monday evening and then on Tuesday evening we went to the magnificent National Library for a concert of the Jerusalem Music Academy in honour of the 250^th anniversary of the United States. A 100 strong student choir and a student jazz band entertained us with wonderful excerpts from Porgy and Bess, West Side Story, indeed almost every significant American modern music played and sung brilliantly; jazz and choir. A fine tribute to the USA and a brilliant performance by the students.

 

Today, after writing to you, I’ll finish off preparations for Shabbat and then take to the road, and head off to see Rachel and family. Out of our village onto the main road, turning up toward Ramot and then climbing up, up, up toward Nebe Samuel, Samuel’s Tomb. There I will pull into the vista point to wonder at the mosaic that is Jerusalem. Just as she is clearly made up of puzzles pieces joined by trees, trees everywhere, Jerusalemites form a mosaic of race, creed and colour. Christians - Orthodox, Copts, Catholic, Anglican; Muslims both Sunni and Shia; Mekoya Mandaeism and, of course, Jews a multifarious society indeed. As I come down the hill again, careful to reduce my speed because of the speed trap at the bottom of the hill, I see Ramallah on my right. Many modern high-rise buildings springing up everywhere but there is a huge difference, in Ramallah there is no human mosaic, it is one colour, no diversity, sadly diversity of faith is not just discouraged but dangerous. Oh dear, I started this paragraph with determined optimism but slid into places to which I didn’t intend going. On the other hand, I live on this wonderful open side of the fence so I’m lucky! That’s it, changing subject.

 

On a much lighter note, the World Cup has taken over our household and, I suspect, that like Zvi, most of the male population are happily glued to their televisions until the wee small hours. I should add that I mean football—the proper game, where you actually kick the ball with your feet rather than carry it around under your arm! What always strikes me is that countries which can barely exchange diplomatic niceties somehow manage to play each other with respect, shake hands at the final whistle and leave the politics off the pitch. Unlike the Olympics, football usually remembers that the game itself is what really matters. If only the rest of the world could do the same.

 

This time Zvi and I sit side by side at our computers in the Mamad, by choice, not because we are being bombarded. Together, but each busy with our own writing. Zvi will head off for his parliament in the Botanical Gardens coffee shop and I already told you where I am going! By the way, The Botanical Gardens has a wonderful Tastes and Sounds of India celebration in the Botanical Gardens this weekend. All invited by the beautiful and Sari’d Indian Ambassadress to Israel. Maybe the parliament will eat curry to heat up their discussions!!

 

 This week we celebrated 30 years of marriage and I would love to hear from those of you who were at the party, the huge celebration on June 23^rd 1996, held under the beauty of the Walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The poles of the Chuppah were decorated by Gideon and Rachel and held by Amiad, Leor, Valeri z”l and Gideon, with Jill as my Maid of Honour, my late cousins Jean and Stuart stood in for my late parents, Kalman and Alla (Zvi’s amazing parents) stood with us under the chuppah, or marriage canopy, and the proceedings were led by Rabbi David Rosen at the request of his brothers Jeremy and Mickey z”l. I will never forget singing “If I Forget Thee Oh Jerusalem” opposite the newly lit walls, thanks to Edmundo and Raquel Safdie. One funny aspect, in the nearby Sultan’s Pool the rehearsal was taking place for the official ceremony of the Lights and we went down to ask the producer if he would quieten the rehearsals just during the ceremony, he agreed. However, as Zvi broke the traditional glass we suddenly heard about 300 Ram’s Horns (Shofars) cut through the night!!!!

 

Perhaps that’s the cue for the first song.

If I Forget Thee Oh Jerusalem. https://youtu.be/jues4wiAFnQ?si=Y3Hgjru_RzNHHCSO

 

As the 1,000^th day since the horrors of 7^th of October nears, perhaps we should hear this song of sadness and hope. When the sun will rise again by Nunu  https://youtu.be/v3CVIpa4Rxc?si=ELfmqfjXyDJ2_0lV

 

One of the songs performed at the Celebratory Concert for America’s 250^th birthday was “Somewhere” from West Side Story. A Steven Spielberg film, Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Steven Sondheim, the story of Romeo and Juliette in New York; but the song? For me it is the prayer that somewhere the world will be safe for Jews and a reminder that now we have a safe haven for the Jewish people, right here in Israel.  https://youtu.be/oae6SW5bgeQ?si=qoBYhk_G5tt5FIq2  

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends. You are so important to me. Nothing pleases me more than meeting you and hearing from you, to know that you read my musings, that my letters help you to understand this complex part of the world. I wish you peace, Shalom, Salaam, Pax, Pais, this weekend ad every weekend. Maybe the light from our candles can eradicate the darkness and bring kindness.

With love from Jerusalem

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Campaign for Soviet Jewry - Genesis

 

Soviet Jewry story June 2026

 

More than fifty years have passed since a handful of determined students in Jerusalem helped ignite a movement that would eventually change Jewish history. Today, when so many of the heroes of that struggle remain uncelebrated, it is worth remembering how it all began.

For younger readers, it is difficult to imagine a time when millions of Jews lived trapped behind the Iron Curtain, denied the right to leave, denied the right to live openly as Jews and denied the freedom that so many of us take for granted today. Yet that was the reality for Soviet Jewry in the late 1960s.

In May 1969, while students at Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Avi Plaskow and Yona Yahav, who was then National Chairman of the National Union of Israeli Students, met a group of recent immigrants from the Soviet Union, headed by Dov (Boris) Sperling, in Tel Aviv.  At this meeting the recent immigrants complained that the Israeli public was unaware of the plight of Jews in the Soviet Union and the Israeli Government censored any information thereof. Yona and Avi were shocked. The stories Boris Sperling told held them spellbound. He spoke of persecution, discrimination, arrests and exile on long train journeys to freezing Siberia. To the two young Israelis, born in the shadow of the Holocaust, the stories seemed almost impossible to believe. They echoed memories inherited from a generation that had witnessed Jews being rounded up and sent away on trains, never to return.

 As a result Yona approached Zvi Raviv and asked him to do a fact-check on all the allegations especially government policy. Raviv was surprised. Like many Israelis at the time, he knew very little about the situation. Zvi spent weeks checking every detail with the Mossad and government authorities. Surely there had to be some exaggeration. To their astonishment, there was none. Everything Sperling and his group had described was true.

What shocked them even more was discovering that the State of Israel, fully aware of the situation, was doing very little beyond quiet diplomatic efforts.

Yona and Zvi reached a simple conclusion: silence was not enough and they decided to begin a nation-wide student campaign to change government policy.

Zvi began planning a demonstration on the campus of the Hebrew University with huge banners proclaiming "Let My People Go" appeared, echoing Moses' biblical demand to Pharaoh.

When Zvi’s plans were announced for a demonstration, the Rector of the University Prof. Yaakov Katz, and asked his permission to interrupt classes for two hours in order to hold a demonstration.

Prof. Katz explained, that he could not permit demonstrations on campus and disruption of the academic schedule. The event would have to be cancelled. Faced with authority, Raviv calmly replied that if the University prevented a one-hour demonstration, the students would simply strike for an entire day. The Dean decided that one hour was preferable.

On the day of the demonstration a student, by the name of Menashe Raz, who had just begun his broadcasting career in the new midday radio magazine B'Chatzi HaYom asked if he could broadcast from the demonstration and for the first time all of Israel heard the message that Israeli students were proclaiming the fact that the Israeli government was not fulfilling its role to protect the Jews of the Diaspora. The size and impact of that broadcast attracted the attention of the security services, who contacted the student leaders and warned them to cease and desist their activities or serve a few months of reserve duty in Sinai rather than studying.

Instead, they requested a meeting with the Prime Minister.

To their surprise, she accepted their request within a few days.

Three young men — Zvi Raviv, Yona Yahav and Avi Plaskow z"l — entered the office of Prime Minister Golda Meir expecting twenty minutes. Facing them sat that tiny but formidable woman, her renowned Chesterfield cigarette in between her fingers. Question after question followed. How would such a campaign work? How many Jews might wish to leave? Could Israel absorb them? What would be required financially and socially? For every question, Yona Yahav produced calculations and detailed plans from a folder he had prepared.

Golda explained that the government had deliberately chosen quiet diplomacy. Public pressure, she believed, might endanger the very Jews they were trying to help. She finished her explanation, lit a cigarette and thanked them for coming, signalling that the meeting had come to an end

As they were preparing to leave the Prime Minister’s Office, Zvi Raviv turned and asked if he could say just one last sentence.  "Mrs Meir, we will continue demonstrating because in twenty years' time, when I have children, and they ask me what I did to help the Jews of the Soviet Union, I want to have an answer. Unlike my father's generation, who did nothing and lost six million Jews." Of course, Golda understood that he was not referring to his father but to her.

The Prime Minister was taken aback.

"You do not know your history, young man," she replied. "We sent in paratroopers."

"Actually, Ma'am, I am a history major from the Hebrew University," he answered. "We sent thirty-seven parachutists for the purpose of espionage"

"But then we didn't have a country," Golda responded.

"Now we do!"

At that moment, he saw something remarkable. The Diaspora mentality that had shaped generations of Jewish leaders seemed to fall away. For the first time in the conversation, Golda Meir was no longer speaking as a representative of a vulnerable people, but as the Prime Minister of a sovereign Jewish State.

Instead of ending the meeting, she sat down, and the meeting started anew. “What do you want?”.

The scheduled twenty-minute meeting stretched to nearly ninety minutes.

As they left, they realised how seriously Golda had taken them. Waiting outside her office were Vice-Premier Yigal Alon and Mossad Director Zvi Zamir, both delayed while the Prime Minister continued her discussion with three student activists.

Three days later, Golda Meir's secretary, Adi Yafe, telephoned Yona Yahav. The government had adopted a new policy, embracing many of the proposals put forward by the students. Israel would go public. Israel would go public.

No longer would the struggle for Soviet Jewry remain solely behind closed diplomatic doors. The State of Israel would openly advocate for Soviet Jews and support international efforts on their behalf.

Zvi Raviv had one final request: he wanted Israeli politicians and diplomats standing openly alongside the Refuseniks. Golda agreed, and on 2 December 1969 stood on the stage at the historic demonstration in Tel Aviv, which the Israeli government recognises as the birth of the worldwide campaign to free Soviet Jewry.

In May 1970, an international conference, disguised as a privately organised event but in fact by the Israeli government, was convened in Brussels to bring the plight of Soviet Jews to the international arena. In July of that year, the Israeli Government established the “The National Council for Soviet Jewry” bringing a successful resolution to the student campaign that began just a year previously.

The campaign spread rapidly across the Jewish world. Communities organised demonstrations, vigils and letter-writing campaigns. Activists picketed Soviet cultural events in their countries. Thousands of postcards arrived at Soviet embassies demanding freedom for Soviet Jews. Organisations from London to New York adopted the cry: "Let My People Go."

Refuseniks became household names throughout the Jewish world.

These were not dissidents seeking to overthrow the Soviet regime. They were Jews seeking the most basic of human rights: the freedom to leave, the freedom to live openly as Jews and, for many, the freedom to come home to Israel.

The campaign gathered momentum. In 1977, the famed trial of Soviet dissident Natan Scharansky gave a further international exposure to the student campaign which began 8 years previously. The trickle eventually became a flood and beginning in the late 1980s and accelerating through the 1990s, more than a million Jews from the former Soviet Union came to Israel.

What those students could not have known in 1969 was how profoundly this Aliyah would transform Israel. The struggle was fought to save Jews and restore their freedom, but it also brought an extraordinary gift to the Jewish state. Scientists, physicians, engineers, mathematicians, musicians and academics arrived in numbers unprecedented in modern history. They enriched Israel's universities, hospitals, laboratories and industries, helping to propel a small country into a world leader in medicine, technology and scientific research. However, statistics tell only part of the story. Perhaps that is the greatest measure of success. The immigrants from the former Soviet Union are no longer a separate community. They are simply Israelis. Their children command military units, perform surgery, conduct scientific research, teach in universities, create music and raise families of their own. Their story has become part of Israel's story

Behind every immigrant was a family reunited. Behind every scientist was a refusenik once denied opportunity because he or she was Jewish. Behind every child was a future no longer limited by Soviet restrictions.

In 1991, Zvi Raviv returned to Moscow with a Keren Hayesod delegation for their annual conference. Standing in Red Square, he quietly produced a large Israeli flag from his pocket. The group posed proudly in front of the Kremlin. Two American tourists walked past. "Now I've seen everything," one remarked. Indeed they had.

History remembers prime ministers, famous refuseniks and international statesmen. It rarely remembers the students carrying banners across a university campus or the young activists bold enough to challenge a Prime Minister. Yet without them, history might have taken a very different course.

There is an old saying that success has many parents, whereas failure is an orphan. The campaign for Soviet Jewry became one of the greatest successes in modern Jewish history and, understandably, many organisations and individuals became part of that remarkable story. They deserve recognition for their contribution.

Yet every movement has its genesis. Before the worldwide campaigns, before the diplomatic pressure and before the great public rallies, there were a handful of students in Jerusalem who simply refused to remain silent. Their names are not always remembered, but history should remember them. For it was their determination, their courage and their chutzpah that helped set in motion a chain of events that brought more than a million Jews to freedom and transformed the State of Israel forever.

And it all began with a few students, a great deal of chutzpah, and a simple refusal to remain silent when fellow Jews cried out for help

 

 

War and Peace; Israel at the Crossroads

 

12^th June 2026

27^th Sivan 5786

 

Shabbat Shalom! I hope this missive finds you well. Today I don’t want to write about events but rather about what the vast majority of Israelis feel after the Haredi riots against conscription and the extremist settlers who claim Biblical lands as an excuse to be vile bullies.

 

There are moments when I struggle to recognise the Judaism I love. This week, Haredi rioters shouted that it is better to die than serve in the army and defend Israel. Better to die? Ours is a religion that celebrates life. The same Torah they study so diligently teaches the concept of Milchemet Mitzvah—a sacred war. Maimonides (Rambam), one of Judaism's greatest scholars, ruled clearly that "a war fought to assist Israel from an enemy which attacks them constitutes an sacred war." It could hardly be more relevant today.

 

The great sages understood this. Rambam, one of the greatest Jewish scholars who ever lived, was also a renowned physician whose medical knowledge was sought by rulers and ordinary people alike and whose medical writings influenced generations. Centuries before modern medicine began speaking about preventative healthcare, he taught that what we eat, how we exercise and the way we care for our bodies directly affects our health. For Rambam, looking after one's physical well-being was not separate from Judaism; it was part of serving God. Hillel worked as a labourer, Rabbi Yochanan as a sandal maker. They prayed, they studied, they worked and they cared for their communities. When danger threatened, Jewish law recognised the concept of Milchemet Mitzvah—a sacred war to defend the Jewish people. As Rambam himself ruled, "A war fought to assist Israel from an enemy which attacks them constitutes a sacred war."

 

That is why I find the cries of "better to die than serve" so distressing. Nobody is asking young Haredi men to abandon their faith. The question is whether caring for one's fellow Jew ends at the door of the study hall, the Yeshiva. Judaism teaches responsibility, not withdrawal; contribution, not exemption. Faith and duty were never intended to be enemies. They are, and always have been, partners.

 

At its heart, Judaism is not simply about ritual observance but about our responsibility towards one another. When the great sage Hillel (110 BCE to 10 CE) was challenged to explain the entire Torah while standing on one leg, he replied: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. The rest is commentary; now go and learn." Of all the commandments and all the complexities of Jewish law, that was the principle he chose as the foundation.

 

The question is not whether one can be religious and serve, but whether one can enjoy the protection provided by others while refusing to share the burden. Judaism survived because Jews accepted responsibility for one another. Faith and duty were never intended to be enemies.

 

Perhaps that is why the next election matters so much. No matter where you live, election campaigns are messy affairs, full of slogans, accusations and half-truths. Here in Israel we seem to be moving towards a choice between two very different visions of leadership. On one side stands a polished diplomat, fluent in the language of international politics and admired abroad, but whose long years in office have deepened divisions within Israeli society and empowered coalition partners whose vision for the country many Israelis do not share. Through political necessity or personal choice, he has given extraordinary influence to religious parties and figures whose priorities often seem at odds with the broad, inclusive Judaism on which the State of Israel was founded.

 

On the other side stands a soldier who rose from modest beginnings to become Chief of Staff of the IDF, a man known less for polished speeches than for integrity, intellect and service. In the end, Israelis will have to decide what they value most. At a time when the nation is crying out for unity and shared responsibility, I find myself wondering whether impressive credentials matter as much as character, honesty and the ability to bring a fractured people back together again.

 

When people hear of Hezbollah's latest drone attacks, they often imagine military targets. In reality, the victims are frequently the families of northern Israel living amongst some of the country's most beautiful scenery. These are farming communities, kibbutzim and villages that grow much of Israel's fruit and vegetables. Children here have spent years interrupting lessons to run to shelters. It is hard to learn mathematics, history or simply how to be a child when sirens can sound at any moment. The tragedy of the north is that these communities are not threatening anyone. They are growing peaches, apples, avocados and grapes, raising families and building lives. Yet they find themselves on the front line of a war they did not start. The orchards should be filled with the sound of children playing, not warning sirens. That is the reality too often missing from the headlines.

 

After the Iranian missiles this week, missiles that sent us running for the mamad yet again, this hardly feels like the moment for lectures from abroad. There is an interesting historical contrast. In the 1970s, Richard Nixon briefly considered pressuring Golda Meir but quickly concluded that squeezing Israel would not bring peace. Today, media reports suggest a very different approach, with President Trump openly seeking to impose upon Israeli decisions. Whether one supports Netanyahu or not is irrelevant. Allies may advise, friends may disagree, but Israel is a sovereign nation, not a client state. Mr President, the Jewish people were here long before the United States existed and, with good leaders and bad, triumphs and disasters, we have survived. Friendship is precious; independence is priceless.

 

The Russian Revolution, Communism, the history books have a tendency to romanticise even the dire violence of the fate of the Romanoffs, but it has rarely been better explained than in the brilliant television series “A Gentleman in Moscow” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8230448/ Ewan McGregor excels himself as the aristocrat Count Alexander Rostov, sentenced to indefinite house arrest at the real-life luxury Hotel Metropol in Moscow, located directly across from the Kremlin. I highly recommend it.

 

Changing direction completely, I was delighted to see photographs from the Trappist monastery at Latrun, where the monks of the silent order celebrated Corpus Christi last week. For days they had been collecting flowers and arranging them into beautiful carpets of colour for the procession of the Blessed Sacrament. It struck me that this, too, is Israel. Not only synagogues and Jewish festivals, but churches, mosques, monasteries and communities of every faith able to worship openly and freely. Amid all the noise of politics and conflict, it is worth remembering that freedom of prayer is one of the quiet miracles of modern Israel.   So much attention is focused on conflict, politics and headlines that the quieter realities are overlooked: Trappist monks gathering flowers, Druze families welcoming visitors, Christians celebrating Corpus Christi, Muslims attending Friday prayers, Jews preparing for Shabbat. These scenes rarely make the news, yet they say a great deal about the country.  

 

The day began very early, by default, because we were supposed to go to a special performance at the Khan Theatre, my favourite, housed in a beautifully restored 19th-century Ottoman caravanserai. The repertory troupe that performs there is world class, their plays often touring the country after its first run. However that doesn’t explain why I said “supposed to go” We woke at 6 to find a WhatsApp postponing today’s performance so I really have time to write to you, prepare some food and go to see Rachel and the grandchildren. The only problem with going really early is that Yosef, Talia and Ayala may not be awake yet since the don’t work today. I’m so proud of them, they work hard while studying, not a lazy moment. Anyway, getting there earlier means that the challah will be fresh from the oven. Despite quoting the Rambam’s healthy advice, there is nothing like bread burning hot from the oven and dripping with butter! I did it for my children, to welcome them home from school on a Friday and now my daughter does it for me!!

 

Zvi will go to his parliament when about 12 good men will try to make sense of what is happening in our country, try to make sense so that they can explain it to their grandchildren and to family and friends abroad. I watch Zvi, daily trying to explain to the world, in Spanish, Hebrew and English, arguing when necessary but every word written from the point of view of a man born before the State and raised in a truly Jewish Israeli home; a man who feels the responsibility of elucidation, of explaining that despite the news, this little country is still the safest place for Jews. It has become our raison d’etre.

 

So to preparing food, not just food but special food for special people who are coming to us for Shabbat Lunch. Sharman and Melvin Berwald, Shaiela and Eugene Kandel and hopefully Ora and Avner Rosengarten. A fascinating mixture of very bright people who don’t know each other and I promised to abide by their food preferences! We will start with guacamole, go on to red pepper soup, then to chicken (which part uncertain still) stuffed veggies and a big green salad. Dessert is always a question. Should I present the tipsy peaches or make a chocolate mousse or both? What would you prefer? Sharman and Melvin haven’t been to our abode so Zvi will show them the exquisite former Convalescent Home for the upper levels of the Histadrut Union, the Avenue of the Presidents, under our veranda, where all Presidents have planted a tree in the manner of Theodore Herzl who planted the first one.

 

Music, music, music.

 

YStuds and Shai Abrahamson sing, Hineini Kan, I’m Here. A tribute to Jerusalem, not only a beautiful voice but a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. https://youtu.be/Lyp_PsJ0NX0?si=Z65IBhRw9HXIF0Qj

 

The late Uzi Hitman wrote simple melodies with almost childlike lyrics, lyrics that explain Israel better than almost any other. Ani Noladeti leShalom, I was born for Peace. https://youtu.be/192t-KvtK2M?si=ShmhimRxW2GRpyXY

 

Sarit Hadad sings Israel, really! I had never heard this song before and now I can’t stop singing it!! Welcome to Israel, Baruch Ha Ba l’Yisrael. Honest, straight forward, fun. https://youtu.be/6pl9sWyHQpY?si=Jakuc0pNy25c2IXY

 

I won’t be writing next week, we are taking a short break with our friends Ami and Zehava Sever, so don’t worry, we are fine, just having fun!

 

Please, lovely people, remember that you are our mouthpiece, you are our heroes, you stand up when others stay silent, you are the front line. Tonight, as we all light candles, remember to bring light into this crazy situation, don’t argue with others, just paint the whole picture.

 

Shabbat Shalom, a peaceful one in the knowledge that we are thinking of you.

With all our love from Jerusalem

Sheila