Jerusalem Day 2022

 20529

29^th May 2022

28^th Iyar,5782

 

Happy Jerusalem Day!

 

Today commemorates that joyous moment of the 6 Day War, when Lt General Motta, (Mordechai) Gur, uttered the magical words "The Temple Mount is in our hands"  Har ha habyit by'adenu. Dreams, nay yearning, of 2,000 years came true, we could finally visit our holy places. Which had been in Moslem hands…….. but wait…..What's wrong with what I just wrote? It was after just 19 years of Jordanian rule, from 1948 until that day in 1967.

 

The Six Day War started when 4 armies attacked Israel simultaneously. It is said that if you don't know where you have been you cannot know where you are going. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLqbXfOJbus

 

The Temple Mount was shared until that time, Jews, Christians and Moslems all went up to their Holy places and it saddens me that we are banned from praying on our holiest site. In my extensive travels around the globe I have visited many a church, cathedral, chapel, temple, mosque and of course synagogue and never have I been stopped or stopped anyone else from praying. When we repeated the prayer "Next Year in Jerusalem" or recited the words of King David "If I forget the Oh Jerusalem"  it was never for the shopping mall or the King David Hotel, it was for the Temple Mount. Jews everywhere, from Toronto to Wales; from Gondar to Johannesburg; from Manhattan to Mexico City, all just prayer for and prayed to one place, Jerusalem.

 

Last night we were in the home of Danny Adeno Abebe, born in far distant Gondar, Ethiopia. Danny invited a few people to hear the story of his journey, his Masa, through the eyes of a barefoot 8 year old goatherd. When Danny and his family left Gondar one day in 1984 together with his entire village, they did not set out for Israel, they didn't know anything about Israel. They had one dream, Jerusalem.  Danny today bears no resemblance to Adeno the barefoot boy – he is a brilliant journalist, an author and speaker and best of all married to Aviva and they have four gorgeous children and a dog called Milky. Happily his Mother is my friend. This song gives you a little glimpse of the trek, this one much later but still with one aim, to come to Jerusalem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKcRKzbSeJM

 

President Herzog wrote a beautiful tribute to the City of Jerusalem. " There is no other city in the world like Jerusalem. A city that people pine for, a city that they face to pray, and for whose sake they pray, a city to which so many look up. A city that serves as common ground but is often also a locus of friction. A city that contains a bit of everything: the spirit of sanctity and the vibrancy of day-to-day life. Jerusalem is a city whose one million inhabitants reflect the entire mosaic of Israeli society and its complexity, a city whose name means peace, yet a city that has also known many wars."

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/city-of-hearts-president-herzog-on-jerusalem-day/

 

So, Jerusalem Day. One day in the year Jews, a small number and carefully picked, are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount and enthusiastic youngsters from various Yeshivas, Ulpanas, high schools etc carry Israeli flags down Agron Street turn left and enter the Old City through the Damascus Gate and continue to the Western Wall where they will dance and sing Hatikva. Of course there will be the usual stone throwing, demands that Jews be stopped from going through the Damascus Gate, claims of destruction of the Mosque but in fact it is thousands of young people expressing their joy at being in Jerusalem!

 

It is a day of celebration, but sadly not without the ultimate threat of the enemies both within and without.

 

Meir Banai z"l was a member of Jerusalem's most famous theatre family. All born and bred right here in the city their love for Jerusalem clear. Meir wrote this song about the Mercy Gate, the Gate through which the Messiah will come. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOcUZsckkyU

 

 

Yaakov Shweckey sings If I forget Thee Oh Jerusalem https://youtu.be/j1WsdQHtSUg

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her cunning.
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth,
if I remember thee not;
if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy.

 

Remember all of you, whatever your faith, wherever you pray and in which direction you face, a welcome awaits you in Jerusalem. This is a fabulous city, it bubbles with activities, phenomenal food, of course Mahane Yehuda; our parks are lush, our trees many, the botanical gardens exquisite and if you have never been before, prepare to be surprised – it is a world apart from the way it is presented in the media. Come and walk in the footsteps of King David, of Jesus and the ancestors of those who live here today

 

See you soon

Happy Jerusalem Day!!

 

 

 

Lies, Damned Lies and news from the Middle East

 220520

20^th May 2022

 

Shabbat shalom! Hope this missive finds you well.

 

Lies soar on the wings of calumny. MIT did an entire study on the efficiency of lies as opposed to the truth. The result of their research "Falsehood diffuses significantly faster than the truth and the lie becomes the remembered truth"

 

Such it is in the Middle East.

 

The case of Shireen Abu Akleh is an obvious example, the most recent example, but how many of you remember Mohammed Al Dura? On the 30^th of September, 2000 Israel was blamed for the killing of a 12 year old who was crouching, hiding behind his father, the photograph captured and spread like wildfire. The resulting riots and world condemnation was overwhelming. As far as I am aware nobody publicised the results of the autopsy which showed that it was a Palestinian (Gaza) bullet that killed Mohammed. So it is with Shireen Abu Akleh, the difference being that the PA will not give Israel access to the body, the bullet or the results of the autopsy. The reason is obvious but the media will never investigate the truth. The result? Riots in both Israel and the PA and worldwide condemnation.

 

Surprisingly, we, both in Israel and the Diaspora, promulgate the same lies on a different stage. The very basis of Israel's existence is the Jewish religion, the traditions, yet the very same people, women, who happily cover their heads and honour the Moslem laws when entering a Mosque demand breaking the age old laws of Judaism claiming they demean women. First of all virtually every religion puts the woman in the home, raising the children, often separating men and women during prayer; Judaism is the only religion which actually has a special blessing for the women of the home before Shabbat (Eshet Chayil) and finally, why change the traditions which harm no-one since Judaism is so flexible already with many streams of both belief and tradition. Why am I raising this subject when discussing lies? Because, in truth, it is the greatest stumbling block in our relationship with Diaspora, or more specifically, American Jewry. Call it misunderstanding, call it whatever you wish but our prayers over 2,000 years of dispersion, were not for the Tel Aviv beach or the streets of Meah Shearim, they were for the Kotel, the Wailing Wall, the Old City, the Temple Mount, every depiction of our prayers show the Holy Sites, all the other places are non-denominational, have no religious significance so why force change rather than reach compromise? The more we fight among ourselves the more our common enemies rejoice.

 

What do supermodels have in common with media hype and lies? Bar Rafaeli responded to the vituperation of Bella Hadid on Instagram. Hadid's Instagram page has become a propaganda tool against Israel. She and her sister Gigi have some 80 million followers between them and their sole purpose has become to condemn Israel and blame Israel for the current wave of terror. Never undermine their influence, their inanity is what ttracts young people to believe them and so the calumny continues.  Bar Rafaeli wrote mourning the 3 who were killed in Elad, spoke of the wave of terror attacks, and ended her post with a challenge to Hadid to repost it.

 

How can one stop the rot of disinformation? Start young, teach tolerance, be patient because the lies have been taught for generations, the situation cannot change in a moment, it takes a generation, but we have to start now. The fascinating truth is that those very countries that taught their children to hate Israel, the Jews and Christians (while adopting our prophets) have reached out to change and introduce tolerance into their education curriculae while the Western countries have gone backwards into teaching intolerance in the guise of political correctness.

 

So back to my question – how do we stop the rot of or disinformation? To begin with we take note of the work of IMPACT-se (www.impact-se.org ) and look into our children's schoolbooks.  The woke trend is tantamount to burning books and destroying statues, by disallowing books of historical importance, yes I mean Uncle Tom's Cabin, Gone With The Wind, Little Black Sambo (which incidentally is about India and a little black hero) – how can we explain to our children that we have improved our society since then? To deny history is to lie, because we are nothing if not the result of our past.

 

Back to Israel! So this week the government has suffered another blow as their ability to govern is eroded by those on the right and the left leaving them. Of course it is an obvious danger when so many views come together in a coalition, but I hope they survive. The hooha about the cost of security installations for the PM's home in Raanana while the Prime Minister's Residence is being made livable, are unfair. He did not make any of the said decisions it was the Security Services who simply went ahead without consulting with local government as required! On the other hand we had two Members of Knesset, Arab Members of Knesset who abused police officers. Ahmed Tibi, Former Deputy Speaker of the Knesset who studied medicine at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, screamed abuse at the police and in the plenary of the Knesset, took the podium and called a female Knesset Member "scum of the earth" demeaning the Knesset and the police in one week. The second incident involved Knesset Member Ofer Cassif who hit a police officer on the head because they asked him to stop and identify himself as he got close to riots.  What kind of example do they show to their constituents, especially the young ones?

 

Enough doom and gloom! I actually had a lovely week!

 

On a glorious Sunday morning I headed off to Gilo to collect my wonderful friend Lola Cohen. Lola and her late husband Norman were very involved in Christian/Jewish relations both here and in Britain. Our friendship with Canon Andrew White drew us together but the truth is that Lola's Shabbat afternoon teas (Yorkshire of course) and the incredible scones with jam and cream and homemade butter shortbread confirmed our friendship! Anyway, we hadn't managed to get together for too long so we decided to "spur of the moment" and headed off to the Botanical Gardens. Oh joy! Not only the humungeous, now famous  Caffit's "Oreganatto Batata" a sweet potato, feta cheese salad, that we shared, I wish I could adequately describe the calm, sitting beside the pond, surrounded by people enjoying the veranda, the lovely young waiters, the great food, the glorious weather, but most of all the phenomenal display of water lilies! No wonder the lotus is the stuff of mythology and legend, they are spectacular! Pink, yellow, red with the lily pads bearing rather noisy croaking green frogs. What a delight and of course the conversation with Lola is always enlightening. I find her admission that she will be 90 years old in a month unbelievable! Ad meah ve esrim (until 120 is an old Hebrew blessing)

 

The next morning Zvi and I headed off to Shaare Zedek Hospital where Zvi became Van Gogh – a small surgery on his ear!! Sitting waiting for the surgeon, then the biopsy results etc gave me the opportunity to do what I love best……people watching. The mix of society, rich and poor, young and old, Arab and Jew, all sitting together either waiting or seeing patients. Yes in this supposedly religiously Jewish hospital many senior doctors are Arab. Watching the friendly interaction, the same conversations in dozens of languages, the same gesticulations engendered by trepidation before going in to the various doctors – I wish you could have been there to see the real Israel, obviously without the medical necessity!

 

On Tuesday both Rachel and I had reason to be in Jerusalem so we decided to be spontaneous (twice in one week) and meet up in Talpiot! We found a small cafe at the back of the shopping mall, quieter than most so allowing conversation, with the most fabulous freshly made salads and vegetable patties! Everything looked amazing and we got to choose our favourites for our meal. It was a delicious delight and to have time with my amazing daughter without husbands or children was a rare and special time.

 

Wednesday night saw Lag b'Omer, the 33^rd day of the counting of the Omer which I described last week. Thousands went to Meron to the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the man who wrote the Zohar and opened the secrets of the Torah to his students. The rules changed dramatically after the tragedy of overcrowding in which 45 people lost their lives in a stampede. This year the numbers were limited and all went well until some zealots rushed the grave of the great Rabbi. For those who wish to discover more https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/112515/jewish/Rabbi-Shimon-Bar-Yochai.htm

 

Zvi has been very busy rehearsing for the concert of Cantus, the choir of the Jerusalem Academy of Music, which will be held in the YMCA in two weeks. He loves to sing and has a glorious bass-baritone! Last night's rehearsal culminated in him collecting a delightful visitor on his way home. Alan Podolsky ended his Israel trip and came home with Zvi. I love Alan, in fact I love Alan's parents and siblings, his aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents! Alan's parents are the only ones in San Diego all the others are in Mexico City.

 

That brings us up to tonight! We will be 18 for supper, but that number may grow, I never know with Zvi! He and Alan have gone off to Jerusalem to meet with Victor and Mirta Solnitsky from Argentina, to give them a tour and a visit to the Kotel then they will come back here to see our new home and rest. Since the number of guests for dinner is somewhat fluid, flowing upwards that is, I have already prepared most of the salads and two quiches. Wait. Lets start at the beginning. Kiddush (the blessing on the wine) from Cantor Zvi Raviv, the blessing on the Challot (plaited bread) will be performed by Mr Yonatan Raviv (8 years and one week) and then….edamame for starters to get all the children sitting down, followed by cream of celeriac soup, onion quiche and sweet potato quiche, beetroot, kohlrabi, potato, cucumber, courgette, cabbage, caprese, chopped and green salads, baked salmon, then for dessert we will have home made apple pie and ice cream!! All this on the veranda which is ablaze with colour and scents. The weather promises to be balmy so I managed to set everything up outside, which also gives the children the freedom to run around rather than being told to sit by the table! I have a feeling that there will be lots of Spanish spoken tonight. Zvi loves to use his Spanish and we will have 5 family members who speak Spanish so I will make quite sure that I sit with Zvi's boys and families, despite the fact that the lingua franca is English!!

 

Time to get back to my preparations. We borrowed an extra table from our downstairs neighbours and I always say that it's the same amount of work for 6 people as it is for 20, the trouble is that Zvi always takes me seriously!

 

Since we spoke of Mexicans, of special friends and family Zvi and I wish Nattie and Yolli Zonzsein a huge MAZAL TOV on the birth of a new grandson. We are so thrilled for them especially since they are now in the same country, the same vicinity, as their daughter Merav, after making Aliya 2 years ago. Never mind that it took Yolli some 35 years to be convinced by Nattie that this is home- he loves it and has adjusted perfectly!

 

What was that you said? Isn't it time for music? Yes it is and even better it's Koolulam time!

"There's someone with me here" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_jUEaR86Lw&t=2s

 

Yismachu – Rejoice a beautiful Shabbat Song performed by the two Yitzchaks Perlman and Helfgot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxyWkx6CfSI

 

Since that was probably the ultimate in Ashkenazi prayer let's go straight into an Eastern Jewish Shabbat prayer!! Lecha Dodi is the song we sing to welcome the bride of the Sabbath, the same words a different melody!

"Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;

The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNVuZdWy_04

 

I wish you a peaceful weekend and above all the ability to distinguish between truth and lies.

 

With all my love from Jerusalem, centre of our world, Jews, Moslems and Christians, this is where we can join together in harmony if we just accept that true faith is individual not imposed.

 

Shabbat Shalom

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

Independence and Elad

 220506

6^th May, 2022

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends.

 

Remembrance Day was deeply emotional as we remembered the lives lost to defend our beautiful little country then in an exceptionally prestigious and meaningful Yom Ha'atzma'ut  - Independence Day ceremony, this year's beacon lighters were of the people and for the people leading to a decision to have only silent fireworks at the end, so that those with PTSD would not be terrified, we went into a day of family outings, all the wonderful fun that I described in my last letter……..and then

 

Last evening two young men, whose minds have been twisted by the heinous incitement of their society took axes, hatchets, machetes, I don't know how to describe them, went to a religious town, yes guys within the green line – not that it makes any difference – and went on an orgy of bloodthirsty slaughter, killing 3 men, injuring more, leaving 16 children without fathers and an entire town in mourning. Why did they choose Elad? Probably because this is a Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) town, few of the citizens had guns to resist, to defend themselves, to retaliate.

 

I am sure you can imagine the sadness of Israelis, but perhaps the response of the Palestinian and Hamas leaders will help you understand. Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, expressed delight, yes I said delight, at the success of the attack and encouraged young Palestinians "and Israeli Arabs" to continue the "good work" whereas Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority condemned the attack. Hamas is on the rise among young Palestinians, even within Israel although to a much lower extent. Jordan, which has control of the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa Compound, together with the WAQF and Fatah, are deeply concerned and have now banned Hamas flags on the Temple Mount in an attempt to lower tensions. Khaled Abu Toameh, conceivably the best honest reporter, informing us of events within the Israeli Arab community explains https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-705979

 

Subsequent Israeli Governments have given in to the demands of the WAQF concerning Jewish and Christian prayer on the Temple Mount, given in and in principle disallowed either faith from praying on their holy site in order to calm the incitement, but it didn't work. We are unable to control the level of incitement within the Mosques and the determined inculcation of the young and disenfranchised; to inseminate disinformation into already angry young people doesn't take more than oppression and a Goerring style proliferation of lies. When I say oppression I am not suggesting Israeli oppression, you have to understand the leadership of both the PA and Gaza whose very power lies in keeping their population both poor and unhappy while accumulating vast fortunes from the aid funding of our countries, the UN and EU!

 

As is the way here in Israel I have to change the emotional direction of this missive, accepting the ramifications of all of the above. Indeed, through Impact-se and its professional leadership, Marcus Sheff and Arik Agassi, something quite exceptional happened as a result of their meeting with the EU. Of course, as Chair I was aware of the impending meeting but nobody was prepared for the result! The EU, aware of the incitement in the PA/Hamas/UNWRA school curriculum is considering defunding.

" The motions are based on a report by IMPACT-se presented to a joint Foreign Affairs, Budget, Budgetary Control and Education and Culture Committee hearing of the parliament, as well as to the Commission in an April 20^th testimony, by the invitation of the Parliament, and in a series of meetings with IMPACT-se’s leadership prior to vote." PA textbook resolution vote: 357 in favor, 259 against, 24 abstentions 
The full text of the resolution condemning the PA is available here (par. 170). The world is slowly slowly understanding that terrorism begins in schools.

This year the change in the manner of leadership was astonishing. The Speaker of the Knesset, who traditionally leads the Independence Day Celebrations on Mount Herzl, brought with him a humility that has been missing for the last 12 years, giving a short speech of welcome. The ceremony itself, the beacon lighters were chosen for their incredible, selfless contribution to Israeli society and the world at large, the songs were Israeli, the dancers, soldiers, presenters and the audience all braved the unusually cold, windy weather with a smile…..in fact why don't you just watch and enjoy – with simultaneous English translation from i24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mza32QsYIqQ See how many faces you recognise! All the beacon lighters were deserving and I was especially thrilled to see my friend, Kalman Samuels, the incredibly humble founder of Shalva, speaking of his son Yossi and the real force behind Shalva, his wife Malki. You will see Avi Samuels using finger language to tell Yossi about his father's speech.

 

The next morning, bright and early a very different ceremony took place in the President's House, the ceremony commending "Hayalim Mitstainim" Outstanding soldiers. Each and every one, from every walk of Israeli life, brought a tear of pride to our eyes. Each and every one received a word of gratitude and encouragement from President Herzog.

 

As the traffic jams near every park, forest and lake became longer and longer nobody got angry, they all recognised that families were off for a day of birthday parties, celebrating Israel's 74^th birthday. We were supposed to go to the annual "parliament" barbecue at the Schreiber families garden, but unfortunately our hostess was unwell so rather than be alone we invited a very few close friends to partake of whatever fare could be found in the Raviv freezer The multiple salads took a few minutes to prepare, which left us with the meat. Despite being 100% Israeli (actually his birth certificate says that he is and was Palestinian) Zvi, unlike both his sons, is not a great fan of barbecues or "mangal". Our wonderful upstairs neighbour Benny came down to check the feasibility of using our barbecue for the first time in 5 years – after a thorough overhaul by yours truly – and pronounced it safe and ready so I happily placed the chicken pieces and the home-made burgers on the grill so that our aroma filled smoke joined that of most of our neighbours. All was well until the gas balloon ended! A hurried return to the kitchen ensure lunch but I admit I was disappointed.

 

Halfway through the meal we heard the sound of aeroplane engines. Was this the promised fly past? We rushed from the table and stood expectantly on the veranda, eyes to the sky……but somehow nothing happened! The only compensation was that we got to laugh with our neighbours who did the same! I hope next year's fly past will compensate! Our meal ended with the very best chocolate mousse ever (sorry Jill)! Ruth Dodziuk-Justitz showed her Suisse origins and we all enjoyed every mouthful!

 

As Zvi finished clearing up, (we have a deal, I prepare and he clears up) we made a good cuppa, he made his "special" omelette, and turned on the evening news. All sense of celebration, of fun, of joy disappeared as we watched in horror the desperately sad results of a terror attack. More than 26 Islamic countries, More than 24% of the world's population identify as Moslem, yet this tiny piece of ancient Jewish land, our heritage, offends by its very existence. This beautiful 74 year old lady is a blot on their vast landscape Does it depress me, yes of course, but we had to get up this morning and show our enemies that they cannot break us, we are here and will not be moved.

 

I am reminded of the Dementors in the Harry Potter stories. Dementors feed on human happiness and generate feelings of depression and despair in all those in close proximity, "soul-sucking fiends"……..I sense that JK Rowling knew exactly what she described.

 

It never fails to amaze me how little even supporters of Israel know about us. I love the conversations where people ask intelligent questions and I had just such a conversation when I was in the UK a short time ago. I visited dear friends Adrian and Barbara, together with my friend Jill, and as we sat in their lounge they began to ask questions that were so important to all of you if you stand a chance of answering the lies.  Here is a quiz for you, with different questions to theirs but worth seeing what you do or don't know anyway. http://www.freepubquiz.co.uk/israel-quiz.html

 

Today is Friday, almost Shabbat, and time to gather ourselves, prepare the Shabbat meal, to light the candles with a prayer that the light of the candles will spread warmth and peace. Tonight Leor and Shiri, with their four girls, Amit, Gili, Ori and Yuval are coming to us for Shabbat Dinner and Rachel, Yosef, Talia and Ayala are in Leeds to have Shabbat with Rachel's father Philip to celebrate his 80^th birthday. Hopefully Gideon will be with them too. A modern family indeed, spread all over the world held together by tradition

 

Adon Olam – Lord of the Universe- is the prayer that takes me back to my childhood. It is the final prayer of the Shabbat service and pictures of my father, grandfather and all around me folding their prayer shawls as they sang to the chosen melody of the week. I love this version, led by IDF Cantor Shai Abramson sung by the IDF coir relaxing….I just love it and it restores my mood with its beauty. Without translation, just enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3tLlG07X-Q  

 

When an Israeli prays for good news all around say "Hallevai" Ehud Manor was the greatest poet/lyricist of Israel and his words ring true today. Boaz Sharabi wrote the melody and here he sings Halleva'I - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwEatU285N8

 

The last song was written by a young man called Robert Zimmerman in the '60's, at a time when we thought we could change our world His words have proven to be too prophetic of our times today. Blowin' in the Wind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWwgrjjIMXA

 

I wish you Shabbat Shalom, a weekend of prayer for this tortured world. Who knows, perhaps by educating our children to accept those different to them, whether by colour, creed, speech, language or nationality…only by teaching our children can we learn to be tolerant human beings raising tolerant human beings.

 

With love, as always, from Jerusalem

Sheila

 

Sorrow and Celebration

220503

3^rd May 2022

ב באייר תשפ"ב

 

Today we mourn those who died fighting to create and hold this little oasis of Jewish life, from before the forming of the nascent State until today. Thousands of lives snuffed out by hatred. In less than half an hour the first siren will sound across the country to herald a day of mourning. We all know however that it is not just a day of mourning because, for the families, every day is a day of mourning for the 24,068 soldiers who died in Israel's constant battle for independence. Since this day last year, another 56 soldiers have joined the ranks of those lost.

 

It never fails to amaze me that nobody questions the existence, or right to exist of India, ratified just months before us, but the world has turned against this tiny, innovative, giving country.

 

Yom Hazikaron, the Day of Remembrance for those lost in War and through Terror attacks. Yom Hazikaron, a Day of Mourning where the face and story of each soldier lost is shown for 24 hours on the Knesset website and television. If you want to light a candle in memory of a fallen soldier go to www.izkor.gov.il

 

The central ceremony is held at the Western Wall, the Kotel but each military cemetery has its own, and the closing ceremony is held at Mount Herzl. Sad songs are played all day, shops and restaurants, places of entertainment are closed and of course the sirens, one at 20:00 tonight and one tomorrow at 11:00. We stand to attention to honour those who made our lives possible.

 

IDF Chief Cantor Shai Abramson will sing Yizkor, the lament for the dead, at the ceremonies and here he sings Unetanneh Tokef a prayer sung on Yom Kippur and on this day of mourning  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyBToUaon2w

 

I left you to stand out on our veranda, to hear the keening sound of the siren, expressing our grief at the young lives snuffed out. I called my friend Jill, all the way in Leeds, UK, because she feels the pain that we feel and needs to hear the siren as we do. Most cars and buses stopped before the siren, to give time for drivers and passengers alike to alight and stand to attention beside the bus, most of our neighbours stood out on their verandas to hear the siren clearly – there are few who have not lost friends, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters or a family member in unwanted wars or terror attacks. As I said, we are still fighting our war of independence, our war for recognition.

 

Tomorrow, most families will go to the graves of their loved ones. Some take flowers to place on their freshly washed gravestones. The most tragic is to see a child hugging a gravestone, all that remains of their contact with their father. The strange thing is that with all this tragedy there is a sense of purpose to living here. We are horrified by each death, but at least we are fighting for our own land, our own right to exist and not in a far distant land in someone else's war. Here we fight for our home and the right to live in it.

 

As you well know, my favourite Israeli song of all time, the song that expresses everything about living here. It was written by Naomi Shemer, the same poet who wrote Yerushalyim Shel Zahav, Jerusalem of Gold. This is the song that expresses everything that I feel about living here in this the Promised Land.  Al Kol Eleh – Above All This – or The Honey and the Sting.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOhhIZnLcRU It has both subtitles and transliteration so you can join in.

 

High on a hill in Jerusalem, in front of the grave of Theodore Herzl, as the Remembrance Day draws to a close, the deep sadness, the grieving, the mourning, the flags are handed over to the new guard, the speeches are thankfully over and then, suddenly the mood changes and we recognise the fact that as in all wars, we lost loved ones but we are still here! Israel is now a thriving, noisy, busy, economically sound, scientifically brilliant, medically innovative and is truly the Start Up Nation of 9,500,00 citizens of diverse race, faith, religion and traditions! Yes we really do have what to cheer about and cheer we do!!

 

Dancers, singers, acrobats and fun as we change our mood in an instant and the Yom haAtzmaut - Independence Day – celebrations begin! A truly spectacular evening of entertainment and jubilation! I remember that before Covid put a damper on all and any celebrations I took my amazing grand-daughter Talia to the Ceremony on Mount Herzl. For her, she was 13 at the time, the change from mourning to celebration really reached her soul. She waved her flag, wore her flashing Israeli flag headdress, cheered with the crowd as each new wonder was revealed and oooohed and aaahed at the multi-coloured drones which formed patterns in the night sky, including Star of David, Menorah, etc etc. Yes folks, we really know how to celebrate!

 

Parties abound and some say that instead of calling it Independence Day we should call it "The Day of the Mangal" – a Mangal is a Barbecue in Turkish! Not a square metre of park is left without the inevitable portable barbecues! The aroma of succulent steaks, kebabs and lamb chops alongside the highly seasoned chicken wings wafts over the entire country. Each family comes armed with huge cold-boxes filled with salads of every conceivable variety and only the early comers manage to grab a picnic table to sit at, others either bring their own table or a blanket and sit on the ground. It is a day of joy, of family, of celebration never forgetting the cost in human life.

 

So what about the achievements for this incredibly young country, the reborn Israel. How do I love her? Let me count the ways

 

Israel is 1st place in the world in planting new trees every year.

 

2nd place in the world in the ranking of space sciences.

 

1st place in the development of medical patents.

 

Israel is a member of the exclusive World Space Club, of which only 9 countries are members.

 

The Israeli Air Force is considered one of the best in the world, and holds a number of world records in the field of air combat.

 

The Israeli Naval Commando (Squadron 13) is ranked as one of the ten best units in the world.

 

The Merkava Mark 4 tank made in Israel is considered one of the best tanks in the world.

 

The most protected combat bulldozer in the world is the D9 of the IDF Combat Engineering Corps (and even holds the Guinness record).

 

Israel is a world leader in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles/drones (UAVs), and in 2013 it already won the title - the largest UAV exporter in the world, and in general Israel is ranked as the world's leading arms exporter in terms of the size of its population.

 

Israel is the largest exporter of polished diamonds in the world. The Israeli Diamond Exchange is the largest and most important rough diamond trading center in the world, with over 60 percent of its global turnover.

Israel is one of the largest citrus exporters in the world.

 

In Israel there are12 Nobel Prize winners, which is an amazing figure in relation to the size of population in the country.

 

Ben-Gurion Airport is considered one of the most secure airports in the world, to which global companies come every year to learn about innovative security methods.

 

Israel is considered one of the leading high-tech centers in the world.

 

 Israel is one of the most advanced countries in the world in the field of water desalination.

 

 Israel holds the world record of cotton crop per hectare (245 kg !!!) The world average is only 70 kilos.

 

The yield of milk to a cow in Israel - the highest in the world!

The Israeli cow is the world champion in milk production, the average milk production of each Israeli cow is 11,653 liters compared to 8,000 liters per European cow)

 

 The number of scientific articles per capita written by Israelis is among the highest in the world. Also, Israel is in third place in the world (along with Switzerland) in relation to the registered patents per capita.

 

The average life expectancy in the State of Israel is in sixth place in the world. (Men - 80.6 years and women 84.3 years)

 

 Infant mortality in Israel is among the lowest in the world.

 

Israel is ranked 19th out of 195 countries listed in the Human Development Index.

 

Eighth in the world in the global power index.

 

In fourth place in the ranking of the most educated countries in the world.

 

Ninth in the World Health Index (out of 163 countries)

 

Ranked 11th out of 158 in the Global Happiness Index.

 

In third place (out of 144 countries) in the ranking of the most innovative countries in the world.

 

My country is only young. She is only 74 years old.

 

I am proud to be Israeli

 

And so much more! Am proud of all our volunteers who rush to help countries around the world after natural disasters including the USA, Canada and Turkey; I am proud of Mashav, the government division that sends agricultural, medical and civic aid to third world countries and bring their people in all those professions to Israel to study in our universities to take their knowledge home; I am proud of the incredible work done to create tolerant societies in the midst of intolerance; I am proud that even as they call for our destruction we still provide Gaza with staple foodstuffs, electricity and gas; I am proud that one can see Moslems kneeling down to pray in the middle of the main road and nobody bats an eyelid; gosh I could go on and on.

 

I pray that the words of Menachem Begin (yes it was he not Anwar Sadat) when Anwar Sadat came to Israel "No more war, no more bloodshed"

 

When Naomi Shemer heard the Beatles sing "Let it Be" She decided to write "Lu Yehi" which carried the same sentiment, a sentiment of hope and prayer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDyHGjawbL4

 

How to end this missive of sorrow and celebration? Surely with that so aptly named anthem of the entire Jewish people and Israel in particular. Hatikva, the Hope. https://youtu.be/GQCu9kl68Tg

 

It's time to celebrate our differences, to accept each other as we are not as we expect.

 

With love from our veranda, where I watched the respect shown to those who keep us safe as I looked out over Jerusalem from the very spot that Theodore Herzl planted a tree. Indeed yesterday was Herzl's birthday. Can you imagine what he would have to say about his dream? It was not only a dream it came to fruition in a thriving, bustling country that even Herzl could not have imagined. Altneuland is a reality.

 

Chag Atzma'ut Sameach

 

Sheila