220729
29th
July 2022
Shabbat
Shalom! I hope this missive finds you well. Chodesh Tov, happy new month.
Today
is the first day of the Hebrew month of Av and we are in the middle of the
three weeks of mourning for the destruction of the Holy Temple thousands of
years ago. The final day of mourning, the 9th of the month of Av, is
a day of fasting but not only – it is a day in which we need to ask ourselves
what led to the destruction of the Temple and recognise that yet again, today,
our level of tolerance of anyone with views that differ from our own is at a
horrific low. The fact that we understand the importance of the past in forming
our future, irrespective of what or which religion we choose to follow, proof
positive that we are all responsible for learning from whence we came.
The
lesson learned is multi-faceted but above all other causes of the destruction
is that most negative of emotions "sinat chinam" unwarranted hatred,
to hate without cause or reason. We've all done it, hopefully in the past but
each religion has its dark secrets. Perhaps as a reaction, many have lost their
direction in the need to change. It's a fascinating subject for discussion, not
argument and when in doubt I always turn to my friend and mentor Rabbi Jeremy
Rosen to give a well thought out, intellectual but deeply religious point of
view. https://jeremyrosen.com/2022/07/universalism.html
The
news that the Russians are considering closing down all Jewish Agency
activities in Russia is extremely disturbing. Strangely enough, I am not sure
that the reason is in any way anti-Semitic or anti-Israel but rather that the
work to bring Russian Jews to Israel has caused a huge brain drain as indeed it
did during the big Aliya from 1990 onwards. During that period and the turn of
the century many Russian scientists and doctors came home to Israel bringing
their vast knowledge with them, conceivably the biggest brain drain of recent
times. The bringing home of Russian Jewry, something many of us had fought for
and demonstrated for was incredibly positive for Israel, but very negative for
the Russians.
The
Jewish Agency (JAFI) has taken the issue to the Russian courts and it is
currently in debate
https://www.jpost.com/
Is Israel an “apartheid state,” as its enemies claim? We all know about
BDS but there are far more subtle and dangerous calumnies, there are even Members
of Congress and the European Union who proclaim Israeli apartheid. Who better to answer that charge than
a Black South African who lived through apartheid? Kenneth Meshoe, a member of
the South African parliament, fits that bill. He examines the evidence against
Israel and draws a compelling conclusion. As you have heard me say not
only is the claim and downright lie, not only do all faiths and creeds have
complete freedom in Israel but to claim what we have is apartheid is to diminish
the horror of the real Apartheid of South Africa Please, listen to Kenneth
Meshoe, he knows what he is talking about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcEL-NlxBk0
I
was so happy to hear about recent bar and bat Mitzvas at the Egalitarian area
of the Western Wall. While the out of the ordinary always reaches the news the
normal, the regular, the joyous, the tolerant rarely does, so here I am talking
about it!
Sheli
Silver, despite her surname, isn't a blood relation but she is quite definitely
a member of our family! Sheli, her brother Tomer and their parents Ira and
Valeri are real Israelis and have been from the moment that Ira and Valeri
arrived in Israel, just one year after my own Aliya and if you ask either of
their wonderful children what their identity is, without any doubt the answer
will be Israelis, pure and simple. Sheli is coming to the end of her service in
the IDF after a highly successful term of service in the IDF Education and
Youth Corps https://en.m.wikipedia.org/
Yes,
you heard it right, we are off to yet another round of elections! It drives me
crazy that the profligate waste of money, money that we can ill afford, will be
spent on incessant Party political broadcasts, constantly trying to convince us
to change our votes, the creation of new parties, as if we don't have enough
already, the mud slinging and altered alliances and in the meantime we already
know that none of the myriad of parties will achieve a majority to form a
stable government and so the coalition negotiations begin and we get ourselves
ready for the 6th round of elections which will follow in short
order. I was so confident in the short lifetime of the most recent government
because I felt that every sector was represented, albeit under several
different names of parties but unexpected and clever alliances were made until
they weren't. Those in that government understood compromise for the better of
the whole, they represented me, my beliefs and the hope for a tolerant society.
Tolerance
is not a political statement, it is a way to raise one's children and to change
our angry world into one in which understand those different to us is a basic
element. At least I get huge satisfaction from knowing that Impact-se is living
up to its name and having a huge impact on the issue of tolerance in education.
Do check out our website and see that so many nations in the MENA region
understand that teaching hatred (be it from the far left, far right or mistaken
theology) is child abuse. www.impact-se.org
Zvi
and I went to the Jerusalem Municipality yet again this week, the bureaucracy
of selling our old apartment drags on and on despite the fact that both the new
owner and we have already moved on with our lives. I know, that's a common complaint
wherever you live. In fact we walked in, took our number and were surprised to
see some 60 available clerks, each in their little numbered booth, and about 20
of them available to the public. Both clients and clerks were of every
conceivable sector of the Jerusalem rainbow. My only complaint was that
although they were there it was basically to tell everyone that the million
forms had to be filled on line!
The
Maccabiah is over! It was a resounding success, from the entry of the teams,
country by country, into the Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, to a myriad of sports
events all over Israel, and a great sense of pride that the participants were
part of the second largest sports event in the world, each representing the
Jewish community in their home country. For Zvi and I the highlight was the
camaraderie of seeing old friends from every corner of the world and then the
"Ne'ila" the closing ceremony. Why was it so special for us? because
we took four amazing girls, aged 15 to 11, our granddaughters who danced,
yelled, sang and thoroughly enjoyed the glittering young stars of the Israeli
entertainment industry. It was spectacular! Three of the girls went down close
to the stage and were in a state of ecstasy that they actually touched the
stage that Noa Kirel danced on!!
Of
course there is so much more to the Maccabiah than sport and spectaculars. Our
friend Ceci Bayon brought her grandchildren, who were taking part, and
'did" Jerusalem from top to bottom, not missing a single sight or site!
She is not alone, many used the opportunity to really show their children or grandchildren
what Israel really is.
The
work that goes into every Maccabiah, all done in relatively small offices
without huge committees like the Olympics, is phenomenal. Imagine coordinating
10,000 participants from 62 countries!
We
haven't been entertaining as much as usual, but last night was fun! A group of
friends, Zvi's singing partners in his Ensemble, came with spouses and we just
sat around, ate and laughed. I already decided to go with a light supper
because even at night the veranda is hot, not with the ghastly humidity of Tel
Aviv but hot. Quiches, salads, apple cake and ice cream while everyone admired
the "garden". The little lemon tree is laden with tiny green fruits
and is even blossoming again! The kumquats await Martin, the limes await a
G&T with friends, the Passiflora is producing still green fruits, the scent
of the basilicum wafts over us all and the herb garden is producing daily
service. I could wax lyrical about the flowers but then you would not believe
that anywhere could be so perfect!!
When
I choose music for you I try to bring appropriate, amusing, typically Israeli
and often familiar music. This time you will get something entirely different!!
This singer decided to take everything Israel, what we do, say, eat and think and
put it all into one song!! Sadly there is no translation as far as I know, but
I loved it. See how many words you can identify. I'll give you a clue Bamba
(that very Israeli peanut snack) appears regularly. https://youtu.be/sMEyfEoKQr0 Wait, I
found one with subtitles but I'm leaving the original too because I like it!! https://youtu.be/htATSTUFwAY
Free
Love didn't begin in the 60's, it also had very different connotations but
Moses's brother Aaron, my ancestor, advocated loving one's brother, sister,
neighbour. This song talks of love, of Ahavat Chinam, of loving each other, no
matter how different was are. It's all about tolerance, accepting each other
with, not despite, our differences. This song is from the religious aspect but
it applies to all of us. If Sinat Chinam (hatred) brought down the Holy Temple
than surely Ahavat Chinam can rebuild the Temple of our relationship with each
other. https://youtu.be/3Uga678kXLU
I hope the subtitles (CC) work
As
they used to say in Monty Python "And now for something entirely different"
Noa Kirel is a highly talented, amazing young Israeli who is becoming an
international success. She is beautiful,
healthy not anorexic, has a great voice and is an outstanding dancer – and she
will represent Israel in the Eurovision next year. Our granddaughters are completely
besotted with her! This song has no relationship to Israel or Judaism except
that this young woman is proud to be Israeli, accepted her conscription to the
IDF with grace and – well decide for yourselves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFFadDDjNKo
I
wish you a wonderful weekend, a peaceful Shabbat, one in which you are
surrounded by loved ones, whether relations or those you choose to be with.
Jerusalem
awaits you, still beautiful, spiritual and the centre of our world.
Shabbat
Shalom
Sheila
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