Democracy isn't Easy

28th April 2023 Shabbat Shalom! I hope you had a good week. As we leave behind us the pain of Remembrance Day I thought of Eleanor Roosevelt who kept a prayer in her pocket, a prayer of gratitude and humility for us all. Dear Lord, Lest I continue My complacent way, Help me to remember that somewhere, Somehow out there A man died for me today. As long as there be war, I then must Ask and answer Am I worth dying for? Here in Israel it has been a strange week of wonderful celebrations, joy, happiness and togetherness beside mourning, strife and family feud. The ceremony on Mount Herzl, here in Jerusalem, was wonderful, the torch lighters, almost one and all, worthy of the honour, ranging from Israeli Heroes such as Brigadier General Avigdor Kahalani, recipient of the Medal of Valour, Medal of Distinguished Service and the President’s Medal, known for his bravery and leadership during the Yom Kippur War where he led his troops to an unexpected victory, securing the Golan Heights after invaded by the highly superior Syrian Army. Sylvan Adams, an Israeli/Canadian entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to encouraging education and science through the international language of sport. Dr. Avi Rifkind, who pioneered trauma medicine in Israel – I remember the day during the Intifada when a soldier was shot through the heart and Avi saved his life against all odds, to be best man at that soldiers wedding, helit his torch together with Dr Khetam Hussein who led the fight against Covid at Rambam Hospital. Dr Hussein is the first Druze woman to head a department. David Blatt, a much loved former basketball player who has coached most Israeli teams. Of course, there were many other worthy and exceptional people but perhaps the most popular and surprising was the 16 year old who changed the lives of hundreds of other teenagers. Ofek Rishon was horribly bullied and shunned at school and decided to tell her story on a television programme called haZinor, headed by Guy Lehrer. Lehrer was horrified to discover that Ofek had been bullied throughout primary and middle school and thus began the campaign of awareness. Ofek now heads an organisation and reaches out to bullied children, travelling the country talking to them and to those who bully so that they understand the repercussions. As she tearfully read out her speech before lighting her torch the crowd cheered her. Twelve torch lighters in all it was very moving. As is my wont, I am starting at the end and avoiding the beginning of those two significant days, From mourning to celebration, from Remembrance Day, Yom haZikaron, to Independence Day, Yom haAtzma’ut. Even on those two days of ultimate importance to Israeli society, two days which in the past held us together as a unified society, even those were affected by the split. The sad tradition whereby the families who lost family members in battle have one day, one special day dedicated to their loss, in which they go to the Military cemeteries and stand by the graves of their loved ones in an act of togetherness in the grief, was drawn in to the political morass. When the families of the fallen demanded that politicians not come to the cemeteries, the leaders of the fallen soldiers organisation begged the Members of the government, if they insisted upon appearing, to steer away from politics and to simply stand with the families. Unfortunately, his words were heeded by very few. Even on Mount Herzl, when the Prime Minister appeared many families walked out. One cannot judge the actions of the families who lost their children, parents, siblings fighting for this country but it made me sad. Sometimes even the strongest 75-year-old lady needs open heart surgery to ensure a healthy future and Israel at 75 is no different. That is exactly what is happening now. Even though I told Zvi that I never want to hear the name Hegel again, his 80-year theory is actually an accurate description of what is happening right now in Israel. As you know, I have not hidden my concerns about the judicial reform as outlined by this coalition government and we have taken part in very respectful, if vociferous, demonstrations. Yesterday there was a demonstration of supporters of this government, a sign of a healthy society, because after all, free expression of disagreement is the ultimate proof of democracy. It bothers me that the organisation of this demonstration and the bussing of participants was actually paid for by the Likud Party. There were many speeches although the media concentrated on the usual histrionics David Ansalem “The elite is running this country and holding us down” he didn’t refer to the current government, he was referring to an imaginary Ashkenazi elite who, as he has repeated and repeated and repeated, have oppressed the Jews from Arab nations. The moment that really angered me however was when the crowd took photographs of Supreme Court Judges, threw them on the ground and trampled them. The ultimate disrespect. Stand up for your beliefs, demonstrate, speechify, wave flags and show love of country, but do not deepen the already distressing split in the people even more than it already is. The Haredi community chose not to participate. That’s it, from now on this missive will be happy, positive and make your chests swell with pride! First of all our visitor, the lovely Dr. Kimball (Kim) Taylor who came for the Jewish agency meetings in Tel Aviv and then joined us at home. Gosh, we have known Kim for about 25 years and he and his wife Marianne are adopted members of our family. Kim is a highly respected member of the LDS church in Canada and has dedicated himself to bringing awareness of and respect for Israel within the LDS Church. He founded the Children of Israel Foundation to help his cause. Anyway, just for a change I digress! Kim is on the Aliya Committee of the Jewish Agency and there were fiery discussions there too! The weather was so lovely that Kim and I went for a long walk along the trail that overlooks the reservoir of Bait Zayit. The air is phenomenal, the views glorious and the conversations along the way heartwarming. On the eve of Independence Day we sat and watched the ceremony on Mount Herzl together then Zvi and I headed off for Ramat Hasharon and the annual Yom haAtzma’ut party at the Lotans while Kim caught up on his post jet-lag sleep. Rachel and Shaul Lotan open their home to literally hundreds of guests, plying us all with Israeli food and music. Great fun! We arrived home at about 02:30, the main highway full of others who had also been to parties! Luckily Israelis are careful about drinking and driving although like everywhere else, the young drive like lunatics! Next morning, armed with salads and a cake, Kim, Zvi and I headed off to Dvorit and Meishi Schreiber for their annual BBQ. Lots of friends, tons of meat on the grill, chips in the fryer and multiple salads on the table the conversation quickly turned to “the situation” as we ate our fill. It was fascinating to hear the erudite elucidation of the legal and political aspects of the national dilemma from Professor Shimon Shetreet. Shimon was born in Morocco, studied in a Yeshiva, held several Ministerial posts in Labour governments, and is highly qualified to understand and explain the complexities. We didn’t only talk politics, we had fun too! That evening we met up with our lovely friends Sue and Tony. Tony Perkin, is a friend of many, many years and it was a delight to meet Sue, whose sister Adrienne has been my friend since childhood. We met up with Rachel at my current favourite Middle Eastern meat restaurant in Jerusalem called Ezra. It is insane there! Loud Israeli music, crazy activity as waiters rush from table to table, families and the incredible aroma of meat “Al ha’Aish” which literally means on the fire! Despite the noise I managed to talk to Sue as Zvi spoke to Tony and Kim and Rachel swapped stories, catching up on everything. That’s about it. While I have no idea what will be the outcome of the political situation, I only know that despite it all we are a caring society, we reach out to third world nations and nations which suffer disasters; we are at the forefront on medical and scientific research; our HiTech industry is still a world leader and although our light is flickering at the moment we are still a light unto the nations. We will sort this out because there is no alternative. The secret is to talk, not to close oneself off in a bubble of same-minded groups, to try to open up and do what my Mummy always taught us “You have two ears and one mouth, please use them in that proportion”. Be open, don’t hold grudges, remember that even when you cook a pancake it has two sides! A traditional song for both Holocaust and Remembrance Day is “The Human Tapestry” this rendition by the Israel Air Force Choir touched my heart https://youtu.be/S51gkbNTodQ The lyrics are so important in our angry world. “When I shall die, something of mine, something of mine will die in you, will die in you. When you’ll die, something of you, something of you in me will die with you. Because all of us, yes all of us, are all one living human tapestry and if one of us leaves, something dies in us – and something, stays with him If we knew, how to comfort, the anger, if only we knew. If we knew, how to calm our rage at our humiliation, to say sorry. If we only knew how to start over.” A change of mood and a song of joy, ‘Adon Olam’ – which translated means ‘Lord of the Universe’ – is a hymn that has been part of the Jewish daily and Sabbath liturgy since the 15th Century and which speaks of God in both cosmic terms and as a personal presence in our lives. 200 children gather to honour King Charles’ Coronation. Charles has always been a true friend of the Jewish community in the UK. https://youtu.be/UN0NOkqo7-0 This one is really different! The words Shalom in Hebrew and Salaam in Arabic both mean peace and this song wishes everyone, whatever their language, beliefs, nationality or colour peace, a single syllable that is so elusive and so attainable. Here Daddy and Josh wish Israel Happy Birthday!! https://youtu.be/9P-XIrOFlsQ Shabbat Shalom to all, to every single one of you. You are more important to me than you can imagine. Each Friday morning I get up and begin writing the words that I hope will help you understand what happens here in this amazing little country and how it affects our lives, yours and ours. So from a gloriously sunny day I wish you peace, joy and understanding. With love Sheila

Heroes, hannah and Music

21stApril, 2023 ShabbatShalom and Eid Mubarakhttp://www.theviewfrommyveranda.info/heroes-poets-and-music/  Iwoke up this morning, opened my newspaper and found a strange folded piece of finecardboard. I unfolded, opened and found that it was a metre-long copy of theIsraeli Declaration of Independence! A beautiful and stark reminder of exactlywhy we are here and what is expected of us. Weare in that strange week whereby an entire country goes from deep sadness, todeep mourning then instantly taking a huge leap into sheer joy and celebration.From mourning those who perished in the Holocaust, to mourning our young liveslost fighting to establish then defend our country. Ceremonies abound anddespite tensions between the various sectors of our society, we will dance,sing and celebrate our amazing democracy in a flurry of parties, barbeques andpicnics. Hopefullyfor just one day, perhaps two, politics can be put aside. I was amazed to discover that 147,000Holocaust Survivorslive in Israel, 462 of them over the incredible age of 100. 521 are newimmigrants from Ukraine.The major debate, currently, is whether politicians shouldappear at the military cemeteries on Memorial Day, Yom haZikaron, when thefamilies of soldiers buried there over the years go to visit the graves. For theparents, siblings, grandparents of those who fell in battle, it is a shared dayof private mourning, not a time for political speeches and certainly not a timefor disruption. Although in the past Ministers joined the mourners, in the pastthey themselves had served in the IDF and it was a shared experience, which isnot necessarily so this time. All I pray is that on Tuesday their grief will behonoured. Thedemonstrations against the Judicial Reform continue, quietly, with dignity,although patience is running low. Only time will tell. Nahalalis a Moshav.A Moshav, as opposed to a Kibbutz, is an agricultural village of private homeswho share agricultural equipment but live individual lives, or that was theoriginal intention, but today Moshavim have become highly prized places to live.The name Nahalal is mentioned in the Bible as home to the tribe of Zebulun, andit is situated in the beautiful Jezreel Valley. Designed in a circle with roadsforming spokes, like a wheel, Nahalal today has only 1,200 residents, but manywho rose to or were born into, fame, Ruth Westheimer (Dr Ruth) lived there andgraves in the cemetery hold the epitaphs of the famous, in particular of theDayan family. Shmuel, Moshe, Ruth, Yael and Assi Dayan and today their highlytalented cousin Yonatan Geffen will be buried alongside them, alongside hisdear friend Meir Shalev who passed away last week. Yonatan Geffen, songwriter,story teller and Meir Shalev, author and storyteller, were both loved for theirtalent and their principles. HannahSzenesis not buried in Nahalal, she is buried in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl,but she lived there for a short time after emigrating to the nascent JewishState from Budapest. Hannah Szenes, famous as a poet and of course for parachutinginto………… She joined the British Auxiliary Air Force where she trained as aparachutist and ultimately was sent by the Yishuv on a mission into Yugoslaviawith two others. She was caught, tried for treason and executed. Most of usknow that part of her story, but there is more, much more. Zviand I went for a delightful lunch at Mickey and Shlomit Keren’s home, togetherwith a few of Zvi’s old friends, from “back in the day”. In an effort to steerthe conversation away from politics I told everyone about a fascinating exerciseZvi’s choir had performed. Each person had to tell a secret, something none ofthe other people knew about them, no matter how long or well they knew eachother. At first reticent everyone opened up. Then it was the turn of Prof.Gabby Barkay, who as you may well know, is the archaeologist who returnedand sifted the earth excavated and thrown away from under the Temple Mount. Asusual I digress, but this is important. Gabby told us (with more than a littleurging from Zvi and I) that it was his mother, Rachel Bresslauer, who inBudapest, had been Hannah Szenes’ Hebrew teacher, was the woman who encouragedZionism and convinced the young Hannah to emigrate to Palestina.  Not just a story, Gabby has all thedocumentation of his Mother’s work, of Hannah Szenes’ emigration papers and ofletters written between his mother and Hannah. Incredibly, the others did know,only Zvi and I. It is time someone took on the Herculean task of going throughthe masses of historical documents that are in cartons in Gabby’s formerapartment. Any volunteers? Analystsin Middle Eastern Affairs have emphasised that the rocket attacks last week werenot causus belli as suggested by the media but rather a few rogue Hamas gangsdefying the orders of the governing entities in both Lebanon and Gaza! When youlive in this neighborhood you have to be prepared, and we are! In the meantime,we are developing new allies and during the last government Azerbaijan grewcloser and we have full diplomatic relations and this week those talks led tothe opening of a new Embassy in Turkmenistan, just 17 kilometres from theborder with Iran! Asa nation we love to complain, sometimes with very good reason, yet always comingtogether for tragedies and celebrations. This is a special country a fantasticplace to live, a truly free democracy where every faith is represented andprotected. As I said we moan and of course journalists tend to emphasise theproblems but ignore the positive. Yaakov Katz, former editor of the JerusalemPost  decided to right that wrong. Heputs everything into perspective https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-739845     Iwas thrilled to receive this from the lovely Gaby Hirsch, who became a dearfriend during the preparations and creation of Dr. Dan’s Room in Shalva. Thisis a fabulous success story of dreams come true. Ellie Goldstein livesin Ilford, Essex in the UK. Ellie has Down’s Syndrome but it has never stoppedher dreaming or fulfilling her dream to become a fashion model. Not only on thefront cover of Vogue, she has represented Gucci, Adidas and Victoria’s Secretto name a few. This has to be the most important front cover ever, showing thatbeauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Well done Ellie!https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/ellie-goldstein-british-vogue-interview OnMonday Rachel and I headed off to Tel Aviv, thoroughly excited in the knowledgethat we were going to meet one of our very favourite people, Poodle! Of course,Poodle is not her real name but I only discovered that her real name is Alex avery short while ago! Poodle, along with Paddy (Justin) were Daniel’s closestfriends in Carmel College. Anyway, we were to meet at a small Italianrestaurant on Dizengoff Street and as Rachel, Ayala and I neared the restaurantwe saw dozens of memorial candles at the side of the road, memorial candles forOr Eshkar the young man killed in the recent terror attack. After paying ourrespects we met with Poodle, ate and then walked to the beachfront. Rachel andPoodle talking all the way and Ayala and I having our own privategrand-daughter, cool Safta talks. We discovered all sorts of tiny alleyways andskinny roads as we wandered back to find the car! Twodays later and Zvi collected Talia and two girlfriends from school and theycame to our place to interview Saba Zvi for a school project (all 16 yearsold). They asked him predominantly about his father, Kalman, and his lifebefore and after emigrating to the nascent state and his involvement in thefounding of the State of Israel. It was fascinating! One recorded Zvi whileanother wrote with great speed and all three listened to him in rapt attention.All while munching on pizza and edamame! The38th World Jewish Congress special meetings opened on Wednesday inJerusalem, and Zvi was in attendance. The World Zionist Organisation specialmeetings cover many essential and even controversial subjects. If you want tokeep up with them just go to https://www.wzo.org.il/page/english/press/en Lastnight we were invited to a housewarming of a dear friends Aliza and Yossi, for “couscousand wine”! You cannot imagine the cornucopia of phenomenal dishes that she andher husband laid out, to say nothing of the constant array of meats on thebarbeque! The food literally didn’t stop. Every conceivable kind of salad and roastedvegetables; liver pate, egg pate, avocado pate all in little pastry cups andall that was just hors d’oeuvres! The star of the evening was the hand made couscouswith wonderful vegetables cooked in a tasty soup. Their new apartment isbeautiful in a brand new neighborhood next to Nes Ziona, and their hospitalityunmatched. It was such a delight. Whichbrings us back to Shabbat! Apparently the latest food fad in Israel is cholent on aThursday! Yes really! I knew about Kubeh soup on Friday but cholent of Thursdayis a new one on me! Cholent is a stew like concoction which Eastern EuropeanJewish families would make on Friday, cook overnight in the oven to be eatenfor Shabbat lunch. Seriously heavy, with meat beans, potatoes and vegetables, Iwonder if it will last into the searing hot days of summer!  Shabbatis central to life in Israel. Obviously there are those for whom it is a day ofprayer and family, others who use the only day without work to take the familyout into nature and hike, others use the opportunity to gather family andfriends at home and then people like us who love to go for long walks and countthe flowers and birds.  YonatanGeffen z”lwas, as I said, a lyricist. Together with musician David Broza he wrote thebeautiful song, Yihye Tov, “It will be alright”, that oh so Israeli expression.Here David Broza sings https://youtu.be/qtI7h5A9eEQ  Let’s pray that it really will be “Yihye Tov” Tohonour Ellie Goldstein, Shalva and all the beautiful children who stand up totheir challenges and those who see the beauty within and help them reach theirpotential, Yaakov Shwekey and “I Can Be” https://youtu.be/C3nF2KHmQ60   "I see something good in you". Abeautiful, introspective song, music composed by Sara Samuels, daughter ofKalman and Malki Samuels, founders of Shalva, Sara’s smile lights up the videoevery so often, and produced by the band themselves with lyrics by Anael, oneof the two singers, both blind, who front the Shalva Band, and documents eachmember's personal journey with disability, some obvious some unseen. https://fb.watch/k1ZeR-sc0f/  Time to gather my thoughts and prepare for Shabbat! Ihope to go to see Rachel today and sit in her kitchen, as she plies me withfreshly baked challah and good old Yorkshire Tea! It’s funny how childrenbecome the provider of memories of wonderful hot challah just as I used to bakelittle challah rolls for them as they came in from school on a Friday, hot fromthe oven and dripping with butter! Rachel’s challahs are the absolute best,soft and tasty, and the best part is she always bakes extra for sick friends.We haven’t decided if we will be home tonight or with one of Zvi’s boys, butwhatever happens we will not starve, nor will they! Please, I beg of you, don’t see the demonstrations as abreakdown of Israeli democracy, because, to the contrary, it is proof of thestrength of Israeli democracy. It is clearly time for rethinking, forremembering exactly what is written on the Declaration of Independence https://main.knesset.gov.il/en/about/pages/declaration.aspx We wish our amazing friend Kimball(Kim) Taylor a safejourney to Israel for the Keren Hayesod meeting and hopefully a few days withus! Our week will be a busy one, but I’ll tell you all about it next week! Shabbat Shalom. With much love from our home to yours,from the view from our veranda overlooking Jerusalem. Sheila -- If the media does not inform us we must inform the mediaMy Website http://www.theviewfrommyveranda.info/Facebook      Sheila Silver Raviv Involvement   http://www.impact-se.org/ 

Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023

18th April 202327thNisan 5783, Yom HaShoah,Holocaust Remembrance Day Today at10:00 a siren will sound throughout Israel to send out the message that we havenot forgotten those who perished because of hatred, because too many areconvinced by words of hatred and the horror of racism is yet again raising itsugly head.  I havenever met Paul Mirbach, we are friends on Facebook, but his words describingthis day in Israel touched my heart. I asked his permission to use his words toconvey the importance of remembering. Remembering that while so many perishedthe few stood up and fought with enormous courage. HaGevura means courage orbravery. “Likemist softly rolling down the mountain into the valley, gently and quietly, sotoo does the atmosphere here in Israel slowly become solemn, almost as if inpsychological preparation for Yom HaShoah veHagevura. We breathe it in to ourlungs, and we become more pensive, quieter. Our thoughts turn to our history,as we seek a personal connection, to make the day more tangible and meaningfulfor us. The emphasis this yearwill be on "veHagevura", as it marks 80 years to the Warsaw uprising(that ironically began on April 19, the day after Yom Hashoah, 80 years ago),an act of heroic defiance against an unbeatable enemy. It has become a sourceof pride, mixed with both sadness and an inexplicable desire for retributionagainst those inhuman tormentors, who we can no longer hold responsible,because they are no longer among us. Not nearly enough werebrought to justice. But the State of Israel is the most appropriate response towhat they did to us. At least it has been for the last 74 years.” Sheila   -- If the media does not inform us we must inform the mediaMy Website http://www.theviewfrommyveranda.info/Facebook      Sheila Silver Raviv Involvement   http://www.impact-se.org/ 

Rain rain came our way

14th April 2023 Shabbat Shalom dear friends, Shabbat Shalom. Today is the 8th Day of the Counting of the Omer. So much Matza has passed under the bridge since my last missive, some tragic, some beautiful and some miraculous. I am seriously going to try and leave politics out of the equation, other than to tell you what must be told. Since Sunday, when I wrote about the tragedies of the Maia and Rina Dee z”l and Alessandro Parini, killed by pure, unadulterated hatred in two separate terror attacks. Lucy Dee, mother of Maia and Rina, also passed away despite the untiring efforts of the doctors in Hadassah Hospital. The courage and deep faith of Lucy Dee’s family gave life to five patients as they chose to donate her organs to save others. Rabbi Leo Dee, in his eulogy, said “We were a family of seven and now we are four” May their souls rest in peace. If you think that the terror attacks are a local issue, that settlements, occupation, religion are the cause of what is happening here, think again. First of all, the rockets from both Lebanon and Gaza should give you a clue but now, as we near the last Friday of Ramadan, the Iranians have come out of hiding behind terror groups and openly call for an uprising against Israel in the name of Allah. Iran is behind our troubles; Iran is funding our enemies and Iran is calling them to kill Jews. It is incredible that as we near Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day here in Israel, the call of death to the Jews still rings out from the insane leaders of a rogue nation and the world is silent. Iran is known as the enemy of the West but no Western leader seems capable of condemning the call to wipe out the Jewish nation. Not only Matza passed under the bridge as the heavens wept and thunder roared our distress as yet more young lives, more siblings, were taken by sheer hatred. Heavy downpours washed country creating incredible waterfalls and flooding. Let me explain. Jerusalem is split in two – no not the political imaginary line but the actual line between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean. When it rains in Jerusalem, King George Street becomes the divider. I’m not very good at east and west, north and south because I come from a country that uses left and right not east and west to describe directions! However, to the west (left) of King George St the waters flow down to the Mediterranean, not really making an impact, but to the east (right) of King George St, the waters run down to the Dead Sea creating incredible waterfalls, rivers of water rushing over the formerly parched earth, down the dry wadis, cutting across roads and taking anything in their path. It is spectacular and there are those who do not realise the danger, or power of water. What looks like a wonderful cleansing downpour on our veranda becomes a torrent as it finds its way to 1,300 feet, 400 metres below sea level. Some risk all to watch the incredible power of these floods, but I am quite content to watch on the news and thank heaven that we went to Eilat last week not his! The political situation was not calmed by our wonderful festivals neither was the diplomatic situation. Orthodox Christian tradition holds that the Holy Fire happens annually in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, on the day preceding the Orthodox Pascha. During this time, blue light is said to emit within Jesus’ tomb, rising from the marble slab covering the burial site. The light is believed to form a column of fire, from which candles are lit. This fire is then used to light the candles of the clergy and pilgrims in attendance. The area is very limited and last year it was dangerously overcrowded so that in concert with the Church, this year the police requested that the number of pilgrims attending be limited to prevent accidents such as that in Meron. Sadly, the Palestinians sent false messages to the Christian world telling them that Israel was not allowing pilgrims to pray in the Christian Holy sites. We cannot allow lies to split us apart, to take sides. It desecrates our very beliefs. The lovely Rachel Heisler is the Executive Director of the American Friends of Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, a hospital that has grown into the third largest hospital in Israel serving the most diverse community in the south of Israel. Rachel invited us to a private concert of Cantorial music in Hechal haTarbut in Tel Aviv. The two Cantors, Shai Abramson, Chief Cantor of the IDF and Cantor Natanel Hershtik, son of Naftali Hershtik former Cantor of the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem. They sang so beautifully, both in tandem and individually, accompanied by the Raanana Symphony under the baton of Ofir Sobol, who entertained us with his narration. Natanel sang the prayer for the State of Israel then he and Shai dedicated “Ve Hi Shamda” to the Dee family. I love liturgical music, from the hymns of the deep South, the choirs of King’s College or the tearful minor key of Eastern European prayer. I think the high point of the evening (apart from getting a hug from Shai Abramson) was before the concert even started when Natanel Hershtik rushed into the reception hall and hugged and was hugged by his parents – discovering that his Mother still calls him her baby! This world-renowned Cantor with the voice of an angel was still his Mummy’s baby. Only in Israel! Pesach continued in a flurry of Matza Brei and cooking, as usual. Zvi’s cousins Sergio and Sara came for Shabbat dinner with Sergio’s daughter Rebecca and her boyfriend Arturo. Zvi’s Mother Alla always used to say that she was jealous of anyone coming to Israel for the first time (she arrived in 1934), their reaction of awe at the miracle that is Israel. Well, it was Arturo’s first visit and I loved the way he sat in rapt attention as Zvi explained some history in a nutshell. Even after hearing him speak many, many times, I still learn new things too. As Pesach ends and the process of returning all the special dishes to their boxes for another year, the Moroccan/Algerian festival of Mimouna enters. For many years it was a tradition, or festival that only took place in Moroccan Jewish homes but today we all get to enjoy the extravaganza of foods and décor. Because of the pouring rain we only went to one home this year, cutting through the underground parking to our neighbours, without going outside! Last year we went to several homes, always open doors and sharing of the glorious display. The table in the Zvidetzky home was laden with unbelievable goodies, each sweeter than the next. The Moroccan décor was glorious and Yehudit, Zalman and their family wore traditional djellabas. It’s really difficult to describe each of the sweet delicacies, recipes that Yehudit brought with her from her parent’s home creating a perfect combination with Zalman’s Ashkenaz heritage! I think this article best describes the joyous festival, its origins and gorgeous photos of delicious foods. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/by6qq11efn My only problem is that it is a cornucopia of nuts, seeds, sugar, honey and confectionary delights since Zvi is diabetic and I have a nut allergy! We found comfort in the excellent company and the mouflettas, a paper-thin pancake which is smothered in honey. OK so Zvi cheated a bit! Yesterday Zvi’s cousin Elizabeth Bourde came to Jerusalem with two of her daughters and their daughters. Zvi met them at the beautiful Soldier’s Memorial on Mount Herzl then, limited in venues thanks to the downpour, they went to the Friends of Zion Museum https://fozmuseum.com/ in the centre of Jerusalem, brainchild of Dr Mike Evans. While the girls went on to Mahane Yehuda and the Western Wall, Elizabeth came home with Zvi. It was a delight as we sat and played catch-up on our lives until the girls came to go back to Tel Aviv. We had a week of Mexican memories, which Zvi loves and I do too. Tuesday will be Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. In Israel it is a day on which we mourn, honour, remember and pray that Never Again will be a reality. A state ceremony is held at Yad Vashem, every military base, town, city, village, and public institution has a ceremony to mark the event. In schools the children dress in white and a Holocaust Survivor comes to talk to them, although sadly fewer and fewer are still alive to tell their tale of horror. At 10.00 am, Israel comes to a stop when the siren wails around the country. For two minutes everyone comes to attention. Buses stop at the side of the road as do cars, the drivers and passengers standing silently beside their vehicles. The single note of the siren seeps into one’s soul as 6 million ghosts remind us of what happened when lies convinced entire peoples that we were the devil incarnate, the cause of the world’s troubles and must die for our sins. The sin of being Jewish, of being handicapped, of being homosexual, of being non-Aryan. Zvi and I always stand on our veranda, the silence around us, and think of those members of our families who lost their lives to the ultimate hatred. We are a people that survives and ultimately thrives but why oh why does hatred haunt our history and follows us even today. Why are we the Chosen People only to be chosen for all the wrong reasons? Is it because we are different? We really aren’t that different any more - on the whole we blend in rather well; is it because we pray differently? In truth too many of us don’t even pray any more; is it because we eat different foods? Yet again many of us don’t follow the dietary rules; is it because we look different? really not. So why? Because we are Jews. Passover, Pesach, is a time when we celebrate our freedom from slavery, our tortuous journey to the Promised Land, the Children of Israel who spent more time disobeying the words of God given to Moses than just getting on with the job of walking to the promised land, yet here we are! We stood up to every enemy, past and present, we bend to no man. Many of those who survived the horrors of the Holocaust came to Israel and built families, families filled with love. Listen to and understand the words of this Passover song. I wish I had the rendition with Natanel and Shai, but this rendition of Vehi Sheamda by Yonatan Razel and Yaakov Shwekey is superb. I warn you though, once heard the melody will haunt you in the most delightful way. https://youtu.be/Y784Uw96Rbs Imagine an atheist, rock singer and an observant cantor coming together to sing about their shared values, lives, fears and belief in love and listen to Aviv Geffen and Avraham Fried sing of mutual support. B’Zman Betzoret, at a time of drought. https://youtu.be/069WNgtAsJ4 Now what? What song would really cheer us all up. There is so much to be grateful for, perhaps we should begin with just being alive and able to love our families. I was going to play Satchmo and Wonderful World, but then I thought, “What song embodies all my values and makes me feel there is hope in this complex world” and I thought immediately of one song and one place that is may special place, my peaceful place. It’s noisy, funny, bright, cheerful and so full of love you have to be there to understand. Shalva – even the word defies translation! Shalva means calm/peace/contentment all at once and that’s what I find when I go there, especially when I visit Dr. Dan’s Room. Here the Shalva Band and “All You Need is Love” https://youtu.be/wvhhae73wnk After the downpour of the last few days, the sun came out today and the air is warmer, and as soon as I finish writing I’m going for a walk with my friend and neighbour Naomi here in our complex. Tonight we will be with Amiad, Noga and family and tomorrow with Zvi’s friends from his University days. With much love from Jerusalem, from Israel. Wish you a peaceful, contemplative Sabbath Sheila

Take hate out of the lexicon

9th April, 2023 18th Nissan, 5783 Ramadan 18, 1444 Moadim le Simcha, Chag Pesach Sameach, a Blessed Easter, Ramadan Kareem I didn’t write on Friday, before Shabbat, because for some of you, outside Israel, it was still the holy first days of Passover. I admit I do not fully understand why Israel celebrates one day at each end of most festivals while the Diaspora celebrates two. Once upon a time there was no way to know which days were actually the celebratory days because one couldn’t see the beacons on the hill tops but today we have internet….never mind that’s a whole different subject! Growing up I was taught that there were certain words that should not enter my vocabulary. Obviously, it included swear words which seem to be commonplace today, but top of the list of “don’ts” was the word hate. Hate is the most destructive word in the English language. This week we have yet again been the victims of hate. I refuse to be political at such a tragic time, but the numbers of dead and injured rose in a terrifying round of terror attacks. The grassy slopes of the Tel Aviv promenade on a balmy spring evening was the site of a terrorist’s determination to mow down anyone in his path with his car. An Israeli Arab who worked in schools, a man who was loved by the students, rammed several tourists out for a walk and killed an Italian tourist who came to Israel for Easter. Earlier in the day, the Dee family was on its way to a hiking trail when they were ambushed, their car crashed and shot at until Maya and Rina were dead and their mother in critical condition, attacked just because they were Jews. Their father, Rabbi Leo Dee, was in a separate car ahead of them, and only when he heard on the radio that there had been an attack he turned around and found his wife and daughters were the victims. The foreign media insinuated blame on the site of the attack which is the main road down from North to South passing through the PA, indeed from Beit Shean to Jerusalem, and that the family were “settlers”, which is not strictly true. They live in Efrat in Gush Etzion. For British Jews the tragedy hit home because so many knew the family, were congregants of the father in Radlett and Hendon. Sadly I know what it means to lose a child but to lose a child to hatred, inculcated, taught hatred is somehow even more tragic. Rocket fire has rained down upon the North of Israel, on the South of Israel and attacks in the centre. There were no human casualties from the rocket fire thanks to the Iron Dome Defence system. It would appear that Hamas is flexing its muscles in the only way they know how – by senseless, hatred and killing to prove they are the Masters of their hate-filled universe. Incredibly Hezbollah in the North and Islamic Jihad in the South have distanced themselves from the current wave of terror which bears the mark of Iranian interference through Hamas. I know we will survive and thrive, we always do, but why? What is so terrible, so hateful, about this tiny stretch of land? By strange coincidence (or not) there have been continuing demonstrations outside the Gaza offices of UNWRA, against you know who……. https://www.impact-se.org/ after our revelation that UNWRA were writing the hate filled schoolbooks used by Hamas in both Gaza and the PA, incurring funding costs to that dreadful organisation. Today’s missive was meant to be an apolitical account of our trip to Eilat last weekend but events took priority, as they so often do. Actually, I wanted to write about the journey in both directions rather than the arrival because Eilat is, to me, just another seaside town. So driving down, and down, and down to the lowest inhabited place on earth, the journey is fascinating in itself. Through Jerusalem, turning at French Hill, past Issawiya, an Israeli/Palestinian/Arab neighborhood where they built many empty, unfinished, apartment buildings ready for the influx of Palestinians to take over Jerusalem. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Mount Scopus now above us we drove down, past Maaleh Adumim, Mishor Adumim and its huge new furniture emporium and continue downward. At the sides of the roads, ever increasing Bedouin encampments and goat herds. Soon the rolling hills are replaced by the moonscape-like hills as we continue the descent beyond sea level. Sea level is a known tourist spot with the usual camel rides to prove you were there. The signs beside the road let us know how far below Sea Level we are and then we see the near edge of the Dead Sea, passing Kibbutz Ein Gedi, the caves where King David hid from King Saul, Massada on the right, the Ahava factory, the Kumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, finally coming to Yotvata, both kibbutz and the best chocolate drinks in the world! We stopped for a quick coffee and walkabout on the way down and met an amazing group of young athletes on their way to Eilat for a competition. Of course, we chatted to them, their ages from 6 to 17, and with their trainer. Such a gorgeous group of young people! Quite apart from unexpected fauna in the stark, arid landscape there are strange, flat topped bushes, an acacia, found only in the Negev Desert. Very prickly with hard leaves it survives the hardest, hottest of atmospheres, unlike the wonderful flash of colour, the flowers that the waters and floods of the winter rains bring to the desert, they survive for hundreds of years. As with all resorts, the welcome to Eilat is through an outdoor shopping mall, tax-free! Eilat itself is very pleasant, touristy and despite being a great place to relax not particularly Israeli, but the grandchildren of all ages and their parents adored the indoor skating rink, the Rope Farm, a real Ninja Adventure with camel rides and horses; the Desert Jeep Trail; Swimming with Dolphins - indeed a highly enjoyable time with Zvi’s boys and their families, time to relax and enjoy the children. We chose to return home the long way round, also including the long climb back to sea level, which we discovered is not the cleverest thing in the world when driving an electric car! We miscalculated the extra effort for the battery, but luckily found a petrol station with super-fast electric refill stands – more and more frequent in Israel. Again, I digress! So, imagine driving past fantastic geological striations, on and upward to two huge natural erosion craters. The largest is the Ramon Crater, some 500 metres deep, it is considered a natural wonder. Here you see it and the Syrian-African Rift Valley clearly from above https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146528/israels-heart-shaped-crater We have reinhabited the crater with creatures on the brink of extinction, creatures that adapt beautifully to the unspoiled and uninhabited life in the crater. As we came close to Dimona we could see an Israeli miracle in the distance. Even in the heat of the full midday sun, the bright light of the solar tower shone through, powered by thousands of solar panels. I remembered being astonished when we spent the weekend in the South. Seeing this phenomenal achievement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashalim_Power_Station We arrived home to the final frenetic arrangements for Passover! Quite apart from the vast amount of cooking for 28 people, we had to work out the logistics of fitting them in to our non-square room! Zvi went to buy folding tables and borrowed plastic chairs from the synagogue next door. All the lounge furniture was moved outside, luckily rain was not forecast! I laid the tables with the fine Passover china from Zvi’s parents, prepared my parent’s Seder plate with the charoset (combining) to my Zeidy’s recipe, the tear inducing grated horseradish (maror), the shank-bone representing the sacrifice, the burned egg and the parsley. All represent the journey, the Exodus from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Holy Land, the Land of Israel. In fact the entire Passover story is that of the journey and Zvi read the Israeli Declaration of Independence so that the younger generations would understand the relevance of our freedom to their lives today. From the 4 questions to the final song, we all sang and tried to entertain the younger children. As the evening drew to a close the young couples all washed the dishes, cleared the tables, brought back the furniture and left us exhausted but happy! Friends keep saying that at the age of 77 I should give up the reins and let someone else do the work, but for me, it is an essential part of life and as the story of the 4 sons explains, each generation understands the symbolism less and less. Two nights before Passover and we made our way to Shalva, this time it was not to visit Dr. Dan’s Room but rather for a family Bar Mitzva celebration. Yehonatan Daren, son of Sagi and Ditty, grandson of Shuli and Steve. It was a small, warm, fun, joyous occasion and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone dancing, from the littlest member of the family up to the grandparents. Mazal Tov to all the Darens Jerusalem is full of pilgrims of all religions. Christian pilgrims are here to celebrate Easter, Jews to celebrate Passover and Moslems to pray at Al Aqsa for Ramadan. The Christians have many ceremonies https://www.itraveljerusalem.com/article/easter-in-jerusalem/ Jews will flock to the Western Wall, this very morning, for the Priestly Blessing, Birkat ha Cohanim https://www.jerusalem.muni.il/en/experience/allevents/birkat-cohanim-23/ . I pray that the pilgrims of each and every faith, will concentrate on praying, on building, not on the destruction of those who choose to pray in a different manner. After the huge Seder night, we spent the next day recovering then on Friday had a delightful surprise visit from our lovely friends Merle and Frank Friedman with their son Kevin. It was really light relief, just good conversation, lots of laughter and a wonderful way to use up left-overs!! Yesterday Zvi and I went for a walk along the trail next to the reservoir of Bet Zayit just near our home. The path is paved and easy to walk, the wild mimosa trees are putting on a spectacular show as did the wild poppies, sweet peas, cyclamen, honeysuckle and so many others. I love it and Zvi has decided that rather than fight the fact that I stop and exclaim over every flower, he now finds them for me and is happy to climb muddy hills to take a photo for me! Perhaps the most special aspect of these walks is that as people pass, we all say “Shabbat Shalom” “Chag Pesach Sameach” “Moadim le Simcha” and we all chat to one another. It is so Israeli! Families took picnic baskets to sit beside the receding waters of the reservoir and in the 28 degree centigrade heat, quite a few took containers with sweet water melon. In fact, at one point I sat down on a wall, hot and tired and overdressed, and a group of 4 young women stopped and offered me cold water melon! Last night Zvi went together with our friends Ronit and Yossi Dagan to a demonstration in front of the President’s House. I’ve told you time and again, these are not like demonstrations elsewhere. As the crowd of perhaps 3,000 people stood holding their flags, they heard the words of four young women speaking about equality for women. A 16 year old Israeli Jewess, a young Arab woman from Umm el Fahem, a Haredi feminist from Bnei Brak and a former Member of Knesset; all four spoke of unity, justice, equality, democracy and most importantly hope for the future. Sadly we cannot get away from violence in this world. Where you live the violence is criminal, it is gangs and insane teenagers who walk into schools because someone offended them and kill their schoolmates willy nilly, but here, it is different somehow. If I go back to the beginning of this missive, it is the word my parents never let us use – hate. I couldn’t think of which songs could possibly be appropriate this week. Then I came across this one. It’s so obvious! All You Need is Love! https://youtu.be/_OuYLGHkrBk Paul McCartney and a myriad of stars sing together at the Jubilee celebrations. It’s true, if we could replace one single four letter word (hate) with another (love) this would be a different world. Imagine my favourite song and your favourite singers together on April the 9th 5 years ago, for a recording to celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday. Al Kol Eleh, Shlomi Shabbat and Koolulam https://youtu.be/_OuYLGHkrBk The last song, prayer, invocation, is so important on every level, especially right now. The Prayer for the State of Israel, sung by Shai Abramson. https://youtu.be/_Q5--mNIZhU I wish you peace, I wish you and yours a blessed time, may your prayers, be they in Church, Chapel, Synagogue, Temple or Mosque be for peace and understanding. With love from Jerusalem Sheila