Shevuot, Pentecost and Ramadan

25thMay 20235thSivan 5783 ShabbatShalom, Shevuot Sameach, Blessed Pentecost and Whitsun http://www.theviewfrommyveranda.info/shevuot-pentecost-and-ramadan/ Shevuotis abeautiful festival, the spring harvest and so much more. We wear white clothes,pray all night and tell the story of Ruth, the wonderful daughter in law ofNaomi. It’s a very special story of love, loyalty, devotion, hard work andeconomics…. Yes economics! Naomi, wonderful woman and mother of sons, lived ina strange land and her sons died, leaving her alone, or so she thought until her favourite daughter in law reassured her that she would go with her no matterwhere that may be. Ruth also chose to follow Naomi’s Jewish faith. Ruth is theprecedent in Judaism for every woman who chooses to convert to this complex wayof life – at least, in those days it wasn’t complex but more and moreconstrictions are placed upon us and on converts. In fact, when a womanconverts to Judaism, traditionally she receives the Hebrew name Ruth and istreated with the utmost respect, or that’s what is supposed to happen! Fora change I digress.The beauty of the story of Ruth, the purity of the harvest, white clothes andprayer, have become too complex. As time goes on it has become more difficultto convert which is such a shame, after all anyone who wants to become a Jew inthese tough times should be welcomed with open arms! What about those economicsyou mentioned, I hear you ask! Well, when Ruth and Naomi finally arrive in theland of Moab and landowner Boaz, and Ruth “gleans” in his fields, it wasn’tlove at first sight on the part of Boaz, although apparently Ruth was astunning beauty, it was all about gaining the rights to the field, but I didn’twant to spoil your picture of a dutiful daughter in law picking the remainingwheat, left on the ground after the harvest so that she could make bread tofeed Naomi. InJudaism, the festival of Shevuot takes place after the 49 days of the countingof the Omer, originally the counting of sheaves of wheat as offerings for theperiod after Passover; in Christianity Pentecost is celebrated on the 50thday after Easter. For both religions the 49 days include a time of restraintfrom celebration or eating unessential foods; in Christianity it is called lent,in fact, in Islam it is called Ramadan, as I have always said, we have muchmore in common than we do what separates us. Ihave to mention some aspects of politics, both here and abroad, then I’ll tellyou about our incredible week. Themuch disputed State Budget for 2023-2024 passed the Knesset in the early hours ofthis morning in its second and third reading. The budget and the accompanyingEconomic Arrangements Law were passed by 64 - 55 against. The dispute coversthe 14 billion shekels of special allocations for the needs of the coalitionparty members. In other words, the needs of the country with rising taxationand mortgages was not addressed. As a very loyal Israeli I am not happy withmyself for the feelings I have toward this government, but I feel that thenormative citizens have been hijacked for the determined effort to stay inpower. MahmoudAbbas,President of a non-existent country that the world recognises, stood before theUnited Nations and declared that there are no Jewish ties to the Temple Mountand that Israel “dug and dug under Al Aqsa and couldn’t find any proof”. Well, inthe name of truth it must be said that we didn’t dig, Raaed Salah dug out underAl Aqsa almost causing a collapse of the ancient walls, almost a hundredtruckloads, and we found thousands of relics of the time of the Temple! In factthe very first coin uncovered at the Sifting Project https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount_Sifting_Project was from the time of the rebellionagainst the Romans and bore the words “For the Freedom of Zion”, Zion being thename for the Temple Mount. Perhaps the most disgusting of comparisons made beforethe plenum was when he compared Israeli information to the repeated lies ofGoebbels. Talkingof liesor implied untruths, Christiane Amanpour apologised for her disgusting descriptionof the terror attack which killed three members of Rabbi Leo Dee’s family as a “shootout”.Her apology was not accepted by Rabbi Dee since it was obviously forced andProf Alan Dershowitz is taking on the lawsuit against CNN and Amanpour pro-bono.CNN and Amanpour have, over the years tried to create an impression of moralequivalence between terrorists and the IDF, or terrorists and people who livein Judea and Samaria. It is high time this case is brought.  JerusalemDay,the celebration of the reunification of Jerusalem after 19 years of Jordanianrule, went relatively peacefully. As I am sure you already know, there was muchdiscussion as to whether the Flag Parade should go through the Moslem Quarterof the Old City, or limit itself to the Jewish, Armenian and ChristianQuarters. The decision was taken to go in through the Damascus Gate and theParade went forward without almost no incidents. I say almost because some ofthe people in the parade behaved in a manner that shamed the nation, attacking anArab woman in their path. One such incident was one too many and theperpetrators have been arrested. I hope they will go to prison. Jerusalem Day beganas a celebration of victory which is very different to an “in your face becausewe won” parade. Just as VE Day is celebrated in the UK so we celebrate inIsrael.  LastFriday night dinnerwas very special because rather than feeding the multitudes we were just four,our lovely guests Raquel Birman and David Finkelstein who have seen Israel fromall sides, determined to learn and see all they could since their last visitsome years ago. Their joy at all they saw and all they found was infectious andtheir love of this little country obvious in every word and description. Theiradventures in the Old City, their visits to many sites, sights and museums inthe new as they absorbed Zvi’s narration. I told you about the Herzl Museum andYad Vashem but there is so much more! They went to the Israel Museum, to theArchaeological and Judaica tours; to the many exhibitions around the Kotel, notjust a Wall! This week they went up north with our friend Eva as their guideand now they are back in Tel Aviv where they will visit the Tel Aviv Museum,the Palmach museum and so much more. Tonight they will come with us to ourlovely friends the Blums where we will enjoy the company of some of ourfavourite people in Israel! OnMonday I was back in Shalva, my happy place. This time it wasn’t for a tour or awander, it was for the most glorious event imaginable! FestiShalva! Shalva doesn’tlook at the disabilities of the 1,000 children who are daily in their care,they look at the possibilities. The children sang, danced and had a ball. Myfavourite moment was when, at the end of their performance one child said “Idreamed I could fly” and two of the volunteers lifted her over a cloud!Actually I also loved when a group of girls, including Halleli Superstar, dressedin sparkly blue and white, danced and then there was the scene where the Shalvaboys who are in the IDF had their own flag parade and then………. Actually everyscene and every child was my favourite! There is something so special aboutthat place, something joyous. Last night was the Channel 13 TV’s “Erev Truma”an all star night of donations to Shalva. https://www.shalva.org/Israeli stars of stage, film and the pop world appeared and of course beautifulclips of the children of Shalva. It was incredible. Wehad nothing planned for Tuesday then it happened, a phone call from Sadi Becerento say he wanted to come and see us. We were absolutely delighted! Sadi, wholives in Istanbul, is a wonderful friend though Maccabi World Union -a trulymagnificent organisation which builds friendships between people, especiallyyoung people, from every corner of the earth through a common love of sport inthe “Jewish Olympics”; some 8,000 athletes every four years. Anyway, back toSadi. He was so happy to sit out on the “famous” veranda for lunch and justchat and reminisce. That’s what happens with real friends. Talkingof Maccabi, Zvi and I were thrilled to hear that Michael Siegel is thenew World Chairman of Maccabi World Union – a brilliant choice. CongratulationsMichael! Thatbrings us to Wednesday and another delightful meeting with old friends, butthis time in my favourite restaurant, Naya, right around the corner in Beit Nekufa.I can’t honestly remember when we met Harry and Nancy Bloomfield but I’m veryglad that we did! Nancy and I always find what to talk about and she is aterrific listener and I just enjoy Harry’s company. This time they brought afriend with them, an absolutely delightful lady who lives in Italy but isoriginally from Spain. Inma Cavallucci really impressed me with her warmth andintelligence. Harry and Nancy, like us, meet good people along the way and loveto bring them home. Inma is a Catholic and has enjoyed visiting just aboutevery Christian site in this amazing City. I have a strong feeling she will beback soon! So,tonight we celebrate Shevuot with the Blums and then tomorrow evening we have alovely group of people at our Shabbat/Shevuot dinner table. For many reasons,some feasible some created (there is no mention of it in the Bible) we eat dairyproducts over Shevuot. One explanation is that this is a harvest festival,another, which I learned as a child, is that we received the words of God from MountSinai, including the dietary laws and since they were not yet clear, we do noteat meat. Sounds perfectly logical if unproven! Anyway, back to tomorrow night.Our guests of honour will be the Bevilles, Keith and Deidre, all the way from Melbourne,Australia, Irit and Yitzik Lev who spent very happy years in Australia asemissaries and Dr’s Ora and Avner Rosengarten, dear friends, Ora and Zvi singtogether in one of Zvi’s choirs. The meal will be very “halavi’ or in Yiddishit’s called “Milchik”, in other words, dairy. We will start with blintzes, notthe sweet ones, with a mushroom and mangold (swiss chard or spinach beet)creamy filling, followed by vichyssoise, a new recipe for me by the wonderful,late, British chef and personality Marry Berry. It includes celeriac which Ilove. Then on to Rachel’s recipe for spicy fish together with cauliflower, broccoliand roasted sweet potato, plus the usual salads of course. For dessert, applecrumble and ice cream. I think they will be happy. Sendinglove to all the beautiful Australians who gave Marcus Sheff, CEO of Impact-se,such a warm welcome. I’m thrilled that he agrees with my assessment of theAustralian Jewish community! Good on yer! Talkingof happy, let’s enjoy some great music. “Tenli yad” Give me your hand, an appeal, a prayer, for help to follow a new path https://youtu.be/SVm0bVmLChA  “Rakb’Yisrael” only in Israel – is a fun song in which we poke fun at ourselves. Ilove it! https://youtu.be/i-7EvfJje88 Jerusalem,you are my mother, my bride, my sister. Shlomi Shabat sings a song toJerusalem, the eternal Capital of Israel, of the Jewish people. Jerusalem theHoly City to all three monotheistic religions and the Jewish homeland. https://youtu.be/_kQCTlFuCqQ SoI wish you a beautiful festival, be it Pentecost or Shevuot and a Shabbatfilled with joy Withmuch love from JerusalemSheila  -- 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/ 

If I forget thee Oh Jerusalem

19th May, 2023 Shabbat Shalom and Happy Jerusalem Day! Jerusalem Day is the celebration of the reunification of Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967. I’m sure that all of us remember the incredible words that fulfilled the prayers of 2,000 years “The Temple Mount is in our hands”, the iconic photograph of the 3 soldiers looking up at the Kotel, senior officers of the IDF praying, heads bent, the war that gave us huge pride and made our lives more complicated. As Ephraim Kishon wrote “So sorry we won”. It was the immediate change in perception of Israel by the world, suddenly we were not the humble Jews of Europe, we became feisty Middle Eastern Jews who fight for their rights. It wasn’t a popular perception; we apparently didn’t know our place. It was the night before Rosh Hashana 1967, the New Year, and I walked with my father, Jack Silver z”l, and my brother Ronnie, toward the Western Wall, the Kotel, then still known as the Wailing Wall because it was the place closest to the unattainable Temple Mount. I still remember the wonder and I was overcome with tears. The Kotel was then about half the height one sees now, surrounded by the rubble of destroyed buildings. During the interceding years, from Roman to Ottoman period, homes had been built atop arches and other homes to reach the height of the Temple Mount. Al Aqsa Mosque stood, as its name suggests, on the far corner and the Dome of the Rock was a relatively simple black domed construction. The magic was all around us and all comers mingled freely, long before it was cleaned up and excavated to reveal the actual height of the supporting wall. This was the place we had dreamed of, now all our prayers would be answered. Somehow, the beautiful plaza, the pristine buildings, nothing can quite give me the thrill of that first sight, the doves nesting in the cracks, the capers growing randomly, as if decorating the stones of the towering wall, the sheer roughness of the return took my breath away. Incredibly, Jordanian rule over the Old City was just 19 years, but in that time, Jews were not allowed to go to their holy sites and even the headstones of the Jewish and Christian cemeteries on the Mount of Olives were broken and used for paving stones. I remember going to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and being distressed at the state of the building. One of the first actions of the Israeli government was to shore up the crumbling walls and save the church. Let’s go back a few weeks before the Six Day War to the Israel Song Festival Israeli songwriter and poet Naomi Shemer wrote a song about Jerusalem and our yearning to return to our ancient places, it was sung by a young singer called Shuli Natan and won first place. Nobody knew that within a short time our neighbours would declare war and that little Israel would beat them! Naomi Shemer added that famous last verse “We have returned to the pools, to the market and to the market-place. A ram's horn calls out on the Temple Mount in the Old City.” Yerushalyim Shel Zahav became a song of return. Now fast forward to today, or rather to last evening. The once joyous Jerusalem Day Flag Parade has somehow become a highly contentious event. Perhaps because it has, like everything, become politicised, as a right wing event. I remember when it was a parade from the Rav Kook Yeshiva at the entrance to the city to the Kotel whereas today it is still an expression of triumphant return, it has some belligerent participants. Thank heaven last night’s parade was peaceful, thanks to the vigilance of our police and border guards who control the wild elements of both sides of the issue. Yesterday was not only a celebration, it was also a memorial to those who perished on the treacherous trek from Ethiopia through the Sudan. So many died, through hunger, bandits, horrors one cannot imagine, with just one aim, to arrive in the promised land, the city they had dreamed of for 500 years. I can never forget the morning of the 25th of May, 1991, when we arrived at the Diplomat Hotel in Jerusalem to welcome the brave new immigrants from Ethiopia, who had arrived the night before, their only belongings on their backs, their white Shabbat robes. I had never before seen such dignity, such beauty. Uri Gordon was responsible for the rescue mission and as he came into the hall each and every one of them silently held out a rose toward him in a silent, exquisite accolade. Their dream came true. They were in the city they had prayed for hundreds of years..... JERUSALEM The exceptional Rabbi Leo Dee has called for CNN senior reporter Christiane Amanpour to be censured for her disgraceful description of the terror attack in which he lost his wife and two daughters as “a shootout” suggesting that they were responsible for their own deaths. Amanpour has simply gone too far this time. This has been an incredible week. It began with Friday night dinner with Raquel Birman and David Finkelstein who arrived earlier that day. They were thrilled with the conversation and just being back in Israel! We got on so well that we took them to Yonatan’s 9th birthday party next day! Sunday evening we all set off for Tel Aviv and the Opera “Theodore” together with Raquel, David and Dr. Motti Friedman, a world expert on Theodore – Herzl that is. I am a great believer in the right for poetic licence, but sometimes it is taken just too far. The opera bore little resemblance to the actual story of a dreamer who set all the wheels in motion to create a Jewish Homeland. Glorious voices but the storyline was so far from the truth that it became very distressing. The next day Zvi took Raquel and David to the exceptional Herzl Museum in Jerusalem, Motti’s brainchild, and they understood the real Theodore Herzl before heading off to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. In the meantime, I went to the excellent Museum of Islamic Art together with Professor Mohammed Dajani Daoudi, a proud Palestinian Moslem whose family goes back many generations here in Jerusalem. Professor Dajani, an incredibly dignified gentleman, is introducing the Wasati form of education into his community, a man of peace, and tolerance. We were met and taken around by Gilad Levian, the director of the museum and an old friend. This underestimated museum is quite wonderful, apart from the excellent Islamic art it also has an exhibition of art related to the 5 women so prominent in the fight against the cruel regime in Iran. Most fascinating, the horological collection of Vera Bryce Salomon including two exquisite watches made for Marie Antoinette. Professor Dajani is on the International Advisory Board of Impact-se and he was very pleased that our CEO Marcus is now in Australia, explaining the importance of tolerance in education to the Australian community, an exceptionally aware and informed community both in Sydney and Melbourne. Harold and Rebecca Finger helped enormously in the preparation of Marcus’ trip for which we are ever grateful. Indeed, all the participants, the Simons family, the Gandels, indeed all the hosts and committee members, thank you so much. I dare not give a full list because someone may be left out and that is the last thing I want! Perhaps, for me, the crowing glory of the week was taking Raquel and David to Shalva. As I told them when I collected them from the light rail, “You have no concept of what you are about to see”. Whatever preconceptions anyone may have of an “institution” for people with special needs, forget it. Malki and Kalman Samuels changed the paradigm and created a place of sheer magic, joy and beauty, a haven and a beacon of inclusiveness. As we arrived, I heard their intake of breath, the entrance hall is decorated with a huge butterfly mobile created by Israeli artist David Gerstein, each butterfly hand painted to honour his late wife. The butterfly theme runs throughout Shalva as an analogy for the difficult start in life for many children with special needs and how Shalva helps them to fly as high as they possibly can. We were met by the exceptional Gaby Hirsch, who has been my rock throughout the last 3 years. Gaby took us from the basketball court to two of the three pools, from the dining room for the thousand children each day to the synagogue where Raquel found so many names of donors. The last stop on the tour was Dr. Dan’s Room, the studio for performing arts we created to honour my beautiful son, Dr Daniel Cammerman z’l. We then went to the coffee shop to meet with Kalman Samuels, the founder where he told the deeply emotional story behind the founding of Shalva. https://youtu.be/xN9JlwKIB_k And so to tonight when Raquel and David are coming for Shabbat Dinner before heading off on a tour of the north of Israel with our friend Eva Yaron, a great tour guide. Our veranda is looking phenomenal! Spectacular Tiger lilies show off beside the delicate colours of the day lilies, the various citrus trees are either in blossom, their glorious scent filling the evening air, or have tiny green fruits promising a tasty crop. The apples re growing nicely having avoided the pecking of the Indian Minah birds. I sit outside and just soak in the view, flowers, trees and Jerusalem in the distance. I never take it for granted. The sensation of leaving the horrors of the past behind us as the Yitzchak Rabin, Uzi Narkiss and Moshe Dayan drove through the Lion’s Gate into the Old City, Rabbi Shlomo Goren blew the Shofar, the Ram’s Horn and even Moshe Dayan, the most cynical of secular Jews wrote a note to put into the cracks of the ancient stones of the Western Wall. This clip is shows the emotional entry into the Old City, despite the rather strange music! https://youtu.be/ao2W4q8Dmsg The music I have for you today is not strange, I promise it is beautiful. Jerusalem is in our prayers, whatever our religion. It is in our prayers, our dreams and she opens her arms to welcome all-comers. The beautiful song takes us from the Rivers of Babylon, the sadness of prayers in a strange land as we look toward Jerusalem If I forget you, Oh Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, If I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. https://youtu.be/sP5j3QlW5vg Here the children of those who made the trek from the hills of Ethiopia to the hills of Jerusalem sing of their journey. Ha Masa https://youtu.be/LKcRKzbSeJM Jerusalem of Gold has become an anthem, a truly beautiful song to the most beautiful city in the world, the city which received nine tenths of the world’s portions of beauty. Here we have the original song https://youtu.be/uJYYCh-f1Bo and then in an Andre Rieu concert you will see and understand our emotional attachment to this incredible city https://youtu.be/Im5lh2kJWTI I wish you Shabbat Shalom dear wonderful friends. I sometimes wonder if you understand how much you mean to me because I don’t always hear from you and then, then I meet you in person and you tell me that you read every word, that it keeps you in touch with what really happens here in Israel and I am so pleased. Of course I’d love it if you wrote, told me what you think, how you feel, but that’s OK, old friends don’t need that……….but on the other hand!! With love from Jerusalem where every day is Jerusalem Day. Sheila

Rockets Respite and Reflections

12thMay, 2023 ShabbatShalom! Thereis a famous Chinese blessing “May you have a boring year” and the Chinese curse?“May you have an interesting year” Unfortunately we are having a veryinteresting week.http://www.theviewfrommyveranda.info/rockets-respite-and-reflections/   TheIranian funded Palestinian Islamic Jihad, originally an offshoot of Egypt’s MoslemBrotherhood, has been behind many of the attacks in and around Jenin and anyrocket attacks on the South. Israel decided to “remove” three of their leadersin Gaza and as a result over 800 rockets have rained upon the ordinary folk ofIsrael. Mostly along the Gaza border, Sderot and farming communities, and alongthe coast, one aimed at Tel Aviv. Israel’s defence system is highly effectivebut nobody can defend against the trauma of the warning siren and the dash tosomewhere, anywhere safe. When a missile landed in Rehovot, Israel suffered herfirst, and hopefully only, death from this bombardment. Hamas, fundedpredominantly by Qatar, claimed to have refrained from joining the fray, but onthe other hand, as warlords of Gaza, nothing happens there that they do notapprove of. On day 3 of Operation Arrow and Shield another 2 PIJ leaders were “removed”. It’simportant to note that the Israel action did not appear out of thin air or apolitician’s whim. A week or so ago, a man accused of terror activities and ahighly unpopular man among prisoners,, Khadar Adnan, died after a long hungerstrike and in response over 100 rockets were launched from Gaza. In response tothose rockets Israel decided to pinpoint 3 PIJ leaders. In response… and so itgoes in the Middle East, our very own Groundhog Day. The comparative cost of saving livesas opposed to taking lives is staggering. The numbers are purely an example. Kassamscosts about $500 each, at least 600 have been launched at us in the last coupleof days which is 1,275,000 shekels. Iron Dome interceptions x 600 = $30,000,000which is 109,337,250 Shekels. Families all over Israelhave volunteered to take in families from the Gaza border during the Arrow andShield operation. Suddenly politics are forgotten and we pull together. Thegreatest fear is not that the combined forces went in and did what wasnecessary, although this time it was not pinpoint which is tragic althoughthose killed were in the same house as the terror leaders; the fear is thatunlike during the last few years, this government will not want to get outfast. Even during the cease fire talks led by Egypt the rockets continued in aseemingly never ending volley. If anyone doubts Israel’s status as a democracy for all, RaeedSalah, yes the one who excavated hundreds of truckloads of earth and archaeologicalartefacts from under the Temple Mount; the one who was denied entry to the UKfor his terror connections; that Raeed Salah from the Israeli Arab town of Ummel Fahem in the Galilee, organised a demonstration against Israel’s actions inGaza! Djerba, in Tunisia, was an island of safetywhen the remaining Jews of Tunisia fled and today the beautiful El Ghriba synagogueis a known tourist site. Sadly this week a terrorist killed five people andinjured more near the synagogue, he tried to go into the synagogue and wouldhave succeeded in killing far more Jews had it not been for the intervention ofthe Djerba security forces. Does it never end? Turning our thoughts on a sixpence, because that’s lifein the Middle East, a fun report. Noa Kirel, the beautiful and highlytalented young woman representing Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest, isthrough to the final. Although I have admittedly outgrown most of the music, itis very exciting. Good luck Noa!! This week Impact-se https://www.impact-se.org/ was in Parisfor the ELNET https://elnetwork.eu/ meetingsand simultaneous had meetings with the EU. As a result the EU parliament passeda resolution for 4th consecutive year ‘deploring’ Palestiniansfor production and teaching of antisemitic and violent materials with EUtaxpayer money. The resolution insists that EU freezes funding fromPA until it aligns its textbooks with standards of peace andtolerance. It is not an overnight change, the team has been working toward thisresolution for a long and difficult period and the result is hopeful. Our dear friend Dr. Michael Meir is in Israel andwe had the honour of spending time with him. On Tuesday Zvi had the excellentidea to go to the Islamic Museum, near the Jerusalem Theatre. He immediatelycalled Gilad Levian, the director and a long time friend, who opened themuseum after hours specially for us. In a sense the Islamic Museum is amisnomer, because, although it most certainly has displays of Islamic art andculture, the central display is a phenomenal permanent horological exhibition,unique and fascinating, which includes a priceless watch, actually two, one ofwhich took many years to create for Marie Antoinette, and another which she actuallyused. Well worth a visit https://www.islamicart.co.il/english/Watches/ On Wednesday, Michael and I visitedShalva. The wonderful Gaby Hirsch met us in the lobby and explained the storyof the founding of Shalva to Michael, who is a wonderful listener. Please watchthis incredible video to the end to understand the sheer joy and beauty ofShalva. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmh5NxnknNQ  We learned that both the Respite areas andthe car park were ready to receive families from the South should they need it.The Car park undergoing an instant change into safe living accommodation. Atthe end of our tour Gaby took us to “Dr. Dan’s Room” the performing arts studiowhich we built to honour my eldest son Daniel who died in an accident in NewYork. Michael and his late wife Rivka knew and loved Daniel which made thevisit all the more emotionally important to me. As Zvi and I go on our daily constitutional, indeed alsowhen I drive through our area, I noticed something interesting about the localflora. In early spring the wild flowers are predominantly pink and red but Mayis in and gorse is everywhere! Bright yellow gorse colours the hillsidesinterspersed with the remaining mimosa. I love our area, our walks and two daysago we chose to walk out of our estate onto what was once the main road toJerusalem – incredibly so since it is a narrow road with 7 hairpin bends –until 1967 when Road Number One was completed. There is a lovely walking path, borderedwith flowers and bushes, which runs alongside the road, which incidentally iscall the Seven Sisters because of said hairpin bends, and this path leads tothe village of Motza and back up onto our estate. As we reached one of thefirst beautiful homes, we saw two people trying to repair a flat tyre! Ofcourse, we stopped to chat, offer help and sympathise. As it turned out one wasour neighbour and the other young man, was a volunteer with a wonderfulorganisation called Yedidim (meaning friends) who for a tiny annual fee can be calledout to help stranded drivers, was also a neighbour!! Unfortunately, despite hisbest efforts he didn’t have the right spanner to take the wheel off so Zviimmediately offered to go home and get a repair kit. On his return, the ladywas so grateful that she invited us for a Tunisian meal at her home next week!Now that is a typically Israel experience! Ifeel it is of ultimate importance that you understand that Israel is still oneof the safest countries in the world. Compared to Switzerland we appeardangerous but compared to the USA we live in a haven of peace; it’s just thatours are the result of years of hatred and incitement and always hit theheadlines.  https://www.nytimes.com/article/mass-shootings-2023.html  Imagine, as of early May, the Gun ViolenceArchive has counted more than 200 massshootings in the United States this year. Last year, the groupcounted 647 mass shootings.Of those, 21 involved five or more fatalities. Why am I making the comparison?Because there are those who fear coming to Israel, even those in Latin Americawhere in most of the countries leaving home can entail taking your life intoyour hands. OKback to happy things – you should be used to my penchant for digression! Tonight,we have friends coming over for Shabbat Dinner. Raquel Birman and Zvi went tothe Yiddische Shule in Mexico City together when Zvi’s family was in that cityas teachers, Emissaries for the Jewish Agency, and of late have been in closecontact. Raquel and her partner David Finkelstein are landing in Israel todayand coming to us for Shabbat. Another close friend and classmate from thatperiod is Joel (Yolli) Zonszein with his wife Nattie who will be with us aswill Prof. Shimon Shetreet and his wife Miri friends from right here in Jerusalem.Since Nattie is making dessert I just have two courses to prepare so decided tomake slightly different style Shabbat Dinner. Again digressing, in my family wetended to have fish for Friday night Dinner, absolutely nothing to do withCatholicism, not many Catholics eat gefilte fish!! Back on track, our hors d’ouevreswill be antipasti of roasted and grilled local vegetables, followed by ovenbaked sea bream in white wine with a great big salad, sweet new, baby potatoesand baked cauliflower. Zviis off to meet with Philip Bloom (aka Rami Salami) of Boston who will accompanyZvi to his Parliament. Philip comes regularly to Israel to volunteer in the IDFand perform as a clown and balloon magician in Paediatric Oncology Departmentsand also in Sderot. Since Philip’s Hebrew is excellent, he will have no troublefollowing the conversation, although he may be confused by the logic of some ofthe members! Tomorrowwe will celebrate the ninth birthday of “Yonatan haGibor” Zvi’s delightful,funny, bright and handsome grandson, at Amiad and Noga’s home. My contribution?Stuffed peppers since Noga’s father, Yossi, is vegan and relies on myimagination! Mymeandering musings had a purpose, especially this week. Israelis love life;we refuse to hide away in our homes, quivering and afraid of those who’spurpose in life is to cause us to cower and run. We will pick ourselves up,rebuild the damaged buildings, treat the traumatised children and return to ourlives. The occasion that most definitely expressed this determination not to becowed was the huge, open-air Aviv Geffen concert in Tel Aviv last night. 40,000people chose to snub their noses at Palestinian Islamic Jihad and dance in thewarm Tel Aviv air. That’s Israel! We don’t ignore the danger but will not beruled by it. Before you cancel a visit, remember that where you live is muchmore dangerous than this beautiful little country. Iwish a fantastic trip to Australia to Marcus Sheff, the CEO of Impact-se, withgrateful thanks to all the fabulous friends who will welcome him into theirhomes and hearts to hear all about our work to make this world a better, moretolerant place. Andso to music. Gosh what songs are appropriate to this insane week? In 1979 the dulcet tones of Gali Atari led thegroup Milk and Honey singing Halleluya, representing Israel in the EurovisionSong Contest. Written by Shimrit Orr and Koby Oshrat, the song is on everyone’slips since that day! https://youtu.be/jKbvuYRR35EThe exquisite voices of CantorsAzi Schwartz, Natanel Hershtik and Yaakov Lemmer sing the prayer for the Stateof Israel. https://youtu.be/vFFcLjbc-1EOur Father in Heaven, stronghold and redeemerof the people Israel: Bless the State of Israel, the beginning of ourredemption. Shield it with Your love; spread over it the canopy of your peace. It is worth noting that a Conservative, a ModernOrthodox and a Haredi Cantor represent unity in their love of Israel.Perhaps the most poignant song to emerge out of the mass exodus from Europe to the USA was"Somewhere Over the Rainbow". The lyrics were written by Yip Harburg,the youngest of four children born to Russian-Jewish immigrants. His real namewas Isidore Hochberg, and he grew up in a Yiddish-speaking, Orthodox Jewishhome in New York. The song's music was written by Harold Arlen, also acantor's son. His real name was Hyman Arluck, and his parents were fromLithuania. Their dream? That one day over the rainbow there would be aland of their own. Well, we are here! Israel is the pot of gold   https://youtu.be/V1bFr2SWP1I  Iwish you a beautiful Sabbath, whatever your faith, whatever day is your day ofrest, may you always be free to celebrate. As Abu Yosef, the wonderfulPalestinian fishmonger in Givat Ze’ev, said to me yesterday “May God be withyou and peace be among us” ShabbatShalom dear friends. 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/ 

Dignity, Kings and Begin's Judicial Reform

5th of May, 2023 Shabbat Shalom! I hope you are all ready for the Coronation of King Charles III tomorrow! I love the fact that King Charles and the Queen Consort invited Chief Rabbi Mervis and his wife to stay at their home so that they could attend the Coronation tomorrow, a short walking distance from Westminster Abbey. More of that later, but I need to tell you of our week in Israel first. Sadly, we are all aware of the tragedy that befell the Dee family when a terrorist shot and killed sisters Maya and Rina and Lucy succumbed to her wounds, and of the incredible dignity shown by Rabbi Leo Dee and the children after that tragedy. This week they visited the organ recipients, donated after Lucy’s death, including Lital Valenci who received Lucy’s heart. Rabbi Leo and son Yehuda stood by as Keren and Tali listened to their mother’s heart beating in Lital’s chest, giving her a new lease on life. As you can imagine there was not a dry eye in the room and the heart surgeon who conducted the transplant surgery, Dr. Dan Aravot, said that the emotional side of transplant surgery is often forgotten and for Lital, it was of great importance to meet the family and let them know that it is thanks to Lucy’s heart that she will be able to watch her children grow. I do not use the word “mensch” often, it is the ultimate compliment, a statement of true human kindness and the Dee family has shown an unbelievable ability to give to our world while mourning. Yesterday morning, the IDF found the perpetrators of the terror attack and within two hours performed an exceptional operation involving some 200 soldiers, and killed them. The operation took place in the complex alleyways of the Kasbah in the town of Nablus. In a rare instance a video of the operation was given to the media and we saw undercover agents dressed as women and local merchants walking through the streets, getting into position and they were soon followed by the armed units. It made us proud to see how brilliant the planning was and the determination to avenge the deaths of such a beautiful family who had never done anything to anyone except exude love. Rabbi Dee has requested to meet with the families of the terrorists to try to understand what drove them to perform such an extreme act of hatred. When I hear him speak, usually in English, I hear his British upbringing, the determination to find logic in the illogical, in the tragic, and not lose one’s head in hatred. In a pinpoint, surgical operation the IDF took out a senior member of Hamas’, a man who was responsible for planning attacks on Israelis. As a result, 104 rockets and missiles rained on the South, predominantly on the town of Sderot. It came as a total shock to the residents, who had known relative peace for a while, yet again traumatising children and parents alike. Many young couples moved to Sderot and the area for a better life, cheaper housing and community. Thanks to the care of former Israeli governments, Iron Dome and bomb shelters, nobody died but homes and vehicles were destroyed. Ben Caspit, an Israeli investigative journalist discovered a document which attests to the fact that the accusations against former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak by Netanyahu’s government, accusations that he initiated the former judicial reform at the centre of the demonstrations, were in fact created at the behest of Prime Minister Begin’s Likud Government! Isn’t it fascinating how politicians are expert in convincing their followers that they are responsible for all successes and never responsible for any failures! They manage to twist the truth to their own advantage. In a poll this week as to the suitability of leaders to form a representative government the result was Benny Gantz 41% and Benjamin Netanyahu 33%. I cannot decide if citizens are just tired of the configuration of this government or with the proven untruths of their leader. Back to the Coronation! First of all, I remember it clearly. June 2nd 1953 and the amazing piece of furniture that now graced our living room. About a metre high and 60 centimetres wide and deep, the oak and ash case was beautiful. The screen that produced magic was 12” and black and white, making it difficult to make out the actual stars of the affair but we could hear every word. “God Save The Queen” repeated three times sealed the deal. Her Majesty, a slender, sylphlike young woman, showed great dignity as she wore the unbearably heavy crown taking great care not to move her head in either direction for fear of it falling. I loved this short video made by King Charles describing his childhood https://youtu.be/jt_dBePa3rg and for those who are interested, this video of the plans for the Coronation, Operation Golden Orb https://youtu.be/6X-Gfwxsdzg . My son Gideon reminded me of a simple British fact, that we mistakenly call the flag of the United Kingdom the Union Jack. The Union Jack is the maritime flag of the UK and the national flag is the Union Flag. Whatever it is called the Union Flag adorns the streets and buildings of London, indeed of Britain, and thousands have camped out just to watch the procession. I love all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the Royals and traditional British ceremony. These events bring the people of Britain, of all creeds and colours, together in celebration. I admire the Royals for their dedication to duty and in recent times the ability of the new King to change the perception of his life, promulgated by the media. I am certain that we will see a greater emphasis on ecology from this avid gardener and on his special projects in youth programmes. You can see the entire ceremony on the Royal Family Youtube station on your televisions I will be watching the broadcast together with Israelis here at home and at Zvi’s request the buffet lunch will include cucumber sandwiches, egg sandwiches, (both cut into triangles without crust of course) quiches, scones (cheese and sweet) crudites with dips (a British favourite at parties), a Victoria Sandwich cake, apple crumble and custard………… can’t wait! Almost Lag b’Omer, the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer, the period between Passover and Shevuot, the Feast of Weeks. The date is important throughout many periods, including the day on which the terrible plague which attacked the followers of Rabbi Akiva, finally ended; the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai in Meron and the Bar Kochba revolt against the Romans. There are two faces to Lag b’Omer, one is the annual pilgrimage to Mount Meron and the other is the celebratory bonfires and barbeques held in every town and neighborhood. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lag_BaOmer Noa Kirel is a highly talented young woman. She has a beautiful voice and her dancing ability borders on the acrobatic. Noa will represent Israel at the Eurovision music competition in Liverpool on May 13th. For those who are not aware, the Eurovision Song Contest has become of great importance in this part of the world, having a degree of politics that doesn’t always go against us. I believe that Noa’s talents may well take us higher than the predicted 7th position in the betting odds. This is her official video – not counted in the music at the end of this missive! https://youtu.be/XwPEtD0_mx4 It’s been a busy week, but two meetings stand out. One was when I got a lovely phone call from Joy Wolfe MBE, a stalwart of UK/Israel relations, long serving journalist, editor and honest reporter of events and President of Standwithus UK, for me, she is a good friend. Joy always calls me when she arrives here to visit her daughter Naomi and I love meeting with her and hearing all the latest about the UK community, so immediately, we arranged to meet at the Pop Up Café in Kiriat Anavim, my favourite restaurant. Joy was absolutely delighted when she arrived, as we sat in the veritable bower of the garden of Pop Up. Surrounded by citrus trees and flowering bushes one also enjoys the delicious creations of young Chef Tom Levi, winner of the top TV chef programme. He came over to say hello, such a delightful young man. The other was an excellent Zoom in which both CEO of Impact-se Marcus Sheff and Aliza Craimer Elias, Director of the Institute for Curriculum Services (USA) spoke about their essential work on school curricula. While Marcus and Impact-se concentrate on the removal of hate education and the introduction of tolerance in schoolbooks in our region and beyond, The Institute for Curriculum Services concentrates on schoolbooks in the USA, and you would be surprised as to how much disinformation about both Israel and Judaism has yet to be changed, some of which has successfully undergone changes already. It is no news to you that as Chairperson of the Board of Impact-se I am deeply proud of the work of the team, led by Marcus and Arik Agassi. They work long hours, never ceasing to open new avenues for change. The world awaiting our grandchildren will depend upon what children learn in schools today and by changing the paradigm in Moslem schools we can hopefully change the future. https://www.impact-se.org/ The sun is shining, actually after a chilly last week, this week is gradually getting hotter. Today it may just reach 35 degrees (for those of you in the USA that’s 95 degrees Fahrenheit)! That’s hot! As usual I’ve been enjoying our veranda. I love nothing better than getting my hands into the earth and planting, replanting and moving things. It is good for my soul. While Zvi sings in his various choirs I garden! I am so excited to check the baby apples on the new tree, the amazing blossom on the orange, lemon, lime and kumquat trees, the scent filling our evenings; snapdragons which I grew from seed, petunias, pinks and in a short while the various colours of hibiscus bushes. As I am writing I look out of the window and the almond tree is full of green fruits. It’s going to be a good day. This evening we will celebrate Gili’s 14th birthday at Shabbat Dinner and then tomorrow, a new King and his Queen. Listening to the Zoom with Marcus and Aliza I began to think about the way we complain about almost everything yet are the luckiest people on earth. We have the right to complain, the right to change, to rectify wrongs, to make a better world for generations to come. If each and every one of us chose to teach tolerance, a misused word which mean to accept those who are different to us, to learn to listen rather than expound, life could be so much better. The teachings of the Torah, and of the great Rabbis of the past, instruct us to illuminate the world, a lesson for us all. One of the core commandments of Judaism is "Love your neighbour as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). The Talmudic sages Hillel and Rabbi Akiva indicated that this is the central commandment of the Torah. On a totally unrelated subject, Zvi and I went to see a movie this week and were amazed at the brilliance of the story and the acting. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry https://m.imdb.com/title/tt14097206/ starring the incomparable Jim Broadbent. We truly recommend it. No swearing, sex, violence or guns. Just brilliant acting and a beautiful human story. There have been many tributes to the new King at his Coronation and although this was dedicated to his late mother perhaps this best expresses our connection to the Royals. Cantor Azi Schwartz of the Park Avenue Synagogue welcomes Shabbat to the tune of God Save the King https://youtu.be/3uJDA97HJms The Shabbat Project really touched my heart as Jews around the world celebrate together. Of all the beautiful ceremonies in Judaism, my favourite is Havdalah, literally the difference, when at the end of Shabbat we say goodbye to the Sabbath and awaken our senses to the world again. All five senses, the flame, the spices, the wine, and this beautiful song. Sung by the wonderful Natanel Hershik https://youtu.be/ECwNkXM5dKA Children are our future; children are our hope. Hatikva means Hope and here children sing the National Anthem of the State of Israel. https://youtu.be/YpRmJZ8aSZ0 We are going to be just fine!!! Shabbat Shalom dear friends. Shabbat Shalom to all our friends, those who love what the real Israel stands for. With love from our veranda, overlooking Jerusalem, glistening white in the distance. Sheila