Day 20

20th day – is anybody listening? 26th October 2023 Things are tough everywhere, although I know and deeply appreciate that your thoughts are here with us, but I worry about you, about this insane world which has everything upside down, the moral compass has lost its north. A letter from a friend who recognises the wake up call I know Israel will prevail. But I can’t stop crying. For the level of barbaric brutality inflicted in our people. For how that energy from hell polluted the earth so quickly. For how it’s changing the world into such a tumultuous and constant aggression. For my daughter’s beautiful and brave friends who took planes from NY to defend Israel. For my daughters who go to the universities in NY and nj. My daughter in Princeton stood in a silent Jewish protest while in front of them a riled up group chanted for intefada, Palestine and Genocide (by Israel) while pointing at her and the other Jewish students. In nyu kids with posters to “clean” the world from Jews chanting “from the river to the sea” in the face of the Jewish students. My friends son barricaded in the library at Cooper Union while an aggressive mob chanted free Palestine and was forcing the doors to get in- the librarian had to guide them to the back door where police was waiting to help them escape. WHAT IS THIS???? I’m afraid they’ll go to the dorms room by room for the Jewish kids next. And the schools are doing nothing. It’s free speech. My husband and I spoke about a plan, he suggested moving the girls to Yeshiva University, me? I’m thinking of leaving before something happens. The question is where? We’re not safe anywhere, and that was always ok as long as Israel was there, but now what? We would only be a burden to the country already trying to help whoever is there, but it’s the only choice that makes sense. These are troubling times. I pray with all my heart that all the beautiful IDF come back safely after making sure these savages never bother anyone ever again. Without Israel, our home, no Jew is safe. Morality has left the building. Thank you for your letter. May you never need to go to your shelter. I had to stop and catch my breath, how on earth could this happen? How can students in Berkley get credits for attending a pro-Hamas Rally? Insane. Time to get out there and do some shouting of our own! Back to Israel. A very limited ground force went into Gaza and hit specific Hamas objectives; they went in and out within one hour. Two days ago, a direct hit on a Hamas building caused the area to collapse into a huge tunnel, revealing how fragile the structures are, some standing on very thin ground. The extensive tunneling means that most of Gaza is on thin ice. The missiles are raining on the coast again today, mostly on Ashkelon but right up the coast. Zvi’s grandchildren live in Nes Ziona, normally a delightful suburban town, and today I had a feeling, that very Safta feeling, that something wasn’t right. Of course, I called one of the girls and she told me that as Aliza came to collect her from school, just as she got to the school gates, the siren wailed again and Gili, Aliza and the younger girls all had to make a dive back to school to the shelter. They were fine. Basically in that sentence you have the difference between us and Hamas. In our case every school, kindergarten and of course public area has to have a shelter by law. More than 50,000 ceramic vests, over 20,000 helmets, and tens of thousands of combat items such as protective glasses and knee protectors are on their way to Israel, according to a joint statement by the Defense Ministry, the IDF, and the Association for the Well-being of Soldiers, issued Saturday evening. The statement followed the release on Thursday of contact details for individuals or organizations wanting to donate large quantities of personal protective equipment to soldiers. The email address is Trumot_migun@mod.gov.il . Since the number of reservist that reported for duty far outweighed the amount of essential protective equipment, the IDF found itself lacking, unprepared for the sheer amount. It says a great deal, yet again, about the incredible spirit of Israelis, men and women, who serve in the IDF, Zahal. It seems no time at all, just about three and a half weeks that this government called them traitors and now, look at them!! Talking of enlistment, the current situation has produced an unexpected and very welcome change in the Haredi community. According to IDF records, some 2,000 Haredi men have applied to enlist and many Haredi women are cooking for the troops. Hopefully, this will bring about a change, an essential change in Israeli society. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-769550 Zvi has gone to nearby Maaleh Hachmisha to visit people from Zikin which was physically destroyed and Nativ ha Asara, which lost 15 members to the horror of the 7th; families who had to leave their homes in the South. His parliament decided that each of them gave a certain sum and now they are taking the money to the people in charge to buy essential goods. So, if you thought they just chewed the fat, you are wrong, they may think that they put the world to rights and sometimes, they do. He said that the people there lack for nothing, volunteers have ensured that they have all their daily needs; a computer room for the teenagers, toys for the littlies; their laundry is put into bags and taken to Har Adar where families wash, dry and fold then return. They have everything but, but they have no homes. They don’t know if they are staying for one, two or three months. More and more people are going to pick fruit and vegetables in the south, along the Salad Trail and the Kibbutzim. Fabulous produce is being brought back for us to buy and of course the money goes straight to the growers. Little has been said about the dozens of Thai agricultural workers who either lost their lives or were kidnapped, but without them and he thousands of Gazans who picked the crops, the farmers are at a loss. Who helps? The people, again, the citizen’s army comes to the rescue as our united knights in shining armour, men women and children, come to the rescue. I was just sent something so true “We live in a world where the intelligent have to keep quiet for fear of offending the stupid” However, we often talk about heroes, heroes of war, heroes of peace, but there is an ever-growing wave of Moslem heroes in Israel. Bedouin and Druze in particular but more and more Moslems are standing up and speaking out, thus putting themselves and their families in harms way. Why? Because they say that what happened on the 7th, everything that Hamas stands for is not Islam. On the other hand, they recognise that Hamas doesn’t defend Gaza, Hamas has destroyed Gaza. The purport to being Robin Hoods whereas, in fact, they have stolen from the poor and made themselves rich. It is quite one thing to ay it quietly among friends, but these amazing people make TikTok clips, shout the truth from the rooftops and to me. They are heroes. Driving in to Jerusalem today I was filled with pride! Everywhere, every road is edged with Israeli flags, high above us. The railing that separates the pavement and the road as I wind my way up to our home is festooned with yellow ribbons and the determination that we will survive and thrive is tangible. The Shalva Centre has become a haven for those who left what was left of their homes behind. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-769126 Listen carefully to the words as Yossi Bana’i sings the beautiful song written by Naomi Shemer. Al Kol Eleh, above all this I dedicate to the those who have been uprooted from the land, from all they planted, their homes, their families and their crops. https://youtu.be/Gbw2FTYHCTg?si=zwcwE11aWWLjpujg Sending you all my love, take care, please take care Sheila