12th January, 2024
Shabbat Shalom dear friends, Shabbat shalom and Chodesh Shvat Tov –
the new month in the Jewish calendar is the month of Shvat which is supposed to
be the month of good news, of b’sorot tovot. Even the initials in Hebrew
suggest good news is on the way; I wish it would hurry up!
There are so many things that I fail to understand in this upside
down world of ours where right is wrong and wrong is right, and evil is
rewarded, but for the life of me I don’t understand how the South African
regime, one of the most corrupt and cruel regimes in the world, is taking
Israel to the International Court of Justice, which by the way is yet another
arm of the United Nations, and the world stands by! Of all the examples of
injustice in the world right now this has to be the epitome.
Yesterday the lawyers presenting South Africa’s case spoke,
and, sadly, quoted the miserably inappropriate ministers in Netanyahu’s
government and their demands for the annihilation or exile of the Palestinians
in Gaza, as if they are the policy makers of the Israeli government. Their
statements were taken as proof of Israel’s and the IDF’s intent for genocide of
the Palestinian people. Had Netanyahu immediately disassociated himself from
their outbursts perhaps it could have helped but, you know what I feel about
the fact he did not. This is not an injunction,
nor is it a legal case, it is a trial to decide if this is a plausible claim on
the part of South Africa with the clear intent to besmirch Israel’s name. Today
our legal representation will easily deny every claim but what if the somewhat
biased panel of judges choose to accept the South African case as plausible?
Then every soldier of the IDF, from Generals to Privates, can face criminal
charges in any country in the world. It is an untenable situation.
The saddest sight today was to see the parents and families
of hostages standing on the border with Gaza with megaphones, shouting their
love and determination to bring their loved one’s home, just in case they may
hear. Many of the hostages that were released told of how their captors kept
telling them that nobody cared about them and no-one would fight for their
release. Psychological torture indeed. Equally, many families of the hostages
travelled to The Hague and stood in the freezing cold Dutch winter trying to
make their voices heard, talking to any journalist who was prepared to hear
their voice.
The top echelon of Hamas began planning the October 7th massacre in 2014. Each
detail, every diabolical detail, was carefully planned. The workers who came
over the border and were taken into homes, kibbutzim and villages, treated as
family, carefully mapped every room in every home, knew who was where, which
enabled the terrorists to find and torture, rape, burn and slaughter.
Never believe that it was spontaneous. It was
a carefully planned with a level of evil unseen.
How on earth did we get to this? How was Hamas
able to convince a gullible world that they are the good guys after what they
did on October the 7th? How on earth did they convince a gullible
world that there was a siege on Gaza when we were providing all their staple
needs? How is it possible that their leaders live in incredible luxury while
the people starve and nobody sees it? The IDF reached the home of Marwan Issa,
second in command to Mohammed Deif, in Khan Yunis (described as a refugee
camp). They found a gorgeous modern mansion with beautiful green lawns, a
fabulous pergola and swimming pool. Right there in the supposed refugee camp is
a luxurious neighborhood for Hamas leaders! Of course, he had already escaped, probably to
Qatar with the others.
How many times do you join in the cry of “Hep Hep Hoorah” or
Hip Hip Hooray? Did you know that it was the victory shout of the Crusaders?
Did you know that it meant Hierosolyma
est Perdita, Jerusalem is lost, the old battle cry equivalent of “From the
river to the sea”? I have always hated it, tried to explain why not to use it….but
thanks to our friend Stanley Roth who sent me this article, it is explained
much more clearly than I ever could https://fathomjournal.org/opinion-from-the-river-to-the-sea-is-the-postmodern-hep-hep/
The vast majority of Israelis pray that this
impossible government will accept the latest Qatari plan to end this phase of
the war and allow for the release of the hostages, those who are still alive.
While demanding the end to the fighting it also demands that the Hamas leaders
be exiled from Gaza. Who knows if it will work or where they will go. Ismail
Haniya, the supposed head of Hamas, is living in Qatar already, and it is said
that even he didn’t understand the level of evil of Sinwar. Qatar demands that
no assassinations take place on their soil which raises a further question, but
is this dystopian government capable of making such a decision or will the
decision be taken by the War Cabinet? For the sanity and unity of Israelis, the
hostages must come home, alive or in a coffin.
This war is wider than you think. Australia has
always stood by her allies through every war, and I mean every war, and this
one is no exception. Australian troops have joined British and American troops
in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, to defend shipping against the Yemenite Houthi
marauding piracy against any ships carrying goods to Israel. Bahrain, Canada
and Holland have also sent troops. Are you aware that US and UK troops have
launched rocket attacks on Yemeni towns? This BBC article explains who the
Houthis are and why we, the allies, are attacking them https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67614911
Sunday will be my birthday, Sunday the fourteenth of January. Sunday
will be exactly one hundred days since October the 7th, the hostages
will have been in captivity for 100 days of hell. At exactly 11:00 Israel will
stand still for 100 minutes in tribute to those hostages still in the tunnels
of Gaza. No buses, no trains, no shops, no restaurants, nothing. It is the people’s
protest to this government to bring them home and that we are willing to pay
the price, including the return of the displaced persons of the south to their
homes, or what remains of their homes.
Walter Bingham is the world’s oldest Journalist. “I don’t
realise how old I am until I pass the mirror” Walter is an incredible man,
still as alert and astute as ever and he has just celebrated his 100th
birthday! When we sat in the Jerusalem
Press Club together to hear various and varied speeches Walter always asked the
most pertinent and cutting questions, right up until today! I suggest that you
listen to and watch this interview with Walter to warm your heart up after all
of the above. https://youtu.be/FQvDSOWN8r8?si=FsY3_H6paBUh1DoK
Rachel and I decided to go for a walk in the nature reserve
opposite our home before the rains returned. It was a glorious day, a real
Jerusalem winter’s day with a combination of a hilltop chill and warm
springlike sunshine as we crossed the winding road of “Sheva Achiot” the Seven Sisters,
named for the seven hairpin bends as the roads winds its way down the hill. We walked
the stony path with its deep runnels made by years of winter rain flowing down
the grassy hill, on the search for spring flowers as we went. I admit to an obsession
with those first harbingers of spring. We found but a few, although the leaves
emerging from the undergrowth promised many more, a few brave wild cyclamen,
the famous Israeli Tormos, a wild form of lupin, standing tall, proud of its
leaves, and to complete our joy, the first almond blossom, just a few lone
flowers on the bare branches of the wild Almond trees – not exactly the cloud
like blossoms of next week but each individual flower gave us a sense of things
to come! The culmination of our walk was the view over the reservoir below; the
tree covered hills leading down to the dam in Beit Zayit, the half-filled lake
it will create after this week’s rains and the vineyards, row after perfect row
of vines alongside the waterline. The perfect quiet of our walk, meeting only
the occasional runner or dog walker, gave us a peaceful break from reality and an
emotional and spiritual refill.
Last Shabbat we visited Sergio and Sarah, Zvi’s cousins who made
Aliyah from Mexico, to see their incredible new apartment overlooking the sea
in Netanya. As promised, we went for a walk along the seafront promenade, busy
with people strolling walking their dogs and just enjoying the sunshine. It
never fails to amaze me how much warmer the coastal plain is compared to the
Jerusalem Hills! Just a Saturday afternoon with no worries, walking along the
calm sea – or so it seems. Sergio loves my soups so of course I took one with
us and we sat in their beautiful salon, all the furniture and lighting, each piece
a work of art, as Sarah explained that they didn’t bring anything with them
because Israeli design is so exquisite – I must agree!
As always, I am off to see Rachel and the children in a few
minutes, drawn by the aromas of her delicious cooking for Shabbat. I love sitting
with the children and hearing their rapid talk about their week. It grounds me,
brings me joy to see our future. After a Friday afternoon nap, we will go to Amiad
and Noga and the family for Shabbat dinner. Tomorrow I may persuade Zvi to come
back to the nature reserve to check out the situation of the wild flowers, in
the knowledge that the almost constant rains will have filled the reservoir. On
the other hand, perhaps, the path will be a muddy quagmire and we will turn
back to the warmth of our apartment and a nice cup of tea.
For once the choices for music were easy. I hope you will love them
as I do
Tamir Grinberg is an Israeli singer/songwriter who wrote this
haunting song about the return of the hostages. A beautiful song, in English, “All
I’m fighting for is to bring for is to bring you home, bring you home” https://youtu.be/wOVTFlTkwDs?si=_rq3ShYY5M6hvxV9
Idan Amedi doesn’t sing to the troops, he is one of the
300,000 reservists and although he could easily have made a different choice,
he chose to serve in Gaza. In the terrible accident during an operation to blow
up a Hamas tunnel, he was seriously injured, thank heaven on the way to
recovery but this Israeli singer is a hero, something he denies, knowing he was
“just doing his duty for the land he loves” . He wrote this song months before
October 7th, but it tells of our humble heroes. https://youtu.be/qQepsm0Rc0U?si=gZKE-8hmgMWPVwOK
Pete Seeger represents the Sixties dream of peace more
than almost any other singer and his songs carry deep meaning until today, none
more than “We Shall Overcome” Listen carefully as he talks of those who do
nothing and sings “We are not afraid” https://youtu.be/1osKWCDXl40?si=i1U4s13zj7kUcjch
With much love from the beautiful, rain washed hills of Jerusalem.
We will survive this as we have survived every other challenge in the past. A
special thank you to all our Christian friends, especially those who come here
and go to The Hague, for your unswerving support for Israel
I wish you a Shabbat shalom, a peaceful Sabbath and a weekend of
blessings
Sheila
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