Pots, Pans and Pesach

 

26^th April, 2024

October the 203^rd

 

Shabbat Shalom, Moadim le Simcha (what one says in the middle days of a festival wishing joy) I hope that your Passover Seder was meaningful and introduced a little joy into our complex lives. I promise to tell you all about our later, but want to begin with the news and a little story of birds.

 

The Indian or Common Mynah bird has a beautiful song, a song so loud that it drowns out the songs of others. It has the ability to mimic the songs of almost every bird they hear and their numbers are growing rapidly. However, the Indian Mynah is not indigenous, began with a very few and despite its beautiful song its bright yellow beak, yellow being a sign of danger in nature and tells the story of its aggressive nature. The fact is that during the mating season it will attack anything in its path from small creatures to humans. This morning, as I sat outside on our veranda, waiting in vain for the tiny, exquisite sun birds to visit the flowers as they do every day, I realised, they would not come to gather the nectar out of fear of the Mynahs sitting on our wall. My lateral thinking brain immediately understood the parallel, that the Mynahs are an absolute analogy for our situation. The song of our enemies is louder than ours and others fear to sing.

 

Avigail Idan was just 3 years old when she was taken hostage by Hamas alone, after seeing her parents slaughtered by Hamas. Yesterday, she sat upon the knee of a caring President of the United States, the one who promised to bring her home. To see the little girl playing and laughing in the Oval Office was almost surreal, but not unexpected from a rare politician, one who actually does what he promises. I have some friends who are blinded by politics, but whoever you vote for it is irrelevant, President Biden has stood by Israel, despite his feelings toward our Prime Minister. His unwavering support since October 7^th has given courage to other nations to support Israel verbally, militarily and morally.

 

Hersh Goldberg-Polin is alive, or was alive as of two days ago. The video clip filmed by Hamas shows a very different Hersh, but he is alive. His mother, the phenomenal Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a true Jewish lioness, fighting with everything she has for her son’s return, sat with her husband and spoke about her fight after seeing the Hamas video.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1plXbypGuk Rachel was declared one of the world’s most influential people. Here she talks about what it means to know tha tone’s loved ones are hostages to Hamas https://time.com/6968288/rachel-goldberg-polin-interview-israel-hostages/

 

Columbia University, right there in New York is a hotbed of hatred and anti-Semitism. Even a few months ago even our worst nightmare would not have imagined an Imam calling students, students just like your sons, daughters and grandchildren, calling them to prayer on the front lawn of a premier university and shouting “Kill the Jews” “Free, free Palestine” and other twisted cries. It is utterly mind-boggling, terrifying the speed at which it happened. Young, naïve, pliable minds have been taken in by the lies, the Goerring-like lies which surround them. Not only Columbia, similar scenes can be found all over the USA. Entrepreneur Robert Kraft has withdrawn his funding of Columbia University.  Why has it reached this point? Because University Presidents and Deans thought that freedom of speech was more important than stopping the demonstrations at source. Remember the Mynah birds.

 

If you think it is only happening in North America, think again. Australia was the chosen country of so many Holocaust survivors who wanted nothing more than to be as far away from the cruelty of Europe that they went half a world away to find peace, and they found it. Melbourne has a thriving community that has given unwavering support to Israel as proud Australians and has given so much to Australia in every field, but this week the unthinkable happened. Young anti-Israel activists went around a school asking the students for a show of hands as to whether they agree with their view (anti-Israel) and taking photographs to identify those who responded. I can think of nothing more terrifying for a community that really doesn’t deserve it. So sad when it happened so close to Anzac Day.

 

It is irrelevant as to whether one is Jewish, Christian, Hindi, Buddhist, Atheist or Agnostic, the tide is becoming a Tsunami.

 

The United Nations investigation into UNWRA found that there was no proof that UNWRA workers were involved in the Hamas attack on Southern Israel and the rapes that occurred Well, did you expect a different decision?  Impact-se (www.impact-se.org ) had given the EU, UN, USA, UK, indeed every relevant country and organisation, proof that UNWRA workers not only taught hatred but they themselves were involved. We will fight this tooth and nail and our obvious allies are with us all the way. Again, I ask you to open the link to Impact’s work, not only the introduction of tolerance to the schoolbooks of many countries in the MENA region, but fighting our cause with blind and deaf countries in Europe.

 

To understand the anomaly in the funding decisions of the United Nations one must look at simple numbers. Rwanda, a war and famine struck country in Africa with a population of nearly 14 million souls received just $631 million in the period 2018-2023 where as Gaza, not the whole Palestinian Authority, just Gaza with a population of fractionally over 2 million souls received $2.3 BILLION JUST THIS MONTH! Are black faces, black African lives less important or is it the fact that there are 56 Moslem countries making decisions in the United Nations?

 

Not everything is bad news however! Yosef Taktuk from Kfar Yarka, a Druze village in the north of Israel, won first place in the European Kickboxing Championship, proudly representing Israel. Well done Yosef!

 

The Atid Cramim Binyamina High School won First place in the world in robotics, out of 6,000 competitors, in a competition initiated by the Technion University in Haifa.

 

I went to the fabulous Israel Museum this week. It really is exceptional, the permanent exhibits of both archaeology and Judaica are worth a full day of viewing, but this time I went with my friend Ronit who insisted I see a few small temporary exhibits. She led me to a couple of small side rooms which held a very special exhibit all about an exceptional man but the name of Erich Brauer. Erich Brauer was born in Germany and came to the nascent state of Israel in the 1930’s with one firm intent, to record the various Jewish ethnic groups in Jerusalem. Erich Brauer was an anthropologist who specialised in ethnology. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as ethnologist, if I had only known that would have been my choice of career. Anyway, as usual I digress. Brauer’s works are phenomenal. He was an outstanding artist, photographer and scientist, his records impeccable. He recorded the Bukharian community but found them to snobbish to respond and he particularly loved the Yemenite community for their archetypical Middle Eastern Jewish traditions and dress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Brauer

 

And so to Seder Night! I will not bore you with the preparations, the switching of dishes and utensils, the level of cleaning etc even before starting to cook; oh dear, I just did! Anyway, the table was set, the seder plate ready holding its symbols reminding us of our time as slaves in Egypt, but I felt something was missing, just didn’t know what. Zvi came home with the answer, yellow paper napkins. I sat and made 16 yellow paper symbols of the yellow ribbons of the hostage families, one for each person and felt that the table was not only beautiful, it was complete. Our guests began to arrive and we sat down to sing the songs of centuries, the children asking four questions, beginning with “Why is this night different to all other nights” and so the story begins, some in Aramaic and some in Hebrew, two languages that have survived the test of thousands of years and are still in use today. Four languages around the table, Hebrew (obviously), Russian, English and Spanish but then came the meal and all conversation in all four languages turned to other things, when not enjoying the Chopped liver, salads, Chicken soup, beef, chicken and fish, roast veggies, etc etc etc…….of course all home-made. We then said grace after meals, opened the door for the herald of better things Elijah, and then the part that the children waited patiently for, the songs! The one they love most is Chad Gadya – Only one kid, which in our home is accompanied by many appropriate animal sounds, ending with boooooooo for the Angel of Death and a huge communal cheer for the Almighty!

 

Not satisfied with 16 guests of Seder night, the very next day, lunchtime, we invited other loved ones. Zvi’s cousins Rachel and Yossi Ribak and Samuel Bettsak who was with us the night before too. Samuel is a Panamanian who has lived in Atlanta for many, many years and is a regular visitor and volunteer here in Israel and a long time friend. His wife Debbie went to Colombia to spend her lovely Mother Marianne’s 95^th birthday with her and Samuel chose to spend his Seder with us! Our friend Sam Albaranes made up the numbers. Tonight at our Friday night table we have friends. Irit and Yitzik Lev, Irit and Uri Dotan and Nattie and Yolli Zonszein. It will be lovely, especially since Zvi rushed out this morning to buy me a new soup saucepan since I suddenly realised that I don’t have a milky saucepan for Passover – I told you it’s complicated!  

 

Music speaks to me in a way that simple words cannot and this week I chose songs that speak tomes

 

Rami Kleinstein is a very special singer, a good man, and he wrote a song that really tells the story of how Jews survive even the worst of situations. Called “Little Gifts” Matanot Ktanot in Hebrew he reminds us of how much we have to be grateful for. Beautiful https://youtu.be/5JmZqEf_4w0?si=hcBfIyradgn4uRK1

 

Eden Golan will sing at the Eurovision Song Contest this week. The lyrics were changed as being too political in reference to October 7^th and now meet the rules of Eurovision and this brave, amazing singer will stand proud with changed lyrics and her amazing voice https://youtu.be/lJYn09tuPw4?si=aMVgRpvjBd1a-ynI

 

Al Kol Eleh, Above all this, is my favourite Israeli song, I am always deeply moved by Naomi Shemer’s words, the Honey and the Sting, written long ago, about life in Israel. The young soldiers and IDF orchestra together with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in a very special rendition https://youtu.be/tLjucRUyd4Y?si=YXyQnQsvV8YX8oJZ

 

That’s it lovely people. I hope you remember to see the beauty around you, to take a break from the TV news media which seems to only talk of doom and gloom. Remember to feel joy with your family and thank heaven for your friends. Walk in the countryside, look out from your window and enjoy the view and best of all, plant a tree, a bush or just spring flowers because remember what Martin Luther (the original one) said when asked what he would do if told the world would end tomorrow “I would plant an apple tree today” in other words, don’t necessarily believe the words of doom, and do something positive to ensure our future.

 

I send you love, a lot of love, and strength. Think of those hostages tonight, when you light the candles, be they Shabbat Candles or just to light your life a little. Remember our view over Jerusalem and that wonderful golden glow at sunset.

 

Shabbat Shalom

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Missiles and Matza

 

19^th April 2024

11^th Nissan, 5784

195 days since October 7^th

 

 

Tonight we begin Shabbat haGadol, the great Shabbat, directly before Pesach. We read from Leviticus 14 – 16 and learn all about Elijah whose role in Judaism and Pesach are fundamental.

 

Shabbat Shalom to all who care, Shabbat shalom to all who believe in our ability to survive and thrive once again, just as we did in the story of Pesach Haggadah (Passover story). Reading the story of the the Children of Israel’s passage from slavery in Egypt to freedom in our own land will be read in millions of homes in just three days. Not only Jews will read the story, many Christians who understand the significance will also read it, although few who are not Jewish will eat bitter herbs or eggs in salt water!!!

 

We woke this morning to hear that Israel had retaliated to the colossal Iranian attack of Saturday night. Oh, I forgot, we didn’t chat since then. OK I’ll start at the beginning. We had a lovely Shabbat, quiet, eating, walking through the nature reserve and chatting to neighbours, basically, doing what we love to do on Shabbat. That evening we watched the news then, what????? Iran was attacking Israel? Rockets, drones and ballistic missiles literally raining down on us? How can it be? Then the announcement that the ETA of the missiles etc was anything from 2 to 8 hours. The tension rose but for some reason I trusted the IAF to deal with everything, actually, there was nothing we could do but wait and check the contents of our emergency foodstuffs in the Safe Room. We were on line with our closest friends all over the world, they seemed to know more than we did. What’s that? American (USAF) and British (RAF) planes joined the Israel Air Force to repel and eliminate the various flying objects and keep us safe, joined in part by the Jordanians and the Saudis, a very important aspect of our common enemy. Red Alerts (sirens) all over Israel! My fingers were sore from responding to everyone on WhatsApp. By 02:00 we were exhausted so we did what all good Israelis who have seen many wars do, we went to sleep. 700 varied lethal flying objects sent from a huge and powerful country to eliminate a tiny country deemed as an enemy. Why enemy?  Because the Jews dared to return to an abandoned corner of what they see as an Islamic Empire. Imagine if any other country were to launch 700 missiles on another, they would be flattened out of existence in the retaliation!

 

The most ironic aspect to this situation is the Russia/Iran alliance – the Putin/Khameini alliance. The godless allied with the religious fanatics is surely the epitome of diplomatic irony!

 

Apparently, the response was not huge, nothing compared to the attack, but hit a specific target near Isfahan. Of course, Ben Gvir was very disappointed, called the retaliation “dardeleh” which means minimal in Hebrew slang, but thank heaven he doesn’t make decisions on such things.

 

Not everything is bad news however.

 

The United States, the Biden Administration, has made the decision to withhold over $400 million from UNWRA based primarily on Impact-se’s reports. We warned about the hate education that ultimately created the atmosphere for October 7^th years ago and our reports are the basis for the consideration for most Western countries. Please watch our exceptional CEO Marcus Sheff explain on i24 news. https://youtu.be/IryivohMkY4?si=Zr1JT9b-vOI-QNwp

 

Finally and at last, Minouche Shafik, President of Columbia University, has reached even her limit.  A large pro-Palestinian (anti-Israel) demonstration/sit in on the front lawns of the University was dispersed by NYPD who arrested over 100 demonstrators. Soon after answering questions at a Congressional Committee, where she prevaricated before finally admitting that the anti-Semitism on campus was beyond control, Shafik ordered the police to break up the demonstration. For your curiosity as to who this woman is……. Baroness Nemat Talaat Shafik, is an Egyptian, British, American aristocrat who also served on the British government. Her understanding of American students is, to say the least, scant.

 

Israel is, of course, known for her innovation and innovators in almost every field. The man most praised this week is Dr. Daniel Gold. Brigadier General (res) Daniel Gold, inventor of the Iron Dome.   In fact, not just this week, not just this month, not just this year but the years of constant bombardment from Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen…..the list is long, Daniel Gold saved thousands of Israeli lives. I know that Facebook is the site for those too old to be bothered with Tik Tok, but it was incredible to see the outpouring of love and admiration for this brilliant young man.

 

Seder Tables were set in many countries around the world, not in homes but in public places. Empty chairs, each place setting in hope for the return of the hostages. Even the most optimistic amongst us is losing hope. Realism is creeping in and we understand that our enemy is cornered and like every cornered rat they react with violence. An interesting point that was revealed (not verified)  on the Israeli Channel 13, not given to false claims, is that Qatar offered to exile the Hamas leaders living in utter luxury at their expense in their talks for the return of the hostages and it was not taken seriously by the allies. Such action would mean that the Qatari demand that we do not eliminate the Hamas leaders on Qatari soil would no longer be relevant.

 

And now to wonderful, normal, boring, traditional events! Pesach cleaning! I started late this year, my mind on Iran rather than Exodus, but somehow, managed quietly to not only catch up but be ahead of myself! The hardest aspect of the preparations is undoubtedly shopping. Imagine that Sunday morning, the morning after the night before, when I thought everyone would be sleeping late after Iran’s bombardment, I went to my less favourite supermarket, Rami Levi, to stock up on the special Kosher for Passover items I hadn’t bought previously. I was not alone! Oh boy was I wrong! It wasn’t the manoeuvering between the multiple trolleys trying to work out which shelves held the precious items, I actually succeeded, more or less, but then of boy, then I realised that the long line of people chatting beside their trolleys was not a social event, it was the queue for the check outs!! It would appear that many of the cashiers simply hadn’t turned up for work. I seriously thought of abandoning my shopping and running but, that’s just too anti-social for me, so I stayed where I was, began chatting to my co-shoppers, discovered that one of them had worked with Zvi many years ago, two were from Abu Ghosh and virtually everyone was patient and tolerant of the wait! Perhaps the night before led to a sense of proportion!

 

I would love to meet Hussein Jabar, an Israel who lives in Abu Ghosh. Hussein who works in the Ramada Hotel Jerusalem, becomes a very wealthy man for just one week every year. The Jerusalem Rabbis trust Hussein with the task of buying all the Hametz, or not Pesach foodstuffs, every year and that includes entire businesses too. He signs a document proving that it all belongs to him then “reneges” on the deal after Passover! Hussein is not only a very wealthy man for a week, he is also a wonderful, utterly trustworthy man all year round.

 

In 1970 Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir was interviewed on British Thames Television. Her responses, her ability to explain are outstanding. Oh, that she were here today. https://youtu.be/w3FGvAMvYpc?si=-ASc6tySrKGZhKVJ

 

The Passover meal, the Seder, is very much a family affair. We begin with the blessing over a glass of wine, children recite 4 questions, the head of the household responds with the story of our determined fight for freedom from slavery, we discuss the four sons (I believe the four generations of dispersion), ten plagues and then food, starting with blessings over the bitter herbs, mortar, matzo, parsley…… my favourite par tis the charoset, or mortar representative, for which I follow my grandfather’s (my beautiful, beloved Zeidy) recipe. Ground almonds, grated apple, a little wine or grape juice, a little very fine chiffonade of lettuce to represent the combining, a dash of cinnamon and mix until perfect. Best made a day before. Yum!  After eating hard boiled eggs in salt water, Never mind about my description, here’s the real thing   https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1751/jewish/What-Is-a-Seder-Passover-Meal.htm  

 

Why is this night different from all other nights? Well, this night we will set a place for those who cannot celebrate Passover this year, we will drink a fifth cup of wine, we will say a prayer for their return and for their families and for the families of those who can never come home, the victims of the 7^th of October. This night will be different from so many over the past 80 years. We prayed that we would never need to say those extra prayers but pray we must. Here I combined the words of several suggested prayers to express what I feel.

 

The bitter taste of Maror is on our tongues, our tears are in the salt water. On this night when we celebrate our freedom we cannot rejoice until every soul heartlessly held captive is released. Help us, dear God, to bring them home. Please plant brotherhood, peace and friendship in everyone’s hearts. Remove jealousy and baseless hatred, and spread over us the shelter of Your peace; and we should soon merit to sing before You a new song.”

 

The songs this week came to me easily. The first is in Hebrew, but doesn’t need words to understand the pain behind the voices. Based on a song written after the Yom Kippur war, it is called the Children of the Winter of 1923 Ha Yeladim Shel Horef 1923 https://youtu.be/UV4SxF_cldY?si=ceKb8JTLpNY2hv6V

 

The next song is taken from the Passover Seder, the lyrics are part of a prayer that is so appropriate this year “And this (Hashem’s blessings and the Torah) is what kept our fathers and what keeps us surviving. For, not only one arose and tried to destroy us, rather in every generation they try to destroy us, and Hashem saves us from their hands.” Sung by Yaakov Shwekey and Yonatan Razel who arranged the music.   https://youtu.be/Y784Uw96Rbs?si=I9iFqbbOQ_rquoU2

 

The last song may seem inappropriate considering the way things are in the world today but I refuse to apologise for my choice or my attitude. The highly irreverent Monty Python writers and performers, so intrinsically British with a clever and irreverent sense of humour hit the nail right on the head. Life of Brian, one of my all time favourite films, made fun of all religions yet managed to make us laugh at ourselves. So here it is, not the original but Eric Idle singing his heart out to the delight of a huge audience. “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”  https://youtu.be/JrdEMERq8MA?si=5QD1tnPPOMmi-qAG

 

I must quote my adored Auntie Lena yet again. In the days when we all collected autographs, usually family signatures, she always, but always wrote this blessing “May all your troubles be as thin as Matzah and they will surely Passover”

 

May all your troubles be as thin as Matzah, may our hostages come home and the families who lost their loved ones be consoled. We are a strong people; history has taught us to hold our heads high and expect better days.

 

Shabbat Shalom dear wonderful people. Remember the final words of the Passover Haggadah

Next Year in Jerusalem

  

 

With love

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

A mercurial world

 

12^th April 2024

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends, Shabbat Shalom and Eid Mubarak

 

I hope this missive finds you well, undoubtedly disturbed but well. I decided to begin with a quote from Rabbi Jeremy Rosen’s missive of the week rather than my own because what he wrote today is so incredibly pertinent. It is the story of Ben Hecht. He opens thus:

“We Jews have always been a fractious, divided people, ever since the days of Moses. If we came together, it was to respond to an external threat, and even then, there was always dissension. And so, it is today. But such conditions produce the most unlikely heroes. It matters not to me if they come from the left or the right, religious or secular. What impresses one is their devotion to the cause often to their cost. Ben Hecht was one such.” Read on because it is fascinating https://jeremyrosen.com/2024/04/ben-hecht.html

 

It is time to understand that left and right, traditional or modern, really don’t matter; no, they do matter, but in the context of this war, they should not be cause for dissention. Our enemies, the enemies of our entire way of life, enjoy nothing more than watching us argue! What is happening here in Israel, sadly encouraged by our current government, is encouraging the Iranians and the fact that their proxies have caused us to abandon homes in the north and south, (in their minds it’s just a start) shows them that we are scared of them. The very basis of our beliefs, Christian, Druze and Jew, our love of life and our determination to protect in their eyes is a weakness and with the lives of the hostages, whether alive or not, which for us are at the top of our priorities, for “them” are great bargaining points. Our view of life is diametrically opposed to the view of the Ayatollahs and their proxies.

 

The capricious, nay mercurial loyalties of our world, especially the West, is displayed in their choice of “underdog of the moment”. Ukraine is all but forgotten as the sheep follow their leaders in their condemnation of Israel for the plight of the poor Palestinians! I learned today that Israel ensured 500 lorryloads of food aid through and none of it has been distributed!! The outcry is beyond understanding as Israel is blamed for the war that Hamas/Iran/Islamic Jihad started. Don’t get me wrong, I feel deeply for the ordinary Gazan, despite the fact that they utterly support the oppressive organisation that put them into the situation. Their children are taught that it is greater to die than to live, a cruel reality when one already lives in penury, not knowing when the next meal will come your way.

 

The United States, Britain and Australia fought very tough battles against al Qaeda in Iraq after 9/11. They destroyed entire towns and cities, captured many people and the number of collateral damage deaths (aka innocent bystanders) was very high. They also captured a large number of terrorists who were sent to two possible prisons one was Guantanamo which was in Cuba - Cuba not on American soil- and the other was Al Ghraib in Iraq. I decided to do some research on the treatment of prisoners by our allies, in various wars, and the results were less surprising than I thought. I saw very revealing photographs of Iraqi (I assume Al Qaeeda) prisoners wearing orange boiler suits (if you recall the same suits that they made prisoners wear before beheading) crouched down on the mud, hands tied behind their backs with blindfolds and earphones to prevent them hearing or seeing anything, their guards standing over them with batons. Do you remember the outcry because the IDF made prisoners strip to their underpants in case they had body explosives? I don’t know what the “Yafeh Nefesh” or beautiful souls, want from us! We are in a fight for our very survival from a terrifying opponent who have you on the menu once they beat us!

 

Now to a very unpleasant subject which I hate to tackle, our government. The misuse of power is continuing, the misuse of government funding is continuing and sad to say that the demonstrations which had a single purpose, to bring the hostages home and support their families, has split into the demand for elections. It isn’t just a matter of left or right, it has become a many pronged problem with several demonstrations simultaneously. The Supreme Court passed the law demanding Haredi conscription to the IDF which engendered big demonstrations at the entrance to Jerusalem and in Bnei Brak; demonstrations have returned to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem demanding both a new government and Haredi conscription and of course, the families of the hostages who just want their loved ones back and are sick and tired of the current government who seem to have abandoned them as they  have the thousands who have been removed from their homes in the north and south, their business failing, their jobs gone. Now you see why I began with Rabbi Jeremy’s article? Israeli society is fractured, torn apart by bad management and tragedy, but unlike Humpty Dumpty, we will certainly be “ put together again”

 

On the other hand, Ramadan on the Temple Mount went relatively quietly. Very few incidents, the pious went to pray not to fight. Many Israeli Arabs have come to realise that they are as much a target of Hamas and Hezb-Allah as are the Jews and Christians! At this juncture I want to wish my amazing Moslem friends Eid Mubarak.

 

There is some good news too. The European Parliament passed resolutions condemning UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority for producing and teaching educational materials with European taxpayer money that incite to violence and spread antisemitism, linking them to the October 7 massacre. The parliament stated that “Education to hatred has direct and dramatic consequences on the conflict,” referring to the “despicable terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on 7 October.” In an unprecedented move, the resolutions were initiated by the liberal center-left Renew Europe party, which helped garner support across the political spectrum. The resolutions were based on IMPACT-se’s recent UNRWA and PA research submitted to a UN investigation group headed by Undersecretary-General Catherine Colonna, as evidence of UNRWA’s neutrality violations. I am so proud of our CEO Marcus Sheff’s untiring work and equally proud to Chair the Impact-se Board. www.impact-se.org

 

Ariel Elkin is a young Formula 4 racing driver at the very beginning of his career. He achieved his first win this week and as he climbed on to the winner’s platform the announcer suggested he put down his helmet and receive his trophy in the usual double handed manner. He refused pointing to his helmet which had the photographs of all the remaining hostages on it. What an amazing young man https://youtu.be/f8opAPODGL8?si=qC-Y5b_US4Lgtq-c  

 

Dr. Doron Junger studied, both in Carmel College School and in Oxford University, together with my son Daniel z”l.  They played piano in concerts, both four hands and individually and in competition, although their paths were almost parallel, both studying medicine, Doron understood his appreciation of Daniel only after Daniel’s death. Doron is a thinker, he doesn’t take things for granted and his opinion article in The Times of Israel is well worth reading. His article is entitled “Will We Be Alright?” which asks the question that concerns us all. I recommend you read it. It isn’t long, is extremely well written and we can all identify with his question and his responses. https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/will-we-be-okay/

 

Our Shabbat picnic and walk were wonderful. The weather was perfect and we found a perfect site for our picnic beside the reservoir. It was such fun and although the children were more interested in each other than their surroundings I found myself talking to the fantastic display of wild flowers. The scene was completed by the right yellow flashes of the mimosa bushes which send out their long branches filled with tiny yellow balls of colour. The blossom on the wild fruit trees were no competition for the wild anemones though! Each patch of bright red flowers take one’s breath away. We then walked up to the Bet Zayit Dam, which is the source of the reservoir, wishing everyone we passed a Shabbat Shalom, stopping to make new friends along the way.

 

Since her visit last week, the lovely Sari Singer has been very busy! Visiting the injured soldiers in Sheba Hospital, picking fruit in the South, visiting the site of the Nova Festival and so much more. She was determined to fit as much as possible in her couple of weeks and she succeeded. Equally our friend Claudio Grubner came all the way from Vancouver to volunteer, tirelessly working every day, he managed to take some time and come to visit us to tell us all about his time here and of course to exchange news of our children and the fact that he will marry his wonderful girlfriend soon!  

 

Zvi has been at rehearsals almost all week! His excessive energy is waning slightly as each evening is either with the Choir of the Jerusalem Symphony or with his choir “Hakol Yachassi” because they have a performance on Sunday evening at Shalva. Me? I seem to be deeply immersed in Passover preparations, trying to see family as well, including taking Ayala (aged 25 with glorious long hair) to the hairdresser to convince her that her hair will be much healthier is the dry ends are cut. Of course she mourned the bottom few centimetres for an hour or so but she looks as stunning as ever!

 

I love Boaz Sharabi. His voice is pure and his choice of songs exceptional. Of all his songs this is my favourite. Look at the words of the English translation as he sings Halleva’I, if only. https://youtu.be/hwEatU285N8?si=fsR0a45EU0A5Mdjx

 

If you were to ask most Israelis who is the most Israeli of all Israeli singers, they would probably say Shlomo Artzi, well I would anyway! He normally writes his own songs, to the delight of his fans who know every word and sing along with him at concerts, but this song was written by another and tells the story of a soldier, long gone. https://youtu.be/mFWuKakl1TA?si=OzU5XWiKO29IPhUy

 

I was looking for a song by one of the young Israeli stars, most of whom I don’t hear but my grandchildren adore them and they influence their lives as the Beatles once did ours. Ishay Ribo and Omer Adam combined their great talents on this beautiful song which is equally a prayer and a cry. Unlike in our day they look so relaxed, so natural. I love it. https://youtu.be/PcJ_cXib_TU?si=nsyJnnCoZGDBfbgC

 

So that’s it for another week. I’m off to see Rachel and the children in an hour or so and then will try to clean another cupboard or two before Shabbat. Zvi is at yet another rehearsal and then off to his parliament in the Botanical Gardens. Since half of the participants are journalists, one Middle East/Arabic expert and other interested parties, it should be a fascinating meeting. I can predict the subjects discussed however. Firstly Iran, then the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, then whether Trump or Biden will win the upcoming elections and finally what one eats on the Seder night!

 

On my way to Rachel I will go down to the storeroom to find out what I have or haven’t in the way of cooking pots for Passover. Although not religious we are very traditional and changing all the dishes is what our parents and grandparents did and what I will do with my last breath. Funny really, I know all about logic and modernity, but faith and tradition have nothing to do with logic, it is emotion, it is honouring one’s ancestors and above all, that wonderful Hebrew word “hemshechiyut”. I don’t expect you to even try and say it, it means continuation, to preserve our traditions in perpetuity, to know where we came from and where we want our descendants to go. So I will clean everything that doesn’t move, prepare room for the incoming dishes and find a place to store the outgoing for the eight days of wonderful dishes that I always think we should eat throughout the year! I already bought all the dry goods, and cleaned the freezer to take most of the meats. Next week I will get the fish and the dairy and then take a deep breath and dive into changing everything over.

 

I wish you a good weekend. Be proud of who you are, stand up for who you are because only by knowing what this fight is all about can we win without the need for bloodshed.

 

Shabbat Shalom from my favourite city in the whole world – the one that received nine tenths of the world’s beauty, the one that we love.

 

Sheila

 

 

Et tu Rishi

 

5^th April, 2024

181 days since October 7^th

 

 

Shabbat Shalom, Blessed Easter week and Ramadan Kareem

 

OK, Let’s jump right in. It was a tragedy when the World Central Kitchen truck was hit and aid workers killed. It was a tragic mistake and one that will be thoroughly investigated. We have apologised, our President Herzog has called the family members of those who died; we admitted that it was totally unintentional but dreadful. It was so far from an intentional hit and……….. wait a minute. I did my research and found that WCK volunteers were killed in Syria recently and in Ukraine some 13 were killed and……. It begs the question as to why we did not hear a word about those unfortunate souls but when it happens in Gaza, it is front line news and suddenly Mrs. Biden and even the, until now, committed Israel supporter Rishi Sunak, have turned against us. Et tu Rishi.

 

War is ghastly, war kills, often innocents die, but in Afghanistan and Iraq the American troops called the dead innocents caught up in war  ”collateral damage” to nullify the emotional response. I agree with those who say we must somehow bring this war to an end, but will that mean that Hamas survives and undoubtedly thrives? I have to ask you, are 7 aid workers lives worth more than 1,200 young people at a peace concert?

 

Iran has come out of its dark and devilish cupboard and finally made the statement that it left to its proxies until now. They are sworn to destroy this minute country, a country the size of Wales, for one reason – because we are Jews. They care not about all the Moslems and Christians here, there hatred is so singular that they only see Israel, they celebrate the changing world view of Israel as a huge success, their policy has worked on a gullible public in the West and we have become the ultimate scapegoat again.

 

Our world standing has changed and for this our government has to take an element of responsibility, but to blame Israel or our leaders for the insanity of the Iranian media and cyber machine onslaught which led to the enormous upswing in anti-Semitism is falling into their trap. Do you remember the poem by Pastor Neimoller about First they came for the Jews? Well the world has learned nothing, the same mistakes are being made and the streets are filled with flag burning zealots. Not just and sometimes not even Israeli flags – your flags!!

 

OK. I’m actually in a bad mood because a “friend” tried to blame Mr Netanyahu for the upsurge in anti-Semitism. I’m no fan of this government but to blame them for the stupidity and innate hatreds of thousands of people is ludicrous. Perhaps he should read Brendan O’Neill’s article in the Spectator, a highly respected publication. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-truth-about-israels-friendly-fire/

 

I was so upset when Dr. Phil was no longer available in Israel. I loved his rational, down to earth, honest Christian approach to everything. Recently, he aired a programme with both Mosab Yousef, Son of Hamas, and two pro-Palestine students. Everything you ever wanted to know about October 7^th and the subsequent war and the inanity of the responses of the brainwashed students. You must, but must watch. https://youtu.be/UPomqJz-qYc?si=m2qHu5Wtvf7BoEqy

 

Zvi and I went on a fascinating tour this week. We followed the footsteps of Count Bernadotte the Swedish diplomat, where he stood, where he walked and even where he made decisions that would change the face of our particular slice of the Middle East – even deciding that Israel is part of the Middle East which she isn’t!! The tour was led by Ofer Regev and his wife who have researched the subject thoroughly. For instance, before Bernadotte ever came to Israel he was in the Swedish Foreign Ministry at the end of WW2 and Himmler approached the Swedish Jewish community to choose one Concentration Camp that they would be responsible for the release of the survivvors. They chose Ravensbruck. Four buses were to go to the Camp and take the survivors out. Bernadotte delayed the sending of the buses by two weeks endangering the lives of those he was meant to save – and on the condition that none of the survivors came to Sweden “No Jews will come to Sweden”. Bernadotte took the role of UN mediator, Initially to implement the original UN Resolution, but in fact, together with Ralph Bunche of the USA they not only gave Armon haNatziv, the former home of the British High Commissioner, to the United Nations as their HQ, but it was their decision that Palestinian refugee status be in perpetuity. (UN resolution 194) As Ralph Bunche said “The next generation can decide what to do with the refugees”

 

Bernadotte made so many detrimental decisions but he eventually met his fate on Palmach Street in central Jerusalem and despite rumours, his shooter was never disclosed. Bernadotte and Bunche based their decisions on one flawed assumption, that areas that they deemed Arab had never been Jewish. The truth being that Jews had lived in those areas and moved out due to Arab violence. They undoubtedly had never heard of the 1929 massacres.  A fascinating day we both learned so much!

 

Another busy week! Of course Zvi has been singing almost every night, preparing for the concert of  Hakol Yachassi to be held on the 14^th of April in Shalva. Our days are filled with friends and neighbours, and on Wednesday my wonderful friend Sari came to visit. On Tuesday Sari met with Kinneret Chaya and they visited injured soldiers in Sheba hospital, Kinneret goes every week to raise their spirits by telling her story of survival. Sari and I went for a long walk through our nature reserve, stopping at each wild flower, taking in the breathtaking views and chatting to everyone who passed us. Yesterday, Sari went south to pick clementines. She is a fabulous lady and I love her, her thirst for knowledge, her determination to understand the truth is very special.

 

On Wednesday evening Zvi and I met up with our lovely friends Ronit and Yossi for a belated birthday dinner in Naya, a fantastic Asian Fusion restaurant right next to us. It is fully Kosher and serves the most fabulous food. Secular and religious equally adore this restaurant and come from all over Israel! We booked our table a week ago, despite dozens and dozens of tables it is almost impossible to find a booking!!

 

Yesterday my craft group came for our “end of term” party. We sat outside on our veranda, the evening  air was slightly chilly but nobody wanted to go inside! We spoke of what, to quote Lewis Carroll in his poem The Walrus and the Carpenter  “The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: Of shoes and ships and sealing-wax Of cabbages and kings”. We decided from the very beginning that we would not talk politics but rather about normal everyday things and how we cope with the world outside our bubble of caring people. The youngest member of the group, Shachaf (meaning seagull), mother of young children whose husband is a reservist, spoke about how she copes and of course, I found that I had one knitted hat left! She was so thrilled and immediately put it on her head. You see, it’s not only the soldiers that are fighting this war, their wives are caring for the children, the home, the income and the organisation of the entire family while worrying about their partners on the battlefield.

 

Tonight we are going to Ora and Avner Rosengarten for dinner together with Merav and Yigal. I’m making my now famous bread pudding for dessert and tonight’s conversation will be fascinating. Three of the four young people at the dinner are on the spectrum, very different levels, but Ora and Avner’s son is also absolutely brilliant, loves and argument and loves life! In fact their daughter, the fabulous Talia, has physical limitations but fought the system and wound up taking a very important role in the IDF. Such amazing people, parents who learned that disabilities should not be considered liabilities. It’s going to be fun! Just by the way, I also love Ora’s cooking.

 

Tomorrow? Zvi’s boys are coming with the children and we are all going on a hike in the nature reserve opposite taking a picnic lunch with us. We will have the pleasure of being accompanied by Claudio Grubner (Chile and Vancouver) who is here to volunteer for a month. I am so proud of all our friends who come to volunteer, not because of the work they do but because their being here is the greatest form of support.

 

Last week our Shabbat walk was wonderful and we met people who came to see the view over the reservoir from almost every corner of Israel. Mazkeret Batya, Rehovot, Rishon LeZion, Petah Tikva, Raanana, Tel Aviv, Ramat HaSharon and Kiriat Ono……… and of course we spoke with everyone. We will see if the grandchildren are as embarrassed by our chatting to people we meet along the way as their fathers used to be!! Tomorrow evening is my Mind and Movement group open evening, lots of neighbours to get to know!!!

 

Very soon I will head off to Givat Zeev to see my Rachel and the children. Last week as I walked in the door my freshly baked bread roll (little challah) was waiting for me next to a good strong, hot cup of tea and a little tub of egg salad. Rachel didn’t want to waste a moment of our time together in preparations! I have a feeling that our conversations will go to the fact that we are both too busy to make a dent in our Passover preparations!

 

I hope that I have been able to give you a sense of what it is like to live in Israel right now because more and more Diaspora “friends” blame us for the increase in anti-Semitism. Of course, we aren’t to blame. If you really listen to your instincts, are sensitive to what is being yelled on your streets you will understand that danger is in the air and we must be ready to take a stand. It’s irrelevant whether you are Jew, Christian, moderate Moslem, LDS, Evangelical, Catholic, Buddhist, Hindi, indeed anything but what they believe, the intention of the demonstrators is to force us into something we really don’t want – to deny our country’s ancient identity.

 

Enough!!!

Music soothes the troubled soul so let’s find some good ones!!

 

Ninet Tayeb has a beautiful voice and here she tells us about the writing of this song after the Yom Kippur War. Enjoy. It is sad but so appropriate. The Last War https://youtu.be/zGfv2XTOAK8?si=5vFkYrxiqEJ2eT9w

 

Even when the world seems broken, we will ride above it. A very different rendition of Am Yisrael Chai  from Danny Palgon  https://youtu.be/p2Wu9cwpdc0?si=RqnxZ5F5NHVgQC4d

 

This song represents Israel, for me, as no other. When we demonstrate, it doesn’t mean we don’t love this country, it means we love this country more than anyone can imagine. When we complain about our government it is because we deserve only the best. We are a free, beautiful, Jewish country that embraces all religions, is diverse in every sense and absorbed those who returned to their homeland after  thousands of years of dispersion, many coming home after oppression and exile just because they were Jews. Ayn li Eretz Aheret means I have no other country. The song, written by Ehud Manor and Corinne Ellal – listen carefully to the words. https://youtu.be/kiOic1JiMQA?si=kB9N0xKK4nthJXdx  

 

Have a wonderful weekend. I will be thinking of you as we walk through to the most incredible view in Israel, over the reservoir, Bet Zayit, Ein Kerem and the hills of Jerusalem.

 

Shabbat shalom and love from the Golden City

Sheila