Day 266, Martin and Resilience

 

28^th June 2024

266 Days since the 7^th of October

 

Shabbat Shalom dear lovely people, Shabbat Shalom

 

On a personal level this has been a wonderful week with our friend Martin Lindenfeld. We have been to, travelled to, been with and laughed, but always there in the background, and sometimes in the foreground, think about what is happening just a few miles from our home. I promise to tell you all about our week, but first, I want you to read what Paul Mirbach wrote just yesterday. It is poignant, it is how we all feel when we see yet another face, another story of a beautiful child lost to the vagaries of war. Paul called it “Ironics”

 

“Our children are soldiers, and our soldiers are our children. OUR’s.

They make us proud of what they do, and then we worry when they do it. (How can our hearts hold both feelings at the same time)?

We do all we can to keep them safe, but we send them into danger, and it is they who are keeping us safe.

When they were children, we were their heroes. Now they are ours.

We want them to see the world, to experience the thrill of discovery. And then they come home, and there is a hardness in their eyes from having seen too much, what no-one should ever have to see.

We teach them to have faith in humanity and then they come home from Gaza, having seen what humanity is capable of doing.

But, just like when they were children, they built their Lego world with plastic bricks, when the war is over, and our soldiers come home, together, we will rebuild. With bricks of faith and the cement of our resolve, we will resurrect our homes, stronger; more resilient. And there WILL BE windows of hope, and doors of opportunity.

Because here is our home and we have no other.”

 

As you well know, drama is our way of life and this week has proven no different from all the weeks before it. The Supreme Court decision that Haredim (Ultra-Orthodox) must serve in the IDF. An essential element of being Israeli is a preparedness to defend this tiny strip of land. If not actual fighting units then become cooks, clerks or engineers, or serve in the incredible army of young people who do Sherut Leumi – or National Service whereby they volunteer to serve in many capacities. Basically to become part of society rather than the internal strife that occurs now.

 

Victims of the October7th massacre, have launched a court case in New York, suing UNWRA for $1,000,000. The 167-page lawsuit named the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, as well as seven of its past and current leaders, including head Philippe Lazzarini, as defendants. UNRWA, which coordinates nearly all aid to Gaza, allowed Hamas to use its facilities for weapons storage, tunnels and command centres built under its sites. UNWRA funnelled cash into the terror group’s coffers; demanding that employees’ salaries be paid in US dollars.

 

Israeli Minister of Defence Gallant made the decision to go to Washington for discussions with the US Defence Department, headed by General Lloyd Austin. His decision was not initially approved by the PM but is an essential healing of the growing rift. “During the meetings we made significant progress, obstacles were removed and bottlenecks were addressed, in order to advance a variety of issues, and more specifically the topic of force build-up and munition supply that we must bring to the State of Israel.” His move could well lead to a move toward the formation of a new/old party which will include himself, Gallant, Eisenkot, Saar and former PM Bennett. Hopefully the entire political centre which will include Yair Lapid thus giving a clearer pragmatic lead in the Knesset, removing the lunatic fringe. It may come as a surprise to you that I have no problem with the Haredi sector being represented, as with the Arab sector, as long as they both take on the responsibilities which are incumbent upon being responsible citizens.

 

A mere “by the way” in the media is both excellent and distressing news. Germany's Interior Ministry has introduced new citizenship requirements, including recognizing Israel's right to exist. A positive move but sad that it is necessary.

Last night, a very Israeli event took place in Park haYarkon in Tel Aviv. We Will Dance Again, a huge open air concert with dancing, all of the major stars giving their performance gratis, free of charge and all funds raised going to help the families of both hostages and those slaughtered at the Nova Festival. We will dance again because that’s what we do. We take our communal trauma, our communal sadness and make it communal determination to survive and thrive. After all, it is the story of the Jewish people.

 

This has been a crazy week, but a wonderful week. Martin Lindenfeld is not a guest; he just slides into the everyday life of our family as if he has never left. He is such a joy to have around!  Zvi, of course, wants him to catch up on all activities, history and new museums, sites and sounds crammed into one week, but Martin will be back soon, hopefully with his wonderful wife Helene. I digress as always! I wanted to make an attempt to tell you about what we did this week. I may not get it in chronological order but nonetheless will do my best.

 

Martin got off the plane running…… After Shabbat  he and Zvi went off to the demonstration on Hemed Bridge, to get the feel of the emotions of ordinary people. Sunday and Zvi took Martin to Mount Herzl - the Herzl Museum, the Memorial for the Fallen Soldiers, the graves of the Presidents and Prime Ministers while I went off in search of gluten free pitas! I found them right nearby in Abu Ghosh. That evening we met Rachel and Ayala in Naya Restaurant and I had fun watching and listening to Martin and Rachel catching up on the last few years!

 

 On Monday, Zvi took Martin to the centre of the city, meeting up for a delicious lunch in the restaurant in Shalva where we were met by Sarah Samuels, the incredible daughter of Malki and Kalman Samuels, the founders of Shalva. Sarah gave us an incredible tour, happy, noisy, fulfilled children running in every direction as they should, both typical and challenged, and then the tour culminated in a visit to Dr Dan’s Room the Studio for the Performing Arts that we created in my Daniel’s name. Martin, who loved Daniel, was very involved in creating the studio from its inception. As Sarah was taking us around we discovered that she not only had a major role in the Shalva Band but is launching her own singing career. You will hear her song at the end.

 

Then it happened! I mentioned to Sarah that I had never met Yossi, the catalyst for the creation of Shalva.  In case you don’t know the story, know that Yossi, from the age of 11 months, after having been given a tainted inoculation became blind, deaf and hyperactive. Thus began the road to Shalva. Wow! He is phenomenal! A great, funny, clever communicator through tactile signing. Through Sarah we spoke about, wines (he is a sommelier), cars, cigars and his love of travel. This amazing man who has met Kings and Presidents has already invited himself to Miami to sit outside the wine room with martin and smoke good cigars!!!

 

Monday evening found us in the Jerusalem Theatre for an end of year performance by the Hora Dance Troupe teenagers. It was stupendous! Such professionalism and energy. Israeli folk dancing at its very best.

 

Tuesday was the Museum of Tolerance, still unfinished but incredible. Their main feature is an exhibition dedicated to the 7^th of October. The exhibit is a no holds barred, no prettifying and honest.  From the Museum we went straight to Ben Yehuda pedestrian area for Martin’s essential felafel, then wandering up and down the street in search of a Star of David necklace for Martin – not a small one to hide inside one’s Tshirt, but a beautiful proud delicate one to show the world who he is. Sadly they do not have their testimonies on line but this is the testimony of Naama Samet Rubenstein is a forensic scientist, a coroner, who served to identify the bodies https://www.foxnews.com/video/6339673915112  

 

 

On Wednesday Zvi drove Martin Southward to Sderot, the Nova site and to Tkuma where the burned out bodies of cars are piled high in memory of those who lost their lives in them. They then drove northward to Beersheva, to Soroka Hospital, the hospital that took the vast number of injured, horribly injured, on that first horrific day. Martin and Helene are very involved in Soroka Hospital through their amazing sister-in-law Rachel Heisler Sheinfeld and the Urology department in her husband Joel’s name. Joel is a world expert in testicular cancer. From there they went to Tel Aviv to meet with Zvi’s sons Amiad and Leor and families for dinner. What a day!! Needless to say, yesterday, Martin and I begged a day off from touring!!

 

Zvi and martin are currently on their way to a tour of the new National Library, a truly magnificent building, then this evening we will spend Kabbalat Shabbat (the welcoming of the bride of the Sabbath) in Hostage Square and before Martin goes back to Miami we are going north to the Bedouin Village of Hawalid to visit our wonderful friend  Ishmael Khaldi who is currently the Ambassador to Turkmenistan ( incidentally Turkmenistan, despite being a predominantly Moslem country, has banned the Hijab fearing extremism). I am so excited that I will finally get to meet Ishmael’s family!

 

Why did I tell you of Martin’s visit in such detail? Because I want you to understand that there is nothing to fear in visiting Israel! In fact, the most important thing you can do to support Israel is to come here as so many of our friends from all over the world have done recently. Reading in the news one would think that we sit at home and quake, no we don’t! That would allow our enemies to believe they have triumphed over the Jews, believe you me we have suffered worse and as I have said so many times, if we refuse to visit friends and family because they suffer tragedy that would be cruel.

 

Anyway, Martin and I are off to see Rachel later, she has already started on the dough for her Challah, I’m sure it will rise very quickly in this heat!  Zvi will go to his parliament, hopefully to put the world to rights. We will venture forth into the searingly hot weather, even Jerusalem is humid today!!

 

And so to song.

 

I promised you Sarah Samuel’s song. It is wonderful, her voice as sweet as her personality. It needs played everywhere, this song dedicated to the families of the hostages. I want it to go viral and need your help to do so. https://youtu.be/2KTfIJmJ52A?si=7jtJY52hxbyq3v2A

 

Halleluya, so many renditions, versions, this one is special. Andre Rieu and chorus. https://youtu.be/NZb-SVm7eLE?si=yy_ot-JaQO9IJiDQ

 

Last week we read about the 12 scouts that the Almighty told Moses to send into the land of Israel, to report what they found, whether this was really the place to bring the Children of Israel. Out of the 12, 10 claimed that it was barren, had giants who fought them, that the land would devour anyone who tried to settle there. All lied, too complacent with what they already had, except for two, Joshua and Caleb, who described this as the land of Milk and Honey. As we have all learned, to reach the honey, one must suffer the sting. Naomi Shemer is conceivably the greatest Israeli poet and lyricist and based on those words the song, Al Kol Eleh came about, Today is the late Naomi Shemer’s birthday so it is only appropriate that the final song I chose is my favourite, one that I give you often. Al Kol Eleh, this time with the IDF Orchestra. https://youtu.be/tLjucRUyd4Y?si=wLaOQ2bTWNQxwfDI

 

Remember that the media is comparable to the 10 scouts, insinuating that this country is full of racism and violence but in fact we are still vibrant, we hurt, we mourn but we live, oh boy do we live. We prove that we are stronger than our enemies because we celebrate life not death. Israel is a kaleidoscope, a mosaic made up of a multitude of colours, thought, faith all coming together in a cohesive “balagan”. What is a balagan? It is one of my favourite words! Balagan is a word with a history, having come to Yiddish via the Slavic languages, where it was borrowed from the Persians. In common Yiddish parlance, balagan is a state of chaos, disarray and confusion, but can also mean the mess your kids leave in their rooms. If you just come and see for yourselves you will enjoy the crazy balagan that is everyday life here in Israel! Nothing like it in the world because it is OUR balagan.

 

Martin chose to wear Bring them home dog tags and a yellow number of each day that the hostages are in captivity along with his beautiful new Magen David (Star of David) ad will do so in Miami. I love him for that and for so many other reasons. He really, but really “gets it”. He also never forgets that it was Zvi who started him on his journey as a Zionist.

 

Have a beautiful Sabbath, a gentle day of rest, of prayer, of family. Think about us as we think about you. Ater all we are family, irrespective of how or in which direction you pray.

 

With much love from Jerusalem, the centre of our world.

Sheila

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

People, Politics and A Capella

 

21^st June 2024

 

Shabbat Shalom, Happy Midsummer’s Day

 

“The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it." Selwyn Duke

 

Just wondering

How would the USA, UK, France, indeed any country you wish to quote, react, if over a thousand rockets and missiles were launched at civilian sites, by an enemy sworn to its destruction, over a period of a week? Any other country would receive full support for wiping out the enemy without compassion. The question is rhetorical, we all know the answer.

 

Nasralla, leader of Hezb-Allah and powerful proxy of Iran, is holding us on the brink of war, manipulating the world into thinking that he really doesn’t want war yet speaking of wiping out this little country Those beautiful towns and kibbutzim that you visited are nothing but rubble, their residents were removed to hotels around the country 8 months ago, yet none of the news outlets in the West both to mention it, a cruel and mendacious, perfidious media is influenced by the very regime they purport to hate. Rare is the journalist who dares to tell the truth. Our roll of honour, the young lives taken by this war is growing daily and we mourn. We mourn every single one, their names are shown on every news broadcast and thousands go to every funeral, to support the families but the undercurrent of discontent with this government is all consuming. Every day we discover that this war, October 7^th, could have been avoided; they knew, they knew! I believe that the simple fact that this government knew about the plans, about the intention to send killers and rapist on a rampage of hate, the place of entry and the determination to take hostages, alive and dead. They knew and yet right up to the beginning of October they paid hush money to Hamas.

 

In a recent report, military expert and television journalist Alon Ben-David, took us down some of the remaining tunnels in Gaza. He said that not a single house was tunnel-free, that is the network, deadly spiders web of tunnels ran under or began in virtually every single home in Gaza. As he went down into the darkness, he found a tunnel that was five stories deep, with all mod cons! The biggest surprise is that when this ghastly war began even one explosion didn’t cause Gaza to implode, to sink into the tunnels built. All the aid that we, the Israelis, sent to them; the international pressure to give them the wherewithal to build houses (after they claimed destruction of homes) resulted in a highly sophisticated underground city, with cells and prisons ready for when they kidnapped and killed Israelis. It is irrelevant what type of Israelis by the way.  The soldiers killed, the families decimated, the homes destroyed are predominantly Jewish but also Moslem, Druze, Circassian and Christian, there is no compassion, not for us and not for their own people.

 

Hamas cannot be eliminated. After 30 years of disinformation and incitement to hatred from the age of kindergartens, through the schools and continuing to the Mosques, change cannot be won through war. We can kill the leaders, the perpetrators, the manipulators, but hatred must be un-taught. Only through a change in education, an introduction to reality, can change be brought about. Each week I tell you about Impact-se, and I truly believe that re-education is the only answer. 25 years ago, two brilliant Middle Eastern experts, Professors at the Hebrew University, understood the need for change. Prof. Yochanan Manor and Dr Jean-Claude Nidam (Z”L) began the research as an academic project and it grew into a small but highly effective research institute that has changed the face of the education in the MENA region, everywhere except the PA/UNWRA curriculum, from hate to tolerance. www.impact-se.org

 

Shmuley Boteach, Rabbi and personality, was my son Daniel’s Chabad Rabbi in Oxford University. Little did we know then that many years later, Shmuley would have children in the IDF, fighting in a diabolical guerrilla war. Here he writes about the pride of what our children become alongside the deep all encompassing fear of the telephone call – that telephone call https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/372351/parents-of-idf-soldiers-the-terror-that-grips-us/

 

Perhaps this is the moment to talk about the law that should, and hopefully will pull this government apart; the Conscription Law. The weight of fighting in this war against terror has brought all emotions to a head and the need for all sectors in the population to pull their weight. If you are the recipient of protection from a fierce enemy then you must be part of those who protect. No-one expects wither Haredim or Moslem to suddenly volunteer to be part of the fighting force but there are so many other essential areas, be it serving the people (Sherut Leumi) or ne of the many IDF office jobs thus freeing up those who have trained for those positions. An entire sector cannot expect to receive all the services of a socialised medicine, pensions etc without supporting the mother country. We want to recreate the most important aspect of the IDF, the social leveller. Rabbi Jeremy Rosen looks at the Halachic (through Jewish Law) aspect of conscription and you may well be surprised by his conclusions – I’m not!! https://mailchi.mp/721093a9366b/a-just-war?e=58fea4332b  

 

Now to the everyday life of an Israeli woman.

 

Last night I sat in pure admiration as the Acapela choir, with the best bass-baritone in the business, sang in a concert in the Scottish Church. They sang excerpts from operas with phenomenal precision, it was such a joy, apart from the extreme heat of the nave. Before each excerpt their young conductor explained the story behind the opera. I always say that Israel is a country were everyone knows everyone and when Zvi spoke to the conductor about the magical night we saw Nabucco in Massada and how the conductor turned to let the audience join in the Song of the Hebrew Slaves the conductor told him that he had been in the choir on stage that night!  Anyway, I digress.

 

Friends came to the concert from Nes Ziona (which means the flag of Zion) and Herzliya (named for Theodore Herzl) as well as local friends, including Mickey and Shlomit Keren, who stayed over in the Scottish Church Hostel. After the performance and hugs all around, we decided to go to the First Station, intending to have a coffee and “something” and we found the entire area filled with crowds of happy families – it was Book Week! Stalls laden with books from all the publishers. They call us the People of the Book, and last night I understood that it is still true. Adults and children alike swarmed the stands, fascinated by the variety of books on sale, from children’s cartoons to historical tomes. Walking through put a smile on our faces, but not a seat was to be found at the myriad of coffee shops and restaurants! In the end we all broke our diets and went to the Vaniglia Ice Cream kiosk and ordered highly indulgent milk shakes – whipped cream and all! It was fascinating and great fun to hear Zvi and Mickey talk about their mutual old friends while Shlomit and I looked around us at the gamut of Israeli society passing by. Yes, I know what your students, in fact your media, believe, but they didn’t sit at our table last night and see the families strolling by; the different headwear; headscarves, simple and intricate constructions beside hijabs; black kippot beside girls in shorts; old, young, all enjoying the balmy Jerusalem evening after the searing heat of the day. Israel is the only country in the entire region where everyone can enjoy an evening out on the town with the children.

 

All eyes are on the football championships but the European Aquatic Championships took place in Belgrade and an Israeli won a Gold Medal! Anastasia Gorbenko won medals in the women’s individual 400 metres and both the mixed and women’s relay! Well done Anastasia, mazal tov. The old saw that Jews are rotten sportsmen has been broken a thousand times!!

 

It was a very busy week, with no specific reason! On one hand we are all obsessed with the news but on the other hand we all do our very best to enjoy friends and family and conduct as normal a life as possible. We in the central region are the lucky ones; we are in our own homes and the news is something we see on the television, not experiencing it for real. It is surreal to go about our everyday business, hold meetings, meet friends for coffee, go to courses in “Mind and Body Wellness” and Creative work, to entertain the huge number of friends who come to visit, surprised to discover that they are not afraid. They come from as far afield as Australia and Argentina, Miami and Manchester, to volunteer in whatever organisation they can find a place, most volunteer organisations are full of Israelis and visitors who keep this country going. They all want to go to demonstrations, either the big ones or the small. Friends indeed.

 

Talking of friends, I mean real, phenomenal, supportive friends, one stands out over the years and he is arriving tomorrow. Actually the team, the couple the Lindenfelds, Helene and Martin, but it is Martin who arrives tomorrow and will actually stay with us. We are beyond excited with great plans for every moment of his stay. Obviously we will visit Kalman Samuels and Shalva, Martin used to visit Daniel z”l each time he was in Manhattan, and was very much part of the creation of Dr Dan’s Room in Shalva. Zvi will take him to Soroka Hospital, to visit the amazing medical team that has been on the front line since October 7^th, the hospital is a special project of theirs thanks to their wonderful sister-in-law, Rachel Heisler who is the force behind fundraising for the hospital. He will visit the site of the Nova Festival and we will take him to all our favourite restaurants and lots of time just being together! Actually I’m going to slip in an incredible clip of the journey of the Shalva Band to international fame….. it makes me cry!! https://youtu.be/cJpS7zZ8Lvc?si=gy7bTYuAiD4b6iuY

 

My granddaughter Talia graduated with honour from high school yesterday and when I saw the photo of her class and Talia the happiest as she tossed her cap in the air, I thought about the tiny baby who fit in Zvi’s hand when she was born! I love that the tiny children grown into such amazing adults.

 

Time to get my self organised so that I can go to visit Rachel and the children, hopefully my fresh bulke (bread roll) will be waiting beside a good cup of tea and hugs galore from the children who aren’t children any more, they are confident, funny, bright, argumentative adults!

 

And so to music.

 

Arik Einstein is an Israeli legend. This song says it all – it’s up to us and our children and grandchildren now. Ani v’Ata – You and I will change the world https://youtu.be/UUgCUgDUBmA?si=0Q41wkZk7v6cfu_1

 

Since I wrote about the Shalva Band and of our dreams of a leader/leaders who will bring us a Bridge Over Troubled Water this seems to be the only possible song to bring us hope. https://youtu.be/uIbc7PL8VZ8?si=RU7QOmjS8V_EH068

 

I know that this isn’t the first time that you hear Yonina and Ain li Eretz Aheret, I have no other country, but the lyrics and melody are etched into my heart and my soul. https://youtu.be/rJIXzk4DC9Y?si=YH1kBjPBuh-CUv5H

 

I wish you a Gut Shabbes, a Shabbat Shalom and a peaceful week to follow. Please remember that we have overcome greater evil, it is, as they say, a generational evil but just as in the prayer “Vehi Sheamda” we will stand up to this too.

 

With love from our home to yours, from Jerusalem to the world. We wish you peace, strength and safety over that which we cannot control and the ability to rise above it.

 

Shabbat Shalom

Sheila

 

 

Lessons, Loss and Paul Mirbach

 

13^th June, 2024

 

Shabbat Shalom! I hope this letter finds you well.

 

On Monday, I sent myself an email message so that I would remember to tell you about the hundreds of Iranian rockets that were launched by Hezb-Allah, 950 missiles 146 drones. That was Monday. Over the beautiful harvest festival of Shevuot, the festival of lightness and new crops, Hezb-Allah has rained a constant barrage, burning wooded hillsides, endangering the lives of farmers, of kibbutzim – not a fighting army, ordinary people. They are trying to goad us into an all out war. Not a war against Lebanon, most definitely not the Lebanese people, but against Hezb-Allah, who invaded a Christian country and now hold a reign of terror.

 

Benny Gantz was just interviewed on Channel 13 Israel, to explain why he left the War Cabinet. His exit was not unexpected since he warned that he would leave if the current government did not create a “day after” plan. Despite having been burned twice by PM Netanyahu one may ask why he went in to the War Cabinet risking another snub but he did so for Israel, to stand up for us, the ordinary folk. He tried to influence, to use his and Gadi Eizenkot’s vast understanding of all things military but they hit a brick wall of political interest in conflict with the country’s security. Gantz left leaving a vacuum that will be impossible to fill.  

 

The swing to the political right all over the West is/was inevitable. Incredibly Israeli-born Gideon (Gidi) Markuszower, has been appointed deputy Prime Minister and Immigration Minister of the Netherlands. How’s that for a turnaround?

 

Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv were captured together but were not allowed to speak to one another. Their jailers kept them silent, punishing them if they spoke, and in the intense heat they ensured their constant state of dehydration by piling heavy blankets onto them. They were undernourished, surviving on tiny portions of pita and ful or fava beans. Andrey was weak and barely spoke until the IDF brought his parents from Russia. Andrey fell to the ground at his mother’s feet, sobbing and began to speak. Who was his captor? Am Al Jazeera cameraman whose father knew of the cruelty of his son’s actions. The father is a head of department in a Gaza hospital (which one of the 39 Gaza hospitals I don’t know). A doctor!!!

 

Noa Argamani was held in captivity for 250 days undergoing untold cruelty. Her captors forced her to speak Arabic and on the rare occasions she was allowed into the air outside her tiny cell, she had to wear a full hijab. When the troops of Mission Arnon (names for their officer who fell in the mission) reached Noa, her only question was “Is my Mother alive” To which the young soldiers said “Yes she is. That’s why we are here, to take you home to your Mother” This incredible young woman, immediately upon her release from hospital, has taken over the treatment of her mother, holding discussions with the doctors to try and save her mother’s life. Her mother has an aggressive form of brain tumour. Everyone in the hospital and all who meet her say that she is a sunny, kind and thoughtful young woman.

 

Virtually every day we hear of more IDF soldiers dying. It breaks our communal heart. We all know someone who has lost someone. This is a tiny country made up of communities, be they Druze, Bedouin, religious or village communities. It’s hard, so hard.

 

Life has taken on a different form and, as I wrote in my last missive, wrong is constantly wearing the clothes of right, twisting truth, berating the victims and lauding the oppressors. Anyway, I was sitting outside on our veranda – our mirpesset – looking around me at the sheer beauty of nature, at the trees as far as the eye could see and of Jerusalem in the distance, and thinking about the last 8 months, the 8 months since the 7th of October. I allowed myself to acknowledge that I'm angry with the world for accepting lies in favour of truth, I'm angry with the UN, but hardly surprised that they stayed true to form and sued us in the International Court, of course I am furious with the women's movements and their "Me Too, unless you are a Jew" but perhaps top of my list - no you're wrong, I wouldn't put our own government at the top, they are right up there for very many things but not when it comes to the hostages, I am steaming furious, beyond angry with the Red Cross!

 

Why the Red Cross? Because they failed to perform the very acts for which they were formed, to be a humanitarian and medical force. They failed on every level. Had those hostages been anywhere else in the world the Red Cross would have fought to visit, tried to help, ensured medical treatment, told the world of their plight. Not a peep, not a moment of remorse, nothing, cold refusal to help....... again. We don't forget that easily. Echoes of the Holocaust when they ignored the plight of the Jews, making a pretend visit to Theresienstadt.

 

Perhaps most of all I am angry at all of the above because anger is a stranger to me and I want to exude love and hope again. I don’t want to be angry, it is against everything I believe in.

 

Of course, I am not alone. I believe that even the most tolerant and gentle of us is angry and probably for similar reasons to the causes of my distress, and do you know what? We are right!! My anger is not all consuming, I still have plenty of room for the joys of every day life but I am constantly surprised by the callous injustice of the world outside.

 

Paul Mirbach is a friend on Facebook, a fellow Israeli by choice. We don’t always agree, but that’s fine because our basic moral compasses point in the same direction. Although Shevuot has been and gone, his writings about the story behind Shevuot, also known as the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, reached into my heart. It’s about tolerance, acceptance and the story of the Jewish people. See what you think.

 

From Paul

Shavuot is my favorite Hag. Every year I am amazed how viscerally I connect to the magic of it all. I am reminded of the Children of Israel from biblical times, who for seven weeks toiled arduously, in a race against time to complete the wheat harvest, which begins on the second day of Pesach, before the picking of the first fruits, which begins in the summer months. The 49 days of the Omer, which we count, reminds us of the urgency to finish the harvest before beginning to pick the fruits - so much so, that our forefathers had no time to shave, or cut their hair, or be distracted by celebrations, which is why those of us who observe the Omer eschew such grooming habits during this period, even today.

 

Every year, I find myself spellbound by the rustic enchantment of the hag. Part of this is because of a feeling only those of us who made Aliya from the Southern Hemisphere could understand - the way Shavuot aligns with the right season. In Zimbabwe, when we were asked to prepare a basket for Shavuot, it was autumn. We would decorate it with the red and yellow leaves that fell from the trees. The first fruits were from the wrong season - winter fruits; oranges, lemons, bananas, and avocado. And the ceremony would be held indoors, or we would be bundled up in jumpers and jackets against the chill. When I made Aliya, it all came together. It was a completion of the alignment. Not only seasonally, but emotionally. NOW I understood it all: the counting of the Omer, the hay bales. the ceremony of the presentation of first fruits, like the Temple priests would receive from the Israelites, who made the pilgrimage. It became so much more meaningful!

Shavuot on Tuval (Paul’s Kibbutz) is simply sublime. The whole community comes together. Generations reunite as our children - both those who live here and those who have left, who make their own pilgrimage back home for the hag, come together, and for this day our family home is complete again. It becomes a reunion for them too with their childhood friends, and the camaraderie in the atmosphere is so tangible you can almost touch it. You just want to embrace it and cherish these moments. I delight in seeing our children's generation grown up and with their chosen partners, enjoying the hag together. It fills me with a deep, serene satisfaction.

 

There is another aspect of Shavuot which I love:

"Where you go, I go; and where you live, I'll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I'll die, and that's where I'll be buried, so help me GOD—not even death itself is going to come between us!”

The story of Ruth. The first convert. The Moabite woman who chose to become a Jew.

I dedicate this Shavuot to all Jews by choice. Those who fell in love with our religion and our people. I think there is something noble in the character of a person who made an active choice to become Jewish.

As much as I love being Jewish and embrace my identity, that was bestowed upon me at birth, sometimes being Jewish in this world is a burden. We all know what I mean. We are destined to endure perpetually being seen as "different". For us, grappling with antisemitism is a perennial struggle, an onus thrust upon us, that we must live with forever. A never-ending threat or sore point, woven into our collective psyche. We have no choice.

Jews by choice had a choice - and they chose to become one of us. It takes a special kind of courage to literally make a leap of faith to join this tribe, and to voluntarily take upon oneself this burden, and join their destiny to ours. Not to mention undergoing the arduous process of conversion - no less arduous than the toil of our biblical forefathers during the weeks of the Omer. We sure don't make it easy to convert! In a way, there is no solidarity more meaningful and fundamental than that.

 

This year especially, when antisemitism has become a morally accepted norm in so many societies, when we are being vilified and accused of the most heinous evil, denounced as a moral blight on humanity, as much as it is not easy for us Jews by birth to withstand this prejudice and rejection, for Jews by choice - converts - it must be doubly hard.

 

So this year, I salute you, Jews by choice. I feel honored to have you among us, in our community, as one of us. "Where you live, I'll live. Your people are my people" has never held more significance on Shavuot, than it does this year.”

 

This week was hot, in fact today was unbearable! 37 degrees Celsius which is 98.6 degrees F. A day to stay indoors! The week started with a delightful lunch with girlfriends in our old neighborhood of Bet Hakerem. It was fun and delicious. Then a week of meetings and wonderful cheesey Shevuot food, culminating in babysitting 7 children in Leor’s house! It sounds scary but in fact the children (aged between 6 and 18) were wonderful and we slept like logs!

 

I am writing today because tomorrow morning we will drive to Ashkelon to be with Ira, Tomer and Sheli for the stone-setting of our lovely friend, their husband and father, Valeri z”l. Here in Israel we set the stone just one month after the funeral. Zvi will perform the duties of the ceremony and speak about Valeri, how they met and how we have been together since Valeri and Ira came on Aliyah just one year after I did. We have been through a great deal together, the joys and the tears, as a family does.

 

So my lovely friends, that’s it. The music I chose for you this week is very special, chosen with even more care than usual.

 

We pray for Shalom, for peace, all the time, in song, poetry and in prose, most of all we sing the song that says we come in peace, Hevenu Shalom Aleichem https://youtu.be/P4gzlpuZ59I?si=kXB79rWKhJCcYvQY

 

To all our prayers for peace, let us say Amen

https://youtu.be/vpMj1_VUI7M?si=bhJr_iIfCMCzNJME

 

Finally, a moving rendition of “Ayn li Eretz Aheret” I have no other land – by a young couple whose gentle voices sing out our pain and our determination to survive and thrive – again. Yonina. https://youtu.be/rJIXzk4DC9Y?si=rKBP8GpM6lVbPsJI

 

What do I wish you? I wish you kindness, patience, tolerance and ultimately good news, or in Hebrew that’s Chemla, savlanut, sovlanut and b’sorot tovot, in your lives. May you always give love and receive in return, may your families thrive and your homes be full of friends.

 

Shabbat Shalom dear lovely friends, wherever you are in the world

 

Sheila