21st 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 7th, 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 7th, 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
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