6th of September 2024
Shabbat Shalom to one and all
I’m back and want to thank all of you who wrote asking where I was
last week.
I had a truly wonderful trip to the UK, managing to spend time with
loved ones, both family and friends, to catch up on both good and bad news and
of course to answer the myriad of questions about Israel.
Last week I understood you. Last week I felt what you feel being so
far away when tragedy hits. As the news spread about the 6 hostages who were murdered
just moment before the IDF reached the tunnel in which they were held, I felt
that all I wanted was to get on the first plane home. There is a sense of
needing to be together, even though everyone around me had the same sense of
dismay and deep sadness, somehow being here in Israel one is surrounded by
others who understand, have been to the demonstrations, walked in Hostage
Square, spoken to the families, probably a sense of family. Don’t get me wrong,
my family and friends in the UK are totally involved and aware, read up on
every word in the news, feel deeply about the last year (yes nearly a year) but
even so, being here is different.
One experience that stands out in my mind took place on a Great
Western Railway train to Cardiff. I was very happy to find that my booked seat
was right near the gate, at the rear of the train, and plonked myself down next
to my fellow passenger. Looking to my left I saw a young man, tattooed from head
to toe, as his short trousers attested, a nose ring completed the picture. As
we arrived in Bath most of the passengers disembarked and I moved to an empty
seat opposite. I can’t remember why we started talking, but we did, and what a
surprise. He told me that he lived outside Cardiff, my home town and the
destination of the said train, and asked where I lived. I told him and he
immediately perked up and asked so many relevant questions, basically saying
how he had never believed the one-sided BBC version of the news! It was an eye
opener on every level, particularly “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. I was
to find that attitude from virtually everyone I met, including Moslems. I fact
the El Al ground staff at Luton airport wore Hijabs! But I digress!!
If I may, I want to go back to the murdered hostages, the most
recent of too many. Perhaps because his mother, the incredible Rachel
Goldberg-Polin, spoke so clearly in English, was able to take the international
stage, we were all familiar with her son Hersh z”l. Hersh became symbolic for
anyone with a heart as his face came up on newscasts all over the world and
then, moments before freedom, obviously bruised and battered, pale from almost
a year of captivity in a dark tunnel he was, no, they were cruelly murdered. Hersh
Goldberg-Polin, Eden
Yerushalmi, Ori
Danino, Alex
Lobanov, Carmel
Gat, and Almog
Sarusi (you can find out about each one by clicking on their names) The Israeli response was clear in the subsequent
demonstration in Kaplan Square in Tel Aviv as an estimated 600,000+ poured into
the area, carrying Israeli flags and photographs of the hostages.
Rachel and Jon Goldberg Polin spoke at Hersh’s funeral. As one who
lost a son, my beautiful Daniel, I felt every single word that she uttered with
the same level of strength that she has shown for the 330 days of hope https://youtu.be/YoSxbKzvIxA?si=FZXFcAYIcEWo8lUK
The sympathy from the news media is short lived, as it was
following the horrors of October 7th, and it set me thinking why.
They know only too well that Hamas/Hezb-Allah/ISIS/Islamic Jihad are bad
people, really bad people, in fact theocratic villains, yet still continue to
tell half truths making Israel the bad guy. My thought process took me to the
story of David and Goliath. There's David, little shepherd boy, who rises to
the challenge from a big huge bully. They chose the site for the meet and
Goliath, confident of his brawn and stature, struts onto the field while David,
shepherd boy and poet, takes the time to find the perfect round stones for his
little catapult. They meet and David, the young underdog, swings the catapult
around his head aiming carefully, and the stone finds its mark on Goliath's
temple; the huge man crumpled and fell to his death. The shepherd boy went on
to be a great king, lover and poet whose writings would be ready every day
until now, by Jews and Christians around the world. The comparison, the moral
of the story is clear but David is not the hero any more, for some reason,
Goliath is the hero of the story. The enormity of the extreme Islamic countries
(predominantly Iran) and the duel between the giant and the shepherd boy is the
story of Israel.
As you know I try not to be too political, democracy has its faults,
but it must be said nonetheless. The leaders of all branches of the IDF have
said, time and again, that while the Philadelphi Corridor is of utmost
importance, it can wait. It can wait for the eyes of the world to be on another
war, another mass slaughter. We have missed so many chances to retrieve our
hostages but this government is stuck in the determination to win. Nobody wins
wars, everyone suffers in war, both the aggressor and the defender, in all
wars. Let’s face it even in WW2, more than 500,000 people died in the British
bombing of Dresden and other German cities. When asked why he attacked cities
rather than military instillations, Churchill responded with one word “Coventry”
which was the worst hit, nay destroyed, by the Luftwaffe. Again I digress, the
point being that this government has made too many tactical mistakes, has not
paid heed to the military leaders has never taken blame and has lost its moral
compass. We do not have a Churchill and I fear that the Churchill brilliance is
lost, he has no equal in today’s world, no leader brave enough to risk his political
career by taking the high road, building the moral of his people as they spent
long days in shelters and the underground as the Germans bombed many British
towns To win a war, one must not only have definite strategic plans but must
make your own people believe that you are capable of keeping them safe. Enough
said.
335 days, 335 emotionally exhausting, confused and helpless days. We
have a strong democracy, fantastic people who have risen to the call for
volunteers, both in the IDF and in everyday life, given of themselves where the
government has failed, but 335 days of deep emotional stress is too long, too
much and proven that democracy doesn’t always work. Back to Winston Spencer
Churchill who said “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all
the others” Democracy has nothing to do with elections, it has to do with the personal
freedom and security. The Ayatollahs and Hitler were elected!!!
Qanta Ahmed, a British/American physician, a Moslem, writes a blog,
this one in the Times of Israel, a blog that expresses so much of what we feel.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/islamisms-assault-on-israel-is-a-crime-against-all-of-humanity/
Of course I loved being with family and friends, too many to
mention, and the walks around the Cyncoed Reservoir with my beautiful big
sister Doreen who can walk faster than anyone I know and was thrilled when I
kept up! Of course it was so wonderful to enjoy the glorious weather, the green
green grass of home (yeah Tom Jones); the hugs, stories and the reminiscing of
old times; loving my grandchildren from NYC and London; having Olivia do my
fingernails and hearing about her and Zackary’s first day back at school;
watching four of them (Olivia, Joshua, Zachary and Callie)racing around playing
sardines or splashing each other in “Olivia’s Folly” a big put-you-up pool and
just being family.
Announcing that I love El Al elicited disdain from many but I do! I
love being greeted by “Shalom, brucha ha baah” Shalom and welcome, as I step
onto the plane, I love knowing that El Al will keep flying even in the most
extreme circumstances for Israel and………. Wait, let me explain. Rachel and I flew
to the UK the afternoon after the huge Hezb-Allah barrage on the north of
Israel and our response. Would we fly? Yes. Were we scared? No. On our arrival
in the UK we found that that night Rachel’s daughter Ayala went to a huge open
air concert in the Sultan’s Pool in Jerusalem that very night! While the world
was running away from us, we knew that our IDF was taking care of things! I
suppose that day was the epitome of Israeli life – existential danger in the
early hours of the morning and young people dancing on the stones of Jerusalem
in the night!!!
Many of you have asked how you can help, which organisations
support the survivors, the injured and their families and the families of those
murdered through terror and although there are many, there is one which was
founded by a Canadian/Israeli couple, https://onefamilyfundus.org/ Marc and Chantal Belzberg. One Family has
been supporting and helping all of the above since the second Intifada and
their warmth and love extended to those families is unmatched.
I’m home and very happy to be home, but one foot is still in the UK
with the family and dear friends. So I will quit while I’m ahead and go for
music!
A song of hope, an Israeli song of hope with Jews and Moslems
singing together about what binds us https://youtu.be/5d_i2F2LlF8?si=liKMi35nnexYkgAb
Yavo Shalom Aleinu – This video has no translation but the meaning
is simple, “Peace will come to us, to all of us. Shalom to us and to the whole
world” Moshe ben Ari wrote it and sings for us https://youtu.be/L4Uzxn0lV6g?si=cu2n0Yf94hd9bYmo
David Broza is one of my favourite singer-songwriters. Yihyeh Tov
is also one of my favourite songs. So
here it is Yihye Tov, it Will Be Good, form his mouth to God’s ears. https://youtu.be/qtI7h5A9eEQ?si=axPoFbBC4zMx-sFM
Zvi is in Mexico City with my grandson Yosef, Rachel’s son, and I
am here! It’s really strange! Tonight I will spend Friday night with Rachel and
the girls, with a very different kiddush. Last week Gideon sang kiddush (the
blessing over the wine) with a very familiar tune and very Ashkenazi
pronunciation, this week it will be kiddush with a very Middle Eastern Jewish
pronunciation! After all diversity is the name of the game.
I wish you a good Shabbes, a Shabbat Shalom, a good weekend, from
the every beautiful, breathtaking city of Jerusalem, gleaming in the distance
as I look at the View from Our Veranda. Jerusalem, City of David, Ir Shalem,
Ariel, Shilo, Zion, City of David, indeed the city with 70 names in the Bible. https://israelforever.org/programs/israelinmyart/70_names_of_jerusalem_resource.pdf
With much love
Sheila
