13th December 2024
Shabbat Shalom to you one and all.
“And now it has come to us to stand alone in the breach, and face
the worst that the tyrant’s might and enmity can do, bearing ourselves humbly
before God, but conscious that we serve an unfolding purpose, we are ready to
defend our native land against the invasion by which it is threatened. We are
fighting by ourselves alone, but we are not fighting for ourselves
alone”. Winston Churchill
Slowly and painfully the wars, the missiles from many countries
which have decimated homes and farms alike, are coming to an end. The missile
and drone attacks from 7 countries are diminishing, almost ended, but the war
cannot be won until the hostages come home. Without their return to their
broken loved ones this war has no meaning and no end.
This resilient people, the Children of Israel, north, south, Arab
and Jew, have already begun to get back to some sort of normal life. Hotels and
“Tzimmerim” which sounds much better than B&B’s, are opening in the north,
restaurants are filling up and in the South the rebuilding has begun. As one
resident of Zikin said “We are tearing down the burnt remains of the past and
building ourselves and our grandchildren a new future.” They will never forget October
7th, but as we always do, they will pick themselves up, build new
homes, plant the fields, grow the crops and the children will play in safety
and they will make the South beautiful again. Next spring “Darom Adom” will
bring the incredible display of red anemones throughout the Southern Desert and
we will learn to celebrate again.
They say that things change quickly in the Middle East, but the
last month or two things have changed at a rate rarely seen in this insane
world. The fall of tyrants and terrorists has been fast and furious, true at
the cost of Israeli sons and fathers, fighting for the freedom of this country
and democracy in the region.
The fall of Bashar Assad was swift, one could say a fallout
of the war with Hezb-Allah, swift and just. The Assad regime, father and son,
was vile, riddled with heinous crimes that hid behind his Western manners and
quiet voice, so unlike all the other theocratic leaders. Assad was not Shia nor
Sunni, he was an Alawite Moslem, a minority in Syria, he looked like a normal
Western leader with his tailored suits, his beautiful wife and the newly
discovered collection of wildly expensive fast cars, but he proved to be a foul
and cruel leader. Prisons with four and five tiers of dungeons where the
prisoners langoured in their cells until they died. Over his term of office he
slaughtered 500,000 of his own people, using chemical weapons, some home made
some brought overland from Iraq, the supposedly non-existent WMDs.
What does it say about our world, about the supposed ICC when this
homicidal, inhuman leader stayed in power for 24 years without a murmur from
the so-called Justices. Yet another inhuman aspect of the UN.
I cannot begin to describe the horrors of his regime but Tom Gross speaks
from the heart as a British journalist, speaking for us all. Watch this video,
but know that the scenes in the Seraya prison are distressing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bi_5qneeUc
Perhaps one of the most ignored aspects of the war
both in Gaza and in Lebanon although predominantly in Gaza, none of the
humanitarian organizations has in any way helped the hostages the victims who
are Jews. They have not checked on the hostages to check their medical
condition and their situation in 15 months of captivity. Like the UN the red
cross is anti-Semitic and Israel and you just have to visit the headquarters in
Switzerland see that wall of action. A blue line goes around the wall of
their museum showing every single act humanitarian act of the Red Cross since
its founding. The Holocaust is called the war with Germany and doesn't even
mention Jews; 1948 is not about Israel’s War of Independence it's described as
the killing of Palestinians and the stealing of their land! Why are the two
largest human rights and aid organisations in the world are so against this
tiny sliver of land on the Mediterranean Sea?
The Jews of Australia are very special.
They came, predominantly, from the remnants of the European Jews after the Holocaust,
and from the pogroms, coming to the beautiful land as far as possible from
Europe. The community has given a great deal to Australia, loving Australia and
was loved in return, until now. Synagogues are burnt, Jews are assaulted, the smell
of burning taking Survivors back to their worst fears. How? How can it happen
so quickly? How can the slaughter and rape of thousands of Israelis have an
impact on Jews thousands of miles away, especially in Australia, Canada and the
US? Why has inverse racism erupted and was it orchestrated? Melbourne is not
the only synagogue burned down since
October 7: Oct 17: El Hamma, Tunisia, Oct 18: Berlin, Germany, Nov
8: Montreal, Canada, Nov 18: Yerevan, Armenia. Nov 19: Lakewood, USA, Feb 28: Sfax, Tunisia, April
5: Oldenburg, Germany, April 10: Moscow, Russia, May 1: Warsaw, Poland, May 17:
Rouen, France, May 30: Vancouver, Canada,
December 5: Melbourne, Australia. I think about that famous quote after WW2, you
know, the one about “they came for the Jews”, because like it or not, we are
the canary in the coal mine and Christians are next.
Prime Minister Netanyahu made history this week as the first
Israeli prime Minister to appear in Court as a defendant. Not a matter for
pride and just another issue that has split this country.
My husband has a knack for predicting political
situations. He has been saying for months that while the world is watching the Middle
East China will surround Taiwan. Sadly he is right yet again.
I’m sorry, those first paragraphs were really depressing, and I
know you expect me to be optimistic and full of hope but we have to face facts.
I promise that we now switch to my usual optimism, to which I
hinted at the very beginning of this missive! The north of Israel has some of
the most beautiful scenery in Israel and possibly in the world. Nature reserves,
an Israeli favourite, fabulous treks and places to stay; restaurants of every
nature, many “Al ha Aish” – Barbecue style, and Kosher Druze restaurants with
traditional Druze dishes. The favourite is the “Tzimmerim” which welcome
families for weekends in nature. This week, barely 7 days since Hezb-Allah was
defeated, all of the above are already up and running and booked to their
limit. It isn’t just that we are a resilient people, it isn’t even the fact
that we refuse to stop living life to the full, we need this. We need to go out
and have fun, to walk in the hills, to pick fruit, to visit all our old haunts
and to relax, to finally relax. We don’t for one second forget the hostages or
the families or those we lost, but we need time away from the 24\7 newscasts.
Richard Gere was generally known for his good looks and
acting especially in Pretty Woman but this week he showed that he is much more
than a pretty man, unlike most of his fellow actors who run away from any
action that may harm their standing, he chose to stand with Israel and met with
the families of hostages and former hostages in the USA. This act of solidarity
aligns with Richard Gere’s history of advocating for human rights and peaceful
resolutions to global crises.
I am so proud of my involvement in Impact-se and here’s
another announcement. Egypt, which is led by a Moslem Brotherhood President,
has changed its curriculum entirely! 80% of Egyptian schoolchildren are now
included in multiyear educational reform using our suggested curriculum. Our Egypt
report has found continued improvement in textbooks promoting peace,
tolerance, and rejecting violence and extremism. In elementary schools Antisemitic
and anti-Israel content showcased in previous reports was presented to Egyptian
officials and subsequently removed or revised. www.impact-se.org
This has been a glorious week, sunshine and a crispness in the air
that has woken our veranda and brought the sense of late autumn. Walking to the
village library the scent of log fires brought back wonderful memories of life
in Reading, Berkshire, and waking early on a winter’s morning to set the log
fire and warm the children’s clothes on the big fireguard. There is something
special about certain scents, rather like music, the memories come flooding
back.
In a short while I will set off to visit Rachel and family, going
past some of the most spectacular panoramic views of Jerusalem from the heights
of Nebe Samuel – the Tomb of the Prophet Samuel which is holy to Jews, Christians
and Moslems, which lies atop one of the highest hills in Jerusalem. The
view is breathtaking as Jerusalem lies before us, stretching into the distance.
The tall buildings are popping up like weeds making the landscape even more
interesting and the trees, oh the trees. Quite apart from the forests of Keren
Kayemet, every new road in Israel begins with the trees, mere saplings, that
will line the future housing. Gosh I love it! The drive takes me through the neighborhood
of Ramot and over Nebe Samuel then down to Givat Ze’ev with the ever
flourishing Palestinian town of Ramallah on my right. When I say ever flourishing,
I mean the brand new tower blocks, the huge buildings which house depots of
imports and fruit and vegetable markets. Ramallah, a prosperous, modern town.
We just had a lovely surprise visit from one of my favourite
people, Paul Israel, Executive Director of the Israel-Australia Chamber of
Commerce. Paul popped in with a very important purpose. Vegemite! For the uninitiated, Vegemite and Marmite are
yeast based spread that one either loves or hates- vehemently! In addition, Aussies
love Vegemite insisting that it is far superior to its original British
counterpart Marmite. Vegemite is virtually impossible to acquire in Israel and
I have a wonderful Aussie friend who is going through a tough time and “chalishes”
really facies Vegemite! In truth I love
Paul but hate both of the spreads!!
Sagui Dekel Chen managed to save his family on that dark day but
was taken to Gaza. Idan Reichel and his group sing the song the words of which
ring true for Sagui’s wife. https://youtu.be/g26H13bQsuI?si=hcaq-jWx3mytYViI
Music, memories flood through our minds with every note. Keren
Peles is a much loved Israeli songwriter, singer and teacher who, after the
7th of October decided to change her lifestyle and concentrate on
volunteering her talent and being with her family. Here she sing a beautiful
song with the children of hostages and those who lost everything. https://youtu.be/2J9KJ2lOLLE?si=xdb7Viqn4iqGor36
And so to something we all know and love. This week I was going
through my old Beatles Albums and singles and so many of their songs rings true
today, bringing with them the memories of our youth. Here Comes the Sun gave me
hope coming from a time when rebelling meant growing your hair and wearing
brightly coloured clothes, but one song, one glorious song, beat them all. Paul
McCartney, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton & Rod Stewart and a myriad of British
stars singing All You Need Is Love. https://youtu.be/_OuYLGHkrBk?si=pRBrHQlrLMloMuul
That’s it folks, that’s all we need to
wipe out hate.
The nights are drawing in and Shabbat comes in early. As I light
the candles I feel the physical warmth of the flames, but most of all I feel
the spiritual and emotional warmth of an age old tradition that represents the
change from an ordinary weekday to a different, calmer, wiser, kinder day or
contemplation and rest. I wish you all of the above. You don’t have to be
Jewish to light a candle, just think, if we all lit a candle and said a prayer
it could light the world.
Shabbat Shalom lovely people, Shabbat Shalom and love from our
veranda where the flowers come out in abundance grateful for the glorious
weather.
Sheila
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