17th January 2025
Shabbat Shalom dear friends. Shabbat Shalom to you, your families
and all your loved ones.
469 days and I cannot celebrate the impending release of the
hostages without a deep sense of dread, dread for them, dread for their
families and dread because I know what the expression “blood on their hands”
means when referring to the barbarians who will be released from Israeli
prisons in any exchange. The release will not be of all the hostages, they will
be released little by little, the families riding a roller coaster of hope and
despair and their loved ones are not being released on that day. A roller
coaster of hope and despair because they know that their loved ones are a mere
shell of their former selves and no amount of love and devotion can bring back
the lives they lost.
Nonetheless, we are all prepared to play the political game if it
will save even one life, ease just one pain, maybe even bring us all together
from the fractured society we became. Perhaps now we can begin to heal as a
society and concentrate on rebuilding the true Israeli spirit because our
younger generation have really shown us what it means to be loyal, to answer
the call to defend our beautiful country without a second thought. If anyone
thought that the pioneer spirit was lost, it may have been lost in our
complacent age group but not our youngsters, they have been phenomenal. At 18
years old they were already adults, at 25 years old they were ready to leave
their studies and serve, at 35 years old they left their young families, their pregnant
wives, their jobs, all to defend without question what we took for granted. Too
many, nearly 900 soldier’s lives lost in a war we didn’t want but had to fight.
Each and every one has a name and a photograph shown on the evening news, each
and every one has thousands at their funerals and each and every funeral is
televised. We can never ever express our gratitude to their families.
Perhaps the most ludicrous aspect to come out of this war
and this period is that a man who was denied entry into the IDF because of his
extreme (and illegal) views, became the Minister for Internal Security and the
vociferous exponent of police violence against any noncompliant voice, and now,
now that we are on the brink of signing some form of treaty, some form of cease
fire, he is threatening to leave the government if it goes ahead. I can only
pray that he does so. Netanyahu will then have to choose between Ben Gvir and
his band of thugs, and the newly elected President Trump. No matter who voted
for whom, the sane choice is clear, the choice is for a continued and thriving
State of Israel or further internal strife and external suicide.
The truthteller strikes again! I know that
you always love me to be the Pollyanna in the room, but it would be an insult
to your intelligence if I pretended everything was honey, when you know full
well that the sting can be fatal.
Please God the hostages come home and the dead are brought
home for burial; to give the families closure, two things must happen to heal
our society, to prevent it imploding. Haredi serving in the IDF is a trickle
and frankly that doesn’t bother me as much as those thugs who demonstrate
against it and dare to call our policemen and women Nazis – however – both Haredi
and Arab young men must serve in some form, not necessarily as soldiers, but certainly
to give a year or two years of their lives to community service. Of course, it
is preferable that they do so in the wider community but I accept that it would
be much more acceptable in their own environment. I think it could create a much more caring
society and they could follow the example of the incredible young women of the
orthodox community who choose to serve in hospitals and, for instance in Shalva
where they are phenomenal with the children.
Talking of Shalva, I was there this week with my
lovely cousins Joanna and Judith. We didn’t have a great deal of time and the
ever busy and helpful Yuval took time out to show us around and take us up to
Dr. Dan’s Room. Both cousins were so impressed and Jo, Joanna, was deeply
moved, giving me a warm hug of understanding, because all those years ago in
Reading she developed a deep connection to Daniel for whom she babysat. We calmed
ourselves down in the Shalva Restaurant. Dr. Dan’s Room is in constant use,
giving huge pleasure to the children and is always in need of new equipment. https://give.shalva.org/daniel
While I was in Shalva Zvi went to meet our friend Shimon Pepper in
Modi’in. As Zvi says, Shimon lives in the States but his heart is right here in
Israel.
The potential arrest of any Israeli soldier or
for that matter any Israeli politician who sets foot in various countries has
been (potentially) thwarted - The U.S. House of Representatives voted on
Thursday to sanction the International Criminal Court in protest at its arrest
warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense
minister over Israel's campaign in Gaza. The vote was 243 to 140 in favor of
the "Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act," which would sanction any
foreigner who investigates, arrests, detains or prosecutes U.S. citizens or
those of an allied country, including Israel, who are not members of the court.
Actually, when you think about it the ICC is an illegitimate court because it
has no real power to enact its “laws”
The only way to counter hatred is to teach
tolerance and that is the aim of Impact-se. We had our international Board
Meeting this week. My part as Chairperson is to introduce the meeting, greet
the participants and the major work is done by our incredible CEO, Marcus
Sheff. Our work, the work of the team, is every widening and although the news
about changes in education in our region is positive and hopeful, the schoolbooks
in Europe and elsewhere in the so-called Western societies is somewhat less so.
I’ll tell you more when the next report comes out.
The horrific wildfires continue in California. The power
of the flames has left even the super-rich and famous homeless. One can only
pray that it will end soon and no more danger to life and limb.
Zvi and I have been studying in a course about AI. I admit I was
not overly enthusiastic, I like to write my own pieces, draw my own drawings
and come to my own conclusions but, much as I hate to admit it, it is
fascinating. I gave it the minimum of information and this is what it came up
with
The View from My Veranda: Jerusalem
By Sheila Raviv
As I sit on my veranda in Jerusalem, the views before me are both
breathtaking and burdened with history. To the west, the sun is dipping below
the horizon, casting long shadows over the city’s ancient walls. To the east,
the hills rise up, with their subtle echoes of both triumph and tension.
Jerusalem is a city that has always been, and will always be, marked by its
contradictions—its beauty, its pain, its holiness, and its political
complexity.
From here, the city appears peaceful, almost serene. The sounds of
children playing in the streets, the hum of traffic winding through narrow
alleys, the calls to prayer drifting over the rooftops—it all seems to flow
together in a strange harmony. Yet beneath this calm surface, the political
currents of this city run deep and fast.
Every time I look out at the view, I am reminded of the struggles
that shape this place. The political climate here is as layered and varied as
the city's many faiths, cultures, and histories. The ongoing tensions between
Israelis and Palestinians, the shifting balance of power in the Knesset, the
impact of global politics on the local community—all of it intertwines with
daily life in ways that often feel invisible, yet are always present.
Just last week, I overheard a conversation at the local café—a
place where neighbors meet for morning coffee, where the politics of the day
inevitably creep into even the most casual exchanges. One man spoke
passionately about the new government policies, which he felt were tilting the
city further towards division, while the woman next to him shook her head and
argued that peace was only possible through understanding and compromise. The
conversation turned into a heated debate, as it often does here, where every
opinion feels personal and deeply tied to the future of the land.
As I sip my tea, I wonder about the future of Jerusalem—the future
of its people, its politics, and its very identity. Is it possible for a city
so entrenched in its own history to find peace? Or will the view from my
veranda continue to be marked by the tensions of old, the weight of unresolved
conflict that no one can ignore?
It’s a question I don’t have an answer to. But here, in the
stillness of the evening, as the lights of the city twinkle below, I cling to a
quiet hope—that maybe one day, the view from my veranda will offer more than
just a glimpse of the past and present. Maybe it will be a window into a future
where peace and coexistence are more than just ideals, but a reality.
Until next time,
Sheila
UNREAL!!! That was created by AI with only a few words, a few
hints. I hope I won’t be obsolete soon!!
Anyway, back to me instead of AI and I want you
to know that I had the best birthday ever! I have had 3 days of spoiling as
never before! Firstly, I was spoiled by my girlfriends, then by my neighbours,
then by the women in my course and this morning in my mind and movement class.
It was so special that not only did I get to choose the music at the end but
before we left, each of the women in the class gently put their hand on my
shoulder and gave me a blessing, a wish for the next year. It was so beautiful.
The one song that had us all singing, my choice but everyone agreed
is Simon and Garfunkle’s Bridge over Troubled Waters, surely that is what we
all need in this crazy world. It really touched me when they all realised the
my name was Silver – listen carefully to the lyrics https://youtu.be/WrcwRt6J32o?si=IZzvcfkNRHzyqIH5
Daniel Weiss and Valerie Hamarty simply must be the representatives
of Israel in the Eurovision Music Competition. Daniel lost both his parents on
October 7th and Valerie is a Christian Arab and they both sing with
such purity and emotion that it must happen. Their rendition of Hurricane with
the original words https://youtu.be/K17yan6Ttl0?si=e0NNifNGFb1j_Uyv
What could be more appropriate as our final song than my favourite “Al
Kol Eleh” also known as the honey and the sting. The Israel Philharmonic, the
IDF Orchestra and singers singing the song which tells it all. https://youtu.be/tLjucRUyd4Y?si=HnH9s4RAvjuUVSFz
Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you, my hairdresser, Yaniv, decided to
give me a birthday gift of a streak of purple in the front of my hair. I
absolutely love it! I’ve had compliments everywhere I go and it is really fun!
I promise it is nothing like the blue rinsed matrons of old, this is really
cool!
Shabbat is almost here. Netanyahu’s office confirmed that an
agreement has been finalised, but said that the government won’t meet to
approve it until Saturday night, which will delay the return of the first few
hostages from Sunday to Monday. They will arrive in a trickle, but the tsunami
of emotion will be tangible, spread of days maybe weeks. The hospitals are
ready with special units and maybe, just maybe Jon and Rachel Polin Goldberg can,
in her words, use the numbered tape they have stuck to their chests for 469
days will be used to close packages instead.
I wish you peace of mind and acceptance,
Shabbat Shalom
Sheila
If this newsletter doesn’t arrive at any point please go to either
My Website http://www.theviewfrommyveranda.info/
Facebook Sheila Silver Raviv
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