27th February 2025
29th Shevat 5785
509 days since the 7th of October
Shabbat Shalom and Hodesh Tov, a new month, the month of Adar, and,
if I dare, I wish all my Moslem friends a peaceful Ramadan which begins tomorrow
Haim Nachman Bialik was the Israeli poet laureate, the
national author. Bialik wrote these words after a pogrom, even though he never
knew two tiny babies with bright red hair his words ring true. He wrote:-
“Vengeance for the blood of a little child has yet to be designed
by Satan”
Each death, each body, each tortured soul that is returned
from the hell of Hamas captivity is a tragedy, no-one is different, each is
mourned, but somehow, these two beautiful children and their mother became a
symbol of the barbarity, savagery of Hamas. Shiri Bibas’s terrified face as she
clung her babies to her breast touched every heart, except for those who have
no heart only hatred. Thousands of Israelis lined the route of the funeral
cortege for many kilometres, our only way to express our national grief. Orange
balloons, Israeli flags, large signs saying “Slicha” Sorry. A cavalcade of
motor cycles accompanied the official cortege. Finally they came to the
cemetery of Nir Oz and Shiri, Kfir and Ariel (z”l) were laid to rest together.
Yarden, the adoring husband who came out of Gaza with a broken spirit, stood
and eulogised the love of his life and his babies as did Dana, Shiri’s sister. Each and every person saying sorry we couldn’t
protect you. Dana and Shiri’s parents were killed on that fateful day, the day
that caught all of those who were meant to protect us, asleep at the wheel.
The day before the Bibas funeral the funeral of
Oded Lifshitz z”l took place in his beloved home of Kibbutz Nir Oz. As with
each funeral thousands came to honour this man of peace. His widow, Yoheved,
herself a released hostage, said “Our abduction and your death have shaken me
to the core. We fought all through the years for social justice, for peace. To
my sorrow, we were hit by a terrible blow by those we helped on the other side.
I stand here staggered to see the number of graves, and the terrible
destruction of our community that was completely abandoned on October 7th.”
Kibbutz Nir Oz, a truly liberal community of some 400 members,
100 were either lost or abducted. At least one quarter of their members. Many
of the members came from Latin America, predominantly Argentina, and thousands
of Argentinian Jews filled the streets of Buenos Aires, orange balloons,
Israeli flags and singing Hatikva. The Argentinian Government is about to
change the name of a street to Bibas Street.
I can't stop thinking about those two devastated young
men, the two hostages, Eviatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who were forced to
sit in a car and watch their friends forced to take part in a ludicrous
ceremony, but on their way home to their families. Such cruelty.
We have a tendency to believe that it's just us just
Israelis or just Jews in general but it isn't. Not only have Christians
disappeared from Gaza, it is unknown if they fled or were killed or both; but
in any country that has Islamist fanatics Christians are killed. This week 70
Christians were beheaded in the Eastern Congo aka The Democratic Republic of
Congo, if ever there were a misnomer that has to be it.
Yesterday we received the bodies of four slain
hostages in exchange for 600 convicted terrorists held in Israeli jails, several
of whom are murderers. More than 100 murderers and lifers released, most of
them deported via Egypt; 445 post-Oct. 7 prisoners returned to Gaza and dozens
released to Yehuda and Shomron known as the West Bank. Such is the price of bringing
all the hostages home for burial.
I have to address the supposed siege and
starvation in Gaza. Even if we ignore the fact that hypermarkets and fruit
markets have reopened, how many trucks do you think have passed through the
borders from Israel in the last month? Remember that until last week we were
still officially at war. A couple of hundred? A couple of thousand? This
official report is from COGAT the Israeli Government Humanitarian Aid to Gaza (and the world but at
the moment let’s concentrate on Gaza). “Israel’s
war was never with the people of Gaza. Hamas, by choosing to continue the war,
significantly obstructed aid delivery. Despite challenges, Israel has
successfully facilitated the entry of over 1.3 million tons of aid to Gaza
within the last 15 months.” https://gaza-aid-data.gov.il/main/
I beg of you to spread those numbers to
all the doubters who are still so brainwashed that they believe the Hamas lies
about starvation.
It feels as if the whole world is against us
but suddenly, one incredible person, one politician stands up and speaks her
mind. Australian Senator Jacqui Lambie delivered a heartfelt speech in
parliament, urging politicians to stand with the Jewish community and condemn
those behind the recent wave of antisemitic attacks. https://youtu.be/MI0oqE2Hzas?si=RO8t49QENotnhnSm
Finally the IDF, tired of waiting for an
official, governmental commission of inquiry into the 7th of
October, has published their own results. It does not put the IDF or the various
arms of the secret service in a good light, but they are honest. Herewith https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-identified-but-ignored-5-warning-signs-of-hamas-attack-on-eve-of-oct-7-its-probe-shows/
The need for togetherness, to be with friends and neighbours
has held us together, communities, parliaments, just being with others who
understand how we feel has strengthened. We hold classes in the village,
lectures in the hall where we hold our mind and movement class, trips to museums
and exhibits, all to be together. Two days ago our “Over 60+” group went to see
an excellent museum, one that I pass on a regular basis and always say “I must
go there” but don’t. Zvi and I took the opportunity and we went to the “Museum
of the Khan in Shaar Haguy on the main Tel Aviv Jerusalem Road. It is the story
of the fighters who broke through the road to Jerusalem providing food and arms
to the besieged city while under heavy Arab gunfire. You hear their testimonies
and how they made fateful decisions. We watched a moving presentation that
describes the high price the generation of 1948 paid in their struggle to keep
the lifeline to Jerusalem open. We learned that when three vehicles were blown
up and a British officer who came to the Hagana base, told them that they were
finished, they couldn’t stand any more losses, to which they responded that
they would continue to fight through and win, and they did. https://www.magazine.esra.org.il/posts/entry/khan-museum-at-shaar-hagai-jerusalem-1.html
Last Friday night’s Shabbat Dinner guests
were Nattie and Yolli Zonszein, Becky and Samuel Bettsak, Derek and Irit Leroith
and of course Itzik Lev! It was, as always, lively and fun and I think they
enjoyed their food…. And Nattie’s wonderful Tiramisu for dessert. During the
week Zvi has meetings for Hora Yerushalyim Dance Troupe and I had telephone
meetings with Marcus Sheff, the amazing CEO of Impact-se. He gave me some
incredible news!
“IMPACT-se announces that it is to open Abu Dhabi office at
the International Dialogue of Civilizations and Tolerance Conference and hold
high-level talks at UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The office will enhance
collaboration, act as launchpad for engagement across the Middle East and as a
key center to eradicate antisemitism from textbooks in the region.” So
incredibly proud www.impact-se.org
I was very excited to take part in Zvi’s mini-parliament
on Tuesday, the only woman with 8 men, and they were perfectly happy to let me
join in! Actually, the following day Zvi went to his mini-mini-parliament at
Yoram’s home. Tomorrow is the main parliament, all of which explains how social
my husband is!
Tomorrow is a very special meeting for me. I
don’t know if you realise but out of the original community of about 3,000
Welsh Jews, some 500 came on Aliyah. Why? Because we were an essentially
Zionist society which was very aware of its roots. WIZO was strong, Habonim was
led by the beautiful Norman Berg z”l who instilled in us the beauty of Israel,
the love of Israel and the importance of Israel. Norman affected our entire
generation of Welsh Jews. Anyway, of course I digressed! I meant to tell you
that tomorrow we are holding a St. David’s Day meeting (I know it’s early but
this year St David’s Day is on Shabbat). This year it is in a Jerusalem coffee
shop but nobody minds if we burst into song. We are all expected to bring
something Welsh with us and I will wear my sweatshirt proclaiming “Living in
Israel with Roots in Wales”. It is all
arranged by Angela Ben Gur and Adele Rothman has created a Welsh Quiz. If you
want to be friends with a Welshman, or indeed a Scot, just don’t ever say they
are English! The wrath of a Celt will fall upon you, possibly in Welsh Gaelic!
From the Welsh meet I am driving to the airport with great
anticipation because our wonderful friend Kim (aka Dr Kimball Taylor) is
arriving! Kim comes at least twice a year for the JAFI meetings, the only
non-Jew, and certainly the only member of the LDS church to take part. He will
be staying over with us as always. Another welcome guest at our Shabbat Table
will be Adrienne Spiner Arkin who came to Jerusalem for the Welsh meet. I
decided to make a thoroughly traditional meal. Egg salad and smoked salmon hors
d’oeuvres, Chicken soup and kneidlach (matzo balls) followed by a
non-traditional makluba, aka magic rice!! Makluba is a potato, chicken and rice
dish which if it works comes out of the pot as a sort of rice cake that then
falls apart to reveal the chicken pieces within. Dessert? I haven’t got that
far yet!!!
I would love to write an entire letter to you with just boring
news, about walks in the park or the nature reserve, meeting friends, but it
doesn’t seem to happen. The news has just come in about a car ramming in Karkur
– Pardes Hanna in which 13 people,. Ordinary people at a bus stop, were
injured, two seriously and one 17 year old is critical. The driver of the car carried
a blue ID card, he was an Israeli Arab.
This week’s music is very special
Dma’ot Shel Malachim, Tears of Angels was going through
my head throughout the funeral. I’m certain the angels are crying right now. https://youtu.be/gjR8ct2twn0?si=KIr_wLZgWwnhDnnF
Shmor al ha Olam Yeled – Child take care of the world.
Written and sung by David D’Or it admits that we have made a mess of the world
so we now rely upon the next generation to do a much better job. Click on the subtitles
icon (CC) to get the English https://youtu.be/e7EV4IWgR2A?si=V031z_RmE3WIBcup
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber understood the
full meaning of the story of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
Perhaps this song is the most appropriate for our time, yet the most hopeful.
Close Every Door to Me speaks of the despair of feeling alone and shunned yet
the determination of continuing. https://youtu.be/d8reEiq4ui8?si=U5argKUnbNLQnYAv
I wish you a good Shabbat, a peaceful week, even a boring one. Spend
time with your loved ones and don’t forget to tell them how much you love them;
it will stay with them forever. Remember that it will be alright, eventually. Surely
this world is not so stupid that they will continue falling for those who wish
to change their lives, to bring about the downfall of modern society with all
its faults.
With much love from Jerusalem, beautiful Jerusalem.
Sheila
No comments:
Post a Comment