4th April 2025
Shabbat Shalom, I wish you a peaceful Shabbat with only good surprises
I made a promise yesterday! I promised Rachel that I wouldn’t touch on politics today, just general news and happy events. It’s somewhat difficult but a promise is a promise.
There are wonderful, exceptional things that happen here and in the world. Perhaps she is right, perhaps we have to concentrate on those miracles in order to stay sane. For instance – Yarden Bibas, once and always father to Kfir and Ariel who were cruelly kidnapped and killed by Hamas, gathered their toys and chose to donate them to a hospital children’s ward. Gadi Mozes took his two grandchildren to a football match of his favourite team, HaPoel Beersheva. He and the children were taken out onto the field where the crowd and players cheered him. He stood and wept. His determination to rebuild Nir Oz into a thriving agricultural community is legend. Eli Sharabi went on British television and spoke in English of his experiences and of his determination to make a hopeful future; when asked if he hated his captors, he responded that hate is not in his lexicon. These men who suffered unspeakable torture and starvation came out with an emotional strength that is nothing short of miraculous!
The stories of former hostages fill our lives, it is the central subject matter of every news cast, the opening words of each hourly broadcast of the latest news begins with “It is now 545 days since October 7th and 59 hostages are still in captivity” Politics are irrelevant when it comes to our heartbreak, we just want them home.
If you were to travel around Israel this Hebrew month of Nissan, you would be greeted with an exceptional sight at most orchards and fields of cherry, apple, indeed any fruit tree! During the month of Nissan, leading up to Passover, the blessing of the flowering fruit trees brings out men in their prayer shawls, walking through the fragrant trees reciting a beautiful blessing. “Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, Who has made nothing lacking in His world, and created in it goodly creatures and goodly trees to give mankind pleasure.” Isn’t it a beautiful way to thank the Almighty for the goodness of this world? As I said, there is beauty in this world, it’s well worth finding it rather than concentrating on the chaos which surrounds us.
Deni Avidja is an Israeli basketball player. Both his parents were major athletes and this week Deni, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, was pronounced best in NBA. I don’t know if it’s because we tend to produce some really tall youngsters or if it is the love of sport in Israel, especially basketball but we have produced some exceptional basketball players over the years. One of our first was Tal Brody, who went on to be a symbol of Israeli sport through his ties with Maccabi World Union. Indeed, the Maccabiah had and has a great deal to do with Israel’s success in sport. Whatever the source - so proud of you Deni!
In a 17C building in a lively neighbourhood between rue Saint-Denis and rue Montorgueil an Israeli chef, born and bred in Jerusalem, opened his umpteenth restaurant called Shabour. Assaf Granit is an exceptionally innovative chef and his restaurants are different to the typical, stiff Michelin star restaurants and Shabour received a star just this week! Yet another source of pride.
This ignoring politics thing is much harder than I thought! When I look at what is happening around the world it’s really hard to keep my mind on the better, kinder side of life. It would be remiss of me if I ignored some aspects and the “60 minute” interview with Yarden Bibas. In fact, it isn’t about politics, it is about flaunting the value of human life. Time and time again his captors taunted him with “Don’t worry, you’ll get a better wife and better children” after he learned that his family was dead. They told him they died as a result of Israeli bombing whereas he later learned that his beautiful red-headed boys, babies, were cruelly murdered by their captors. https://youtu.be/9PaNbhKqRmw?si=H1LRbUnLGbYeQgWz
Israeli first responder and life saving groups have flown off to Myanmar and Thailand after the horrific earthquake which has taken so many lives. Our teams, both official and volunteer, are experts in recovering people from fallen buildings and disaster areas, sadly a hard learned ability. The power of nature is beyond anything man is capable of.
In a reality check this report from Impact-se. IMPACT-se travelled to Brussels last week to hold the Palestinian Authority (PA) to account after it signed a pledge with the European Union (EU) to reform its hate-filled curriculum. On 14 April, a dialogue between EU and PA officials will assess how the PA is delivering on its promise. We presented new and damning research to the key EU decision-makers, demonstrating the PA’s refusal to reform. In addition to a detailed chronicle of harmful content in PA textbooks for this school year, our recent report shows that a new, abridged PA curriculum, for Gaza, created after the signing of the agreement with the EU, encourages Jew-hatred, martyrdom and violence.
There is a definite aroma of cleaning materials in the air! That phenomenon known as spring cleaning began with Passover! The frenzy of turning out cupboards, getting out grime, climbing to the tops of kitchen cupboards is happening big time. Passover or Pesach is next week!! Zvi very cleverly flew off to Rome to avoid the work – actually not true, Zvi Leor, Amiad and the two Bat Mitzva girls Ori and Ella are on a combined Bat Mitzva and 80th birthday trip to Rome. They really are having a wonderful time, seeing all the sights and taking a tour with Natti Hamawi, our dear friend’s son who leads tours of Rome. While he is away is have the joy of having Yosef, Rachel and Sheli sleeping over to watch over me.
So back to Pesach and getting things in order for the Seder next week. Thanks to Rachel and Aya yesterday was a flurry of cleaning and changing dishes (Yosef brought all the dishes up from the storeroom last week). Sorry, I didn’t tell you why on earth I would change the dishes, pots and pans, apart from the fact that my parents and grandparents did it. Passover, or Pesach entails eating no leavened goods, not a crumb must be found in the house. Over the centuries, for whatever reason, all utensils, dishes, cutlery and pots are either changed or dipped. What does she mean by dipped? On street corners in every religious area, young boys stand guarding huge cauldrons of boiling water where the everyday utensils etc are dipped for a specific length of time to purify them. It is one way of “doing” Pesach but I’m really not keen on dipping my utensils and dishes in water used by everyone. My very Western answer is to have different sets of everything so that it all feel different. Why different? Well that’s another story.
We begin the Seder night with a blessing on the wine and then (traditionally) the youngest member of the family recites the four questions “Ma Nishtana” or Why is this night different from all other nights? We then go on to answer those four questions in Hebrew and Aramaic. Instead of having the song at the end of the missive when you will have forgotten why I put it - here it is now https://youtu.be/RmabziV1LiY?si=SjuphCXMzbqKN3b2
When I was a child and we sat around the Seder table, Mummy always kept a full place setting on the sideboard just in case we had an unexpected guest, so that they would not feel that she had to work on their behalf. This year, as last, we ask that everyone keep an empty seat to honour those still in captivity by Hamas. We lay a table with Yellow napkins, yellow anything to represent our greatest prayer, that those few who are still alive come home. The cruelty of their captors, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, it is irrelevant by what name, the cruelty, mental and physical that each hostage underwent and still undergoes, is beyond any belief, any level of normal human behaviour. It is the result of years and years of hate education, which is why I am so involved in Impact-se. Only be changing the way children are taught about others, about those who differ from them in any way, can we see the light at the end of the tunnel, otherwise that light is an express train.
Do you want a funny story? So last week a very interesting website appeared on our local WhatsApp group. Beautiful fruit and vegetables grown in the kibbutzim of the south. I went on and marked what I thought I would like, but I am useless at gauging weights and so on. Anyway, the order arrived, unexpectedly (I actually didn’t realise that I’d sent it) The produce was absolutely incredible, fabulous fruits and veggies – but my amounts were insane! Right at the front was an entire carton of strawberries – apparently that’s what 5 kilos of strawberries looks like! I was horrified, what on earth would I do with it all – a week before I need it! I put the strawberries on our WhatsApp group asking if anyone wanted to buy some of the produce. Ilana came round and miracle of miracles, she bought all the strawberries to make jam. A few minutes later she came back “I was about to go grocery shopping so tell me what else you have”! Ilana and Rachel stood in front of our packed fridge and they discussed which fruit and veg Ilana would take! Finally I would up with exactly what I wanted and so did Ilana!!!
Gosh I made it to the end with one complaint about our government!
I’m back from an appointment with Sheli and for a reward we went for breakfast in a local coffee shop. It was teeming! Luckily Zvi befriended the manager (surprise surprise) and he found us a table. I must say that Sheli’s shakshuka looked amazing and I had the Galilee breakfast, equally delicious. Now I am back with you!
Kaddish is the Hebrew prayer for the dead, its words reflecting our pain. Here, surrounded by photographs and names of those who were slaughtered on that Black Sabbath morning and the remaining hostages. Yaacov Shwekey sings the Kaddish https://youtu.be/4H8Newq1BMc?si=ymQL2swRU-LHKSpK
I wrote each week about the almond blossom (shkediot) but now if the time for the mimosa. Every hedgerow, every roadside is bright yellow with the flowing branches of the mimosa trees and bushes. Somehow it is appropriate, after all yellow is the colour of our dreams and prayers for the return of the remaining hostages and perhaps, somehow, incredibly far away, the dream of a peaceful period for Israel. I believe we’ve tried everything, politicians from every side of the political map, but somehow, peace is not what our neighbours want.
So what about a song for peace to end? I know that you want a saner world as much as I do.
Haveinu Shalom Aleinu, we brought peace among us, is an old song with a wonderful new twist. Listen and see what you think, sung in Hebrew and Arabic, musicians from both communities. https://youtu.be/5d_i2F2LlF8?si=a-91zIBTCpDSRk3Y
I wish you a peaceful Shabbat, one in which we all learn to accept the other, the different, whether it is the way they pray, the way they vote or the way the love. Until we learn to talk to each other we can never know each other’s life – we can never walk in the other’s shoes; not a mile and not even an inch.
Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem, beautiful Jerusalem gleaming white in the distance. With love in my heart
Sheila
Involvement http://www.impact-se.org/
