1st of May, 2025
Shabbat Shalom
As the sun sets on the horizon, Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s
Independence Day, is drawing to a close. 77 years and we have built, planted,
grown, brought in, helped, fed, initiated, innovated, tended and been a light
unto nations despite still fighting our war of independence; we really are an
example of how to build a fine, democratic nation, despite the multiple wolves
at the door. What the 78th year holds we can only pray that it will
be better than the last year.
As we left Yom HaShoah behind us, mourned our losses on Yom
haZikaron (Remembrance Day) and entered Independence Day with so much hope, but
no, we had to cancel all the celebrations because the first responders, fire
brigade and police were tied up fighting bush fires all over the country,
although centered in the areas on the way to Jerusalem. Bush fires that all
started simultaneously. Simultaneous spontaneous
combustion? Sadly, we are not that naive and it is a situation that repeats
itself time and again, always when there is a heatwave and high winds. At least
26 arson suspects have been arrested.
The celebrations that took place had a sombre side, an inner
sadness that was hard to hide while 59 hostages, alive and not, remain in Hamas
hands. The beacon lighters both celebrated freedom while echoing the plea for
the return of their friends, the only people who can possibly understand what
they went through. Something about the need to celebrate brought me to Anne
Frank. This quote feels so relevant to everything that has happened.
“We’re surrounded by darkness and danger, and in our desperate
search for a way out we keep bumping into each other. We look at the fighting
down below and the peace and beauty up above. In the meantime, we’ve been cut
off by the dark mass of clouds, so that we can go neither up nor down. It looms
before us like an impenetrable wall, trying to crush us, but not yet able to. I
can only cry out and implore, “Oh, ring, ring, open wide and let us out!”
Although the actual ceremony on Mount Herzl didn’t take place, for
the reasons outlined above, the dress rehearsal had been filmed two nights
previously so after all we got to see Zvi and the choir perform! Sadly we didn’t
go to our usual party, a truly magnificent bash at the Lotan’s, partly because
I’m not quite ready and partly because most of the roads were closed due to the
fires. However, we went to a close friend’s party right here on our estate. It
was meant to be most of the choir although many just couldn’t get here or were waiting
to know if they need to be evacuated. We kept the television on for the
ceremony, so that we wouldn’t miss Zvi, also to enjoy the delicious food laid
out on the table, then we sat around and sang beautiful Israeli songs and ended
up with “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”, “When the Saints” and Peter Paul and Mary!!
There is something special about being with close friends when things look so
black.
Ronen Bar is an Israeli intelligence officer and the director of
the Israeli Security Agency since 13 October 2021. Two days ago he stood before
the Israeli people and apologised, took responsibility for everything that
happened on October 7th and the 573 days that followed. His measured
words and dignified stance did not hide the pain of knowing that there was
failure under his watch.
The BBC is the unlikely source of this news item. The most
prominent Islamic scholar in Gaza has issued a rare, powerful fatwa condemning
Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the devastating war in
the Palestinian territory. Professor Dr Salman al-Dayah, a former dean of the
Faculty of Sharia and Law at the Hamas-affiliated Islamic University of Gaza,
is one of the region’s most respected religious authorities, so his legal
opinion carries significant weight among Gaza’s two million population, which
is predominantly Sunni Muslim.
600 Syrian Druze clerics came to Israel to celebrate the festival
of Ziyara at the tomb of Nabi Shuaib in the Lower Galilee. The Druze community
in Israel welcomed them with open arms. Sadly life for them in Syria, in the
land supposedly freed of the despots, is not easy and this week at least five
Druze were killed.
On Friday night we went to the David’s Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem
to meet with a truly amazing group of people from the UIA, the Australian Keren
Hayesod. Our hostess, definitely with the mostest, was Michelle Gandel and as
we sat at her table we were yet again impressed by the love and understanding
of those present with Israel’s situation. We found ourselves deep in conversations,
answering such relevant questions that it was a pleasure to be with them. About
half way through the evening a young man got up to speak, his name is Levi
Simon and he came on Aliya some 9 years ago, served in the IDF and then on
October the 8th immediately volunteered, became a miluimnik, his
thriving tourism business fell because he wasn’t there, he was in the field of
battle. I promised him that I would put his very impressive website up, he is a
tour guide and if he is half as good as a tour guide as he was as a speaker you
will be in for a treat. https://www.levisimon.com/
Levi made a very important observation
that he learned during his Miluim, we are in a war where one’s enemy has no
concept of the Geneva Convention but is an enemy that uses brilliant
psychological warfare in the guise of guerrilla warfare. Many of the leaders of
Hamas have psychology degrees from Western Universities.
We were delighted to see Anita Simons there too, in fact several
lovely old friends. At Michelles encouragement Zvi told the story of his
involvement in the struggle for Soviet Jewry way back in 1969 and his famous
meeting with Golda. Actually I must admit that my favourite part of the whole
experience was the fact that Sheli came with us and obviously, everyone fell in
love with her!!!
Our distress at the fires, at the cancelled celebrations was
apparent, yet this morning, the smell of fire in the air, a tiny Tsufit
(sunbird) greeted me, darting to and fro, the morning sun glistening on its iridescent
feathers. As I watched him, fascinated by his movements from flower to flower,
lemon blossom to orange blossom I chose to think of him as the harbinger of
better news and so it was.
I received excellent news from our CEO Marcus Sheff….. Impact-se ( www.impact-se.org) has opened an office in
Abu Dhabi! Yes you heard me! The office will allow us to work more efficiently
with UAE government ministries and partners such as the Mohammed bin Zayed
University of the Humanities.
More broadly, the office will make it easier to work with
interlocutors in the Arab and Muslim world. Our representative in the office
will be Alaa Alshimmari
So another eventful week and so to Shabbat, to sadness and
celebration, tomorrow the one year anniversary of the sudden passing of our
beloved Valeri. We will go to the cemetery and pay our deep respects, hug Ira,
Tomer and Sheli and talk about the lovely man that he was and he left us far to
soon. So many sweet memories together. Then to change our mood completely, that
evening we are with Zvi’s family to celebrate Gili’s 16th birthday.
How strange that life always shows the honey and the sting are inseparable.
And so, inevitably, to music
Turn Turn Turn is actually a quote from Ecclesiastes and it is so
fitting for our crazy world right now. I love it. Judy Collins and Pete Seeger
with a simplicity and naivete of the ‘60s https://youtu.be/n0xzyhoeu1Y?si=9fkuL1ckSB19Vlr_
Mishhu, “Someone” is a beautiful song of hope https://youtu.be/YHx9xDAHOIE?si=lpJPTrHJWXQgnoRX
Yuval Raphael is a beautiful young woman who was saved on October 7th
because she feigned death while hiding in a shelter, this month she will
represent Israel in the Eurovision song Contest with the biggest audience in
the world. Good luck Yuval!!! https://youtu.be/Q3BELu4z6-U?si=XcEzsL6V3g54TNw5
I wish you a Shabbat Shalom, a weekend of peace and contemplation,
a week of good news, we all need it. Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem, that
incredible, spiritual, beautiful, fascinating city that is the centre of our
world.
With love
Sheila
PS I loved hearing from you all last week!!!
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