Friday, 27 June 2025

The Aftermath

 

27th June 2025

 

Shabbat Shalom.

 

“In War: Resolution; In Defeat: Defiance; In Victory: Magnanimity; In Peace: Good Will.”
Sir Winston S. Churchill

 

So another war is over, or so it seems. The traffic jams are back, parties abound, the restaurants are full, and Jerusalemites were asked to bake cake for Shabbat, for those who lost their homes. In fact, so many people answered the call for cakes that they had to send out a new message to stop baking! Seven young soldiers killed in Gaza, a hostage whose body was returned from Gaza in a brave mission, a mother, her son and his girlfriend who were murdered by a missile just before the ceasefire with Iran. We know that our freedom, our existence, comes at a very high price but we will not be beaten down, life goes on and tonight we will celebrate Shabbat by extending the table to accommodate 17 people, yes we are back entertaining the family after cancelling twice. 14 Ravivs, 3 Silvers and lots of discussions with the neighbours about parking spaces! We aren’t the only ones to get back into family Friday night meals! We recover quickly but we never forget.

 

It has been very easy to slip into normal life. Our sleep is undisturbed by a barrage of ballistic missiles; our phones don’t suddenly make that dreadful noise warning us to go into the safe room or shelter; women no longer sleep in their brassieres just in case they have to run to the public shelter; the snacks have been removed from our safe room and basically life has returned seamlessly to it regular pattern. If I can go back to the beginning of this missive, why are we still uneasy? This week alone, seven young soldiers killed in Gaza, a hostage whose body was returned from Gaza in a brave mission, a mother, her son and his girlfriend who died in their safe room from a direct hit by a missile just before the ceasefire with Iran.

 

Perhaps the uneasiness stems from knowing that the Iranian people are still under the fanatical theocracy of the Ayatollahs who spread their poisonous hatred throughout our world, making tiny Israel and the Jewish people their target. While the Western world falls deeper into Jew-hatred, the Gulf States in particular are seeking friendship with Israel. A Harris Poll has just shown that 50% of young Americans support Hamas! The disinformation is working.

 

The obvious heroes of the Israeli missions were the pilots who flew thousands of kilometres with perfect accuracy, night after night, day after day, but the unseen heroes are those who prepared the missions; the Secret Service, the scientists, planners, engineers, they too deserve praise. In fact, the Israel Aircraft Industries and the innovative armaments have become top earners for Israel. Every country wants our knowledge! Actually, the sales began before the Iran war. In the 3 months of January, February and March this year, international orders to the value of $26 billion for the Israel Aircraft Industry. Innovation in the field was brought on by necessity and became a major source of income

 

But the loss was huge. We lost 28 people, many injured and up to 9,000 people lost their homes/ A vast number for a tiny country and obviously, each person lost is a tragedy, but on the other hand, our defence systems prevented far greater tragedies and loss. The safe rooms built into homes, the public shelters and warnings of incoming missiles all saved lives, defence against a vast and super-rich country whose missiles blew buildings apart.

 

Like it or not, the President of the United States came through. Britain and France helped on the fringe, he came in feet first and the B2 bombers finished the job we had prepared, to end the nuclear facilities. Again. Like it or not, the two leaders, Israeli and American, formed a formidable team against a demagogic enemy. I am avoiding the F-bomb, as shocking as it was, hardly the behaviour of the leader of the Western world but I understood that he was piqued by the insistence of both parties to throw caution to the wind in order to save face and be the one who threw the last punch, thus threatening his hard work brokering an already fragile cease-fire between the two countries. I don’t know if we destroyed the nuclear facilities or set them back, but the sheer audacity of this tiny country, a real David and Goliath situation, will hopefully make them think again about starting with us. Maybe two countries were involved but this war was for everyone in the West. I am not sure that his statement about ending the Netanyahu trial is fair; not sure it is his place to make demands from our legal bigwigs, but I understand where he is coming from. We need closure and we need a government that is representative of the majority, in other words, if we get another term with Netanyahu, we just want him to choose his partners carefully, partners who care for the country, partners who serve the country, who love this country.

 

Ben Gurion Airport is back in business! Everyone is on their way home, either to or from Israel. The first “foreign airline” to return to our runways was Air Dubai, again showing the firm friendship that has become stronger and stronger On Passover when we read the story of the 40 year trek from slavery to freedom, we say “B’chol Dor v’Dor” In every generation they rise up against us, but the Almighty saves us time and again. Slowly, other airlines will come back when they realise that they’ll lose the revenue of the intrepid Israeli holidaymaker! Israelis love to travel and see the world, although it is becoming more and more problematic to speak Hebrew or wear a Magen David. I really don’t understand the whole upsurge of anti-Semitism but on the other hand it happens every so often, with the emphasis on the often. It’s as if it is always under the surface just waiting to emerge. There are situations that cannot be avoided, overt hatred of Jews as opposed to tacit hatred of Jews, but why oh why don’t we get the fact that being self-hating or in denial doesn’t protect us from attack?

 

I want to understand something. We in Israel have Moslem politicians, Moslem Mayors, just because they are Moslem doesn’t make them anti-Israel, but if someone is openly anti-Israel, if he has a tendency to incite to hatred, why on earth would he be elected as Mayor of a city with a strong Jewish identity? You know what I mean! The elections for New York’s Mayor are really disturbing. I don’t want to go into detail because you want to hear about what is happening here, not what I think of New York!!

 

It’s time to change the tone of this missive, I don’t know about you but I want some good news, news that won’t be ruined by the Iranian Ayatollahs.

 

For the first time, two Israeli players, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf, have been drafted into the NBA, both by the Brooklyn Nets. Ben Saraf, an Israeli league MVP, and Danny Wolf, a standout US college player, join Deni Avdija as the only Israelis in the NBA. Traditionally there have been Israeli players, but this is exceptional.

 

Almost like clicking the light switch, everything reopened, as I indicated at the beginning. The Creativity Class went ahead, the lectures in the village hall next to us, the yoga, Mind and Movement, woodworking, all filled, everyone chatting about how wonderful it is to get back to business, until we discover that the pain is still there. I hate to keep mentioning it but until the hostages, alive and dead, are brought home we can’t heal as a society. I have a feeling that the demonstrations will return, but mostly, Hostage Square will be overflowing tomorrow night.

 

I was thinking, the family that will sit around our table tonight everyone over 18 (except me because I arrived too late) will have served in the IDF. The fact fascinated me. Anyway, we will sit outside on the veranda in the wonderful balmy air of Jerusalem. Everyone else comes from, for me, the debilitating humidity of the shore and the flat lands. Oh how I love the air on a Jerusalem evening, the breeze through the pine trees is redolent of the scent of Israel, the unmistakable mixture of pine and heat, a scent that I love. I spent much of the last housebound time working on the mirpesset and I have to say it is spectacular. I moved the exquisite camellia into a flower pot worthy of it’s beauty and tended to the needs of the fruit trees. The seeds extracted from particularly flavourful tomatoes and ppers are doing very nicely thank you! I even have some baby green tomatoes! The acorn squash seeds are also growing well, slowly creeping across the tiles, but no results yet, just glorious yellow flowers. The little apple tree is doing very well, even though the Indian Mynah birds seem to get to the juicy apples before I do. The strawberry tower is also producing fruit, in fact I feel inordinately pleased with my crops, a farm in a box!

 

I must go and set the tables, prepare my part of the dinner and then I am determined to go to Rachel today. I haven’t seen the children for too long. Talking of children, my amazing grandson, Joshua, graduated from high school yesterday. Resplendent in his green robes his broad smile representing his delight at starting a new phase in his life. Rachel and I couldn’t be there, Rachel’s flight was cancelled due to the war, but Daniel’s father Philip was there and his wife Barbara faithfully sent us photos. I loved the one of Joshua and his beautiful Mummy, Karen. It was a mixture of great pride at his success and deep sadness that we couldn’t be there. This weekend my granddaughter Olivia has her graduation ball, very different to the American formality. Liv will receive an excellence award but she’s too humble to tell me what for!  

 

OK as I said, loads of stuff to prepare and if I don’t take the meat out of the freezer then we won’t have anything to eat tonight. I really don’t want 17 hungry folks on my hands.

 

What music do you want? You really ought to tell me if you have favourites! I’ll choose today and then I promise that your favourites will appear.

 

Mothers, Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians, all dressed in white, walk the desert hills, hug and love, and pray for togetherness, for peace, that their children will know peace. I pray that their prayer comes to fruition. https://youtu.be/YyFM-pWdqrY?si=EF-iXP_cj-rFdlzu

 

You don’t have to be a mother, a woman, to worry about your children. Arik Einstein was a father and wrote this song about children leaving the nest. His feelings are no less just because he is a man.” Oof Gozel”, Fly gosling. Fly Fledgling. https://youtu.be/ez1e2VPsRFw?si=zCKE-FfSE_F6ti-u

 

Uzi Hitman wrote and sang simple songs which expressed the thoughts of all Israelis. No fancy twists and turns of complex musical grandstanding, just simplicity, honesty and I love them, they lift my soul. “Born for Peace, is one of my absolute favourites https://youtu.be/4fz18D68Vdw?si=7X428XBqxpe3Nb-V

 

Shabbat shalom lovely people. Most people in Israel, when making a wish or just a plan, say “B’Ezrat hashem” or with the help of the Almighty. B’Ezrat Hashem I will meet with my childhood friends this week. Our meeting was deferred thanks to some huge missiles and constant alarms on our phones, so this forthcoming get together will have special meaning.

 

Thank you for your messages of support and love. A special thank you to my two sisters, Doreen and Eddie, for their daily calls just to say they care, to make sure that we are alright. Thanks to the Mexican family who demand a full update from Zvi every day. His Spanish explanations are exceptional.

 

Shabbat Shalom and much love from our veranda, overlook the city we all turn to, we have been praying to for millennia. Shabbat Shalom and love from our home to yours

 

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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