Hate is not a word, it is a disease

 

25^th July 2025

The 658^th of October

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends. Today is also the Feast of St. James for the Catholic and Anglican Churches and Jews are in the second week of the three weeks of penitence which lead up to Tisha b’Av, the commemoration of the destruction of both Temples.

 

During the 3 weeks we rue the internecine hatred which led to the destruction, Sinat Hinam.

 

Hate is not a word, it is a disease

 

If I were to fulfil my dream, it would be that even those to whom my beliefs are diametrically opposed, be it politically, religiously, indeed any way, that we can talk about our differences, quietly and politely. To sit and have a delightful meal with people that I like even though they are very different, even opposed to my way in life, then my dream would come true.

 

Today I don’t want to concentrate on the news because most of you read and try to interpret the biased information that you get from your local media so you don’t need me to tell you, unless of course, there is something specific that one cannot untangle from the massive knot of lies told about Israel. Today I want to concentrate on what it means to be an Israeli right now, in the current situation.

 

We feel abandoned, misunderstood, helpless in the face of obscene criticism from countries whose history tells of vile racism, the murder, nay slaughter of minorities and political corruption. I don’t attempt to support the statements of some of our Cabinet members and as you know I am not a fan of our current government, but on the other hand I am angry at the opposition which instead of unifying, creating a shadow cabinet and preparing a manifesto, a political and national trajectory, they concentrate on  infighting as to who is the leader of which party – a power struggle between similar ethics.

 

It is hard when our fellow Jews and Christians suggest that we should keep quiet, don’t speak Hebrew in public (in the case of Israelis) hide your crosses and stars of David, don’t wear your kippot in public, etc etc etc…. don’t be obvious Jews. I have to admit that although I no longer live outside Israel, it makes my blood boil! Why in heaven’s name should we hide our identity? We still have the most amazing way of life, for all Israelis, not just the Jewish ones. Why should we all, Jews, Christians, Arabs, Druze indeed all of us, why should we be ashamed of the most incredible advanced society in the entire Middle East and far-flung places.

 

I have to refer to the incident of the French youngsters returning from camp in Spain, on a flight home. The way it was reported, they made a noise by singing in Hebrew and were thrown off the flight. In fact, the pilot had a Palestinian flag on the armrest beside him (there is a photograph), before the flight they were told to hide any identifying Stars of David or skullcaps, and then when they sang in Hebrew and they were thrown off the flight; their 21 year old madricha (leader) thrown to the ground and handcuffed. They were not Israeli, they were French and I want to hear the French government react angrily. I don’t have all of the details and there are many rumours about who the pilot was and whether the youngsters were somewhat rumbunctious, but it was an ugly scene. Before their flight began their male leader gave the following instruction (recorded by one of the youngsters for Instagram. “Hear me out. The rules are very clear. Everything here that is religious, sign, trail, orange things, kippahs, we take off, tzitzit we put away in our pants, tefillin we put in your suitcase. We leave nothing religious on show. You will listen to the rules. We will embark. There won’t be one word. Not one sound. No one gets up, without permission. Even if it’s to go the washroom. We will not give them the opportunity to kick us off for these Jew-hating acts. Even if you have to go to the washroom, ask permission. And I count on your maturity to play the game.”

 

Israel may not be perfect, although the people are better than those who currently lead us; we are a country of creators, of innovators in all spheres, from medicine to biochemistry, rocket science, civil engineering and agriculture, spheres that we share with third world countries, predominantly African, to help them feed their millions and live a better life. Our innovation in the field of hi-tech is well known, but I wonder how much is known of our humanitarian work  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashav

 

Someone who never hid his roots, indeed he was proud of his roots, proud of the fact that he emigrated from Iran to the UK as a Jewish refugee, made good and became a Member of the House of Lords for his contribution to education in his home city of Manchester. When we were taken to the House of Lords by Lord Stone, Lord Stone of Blackheath, (my former youth leader in Habonim) we sat in the visitor’s section and heard the maiden speech of Lord Alliance, David Alliance. In every sentence he emphasised his Jewishness, how he was welcomed to the UK, of the importance of education and it was all with a heavy Iranian accent which he didn’t attempt to hide. David Alliance passed away this week, may he rest in peace, a man who celebrated who he was and never gave in to those who turned their hate on him.

 

Now to explain what is happening in the USA (and elsewhere) on campuses and streets.

 

On October 1, 1993, about 20 senior leaders of Hamas, most of whom lived in the U.S., gathered at a Courtyard by Marriott airport hotel in Philadelphia in order to undermine the Oslo Accords, what they viewed as an agreement made between “infidels and infidels.” Unbeknownst to them, the F.B.I. was listening in.  I don’t want to write a long tirade of their actions but it was clear in its intention to slowly, carefully, infiltrate universities, media and government creating disinformation. Read for yourselves https://airmail.news/issues/2024-8-10/hamas-in-america-the-untold-story  Students for Justice, in Palestine, just one outcome of that meeting, is a pro-Palestinian college student activism organization in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. Their example? The Enabling Act Of 1933 which allowed the Reich government to issue laws without the consent of Germany’s parliament, laying the foundation for the complete Nazification of German society. 

 

Back to good news

 

First and foremost, we had a good week! We were woken just once, the usual Houthi wake-up call, but despite their best efforts nothing even reached Israeli skies, we shot it down beforehand. On Sunday afternoon we went to the beautiful Cinematheque, opposite the walls of the Old City to see a brilliant documentary film called October 8 (October H8te) which explains so much of the explosion of antisemitism in the USA. It is a must see. On Monday we met friends for breakfast in Ella Restaurant opposite the Botanical Gardens then on to Givat Ze’ev to buy the fish for tomorrow. What is tomorrow? Well, in the morning I had  a fascinating meeting with Marcus Sheff who caught me up on the latest miracles of Impact-se (www.impact-se.org ). Marcus, the CEO of Impact-se, managed to fit the incredible advances of education in our region and beyond in the few minutes that he had before the next meeting! That evening we had a “Come Dine With Me” in our home with another two couples. We had already been to their homes and so there were hugs and renewed friendship as we sat around the table talking about who we are. On Wednesday we met with the Silvers, Ira, Tomer and Sheli, in the Music Square in the Centre of Jerusalem for a get-together before Sheli flies off to Canada to be a leader in a youth summer camp for the third year running. Yesterday I went to my movement class. We don’t just move, we talk about whatever bothers us, mostly about what is happening here in Israel, and then we danced, together and individually, to the wonderful Dolly Parton and the Beatles! Talia and Rachel arrived and Talia sat to talk to Saba Zvi and then we went off to Motzeleh where Rachel and I had their phenomenal shakshuka, all made on the spot! Today we are basically relaxing.  

 

I don’t know if you have ever heard of Blessing Afrifah, proud Israeli, who became the first athlete to win back-to-back European U23 200m titles since 2013. Blessing climbed on to the winner’s podium flying the Israel flag. Blessing was born in Tel Aviv and grew up in Ramat Gan. His father worked in the Ghanaian Embassy. Blessing has a sister, also born here, with the beautiful name Mercy. When he received his full Israeli citizenship he said that now he could win even more medals for Israel. Blessing served in the IDF.

 

There is a song from Les Miserables which gives you an inkling of how we feel. Harel Skaat sings Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. https://youtu.be/CV4SRV07wg8?si=-3GhWhR2eTo9qqZQ

 

You may not recognise the name Keren Peles. Keren Peles is a singer songwriter and her most recent work is “New Day Will Come” the song which represented Israel in the Eurovision song Contest. Here Keren sings with Miri Mesika in a rendition that brought tears to my eyes. Two incredible Israeli women singing together in Keren’s home studio https://youtu.be/WT7WFPgtx08?si=7evg4QDEX0QKlVAk

 

The Banai Family is huge, originally from Jerusalem, an entire generation born near Mahane Yehuda, has influenced show business, through song, theatre, comedy and social consciousness. This song sung by Ehud Banai many years ago, tells a very important story https://youtu.be/YiNrTJbJ1eA?si=9la5_SrdgxZkM_bo

 

That’s it! Zvi went to two parliaments today, he is still at the second one, his usual gathering in the Botanical Gardens. They sit and talk about our “situation” and try to come up with answers, which of course will never reach the powers that be, but they can at least influence their surroundings.  I am off to Rachel and the aroma of freshly baked Challah! I love it! I have the chance to talk with Talia, who is mostly in Netanya doing her Sherut Leumi (a form of national service whereby young people literally serve communities and individuals) Of course I will pass my second favourite view, the absolute favourite is the View From My Veranda!! I have to admit that the view from Nebe Samuel (Samuel’s Tomb) is spectacular on a clear day, the entire city laying before us as far as the eye can see. I will then come home and collapse into bed for my “shlafshtunder” my siesta, before getting everything ready for Shabbat.

 

That’s it! I hope you enjoyed your introduction to life here in Israel, our worries, our joys and our fears. I wish you a beautiful Shabbat, a calm weekend, and some very good news, it’s high time.

 

With much love from our veranda and it’s view

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Weeks

 

Friday the 18^th of July, 2025

650 days since the 7^th of October massacre

650 days of brutal captivity

4,000 days since Hadar Golding was killed and his body snatched to Gaza

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends far and near

 

So much has happened this week that I didn’t know where to start, how to deny the accusations in the world press, then I decided to simply tell the truth.

 

I believe that this week the Israeli Druze community taught us a supreme lesson in unity and brotherhood. When they understood that over the border in Syria, armed Bedouins had entered the Druze town of Sweidia and after a Druze youth was beaten at a Bedouin checkpoint, nearly five days of bloodshed left 350 dead, drew in jihadist-linked regime forces, triggered Israeli airstrikes and saw mass border crossings as a fragile ceasefire finally took hold. Ultimately the Syrian Druze suffered an October 7^th. In response, the Israeli Druze community, including Member of Knesset, took their cars and crossed the border to stand by their fellow Druze. They didn’t cancel flights they rushed to their aid. Many, who had been separated by the border for 30 years, met family members for the first time and despite their grief and anger, they hugged and celebrated being together. Afterwards they just quietly returned to Israel. As I said, their support and unity with their fellow Druze the other side of the Golan Heights was the ultimate show of unity.

 

The ancient community of Christians in Syria are equally threatened as Churches were attacked.

 

It is the anniversary of the horrific missile attack which killed the children of the Druze village of Majdal Shams in their school playground.

 

Many in the media suggested that Israel destabilised the area. Am I allowed to write Damn them? Attacked from all sides, literally; rockets and missiles from Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and of course Yemen and Iran and Israel destabilised the area? Think about it. It is so carefully choreographed, well planned and the cause of the resentment and anti-Semitism raising its ugly head all over the world. Find out who owns or controls many of the media outlets from print to Facebook. Qatar has one of the highest penetrations of social media in the world. YouTube and Facebook are the most popular platforms. There were 3.1 million internet users by July 2022, with registered users comprising more than 100% of the population. Of course that’s not the excuse for the BBC.

 

It is 20 years since the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, forcibly removed Israeli citizens from Gaza, from Gush Katif. I remember vividly taking Naomi Ragen and Earl Cox for an interview with Ehud Olmert. I went I first to explain who waited outside the door and that they would not be easy interviewers. I suggested a clear reason for the need to get them out and he looked me in the eye when I suggested two words “Pikuach nefesh” and he agreed because to leave them there with the rise of armed Hamas gangs, would have meant a lot of slaughtered Jews. We left, leaving the thriving tomato and flower greenhouses for the Gazans. Former head of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, gave $500,000 of his own money to ensure that the Gazans had a means starting their own economy. In response they burned all the greenhouses to the ground, plus the remaining synagogues.

 

President Trump has stated that, in his opinion. the Israeli courts should stop the prosecution of Prime Minister Netanyahu, which in itself is interference in the legal process of Israel, but this week, in my opinion and the opinion of most thinking Israelis, the line was crossed when the United States Ambassador to Israel, Mime Huckabee, paid a “quick visit to the courtroom to see what goes on”. I wonder what would have happened had the roles been reversed. We are an independent country which receives aid for which we are grateful (even though much of that aid is fed back into the US aeroplane industry), but so do Egypt, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia and other significant recipients include Jordan, Colombia, South Sudan, and Somalia without interference in their internal politics, except Trump’s treatment of Zelensky.

 

A contestant representing Papua Pegunungan in the Miss Indonesia 2025 pageant, Merince Kogoya, has been officially removed from the competition following the circulation of a past video that sparked controversy on social media. The footage, which resurfaced online, shows her raising the Israeli flag, a sign of alignment with Zionist ideology in Indonesia. Her response “I was simply practicing my faith as a follower of Christ, praying and blessing through that symbolic gesture,”

 

One of the biggest sources of the split in Israeli society is the refusal of most the Haredi community to be part of Israeli society, not to stop their way of life, just to believe in the State and to serve in the IDF or something similar. The Haredi conscription law put forward by Yuli Edelstein has, as expected, hit a glitch with the threats of leaving and thus causing the fall of the government. The biggest contention is about who studies the Torah. There are “lomdei Torah” (those who study Torah,  and the “Hahamei Torah” those special, wise men who should be excluded to continue their studies. Those Hahamei Torah are the ones that Ben Gurion intended to study because that is the number Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakai spoke to the Romans, telling them that although they intended destroying Jerusalem that he wanted Jamnia (Yavneh) to build a Jewish learning academy, to keep the Jewish faith alive.  300 Hahamei Torah, not the entire Haredi world.

 

Zohran Mamdani’s father calls suicide bombers ‘soldiers,’ intifada ‘meaningful’. Mahmood Mamdani, the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University, is one of The Gaza Tribunal’s 29-member advisory policy council, alongside former British Labour Party MP Jeremy Corbyn. The organization aims to “awaken civil society to its responsibility and opportunity to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza” by “exerting civil society pressure on governments to act.” Your choice New Yorkers

 

Israeli wheelchair tennis star Guy Sasson reached the pinnacle of his sport over the weekend, capturing the Wimbledon Quad Doubles title alongside Dutch partner Niels Vink in dominant fashion.  In his speech when presented with the cup Guy said “The people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift themselves like a young lion,” a verse that appeared in the weekly portion read that same Sabbath, and which also gave its name to a recent Israeli military operation. “Am Yisrael Chai,” he declared – “The people of Israel live” – drawing loud applause and a flood of emotional messages from Israeli fans and families.

 

Emmanuel Macron. President of France has announced that the 12^th of July is Dreyfuss Day in commemoration of the story of Alfred Dreyfus the Jewish Officer wrongly accused. Here is the full story for those who do not know https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyfus_affair

 

Yesterday, in the Hebrew calendar, it was the 17th of Tammuz which marks the beginning of the Three Weeks, a time of deep mourning in the Jewish soul. It recalls the breach of Jerusalem’s walls and the slow unraveling that led to the destruction of our holy Temples. But beyond the physical loss, our sages teach that it was sinat chinam—baseless hatred—that truly brought about our downfall. During these weeks, as joy is paused and music silenced, we’re called not just to remember the pain of exile, but to heal it—by choosing love over division, kindness over judgment, and unity over hatred.

 

I went to the post office near us to send documents to the British passport office, as always, so much more than just another errand. As I stood in line, I found myself surrounded by people of every colour and creed: Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews, Arabs, men and women in various levels of Religious dress; Ethiopian mothers with toddlers in tow; Russian immigrants and the Israeli children of those whose parents made that brave move and came to Israel; Filipino caregivers patiently waiting, some with and without their “Imas and Abbas”. Hebrew, Arabic, Amharic, Filipino, Russian, the languages swirled around me like a quiet symphony of belonging. In that post office, under the fluorescent lights, I saw a microcosm of a nation — fractured yet bound together, diverse yet sharing the same space, the same wait, the same hopes folded into letters and forms. It stirred something deep in me, a sense of connection, and the quiet beauty of coexistence, however fragile it may be.

 

My friend Rabbi David Greenberg of Bedford, NY State wrote to me this week, with his thoughts. I can’t write all of them because Stanley will complain that the missive is too long, but this paragraph stood out above all the others.

“I’ve said so often that I believe that we Jews walk taller today than at any time in history, not just because we have “made it” in this country, or because of Israel’s “genius” in so many worthy pursuits that are of benefit to humanity.  But I say that we walk taller because we know of Israel’s incredible contributions to the well-being of our world.  We know that at long last we are a people writing our own history and shaping our own future.”

 

Yehoram Gaon is a beloved cultural icon and a living symbol of Jerusalem, whose voice has come to embody the city’s soul. Born in Jerusalem, he rose to fame through songs like "Al Kol Eleh" (of course), capturing Israel’s beauty, history, and longing. A proud Sephardic Jew, Gaon gave voice to Mizrahi heritage and helped bridge cultural divides in Israeli society, especially in the wonderful movie Kazablan (the scene with the gefilte fish had the audience rolling in the aisles). Through music, film, and public life, he has become a timeless representative of Jerusalem’s diverse spirit and enduring heart. There is now an exhibition of his life in Jerusalem, well deserved, so I thought it appropriate to give you three of his best known songs this week. Incidentally when I was living in London and working in Hillel House I used to put his music on very loud so that all the student wound up singing through the hallways!!!

 

“Shalom lach Eretz Nehederet” Hello beautiful country – is one of my very favourites. See for yourselves https://youtu.be/__oEmwpEmTc?si=VRmFJbCj6oWo8ZFQ

 

“Lo Tenatzchu Oti” you won’t beat me, not so fast – a song in which Yehoram Gaon is joined by IDF choirs. Love it. https://youtu.be/t7mcRkXyTjA?si=HJ41ACIzTsP7oniB

 

Anyone who has ever taken part in Israeli dance groups has undoubtedly danced to the song “Od Lo Ahavti Di”, I have not yet loved enough. The words are wonderful but since I don’t want to bore you. I am giving you a link to them https://www.hebrewsongs.com/song-odloahavtidai.htm  The Refrain:
My love is incomplete. But the wind and the sun are still on my face. My words are incomplete
Oh when shall they come together? https://youtu.be/V4QSoLFj-NM?si=dvcBTpcJKbAjiZiB

 

Almost Shabbat, time to wind down, to let one’s brain rest. The Shabbat traditions that I love so much bring a feeling of peace and love, with candles, songs, and quiet moments shared with family. It’s a time to slow down, feel connected, and let the heart rest. I wish you  a peaceful heart despite the insanity of our world, spend one day in a cocoon of good thoughts to prepare you for the week ahead.

 

I send you love from our home to yours and from the veranda and the view over Jerusalem. I will now take a drink outside to watch the tsufiot (sunbirds) flit from flower to flowers, their tiny wings fluttering so fast they seem to stand still, their tweets sweet as they sip nectar and the males iridescent black plumage changing colour in the sunshine.

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends. Do write and tell me what you are doing this Shabbat.

Sheila

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not the End

11^th July 2025

 

 

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends. A strange Shabbat, rather like all the Shabbatot for the last 643 days. We are sad, even as we dance; we are sad even as we laugh. The deepest sadness is caused by the knowledge that the world was ready to take our grief and blame us for the ills of their world, lauding the oppressor and calling for our demise.

 

Gosh that was quite a beginning. As this missive continues, I promise to try and lift all our spirits, because so many good things are happening, but when synagogues are burned and Jewish restaurants targetted we know something is wrong, horribly wrong.

 

When the ancient graduation ceremony of Cambridge University is disrupted by young graduates who refuse to take the hand of the Proctor and pull out a Palestinian flag and wave it in his face, then the wrong has reached a very dangerous level.

 

While in the Knesset, former Speaker Yuli Edelstein’s proposed conscription law was yet again attempted, yet again procrastination by the PM held it back, five beautiful soldiers of the Haredi battle unit lost their lives in Gaza. They fell victims to yet another Hamas booby-trap. Moshe Shmuel Noll, Meir Shimon Amar, Moshe Nissim Frech, Noam Aharon Musgadian, and Benyamin Asulin. May their souls rest in peace. Fourteen others were injured in the ambush. Their families mourn as we mourn with them, but, I am ashamed to say that Naturei Karta’s, Frey, a convicted terrorist, proclaimed that the world is better without them. It is fascinating that all of the heroes of the Bible and those who closely followed the laws, believed in fighting to survive, from Bar Kochba to Yehuda Maccabee. Maimonides was a physician, in fact all of these who studied the Torah so intensely and provided us with explanations, all worked at other professions. I’m sure you can see where my train of thought is taking me, albeit with my usual lateral thinking; there is no reason, in Jewish Law, that one is proscribed from working and defending one’s country.  In fact, Maimonides wrote “In Thy eternal Providence, Thou hast chosen me to watch over the life and health of Thy creatures. I am now prepared to devote myself to the duties of my profession. Support me, Almighty God, in this great work to do good to men, for without Thy financial aid nothing I do will succeed”. In other words, he chose to work, earn money to fund his healing.

 

As you probably know, yesterday, at about 05:00, we had yet another wake up call from the Houthis. Not the kindest way to wake up with that awful grating sound of warning and then the siren over the phone and then outside in the village. What you may not know is that they, the Houthis, blew up a Greek ship, in fact sank two ships this week. At least 5 dead and several missing. They board like the pirates they are, capture the crew, place the explosives and run, like the cowards they are, leaving the ship to sink with the crew. They are the last remaining proxy of the Iranian Axis of Evil, although Turkey would love to join!

 

Having a Doctorate or being a Professor of Medicine doesn’t make you clever! The British Medical Association is considering an embargo on their Israeli counterpart! Idiots! Our most important research is in the medical sphere and we are the best in the world.

 

Did you know that Saddam Hussein offered to kill the Ayatollah Khomeini? Just imagine! What did the Allies do? We killed Saddam Hussein instead.

 

Remember. At 8.52 a.m. on 7 July, 2005, a 999 call came into the London Ambulance Service control room reporting an explosion at Liverpool Street station. Dozens of calls followed and within minutes a major incident was declared. Suicide bombers had targeted the commuters during the morning rush hour. Fifty-two people died and more than 700 were injured in one of the worst terrorist attacks on British soil. 

 

As so many times in the past, the person in front of you gets the Nobel Prize for Peace while those who are no longer in the limelight are pushed aside. The most obvious example is President Obama, who received the honour almost as he stepped into the Oval Office! The name of Donald Trump has been put forward as this year’s recipient, and I am not arguing with that, although there are many more war situations and dire oppression in many parts of the world which are ignored by all, but President Joseph Biden deserves to share the prize. Under huge pressure from his own party he supported Israel militarily, financially and morally. What a forgetful society we are.

 

“Feeding people is the most Christian thing you can do.” That’s how Johnnie Moore, the evangelical leader now overseeing the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, summed up his mission—one that has delivered over 10 million food boxes to Gazans in just five weeks, even as Hamas attacks, UN criticism, and a second regional war tried to derail it. The UN has acted like a mafia when it comes to controlling the food in Gaza. They fueled a system for years that suppressed the people of Gaza. We’re disrupting that.” Moore added that the foundation has evidence Hamas is now targeting aid recipients—stealing food from civilians after they collect it.

 

OK time for some good news!

 

Sasha Trobonov, released from captivity after 498 days, is engaged! He proposed to his girlfriend and partner Sapir Cohen this week! Sapir was also held captive by Hamas for 55 days. The two were kidnapped together from Sasha's family home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7^th

 

A group of 15 Muslim leaders from across Europe arrived in Israel on Monday for a week-long peace-building trip. ⁠On their first day in the country, the delegation, which included representatives from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, as well as the UK, met Israeli President Isaac Herzog before visiting the Knesset and touring the Old City of Jerusalem. ⁠ Imam Youssef Masbeh recited Hatikva.

 

The United States Congress has introduced a bill to sanction the South African leaders. Anti-American and anti-Israel rhetoric and actions. Among the reasons - Abusing international legal forums to attack Israel. Supporting terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Building strategic military and economic ties with the Iranian regime. The intention is to cut all U.S. development aid to the ANC-led government, and freeze the assets and block travel of high-ranking political figures who promote or enable anti-Semitic and anti-Western actions. This is not hypothetical. It has started, at long last.

 

Did you know that “God Bless America" was written by a Jew? Irving Berlin wrote it during World War I in 1918 and revised it in the run-up to World War II in 1938. The later version became the National Song, sung at every sports meet and grand occasion.

 

They may not be your favourite politicians but President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have been meeting, almost all the meetings in camera, multiple times, trying to unravel the knotted problem of Gaza, of the hostages and of course the elephant that was in the room for so many years, Iran. I wish them well because this goes far beyond politics, far beyond the abilities of diplomats, it needs leaders who are ready to make a great deal of noise.

 

Last night was a huge celebration here on our project. In the manner of builders and salespeople of any new project, we were promised a library, coffee shop, meeting rooms and so in the exquisite building at our heart. Of course nothing happened until last night! A young couple have opened a wellness centre in the old convalescence home of the Histadrut (Union) and it opened with all of the residents of the area being invited to a wonderful event, beginning in the area in front of the building, then up into the refurbished stairs to the second floor for a second event and finally music. High time and much appreciated even if we lose our extra parking spots!!   

 

It happened, two nights ago!! The wonderful concert of the choir, with Zvi introducing them,then singing loud and clear; the concert that Zvi has been rehearsing for weeks and weeks. His conductor is Ronit Banit who succeeds in getting the best of everyone with kindness and excellence and it was stupendous! The programme was wide, from Handel to West Side Story to the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco. The concert was held in the beautiful concert hall of the YMCA, my favourite building in Jerusalem! The only negative of the evening was that for some unknown reason their coffee shop was closed! After the concert we went with our in-laws, Menashe and Galia, to find a restaurant, which we did and had a delicious, high quality meal. Obviously, we discussed the current situation, but we disagreed without insults, just discussed, as it should be. Delighted with the whole evening, we crept home to sleep!

 

Israel is a land where strength and the love of life are deeply intertwined—a place where every sunrise feels like a triumph and every laugh echoes with meaning. Born from struggle and shaped by courage, its people live with a fire in their hearts: dancing, creating, dreaming—even in the shadow of hardship. There’s a fierce, tender beauty in how Israelis hold joy close, celebrate every moment, and cling to hope with unshakable resolve. In every corner of this small, vibrant country beats a soul that refuses to give up on life, on love, or on tomorrow

 

And then comes Shabbat, like a gentle exhale—a sacred pause where time slows, hearts open, and the soul remembers what it means to truly live.

 

One of my favourite songs, and one of my favourite singers, is “Sailing” by Rod Stewart. It is a favourite in our family too for very special reasons. It says it all https://youtu.be/FOt3oQ_k008?si=hEpDqvheh49SnsNx

 

The Shabbat prayer from Fiddler on the Roof. My grandchildren went to see the show in London and were fascinated. https://youtu.be/RH3xL8H8tu4?si=c5l4FrLwfJqCzeAL   

 

The last song has a story! When Zvi was a teenager in Mexico, when his parents were shlichim (emissaries) to the Jewish School, the friends he made then are still his friends until today. Many visit us in Israel and Zvi spends hours on Whatsapp with them explaining the situation here in Spanish. Among those friends are Raquel and Ber Oberfeld. Raquel wrote to Zvi to tell him of one song, her favourite written by their Chazan, Meir Finkelstein. It is call “L’Dor V’Dor” which means from Generation to Generation, surely the greatest motto of our times. Here it is sung, in the original Hebrew, by a children’s choir in a Methodist Church in Pasadena, and a truly magnificent rendition it is. https://youtu.be/RmjXStk75Rk?si=WzShvWgGT0djKruB

“We are gifts and we are blessings, we are history in song We are hope and we are healing, we are learning to be strong

We are words and we are stories, we are pictures of the past

We are carriers of wisdom, not the first and not the last

From generation to generation, we will tell of Your greatness

We protect this chain

From generation to generation these lips will praise Your name

Looking back on the journey that we carry in our heart

From the shadow of the mountain to the waters that would part

We are blessed and we are holy, we are children of Your way And the words that bring us meaning, we will have the strength to say”

 

Surely a song for all religions of peace, for all of us irrespective of how we pray, what language we pray in and to which direction we face. There are good and bad in all religions, but the truly evil are those who take away a child’s right to childhood through hate teaching. Let’s keep teaching love, teaching tolerance and acceptance of those who differ from us, be it their skin colour, their mode of dress, and remember just because someone is tattooed with a rasta hairstyle doesn’t mean that they are not a fantastic, fascinating human being!!

 

Sending you love for a peaceful Shabbat. Love from the most wonderful, spiritual city in the world!

 

Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

This too will pass

 

4^th of July, 2025

 

Shabbat Shalom! A happy Fourth of July

 

I hope this missive finds you well.

 

Finally, yesterday, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife Sarah, went to visit Kibbutz Nir Oz. Kibbutz Nir Oz, an agricultural community right on the border with Gaza, suffered the worst of all the diabolical attacks by Hamas on the 7^th of October, 2023, 636 days since Hamas slaughtered and kidnapped one quarter of the members, men, women, children, old, young, in a most cacodemonic, barbarous attack seen in modern times

 

Einav Zangauker. Mother of Matan 24, who was kidnapped from his Nir Oz home by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 and has been held hostage in Gaza ever since, 636 days, Einav has been one of the most outspoken demonstrators against the government and Prime Minister Netanyahu. We can’t imagine the pain and anguish that she lives with every single day. One could imagine Einav unleashing a public display of her anger and grief, and no one could blame her for it, but the opposite happened. Einav embraced the prime minister and his wife in a moment of strength, dignity and unity.

 

They were guided by Gadi Mozes, the truly magnificent 80 year old gentleman, who after 482 days of dire captivity by Hamas, has only one concern on his mind, to rebuild Nir Oz. Gadi, a farmer, expert in growing potatoes, discovered that his partner Efrat Katz, and her daughter, had been murdered right outside their front door.

 

My emotions are confused. The PM was shown the destruction, but in a very sanitized form after over 20 months, but he should have been there at the beginning, to see the bloodstained walls, the burned cars, the stench, the tragedy in its deepest form.

 

I wish I didn’t have to tell you about the next incident, and I am deeply ashamed of the young hooligans, nay terrorists who claim religion as their raison d’etre, not only attack, burn and destroy the crops of local Arabs but now began to attack IDF soldiers who protect them. IDF soldiers were beaten and even choked by the rioters, with several soldiers and an officer lightly wounded by the end of the incident. These young men have no concept of Judaism, of acceptance of what Israel is, in fact they drove their cars on Shabbat to perform their ghastly acts. I am ashamed of them and believe they should be sent to jail alongside all the other terrorists. Sadly they are encouraged by Ben Gvir and Smotrich who is responsible for internal security.

 

And so to the world, the big wide world which is not looking pretty for us. Glastonbury, a festival that spoke of love has become a symbol of hatred and we are reminded of days gone by when anti-Semitism had a different face, when good manners hid an innate dislike of anyone who was not like us. Jews didn’t have the advantage of a romanticized appearance because we didn’t and don’t have a uniform, unlike so many other “exotic” religions and regions, yet we are different, yet so very similar. Millenia of persecution has taught us to find solutions, we really don’t have problems that we can’t solve, however slowly. Perhaps that resilience is what draws hatred. Who knows but now New York, that symbol of fast action openness is facing the possibility of the election of a racist, supporter of Hamas, as Mayor!  I’m not sure how you face that one. I could go on but you all know what I’m talking about. Maybe going back to the days of Peter Stuyvesant who tried to ban Jews from New Amsterdam.

 

Education. As you know education is the top of my list for change, indeed it is the reason I chose to chair Impact-se (www.impact-se.org ) because although we may not have control over what our children learn at home, we can at least help them to judge what is the truth. That is not an option for children in Gaza or indeed in the Palestinian Authority. Watch this video (I hope you have Instagram) https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLpsiJuOdco/?igsh=MTRuamczcWY3d3Z5Nw%3D%3D and see the surprise and dismay on the faces of young people in the USA when they see the education in those areas.

 

Peace? Peace is a tough one, truce is better and cease fire is possible. If you remember there are at least three stages to “shalom or salaam” in the Moslem tradition. Hudna, Salaam and Sulch (cease fire, a longer ceasefire which can be considered as peace and finally forgiveness). Right now, we are praying for an agreement between Israel and Hamas, it is all over the news but we have been disappointed so many times. Many nations are working on an agreement, led by President Trump. I happen to believe that there is hope in a meeting between representatives of both the USA and Iran too, in fact, I believe that in the middle of a very dark period there is a glimmer of hope. Unpublished and only just happened, an Israeli team went to Damascus to meet with Syrian officials towards reaching a ceasefire agreement with Syria and her inclusion in the Abraham Accords. Oman has announced their interest in joining the Abraham Accords too. Isn’t it odd that the countries in our region want to open their hearts to new allies while the West gets deeper and deeper into antagonism.

 

I heard a story today, a truly magnificent story. One of my favourite childhood memories (I can’t remember if I told you) was every morning I would stand under my Daddy’s Talit (prayer shawl) as he said the morning prayers with the tefillin (Phylacteries) on his head and hand. He would say the prayers and I would say the Shema. This story brought back so many sweet memories I had to tell you.

 

As missiles rained down on Israel, a spark was reignited 5,000 miles away. Rabbi Levi Lezell of Chabad of the South Shore got a call. Philip Levin, a 98-year-old former NASA engineer, wanted to see a rabbi. “I drifted from it all,” he told Rabbi Lezell. “But when the attacks in Israel started, it all came rushing back, the fear, the hate. I remembered getting beaten on the school bus just for being Jewish.” The Rabbi asked if he’d like to put on tefillin. “I’ve never had the chance,” Philip replied. As the straps were gently wrapped, he whispered: “I remember these. My father used to put them on every morning before milking the cows.”  At 98 years old, Philip had his bar mitzvah, because the Jewish soul never fades.

 

Talking of missiles raining down, Rachel and I sat out on our veranda this week, chatting laughing telling stories, so happy that the war with Iran was over, when to our utter amazement, the extremely loud  “hatra’a” the warning sounds came over our cellphones, an incoming rocket in our area! The warning was quickly followed by the siren on our phones and then the siren in the area. Rachel, Zvi and I were back in the safe room, Rachel trying to find out where her family was and if they are near a shelter! The world has to understand that the Houthis answer to no-one, receive arms from Iran (perhaps that dried up) and attack British and American cargo ships like the pirates they are. The Houthis have destroyed Yemen and no threats matter because death is not a deterrent. However, there is a positive angle even to that missile! For the very first time it was shot down, neutralized by the brand new laser intervention. A few dollars instead of tens of thousands.

 

Our lovely friend Adrian Davis sent me an article from the Telegraph, a very important British newspaper. One paragraph struck me and it could relate to just about everywhere. It related to the changing face of Britain which is turning it from a polite, tolerant and very British society to an angry one. I repeat what I have always said - now I am ashamed of Britain, but perhaps no more than I am ashamed of Canada, Australia, the USA and most of the European countries, but Britain? The British always stood up for its British character, its openness and accepting of those who differ, but no more. Weak, uninterested and complacent Brits have allowed a cancerous growth to metastasise and eat away at that wonderful Britishness. So sad

 

Well, that made us miserable so I really need to change tune but sometimes it is hard!

 

How about this? Just a week after their lab was destroyed by an Iranian missile, Israeli scientists published a discovery that would revolutionise cancer detection. Researchers at the Weizmann Institute developed a simple blood test that can predict leukemia years in advance, no painful bone marrow biopsy needed. It almost didn’t happen, because the missile strike hit the very building where the research was underway. But the samples survived. And so might millions of lives. This test doesn’t just detect early signs of leukemia, it also picks up on risk factors for heart disease, dementia, and other age-related illnesses. You just can’t keep us down, we will always rise again.

 

I want to tell you a very Israeli, or maybe just a very Jerusalem story. I have a beautiful ring that was my late mothers, given to her 88 years ago by my father. It has two interchangeable sides and sadly the rings which allow the changeover wore out with time. I took it to the only jewellers that everyone trusts, Meltzer’s on a tiny road between the thoroughfare of Jaffa Road and the Russian compound. The shop is barely the size of a box room and is absolutely filled to the very doorposts with customers. I went with Zvi to collect my ring and he was staggered at the turnover! The shop was started by Zacharia Meltzer z”l and run by his children, everything in there is on trust. Repairs are kept in little white envelopes with the first name of the owner, no written records, and when I asked them to just tweak the fastener on a bracelet, they sent us away for half an hour, the ring on my hand, nothing paid, no name given and absolute trust in place. The old values still hold, the noise and bustle of once upon a time are apparent and it is an adventure to go there and watch young couples choose their engagement rings, new mothers their maternity rings and everyone knows that they can rely on Meltzer’s to be honest.

 

Gosh I have so many stories but it’s time to get ready for Shabbat. Zvi’s wonderful cousins Yossi and Rachel are coming from Kfar Saba and will stay overnight: Ora and Avner and our neighbour Hannah is coming with her newlywed daughter and husband to lighten the evening with fun stories of their honeymoon. We will eat outside; the balmy Jerusalem evenings are perfect for outdoor dining. A light meal is definitely in order and in this case a gluten free and mostly lactose free menu is demanded. It’s so easy once you know how! Before anyone gets to sit down they must have a tour of the “estate”. Quite apart from all the trees which I describe ad nauseum, the tomato and sweet pepper plants are about to produce, the butternut squash is slowly creeping across the floor, the strawberries are thriving and the newest addition, baby loquat trees from my friend Averil, are getting nicely settled in. OK I have to tell you that the apple tree has the most delicious apples ever!!!

 

This week I decided to create a Koolulam festival! When searching the net for great songs for you, I realised that all and every one of their songs are the epitome of hope.

 

That so very Israeli expression Yihyeh Tov – It will be good – is translated into a wonderful song. https://youtu.be/Vz0nzie4uFw?si=83OPeVtM57YNUvgu

 

The next one is dedicated to the hostages, both the traumatised who returned and those still in horrific captivity.  Sung to the Madonna song Like a prayer Bring them home https://youtu.be/6y2laYXcBdU?si=CS5M5W4hyrXBkQKT

 

One Day we will be left in peace. One day we will live life in the sun. One Day by Matisyahu sung in the exquisite YMCA in Jerusalem. No more war, no more bloodshed. Amen https://youtu.be/AHEAG0Fsgxg?si=Zz4gYhfIIXmPvxH6

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends. I have to repeat that writing to you is so important to me and I hope that you feel the same way. Do write to me, I love hearing from you, knowing how you are and what you think.

 

Be well, be safe, this too will pass.

With love

 

Sheila