19th of September 2025
26th of the Hebrew month of Ellul 5785
713 days since October 7th 2023
20 hostages barely alive in Hamas hell
Shabbat Shalom and very nearly the start of 5786.
With your permission I want to start by quoting my friend and
mentor Rabbi Jeremy Rosen in his thoughts on Rosh Hashana.
“Rosh Hashanah symbolizes the evolution of the Jewish people
and Israel, unlike any other holy days. The harvest festivals were all
celebrated years before the Israelites appeared on earth. And they were adopted
and adapted. But what we now call Rosh Hashana is different. It was based
on the Babylonian ‘King’s Day’ on the First of the Babylonian month of Tishrei.
Indeed, all the months we now name in the Hebrew calendar were borrowed from
Babylonia. But Rosh Hashana is unique in what it tells us about politics and
Judaism’s contribution to the evolution of democracy. Torah represents the dawn
of egalitarian thought.
It is in the books of the Torah regardless of when they were
written 3,300 years ago on Sinai, or merely 2,500 in Babylon. Either way, it is
well before Greece and Athens, that we find the world’s first blueprint for a
social and religious order that seeks to lessen stratification and hierarchy,
and to place an unprecedented emphasis on the well-being and status of the
common person.” I strongly recommend Jeremy’s weekly lesson you can find it on https://www.jeremyrosen.org/
Selichot or penitential prayers are said in the period before Rosh
Hashana. Each night thousands go to the Western Wall to recite the prayers. https://youtu.be/wK8RPuQrYiM?si=9xh-cA5nia2ILJpz
We say happy new year but in fact Rosh Hashanah is the first day of
the 7th month of the Hebrew Calendar. Just another enigma never to
be solved!!
Today I’m not going to write about Spain sliding back into its own form
of Spanish Inquisition, or about New Zealand, Australia, Canada, parts of the
UK and so much of Europe where antisemitism is rising again and making life for
Jews and Christians uncomfortable. Too many inherited memories bring out long
forgotten fears and most governments are incapable or unwilling to stop the
flow of hate-speech.
Yet another four soldiers were killed yesterday in the fighting in
Gaza. Omri, Eran, Eitan and Ron (z”l) will not be home for Shabbat and two
guards, Yizhak and Oran (z”l) were killed at the Allenby crossing by a
Jordanian driving a Gaza aid truck and so the sadness of war continues and the
hostages return is not in sight.
Perhaps because of Rosh Hashana, but mostly because I want to tell
you about someone who gave me hope. On Wednesday the Friends of the Jerusalem
Symphony organised a trip down to Kibbutz Re’em, to the site of the Nova
Festival and Zvi and I joined the tour as Friends. I often talk about “the
power of one,” how each and every one of us can make a difference. There we met
Amir Chodorov. Out of his distress, and his determination to honour the young
people murdered after a night of dancing, he built the memorial at the Nova
Festival Site. In a world full of noise and hate, what he did is a small but
shining light, and a reminder that each of us can make a difference. Amir was
our guide and he was joined by Jojo Rabia who lost two sons and his daughter in
law on that fateful night and found solace in helping Amir create the site.
Amir Chodorov, an F16 pilot for 25 years in the IDF, is also
an exceptional photographer, turning photographs into art. He had an idea of
how to create an appropriate memorial for those for whom the music stopped at
06:29 on the 7th of October, 2023. It began with posts with the
photographs of each of the young people who were slaughtered but without a time
of death, on the back of each photograph it simply said the names of their
family members and who they were. Slowly but surely the site has grown, thousands
of ceramic red calaniot – anemones or windflowers – fill the empty spaces and for
each pole the families made a little garden of anemones. Somehow, through his
exceptional determination to give the families, he gave us, all of us a place
to mourn and simultaneously to remember the music. So many stories of
incredible heroism as young people returned time and again to rescue others. https://www.amirchodorov.com/october-7th-2023/
As we headed home Zvi made a request that we stop at the cars. What
cars? Pile after pile of burnt out cars riddled with gunfire and blow half
apart, nigh on a kilometre of them and to the front, a dozen cars with the
names and photos of the young people killed by the barbaric, rabid Hamas
terrorists.
It is five years since the signing of the Abraham Accords and
Impact-se’s CEO Marcus Sheff wrote – “The Abraham Accords must be preserved and
expanded, and curricula reform must remain at the heart of regional policy. For
Israel and the Jewish world, there is no greater guarantee of safety,
prosperity, and coexistence than ensuring future generations across the
region learn tolerance and not hate. The transformations already seen in the
UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt demonstrate that textbooks can be remodelled
from tools of indoctrination into bridges of understanding and partnership.
Meanwhile, textbooks in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and
Kazakhstan indicate that eliminating hate and teaching balanced narratives
about Jews and Israel can pave the way for long-term future partnerships.” I am
so proud to Chair the Impact-se Vaad
Interestingly enough, all of our agreements with our neighbours, Camp
David, Oslo and the Abraham Accords, whether successful or less so, were signed
in September.
Eylon Levy posted - British journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer @juliahb_1 visited Israel and
left inspired. “We have much to learn from Israel and time is fast running out
for us to learn those lessons.” Listen to her words, not only her admiration
for Israel, she talks about Britain but it applies to where you live too https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOoRT3JiF0w/?igsh=cHp5N2g3Y2U5cDZv
I have to apologise for something I wrote two weeks ago. I did not
under any circumstance condone the killing of Charlie Kirk, I roundly condemn
the heinous act. What I meant was that I did not agree with many of his
policies but is our world so wicked that we kill those with whom we disagree?
On Sunday Zvi and his choir gave an outstanding performance, sadly
without my presence since I was already sickening for a rotten cough. Anyway,
he was cheered on by Yosef and Talia (our grandchildren), Shai’ela and Ilana
and our special guests Earl and Kathleen Cox. Earl and Kathleen are extra
special people, devout Christians who love Israel above all else. Earl is a broadcaster
and Kathleen is not only his amazing wife but she keeps everything going
smoothly. They are regulars here in Jerusalem, Earl is a familiar face to all
the Rabbis at the Western Wall where he prays frequently. They are rare and
special people and we are proud to call them friend.
And so we near the High Holy Days, also known as Chagei Tishrei,
the festivals of the month of Tishrei. We wish each other a Good Year, a Shana
Tova and the most important blessing to wish others is to say “May you be
inscribed in the Book of Life” which I admit that I find a little bit harsh since
I fear that if I forget to say it I am condemning them to……… well you know what
I mean. The most important aspect is to express regret for harm done to others.
I know that I have mentioned this before, indeed anyone who was my student in
the Hebrew classes in Reading heard it every year, but we beg the Almighty’s
forgiveness for all sins (with the rider that we don’t repeat them) except for
one. The one exception is if we publicly shame another person. In that case we
must beg forgiveness from that person and if after thrice begging they refuse
to accept our plea, the sin reverts to them. It is so incredibly wise.
What are my wishes or prayers for the coming year? Gosh I have to
be careful what I say now because number one on my list is a new, level headed
government, extremes don’t work for anyone; I want the world to understand that
their politicians are not looking out for them, they are looking out for
themselves and the votes of the biggest electoral grouping; I want every
country to adopt the revised schoolbooks, the teaching of tolerance to the
other, in fact I want us all to practice tolerance; I want journalists to
report rather than opine and I do wish they would listen to each other instead
of preparing their next point; I want to see as many friends as possible,
really see them and be with them; I desperately want to see my grandchildren; I
want a healthy world for them, for our grandchildren to grow up in.
If, at any time I have offended you by what I wrote, please forgive
me, it wasn’t intentional. You are so important to me.
Since I always write about my mirpesset (Veranda of course) this
song seems so appropriate. What do you think? https://youtu.be/5WsWouCsbaQ?si=lxZmSh2wWnBEjvn8
As you know I love Shlomo Artzi and this son, which he sings with
his son, tells a story of our beautiful land, the history that keeps repeating
itself https://youtu.be/qgqd2VB3TA8?si=Dj1D0ms666GSucNn
With all the troubles our world is going through, we sometimes
forget to look up at the sky, to watch a sunrise or sunset and see a bird
darting in and out of the flowers. Louis
Armstrong never forgot. https://youtu.be/VqhCQZaH4Vs?si=tKmEoFQMS6BX2bR_
I send you blessings from the most incredible city in the world. I
wish you love and the ability to see beauty everywhere
Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova
Sheila
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