6th February, 2026
19th Shvat, 5786
Shabbat Shalom. I hope that this missive finds you all well, after
all where would I be without you to tell you of our worries and joys?
The stand-off we are living through, between a power defined by
scale, technology and modernity and another driven by religious absolutism, brings
to mind the early Cold War in unsettling ways; indeed, I can’t get it out of my
mind. Those of a certain age remember the Kennedy years: history seemed to hold
its breath as families watched the news on their black-and-white televisions or
sat close to their radios, waiting to hear whether the world would slide into
catastrophe. Today feels eerily familiar. Allies are aligned, ships and
aircraft are in position, troops on standby, prepared for war while fervently
hoping that their acts of deterrence hold. When the immediate danger passed,
Kennedy issued a warning rather than a reassurance, observing that “the
complacent, the self-indulgent, the soft societies are about to be swept away
with the debris of history”. It is a sentence that resonates with even
greater force now.
I’m Israeli-British and I have to admit that the Super Bowl
doesn’t have the same ring as the Ashes (cricket) or the 6 Nations (rugby), but
I realise that it is a major cultural event in the United States and that advertisements
shown during the game are of paramount importance. That is why Robert Kraft’s
Blue Square Alliance ad is so important; it emphasises the unthinking cruelty
of antisemitism and reaches those who would never consider watching something
that reaches so deeply into American society. The advertisement points out that a terrifying
2 out of 3 Jewish American schoolchildren have encountered antisemitism https://youtu.be/YgOkCFGNeTE?si=cEfIiEQzGo0n-bAg
Every single day this year, an Israeli Arab under the age of
30 has been killed in criminal violence. This is not a statistic; it is a
national emergency. The government’s inaction has been deafening, leaving
entire communities exposed and lives treated as disposable. That is why Israeli
Arabs and Jews are now standing together in quiet demonstrations, demanding
action, real policing, real protection, and real accountability. Silence is no
longer neglect; it is complicity.
Something is profoundly wrong in the way a
small group of young extremists are interpreting Judaism. Their actions bear no
relation to Jewish teaching or values and, in their cruelty and extremism,
disturbingly resemble the methods of Islamist terrorists. The so-called Hilltop
Youth are attacking ordinary people Arab farmers, goatherders, Bedouin and
villagers, burning homes and vehicles, assaulting individuals, stealing
livestock and destroying olive groves. This is not religious devotion; it is
lawlessness dressed up as faith, and it should trouble anyone who cares about
Judaism, justice or the rule of law. Again, the inaction of the police is complicit
with their inexorable behaviour.
I have a question that should trouble every
right-thinking human being. Where is the outrage from the self-appointed,
armchair champions of human rights when the Iranian regime murders thousands of
its own people? Where were they when a Syrian despot slaughtered half a million
of his citizens? Who marches for the Igbo, the Kurds, or Nigerian Christians?
Where are the crowds who deface monuments, chant slogans, and scream fury, especially
those who cannot even name the river or the sea they shout about? The answer is
painfully simple: none of these crimes involve Israel or Jews. Their supposed
concern for human rights collapses under the weight of its own dishonesty. What
remains is not compassion, but a prejudice so deeply embedded that it blinds
them to every atrocity except the one that allows them to indulge their
antisemitism.
While Qatar presents itself as an “honest broker” in the
region, a new IMPACT-se report shows that for the fourth consecutive year its
school textbooks remain unchanged, steeped in antisemitism, jihad, the
glorification of martyrdom, hostility to non-Muslims, and the denial of
Israel’s right to exist. The US State Department’s 2024 Report on International
Religious Freedom explicitly condemned this material, citing IMPACT-se, yet
Qatar simply reprinted the same books. This toxic culture is reflected at the
highest level: Qatar’s current education minister publicly mourned senior Hamas
leaders. Even as Qatari children are taught hatred at home, Qatar markets
itself to the gullible West as a responsible diplomatic and economic partner,
pouring billions into US education, the largest foreign funder, in a deeply
troubling contradiction.
Yesterday I drove to Givat Ze’ev to spend some time with Rachel.
The journey should be a pleasure: the road is easy, the views extraordinary,
Jerusalem spread out below as you pass Samuel’s Tomb, from which, they say, you
can see not only the fabulous panorama of Jerusalem but all the way to the sea.
And then my mood changes. As the road drops towards Givat Ze’ev, Ramallah and
its sprawling suburbs press into the hills, vast building projects rising
unchecked right up to the fence, well past the imposed no man’s land. The
contrast is jarring, and infuriating. On our side of the fence, even the
smallest construction is endlessly scrutinised and condemned by countries that
have never bothered to come here to see what is actually happening. Such
hypocrisy simply plays into the hands of the Palestinian Authority.
Young Israelis have a tendency to set off on their travels after their
army service or Sherut Leumi (public service). No European Culture tours for
them, they set off on adventures in South America (the favourite), Thailand,
Vietnam and other wonderful new experiences. My granddaughter, Talia, is off on
her adventure, intending to travel around South America where Habad provides
housing and food all over the continent. As one does, I decided to let one of
my favourite people know that Talia was going to be in Panama and I was
absolutely blown away by the open house that Sally and Gabriel Safdie provided
to Talia and even a few of her friends. Such warmth and generosity is rare and
our gratitude absolute. Sally is the epitome of “Eshet Chayil” “Woman of Valour"
or "Woman of Strength." Originating from Proverbs, it is a poem
praising a woman for her wisdom, kindness, industriousness, and strength,
rather than just domestic virtue. Most of all she has become a trusted
friend to Talia.
Zvi and I decided to go for a walk. We were rushed off our feet
this week but nonetheless, seeing the number of cars parked near the path to
the now overflowing reservoir we felt there must be something extraordinary to
see. We set off, crossing the winding road to our home; actually I must
digress, partly because I haven’t done so in this missive and partly because it
is important to the story. OK Let me start again from the beginning. The
village of Motza, the current one not the thousands of years old settlement,
consisted of just a few farmers when Theordore Herzl came to enjoy the pure air
with his friend David Woolfson, and the road that ran through the village,
which was also the road or rather route to Jerusalem barely existed. As time
went on and the village grew the road and its winding, hair-pin bends took on
the name of Sheva Achiot, or seven sisters due to the seven aforementioned hairpins.
Now back to the intended walk. We crossed Sheva Achiot and went through the
gate to the somewhat rocky path, with me hanging on to Zvi to keep myself steady.
The path was covered in almond trees, their fragrant blossom lifting our spirits
and among the rocks at the side were beautiful pink Rakafot (wild cyclamen). We
passed other walkers, always greeting each other with a “Shalom isn’t it
wonderful” until we came to the vista point. Funny really, it has become famous
after being chosen as one of Israel’s most beautiful views, but it just consists
of an old rusty bench under the shade of fir trees. It really is stunning, to
sit there, a light breeze catching the movement of the trees and lo and behold,
the lake below us. The rains of the last few weeks have filled the reservoir,
overflowing the dam and providing a view from a place of complete peace. It is
worth the difficult (for me) walk just to sit and find a quietness in the green
and beautiful view, knowing that there is still a place for sanity in this
world.
On Monday the residents of Motza Illit were paid a visit by
President Isaac “Bougie” Herzog to plant his tree in the Avenue of Presidents
right under our veranda, appropriately because Monday was Tu b’Shvat, the 15th
day of the Hebrew month of Shvat and the New Year for Trees. Almost all the
Presidents of Israel have trees planted in the Avenue of the Presidents,
following in the footsteps of Theordore Herzl and David Woolfson because
planting a tree represents hope for the future and expresses a sense of permanency
and intimacy with the land. The initial planting represented threat to Haj Amin
al Husseini, who later supported Hitler, that the “King of the Jews” had
planted a tree and under cover of night he cut the tree down and the stump
remains. The founder of Bezalel
Academy of Arts and Design , Professor Boris Shatz, decided to
recover the trunk of the tree and give it a formal burial. Sadly nobody knows
where it is buried so that story remains legend. My goodness I made up for the
former lack of diversion! The
festivities began in the beautiful “Big House” which is now a wellness clinic,
started by a mother who lost her child on October 7th. We sat in the
beautiful theatre as the President spoke and received a framed award and then
enjoyed refreshments (of course) before walking down the steps to the planting.
An exciting week, and one in which music, as always, played a huge
part. It isn’t just the fact that Zvi sings in two choirs, his beautiful, rich
bass baritone in demand, for me music is memories, music brings back so many
wonderful events and family gatherings that I don’t think I could manage
without it. My car has suddenly discovered Spotify, how only heaven knows, but
I must say that the choice of music is strangely appropriate! Mostly 60’s I
find myself singing along as I drive back and fore on the wide highway between
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The Vietnam war and the deaths of a President, his brother and a
great leader for change brought out music that created social change as at no
other time. I’d love to hear from you as to what your favourite music from that
time, the music that was life-changing for you.
I can’t promise life-changing music but, as they say, if music be
the food of love, play on. Music can a
vessel to express meaning as in לַכֹּ֖ל זְמָ֑ן וְעֵ֥ת לְכָל־חֵ֖פֶץ תַּ֥חַת
הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ in Ecclesiastes or Kohelet.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every
purpose under the heaven” Such simple words. https://youtu.be/n0xzyhoeu1Y?si=uZZWtGPUAw2ix3Qs
Even major stars serve in the IDF, some of them telling the story
of how we, tiny Israel survives and thrives. https://youtu.be/M8Nz-wBEf7o?si=JPMz4EHAiG_d5c-S
Eretz Eretz Eretz, the land in which we were born and the land we
will love as Mother and Father. Yonina with the song that says it all. https://youtu.be/fQdLxr5MH5s?si=ZpbpScnzQASKhpVt
Zvi has gone to his parliament in the Botanical Gardens. They certainly
have a great deal to discuss, from Iran to Trump, from travels to concerns, but
they discuss everything including their disagreements. This is a wonderfully
open society, nothing off the table. Here at home Shabbat is in the air,
literally. The aromas of many nations hits the air and brings back memories of
lands of dispersion and exile, and the coming together again, the coming home.
From Moroccan to Kurdish or Syrian kubbeh soup, Ashkenazi chicken soup and
kneidlach, sweet chicken with dried fruit and long cooked beef which falls
apart before it reaches the mouth, dishes that link to the countries of the
Jewish Diaspora where Jews thrived for thousands of years until thrown out like
animals, but we knew where to go, we came home.
Shabbat Shalom dear friends. As the Shabbat prayer says “May the Lord watch you
and keep you”
Sheila
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