5th June 2026
19 of Sivan, 5786
Shabbat Shalom everyone! Just for a change, let’s begin with the
good people, the good news, the very good news, and the utterly thoroughly
distressing news.
After New York Mayor Mamdani refused to walk in the Celebrate Israel
Day Parade, former mayors Eric Adams and Michael Bloomberg headed
the celebration and Anila Ali, a Pakistani-born civil rights advocate
and founder of the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment
Council, together with dozens of Muslim supporters, including an imam and
several children, marched alongside Israeli supporters. “We were a little
worried after received calls telling us to wear bulletproof vests, but we’re
fighting to take back our country, and it’s a fight that every American should
join.”
MP Kemi Badenoch is the leader of the Conservative
Party in the UK and a huge supporter of the British Jewish Community and very
outspoken about the spate of racist attacks recently. Her clear statement, as a
black woman, if the level of hatred and racist attacks had been against black
people the outcome would have been the declaration of a State of Emergency. For
me this is not a political statement, she goes well beyond that. https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZHfKTOidHK/
Barrie Davey, one of the two Jewish Chelsea Pensioners
still alive, served in the Royal Air Force, Merchant Navy, and Royal Army
Veterinary Corps finally celebrated his bar mitzvah on Thursday, at
the age of 86. The ceremony took place in the stunning grounds of the Royal
Hospital Chelsea, the iconic retirement home for British Army veterans. Barrie’s
mother fled Europe and denied her Jewish identity; he only found out that he is
Jewish 2 years ago!
Chantal and Marc Belzberg started a small organisation, a
haven for the families of people harmed both physically and psychologically
during the 2nd Intifada. One Family has grown and grown and cares
for tens of thousands. This week they were honoured at the Jerusalem Post
Conference in New York City.
Professor Eugene Kandel is a close friend and an
exceptional man. Here is a precis of an article he wrote this week to honour
the Screenwriters Guild of the past and the part they played in his family’s
freedom. “I always feel a little emotional when I land in Los Angeles and see
the Hollywood sign. Few people realise that, in a very real sense, my family's
freedom owes something to Hollywood. As Soviet Jews and refuseniks in the
1970s, we were denied permission to leave for Israel, and after my father's
activism on behalf of Soviet Jewry, I was brutally beaten as a warning to our
family. What helped secure our release was an extraordinary act of solidarity:
members of the Writers Guild threatened to boycott the 1978 Moscow Film
Festival unless our family was allowed to leave. The pressure worked, and
shortly afterwards we received our exit visas and came home to Israel. Whenever
I think of Hollywood, I remember that there was once a time when people there
spoke out clearly and courageously for Jews in danger. My children and
grandchildren exist because of that moral clarity, and for that I will always
be grateful”. https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/388910/in-debt-to-hollywood/
Sadly, that is about where my list of admirable people ends. Media
reports this week alleged that President Trump spoke to Israel’s Prime Minister
in terms that no leader of a sovereign nation should ever have to hear. Whether
one supports Netanyahu or opposes him is beside the point. This is not about
politics; it is about respect between allies and between nations. No leader
should be spoken to as though he were a naughty child, and no country should be
told that its existence depends solely upon the favour of another. Mr.
President, the Jewish story in this land is more than 5,000 years old; the
United States is approaching its 250th birthday. During those millennia we have
endured exile, persecution, expulsions, pogroms and repeated attempts to erase
us from history. We have had wise leaders and dreadful ones, somehow, we have
survived and even thrived. Allies are precious and friendship matters
enormously, but Israel's story did not begin with any American president, and
it will not end with one either.
So much for the ceasefire President Trump announced. While the EU
pledges a further €100 million to help the Lebanese Army curb Hezbollah, the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards accuse Israel of occupying Lebanon, and yet
another armed drone is launched at northern Israel. This time it struck near
the small town of Shlomi, where a father sheltering in his safe room with his
daughters described the explosions as “very loud and very close”. For families
in the north, ceasefires are not measured by diplomatic announcements but by
whether the sirens remain silent.
There is no polite way to describe what happened at the home of
Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg. An extreme Haredi mob protesting
the arrest of draft dodgers smashed windows, destroyed property, shattered his
car windscreen, and terrorised the family sitting inside their own home. Mrs Sohlberg,
the daughter of Holocaust survivors, was left in tears, comparing the scene to
memories she thought belonged to another era, to Kristallnacht. The two police
officers on guard stood no chance against the crowd, but reinforcements arrived
and the mob were stopped from getting back on their bus and arrested. If this
is what they call defending Torah values, then they have forgotten the most
basic Jewish value of all: respect for fellow human beings and the rule of law.
I confess that few things infuriate me more than journalism that
appears to abandon its responsibility to the truth. The New York Times has
faced criticism before over its reporting on Jewish issues, including its
coverage during the Second World War, and many feel it is repeating old
mistakes. This week, protesters gathered outside the newspaper's headquarters
demanding the dismissal of columnist Nicholas Kristof and the retraction of an
article alleging systematic sexual abuse of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
Carrying signs proclaiming "The New York Times Lies" and "When
You Lie, Jews Die", they expressed a frustration shared by many who
believe that serious allegations should be subjected to the same rigorous
scrutiny as any other story. One need not agree with every protester to
understand the underlying concern: when reporting abandons balance and
accuracy, the consequences can extend far beyond the printed page.
My week began at my Moadon, our wonderful club, with chair
exercises; if you think it’s a pleasant sit-down and a gentle stretch, think
again. The chair does very little while the rest of us work remarkably hard.
Afterwards we celebrated Rami's 90th birthday. He is one of our oldest members
and somewhat infirm, but he loves being involved and is always the first to
help anyone who needs it, always with a smile. The look on his face when we
Hannah came out with a big chocolate cake and we all sang Happy Birthday was
worth seeing.
This week was all about family and friends. On Tuesday, my
granddaughter Ayala celebrated finishing her final baccalaureate exam by
requesting nothing more complicated than an afternoon with Safta at the
hairdresser. We spent hours chatting about absolutely everything and nothing,
while our friend Rachael Risby Raz popped in for a visit. The following day,
Ayala's big sister Talia claimed me for herself, filling me in on her six
months in South America, her new "bestie" Sally in Panama City, and
the Chabad houses that welcomed her along the way. We ended up painting
ceramics and, in true Talia fashion, she spent four hours carefully painting
two turtles onto a bowl before we rewarded ourselves with supper.
Last night I finally met some of the women from my old water
aerobics group in our coffee shop. Half the village seemed to have had the same
idea before a performance in the auditorium, and my friends were highly amused
as what felt like half the audience stopped by our table for a hug. That's one
of the joys of village life: wherever you go, you meet people you know and care
about.
Today, four grandchildren aged between eight and fourteen arrive
for the weekend while their parents enjoy a well-earned break. Saba Zvi will
collect them from various corners of the country before delivering them to the
pool to burn off some energy. Then comes Shabbat dinner, games, probably
Rummikub, and whatever adventures Saba devises for the weekend. It will be
noisy, chaotic, exhausting and absolutely wonderful. Best of all, for a few
precious days we won't be thinking about politics, diplomats, wars or worries,
just enjoying the company of the next generation.
Time for music. Zvi always laughs at me because it takes me more
time to choose the music than it does to write the newsletter. Of course he
says it in fun but it isn’t far from the truth. Maybe about New York? Maybe about
Hollywood’s Jewish past? Maybe about grandchildren, friends…..let’s see.
This song expresses a paradoxical message: profound attachment and
love for one's homeland alongside a refusal to ignore its flaws. Ein Li
Eretz Aheret written by Ehud Manor– which means I have no other land. For
better or for worse except without the option of divorce. A home for the
Children of Israel. https://youtu.be/4n7DA3sZk2Y?si=k1iwwPrapP4ipU5J
This song began as Nomi Shemer's attempt to create a Hebrew
adaptation of the Beatles' Let It Be. The title Lu Yehi is
a direct Hebrew equivalent of “Let It Be,” but as the Yom Kippur War erupted,
the project evolved into an original work reflecting the mood of the country. It
became a national expression of hope, prayer, longing, and resilience during a
period of uncertainty and loss. https://youtu.be/xJoZ9R4i-N0?si=FA2blZXDkwC2KksV
My last choice needs no explanation but you’ve never heard it quite
like this. The 2021 A Star is Born Israel and this duet of A Little Help from
My Friends blew the judges away – me too! That’s all we need, each of us and
more importantly our beautiful, crazy, essential, noisy, innovative, spiritual
and fun country called Israel. We need you; we need your friendship and then we
can survive anything. https://youtu.be/hyRwhXAzaGY?si=-xEWc6Ik52bSVqW5
As Bugs Bunny ended his cartoons, That’s All Folks! We look forward
to an exciting Shabbat, one full of love and children. Yesterday I spoke to
some of the women in the coffee shop to see who else had grandchildren staying
and ours should have a ball, meeting new friends.
I can’t wait to see their faces shining as we light the Shabbat
Candles, as Saba Zvi recites the blessing over the wine in his glorious
Bass-Baritone, then invites the children to bless the Challah, always an honour
since whoever blesses gets the first piece! That’s really what it is all about,
passing on traditions to the next generation so that they understand why this
beautiful country is of ultimate importance, so much so that it is worth
fighting for, be it verbally or militarily.
Shabbat Shalom dear friends. Shabbat Shalom whether your prayers
are in Temple, Synagogue, Shul, Tabernacle, Church or Mosque, I wish you a peaceful,
contemplative Shabbat.
With love from our veranda which overlooks Jerusalem glistening
white on the horizon.
Special love to my big sister Doreen who has her birthday on Monday.
Still as beautiful, busy, slender and loving as ever she will be 88. Happy
birthday Dordi!
Sheila
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