12th June 2026
27th Sivan 5786
Shabbat Shalom! I hope this missive finds you well. Today I don’t
want to write about events but rather about what the vast majority of Israelis
feel after the Haredi riots against conscription and the extremist settlers who
claim Biblical lands as an excuse to be vile bullies.
There are moments when I struggle to recognise the Judaism I love.
This week, Haredi rioters shouted that it is better to die than serve in the
army and defend Israel. Better to die? Ours is a religion that celebrates life.
The same Torah they study so diligently teaches the concept of Milchemet
Mitzvah—a sacred war. Maimonides (Rambam), one of Judaism's greatest
scholars, ruled clearly that "a war fought to assist Israel from an enemy
which attacks them constitutes an sacred war." It could hardly be more
relevant today.
The great sages understood this. Rambam, one of the greatest Jewish
scholars who ever lived, was also a renowned physician whose medical knowledge
was sought by rulers and ordinary people alike and whose medical writings
influenced generations. Centuries before modern medicine began speaking about
preventative healthcare, he taught that what we eat, how we exercise and the
way we care for our bodies directly affects our health. For Rambam, looking after
one's physical well-being was not separate from Judaism; it was part of serving
God. Hillel worked as a labourer, Rabbi Yochanan as a sandal maker. They
prayed, they studied, they worked and they cared for their communities. When
danger threatened, Jewish law recognised the concept of Milchemet Mitzvah—a
sacred war to defend the Jewish people. As Rambam himself ruled, "A war
fought to assist Israel from an enemy which attacks them constitutes a sacred
war."
That is why I find the cries of "better to die than
serve" so distressing. Nobody is asking young Haredi men to abandon their
faith. The question is whether caring for one's fellow Jew ends at the door of
the study hall, the Yeshiva. Judaism teaches responsibility, not withdrawal;
contribution, not exemption. Faith and duty were never intended to be enemies.
They are, and always have been, partners.
At its heart, Judaism is not simply about ritual observance but
about our responsibility towards one another. When the great sage Hillel (110
BCE to 10 CE) was challenged to explain the entire Torah while standing on one
leg, he replied: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. The
rest is commentary; now go and learn." Of all the commandments and all the
complexities of Jewish law, that was the principle he chose as the foundation.
The question is not whether one can be religious and serve, but
whether one can enjoy the protection provided by others while refusing to share
the burden. Judaism survived because Jews accepted responsibility for one
another. Faith and duty were never intended to be enemies.
Perhaps that is why the next election matters so much. No matter
where you live, election campaigns are messy affairs, full of slogans,
accusations and half-truths. Here in Israel we seem to be moving towards a
choice between two very different visions of leadership. On one side stands a
polished diplomat, fluent in the language of international politics and admired
abroad, but whose long years in office have deepened divisions within Israeli
society and empowered coalition partners whose vision for the country many
Israelis do not share. Through political necessity or personal choice, he has
given extraordinary influence to religious parties and figures whose priorities
often seem at odds with the broad, inclusive Judaism on which the State of
Israel was founded.
On the other side stands a soldier who rose from modest beginnings
to become Chief of Staff of the IDF, a man known less for polished speeches
than for integrity, intellect and service. In the end, Israelis will have to
decide what they value most. At a time when the nation is crying out for unity
and shared responsibility, I find myself wondering whether impressive
credentials matter as much as character, honesty and the ability to bring a
fractured people back together again.
When people hear of Hezbollah's latest drone attacks, they often
imagine military targets. In reality, the victims are frequently the families
of northern Israel living amongst some of the country's most beautiful scenery.
These are farming communities, kibbutzim and villages that grow much of
Israel's fruit and vegetables. Children here have spent years interrupting
lessons to run to shelters. It is hard to learn mathematics, history or simply
how to be a child when sirens can sound at any moment. The tragedy of the north
is that these communities are not threatening anyone. They are growing peaches,
apples, avocados and grapes, raising families and building lives. Yet they find
themselves on the front line of a war they did not start. The orchards should
be filled with the sound of children playing, not warning sirens. That is the
reality too often missing from the headlines.
After the Iranian missiles this week, missiles that sent us running
for the mamad yet again, this hardly feels like the moment for lectures from
abroad. There is an interesting historical contrast. In the 1970s, Richard
Nixon briefly considered pressuring Golda Meir but quickly concluded that
squeezing Israel would not bring peace. Today, media reports suggest a very
different approach, with President Trump openly seeking to impose upon Israeli
decisions. Whether one supports Netanyahu or not is irrelevant. Allies may
advise, friends may disagree, but Israel is a sovereign nation, not a client
state. Mr President, the Jewish people were here long before the United States
existed and, with good leaders and bad, triumphs and disasters, we have
survived. Friendship is precious; independence is priceless.
The Russian Revolution, Communism, the history books have a
tendency to romanticise even the dire violence of the fate of the Romanoffs,
but it has rarely been better explained than in the brilliant television series
“A Gentleman in Moscow” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8230448/
Ewan McGregor excels himself as the aristocrat Count Alexander Rostov,
sentenced to indefinite house arrest at the real-life luxury Hotel Metropol in
Moscow, located directly across from the Kremlin. I highly recommend it.
Changing direction completely, I was delighted to see photographs
from the Trappist monastery at Latrun, where the monks of the silent order
celebrated Corpus Christi last week. For days they had been collecting flowers
and arranging them into beautiful carpets of colour for the procession of the
Blessed Sacrament. It struck me that this, too, is Israel. Not only synagogues
and Jewish festivals, but churches, mosques, monasteries and communities of
every faith able to worship openly and freely. Amid all the noise of politics
and conflict, it is worth remembering that freedom of prayer is one of the
quiet miracles of modern Israel. So much attention is focused on
conflict, politics and headlines that the quieter realities are overlooked:
Trappist monks gathering flowers, Druze families welcoming visitors, Christians
celebrating Corpus Christi, Muslims attending Friday prayers, Jews preparing
for Shabbat. These scenes rarely make the news, yet they say a great deal about
the country.
The day began very early, by default, because we were supposed to
go to a special performance at the Khan Theatre, my favourite, housed in a
beautifully restored 19th-century Ottoman caravanserai. The repertory troupe
that performs there is world class, their plays often touring the country after
its first run. However that doesn’t explain why I said “supposed to go” We woke
at 6 to find a WhatsApp postponing today’s performance so I really have time to
write to you, prepare some food and go to see Rachel and the grandchildren. The
only problem with going really early is that Yosef, Talia and Ayala may not be awake
yet since the don’t work today. I’m so proud of them, they work hard while
studying, not a lazy moment. Anyway, getting there earlier means that the challah
will be fresh from the oven. Despite quoting the Rambam’s healthy advice, there
is nothing like bread burning hot from the oven and dripping with butter! I did
it for my children, to welcome them home from school on a Friday and now my
daughter does it for me!!
Zvi will go to his parliament when about 12 good men will try to
make sense of what is happening in our country, try to make sense so that they
can explain it to their grandchildren and to family and friends abroad. I watch
Zvi, daily trying to explain to the world, in Spanish, Hebrew and English,
arguing when necessary but every word written from the point of view of a man
born before the State and raised in a truly Jewish Israeli home; a man who
feels the responsibility of elucidation, of explaining that despite the news,
this little country is still the safest place for Jews. It has become our
raison d’etre.
So to preparing food, not just food but special food for special
people who are coming to us for Shabbat Lunch. Sharman and Melvin Berwald, Shaiela
and Eugene Kandel and hopefully Ora and Avner Rosengarten. A fascinating
mixture of very bright people who don’t know each other and I promised to abide
by their food preferences! We will start with guacamole, go on to red pepper
soup, then to chicken (which part uncertain still) stuffed veggies and a big green
salad. Dessert is always a question. Should I present the tipsy peaches or make
a chocolate mousse or both? What would you prefer? Sharman and Melvin haven’t
been to our abode so Zvi will show them the exquisite former Convalescent Home
for the upper levels of the Histadrut Union, the Avenue of the Presidents,
under our veranda, where all Presidents have planted a tree in the manner of
Theodore Herzl who planted the first one.
Music, music, music.
YStuds and Shai Abrahamson sing, Hineini Kan, I’m Here. A tribute
to Jerusalem, not only a beautiful voice but a tour of the Old City of
Jerusalem. https://youtu.be/Lyp_PsJ0NX0?si=Z65IBhRw9HXIF0Qj
The late Uzi Hitman wrote simple melodies with almost childlike
lyrics, lyrics that explain Israel better than almost any other. Ani Noladeti
leShalom, I was born for Peace. https://youtu.be/192t-KvtK2M?si=ShmhimRxW2GRpyXY
Sarit Hadad sings Israel, really! I had never heard this song
before and now I can’t stop singing it!! Welcome to Israel, Baruch Ha Ba l’Yisrael.
Honest, straight forward, fun. https://youtu.be/6pl9sWyHQpY?si=Jakuc0pNy25c2IXY
I won’t be writing next week, we are taking a short break with our
friends Ami and Zehava Sever, so don’t worry, we are fine, just having fun!
Please, lovely people, remember that you are our mouthpiece, you
are our heroes, you stand up when others stay silent, you are the front line.
Tonight, as we all light candles, remember to bring light into this crazy
situation, don’t argue with others, just paint the whole picture.
Shabbat Shalom, a peaceful one in the knowledge that we are
thinking of you.
With all our love from Jerusalem
Sheila
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