Heroes and Heroines

 

8th July 2026

 

Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Bazeh — We are one people, bound by a shared responsibility for one another.

 

I owe the amazing Maccabeans from three countries an apology.

When I heard that Australia, Britain and Canada were not sending their usual huge youth delegations to this year's Maccabiah Games, I assumed they had simply become overly cautious. I couldn't have been more wrong.

 

On Sunday, over lunch in our home, our Canadian friends Bill and Ellen Izso, Jeffrey and Samara Freeman and the wonderful Roy Saloman, explained the real story to Zvi and I. Bill, who had the heartbreaking responsibility of making the final decision, Told us after the Canadian Government travel warning insurance companies simply refused to insure hundreds of young athletes travelling to Israel. Faced with that reality, there was no responsible alternative.

His words struck me. "How can I bring hundreds of youngsters here," he asked, "when I cannot guarantee that Iran or Hezbollah won't launch rockets and that they will always have somewhere safe to run?"

 

Jeffrey and Samara happened to be in Israel on the 7^th of October, 2023 and witnessed something no insurance company could ever calculate. Hotels, guest houses, apartment buildings and private homes opened their doors without hesitation to anyone needing shelter. Jeffrey's conclusion was simple: despite everything, he feels safer in Israel than anywhere else in the world. Unable to fly home because the air space over Israel was cleared, they chose to do so much more than wait for a flight; they conquered fear and day after day drove south to the Gaza envelope to help farmers harvest fruit and vegetables after foreign workers had fled and Gazan labourers, obviously, could no longer enter Israel. Jeffrey was delighted to tell us that he learned to drive a tractor so they could move large crates of fruit. Such actions helped the farmers to survive.

 

Sometimes the headlines tell only half the story.

 

Last night our dear friends Bill Izso and Claudia de Benedetti were among those honoured with the Yakir Maccabi Award. They received it because, quite simply, they "get it".

They understand that the Maccabiah is about far more than medals. It is about bringing young Jews to Israel through sport, creating friendships that span continents and strengthening the bond with Israel. Bill told us that his own journey into Maccabi leadership began under the guidance of the wonderful Roy Saloman, who mentored him by leading through example. It is now Bill and Claudia who are passing that same spirit on to the next generation.

 

We couldn't be prouder to call them friends.

 

I sat down at six o'clock this morning intending to tell you about what I did last night.

I walked the few metres to the "Big House" auditorium to hear a talk by Sapir Berman. I went out of curiosity and left deeply moved.

 

Sapir began life as Sagi Berman, who went on to become one of Israel's leading football referees. Today she is a beautiful, confident woman who chose to undergo her transition in full public view, beneath the glare of media headlines and in one of the most macho professions imaginable. With extraordinary warmth, humour and honesty she spoke about finding the courage to become herself, and about the unwavering love of her parents, her brother and her football family, who stood beside her throughout that journey.

 

Why am I telling you this?

Because beyond everything else, Sapir is proudly Israeli. We often speak of physical courage in Israel. Last night we were reminded that moral courage deserves our admiration too. She took us from laughter to tears and left us with one unforgettable message: conquer fear, but never lose yourself. Perhaps what her story says even more about Israelis and Israeli society is that she is still loved, still admired and still speaking to audiences so that they will accept others.

 

The people I've written about today, Bill and Claudia, Roy Saloman, Sapir Berman and so many others, are all different but share something precious: they have the courage to remain true to themselves and to care for others. Perhaps that is the real meaning of Am Yisrael Chai. Not simply that the People of Israel live, but that we never allow fear to decide who we are.

 

Now I really am signing off. The suitcases are packed, I’m about to meet friends for one last coffee, the medicines are organised (an unavoidable reminder that we're no longer twenty!) and then Rachel will take us to the airport. I can’t end without sending special love to my son Gideon for his birthday tomorrow and to my amazing big sister Eddie and her lovely husband Ray for their 69^th anniversary today. 25,202 days of absolute love and partnership.

 

Be well. Care for one another. Stand tall, know who you are and never let fear stop you from being yourself.

 

As always, I'd like to leave you with a song. When looking for just the right song I discovered something special. We have songs to welcome people home, but none to say goodbye. Perhaps that's because, in Israel, we never really say goodbye. We simply say Lehitraot – until we meet again. So, I'll leave you with Koolulam singing Bob Marley's One Love in Jerusalem's Tower of David, where Jews, Christians and Muslims sing together.

Shalom. Salaam. One Love. Until we meet again.

https://youtu.be/TZzK29_V8jQ?si=3QaBxxfke1CMyr-o

 

With all my love from Jerusalem.

Sheila

1,000

2^nd July 2026

17^th Tammuz 5786

1,000^th day since October 7^th 2023

 

Shabbat Shalom dear friends. I wish you a “Gut Shabbes”. When I asked AI how to say Shabbat Shalom in various languages, trying to reinvent myself as a polyglot, it told me very firmly that wherever you are you still say “Shabbat Shalom” but I suppose AI doesn’t speak Yiddish.

 

1,000 Days.

One thousand days since 7th October tore our world apart. One thousand days since the slaughter at the Nova festival and in the communities of the western Negev. For a country of fewer than ten million people, the cost has been almost unimaginable: nearly 1,000 soldiers killed, more than 1,000 civilians murdered, around 25,000 soldiers wounded, 885 children orphaned of at least one parent, 232 husbands and wives left to rebuild shattered lives alone, almost 2,000 bereaved parents and more than 3,400 grieving brothers and sisters. In all, over 6,500 Israelis have joined the nation's circle of bereavement. These are not simply statistics. 1,000 days during which thousands of homes were heavily damaged or destroyed in dozens of Israeli border communities resulting in the displacement of over 200,000 Israelis from the country's southern and northern borders.1,000 days and still no national commission of inquiry. 1,000 days and nobody has accepted responsibility. In a country as small as Israel, we lost neighbours, friends their children and our families and we must know why, we cannot heal without it.

 

Even as I read those figures, I find them almost impossible to comprehend. What is perhaps even harder to understand is the way much of the outside world now sees Israel. As I wrote last week, disinformation thrives on the relentless repetition of simple lies until they become accepted as truth. And so the world has been turned on its head. Here is a nation still fighting, seventy-eight years after its birth, for the very right to exist; an indigenous people who have rebuilt their ancient homeland into a vibrant, successful society, yet remain so profoundly—and so painfully—misunderstood.

 

If any good can emerge from the frightening rise in antisemitism across Australia, Canada, Britain, the United States and most of Europe, it is that many young Jews are choosing to come home. More than 22,500 new immigrants arrived in Israel this year, around a quarter of them from Western countries. They are doctors, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and young families who have come to the painful realisation that, despite all they have achieved abroad, there is only one country where they know they will never stand alone. That country is Israel.

 

This week we received one piece of news that gave me genuine hope. For the first time in decades, ordinary Lebanese men and women may finally see a future free from Iran and Hezbollah's violent domination. Whether it will happen remains to be seen. Until now, the very idea seemed out of reach.

I couldn't help thinking back to my first visit to Israel in 1963. There was no real border with Lebanon then, merely a simple barrier across the road. Like any curious teenager, I wandered over, chatted to the Lebanese soldiers and even posed for a photograph with them. (Today it would have been a selfie; in those days it was taken on a Brownie Box Camera!) Years later came the Good Fence, and then when members of the Christian South Lebanon Army and their families found refuge in Israel. It is terrifying how quickly our northern neighbours became our enemies. Perhaps one day it will be possible for one of our grandchildren to happily wander across the fence for a selfie, who knows. Peace will not come while Hezbollah controls southern Lebanon, but if its grip can finally be broken, perhaps our children and grandchildren will discover that neighbours need not always be enemies.

 

Few political transformations have been as depressing as that of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I remember when Turkey was the holiday destination of choice for many Israelis and trade was strong. The people were warm, the hospitality legendary, and it was hard to imagine that relations between our two countries that was so strong that our cooperation went well beyond military collaboration. Ben Gurion dreamt of an alliance of non-Arab countries (Ethiopia, Turkey Iran and Israel) could go so quickly down its current path. Over the years Erdoğan steadily turned Turkey away from its traditional Western alliances which culminated when his ambitions to join the European Union faded, he increasingly looked eastwards. His ties with Islamist movements and, ultimately, with Iran's regime grew closer and closer and his rhetoric became more and more hostile toward us. Netanyahu recently observed: "If we have learned one thing from the history of our people, it is that when someone says he intends to destroy you, take him seriously." It is a lesson Jews have learned at far too great a cost to ignore.

 

Thanks to the Israeli police's determined campaign against organised Jewish crime, many of the country's leading crime figures have been jailed, dramatically reducing the gang violence that once dominated the headlines. Sadly, organised crime within the Arab sector has continued to grow, and deadly shootings have become an almost daily tragedy, claiming innocent lives as well as criminal ones. No citizen should have to live in fear because certain neighbourhoods have become effectively beyond the reach of the law. That must change. Every community in Israel deserves the same protection, the same policing and the same security.

 

The Armenian Genocide is an historical fact. Between 1915 and 1917, the Ottoman Empire murdered an estimated one to one-and-a-half million Armenians. Israel is finally expected to recognise that reality officially, a decision I never understood why it took so long. Then we visited Azerbaijan. I began to understand the diplomatic complexity. Israel has close strategic ties with Azerbaijan, while the long and bitter conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has left deep wounds between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Many Armenians found refuge in Jerusalem, yet Azerbaijan remains one of Israel's closest regional allies. Morally, recognising the genocide is the right decision. Diplomatically, it is far from simple since Armenia is a close ally of Iran.

 

Only in Israel. When a missile struck near Bat Shlomo in northern Israel, it made a large crater in an agricultural field. But instead of leaving destruction behind, it uncovered a previously unknown underground spring. Today, that crater has become a natural pool where children paddle, teenagers swim in the cool water and families come simply to enjoy the unexpected gift. Ironically the spring is now called “Ayn Til” which translates as Missile Spring! It may not quite be turning lemons into lemonade, but it is a wonderfully Israeli way of turning devastation into life.

 

Athletes from all over the world are here for the “Jewish Olympics” the Maccabiah Games. As I wrote last week, Canada, Australia and the UK had difficulty in bringing a sizeable team, but wonderful Macabbeans marched on the catwalk of the spectacular opening ceremony last night. Roy Salomon, Bill Iszo (who is getting a special “Yakir Maccabi” award this year) and Tommy Bacher represented Canada; Roy is an incredible friend, a huge supporter of Israel and a dear, dear man. Michael Ziff proudly represented the UK and Lisa Borowick represented Australia. Michael Segal, President of Maccabi World Union declared the games open. We were thrilled to see a new generation of Maccabi leaders in the shape of Roy Hessing, a friend of Zvi’s Amiad for many years. Roy did a truly magnificent job.

 

The most special aspect of this Maccabiah has been spending time with Michelle Fainsod, Zvi’s cousins Billy and Ruth Shapiro’s granddaughter. On Sunday a whole group of Maccabeans are coming for lunch.

 

The Fast of the 17th of Tammuz marks the beginning of the three weeks of national mourning that culminate in Tisha B'Av. It recalls a series of calamities in Jewish history: Moses breaking the Tablets after the sin of the Golden Calf; the cessation of the daily Temple sacrifice; the breaching of Jerusalem's walls; the burning of a Torah scroll by the Romans and the desecration of the Temple by the placing of an idol within it. Together, they remind us that nothing is guaranteed. Faith can be tested, freedom lost and sovereignty surrendered. History teaches us that recovering them may take millenia.

 

I was watching the news the other day, probably not the wisest thing for one’s blood pressure, and suddenly realised that 3 of the most senior journalists on Channel 13 are Israeli |Arabs! The phenomenal Lucy Aharish who you all know, then Ali Mugrabi reporting from the North and Suleiman Muswahdah who is a senior political correspondent. I was thinking, how many Jewish reporters are there on Arab stations?

 

This week has been a week of girlfriends, the best! Gila and Merle on Monday, Carmen and Dana yesterday and we met in our coffee shop, not only chatting but also meeting the wonderful people who created the Wellness Centre in what was the Convalescent Home of the Original Union. It is now a Wellness Centre for those with PTSD. Merle, a renowned psychologist, was deeply impressed.

 

I have a confession to make... and I fear it may disappoint some of you. We are off to Albania again!

Before you ask, yes, I know, we've already been, but this time we decided to leave Tirana behind and see the lakes, mountains and little villages that friends have told us about, to discover another side of what is proving to be a remarkably beautiful country. The only downside is that I'll be taking a short break from writing. I really will miss our weekly conversations. They have become a very special part of my life. With any luck, I'll return with plenty of stories, a few surprises and far too many photographs!

 

My reason for writing today is clearly because it is 1,000 days, but also because we have a simply insane day tomorrow. Zvi has a meeting at the Efron Hora Dance Centre and then we go to Ein Kerem for a concert and finally to our lovely friends Shoshi and Kobi Lecket for Shabbat Dinner.

 

And so to music.

 

Daniel Wais became famous when he sang a song to his father who was killed on that fateful day in Kibbutz Be’eri. Daniel chose to express his sadness at the loss of both has parents through his music. https://youtu.be/mcq3dqK0n18?si=CnZxVguXGNA65W43 Song of Freedom, to honour all who lost their lives.

 

I love Shlomi Shabat especially in this tribute to Jerusalem. https://youtu.be/_kQCTlFuCqQ?si=rqNQI0uCYKf8tbGp

 

Tomorrow, the 1,001 day after the 7^th of October, is Shabbat and Omer Adam makes it a joyous occasion, so different from the other days of the week! I challenge you to stay silent! C’mon. sing along with us   https://youtu.be/_kQCTlFuCqQ?si=rqNQI0uCYKf8tbGp

 

Shabbat Shalom lovely friends. See you in a couple of weeks. Stay positive, be strong, this too will pass.

With much love from Jerusalem, the undoubted centre of the world

Sheila