Shabbat Shalom letter. Purim,standwithus, David Cameron in Israel,missiles on sderot, London

140313

13th March 2014

Shabbat Shalom everyone. Shabbat Shalom from .................. London!!!

I came on the spur of the moment to see my beautiful London family and pop down to Cardiff to see my siblings. I will probably go to my parents graves at the same time, to honour their memories although they are with me every moment and have been all my life it is Jewish tradition to go and "talk" to them.

Things have been tough in the South of Israel as missiles rain down on the residents, as the fury of hatred falls from Gaza. It never completely stopped but this week anything from 40-60 rockets landed on Southern Israel, and we have to thank Heaven and the amazing young people of the Israeli Navy that we captured the long range "gifts" from Iran in the recent IDF action, stopping the ship laden with weapons bound for Hamas. Of course, the Iranians say the ship never existed, Hamas says it wasn't bound for them and Israel knows the truth!!! http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/03/09/iran-weapons-ship-arrives-israel

Anyway back to the horrific barrage from Gaza - after the cruel salvo Hamas announced that it was halting the "cease fire" because Israel targetted the ringleaders. Isn't it a case of "The fight started when he hit me back"? Prime Minister Netanyahu said "If it is not quiet in southern Israel, it will be very noisy in Gaza,"  and he was true to his word. http://www.bicom.org.uk/news-article/19382/

Remember the importance of 15 seconds? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zkPpBGX9Bc

A Norwegian cruise liner stopped in the port of La Goulette in Tunis and the Tunisian Authorities would not let Israeli nationals disembark. The immediate reaction of the owners was to stop all further passenger visits to La Goulette. See that's what happens when you exercise racism. http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/03/11/3988684/after-israeli-passengers-rebuffed.html

British Prime Minister David Cameron was in Jerusalem this week on an official visit. Mr Cameron spoke in the Knesset Plenum, reiterating his support for Israel. Mr Cameron said the Knesset is a “beacon of democracy” and pledged, “with me, you have a British Prime Minister whose belief in Israel is unbreakable and whose commitment to Israel’s security will always be rock solid.” He acknowledged Israel’s vulnerability and commented, “I will always stand up for the right of Israel to defend its citizens. A right enshrined in international law, in natural justice and fundamental morality.” “I have a clear message. Britain opposes boycotts,” in all forms, emphasising that “Israel’s place as a homeland for the Jewish people will never rest on hollow resolutions passed by amateur politicians.” http://www.bicom.org.uk/news-article/19383/

Just in case Cameron, Obama, Merkel or anyone else has doubts as to Iranian intent read this http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/4188.htm

International Womens Day came and went without addressing the horrors of FGM. More than 90 percent of Egyptian women have undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), also referred to, misleadingly, as female circumcision. A 14 year old Egyptian girl just died from it. Surely this horrific practice must be stopped? It is barbaric and cruel and changes the child forever. Maybe the European countries should stop worrying about Brit Milah and begin fighting this diabolical practice. President Mubarak was partially successful in eradicating this practice but the moment the Moslem Brotherhood returned to power it returned too. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/

Standwithus is a truly magnificent organisation that educates and strengthens our young people to go out into the world and tell the true story of Israel, be it  debating ignorant BDS activists on US Campuses or talking to audiences in South Africa. They are such amazing young people and make us proud. See these beautiful Israelis going to South Africa to take on those who dare to claim Israel is an apartheid state. http://www.standwithus.com/news/article.asp?id=3072 and to understand the work of Standwithus http://www.standwithus.co.il/fellowship/ Join Michael Dickson on Facebook to get all your news.

For anyone who still has doubts – listen to this amazing talk on Dr Martin Luther King – my hero http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2GCl9MX8qI

Modern technology meets ancient scrolls. A new method of unravelling the tightly rolled parchment of ancient scrolls has enabled archaeologists to reveal the wonders of 9 ancient Dead Sea scrolls in Jerusalem. http://www.timesofisrael.com/nine-tiny-new-dead-sea-scrolls-come-to-light/

My very special grandson Sammy's school held a religious assembly today. Two Rabbis came to talk to the children, of varying degrees of disability, about Pesach. They loved the singing of Chad Gadya but sadly the Rabbi didn't know my version!!! My family does the sounds of each animal in the song, the kid, the cat, the dog, the bull and of course the sounds of a fire engine for the fire, a sloooooosh for the water, a slice across the neck for the abbatoir worker, a big huge BOOOOOOOOOOOO for the Angel of Death and a huge cheer for Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu - the Holy One Blessed be his name. It would have been fun!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Gadya  Yes I know it isn't even Purim yet but the children ate Matza and charoseth and drank grape juice - even the ones in Ra'alas!!!!

Anyway back to Purim, to bravery from unexpected sources and just retribution. For the children it is a simple matter of fancy dress, loads of sweeties and being able to make a huge amount of noise in the synagogue as greggers (noisemakers) are whirled, feet are stomped and whistles blown whenever the name HAMAN is read from the Story of Esther. In truth Purim is so very much more than that and very far from being a childrens story. Purim is an example to us today. It is the story of simple people who stood up for justice for their people; it is the story of false accusations for personal gain; it is the story of hatred for hatreds sake; it is, above all the story of intolerance toward the “other”; it is the story of corrupt use of power. Familiar isn’t it? http://www.aish.com/h/pur/f/48970006.html

This Shabbat I will not watch Jerusalem prepare for the bride but rather my grandchildren will sit by the table with my son and daughter-in-law. They will chant the age-old blessings and their faces will shine as they light the candles. No matter where we are our traditions hold us together as a people. We have been exiled, dipersed and enslaved yet we still rejoice. Today we have returned to our homeland despite all indications and predictions to the contrary. We came home. Medinat Yisrael – the State of Israel.

Yaakov Shweky is a phenomenal Israeli singer. I want you to hear his music

First If I Forget You Oh Jerusalem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjPwsETTN4I

Judaism honours its women above all else. Each Friday night, before blessing the wine and the bread (challah) the husband blesses his wife. “A woman of worth……above rubies” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ycvhD_olA8

Finally, a song in English and Yiddisch “Tatte” which is that most Jewish of songs and Shwekeys beautiful voice tells the story of every Jew http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjdjwOiACSA

Tomorrow, Friday morning, I will meet up with my lovely friend Yaffa. Yaffa will talk of her yearning to return to Israel and I will encourage her!!! In the meantime it is Hendon, Middlesex and talk of Jerusalem, Jerusalem Israel’s capital city and the heart and soul of the Jewish People.

One thing the Rabbi did not say at Sammy’s special assembly was that our prayer, history and identity are expressed in the song of yearning that ends the Passover Seder service .   “Next Year in Jerusalem” – le Shana Hab’ah b’Yerushalyim

I am one of the luckiest persons on this earth – for me it is Next week in Jerusalem………….. I just wish my children were beside me.

Shabbat Shalom to you and yours

With love

Sheila

PS I just thought you would be amused since you tend to describe me as some sort of culinary expert. Well, having finished preparing the chicken soup for my beautiful family I decided to cook the apples (incredible Bramley Apples) ready for the apple crumble of tomorrow. As my daughter Rachel is always warning me, I really should wear my reading glasses when doing………….. anything! I put the sugar into the apples only to realise that it was couscous!! I tried fishing it all out again but we now have a very unusual base for tomorrow crumble. Do you think they will notice????

Shabbat Shalom fro Jerusalem

120831

31^st August 2012.

Shabbat Shalom, dear Friends. I hope this letter finds you well wherever you may be.

Rachel Corrie has been a boon to Israel haters all over the world but, as a court in Haifa decided this week, Rachel Corrie should not have been where she was and thus her family is not due compensation!  She came to Israel with provocation in mind, together with a group of pro-Palestinian activists. The Army spokesperson and the police warned the group that they should not g into the area considered highly dangerous and a war zone. We are not talking Tiananmen Square and a lone figure in front of a tank in an otherwise deserted square, Rachel Corrie stepped in front of a tank in an area of contention and danger filled with rocks and brush – she should not have been there. I am sorry that her family suffered a tragedy but it is not Israel's fault. If only the so deeply moved and sensitive world would pay the same homage to our Rachels – the ones who didn't incite or invite their own deaths. These Rachels were just going about their daily routine when terrorists, those who Rachel Corrie supported, took their lives in the most heinous fashion.http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/TheForgottenRachels.html 

Ban Ki Moon, the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007 finally did what he and his predecessors should have done many years ago. He stood up in front of the Conference of non-Aligned Countries in Teheran and demanded that they stop their constant threats for the annihilation of Israel, a Member country of the UN and the denial of history, of the Holocaust. His words were predominantly aimed at Ahmedinejad and Khameini but many countries attending this particular conference should heed his words. Hopefully they are not empty words but carry a strong message of change.   http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/un-chief-slams-iran-over-holocaust-remarks/yqvcypdo?preview=true 

Pat Condell is an occasionally offensive, always cuttingly outspoken atheist who is conceivably one of the last of true grit Brits who maintain the original British ability to speak clearly, in an elegantly intelligent manner and use irony and honesty to debunk myths. Here he ridicules the pseudo-intellectuality of The Guardian and its readers - which equally applies to the NY Times or the LA Times.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOgV6Fvc8wc  Check out his entire youtube site it is worth it

I doubt that you heard of last nights bombardment of Hamas missiles on Southern Israel or that it resulted in a direct hit on a house in Sderot. No one was hurt because we are a country prepared for this war of attrition. The residents were awoken from their clumber by a "Red Alert" siren and raced down to the shelter, thus saving their lives. No-one should have to live like that.

Sadly, not everyone is sweet and well brought up in Israel and I am ashamed, deeply ashamed of two incidents last week.

In one incident Israeli Jewish teenagers beat up a young Arab in the centre of Jerusalem. The perpetrators are in detention awaiting trial. Israel is ashamed by their behaviour and Speaker of the Knesset Rubi Rivlin visited the injured boy in hospital to apologise on behalf of the country and offer his help.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4272224,00.html

In the second incident 12 and 13 year old boys from the Israeli settlement of Bat Ayin threw a Molotov cocktail at a passing Palestinian taxi – badly injuring those inside.  We are disgusted and angry that Israel's name is dirtied alongside these terrorists. Tag Machir (Price Tag) is a Jewish terror organization and the fact that so far no-one has died as a result of their lunacy is pure luck. They do not represent my views, or of anyone I know. Their actions are the antithesis of Judaism. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4274254,00.html

The activist cry of siege and oppression in and on Gaza is a myth. Of course there is no siege (only maritime to prevent arms shipments) and of course Israel not only allows foreign aid into Gaza but provides huge amounts of aid herself. Taking all of that into consideration Khaled Abu Toameh asks a simple question.How Many Millionaires Live in the "Impoverished" Gaza Strip? His answer came in the unlikely form of an investigative report published in the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, there are at least 600 millionaires living in the Gaza Strip. The newspaper report also refutes the claim that Gaza has been facing a humanitarian crisis because of an Israeli blockade.http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3308/gaza-millionaires

The Southern United States, and New Orleans in particular, has again suffered a terrible storm. I pray that everyone will be safe and have homes to return to.

Syria. I have no words, I do not understand why the ethnic cleansing of non-Alowites has been allowed to continue unabated. It is as logical as allowing Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. I recall President Peres speech where he was amused to read of India's unsuccessful search for a State Executioner. "I have no problem with a country that cannot find anyone to work as an executioner having nuclear weapons but countries like Iran, who have ready executioners should not"

Talking of Shimon Peres. Zvi and I were invited by KKL Chairman Effie Stenzler to the ceremony of the Society for a Beautiful Israel in which KKL received the award of the most important organization toward that aim. 110 years of KKL and everything that entails, from trees to towns, from desalinization to agricultural breakthroughs, KKL is the most successful and effective of organizations. The ceremony was held on the lawns of the Presidents House (and this time I managed to walk across the lawn without breaking my ankle) and President Peres rose to speak he yet again thrilled an amazed his audience with his memory and knowledge, his erudition and eloquence and most of all his sense of humour.  “KKL-JNF represents an entire people, not just a country,”  Well done Effie, well done KKL and thank you Mr President. http://www.kkl.org.il/eng/about-kkl-jnf/green-israel-news/august-2012/beautiful-israel-award/

The Paralympic Games is taking place in London and Israel already got  a bronze medal http://cifwatch.com/2012/08/28/israels-paralympic-team-in-london/ The incredible story of how the Paralymics began, by an orthopaedic surgeon at the famous Stoke Mandeville hospital, a refugee from the Shoah. Fascinatinghttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19374513

This week we went to collect our gas masks – for us and for all the children and grandchildren since they think we are over-reacting!  Since I have told you often, no event in Israel takes place without food. Zvi stood in line, armed with everybody's ID cards, I sat in Aroma til he arrived enjoying my wonderful coffee and a "half" sandwich – which is enormous in itself.  A lady came to speak to me as I sat enjoying my treats, a huge pile of gas mask boxes beside me and wanted to take a picture of us sitting eating lunch and chatting over coffee. I asked why "To show my friends back in the States" she responded "they don't understand the paradox of life here. You sitting having a lovely time and laughing with your husband in a shopping mall while the gas masks are beside you" "Aha" said I " You should tell them that this is the perfect example of Israeli schizophrenia" I responded. "We are lucky because unlike the USA and Europe we know exactly who are enemies are, recognize that it has always been the same and will never change and we are prepared. If we stop enjoying ourselves then this war of attrition will be lost" It's true dear friends. We are the hors d'ouevres you are the main course!

Children went back to school this week – and we have two little grand-daughters starting Kita Aleph (1^st year) Uniforms and excitement and exhaustion all combined in a highly successful operation. May they learn and continue to be "curiouser and curiouser " and become adults who give back to the world.

I was fascinated to discover that an ancient Navaho Moose symbol was on sale on ebay…….. just take a peek!   http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item2a210a6510&item=180942955792&nma=true&pt=US_Fine_Necklaces_Pendants&rt=nc&si=NYLwrZb%252BlHP77UDmkohUGbLQQ5o%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_4162wt_984

Jerusalem is quietly closing down. The shops are emptying as everyone goes home to prepare for Shabbat. Either sleeping or cooking! Tonight we celebrate Zvi's eldest sons birthday and as most families in Israel we will gather for the traditional lighting of the Shabbat Candles, our little grand-daughters joining me in the beautiful ceremony to welcome the bride of Shabbat into our home their faces glowing with pride in the candlelight;  Kiddush, as Zvi sings the blessing over wine in his wonderful bass-baritone voice just as his father did and mine; the ha Motseh – the blessing over the two Challot, the traditions which hold us firmly together as a family and as a people.

The song I chose for you this week is "Halleva'I" sung beautifully by Boaz Sharabi. More of a prayer than a song   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwEatU285N8&feature=related 

I wish you Shabbat Shalom and much love from Jerusalem, the most incredible and fascinating city in the world that I am proud to call home.

With much love

Sheila