210513 Riots and Rockets

 

210513

13^th May 2021

 

I don't know how to start this missive. Shabbat Shalom? Not sure it's appropriate this week. A Blessed Idel Fitr? Same problem. I can pray for both but my hopes are not high.

 

In fact I'm currently beyond angry, not at the rockets and missiles but rather about the disgusting, violent yobbos, young zealots, both Jewish and Moslem, who defy every principle of their religions and fire up hatred that denies dignity to those they oppress. Oppression isn't only imposed by governments although ineffective government or bad example can and does invoke a sense of entitlement which allows young people to believe they have the right to destroy the lives of others. By legitimizing the far, far right of Ben Gvir and Smotrich, Netanyahu fell short in his leadership; by not strengthening, nay, criticising the police and border guard, he fell short in his leadership; by ignoring the warning signs of internal unrest, he fell short in his leadership; by spending his precious time determinedly holding on to his seat rather than defending the country, he fell short in his leadership. A brilliant man with a glowing past, Bibi Netanyahu fell short in his leadership and the proof is in the riots of yesterday and the sirens the "Tzeva Adom" every few minutes night and day.

 

As if the tensions caused by clear and present danger with a torrent of rockets and missiles raining upon the farming communities and small towns of South of Israel, were not enough; the horror of the violence was more than we could bear. It began with young Arabs wreaking havoc but then the young, far right Jewish zealots (sorry it's the only word I can think of) mostly from Jerusalem, went on the rampage, torching cars, destroying property, in Lod and Jaffa (both mixed cities) and in Bat Yam, terrifying ordinary folk, beating, clubbing anyone they deemed "different", if there are two sides exacerbating the rift. The enemy within is not necessarily the Arab Moslem Israeli, it is the lack of mutual respect, built so carefully over 73 years, that is the victim of the last few days. I know every country has its riots, every country has its racists but here, here in a country filled with those who suffered racism in all the countries of their dispersion or their grandparent's birth, here we do not have the right to be racist. I would arrest the lot of them, put all of them in prison, both sets of criminals, to spend a month together and any infringement of the rules would involve a further month; I don't want any of their ilk in the IDF.

 

Now we have to re-group, re-educate, and teach our children to be tolerant. We cannot let a few dozen yobbos influence the lives of normal Israelis, whatever their persuasion.

 

As is my wont, I turned my angst into a positive act and managed to wade through another dozen or so boxes of our totally superfluous belongings!

 

Now for the explanation you've all been waiting for.

 

Hamas had an agreement with the Netanyahu Government, that they would not "overdo" the rockets in exchange for Israel allowing the distribution of Qatari generosity (!) on the condition that the money be distributed under the watchful eye of the Qataris at the rate of $100 per family. There was relative quiet for a while, then came the PA elections and as soon as it looked as if Hamas was about to win over Fatah, Mahmoud Abbas decided to cancel the elections. Before you censure his actions you should know that Mahmoud Abbas has been determinedly fighting terror and all actions are co-ordinated between the Palestinian police and the Israeli police. Back to politics. The cancellation of the elections demanded a show of might from Hamas and Islamic Jihad which, of course, meant violence and terror. Encouraging violence through the Imams and then the shooting of rockets and missiles over the obvious scapegoat – Israel – was a no brainer. All they had to do was incite a return of fire from the IDF and the world was back on the bandwagon of condemning the Jews for defending themselves! The IDF, through our Air Force's pinpointing the arms factories, intelligence and internet intelligence centres successfully killed several of the main players but our major problem is that we will not target homes and they ensure that their HQs are in residential areas, schools and hospitals.

 

So, if we don't target homes why did we see a building collapse, a tall residential building in Gaza? Neri Yarkoni is a retired fighter pilot and he explained. "We target arsenals, in this case we hit the arsenal but it was apparently underneath a residential building so the arms inside exploded bringing the building down" This is the Middle East where nothing is as it appears.

 

What about Bibi's agreement with Hamas I hear you ask. Well, as I said it's all about power, a show of might, chest beating, so Hamas decided to join the Gazan branch of Islamic Jihad and between them they shot over 1,300 rockets and missiles, more than 200 of which fell inside Gaza. The constant declaration of poverty and claims of being under siege (despite the Qatari money and the 120 truckloads of staple needs from Israel daily) begs the question "How on earth can Gaza afford billions of dollars of arms, rockets and missiles, lobbed willy nilly over the Jews"?  The answer is easy, most Western countries and for that matter most of the Islamic countries, send money to finance education and feed the people, money which never reaches the poverty stricken people of Gaza.

 

Gosh that was quite a rant, but you needed to know, you needed to hear because the news you get is so slanted that Israel, the few square metres of land, is the mighty oppressor of the poor Moslems. If you are sick and tired of CNN, BBC, Sky etc etc….just watch https://www.i24news.tv/en or Google search 124 news and you can choose your language of preference.

 

The best explanation so far https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/israel-is-under-attack/2021/05/12/

 

The situation has nothing to do with who is President or his intentions, but for all you doubters, President Biden reiterated that Israel has every right to defend herself, he understands.

 

The Free Gaza "demonstrations" are held by those who have no inkling of the facts. We left Gaza 20+ years ago, we are the only country bordering on Gaza which has not locked its gates and thrown away the key. Egypt and Jordan do not allow Gazans to enter nor do they attempt to feed them– Israel is their only source of staple foods, so why, why us? It's simple, The Jews "occupy" Moslem lands, a tiny country the size of Wales surrounded by enormously large Moslem countries is something these zealots cannot bear, but, still, in NYC a Jewish man was attacked by screaming women who tried to beat him with the Palestinian flag.

 

I have now depressed myself so I will tell you a little about where we live. It's a whole community, not just old people (I know how you think!) but people of all ages. I go for walks to make sure my fitness watch is happy. Parents and children now know my face and everyone calls out "Erev Tov" – Good evening – as I pass. The boys stop their soccer game to let me pass and I get to see the TV's in the ground floor apartments so I can walk and watch the news! Anyone who came to Israel around the early to late '60's travelled from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on the Old Road, not as far back as the Burma Road of Mickey Stone fame (I'm sure you remember the movie Kirk Douglas in To Cast a Giant Shadow) but nonetheless before Road 1, so before 1967, we came in on a narrow road with tortuous hairpin bends, getting our first glimpse of Jerusalem in the distance; well that's where we live! Opposite our entrance is a wonderful walking area, totally unspoiled, and just over the ridge is the beautiful reservoir in Beit Zayit. I know, I can't reel off all the neighborhoods as I did from out old veranda, but I can still tell you about the various trees and birds, and of course the Presidents Avenue that I told you about last week.

 

I'll tell you something funny. Most of the President's trees are dried out or just plain dead, but Herzl's tree, a mere stump, instead of replacing it they put a plexiglass cover over it with the sign noting that he planted it. I have a feeling that very soon we'll see mushrooms growing where the tree didn't succeed!

 

While wading through box after carton after packing case we have found some real treasures. Children's books from Zvi's childhood, hundreds of LPs (for those who remember the 33rpms), photos that brought back happy memories and photos that made one stare and say "Who on earth is that"?

 

I am actually sitting in our Mamad (safe room) which is also our study, for a change with the window covered by the heavy metal protective cover. Who knows if the siren will go off for us as it has umpteen times for Zvi's boys and families, for all our friends in the Coastal plain and the adults and children of Otef Aza – the farmlands, kibbutzim and towns that border with Gaza – who have suffered the destructive power of Hamas and Islamic Jihad for 20 years. This week as if the rockets were not enough they have returned to sending incendiary devices carried on the breeze underneath children's party balloons which have destroyed thousands of acres of crops and wild animals.

 

I'm so happy that I went to Rachel earlier in the week when we took Yosef to Yonatan's 7^th birthday party in Tel Aviv, those two have a lovely relationship ,a little boy who looks up to his 16 year old cousin, both of them love a challenge, both want to be Ninjas! It was so much fun to watch the little boys trying to whack the living daylights out of the football piñata that Rachel made for Yonatan. It also gave me a chance to see the panorama over Jerusalem from Samuel's Tomb, such an amazing sight on our way back home. I may have moved to the other side of Jerusalem but my heart will always be there….just a few miles up the road.

 

So that's it for now, hopefully there will not be need for an update, we have lost too many this week, children and adults, may their souls rest in peace.

 

Two weeks ago I chose Shlomi Shabbat's song about Jerusalem and today it is the turn of Omer Adam. Jerusalem https://youtu.be/GzhiZLPrNHc

 

Psalm 137, written by King David thousands of years ago, is so relevant today as we are yet again threatened. Here Dudu Fisher sings "If I Forget Thee Oh Jerusalem" in the very language in which King David wrote it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GBVaUPTTSw

 

What we need more than anything else is for someone to act as a Bridge Over Troubled Waters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIbc7PL8VZ8&list=RDMM&start_radio=1 with the beautiful singers and musicians of the Shalva Band, Tareq al Menhali, Arqham and the Jerusalem Symphony.

 

I wish you a peaceful weekend, a beautiful Shabbat and please put us in your prayers.

With love from right next to Jerusalem

Sheila

 

Every event that Zvi organised, every event that I went to ended with just one song and today I cannot break that rule HATIKVA          - The Hope, the National Anthem of Israel sung by the youngsters of the IDF

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQCu9kl68Tg

 

 

 

 

210507 Politics, Meron and New Home

 

210507

7^th May 2021

 

Shabbat Shalom and Ramadan Kareem

 

Yes I'm back, well established in our new home and luckily we found the computer in the fourth box! Did you miss me? Of course I chose the busiest, most fateful week in Israeli history to go off line, but I will try to catch you up.

 

The split, the lack of tolerance, within Israeli society and generally worldwide, between Jews of various persuasions came to a head this week with the tragedy of Mount Meron. The reasons are numerous and complex but the resulting venom is horrific.

 

Mount Meron is arguably the resting place of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and a pilgrimage site of ever growing proportions especially on the anniversary of his death. Traditionally a great Rabbi is chosen to light the bonfire or beacon on Mount Meron and thousands come to watch and celebrate. Last year Covid put paid to the gathering and this year it swelled to over a hundred thousand pilgrims, especially significant because Lag B'Omer also celebrates the end of the plague that killed 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva's followers. The Ministry of Health wanted to limit the gathering but Interior Minister Aryeh Deri overruled and the numbers swelled and swelled in a site that couldn't cope. As a result, 45 innocents, including children, died after one man fell on the steps and everyone else fell on top and panic reigned. 45 deaths, it doesn't bear thinking about. The first responders on site are utterly traumatised by the sights. Israelis of every variety rushed to give blood and the Arab town of Tamra opened its doors to the injured and families of victims, bringing in kosher food and extending love and sympathy.  

 

The ghastly side to this tragedy is that many secular people have used this tragedy became an excuse for a tiny but vociferous secular minority to pour vitriol upon the Haredi community. Where is their empathy? Why, even in such tragic circumstances, can't we stand together in humanity? Why? One of those killed was a brilliant Rabbi, Moshe Tsarfti z"l who spent his life encouraging young Haredim to serve in the IDF, including his own sons, yet as usual generalisation brought hatred. My heart goes out to the injured and the families of those who died. May their souls rest in peace and our politicians understand that power is a dangerous thing that must be used with great discretion.

 

Talking about power, discretion and the misuse of…………that's it, the removal vans must start packing the House in Balfour Street and taking all the Netanyahu belongings to their beautiful home in Caesaria. How sad that what could have been a glowing place in history has been sullied by narcissistic, even megalomanic determination to hang on to power at all costs. Selling one's soul to retain power is never a wise move. Now what? Netanyahu's period of time to form a government has ended and President Rivlin handed the mandate over to the next biggest party led by Yair Lapid. Fascinatingly, Lapid who is centre-left and Naftali Bennet, unquestionably right wing but not extreme, have joined forces and refused to accept the extremists of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, choosing to include the relatively centrist Israeli Arab Party of Mansour Abbas. Abbas isn't a Zionist but understands that it is in his community's interest to be part of the decision making. So far so good, only time will tell.

 

Ramadan, a time of fasting and prayer has become a time of unrest among young Arabs, both Israeli and Palestinian and sadly, young Jewish zealots. Since Hamas has basically stopped its incitement (temporarily) one can only assume that the violent riots have been instigated by Iranian sources. It's only my opinion and that of a few very wise pundits, but it seems to be the most logical source of the fervent, religious based riots around Hebron and Schem. Clearly, the years of hate education have prepared the ground and fired up the rebellion of these young people who then risk their lives by engaging violently with the IDF. The apparent cause of violence in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jerach, right next to French Hill, is that Jews decided to live in Jewish property in this Arab area and Jews in Kfar Tavor are demonstrating against the sale of homes to Arabs.  Has everyone gone mad? As to the young Jewish zealots, to me their actions are those of racist hooligans who deserve to be imprisoned as are their Arab counterparts; a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist.

 

John Kerry, did he or didn't he inform the Iranians of Israeli security secrets? Having spent a week with the man I would be inclined to believe the rumours. However, for those died in the wool Republicans who laughed at my belief that Joe Biden is a good man, he has made it very clear that any agreements with the Iranians is a very long way away and will entail many changes in the original Obama agreements, including many conditions not in the original.

 

It finally happened, the EU has censured the PA and UNWRA for their educational material, threatening to withhold funding! How? All because 6 people, 5 genius researchers and a fantastic CEO sit in a little office in Tel Aviv and work night and day to make it happen! https://www.impact-se.org/reports/ IMPACT-se worked closely on the measures alongside parliamentarians for several months, from drafting the resolution to the plenary vote. The resolution was based on two IMPACT-se reports published in January and February 2021 that found UNRWA-created material contained antisemitism and incitement to violence and jihad. Facts and dogged perseverance won over malicious fiction.

 

It's very nearly Jerusalem Day. Jerusalem Day, the celebration of the reunification of the City of Jerusalem on that joyous, dramatic day in the 6 Day War. We all remember that incredible moment of "The Temple Mount is in our hands"; the photograph of the 3 soldiers beside the Kotel; the joy when the extra verse was added to Naomi Shemer's "Jerusalem of Gold" sung by Shuli Natan declaring that all the beautiful places we yearned to see were suddenly a reality; that we, all of us, Jews to the Kotel, Christians to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Via Delarosa, everybody to the Arab Shouk, we could all finally go to pray as we wished where we wished. So many things changed, the millennia-long prayer "Next Year in Jerusalem" was answered.

 

And so to our new home. We are so happy, so calm, really enjoying our surroundings and the kindness and warmth of our new neighbours. Obviously the veranda is a work in progress, rather bare and needing lots of colour but the view, while very different is wonderful – trees, trees and more trees!! Actually not just trees, but right next to us is the Avenue of the Presidents, not as grandiose as it sounds but really pretty and with deep history. The first tree to be planted in Motza, that is the first tree in the Avenue, was planted by Theodore Herzl when he was advised to spend time in Motza "for the best air in Israel". His tree was cut down by local Arabs for fear that it represented Jewish return, but a new one was quickly planted. Most of the trees were inappropriate to the site and didn't survive but it is still historic! Sadly Shimon Peres died just 2 days before he was due to plant his tree but it stands proudly nonetheless.

 

In the project (I have to stop calling it that since almost everyone has moved in) there are two playgrounds for little children and large areas for slightly older children and every evening as we take our walk along the paths and lanes between the buildings and parkland, past the gorgeous central building, designed to look like the White House, which was once a sanitarium and is now our cultural centre; the sound of children playing greets us as young families enjoy the evenings cool. Passing the apartments we learned that we aren't the only ones who haven't yet bought light fitments or set up the bookcases and we hear the news as we pass the various giant sized televisions. Neighbours ensured we had food for the first few days of unpacking, turning up with cakes and real food  and as we walk around everyone greets us with a "Erev Tov" Good evening – it's like living in a village!

 

We have tried to continue our voluntary work and Zvi has had a few meetings of his various organisations and we even managed to hold a choir party for Lag B'Omer  - but more of that later. I had my first proper meeting, together with Rachel and Ilan, concerning the outline plans for Dr. Dan's Room. All plans were on hold due to Covid. We plan to go to the phenomenal site to familiarize with the future studio. Remember that this is in the magical have called Shalva. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjcgIeMVwcA

 

Oh my goodness time has run away with me. Zvi is at the old apartment with Tomer working hard to clear everything……and Leor, Shiri and the girls are coming for supper. Zvi is going to his parliament and I will go to Rachel to kiss everyone so I have one or two things to do, including emptying my pledged 2 boxes a day!!

 

What music is most fitting for the week leading up to Jerusalem Day

 

Sarit Hadad sings of the need to put hate aside and together we will win through https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcr4EPfPTHg

 

For Shabbat Leha Dodi, a beautiful prayer said in the synagogue to welcome the Bride of Shabbat (with English translation) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWmcQpzUMHY

 

Last but by no means least, Zvi's choir, Hakol Yahassi, has been recording a gorgeous medley of Jerusalem songs and two weeks ago they met up with the Mayor, Moshe Lion, who has a gorgeous voice, and recorded a video…..enjoy enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFROAZv4fHM  

 

I wish you a Shabbat Shalom and please remember to listen to those you disagree with, listen and perhaps between you you can come to an agreement, if only to respect your differences – or as we Brits say "agree to differ". A young man came to finish off our kitchen yesterday, and as an observant Moslem during the month of Ramadan he is obviously both praying and fasting. He explained, with great enthusiasm, about how Allah is behind our every thought and action and it sounded exactly like young enthusiastic religious Jewish boys. Fascinating.

 

With much love to you all, irrespective of your leanings, beliefs or thoughts as long as they don't hurt anyone.

 

Love from just outside Jerusalem, still my favourite place in the world

Sheila

 

 

 

 

210416 Old memories, New beginnings

210416

16^th April, 2021

 

Shabbat Shalom, Ramadan Kareem

 

We have mourned for the Shoah and cried over those we lost to war and terror, switching in a flash and a bugle call to the celebrations of Independence.

 

Two wonderful things happened for Zvi and I on Yom Haatzmaut (Independence Day). To his delight and excitement Zvi discovered that the great-grand-daughter of his father's cousin in Mexico was one of the torch lighters at the celebratory ceremony on Mount Herzl, chosen for her humanitarian work throughout the world, and that this young woman (Gabriela Sztrigler) linked us to a wonderful family here in Jerusalem, a family that hailed from Mexico and knew all of Zvi's family there and here. It was Gabriela's great grandfather who had welcomed Zvi's family to Mexico and seen them through the tragedy of losing Zvi's little brother Meir. Both Zvi and I were thrilled to invite Gabriela and her lovely Mum Samantha for breakfast next day. We sat together on our verandah, eating home-made Shakshuka and salads, recreating the family ties while watching the air display for Yom Haatzmaut.

 

This has been a time of re-finding lost relatives, and thankfully discovering that they are wonderful people! Indeed, as if it weren't enough for me to discover a lost relative, the lovely Frank Eppel in far off Nova Scotia, when I spoke to Frank and his wife Jen………. Wait, let's go back a bit! When packing some old papers I discovered some beautiful love letters from Daddy (in Cardiff) to Mummy (in London) and the newspaper announcement of their wedding, including the names of the Best Man, Groomsman, Bridesmaids and a glorious description of Mummy's dress. As I looked closely at the tiny print I saw "Best Man Joe Eppel and Groomsman Max Glicker" Of course I photographed it and sent it to my siblings and also to Frank. Frank's wife Jen immediately wrote back "I used to babysit for the children of Max Glicker" You could have knocked me down with a feather!!!! Such wonderful discoveries.

 

The ceremony was beautiful! If you want you can watch the whole recording, https://youtu.be/efzQCVVBRh8 including Gabriela's presentation, with a special surprise at 27 minutes or you can just watch the "surprise" or you can go straight to the sound and sight of doctors, medics and nurses singing a Koolulam https://youtu.be/fOMpTmLhA9Q

 

As we sat outside, enjoying our Israeli breakfast I began thinking about our veranda and what it has meant to us, both of us. So many people, of every walk in life, have watched our electric blinds rise up to reveal the view, the vista, Jerusalem stretching before them, from the city centre, over Baka, Talpiot, Beit Tsafafa, Gilo, Manahat, Ramat Sharett, right off into the horizon. Ooohs and Aaahs know no class, political affiliation or religion and just as today we enjoy the sounds and aromas of a thriving city, so 20 years ago we watched the horror of terror, of hatred as palls of smoke and the thud of explosions told us that hatred has yet again been taught and resulted in death and maiming of innocents. That ghastly period is controlled, as is the hate education through the new curriculum introduced by Impact-se in East Jerusalem, but it continues in France, Belgium and sadly in Britain, much less, but exists.

 

I then got to thinking about the meals served either on the veranda or just inside in the warmth looking out! I devised a method of creating menus, not for the" posh" look but so that I could always look back chronologically and find out what our guests ate last time they visited- my pride would never allow me to serve them the same meal twice! I have served vegan, gluten free, sugar free, lactose free and once Gluten, Sugar and Lactose free in one meal! Guests from Israel (obviously) USA, UK, Jordan, Mexico, Belgium, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Germany, Qatar, the Emirates….. in fact I had better stop there because I'm sure that I will miss out some friends and don't want to hurt them! Best of all, this veranda has seen hundreds, indeed thousands, of family meals, Friday night meals with Zvi's wonderful voice singing out Kiddush (blessings over the wine) and Hamotze (blessing over the challah) resounding over the entire neighbourhood. From the time when tiny children (Yosef was the first after Tomer and Shelly) crawling around on the fake grass so they wouldn't hurt themselves or slip on the tiles when they climbed out of the paddling pool to a place where teenagers take selfies in front of the view.

 

We had a singing evening during the 2^nd Lebanon War when everyone was so depressed, all the songs were from the founding of the state, of course ending with Al Kol Eleh. It was a friends bring friends evening and we managed to fit about 80 people in, all leaving feeling a little lighter than when they arrived.

 

Our children and grandchildren have all enjoyed the freedom of our home…..such beautiful memories. Now……… now is the time to make new memories! The parties will take place again on our even bigger veranda in the new apartment. The children will be thrilled to visit and play in the freedom of our attached and private park with two playgrounds and lots of other children who live in the project. We have already made friends with our neighbours – in fact we went to one of our neighbours to watch the Yom Haatzmaut ceremony – our first party since Covid 19 came into our lives. Obviously we wore our masks to arrive but then, on the advice our friend and resident doctor who ensured everyone had been inoculated months ago, we took off our masks and sang our heads off! That future neighbour also happens to be an old friend from Zvi's choir. Itzik made a delicious onion soup and was thrilled to find my spinach and cheese penne bake because his Mother used to make it!! Everyone brought something – even if it was just a smile!!

 

So, dear friends, there is a beautiful light at the end of the dark tunnel of isolation, closures, fear and so much worse. For Zvi and I, our lives will continue in much the same vein but in far greater comfort. No more discussions about who gets the computer…..we will have two in our specially designed office. We have a very neat dining table which grows to seat 20 people and the new kitchen has bar seating on the opposite side to me so friends can chat without entering my space (hahaha). We have a huge veranda (120 sq metres) with shaded seating, room for a lovely table and lots of room for friends. Best of all I have room to grow whatever I wish. In fact the builders answered my prayer and the large plot next to the entrance to our apartments is destined to become a communal herb garden with me as head gardener!!!

 

Just as we are moving to a new home so Israel will discover that her new reality will be just fine. I don't know who will lead the country but we are strong, we are determined and if we'd just stop trying to prove each other right then we can concentrate on recovering from Covid with dignity and great success. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MArV8tRKZPQ

 

So many songs to choose from, all related to our desire for peace. The word Shalom is constant as poets and lyricists alike reach out for the elusive. One of my favourite is Shalom Aleichem, sung on Friday night as the bride of Shabbat reaches out for peace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=913jZFL1bdE

 

Once upon a time, many years ago, as El Al came in to land in Israel, they played Hevenu Shalom Aleichem (We brought peace t you) I'm not old fashioned but, yes, I miss it!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB4RMIWroMY

 

I am thrilled to be able to tell you that as the limitations thrust upon us by Covid are lifting, so we are able to go ahead with "Dr. Dan's Room", a drama, music and arts studio in Shalva, the miraculous centre for people with special needs here in Jerusalem. The plans are wonderful and now we can begin to carry them out! The Shalva Band will rehearse there, children from tiny to teen and beyond will benefit from the facilities and my incredible son Daniel's life of giving to others will be honoured by the joy his room will bring. His ability to calm the stormiest of situations are best expressed by the Shalva Band in this beautiful song. "Bridge Over Troubled Waters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIbc7PL8VZ8

 

Shabbat Shalom. With all my love from this veranda, this mirpesset, that has brought so much joy to so many as they wonder at the "View from our Veranda", Jerusalem.

 

Sheila

 

For anyone who wishes to make Dr. Dan's Room even more beautiful

https://give.shalva.org/daniel

 

 

 

  

210413 From Sorrow to Celebration

From Sorrow to Celebration

 

13^th of April 2021

1^st Iyar 5781

 

יוֹם הזִּכָּרוֹן לַחֲלָלֵי מַעֲרָכוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְנִפְגְעֵי פְּעוּלוֹת הָאֵיבָה‎‎  

'Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Actions of Terrorism

 

It is said that Israelis understand how to mourn better than any other country. It isn't the sense of deep mourning for those lost in fighting an enemy whose hatred is stronger than their desire for a fruitful life. We mourn those who died, soldiers and victims of terror, from tonight at dusk until tomorrow at nightfall when we celebrate the birth of our nation in a truly spectacular manner.

 

The juxtaposition of mourning and celebration seems anathema to the outside but an emotionally essential part of the Israeli determination to survive.

 

Memorial candles are lit in homes, army camps, schools, synagogues, and public places, and flags are lowered to half mast.

 

Tonight at 20:00 precisely, the siren will wail its mournful message throughout this nation, the eerie sound falling on a silent people who pay tribute to those who fell so that we could live. Jews, Circassians, Druze, Bedouin, Christians, Moslems all fought and fell for the State of Israel and Jews, Circassians, Druze, Bedouin, Christians and Moslems lost their lives to terror.

 

Gentle music plays on all stations of both the television and radio and the names of each and every one of the fallen is read aloud. Tonight and tomorrow the families of the fallen visit the graves of their loved ones in military cemeteries led by senior officers in the IDF and an Israeli flag is placed on every single grave.

 

Tomorrow, at precisely 11:00 the siren will flood the country as if with the keening of mothers for their sons and fathers for their daughters as everyone stands to attention, heads bowed, whether at work or walking in the street; on a bus, driving, at home or in town, everyone stands, heads bowed in gratitude, sadness and respect for the two minutes of the siren.

 

Ceremonies take place all over the country, each religion following their own traditions. The Haredi Jews say Tehilim or Psalms in memory of those who died, most standing in silence together with us, the mourners of Zion.

 

The final ceremony takes place at nightfall, right next to the largest military cemetery on Mount Herzl where after the changing of the standard (flag) and guard, the music becomes upbeat, the flags come out, the fireworks and fun begin and the Independence Day celebrations begin. The sudden change from desolation to celebration is complete. Life continues and we, as Israelis, must celebrate life and not dwell on our loss. It has been suggested that we are a schizophrenic people, able to change so quickly, but that's how we survive, that's how we survived the Holocaust, by embracing life and determinedly looking forward and building a new future.

 

Thursday will be a day of beach, barbeques, picnics and discovering new aspects of this gorgeous country. Believe it or not while we will be enjoying glorious sunshine, many will be skiing on Mount Hermon!

 

For Zvi and I, the blue and white flag is flying over our wonderful view and every street light, whether in town, city or highway, sports an Israeli flag, proudly declaring that we not only survive but thrive! Our National Anthem is The Hope – HaTikva, which says so much more than anything else about Israel. We will continue to innovate, initiate, discover and create because we will always look forward, while remembering from whence we came. Israel is a homecoming, an ingathering of the dispersion, not created out of the flames of the Holocaust but a natural progression of an oppressed people finding freedom.

 

Lu Yehi was written by Nomi Shemer to honour those soldiers that fell in the Yom Kippur War. She wrote it after hearing the Beatles "Let It Be". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfMoeK6UVB0

 

If I were to choose a song which exemplifies Israel, it has to be Al Kol Eleh! Yes I know that you have heard it many times but it is THE song. Koolulam and Shlomi Shabbat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxzR9Z-kG6Q

 

Hatikva – The Hope sung by our young soldiers of the IDF  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQCu9kl68Tg

 

Translation of the Hatikva:

As long as in the heart within, The Jewish soul yearns, And toward the eastern edges, onward, An eye gazes toward Zion.

Our hope is not yet lost, The hope that is two-thousand years old, To be a free nation in our land, The Land of Zion, Jerusalem.

 

 

I wish you a good month, the new month of Iyar in the Hebrew year of 5,781. A good month and best of all

Happy 73^rd birthday to the most beautiful lady in the world….Medinat Yisrael!!

 

With much love

Sheila   

210402 Knesset Kitniot and Kinneret Chaya

 

210402

2^nd of April 2021

 

Shabbat Shalom, Pesach Sameach, a Blessed Good Friday and a Holy Easter.

 

Jews have entered a 49 day Omer period of prayer, restraint and holding back from excess, while Christians have just ended the 40 days of Lent; We have so much more in common than that which separates us.

 

So the 4th elections are over, the indecision continues and the negotiations for a coalition began. Benjamin Netanyahu did many good things during his tenure, but it is time for change, time for him to attend to his legal issues. The belief that Israel will fall apart if he leaves is ludicrous. We are a very strong nation of wonderful, feisty people and despite our arguments, we all contribute to the success of this amazing country. A good leader is very important, as the Covid-19 pandemic has shown, but that doesn't mean exclusive tenure. It is time to unite rather than continue the created divisions that have torn us apart recently.

 

There is a new star on the Israeli political stage; his name is Mansour Abbas https://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=1007 . Abbas is a dentist who studied at the Hebrew University, clever, young and a supporter of both the Moslem Brotherhood and Hamas. He speaks of becoming part of Israeli society rather than a separate entity within, he gives hope unlike the Joint List of Eiman Odeh and Dr. Ahmed Tibi who are generally thought to have done nothing to deal with the ghastly violence in the Israeli Arab society. The strange aspect is that he garnered enough seats in the Knesset to gain recognition in the fight for a sane coalition to oust Netanyahu – I must reiterate, it isn't to oust Likud, just Netanyahu. Next week, President Rivlin will call the leaders of the various parties to discuss who will be given the task of forming a government. Logic would suggest that the centre-right parties would form a bloc but Gidon Saar and Naftali Bennet have expressed a determination to join a wide political coalition rather than sit with Bibi. It's going to be an interesting few weeks….

David Horovitz wrote in the Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/from-the-head-of-an-israeli-islamic-party-a-primetime-plea-for-coexistence/

 

A light at the end of the Israel/PA tunnel (not one built by Hamas or Hezb-Allah!) came this week with a paper published by two academics who studied together in Oxford. Hussein Agha and Ahmad Samih Khalidi wrote a powerful article entitled “The End of the Road: The Decline of the Palestinian National Movement.” They have now published “A Palestinian Reckoning: Time for a New Beginning.” Instead of reiterating problems, they outline an alternative strategy in which Egypt and Jordan take part. A breath of fresh air

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/recalibrating-the-diplomacy-of-middle-east-peace-opinion-663262

 

Seder night came and went and most of us added an extra prayer to the fascinating story of our Exodus from slavery to freedom. Thank you G-d for allowing us to be a big happy family again. So far there are no Covid repercussions for the family gatherings since the Seder. The person we should really be thanking for Israel's incredible success in controlling the pandemic is a 47 year old doctor called Sharon Elroy-Preis, the Head of Public Health in the Ministry of Health. She began the negotiations with Pfizer last year, thus saving the lives of thousands of Israelis.  

 

Israelis love to travel and visit the incredible natural beauty of Israeli lakes, rivers, brooks, hills and………snow! One positive aspect of the pandemic is that Israelis discovered that one doesn't need to fly anywhere to discover glorious sights and sites right here in our little country. After the rain of the winter, flowers bloom in the rockiest of places, even in the arid Negev Desert and the Northern valleys are spectacular. Kayaking on the River Jordan, Skiing on the Hermon, swimming in the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret), seeing ancient monuments, walking along the coastline or just walking the country trails. We went to the Castel, a Crusader Fortress https://www.parks.org.il/en/new/castel-national-site/ , and as we climbed up the trail I was entranced by the display of wild flowers, from poppies to blue iris, from wild cyclamen and lupins to fine old trees in full blossom. As we reached the upper area around the remains of the Castel the evidence of the War of Independence became apparent. Trenches which hid the Israeli troops from the Jordanian army snake their way to the top, the vantage point over the old road to Jerusalem, the "Seven Sisters" named for the seven sharp hairpin bends toward Jerusalem. Never in my wildest dreams, when I hung on for dear life as our bus took us toward Jerusalem in 1963 did I think that Zvi and I would come to live on the fourth sister! Today the Castel is famous for its fine wines, indeed in the Jerusalem Hills there are no less than 90 wineries. You should try some, we have come a long way from the old sickly sweet Kiddush wines!! To see Israel at her most beautiful https://www.youtube.com/embed/vtdpP0_kBMw?rel=0

 

The Jews of Morocco celebrated the end of Pesach with the Mimuna, producing a cornucopia, a plethora of colourful, sugary, delicious petit fours and a rather strange crepe-like dessert called a moufletta. Traditionally the house, big and small alike, is open to friends, family and strangers alike, each tasting the delights set out on the tables. The host and hostess dress in traditional Moroccan celebratory robes, or djelabas and the music in the background is also traditional. You know what? Instead of me waxing lyrical, Look for yourself! https://www.israel21c.org/photo-of-the-week-celebrating-mimouna/

 

I am going to see Rachel and family this morning. I haven't seen them for a whole week and I miss being with the children, who are fast becoming adults! They are such warm and loving children, despite becoming teenagers they still know how to hug us all! Of course this week she isn't baking Challot because we are still in Passover but I'm certain there will be a vast amount of food in her refrigerator. Here in Israel you would be hard pushed to find an empty refrigerator, we love our food, we demand freshness, all fruit and veggies are seasonal and both men and women love to cook! Of course there is the fifth question on Pesach, "Why, on this night, does half the population eat pulses on Passover and half do not?" I am slowly, but very slowly, coming round to the fact that it is ridiculous that Middle Eastern Jews eat beans, peas, rice and so on, during Passover while European Jews do not.  As Rachel says, "Mum, it's time we all kept the same rules" It would make life so much easier to eat "kitniot" then I wouldn't need my reading glasses to go shopping!

March the 30^th is ever etched into my mind. On March 30th 2002, in the middle of the Intifada, a beautiful young student was working as a waitress in a Tel Aviv Coffee Shop, on Allenby Street. A young fellow walked into the café and she approached him, asking if he wanted anything to drink. As she walked back behind the bar he simply pressed a button and blew himself up. Our beautiful young woman lay on the floor, the blazing bar on top of her, determined to survive. The MDA paramedic, Yitzchak Kochav, made a final check around the burnt out café and suddenly saw something move. With mighty strength he lifted the bar to find a horrifically burned body underneath. Even in that state Kinneret managed to smile at him. He took her to the hospital never leaving her side, even when her family arrived. I can never forget the phone call from Orly telling us what happened. Kinneret, daughter of our close friends Moishe and Yaffa, was given a 2% chance of survival, burned on 85% of her body. That night a Rabbi visited her in hospital and told the family to change her name from Kinneret to Kinneret Chaya – Kinneret Lives.

As those of you who have been with me for many years know, I recorded every move every new thing, her first mouthful, her first steps, her first visit home, every moment of her miraculous recovery. This young woman who defeated medical science, is now a married lady with four children! Yes, with all the scars and damaged lungs she never gave up. I love her more, though we rarely see each other. I can never forget the moment I went to see her – the first visitor allowed – a tiny charred figure on a pile of green pillows, and through her induced coma she turned her head and smiled at me. Yes, the 30th of March is etched in my very soul. 29 years later KC is thriving. She was told she would never have children and today she is a happily married lady with 4 beautiful little ones! KC I love you Happy re-birthday Kinneret Chaya.

That's it folks!

One of my favourite Israeli songs tells the story of each of us whose children grow up and away. Oof Gozal – Fly away fledgling, by Arik Einstein https://youtu.be/ez1e2VPsRFw

 

"Ani Nodadeti Le Shalom" I was born for Peace by Uzi Chitman – so many Israeli songs are about peace…. https://youtu.be/4fz18D68Vdw

 

Since it is still Pesach, a song from the Passover Haggadah. In these uncertain times of renewed racism, especially against Jews, it is somehow important to hear the lyrics. I warn you though, you will find yourselves singing it for months – the haunting melody doesn't leave me. Vehi Sheamda by Yaakov Shwekey and Yonatan Raziel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y784Uw96Rbs

 

Good Shabbes, Shabbat Shalom and a blessed Holy Easter period.

With love from the city that is so special for each and every one of us

Sheila

 

By the way, did you know that Henry VIII wrote to a Rabbi in Italy to get permission to divorce Katherine of Aragon and the Rabbi refused?