Democracy isn't easy

1st December, 2022 Shabbat Shalom dear friends. For the first time in 23 years I don’t know how to begin this week’s missive. In fact, I don’t know how to approach this week’s missive, because it is not in my nature to criticize Israel’s potential government, even when I disapprove of their policies, but this week, I am lost for words. Prime Minister Designate Benjamin Netanyahu is making choices that alienate Diaspora Jews, making it harder to identify, making choices that harm our allies of all faiths out there in the big wide world, making it harder and harder to defend our position and easier to give up on us. Of course we aren’t teaching children to hate and no politician will influence the Israeli textbooks! Of course our schoolbooks honour everyone who lives here and our children in the state schools hear every side of the argument, everybody’s narrative, but the perception both inside and outside Israel is that we are falling into a black hole of exclusion. I can assure you that we are not! If you still have doubts please read the independent reports on Israeli textbooks by Impact-se https://www.impact-se.org/reports-2/israel/ I listen to the stories that Zvi has to tell of his days in Israeli politics, days when Likud had the full range of conservative political thought and Avoda (Labour) was mainly concerned with social issues and building the country, but everyone was also a patriot and felt included in the process. In those days it was the good of the whole rather than the zealous determination to force everyone to conform to their ideals. It’s all too easy to blame the election process, even easier to blame the participants, the party leaders who either led a weak campaign or no campaign, but the unthinkable happened and we are being led down a path of extremists led by a weak Prime Minister who is willing to sell his soul to stay in power. I am deeply disappointed and very disturbed because I love this country, and I believe that the vast majority had no idea of what lay ahead of them. How is it possible that the man who fought so hard to bring Natan Scharansky, the world famous dissident, to Israel now wants change the law of return, the very basis of our existence? Even more incredibly, Avi Moaz is a party of one! Yes, his party has precisely one seat in the Knesset! This article in the Times of Israel explains the situation far better than I. https://www.timesofisrael.com/he-campaigned-for-soviet-immigration-now-avi-maoz-is-poised-to-fight-against-it/ I love this country, I’m incredibly proud of our achievements in every sphere; our ability to withstand horrific terror attacks from our neighbours whose sole aim is to erase us from the map, all of us whatever our faith and of course, our ability to reach out to help any and every country in trouble from both natural and man-made disasters. I cannot imagine living anywhere else, this is my home, but I fear for the next generation who may not feel that same pull, that same allegiance. Like it or not, this is our only home, our only country which has been taken from us too many times and although we may dislike our politicians, we cannot abandon our love for Israel because it doesn’t suit us at the moment. Just as in every other country, we simply have to work to repair what may be broken. I was searching for a ray of light, something to lift my mood and found it in Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. PM Sunak has pledged to put BDS outside the law and to strengthen Britain’s ties with Israel. The law banning BDS was in the Tory manifesto in 2019 and he intends to ensure it makes the statute book. https://www.jpost.com/bds-threat/article-723736 On a very different subject, but in a strange way, a subject that holds a great deal of hope and gratitude for change. This is International Recognition of Violence Against Women Week, which may sound depressing but it isn’t really. Finally recognition of the situation, the new generation of women understands that violence takes many forms, not just verbal and physical violence but also financial violence/submission, something that my generation never ever understood. Withholding financial support, control by withholding the woman’s access to money, even if it is her own, hiding financials, is just as painful as a beating but without the physical scars. It demands submission. This generation will not be a Dorcas, they will have the strength to fight back. Eric Idle, the fabulous, funny and highly irreverent Eric Idle of Monty Python fame, when told he has to clean up his act, has asked to be cancelled rather than change his humour. Of course it is coarse, irreverent, anti-society, rude, everything that made Monty Python and all the incredible gang so funny! “The Life of Brian” was funny because it laughed at all religions equally and there are few in this world who have never sung “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”. In his statement he said “It sounds a bit like the French Revolution committees, who said, 'off with his head'. I think a lot of bullying goes on in the name of decency.” This week I’ve been searching out Zvi’s family, sadly none of who survived the Shoah, on a few internet sites, particularly one call Kav haDorot and Geni. We discovered that his eminent grandfather, Rabbi Zvi Mordechai Rybak, had a nickname, Mordka! I cannot think of anything that would make my lovely husband happier than to discover that after all, he has a first cousin The weekend began with a visit to the Jerusalem neighborhood of Bet Hakerem for a lecture on the 100th anniversary of the “shchuna” neighborhood. In fact, Bet Hakerem has many memories for both of us. I first discovered Bet Hakerem on my first visit to Israel on a Youth and Hechalutz Tour in 1963, when we slept in the David Yellin Teachers Training college. For Zvi it was next to his childhood neighborhood and the school where his mother was headmistress. His children grew up on the main street, and later on we lived there so we were fascinated to hear the stories of the founders whose descendents spoke. From there we went to our friends Ronit and Yossi for Shabbat lunch and at home I had the sheer joy of watching the baby blessing of my gorgeous great niece and nephew, Eilah and Ezra by Zoom, in far off Wales. Mazal Tov to my brother Ronnie and sister in law Sandie and all the family. I’m trying to get back into normal life again, although I still can’t drive and have a huge neck brace/construction which tends to frighten all comers!! So on Tuesday evening we went to a very small theatre in the Bell Park (created to celebrate 200 years of USA) where two friends, Eli Yaron and Itzik Mussachi were performing. The troupe performed excerpts from Bustan Sefaradi, written by President Yitzchak Navon, The Policeman Azulai and many others. It was great and they found me a comfortable seat! Yesterday Rachel, Talia and Ayala came to watch “Pride and Prejudice” with me while Zvi watched the World Cup in the other room. Sadly we couldn’t find the original 1995 version with Colin Firth but the Keira Knightly one did very nicely. Talia needs it for her baccalaureate and we thoroughly enjoyed it! I was actually very pleased to spend last night with my daughter since it is the 59th anniversary of my beautiful mother’s passing away and those three girls are very good at hugging. Zvi and I went to the cemetery for the memorial to our wonderful friend Shmuel, Sammy, Benalal who was killed in the horrific bombing in Mali 5 years ago. Shmuel was a larger than life man, intensely intelligent, in Mali at the request of the World Bank to advise them on how to change their education systems. He’s always in our hearts. Zvi’s son Leor, Shiri and the four girls are coming for Shabbat Dinner and we will try to steer the conversation away from politics. The menu is slightly, actually very different from usual and will suit the somewhat chilly weather. Split pea soup, then herbed Barbunia parcels and salmon in lemon sauce, quiche, various salads, some sort of potatoes and the regular “pasta without anything” for the fussy member of the family! I decided to go berserk on the desserts. Chocolate mousse, crepes with maple syrup and a Victoria sponge cake…… I think they will be happy. I love it when the apartment is full and Leor always clears everything up, rinsing and loading the dishwasher exactly the way I like – soldiers without wasting space! He will make sure I won’t have to work. Netflix, I think most of us became addicted to Netflix during the Covid period of isolation, it probably saved our sanity! However, Netflix are about to screen a Jordanian movie that is unacceptable. It is a movie that in some ways compares a young Palestinian girl to Anne Frank and the insinuation therein. This movie will, undoubtedly exacerbate an already problematic world. Please sign this letter to Netflix management demanding to remove the film. It's easy and takes just 30 seconds. Put you name in the box >>> Click START WRITING >>> Click SEND LETTER >>> Done ! https://actionnetwork.org/letters/netflix-removfe-the-antisemitic-blood-libel-film-farha?source=direct_link& My grateful thanks to Martin Lindenfeld for drawing it to my notice My thanks to Judith Nusbaum for this song. As the weather gets colder, the trees lose their leaves and the skies darken, Shalva sing on the beach. I love it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ9Pg-G7o40 I am very proud to give you this particular song as a tribute to the best of British humour, in the phenomenal Royal Albert Hall, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” with Eric Idle. I dare you to refrain from singing along! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrdEMERq8MA With everything that is happening around us, I had to finish with one special song, Ayn li Eretz Aheret – I have no other country. The lyrics written by the late Ehud Manor ring out our love of Israel and our need to support change, but whatever, to love this incredible little country https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0bPgPs40zc&t=42s I have no other country, even if my land is aflame Just a word in Hebrew pierces my veins and my soul - With a painful body, with a hungry heart, Here is my home. I will not stay silent because my country changed her face I will not give up reminding her and sing in her ears until she will open her eyes I have no other country even if my land is aflame Just a word in Hebrew pierces my veins and my soul - With a painful body, with a hungry heart, Here is my home. I won't be silent because my country has changed her face. I will not give up reminding her and sing in her ears until she will open her eyes I have no other country until she will renew her glorious days Until she will open her eyes I have no other country even if my land is aflame Just a word in Hebrew pierces my veins and my soul - With a painful body, with a hungry heart, Here is my home. I wish you a Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem. With love Sheila

Pain politics and lovely visitors

25th November, 2022 Shabbat Shalom! I hope that all my American friends had many things to be Thankful for yesterday. Even if in many ways Thanksgiving has lost its original meaning, the idea of giving thanks for what we have when on the other 364 days of the year we tend to complain, is, or can be, life changing. Sadly yesterday, and the day before were not good days in Israel although many of us gave thanks that we, and our families, are alive. I didn’t need to be told that there had been terror attacks, the number of ambulance and police sirens rushing past on Road Number One told me that something ghastly had happened. It may not have reached your news media, but two explosive devices were placed, very strategically, at bus stops on the outskirts of Jerusalem. One at the major intersection of Ramot where miraculously no-one was killed although it is usually packed at 07:15, a bus had just passed through and picked up all the waiting passengers so the bus stop was empty; at the other bus stop and hitchhiking site, right near the Calatrava Bridge on road number one, a 16 year old Canadian Yeshiva student lost his life and another 18 people were hurt. Both bombs were well thought out, caused total chaos since both main entrances to Jerusalem were closed, cars sitting, unable to proceed for hours, this was not a moment of anger but the work of professional criminals taught to hate over the last 74 years and before. The anger, the sheer unadulterated hatred has been carefully nurtured by terror organisations, terror organisations accepted and paid for by the governments of your countries. Two days ago, a 19 year old Druze decided to repair his car in Jenin, believing that since his native tongue is Arabic he would be safe. He had an accident, was taken to hospital and then it happened – members oof the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, took him, pulling all the infusions out of his arm, killed him and kidnapped his body. His family told the Israeli government that they did not want his body to be exchanged for anyone, they refused to risk the lives of soldiers of the IDF. Our diplomats used every diplomatic tool at their disposal but since the family is not an official body, they succeeded in contacting the powers that be in Syria and Lebanon and incredibly, the Tanzim, the “army” of the PA, sat with the kidnappers for 6 hours to convince them to return the body. I am sure that the Druze community were able to use threats that an official body cannot which facilitated the return of Tiran Ferro’s body for burial. As you probably know, we don’t have a government yet, possibly Benjamin Netanyahu will not succeed in forming a government, because of the partners he chose to enter the fray. When entering a battle one takes only trustworthy, loyal allies otherwise they undermine every move and can lead to defeat. That is the story of Benjamin Netanyahu and the recent elections. Ben Gvir, having gained seats has suddenly calmed down, his pre-election histrionics having served their purpose but Smotrich is an idealist, adamant and unmoving in his demands, demands that cannot be met by any leader of a democratic country. The coalition negotiations are at an impasse because Smotrich wants Ministerial positions that would change the status quo of Israel’s Jewish religious life and the status of non-Jews in Israel – in other words to change the face of Israel’s multi-faceted society. As power hungry as Netanyahu may be he is, after all, a pragmatic leader who cannot counter extremism if he wants to be taken seriously in the wider world. The damage done by the election success of both Smotrich and Ben Gvir has damaged our relationship with even our most loyal allies. The perception is that we have become a less tolerant society, less democratic which is not true on one level, because democratic elections reflect the leanings of the people, but true on another – Israelis always lean to the right when there are attacks, and immediately prior to the elections there were several lone attacks. Outside Israel, in countries where stabbings and shootings are commonplace, the Israeli electorate’s swing to the right has brought condemnation, a lack of understanding that really disturbs me. I have never been on the right of the political map, was deeply concerned by the election results, but would never consider withdrawing my loyalties, I would never be that fickle. I am however, horrified by the level of anti-Israel, anti-Semitic propaganda found today in the USA, particularly in the universities. Today it is predominantly verbal but already changing to physical. A dear friend who had a very high position in New York’s academic world, came home one day and said “That’s it, I cannot stay here for one more day. We are packing up and going to Israel” They did, their life did a 180 and they are happier than ever! The secret is not only to see the writing on the wall but to understand what is written. I am not suggesting that the entire diaspora move to Israel, that would be ridiculous, but I never want to see the situation where life becomes so untenable that everyone wants to go elsewhere. Talking of going elsewhere, our dear friend Valeri Silver thought he would enjoy his retirement but today he is busier than ever! Valeri spends a great deal of his time at Ben Gurion Airport, meeting Ukrainians and Russians who want to either make Aliya (become citizens according to the law of return) or request asylum. The amount of paperwork to check eligibility for either situation is lengthy, much less than other countries but those who fled the war in Ukraine or the ever-increasing anti-Semitism in Russia, need a friendly face to overcome language and bureaucracy. Valeri not only helps with the formalities but also explaining their rights to social security help and language lessons. The process takes place at the airport and then they are taken to hotels and hostels to begin the process of absorption into Israeli society, given all the help they need to continue. As you may remember, Valeri and his lovely wife Ira (Irene) came to Israel on Aliya just one year after I did. Zvi met them when on a Jewish Agency/ Keren Hayesod visit to Moscow in 1990 and when they arrived, they found a friend in Zvi, I loved them immediately and we became family. Their children, Tomer and Shelley, are loved as much as our own. After many years of assisting Aliya from communities in Russia, Valeri is now the first contact for those who come home. Another community that made Aliya is the Ethiopian community, and they brought a beautiful festival with them, the festival of Sigd which takes place 50 days after Yom Kippur on the 29th of the Hebrew month of Heshvan. Sigd has become a national festival and tells the story of the longing for Jerusalem, for Israel, while in exile in Ethiopia. https://m.knesset.gov.il/en/about/lexicon/pages/sigd.aspx Israeli research, especially medical research is known the world over. The most incredible of all recent results is a new non-invasive procedure for the removal of cancerous tumours, which has proven successful in animals. A new non-invasive technology using low-frequency nanobubble-enhanced ultrasound mechanotherapy has been developed in Tel Aviv University. Since I cannot begin to understand the complexities here is the link https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-723059 Where we live is steeped in history. Motza, established in 1854, and Motza Illit have many wonderful historic sites and Zvi brought a group of VIPs to see it for real! The stump of a tree planted by Theodore Herzl and trees planted by all subsequent Israeli presidents; a beautiful building the architecture of which is based on the White House and was built in the 1920’s as a respite for members of the Histadrut union; the Seven Sisters Road so called because it has 7 hairpin bends, much to the surprise of visiting friends! We really want the Avenue and the area leading to the pillboxes to be beautiful, to give the area a well-earned renewal. I am thrilled to say that our home is once again filled with visitors! Covid changed everything but this week was proof that life is returning to normal. Zvi had a wonderful week of speaking Spanish I admit to my chagrin because I am not good at languages) not only with his cousin Jack and Jack’s lovely lady friend Lina, but with David Efron, the Honorary Consul for Israel in Puerto Rico and a dear friend who popped in for a few hours and Zvi met with Isaak Guttin - all of whom wanted to visit to the Western Wall and the Old City with their special guide, Mr. Zvi Raviv. My special guest this week was Joy Wolfe, who always has wonderful stories to tell about the British Jewish Community. I got to meet with Marcus Sheff CEO of Impact-se, who gave me a quick update of the incredible advances we have made in changing the schoolbooks of those who previously were taught to hate us. We told him that one friend, deeply worried by the changes in US attitude to Israel, asked if we would consider studying the schoolbooks in US schools, but since the US is a democratic country in which each state, indeed each school area, decides upon the content of its schoolbooks research is impossible. In dictatorships there is no such freedom so schoolbooks are decided from the top. I was very disturbed by the suggestion that there is a need for change though. Let’s face it, tolerance and understanding may be lacking in a child’s home but must be introduced in schools at a very young age. The rain finally arrived last night and according to the weather forecasters, winter is actually here! I admit that I love the rain and it needs to be really cold for me to forego my breakfast on the veranda. In fact, two days ago Joy, David, Zvi and I sat outside on the veranda for our lunch! I love entertaining on the veranda, not only because the view is breathtaking, but that way there is no mess indoors! I get very excited when guests wax lyrical about the veranda, its size and the amazing array of flowers and fruits. Actually most are thrilled that the cuttings I steal wherever I go are taking root very nicely and beginning to spriggle! Of course, any visitors to our home also get a tour of the complex and the history thereof. My history lesson is of the emotional ties and the fact that Theodore Herzl, who was a very sick young man, came to visit Motza because it was said to have the purest air in the whole of Israel, whereas Zvi remembers exact dates and all the relevant personalities, giving everything a factual aspect. I have to ask you a question. When you read your newspaper or listen to the reported news, do you accept what is written or do you understand that every word is one person’s opinion rather than factual? As the fight for advertisers becomes the sole purpose of most media outlets we get less and less truth. For instance, one Israeli news outlet reported that a Qatari football fan shunned an Israeli reporter, yet that self same reporter filmed a wonderful piece of meeting Iranian fans and when he said he was from Israel they hugged him! It is all about perspective. Perhaps journalists should read this weeks Torah reading about lying! So, the evenings are closing in, Shabbat arrives really early and preparations are more hurried than in the lazy, hazy days of summer! The aromas remain though as each house prepares traditional food. Whether it is chicken soup with kneidlach or Kubeh soup; cholent or hamin; gefilte fish or “chraimeh” which should not be confused with “chrane” or horseradish and beetroot hot sauce which goes with gefilte fish, “chraimeh” means forbidden in Moroccan Arabic and is fish, either pieces or balls, in a spicy red sauce – yummy. Sorry I went off track again….. anyway, whatever your epicurean traditions, enjoy! That’s all Folks! And so to music The first song is called “Someone is here with me” from Kuloolam. Never feel alone, always be strong and be the best person you can be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_jUEaR86Lw On November the 29th, 1947 the Unnited Nations voted in favour of recognition of the State of Israel. https://m.knesset.gov.il/en/about/pages/nov29.aspx Just in case you forget the history and the pride of being part of Israel, before Abba Kovner understood the diaspora truth of “So Sorry We Won” we all watched “Exodus” Ari ben Canaan and the story told https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1sSfNHghZc&t=5s Finally, you and I can exercise the power of one. Each and every one of us can change the world if we are just willing to stand up for what is right, what is fair. Can you imagine if we all held hands and chose to be vehicles for change? What if we actually managed to bring tolerance and freedom to this crazy, angry world. Arik Einstein sang about it many years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndSuL7WDVRY&t=2s Wishing everyone a beautiful Shabbat, irrespective of where you are, in which direction you pray and what words you use to reach out. With much love from Jerusalem Sheila

Journalists, politicians and a few home truths

18th November 2022 Hello! Shabbat Shalom! Hope you are well. Can I begin with a question? Why on earth does the USA feel that they have to investigate the death of one specific journalist when at least 45 journalists have died in war or revolution situations this year? Could it be because it involves the Israel Palestinian situation? Would anyone know the name Shireen Abu Akleh if she had died anywhere else in the world? It isn’t because she worked for Al Jazeera because nobody knows the name Tairq Ayyoub who was killed by American fire on Al Jazeera’s Baghdad office; Taras Protsyuk, 35, killed when an American tank fired a shell directly at the Reuters suite; Jose Couso, 37, a cameraman for the Spanish television channel Tele 5; British ITV News correspondent Terry Lloyd, who was killed by American troops on the southern Iraq warfront, all in Iraq. Of course, I am only aware of those killed by US fire, but please, understand that people die in wars and war correspondents are reporting from the most dangerous sites. War is ugly and our Defence Minister, Benny Gantz is rightly offended by the US insinuation that the investigation into the death of Shireen Abu Akleh was anything but thorough. I used to think that holding Israel, the IDF, to a higher standard than any other army in the world was a compliment, which it is, until those standards are used as a weapon. A while ago, I wrote about the industrial estate in Ariel, a town oft described as a settlement. The industrial estate, right on the border with the PA, employs equal numbers of Palestinians and new immigrants giving equal rights to both. Indeed in Yisrael Twitto’s factory he pays their medical insurance (there is none in the PA) and salaries equal to the Israeli standard. He also sends bright young workers to University at his expense. Why am I telling you about Ariel? Because this week a terrorist stabbed two security guards at the industrial estate, ran and stabbed two more people at the petrol station nearby, stole a car and rammed vehicles as he drove against the traffic on the main road. He killed 3 innocents and severely injured 3 more before being shot. I am certain that the 19 year old terrorist had no idea that he had chosen an oasis of cooperation to kill, or did he? It’s a given that we mere mortals cannot understand the machinations of politicians. They have a totally different mindset, sometimes I think that their thinking is totally vertical, whereas most of us have an element of lateral thinking. Imagine, you fight hard to achieve something then when the power is in someone else’s hand you fight the very thing that you put forward but the first thing you do when back in power is to put that thing high on your agenda. Did you understand what I just wrote? because I don’t understand the mindset or the action! Let me explain. As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led the discussions to repeal the necessity for Israelis to have visas to enter the USA, to have a visa waiver, and almost succeeded, but when the Bennet/Lapid government came to sign he decided he was against it! Now that he is back in power, he will push it through to ensure his signature is on the agreement. So confusing! Life is not easy for the newly re-elected Prime Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu is conceivably the brightest and most experienced politician on the Israeli political scene but this time his partners in the potential coalition are far further right than his centre right Likud and their idealistic extremism does not stop them from making impossible demands. As I said last week, I doubt very much that Mr Netanyahu will succumb to the carefully scripted histrionics of Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Ben Gvir, most certainly not my cup of tea, is much more realistic whereas Smotrich honestly scares me. The fat lady has not sung a note yet, the discussions with all parties in the coalition will continue but the PM does not have an easy time ahead. The realization that Mrs Ben Gvir carries a hand weapon has created a storm of criticism, particularly as it was very apparent in a photograph taken with Sarah Netanyahu. Diplomatic relations are warming up with Turkey and conversations are taking place between the leaders. It has been a long journey for the Turkish leader who has taken his country on a myriad of attempted alliances after Turkey was refused entry into the EU. Once lose ties with Israel became strained to breaking point when the “Mavi Marmara” incident hit the headlines but gradually Erdogan has come to understand that his country’s alliance with Israel was the most logical. If I tell you that Israelis are off to Qatar in their thousands, would you believe me? Well they are. The World Cup will take place this week and thousands of Israelis have flown to Doha for the colossal event. Obviously, there are fears of diplomatic incidents but since Qatar is a virtual dictatorship in which those who break the law are severely punished, I believe that the powers that be will ensure the safety of Israelis, indeed of all their football fans, after all this is the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East! Many of you have never heard the name Yosef Haddad, probably thought he was just another Israeli, but in fact he is not “just” anything! Yosef Haddad is a young Arab Moslem Israeli who got fed up with the false reporting of life for Arab Israelis and after his studies set out to change the world! In this podcast entitled “You don’t have to be Jewish to be successful in Israel” he speaks out for those Arab Israelis who have succeeded in every sphere. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF6bxLnEuhU&t=2s Which reminded me of a cartoon put on Facebook by the wonderful Prof. Mohammed Dajani Douadi showing four men, two on each side of a tree. On the one side the Palestinians where the man on the ground is holding the man climbing up, preventing him from achieving his goal whereas the other side has two Israelis and the man on the ground is pushing the climber higher to achieve his goal. I was fascinated. Incidentally Prof. Dajani is from a very old and proud Jerusalem Palestinian family and spends his life working toward peace. He is on our International Advisory Board at www.impact-se.org and is a very special person. Talking of Impact-se, last week I forgot to tell you that I had a wonderful visit from Nancy Epstein, a Board member of Impact. It was so wonderful to actually meet her, enjoy her company rather than just seeing a friendly face on a Zoom meeting! As you well know I love to cook, have always felt that the secret to good food lies in the amount of love one puts into the process, but this week we enjoyed going to restaurants since I’m not quite back to standing and cooking. We actually went to the Pop Up Café in Kiriat Anavim on two consecutive days, once with some girlfriends and then with Zvi’s cousin Jack Shapiro and his lovely partner Lina. Waxing lyrical about the atmosphere of the coffee shop is obvious, as I said it’s like sitting in a bower, surrounded by beautiful plants and trees, and both the food and the service are excellent. Jack hasn’t been to our new home so it was really exciting. The next day, after a home cooked shakshuka, Zvi took them on a jam packed day in Jerusalem, starting at the Kotel (Western Wall) with a quick drive around the Old City, then to the Biblelands Museum https://www.blmj.org/en/about/ and on to the Herzl Museum https://www.itraveljerusalem.com/ent/herzl-museum/ , which is more of a fantastic walk through Herzl’s life than a museum visit, where they were met by Zvi’s close friend and Herzl expert Dr. Motti Friedman who created the museum, finally they went to the new memorial to fallen soldiers of the IDF next to the entrance to the Mount Herzl cemetery https://english.mod.gov.il/About/Legacy/Pages/National_Remembrance_Hall.aspx . Exhausted but happy Jack and Lina came home for a short rest then we set off for another restaurant, Naya in the nearby moshav of Beit Nekufa where we met Nattie and Yolli Zonszein for a Mexican reunion since the three men were all at high school together in Mexico City, the “Yiddische Shule” or Yiddish School where Zvi’s parents were teachers on loan from Israel. Indeed an evening of memories rekindled The following day, after I served everyone breakfast, we went for a walk around our complex, with a fantastic history lesson from Zvi. We walked the Presidents Avenue next to our apartment building, starting with the trees planted by Theodore Herzl and Woolfson and all subsequent Presidents soon to be joined by Isaac Herzog, perhaps next to his late father’s tree. We then had a tour of the exquisite building around which our complex was built. Originally built as a sanatorium for the Union (Histadrut) workers of the original health fund (kupat holim) its architecture is reminiscent of the White House, a truly elegant structure. Jack and Lina then left for Ra’anana and Zvi and I rested! This morning we were invited to our young neighbours for coffee which was delightful then Zvi headed off for his Friday Parliament and I sat down to write to you!! This evening we will go to Amiad and Noga for Shabbat dinner so that I do not need to prepare food. On Sunday Zvi will be showing an interested group the Avenue of the Presidents taking them down the many steps to the lower level and the pill boxes which defended the road to Jerusalem during the War of Independence in 1947-48, indeed the war which continues until today. It never fails to amaze me how every inch of Israel holds either Biblical or historic importance. If music be the food of love play on The late Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth, Rabbi Jonathan Saks introduced this rendition of Oseh Shalom, giving extra meaning to the prayer, the words of which are “He who makes peace in his high places He shall make peace upon us And upon all of Israel And say Amen” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVM6x4BechI Bob Dylan wrote “Neighborhood Bully” as a commentary of the way that the world treats Israel and the Jews. A must listen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr3gyxCm6pU On a much happier note, in the old days whenever an El Al flight began to land in Ben Gurion Airport the tannoy on the plane would play Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, a traditional song of greeting, but today it is just ordinary muzak, which is rather a shame; however, the Jerusalem Music Academy decided to right the wrong and greeted a delighted group of young people with the old song in a brand new fashion. I know I have played it before but hey, it’s wonderful!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ_nbinWkvE By the way, I am very happy to tell you that my surgeon is very pleased with me! That’s all folks! As Shabbat nears, the time for contemplation and family, I wish you a good weekend. With love from Jerusalem Sheila

The Honey and the Sting

11th day of the 11th month 2022 Shabbat Shalom dear friends “The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose.” ― Kahlil Gibran On the anniversary of the loss of lives in World Wars and two days after the anniversary of Kristallnacht it is perhaps hard to see the rose, especially with the world in its current ghastly state, but roses abound as the bright red poppies which bloomed in the mud and blood of Flanders Fields. Today, at the Cenotaph War Memorial in London, at precisely the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, silence will be observed as Royalty, Ministers, Old Soldiers all stand to attention. Each and every one of them with a red poppy on lapel, and wreaths of red poppies will be laid to honour those who fought that we may be free. The question on everyone’s lips and the concern in everyone’s mind is whether Benjamin Netanyahu will succeed in creating a viable coalition while clipping the wings of the birds of prey who want to join him. The name Itamar Ben Gvir is on the lips of the world and the pages of virtually every newspaper in the West and rightly so. As far as the vast majority of Israelis are concerned, nay distressed at his success, his antipathy to what we stand for sometimes masks the similarity between his rants and those of the very people he claims to hate! However, since we are talking about roses not thorns, I must place my trust in the experience and ability of Netanyahu to avoid an international outcry. I await the result of the coalition list. I understand that the concerns of the Diaspora Community are twofold and both aspects are valid. In terms of “How do we look to the outside world” I don’t really have an answer, but Israel is most certainly held to a higher standard than any other country, including yours! Really. When you look at the number of countries which have troops far from home on lands that have been “occupied” and realise that those self-same countries spend a great deal of time, and air-time berating Israeli occupation it gives a degree of balance to our situation. The other aspect which may well affect the relationship between Diaspora Jews and Israel is the threatened changes in the level of religious control. In truth, I cannot see any of these changes taking place but the disconnect may well take place anyway. The rose and thorn? The Jewish Agency has decided to ensure security of the egalitarian section of the Western Wall but I am sad that it is necessary. So? what are the results of the USA by-elections? I understand that it is all much closer than expected but since I do not really understand the electoral system in the USA I would love someone to explain it to me! So far it is 48 seats to the Republicans, 46 to the Democrats and 2 to small parties which looks as if there is no clear majority. Does that matter? Does it affect future resolutions? The rose here is that unlike the thorns of the last elections with riots and storming of Congress, things seem to be much more civilised but we still have two years until the Presidential elections. Is the Kristallnacht history still relevant today? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht Can our children and grandchildren understand what began on that fateful day when anti-Semitism became overt? How did dehumanisation culminate in the beginning of the end for European Jewry? If we don’t tell the story and compare it to what is happening today then we are preparing to repeat history. I see the horrors that young Jews suffer at University, particularly in the USA but nearly everywhere in the West, and I fear for their future. When I lived in the UK, actually in London, I was very active in an organisation called AJ6, the Association of Jewish 6th Formers (the last two years of high school) preparing them for University and the tacit anti-Semitism that they would meet there. The emphasis on tacit, whereas today it is overt and even acceptable and I fear that today’s youngsters are not prepared, gather all their information from TikTok and Instagram, have lost their pride in being Jewish and in Israel because we, their parents and grandparents did not ensure that they were educated in who they are and where they come from. How do we know that the Palestinians are not garnering enough media space? They immediately put forward a resolution to the International Court of Justice in the Hague! Yet again the old trope of Israeli occupation tantamount to annexation of lands beyond the 1967 borders is going before the Court this week after consideration by the United Nations. Of course, the result is a forgone conclusion and while it doesn’t actually affect Israel it is an uncomfortable diplomatic situation for Jerusalem. In fact the PA are planning a diplomatic blitz (in the words of Khaled Abu Toameh) based on Smotrich/Ben Gvir to raise their profile. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-722036 So what about a few roses? Qatar has direct flights from Ben Gurion Airport for the Mondial, the World Cup! Lonah Chemtai Salpeter became the second fastest woman in the New York Marathon just 7 seconds behind the winner! Lonah came to Israel from Kenya, fell in love and married her trainer and has proudly draped herself in the Israeli flag with each and every win. Brava! Promises and handshaking were the order of the day at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm el Sheikh Egypt. All the participating countries pledged to improve their ecological record but I’m not sure anyone is watching over their progress. President Isaac Herzog headed the Israeli delegation at the conference. Few people are aware of the 8th Abu Dhabi Assembly for Peace a true rose among the thorns. It is the meeting of the minds of good people from the full gamut of religion and religious observance with the intention of understanding each other while retaining our individual identity. I am very proud of the fact that Rabbi David Rosen represents the very best of Judaism in this and many such gatherings. Thank you David. This was a good week for Zvi and I. Our wonderful friend Kim aka Dr Kimball Taylor, came on his 61st visit to Israel in order to attend the Jewish Agency for Israel Meetings in Tel Aviv. Kim sits on the Aliya Committee bringing a totally fresh aspect to their work and then he came to stay with us. We are being very careful not to overload me with visitors but Kim is a member of the family and basically knows where everything is in the fridge and clears up after himself. It’s also good to hear that my surgery was amazing from the lips of the good doctor!! It has been a week-ful of birthdays! Ori, Shiri, Rachel and Ayala on consecutive days! I decided to take Rachel out for lunch a day early, and Yosef came along for the ride. We went to my new favourite coffee shop on the edge of Kibbutz Kiriat Anavim. Kiriat Anavim or town of grapes, was built on land bought from the village of Abu Ghosh in 1912. The area has blossomed, as has the relationship with Abu Ghosh and the coffee shop not only has delicious food, delightful young waiters but is set in a veritable bower of plants. My lovely friend Betty called in for a surprise visit and a delightful catch-up and then Monica and Evan Minkoff popped in after a day with Zvi and on their way to the airport and home to Denver Colorado. I am really doing very well and have been given an excellent regime of physio from my local clinic. So far it has been really helpful although when Zvi and Kim decided to climb up to the Castel right next to our home, I admit that I backed out! https://en.parks.org.il/reserve-park/castel-national-site/ Doing one and a half kilometres on our complex is quite enough for me! We had rain! As usual Tel Aviv was flooded but there is more than one advantage to living in the Jerusalem Hills! We don’t flood and our plants, trees and fields get life giving water. Suddenly yellow patches along the road turn lush and trees lose their summer dust, their true colours shining through. The white Jerusalem stone buildings glisten in the sun and the world seems to have a cleaner, fresher look. Our veranda looks spectacular! The tiny lime tree has over twenty limes and more coming daily as the sunbirds do an excellent job of fertilizing the fragrant blossom; the kumquat tree has a lot of fruit although rather small this year but the lemons are fast changing colour from green to a vibrant yellow. Small fruits but filled with juice. The various coloured hibiscus are thriving in the gentle sunshine and I discovered that cuttings from my new bright red hibiscus, a get-well gift from my siblings, can be propagated easily! In other words, the work put in earlier in the year is paying off in a glorious display! This week’s Torah reading, Vayera from Genesis, is deeply relevant to today as the story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar and Ishmael reaches a head. Who would have thought that a family dispute thousands of years ago could culminate in today’s wars. Heavenly guests tell Sarah she is pregnant and the Almighty destroys Sodom and Gemorrah, then Sarah gives birth and insists that her handmaiden Hagar with Abraham’s son Ishmael, be sent from their home. Talk about complications! And now to music. I can’t think what fits all the roses and thorns of a week in the Middle East but I promise to try. This song about Jerusalem sung by Gad Elbaz really touched my heart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZoXAPj_zZ8 I know that your favourite is Koolulam and here they take the rose and thorns and bring a beautiful song in a new recording from September this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9R57G02nW8&t=1s Al Kol Eleh – Above all this – is about the honey and the sting, the rose and the thorns. I love this rendition by Yonina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWp4KgvyPYw&t=5s The lyrics are basically the recipe for life. Every bee that brings the honey, Needs a sting to be complete; And we all must learn to taste the bitter with the sweet. http://www.hebrewsongs.com/song-alkoleleh-bikel.htm To everyone, to my family beside me and in far flung places, to my friends both near and far, we wish you a good weekend, a Shabbat Shalom, and more roses than thorns, more honey than stings. Shabbat Shalom and much love from Jerusalem. Remember that Israel is both your mother and your child, you care for her as a child loves her mother and she cares for you in the same way that a mother loves her child. We don’t always agree but the love that binds us overrides any disagreements. With love Sheila

Elections and so much more

4th November 2022 Shabbat Shalom! I hope this missive finds you well. “The fault lies not with the mob, who demands nonsense, but with those who do not know how to produce anything else.” Cervantes in Don Quixote So the Israeli elections took place and the results must be accepted, whether we like it or not. The true test of democracy is when your party does not win. Like it or not we must accept the democratic process. I happen to believe that the media is partly to blame for the rise of the extreme right because every single newscast for the last few months reported on the aggressive histrionics of Itamar Ben Gvir, supporter of Meir Kahane, with the inverse effect of making him a hero not the anti-hero they intended. As the individual terror attacks increased, his melodramatic gun waving seemed almost sane and two men, neither of whom served in the IDF hold the balance. I hope and pray that this isn’t a green light to the “Hilltop Youth” to run amok. Although I did not vote for Benjamin Netanyahu, I accept his win. He is a very clever man and a brilliant speaker, but his campaign, claiming that both Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz are “left wing” has put him in bed with two parties that will hold him hostage over policies that are against the principles of the Likud Party and the good of the entire country. The electoral manipulations and name-calling created an atmosphere as if the undoubted diplomatic and political successes of the last 18 months dissipated into thin air. Perhaps, hope against hope, he will recognise the danger and ally with the centrist parties, only the next few weeks will tell as the President calls upon him to form a coalition. When it comes down to it, everything depends upon demographics and whether the centrists came out to vote or went on vacation. 27 years ago, on the 4th of November 1995, a peace rally was held in Tel Aviv attended by many politicians including Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin. Yitzchak Rabin often complained that the level of security was too constrictive, indeed when he invited us, together with Ehud Olmert, to join him at an event in the State Department in Washington, just 9 days previously, we were amazed at the lack of security as we simply walked in to an event with President Clinton. We had no idea that would be the last time we saw him. I’m sorry, I digress, the purpose of mentioning security was that prior to the above-mentioned peace rally, the level of incitement by the extreme right can only be described as murderous incitement to hatred and as a result a Prime Minister, a former Chief of Staff was assassinated and Israel still hasn’t recovered. Rabin’s understanding of the birth of the Jewish nation, his combination of Chief of Staff, Defence Minister and Prime Minister who was born in Mandate Palestine can no longer be repeated. Please listen to his interview on American television to fully appreciate the great man that he was. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kCfqCHbFas Possibly the most ironic fact that came out of the final recount of votes is that Avigdor Liberman gained a seat and Torah Judaism lost a seat. A sad fact is that the left wing Meretz party is out of the Knesset caused by internal turmoil, a poor campaign and the understanding that their policies are no longer attractive. One of the first responses from over the border came from Jibril Rajoub, Secretary General of Fatah’s Central Committee and Minister for Football (really) in the PA, who came out describing the potential government as militant and racist. General Rajoub is no longer an active terrorist but was, and despite his continuing refusal to accept the State of Israel has all his money (lots of it) in a Bank Leumi account under the name of Gil Regev!!! Last week, one of the only Christian villages still remaining in the Palestinian Authority, the village of Beit Sachur between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, held a Christmas Fair. At last something both fun and entirely Christian in a village where finding work is almost impossible and most come into Israel to work. Two young thugs came into the village and tried to disrupt the event and the Priest threw them out. Sorry two young Moslem thugs came into the village and tried to disrupt events and the Priest bravely threw them out. They came back with a couple of dozen cohorts and stoned and beat up the Christians at the fair. It didn’t even rate a mention in the media! However, Melanie Phillips wrote about it I ask you to read her report. https://melaniephillips.substack.com/p/the-jihadi-onslaught-against-christians Sadly, Bethlehem is now barely 10% Christian. I love Rabbis, indeed clergy of all faiths, who look outside their own world. My dear friend Rabbi Jeremy Rosen did just that this week as he talked about a religious leader who he admired, Pope John 23rd. Pope John had the rare ability to see the world as it really was not as he had been taught, he changed that world in uncountable ways. Please read this excellent essay. https://jeremyrosen.com/2022/11/pope-john-23rd.html Racist, anti-Semitic attacks, both verbal and physical, have increased dramatically in the USA. American Universities have become a hotbed of hatred toward Jewish students in an overt and terrifying manner. I have written to Deans and Proctors of Universities asking why they do nothing about it. The answer is inevitably “Freedom of Speech” which is undoubtedly the least acceptable response. Freedom of speech? Freedom and democracy mean that all sectors are protected from hatred, not just one sector and no sector should be targetted. Kanye West is the latest example and his followers are mindlessly accepting his rants. If only he and his ilk could hear Rev Dr Martin Luther King speak of the Jews, who incidentally walk beside him from Selma and fought the fight with him. Until the Jews, no not only the Jews of the United States, all good folk, react and shun those responsible, life for the American Jew will become untenable. We had an interesting week, quite apart from the elections! Lots of visitors who make me feel so much better about being at home, and Zvi went to his audition with the newly formed Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra choir and was accepted!! Of course, anyone who knows him is not surprised, his mellifluous, bass baritone is world renowned – well amongst friends anyway! I am walking regularly, trying to build up toward my two kilometres a day and I walked to the polling booth with Zvi, which in itself was a lovely social event, meeting many people in our estate on our way and in the kindergarten where it was held. People are so friendly and caring as they cheer me on my way. One of my favourite aspects of Israel is that we all talk to strangers, irrespective of introductions, we just do it! Nattie and Yolli Zonszein came to visit and the “boys” went of on a Jerusalem exploration and Nattie and I sat out on the veranda enjoying the glorious weather, the colours of the hibiscus bushes, the burgeoning lime, kumquat and lemon trees and just being together. When the boys came back we went for lunch nearby in the Pop-Up Café in Kiriat Anavim with its glorious gardens making one feel so at home. Galia and Menashe came all the way from Yavneh and we just sat together “noshing” and talking about the world. Neighbours popping in and doing normal things is deeply appreciated as my recovery advances and of course a visit from Rachel lifts my mood enormously – her smile and a hug makes the world seem right. Perhaps this is the time to tell you that Zvi has been amazing! Caring and taking on all sorts of duties that I still can’t do. Impact-se (www.impact-se.org ) held a Zoom Board Meeting and I was so happy, as Chair, to see the faces of the board members as Marcus Sheff, our exceptional CEO, brought excellent reports of the changes in our region, changes which give hope in a seemingly hopeless period of time. I believe that the positivity of our work keeps me balanced and believing in the ultimate good of human beings. The weekly Torah portion this week is Lech Lecha – Go Forth – which tells the story of our people on so many levels. Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael…… https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/3161/jewish/Lech-Lecha-in-a-Nutshell.htm As soon as I finish this missive, we are going to visit a young couple right here in the estate for coffee, but beforehand we will pop in to another young couple where the wife, mother of 3 young children, is recovering from very painful surgery for a persistent injury sustained in the terror attack on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem - 2002 when she was a child. And so to music! All those years ago, in what is now known as Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, Yitzchak Rabin joined in singing Shir Le Shalom, a song to peace in his off-key, gravelly, smoker’s voice before a Jewish zealot killed him and for many the hope he represented. Here Shiri Maimon sings https://youtu.be/Kr5wRdxBXgI Mosh Ben Ari wrote a song, a prayer for peace, a song of few words repeated over and over again. Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu – Peace will come to us - and to everyone. Salaam, Shalom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4HViPVymlo&t=2s Continuing the theme of peace, of accepting each other, of opening our hearts to those who are different this song is called Song to Love or Together. In Hebrew and Arabic the words “Speak of Hope” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Jmyu6MQHc That’s it! Today promises to be very exciting on many levels. For Zvi, he is relieved of his caring duties and he will go to his parliament which will undoubtedly be quite noisy today as they discuss the election results and what they believe the compilation of the future government under the Prime Ministership of Benjamin Netanyahu will be. Then, at about 16:00 Zvi will go to Ben Gurion airport to collect our wonderful friend Dr Kimball Taylor from his marathon flights from Calgary in Canada and bring him home. Kim is here for the Jewish Agency meetings where he is a very active and important participant. Despite or maybe because of his LDS beliefs Kim is a very active participant of the Jewish Agency and pro-Israel activities in general. He also happens to be one of our very closest friends. This evening I will be leaving the environs of Jerusalem for the first time since my surgery, as we all set off for 11 year old Ori’s birthday, family Shabbat Dinner where we will meet up with Zvi’s cousin Jack Shapiro who is here from Mexico! It’s all very exciting! Unfortunately I will not see Rachel before Shabbat since I am still not allowed to drive, which, incidentally, is driving me crazy!! Perhaps the greatest lesson we Israelis have learned this week is that one must not give up hope, must accept the results of elections without rancour and work hard to prepare for the future. Shabbat Shalom dear friends. I wonder if you know how much I care for you, each and every one of you. I have grown to know you, to feel your pain and your joy. That’s why I beg of you, wherever you may be, stand by us because we are family. We may disagree but when it comes to the bottom line, we must stand up for each other. With all my love from Jerusalem, a city so beautiful, so spiritual that wars are fought over her. Her beauty is so great, her heart so big that there is enough for all her residents and the whole world to share. Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom, a peaceful Sabbath, Sheila

Diplomacy, Halloween, Beersheva and elections

28th October 2022 Shabbat Shalom! Gosh where has this year gone? It’s almost Halloween aka All Hallows Eve, which began life as a Christian Festival leading up to All Hallows Day, to remember those who have passed away or to be somewhat less delicate, the Mexican’s call it the Day of the Dead! As with so many religious festivals it began as a harvest festival, predominantly Celtic/Gaelic, which of course brings us back to the Welsh, but today it has gone the way of many religious festivals and is simply a day of dressing up and carving pumpkins! This has been a week of military successes, diplomatic breakthroughs and the insanity of the personality culture. The military success came when “The Lion’s Den” break-off para-military group in the Palestinian Authority which has been attracting young Palestinians to perform individual terror attacks, has basically been wiped out thanks to the incredible work of the IDF and Secret Services. Whenever there is a terror group there will always be a more nefarious, more monstrous group determined to show their ability to terrorise. In such circumstances the need for leaders to allow those who understand military needs to do what has to be done but without that ghastly phrase “collateral damage”, the loss of civilian life. If you are willing to accept the rhetoric then read all about it in this Al Jazeera article. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/26/who-are-the-lions-den-armed-group-in-occupied-west-bank-explainer On the diplomatic front, it would appear the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come full circle after his failed attempts to ally with just about every nation in the Middle East after Turkey was not accepted into the European Union. Once our closest ally in the Mediterranean and the chosen tourist destination for many Israelis, Turkey, or to be exact, Erdogan chose to side with the PA and Hamas, particularly after the Mavi Marmara boat fiasco, but after intensive diplomatic encounters an exchange of Ambassadors is about to take place. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-720780 Another hard-earned success is the Maritime Agreement with Lebanon over the rights to the natural gas which has been found in the Mediterranean. The agreement not only benefits Israel but also poverty stricken Lebanon, once the Pearl of the Mediterranean which was destroyed by Hezb Allah. Since I don’t fully understand the implications of the agreement I suggest you read https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-719419 Something else I cannot bring myself to understand is the current “personality” cult of so many people today. The need to follow the daily activities of a dysfunctional family, the Kardashians, and the fallout thereof. Take one ex-husband who has been a devoted follower of Adolf Hitler, almost calling one of his albums Adolf, who is given a stage for his insane rantings about Jews and the world listens. Kanye West broke his contract with Adidas and was thrown out of Skechers when he arrived unannounced but the damage is done. His poisonous words reached their target and the fallout continues. He is not alone in his venom or the extent of his following. Models, sisters, Bella and Gigi Hadid, have over 26 million Instagram followers daily, yes daily! Their constant anti-Israel tirade and their ability to influence is terrifying although I am sure that they were not thrilled to discover that our wonderful Gal Gadot overtook them on Instagram! Do you know who the ANZACs are? The Australia and New Zealand Army Corps has an eternal tie with the town of Beersheva and each year ANZAC Day is celebrated in that town on October 31st. Their story is one of huge bravery and marks the anniversary of the heroic victorious charge of the Australian Light Horse Brigade of between 500-800 horsemen against the entrenched Ottoman Turkish forces in Beer Sheva. The stakes were high: water was urgently necessary for the horses and the soldiers; the element of surprise in the attack required an out-right victory; the conquest over the Turkish and German Armies in World War One. https://www.abc.net.au/ww1-anzac/beersheba/story-of-the-day/ I am not sure that many of you know that not only the ANZACs but the Australian Army stood beside the fighters of all its allies throughout its short history. From WW1, WW2 to Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, always a true ally. The New York Times has excelled itself! An entire article dedicated to the “fact” that the culinary culture of the Palestinian people has been hijacked, of course implied that the hijacking is by you know who! Hummus, tehina, felafel etc etc which are common to the entire Mediterranean region are apparently Palestinian inventions and the rest of us stole it! Iranian women are leading the fight for freedom in Iran. The simple act of taking off their hijab is a risk to life and limb, but they continue and their determination that their children are not subject to the extreme hate teaching in schools has become apparent in the latest www.impact-se.org report. Rishi Sunak is the new Prime Minister of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Of Indian background this ambitious young man, supported by the Tory Party (I don’t use the name Conservative Party) is bringing new hope to the British people battered by the Johnson/Truss economic debacle. I wish him good luck, or as one says in the UK “The best of British” Britain has been through the political wringer lately, as our friend Michael Ziff said “ In 7 years we have had 5 Prime Ministers and 7 Chancellors of the exchequer and my grandson of 1 has had 3 prime ministers, 4 chancellors and 2 monarchs . Leeds United football club has had 6 managers” Finally, I can’t avoid the subject any more as Israel goes, yet again, to the elections on Tuesday. It feels like Groundhog Day although the configurations have changed. The television campaign has taken over our lives – each party gets air time according to its size and as usual use it for propaganda rather than a manifesto. As things stand, there is no chance that any single party will get enough seats to form a government but the President of Israel can call upon any party, not necessarily of the parties that glean the highest number of seats, to form a coalition of at least 61 seats out of the 120 Knesset seats, which gives us hope that the highly vociferous, attention seeking extreme parties will not be in any future government. I am a pragmatic citizen and believe that the ideal government should be made up of the three major parties, all centrist, but while both Gantz and Lapid refuse to sit in government with Benjamin Netanyahu they would be happy to sit with Likud and………. Groundhog Day! This has been a relatively quiet week although we are so lucky that wonderful family, friends and neighbours have kept us company and well fed until I return to normal – would you believe that I haven’t needed to cook a meal since my surgery? On Monday Zvi took me to his “mini-parliament” which was my first real outing and it was very exciting to be allowed into the inner sanctum of his male friends. Parliaments are a regular occurrence in Israel, especially among the retirees, and can be all male, all female or mixed depending on the purpose. As you may well imagine, Zvi’s group loves to talk politics, to save the world, hence the fact that most of the women left the group! Actually, it was very interesting and they happily let me weigh in with my views. All liked my statement that the real trial of democracy is when the candidate or party you didn’t vote for wins. Accepting the popular vote isn’t always easy but that’s democracy. As Winston Churchill said “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…” For some reason I find this weeks Torah portion somewhat appropriate. It is the story of Noah, the Ark, the flood and the Tower of Babel. God chose Noah as the only honest man in a world of hypocrites and evil, chose to save Noah and his family and asked Noah to save the world in a boat. As we listen to the forked tongues, the babble or Babel spouted around us sparking argument and dissent I think we are all looking for a Noah or at least an olive branch and a white dove. https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/3155/jewish/Noach-in-a-Nutshell.htm And so to music Perhaps the answer to all our troubles lies in this song. All You Need Is Love sung by the Shalva Group, with wonderful photos of the Shalva Centre……one of my favourite places in the whole of Israel! For me Shalva represents a haven for parents and children alike, and expresses the very best of Israel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvhhae73wnk Tsur Mishelo Achalnu. A beautiful prayer giving thanks to the Almighty for the food we have eaten. This rendition is exceptional. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N22NoI2TvH8 One of the major problems with the more recent generations of Jews is that we tend to get mixed up with religion, laws, belief and simple tradition, honouring our parents, grandparents in time immemorial. While Fiddler on the Roof was written at a time of women in the home and men supporting the family and obviously that is probably the major social change, nonetheless, Tradition is what holds us together. Friday night meals with the family, lighting the candles, making blessings, marriages all filled with tradition and wonderful interpretation seems to be lost on so many young people, who now float without a sense of identity. Tradition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRdfX7ut8gw&t=11s Jerusalem. Even when travelling into the City on the brand new road 16, tunnels underneath the suburbs, and suddenly there we are. Jerusalem, much maligned, misunderstood but still the most beautiful, spiritual city in the world. Shabbat Shalom to you one and all With love Sheila

I'm Back

21st October 2022 26 Tishri 5783 Shabbat Shalom dear friends! Actually, I think it’s Shabbat Shalom! My addled brain has had to deal with many interruptions to the normal calendar because the last few weeks have been a crazy round of Shabbat, New Year, Shabbat, Yom Kippur, Shabbat, Tabernacles, Shabbat Tabernacles and then – guess what? Shabbat again! To make things more confusing I underwent surgery and came out the other side and here I am sitting at home, writing to you and feeling very grateful to the incredible staff of Shaare Zedek neurosurgery department. Each and every one of the staff from the senior surgeon, Dr. John Winestone, his deputies, the male and female nurses and the ancillary staff of all religions, indeed the exceptional rainbow of Israeli humanity, each and every one exceptional. I have long said that the first stop of any visiting diplomat or journalist should be in Israeli hospitals. Seriously. Staff and patients alike, the mix of languages, the ability to work together and heal together irrespective of colour or creed; without the false hierarchy of most western hospitals. At first it is strange to hear the nurses call the doctors by their first name but then one hears the deep respect in their voices and let’s face it, it is a mutual respect, and a title is irrelevant. In Israeli hospitals there is no racism, no differentiation, Professors and ancillary staff are Moslem, Jew and Christian and that is the Israel I am most proud of. One of the outstanding moments of my stay in hospital was when one of the doctors took time out to bring his “Lulav and Etrog” (A palm branch (lulav), two willows (aravot), a minimum of three myrtles (hadassim) and one citron (etrog). The first three kinds are neatly bundled in a specific manner) to the patients. This year we couldn’t build our tabernacle (Succah) because we were not at home but this was the most gentle of people offering to share his traditions in the most beautiful manner. And so to politics! I thought that no electoral system or political situation was quite as confused a the Israeli one but I have a feeling that the UK is a fast runner up! Neither country is good at deciding who is the Prime Minister and when we get one half the population don’t like him/her! Admittedly we, in Israel, have had relative political calm for over a year but considering the fact that in less than two weeks we will be back in the voting booths for the fifth time in as many years, I cannot describe the situation as stable. Major criminal trials are not sufficient to stop political ambition, the thirst for power verging on megalomania of some and the desire to see a better country of others. It is depressing to watch television and the incessant political advertisements where you know full well that they are selling their party as if it was the latest toy when all you want is to hear their manifesto, what they really intend changing in your life. I cannot but express my fears that the extreme parties, the extreme personalities may hold the balance if the centrist parties don’t get together. One name is on everyone’s lips is Itamar Ben Gvir. Ben Gvir with the slightly less vocal Bezalel Smotrich, lead parties whose sole raison d’etre is nationalistic hatred and incitement. They are the antithesis of what Israel has become. I half understand those who may vote for them, especially those who have suffered terror attacks, but to think that they may be part of the decision making terrifies me. Their nationalist, extreme rabble rousing caused young thugs, Hilltop Youth, Israeli thugs, to attack both Arabs and Soldiers. Ben Gvir is an expert at attracting attention and it would appear that I too have fallen under his evil spell, since I have not written about the centrist parties, not PM Yair Lapid, not Defence Minister Benny Gantz and not about former PM Benjamin Netanyahu, I too am obsessed with Ben Gvir https://fathomjournal.org/the-rise-of-itamar-ben-gvir/ . November 1st, Election Day, and we will see what the people actually decide. Hopefully the disillusioned centrists will get out and vote. One Minister in the Knesset got it right. Yoel Rozvosov, in a parody of both James Bond and Vladimir Putin’s machoism, made this promotional video for Israel as Minister of Tourism! I think it’s really funny. https://youtu.be/MY3suFhK95E What about Britain then? After having the honour of being the last Prime Minister to receive her position from Queen Elizabeth ll, Liz Truss has been on a downward avalanche taking the British economy with her; she resigned, to be the shortest serving British Prime Minister! The traditional British system is that all members of the winning party choose the leader of that party, but after this latest fiasco a decision was made that the next leader be chosen by serving Members of Parliament of that party rather than the members. Let’s hope it works. In a ridiculous turn of events, Boris Johnson is said to be rushing back from his vacation!! When I look at the reports of violence in Israel, especially in the environs of Jerusalem, one would be excused for thinking that Jerusalem is being held at gunpoint and it is not safe to leave one’s home. There are specific volatile areas, mostly incited by Hamas who have successfully infiltrated the Palestinian Authority, but the rest of Jerusalem functions as normal, people go to movies, theatre, concerts and restaurants. Don’t be fooled by the hyperbole that used to be called journalism. The women of Iran are changing history. They risk their lives every day that they go into the streets and perform the simple act of removing their jihabs. It is symbolic, but of huge international importance. The more we isolate Iran the more dangerous they become. Altruism and deep friendship are not the main reasons for the success of the Abraham Accords, fear of Iran is the ultimate drive. My saddest moment this week was when the current Australian government chose to publicly renege on the intention to move the Australian Embassy to Jerusalem. The change is unimportant but the point made is of ultimate importance because it goes in tandem with the decision to reinstate funding to UNWRA. Australia, that most loyal of allies, not some unstable nation, the Australian government makes a clear delineation of its changed loyalties. So sad but then the USA has been going in the same direction but it is the people, specifically but not only, Universities not the government. The exceptional Noa Tishbi explains. https://www.instagram.com/p/CjtiVcYLhMj/?hl=en For those who don’t have or can’t get Instagram I will put her words at the end of this missive. The fallout of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is worldwide but in some strange way it has given Israel an inflowing of Russian Jews who have finally seen the writing on the wall. We have absorbed many Ukrainians but the vast majority want to go back to Ukraine as soon as it is safe. Russian Jews have not only seen the writing on the wall but in their schoolbooks also, reminiscent of the lead up to the Third Reich. I would love to continue but I’m not supposed to sit for extended periods so we will go straight into music!!! You’ll never walk alone, from the musical Carousel, has become a hymn, a prayer and an anthem. I first heard it as a teenager when Gerry and the Pacemakers sang it when a pacemaker was the runner who set the pace in a race! I think that sometimes, as Jews or indeed any other minority, we feel overwhelmed and misunderstood. https://youtu.be/3DTbUVknshA Your prayers paid off and this morning I awoke to rain! Glorious blessed rain which made my second choice easy. Rain from the Israeli movie Afula Express is sung by Eli Luzon. https://youtu.be/K8HlStOESOU The last song sheds a different light on the Haredi community, a light shone by Yaacov Shwekey. Thank Heaven it’s Shabbat – Baruch HaShem it’s Shabbes. That incredible sigh of relief that the work-week is over, that the 7th day is here, the day of rest. Conceivably the most important social contribution of Judaism to the world https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG0lbfGUpwU&t=17s This journey of mine has been fascinating and as I absorb the outpourings of love from every direction, there are two people who deserve a special mention. My Rachel couldn’t be beside me to the usual extent because of the Festivals etc but – Shelley Silver, the daughter of Ira and Valeri who became part of our family when they made Aliya to Israel from Moscow just one year after I did. Shelley stayed with me in Rachel’s stead. Shelley is an exceptional young woman, two weeks out of the IDF as a Educational Officer, she slept beside my bed, amused me, smiled at me and generally made me feel loved. Nearly 22 a great future lies ahead of her. The other support and succour came from Zvi, my wonderful husband. He sang to the nurses, chatted with the patients, barely left my side during the day, held my hand for my first tentative steps, took care of visitors and I couldn’t ask for more. Home for Shabbat – how wonderful! Rachel will come during the day, hopefully with one of her incredible Challot, Leor, Amiad and their families are coming for supper, for Shabbat Dinner, but bringing everything with them. They’ll set the table, bring the food and clear up afterwards – it may sound crazy but I really wanted to see them. Yesterday I received a huge platter of cut fruits from our young neighbours who got together to express their love; Various foodstuffs arrive at our front door and last evening Ronit arrived with today’s lunch all set up and oven ready including dessert; my wonderful Cardiff friends Sue and Averil came for lunch – bringing delicious homemade food with them and I am overwhelmed with the outpourings of care. I wish you a wonderful weekend, leaders who will take our countries in the right direction if they have the intelligence to do what is right not what is convenient. Shabbat Shalom and love from our veranda, overlooking Jerusalem. Remember, it is irrelevant what other countries call this city, we know that this is Jerusalem, Capital City of the State of Israel and all the Jewish people around the world and holy site for Christians and Moslems too Sheila The Noa Tishbi words What an antisemitic week it’s been. Here’s a recap of some of the top antisemitic things that have happened recently. Antisemitic flyers were distributed at the University of Michigan and at George Washington University. Mezuzahs were torn down at Stanford and Swastikas were found at Cornell and American University. The Wellesley College newspaper editorial board endorsed the crazy “Mapping Project” that doxes Jewish establishments schools, and synagoges. It became public that Student groups at Berkeley banned Jewish, Zionist students and speakers. And Drexel scheduled mandatory trainings on Yom Kippur, excluding Jewish faculty and students, while Cornell hosted a speaker who compared Jews to Nazis. And it’s not limited to college campuses. Billboards in LA were defaced with antisemitic stickers that read “Zionist Jews control America.” In New York City, a synagogue security guard was slashed on Yom Kippur and a Sukkah was vandalized and urinated on. In celebrity world the one and only Bella Hadid posted on Instagram a plea begging followers to stand up against antisemitism saying if you see something say something! A day after her father’s Instagram post comparing Jews to Hitler and while she was hanging out with notorious antisemite Nerdeen Kiswani And Kanye West used the most cliche non creative and OLD antisemitic tropes on Fox News and TMZ and went on social media to declare death con 3 on Jewish people. And all of this is being downplayed — by the media, by college administrators, by people on social media. We’re told that attacks on Israel shouldn’t be taken personally and that attacks on Jews shouldn’t be taken seriously. Despite antisemitism being the oldest form of hate which is still practiced today, antisemitism, Anti Jewish racism is being ignored. We’re called white oppressors and privileged and are asked to politely sit down and be quite. Which we won’t. I went to Berkeley yesterday to speak to the students. I’m going through the footage and will share in the next few days. In the meantime Shabbat Shalom and Am Israel Chai.