9th October 2026 Two days after 1,096 days Shabbat Shalom dear friends, Shabbat Shalom from our home to yours. There were many memorial gatherings for the 7th of October, including the peoples memorial in Tel Aviv’s Park haYarkon and another right here in Motza, but we were honoured to be invited by Dr Mike Evans…

1,096 days since the 7th of October 2023 I don’t know what to write to you. Where do I begin? How do I write about something so utterly diabolical without asking, again and again, how on earth did this actually happen? How do I find the rational, calm voice that is usually my signature when…

2nd of October, 2026 20th Tishrei 5787 Shabbat Shalom, Chag Succot Sameach, Blessed Feast of Tabernacles and Simchat Torah There’s a new saying going around: If you want to fly safely, take four Israelis with you, especially a plumber! I warn you that this will not be a short missive, so much has happened, so…

25th September 2026 14th Tishrei, 5787 Shabbat Shalom, Succot Sameach, a Holy Tabernacles. As we saw from the quote from Josephus last week, there is nothing new under the sun. A very wise man, much more recently, summed up our situation and our needs in words that sound as though he foresaw the world we…

18th September, 2026 7th of Tishrei 5787 ז׳ בְּתִשְׁרֵי תשפ״ז The Jewish year in Hebrew is תשפ״ז (in Hebrew letters are also numbers so it is 5787) and if we use the initials can mean Golden Year. Let’s pray that comes to fruition. Shabbat Shalom, Shana Tova (a good New Year) Hatima Tova (May you…

10th of September 2026 28th of Elul, 5786 25 years from 11th September, 2001 One day before 5787 Shabbat Shalom and a peaceful and sweet Rosh Hashana. I was going to write a simple New Year message, but you know me, nothing turns out the way I planned it! Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on the…

4th of September 2026 22nd of Elul 5786 Good morning! Shabbat Shalom! How are you? I’d love to hear from you so that I don’t need to worry about you… Mark Twain, like Winston Churchill, wrote many things, mostly very positive, about the Jews. This one is fascinating. “He has made a marvellous fight in…

28th August, 2026 Shabbat Shalom! How are you? I hope that you are well. I have a strange question for you or perhaps it isn’t so strange. When was the last time you sat down and had a quiet, honest conversation with someone whose political or religious beliefs were completely different from your own? Not…

21st of August, 2026 8th of Elul 5786 Shabbat Shalom from sunny Jerusalem! Yes I’m back from equally sunny London. I really wanted to write to you last week but unfortunately nobody’s computer is working. I really must get myself a laptop or Android tablet so that I can type and write to you when…

7th August 2026 Shabbat Shalom, dear friends. As we wish one another Shalom, peace, let’s join Yarden Bibas in remembering the seventh birthday his son Ariel which should have celebrated this week. Instead, we remember that wonderful, cheeky red-headed little boy, his mother, Shiri, and baby brother, Kfir, after being taken hostage on 7th October…