The view from my veranda

Back to Jerusalem

6th of September 2024

Shabbat Shalom to one and all

I’m back and want to thank all of you who wrote asking where I was last week.

I had a truly wonderful trip to the UK, managing to spend time with loved ones, both family and friends, to catch up on both good and bad news and of course to answer the myriad of questions about Israel.

Last week I understood you. Last week I felt what you feel being so far away when tragedy hits. As the news spread about the 6 hostages who were murdered just moment before the IDF reached the tunnel in which they were held, I felt that all I wanted was to get on the first plane home. There is a sense of needing to be together, even though everyone around me had the same sense of dismay and deep sadness, somehow being here in Israel one is surrounded by others who understand, have been to the demonstrations, walked in Hostage Square, spoken to the families, probably a sense of family. Don’t get me wrong, my family and friends in the UK are totally involved and aware, read up on every word in the news, feel deeply about the last year (yes nearly a year) but even so, being here is different.

One experience that stands out in my mind took place on a Great Western Railway train to Cardiff. I was very happy to find that my booked seat was right near the gate, at the rear of the train, and plonked myself down next to my fellow passenger. Looking to my left I saw a young man, tattooed from head to toe, as his short trousers attested, a nose ring completed the picture. As we arrived in Bath most of the passengers disembarked and I moved to an empty seat opposite. I can’t remember why we started talking, but we did, and what a surprise. He told me that he lived outside Cardiff, my home town and the destination of the said train, and asked where I lived. I told him and he immediately perked up and asked so many relevant questions, basically saying how he had never believed the one-sided BBC version of the news! It was an eye opener on every level, particularly “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. I was to find that attitude from virtually everyone I met, including Moslems. I fact the El Al ground staff at Luton airport wore Hijabs! But I digress!!

If I may, I want to go back to the murdered hostages, the most recent of too many. Perhaps because his mother, the incredible Rachel Goldberg-Polin, spoke so clearly in English, was able to take the international stage, we were all familiar with her son Hersh z”l. Hersh became symbolic for anyone with a heart as his face came up on newscasts all over the world and then, moments before freedom, obviously bruised and battered, pale from almost a year of captivity in a dark tunnel he was, no, they were cruelly murdered.  Hersh Goldberg-PolinEden YerushalmiOri DaninoAlex LobanovCarmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi  (you can find out about each one by clicking on their names)  The Israeli response was clear in the subsequent demonstration in Kaplan Square in Tel Aviv as an estimated 600,000+ poured into the area, carrying Israeli flags and photographs of the hostages.

Rachel and Jon Goldberg Polin spoke at Hersh’s funeral. As one who lost a son, my beautiful Daniel, I felt every single word that she uttered with the same level of strength that she has shown for the 330 days of hope https://youtu.be/YoSxbKzvIxA?si=FZXFcAYIcEWo8lUK  

The sympathy from the news media is short lived, as it was following the horrors of October 7th, and it set me thinking why. They know only too well that Hamas/Hezb-Allah/ISIS/Islamic Jihad are bad people, really bad people, in fact theocratic villains, yet still continue to tell half truths making Israel the bad guy. My thought process took me to the story of David and Goliath. There’s David, little shepherd boy, who rises to the challenge from a big huge bully. They chose the site for the meet and Goliath, confident of his brawn and stature, struts onto the field while David, shepherd boy and poet, takes the time to find the perfect round stones for his little catapult. They meet and David, the young underdog, swings the catapult around his head aiming carefully, and the stone finds its mark on Goliath’s temple; the huge man crumpled and fell to his death. The shepherd boy went on to be a great king, lover and poet whose writings would be ready every day until now, by Jews and Christians around the world. The comparison, the moral of the story is clear but David is not the hero any more, for some reason, Goliath is the hero of the story. The enormity of the extreme Islamic countries (predominantly Iran) and the duel between the giant and the shepherd boy is the story of Israel.

As you know I try not to be too political, democracy has its faults, but it must be said nonetheless. The leaders of all branches of the IDF have said, time and again, that while the Philadelphi Corridor is of utmost importance, it can wait. It can wait for the eyes of the world to be on another war, another mass slaughter. We have missed so many chances to retrieve our hostages but this government is stuck in the determination to win. Nobody wins wars, everyone suffers in war, both the aggressor and the defender, in all wars. Let’s face it even in WW2, more than 500,000 people died in the British bombing of Dresden and other German cities. When asked why he attacked cities rather than military instillations, Churchill responded with one word “Coventry” which was the worst hit, nay destroyed, by the Luftwaffe. Again I digress, the point being that this government has made too many tactical mistakes, has not paid heed to the military leaders has never taken blame and has lost its moral compass. We do not have a Churchill and I fear that the Churchill brilliance is lost, he has no equal in today’s world, no leader brave enough to risk his political career by taking the high road, building the moral of his people as they spent long days in shelters and the underground as the Germans bombed many British towns To win a war, one must not only have definite strategic plans but must make your own people believe that you are capable of keeping them safe. Enough said.

335 days, 335 emotionally exhausting, confused and helpless days. We have a strong democracy, fantastic people who have risen to the call for volunteers, both in the IDF and in everyday life, given of themselves where the government has failed, but 335 days of deep emotional stress is too long, too much and proven that democracy doesn’t always work. Back to Winston Spencer Churchill who said “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others” Democracy has nothing to do with elections, it has to do with the personal freedom and security. The Ayatollahs and Hitler were elected!!!

Qanta Ahmed, a British/American physician, a Moslem, writes a blog, this one in the Times of Israel, a blog that expresses so much of what we feel. https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/islamisms-assault-on-israel-is-a-crime-against-all-of-humanity/

Of course I loved being with family and friends, too many to mention, and the walks around the Cyncoed Reservoir with my beautiful big sister Doreen who can walk faster than anyone I know and was thrilled when I kept up! Of course it was so wonderful to enjoy the glorious weather, the green green grass of home (yeah Tom Jones); the hugs, stories and the reminiscing of old times; loving my grandchildren from NYC and London; having Olivia do my fingernails and hearing about her and Zackary’s first day back at school; watching four of them (Olivia, Joshua, Zachary and Callie)racing around playing sardines or splashing each other in “Olivia’s Folly” a big put-you-up pool and just being family.

Announcing that I love El Al elicited disdain from many but I do! I love being greeted by “Shalom, brucha ha baah” Shalom and welcome, as I step onto the plane, I love knowing that El Al will keep flying even in the most extreme circumstances for Israel and………. Wait, let me explain. Rachel and I flew to the UK the afternoon after the huge Hezb-Allah barrage on the north of Israel and our response. Would we fly? Yes. Were we scared? No. On our arrival in the UK we found that that night Rachel’s daughter Ayala went to a huge open air concert in the Sultan’s Pool in Jerusalem that very night! While the world was running away from us, we knew that our IDF was taking care of things! I suppose that day was the epitome of Israeli life – existential danger in the early hours of the morning and young people dancing on the stones of Jerusalem in the night!!!

Many of you have asked how you can help, which organisations support the survivors, the injured and their families and the families of those murdered through terror and although there are many, there is one which was founded by a Canadian/Israeli couple, https://onefamilyfundus.org/  Marc and Chantal Belzberg. One Family has been supporting and helping all of the above since the second Intifada and their warmth and love extended to those families is unmatched.

I’m home and very happy to be home, but one foot is still in the UK with the family and dear friends. So I will quit while I’m ahead and go for music!

A song of hope, an Israeli song of hope with Jews and Moslems singing together about what binds us https://youtu.be/5d_i2F2LlF8?si=liKMi35nnexYkgAb

Yavo Shalom Aleinu – This video has no translation but the meaning is simple, “Peace will come to us, to all of us. Shalom to us and to the whole world” Moshe ben Ari wrote it and sings for us https://youtu.be/L4Uzxn0lV6g?si=cu2n0Yf94hd9bYmo

David Broza is one of my favourite singer-songwriters. Yihyeh Tov is also one of my favourite  songs. So here it is Yihye Tov, it Will Be Good, form his mouth to God’s ears. https://youtu.be/qtI7h5A9eEQ?si=axPoFbBC4zMx-sFM

Zvi is in Mexico City with my grandson Yosef, Rachel’s son, and I am here! It’s really strange! Tonight I will spend Friday night with Rachel and the girls, with a very different kiddush. Last week Gideon sang kiddush (the blessing over the wine) with a very familiar tune and very Ashkenazi pronunciation, this week it will be kiddush with a very Middle Eastern Jewish pronunciation! After all diversity is the name of the game.

I wish you a good Shabbes, a Shabbat Shalom, a good weekend, from the every beautiful, breathtaking city of Jerusalem, gleaming in the distance as I look at the View from Our Veranda. Jerusalem, City of David, Ir Shalem, Ariel, Shilo, Zion, City of David, indeed the city with 70 names in the Bible. https://israelforever.org/programs/israelinmyart/70_names_of_jerusalem_resource.pdf

With much love

Sheila