For the Children
29th November 2023
Shalom dear friends. Shalom
I hope you don’t think that I had abandoned you for the last few days, but the strange mixture of elation at the return of hostages, sadness for the families of those still in captivity and horror at the stories that are slowly coming out, stories of beating of children, of forcing children to watch the horror of October 7th on video, of them being kept in cages, being moved from pillar to post under threat of more beatings if they made a sound. Little Emily Hand is still talking in whispers, even with her father, for fear of punishment. Hamas even kidnapped the bodies of three dead soldiers knowing full well that we will do all we can to return them for burial. All of the hostages were found to be undernourished with terrible rashes probably caused by the fact that they were not allowed to wash or change clothes for the two months of captivity. One of the Israeli children was held in dire conditions in the attic of an UNWRA teacher, the father of 10 children! Another by a doctor who continued to tend children in hospital but kept the Israeli child locked up without food.
The huge theatricals of the Hamas handover, with multiple new ambulances on standby, was definitely out of Pallywood, much more than meet the eye. For instance, when one elderly lady was being helped down from the Hamas vehicle to be handed over to the Red Cross, the ear of one very clever Australian friend, Stanley Roth, caught the words “Keep waving” to which she complied. Hamas supporters have been storming the vehicles, banging in the sides causing even greater trauma to the hostages inside.
Not only Jews were kidnapped. One Bedouin family lost one member and four others were kidnapped while yet another used his minibus to save the lives of dozens of Israeli youngsters. Yosef Zaidna has been sent photographs of his children stripped to the waist with guns pointed at them. Despite the requests of the Israeli government he has no idea where his children are.
Why? Why the hatred? I know that generations of Gazans have been inculcated with hate education, as I explained and we at Impact-se have proven it time and again, but there is so much more. What gives an entire people the right to torture, to kill, rape, decapitate? While searching for an answer I came upon this quote from Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens, which fascinated me by its accuracy.
On the Jews
“If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one quarter of one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk.
His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine and abstruse learning are also very out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world in all ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself and be excused for it. The Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Persians rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greeks and Romans followed and made a vast noise, and they were gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, and have vanished.
The Jew saw them all, survived them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert but aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jews; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality? “
Indeed, what is our secret and what induces such hatred, especially among the young. In Mark Twain’s own home land the universities have become crucibles of hate, of racism which have reached such a point that the Deans of MIT and Harvard have been called before a Congressional Committee and Berkley and NYU have been sued.
Highly detailed plans for the elimination of Yahya Sinwar, architect of October 7th and so much more, were presented to Netanyahu by three subsequent heads of the Israeli Secret Services and each time he stopped them. I cannot say more, but the inadequacies and errors compound. https://m.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/gaza-news/article-775527 Even Sinwar’s own son says he must be eliminated and the sooner the better.
Enough doom and gloom I am in a terrible mood since Hamas announced that those two incredibly beautiful little red headed babies, the Bibas family, who captured our hearts as they were captured in their Mother’s arms to an unknown fate in Gaza. Apparently taken from captivity by a Gazan doctor and taken to his home where Hamas claims they were killed. The IDF spokesman refuses to accept any such news “In the IDF we do not accept rumours. Every detail is checked and double checked’ My heart sank as Hamas yet again played its psychological games.
Today we went to the Habad Centre again to make sandwiches for the children in Ashkelon, Ashdod and many other towns affected by the war. Israeli children start school early and the younger children aged 6 to 12 stop for “Aruchat Eser” the 10 o’clock snack. The sandwich making is very organised. The first stage is when the bread rolls are cut ready to accept the filling – the exact number according to the requests of the recipients, and each filling of tuna and pickles, hummus with cucumber and tomato, chocolate spread and so on. I was on the tuna table and if I say it myself, I’m pretty efficient. We all wear black plastic hygienic gloves and approximately one fistful of tuna is right for each roll. The two French ladies next to me were more interested in talking than sandwich filling but I really got into the swing of things (after all I was never very good at French) so when I used up my allotted amount of tuna I went into the kitchen and made up another huge batch. I loved the variety of volunteers, from schoolgirls to pensioners, men and women. Zvi chose to be a shlepper this time, ensuring the supplies for the production lines and taking the prepared sandwiches to the ladies on the rolls of plastic film to wrap them. A small contribution indeed but an important one.
Zvi’s choir has been back singing for the refugees from the north and the south, refugees in their own country. The choir of the Jerusalem Symphony recorded a magnificent rendition of “Bring Him Home” which I hope to send you at the weekend, as soon as it is up on YouTube. We have been ordering fresh vegetables and fruit grown in the south and brought to our area, without going through the retail suppliers. The money going straight to the growers. Admittedly, I’m not sure what to do with the 15 kilos of oranges Zvi brought home but they last forever! Lots of exercise juicing them!
This evening some new friends came for “tea”. Rachel and Shauli Yosipon are both very involved in the community and Shauli began a beautiful mosaic project turning it into a community project, each week adding more and this week end the final pieces will be placed on the mosaic. Shauli also told us that he used to work in the sphere of raising milk cows and the fact the Israel, through Kibbutz Afikim, is the number one producer of special equipment and the feeding of said cows, all over the world! He took up mosaic after his retirement.
It fascinates me how many ways one can find to be involved. There is a hat-knitting group, knitting warm hats for soldiers, another making knitted teddy bears for the refugee children. Every supermarket has a list of items that soldiers need, from wet-ones, shampoo and toothpaste to specific snacks so that we can all buy one or two items which will be put in a box ready for the truck to take it to them. This is a country of volunteers. We may have an ineffectual government (dystopia or kakistocracy) but my goodness what an incredible people! Amiad, Zvi’s elder son, and his group, have just delivered the latest, state of the art helmets for soldiers, ensuring that they are safe.
Enough, I hope I have left you with a lighter heart than when I began. You have certainly helped me!
Am Yisrael Chai – Sung by Eyal Golan. Specially written and produced for this trying time. https://youtu.be/2p3rtnQ_7y4?si=MEJl4kEsimILRDoM
“The good days will come because even on the darkest night there is a small star to light your way”. An entire generation of young Israelis is singing this song. It has no translation but you can feel the hope. Out of Depression was written and sung by Yagel Oshri https://youtu.be/9XIZ_T_vg_E?si=VC53G4TOna1HQAEy
I send you love, I wish you love, I wish you hope and good health and above all “Bsorot Tovot” Good news.
Sheila