The view from my veranda

150529 FIFA, Morocco Judo, Amnesty Gaza, Jerusalem Hug, Shevuot

150529

29th May, 2015

Shabbat Shalom dear friends. I will try to keep this missive short but so many things have happened that it is hard to put them all in one paragraph!!

Jibril Rejub, terrorist and representative of the PA, has put forward a motion to bar Israel from FIFA the international Football Association. The corruption and bribery which has tainted FIFA and brought them to the long arm of the law has caused them to allow the Palestinian Authority, not even a country, to bring charges against Israel. They clearly didn’t watch this wonderful video – One World, One Ballhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYgz-ea4-J0  It is worth noting that the first Palestinian team to play in FIFA was against the Australians in 1939, under the British Mandate and they were all Jews!!!!http://www.timesofisrael.com/watch-palestines-1939-soccer-team/

The Israeli Judo team arrived in Morocco for an official world Judo match to be harassed and bullied by Moroccan authorities at the airport. “We will murder you” and “you’re not wanted here, go home” are just some of the chants which were directed at the members of Israel’s judo team over the weekend, while they competed at the World Masters competition in Rabat, Morocco. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4660900,00.html

Sport, my foot sport.

By the way, all those ignoramus’ who shout “Free free Palestine” should read Amnesty Internationals latest report on Hamas torture and killing of Gazans!!! https://www.amnesty.org/en/articles/news/2015/05/gaza-palestinians-tortured-summarily-killed-by-hamas-forces-during-2014-conflict/

To bring this saga to its weekly end, Israel, yes Israel, which saves lives of injured Syrians (to say nothing of Palestinians)  every single day has been accused of the United Nations Human Rights Commission as being the worst violator of Human Rights in the world!!!!!! Perhaps this will make everybody realise the inanity of that organization – as if they didn’t already know yet allow it to continue. http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2015/05/21/un-israel-is-worst-violator-of-health-rights-in-the-world/

For those of you who believe the hatred cannot happen in your universities/towns/ cities/ countries…. Just watch thishttp://ctl.stepupforisrael.com/

If you want to know how, just watch this movie, get your children and grandchildren to watch it – take it to your synagogue or church to understand The Wave https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFnH1c91d9Q

President Obama reiterated his intense love for Israel and quoted his long time admiration for Golda Meir. Someone should tell him that Golda was much further right than One of Mrs Meir’s most famous statements was her assertion that there was never any such thing as a Palestinian.   http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-05-24/obama-cares-too-much-about-israel

There is a beautiful event called the Jerusalem Hug, where Jews, Arabs, Moslems, Christians all get together and……. Hug!!! For eight years it worked, this year a gang of Arab youth decided to beat up the participants!! http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Post-writer-attacked-at-Jerusalem-coexistence-hug-event-404423

I keep telling you about IsraAID www.israaid.co.il  and love this video explaining how they utiilise simple tools when working in remote areas. It typifies their work, dedication and brilliance http://www.israel21c.org/israel-in-the-spotlight/how-to-use-a-bicycle-pump-to-save-lives/#.VV34IPdIwiY.gmail

May 24-25th 1991, Operation Solomon, the incredibly complex, covert operation to bring the second Ethiopian Aliya home, home to Jerusalem. This video brought me to tears, as I know it will you, as we celebrate 25 years of the biggest humanitarian operation in history.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKfzW2ClZWE

This was a mixed week. Zvi was feeling really bad with terrible neck and head pain (on the way to being better but really bad) so we didn’t move from home. No let me change that, Zvi and I both felt terrific when we walked into the Jerusalem Forest  to meet the grandchildren for Shevuot, but what we thought was a short walk turned into a very long trek across difficult terrain in inappropriate shoes, which may have contributed or certainly exacerbated the neck situation!!!!!

The grandchildren loved it, thought it was great fun and they enjoyed the Israeli Shevuot tradition of being in the country and feeling nature….. We saw natural springs, wild quince trees, flowers, bright yellow butterflies, enormous pine cones  falling from old fir trees and the tiny trees the miracle of nature produced. We met all sorts of people, out enjoying nature on the spring harvest festival, a celebratory festival of harvest, the end of mourning and our receipt of the Torah.

Since Zvi felt really bad our plans for the rest of the week changed and instead of going out with friends we invited them home. Lidia and Mauricio Epplebaum (Mexico and Los Angeles) came over for supper and a lovely chat as Lidia and Zvi went back to the days they were at school together. We sat out on the veranda, eating supper while watching to world go by from our veranda. The funniest part is that I spoke to their guide Miri and it turns out her Mother was Welsh – from Bryn Mawr (the original one not the American copy!!!!)

Our next visitors were regulars! Anita and Robert Simons come to Israel all the way from Australia, twice or three times a year, and dinner together is an essential!! I love them so much and Anita is a very special lady, a VERY special lady. After our meal Anita and I sat on the veranda, drinking the herb tea from my own little herb garden, mint (nana), Melissa, lemon grass and a touch of sage. We spoke of past and future and about the breathtaking view over South Jerusalem.

The weather has been foul, not foul in British terms, rainy and cloudy, but in Israeli terms. 40 degrees Celsius in Jerusalem is rare and most unpleasant, the air filled with Saharan sand and dust, but even so we thank Heaven we don’t live in Tel Aviv or Petah Tikva where it reach 44 degrees with high humidity!!!!

Zvi has gone to his parliament. I wish I could be a fly on the wall today. Since most of the members are journalists they tend to be exceptionally opinionated and express their opinions as if it were the absolute truth. When will journalists, indeed the media, understand that they are supposed to report the facts not be creative?

Today I am not going to Givat Zeev, although I already miss the children to say nothing of my daughter!!! Tonight Zvi and I are alone, peace and quiet, I can light the candles and see Jerusalem before me, then tomorrow Zvi’s boys are coming for what I used to call Shabbes afternoon tea. Thanks to my wonderful daughters recipe I will make Kurdish Cheese Kadeh, tuna and sweet potato patties, Welsh Fish balls, a quiche and the usual plethora of salads. Isn’t it strange how the site changes but the afternoon tea doesn’t – although I admit I never made Kadeh in Britain!!!

I wish you Shabbat Shalom. I wish you good health and love. I want to mention two special friends just now, Bernardo and Victor – get well, we need you home soon!!

To honour the journey from Ethiopia to Jerusalem, The Sheba Choir and Shlomo Gronich sing Ha Masa, The Journeyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKcRKzbSeJM

With love from Jerusalem – our Jerusalem –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFtBNZl0SxU

I love you, each and every one of you. I love to hear from you too, just to know that you love me back!!!

Shabbat Shalom

Sheila