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The view from my veranda

Choices, Selections and Elections

28th October 2026 19 Cheshvan 5787 (י״ט בְּחֶשְׁוָן תשפ״ז) Good morning, good afternoon or good night, depending where you are in the world, and most importantly, Shabbat Shalom. Of course I’m disappointed by the election results, although we still have no definite conclusion. With so many parties involved, confusion reigns, and we now enter the…

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Impact, Obama and Good News

23rd October 2026 12th Heshvan 5787 Shabbat Shalom lovely friends This may be a strange decision to make but I am going to try and write a positive newsletter to you today, even though it may seem that our world is falling apart. Yesterday evening I opened up my WhatsApp to find no less than…

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You and Me can change the world

16th October 2026 6th Cheshvan 5787 Shabbat Shalom dear friends. I hope this missive finds you well. This week it’s Parashat Noach, the story of Noah and the Ark. What a week Noah must have had! Imagine building an enormous ark, rounding up two of every animal and keeping the whole lot fed and watered…

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Ever Onward, like a Bar-Tailed Goodwit

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…

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1,096 days

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…

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The Plumber, The Pilot and the 7th

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…

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MLK, Succot and Tabernacles

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…

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Josephus, Kippurim and a Great Restaurant

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…

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Shana Tova Niv

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…

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From Twain to Penitence

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…

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