The view from my veranda

Modeh Ani – Gratitude

29th of November, 2024

420th of October

Kaf Tet b’November

Shabbat Shalom dear friends and of course Happy Thanksgiving.

It is strange but I feel that each and every one of you is a personal friend. You have held me up when life became difficult and I share my deepest feelings with you, my greatest fears for our beautiful country, so friend you are, even though we may never have met.

I begin with a declaration.

I am a Jew and I am an Israeli. That gives me a dual responsibility to feel for the pain of others as well as my own pain. It’s easy to say that whatever is happening over our borders was brought upon by their own actions, and it’s true, however, we have to recognise that even when there is no choice but to hurt our enemies we have to feel some kind of empathy. There are days when I really don’t want to and then I remember the first line of this paragraph. I am a Jew and I am Israeli that’s a dual responsibility to feel empathy even for my enemies. Most proponents for Israel have a habit of talking about our pain and ours alone and even though our pain is deeper than one can ever imagine, we are human and we have to act in a humane manner so please excuse me if I stand for the morals of my faith and express empathy for the broken people of Gaza.

Jewish tradition says that upon waking one says Modeh Ani, a short blessing of gratitude thanking God for giving us back our soul after sleep. It is a fascinating thought and it is a beautiful thought, to say thank you for allowing us to wake up, even to the world as it is today. I suppose it is Thanksgiving every day without the Turkey

77 years ago today, 29th of November 1947, when the United Nations still remembered its role, a vote was taken to create the Jewish Homeland on the Jewish land. The delineation of that State was clear, Arab land and Jewish land. In the war that began almost immediately those lines changed dramatically as the tiny nascent State gained ground, but Israel triumphed, Israel the name chosen by David Ben Gurion when he declared the State in May 1948 against the votes of his cabinet.

Did you know that the first ever official camel race took place in the Negev Desert this week! I kid you not! Thousands of spectators arrived to see the spectacle of Negev Bedouin riders on camelback racing through the sands. Thousands of Israeli Jews and Bedouins fascinated by a new sport, a new escape from their recent reality, leaving memories of October 7th and constant rocket fire behind them. I wonder if it will catch on as an accepted stop on the tourist route!

Do you know what Sigd is? It is a festival celebrated 50 days after Yom Kippur. It has become a singularly Ethiopian festival, although it actually celebrates the return to our land from dispersion. Ethiopia’s Jews lived there for at least 15 centuries, arriving as merchants and artisans and lived a normal Jewish life until facing religious persecution over many years. More than 90,000 Beta Israel, Ethiopian Jews, emigrated to Israel, made Aliyah, since 1977. Because they lived in complete isolation from other Jewish communities for centuries, some Beta Israel holidays and celebrations do not exist in other Jewish communities and vice versa. This week the leaders of the Ethiopian community held prayers overlooking Jerusalem.

Had the United Nations kept to its founding charter, the world would be a very different place today. It never fails to amaze me how the organisation that was formed to prevent war not only failed on that count but openly and clearly encourages those who wage war. They have not prevented one single war, one single instance of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and cruel and oppressive regimes are often encouraged. I not only speak of UNWRA, HRC and all the other sub-committees and organisations within the realm of the United Nations. Surely any organisation that can include Iran in the Human Rights Council cannot be taken seriously, but it is. The ICC, the International Criminal Court, that chose to single out Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Chief of Staff Gallant is a prime example. We all know that there are too many oppressive regimes in Africa and the Arab world but yet again the Blood Libel rules.

The world’s press announced that “A cease fire has been reached in the Israel-Lebanon war”, putting Israel first suggests we started this horrible war, not the thousands of rockets and missiles and drones on October 8th. Anyway, we hope that it will hold. My first thought is that we will not hear the frightening words “it has been announced” which precede the names of fallen soldiers. Secondly, we have no argument with the people of Lebanon, never have, never will, it isn’t the people of Lebanon that launched missiles and drones, it is Hezb-Allah. Hezb-Allah, the terrorist proxy of Iran, has been declared a terrorist organisation throughout the Western world, not Lebanon.

We are constantly castigated for fighting back when attacked, even for fighting back after October 7th. But if any of the so very righteous countries were attacked, what do you think they would do? What would their response be? What do you think your country would do?

Chabad Rabbi Zvi Kogan z”l was kidnapped and murdered while serving in the UAE. It not only shocked the Chabad community, the Jewish community but it shocked and distressed the UAE. They acted quickly and the perpetrators, three Uzbeki infiltrators, have already been caught. May his soul rest in peace.

I digress again to the situation in Canada. Canada emerged as a beacon of moral clarity on the global stage under Prime Minister Stephen Harper but has changed utterly since Trudeau’s election. This situation may appear familiar to others but this article was written by Canadians Zina Rakhamilova and Jonah Hart. “The Canada we once knew and loved now feels unrecognizably distant. Since well before October 7, 2023, Canadian Jews – and, indeed, many average Canadians – have been abandoned. Hateful antisemitic and anti-Canadian protests have erupted nationwide, where agitators openly glorify Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists while desecrating the Canadian flag. Calls to “globalize the intifada” and praise for the groups responsible for atrocities have become alarmingly common.” I receive distressed calls and mail from Australians and Brits as well as Canadians, but nobody seems to know what to do about it. Liberal and tolerant have given way to woke, which means one cannot criticise anyone’s right to protest unless you are a Jew. What a frightening world.

The fascinating truth is that MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Moslem countries are closer to Israel than ever before, while the West is Woke! The work of Impact-se, particularly since the Abraham Accords, has created a fascinating change in their approach and incredibly the Bahraini textbooks have not only taken anti-Semitism out but will now contain reference to Israel, including a world map with Israel as a recognised country! Of course they are not alone, Impact-se has changed the textbooks of most of the MENA countries, some more than others, excepting (surprise surprise) the PA and Gaza! Changes in East Jerusalem’s schools is of great importance, led by the wonderful Professor Mohammed Dajani Douadi.

What have we done this week? Well, it rained! We prayed for rain on Succot (Tabernacles) and boy were our prayers answered! Most of the rain fell along the shore but Jerusalem had enough to clear the air of summer dust and of course the wonderful news of snow on Mount Hermon, together with the ceasefire, heralds the possibility of a good skiing season!

Zvi has been busy with parliaments (mini and maxi), his usual choir and now another choir “to help out a friend who needed basses”, and all his work on various Boards of Governors. I am back to my usual activities. I went to the pool to say that I am coming to water aerobics next week and to explain to our instructress my new needs; I went to my craft group which I go to just because I love the ladies there. It should be known that my creation, which most of the people had great success with, was a tangled web of undecided colours!! Oh well, you can’t win them all. Finally, and most importantly, yesterday I went to my mind and movement class. Our leader, teacher and mentor, Gali, explained that she will not be holding the class next week because she has been asked to take classes for the hostage families, to help them through dance and movement, to help them find a tiny peaceful place for a few minutes, to learn how to find peace in torment. She is a wonderful young woman and we are all so proud of her. This quote explains our class

“Dancing is not rising to your feet painlessly like a whirl of dust blown about by the wind. Dancing is when you rise above both worlds, tearing your heart to pieces and giving up your soul.”

― Gabrielle Roth

Wow, we have arrived at music again! I decided not to refer to the trial of our Prime Minister or the decisions of his Cabinet. Why not? Because sadly our situation is echoed all over the Western world. For some reason we are very bad at choosing those who lead and represent us. It must be said, however, that President Biden has been a true friend to Israel and has acted throughout with great dignity, often going against his party. If you disagree, go ahead and argue, but that’s my opinion and I stick to it!

Back to music. It was a hard choice this week because like dancing, music should lift your spirits.

Perhaps Modeh Ani? That prayer upon waking? Omer Adam, one of the top Israeli singers, performs this beautiful interpretation of the prayer. Simply beautiful. https://youtu.be/npRw36_Ftmc?si=XoAgUtF9iiG_lkxK

The late Arik Einstein was not only or should I say not just a popular singer, representative of our generation, he wrote most of his songs himself. This song, called Song After the War, seems so appropriate now, as we pray for the return of the hostages and an end to this ghastly war. https://youtu.be/yzAuKps9OYY?si=xYTV7t_YIDdaiOYy

I love Boaz Sharabi’s voice, and his ability to write and produce amazing songs both for himself and for others. Halleva’i has no direct translation but probably If Only is the closest, Halleva’i is Boaz Sharabi’s most famous song, with lyrics written by Ehud Manor, and has become a prayer for peace and brotherly love. https://youtu.be/hwEatU285N8?si=1vi1zZ9DYGtcdEaZ

Brotherly love, such a beautiful expression. Brotherly love between faiths, brotherly love between nations, brotherly love in families, brotherly love between neighbours……Halleva’i. Hate is a choice just as love, but hate destroys and love builds. Let’s build, just as the homes of Northern Israel, Southern Israel and Gaza, yes I want them to have their homes rebuilt too, let’s build anew.

Shabbat Shalom. I wish you a peaceful Shabbat. With much love from Jerusalem my favourite place in the world

Sheila