170901
September
the first, 2017
Shabbat
Shalom everyone! Since today is the first day of the school year here in Israel
I decided this would be a letter about Israel – we find it too easy to forget
the wonderful country that gave us all a sense of pride that thousands of year
of abasement determinedly bent us down like Uriah Heep. Our heads are high and
we even have the courage to criticise ourselves. However, criticism is fine if
it is positive – this country is the epitome of Jewish moral standards – we can't
let them drop and we have to encourage. Sadly we live in a world where our
national flags and monuments have been taken over by the far right, but that
doesn't make them any less beautiful as legitimate symbols of our culture.
Disasters
everywhere, North Korea Launches ballistic missile over Japan; Houston and
areas of Texas are under water with people fighting to survive; the Monsoons
this year led to horrendous flooding in Nepal, India and Pakistan which have
led, thus far, to 1,500 people losing their lives and what is the headline in
the US press? Melania Trump wore high heeled shoes!!!!
Thanks
to idiotic priorities of the media, this week I want less media news and more
real news, the things that ordinary people like you and me do to change the
world. Take this young Israeli who couldn't bear the suffering in neighbouring
Syria – see what he did https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTJc9rAwAac
IsraAid
and iAid
are both in Houston, Nepal, India and Pakistan – and incredibly IsraAid is
still working in Haiti. We don't give up! I am sure you remember the IDF field
hospital set up hours after the Haiti disaster – that included ZAKA and Magen
David Adom
The
IDF field hospital
on the border with Syria is still performing triage and first aid before the
injured are sent to Israeli hospitals for treatment. A drop in an ocean of
misery but we do our best.
The
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs performs acts of aid and generosity that
are unparalleled, over 140 countries have received Israel aid, not money but
the power to help themselves. Please, don't forget this is a tiny country has
just 8 million citizens… look at the website and look at MASHAV
Save
a Child's Heart
is performing lifesaving surgery on children from countries where they would
surely die if not for the Israeli surgeons, often countries don't even
recognise our existence…..particularly from the Palestinian Authority.
Eye
from Zion
and of course MASHAV send opthamologists to third world countries where
ignorance, dirty water and infections cause blindness to give back sight using
mobile operating theatres.
For
Israel's 65th birthday in 2014, Israel21C introduced us to 65 ways
that Israel performs "Tikkun Olam" https://www.israel21c.org/the-top-65-ways-israel-is-saving-our-planet/
Tikkun
Olam
is our raison d'etre, in a world that is becoming more and more insular as
telecommunications take away our ability to communicate Israel is reaching out.
Why
all the self aggrandisement? We aren't supposed to prideful but there is so much to
boast about! 120 years is a flash in time for most countries but just 120 years
ago a man had a dream; not just a small dream but a gigantic dream. Teodore
Herzl was an assimilated Jew from a well to do family in Austria – aware of his
ancestors but not a practicising Jew. He was a writer and intellectual but
worked as a journalist. He was sent to France to cover a fascinating story of a
Jew who had a successful military career and through the jealousies of his
Christian co-officers was shamed and stripped of his rank and position after a
military kangaroo court passed judgement. Herzl recognised the reason for
Dreyfus shaming, Dreyfus was a Jew. Herzl had a dream but he did not write Hebrew so when he wrote a
book called Altneuland – New Old Land – he wrote the immortal words 'Im tirtzu ein zo
agada; ve'im lo tirtzu, agada hi ve'agada tisha'er' in Latin letters, אם תרצו, אין זו אגדה; ואם לא תרצו, אגדה היא
ואגדה תישאר, meaning, 'If
you will it, it is no dream; and if you do not will it, a dream it is and a
dream it will stay.
Herzl not only wrote a book about an old-new land he gathered the most
influential Jews of the world together in a Swiss city called Basel in the
first World Zionist Congress on September 1897. Teodore became Theodore and
then Benjamin Zeev Herzl, his dream took many years of travel, disappointment which
cost him his health but the First World Zionist Congress was held in Basel,
Switzerland 120 years ago.
120
years since the idea of Jews returning to their homeland became more than a
prayer; 120 years since those first Zionists gathered to create a basis for the
Jewish State, 120 years since that fateful Congress and now 69 years after the
dream came true just think about our achievements! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Zionist_Congress
To
fully understand the circumstances which led to the Congress and the travail and
travels of Herzl himself one should visit the phenomenal Herzl Museum in
Jerusalem. The Museum, a spectacular audio-visual experience was put
together by our dear friend Dr Motti Friedman. http://herzl.org/
UN Secretary
General Antonio Gutteres was in Israel and our President chose to tell him like
it really is…….. and he responded favourably but nothing like Nikki Haley who
is just an amazing honest and brave lady, standing up for Israel as never
before.
The
other day Zvi and I set off to the Municipality Square for a very special event
to honour the memory of Israel's 5th President, the much loved Yitzchak
Navon. President Navon was (like President Rivlin) born in Jerusalem and
even as a child he loved to learn about the various neighborhoods and their
peoples, Polish and Bukharian; Iraqi and Hungarian; Arab, Jew and Christian,
his curious nature led him to learn all the languages, fluent in 10 – Ladino, Yiddish, Arabic, English and many
others so that he could converse with the entire rainbow. Navon was also a poet
and playwright – writing the famous Bustan Sefaradi about his own neighbourhood
and community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeuYyaJpAWI
The most famous Ladino song "Adio Querida" (Farewell my love)
is thought to be a love song that expresses disenchanted love for Spain, the
country that persecuted, killed and then expelled its Jews from the land they
loved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAFpoIQLV84
Our
friend Advocate Gideon Fisher has been honoured as a Fellow by the
International Institute of Chartered Arbitrators – a rare achievement. Mazal
Tov Gideon – remember you couldn't do it without Dafna!!!!
This
week was our usual race – beginning on a special note with a coffee and chat
with my adored friend Andrew Stone (Lord Stone of Blackheath who to me is
still my childhood friend and Habonim madrich) where we talked about the past
and our future – a future both of us are fighting to make a kinder, more
tolerant and gentler one.
Impact-se http://www.impact-se.org/ is an amazing
organisation which translates and researches the school curriculum in Israel
and our neighbouring countries, and Madrasses in Europe and the USA, to enact
changes to ensure tolerance of the other – according to criteria of UNESCO
which we set up. We had a Board meeting two nights ago at the Hebrew University
and I am so proud of our Director Marcus Sheff who has created wonders
in reaching governments and Ambassadors with our results. Bravo Marcus. Read
the material – you will be surprised.
Tonight
we celebrate Amiad's 41st birthday here at home for our Shabbat Dinner –
with about 24 guests! Don't worry, I got up really early so that I could write
to you before continuing the three day marathon cook-in! We have… Pea soup that
the children adore, barbequed spring-chicken fillets, beef stew, Meat balls in
sauce, grilled salmon fillet, Vienna sausages, Salads of the following
varieties- Cauliflower, Sweet potato, mushroom, beetroot, courgette and toasted
aubergine (chatzilim) with tehina and of course huge green salads. I will also
do rice to go with all of the above and oven chips (French fries) for the
children! At the same time I have prepared a veggie lasagna for tomorrow night's
big pre-Rosh Hashana party for Zvi's choir to be held at our friends, Eva and
Eli Yaron, home in Tsur Hadassah. I can't even begin to tell you what this week-ends
programme entails visiting Nitza and Ronit Dotan Hofesh is organizing a huge
party for her husband Gedi's 80th!!!
The
beautiful and mournful Adio Querida expresses the pain of expulsion from so
many countries so many eras of oppression, so now it is time to try a happier
note – How would we present Herzl and his dream today? Would it have the same
elegance or be as effective? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH0PTUL5GVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7aTOvZgv7I Cantors Hefgott, Adler and Schachat
sing………. O sole Mio!!!!!
As the
old year closes and the new year is before us with all the hope and opportunities
it presents I chose Lu Yehi – Let it be - as my closing song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfMoeK6UVB0
With
love from Jerusalem the beautiful, fascinating spiritual heart of our people. I
have the privilege of seeing its ever changing face every single day from our
veranda. Israeli children returned to school today and we wish them all a year
of study, learning, friendships and fun.
Shabbat
Shalom to you all wherever you may be. Stay safe and stay strong.
Sheila
No comments:
Post a Comment