Here I am,
reporting from Israel again. Sounds like a foreign correspondent? Well maybe.
It’s always great to be here, even for a short time. And when I say short, I
mean VERY short, as in 3 nights. That’s a quick trip by any standards. I
arrived in Israel Wednesday at noon, went directly to Haifa, where I am an
invited speaker at the joint meeting of the Israeli Allergy and Clinical
Immunology Society and Immunodeficiency Canada. This is the first time there
has been a joint meeting between these Canadian and Israeli groups and this is
hopefully not the last. We have a lot of common interests and many Israelis
have trained in Canadian Hospitals, so the synergy exists between our medical
communities.
Welcome to
Israel-Part 1: As part of being invited, I was to be picked up by a driver. You
know, one of those guy’s with the signs? For once, you can actually look for
you name (although I am sure we have all travelled and half hoped there is
someone holding a sign with our name to surprise us…doesn’t happen though). I
am picked up by a 70ish Israel gentleman, who takes me to his van and wants to
lift my suitcase. It is stuffed with things for Elisha, Ariel and Gila, so I
know it’s heavy and pass. We take off and he is very chatty. Along highway 2,
he asks if I want to stop for coffee. I say, no, it’s OK, let’s go to the
hotel. He asks again 10 minutes later. Then he gets off in Hadera, and
announces with a smile that he called ahead, and we are stopping for coffee. I
look for a special café or restaurant. Nope, we drive into a residential area a
few minutes from Hillel Jaffe Hospital. Then we pull up to a house. Who lives
there, you ask? See, my driver grew up in Hadera, and though he now lives near
Rishon, he has a friend from first grade that he always visits when he is in
the neighborhood. The friend is very nice,
serves coffee, we chat for 10 minutes, my driver asks his friend directions to
the Dan Carmel (even though he has a GPS) then we get back on the road.
Supposedly there are 15 classmates from first grade who are in close touch with
each other. No wonder in retirement Zvi, the driver, decided on this vocation.
Only in Israel! (everywhere else you would be mugged, robbed and left on the
side of the road).
Welcome to
Israel-Part 2: Haifa is extremely pretty. It is one of those jewels that people
really don’t appreciate. I am staying at the Dan Carmel, where Barbara and I
have stayed for conferences before. Haifa is a city built on the Mt. Carmel
mountain and ending on the shore of the Mediterranean. The hotel is right on
the top. The beautiful Bhai gardens are just below. From the hotel window you
can see the bay, the water and the mountains in the distance (see picture!) The
view is spectacular. That coupled with the sunshine and temperature in the 20’s
and it’s a great escape from -14 in Montreal. Too bad I leave Saturday night.
Welcome to
Israel- Part 3:the conference organized a concert Thursday night, which was
actually quite cool. It featured the Shem-Tov Levi Ensemble. Shem-Tov Levi is a
composer and jazz flautist who wrote many songs that were popularized in Israel
by the King of Israeli Pop music, Arik Einstein, who passed away one year ago.
For my Israeli colleagues, it was not only an evening of great music but of
nostalgia.
The
conference went very well and my talk was well received. It’s fun to network
with people in the field and we discussed common projects and healthcare
problems. Gila, Ariel and Elisha have
come for Shabbat, so that will be special.
This past
week was the Yahrtzeit (memorial anniversary) for our dear mother, grandmother
and great –grandmother Mollie Samuel, Malca bat Moshe. This weekend is the
Yahrtzeit of our grandfather and great-grandfather Moe Aspell (Elimelech ben
Menachem Mendel). In honor of these very special people, I am including a short
D’var Torah.
This week’s
Torah portion is Va’Yishlach. The Torah portion chronicles Ya’acov (Jacob) and his family’s entry back into Israel.
There are many important events that are described in this portion; Jacob’s
tense reunion with his brother, Esav; kidnapping and rape of his daughter
Dinah, the establishment of a home in the land of Israel, among others.
Throughout, there is a very strong sense of the importance of family. Prior to
meeting Esav, whose threat to kill Jacob caused him to leave his home over two
decades before, Jacob prays that G-d will save him from his brother’s wrath.
Not only does he pray, but he splits his family of 12 son’s and 4 wives into 2
camps so one can escape if the other is attacked. What is remarkable is that in
his prayer, he does not only pray for personal salvation, knowing that Esav’s vendetta
may be personal, but he implores “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau;
else, I fear, he may come and strike me down, mothers and children alike.” The Hebrew text mirrors the slightly awkward
syntax of this verse; there is no pause or conjunction between V’Hikani (strike
me down) and Eim al Banim (mothers with children). Thus, the meaning is clear.
The responsibility of a father ceases to be himself once he has a family; the
responsibility is now for everyone, indeed you are one with your wife and
children; it is not “he will strike me and the mothers and children” but all are one inseparable unit.
The parasha
highlights the birth of Binyamin and the death of Rachel in childbirth. Rachel
is buried near Bethlehem, and the site is marked till today on the road to
Jerusalem. Why was she not buried in the family gravesite in Hebron, Ma’arat
Hamachpela? We are taught by the Prophet
Jeremiah that Rachel laments over her children’s exile. The sages teach that
when Israel was destroyed by the Babylonians and the Jews were exiled, Rachel
interceded and begged for mercy for her children, and her prayers were
answered. This teaches us again the
tight bond of a family. A mother’s love has
no bounds; it is the most natural behavior for a mother to do everything in her
power on behalf of her family.
The place where
Rachel is buried is marked and visited until today. People use it as a place of
inspiration in times of trouble. Interestingly, it is the only time in the
Torah when it explicitly says that a monument was placed to mark a burial. This
custom today is universal; to have a memorial is to be remembered for generations. As we mark the anniversary of the passing of
our loved ones, we remember the powerful example that Molly Samuel set as a
mother who would go to great lengths for her children and extended family. May her memory always be a blessing for us
and may we hold true to her values of family and generosity.
Shabbat Shalom
Barbara and Bruce
Happy 3rd
Birthday to Talia Bella Mazer!
We wish Nomi,
Shoshana, Shlomo and Nadav a Nesiah Tova as the travel to Israel, and to Elan
who will join them shortly!
Refuah Shlema to
Zisel Bat Bella, Yirmiyahu Shimon ben Dvorah, and Ha-Rav Haim Yechiel ben
Malca.
Sincerest condolences to Nomi's father, Robert Goldberger, on the recent passing of his father Aryeh Goldberer. May his memory always be a blessing
And to my wonderful wife Barbara, I definitely wish you were not stuck in the cold so we could enjoy this wonderful shabbat together!
