It appears that at least one move made by the IDF last week has created some deterrence. Israel sent planes to Iran, Iraq and Syria using radar and avoiding Stealth bombers, took out 3 strategic radar stations and then left before they were detected. Although if you read Iranian news (in Persian?) they said nothing happened except 2 flimsy drones. Satellite images show holes in the ground and targeted destruction. Enough to say we can get past your defenses, you didn’t see us, we hit something significant, but not enough to cause a major commotion. The reports from Iran appear to show they will not do anything direct for now.
Meanwhile, there appears to be an evacuation of people from Rafah and a delegation led by Egypt is trying to negotiate either a ceasefire or minimize what it going to happen. I won’t predict, but it looks like an invasion of Rafah is imminent. The north has been very unsettled with daily rockets, but still has been skirmishes without major escalation. If there is a Rafah invasion, will there be an escalation? It’s hard to tell because again, there is word from Lebanon that they don’t want to get more involved, which clearly is a wise move. Of course, the majority of Lebanese are not Hezbollah, and whether they can be controlled is always a question. Let’s all hope for calmer heads to prevail and for the hostages to be released as soon as possible.
We also watch with horror, like many of you, of the enormous antisemitic protests going on at American college campuses. Many of you know I graduated from Columbia University eons ago. It’s horribly disappointing to see a bastion of liberal arts learning turn into a showcase for the stifling of debate and the glorifying of radical Islam. This is now happening across the US, and occurred in Ottawa recently. It’s all extremely disheartening. Someone commented to me by email that he doesn’t know where it’s less safe, Israel or universities. Honestly, at least here we know the police will protect us.
Now, the most important part…family and Seder! We arrived in Efrat about an hour before the holiday was supposed to start, a little later than we planned but such is the traffic as a country all travels to people’s homes for the Seder! We had a whole Mazer contingent; Nomi and Elan were hosting with Shoshana, Shlomo, Nadav, Aryeh and Eitan, and we brought the Petach Tikvah gang, Gila and Ariel with Elisha, Ora and Adi. Jenna was missing, having flown home to Edmonton via Montreal to bring my Mother to spend Passover with Roanne and David and Aviva, and meet Danielle and Brandon’s twins.
The content of the Seder is interesting. Passover, like all Biblical Jewish holidays, is both based on an agrarian milestone (Spring) and had specific sacrifices for Temple times. When the Temple was destroyed, the Rabbis developed a method of commemorating Passover and ensuring that the history and importance of the Exodus from Egypt, Divine Intervention and a sense of family and community was preserved. The Seder is highly participatory and encourages questions from all participants, especially the children, about the rituals and customs. Elan’s family have mastered the art of getting people to ask questions, no matter how sophisticated you are. For example, there is a part of the seder where we take a vegetable (to represent the Spring) and dip it in salt water, to represent tears of slavery (or perhaps crossing the salty Red Sea). Most people have the custom to use a vegetable like celery, or even potatoes (as long as it grows in the ground.) So how about strawberries? Pineapple? Bananas? Not exactly traditional, but definitely gets people asking questions! They are all fair game. Add some salted caramel and voila, you get everyone into a discussion! The Seder was full of these types of fun additions; Lego illustrations, an improv play by the kids, a game of Passover Jeopardy, and discussion about important topics like how you can celebrate the holiday of Freedom when some of your brothers are being held hostage. We went on till well past 1 AM and only the youngest went to sleep before the end!
I would like to share a thought that I heard from the Rabbi of our synagogue, Young Israel of North Netanya, Rabbi Baruch Boudilovsky. He introduced a question: if one had a choice to attend the seder at your parents’ home, or at the home of your teacher (professor, Rabbi, mentor…) which should you choose? Many might say they would choose the Rabbi for the spiritual impact and elevated interpretations. However, our traditions says that one should attend the Seder at your parents’ home. Why would that be? There are two important aspects to learning Torah (and this is likely applicable to other areas of study). There is basic information, the laws and their tenants, and how to apply them to a myriad of teachings that make up the Jewish system of halacha, how to govern yourself in the ways of the Torah. The second aspect, as important, is the have the correct attitude. To be able to study Torah, you need to see it as a way of life, as a natural outflow of who you are and what you do. As I said above, this is applicable to all cultures and traditions. The primary building block to develop a positive attitude toward your culture, your religion, your approach to people, or your way of relating to others is formed in your family. It is the nurture of family that guides your nature. Teachers teach the laws and customs; family teaches the love and appreciation of the culture or religion. This is something that can be hard to teach but much easier to embody with the right personal examples. It’s really wonderful for Barbara and I to see Monty and Daniella (who are in the Bahamas with the Wager clan), Elan and Nomi, and Ariel and Gila interact with their children and really set a beautiful example to follow with regards to the importance of the Seder and all other aspects of their lives.
Post-Seder, what do you do with a whole bunch of kids? Well, considering that in Israel the whole country is on holiday at the same time, you either need to plan way ahead of time to be able to take them any of the most popular places (children’s museum, zoos, etc) which we did not…or choose an interesting but not as well-known place. You also must account for the weather, which was in the mid 30-degree range! On Wednesday, we went to an ancient aqueduct quite close to Nomi and Elan’s home, with inflatables, a natural pool, and an underground hike through the narrow caves, low ceiling, mud up to your thighs and freezing water. Sounds like fun? Well, it was! Perfect setting for a super-hot day. We then celebrated two birthdays, Ora’s, and Elan’s! Of course, only Ora got the bumps!
After dinner, Barbara and I went back to Netanya, and Elan and Nomi and family joined us for a beach day! For those non-beach afficionados, we also found a new escape room that Shlomo conquered and saved the Stark Family from the invaders!
Now we are heading into Shabbat after a whirlwind week, with the Efrat gang just arrived. We will follow this with the last day of Passover in Petach Tikvah with Ariel and Gila and Co. Then we will be in the month of May, with only 3 weeks to go in our Sabbatical in Israel. It’s crazy how time flies. We will be reporting back soon!
Barbara and Bruce
We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shlema) to Shmuel Zev ben Rachel Ita
We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shelma) to Chaim Tzvi ben Shaindel
We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shelma) to Moshe Aharon ben Leah
Happy Birthday to Elan!
Happy Birthday to Ora!
Happy Birthday Jessica!
Happy Birthday to Chuck Wagner!
Happy birthday to Bobby Shaul!
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