As we packed up the house to get set to return to Montreal after 5 months away, I think we can reflect on what has transpired, and what was accomplished. Would things have been different if the times were not so turbulent? Most likely, but perhaps the fact that we went against the grain and came to Israel despite the war added extra meaning to this trip. There was no question that time spent with family would have been equally satisfying and fun under most circumstances. And we can learn a lot from hanging out with our grandchildren. The best part of being a child is the ability to live one’s life despite what is going on. That’s not to say that children ignore what is going on. They process in their own special ways. For example, there is no doubt that hearing air raid sirens and being in a safe room was very impactful. One of our grandchildren, just before a sleep over, asked all kinds of questions about where our safe room is and what happens in our house if there is siren. On the other hand, those concerns did not stop her from having a great time on the beach and buying a special birthday present. We learn a lot from children; on one hand, listening to them will help adults understand and support them in the best ways possible. Perhaps we can also learn to let go a little bit and enjoy a little more!
Shabbat In Jerusalem: We left off our saga two weeks ago in Jerusalem about to start Shabbat with our Denver Friends, including Debbie Kamioner and Zev Kessler, and Alvan and Lori Small. We stayed over at the Small’s and the men went to the Western Wall (the Kotel) for Friday night services. We joined a group led by the Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch; it was a fascinating mix of ultra-orthodox Jews, Hasidic Jews and more mainstream religious Jewish men (if there were women attending they would have been in a balcony above us). The group prayed with fervor that is rare to see today which was very impressive. We had a great time at dinner together at the Small’s home, talking till quite late at night. Shabbat morning, we had lunch at the Kessler’s after synagogue, where our conversations picked up where we left off. We all took a long walk together in the late afternoon, as the weather changed from quite warm to cool and windy, which is pretty typical of Jerusalem.
Saturday night we met up with good friends from Montreal, Annette Majnemer and Michael Shevell, who were in Israel with the Montreal Federation Solidarity Mission, visiting areas affected by the war, similar to what we did in February. Aside from catching up and hearing about the mission, we discussed the tense climate at McGill (we all are on faculty) and the no-win negotiations with the students who are encamped there. An amazing highlight was watching Eden Golan perform at Eurovision on the big screen at Café Rimon, where we were eating. Everyone was quiet or cheering, and groups formed in front of the window to watch and listen. As you may know, Eden put on a flawless performance with her amazing song, Hurricane, which, like its predecessor October Rain, was dedicated to the hostages in Gaza. Despite a thick layer of anti-Israel politics that tainted the Eurovision contest this year, Eden ultimately came in 5th of 26 nations, buoyed by a super impressive 2nd place finish in the on-line viewer voting!
Remembrance Day and Independence Day: Israel is nothing if not a land of emotional contrasts. Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day, was specifically created for remembering soldiers who fell in all the battles that Israel fought in, from 1948 when the state first declared independence, to the current war against Hamas. In addition, Victims of Terror from the beginning of the state to today, including October 7, 20203, are commemorated. There are many memorials across the country, large and small, with very sobering programs. We attended the community memorial in Netanya at their military memorial area called Yad LaBanim. There was a large screen with the names, pictures, and dates of passing of local Netanya residents who were killed in terror attacks or battles. Both dignitaries and members of the families spoke or said prayers. The chief Rabbi of Netanya spoke and gave an extremely powerful message of unity, saying that no matter your country of origin, your religious beliefs, or your political affiliation, Jews in Israel must be united or else we can easily be defeated. This was not just to be applied to the war, but to the on-going antisemitism as well. There was a singer who sang haunting ballads from Israeli composers; one of which ended with the concept “I have died, so you can live on”; a very poignant statement and perhaps a key concept to understand the resilience we see in this country.
Independence Day: Yom Ha-atzmaut: Speaking of resilience, since the beginning of the state of Israel the evening of Yom Ha-Zikaron ends with the introduction of Israel Independence Day or Yom Ha-atzmaut. In general, this is a major party time for Israel, with 4th of July like fireworks. This year, because of the ongoing war and the hostages in captivity, many places decided to downgrade the happiness quotient; smaller celebrations, no fireworks, etc. However, I think the Netanya city council decided that people really needed to release some energy; they set up a giant stage in the centre of the city and had live music, dancers and a very upbeat show. No fireworks, but it was amazing to see thousands of people out in the streets, from young children to the elderly, enjoying the night air, eating, drinking and enjoying the music.
The following day, Gila and Ariel hosted a BBQ at their home in Petach Tikvah. The guest list was extensive, since they invited Gila’s whole family of her parents, 9 brothers and sisters, spouses and children! Unfortunately, 2 of her siblings were unable to attend, but her parents, and 7 siblings, respective spouses (for 6 of them) and children, plus Nomi and her children all came. Elan was in Toronto as he coordinates the Toronto Community Yom Ha-Atzamut program. Gila and Ariel’s condo is literally next door to a large park and playground, so we set up tables there, meaning lots of room to eat and play for the 32 attendees. Ariel did a masterful job on the barbeque, and everyone else contributed sides, drinks, deserts etc. The best part was watching the cousins (on both sides) playing and getting along amazingly. Kudos to Shlomo for a wonderfully creative d’var torah, and for creatively engaged kids of all ages in games like “Catch Shlomo” and variations on Hide and Seek. For those too young to participate in the mad dash to find Shlomo, the playground was put to great use.
Denver Reunion Part 2: One aspect of our life that is very blog-worthy but has never been the subject of any of these posts (since it does not take place in Israel) is our nearly annual get-together with three other couples with whom we became close friends in the late 80’s, from early in our Denver days. One of the original group, Cheryl Kessler A”H, passed away 16 years ago; Zev Kessler remarried to a great “Eshet Chayil” (Woman of Valor from Proverbs), Debbie Kamioner; they live in Riverdale NY. Eddie and Michelle Schwartz (Baltimore), and Lori and Alvan Small (Chicago) round out the group. We have spent weekends together in some random places that are driving distance for all like Niagara Falls, Ste Catherines, ON, the farmlands of Pennsylvania and even Jamestown NY (home of the Lucille Ball Museum). Last year, someone suggested Jerusalem. Why not? So due to the moon being in the 7th house and Jupiter aligning with Mars, we were all in Jerusalem this past week! Wednesday, we met at the Machanei Yehuda Market (Shuk) for a Culinary Tour. If you have not done this, put it on your bucket list. Our great guide Orit regaled us with stories of the history and development of the market (the oldest and largest in Israel, dating back to the 1800s) and brought us to representative shops to sample their wares. This included things that represent Israeli cuisine’s diversity at its finest. We had Iraqi stuffed grape leaves and Sambousak b’tawa, Medicinal Fruit Juice blends based on Yemenite health practices, Burekas with a twist, Tahini, Falafel, and Affogato, Espresso with a dollop of ice cream served with a rich Knafeh pastry for dessert. This was in a setting of stalls with vegetables, bakeries, shops with all kinds of house wares, and ended at a spice store to sample Middle Eastern Spices. Not to be missed! We concluded the day by meeting our niece Jenna and wandering around other parts of the Market (including wrestling a whole bunch of seniors at a 50% off bread sale at the end of the day at Tellers’ artisan bakery) and then dinner at the Jacco St. restaurant. A few too many calories, but a very fun day!
Final Shabbat in Rishon LeTzion: Thursday morning we met the Denver crowd for breakfast (which included some of the above-mentioned artisan breads) and then took off for Netanya. We spent our last Shabbat with all the Israeli Mazers in a rented home with a pool near the beach in Rishon LeTzion, which is slightly south of Tel-Aviv. We had done quite a bit of preparation in advance, so we picked up the food we cooked for Shabbat, fresh vegetables from the Netanya Market and some extras from a take-out place, and went to Rishon to set up the house. Bruce then picked up Gila, Ora and Adi, while Barbara attended a rehearsal of the play that the drama troupe that Elisha is part of will be putting on next month. Nomi and the kids arrived later in the evening and then she picked up Elan, who flew in from Toronto; Jenna joined on Friday after noon and voila! Friday was spent around the pool which was a real treat for all. In fact, the kids were so tired, several went to bed before Shabbat Dinner! The nearby synagogue is a story in itself; it’s large with two levels housing both a Sepharadi synagogue and a Chabad Synagogue, which were both packed on Saturday. Of course there were great meals, lots of board games, a walk to the beach and a park, and lots of time for the cousins and the very proud (but slightly exhausted) grandparents to enjoy being with the family.
Going home: It’s hard to believe that the months have flown by so quickly and that we have now returned back to Montreal. It’s been a super busy time, as can be attested by the posts from the past 5 months. Our last Sabbatical was 2008, when we were in Jerusalem with Elan and Nomi and Baby Shoshana, and Ariel had just graduated high school and was in Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Daniella and Monty were married 3 months before we left and visited that December. It’s amazing to see not only how the family has grown since then, but how every family has weathered challenges and has created amazing cohesive units. Barbara and I really appreciate and celebrate our kids, their families and their accomplishments.
We were in Israel at an obviously difficult time. The current conflict, perhaps more than any of Israel’s previous battles, has had a global impact and has stirred up antisemitism the likes of which we have not seen in 2 generations. One can debate what the best approach is for dealing with the aftermath of the brutal attacks on Southern Israel from Hamas on October 7th, and the shelling from Hezbollah in the North. What is happening is nothing short of a true threat to the country by enemies who have made it very clear what their goals are. The consequences to those living in Gaza and in Southern Lebanon may be devastating, but international calls for a ceasefire seem to forget that there was one in place on Oct 6th. 
One of the key issues that Israel will be dealing with as it investigates what broke down to lead to the massacres was the general feeling by the defense leadership that Hamas was starting to take its leadership responsibilities in Gaza seriously and was not interested in conflicts at this time. This was said to friends by a senior defense staffer on October 5th, at a dedication of a safe room in a southern kibbutz in honor of their granddaughter’s bat mitzvah. Clearly that was very poor intel, and we should learn from this tragic lack of insight. Now, 7 months into the conflict, the protests on campuses and in the streets are being more and more emboldened, and organizations like the ICC have the audacity to equate Netanyahu and Gallant with Hamas leaders Deif, Haniyeh and Sinar. This may be a tremendous lack of understanding of the difference between a terrorist group who attacked and a country who needs to defend, or just pure antisemitism. I am not an expert in humanitarian law, but the fact that during a state of war Israel alone is blamed for the fate of the Gazan population that is used as pawns and shields by Hamas is blatantly biased.
But to be honest, we have been heartened in our time in Israel by tremendous resiliency. Most protests going on in Israel today are all about bringing home the hostages. Sure, plenty of blame and criticism is being showered on the government, and as Israeli citizens, they have a right to do so, much more than we who do not vote. But, even in the depths of the despair for the hostages, Israeli’s do positive things. They lobby all over the world. They write songs like October Rain and create sculptures and art pieces about the plight of those captured, as can been seen in Hostage Square and many other places. And they volunteer in so many ways; agriculture, BBQs and Shabbat dinners for soldiers, and many more. The resilience of all the young men and women who are defending the country is also extremely impressive. We have heard over and over from young members of the IDF about their motivation to defend their people and ensure that this war can ultimately lead to long term peace. The resilience is manifest in people living their day to day lives, ensuring that the economy does not tank, and making Israel a very livable place indeed, where people of all religions are free to live without fear of persecution. Let’s hope that this message can carry forth and that we can see very soon the peace and productivity that people in the Middle East deserve.
Shabbat Shalom, and till the next time
Barbara and Bruce
We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shlema) to Shmuel Zev ben Rachel Ita
We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shelma) to Moshe Aharon ben Leah
Happy Birthday to Eitan!!
Happy Birthday to Ezra!!
Happy Anniversary to Nomi and Elan!!
Happy Birthday Gramma!!
Happy Anniversary Daniella and Monty!!
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