Shabbat January 24-25

Last week ended with the Cabinet of Israel approving the final text of Phase 1 of the hostage for prisoner exchange. We went into Shabbat uncertain if the two parties would indeed keep to the agreement, as a lot can change in 48 hours. 

Shabbat started in Efrat with these thoughts on most people’s minds. Elan was asked to speak in Synagogue (the custom in Israel frequently includes a D’Var Torah, a lesson about the Torah portion of the week) on Friday night and not on Shabbat Morning as in North America. He spoke about the fact that when Moses came back to Egypt and demanded from Pharoah that the Jewish People be liberated from slavery and leave Egypt, Pharoah punished the Jews by making their burden of slavery worse. The Jews then verbally attacked Moses for worsening their predicament, and Moses even pleaded with G-d to remove him from this task. However, we all know how the story ends, with Israel’s liberation. The message, of course, is that ultimately, we can’t predict from one course of events how the final story will ultimately play out. In Egypt, the increased burden of slavery led to the 10 plagues, which was followed by the Exodus from Egypt (none of which was easy to for the CNN pundits to predict!) Similarly, for years we were told that Hezbollah is a terror superpower and that engaging them would lead to major destruction. This scenario did not (thank G-d) transpire at all. Thus, even though this hostage deal remains with a lot of questions, we can’t ultimately think that we can predict the unfolding of the whole picture at this early stage.  

Despite all these uncertainties, we transitioned to the usual enjoyment of Shabbat with Shoshana, Shlomo, Nadav, Aryeh and Eitan. Elan and Nomi had cooked up a storm and the table was not only laden with food but with song and discussions. The kids were all in great form and we played games and read stories till quite late. The day started off normally but then around 10:15, we heard a very loud siren. Now, air raid sirens have been a fact of life in Israel since October 7, 2023. Initially, most of the projectiles came in from Gaza, but that calmed down in the fall of 2023 with the start of the war. A large number of missiles were shot by Hezbollah, toward the North of Israel. Fortunately, these have stopped since the ceasefire in November. Now, the main protagonists are the Houthis from Yemen. So, on the first day after the signing of the Gaza cease fire, (which admittedly was to start on Sunday) the Houthis fired two missiles in the direction of Israel. Neither reached the mainland, but the sirens were triggered all over the centre of the country and as far as Jerusalem. We, like everyone else, retreated to a safe room for 10 minutes; we were at the home of a friend of Elan and Nomi’s where Aryeh and Eitan were playing. As with almost all the hundreds of drones and missiles sent to Israel, no damage was done and people returned to the streets within a short time. For Barbara and I, this was our first time in a safe room! In fact, Netanya is positioned in an area that has been spared from the sirens. Hopefully, there will be more calm now as the ceasefire continues. 

After a very cool Saturday night snack based on filling small bags of Doritos with various combos of meat and vegetables (kind of like Nachos in a bag!) we returned home to Netanya with the plan of taking a couple of days off in Tel Aviv. Sunday was to be an auspicious day in the Middle East with the hostage exchange to come at approximately 4 PM. We came to Tel Aviv by bus (driving and parking in Tel Aviv is a pain!) and met Ariel for lunch at a great place near his work. Then we went off to the hotel to check in and take a walk and then catch the news of the hostage release on TV. In Tel Aviv, the area just outside of the Tel Aviv Museum has been set up as an area of vigil for the hostages, known as Hostage Square. We watched hostage square fill up with families and supporters, and at the same time we saw the transfer of the 3 young women from Hamas to the Red Cross, then taken to the IDF and by helicopter to Sheba Hospital where they were to receive needed medical assessment and treatment. They seem to be in good shape and their families, and indeed the entire country, were ecstatic. 

On the flip side, 90 Palestinian prisoners were also released, which also led to much rejoicing. The fact that this was so disproportionate in terms of numbers and in terms of the background of those released; people kidnapped from their homes or the Nova Music Festival versus people committing terrorist acts or even murder has led many to feel that this agreement, like other prisoner exchanges, just puts a big target on the backs of other Israelis. Even a luminary like Alan Dershowitz has written about the deal being extortion, rather than a true ceasefire. However, the vast majority of Israelis are on side with bringing those kidnaped home and even the dissenters agree with saving those who were kidnapped; it’s really the price that separates the factions. 

After several hours of following the various news and commentaries, we went out to a pretty unique place (at least for us!). Qumran is a restaurant in Tel Aviv that had an impressive review. It sounded like a place with dinner and some entertainment at the seating after 9 PM, so we booked a table for 9:15. I admit we were not prepared for the energy and party atmosphere that we encountered. First, we were the youngest people in the place by over 30 years! Second, when they turned up the music and brought in the trapeze and dancers, everyone in the place got up and danced! Then when the flame throwers came out the staff got up on the bar to dance, joined by the young adults. I think this party atmosphere may be typical at Qumran, but I think it also had to do with the relief of the ceasefire and a celebration of the hostages return. In the midst of the dancing, the chef came out and spoke about the hostages. Israeli flags were passed out and used in the celebration. Plus, the music was not typical dance or disco music. What was remarkable was that it was Israeli music and even religious music. It was extremely inspiring to be among so many young Israelis who, despite 15 months of war, were out at night celebrating being Israeli and being Jewish. After the antisemitism that we have witnessed in North America and Europe, we can take a lesson from their optimistic outlook. 

On Monday, we of course were regaled with the inauguration of Donald J Trump as the 47th President. Since there has been enough politics discussed above, I will spare you of the Israeli take (most of it positive about Trump and his cabinet). The day was, of course, spent with our American friends, Debbie and Zev Kessler and Lori and Alvan Small. We met at a café near our hotel and then took a Bbachfront walk with Lori and Alvan. Not swimming weather by any stretch but considering the deep freeze in North America (snow in Texas and northern Florida???) the balmy 20C weather was pretty perfect!

Still in Tel Aviv, we spent Tuesday at the Artist Fair in Nahalat Binyamin and then wandered through the Carmel Market which was buzzing with tons of different foods, vegetable and vendors. After a lovely sunset walk, we bussed over to Herzliya where we met Ruth and Itamar Maliach for dinner. They lived in Montreal in 1999-2000 and we have been in touch ever since, following each other as our kids grew up. It was super nice to see them.

Then, the celebrations continued  on Wednesday with a birthday dinner at Lechem Basar in Petach Tikvah which combined Ariel’s January 12th birthday with Barbara’s January 23rd birthday! January is apparently a big month for the family!  Dinner was followed by babysitting Elisha, Ora and Adi so that their parents could quietly go out for a bit. One of the best parts of grandparenting! Not to be outdone, we drove to Efrat on Thursday and had another, informal birthday dinner with Nomi and the Efrat kids (Elan is away in Toronto). It was even Shoshana’s half birthday (July 23rd!) This gave us time to visit the kids and say goodbye as we are taking off Sunday. Our final Shabbat is in Petach Tikvah with Gila, Ariel, Elisha, Ora and Adi so we could be close to Netanya after Shabbat to close down the apartment. 

So we are reaching the end of this very enjoyable time in Israel, where we witnessed Hannukah, the holiday of lights, celebrated special birthdays and other special times, and for the first time in 15 months see some optimism for a more peaceful period in Israel. May we experience more joy and may the world experience less trauma going forward this year!

We wish you a Shabbat where everyone can dream of a better world to come

Pray for the safe release of the next group of hostages on Shabbat!

Barbara and Bruce

Happy Birthday Monty!

Happy Birthday Roanne!

Happy Birthday Jacob Mazer in Toronto!

Happy Birthday Ezra Bern! 

Mazel Tov to Uri Hofman on his engagement to Candace! Mazel to his parents, Elaine Brandt and Alan Hofman!

This weekend is the shloshim or 30-day memorial of our dear friend Mr. Josef Levkovitch, of blessed memory. There are events celebrating his life this coming Saturday and Monday nights. May Zigui and Rivi and their family always be comforted by his memories. 

We also learned of the passing of Asher Loterman. Asher was an Israeli who sat in the back of Beth Zion and greeted all who came in. He gave candies to the kids and snuff to the adults and was very gregarious and generous. We talked about Israel often and shared stories and deals on flight tickets. His friendliness and bright countenence will be missed. BD'E