Grandma's army

    President Donald Trump’s miraculous intervention in Israel’s lone fight to rid the world of the threat of Iran’s nuclear capabilities   reminded me of a previous blog.   President Trump’s declaration of the recognition of Jerusalem , in 2017, as the Jew’s eternal capital was an unprecedented move and, unfortunately, not followed up by our other so-called Western allies. Jerusalem has always been considered the eternal capital of the Jewish people. It is mentioned more than 600 times in the Hebrew Bible and has more synagogues per capita than any city in the world. Religious Jews all over the world have always prayed three times a day, facing Jerusalem. In Israel today, everyone has complete freedom of worship. It is the only city in which some 15 different Christian communities live alongside one another. Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives is home to 150,000 Jewish graves dating back to the 1400’s. During the Jordanian occupation of Jerusalem, Jews were not al...

For far more years than London has been the capital of England, Paris of France, Berlin of Germany, etc., Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of only one nation in the history of the world – Israel. Today, JERUSALEM DAY is being celebrated, in  commemoration of 52 years after the miraculous victory of the Six-Day War when Jerusalem was reunited.   Ever since King David declared it the capital of Israel around 1,000 BCE, Jerusalem has remained the focus of the Jewish people. His son, Solomon, built the First Temple there. . Today, 3,000 years later, Jerusalem continues to have unbreakable religious and political significance for Jews. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks refers to Jerusalem as the “beating heart” of Judaism. During these thousands of years, Jerusalem was never divided. Its only period of division was 1949-1967 when the UN Partition Plan of 1947 to make Jerusalem an international city was accepted by the Jews, and rejected by the Arabs. War commenced, foll...

The induction of my grandson Amitai into the Armoured Corps, which took place at Latrun, was particularly moving - since only one week before we were privileged to witness the same ceremony, at the Western Wall , of his triplet brother, Ohad. The third of the triplets, Aviad, is   due to join the IDF later this year. The ceremony began at 3 p.m. when approximately 650 soldiers marched to a rousing tune; the flag was raised, torches were lit in memory of the fallen soldiers of the Corps.,   veteran officers gave inspiring speeches, together the soldiers swore loyalty to the IDF and their country, Bibles and guns were distributed by the commander of the Corps. The ceremony ended with the playing of the national anthem, accompanied by the   large crowd of visiting families and friends. After the national anthem and counting backwards all the soldiers threw their black berets in the air. The Battles of Latrun  were a series of military engagements between ...

Today is “Jerusalem Day” and I am taking advantage   of my blog to quote excerpts from a moving article I once received concerning Jerusalem. It was written by Eliezer Whartman after the Six Day War, in memory of his son Moshe z”l who fell in a clash with terrorists in Lebanon in 1975. “I am not a creature from another planet, as you seem to believe. I am a Jerusalemite – like yourselves, a man of flesh and blood. I am a citizen of my city, an integral part of my people. There was a Jerusalem before there was a New York. When Berlin, Moscow, London and Paris were forest and swamp, there was a thriving Jewish community here. It gave something to the world which you nations have rejected ever since you established yourselves – a humane moral code. Here the prophets walked, their words flashing like forked lightening. Here a people who wanted nothing more than to be left alone, fought off waves of heathen would-be conquerors, bled and died on the battlements, hurled th...

JER USA LEM RECOGNISED The exact three middle letters of Jerusalem are USA Jerusalem has been the capital of only one nation in the history of the world – Israel. Until 1948,when the Jordanians conquered the eastern half of the city, Jerusalem was a unified city, its occupation by Jordan not recognized by the world at large.  Its only period of division was 1949-1967.  1,000 years before Christ, King David conquered Jerusalem and made it the national capital of the Jewish people. This was the first Jewish state. After periods of exile and return, Jerusalem became the capital of the people a second time a few centuries before Christ.  This was the Hasmonean Kingdom, the second Jewish state. The Romans then conquered the Hasmoneans. From the end of the Roman Empire until the 20 th century, Jerusalem changed hands many times. There is, of course, no mention of Jerusalem in the 33 paras. of the Koran, which talks about other holy places. Christians and M...

There are miracles and there are coincidences – it’s a matter of one’s beliefs. I believe that a miracle proves G-d’s presence in the world, whereas coincidences are the opposite. They are G-d's way of remaining anonymous. President Trump’s declaration yesterday of the recognition of Jerusalem as the Jew’s eternal capital was almost a miracle. The Balfour Declaration, the UN resolution of 1947, the War of Independence, the Six-day War, etc. were all miracles in my eyes. Speaking of Jerusalem – it has always been considered the eternal capital of the Jewish people. Jerusalem is mentioned more than 600 times in the Hebrew Bible and has more synagogues per capita than any city in the world. Religious Jews all over the world have always prayed three times a day, facing Jerusalem. In Israel today, everyone has complete freedom of worship. It is the only city in which some 15 different Christian communities live alongside one another. Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives is home to 1...