Grandma's army

THE ECOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE – ISRAEL The renewal of physical ties between the Land of the Bible and the people of Israel have led, in recent generations, to a rediscovery of and concern for the environment, and the ecological balance of the Land. The Land of Israel, ancient and biblical, has a beautiful and varied landscape with many distinct ecosystems: from the snow-capped Hermon and volcanic plateau of the Golan Heights to the pristine coral reefs and majestic mountains in Eilat; from the lush Galilee in the North to the Negev Desert in the South; from the Hula Valley wetlands of the River Jordan to the Savannas of the Arava Desert; and from the sandy Mediterranean Coast to the limestone mountains of Jerusalem. All are vital to a delicate natural balance. Israel is blessed with a wide array of biodiversity. It is home to some 2,800 species of plants, more than 500 species of birds and 100 species of mammals. Located along the African-Eurasian flyway, Israel hosts over 500 ...

THE ECOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE Both wars and terrorism are factors in the most life-threatening problem facing the world today - the environment. The record of human intervention in the natural order of things is marked by devastation on a massive scale.  Almost everywhere human beings have set foot they have crushed the natives of the land and wiped out  many species of living creatures. Today, flooding the land and seas with plastic and other pollutants is one of the most destructive factors in maintaining ecological balance. Not to speak of destroying forests for the sake of cultivating live-stock. It is a biological fact that the various elements of nature have to be anchored in a permanent ecological balance. Human beings are the only organisms  who are able to understand and confront this. Implicit in this view is the understanding that, as long as the culture man develops is consistent with nature, the biological world will remain in harmony. In Biblica...

Every year, the residents in the   senior residence complex where I live, donate money for a different grassroots non-profit organization. This year, the iniators of this yearly project have decided to support an organization called OneFamily.   The list of deaths from Arab terrorist attacks in Israel is never ending. Since 1920 (many years before the “occupation”) up to the year 2018, 3,831 fatalities have been recorded in Israel! The list does not include the thousands who were injured, many very severely.    Numbers cannot do justice to each individual family of victims of terrorism – all of whom have to cope with their unbearable loss, pain and helplessness. My daughter, Simcha Rivlin, wrote: “Exactly 15 years ago, 12/1/05, my husband Gideon Rivlin was killed from a   roadside bomb which was planted there by terrorists in Gush Katif. I  was left with five children: Nir, Yaara, Omer, Assaf and Gilead in Ganei Tal , one of the small ag...

The armed forces are not the only forces in Israel. No less powerful are the forces of grass roots activities which have spread out across Israel in their thousands. This was brought home to me by my eleven-year old great-granddaughter who, together with her younger brother, prepares sandwiches once a week for the needy. The project all began approximately four months ago, when   a married couple Ravid and   Aya Strul from Hadera initiated a completely new concept. They loaded into their car a small children’s table, a chair, homemade wrapped sandwiches, and a placard with the words “a sandwich for   anyone in need – free”. The plan was to   look for a likely place in which to unload. They described the first time as thinking “you have an idea how it will start but have no idea how it will end”. Not only has it not ended but it grows from day to day. The Hadera volunteers now run a bigger stall two days a week always on the same days and tim...

All four grandchildren still serving in the IDF are advancing in their particular fields. We are very proud of my granddaughter who just finished an officer’s course. Also of my grandson, serving in the armoured corps, who has just finished a preliminary officer’s course. The two army celebrations took place last month on the same day. Amitai, who is one of triplets, gave me a brief account of his activities in the armoured corps. He began his army training a year ago. He admits that it was hard for him to adjust to army discipline and in the many pressures involved in army life   - especially since he had previously been studying in a Yeshiva (Talmudical college) for over a year.   However, the congenial atmosphere and the comradeship of his fellow soldiers helped to overcome the difficulties. Spending hours together in a very confined space turned them almost into a family unit . Although they were very strict, he   felt only respect for his excellent commanding...

After the destruction of the Temple and the loss of the land, the only thing that remained between Jews and despair was a book, a scroll – the Torah (Pentateuch). From there, the eternal ten commandments were established. One of the most revolutionary laws amongst the commandments, is keeping the Sabbath. It is probably true to say that the Jew has survived over two thousand years of persecution and humiliation largely because he had the Sabbath. It was one factor that not only made him survive, but kept him alive, both spiritually and morally. Without the Sabbath, the Jew would have vanished. The well-known idiom penned by a secular Israeli writer, Ahad Ha'am, goes, “ more than the Jews have kept Shabbat , Shabbat has kept the Jews. ” As long as Judaism exists as a vibrant, vital force, the Sabbath is its most outstanding ritual practice. This commandment benefits not only the Jews. The creation of the seventh day for rest and cessation of labour, enables everyone to ref...

One of the most famous Jewish scholars, Rabbi ben Maimon (Maimonides), referred to the Torah (Pentateuch) as the   “Tree of Life”. A very apt description, considering that amongst many   Jews   this collection of five books is thought of as the very root of Judaism. Many Jews who don’t consider themselves strictly religious, believe that the Torah is the foundation of the Jewish people, and that its moral imperatives are what has preserved Judaism throughout the generations. Religious Jews read a portion of the Torah (Pentateuch) every single day and when reaching the end - which takes exactly a year - it is celebrated with a Festival called “Joy of the Torah” (Simchat Torah) – which takes place today. Like many of the Jewish customs, it seems bizarre to outsiders. When the famous diarist Samuel Pepys visited a small synagogue celebrating this Festival, he was scandalized! No one told Pepys   that the day he chose to come to the synagogue was Simchat Tora...