Grandma's army

  As proud as most Jews are of being Jewish – some find it hard to understand how someone “normal” would be foolish enough to convert to Judaism. Jews are not exactly popular – in spite of their outstanding contributions to mankind. One particular example of a convert   is Dr. Micah Goodman. His mother came from a wealthy Catholic family from Oklahoma, and converted to Judaism in an Orthodox ceremony. She married a secular Jew and immigrated to Israel with her husband, in 1969. Dr. Goodman is a successful researcher and lecturer on Jewish philosophy, and has written several books on the subject - apart from heading an Academy of Jewish Thought. His latest book, “Moses’ Final Speech”, made its way to the top of the bestseller list very quickly. He writes that the last of the five books of the Pentateuch (Torah) Deuteronomy , is the first book in the Torah that does not profess to be of divine creation, but is a repository of the insights and thoughts of Moses. In his sp...

An essential ingredient for survival is a sense of humour – in particular the ability to laugh at oneself. I doubt if this was an issue which was discussed with the Tibetan Buddhists at their historic meeting with the Jewish delegation, although the Dalai Lama apparently had a ready wit. Jewish humor is unique, not only because it pokes fun at our short­comings and weaknesses, but because it reflects upon the history of our people. The following is an example illustrating the Jewish instinct of survival: “A Jew in Russia falls into a lake, and, not knowing how to swim, he frantically screams, “Help, save me!” But his calls are totally ignored by all present, including a number of soldiers standing nearby. In des­peration, the Jew yells out, “Down with the czar!” At that moment, the soldiers immediately jump in, yank the Jew out of the water, and haul him off to prison.”   To stay alive, in spite of all forms of oppression, has been one of the major concerns of the Je...

  After all the atrocities the Chinese government has perpetrated, the Dalai Lama still refers to the Chinese as his “so-called enemy". His religious perspective is an inspiring example   of a religious perspective carried over into the political world of conflict and violence. Personally, his ready wit, his engagement with ideas, his deep receptivity – his simple ability to stop for a moment and take things in – are all elements of his power. The Jewish visitors learned that humility can be powerful, that receptivity can be dominating, and that kindness can be challenging. Lastly, the power of what the Buddhists call “a quiet mind”. While meditating, they try to overcome negative aspects of themselves by visualization. There is a tremendous variety of things that they can visualize - to help overcome negative qualities, develop good qualities, and become more realistic.   One of their key positive qualities is compassion, which is oriented toward the nature, cause, a...

We are at present almost at the end of   three weeks of mourning in which the Jewish people recall the many tragedies they suffered - culminating in the loss of the first and second Temples, and exile. The Temple was   the focus of national identity and the unifying   spiritual centre of the ancient Jewish nation.   It was the repository of the Holy Scriptures and other national literature and the meeting place of the Sanhedrin, the highest court of Jewish law during Roman times. When it was destroyed - and the people who were not killed were exiled and dispersed - what could possibly   sustain them as a Jewish nation? Altogether the Jews were exiled from their land for almost 2,000 years. Especially in this period of mourning, the parallels to another exiled people were brought to my mind. The Chinese have a lot to answer for. I am not talking about the coronavirus, but of the great national tragedy which befell Tibet. It began with the occu...

Israel's management of the coronavirus epidemic is proving to be one of the most challenging events since the establishment of the state. Meanwhile, IDF recruitment continues as usual, as does combat training, with adjustments made in order to comply with the guidelines of the Health Ministry.  To date, 23 IDF soldiers have contracted the coronavirus, and 5,600 soldiers are in quarantine, of which 240 are “lone soldiers.” With four grandchildren in the IDF, I was interested to hear from them how the coronavirus impacts on their army service: Amitai , who is in the Armoured Corps, began an officer’s course 7 months ago and last week the concluding ceremony was held – for the first time, with no family or friends with whom to share their celebration. The course was carried out as always, beginning with the cadets from all of the ground forces. The subjects they studied were focused mainly on leadership, ethical values, command and basic warfare. The coronavirus ...

The corona virus is not the only virus to appear on the world scene. COVID-19 will eventually be eradicated, but the virus of anti-Semitism, which has mutated in various   forms throughout history, has again become virulent. When the Jews did not feel safe and were oppressed, enslaved, expelled and massacred, it was in places and at times when there were unstable and traumatic conditions   among the populace. Contrary to antisemitic claims, the Jews have never considered a doctrine of supremacy and world domination. Unlike Christianity and Islam, they do not seek converts. In every country in which they settled, they have proved themselves to be decent, law-abiding and industrious citizens - contributing in every way to its welfare and prosperity. When things go badly and people cast themselves as the victims they search for scapegoats to blame. The scapegoat of choice has long been the Jews. It is easy to blame Jews because they are both conspicuous, and a mi...

A SICK WORLD If Israel had not been in existence,   today’s   world would be lacking in so many things which people take for granted.   Despite being only 72 years old, a country the size of New Jersey has produced hundreds of tech developments - from everyday items like WAZE - to futuristic medical devices. To name just a few: A prime example, called ExBlate is a non-invasive, magnetic ultrasound surgery system that thermally destroys tumours inside the body. The device has huge potential to address a wide variety of medical problems, including many diseases that currently have no treatment. Other Israeli start-ups which can literally save lives, one disease at a time, include:    An automatic device for early detection and prevention of acute kidney injury.              The detection of early-stage lung cancer through a minimally invasive procedure      navigating the affected organ.  ...