Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News: Forest Rain

Showing posts with label Forest Rain. Show all posts

Monday, January 20, 2020

Mother of Soldiers (Forest Rain)

It’s cold outside. The rain beats on the windows and thunder rumbles in the distance. Night is approaching and the warm bed beckons with the promise of a cozy embrace.

The closeness of comfort seems so utterly wrong, knowing that he is outside, alone, in the dark, setting off for a night of strenuous effort. He will be carrying one third his own body weight, wet and cold, navigating to the pre-determined point.

He will walk somewhere between 20-30 kilometers (13-18 miles). My drive from home to work every day is 22 kilometers. He will walk further than that, alone, sometimes through the hills, sometimes through villages, as it pours and the ground turns to mud that engulf his boots, sucking him down, making his already heavy load even harder to carry.

By the end of the night he will arrive where he was directed to go. Cold, wet, hungry and exhausted.

And the next day he will do it again.

For a parent few things are as difficult as knowing that your son is alone in the dark, cold and possibly in pain and there is absolutely nothing you can do to help. The little boy you watched grow up is being put through deliberate difficulties so that when war comes (or he has to go on special missions) he will be able to survive.

The little boy who used to come home from school and show you the bruises he got playing soccer with his friends doesn’t show you the bruises he gets now. He might come home limping but he won’t mention it. He just gives you a hug hello and when you ask about his week he says: “It was fine.”

In 1955 David Ben Gurion gave a speech concluding the IDF Officer’s course with the instruction: “Every Jewish mother must know that she put her sons [lives] in the hands of officers who are worthy of that [responsibility].” This is the spirit of the IDF and for the most part it works. You have to trust the officer in charge that their decisions are the best possible to protect the life of your boy but when your son is cold, wet, hungry and exhausted you want to be there. To take care of him.

There are lots of Israelis who do kind things for IDF soldiers but every once in a while there are people who go above and beyond anything you could imagine.

One little lady is known to many as “the mother of the soldiers.” Unlike others who call attention to their good deeds, because they enjoy the limelight and because being noticed helps raise funding for further activities, she shies away from any attention.

She’s a doer, not a talker.

She doesn’t lack anything. She’s not trying to fill a void or even honor someone who passed on. She simply has a heart that expanded beyond the doors of her own home, beyond the members of her family, her children, to include as many soldiers as possible, as if they too were hers.

She wants no attention, no media mentions, no photos, interviews or financial assistance. She’s not part of any organization and she’s certainly not some official institution. When she heard that I am a writer she said: “Oh no! That’s very bad for me!”

She just wants the opportunity to wrap IDF soldiers in a mother’s love – and not just individual soldiers, entire units.

In other countries military training would never be set up so that units could pause to be mothered by a civilian. Israel is different. Soldiers she once took care of become officers who bring their soldiers to her. They schedule training so that, when the area and the timing are right, they bring their unit to her, so that she can take care of them as well.

She waits for them at the break of dawn, knowing full well what they experienced in the night. As they straggle in, she watches their feet, looking to see who is limping. This isn’t the first time the soldiers have ended a training exercise with spreads of food but it is the first time the food wasn’t brought by one/some of their parents or funded by some organization.

It’s the first time a woman they don’t know looks up at them, declaring: “While you are here, I am your mother.” And while they eat hot food, sandwiches and cakes with coffee, tea and cold drinks, she helps them wash the mud off their boots and puts their dirty uniforms in the laundry.

She moves between them, giving each what he needs. She sees so many soldiers she doesn’t remember all their names but she remembers their faces – the soldier who had a cold and she convinced to take medicine, the soldier who lost his phone, the soldier who asked her advice about problems he has at home and on and on.

Wanting to better care for the soldiers who come to her, she revamped part of her property so that dozens of soldiers can sleep there at a time. There are beds, clean sheets, piles of towels, new toothbrushes and mountains of fresh, new socks waiting to be used.

Soldiers always need socks.

She showed me the stock she had ready for the next group scheduled to arrive included bags and bags of neck warmers she had just purchased.: “There aren’t very many coming,” she said, “only 70.”

Stunned I asked: “But how do you do it?! 70? It’s just you, how do you take care of so many?”

Smiling softly, she answered: “The same way you take care of 30” and then she proceeded to show me the extra showers and lavatory she built because what she had wasn’t enough when large groups came to her.

“You know the soldiers love to have hot showers after long, hard training exercises. There’s nothing that pleases me more than looking out the window and seeing steam come up from their showers.” Just like any mother, she finds comfort when the boys are clean and warm, well fed and can relax someplace safe.

And each time she mothers a soldier, she not only takes care of him but she also provides balm for the aching hearts of his parents.

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.

Donald Trump, disloyal Jews and identity politics (Forest Rain)

Something both fascinating, enraging and terribly sad happened this past week.

Like the honest storybook child who pointed out that the “Emperor has no clothes,” President Trump said two words no one wanted to hear, pointing out a situation many recognize but most are afraid to mention.

Disloyal Jews.

With a piercing, instinctive understanding, Trump put a spotlight on an identity crisis in the Jewish community.

“Who am I being disloyal to?!”

An indignant American Jewish Democrat asked me, who he is being disloyal to. He was angry and he really didn’t understand – and that is what makes this issue so very sad…

Context

President Trump’s quote about “disloyal Jews” was part of a statement regarding Israel barring Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from touring the country, due to their active involvement in the BDS movement.

The media coverage, whether through sloppy reporting or deliberate spin, sparked rage and gave birth to numerous accusations against the President including:

· “He is invoking a classic antisemitic trope about dual loyalty” – the idea that Jews can’t be loyal to the land of their birth.
This idea is historically ridiculous considering that Jewish leadership always instructed Jews to be loyal to the laws of the land and not stand out too much because being too different from the neighbors put Jewish lives in danger.

· “This is just proof of how hateful and divisive he is”

· “He told Netanyahu to bar Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar from Israel to gain political points and Netanyahu did his bidding” – a comment that completely disregards Israel as a sovereign nation that makes its own decisions and actually has a law barring BDS supporters from entering the country

· He hates Tlaib and Omar because they are successful Muslim women

· “If he means we should be loyal to him or to the Republican Party he’s just insane and should be impeached”

Listening to what he actually said paints a picture, 180 degrees opposite of the media spin.

He was answering the question:

“Ilhan Omar said the United States should rethink its policy of aid towards Israel after she and Congresswoman Tlaib were denied entry… Should there be any change in US aid to Israel?”

His answer was unequivocal.

“No. And you should see the terrible things that Tlaib has said about Israel. And AOC +3… Omar is a disaster for Jewish people. I can’t imagine, if she has any Jewish people in her district that they could possibly vote for her.”

He proceeded to call out Rashida Tlaib’s tearful anti-Israel press conference, recalling her behavior at his campaign rallies before she became a Congresswoman:

“I saw a woman who was violent and vicious and out of control and all of a sudden I see this person who is crying because she can’t see her grandmother. She could see her grandmother. They gave her permission to see her grandmother but she grandstanded and she didn’t want to do it. That’s a decision of Israel… They [Israel] could let them [Tlaib and Omar] in if they want but I don’t think they want to. If you read the things they’ve said about Israel and if you look at their itinerary before they found out [that they would not be allowed to enter Israel], you take a look at their itinerary, it was all going to be a propaganda tour against Israel. So I don’t blame Israel for doing what they did. I had nothing to do with it but I don’t blame them for doing what they did. I think it would have been very bad to let them in. Including the four. I’m talking about all four but these two, Omar and Tlaib. I think it would be a very bad thing for Israel but Israel has to do what they have to do but I would not cut off aid to Israel. I can’t believe we are even having this conversation. Five years ago, the concept of even talking about this — even three years ago — of cutting off aid to Israel because of two people that hate Israel and hate Jewish people — I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation! Where has the Democratic Party gone? Where have they gone where they’re defending these two people over the State of Israel? And I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat — it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”

Antisemitic trope and disingenuous rage

Anyone who can understand English cannot possibly listen to what Trump said and believe there is a modicum of Jew-hate behind his words. In fact, all the accusations against him simply evaporate when you pay attention to what he said:

· He was speaking about AOC +3, not just Tlaib and Omar.

· He had nothing to do with barring the Congresswomen from Israel but he does understand and support Israel’s decision.

· Tlaib was given special humanitarian permission to visit her grandmother – on the condition she didn’t turn her visit into a BDS propaganda display. She refused, choosing hate over her grandmother.

· Trump expressed deep dismay at the change in the Democratic Party -
Israel was always a by-partisan consensus and now they choose to support haters like Omar and Tlaib rather than doing what the Party always did – stand for Israel. He wasn’t attacking the Democratic Party as a representative of the Republicans. He was asking as an American, how the values of the Party became so perverted.

And antisemitism? I am old enough to remember Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton. None of them ever showed so much genuine concern for the well-being of the Jewish People.

The indignation and rage over Trump’s remarks are disingenuous and, well… enraging.

Identity politics

In a world of identity politics and intersectionality it is a tragedy that there are Jews who do not comprehend the basic truth behind what President Trump said.

The Jewish People are family. In a family, no matter how much you disagree, you are supposed to protect your relatives from attack by outsiders. Just think of the brother who bullies his sister but beats the snot out of anyone who treats her poorly. That is what family is supposed to do.

Donald Trump instinctively understands what so many American and even Israeli Jews have forgotten about their own identity. Watching the way he lives his life and who he trusts, it is obvious that Trump sees value and strength in blood ties (wives can be replaced, children cannot). It is his children who he trusts and counts on the most. That’s why it is easy for him to recognize that the Jewish People are one family and no matter how much we love the lands we were born in or have other issues of interest, family comes first – or at least it should.

One doesn’t get to choose your relatives. We don’t always like our family members. We Jews have family who bring us pride (like Gal Gadot) and we have the problematic ones (like crazy Uncle Bernie). But it’s not supposed to matter - no matter how far apart we live or how different our ideas are, when facing an external threat, family is supposed to defend its members (we can go back to fighting after the threat is dealt with).

That’s what Trump was talking about.

Family that doesn’t come to the defense of other family members, particularly when their lives are threatened, are disloyal:

Jews who heard Israel say the Iran deal puts our lives in danger and supported it anyway.

Jews who saw how Obama treated Israel and voted for him the second time too.

Jews who choose socialism over Judaism. Who choose local politics over the politics of survival of our people and the safety of our ancestral homeland.

Jews who say that the hatred is directed at Israel, caused by Israel and not at Jews.

Just like German Jews said: “We’re not Jews, we are Germans of the Mosaic faith (the faith of Moses).” Sadly it was their neighbors who taught them otherwise. Jews are Jews first, no matter how they self-identify.

Jews who blame terror attacks against Israelis on “the occupation” and Netanyahu rather than the terrorists and the leaders that poisoned the minds of young people, raising a generation to believe that murdering Jews is an honorable act – those Jews aren’t just disloyal to family. They are disloyal to the Jewish ideals of morality, justice and common human decency.

Donald Trump was talking about Jews who rush to stand in solidarity with Ilhan Omar and their “Muslim sisters” and don’t cry for Rina Shnerb.

Jews who choose those who hate and wish to destroy their family because it is the current fad in the Democratic Party. In my opinion that’s also disloyalty to America because America was founded on morality and acceptance of all people. Allowing a political party that represents half of the country to be led by people who incite hate, lie and front for actual terrorists is a betrayal of the entire American people, not just the Jews. Israel was always a bi-partisan issue. The security of Israel is in the best interest of the United States. Undermining this is bad for everyone.

THAT is what Trump was talking about when he said: “I can’t believe we are even having this conversation.”

Trump was gracious enough to give those Jews an excuse – possibly they are terribly ignorant about politics and don’t understand what is going on. That’s a much nicer possibility than willfully endangering and consciously betraying your own family.

I am less gracious.

Israel is wary of calling out disloyal Jews. Our numbers are so small, the idea that a large fraction of our people might break away from us is frightening. Considering the reality, I believe that it is worse to pretend the problem doesn’t exist and let the damage continue to be done from within by Jews who have turned against our family, who undermine our safety, delegitimize our history and side with those attempting to eliminate our future.

This isn’t a matter of the Republican Party vs the Democratic Party. This is a matter of policies that have a direct and immediate effect on my family.

The years of Clinton-Obama foreign policy caused so much damage to Israel and the entire Middle East that it is mind-boggling. The amount of bloodshed that occurred is so shocking that the world, particularly Americans seem to have promptly forgotten all about it.

Endangering the State of Israel, empowering Iran, denying our right to self-defense and supporting the denial of our connection to our ancestral homeland and holy places via the UN are just the beginning. The rest of the Middle East suffered too, much more than Israel has. These are just a few examples:

· In Egypt - ousting Mubarak, supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, looking the other way when Christians were slaughtered and delegitimizing Sisi

· In Iran – Remaining silent when the government shot young people in the streets during the Green Revolution, the Iran deal, enabling arms acquisition amnd shipment to Hezbollah, threatening Israel’s borders.

· In Iraq – leaving a vacuum which enabled the rise of ISIS and subsequent slaughter of thousands, genocide of Yazidis, sex slavery, torture organ theft and more

· The war in Yemen

· Destabilizing Libya, Benghazi… does anyone remember Benghazi and the time American soldiers were given the order to stand down when Americans were under attack?!

Anyone who wonders why most Israelis hated Obama and love Trump should reread the list above. Israelis are not crazy or stupid, we are judging by results.

I didn’t expect Trump to be a good President. He has surprised me beyond my wildest dreams. His actions have undone a lot of the damage done by the previous administration. He has fulfilled the broken promises of multiple American administrations. Over and over he has spoken out against Jew hate – in America and abroad.

To him I say, thank you Mr. President.

To everyone else I say, if you support a policy or a politician that puts my life and that of my family in danger, I have a problem with you. If you are Jewish and you do that, you deserve the title of “disloyal Jew.”

You are being disloyal to ME. My family. My friends. My neighbors.

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.

The Hebrews of Hebron (Forest Rain)

When people think of visiting Israel, few consider going to Hebron. The city is depicted as contentious, dangerous and unpleasant. It is associated with “Occupation,” poverty and apartheid. Who would want to go there? Even most Israelis don’t consider Hebron a place they would want to visit, much less live.

This reality ironic, considering the profound significance of this unique city.

Hebron is called the City of Patriarchs and Matriarchs. The name is literal rather than figurative and points out the burial place of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Nation of Israel: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah.

Other nations have monuments and even mausoleums of their founding fathers. Can you think of any who have the mothers of their nation given the same amount of focus and respect? The founding fathers of America are perhaps the most famous group of men to be given that title – brilliant men who joined together to lay the guidelines for building a successful new nation. They were united by an idea. The patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel are united by family.

How many people know exactly where there great great grandparents are buried? Abraham bought the Cave of Machpela and surrounding field as a burial site for his wife Sarah 3,800 years ago. Since then Jews have not always been free to visit but we have always known that the parents of our People are buried there.

Jews were in Hebron even before Jews were in Jerusalem. Our first tie to this land is through family, even before taking on the law of God as a Nation, even before building the Temple and having a physical place where the People could visit the House of God on earth.

And perhaps the most critical element of this story is that although Abraham was offered the Machpela Cave as a gift, he refused, insisting on buying the field and the cave within it. This is land purchase is the first legal connection of the Nation of Israel to the Land of Israel – all of the land was later granted to the People by God but that is predated by the legal financial transaction between men.

Could it have been foreseen that foreigners would declare that the Nation of Israel usurped the Land, that we are “Occupiers”? There are three critical pieces of land whose purchase was documented in the ancient texts. Interestingly the enemies of Israel are most adamant in declaring that we have no connection to any of these:

1) Hebron - the resting place of our ancestors, the place that connects us to the land via family

2) Shechem - the resting place of Joseph who, before his death, made his brothers swear that they would carry his bones out of Egypt to be buried in Canaan. In Exodus we are told that Moses fulfilled the pledge and in the Book of Joshua we are told that: “The bones of Joseph, which the Children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, were buried in Shechem in a parcel of land Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver.” In the Jewish texts repetition is a sign of significance therefore we would must understand from this that both the insistence on the location of burial (Israel, not Egypt) and the fact that the land was purchased by Jacob are important.

3) The site of the Temple Mount, the place that connects the Nation of Israel to the God of Israel.

These questions are crucial to ask:

Why do you think the enemies of Israel are most adamant about these three locations?

Why are there so many fights in the UN to pass resolutions denying Jewish connection to Jerusalem?

Why have the Arabs changed the ancient name of Shechem to Nablus, declaring that theirs is the “real” name of the city and Jews have no right to pray at Joseph’s Tomb (Jews who want to pray there have to do so with IDF escorts for fear of being lynched). Most of Israel’s cities have the same names in Hebrew and in Arabic, signifying their Hebrew origin. Why do Shechem, Hebron and Jerusalem have different names?

Why do organizations like “Breaking the Silence” spend so much money and effort to convince the world that Hebron is a place of Jewish “occupation” and Israeli apartheid against Arabs?

Why do so few people go to actually see for themselves what is real and what is not? These organizations deviously take kernels of truth and build fantastic lies around them, creating a narrative that is completely disconnected from reality. For example, the selective footage shown of Hebron is usually of 600 meters of a kilometer long road that is blocked off to Arabs (because too many Jews were murdered there). There is no mention that the Arabs who own the stores that were shut down on that section of the road still live in the buildings above the shops and that they simply leave there homes from the other direction, on to a parallel street. The Arabs are depicted as trapped in poverty because of this situation and no mention is made of the fact the Jewish population cannot enter 97% of the city where the Arab population runs a booming economy. No one mentions the apartment buildings, streets full of cars or the luxurious malls where you can shop – as long as you aren’t Jewish.

Walking the streets of Jewish Hebron is a very different experience than what is portrayed by the media. Yes there are soldiers on guard. Too many Jews have been murdered for there not to be. There are also commemorative plaques in places where citizens were murdered.

There are areas where there few people and closed shops but that does not convey the reality of Jewish life in the city of our ancestors.

Heroes walk the streets of Hebron.

They are men and women who lived through periods of daily sniper attacks – and still went and played outside with their kids. They are mothers and fathers who, although they owned the property, were not allowed to build homes suitable to the size of their families – so they made their small homes warm and beautiful knowing that lack of space would teach their children to learn how to share better. They are people determined to live, love, laugh and be as close to normal as possible in a place that is far from normal.

Most of all they are parents who brought free and fresh Hebrews into the world. Jewish children who know no other reality than growing strong in their ancestral homeland.

The modern day Hebrews of Hebron live across from (and above) an archeological dig which has uncovered 4,000 year old artifacts, including an Israelite house dating, 2,700 years old where there were seals bearing the impression of a bird, or a beetle, with the word "LeMelech Hebron" meaning "belonging to the King, Hebron" in paleo-Hebrew.

Were the ancient Hebrews of Hebron to suddenly appear, they would find their descendants living in their neighborhood, speaking the same language, connected to the same values.

This is what it means to be an indigenous People, returned to our ancestral homeland.

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.

The Rage Less Travelled: PTSD and rainbows (Forest Rain)

This is not so much a review of the book "The Rage Less Travelled: A Memoir of Surviving a Machete Attack," it’s more a summary of my experience reading it and why I believe this is a must read for everyone, including those not specifically interested in Israel.

Choosing to read the book

I didn’t want to read “The Rage Less Travelled.” My friend Kay Wilson is one of the best story tellers I have ever met and few stories are more dramatic than that of being brutally attacked and surviving but who wants to read about a gruesome terror attack?

And this isn’t a "horror story," something fun to scare your friends with around a campfire. This story is real and it happened to someone I care about… Just the thought of immersing myself in this deeply painful story made my stomach churn.

Strangely the feeling I had about reading the book was very different than the feeling I had hearing it directly from Kay. I felt honored when she told me about the day she and her friend Kristine Luken were brutally attacked by machete wielding terrorists, what it is like to feel your life running out of you, to know that your friend was murdered and you survived. Kay was there, in front of me - I could reach out and give her a hug. I could share a sliver of the pain and feel stronger as a result.

Life is sacred thus the moment of death or almost-death, is also a kind of holy moment. Kay made me part of that and, I think she unconsciously shielded me from some of the horror. She made sharing the story a gift, not a burden.

While she was struggling to write the book, I repeatedly told Kay that if she wrote the way she talks, the book will be incredible. I knew it would be hard for her to write but I also knew she would succeed and that the result would be very powerful.

And that is why I was afraid.

I knew the story. I watched “Black Forest,” the documentary about the attack - but compelling as it may be, a movie keeps the viewer on the outside, watching the events unfold. Well written and told in first person, a book puts the reader inside the event, granting the reader an experience not their own.

I didn’t have the guts to deliberately walk into the Black Forest. I was afraid to feel my friend's pain and not be able to reach out to her. Somehow, with Kay there, the story is one I can ingest. The tangible evidence that she is still here, that she survived, makes the evil that occurred something my heart can somehow take.

I had to read the book, for myself. For Kay. For Kristine who was murdered because the terrorists thought she was a Jew.

"We Remember" is more than a slogan to be said in reference to the Holocaust, it's a directive that teaches that every life is precious and we must understand the events that steal members of our tribe from us and, whenever possible, we must remember their lives so that at least in memory they can live on. Kristine wasn’t born into our tribe but she chose to be a friend and she suffered as a result. In my mind, that means we owe her.

Kristine

In a few succinct descriptions, Kay brings Kristine's spirit to life on the pages. This is yet another way of battling the evil of her murder. The terrorists wanted to stamp her out of existence (because they thought she was a Jew). In the physical struggle, the terrorists achieved their goal but in the spiritual realm, Kay’s words ensure their defeat.

The terrorists defined Kristine's death but they do not have the power to define what her life was or what it meant to the people who knew and loved her.

Through Kay's words, the readers are introduced to a very special woman. One who allowed herself to be enchanted by things most of us would take for granted or maybe not even notice. A woman who drank in experiences through wide eyes. A woman who marveled at the wonders of Israel and by example reminds others to see the magic of this special land.

Kristine's memory is no longer a statistic of violence or a silent photo but rather a vibrant woman, exuberant and full of faith. Who wouldn't want a friend like that?

The lies PTSD tells and the miracle that is Israel

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition most people don’t understand. It’s a term often used inappropriately and too lightly. The problem is that when someone is suffering from PTSD what they need most of all is understanding.

In the USA the statistics for military veteran suicides are 22 (and possibly more) EVERY SINGLE DAY. These numbers are shocking and truly beyond comprehension but they highlight a very important path – it is necessary to learn. To understand as much as possible. Not just for survivors of terrorism and war. PTSD can occur in all types of trauma survivors – following violent crime, abuse and even car accidents.

Kay provides a glimpse into PTSD which can clarify a lot of issues, help sufferers understand that they are not alone and teach others how to address friends or family who may need help, to be more tolerant and patient with others who may be physically with us in the same room but at the same time are mentally trapped in their own black forest.

"Survivors' guilt" is a bland term that does not address the lies PTSD tells the survivor. Over and over Kay felt that "She watched Kristine die so that she could live." This not the feeling of “I’m sorry that person died” it’s a feeling of being a terrible, selfish, callous person who remained silent in the face of evil for personal gain. It is also an utter lie.

Screaming, trying to act (more than she did) would have gotten Kay killed and would not have saved Kristine. It is beyond comprehension how Kay managed to survive. By all logic she too should have died – but she did not. Would Kristine have wanted them both to die or would she have been proud of Kay for surviving?

Logical analysis of the situation provides clear answers but the problem is that PTSD is not based in logic or cognitive awareness, it is a poisonous loop that the spirit/mind gets trapped inside. Being able to recognize the lies is the first step to addressing them and release the stranglehold they have on the sufferer.

The descriptions of Kay’s thoughts and emotions and the lengths friends went to in order to support her provide insight into the miracle that is Israel. All Israelis have experienced trauma, if not first-hand than second hand. At the same time, an amazingly low proportion of Israelis actually suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is incomprehensible how the people of Israel, instead of being angry and bitter are hopeful and willing to invest enormous energy into making the world a better place.

Kay shines light on these special qualities of Israeli society, our unique mixture of the mundane and the sublime, harshly honest and deeply caring.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Kay's book isn't about a gruesome attack. It's about hope and survival. It's about love and healing.

The evil of the attack puts the beauty of the people who took care of Kay afterwards in stark contrast. The pain of what occurred is a motivator to try to bring change and make the world a less dark place.

Kay herself is an example of what it is to be a Maccabee. Like Natan Alterman's poem The Silver Platter: "Broken, yet still standing, we are the silver platter on which the Jewish State was given to you."

Stabbed and beaten, her life running out of her body, my warrior friend Kay managed to stand and walk to her own rescue. Tortured by Arabs, she repaid evil with good by helping protect other young Arabs and set them on the path of positive personal development. Kristine’s life stolen, Kay makes sure others remember the vibrant life, not just the ugly death. She also works tirelessly to put an end to the Pay-for-Slay culture of the Palestinian Authority.

Broken, yet still standing.

Kay is like Israel. This is our beauty and our strength. Broken, yet still standing. Wounded physically and in spirit. Together we survive and we love and we infuse good into the world to counter-balance the evil.

Kay's story is an inspiration for anyone who is suffering in their own life, an example of what is possible. Kay’s story is Israel’s story.

If Kay can do what she has accomplished, who are we to say that there is something we can’t do?

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.

Three Israeli values that made the Eurovision fabulous (Forest Rain)

By Forest Rain

The Eurovision is one of the largest events in the world. Larger than the Super Bowl, the Eurovision brings together 200 million viewers every year. The Olympics and the World Cup are the only events that have more viewers.

Bottom line is – even if you have never heard of the Eurovision, it’s HUGE.

Last year Israel’s Netta Barzilai won the Eurovision, bringing this year’s competition to Israel. Like the Facebook relationship status “it’s complicated,” there were many reason it was very problematic to bring the Eurovision to Israel.

And yet, despite numerous, enormous challenges, the Eurovision was a phenomenal success. Here are 3 of the major reasons why:

1. Israelis are excellent hosts

We love a good party and having fun-loving guests from abroad is always a welcome event. Many Israelis (myself included) who are not Eurovision fans, got excited by the idea of bringing one of the largest parties in the world to our country.

Normally the contest is held in the host-nation’s capital however Jerusalem was a problem, not just because of BDSers who objected to this recognition of our eternal capital but also because of religious Jews who were deeply disturbed by the idea of breaking the Sabbath on a nationwide scale, by approval of the Israeli government (Eurovision rules dictate that the final is held on a Saturday and the dress rehearsal for the final is on Friday). “Remember the Shabbat and keep it holy” is fourth out of the 10 Commandments and while individuals are responsible for their own choices, a national choice of this type is not a trivial decision. Tel Aviv, Israel’s New York, was happy to be the compromise. The city is known for its festivities during Pride month and is used to holding events that don’t adhere to religious norms. We were ready to party, in a place and manner appropriate for the people who wanted to attend, without disturbing too much other parts of our population!

When we learned that many fans were reluctant to come due to the high prices of tickets and lodging individuals initiated a movement to host guests in their homes, free of charge. We wanted people to come, feel at home and celebrate.

Israel can be confusing. Signs don’t always have English on them (other times there is English but the instructions aren’t clear). The city of Tel Aviv recruited and trained volunteers to provide support to tourists in different languages, answer questions and provide friendly guidance. The more stories that came out of individuals taking advantage of naïve tourists, the more people stepped up to show the kind, friendly and generous side of our country.

2. Israelis are unstoppable

One week before the Eurovision, after contestants had begun to arrive and were busy rehearsing for the event, terrorists from Gaza bombarded southern Israel with 600 missiles. Not one missile. Not 10 or even 100. SIX HUNDRED.

What would your country do if it was hit by one missile?!

After the horrific Bataclan terror attack in 2015 the French government instituted a state of emergency for three months. Neighboring Belgium imposed a security lockdown on Brussels from 21 November to 25 November, including the closure of shops, schools, public transportation and advising people to not congregate publicly. How do you think France or Belgium would have responded to a massive missile bombardment?

Israel decided that if it is necessary to go to war, we can always do that later. The weeks following that attack were full with Israel’s Memorial Day for IDF soldiers and victims of terror, Independence Day and then, the next week, the Eurovision. The terrorists were not going to ruin our fun, we can go to war after our guests go back home.

This too was not an easy decision. When you have citizens under attack, terrified children, homes and businesses ruined and especially when there are casualties (four Israelis died) it is very, very difficult to set that aside, particularly for those who were under bombardment, huddling with their children in shelters.

Israel didn’t go into lockdown. Celebrations were not cancelled. On the contrary, Israel put on the most spectacular Eurovision ever.

3. Dare to Dream

200 million people saw Israel at her best. Beautiful video “postcards” of Israel were created as introductions for each of the contestants. Tel Aviv’s Charles Clore Park was turned into a Eurovision village with giant screens so people could experience the show together, even if they couldn’t afford to buy the tickets.

I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the dress rehearsal for the final.

The rehearsal is exactly the same as the final and serves as backup footage, in case there is a problem in the broadcast of the final. The dress rehearsal is the event where the judges give their points for each performance (the final is opened for public voting and the results are a combination of the scores on both nights).

The production was mind-blowingly fabulous. It was like the opening of the Olympics but in a cozy atmosphere that made everyone a part of the show. History of the Eurovision and Israel’s part in the contest was woven together with cosmopolitan showmanship and touches of the Israeli story – our diverse people, our land, language and even a touch of the journey of Jews from Ethiopia returning to Zion.

Gali Atari won the Eurovision in 1979, when it was held in Jerusalem, after Israel had won the year before. In 2019 she stood on the stage with other Eurovision winners and together, along with an audience full of non-Jewish foreigners, sang the same song – Halleluiah.

This year, Israel’s contestant Kobi Marimi was not expected to do well. The song chosen for him was not well received but when he took the stage the most Israeli of emotions overwhelmed everything else.

Love.

To the Israelis in the crowd liking the song no longer matters. He was ours and the whole country was focused on him. The crowd who had previously bounced and clapped to other songs was suddenly full of people on their feet chanting his name: “Kobi! Kobi! Kobi!”

We were there for him and he was there for us. He poured his heart into the song and it didn’t matter at all that he wasn’t going to win. What mattered was that everyone saw a night that was like no other.

Dare to Dream, this year’s Eurovision slogan, is just another way (albeit less powerful) to express the guiding principle of Israel, the most fundamental of Zionist ideas: “If you can dream it, you can make it real.”

France’s contestant Bilal Hassani, a gay Muslim man, danced and sang about self-actualization, no matter what others think of you or hurdles need to be overcome. Other songs had the same message. The Eurovision itself is about inclusivity, tolerance, diversity and being who you dream to be.

Did the Europeans recognize the irony?

The descendants of those who tried to exterminate our grandparents came to our home, to perform on our stage, to inspire their audience with the message that is the essence of who we are.

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.

Cracking the Israel Culture Code (Forest Rain)

Israel is one of the most misunderstood, misrepresented and maligned countries on earth. The question is, why?

Jew hate? Or because our “hasbara” is terrible? In pro-Israel circles either (or both) of these are go-to explanations however neither are enough to explain the dissonance between Israeli reality and the concepts different people have about Israel – from rabid haters to faithful fans and the ambivalent in between – very few people have a good grasp of what Israel is or what Israel means.

After reading Clotaire Rapaille’s book “The Culture Code,” I think the extreme difficulty in realistically grasping the concept of Israel comes from not understanding our culture code.

Cultural anthropologist and marketing expert Clotaire Rapaille explains that every culture has underlying, unspoken “codes” which form unified cultural understandings or attitudes to important life issues. These are what define the unique identity of different cultures. In the book Rapaille decodes two dozen of our most fundamental archetypes—ranging from sex to money to health to America itself.

His understanding of culture codes is a product of extensive market research which he applied to improve profitability in America and in foreign markets for companies such as GE, AT&T, Boeing, Honda, Kellogg, and L’Oréal.

Rapaille discovered that in standard focus groups, which might last an hour, he would hear what the participants declared they wanted. Through special techniques and longer durations he would begin to uncover the patterns of meaning behind the different declarations made.

For example, the discovery that in America “food” is a code for “fuel for the body” whereas in France “food” means “life” it becomes easy to understand why in America there is less emphasis on the quality of the food or why it is America that brought the world fast food restaurants. In America food is something you do “on the go” whereas in French culture food is an experience to linger over and savor.

In the book, Rapaille explains the challenge of selling coffee in Japan. How do you create an environment where coffee is the staple hot drink in a country where tea is deeply rooted in the cultural traditions? Trying to aggressively compete against tea would not have been successful because of what tea means in that culture. Instead of fighting the culture, it was wiser to introduce a positive association with the product by targeting kids with coffee flavored treats.

Understanding the culture codes enables effective persuasion because it is resonates on an unspoken level, speaking directly to the deep seated concepts that form our cultural norms and motivate our decision making.

As a marketer I found these revelations fascinating but what captured my mind was the idea that culture codes include what countries mean to us.

Rapaille declares that the culture code for America is: DREAM. This makes sense considering that America is known as “the land of golden opportunities,” a place where you can arrive with $20 in your pocket and become a multi-millionaire, a place where anyone can become whatever they envision.

If the code for America is “dream,” what is the culture code for Israel? Could it be that Israel is so misunderstood because the codes other people have for Israel do not match the code Israelis have for our country?

When you ask different people: “What is Israel? What does Israel mean?” the answers vary enormously. On the positive side there is: Holy Land. Land of prophecy. Innovation, Start-up Nation. Resilience. Change. Safe-haven.

On the negative side there is: Oppressor. Bully. Aggressive. No heart.

Both the positive and negative definitions are laden with emotion. Neither truly recognize the humanity of the people behind those big concepts. Tellingly, none match what Israelis say when you ask them what Israel means to them.

There is one concept that unites religious, secular and even Israelis that have been living in America for 15 years. All of them will tell you that Israel is HOME.

One little word, so simple, yet so profound, explains everything about this country of ours.

HOME is the place we returned to after 2000 years of exile, after centuries of longing to return. This is the difference between “house” and “home.” You can live in any house but home is the place you long to go back to, even if it takes 2000 years. How is a place where you always belong, even if you haven’t been there for ages. It is the place you feel complete. Home is the place you are attached to, even if it is less convenient or attractive than someone else’s home.

HOME is the place where your FAMILY is. That’s why, in Israel, family extends beyond the walls of our private homes to include strangers – they are just family members we haven’t met yet.
This is why Israeli cab drivers and shopkeepers think it’s perfectly natural to ask you extraordinarily intrusive questions. Manners are for strangers, with family you can say whatever you want.

This is why strangers will invite you over for meals and even to stay in their home – especially if they think you might be alone on Shabbat or a holiday or if your area of the country is under attack and your kids need a few days rest someplace quiet.

This is why one soldier is everyone’s soldier and why grief is not private. This is why we can argue viciously and immediately unite over an external threat. “Family” are the people that might drive you nuts but you are also willing to die for. Literally.

Israel’s strength comes from HOME. Wherever we are in the world, no matter how much we enjoy it, home is where the heart is. That’s why when there is a war one might expect people to leave but instead many Israelis abroad come back (or at least feel like they should). When your family is in trouble, you stand by their side. Even if you can’t really help, there is strength in being together.

Our resilience and tenacity come from the simple truth that home is the place you don’t give up on. Where else would you go?

People who understand Israel as “the Holy Land” or “the land of prophecy” often find themselves disappointed when they encounter the realities of normal, standard and sometimes very inconvenient life. Bureaucracy and poor service seem incongruent with the concept of holiness.

Those who see Israel as a land of innovation don’t necessarily understand why the same kind of innovation can’t happen elsewhere. Why insist on living in a “bad neighborhood” when true innovators could go work in Silicon Valley or some other place? And why do so many of those who do go, live and work, someplace else still say that Israel is HOME even when they have been away for years? Why do they long for the smells, the food, the warmth of friends and community (family)? Why is it that anywhere there are Israelis abroad you will find more Israelis and when there are enough of them you will find stores that sell Bamba, chocolate spread, Elite coffee and “shkedey marak” (a kind of Israel soup crouton)?

Of course those that see Israel as an “occupier” do not understand that it is impossible to occupy your own home. They see “bully” not a family trying to protect its family members. Because they don’t know, or don’t care to know the truth, they see “no heart” rather than “all heart.”

Does any other nation on earth have a collective home? How is it possible for people born in Iraq, America, Brazil and Russia to all belong to the same home? How can our home be ancient and yet new? Holy and singular yet at the same time cosmopolitan?

These seem like inexplicable paradoxes but they are no different than your parents liking different kinds of food or siblings having conflicting personalities. Facts and figures will never convey what Israel means to Israelis. Diversity or doing good for the world is not a justification for existence. Jew hate is not enough to explain why people don’t understand our reality. Even the most virulent Jew hate is not enough to explain why protecting Israel as a sanctuary for Jews is vital (because why not just address the local cultural problem, teach people not to be violent to anyone?).

It is important to protect HOME because it’s yours. Because that’s where your family is.

Perhaps if we explained THAT to the world, we would be better understood.

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.