Grapevine November 7, 2023: Disappearance of the man next door

Former president Reuven Rivlin has lost a neighbor. Nothing in the building in the Malha Technology Park in Jerusalem indicates where Rivlin’s office is located. His name does not appear on the tenants directory on the ground floor, nor does it appear on the wall or the door outside his suite of offices. Anyone who comes to see him is instructed by Rivlin’s personal assistant as to which floor to take the elevator to, and is told to look for the Embassy of Honduras, which is next door to Rivlin’s suite.

But last week, President Xiomara Castro recalled Ambassador Roberto Martinez for urgent consultations related to the serious humanitarian situation in Gaza, for which Castro blames Israel. Castro has also threatened to move the embassy back to Tel Aviv, but as yet, this has not happened.

Minister Kisch starts brouhaha over National Library

BACK IN February of this year, Education Minister Yoav Kisch caused an international brouhaha when he sought to transfer the National Library of Israel to the control of the Education Ministry. Kisch eventually reached some kind of compromise with the NLI, whereby it would remain an independent entity, but with input from the ministry.

But now he will, for the foreseeable future, have more than a grain of influence on the NLI – not its new premises, but in its former home on the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University. The former library building has now been turned into a temporary school for children from the Gaza border communities and from around the northern border until such time as it is safe to return to existing homes or to rebuild those destroyed by the terrorists.

People in authority have already stated that Operation Swords of Iron will be a prolonged war. In duration, it has already surpassed the Yom Kippur War, which lasted from October 6, 1973, to October 25, 1973.

No one knows how much long this war will go on until Israel achieves its goal. It could be weeks, months or even years.

New American ambassador wastes no time 

US AMBASSADOR Jack Lew did not waste any time in settling into his new job. In a series of tweets, he shared information about attending a Lights of Hope vigil for the hostages in Gaza, stating that it was a reminder to continue the work to free all hostages. He also met with evacuated families from Sderot, and found their stories heartbreaking and their resolve inspiring.

He went to the Jerusalem Civilian Command Center and was moved by the spirit of community shining through in the strength and resilience of Israeli civil society. He also met the families of hostages.

Herzog meets with foreign ambassadors of captives in Gaza

AFTER HAVING held meetings with representatives of families whose relatives are being held hostage by Hamas, President Isaac Herzog last Thursday met with four of the ambassadors who have been trying to secure the release of citizens of their respective countries. When taking up their posts in Israel, none of the ambassadors imagined that they would be confronted with the kind of crises with which they are dealing now.

It is believed that, altogether, the hostages hold passports of 36 countries. This includes Israelis who are dual nationals. There were also many foreign nationals among the murdered victims of Hamas.

The four ambassadors who met with Herzog were: Alex Gabriel Kalua of Tanzania, Pannabha Chandraramya of Thailand, Kanta Rizal of Nepal, and Pedro Laylo of the Philippines.

Among the foreign nationals killed and captured were students studying agriculture, caregivers, and farm workers. Herzog stressed the important contribution of these people to Israeli society and industry, adding that he shared in the grief and concern of their families and of the diplomatic community. He noted that the inclusion of foreign nationals among the dead and the hostages attests to the fact that Hamas’s atrocities did not differentiate between the faith, ethnicity, or nationality of their victims.

“We know that many of your citizens in Israel were murdered, killed, tortured, wounded, and, unfortunately, taken hostage,” Herzog told the ambassadors.

“The Thai people, we are suffering a lot,” said Chandraramya. “I think we are the second group after Israel who suffer with this loss. So far, we have confirmed that 23 Thai people were murdered; there are still some to be identified. As for those murdered, they were identified by the DNA test, and as of now we have four still in the hospital; one is still unconscious from the very first day, and we got confirmation of 29 that are held hostage.”

News about Israel can be found in the Thai media every day, she said. “We are concerned about the well-being of the Thai people who are still living and working here in Israel, and also we have grave concern for those who have been abducted. We want to know where they are and how we can help them.”

“Because of the attack four Philippine citizens were murdered,” said Laylo. “They were caregivers. In one account, she was protecting her ward, and they poured gasoline over them.”

Herzog asked Laylo to convey Israel’s heartfelt sorrow and pain over the murder and abduction of Filipino nationals to President Bongbong Marcos and the entire nation of the Philippines. “I cannot describe how much the caregivers are so important to our society,” he said.

“Ten Nepali students, from among young students who come here every year for 11 months for the Mashav program, were murdered, one is missing, and we have four injured,” said Rizal. She explained that five of the victims’ remains were identified only by DNA because they were burned.

“Tanzania has more than 262 students doing intense agriculture studies, and we have two missing. They were working in the South near the Gaza border,” said Kalua. “From the information we have, nobody has recovered them, and we think that they are among the abductees in Gaza.”

Underscoring that 36 countries are represented in this entire tragedy, Herzog told the ambassadors: “Your countries are represented the most in terms of the fact that so many citizens of yours have faced this horrendous atrocity. We know how painful this is because we all were in agony, and your nations are in agony, and we will work tirelessly to bring everybody back home. Your citizens have been ruthlessly abducted and taken to Gaza as innocent people who came to study and work in our country and do good. The Israeli people love and appreciate your people.”

President Herzog meets endless stream of foreign officials

THE PRESIDENT’S Residence is beginning to look like an extension of the Foreign Ministry. It’s always been a given that visiting presidents, prime ministers, and foreign ministers meet with the president; he accepts the credentials of foreign ambassadors and signs those of Israeli ambassadors. But his diplomatic activities have never been as frequent and intense as in the past month, or in the past week. Last Sunday alone, he met with former prime ministers Boris Johnson of the UK and Scott Morrison of Australia, the president of Hungary, Katalin Novak, and newly minted US Ambassador Lew and his delegation.

Johnson and Morrison, who each came to declare solidarity with Israel, were welcomed on arrival by Danny Danon, Israel’s immediate past permanent representative to the United Nations.

Johnson said that no one should be telling Israel what to do, and Morrison said that Israel should not be “suckered” into a ceasefire.

Following their meeting with Herzog, the two traveled to the South and visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where they were horrified by the devastation. More than 100 members of the kibbutz had been butchered by Hamas.

Johnson, who has a special affinity for Israel, having worked as a volunteer on Kibbutz Kfar Hanassi in the 1980s, described what happened on October 7 as “the worst atrocity, the worst massacre of Jewish people, that we’ve seen since the Second World War.” He added that “people could be under no illusions about the savagery, the sadism, the lack of humanity of Hamas terrorists.”

In an interview with Channel 12, Johnson said: “There can be no moral equivalence between the terrorism of Hamas and the actions of the Israeli defense forces.”

Israel, Hungary relationship strong amid global antisemitism

ISRAEL HAS had particularly good relations with Hungary in recent years, a factor borne out in a statement by Novak during her current visit: “What happens in Israel is never indifferent to us in Hungary. We will be there on your side no matter what, and you can count on our support. I have traveled to Israel to also personally reassure you of Hungary’s friendship when Israel is defending itself.”

It’s ironic that while antisemitism is on the rise around the globe, a steady caravan of past and present world leaders continues to come to Israel in a demonstration of solidarity and support.

Herzog does media tour, including Piers Morgan

BETWEEN HIS diplomatic meetings, meetings with displaced civilians, visits to wounded soldiers in hospitals and to civilian volunteer centers and army bases, and discussions with visiting heads of state and government, Herzog also finds time to give interviews to representatives of leading international media outlets in order to ensure that Israel’s message is spread as widely as possible and that the world is made aware that this is not just a war between Israel and Hamas, but a war to save Western civilization. Among his interviewers this week was British journalist Piers Morgan, who tweeted afterward: “I’ve just finished an extraordinary exclusive interview with Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog. We spoke for 45 minutes in an often highly charged and very emotive conversation.”

The interview was aired on Monday night on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Talk TV in the UK, as well as Sky News Australia and Fox Nation in the US, and included questions and answers on a number of very sensitive issues. Herzog did not evade any of the criticisms against Israel, but kept insisting that there is “no justification whatsoever for any of the atrocities we have seen.” He called Hamas and other terrorist organizations “regimes of hate” attacking nations that want peace. “We are all in this together. We cannot accept terror. We have to fight terror.”

Herzog and Netanyahu on the same page re terrorism

ON THIS particular issue, Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are definitely on the same page. Each makes more or less the same points to foreign counterparts and to diplomats stationed in Israel.

Although some half dozen ambassadors have been recalled for consultations, and Bolivia has severed diplomatic ties, some 80 ambassadors who are resident in Israel turned up on Monday to listen to Netanyahu, even though they were well aware of the gist of what he would say, and that he would yet again refer to Iran as an axis of terror. But this time, when he said that Iran and its minions seek to bring the Middle East and the world back to a dark age, and seek to torpedo and derail any progress toward peace, they realized that there was more than a grain of truth in his assertion that this is not a local battle but a global battle.

Telfed attend shloshim of South African grandmother olah

ON MONDAY of this week, Telfed staff attended the shloshim ceremony of South African veteran immigrant Marcel Talia. Thirty days earlier, Hamas mercilessly gunned her down at Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha on the Gaza border as she ran under rocket fire to assist her grandchildren. Other South African immigrants Saar Margolis and Shoham Ben Harush also paid the supreme sacrifice. Both were killed while heroically defending the country.

Since October 7, Telfed staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly to assist South African and Australian immigrants while reaching out to the wider Israeli society in need. “We are in contact with the families of the fallen and those in Hamas captivity,” say Telfed chairman Maish Isaacson and CEO Dorron Kline.

Though anxious for all the hostages to be speedily and in good health returned to their families, Telfed is particularly concerned for the well-being of Chana and Nadav Peri, Aviva and Keith Siegel and Daniel Perez.

Telfed also prays for the safety of more than 200 lone South African and Australian dual nationals who are soldiers in the field, and supports their iron resolve to achieve victory over Israel’s enemies.

Owing to Telfed’s good standing, the Registrar of Associations granted the organization permission to fundraise and distribute money to all military and civilian war relief efforts.

Telfed’s activities have been expanded to assist all Israeli citizens, with 100% of funds raised going to those in need. In addition to providing financial assistance to needy families, funds will be used toward housing, clothing, food, and furniture for displaced families; mental health and trauma counseling for English-speaking immigrants; and procuring essential military and medical equipment.

Interior Minister honors budget commitments to Arab communities

IN DEFIANCE of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who in August suspended payments due to Arab municipalities until such time as it was verified that the money would not find its way into the hands of Arab criminal elements, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel last week honored the commitment made in July to 67 Arab communities. Arbel’s ministry transferred NIS 200 million to 67 Arab municipalities. When one does the math, this is really chicken feed in relation to a municipal budget.

Smotrich has never made a secret of his disdain for Arabs, but he’s definitely not as radical as Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who spoke of destroying Gaza City, and said that dropping an atom bomb there was a possible option, even though such an action would surely kill the hostages as well as innocent Palestinian civilians. Netanyahu did well to suspend Eliyahu from meetings. Even in a democracy in which there is freedom of speech, there are redlines which should never be crossed. Just as moderate Muslims say that what Hamas did runs contrary to the tenets of Islam, having a heritage minister whose statements run contrary to the tenets of Judaism, in which the saving and preserving of life supersedes almost everything else, will make it extremely difficult for Israel to convince the world that Israel does not deliberately kill Palestinian civilians

Nahal rabbi speaks with messianic fervor

CUT FROM the same cloth as Eliyahu is Rabbi Amihai Friedman, the spiritual leader at the training base of the Nahal Brigade, who preaches the Israeli version of the Palestinian chant of “From the River to the Sea.” Friedman believes that, someday, Israel will control all the territory from Lebanon to Gaza. His views are not exactly in sync with those of the IDF, which may transfer him elsewhere or may transfer him out of the army. Friedman speaks with messianic fervor and has succeeded in influencing a number of young soldiers.

American Jewish grandmother volunteers in Israel, just as she did in '73

WHENEVER ISRAEL is embroiled in a war, many Israelis living abroad take the first flight they can get to come back and join in the war effort, either as soldiers or civilian volunteers. Many young Jews feel a similar need. It’s been that way since the War of Independence onward. But older people also feel the need, a sense of patriotism toward the Jewish homeland.

One such person is Stephanie Greenberg, an American nurse, who 50 years ago, as a 19-year-old, was among the many volunteers who came to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Greenberg, who is currently volunteering at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem’s in Ein Kerem, did not yet have a profession when she initially came to Israel in 1973. At that time, she went to Kibbutz Ein Gev, where she stayed for three years and met her American-born husband, Larry, who later became a psychiatrist. After their marriage, the couple settled in Jerusalem, where the first of their children was born. They returned to the US for Larry to do an internship, and that’s where they stayed, coming to Israel from time to time to visit and to catch up with old friends.

When she realized the needs following the outbreak of the war against Hamas, Greenberg decided to volunteer again – this time with professional experience and know-how. She misses her husband, children and grandchildren, but feels that Israel is the place where she ought to be right now.

Volunteers surge to replace foreign workers at farms

AFTER THIS war, many more Israelis will become interested in various aspects of agriculture and horticulture. This interest is being fostered by a nationwide response to farmers’ requests for aid in picking, sorting, and packing produce. Many of the foreign workers engaged in such work have returned home, and the farmers are sorely short-staffed.

Among the volunteers who responded to the agricultural SOS were more than 160 faculty members and students of Reichman University, who went avocado picking. They were led by Reichman University’s dean of the Harry Radzyner Law School, Prof. Lior Zemer, and law student Zack Kahan, who are involved in 500 agricultural acts of voluntarism. These include volunteering at agricultural farms that grow tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, avocado, and lettuce.

Southerners with scars encouraged to call about cosmetic surgery for war wounds

DUE TO the extreme pressure that the war has placed on hospitals throughout the country, many of the residents of the South who bear scars from shrapnel wounds and other wounds have not been treated for the aesthetic removal or camouflage of this damage to the skin. Aware that the scars are a constant reminder of the traumas experienced by those who have them, Dr. Meir Cohen, the chairman of the Israel Society for Plastic Aesthetic Surgery, has announced that members of the society will give free consultations, and in some cases actual treatment, to anyone wounded by rockets fired from Gaza.

Dr. Ron Azaria, the secretary-general of the society, was one of several doctors who have been trying to identify people murdered, mutilated, and violated during the October 7 Hamas massacre. He has seen the worst of the wounds inflicted on victims, and can well understand the need for people to have their scars surgically removed. Anyone who needs to consult a plastic surgeon on matters related to war wounds should telephone (03) 613-4737 to arrange an appointment. The phone is being manned 24/7.

Hatzalah volunteer visits Muslim father, son he rescued on Oct 7

LAST WEEK United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Ariel Pachima visited a Muslim father and son whom he rescued and treated on October 7, following the attack by Hamas terrorists that claimed the life of the man’s wife and more than 1,400 other Israelis.

Early that morning, Hamed and Fatima, residents of the Bedouin town of Arara Banegev, were driving to Mivtahim, a town close to the Gaza border, where Hamed works in a greenhouse growing tomatoes. They had brought along their young son, who sat in the back of the car. As Hamed stopped at an intersection, Hamas terrorists on motorcycles opened fire on his car. Fatima was hit and died almost instantly, while Hamed and their infant son sustained wounds from shrapnel.

Hamed managed to exit the car and found refuge, remaining in hiding with his child for several hours. At one point he and his son were caught in a crossfire between Hamas terrorists and IDF soldiers, and he was sure they were going to die. After the soldiers eliminated the terrorists, they discovered Hamed and, thinking that he, too, was a terrorist, were about to shoot him. The company commander, who noticed the child and heard Hamed speaking Hebrew, told the soldiers not to shoot.

“I saw my death right in front of me until the commander said I was Israeli,” Hamed told Pachima when they met.

After the soldiers moved on, Hamed decided to leave the area in another car that he found and drove to the Ofakim intersection nearby. That is where he and Pachima first met. Pachima was serving as an EMT on a United Hatzalah ambulance. He and the ambulance driver comprised a makeshift, two-member response team. The two had never worked together before, and did not even know each other.

“When I arrived in the South to help, I was told to simply get on the ambulance and go help people. The driver and I didn’t even have enough time to get to know each other; we just went and helped whoever we could, and we found Hamed and his son,” Pachima said afterward.

Hamed had sustained shrapnel wounds to his back, and the boy had shrapnel wounds to his shoulder and upper torso. Both were bleeding. Pachima cleaned and bandaged the wounds, while the driver drove as fast as he could to Soroka Medical Center, knowing that they would need to return to the Ofakim intersection to treat and transport others.

As is often the case where EMTs do not later come across the people they helped, Pachima lost contact with Hamed. Pachima’s regular job is at a cement factory in Beersheba, where he was approached by a fellow employee who lives in Arara Banegev and is Hamed’s neighbor. Needless to say, it was he who facilitated a reconnect between Hamed and Pachima, who arrived at Hamed’s house with a basket of fruit, and to extend condolences on the death of Hamed’s wife. The encounter was emotional.

In expressing his gratitude, Hamed said: “The situation was completely crazy, and despite it all, you risked your life to save others. We will be strong, and I wish you to continue to be strong also.”

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