Grapevine, February 16 2024: Mending the rift

Bridging the Israeli divide

■ THE RIFT in Israeli society started way before the mega demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu followed by the even larger and more frequent demonstrations against judicial reform.

Many people from all sectors of Israel’s demographic mosaic were worried about national unity’s obvious fraying at the seams, and some, such as Tzili Schneider, the founder and CEO of Kesher Yehudi, an organization that seeks to form friendships between people from different communities in Israeli society, worked hard to facilitate outreach toward each other between religious and secular Jews, as well as other groups. As a result, firm friendships have been formed, and new understandings reached.

The need for an organization such as Kesher Yehudi became more evident after October 7, when families of civilians and soldiers, who had been abducted and taken to Gaza, needed all the support they could get in making the world aware of the plight of their loved ones and the sadistic crimes committed against them by Hamas.

Schneider was particularly moved by Shelly Shem Tov who is fighting for the return to Israel of her son Omer who is among the hostages, and formed a close personal relationship with her.

Together, they dreamed up a weekend at a Jerusalem hotel in which 36 of the families of hostages participated along with Keshet Yehudi activists, and several impressive speakers.

The families of the hostages included adults and children – most of them secular, who had never before experienced a full religious Shabbaton with songs to welcome the Sabbath, candle lighting, Friday night service, an elegant dinner, and more. 

In addition to the singing led by Rabbi Shmuel Greyniman of Safed, there was group candle-lighting for all of the women with the names of all the hostages, a blessing in large print, as well as a large printed blessing to recite with the blessing over the candles. Lectures by various personalities, including Rabbi Yisrael Goldwasser, a Gerrer hassid and historian; Rabbi Kalman Ber, chief rabbi of Netanya; and Rabbanit Yaffa Deri also took place. Additionally, there was an opportunity for relatives of the hostages to talk about their loved ones, and to emphasize the urgency to bring them home.

At a panel discussion on Saturday afternoon, Meirav Leshem Gonen spoke about her daughter Romy Gonen and how much the Jewish people need each other despite their differences.

Meirav Berger, the mother of Agam, spoke of how she and her extended family had begun to observe the Sabbath in Agam’s merit.

Aviva Siegel said that after being returned to Israel after 51 days in captivity, she was glad to have been born Jewish. She and her husband, Keith, were taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. He is still being held in Gaza.

Orli Gilboa, whose daughter, Daniela, was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival, shared her experience of traveling to the US and speaking to a congregation there about Daniella, and the other hostages – and of making new connections.

Ayelet Somerano, whose son, Natan, was kidnapped alive but died while in captivity, was part of a delegation that went abroad and spoke to UN Ambassadors from several countries including Qatar. She remains an active voice fighting to have her son’s remains returned to Israel so that she can have a grave to visit.

Supporting mental health initiatives 

■ WELL-KNOWN for her support of mental health initiatives, it came as no surprise to see Michal Herzog at the launch of the new civil national service unit, Heart and Soul (Lev V’Nefesh), a joint initiative of the Israel Volunteer Association (IVA) and the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer.

IVA CEO Doron Lutz said the war has created new challenges in coping with mental health, some of which were not known before in Israel. For this reason, it was of the utmost importance to create a unit to help patients cope with a huge variety of mental health issues.

Herzog came to encourage the first team of volunteers and to learn about the work they are doing from volunteers Estee Ronen and Brachi Grossman.

The war, now being fought on two fronts, has also had a serious effect on children, some of whom Herzog visited in the pediatric department, where she was briefed on mental health disorders by Professor Doron Gothelf.

Among the mental health disorders that are being treated at Sheba is post-partum depression for women who have recently given birth, and here too, the new Civilian National Service unit will be of meaningful assistance.

German officials visiting Israel

■ THE GERMANS keep coming. Ever since the October rampage of wholesale slaughter of human beings including infants by Hamas, there has been a steady train of high-ranking German statesmen and politicians coming to Israel. This week, it was the turn of Opposition leader Friedrich Merz, whose visit included a trip to the north just a day prior to the intensified Hezbollah rocket attack.

He met residents of the area and was briefed by IDF officers on the frequency of Hezbollah attacks on Israel’s civilian population, including the recent firing of a rocket at the Kibbutz Sasa children’s theater.

Unfortunately, while Merz was in Israel, large-scale pro-Palestinian demonstrations were held in Germany.

Hosting Latin American journalists 

■ B’NAI B’RITH World Center in Jerusalem is currently hosting a varied group of Latin American journalists from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Uruguay. The idea is to familiarize them with facts on the ground and to give them a more in-depth knowledge of the situation that was thrust upon Israel on October 7 as a result of the heinous rampage by Hamas. 

Their stay this week and next includes meetings with a wide array of Israelis, including Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan, the Prime Minister’s Office Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons Brigadier General (Ret) Gal Hirsch, MK Gideon Sa’ar who is a member of the Security Cabinet, Jewish and Arab MKs, Jewish and Druze army personnel, Ambassador Jonathan Peled, the Foreign Ministry’s deputy director for Latin America and the Caribbean, senior police officers, relatives of hostages, wounded soldiers, survivors of the Supernova music festival, former hostages who were either released or rescued, researchers, and more.

The group of visiting journalists is led by B’nai B’rith Latin American Affairs Director Eduardo Kohn and educator Gabriel Ben-Tasgal.

Among the places they are visiting are Ofakim and Nir Oz, Hadassah Medical Center’s Gandel Rehabilitation Center, the Jerusalem headquarters of Magen David Adom, Gush Halav, Kiryat Shmone, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.

According to Alan Schneider, the director of the BB World Center-Jerusalem, this is the fourth BB mission from Latin America, and the first since October 7.

Most Latin American countries have large and influential Palestinian and other anti-Israel communities.

For this reason, it is extremely important for journalists to be exposed to a different perspective that includes witnesses to and victims of the Hamas atrocities.

Tree planting ceremony honors Irish ambassador

■ NOT FOR the first time has Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar spoken out against Israel, as have other Irish politicians of present and past governments. Ireland is now one of the countries that wants the European Commission to review Israel’s compliance with human rights obligations in Gaza.

No matter how tense relations between Ireland and Israel become, Israel’s relatively small Irish population remains fiercely loyal to Ireland, celebrating St Patrick’s Day, Blooms Day, and other Irish holidays and socializing as often as possible with the resident Irish ambassador of the day, in whose honor a tree is often planted.

It happened again this week with a tree planting ceremony in the Ben Shemen Forest organized by the Israel Ireland Friendship League in Association with Keren Kayemet Le’Israel (Jewish National Fund) in honor of current Irish Ambassador Sonya McGuinness.

Quoting from the Book of Ecclesiastes, IIFL Chairman Malcolm Gafson said: “For everything there is a time and season under the skies... a time to weep and a time to laugh... a time of war and a time of peace... a time to uproot and a time to plant.” 

In thanking Gafson and Orna Toeg, head of the Irish Desk at KKL, McGuiness expressed her delight not only for being given the honor of planting a tree in her name in Israel replete with commemorative certificate, but also for the special opportunity for her to see and learn at first hand KKL’s important reforestation and reclamation work.

How the Mayor of Beer Sheba copes

■ BEERSHEBA HAS suffered a significant number of casualties in the Swords of Iron War. Appearing last week on the Friday radio program hosted by Kobi Oz on Reshet Bet, Beersheba Mayor Rubik Danilovich said that since October 7, he had been to 36 funerals of fallen soldiers, and had eulogized those whom he knew personally. When Oz asked him how he remains sane under such circumstances, Danilovich replied that he exercises, goes to the gym, cooks, and plays loud music while he’s cooking.

It may not be everyone’s recipe for getting rid of tension, but it works for him. What also works is continuing with Beersheba’s extensive development plan. Danilovich’s concept of the day after, is being ready for the needs of the next generation.

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