Grapevine October 6, 2024: Heavy week for Israelis, Diaspora communities

■ AMONG THE various roles of the Government Press Office is publishing statements and press releases related to the government, the president of the state, the army, state institutions, and more.

GPO reporters and photographers are at all state events and at events in which the president, the prime minister, or both are participants. The IDF has its own reporters and photographers, but some of its material is also passed on to the GPO for publication. Likewise, the Foreign Affairs Ministry. As for the GPO, immediately after the assault by Hamas on October 7, GPO director Nitzan Chen decided to document everything possible and create a documentary film that would both create global awareness of the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas and become an important research tool for future historians and political scientists – especially since the destruction wrought by Hamas is not going to be left as is. Buildings that were seriously damaged or burnt to the ground will be replaced, so it is essential that the evidence of mass terrorism be videotaped for posterity.

The first part of what became a national documentation project has already been shown to hundreds of people and the second part will be screened at 4 p.m. today, at the GPO complex in the Malha Technology Park. The screening will take place in the presence of the Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Brig. Gen. (res) Gal Hirsch.

Others present will include representatives of the families of the hostages, former hostages who were returned in the November exchange or who have been rescued since then, ambassadors, and other diplomats and foreign media.

Still missing from the video are approximately a planeload or two busloads of hostages who remain in captivity and whose release or rescue is impatiently awaited.

■ EARLIER IN the day, at 12.45 p.m. the Kfar Aza community will pay tribute to its murdered and abducted members at a ceremony that will be held at Kibbutz Shefayim where an exhibition will tell the story of Kfar Aza through the eyes of those who were there on October 7. The exhibition, which includes photographs and videos that were salvaged, paintings, Whatsapp messages in real-time, and witness testimonies, will initially be closed to the general public and shown only to media representatives. The public will be able to view the exhibition for six days this month, beginning on October 13. Following the horror and the mayhem, the residents of Kfar Aza were evacuated to Shefayim, and at today’s memorial event will share memories of murdered and kidnapped relatives and friends. Later in the month, the exhibition will be taken to various parts of Israel and to cities abroad.

Tomorrow morning, October 7, at 6.15 a.m. the Kfar Aza community will again congregate in a modest ceremony at the time that symbolizes the shattering of their world. Among the participants will be bereaved families and members of the kibbutz security unit who fought to defend the kibbutz on October 7, along with other kibbutz members. They will lower the flag to half-mast, light a memorial beacon, and once again recall that mind-searing day. Further information is available from Eran Yoeles (052-440-8020) or Hagar Yehieli (054-791-6308).

■ ANOTHER EXHIBITION by artists from the Western Negev and from around the world will open at Kibbutz Yad Mordechai on October 8, under the title The Sun Did Not Stand to Attention. Some of the artists are survivors of the Hamas massacre, but the exhibition, rather than recording horror, is designed to infuse solidarity and hope and to emphasize the ability to persevere and flourish in the face of unutterable cruelty and emotional chaos. The opening will be attended by former defense minister Benny Gantz. The exhibition, which will be open to the general public through October 26 (except for Yom Kippur) from 5-9 p.m. was conceived by Limor Livne, a resident of Yad Mordechai, and is supported by business and cultural personalities such as Shira Davidi and Yishai Davidi, Nehemia “Chemi” Peres, Gil Brandes, and Udi Miron.

Antisemitism in the LGBTQ+ communities

■ EVEN IN a more accepting and progressive era, many gay people are still hesitant, if not afraid, to come out of the closet. If life is tough for homosexuals per se, it’s even worse for those who happen to be Zionists. An article in the American Jewish publication The Forward indicates that Israel bashing is highly prevalent in America’s LGBT communities, including among Jews. Among the pro-Israel gays interviewed by The Forward were Jason Eisner, Sam Gordon, and Roniel Tessler, who make no secret of their pro-Zionist leanings, but don’t advertise them on social media profiles, though Eisner is an easy target because in the photo of him in the article, the Star of David around his neck is clearly visible. Non-Jewish gays who want to connect with him have no problem with his being Jewish but they can’t stomach the fact that he’s a Zionist. All three men would prefer to have Jewish rather than non-Jewish partners but have discovered that many Jewish gays are even more intolerant of Zionists than their non-Jewish counterparts. It’s tough to be a Jew in more ways than one.

■ ALMOST A year after being seriously wounded by a Hamas terrorist in Sderot on October 7, United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Rabbi Chaim Sassi returned to active service toward the end of last month after receiving a custom-made ambucycle designed to accommodate his lingering leg injury sustained during the attack.

On the morning of October 7, Rabbi Sassi, who also serves as the regional rabbi for the organization in Sderot, was shot in the face and leg by a Hamas sniper after attempting to rescue a badly wounded police officer outside the city’s police station. Despite his injuries, Sassi managed to crawl to safety and bandage his wounds, recording what he believed might be his final message to his family during a harrowing hour-and-a-half wait to be rescued.

Following a long rehabilitation, Sassi’s determination to resume his lifesaving work led United Hatzalah to commission a unique vehicle tailored to his needs. The custom ambucycle, featuring two front wheels for enhanced stability, allows Sassi to ride safely, despite the balance issues caused by his leg wound.

At a ceremony held at his home in Sderot, United Hatzalah Operations Division Director Gilad Salomon and Branch Chief Nehorai Darshan presented Sassi with the specially adapted ambucycle, marking his return to active duty.

“From the day I was injured, I had no doubt that as soon as I was able, I would return with full strength to lifesaving activities in Sderot,” said Sassi.

“I had the privilege of responding and saving lives on one of the most difficult days our nation has faced. Now, my greatest desire is to continue this vital work. I thank the leadership of United Hatzalah, who supported me through the difficult times and ensured I have a specially adapted vehicle to continue saving lives.”

United Hatzalah CEO Prof. Ehud Davidson praised Sassi as “an inspiration to us all, choosing to continue his lifesaving work despite everything.”

■ “ONE OF the many lessons we have learned in these challenging months since October 7 is that essential facilities need protection,” said Alan Gold and Tony Plaskow, the Joint Brochure chairmen for the upcoming Laniado Hospital gala dinner scheduled for Tuesday, November 12. Proceeds from sales of advertisements in the brochure along with money raised through attendance at the dinner will be used to procure equipment for two cubicles in a soon-to-be-completed state-of-the-art sheltered emergency hospital.

One of these emergency room cubicles will be dedicated to the memory of Master Sergeant Nadav Knoller, the son of Eli Knoller, the director of the Supporters of Laniado, who fell in battle in Gaza.

This year, the Rofeh Cholim Award (Healer of the Sick) will be presented to Dr. Geoffrey Pollack, who heads Laniado’s EMT Department together with his wife Mary Jane Pollack. Laniado’s primary support is from the residents of Netanya, though donations from elsewhere will be greatly appreciated. The goal is to raise NIS 360,000. Tickets for the dinner are NIS 350 per person and NIS 600 for a couple.

■ SOME SONGS remain timeless, surviving from generation to generation without actually entering into the category of folk songs, but nonetheless becoming permanent fixtures in the musical legacy of a nation or even in universal music circles – where old Russian folk songs never go out of style. The same holds true of French songs made popular by Edith Piaf or the songs sung during World War II by Vera Lynn. The most immortal songs of Israel are those based on verses from the Psalms. The tunes may change, but the lyrics don’t. Arguably in second place locally, are songs about Jerusalem, one of which is “Me’l aPisgat Har Hatzofim” (From the Summit of Mount Scopus) written a century ago by Avigdor HaMeiri and made popular by enduring singer Yehoram Gaon. 

The song was also for many years the hymn of Mount Scopus College, a pioneer Jewish Day School in Melbourne, Australia currently celebrating its 75th anniversary year. According to a report in Yediot Aharonot, HaMeiri’s grandson Yoni Shapira found two additional verses to the song, which were not included in its recorded or print formats, but which apply to the current situation. 

Shapira therefore wants Gaon to re-record the song with the missing two verses which relate to the need for Jewish unity because without it the Third Temple cannot be built. Shapira believes that if Gaon agrees, chances for unity will improve over the coming year.