MERCIFUL NATION

Saturday 2nd May 

I entitled my last post "Miracle Nation"  but this week I want to add another descriptive title, Israel the  "Merciful Nation". Last Shabbat our peace was again shattered by the news of yet another terrible disaster in the world, the massive earthquake in Nepal. While most of us merely watched the reports coming in on TV, others sprang to their feet, grabbed their emergency kits and headed out to their rallying points, ready to set off to aid the Nepali people in their hour of need. By nightfall the same day, 260 Israeli military personnel, including 50 doctors, and a transport plane, containing a full 100 bed field hospital with operating theatres, x-ray and other equipment, were ready to go. I believe they might well have been the first foreign response teams to arrive on the scene had the Nepalese runways been open for landings. As it was they had to wait until Monday before they could fly out. They are now in Nepal busy setting up a complete field hospital in Katmandu and helping the Nepalese with search and rescue.   

 



Members of the IDF rescue mission wait in Ben Gurion International Airport (Photo: Yoav Zitun)

 

 



Even before that our government, embassy staff and emergency personnel were busy finding and assisting the estimated 600 Israeli citizens in Nepal at the time. Within 48 hours helicopters had been hired to evacuate a number of babies, some of whom were premature babies needing special treatment, and their parents and transferring them onto planes to bring them home to Israel. They also located some climbers stranded on Mt Everest (they have since been rescued) The Israeli Embassy and the Chabad House in Katmandu threw open their doors to Israelis and  locals in need of shelter. Today all 600 or so Israelis have been flown home, except for some who chose to stay and help the Nepalis, and the one Israeli, who remains on the missing list. (His body has since been found, and he was buried here in Jerusalem today- Thursday 7th May).  

 I am always amazed how Israel does this. When Israelis are caught up in tragedy abroad we always go to their rescue and do everything possible to bring them home. I know of no other nation that does that, as one Nepali citizen waiting for evacuation at the airport commented,  
 "The sight of Israeli forces that came to rescue their citizens is unbelievable – this is the only country that treats its citizens in such a manner". http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4651339,00.html

Benyamin Netanyahu put it this way:
“Israel is operating under two principles, that Israel must help its own and that it has a responsibility to offer humanitarian assistance to Nepal and other countries around the world."
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/11-Israelis-remain-unaccounted-for-in-quake-hit-Nepal-amid-reports-of-violence-from-locals-399425

At times like this I feel incredibly proud to be Israeli. Yet I was saddened to note that when on the BBC they listed the nations that were sending aid to Nepal, for some unknown reason (!), Israel was omitted. The same thing happened after the terrible earthquake in Haiti. In spite of the distance, Israel's search and rescue, and medical teams were the first to arrive, even ahead of those of the USA, but this fact was ignored by the majority of the international media. Israeli medical personnel stayed for months running a field hospital there, all at the expense of our own taxpayers. The world's media is always quick to accuse and blame Israel of atrocities it has supposedly committed, but turns a blind eye to all the good it does in the world.

Alan Dershowitz, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School wrote this:

Israel has proportionately more enemies than any other nation on earth. No nation has been threatened more often with divestment, boycotts, and other sanctions. No nation has generated more protests against it on college and university campuses. No nation has been targeted for as much editorial abuse from the worldwide media. No nation has been subjected to more frequent threats of annihilation. No nation has had more genocidal incitements directed against its citizens....

Indeed no nation, regardless of its size or the number of deaths it has caused, has been condemned as often by the UN and its constituent bodies. Simply put, no nation is hated as much as the Jewish nation.

Yet over the last sixty years, no nation in the world has contributed more per capita to the general welfare of the people of this planet than Israel. Israel has exported more lifesaving medical technology to the far-flung corners of the earth than any nation of comparable size. It has done more to protect the environment, to promote literature, music and the arts and sciences; and to spread agricultural advances. Its scientists and engineers have secured more patents and its high-tech entrepreneur more new listings on NASDAQ than any but the largest nations in the world. Its academics have won more international prizes, published more papers, and achieved more technological breakthroughs than any other nation of comparable size. ... *

Why is the Nation of Israel so successful? What is about Israelis that is so dynamic, and innovative?

Another headline this week asked "Why do Israelis live longer despite stress?". We are surrounded by enemies, face a difficult economic situation, live under the shadow of constant terrorist attacks, growing anti-Semitism worldwide, a hectic fast-paced lifestyle and yet, still manage to be among the countries with the longest life expectancy in the world. Ynetnews observed that, "The latest report put Israeli men in the fourth place in the world with an average life expectancy of 80.2 years, after the men of Iceland (81.2), Switzerland (80.7) and Australia (80.5). Israeli women ranked 10th with a higher life expectancy than Israeli men (84 years). An overall calculation of both sexes puts Israel in the third place with an average of 82 years – alongside countries like France, Spain, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Monaco, Luxemburg and Cyprus.". http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4650937,00.html

To what do Israelis owe this longevity? I believe it is to a large part the fact that we all feel like one big family. Even though, like in any family, we  often squabble and fight amongst ourselves, but in times of threat we truly believe we are our 'brother's keeper'. We believe that if we need help, someone will come to our aid. For instance, on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Benjamin Schlesinger, a holocaust survivor, passed away. He had only one son and few living relatives. The family were afraid that there would not be enough people present at the funeral for a minyan, the minimum number (10) of men for public prayer or the reciting of the Kaddish (prayer of mourning) to take place according to Jewish law. What happened? They posted a request on Facebook and  more than  500 people, including civilians, military and police personnel, attended the funeral. This is not an isolated incident. During last years Gaza War a lone-soldier (having no family in the country), Sgt. Sean Carmeli, was killed and 20,000 people turned up for his funeral. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4547994,00.html


Experts consulted about this longevity put it down to several factors that characterize Israeli society:

• The warm family relationships that most of us enjoy. Dr Efi Gal, a psychologist, put it this way:   "We have close relations with our family members. We live relatively close to our parents and siblings, just a few minutes to two hours away from each other. They help maintain a warm relationship."
• The cohesiveness of Israeli society in face of shared threats  Compared to other countries, the Israeli society has gotten used to living alongside war and we are not so scared of traumatic events. The group cohesiveness vis-à-vis extreme threats is very high here....
• The average Israeli's high level of optimism. Prof. Gabi Ben-Dor, sociologist, said, "Optimism affects the quality of life. People want to live, fight wars, traumas, injuries, bereavement, because they believe it will pay off in the future and is the right thing to do."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4650937,00.html

I would add a few more things to the list:

• Basic trust in God. Most Israelis, even the most secular, believe in God and have a deep belief that in the end good will win over evil. One of the catch phrases in Israeli society is ' y'hieh tov' (it will be good).  This creates a basic optimistic approach to life and provides tremendous strength in adversity.



A typical Israeli breakfast
http://creativejewishmom.typepad.com/.a/6a011570601a80970b0120a6ad1100970c-pi

• Good diet. According to the results of research published in "The Lancet Global Health" journal, Israeli nutrition was ranked ninth in the world, and best amongst western countries. The typical Israeli diet is high in fruits and vegetables, and grains, high in use of olive oil and fish,  and low in red meat proteins. The average Israeli eats salad at pretty much every meal, including breakfast. Although processed junk food is consumed by many, the amount is  less than in the USA and other Western nations. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4633821,00.html

• Excellent health services.  Our system of  health funds, based on a 6% deduction from salaries, and supplemented by government funding, with some of the best doctors and equipment in the world, and with a high focus on preventative medicine, provides all Israelis with excellent basic health care from inception to the grave.

• Resilience and determination.   The Jewish people have lived with persecution, poverty, threats to their existence, wars, the threat of extermination, banishment, exile and many other adversities for thousands of years. This has created an amazing resilience. Israelis have a determination to 'live life' and will do so with abandon, even at great risk. I have lived through two Intifadas and several wars in Israel, and have always marveled how people still go out and about and live life, going to restaurants, concerts, the beach even though there is great danger.

• A basic value of the affirmation of life.   When a Palestinian woman from Gaza, on her first visit to Tel Aviv, was asked her impressions of Israel said "the difference between you and us, is that you honor life and we honor death". That is so true. Israeli is a life affirming society. In Jewish religious law, the imperative to save a life, cancels all other laws and regulations.

 
Thursday 7 May
However this list does not include the most important factor of all, the LORD God of Israel! He said, that when He would bring back the scattered remnant from the farthest corners of the world, he would bless and prosper them, not because they deserve it, but because of His name and promises.

"And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
⁵ Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
⁶ But you shall be named the priests of the Lord,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.
⁷ Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs

Isaiah 61 

But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts.

¹² ‘For the seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
The ground shall give her increase,
And the heavens shall give their dew—I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.
¹³ And it shall come to pass
That just as you were a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing.

Zechariah 8: 11-13 

Do you think I am painting a rather too-rosy picture of Israeli society? Am I being incredibly naiive? I don't believe so. Abroad you hear so much negative press about Israel, I feel constrained to show you another side. I have lived here for 35 years and have no illusions about the people with whom I live. There is much in Israeli society that is downright rotten, and Israelis can be incredibly annoying, even obnoxious and rude,  but when the chips are down, they are just amazing. 

I want to finish with this warning. The nation that does not accept God's plan and place for Israel will be judged by the LORD God of Israel himself.

“The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls,
And their kings shall minister to you;
For in My wrath I struck you,
But in My favor I have had mercy on you.
¹¹ Therefore your gates shall be open continually;
They shall not be shut day or night,
That men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles,
And their kings in procession.
¹² For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish,
And those nations shall be utterly ruined.

Isaiah 60: 10-12

* Dershowitz, Alan "The Case Against Israel's Enemies" 2008 "Wiley and Sons, NJ

A WEEK IN THE CITY OF PEACE

 

 It has been a week of tragedy here in Jerusalem and for Israel as a whole. It began with the funerals of the four Israeli victims of the snow storm in Nepal which killed around 40 other trekkers and injured many others. The four Israeli victims were Tamar Ariel, Agam Luria, Nadav Shoham, and Michal Gili Charkesky. Tamar Ariel was the first orthodox woman to become an Israeli Airforce Navigator.


 Agam Luria                  Tamar Ariel               Nadav Shoham          Michal Gili Charkesky

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4581131,00.html
 

Another seven injured Israelis, all suffering frostbite in varying degrees, were flown home last Saturday in a plane sent from Israel to rescue them. Israeli rescue teams also helped the Nepalese to rescue many of the injured and trapped trekkers caught in the storm.  

The week ended with another tragedy in Nepal, in which two more Israeli young people died, and four others were injured when an overcrowded bus toppled off the road and fell 200m into a ravine. The two Israeli young women who were killed were Shira Dabush and Omer Shemesh. According to the Walla news site, Israeli travel agencies reported that these two women had planned to travel to the Annapurna region, but changed their plans after the deadly snow storms of the previous week.

Israel is a small country and in many ways it is like a big family. When something like this happens the whole country mourns. We all feel the loss together. In a nation which prizes its young people, it is always especially poignant when those killed are some of the nation's best. It is something of a rite of passage here for young people to travel the world after their years of national service in the army or after completing their university studies. Many venture forth on shoestring budgets to find adventure, and respite from the violence they have experienced, in the mountains and the wildernesses of the world.  For many it is a spiritual oddessy. It is a sad fact that sometimes, too often, they do not come home alive.



Haya Zisel - Braun

Just as tragic, perhaps even more so, is the death of one precious baby this week, a 3 month old girl, Haya Zisel-Braun who never got to live her life. She never got to go to kindergarten, much less university, or travel abroad with her friends. Her last great adventure was her very first visit with her parents to pray at the Western Wall. On their way home she was struck by a car driven by a terrorist as her parents were alighting from the Light Rail train  at the Ammunition Hill stop in East Jerusalem. Seven others were also injured, some seriously.




 Haya's funeral - Such a tiny corpse
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/25442/Default.aspx

Overnight and throughout the day following the death of Haya there were numerous incidents of rioting, and the throwing of stones, Molotov cocktails and fireworks around the city. On Thursday morning a Jewish kindergarten was bombarded with rocks, while the children huddled frightened inside.

Since then the city has been tense and there have been many other incidents of violence. I came home on Thursday to find a surveillance blimp hovering over my neighborhood. Our little shopping center at the end of my street had come under attack by stone throwing youths from the neighboring Arab village of Jebel Mukaber, one of the several 'hotspots' in the city.

Even as I am writing reports are coming in of more incidents this evening:

Riots broke out on Saturday evening in several locations throughout Jerusalem, where several dozen masked men threw Molotov cocktails and rocks, blocked a road and set fire to trash bins near the Beit Orot yeshiva, located near the At-Tur neighborhood.

Assailants also hurled stones at the Jerusalem Light Rail traveling the Beit Hanina-Shuafat line, shattering its windshield. No injuries were reported. Earlier in the day, youths threw stones and fired fireworks at a tractor in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.

         http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4584058,00.html 

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/

Wednesday's terror attack was the worst incident of the so called "Silent Intifada" that has been raging in Jerusalem since May. Every day our city has been rocked by riots and incidents involving the throwing of rocks and Molotov cocktails and the firing of fireworks at cars, police and passersby. Since May more than 107 policemen have been injured and more than 700 Palestinians have been arrested, and yet the mainstream media has been curiously silent on the subject, even here in Israel. The silence has now been broken but it took the death of a child to do it.

One can only hope that now somehow peace can be restored to our beautiful city, and measures  will be taken by all involved to stop the escalation of violence and the incitement that feeds it. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has been reported as saying that the violence has become intolerable, and he has vowed to restore order.  On Thursday night a police spokesman said, "The police will operate decisively and show zero tolerance to anyone who tries to break the peace." He also said that, "new intelligence gathering facilities including small surveillance balloons are being deployed. He called the buildup a "strategic decision" connected to the overall situation, not a response to Wednesday's killing of the 3 month-old baby in the Ammunition Hill light rail stop attack.
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/25446/Default.aspx

 Although most of the violence has been in the vicinity of the Arab villages of East Jerusalem, and on the Temple Mount, there is an awareness that it can erupt anywhere at any time. It is very reminiscent of the time of the Second Intifada. There is  a feeling that at any moment the man walking along the street beside you, or sitting beside you on the bus, or in the car that pulls up alongside you at the traffic light could turn out to be a terrorist. Surveillance camera footage of the terror attack that killed Haya Zisel-Braun was broadcast on all our TV news reports this week. It showed us all how easily and quickly a normal, every day situation can become the scene of violence and death. With no warning a car just swerves out of its lane and plows into a crowded bus stop. It also demonstrates all too clearly just how impossible it is to predict or prevent such attacks.

On the whole most Jerusalem citizens are stoic and are just going about their lives normally. We are, after all, fairly used to such things. However it is wearying and increases stress levels. The Jerusalem Post reported that one Israeli woman interviewed at the site of the Ammunition Hill bus stop attack said, "I feel like an attack could happen at any moment". Another said, "I won’t let the terrorists terrorize me".  A resident of Ma'ale Adumim who uses that light rail train stop every day to get to and from work, had this to say, "The last time I felt this way was 10 years ago [during the Intifada] . I feel fear not only here, but everywhere in Jerusalem. They [Arab terrorists] are around us all the time – on the bus, the train, in the streets. It feels 100 percent that an attack could happen at any moment...I need to come here every day, and now I have to look behind my back for them [Arab terrorists].”http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Jerusalem-residents-afraid-but-stoic-after-attack-379714





http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/25/Iran-acid-attack-suspects-freed-as-lack-of-evidence.html#slide=3
It is perhaps very apt that this week's Parasha (Torah reading) is the story of Noah. It is in this story that the word for violence (hamas) first appears in Scripture.

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.   So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 

And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

                  Genesis 6: 11-13

It is hard to conceive of a world more violent than ours at this time. It seems it is all around us.  I have spoken of the violence in Jerusalem but failed to mention the violence occurring all around us in the surrounding nations - terror attacks in Egypt, civil war in Syria spilling over into Lebanon, the ongoing fight against the "Islamic State", the threat of a nuclear Iran and more.  Neither did I mention the two soldiers who were injured on Wednesday by terrorists firing across the border from the Sinai, or the attack on the Canadian parliament. Yet, as the story of Noah tells us, God watches over the innocent and rescues them. The God of Israel has promised never to leave nor forsake those who rely on Him. Terrorists and the enemies of God may kill us but they can never separate us from the love of God.

I was deeply moved this week by an account of an incident that occurred in one of the towns held by the 'Islamic State' forces. A group of former Muslim converts to Christianity were being held by IS soldiers, who were threatening to kill their children if they did not recant their new faith in Jesus. They all denied their faith in order to save their children.  However when the children were offered their freedom if they would recant their faith in Jesus, the children refused, and immediately the soldiers killed them right there  in front of their parents. 

I was humbled by this true story. Such faith in the children! Such courage, and how deeply they knew and loved the Lord! It made me tremble. What would I have done?

What would you do?