Exploring Israel - Rishon LeZion

Rishon is the Hebrew word for first. Rishon LeZion - First of Zion. And boy, if there was ever a town that lived up to its name, it's Rishon LeZion. Rishon LeZion is about an hour's drive from Greater Jerusalem and even closer to Tel Aviv. It's a great, interesting and picturesque city to visit. LET'S GO!

Rishon LeZion's name comes from the phrase in Isaiah 41:27, "We are the first to Zion, and will bring good tidings to Jerusalem."

Rishon LeZion was the first colony founded by the First Aliyah (Wave of Immigration) in 1882 and today is Israel's fourth largest city. Conditions were very harsh during its first years, and it survived, B"H, thanks to the patronage of Baron Edmund de Rothschild.

And today, it has one of the highest quality of living in the country.

First First First

The museum of Rishon LeZion has a terrific exhibition of the country's firsts, all of which began right there in Rishon.

Israel's national flag - kachol v'lavan (blue & white) was flown for the first time in 1885 at Rishon LeZion's third anniversary celebration. The flag was inspired by the tallit, and incorporated the Magen David (star/shield of David). The Rishon LeZion museum says that the flag was actually made from the tallit of Rishon LeZion founder Zeev Abramovitch.

In 1886, Rishon LeZion's school was the first one to speak and teach in Hebrew.

Hatikva was sung for the first time in Rishon LeZion in 1888. The poem Hatikva was changed a bit by the teachers in Rishon LeZion's school, and the song eventually became Israel's national anthem.

The Baron deRothschild built the country's first winery in Rishon LeZion in 1888. The industry did not prosper until decades later. Today, the winery still stands, but it no longer produces wine.

The First "Keren Kayemet" National Fund was created there in 1889. Its aim was to collect money to strengthen Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel. In 1901, twelve years after teh founding of Rishon LeZion's Keren Kayemet, the Zionist Federation established the Keren Kayemet LeIsrael, which still operates today.

Park and Walk

There are so many beautiful streets to walk through in Rishon. First of all, you've got to see the museum, mentioned above. Then there's the Street Museum. Yes, every few buildings has a sign to clue you in on the history of the place - the first barber shop, the synagogue, the first kiosk, the secret meeting place of the Haganah. There is also a palm tree park that is just luscious. Many people were walking along the park, which leads to the winery, a beautiful building.

The synagogue is impressive, and if you're lucky enough to be there when it's open, go inside. The stained glass around the bet knesset is just lovely.

There's the first theater and the well where Rishon found water for the first time. It was the discovery of this water that enabled the settlement to survive.

Alongside the Rishon LeZion Museum, there is also a home of one of the founders of the town. It is restored to its original state, and gives you a real look at what life was like then.

In addition, the Municipality Building is beautiful, modern and has a changing art exhibit downstairs.

We really enjoyed Rishon LeZion, and suggest it as a wonderful day trip. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy it under the palms.

Exploring Israel - Ashdod

Come on along for a day near the ocean. Let's go!

There are so many things to do in Ashdod, I have to admit, we didn't have time to catch them all. I'd like to go back again to see the rest of the city.

As we drove into Ashdod, we were greeted by a giant figure of Jonah the prophet and the whale that swallowed him. You see, Ashdod is the site of Jonah's tomb, high on a hill above the sea.

The site is even indicated on the Medba map, a famous sixth century Greek map. It reads, "The holy Jonah." On the top of the 53-meter high hill, there is a lighthouse facing the port of Ashdod that the Ashdod Municipality said, sends a beam of light out for a distance of 27 km. During the British Mandate, British officers used this point as the perfect look out to prevent "illegal Jewish immigrants" from entering British Mandate Palestine.

By the Sea

Jonah's Hill towers right over the port of Ashdod, Israel's busiest cargo port. Ships were lined up all along the docks, and cargo crates and equipment were everywhere.

Ashdod was always a sea city. From the time that we hear about it, even before it was a Philistine town, back in Bible days, sea people traded there.

In my blog about Lachish, I reminded everyone that Ashdod was one of the five Philistine cities. It was part of the territory of Yehuda, which Sargon II destroyed. When Ezra and Nechemia returned from Babylonia, it was rebuilt as part of the kingdom of Judea.

It was later surrendered to Alexander the Great. And then was liberated again by the Hasmonean kingdom. It was destroyed again by the Romans. It was rebuilt by the Turks as Isdod. And the British Mandate turned it into an important maritime city once again. During the War of Independence in 1948, the Jewish forces pushed the Egyptian Army away from Ashdod by the Ad Halom bridge explosion.

The Israeli government's master plan for Ashdod was launched in 1954 with the decision to create a modern deep-water port and a power station there. In fact,t he entire city was carefully planned before the first settler moved in. But it didn't begin in a big way - in 1956, only 22 North African families became the first pioneers.

It's come a long way since then. Ashdod, Israel's fifth largest city, has 17 neighborhoods and 250,000 residents today. Wow.

Immigrants constitute about 32% of its population, and half of its population is under 40.

Park and Walk

We parked the car and walked around. The buildings are beautiful, very Miami Florida-ish. The boulevards are wide and full of palm trees. There are bicycle routes and plenty of love walks for a vacation stroll. There are both high-risers and private homes, loads of shopping centers and cafes. And of course, it has a beautiful marina and a seaside promenade that just goes on and on.

When you go to Ashdod, make sure you go on a Wednesday! That's when all the action happens in Ashdod. First of all, the Russian residents bring out their wares for a street sale. You can pick up everything from those Russian babushka dolls that sit in one another (made in China, :) ) to Russian clothing (I got a Russian costume for my granddaughters to play dress up) to Russian books and videos.

I also bought a pin for my pin collection. I could have gotten a pin of Stalin or the communist party, but I opted for a pin of Moscow. We also bought some old coins. The collection of stuff varies every week, but it's always interesting, and I think these folks could probably use the business, so it's probably a mitzvah too.

Wednesday is also the day for the sea-side shuk. Hundreds of vendors are lined up by the ocean, right near the famous Ashdod Sundial Tower. In the shade of the sundial, which still works, if you know how to read it, vendors sell everything you can think of.

It's a giant fleamarket, and they've got Mincha at 1 PM in the toy store.

One of the most memorable moments in Ashdod was our walk through the flea market. Suddenly a young man arrived, carrying a sefer Torah. He walked through the market, and said hello to everyone, and people just kept walking over to him to kiss the Torah. He was a very smiley guy, and he said he just came to give people the opportunity to kiss the Torah and get a bracha. That was really very nice.

After we shopped around the flea market, we stopped in the Sundial Tower rest rooms. I'm mentioning this, because you have to pay the lady sitting there 2 NIS to use the facilities. For that sum, she gives you a piece of toilet tissue. Quaint.

Then we picnicked on the promenade by the beach. There were quite a few ships at sea, and quite a few kids surfing. The day was gorgeous, the wind off the water felt terrific.

A Bit of Culture

We stopped to see the beautiful Municipality Building, the Municipal Cultural Center, the Palace of Culture, Yad Lebanim, and the Memorial Center. The architecture is just stunning. It screams, "Take my picture," and so I obliged.

There are also two malls back to back (Culture? Well, everyone likes malls).

We did not make it to Ashdod's two museums - the Ashdod Museum of Art Monart Center (8 Derech HaAretz) and the Ashdod Museum (16 Hashayatim St.) - so we'd like to return to see them one of these days.

And if we're lucky, perhaps we'll be in Ashdod when they host their yearly International Festival of Ballroom Dancing, or the Mediterranean Festival or perhaps the Internationa Chess Festival. Ashdod is an exciting place, and we hope to return to take advantage of more of Ashdod's fun points. Perhaps you will too.

Exploring Israel - Motza

When vacation is here, my family and I love to explore Israel. There are so many fascinating cities and towns, each founded at a different point is Israel's history, each with a different character and a different look.

There are so many places within Israel that are only a car-ride away.

LET'S GO!!

Mo Mot Motz Motza

We drove about 15 minutes to Motza, an ancient and renewed town. Our first stop was the site of a mikveh from the First Temple period. We parked our car on the road and walked down to the place of the mikveh. We had a good chuckle when we saw a NaNachNachman car and trailer there with three Breslover Chassidim selling sefarim (books) there.

We actually bought a book of prayers for special occasions from them.

I asked them to whom they were selling books in the middle of nowhere? They said that this actually a very popular and trafficked place. They said that pilgrim passers-by on the way to the Temple Mount would stop at the Motza mikveh. One of the Breslovers said that once there was so much water that two more mikvaot were built along side the first. "Now," he said, "The water has trickled down to only enough for the first mikveh."

Next to the mikveh, the Breslovers put up a curtain so that people could tovel (purify themselves) in the mikveh in privacy.

Super Old and Old Motza

We walked along the road toward Jerusalem for about two minutes when we came to a small building that once was a Khan (way station) and now served as a synagogue. The Khan itself was built on an ancient Roman village and a Crusader fortress. There are relics of Jews living in Motza all the way up to the First Temple period. The name Motza was found there on a ceramic clay jug from 800 BCE.

Motza is actually at the center of a very wide field with remnants of an old farming town thousands of years old. The town is mentioned in the Books of Joshua (18:26), Chronicles and in the Mishna.

The Talmud says that arava (willow) from Motza was brought to the altar on the Temple Mount for Sukkot, and the people of Motza were exempt by the king from paying taxes.

According to Josephus, Titus lived in Motza along with a population of 800 then. Motza became the place from which the Romans ruled.

During the Ottoman Empire, Motza was a resting station on the way to Jerusalem.

In 1850 Shaul Yehuda ben Shlomo, Yechezkel Yehuda (an immigrant from Bavel) and David Yellin (from Poland) bought land and water rights in Colonia (Motza).

They wanted to live in Motza and be self-sufficient. In this new era, Motza became the first place that Jews bought land. And Yellin was the first Jew who worked the land with his own hands. (The Ottomans forbade any sale of land to someone not Ottoman, so Jews who wanted to buy land, had to use tricks, pay graft and favors from James Fine of the British Consulate.
In 1861, they officially owned the land. They built a structure to house camels and donkeys of travels from Yaffo to Jerusalem.
In 1863, the Sheikh of the ara Mustafa Abu Ghosh destroyed all the buildings and disrupted all the commerce there until he was paid off.
Yehuda Ben Shalom, Yechezkel Yehuda and David Yellin paid production money to him. Shaul Yehuda gave up. He didn't see any blessing from his work, and he left the business. (Unfortunately he died of pneumonia at age 24.)
In 1866, the British finalized the purchase of the land, and David Yellin's son and Shaul Yehuda's brother inherited the land. In that same year, Yellin's workers were plowing the field when they hit a metal ring. Pulling it up, they saw it was attached to the cover of a chimney from an old building. They uncovered the building and found a Byzantine Roman structure completely intact.
They also found an ancient deep well with a tremendous amount of water.
The Turks paved a road from Yaffo to Jerusalem in 1869. Yellin built a second floor and large open porch. The lower floor was used as a stable. Before they paved the road, the trip from Jerusalem to Motza took about two hours. Riders rested their horses there before driving on to Jerusalem.
In addition, during those days the Walls around Jerusalem closed at dark, and Motza became a resting place for those who didn't think they could make it to Jerusalem before dark.
Between 1880 and 1881, Yellin tried to use the resources they had and create a factory there making roof tiles. This was the first factory outside the walls of Jerusalem, but the rooftiles cracked adn the business failed, closing after two years, and losing a fortune.
In 1890 Yellin sold the building to Bnei Brit and he built himself a little house for living quarters. It stands behind the synagogue.
This has recently come a museum, but unfortunately, it wasn't open when we were in Motza. You have to call before you come in order to see the house. (Next time.)
Families came and went in Motza, and we found out that one family that lived in the Khan itself, was the family of Israel Katz.
Khan to Synagogue
The Khan was turned into a synagogue more than a hundred years ago. The renovation was financed by 150 tourists from Hungary and Eastern Europe in 1905. They gave 3000 gold francs for the shul and school in the moshava.
The first farming families of Motza were very religious. Despite the fact that there was a famine and hunger, they did not work the land during Shemitta (sabbatical for the land).
Services are still held in Motza's synagogue daily.
We visited between the hours of prayer, and we walked around the synagogue. The walls are filled with clips about Motza's synagogue as well as notes of thank to those who donated to the shul.
It was renovated in 1961 and again in 1983.


Treasure in Motza
Inside the shul, we came upon a treasure - a book by Mazal Marseline Albucha. It was a giant volume dedicated tot he synagogue in 2009. Born in 1920 in Gruzia, Istanbul, Mazal's life story is told from Istanbul to Motza.
Over 60 years of writings are included in the book - invitations, notes from children, stories about members of the community. The book is a personal history of Motza in 1068 pages. Glancing through the book, we truly felt like we were being a personal tour of Motza and its community.
When we left the shul, we drove around the present day Motza. It is very rich in flowers and trees with all kinds of houses. As we drove around, the looks on people's faces seemed to say, "Look at that, outsiders!" It didn't seem that very many visitors ever venture their way. And perhaps that's as it should be, because the quiet unspoiled characteristic just seemed right for Motza.

Threat2

Just as the Jewish people faced a cruel and brilliant enemy more than two thousand years ago in Shushan, we face his descendants today, scattered throughout the Middle East.In my previous blog, I mentioned that lectures at the Jerusalem Conference made me realize on how many different fronts Israel was forced to fight. The Arabs are no longer attacking Israel with only guerilla warfare or kassams. Today they are fighting in varied physical and psychological ways, challenging Israel in every way possible.Front Seven - Longer and Longest Range MissilesAs the Arabs' hardware for war becomes more sophisticated, more of the country shakes in fear as every major city - Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheva are in missile range from enemy terrain.
Front Eight - The Territorial Conflict
The Arab nations claim the Land of Israel for their own. Syria wants the Golan Heights down to and including the Kinneret. The only way they say they'll negotiate with us is if we walk to the table agreeing in advance that we will go down from the Golan Heights and give up the Kinneret as well. The Lebanese want border towns in the North. The Palestinian Authority is pushing for Judea and Samaria (they already got Gaza and turned it into a giant terrorist base) and Eastern Jerusalem.Israel keeps saying no to dividing Jerusalem, but meanwhile the Arabs have already built the skeleton of a giant capital building in Eastern Jerusalem. We keep saying, "no", and they keep continuing toward their goal.PA President Mahmoud Abbas says he will not negotiate with Israel unless building in Judea and Samaria is totally frozen (not just for ten months) and frozen in Eastern Jerusalem as well.
Front Nine - The Religious Conflict
Palestinian Media Watch's director Itamar Marcus said that the conflict with the Arabs goes beyond territory. "Is the conflict a territorial or religious conflict? If it's territorial, there can be a compromise. But if it's from Allah, there's no compromise."So, which is it? Itamar said, "In a new 'Palestinian' school book for 2006-2007, it says, we have a religious war until the revival of the dead."en speaking about Moslem tensions in the world, often the term "clash of civilizations" is brought up. Some speakers at the Jerusalem Conference explained that the Moslems are really at war with the west in a clash of ideology. Meanwhile, Israel is taking the brunt of Moslem jihad, and muftis in mosques throughout Israel preach the destruction of the Jewish people.Itamar noted, "'Palestinian' media said that Jews are the enemy of humanity, and so they must be killed." Front Ten - The Local Arab Front
Not only does Israel have to worry about the Arabs in its neighboring countries, Gaza and Judea and Samaria, but it also has to be more vigilant in regard to its Israeli Arabs. Over the past years, more Israeli Arabs than ever are involved in terrorist attacks directly or indirectly. Bedouins are also becoming larger threats to the State of Israel. Not only are they stealing everything they can, and smuggling goods and prostitutes into the country. They are also smuggling in weapons. Front Eleven - Bedouins & Druze
For many years, Bedouins and Druze have been looked on as quaint National Geographic type groups. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. Bedouins are implicated in more than theft. They are becoming more involved in Arab attacks and plots against Israel and the Jewish people.

More to come. Stay tuned.

Threat1

Israel is always examing the strategic threat against its borders and its people. It seems the threat is growing all the time from every direction. From near and far – Hamas, Fatah, Bedouin, Hizbullah, Syria, Iran, etc.. Our security forces do their best to face all these threats, and we must do our part in calling out to Hashem to protect and defend us.

Anyone with clarity of vision can see that the dangers around us are so complex and layered that no Army, political strategy, or creative concessions can really protect us.

[It’s like the atomic bomb drills that American children in the 60s endured. The Public Address system announced, “Atomic bomb drill. Children get under your desks and cover your heads.” We all did it very seriously and quietly. The government pronounced the drills a major success. The country was satisfied that we were safe from atomic bombs. Well, Honey (please say that with Uptown Attitude – hun-ay!!), ain’t no desk gonna save little kids from an atomic bomb.] And ain’t no great plan gonna save Israel from an entire world of wolves descending upon it, except The Great Plan.

Strategic Thinking

Every year, I am privileged to attend the Jerusalem Conference. National leaders, politicians, generals, experts in every national field and brilliant thinkers (I mean that seriously) attend. In hours of sessions about the state of Israel and Jerusalem today, the global economic crisis, the Israel-Arab problem, the Arab-Arab problem, war in the 21st century, war on the college campuses, many ideas and positions were put forward.

Of course, most speakers emphasized the threat from the Arabs within our borders and without. A workshop this past year on the missile threat upon Israel was particularly compelling.

Something said by Dr. Uzi Rubin started my mind racing. Dr. Rubin, former head of Israel’s Missile Defense Organization said, “Our opponent has never given up [on its mission to destroy Israel]. It has just changed its strategy, wearing us down with guerillas and wearing us down with rocket fire.”This statement was totally true. Dr. Rubin surely realized that the enemy was even cleverer than any of us had given him credit for. But the source of their genius is even more than missiles and suicide belts. The Arab enemy has a brilliant simultaneous multi-multi-level pronged attack on the Jewish people and the Jewish nation that is calculated and far-reaching.During Israel’s past wars, we have had to fight on many fronts simultaneously. The next confrontation, chas v’shalom, will make that seem like a children’s exercise.

Front One – Arab Psychological Attacks Against Israel’s Weakest Links

Just as Amalek attacked the weakest Israelites in the rear of the camp, so the Arabs today attack the conscience of our weakest people – those with neither faith nor heritage nor roots from which to gain strength. The enemy hammers away at them hourly with their deceitful message: if only Jews weren’t occupying Arab land, if only Jews wouldn’t build here or there, if only Jerusalem were divided, if only Israel would agree to share sovereignty over the Land… Yes, they creatively attack from every direction, even our brightest but disconnected Jews fall into their trap. For example, Channel 2 TV senior commentator on Arab Affairs Ehud Ya’ari actually told the Jerusalem Conference that Israel should explore alternative ideas proposed by the Arabs.

For example, “The ‘Palestinians’ are talking about parallel statehood on the same territory with each nation responsible for its own citizens.” Can you imagine that? It’s difficult enough for two women to share the same kitchen, but somehow two kings can share the same kingdom.

But the Arab attack on Jewish conscience/intellect is working, and unfortunately we hear Jewish calls to freeze settlement construction, abandon parts of our G-d given land and even our capital, and as Ehud Ya’ari suggested, we should “force the ‘Palestinians’ into sovereignty.”

Front Two - Traditional Arab Terror

The Arabs’ traditional methods of terror – bombings, stabbings, shootings, mutilations – have succeeded in frightening some of our population into just wanting to give the Arabs anything they want. Anything, just stop hitting us. But this has grown a bit tiresome. It used to be that a terror attack received front page attention. Now, it has moved to Page Six.

Front Three - Arab Psychological Preparation of its Own People

Itamar Marcus, director of Palestinian Media Watch, http://www.palwatch.org/, explained to the Jerusalem Conference that the Palestinian Authority is not preparing its people to live side by side with Israel. On the contrary, through every facet of public information – newspapers, schools, text books, sports events, television – they are teaching their public that there is no Israel, and if there is an Israel, it is an illegitimate one.

For example, their weekly show, “Going Back” is dedicated to refugees and their mission to return to their former cities. Their TV shows reinforce the idea of “Palestine” with anever present logo of the Temple Mount.

Front Four – Arab Preparation of Their Next Generation

Israeli schools are constantly teaching our children the message of peace. It is the preeminent goal for which we strive. Our counterpart Arab schools are doing opposite, Itamar Marcus explained. Even one of their newest textbook for 2010 says, “The war of ‘Palestine’ ended with Zionist groups robbing ‘Palestine’.” Itamar stated, “The problem is ’48, not ’67.” He showed a clip from PA children’s TV. On a quiz show, the children are asked, “Where is Palestine’s most important port? Haifa, Jaffo….?” The message is constant, there is no Israel, only ‘Palestine’.

He added, two months ago on the fifth anniversary of Arafat’s death, PA TV interviewed Arab children. One after the other little children declared that the Jewish people killed Arafat. They poisoned him, etc. One little boy said, “I don’t know what he died of, but I know the Jews caused it.” Itamar said, “He got the message. Something bad must be connected and caused by the Jews.”

Front Five – Kassams and Short Range Terror

In addition to closest range shootings, bombings, stabbings, the Arabs of Gaza began years ago with short range kassams. Once kassams were cheap home-made missiles that were fired upon Gush Katif communities and their neighboring cities of the Sderot region. Thousands upon thousands of Arab-fired kassams have killed Jews in Southern Israel and caused hundreds of thousands of traumatized Jews to sleep in shelters and doorways and anywhere they felt “safe”. Now even kassams are getting more sophisticated. They are imported from different countries, including manufacturing giant China.

Dr. Uzi Rubin explained, “Hamas began with home-made rockets and moved to factories. The range [of kassams] has improved to 40-60 kilometers. Half of the population of Israel is under rocket range.”In addition, he said, “Now they are firing missiles simultaneously in batches. They have a larger potential for mass-destruction.”

Front Six – Grads, Katyushas and Long Range Terror

Dr. Rubin noted, “Arabs are increasing the abilities of their hi-tech and low tech.” Hi-tech are the more advanced grads, katyushas from Lebanon, scud missiles from Syria. “The enemy looked for new ways of warfare. Some missile ranges grow longer, and some rocket ranges grow shorter.” Longer range missiles mean that larger population centers are in missile range. Shorter range rockets mean there is less (if any) warning time.

Yes, he noted that there are Arrow, Patriot, Magic Wand and Iron Dome defense systems. But…More to Discuss

There are seven more fronts to discuss: the Territorial Front, the Religious Front, The Local Arab Front, the International Friends Front, the Underdog Front, the Threat Front.

They will all be discussed more fully on my blog: http://voices-magazine.blogspot.com/ and in Voices on-line publication, IY”H, at http://www.voices-magazine.com/ .

With thirteen fronts threatening the Jewish people, it is very clear that just as our ancestors throughout our generations, the Jewish People today are living in very perilous times. And yet, we can look at the actions of Esther, Mordechai and our ancestors throughout history, we must understand that our greatest Defender, our most powerful Friend, and the One upon Whom we have always depended is not sitting in the White House or anywhere else on this earth. But He is very near and ready to help if we will understand and call upon Him.

Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion explained that miracles were built in to Israel’s plans for our nation. We should remember that.

Kosher on the Continent

Since my return last week from Europe, I have wanted to write to you about Hermolis.Com. (Nooooo, I don't get a percentage, or even a company pen. I just am so grateful to them for making out stay in England so simple.) Hermolis provided all our meals in London - breakfast, lunch and dinner. They even sent over a delicious Hermolis birthday cake for my sister's birthday.

Every morning we arose to a delicious breakfast with everything we needed - yogurt, eggs, fruit salad, orange juice, etc. For lunch they sent us sandwiches for our tiyulim (tours). And at night, our dinners were just delicious - veal, roast beef, chicken.

You see, if you're not familiar with which brands are permissible, England is not the simplest place to obtain kosher food. There are few kashruth certifications on food. It's not like the US, which has certifications on every kosher product - and there are zillions.

In London, you can get tons of certified CHALAL food (that's kosher for Muslims), but Jewish kashruth certificates were not that readily visible.

My friend forwarded me to a book about keeping kosher in England. I kept it with me at all times, but using the book wasn't as easy as you'd think. Many items/stores are just not even mentioned.

The Hermolis Giant

Then, there was Hermolis.

Hermolis began as a restaurant operator almost 50 years ago. Today Hermolis and Company Ltd is Europe's largest manufacturer of Kosher foods.
Its food is under the kashruth supervision of "Kedassia" which is the most stringent religious organisation in this country and accepted worldwide.

They deliver their delicious food all over Europe. For a kosher traveler, that's a real bracha (blessing).

If you're going traveling in the upcoming year, stop worrying where your next meal will come from. Just contact www.hermolis.com and let them do the rest. Just remember your camera.

History and Me - Lachish Destroyed, Lachish Rebuilt - Part 1

I think we all know that all of life and history is interconnected. So how do I fit in with Lachish, the Assyrians and Gush Katif? Have a long listen!

As I left the British Museum two weeks ago, after a day of historical window-hopping, I saw ME hanging on the wall. Well, I thought it was me. About eight years ago, in the second Raise Your Spirits theater production, ESTHER and the Secrets of the King's Court, I played the semi-wicked, semi-bright King Achashverosh – Xerxes, to the outside world.

There on the wall of the British Museum, I thought I was looking right at my stage alter-ego. Suddenly I got my second wind, and asked my family to sit down and relax while I explored a bit further.

Reading the plaque under the wall-sculpture, I sighed in disappointment. It wasn't Achashverosh (above left, who ruled Iran when it was Persia – 486 BCE) after all, but an earlier Iranian ruler, Tiglath-pileser III (immediately left, king of Assyria in 745 BCE). Well, you can't blame me; they kind of look alike, except for the hat.
Since I was already in the Assyrian section of the museum, I thought I'd take a quick look. After Tiglath-pileser III became king of Assyria, among his many military feats, he conquered Ashkelon, one of the five Philistine cities (along with Gaza, Gath, Ekron and Ashdod). Even after our beloved scholar-warrior king David defeated the Philistines in many of their strongholds, he could not remove them from Ashkelon. It took the Assyrian conqueror Tiglath-Pileser III to do so in 734 B.C.E. And so, after about 600 years in, and neighboring the Land of Israel, the Philistines finally disappeared forever, B"H. Thanks for that, T-P.
Unfortunately, this Tiglath-Pileser III started the cataclysmic destruction of the Northern Kingdom, Samaria and the Exile of the Twelve Tribes. Because of T-P and the Assyrian Kings after him, our brethren have been scattered throughout the world for thousands of years. Our nation is incomplete, and we are always searching for our lost kinsmen.

Who were these Assyrian conquerors? As I walked further through the Assyrian section, I drifted into a room that stunned me. I had read about it in the spell-binding book Purim and the Persian Empire by Yehuda Landy, but seeing it in real life was so much more powerful. Yehuda Landy wrote, "In Sennacherib's palace at Nineveh, a central room was dedicated to his siege and conquest of the Judean city of Lachish [in the northern Negev near Ashkelon and Kiryat Gat]. It was one of Sennacherib's major campaigns, taking place during the sixth year of his reign, in which he marched his entire army from Nineveh to Judea."

Continue to Lachish Part 2

History and Me - Lachish 2

LACHISH??

Lachish? Why on earth would the mighty warrior and king Sennacherib dedicate an entire room in his palace in Khorsabad to the Judean town of Lachish? The Assyrian kings had conquered an empire stretching from Egypt to Iran. Sennacherib had conquered Elam in Southwestern Iran and Babylonia. But hanging over him always was the fact that his fathers before him had destroyed the majority of the Land of Israel. He must have felt that it was his destiny to finish the job.

Lachish was a city made great by King Solomon's son Rechavam. It controlled the passageway from the coast to the capital. So, not to leave anything to chance, Sennacherib marched his entire Army to Judea. He laid a mega-siege to Lachish, and when he conquered it, ahhhhhhh, he probably believed, this was the beginning of the complete subjugation of all of Judea, and ultimately Jerusalem. So intoxicated was he with his own power and domination after the capture of Lachish, he actually dedicated an entire room in his palace at Khorsabad (next to ancient Nineveh) to this battle of 701 BC.

There around the British Museum were these sculpted reliefs of the Assyrian conquest of Lachish. They were so lifelike. I saw the faces of my brothers, anguished and weary. I saw the haughty Assyrian soldiers and their mighty war machine. I stroked the shoulders of the Jewish slaves and tried to console them through the millenia.

I slowly inched from panel to panel, engrossed in each scene, helpless to change the outcome of Sennacherib's assault.

The Capture of Lachish, according to the British Museum:

"In 701 BC, Hezekiah, king of Judah, was implicated in a rebellion against Assyrian rule in Palestine [my emphasis, because there was no Palestine then, not at all. There was Israel and Judea. So why did they write that? Does the BM have a political agenda? If so, well...changing history is not appropriate for such a respected institution.]."

"Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacked and defeated the rebels and their Egyptians allies. He did not capture Hezekiah's capital, Jerusalem, he may not even have planned to [my emphasis], but instead he devastated the very strong and important city of Lachish." (Liar, I screamed at the sign. I was wild with anger. Liar. Folks in the museum turned around. Liar, I told them Sennacherib marched against Jerusalem with 185,000 soldiers and G-d made a miracle and killed them all. Sennacherib was panting to destroy Jerusalem. That sign in the British Museum did not tell the real story. Was that an intentional political move, like calling Eretz Yisrael "Palestine" when there was no "Palestine", or was it a mistake from lack of research? I didn't know, but I was outraged. The parents took their children by the hand and sidled away from me.)
Not only did Sennacherib want to destroy Jerusalem, he was obsessed with defeating the Judean king Chezkiyahu (Hezekiah). A full two chapters of Kings II – 18 and 19 – are packed with Sennacherib's fixation on Jerusalem. First he captured Lachish and the cities of Judea. Then he sent his generals from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. They called to the Jews of Jerusalem to surrender, telling them not to delude themselves into thinking Hashem would save them. They said, no gods of any nation that the Assyrians attacked ever saved their people. Just as the Assyrians had destroyed all the lands before them, they would destroy Jerusalem. They told residents to give up, and allow the Assyrians to bring them "to a land like your land," i.e. exile them from their homeland to a faraway place.

But Hezekiah and the people prayed and repented, and the generals continued to deride Hashem (which was a b-i-g mistake). "Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the L-rd deliver Jerusalem from my hand?" (Kings II 18: 35)

Ha, a double dare, eh! So Hashem declared that the King of Assyria would not enter Jerusalem, or even shoot an arrow there or put up his ramp against it. "I shall protect this city, to save it, for My sake and for the sake of My servant David." (Kings II 19:34)

Yes, the Assyrians intended and did their best to conquer Jerusalem with a force of 185,000 warriors. And on that very night, an angel of Hashem went out and struck down the entire camp. "The rest rose in the morning and behold – they were all dead corpses!"…So after his war against Hashem, Sennacherib returned a defeated man to Nineveh, where he was killed by his own sons.

(Jerusalem and Judea were safe until Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE destroyed the Holy Temple, Jerusalem and the cities of Judea.)

Continue to Lachish Part 3

History and Me - Lachish 3

LACHISH AGAIN
At the beginning of the new State of Israel, Lachish was desolate and Arabs infiltrated from Gaza through the region. It was partially awakened in 1955 by the founding of 15 moshavim and one village. Jewish immigrants of North Africa and Arab countries were settled there to plow and plant large luxurious fields of colorful flowers and delicious grapes.
Although 15 moshavim dot Lachish's 500,000 dunams (about 193 sq. miles, 500 sq. kilometers, or 125,000 acres), it is sparsely populated with only 7,500 residents (less than my home town of Efrat alone).
But Lachish is bursting forth with life once again. Jews were expelled from Lachish 2700 years ago, and now expelled Jews are returning there. Tractors and plows are preparing the land, and workers are scrambling across its hills building homes and public structures for the expelled Jews from Gush Katif.
Five years ago to the day of this writing, 1850 families, approximately 10,000 Jews were taken by force from their homes in Jewish Gaza and brought to hotel rooms, caravans, rejected apartment buildings, and caravilla refugee sites. For five years they have suffered degradation, unemployment, underemployment, bureaucracy, illness, divorce, heartbreak, drugs, evils of society that they had never known in their paradise-like existence on the sands of Gaza.
Now finally some of the communities are in the first stages of being reborn – infrastructure has been completed in six towns, construction of the first houses has begun in nine locations. In five locations nothing has yet commenced.
Lachish is one of the regions where infrastructure has begun at one site, and nothing has moved at another.
Ultimately, according to Friends of Gush Katif, the new communities of Bnei Dekalim, Neta, Amatzia and Shomriya will bring 1,000 families to the Lachish area, IY"H, many of them from former Gush Katif communities.
Last year, my family and I attended the ground breaking of the new Bnei Dekalim town. Thousands of people attended, all eager to wish our GK friends a speedy uneventful building process. Lachish will be a tapestry of GK towns. Families of Tel Katifa and Neve Dekalim are making the Lachish town of Shekef their home. Mirsham/Neta will be the home of expelled families from Kfar Darom and Tel Katifa. Neve Dekalim refugees are full-speed ahead building Bnei Dekalim. Plans call for 500 families there. A new community Kerem Ami will a mixed secular religious town with 220 families one day, IY"H.
Bnei Dekalim, the most advanced, will live in concert with nature, and add green values on to its orange ones.
Lachish will live again in vibrancy and passion. Jews will bring enthusiasm and dedication to their national mission. And the Assyrians, where are they? Dust and a sign at a museum.

History and Me - The Sisera Discovery

A few weeks ago, a 13 year old mystery was solved. Archaeologists had uncovered a 3,200-year-old round bronze tablet with a carved face of a woman at an excavation site that they believe was Harosheth Haggoyim, the local base of Sisera, captain of the Canaanite Army of King Yavin.

Archaeologists from the University of Haifa realized that the tablet, found at the El-ahwat excavation site near Katzir, is part of a linchpin that held the wheel of a battle chariot in place.

Oren Cohen of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa was quoted as saying that the round, bronze tablet, about 2 cm. in diameter and 5 mm. thick, features a carved face of a woman wearing a cap and earrings shaped as chariot wheels.

While studying ancient Egyptian reliefs depicting chariot battles, Professor Cohen noticed unique decorations! -The bronze linchpins fastening the chariot wheels of royalty and distinguished individuals were decorated with people’s faces. Cohen explained that these faces were those of captives, foreigners and enemies of Egypt.

I disagree.
If you were Sisera, the supreme leader of the Canaanite Army, would you put the faces of enemies on your gorgeous bronze engraved chariot? I think not.

If you were Sisera, you would take into battle with you something that reminded you of the one you loved the best. That is what warriors have done throughout the generations. Knights took the scarves of their ladies fair. Fighter pilots in World War II wrote the names of the loves they left behind on the nose of their plane.

Today macho fighters write their girls' names in tattoos on their arms.

Sisera must have done something similar. On the linchpin of his chariot, he put the face that meant the most to him in the world.

History and Me

And this is where I enter history. This year the Raise Your Spirits theater company is taking the stage with its latest production "Judge, the Story of Devorah." The show's director, Toby Klein Greenwald (and a co-writer with Yael Valier), sent out notice about the find to our cast: http://www.5tjt.com/international-news/7616-archaeologists-identify-sisera-chariot-in-sefer-shoftim .

Well, in this year's play, I portray Sisera's mother. Nowhere can we find a closer relationship between a mother and son than Sisera and his Mom. The Jewish People even learn how to blow the shofar on our holiest days, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, by the 101 heart wrenching cries of Sisera's mother, when she discovers he has been killed.

The image of Sisera's super-beloved mother waiting by the window has inspired artists throughout the generation to paint that woman who loved her son more than all else. She is the ultimate mother, "Through the window she gazed; Sisera's mother peered through the window, 'Why is his chariot delayed in coming? Why are the hoof beats of the carriages so late?'" (Judges 5:28)

Okay, she was calmed by possibilities of her son's brutality, but it takes a lot to comfort such an attached mother, right? "The wisest of her ladies answered her, and she too, offers herself responses. 'Are they not finding and dividing loot? A comely [captive], for every man; booty of colored garments for Sisera, booty of colored embroidery, colored, doubly embroidered garments for the necks of the looters." (Judges, 5:29-30 - Artscroll Tanach translation)
Really...a soldier goes into battle. His goal is to destroy the enemy and then bring back his gold and silver, weapons and priceless goods. What is Sisera going to bring back? Besides the slave girls (and what mother doesn't want a few more slaves to do the laundry and the cleaning), he's bringing back colored garments and embroidery – clothing and beautiful goods that his mother would love.

If in the heat of battle, he's spending time shopping for his mother, then whose face is going to be on his chariot??….Ba ba boing – his mother's, of course!

And why am I so sure?

Because in preparing for my role as Sisera's mother, I've carefully studied the Story of Devorah, and I know my character and that of my son's very well.

Our relationship is as close as mother and son could ever be. And so, despite what the hoity toity archaeologists and scientists say about the face on the linchpin of Sisera's chariot, I know in my very soul that when my son the general goes into battle, he takes not only my image in his heart, he takes my face on his wheels.

Hey... it even looks like me.

MADA Education

Last week, the Efrat Emergency Medical Center opened its doors to the general public for an afternoon of workshops on CPR. The CPR demonstration was conceived, organized and run by Efrat Magen David Adom personnel.

Sessions ran both in Hebrew and English, as Efratians were taught the rudimentary skills of helping a child or adult who suddenly collapses or chokes.

A large number of MADA (Magen David Adom) Emergency medical personnel were on hand to demonstrate the correct CPR procedures and walk residents through the steps. The workshops were designed theoretically to make ordinary individuals feel that they can make a difference in saving someone's life.

The workshops had rubber dummies in both adult and children sizes so that residents could practice on both. There were First Aid packs available for sale, provided MADA, Jerusalem.

The evening-long initiative was a comprehensive program equipped and funded by the MADA Efrat Team and Efrat's Security Department.

A film ran in the auditorium, showing how a teenage MADA volunteer saved the life of a teacher in the local high school, thanks to the student's CPR training.

I was in awe of everyone who succeeded in understanding how to perform CPR correctly. The session made me understand the importance of CPR, and also realize that I know almost nothing about the CPR procedure. I hope I am never put to the test, but in order to save a life, if it is necessary, I need to really know CPR, and therefore, it caused me and hopefully lots of other people to register for further courses.

I signed up for a 4 hour course, but there are more comprehensive 30 hour courses and even 60 hour courses.

Thanks to all those who planned and participated in this program. Here's to a safer healthier town.

To view the VOICES TV

Positively Fabulous - Redeeming the Land

On Friday morning at Shdema (an abandoned Israeli Army Base - now used as a Jewish cultural center), 50 young people received certificates for their participation in planting almost 20 dunams of Jewish land between Alon Shvut and Elazar. This is area is called Netzer.

Agricultural Zionism!! That is one of the positive directions of the future of Am Yisrael in its Land. Especially now, when we build a house, and it is torn down because of the building freeze, planting Jewish trees and Jewish vines in Eretz Yisrael is a powerfully terrific way to lay claim to our land and help develop it.

Agricultural Zionism is also an idea that plants an even greater love of the Land/the earth of Israel in the hearts of our next generation. It's a way to renew the age-old love that our people have for our land.

Well, it's not a new idea. Jews have been engaging in Agricultural Zionism in modern history since the members of the first waves of Aliyah planted the orchards of our earliest towns, like Rishon LeZion, Netanya, Mazkeret Batya, etc.

The planting this week was part of an Agricultural Camp, set up by Women in Green and the Yibaneh Fund to begin redeeming the last 60 dunams of Jewish land between Alon Shvut and Elazar. The Arabs, along with their European Union and leftwing supporters, have been aggressively planting on this land, wanting to break the continuity between our communities.

No one has stopped the Arabs' illegal and chutzpadik (brazen) planting on Gush Etzion land, and there has been no response until 50 kids rolled up their sleeves to plant Jewish trees in the area. About 15 girls and 35 boys (in separate camps) signed up to work the land. Almost immediately there was a waiting list of 200 teenagers. (If there were more funds for more planting, more teenagers could have been accepted.) This entire week, these young people could be found on our hillsides with the homes of their friends and family in the background.

The teenagers worked very hard. The boys were all decked out in work clothes, looking like farming pros, and the girls were on the job in their flip flops and skirts! They all had blisters on the hands and sunburns on their necks. But they didn't stop. The boys worked a very large area near Elazar. The girls worked two smaller areas, both by Alon Shvut and Elazar. They dug holes in the stubbornly hard earth, laid water pipes, put down plastic coverings (so the plants could be raised organically without pesticides), and planted 36 trees and 220 vines on every dunam of land.

I visited the Netzer camps twice and watched the kids reconnecting to Eretz Yisrael. Their pride in their accomplishment was evident on their faces. Their excitement with each sapling that was planted was contageous. They knew exactly why they were planting and what the goal was - redeeming Jewish land and creating Jewish continuity between Alon Shvut and Elazar. They were well-spoken and enthusiastic. Many live in the area and said that they hoped to come during the year to see their trees. Young boy said that one day he hopes to return with his grandchildren and tell them, "Sabba planted this tree."

Congratulations to all the teenagers who participated in Yibaneh' Agricultural Camp. Congratulations to their madrichim (farming supervisors) from the Galil and Jezreel Valley who were as enthusiastic and dedicated to this project as the children. And congratulations to Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katzover who initiated this idea, being proactive in a creative way to build up the land of Israel.