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Letter from Jerusalem - after the Snows
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| Last
uploaded : Friday 5th Mar 2004 at 22:41 |
| Contributed
by : Sheila Raviv |
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Dear Friends,
Today I have decided to write only about good things! I know some of you may be surprised to know that we have good things but the truth is that they outweigh the bad by huge proportions.
Firstly, we had a "sharav" or heatwave; it came along with the first of March and is on its way already. It caused the trees to suddenly show their first green leaves and the tulips flower in one dramatic red carpet. It also warmed our bones and made us all smile!! This evening the winds are strong but the air is so balmy that we had supper out on the veranda, overlooking the twinkling lights of Jerusalem as she goes about her Thursday night enjoyment.
David de la Rosa was the Colombian Ambassador to Israel. He finished his tour of duty after 3 years and returned to Colombia. Only when he returned to Colombia did he recognise the truth and last week he came on Aliya to Israel!He said that the pull was so strong to live here because it is the safest place on earth and it is the Jewish homeland. Welcome Ambassador de la Rosa, welcome home. We are proud to have you here.
It is hard to describe Saul and Lucy Same. They live in Australia and are true Zionists, not what my Mummy would call "armchair" Zionists, Saul and Lucy are truly the epitome of Jewish love and tradition with a warm and proudly traditional family. Every so often they call us from Melbourne; sometimes to tell us that they are on the way; sometimes just because they think of us. They love Zvi and have taken me into their hearts as part of him. These wonderful people, both in their 80's travel the long route from Australia at least once a year and take part in conferences and visit all around, just breathing in the air and atmosphere they love so much. Thank you lovely people, you make it all worthwhile.
Kinneret [seriously injured suicide bomb victim]is feeling great! Not that she has suddenly and miraculously lost all her injuries, or that the terrible scarring has dissipated into the ether, but the operations she underwent in Boston, in Dr Feldman's clinic, have shown her that there is hope. Hope that she will look like a normal young woman again; hope that people will not stare any more; hope that the terrible irritation which the healing skin brings forth will ultimately go away. It is a long hard road but she will reach the prize at the end. Many people have been incredibly kind but no-one, no-one can understand the depth of trauma the family passed. "Life is a before and after experience" said Yaffa. However, when Kinneret can look herself in the mirror again?the after will be closer to the before?.at least on the outside.
I am going to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bridging the Rift project sponsored by Stanford and Harvard Universities on the border between Israel and Jordan. The centre will be a place of higher learning with a higher objective ? learning to learn together toward a better future in the Middle East. I will tell you all about it next week. We start with a meeting with Prime Minister Sharon then go to the ceremony followed by a meeting (again) with King Abdulla in Jordan. It promises to be a very busy day!
As I look around me I thank G-d for what he has given us. We have to understand that this land is a gift from G-d and we must do all we can to protect the State of Israel. We have to cherish it and be proud of it, like Ambassador de la Rosa and Saul and Lucy Same. Shabbat Shalom.
Sheila
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