I recently returned from a visit to the US and while I was there, a terrible attack took place against school children in Texas. A young man, 18 years of age, had purchased two semi-automatic rifles. He entered an elementary school, opened the door to a 4th grade classroom, and proceeded to mow down students and teachers alike. Nineteen children and two teachers were murdered in the Uvalde, Texas school.
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22). When I recited this verse in my prayers, it suddenly hit me. That is what Israel is all about. The Jewish people were reviled, persecuted or at best ignored for centuries. We were just like that worthless piece of stone that even the builders could find no use for. And yet, somehow, we are not only useful, of value, but we have prime value — the chief cornerstone that the entire building depends on.
Ramadan began on Saturday and the Arabs are going crazy. Of course, not all Arabs. But in the days that led up to Ramadan and since, terrorism has reared its ugly head once again. Arab citizens of Israel as well as their Palestinian co-religionists, have attacked and murdered Jews in Beersheva, Hadera and Bnei Brak. A terrorist got on a bus in Gush Etzion and repeatedly stabbed a passenger with a screw-driver in his chest.
Ukraine! There is nothing else on anyone’s minds today but the terrible situation that has developed in the Ukraine. An independent country in Eastern Europe, formerly part of the Soviet bloc, has been invaded by Russia. Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, has long desired the restoration of Russian imperial and Soviet powers, which included Russian influence or control over Eastern Europe.
Today I had lunch with a couple of Danish journalists. They were truly interested in Israel and in Judea and Samaria and asked questions,. They wanted to know why I decided to live here and what our life is like here. At one point, I made a statement that I often make in these contexts: “So many people think we are a bunch of militant crazies who just want to kill Arabs at any opportunity, but we’re not.” And then one of the journalists asked me: “Why do you think people think that?”
This is a day for celebration. Or as King David put it in Psalms: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). This morning, my newest grandson, my 10th grandchild, will have his circumcision ceremony. And while this is my 9th grandson undergoing circumcision, following 4 sons who experienced the same ceremony, this time it is all quite different. And wonderful all in its own way.
The Hebrew calendar is a lunar one and it is based on the monthly cycle of the moon rather than on the annual cycle of the sun. A solar year is 365 days and the months are merely a convenience — dividing the year into 12 roughly equal periods of time. The lunar calendar, however, is based on the renewal of the moon which happens regularly every 29 or 30 days. The lunar year, therefore, is roughly 11 days shorter than the solar year.
Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon passed away yesterday afternoon. It is an opportunity to review the life and legacy of this man who for so much of Israel’s history held positions of leadership and influence. Beginning in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, Sharon distinguished himself on the battlefield, rising to become one of Israel’s … Read more
It started snowing on Wednesday evening and kept snowing. On Thursday, Judea was covered in snow, in Gush Etzion and in Hebron. I was supposed to meet a tour group in Hebron that day but it was cancelled — there was no way to get anywhere near that area. Where I live, in Karnei Shomron, … Read more
A terrible tragedy occurred on Friday. Sraya Ofer, a 61 year old retired colonel in the Israeli Army was axed to death by Arab terrorists in his home in the Jordan Valley. His wife Monique managed to crawl towards the highway and call for help, but it was too late for her husband. Monique was … Read more
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