May is allegedly the month of Spring Time and Regeneration .
Yet, the political climate above the "un-holly Baruch Ha-shem State" (G-d's willing ) was mainly painted pitch black, The dark heavy clouds which freely glided on the of the horizon, only reflected from the blacken sky, a huge shadow of doom and gloom.
Even on Yom Hazicaron- Israeli Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, (May 12-13) the chasm of sorrow, bereavement and rage blended the earthly sheets of tears with the dumpiness of an empathetic sudden (unusual) heavy rain fall from the sky above.
David and I joined the thousands of mainly TLV youth, who attended the local ceremony at Habima Square , known also as The Orchestra Plaza, which was packed beyond its edges. .
The one hour ceremony was most dignified and contained singing by local school's choir, relevant poems reciting, and dance movement.
Yom Ha-azmaut
That somber musical tonality and mood, also transitioned into the following day - Yom Haazmaut, (May 13-14) on which Israel's 76 Independence Day was indeed observed, but not festively celebrated.
Against the backdrop of the lingering bloody Gaza war, the splattered stain of the hostages number, still being held in Hamas's captivity, and the shadow of the yet thousands displaced, curbed the national pride enthusiasm, and evaporated.the mood for jollity,
Since October 7th some 1,460 Israelis and foreigners were killed (630 of them soldiers), 11,550 were wounded, and 252 were taken hostage.
And the horrific Death onslaught and carnage are still collecting their price...
The national and more local scale events and festivities, that usually take place
"in normal times" -an oxymoron, across Israel, to mark Israel's birth, were almost all canceled and the few which were carried out, were subdued ,
The traditional Air Force fly-over didn't take place. Most municipalities cut any big performances and artists. Jerusalem and Tel Aviv canceled traditional fireworks displays. Fireworks shows were ruled out, also to protect soldiers and victims from any potential noise triggers.
The official Torch Lightin State Ceremony which concluded the Yom Hazikaron events and started the Yom Ha'atzmaut ceremony, was produced by Transportation Minister - the infamous Miri Saboni-Regev, that a newly exposed serious corruption scandal, further tarnished her already stained name, and eroding legitimacy, this month
The State Ceremony usually involves live performances, speeches, and a ceremonial lighting of 12 torches (symbolizing the 12 Tribes of Israel) by 12 citizens who have made a great impact on the country,
However this year it was manufactured beforehand, not live and screened on Israeli TV channels, but not before creating a controversial sentiment with the cries by thousands to boycott the TV transmission, of this state extravaganza production.
Simultaneously to when the traditional, official "State Lighting Torches" was broadcasted, 2 competing alternative LIVE Independence Day ceremonies took place. that national TV ran alongside
The Ceremony at Shuni Amphitheater
Extinguishing the Torches
"Extinguishing the Torches" produced in defiance by the families of the hostages and attended by many supporters, took place at the Shuni Amphitheater (a restored Roman coliseum located at. Shani, Jabotinsky Park, Binyamina-Giv'at Ada,)
Relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza, refusing to take part in the official, state-run ceremony. extinguished flames to represent the abandonment they felt by the state and its inept politically soiled Gov, in contrast with the torch-lighting at the official State ceremony which they they refused to attend.
The very dignified and most moving ceremony to which the hostages relatives step up one by one voicing their pain and dismay about the failures of the Gov and its callous ministers, was lead by the talented TV Arab anchor Lucy Ahrish .
Lucy is the example to the next Muslim Arab generation, who inspire the messages of an hopeful mutual coexistence between the 2 nations.
The families of the hostages are convinced, by now, that Crime-Minister - Bibi has been sabotaging any deal that may return the hostages, if its threatens the cessation of the war and thus may jeopardize his own prolonged ruling.
Human Design in plea for the return of the Hostages
Forfeiture Time is Running. S.O.S
At the Hostages Square
That additional ceremony, the one at the Hostages Square was held amid significant protest from those who felt the government should not be putting on a State show at all, seven months after the largest single-day slaughter of Israelis in the country’s history.
Art installations on display at the Hostages Square
Viewing the alternative ceremony broadcasted from Shuni amphitheater and showing support to the families of the hostages, on the eve (May 13) of the Independence day, was much more appealing to us than viewing the official State show.
The following day (May 14) joining my dear friend Iris who was kind to invite us to a private social/cultural gathering of most talented musicians, was most respectful subdued activity.
The small group of invitees commemorated that day's lingering afternoon, by singing-along to the playing tunes of most beautiful solemn Israeli song.
The gathering at the back yard's home of the gracious host and piano player- Yair
Nahal Oz member. one of the horrifically impacted by the Oct 7th massacre, The majority of the kibbutz's security team were killed or taken hostage, while attempting to defend the kibbutz. Thus the the flutist preforms every Friday Kabbalt Shabbat - 3:30pm (open to the public) at the Hostages Square, embracing the dear families he personalty know for years
Friday afternoon - Kabbalat Shabbat at the Hostages Square
Yoni Richter Moti Dr. Avi Ofer on Strike Hunger
Holocaust Memorial Day
The inflammatory dejected solemn mood, under the spell of the Oct 7th recent largest massacre of Jews by the Hamas Islamist Nazis, started to be fueled, by the painful chocking added fumes, released already, a week before, on Yom Hashoa - Holocaust Memorial Day (May 5-6), commemorating millions of Jews who perished by the German Nazis During WWII
This emotionally 'heavy duty" loaded month, in which not only didn't delivered "regeneration", but generated the associative black spell of "back to the antisemitic future", compelled the Israeli National health Services , to reach out -text-messaging to the public, an offer of free Psychological Support Service" by phone
Maccabi National Health Service facilitates conversation by phone # 077-6021200 (8;30am-11:00pm)
with Psychologists or Social Workers, to those seeking assistance
Strangely this much needed health support service was limited only up to May 14th. ???
Considering the traumatic disasters, scandals and screw -ups, that relentlessly have kept daily augmenting, throughout this month, that National Psychological Health Support service line, should have been opertively, extended for years to come.....
The 131 number of hostages hoped to be returned, declined to 124, when 7 bodies
were detected, this month, and brought back from Rafa, to Israel for burial
The shrunken inhabitable state's size, due to the abandoned Northern and Southern parts of Israel, being threatens by daily Hamas and Hezbolla. shelling, turned off any hope for near-future normalization.
Israelis by road ways out of their cars during shelling of Rockets in the South
An enormous damage to property, businesses and to life has been taking its enormous tall. Agriculture yield has been left in the untended fields and fruits are rotting in the orchards, The displaced citizen scattered all around the country, were left with no real State support, and no horizon to when and if at all, will they return to their homes and gain their lives back, While the current inept Gov. has no exit strategy to the war, .is incapable of showing empathy toward the impacted citizens, and not only fails in solving logistical State, international,or Law-fare Diplomatic challenges, but brainlessly, ignites more fires, daily....
Meanwhile, despite life-risking rocket threats in the North, an obsessive pilgrimage to Mt Mieron on Lag B'omer date, (May 25-26) where lighting of bone fire is customary, has not deter the
"God Fearing" belligerent believers
Although the authorities closed and forbade entrance, thousands of G-d Fearing zealous Haredim, (Ultra Orthodox) ignored the state orders, and arouse altercations with the police which denied access to these nuts, who tried climbing up the mountain, equipped also with exes and fence cutters as to accomplish their "Godly um-holly" duties..
"With God willing" - Beezrat-Ha Shem. shields, this cult of believers, floating in an alternative reality is more fearful of their "imaginary best friend - father in heaven" than of Hezbolla's rockets. Nor are they deterred by State laws or the authorities, Convinced that they are immunized, having God on their side, they are sure that their praying would do the "tricks"
"God Willing" slogan is not an Action Plan to win a war. Nor is praying a shield to prevent death.. But that dire reality is incomprehensible to those who shade off personal and collective responsibilities, and who refuse to contribute to the state's deference and economy, although their "Godly conscious", is not soiled by being fed and protected, on the expense of the many citizen, of the secular sector.
The ultra orthodox demand to continue dodging army service and work responsibilities, which Bibi is willing to" kosherize" and grant, against the obvious Israeli dire defense and economy needs, and only as so he can keep his criminal coalition intact, and hold to his position, is a crime against the safe future of the state.
With no exit plan to end the war, no horizon to the day after, daily fallen soldiers in Gaza's bottomless, quicksand, tragic Palestinian death following Israeli strike in Rafah that ignited a fire ,
the fiasco of Israeli Gov confiscating AP equipment (camera and broadcasting), compiled with increased Police violence against protesters, and Israeli Mossad spying which was also revealed this month by the Guardian, indicating that Yossi Cohen, the then director of the Mossad unsuccessfully attempted 'to compromise the ICC's chief prosecutor or enlist her as someone who would cooperate with Israel’s demands.'
all incriminate and expose the lawlessness spiral spinning of the State under Bibi and his Gov
Rapidly and surely also with the
Gov, sneaking efforts to revive the
Judiciary Overhaul rulings , the country is turning into a fascistic "Banana Republic" run by hallucinatory messianic zealots and Mafia criminal like tactics.
Furthermore, with the TV channel 13th investigative exposure on how the Transportation Minister - Regev, and National Security minister- Ben Gvir have been abusing the state power, byapply discriminating life hazardous tactics, toward communities/citizens outside of their elective parties,
and along with the Finance minister - Smotritch insistence on withholding due funds to the already shaky PA Authority, thus further provoking its crush, it became christal clear all clear how Israel , sadly, is gliding into the abyss...
Regev Ben-Gvir
Hearing daily about, and being exposed to all of these deliberate malicious calamities ,brought upon, by those who so terribly failed the country and should have long resigned and be extracted from the lives of so many hurt Israelis,
leaves one in complete consternation and shock..
How it could all shamelessly transpired and under such national dire circumstances???
This suppose to be a free" intelligent
start-up nation" that is only in the
"spring" of its formation... yet at 76
it clearly demonstrates a "death wish"
A recent TV channel 12 poll inquiring
the Israeli public's thoughts on Bibi's performance as a Prime, and his caring for the state or moves by political/ personal interests.
Top
63% of the polled =Worst
32% of the polled = Good
Bottom
61% = Political and Personal interests
30% = State Interest
The results indicate that Bibi lost all legitimacy in the majority of the Israeli public
To add more insult to injury, the Israeli Putin -Bibi- an agent of chaos who is now drowning in a deep State and International quandary, he brought upon himself and on the nation, had the audacity to demanded under hysterics, of the Shin Bet- Interior Security Chief - Ronen Bar, to step-up surveillance against anti-Bibi protestors,
The wise decent Ronen declined, and replied, courageously, that "he will not turn the Shin-Bet into a Secret Police"
Gov. ministers holding signs requesting to replace the citizens
To halt this mad unbelievable galloping demise, in addition to the inflated public protests all around the country, Galant's and Ganz declarations calling an opposing to Bibi's "no political horizon no plan policies," , finally culminated, at the end of the month, with Gantz National Unity Party calling (still in coalition) submits bill to dissolve the Knesset
The Biden's administration has been also trying to restrain Israel, asking it to fight its war
in roughly the same way that the U.S. has fought its own wars in recent decades - with alleged much caution and limited means...
Biden's "Don't" to Bibi and his Gov and .US withholding delivery of Offense Assistance weapon approach, may help relieve humanitarian distress and allay angry constituencies, however Israel doesn't have the bandwidth of territory and monitory, resources, nor can afford prolonged time end-overs.. Furthermore Biden's approach only emboldens Israel's enemies, which increases the danger to Israeli civilians.
As Israel defends itself against Hamas in Gaza, thanks to Bibi, Israel has also come under sustained political, media and legal attack, like the war against Israel in the courts for supposedly and real international law violations. All these moves reflect the damages brought about upon the country, by the inept Go , which are no doubt also flavored by colossal hypocrisy, and triggered by inherent antisemitic sentiment which, by singling-out, terribly isolate Israel, in the international arena
Recent moves by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, (ICC) Karim Khan, announced he is seeking arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and defense minister - potentially the first ever arrest warrant to be issued against the leader of a democratic Western nation
Another international set back for Israel, was when earlier this month, a majority of UN members passed a resolution granting new "rights and privileges" to the Palestinians, while 124 hostages are still languishing in Hamas's torture tunnels. This sends a clear message that there is no need for Hamas to negotiate the release of the hostages.
The "uber-righteous" Spain, Norway, and Ireland, inflicted, not by obvious dispensable alien considerations, but only by a false "divine sense for justice " then granted formally recognition to a Palestinian state, cementing a joint move, which further isolates Israel over its war against Hamas in Gaza
However sensible Denmark's parliament rejected a proposal to recognize a Palestinian state, backing the government's view that the necessary conditions were not in place.
Considering that Israel is engaged in the same kind of existential war. Hamas, Hezbollah and their patrons in Iran openly call for Israel to be wiped off the map, one need not to be a genius , but only an honest broker to understand that without a credible plan for Israeli security, the two-state solution is currently simply a staging-post for the final solution.
Let also not forget, that security for Jews and Israelis , world wide is most fragile as was just disclosed, at the end of the month by the Israeli Mosad investigative worlk that Iran is using criminal networg and gangs as terrorist proxies for European Terror.
The Europeans despite thier long blood thirsty history, hardly are proficient in the present, to detect, prevent or masterfully handle Islamist terrorist expansion, over Europe. Thus,relience on European sonsiderations and judgment call in dictating
on how to save Israel, is a pure suicidal invitation for Israel.
And while only direct negotiation by the 2 nations, may bear any hope to stop the futile blood shed. the focus should be NOT on "justice" (an illusive stealthy concept ) but on separate clear borders and "peaceful co-existence" .
Given the absence of a single meaningful democracy in the Arab world, the chances of a democratic State of Palestine are not good. If a future failed Palestinian state turned into an Iranian-sponsored terror-istan - a second Gaza - would Ireland's leader accuse Israel of "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide" until the Jews succumbed themselves to ethnic cleansing and genocide ????
The Protesters at Kaplan TLV
Meanwhile, the anti Gov protesters activists, full of growing frustration and fueled by explosive rage over how the war in Gaza has been mishandled, over that the hostages been abandoned, that the country's affairs swerve in a spiral dejection, and at Israel's growing pariah isolation, all thanks to the inept corrupt Gov, mobilized into a higher gear traction,
The leaders of all the protests' organizations, strategically united to resort to more effective protest plan.
Rage & Disruption day. was declared by all protest organizations (May 18th) when very slow driving convoy was coordinated, ahead of opening of the Knesset Summer Session, (after a long pause during war time) and had clogged the main traffic arteries all the way to Jerusalem and around the Knesset - Israeli parliament.
Furthermore, almost every day a different minister was haunted by a group of obstinate protestors, equipped with noisy instruments, who disturb the peace and stoked the official in their own neighborhoods and under their homes ,
Almost every weekend on Saturday eve, we joined the wave flow of protesters equipped with flags, slogans and noise making devices, streaming down Kaplan street., toward the main stage, were every week activists, artists ,relatives of the hostages or incidental politicians from the opposition, address the public.
David showed up as most committed soldier by the Demo Tank put on display by the Yom Kippur Veterans community,
assisting with the set up , selling T-shirts
and other up and ends voluntary chores, while I was "inhaling" by the main stage the site variety of the attending people, the witty colorful posts, the speakers who made people, aware, informed, cry, and feel encouraged to save the country
Protest sin TLV
During all these month's heart-breaking events, few occurrences like "flicker of light" elevated a bit the dampen spirit of the battered grieving nation.
The helicopter crush (May 17) which killed the ruthless Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, also hated by the citizens of his own nation, and that of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, made this world a better place, without the spread of evil and chaos by these two.
Also the visit of Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley who said during a visit to Israel at the end of this month that : "I reassure you: America stands with Israel."
Nikki Haley: "A Win for Israel Is a Win for America" was like a breath of fresh air.
I would vote for Nikki Haley to be the US president in a second and much faster then compelled to decide between both two bad running candidates, of corrupt loose canon Trump, or "nice sleepy" Joe... both over the hill and not worthy of the position that is overdue, in US long history to a much competent, intelligent hinged woman.
Another pride evoking event, although canceled in TLV, took place in Jerusalem.
Thousands of people were marching in Jerusalem’s annual Pride Parade, which this year was led by family members of the hostages.
The crowd was chanting, “All of them, now!” and calling for a hostage deal that would free the captives held by Hamas
Further more, Hamakom - TLV Cultural "LightHouse" is another new museum in the design stages which will be soon established. near to the old TLV port.
It will be be an hub of cultural and recreational activity offering interactive exhibitions, immersive experiences and cutting-edge programming geared both to adults and children.
+++++++++++++++
And then ...one unexceptionable ray of hope flickered with Biden's delivered speech...
Asthe last day of this disastrous month, came to closure and became a historical yesterday, Biden made his declarative speech to end the war in Gaza in an effort to pre-empt Bibi's hesitance, vacillation and plain lies,
Sharing his revolutionary vision to bring peace into the Middle East, he indicated
that that new 3 phases proposal includes:
"Durable end to this war. One that brings all the hostages home, ensures Israel's security, creates a better 'Day After' in Gaza without Hamas in power."
Maybe "spring time" and political regeneration, finally arrives in Israel and the region entire....
Now the Israelis as probably the rest of the world are waiting in suspense for the day after.. and to how Bibi and his Gov would respond.. as also as what will be the Hamas reaction, to this proposed new order with the blessing of the Saudis... will be..
++++++++++++
On a personal level, our escapism this month included a visit to Abu Gosh and Jerusalem.
David and I joined our dear friends Chani and Koby, in the beginning of the month, on a special guided tour of the charming Arab Village Abu Gosh - (also mentioned in my post from 2/2/2021) ) situated in most beautiful mountainous spot on the way to Jerusalem, Abu- Gosh has always been an island of sane co-existence and tranquility,
inside Israel proper, as well as throughout its history prior to the establishing of the Israel in 1948. (a separate post will be dedicate to this).
The village should be an exemplary inspiration model to the rest of the region
Furthermore, one of most enjoyable outings this month, was a great meal at the Note Dame Guesthouse , in Jerusalem.
Notre Dame Se France, Jerusalem
.
Notre Dame Guest House /Center HaTsanhanim St 3, Jerusalem 02-627-9111
next to the French Hospital of St. Louis des Français. across from the New gate
The Restaurant on the Roof Top - 972 2 6279111
This enchanting eating experience in inside an imposing stunning building, which I never before, dined-in nor visited the premise, was an exciting one which, I highly recommend regardless of ones religious background.
About the Center
In 1882, large groups of pilgrims began coming to the Holy Land under the direction of the French Assumptionists. The experience gained from these pilgrimages prompted the religious to build a center to host French pilgrims.
On the historic site where the St. Louis French Hospital is located, a building of of 142 rooms with balconies & terraces offering unique views of the Old City of Jerusalem, was erected in 1885 .
The guest house/center offers hospitality to pilgrims who come from all over the world to visit the Holy Land, welcomes clergy, consecrated people and other members of the Church. The restaurants serve very tasty food but most important due to the views it is
spiritual atmosphere dinning..
The pontifical institute which was founded in 1978 with religious, cultural, and educational purposes. offers main activities like: welcoming pilgrims, divine worship, cultural education and formation of the local population, and ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue.
My dearest daughter Keren and her husband Elie invited us there,
The End
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