Shabbat and Shalom

Postcards from the future

First and foremost, have you signed up for our Shabbat dinner in NYC November 7^th?

Why? Are you an antisemite?

Chaya Leah and I will both be there, courtesy of our good friend Rabbi Gav Bellino (Put Your Enemies on a Sheet Cake) from the Sixth Street Synagogue. Get your tickets here before they sell out! You’ll get a full dinner and plenty of booze, and maybe you’ll make a friend or two for the end of the world.

This week I visited the Kibbutzim of the Gaza envelope for the 3rd time since October 7th. My first stop was to say hello to my friend Haim Shilo in Nirim, who was born 100 years ago in Germany, and calls himself a “light Holocaust survivor”. He was one of the founders of the Kibbutz, and was evacuated twice in his life: once in 1948 when they were invaded by the Egyptian army led by Colonel Nasser himself, and once on October 7th, after he spent 2 days hiding in the shelter from terrorists with his home aide. When I visited him last year in his temporary home in central Israel, he said he probably won’t make it back in his lifetime. I’m happy to report that he’s back home, and his beautiful garden, which includes papaya and grapefruit trees, is blooming.

He was waiting for us at the Kibbutz entrance at 12 on the dot (German, what can I say) in his little golf cart, and took us to see a nearby mosaic that belonged to a synagogue dating to the 7th century. In a time when our history is constantly being rewritten by those who wish to erase both our existence and our story, it’s nice to have living receipts like Haim, and beautiful ones buried underground.

Of course no visit to the Kibbutz can be complete without a visit to the dining room, filled with old timers, young cooks (Jews and Arabs), and plenty of aides from the Philippines and Thailand who decided to stay throughout the war to be with “Grandma”.

On our way back, we stopped by Kibbutz Beeri, which was one of the hardest hit during October 7th. 1 in every 10 people was kidnapped or murdered in this small community. I met Tom and Daniel, two young fathers and Kibbutz members who run the dairy and a small boutique winery. Their boss and friend, Dror Or, was murdered and his body is still being held in Gaza. His wife was murdered too, and his young children kidnapped and eventually released.

The Or family.

As Tom was flipping the cheese (which is apparently something you do), he told us how he studied agriculture and winemaking for 5 years in Italy, and came back home to work in cheese and wine. He casually told us his mother was murdered that day, and his father (in a different home) somehow spared, but not before they called him and a terrorist picked up the phone. Both Tom and Daniel are planning to return to live in the Kibbutz with their families, and were very excited about the grape vines they plan to plant next Spring. Usually people come to Beeri to look at the burnt houses and traces of carnage, but we chose not to do that this time. Instead we looked at the future - one of growth, deep roots, and love for the land that gives back bounties.

Lots has been said about Israel’s story, how unique it is, and how much we suck at telling it. These last two weeks I experienced the strength of my people first hand, and I have no doubt what that story is. It’s one of friendship and building. It’s a stoy of people who lost everything, and are rebuilding it all, bigger and better. It’s a future that remembers the pain and loss, but never loses hope.

I think Jews in Israel and abroad need to do some kind of cultural exchange - the diaspora can remind the Israelis how loved they are, while the Israelis can give us all something to be proud of. We’ve all earned it.

Shabbat Shalom!