Yom Kippur Deja Vu

Article circulated by email, written by Shalom Pollack, Israeli tour guide

During the "Simchat Torah" service at the "hesder yeshiva" in Hispin (on the Golan Heights) on Shabbat, October 7, I experienced something very similar fifty years ago. Call it deja vu.

A half a century ago I was an "exchange " student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. 

On Yom Kippur of 1973, I was lying down during the afternoon synagogue break when the most unexpected thing occurred;

I heard sirens.

After inquiring of Danny, my Israeli floor counselor, what it could possibly mean, he said "oh sheet! Dis means war man"!

After the first astonished moment I reassured myself that if those stupid Arabs really did attack us again, we would beat them as quickly as we did in the last wars. Our air force would stop them in their tracks no doubt. (Former air force chief, Ezer Weizman said that after the Six day War, the next one would be the “Six Minute" war)

I was not afraid and I was not alone in my confidence and arrogance.

 

Israel has never quite recovered from that war which we in fact almost did lose. To this day the experts are still arguing about how we were caught so off guard as to allow the Arab enemy to catch us by surprise and quickly wash over our sophisticated, impenetrable "Bar Lev" line along the Suez Canal.

Thousands of our soldiers were slaughtered. Israel was almost destroyed.

In real time, we did not know just how close we were to destruction. There was no social media at the time

 

Never again would we be so complacent or miscalculate and underestimate our enemy. 

No more surprises.

Never again

 

Israel was supposed to have learned her lesson and changed its attitude; always be prepared for a similar. Surprise, always.

 

Yesterday while praying together with the special young men of the hesder yeshiva (where they combine army service and Torah study) a young man, rifle strapped across his back, approached the Rosh yeshiva(dean) and exchanged a few words accompanied by very serious expressions. A few moments later he announced to the young congregation that all those in certain units should have their phones open and ready for instructions.

 He said, “It seems there is some tension in the south, but God willing it will all be well."

 

My thoughts were actually similar to those I had fifty years ago, almost to the day.

 

I was used to the periodic "rounds" with Hamas in Gaza.

The scenario is familiar to all by now. 

They decide when another: “round " begins. They shoot rockets at our civilians near the border. Our people hide in terror. We shoot back, making every effort not to God forbid hurt anyone until they agree to a ceasefire. 

After closing their lifeline line with Israel for a couple of days we resume the transfer of goods and money used to rebuild and restock their arsenals, for another round timed at their choosing 

 

This is the pattern ever since Israel expelled thousands of Jews from Gaza and left the entire area to the Arabs who turned it into a terror fortress. That was supposed to bring peace.

 

I remember clearly the day in the summer of 2005 (Tisha Ba'av) that the Jewish pioneers of faith and courage were dragged from their homes by the Sharon government supported by willing underlings, including the "elites' and army command. They joyously pointed to the naked emperor’s very fine clothes.

 

As the wretched Jews were dragged and shoved out of their homes onto the road of exile their neighbors in the Leftist kibbutzim along the Gaza border jeered and mocked at the misfortune of their fellow Jews.

They were different, after all.

The religious Jews that brought Jewish blessing to the biblical lands were just not their type. They were "messianic" , religious,   unashamedly patriotic.. 

They had no place in a promising new progressive post Zionist, post Jewish world. No room for obstacles to peace with our neighbors.

 Those types are, "Not my brother."

 

Yesterday, I had no idea that Israel would make the same fatal mistake as they did half a century ago.

But It happened again.

Thousands of Hamas terrorists managed to penetrate the world’s most most sophisticated defense network along the Gaza border (remember the peace border of the 2005 expulsions?)

For half a day the terrorists swarmed over  the  border unopposed, entering  at will ito an  entire string of Jewish communities facing Gaza and proceeded to murder , torture, rape and abduct thousands of  Jews.

 Never since the Holocaust have more Jews been slaughtered in one day.

 Never since the Final Solution were Jews hunted down in their homes as they quivered at the sound of their killers breaking into their hiding spots to quarry the Jews. Not until yesterday

 

Read that again.

 

That was just Saturday, October 7, 2023, a half century after; it would never happen again.

 

This time it was far worse than the Yom Kippur debacle.

Whole families were terrorized and murdered. 

In 1973 the civilians were safe behind the lines. It was soldiers who were slaughtered and captured

Yesterday civilians were in the lines.

 

How could it have happened?

What are the possibilities?

 

One - Israel’s entire political, military and intelligence communities didn't just fail but were criminally derelict in the utmost extreme. Somehow, they were blinded and deaf.

How likely is that?

 

So, what is it?

 

The wakeup calls of Yom Kippur half a century ago clearly did not work

 

Will it work this time?

Shared with permission. 

shalompollack613@gmail, com

tour guide and author

"Jews, Israelis and Arabs"

 

A personal reflection from ISRAEL21c's Editor, Nicky Blackburn

 

October 8, 2023

 Yesterday I was woken at 6:30am by the sound of distant sirens. There were a few of them, so it wasn’t as easy to distinguish the normally very distinctive rise and fall of the siren’s wail.

“Is that…?” I said, sitting up.

“No,” said my husband. “It can’t be.”

But then, a few moments later, we heard a boom, then another.

We both reached for our phones, and as I touched the screen dozens of red alerts from all over the south and central part of Israel began jumping up, one after the other — Sderot, Hod Hasharon, Ashkelon, Petah Tikva, Ashdod, and places I’d never even heard of.

We went straight for the news pages of the Israeli press, but there was nothing there. It was Saturday, on the morning of the second holiday of Sukkot, the journalists were just not working yet.

“Are we at war?” I asked.

The explosions continued, and eventually – when a particularly big one went off – we got up. And nothing has been the same since.

We are at war. A war that, shockingly, we were completely unprepared for, though the country has been training for it for years.

At first, we thought it was just rocket fire – something Israel is used to – though there were more direct hits than usual. But gradually the news began to filter out about Hamas gunmen infiltrating 20 or so villages in the south, as well as a party in the desert. And that’s when the awful reality began to hit.

We spent the day glued to our phones and the television. Everyone in shock. Sharing whatever knowledge we could glean. Neighbors checking in on neighbors, friends checking friends. Our three boys all came home.

And the news got worse and worse. 

I checked with all the staff at ISRAEL21c. Abby and Naama were safe, near Jerusalem; but in the south, Yulia was running for shelter constantly, under a barrage of missiles. Her shelter – the stairway of her building.

Ben, who handles our content management system and lives abroad, had just arrived on Friday for a rare visit home, and was under unexpected attack in Tel Aviv, giving him unwelcome flashbacks to the Gulf War and the years he spent living near Gaza.

Natalie, on the coast, was about to go donate blood, though she and countless others would be turned away because the response overwhelmed the country’s blood services network.

It’s funny, but my first instinct when I realized we were at war, was to cook. I made chili – something warm and strong for the soul, and chicken schnitzels – because there is nothing as tasty as fresh schnitzel. My husband joined me, and we made a whole batch of food.

What do you pack for going to war?

I’m glad we did. In the afternoon, our middle son was called up. He brought a rucksack down and started packing. What do you pack when you are going to war? My heart began to contract and squeeze painfully.

Too soon, far too soon, my husband was driving him south towards Gaza. One more boy, in a stream of thousands, going to fight. And all the fears of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, friends and relations, going with them.

I took the dog out for a walk. What else can you do but go on? When I got back, I heard that the daughter of a near neighbor, the sister of my youngest son’s best friend, had been killed in an attack on an army base in the south.

And when we went round to comfort the family, we heard another child in our small village had been kidnapped by Hamas.

A dark day

Yesterday was a dark, dark day in Israel. A day like no other. The attack by Hamas took Israel completely by surprise, and many questions are already being asked about how this could happen.

There are currently over 1,800 Israelis reported injured, many critically, and the number of dead stands at 300. But everyone knows these numbers will rise.

How will this impact our coverage at ISRAEL21c? I honestly don’t know. We have never experienced an attack like this before. It’s Israel’s 9/11. And the resulting war could go on for a long time.

But one thing I do know is that Israelis are resilient. In a crisis, they pull together and protect one another.

This morning I went early to the supermarket to buy some essentials. It was a mess in there, huge lines and empty shelves. I imagine this is what it looks like in the US before a hurricane comes in.

Ahead of me, in the very long line, was an older man and woman with a trolley piled high with food. As I drove out of the village shortly afterwards, I saw they had stopped by the side of the road and were giving their bags to the soldiers stationed at the entrance to protect the community. This is Israel in a crisis.

The divisions of the last year over the judicial overhaul have caused a fundamental rift in Israeli society, and it is more than likely that it was this that gave Hamas the opportunity to strike, but already Israelis are closing ranks. Already they are beginning to stand shoulder to shoulder.

So we will continue with all our strength to bring you stories of the people of Israel, to tell you about the remarkable people trying to make life better, even in these most difficult of times.

Israel is a country that bursts with creativity and innovation, it’s a joyous place where people celebrate life. But there’s a flipside that defines us just as much and intensifies the good times – and that is the battle to survive in a hostile location, where neighbors are sworn enemies. This is where we are now.

This afternoon I go to the funeral of a 19-year-old. I hope, with all my heart, that this is the last.

From an email: 

https://8iuf6.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/mr/sh/7nVTPdZCTJDXPPBEaTAlUmxFOgCxVlk/NxnKfXa41kJN

 

Special prayer for our soldiers

SPECIAL PRAYER FOR OUR SOLDIERS

 

Oh merciful Father,

from Whom stems the source of life,

favor and grace,

have compassion upon me,

your servant

and hear my voice in prayer,

from the depths of my heart,

and let Thine ears be attentive

to the voice of my supplication.

 

Oh purify my heart,

that I may be fitted to walk

in the way of the upright,

before Thee.

Strengthen and uphold me,

weak in terrors snare.

 

Oh God,

open Thou my lips

and my mouth shall declare Thy praise.

 

Oh God,

Thou who through Thy holy Torah,

does command us to do good deeds,

to practise brotherly love,

peace and friendship

to all the peoples of the entire world;

to avoid hatred

and to love all creatures

and to help all in every possible way,

a breach and void has occurred in our days.

 

Our enemies, through their evil strength,

desire to put in darkness all the world,

to rule according to their own will,

and to destroy the foundations of civilization;

to abolish our faith in one God and His teachings.

All this, these tyrants and wicked seek to wipe out.

And they repeat again and again,

that they intend to blot out the remembrance of Israel,

and the freedoms of the democratic countries.

These wicked tyrants believe in their own might

and their own great strength.

They set themselves up as idols and gods,

and some even worship the sun,

and all deny the faith of the one God,

Who created all the world,

and Who is the father of all people.

 

And I, Thy servant,

who loves you

as a son loves his parents,

have the honor to be one of the military forces,

who have faith in You, our God,

to share the burden,

in this war against these tyrants.

 

Oh, God, our Father in heaven,

Thine is the greatness,

the power, the glory,

the victory and the majesty.

Make haste to help us.

 

Oh Lord, Our Salvation, and You, our God,

be with us, to save me

and all of my fellow men in the military forces,

from death,

from all trouble and evil occurrences,

and give us strength and might

to destroy our enemies,

who are Thy enemies too,

that these idols shall be utterly destroyed.

 

Arise Oh Lord, our God,

and scatter Thine enemies,

and cause those that hate Thee,

to flee before Thee,

and Thou shall remove

the dominion of the wicked from the earth,

so that the world may be reformed

by Thy kingdom,

and all the inhabitants of the world

shall know and understand,

that one God created us,

and all the people are the children

of One Father in heaven.

And thus may we found

a true and lasting peace.

 

Oh Father in heaven,

protect my dear ones,

and help me,

that I may be able to see them again,

and enjoy with them again

in all delight and goodness.

 

Oh God, great, mighty and revered,

in the abundance of Thy loving kindness,

grant peace, happiness, blessing,

grace, favor, and mercy,

to our ARMY Commander

and the leaders of our beloved country,

ISRAEL

and to his advisers and commanders.

Grant unto him and them

knowledge,

understanding

and discernment,

that they shall lead us in the right way,

so that we may not make any mistakes,

and not to be put to shame, nor ever confounded.

That we may attain a speedy victory and peace,

based on the ideals and principles of the prophets.

And that all shall remember our people Israel,

and recognize their right to live

and to serve God,

together with all other people,

in peace forever.

 

Oh God

send us a speedy redemption.

Let the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart,

be acceptable before Thee,

Oh Lord, My Rock and Redeemer,

Amen, V’amen.

Rabbi Aaron Dym, 1943  -  adapted by Petra 

Yom Yerushalayim! Happy holiday, Jerusalem Day!

By Shalom Pollack – used with permission.

This is a day of celebration, but not just one of common revelry, fireworks, and parties.

Anniversaries are a good time for reflection, both personal and especially
national, both Gentile and Jewish. The unique combination of Jewish and national separates the occasion from all others.

Why?

Because we are His Chosen people living in His Chosen Land and the holiest of cities.

There is no need to review the once-in-history relationship between the Jewish people and this particular land and city.

Historians still try to understand it.

When in 1948 the just-born Jewish state in its homeland fought for its survival, they managed to keep a part of Jerusalem - the lesser historic and holy parts. Those areas were conquered by the (British armed and led) Jordanian army.

During Jordanian occupation of parts of the holy city including the holiest site in the world, the Jordanians methodically destroyed and barbarically desecrated the holiest Jewish sites under their control including the oldest Jewish cemetery in the world and ancient synagogues which they turned into latrines.

Israel survived the massive onslaught from within and from within. This was the first national miracle that He bestowed upon His People upon their return home.

In 1967, the Arab world led this time not by Britain but the USSR, drew the noose around the neck of the tiny Jewish country. There was not one "expert" who thought that Israel could pull off yet another miracle and survive. The Arabs were going to have their Jihad this time and the Communist world joined the alliance of atheists and the followers of Muhammad in the common goal.

The despised Jews were goners this time.

Well, we all know the story.

What seemed a sure catastrophic defeat turned out to be an unprecedented victory.

For weeks prior to the beginning of the war, the Jewish world and Israel massed for prayers on behalf of the tiny Jewish community in the holy land. Only a mega miracle of biblical proportions could save them.

When the miracle of biblical proportions occurred and the prayers were answered, the Arab enemy and the world were in awe.

The Arabs who were certain that they would enjoy a huge pogrom were the next day fleeing for their lives in panic - just as they did in 1948.

This was the moment of destiny that hung in the balance of Jewish history.

The world held its breath.

Short history video on the miracle of the Six Day War

Would the Jews recognize the miracle? Would they recognize and thank the great God who performed it?

Would they accept the gift handed them on a silver platter and acknowledge their responsibility in furthering the redemption of the land and the world?

Would they remove the foreign abominations forced on the site of our holiest ground when we were in exile?

Rabbi Shlomo Goren, chief rabbi of the IDF, understood and offered thanks
publicly. When he entered our holy sites, the Arab occupiers fled as quickly as they could.

The Arabs understood.

He understood. However, he did not have the power to decide.

The anti-God leadership of the state, especially Moshe Dayan insisted that the great victory was of their own brilliant doing. By now they were convinced that the totally illogical victories of 1948 and now 1967 were the natural result of their own superman-like superiority.

The Arab enemy fled in panic. Dayan magnanimously called them back. He was kinder than God.

The keys to the Temple mount were given to the Israelis by quivering Arab hands, Dayan returned them to the panicked Arabs and soothed them.

Men like Rabbi Goren and Rabbi Kook were heartbroken as they saw the arrogant anti-God leadership scornfully kick the miracle on the silver platter back into the face of our loving Father who had pity on us once again. They understood that the unique moment was lost.

But God hates arrogance more than any other human vice.

And so, as the Israeli secular elites celebrated their invincibility, the Yom Kippur war was on its way.

On Yom Kippur, 1973 the combined Arab armies along with the might of the USSR attacked the self-congratulating Jewish state.

Israel was almost wiped out.

Dayan said it looked like the destruction of the Third Temple. He saw no way out.

This time it seemed, there were to be no miracles. The God of miracles had had enough.

But He is our merciful Father and remembers His pact with our forefathers. For their sake He intervened yet again. The Jewish people will not be destroyed, despite themselves.

The IDF eventually threw the combined Arab armies beyond the starting point and were poised to take their capital cities. There was never such a counterattack in history.

It was a very, very close call and victory came at a high cost.

This time Israel's arrogant leadership was humbled.

Since the Yom Kippur trauma, the country has not been the same.

Replacing the misplaced arrogance of pre-1973, there now settled over the land an unprecedented pessimism, fear and self-doubt.

Thus began a continuing string of retreats and appeasement policies that continue today.

Jerusalem day.

Do we dare carry the flag in certain parts of our capital city?

Will "Hamas" or "Islamic Jihad" or some other terror group that we helped prosper black mail the Israeli superpower?

Everyone is waiting to see what they will decide if the Jews "step over the line" in Jerusalem.

Before Yom Kippur Israel had its super arrogance stage.

The post Yom Kippur phase is of extreme lack of confidence and sense of justice.

How much further can this self-deprecating fearful psychoticism extend?

In the natural world, one would say it can extend to the bitter end - as our enemies from within and without grow bolder by the day. Nations have imploded time and again. It is not new.

That is in the normal world. However, we have a God that loves us and that is why there will be a happy ending.

Who will lead the nation to a happy ending?

The tens of thousands of beautiful young Torah Jews marching with flags to the Kotel today are the vanguard of our hope.

They are neither arrogant nor defeatist. And they believe in Him.

They are what our God wants.

Dutch Christian Zionists after joining the Flag March

  

SHORT VIDEO IMPRESSIONS OF THE FLAG MARCH AND JERUSALEM DAY 

Jerusalem Day  

Jerusalem Day overview

************************************************

ABOUT SHALOM POLLACK: 

More than 50 years ago, Shalom Pollack left New York for his Homeland: Israel.

He served in the IDF and did his reserve duty in Hebron. Since 1979, Shalom is a licensed tour guide who continues to share his love and enthusiasm for Eretz Israel with tourists from abroad and locals.

His book Jews, Israelis and Arabs Shalom includes 68 compelling articles commenting on events in Israel.

The staunch Zionist continues to share well written email articles about his beloved Israel.

“Israel, WHAT a country!”

************************************************

Contact information:  email:  shalompollack613@gmail.com 

 
https://www.amazon.com/Jews-Israelis-Arabs-Observers-Shifting/dp/1956381015

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mazo Publishers (October 7, 2021)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 216 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1956381015

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1956381016

 

 

Sachlav – Israeli comfort food

After the founding of Israel in 1948, thousands of Jews from Arab countries were forced to leave their homelands. They brought with them a wealth of knowledge and their own cuisines, inextricably tied to the countries they just left. Today, many of them, besides Hebrew, continue to speak Arabic, Persian or Turkish. Their Sephardic customs, music and food have become an essential part of Israeli society.

Sachlav, the epitome of Levantine comfort food, is the Israeli alternative to hot chocolate.

Salep is the Arabic and Turkish name; in England it was known as saloop. Sachlav is the Hebrew word for both the orchid as the drink. Its signature flavor and overpowering fragrance is the dried and ground up tubers (bulbs) of the orchid.  

Galilea Orchid 

Orchis is the genus of about 20 species of terrestrial orchids (family Orchidaceae) native to Eurasia and northern Africa. Orchis species are characterized by a pair of egg-shaped underground tubers. Each plant bears a single flower spike with many purple, pink, or white flowers, and most species have several narrow leaves at the base. The petals and sepals often form a helmetlike structure, and the flower lip usually has several lobes. 

orchid roots and tubers 

Several seed plants contain tubers – a specialized storage system that enables them to overwinter. The potato is a typical tuber, as is theJerusalem artichoke and the orchid. The orchid’s tubers contain a nutritious, starchy polysaccharide called glucomannan.

Since the 8^th century, when Turks started converting to Islam, sachlav became a favourite drink.

The Ancient Romans used ground orchid bulbs to make drinks, which they called by a number of names, especially satyrion and priapiscus. It was considered to be a powerful aphrodisiac.

Salep became a popular beverage in the Ottoman Empire. It was given to young women as a "fattener" before their wedding day.

Because it was cheaper than coffee and tea, saloop was popular in 17^th century England and Germany.

People also began to realize the medical qualities of the drink. It gave skin a radiant glow and thickened hair;

It helped against heartburn, flatulence, indigestion and diarrhea, particularly in children. Because it also relieved chest congestion and bronchitis, it became highly popular during the winter months.

However, when it was purported to treat venereal disease, drinking it in public became shameful. In London, saloop stalls now began selling coffee and tea.

Until recently, Turkey yearly harvested 30 tons of tubers from 38 orchid species; it takes from 1,000 to 4,000 tubers to make a kilo of flour. 

dried tubers

In order not to injure the roots, the orchids are very gently removed from the ground. After the washed roots are boiled in milk and water, they are strung on a rope to be dried in the sun. Once completely dried, they are ground into a fine powder - ready for the drink.

With the increasing rarity of some species and local extinctions in Turkey, traders began harvesting wild orchids in Iran. In 2012, between 7 and 11 million orchids of nineteen species and sub-species were collected from northern Iran, with the majority being exported to Turkey. Harvesting of orchid tubers is also increasing in Greece. 

Due to the popularity of sachlav in the Middle East and its subsequent decline in the populations of wild orchids, it has become illegal to export true salep. In Israel, the four pink and two white species are also protected by law. The pink butterfly orchid – sachlav parperani – is the most common orchid in Israel and the first to bloom (between February and April).

Sachlav Parperani 

Locals and chilled tourists visiting Israel in winter can buy a glass of warm sachlav at the Mahane Yehudah market or the Old City Shuk.

Of course, you can also make your own drink at home. Sachlav packages sold at the supermarkets contains sugar-flavoured cornstarch. 
Only the ‘real’, very expensive (!) 100% sachlav is of Turkish origins. But even then, you should carefully read the small print on the package to make sure it’s the pure version.

Here is a recipe of homemade sachlav (you can find many other varieties on the internet). 

SACHLAV RECIPE 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Sachlav powder or 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons rose or orange-blossom water (optional)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios
• Ground cinnamon
• Grated coconut

Preparation:

• Mix the Sachlav powder or cornstarch with a few tablespoons of milk.
• Bring the remaining milk to a boil.
• Pour in the starch mixture, stirring vigorously, so that lumps do not form.
• Cook over very low heat, stirring continuously, until the milk thickens (about 10 minutes).
• If desired: stir in the sugar and the rose water or orange blossom water.
• Serve in cups garnished with the chopped pistachios, cinnamon and grated coconut.

 

Salep seller Cairo, Egypt - 1886

© 2023 Petra van der Zande