War With Iran

I have a bunch of my more regular blog posts ready to share here but it did not feel right to publish any of them right now, with everything that is currently going on here. Israel was already at war and we are now in the middle of an even bigger one. Last Thursday evening at 3:30am, my phone started blaring with a siren I’ve never heard before. I thought it was just another Houthi missile, something that we have sadly got used to over the past few months, but this time it was different. It was a more urgent siren with a more urgent request. A short while before Israel had pre-emptively struck Iran to remove its nuclear capability and remove the threat over Israel’s head. The country was expecting a response and we needed to get to a safe place.

For years, the Iranian regime has been stating that it has the long-range goal of destroying Israel, at the same time advancing toward obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran was also behind the 7th October attacks, arming and funding the Hamas terror organization, and directly attacking Israel twice, firing hundreds of missiles toward the State of Israel in April and November 2024. The time had come for Israel to take action, targeting Iran’s military and nuclear facilities, the military leadership and the scientists behind Iran’s nuclear program.

In the days since the attack we have basically stayed at home. The last few nights we have been woken multiple times by sirens and, on one occasion, just by the loud booms. Rocket debris has fallen in the city where I live. Schools are closed. Workplaces are closed. Only essential services remain operational. The airspace and waters around the country are closed and so it looks like our upcoming trip to the UK, my first one since losing Gadi, will not happen. It is important to remember that while Israel is targeting military and nuclear facilities, Iran targets civilians and sadly a number of Israelis have already lost their lives.

Iran was taken over by a dictatorship. The transition to an Islamic Republic with dictatorial characteristics occurred steadily after the 1979 revolution, which overthrew the last Shah of Iran. The country is weeks away from obtaining a nuclear weapon. It was now or never for Israel. If Iran is ultimately able to destroy Israel, the western world will be the next target.

I am tired and I am scared.

These photos were taken just 10 days ago at a chocolate and cocktails workshop our son and his girlfriend, Hila, treated us to for our birthdays. We mixed two cocktails and chose the fillings for 32 pralines which we took home with us. Of course there was a siren in the middle of the workshop and we spent time standing in the stairwell of the building in Jerusalem where the workshop took place.

Am Yisra'el Chai! - The people of Israel live!

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun. and Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday).

Gadi's Third Yahrzeit*

It has been quite a while since I shared a personal post here. My regular readers will remember that on 21st May 2022 we lost our youngest son Gadi to suicide. We recently marked three years since his passing and I felt that I was not being true to myself if I did not mention it on my blog. It has been three very tough years of questions, waiting, imploring and, most of all, missing Gadi. Through a lawyer we have learnt many details that we were not told about at the beginning, but these details have only led to more questions. I do not believe that we will ever truly know what happened to my beloved son the night he died - the authorities concerned are banding together to keep us at bay - but we know who to blame and who ultimately caused Gadi to believe that life was no longer worth living.

At the end of May we marked the three years since Gadi's passing with a memorial evening and then a morning service at the military cemetery where he is buried. These are my words from that day.

Three years.

Gadi, it is impossible to believe that three years have passed since we lost you. Each evening, when I go out for a walk, I think about the words I want to say to you. I have so much to say and I plan it all in my head, but when it comes to writing it all down, the pain is too much to bear. I want to speak with you face to face. I want to reminisce with you and laugh about the crazy things you used to get up to. And yes, I guess I even miss the times when I yelled at you for losing all your things or forgot to do something important.

I don’t want to keep writing about you in the past tense. I want you to still be here, by this stage having finished your military service and probably off travelling in some obscure part of the world, exploring the places that you always dreamed of. I want to see photos of you in gorgeous settings and to enjoy the sketches you would most probably have made.

But that is not to be because three years ago, in May 2022, the world turned against you.

Three years.

The length of time it took to construct the Eiffel Tower and the core structure of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Three years. The time it took Charles Darwin to conduct fieldwork in South America, which laid the foundation for his theory of evolution.

The Watergate Scandal, the political scandal involving U.S. President Richard Nixon, unfolded over roughly three years.

Michelangelo completed the most intense painting work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in about three years, and J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the bulk of The Lord of the Rings manuscript over approximately three years.

But in three years we have failed to learn, really learn about what happened to you the night you decided that life was no longer worth living. The police don’t want to talk to us or answer our many questions. The army don’t want to help, and it took so long to receive the report about your death – a report that told us next to nothing – that by the time we had received it, along with the additional materials, Harvot Barzel had begun and the story of your death was old.

It is hard to believe you died before this terrible war. That’s you don't know about the hatufim** or the many people who were killed, including your school friend Ariel and your best friend from the army, Yakir. Though perhaps you do know. Maybe you are all hanging out together, discussing what is going on down here and keeping each other company. I like to think so.

Not long ago we learned that Yakir named his car Steve. Steve. The name that you, Gadi, used for everything. When you and Nadav were young we all used to love watching ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ clips together. For those of you who have not yet discovered the clips, ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ was a British comedy sketch show shown on BBC One. It involved the overdubbing of voiceovers to natural history footage, to give the appearance of the animals doing the talking. You, Gadi, were particularly enamoured with the talking marmots named Steve and Alan. Many characters in the delightful stories you then wrote were henceforth named Steve. I have convinced myself that Yakir, a US-born young man who became completely Israeli and refused to speak English even with us, named his car Steve because you once suggested he do so.

Gadi, you were such a talented young man. Using the words you once used to describe yourself, you were “messy, artistic and funny”. I still have so much to say about you, but telling your story called “My Pet Puffin”, a story about a Puffin called, yes you guessed it, Steve, seems like a good way to share just one of your many talents.

“I wish I had a pet puffin. If I did I would call it Steven (only because I like the name) and I would call him Steve for short. During the day Steve could waddle round the house with us, and during the night he could sleep in the bath that we never use full of warm water (because he comes from the Atlantic and the Atlantic has mostly warm water.) I would fill the bath with small rocks and pebbles, and I would build a sort of artificial stone ledge for him to perch on. I would pour a salt container into the water, and put a few fish in the bath in case he wanted a snack in the middle of the night. During the day I would feed him an assortment of herring, tuna and whatever other fish we could find in the fridge. Sometimes I would play a recording of other puffins to him so he would feel at home. Maybe I would get a female puffin as well. I would call her Stevette.”

Gadi, you wished for a pet puffin. I wish for a lot of things.

I wish you had never discovered weed, whether it was at school or at youth club, it was certainly not something you learnt about at home.

I wish that the Modi’in police had not been aggressive and mean, and had instead seen you as a young, tired soldier who just needed to be sent home.

I wish you had woken Dad.

I wish that the army had been more proactive and helped you that night, and I wish that they would listen to what we have to say now.

I wish that the lawyer that you called at midnight had answered her phone.

I wish that the guy you spoke with at ERAN, Israel's emotional first aid service, had been more prepared.

I wish that the young girl who answered the Israeli police emergency phone line that night knew what ERAN was and had done her job correctly.

I wish that the friends that you reached out to had understood your despair.

But most of all, Gadi, I wish you were still here. I miss you so much.

Despite the lack of cooperation from the authorities involved, we were recently successful in getting Gadi's story onto the front page on a national newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth. Though it will not bring Gadi back, it is important to us that the public know his story, about the dreadful lack of care that was shown to him the night he died, and about all the mistakes that were made.

This is the link for those of you who are interested in reading the full article in English.

* Yahrzeit is a Yiddish word meaning anniversary of a death. It is the yearly anniversary of a loved one's death (traditionally the anniversary of the Hebrew date, not the Gregorian date). Jewish people observe yahrzeit at home by lighting a special long-burning candle in memory of the deceased.

** Hatufim is the Hebrew word for hostages and, in this case, refers to the 55 men and women still being held in captivity in Gaza. 33 are believed to be deceased, 20 are believed to be alive and 2 unknown.

This post has ben shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun. and Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday).

Pops

A new customer contacted me to see if could make a special birthday card for her dad. "We call him Pops and he is turning 80" she told me. "He likes cars, good quality whisky and good books, and is kind, generous and compassionate."

I decided to show "Pops" with a book in one hand and a good whisky in the other. Behind him is a bright red sports car, a bottle of whisky and a small pile of books. My customer was keen for me to include his character traits too, so I added them as words surrounding him. Finally, a big number 80 marks his age.
My customer was delighted with the card and was excited to send it to her dad in South Africa.

* This post has been shared on Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and Happiness is Homemade.

17 and 18

The new customer who saw and loved the birthday cards that I made for Ilana came back to me once again, this time for a card for a daughter whose birthday was in January. I previously made a birthday card for another daughter back in December. Like her younger sister, this young lady also plays netball. She does gel nails as a hobby for clients, and mum told me that she loves to sleep!

I showed the birthday girl wearing the khaki green shirt that her netball team plays in. I showed her younger sister wearing the same shirt. She has a netball in her hands. Behind her is a dream bubble showing her fast asleep in bed! I added some little bottles of nail varnish and a nail file, to represent her work as a nail technician. If you look carefully, you will see that she also has beautiful pink gel nails! Finally, I added a number 17 to mark her age.

I had another request, this time for an 18th birthday card. This young lady belongs to Shevet Modi'in, a Jerusalem based Scout troop. Mum sent me a photo of her daughter's khaki Scout shirt, which is absolutely covered in badges! The khaki shirt is the same across the world for the Scouts' movement. Shevet Modi'in wear a blue aniva, or neckerchief. Much like the khaki shirt, the use of the anivot is the same throughout the movement. It connects each troop to the entire Scout movement.

Mum told me that her daughter always carries a particular water bottle. Along with the badge emblazoned shirt, I also carefully copied the green water bottle. Finally, this young lady drives her dad's green Mazda 2, which the family call 'Froggie' 🐸. I added the car to her card, along with a big pink number 18.

* This post has been shared on Tuesday Turn About, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and Thursday Favorite Things.

Sovev Zichron

Sovev Zichron, or Zichron Ya'akov circular route, is a hiking path that starts inside Zichron Ya'akov, a town located on Mount Carmel with magnificent views across the coastal plain to the Mediterranean Sea. Zichron Ya'akov, which means "Jacob's Memorial", was founded in 1882 through the generosity of Baron Edmund de Rothschild. Named for his father, Ya'akov, or Jacob, it is among the earliest established towns in Israel.

Sovev Zichron was apparently broken out of a 21km long bicycle path paved by the local cycling community. The roughly 3km route is a short hike, with gorgeous views of the sea, seasonal blossoms and even a small cave. It starts with a brief walk in the woods, which then opens to a wide dirt road overlooking the Kabbara Stream, a beautiful wadi (valley) full of vegetation. The path is wide and mostly flat and easy to walk.  

The weather was beautiful the day we hiked and it was to easy to forget for a moment that there is a war going on. However, not far into our route we had a reminder. Maj. Ro'i Chapel, 25, was a Nahal Brigade commander from Zichron Ya'akov, who was killed battling terrorists on 7th October 2023. This beautiful stone, above, marks the "Ro'i Lookout Point" along the route and is a wonderful way to remember a courageous young man.

We continued on the path, with beautiful views of the Kabbara Stream and the cliffs along it. We could see the Ramat Hanadiv Vulture Cage and Bustan Carmel, apparently an amazing and magical orchard for the cultivation of tropical trees. I should visit one day!

The spring blossoms were abundant, especially the gorgeous yellow Crown Daisy, a native to the Mediterranean region, and the dark blue Syrian Cornflower-Thistle. Apparently the Cornflower's deep blue colour symbolizes healthy eyes - hence it became a treatment for eye ailments. In France, the plant is called casse-lunette, or "break glasses", and is still used in French herbal medicine as a remedy for the eyes.

High above the Kabbara Stream we watched a couple of vultures from the breeding cage soar above us. The cage is part of a project to increase the vulture population in Israel which began in the Carmel in 1992. The project nurtures baby vultures in captivity under carefully monitored conditions and then releases them to the wild. The adult vultures, raised in captivity owing to injuries or other reasons, are unable to survive in the wild like their offspring. The newly laid eggs are removed and artificially hatched. Removal of an egg encourages the vultures to lay a 'reserve egg' to compensate for the one that is lost. In this way, the number of eggs laid is doubled. When the second egg is removed, a plaster model is put in its place so that the vulture can continue to nest. When the eggs finally hatch, they are returned to the parents' nest or the nest of another bird willing to accept the chick. There the babies grow untainted by human touch. And it seems that all the effort is worth it ­­- more than a quarter of the vultures in the wild in Israel are the product of Ramat Hanadiv's breeding programme.

To the west we could see the Mediterranean Sea and the agricultural areas of kibbutz Ma'agan Michael and Ma'ayan Zvi. We took a short break at some benches, seemingly used regularly by Instagrammers! There was a clear view of the Hadera power station on the skyline. Then, several bends later, we saw the cave entrance and an iron ladder that climbs to it. The view from the "Cave of the Wild Boar", or Ma'arat Hahazirim, is apparently breathtakingly spectacular. I will confess that I didn't try to find out!

Mount Carmel and the city of Haifa are full of wild boars and the cave is named after them.

Ma'arat Hahazirim

After the cave, we continued along the path until the dirt road ends - the end point of the route. We turned around and traced our steps back to the car, once again enjoying the beautiful displays of spring blossoms. Our next stop was Ramat Hanadiv, a memorial garden commemorating Baron Edmond de Rothschild and his wife, located at the southern end of Mount Carmel.

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Tuesday Turn About, My Corner of the World and Wild Bird Wednesday.