Further proof of the inhumanity of Hamas can be seen in the fact that Israel’s Arab communities – both with and without citizenship – as well as thousands of Gazan workers who were legally inside Israel at the time of the Hamas massacre, could fall victim to Gazan rockets, and indeed there have been Arab casualties.
No less important is the fact that among the people killed were medical personnel, some of whom have treated Gazans who came to Israel under the apolitical, purely humanitarian Road to Recovery program initiated by Yuval Roth, whereby hundreds of Gazans are picked up at the Gaza checkpoint every week by volunteer Israeli drivers, brought to Israeli hospitals for treatment and later driven back.
Among the beneficiaries of this program were the granddaughter of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in 2013 and his mother-in-law in 2014. Far from being appreciative, Hamas thrives on human sacrifice, just like the pagans of old.
■ IT’S KIND of tricky when both the president and the prime minister are on hand at Ben-Gurion Airport to greet the president of the United States or some other head of state and government. That’s what happened last week when both President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were on hand to welcome US President Joe Biden.
The time-honored protocol is president to president and prime minister to prime minister, and under ordinary circumstances, President Herzog would take precedence over Prime Minister Netanyahu in the pecking order. However, Biden was actually Netanyahu’s guest and not Herzog’s, and Reuters’s award-winning photographer Evelyn Hockstein caught Netanyahu’s anxiety and determination in a “me first” photograph in which it was obviously “Bibi” vs “Bougie” – and Bibi won as he held a restraining hand on Herzog’s arm, and pushed himself into the foreground.
Public opinion
■ VARIOUS PUBLIC opinion surveys indicate that Netanyahu is losing ground with the public, and that his popularity rating is on a severe downward spiral, while confidence in the IDF is on the rise. Aside from being angry over Netanyahu’s shilly-shallying on decision-making, the public is angry over the amount of money wasted on needless government ministries.
In the first government of Israel, there were 12 ministers. In the current government of Israel, which is the 37th, there were 37 ministers, but since the resignation last week of public diplomacy minister Galit Distel Atbaryan, there are 36. Prior to her resignation, all overtures made to Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, who is a former defense minister, to join the war cabinet were rebuffed. Liberman kept saying that he had no desire to be the 38th minister with no ability to affect decisions. To his credit, Liberman refrained from criticizing Netanyahu, saying only that if it were up to him, he would do things differently, but he declined to say what he would do. It should be remembered that Liberman was among the most verbose of political critics of the prime minister prior to the war. Surprisingly, he had a good word to say for National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has finally learned the lesson that deeds speak louder than words.
There were 27 ministers in the previous government, alternately led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, but that too was overloaded.
■ FOR MANY years the Dan and Hilton hotels in Tel Aviv were the main choices for accommodating visiting presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, and defense ministers, as well as star entertainers from abroad in the city that never stops. These were also the prime venues for diplomatic events, though the Sheraton and David Intercontinental hotels were sometimes added to the list.
But now, there’s a new kingpin player, as was testified during the brief but oh so important visit last week by Biden. Visits by heads of state and government are usually planned well in advance, but this was a different and special circumstance. Kempinski hotel general manager Guy Klaiman was advised only the day prior to Biden’s arrival that Kempinski was the hotel of choice.
Suffice it to say that neither Klaiman nor various members of his staff had any sleep on Tuesday night of last week. Even though the Kempinski is reputed to be the most high-class luxury hotel in Israel, there was concern as to whether, with 18 hours’ notice, it could fulfill all the requirements for a presidential visit, especially during wartime, when, like most other hotels, it is short-staffed, in addition to which there were other guests in the presidential entourage.
As far as Klaiman was aware, the last-minute decision was based on the recommendation of a group of US senators who had stayed at the Kempinski the previous weekend.
Hotel staff went into a frenzy of preparation, though it’s doubtful that Biden and his delegation paid much attention to the extensive menu, which offered them a choice of 30 gourmet items, or to the floral decor comprising 400 flowers.
Several staff members had been called into the army, so Klaiman recruited his 15-year-old son and four of his friends to come and help.
Altogether some 50 people within the hotel were engaged in the preparations for the visit, the meeting of the war cabinet, and preparing meals for some 800 guests – mostly members of the media and security personnel – who were in the hotel at that time. Twenty regular guests who had reservations to stay at the hotel were transferred to other hotels in Tel Aviv. This is customary when any US president visits Israel. The hotel in which he stays must be sterile and empty of guests other than his entourage, his Israeli hosts and Israeli security.
■ THERE IS no denying that Israel owes a lot to the United States. Every US president from Harry S. Truman onward has contributed in one way or another to Israel’s security and development, but none has so openly and for so long a period of time identified with Israel as has Biden.
Long before the present crisis, Biden said that you don’t have to be Jewish to be a Zionist. And, indeed, many millions of Christians around the world have proved that to be true. Yet, in some circles there is an uneasy feeling about the closeness of Biden’s alliance with Israel. We are not the 51st state, and inasmuch as we love and are grateful to America, we have no intention of becoming an offshore emulation of Hawaii. Too many news bulletins contain references to what America wants Israel to do. Some of these have been denied by official representatives of the US, but in an era of fake news, it is more important than ever to know what is true and what is not.
■ ON THE subject of fake news, how many national institutions and local municipalities are lying? In radio and television interviews, representatives of such entities claim that they have been in contact with every family that is without shelter, with every family that has been evacuated, and with every family whose loved ones were taken hostage by Hamas. Yet so many people interviewed on KAN Reshet Bet and KAN 11 television say that no one from the government, no one from the National Insurance Institute, no one from the Home Front Command and no one from their local or regional municipality has contacted them to find out whether they have sufficient food and medications, the nature of their security situation, and what their needs might be.
Israel is rapidly evolving from the Promised Land to the land of broken promises.
Some of the people who have phoned in say that they called all the relevant offices advertised in the Hebrew press, but no one answered the phone. Similarly, some families whose loved ones were abducted have not yet met with anyone in authority. When there are media reports of meetings with the families, such reports do not state that such meetings are always with a small group of representatives of families, and are called at very short notice, so that people who live a long distance from the meeting place have no hope of getting there in time, and therefore miss out, though this week, the largest meeting ever took place at the President’s Residence, where Herzog told some 80 people that he wanted to hear their stories and to do everything in his power to help. The Welfare Ministry on Sunday announced that at least 21 children in 13 families had been orphaned and left without one or both parents.
Never has it been so important to have a public broadcasting network, whose reporters and editors are not only providing news as it happens, but who intercede on behalf of the people who call in and usually manage to get the assistance required. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who, when he came into office, wanted to close down public broadcasting, should choke on his words. Thanks to public broadcasting lives have been saved; injustice has been swept out from under the rug; corruption has been exposed; and help has been given where it is most needed.
Every reporter, editor, and sound and video engineer has been working overtime, especially veteran military correspondent Carmela Menashe, who provides updates for every anchorman and woman and who also goes out into the field to conduct interviews and to coanchor programs. Such dedication would be commendable if Menashe were in her thirties, but she happens to be 74 years old and still going strong with the energy of someone half her age. Also working almost around the clock as anchor, political analyst, and editor is Yoav Krakovsky, who, at 48, is expected to have surplus energy.
Many therapists have been mobilized to help people from the South who are suffering from emotional and psychological trauma. Help has also been offered to journalists in the field. What may not be realized is that journalists in the studio are no less in need of therapy. Those who are hosting broadcasts in which survivors of the Hamas massacre tell their stories are subjected to a series of brutal incidents that all but defy the imagination.
To hear one such tale is emotionally unnerving. To hear several, one after the other during a four-hour shift, is mind-searing, and some journalists have broken down as they listened. The overwhelming majority of journalists have been empathetic and have made the appropriate remarks in the appropriate tone of voice. But others have been unable to deal with interviewees whose dignity has given way to hysteria, as they accuse the government, the army, and the police of abandoning them. It’s very important to allow these people to vent their anger. It verges on total insensitivity to make them suppress it. They have a justifiable need to get it out. Anyone who cannot empathize with them should not be interviewing them. Likewise, a newsreader who is reading an item about the death toll of soldiers and civilians should not be doing so in a happy, upbeat voice. Imagine what this does to relatives of the deceased.
■ IN JEWISH history, joy and grief often walk hand in hand, or immediately one after the other. Take, for instance, the story of Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Noam Tibon, who rushed from Tel Aviv to Kibbutz Nahal Oz to save his son, Haaretz journalist Amir Tibon, and his family from being murdered by Hamas.
The story made international headlines, and Noam Tibon was interviewed by major television outlets. Even the president of the United States knew his story.
An expert in counterterrorism, Noam Tibon is an ex-kibbutznik who was born and raised in Kibbutz Tzora. His parents, Yoav and Aliza, were born in Jerusalem, fought in the Palmah and decided to join a kibbutz because at that time nearly all kibbutzim were built on Israel’s borders and served as buffers against Israel’s enemies. Noam Tibon and his wife, Galia, live in Tel Aviv and were at the beach swimming when they saw jets in the sky and soon after heard a rocket warning siren. As they left the beach, they received a text message from Amir informing them that the kibbutz had been infiltrated by terrorists.
They rushed home to get a gun, and then, while Galia drove their jeep, Noam, who knows everyone who is anyone in the army’s top brass, began calling commanding officers from the chief of staff down. The journey to Nahal Oz was fraught with difficulty because fighting was taking place along the route. Nonetheless, they persisted. Noam also joined the fighting, got hold of a more lethal weapon and killed several terrorists. To make a long story short, he saved several people, including his son and his family, and then began aiding in the evacuation of survivors. But the joy of the family was short-lived. Aliza Tibon died last week. The only consolation is that unlike so many other grandparents, she did not have to mourn the death of a grandson or great-granddaughters.
■ OF ALL the charitable foundations in the world, none has been as supportive of Israel as the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation. The various branches of the Rothschild family, individually and through the foundation, have contributed to Israel since long before the establishment of the state, and in so many different fields, including education, academia, culture, industry, medicine, housing, public buildings, and archaeological excavations.
So it comes as no surprise that Baroness Ariane de Rothschild has announced the establishment of a dedicated emergency fund totaling NIS 20 million, which will provide immediate support to enhance emotional resilience and enable the delivery of psychological, social, and community assistance to those affected by the massacre and the war. The purpose of the fund is to help in coping with the challenges and substantial emotional stress experienced by hundreds of thousands both during and after the war.
The baroness stated that the necessary funds to fulfill its mission have already been allocated and activities commenced immediately. Helplines, and projects offering professional training, were established to provide support to sectors of the population that have been forced to leave their homes.
The emergency fund’s operations are strategically designed to aid in the development of essential infrastructures, facilitating the return of individuals, families, and communities to their daily routines.
The Edmond de Rothschild Foundation will collaborate and pool resources together with various stakeholders, including local and regional authorities, hospitals, NGOs, other foundations, and academic institutions, which are likewise committed to addressing critical needs in the short term and ensuring sustained support over time.
Concurrently with the establishment of the emergency fund, the Edmond de Rothschild Partnerships organization, the foundation’s leadership arm, is spearheading the “Makom La-Darom” project, together with the Azrieli Foundation, the Mobileye Foundation, Hadassah Medical, and Kibbutz Tzova. Through this project, comprehensive support is offered to families from the Gaza border communities and southern regions. It encompasses meals, activities for children, psychological and medical responses, and a connection to the community.
Michael Kliger, the Rothschild Foundation’s deputy chairman, noted that, as in the past, the Rothschild family, led by Ariane de Rothschild, is standing by the State of Israel in difficult times in order to ensure and support Israel’s existence and prosperity in the long term.
■ FROM BEING the global darling of environmentalists, Sweden’s Greta Thunberg is well on the way to being known as Gruesome Greta. Such a title would have nothing to do with the perils of global warming, which propelled her to international recognition, but with her support of a genocidal terrorist organization such as Hamas.
A letter sent to Thunberg, and signed by more than 100 Israeli environmental activists reads:
“Greta, we, the Israeli Forum of Women in the Environment, are deeply hurt, shocked, and disappointed with your tweets and posts regarding Gaza, which are appallingly one-sided, ill-informed, superficial, and are in complete contrast to your ability to deep dive into details and get to the bottom of complex issues – at best. But to be more accurate, by expressing them you take sides with terrorists, with the worst and darkest representatives of humans, and plainly with the wrong side of history.
“Do you think Hamas represents human rights and freedom? Think again!
“On Saturday, October 7, a brutal massacre took place in Israel. So far, we have counted 1,400 bodies of babies, children, women and men. All brutally murdered, shot, burned alive, molested before their deaths, raided by terrorists in their homes, in a music festival and randomly on the streets. Hundreds of people were kidnapped to Gaza, ages ranging from nine months to 90 years old, including babies and people with severe illnesses (like cancer, heart failure, Parkinson’s) without their medication, and people with special needs such as autism and dementia, and many more are still missing.
“Among the victims were a group of elderly Israelis waiting for a bus to take them on a tour, Israeli Arabs, agriculture workers from Thailand, caretakers from the Philippines who looked after elderly men and women, and many other innocent lives.
“Is this the way you imagine fighting for human rights? With cold-blooded killings of civilians, violent rape of women, and kidnapping of infants and the elderly?
“We would like for you to learn about Dr. Shoshana Haran, founder and president of “Fair Planet,” a nonprofit organization that aims at the success of smallholder farmers in developing countries. We are sure you will find her work and the values of the organization and this amazing woman similar to your own. Shoshana and seven other members of her family have been missing since that gruesome black Saturday attack. The body of her husband was identified earlier this week. Please, take a moment to look at their pictures and watch those videos about her.
“Does any of this sound like a part of the fight for freedom? Are you seriously standing with the people who hold a grandmother with her grandchildren for over 14 days?”
■ IT MAY also be beneficial for Thunberg to learn that Hamas is using every possible means at its disposal to locate and kidnap Israeli soldiers. A social media message that is circulating in Australia and probably elsewhere in the world was forwarded by Len Fagenblat, with the warning that no one should respond to it.
The warning reads: “There is an organization called Ohev Yisrael (Love Israel) that is asking for names of Israeli soldiers so they can pray for them. It is absolutely forbidden to give them any information. This is ISIS, a Palestinian organization, so please do not give out information or names, and certainly not online. They are actually mapping the IDF and asking what equipment they need. This is a threat to the security of Israel and the IDF.”
Just as Google warns against opening certain emails, every Israeli should be careful not to respond to emails that ask for information, regardless of how innocent it may seem.
■ ON THE subject of grandmothers, particularly those who are Holocaust survivors and can remember a time when the Jewish people had no army of its own to defend it, this war, with all the tragedy and horror in which it is enveloped, nonetheless contains aspects of light of hope.
Rena Quint, who was a child Holocaust survivor who went through the camps, lost both her parents and her brothers, and was left alone in the world, was fortunately adopted by a wonderful American couple. She married a loving husband, with whom she raised a fine family. Her vast progeny includes more than 20 grandchildren, 12 of whom are currently serving in the army. She is also the great-grandmother of many children whose fathers are also serving. Quint, who is in high demand by Jews and non-Jews alike to tell her story to visiting groups or via Zoom, was one of the Holocaust survivors chosen by Yad Vashem to meet with Biden when he was in Israel in July 2022.
While confessing the overall situation frightens her, Quint is proud that her grandsons are helping to defend both the Jewish state and Jewish values.
■ THERE ARE various therapies that help overcome trauma and emotional stress. One is swimming, as recommended by Tel Aviv-headquartered HaGal Sheli; and another is dancing.
Anna Aronov, the multitalented dancer, dance instructor, actress, and singer, decided to devote one of her talents to the women of Sderot who were evacuated to the Brown Beach House in Tel Aviv. Aronov invited the women to come dance with her. Most enthusiastically accepted the invitation, and had a great time letting go of their emotions.
Following the hour-long dance class, Aronov distributed symbolic gifts to all the participants.