A letter from an Israeli grandma

Dear Kim,

By chance I learnt about your Blog on The Times of Israel and I am writing to thank you for taking this important initiative. Your words of love and understanding are like a beacon at the end of a very long and dark tunnel!

To me as an Israeli I feel that one of the most frightening things in our world is the appalling anti-Israel sentiment which exists throughout much of the European and British media. To that we can certainly add influential American media, like The New York Times, where the obsession with “nasty Israel” is pathological. Obviously this hasn’t happened overnight but as a result of an extensive and very expensive campaign by the Arab nations over many years. They use American and European Advertising agencies, infiltrate trade unions, the Universities and other important centres in the UK and Europe and it has reached a stage where many decent people who don’t consider themselves anti-Semitic are unable to remember how this political situation started, who caused the wars and which side refuses to negotiate a final settlement.

The Arab leaders, unwilling to take responsibility for their non acceptance of the UN Partition in 1947 and the subsequent war and refugee problem, have kept the poor refugees as pawns in a vicious political game whilst Israel welcomed nearly one million refugees from the Arab lands. The situation was worsened in 1967 which must be the classic just war, where a tiny nation faced annihiliation and won.

I can remember the 1967 war, as a young mother with a 6 month old daughter and a husband fighting in a tank unit on the front. I can remember the 1973 war, now with three small children and again the same husband serving on the Syrian and Egyptian front with the tanks. I never thought then that we would reach the year 2012 without a settlement but that is the case and it is very sad indeed.

I am not blind to Israel’s mistakes and personally am opposed to the current settlement policies and the ongoing financial funding over the green line whilst so many projects and people within Israel don’t receive the support they deserve and need. To me the indiscriminate building on the West Bank is just a waste of public money and doesn’t strengthen us one little bit. However we need to respect every government even if we didn’t vote for it!

The people opposing Israel don’t seem to understand that there are many Israelis who yearn for a peaceful solution but choose to punish anyone just because he carries Israeli nationality. The recent effort to boycott the performances of our national theatre, Habima, at the Shakespeare Festival is a perfect example of this attempt to blame every Israeli for our so-called crimes. I often wonder if the eminent actor Emma Thompson, who was a co-signer of the letter demanding the boycott, feels personally responsible for the actions of the British army in Afghanistan and Iraq, where they murdered and maimed countless Muslims. Should she be boycotted outside Britain because of the actions of her army?

Kim – again I thank you for your kind words and intentions. Even if your Blog influences only a few people and encourages them to rethink their attitude towards this political conflict, it will be worthwhile.

With best wishes,

Ruth, an Israeli grandma

”The state of Israel had to be founded in order to protect us, the Jews, from the world”

I’m writing these lines while watching the news. Listening to the reporter saying there has been a terror attack against Israelis in Bulgaria. For now, it says 7 innocent people have lost their lives. The numbers will probably, unfortunately, increase.

Israelis and Jews around the world have always been a favorite target for the radical Islamic terror organizations.

I’m thinking about all the people who say: ”the terror against Jews is only because of the occupation”. They say that if the state of Israel didn’t exist (on occupied Palestinian land), there won’t be terror and hatred against Jews around the world.

Well, I guess I wasn’t aware of the fact that the Israeli occupation existed also during the holocaust, for example. Of course there had been many other events of hate towards Jews, but I’m taking the holocaust as a major argument to that claim.

I find that claim, that the existence of Israel is the reason for the hate – ridiculous, and also insulting.

The state of Israel had to be founded in order to protect us, the Jews, from the world. We needed a country that will stand up for us and protect us, because no other country did when we were being slaughtered in Europe. No other country stood up for us and shouted about one of the most horrible crimes against humanity throughout the history of mankind.

I find myself thinking a lot about the unjust hate towards us. It breaks my heart to see how Israel is being reviewed in the international media, being criticized in every opportunity.

The percentage of the Jewish people in the world is about 0.2%. The percentage of the Arab population in the world is about 23%.

And yet, Jews and Israelis are making such a big contribution to the world. Whether it’s the Nobel prizes some of us receive in medicine, science, economy, math and more; whether it’s the Israeli High-Tech companies, which contributes to the progress of technology around the world and much more.

Islam, which is supposed to be ”the religion of peace”, stands as a contradiction to the Jewish and Christian religions. They hate, they terror, the kill innocent people only because of their beliefs, their way of life and their religion.

How can the world be so blind to the truth? This thought keeps harassing me. I can’t understand that.

There is a sentence I heard once, and I believe it’s true:
”The Arabs have passion for death, as much as the Jews have for living”.

We love life. We cherish our lives and even our enemies’ lives. We think that the gift of life is the most sacred thing there is. And we will keep believing and longing for a better future for us. Because we love life and we will never give up.

I also wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart, for all the support you give us.
It gives us strength and optimism.

Bless you, friend.

Segev Moses.

Poem Submission from Toronto, Canada

That Kotel Moment

You long for that feeling.

That feeling.

You know, the one you are

Supposed

To feel in Israel.

Immersed in the antiquity and history of

Your people.

The feeling of harmony with the

Yemenite store owner,

Hardworking kibbutz-nik,

And random black hatter strolling on Ben Yehudah.

All enveloped under our Jewish state that we fought so hard to obtain.

These casual encounters should be enough.

Right?

You know, to have that feeling.

Truth be told: this did not truly suffice.

The Kotel was the place that defined that “expected” feeling.

Constantly reminding you that you are home.

A feeling that sends shivers up and down your body,

Reaching every last nerve,

Adequate enough to send you a startling jolt.

Making your heart palpitate as if you had just witnessed a ghost or a miracle.

But in fact, that is exactly what you have just observed.

The ghost is the spirit of your beloved lost grandfather (your Zidy to be exact).

He approaches you for that brief yet substantial moment as if he were there,

Standing with you,

Gripping onto that sacred wall with such might as if it were the

End of the world around us.

A moment so brief that when retelling the magic that just occurred,

The tale seems like an utter

Exaggeration.

But far from a fabrication it was.

A miracle did in fact ensue at the Kotel.

Those countless, ordinary stones bound together by the Jewish people’s

Past struggles.

And future celebrations,

Reunited you and your Zidy (the Yiddish word for grandfather),

For that brief,

Yet life-altering moment.

Thus,

You finally felt that feeling you were longing for.

You know, the one you are

Supposed

To feel in Israel.

Jessica Pollock

Frustration and anger

Dear Kim,

First of all I would like to thank and applaude you for your ”bravery” and ”integrity” in search of the truth. RESPECT to you!‫

I’m an Israeli living in Europe and I write this letter out of frustration and anger of the news media and journalists in Europe/Scandinavia, for the injustice they do to Israel‫,‬ with their lack of journalistic integrity and their corrupt reports!

Since my first days in Europe in 1980 I have seen groups of Palestinians going door to door ‫-‬ spreading their propaganda, lies, and smearing Israel as evil and as the occupier of their land.
Now, 32 years later, you can see it’s not just small time propaganda.
They took over most news medias across Europe and Scandinavia‫,‬ deciding what would be said and shown on the news, and basically portraying the Palestinian terrorists as the under dogs, the freedom fighters, the victims of the conflict. By not reporting the terror attacks on innocents victims – women and children, only reporting when Israel retaliates back, and portraying Israel as the aggressor and as the one who attacked first.

As I’m writing these lines at 12.30 (Tuesday 19.06.12) I see an update on the Israeli news: Children in the south of Israel may not go further than 15 seconds from a bomb shelter.

2 hours later new headlines: 13 Qassam rockets has been fired on Israel.
At 17:00: 33 Qassams rockets and mortars shells has been fired on Israel, targeting innocent civilians!!
20:00: New headlines: More than 100 rockets and mortar shells has been fired on Israel! Did you hear about it‫?

I haven’t heard a word of it on any Dutch, Belgian, German or any European news station, nor on the CNN or the BBC .
When I tell my friends about the rocket attacks they think I’m crazy! Because they haven’t heard one word about it on the news.
Just like a few months ago when the Hamas launched more than 200 rockets in 48 hours‫.‬ Finally when Israel retaliated they said on the news that Israel had attacked Gaza first‫.‬
Shortly after the ceasefire was signed, Hamas still lunched more rockets throughout the whole day.‬
Finally after 12 hours Israel finally retaliated‫,‬ and you guessed it.. in the news they blamed Israel for violating the ceasefire.

So the media hides information and actually falsifies information over events in the Middle East.
Even worse, in schools in Europe kids are getting false education over the history of Palestine and Israel. So they grow up to believe the Arab lies.
Israel is painted by world news media as evil and the big mighty power in the Middle East, if you really look at the map and compare Israel to its Arab neighbours, you’ll see that Israel is the smallest country in the area, with just 7 millions Jews and 1.5 million Arabs.

And to defend it, every Jewish man and woman has to do years of army service.
But did you know that from such a small land comes so much wisdom and knowledge for the benefit of the whole world?
Did you know that there are more Jewish Nobel price winners than of any other country in the world‫?

Inventing technologies for mobile phones, computers, TV, safety and health instruments, green electric cars, water irrigations etc…
Almost every week I read of a new invention that will improve the quality of life some where around the world, also in the medical world‫,‬ Israel invents more cures and medicine than most countries in the world.
The most amazing thing they just developed: A vaccination and cure for cancer which already cures 90% of all cancer sorts and will be available for the whole world in 2020.
When people come to my door to collect donations for fighting cancer, I think to myself, send that money to Israel, the’ll know how to use it the best.

When I think of how much money the Palestinians are getting from around the world every year, and what they do with it: Suicide bombs‫,‬ Qassams rockets and Corrupt‫ ‬private bank accounts – Arafat had 90 million $ in his private bank account.
Did you know that the Palestinians teach and brainwash their children from a very young age, to blow themselves up as suicide bombers and to kill and to hate Jews‫?‬

Although an Israeli hospital will take care of thousands of sick and wounded Palestinians‫,‬ the Palestinians on the other hand lynched to death three Israelis who accidentally entered Palestinian territory.
Although Israel is willing to recognize Palestine as a neighbouring state and give up some of its land for them, the Palestinians are not willing to recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people‫.‬ Bizarre‫!

Israel is the only land in the Middle East that permits complete freedom of religion to all.
And the only true democracy with freedom of speech and equal rights‫ ,‬to that extent that people who are actually supporting the enemy‫ ‬(Hamas) are members of the Israeli parliament. In any other country those parliament members would be in jail for treason or even be hung‫!‬

Israel has existed for 3500 years as the only state of the Jewish people and has never ever been another state of any other people, in the history on that piece of land. And that’s a fact!‫!‬

Israel is not the only victim of islam, but it is the toughest victim so far.
And yet I see Europe and Scandinavia still supporting the spread of islam and condemning Israel.

But seeing the news reports in Europe and Scandinavia I don’t blame you‫,‬ I probably would condemn Israel too if I did‫’‬t know better‫ ,‬that’s why I find the work of Kim Milrell so important! It’s about the TRUTH and it’s a Moral Obligation to share it!

M.B.