As Israel prepares for Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, celebrating the victory of the Six Day war that freed East Jerusalem from Jordanian occupation and returned Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount I keep hearing in my mind Yehoram Gaon describing the terror of the Yom Kippur war when Israelis did not know if the young … More Thousands of generations I dreamt of you, Jerusalem
My, how the world has changed. I woke up and looked at the news. It’s an Israeli thing, especially because of nights like last night. Amazing things can happen in the night. This was the headline: TWENTY rockets were fired at Israel. Big ones that go far and cause a lot of damage. Not ONE … More I am in awe of my country and the times we live in
“Hero” is an overly used, often inappropriately used word. Tzur Alfi was a hero. For two years Tzur prepared himself, training to be able to join one of the premier elite IDF units – Airborne Rescue and Evacuation Unit 669, a combat search and rescue extraction unit. The unit participates in extraction of IDF soldiers (including … More Hero
I’ve heard that people who are bipolar often go off their medication because, although the lows of depression are difficult and sometimes even dangerous, the highs they experience are so thrilling, they don’t want to give them up for the sake of being normal. The highs open the door to genius, to creativity, to the … More Dancing across the tightrope
I did not watch “Seven Days in Entebbe” and I don’t intend to. When the trailer came out my first reaction was excitement. This story is one of the best, breathtaking, exciting, moving, against-all-odds, adventure stories I have ever heard and, best of all – it’s real. And it’s OURS. My second reaction to the … More Operation Thunderbolt
The Ballad for the Medic is one of the most powerful songs about the IDF. On Yom Hazikaron, IDF Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, the radio is full of songs that have to do with the army, bereavement, and memory. Many of these songs are very beautiful and some are also … More Shlomo Epstein – IDF Medic
Standing on the top of the hill, I looked out at the beautiful land stretched before me. Suddenly I felt my body vibrating. Looking up, I saw the guardians of Israel thundering across the sky. IAF fighter jets. It was Holocaust Memorial Day and they were practicing for the Independence Day aerial show. How suitable. … More To be a free Nation, in our land, the Land of Zion and Jerusalem
It’s been a little over a week since the riots in Gaza began. We’re promised riots every week, till May 14th, the date commemorating Israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948. When I wrote this, new riots were massing on the border (the great tire demonstration). Last Friday was the grand opening of the “March of Return”. … More Free Gaza
On April 1st, Rabbi Avichai Rontzki passed away. Rontzki was 66 years old. He is survived by his wife, six children and his grandchildren. It was in 2016, when he went for medical preparations to altruistically donate a kidney that he discovered that he had colorectal cancer. Rabbi Avichai Rontzki served in the position of … More Last request from Rabbi Avichai Rontzki
Sometimes, in Israel, the conversations you overhear are extraordinary. Sometimes, they break your heart. I was standing in a beautiful overview, looking out on to the northern border of Israel. The hills of Lebanon look the same as the hills of Israel – the Hezbollah flag visible in the village nearest the border the only … More Conversations you overhear in Israel
Inspiration from Zion: This is a Love Story 