On My Mind
By Phil Jacobs

Tekoah

Tekoah, Israel, July 27—
When Koby Mandell and his friend Yosef Ishran were murdered in a wadi (cave) at this settlement on May 8, 2001,, I had no idea that one day my daughter, DeDe and her husband Yaakov would be living here.
So it didn’t leave my head nor my heart when we looked out over the ridge of picturesque geolical artwork, the hand of HaShem in so many ways, that I couldn’t stop feeling an ache.
It made me want to run and run and run.
But there was no where else I really wanted to go. It’s as if my legs froze in place, and my eyes inhaled the sights of the mountain walls, wild grasses and the caves.
Sherri and Rabbi Seth Mandell and the entire settlement have done so much to teach all so many about an unbending faith and undying spirit of Zionism.
About a year after Koby’s death, I met the Mandells while they visited the States and interviewed them about the day they learned of their’s son’s death.
I thought about that day driving up and back to the camp where they spoke.
With two hours remaining during Shabbat, we walked around the settlement and stopped at a patch of green grass, Seudot Shlishi celebrants eating outside as a cool wind started chasing the heat of the out of the summer air.
I asked my son-in-law if the valley we looked into was where Koby died? Before I could finish my sentence, he responded affirmatively.
And then looking over the ridge, he pointed to a plaque next to what was a cave entrance. That’s where it happened. I can only explain the feeling of finally seeing that place as transformative. My body tightened, my eyes welled up. I kept looking, and now I see better.
People have re-lived this terrible time for so many years, and I don’t want to pretend that I truly understand any of the pain the Mandells, Ishrans and the rest of this community have endured.
But I do know that I couldn’t fall asleep on Saturday night, waking up at what seemed like every gust of wind. I went to bed around midnight, only to awaken at 3 a.m. for the rest of the day.
At 5:30 I heard the roosters crowing their wake up call.
Everything was so calm, and the sun had already begun its repeat of repainting the wadis with streaks of firey orange.
The Friday night before while davening at small shul near my children’s home, I was positioned to left of the bima looking outside of a window. It was dark, but children played at a playground in my line of sight.
I found I needed to restore the thoughts of their laughter and free play as one force on one side with the sounds of their dads davening with so much Shabbat happiness behind me. One tiny boy connected both forces like an electrican bringing power to a circuit. Riding on top of his dad’s shoulders during a spirited dance while welcoming the Shabbat Queen, the boy reached up and gave the Ner Tamid (eternal light) a small, playful push. It was so right, and so comforting.
I’m sure that at least part of this settlement’s resolve comes from those two forces.
It helps ease the triggers of this empty sadness when I thought of Koby, Yosef, the Mandells, the Ishrans and Tekoah.
These children and their parents pray and play in the direction of Koby and Yosef.
I’m sure the neshamas of both boys can hear these spiritual sounds.
And I’m so glad I felt the feelings I felt, so willing to lose sleep again if I have to remember this way.
And so proud of being Jewish and this State of Israel.

Nefesh B’Nefesh Stats

Tel Aviv—On this particular Nefesh B’Nefesh charater flight were 210 new olim.
The youngest is three months old. The oldest is 88. The olim included 28 families, 98 children, 50 singles, 23 IDF soldiers, four dogs and a cat.
Professions include accountant, bookkeeper, consultant, dietician, engineer, jeweler, lawyer, marketing pro, nurse, occupational therapist, physician, physical therapist,professor, public relations pro, rabbi, real estate agent, teacher and an x-ray technician.
They came from 16 states including Maryland, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachussetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. Also olim were from the Canadian cities of Winnepeg, Montreal and Toronto.
The olim were headed to cities, towns and kibbutzim including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beersheva, Beitar, Chashmonaim, Givatayim, Haifa, Ma’ale Adumim, Modiin, Netanya, Nof Ayalon, Raanana, Bet Shemesh, Ramat Gan, Rechovot, Yad Binyamin, Tiberia and Tzfat.
The years of NBN have seen over 800 babies born, over 350 engagements and marriages, a 94 percent employment rate and a 98 perecent retention rate.

Nefesh B’Nefesh: Bringing Jews Home

Tel Aviv -
Last month when I visited Israel, our UJC-sponsored media mission spent most of its time in a war zone, visiting Sderot and Baltimore’s sister city, Ashkelon. Both cities, but especially Sderot, have seen more than their share of rocket attacks coming from Gaza. The spiritual glass was half full for so many, and it seemed as if where ever we traveled, there was yet another sad story to hear.
On Tuesday morning when our El Al flight landed here, I had an entirely different point of view. There, some 220 Jews were welcomed home as part of yet another Nefesh B’Nefesh aliyah trip.
There were about 1,000 people singing and dancing and offering candy and “welcome home” to the new olim. My wife Lisa and I ran into people we knew and had to explain to them that we were covering the flight, not making aliyah.
Among the travelers was Frances Greenberg, an 88-year-old, who was a passenger on the Exodus, back in 1947.
She was denied entry to Israel then. But now she looks up and says with a teary smile, “this is simply incredible. I cannot believe it.”
There were at least five Baltimore families represented on the flight as well.
They included Mia Lazarus, Avi Werdesheim, Gavriel Zeitlin, Noah and Rissa Lasson and their three children and Karen Eisenberg and her three sons. Her oldest, Or Chaim, 13, was a bar mitzvah just the Shabbat prior at Tiferes Yisroel.
What was equally amazing were the former Baltimoreans, now Israelis, who came to meet the new olim. I ran into Alan and Andrea Friedenberg, Avi and Ruth Eastman and Alvin and Yehudis Shamroth, among others, at the airport. They were there to be part of the overwhelming excitement.
Nefesh B’Nefesh’s goal is to provide “first class aliyah.” They have brought over 10,000 olim from North America in the last five years. NBN takes care of just about everything. They help the olim cut through the bureaucracy of immigration. They help with jobs, language, education, benifits. A person on our flight went with an computer note pad with the personal information of all the family members ono their way. The applause and screams of joy from the passengers when we landed were inspiring.
Everything down to a taxi voucher for the trip to their new homes was provided.
When we left the airport we traveled to Tekoah to be with two former Baltimoreans and Nefesh B’Nefesh olim, my daughter De-De and her husband Yaakov Komisar. I can tell you first hand, judging on the fulfilled lives our children have here in Israel, that Nefesh B’Nefesh is doing exactly what it set out to do. It was Israel glass half full. It was so good to see.
In the next blog entry, conversations with the Baltimoreans who made this trip.

Just Some Thoughts

On Monday, another Nefesh B’Nefesh flight is leaving from JFK, taking a plane load of new olim to Israel.
For me it is the best answer when it comes to issues such as prisoner exchanges and the conflict with a despicable enemy such as Hamas or Hizbolleh.
As American Jews, if we keep making aliyah, or even if we keep visiting, spending our vacation time and money in Israel, then Israel wins, they lose.
While in Sderot recently, a religious leader told me that for every Quassam rocket that hits his town, it is his hope that another person moves into the community. This is how Israel wins, not by backing down, but by showing the enemy that there is a vibrant, ongoing, growing Jewish life to be lived.
This mere fact, enrages the enemy more than any military maneuver Israel can conduct.
Also, here is Israel paying the price for the remains of its beloved with terrorists, mere criminals. I believe we are showing the Arab street something that they won’t admit, that the honorable remains of the soldiers are of a higher moral value than the living scum they are getting back in return.
I know that the enemy will continue to try to kidnap, because like giving back Gaza and other land, we all see that nothing is changed. You expected Hamas to take Gaza and build libraries and schools and museums?
Hamas is not empowered by education, science and letters. It is validates itself like a cancer cell does, by spreading its disease.
When Israel took back Jerusalem in the Six Day War, they found old synagogues in ruin, thanks to the care of the Jordanians.
When Israel gets the remains of soldiers back, why should it expect the remains to be well preserved?
This is who we are dealing with.
If it hasn’t already, Israel needs to improve the way it keeps its soldiers safe from kidnapping.
But soldiers, sadly, do get captured. And if the foe was honorable, there would be rules of engagement to exchange prisoners and remains honorably.
There is no honor here, only Hizbolleh and Hamas and a puppet named Abbas.
Israel is at war.
Never forget that.

Ocean City’s Jewish Presence

Last week, my wife and I took a drive to West Ocean City to do a interview with Stephanie Becker, owner of Steffi’s Place, the Eastern Shore’s first and only kosher bed and breakfast.
When we turned the car onto Elm Street, gorgeous B&B’s location, we saw a young frum man mowing his lawn at a house. A little up the road, we saw what looked like a replica of 770, the Crown Heights, N.Y. international headquarters of Lubavitch.
In the backyard of Steffi’s Place is an eruv. The living room area is well supplied with holy books, and glatt kosher food is served in the spacious dining room.
I write all this with amazement only because it was in 1975, my first job out of college, was as sports editor of an Ocean City-based newspaper, “The Eastern Shore Times.”
After Labor Day, I sometimes felt I was the only Jew in town, knowing, though that a small Jewish presence was growing in nearby Ocean Pines, and that there was a shul in Salisbury.
But still, back in the 70s and in the immediate preceding decades, Baltimore’s Jews headed off for Atlantic City, N.J. Many of us over 50 have memories of the Breakers Hotel, Nathan’s, and endless summer Boardwalk walks where we’d see many of our neighbors.
That summer get-away has been replaced by Ocean City, Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach. To see these outward signs of observant Judaism on the lower Eastern Shore is wonderful. Our children don’t know of a time when Jews didn’t frequent Ocean City.
I can remember doing interviews with poor blacks, who lived in Worcester County outside of Ocean City and Berlin, literally in tar shacks. I can remember the “n” word used in conversation among whites in town. Every time I’d hear it, I’d cringe and ask that it not be used. I can also remember at least one establishment in 1875 with separate entrances for whites and blacks.
I did run into anti-Semitic comments every once in a while. One enlightened fishing tackle shop owner told me that he used a particular fishing tool “to circumcise certain people.” Sure, he didn’t mean anything by it. Mmmmm.
Now I’m told that the rebbetzin of the Ocean City Chabad prepares dozens of kosher lunches for the number of Israeli students who work at T-shirt shops on the Boardwalk. It’s not uncommon to hear Hebrew and Russian spoken in these shops or to see a mezuzah on a door.
So by and large, I am so pleased to see that diversity, and the real world have come “downy oshun.”
Because I like others do remember when the Eastern Shore was known more for its taffy than its tolerance.
Glad that’s changing.