Latest Blog From Israel - February 2026

Good evening from Ra'anana Israel.  It has been a busy few months but I am going to cover a variety of topics - not necessarily as much focused on politics or Israeli legal developments as some of my more recent blogs.  Instead, perhaps a few other stories that might interest you.  Of course, I will probably stick some discussion of Israeli politics in here but I'm starting a bit differently.  Here goes.

1. Milk Revolution

I find this one fascinating.  "New Milk" or "HeHalav HeHadash" in Hebrew, is a new cow-free dairy product, that features real milk proteins which are identical to dairy milk.  It is produced and sold by Gad Dairies.  The "milk" is produced using yeast fermentation to create proteins in labs.  No cows, no animal product of any kind.  New Milk is designed to taste, look, smell and act like regular milk but it is lactose free and has lower sugar content then regular milk.  

Most interestingly, it has been certified as Kosher and Pareve (Neither dairy nor meat) by the highest levels of Kashruth authorities in Israel and by the OU in the U.S.  

For those who keep kosher - and would like a cappuccino or other traditionally dairy dessert after a meat meal, the options until now have included products made with soy, coconut, almonds or rice.  (Maybe there are others as well).  But this is now a game changer.  Since it looks, tastes and acts like regular milk, you can now have a regular cappuccino after a meat meal - or cheeses can be made with this product. Or many other traditionally dairy desserts. 

In Israel, for example, most wedding halls are strictly Kosher and most are designated as having meat kitchens.  After a wedding meal, you can usually get a cappuccino made using one of the milks I have mentioned above - soy, coconut, almond, rice etc.,  But these usually have their own unique taste and are not nearly the same as milk.  (Which is fine because we are used to having these rules in place).

But now - you will be able to order a cappuccino that will pretty much look and taste like a regular cappuccino.

That's just one small mention of the uses of this new milk but if it takes off, it will probably spread like wildfire in the observant Jewish community.  It is probably not Kosher for Passover (made from yeast) and is apparently nut free and lactose free.  And of course no cows are required. Sales just began in October 2025.  

I bought a container of it this week and I intend to try it.  I'll have to report back.

2. Sports News

I know some of you roll your eyes when you get to the sports section of my blog (if it is included) but it is usually connected in some way to the theme of the blog.  So bear with me.

A. Olympics

Israel has sent a delegation of 9 athletes to the 2026 Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, competing in five different sports.  Israel has two skiers (alpine skiing), 4 bobsledders (a men's team), 1 cross-country skier, 1 figure skater and 1 brave soul competing in the  "skeleton."

Israel's bobsled team reported that their apartment in the Olympic village was burglarized on February 7th. Their suitcases, shoes, equipment and  passports were stolen.  The robbery is being investigated by Italian police.

Not sure whether Israel has a chance at any medals but it is nice to see some representation.

There are also at least 8 other Jewish (non-Israeli) athletes participating including Aerin Frankel, the Team USA women's hockey goaltender, Avital Carroll, a mogul skier representing Austria, Emery Lehman, a speed skater from the U.S., Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes and Jeremy Swayman, all hockey players for the U.S. men's team, and Korey Dropkin, a curler for the U.S. Yes, there are Jewish curlers.

There may be others but those are the names  I have been able to find.

Here in Israel, there are at least 4 different cable networks (sports channels) showing Olympics night and  day - including the various hockey games.  I watched the Canadian women secure their first victory and we are all set to see them face off against the Czech team tonight.  I am really looking forward to the Canadian "dream team"  hitting the ice later this week - the Canadian men's hockey team - truly an amazing chance to see Canada's best hockey players all on one team.

B. Super Bowl

Congratulations to the  Seattle Seahawks on their Superbowl win over the New England Patriots.  It was not the  most  exciting game ever though the Seattle defence was incredible.   I watched it on an Israeli  sports channel which featured Israeli commentators using  all sorts of funny lines.  My favourite was (In English with a thick Israeli accent) "the New England Patriots offence is very offensive tonight..."

Here we watched the game starting at 1:30 a.m., after seeing the Green Day kick off show at 1 a.m. I think bed time was around 5:30 a.m. after watching the final ceremonies etc.,

Can't say that I loved the Bad Bunny half-time show, though I have read some  interesting articles about everything that was referenced and can appreciate that much thought was put into it even if it wasn't my type of music.  For me, it was probably more enjoyable than the previous year's Kendrick Lamar show though there was also quite a bit of thought put into that performance - even if the music  genre wasn't my thing. I had no interest in watching the Turning Point alternative half-time show.  I'll leave it at that.

Once the Olympics end, I get a bunch of free time for other pursuits - unless I become an avid March Madness college basketball fan - though that is looking fairly unlikely as of now.  By mid to late April, hockey playoffs will start and that is one of my favourite things to watch and can be all consuming until mid-June.

3. Flights To and From Israel

As you may know, Air Canada resumed its direct flights to Israel from Toronto and I have been taking advantage of that.  The prices have been okay though they have not been filling up the planes -  perhaps because of the uncertainty as to whether Air Canada will continue to fly.  Having a direct flight is terrific, especially after not having any direct flights available during the war and before that during Covid.

El Al was apparently considering adding a range of new cities - some were hoping that would include Toronto.  But instead, El Al announced a number of new direct destinations from Israel - Hanoi, Manila and Seoul and a number of others - but still no Toronto.

Meanwhile, Air Canada completely revamped its Aeroplan program effective January 1, 2026, to focus almost exclusively on money spent with Air Canada rather than miles travelled.  This is a terrible change for long distance "commuters" who were able to pick up lots of Aeroplan miles at a fairly reasonable cost. Now, the more you spend, the more Aeroplan points you get and that is just about it.

To give you an example, I was flying "Flex" between Toronto and Tel-Aviv, which meant earning 5,750 each way or 11,500 for a round trip in 2025.  In addition, "Super Elite" members would get a bonus of another 5,750 each way, while 75K status members would get 4,312.  This means that for a round trip up to December 31, 2025, I was earning a total of about 23,000 Aeroplan miles for one round trip to Israel.

I flew back in January, from Toronto to Tel Aviv, in flex and I earned a total (including bonuses) of 4,875 (instead of 11,500 including bonuses).

So for flyers like me, the program represents a massive devaluation.

On the other hand, if you go to Israel from Toronto  4 times a year and you buy business class tickets, let's say at $8,000 Canadian per round trip ticket, you would make Super Elite and enjoy all of the benefits that entails.

4. Stuart Razin Z"L

I recently lost a good friend, teacher, mentor (and avid blog reader of mine).  Stuart Razin z"l passed away on January 17th.  

Stuart had served as the Executive Director of Beth Tikvah Synagogue in Toronto where had played a key role in overseeing the growth of Beth Tikvah into a 1000+ member shul.

Before taking on the Executive Director role, he had served as the Principal of the school and had run the Hebrew High School program.  I had the privilege of studying Holocaust literature with him.

I also worked with him as a Board Member of the shul while he was the Executive Director.  One of the most memorable events that we worked on together was a fundraising concert where the great Israeli singer Chava Alberstein came to perform at Beth Tikvah.

Stuart and his late first wife Marsha Razin z"l made Aliyah to Israel, where their three children lived (or were in the process of moving to). Marsha was a wonderful and engaging teacher.  Stuart and Marsha shared a wonderful life together for many years. After Marsha died, Stuart remarried to Jennifer.  Stuart was tragically predeceased by his son Gideon 2019.  Stuart will be missed by his large extended family of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so many people who loved him.

Over the years, Stuart and I spoke regularly.  He attended  at our family simchas and we would get together with him regularly.

Stuart was always up to date on the latest current events.  He took an active interest in Israeli, American and Canadian politics and loved to speak for hours about the latest developments.  He would regularly read this blog and then call or write to me to discuss things that I wrote.

While at Beth Tikvah, Stuart had been known for his amazing memory and his attention to each and every one of the members. He took a keen interest in people.  He would ask about each family member, how they were doing, what they were up to - and then he would remember all of the information and keep it updated. He genuinely cared about each and every one of the people with whom he interacted.

For me and my family, he was always a pleasure to speak to, and always had interesting things to say and principled points of view.  He was a true mensch and someone who I will dearly miss.

5. Israel - Latest News

I do not have too much to write this time - not because of a lack of topics - but more in the interest of keeping this blog to a reasonable length.  Instead I will quickly mention a few things:

A. Iran

We continue to wait to see what the U.S. will do and whether it will attack Iran, either to harm Iran's nuclear ambitions, to damage Iran's missile program or to try to foment regime change in Iran. There has been lots of rhetoric, lots of threats and lots of speculation.  An attack on Iran may well draw Israel into a war and we may face large barrages of missile attacks.  Whether this will occur or not is unclear - and probably depends as much as anything on which side of the bed President Trump wakes up on any given day. Israelis seem to be relatively relaxed about it, all things considered, but it is a real powder keg that could go off any day.

B. Gaza

There continues to be a great deal of uncertainty as to how Gaza will be governed going forward, whether Hamas will disarm, whether there will be further rounds of intense fighting - and what, if anything, the U.S. and the international community will do to affect things in Gaza.  Frankly, I have no idea where this is all headed but I am hoping that there will be some level of stability for Gaza and in the whole region.

C. Syria

With U.S. involvement, some progress seems to be taking place with Syria. For example, the Syrian government  this week announced that it would restore a synagogue in Aleppo and permit or even encourage free Jewish worship there.  If that is the start of a genuine change - we might even be able to visit Damascus in my lifetime (and perhaps Beirut).  Let's not get ahead of ourselves, but anything is possible and these are really amazing developments.

D. Netanyahu's Trial

Prime Minister Netanyahu's trial continues to plug along.  He is involved in several "fronts" to try to get out of it - including a possible plea bargain deal, a request for a pardon from the President of Israel (including recruiting Trump to pressure the President of  Israel) and the possibility of a legislated end to the trial (which would probably never get passed the Israeli Supreme Court).   The clock is ticking for Bibi and I believe he is hoping to get this all resolved before Israel's elections - scheduled to take place later this year. For Bibi trial watchers, this should be a really interesting period of  time.

E. Israeli Elections

Israel will have an election this year before the end of October 2026.  Some new parties are still in the process of amalgamating, registering or redefining themselves.  We will probably not have the final list  of competing parties and configurations until much closer to the election date.  However, the polls are now predicting a fairly close race - with Prime  Minister Netanyahu still having a reasonable shot at winning once again, much to the  chagrin of his many detractors.  Israeli politics promises to be super interesting over the coming months.

Okay these were all of the things I planned to cover for now.  I will probably write a few much more political blogs in the coming months - as Israeli elections approach.  For now, let's all  enjoying the remaining month or so of winter and get ready for Purim which takes place starting on March 2, 2026 in the evening.  Here in Ra'anana it is about 22C during the day.  While I was in Toronto, we enjoyed a few days of -24C weather - which meant a 46C spread from one place to the other.  That's a very big shift in temperature. 

So to those of you in North America - it's "stay warm" and to those here in Israel - it's "enjoy the weather"  (even though Israelis are upset that it is not yet warm enough to swim in the Mediterranean - though that can change as soon as early March).

Best regards to all - and for the most part, based on those reading this - stay warm!

End of 2025 Blog - Various Israel Issues

As 2025 CE comes to a close and we begin 2026 (it's still 5786 according to the Jewish Calendar), I thought I would try to get one more blog together before all the festivities begin.  Okay, the truth is that here in Israel, there aren't that many festivities.  There are a bunch of parties around the country for sure, and lots of celebrations taking place.  But in Israel, December 31st and Jan 1st are  normal work days - where everything is pretty much business as usual.  In many parts of the country - people celebrate "Sylvester" parties - sometimes - even with a trees (the Russian/ Eastern European influence) but many people I know are not doing that much.  Despite that - I still wish everyone a very happy New Year - with the hopes that 2026 will bring good news, peace in the many places of the world that are involved in conflicts - and the best of health.

There is a great deal to write about and, as usual, I will probably wind up covering a variety of topics.  I will write until I have had enough and then leave some things to discuss for next blog.

I thought I would start this time with a few completely non-political things (though everything in Israel tends to be political somehow...).  

The Hoopoe

 The Hoopoe.  We have had lots of rain, on and off the past few weeks.  We   decide to go for a walk yesterday in Park Yarkon in Tel-Aviv during a break   in the weather - since the sun had come out.  There we were fortunate to see   a bunch of these - Israel's national bird - the Hoopoe (in Hebrew the "Duchifat").  In case you are wondering - these birds are   specifically listed   in  the Torah as "unclean" and not Kosher, which is   interesting.  Perhaps,   those who picked the bird as Israel's national bird   wanted to make sure that   Israelis would not eat up a part of their national heritage.  In any event, this   was the best photo I could get.  When the bird   spreads out its feathers, it is   reminiscent of a peacock - though less colourful.   But as you might know, I   love taking pictures of birds - and this was a great opportunity.  

Strawberries. My second note relates to some of the great fruit we have this time of year. As you might know, Israeli fruit is particularly seasonal - and largely home grown.  While Israel does import some fruit (more in recent years),  a large percentage of the produce is domestically grown.  This time of year we have wonderful citrus fruit, grown in Israel - oranges of all types, grapefruit, pomelos, as well as kiwis, apples and many other fruit.  But I have to say that the strawberries here are exceptional.  Israeli strawberries are only available from November until late April.  But they are big, juicy, sweet and unlike most other strawberries I have had.  In the Ra'anana area - part of the "Sharon Region," there are many strawberry fields and places selling freshly picked strawberries by the box (usually half or full kilos).  So we stopped today at one of these fields and picked up some absolutely delicious strawberries.  If you are in Israel between November and April - the strawberries might be one of the highlights of your visit (even if you are much more of a cherry and pineapple person like I am...).

Some News Items

Where to start?  There is always so much going on here politically that it is hard to choose what to write about it.  But I thought I would pick a few things and provide a few comments.

2026 - An Election Year in Israel and Bibi's Quest for a Pardon

As you might know, 2026 will be an election year in Israel - assuming nothing extraordinary happens.  The election is supposed to take place by October 27, 2026 - though like in any parliamentary democracy - the election occurs whenever the government falls (or dissolves itself) thought it must take place by a certain date - but not necessarily on that date.  It is far too early to get into a discussion of what might happen - since we do not yet know which parties will be running (for sure). There  may be some new parties, some parties might drop out and some parties might combine.  Still lots of time.  One thing I would say that we can predict - is that Prime Minister Netanyahu ("Bibi') will want to get his criminal trial resolved before the election.  And he is making significant efforts to do that.

Bibi's trial is progressing, albeit at a relatively slow pace.  But according to most objective commentators that I have read - the trial is not going particularly well for Bibi.  It is highly unlikely that he could succeed in getting a not guilty verdict on all charges.  Anything  is possible - but Bibi and his legal team realize that it is simply far too risky to leave his fate with the judges. Although Bibi and his team of advisors constantly denounce the proceedings and claim that the case against him is "sewn together," "collapsing" and has "no chance," the reality is clearly otherwise.  Parenthetically, I note that many of the comments that Bibi and his team have made publicly about the trial would probably be viewed as "contempt of court" in many other places.

As a result, Bibi and his legal team filed a lengthy pardon request with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog.  Herzog has the power, under Israeli law, to grant a pardon.  However, pardons in Israel have usually only been granted where there is an admission of wrongdoing, a request for leniency and a conviction or the likelihood of a conviction.  Apparently, Bibi's lengthy letter includes attacks on the court system, the prosecution, the investigators and just about everyone else.  In an normal world, this type of request would have no chance of success since it does not involve admission of wrongdoing, contrition or any basis for the granting of the pardon.  

Netanyahu's letter has been characterized instead as a request to stop the trial - not a traditional pardon.  Bibi is essentially saying - "for the sake of national unity, it makes sense to stop this trial against me - even though I would eventually win.  If you do that - I can bring about national unity."  There are many problems with this, obviously.  But some commentators have suggested that President Herzog will agree, even if it does not seem to be an appropriate request.  For one thing, Herzog was elected by the Israeli Knesset as the President with significant backing from Netanyahu.  He is not a particularly strong figure and, quite simply, he may not be able to withstand the pressure that he is facing - from Bibi and his supporters.

To add to the pressure, President Trump has jumped into the fray.  Trump has sent an official letter asking Israel to pardon Bibi and he has raised the issue in several speeches. Just yesterday - at a press conference at Mari Logo in Florida, President Trump called, again, for a pardon.  He said "I spoke to President Herzog and I was assured that it was on the way."  Shortly afterwards - Herzog issued a form of denial (though more of a "non-denial denial" I would say).  In any case, the level of interference here by Trump and other Republicans in a domestic Israeli matter is astounding and I think, unprecedented.

Commentators here believe that Netanyahu is actively requesting Trump's help to get the pardon.  These are desperate moves - but Netanyahu is in a desperate place with his trial.

On balance, I have consistently said that I do not believe that this case will ever get to a verdict. My view was (and is) that it would likely end with a plea bargain of some sort and/or a  pardon.  At this point, it seems more and more likely that President Herzog will grant some sort of pardon to Netanyahu though the details and terms (if any) of that pardon remain to be seen.

Somaliland

As you might know, Israel become the first country in the word, this week, to recognize the country  of  Somaliland, a breakoff Muslim republic which was formerly part of Somalia.  Like many people, I had never heard of Somaliland before.  But the people of Somaliland are thrilled.  They are waving Israeli flags, welcoming Israeli visitors and talking about cooperation in many different ways.  Somaliland is right across the water from Yemen and would provide Israel with some very strategic opportunities to fight back against the Houthis (who were sending missiles to Israel from October 2023 until the cease fire).

Somaliland has apparently indicated a willingness to accept a large number of Gazan refugees, though I am not sure that the Gazans actually want to go there.

It is striking that so many countries have denounced Israel for recognizing Somaliland (Turkey has made some really outrageous comments, for example), even while many of these same countries have recognized "Palestine" - including Canada.  Unlike Somaliland, Palestine does not have a defined territory, an operational government or many of the other trappings of a state that Somaliland has in place.  Turkey, of course, is certainly worried that parts of its territory could form part of "Kurdistan" or Armenia.  And many other countries have their own territorial concerns.  But the hypocrisy is staggering.

Not sure how this is all going to work out - and we do not have any current plans to visit Somaliland.  But who knows?  Maybe one day.  It apparently has some very nice beach front. Maybe Trump will build some resorts there.  

Iran

The news coming from Iran is fascinating. As you have probably seen, there are demonstrations across the country, many calling for the end of the current dictatorship. These are apparently the result of  a massive increase in the  cost of living and huge economic problems in the country.

Meanwhile, President Trump has stated that he would back further attacks on Iran to limit its ballistic missile program or to destroy its nuclear program.  At the same time, President Trump has clearly called for negotiations with Iran to reach a new nuclear treaty.

As I watch some live news now, there are reports that demonstrators in Iran have broken into government buildings and have really increased the level of violence.  The Iranian government is responding with arrests and violence.

Of course, I am not in any position to predict how this might go. But Israel had diplomatic relations with Iran before the Iranian revolution in 1979.  Although the current Iranian regime has been a bitter enemy of Israel - Israelis believe that Iran is one of the best potential peace partners for the future - since Israelis believe that most of the Iranian people do not share the Iranian governments hatred of Israel.  

If there is a regime change in Iran at some point, I believe that the possibilities for peace in the Middle East would advance significantly. 

Gaza

The future of Gaza seems very unclear to me.  According to Trump's ceasefire plan, Hamas was supposed to return all of the Israeli hostages (living and deceased), to give up its weapons and to allow  a new authority to take over and run Gaza.  Although almost all of the hostages have now been returned -there is one left - Ron Gvilli - who is presumed dead - Hamas has not shown any interest in demilitarizing and, on the contrary, seems to be rearming - and trying to reestablish control over Gaza.

Bibi's right wing partners including Ben-Gvir and Smotrich - would like Israel to send more troops to Gaza and take complete control over the entire territory.  On the other hand, the Trump plan calls for an end to the war, for the Israeli troops to leave (over time) and for a multi-national group - to run Gaza (though not Hamas).  

It seems unlikely to me that Trump will give Netanyahu or his coalition any kind of "green light" for further operations in Gaza in the near term- unless Hamas crosses certain lines with actions that it takes.  That being said, I am not sure how Trump is going to bring about the demilitarization of Hamas, the takeover of Gaza by an international coalition etc.,  This remains to be seen.

I should note that several countries including Great Britain, France and Canada have criticized Israel for refusing to allow some agencies to work freely in Gaza.  But as we have seen in the news, many of these "charitable" organizations - like UNWRA - were hosting and supporting terrorists and included members who were involved in the the October 7, 2023 massacres in Israel.  Many of the alleged Gazan "reporters" who were killed during the war were actually terrorists and Hamas fighters disguised as reporters.  Gazan hospitals were also used as Hamas bases - and some hostages were even held in Gazan hospitals.

Qatargate

As if Bibi didn't have enough problems - the Qatargate scandal has gained quite a bit of publicity and attention this past week in Israel.

In short, Bibi apparently had a number of advisors working for him - during the war (and even now) who were also being paid by the Qatari government. One of these was Eli Feldstein, Netanyahu's 

spokesman for military affairs.  Others involved include Yisrael Einhorn, Ofer Golan, and Yonatan Ulrich.

In short the allegations include claims that Feldstein leaked highly confidential intelligence documents to a German newspaper - which would have the effect of helping Bibi to reject calls for a ceasefire.  The leaks also embarrassed the Egyptian government.

As the matter came to light and the Shin Bet was called upon to investigate, Netanyahu fired the head of the Shin Bet and sought to replace him with someone much more favourable to Netanyahu.

Ultimately, Ulrich and Feldstein were arrested and charged and are awaiting trial.  

Feldstein was interviewed last week by Israeli TV  in a three part nationally televised interview (stretching over three evenings in prime-time) where he basically suggested (sometimes explicitly sometimes implicitly) that all of these advisors and Netanyahu knew exactly what was going on, that the actions taken were taken at the behest of Netanyahu and that Feldstein is being made the fall guy for what he did - even though he was serving the country as requested.

I have no way to assess how much of Feldstein's interview was true.  However, it is undeniable that Netanyahu had several advisors working for him who were on the Qatari payroll.  If Netanyahu did not know that they were acting against Israel's interest while working in his office - that would suggest a high level of incompetence for someone who is very much a detail person and stays on top of all of the goings on in his office.  On the other hand, if Feldstein's version is correct, then advisors in Netanyahu's closest circles were actively collaborating with an enemy regime - while that regime was acting as Hamas' agent in the cease fire negotiations.

There is quite a stink here - and it certainly seems to add up to a number of charges of Treason - perhaps running to the very top.  Much more serious than Bibi's current legal troubles.  Perhaps that is why Bibi is so interested in getting a pre-emptive pardon - that shields him from everything.

Threats Against the Supreme Court

This week, Israeli Finance Minister, Betzalel Smotrich, from the far right Religious Zionist party went on a rant against the Israeli Supreme Court and, in particular the head of the Court, Yitzhak Amit.  Smotrich claimed that the Supreme Court has "trampled" the rights of Israelis by making "violent decisions" that deprive Israelis of their rights.  As he result, he said it was time that Yitzhak Amit himself be "trampled."  I am not making this up.  I have seen the interview several times now.  Moreover, a few of Netanyahu's cabinet ministers agreed and and said that Smotrich's calls should be "acted on."  

You cannot spin this in very many ways.  It is completely shocking, unacceptable and extremely dangerous.  A sitting cabinet minister in the Israeli government making death threats against  the head of the Supreme Court.   

The leader of the Democrat Party (an amalgam of the former Labour Party and the former Meretz Party) Yair Golan called for a police investigation and called for Smotrich to be charged and brought to justice.  Not likely to happen at this point  but this was a frightening escalation of the rhetoric by the Israeli far right against the Supreme Court.  Of  course given the steps taken by Simcha Rotman and Yariv Levin, and their proposed Judicial Revolution, these types of comments did not come out of the blue - even though this type of outright threat of violence is a marked escalation.

So far, most members of Netanyahu's party, with a  handful of exceptions, have been remarkably silent in response.

More about the Trump Netanyahu Meeting This Week

I couldn't finish this blog without mentioning some of the lovefest comments that Bibi and Trump shared this week at Mari Lago.  

Trump slathered Bibi with compliments, calling him an incredible leader and saying that Israel might not exist today if it weren't for Bibi.  I'm not even sure that Bibi's most ardent supporters believe that. As mentioned above, Trump also said that he was doing his best to get Bibi his pardon and that had been assured by President Herzog that it was "on the way."

Meanwhile, Bibi called Trump the greatest friend Israel has ever had "by far" and, through one of his ministers, Yoav Kish, on a cell phone call in the middle of the press conference, announced that Trump would be given the "Israel Prize" in April 2026.  This is a prize given annually to an Israeli, regarded as Israel's highest cultural honour.  There are strict conditions - for example the Prize is given to Israeli citizens or Israel-based companies.  It also carries a monetary gift.

Given Trump's successful efforts in bringing about a cease fire, arranging for the return of the hostages, and pushing for broader Middle East peace, it certainly makes sense for Israel to  honour Trump's accomplishments.  But given that the Prime Minister, pushing for the award to be bestowed on Trump, is also actively seeking Trump's support to get a pardon - well the whole thing just seems like a wee bit of a conflict of interest.  (Just a wee bit of course).

Perhaps Trump will also spend some time in Israel during election time, actively campaigning for Bibi.  After all, Netanyahu did whatever he could during the U.S. election to help Trump.

Spreading Anti-Semitism

As you know, anti-Semitic attacks, demonstrations and rhetoric have been spreading like wildfire across the world.  The attack in Australia during the lighting of candles on Chanukah was shocking and devastating.  In the U.S., the language coming from a wide variety of actors in the right - including Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes, Candace Owens and even JD Vance is getting ever more frightening.

In Canada this week, as shoppers were headed to the malls for boxing day sales, extremist protestors unfurled Palestinian flags and took over large public areas in several large shopping malls including the Toronto Easton Centre with slogans calling for the "globalization of the intifada" shouted by masked protestors.  This in a country with some extremist anti-Israel (and even anti-Semitic) leaders including Toronto's Mayor Chow and the Prime Minister himself, Mark Carney.

In New York, the city is now headed by a virulently anti-Israel Mayor and the consequences of that election remain to be seen for the Jewish community in New York.  But it is hard to imagine  that the New York Jewish community should feel particularly safe with that type of Mayor.

Jewish communities around the world are facing simultaneous threats from the far right and the far left - collaborating with Jihadist extremist Muslims.  Hopefully, all of these trends will somehow be reversed but it is hard to see when and how this will happen.

Sometimes Israel seems like the answer - a haven for Jews from all of these threats.  At the same time, as I have discussed above, there are growing threats to the viability of Israeli democracy internally and that is also a threat for the Jewish people, in Israel and worldwide.

Sports  

I feel like I have to lighten up things by finishing with a comment or two about sports.

Here are some interesting comments.

First of all, in the hockey world, Israeli defenseman Zeev Buium was traded to the Vancouver Canucks as part of the multi-player package sent to the Minnesota Wild for superstar Quinn Hughes. Buium was born in the U.S. to Israeli parents.  His mother played professional basketball in Israel for a period for of time.  I believe he is already the most successful Israeli NHL hockey  player (if not the only one).  Since the trade, the Canucks have played much better and Buium has been thrown into a very key role for the team.

In NBA basketball, Israeli Deni Avdija is one of the highest all star vote getters so far this year.  He is currently playing for the Portland Trail Blazers and formerly played for Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Israel.  According to reports, Avdija sat out a pre-season game in 2024 to observe Yom Kippur.  This season, Avdija is 15th in the NBA in points per game and 12th in assists.  His Portland Trail Blazers are not tearing up the league with their 14-19 record - but they do have a chance of making the playoffs.

Meanwhile, I am trying to stay on top of the annual world Junior Hockey Tournament - as of this writing Canada was undefeated - with the toughest challenge - a game scheduled against Finland due to take place tonight.  But it is very hard to watch these games in Israel since no sports station carries them. Only through creative streaming solutions - but that assumes I want to watch from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.

I am also looking forward to the NFL playoffs and hoping that the Buffalo Bills will finally get somewhere, especially now that they will not have to play against Kansas City.  (Though there are certainly a number of very good teams in the AFC). Mostly these games are widely televised on Israeli TV and are at a more manageable time.

Flying

El Al has announced massive sales especially for trips to and from Europe.   For North America, they are still quite expensive - and they are still not flying directly to Canada.

As a result, I am taking advantage of the fact that Air Canada has restored direct service to and from Israel.  That will certainly make my life much easier in 2026, assuming that the current cease fires that are in place hold up.

With that, I think I will end my update for 2025 and wish everyone a terrific 2026 - a year of good health, worldwide peace, and all good things.  As usual, I welcome your comments, compliments, disagreements, attacks (within reason) and other input. Happy New Year.

Israel, Iran, the U.S. and More - June 22, 2015

Fordow Nuclear Plant, Iran

I left Israel on June 9th with the intention of coming to Toronto for about 2 weeks - and getting back to Israel on June 23rd.  Although I wrote, in my blog on May 30th about the possibility of something major happening, including a possible attack on Iran by Israel, I had no idea about the possible scale, timing and implications of the operation that would be carried out.  Now, here we are, less than one day after the U.S. has stepped into the fray with its attacks on three Iranian nuclear sites - and there is much to write about.

Some Comments about the Operation

As I have discussed previously, it is hard to view this as an "attack" or an "aggression" by Israel.  Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been fighting a multi-front war with Iran and its proxies, which was all initiated by Iran.  Iran was responsible for funding and training Hamas and Hezbollah, for arming the Houthis and for supporting other terroristic attacks against Israel worldwide.  All while threatening that it was finally about to destroy Israel.  In context, Israel's operation that started on June 13th, 2025 (6-13 for  those who like to think about this biblically  - being the  total number of mitzvoth according to Jewish tradition) is really a counterattack in response the multi-front war initiated by Iran including Iran's own ballistic missile attacks against Israel.

There was a significant indication that Iran was racing towards rolling out a nuclear bomb - and its stated intention was to use it.  Since Israel's attack, various international  sources have confirmed that this was the case. So the perceived urgency on the part of Israel - was that Iran was getting "too close for comfort" to using a nuclear weapon against Israel - something Israel couldn't wait for. 

The initial stage of this counterattack was carried out by Israel with near perfection, according to most reports and was historic, dramatic and brilliantly effective.

As you know from various reports, more than 30 top Iranian commanders, including the head of the Air Force, the head of the Army and the head of the ballistic missile program, were all killed on the first night of the operation.  This apparently included the use of Mossad agents and AI to lure various Iranian senior officers into a mass gathering, at which they were attacked and killed.  Together with this, Israel established air superiority and has carried out attacks on Iranian military targets, nuclear sites, missile launch sites and other equipment. Many Iranian nuclear scientists have also been killed.

Iranian Response

Since June 13th, Iran's primary response has been to launch ballistic missiles, drones and other missiles at Israel.  According to an article in the Jerusalem Post written moments ago, Iran has launched approximately 500 ballistic missiles at Israel since June 13th and close to 500 drones.  Most of these missiles and almost all of the drones have been intercepted.  However, a significant number have hit Israel.  Most of these missiles have targeted civilian targets.  Among the hardest hit locations have been the Soroka Hospital in Beersheva, the Rambam hospital in Haifa, a mosque (the Al-Jarina Mosque) in Haifa and several residential buildings in Ramat Gan, Bat Yam, Rishon L'Tzion, Nes Ziona and other places.  A large research facility was destroyed at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, much of which housed advanced cancer research facilities.  More than 25 Israelis have been killed, several hundred people have been injured (it may be over a thousand at this point) and more than 25,000 property damage claims have been filed by Israelis with the Israeli government.  (The Israeli government covers a significant amount of the property damage in these circumstances).  Unlike the Hamas-controlled hospitals in Gaza, the Israeli hospitals did not house any military bases, missiles or army equipment.  Iran's primary attacks have been against civilians.

On Saturday June 21, the Iranians began using additional types of missiles including missiles that they have purchased from North Korea - that can change directions and evade the U.S. THAAD systems and the Israeli anti-ballistic missile systems - at least some of the time.  Some of these missiles have included Iran's "Haj Qasem" missiles which are armed with cluster bombs and  massive warheads. At least two or three of these have landed in Israel and caused massive damage.  The deadliest missile used so far by Iran is the Hwasong 10 from North Korea - named the Khorramshahr by Iran.  This is apparently the missile that hit the Soroka Hospital last week. It carries more than 1,500 kilograms of explosives.

Although Israel has been defending against these missile attacks - with the help of the U.S., Jordan and other regional allies, some of these missiles  have still been getting through and causing quite a bit of  damage.  Israel has been attacking missile storage sites, launching  equipment and other targets, but it is quite likely that Iran still has significant capacity to  cause severe damage with various types of ballistic missiles.

Israel has an alert system in place and usually have 10-13 minutes to get to the nearest bomb shelter (or in-house "safe room") if the missiles are coming from Iran or Yemen, and less time if they are coming from Lebanon.  Since 1991, Israeli buildings are all built with at least one thick-walled concrete room per floor (or per unit) with a heavy metal door - than can withstand shrapnel, hits to other parts of the building and other types of attacks.  These safe rooms cannot withstand direct hits. But the vast  majority of Israelis who have been in safe rooms when their buildings have been hit - or when nearby buildings have been hit -  have suffered only minor injuries.

I should note that Iran has hit other targets, including an Oil Refinery in Haifa and some targets about which details have not been released or published.  Still it is apparent that the vast majority of targets have been civilian.

The U.S Entry

As you may know, according to many different world reports, only the U.S. has the type of bunker busting bombs that would be necessary to  destroy some of the Iranian nuclear facilities - including the Fordow nuclear plant which was 90 metres below ground in central Iran.  Fordow has or had more than 3,000 centrifuges and was being used to enrich uranium to near-bomb grade of close to 90% U-235.

President Trump said in a statement earlier today that the Fordow plant has been "obliterated."  I hope that he is right - but I am not sure that the U.S. has the full damage assessment yet.  Reports are that Iran has already produced approximately 500 kilograms of near weapons-grade uranium and the Iranians claim that this uranium was moved to a secret location before the U.S. attacks.

In my  view, it is more likely than not that this whole operation was jointly planned with the Israelis from the outset.  It seems unlikely to me that Israel would have embarked on an operation against Iran, on this scale, while knowing that it could not destroy the Fordow plant itself.  

President Trump was under intense pressure from different elements of his party. The "hawks," including Lindsay Graham and others were pushing Trump to "seize the moment" and help Israel destroy the nuclear plants.  In their view, it was a necessary step not only to protect Israel - but to protect the whole world - including, in particular, U.S interests in the region, from a nuclear armed Iran.  The evangelical wing, including ambassador Mike Huckabee, were pushing Trump to act because it was "God's will."  Weighed against this, Trump was  getting an earful from "isolationists" and anti-Israeli voices including Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon and Marjorie Green.  In the end, he sided, as we know with the hawks and evangelicals - and with the Israeli right.  To the extent that one might wonder about a particular angle by considering the voices who are advocating it - it seems that any rational decision maker - when faced with a unified position coming from Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon and Marjorie Green - might wish to decide exactly the opposite of whatever they are proposing.

In an interesting interview that I heard recently, a former Israel ambassador indicated that even the JOCPA (the nuclear deal with Iran that President Obama had signed) was only going to buy the world some additional time - and still would have permitted Iran to develop a nuclear weapon eventually. In other words, even those on Obama's team recognized that the JOCPA was a very flawed deal.  However, even through Trump ripped up the deal during his first term - Trump did not replace it with anything - nor did he attack Iran militarily.  So he left Iran sailing towards a nuclear bomb, at a much faster clip - and now had to deal with the consequences of that policy. Granted in the intervening period - President Biden took no  discernible action on this file. In short, there is enough blame to go around between Obama, Trump and Biden, but President Trump was now the one to take the courageous decision to destroy these plants (or at least try to).

What Now?

At this point, we are waiting to see how Iran will respond to the U.S. attacks.  Iran sent a barrage of missiles to Israel just hours after the U.S. attacks and some of them landed in Israel, causing significant civilian damage and  injuring many Israelis.

But Iran and its leadership have a choice to make at this point.  If they decide to "go all in" in a war with the U.S. - that is almost certainly going to end in disaster for this Iranian regime.  They have been weakened militarily by Israel's attacks since June 13, 2025 and, according to most reports, they do not seem to be in any position to take on the U.S. Army.  However, since at least some of the leadership are fanatic, suicidal and not necessarily realistic about their prospects, they may decide to go this route and hope that other countries join or assist them (Russia? North Korea? China? others). In my view, this would be a dangerous escalation but is really not likely to end well for Iran.  I would hope that someone will  deliver this prognosis to the Iranian Supreme Leader - but he may not be in any mood to hear it - or to listen to it.  This might draw President Trump and the U.S. into a  war to a greater extent than they had hoped, but I believe that it will be, primarily, a campaign of aerial and missile attacks. Hopefully, the Iranians will not be able to produce and deploy a nuclear weapon during the course of this fight.

A second option is for the Iranians to effectively "surrender" to the U.S. and agree to U.S. terms for a cease fire.  I believe that this is highly unlikely at this point.  It would result in the disintegration of the Iranian regime and it would be humiliating.  It is apparently not a consideration for the current Iranian leadership even if things continue to deteriorate.

A third option would be, what I would call - a hybrid.  It is possible, in my view, that Iran will attack some U.S. bases but to a limited extent - with relatively minimal damage.  This would allow Iran to claim (to the Iranian public and the world) that it had responded to the U.S. attack with "devastating results" and was now ready to negotiate.  If the U.S. were to decide that it could "live with" the damage caused - this might be a way out for both parties.  If the Iranians go too far and actually damage U.S. interests significantly - they will be met by a massive response from the U.S. Nevertheless, I think that this is the most realistic possibility for a quick end to the situation, provided that the Iranians are willing to end their nuclear program and agree to U.S. inspections as part of a deal.

One Israel-based commentator noted earlier today that the Iranians made exactly this type of "least worst" deal when ending the Iran-Iraq war.  They publicly characterized it as drinking a cup of poison to save the regime.  

If Iran does not find a way to negotiate a resolution, the continuation of the current war is likely to devastate Iran and bring about the downfall of the current regime.  The difficulty then becomes figuring out how Iran can govern itself without descending into a chaotic civil war or anarchy.

It is possible that other players will become involved and will threaten the use of nuclear weapons - and try to cause this conflict to spread.  I believe that the chances of this happening are relatively low since I do not believe that Russia or China want to go "all in" at this point - to hope a fanatical Iranian regime - despite the lip service that they might pay to that possibility.

Situation in Israel

As of last night, the Homefront Command in Israel announced the full emergency measures were in place.  No gatherings of more than 30 people, schools and universities closed - and most establishments closed other than those designated as "essential."

The airport was officially closed last night - however, it was reopened (partially today).

For Israelis looking to get back to Israel - and yes, many thousands are, some Israeli airlines have organized "rescue" flights. El Al, Arkia and Israir are asking people to sign up and are prioritizing them according to various factors including  any  humanitarian issues (need for medicine or medical treatment, family situation etc.,.)  In English, these flights are being called "repatriation flights" but in Hebrew the word is "chilutz" which means rescue.  

This means that I could agree to be "rescued" from Canada and  make my way back to Israel by flying from one of several destinations chosen by El Al - including Rome, Larnaca (Cyprus), Athens and some yet to be named U.S. cities - likely New York and Los Angeles.  However, this would, of course, be a one-way flight.  Given that I have certain work commitments in July, including some trials that I am running in Toronto, it would be risky to go back to Israel indefinitely at this time (irrespective of the potential physical danger, which I am less worried about). 

Some Israelis are coming back to Israel by boat. For example, I have some family members who are getting on a cruise ship from Cyprus and taking a 15 hour cruise back to Israel.   That actually sounds like fun - as long as the accompanying navy destroyer can protect the cruise ship from any  incoming missiles.  

It would probably seem surreal to be on a cruise ship, complete with its fine dining restaurants, gambling rooms, swimming pools and perhaps even some entertainment, while on the way back to Israel to face the uncertainty  of nightly missile attacks. 

For those looking to leave Israel, the options are limited.  I read that El Al would now be departing with a maximum of 50 passengers on a range of flights though I am not sure how easy it is to get a seat on these flights.  Some birthright groups and others left Israel on those same cruise ships - to Cyprus - and picked up flights from there  

The magnanimous and considerate Canadian  government has offered to provide a free bus ride for Canadians from Tel-Aviv to Amman.  From Amman, they are "on their own" though the Canadian government will try to help people find flights from Amman to other locations and eventually back to Canada.  I spoke to someone yesterday at Synagogue - who told me that their family member took one of these rides to Amman and has now been told that the next available flight out is July 3rd, 2025 - or about 11 days from now.  

My understanding is that Amman does not have the types of shelters that Israel does and his being hit with occasional pieces of missiles that have been shot down. As well, the Jordanian airport has been opening and closing depending on the situation.  Even though Jordanian falafel is apparently quite good, I would rather wait in Israel and take my chances in the Israeli shelters. But maybe that's just me...

In contrast to Canada, by the way, the U.S. has been organizing flights for U.S. citizens from Tel-Aviv to Athens.  Americans can register with the U.S. government and wait to be notified of an available flight. Beats a bus ride to Amman, in my view, even though the falafels at the Ben Gurion airport (if any of the food places are open) might not be as tasty as those in Amman. (Though in Israel they will be Kosher).

Religion

I couldn't finish this blog without mentioning at least 2 or 3 religious references.

For one thing, many observant Jews were convinced that the U.S. attack would take place this week to coincide with the dates in the  Biblical story of Purim on which King Achashverosh decreed that the Jewish of Shushan (modern day Iran) and surrounding areas could defend themselves with arms against those who were seeking to kill them.  Okay the date did not work out exactly as planned -  but considering that the operation was planned months ago  for  6-13 - this may well have been a consideration.

I am part of a social media group that discusses "leining issues" (issues relating to the reading of the weekly Torah portion. There was a whole discussion - about what happens if a forced synagogue closure causes a shul to skip the weekly Torah reading.  Does it do a double reading the next week?  Apparently, the halachic answer was that you read the entire previous week's portion as the first aliyah, combined with the first aliyah for that week.  That is a lot of Torah reading!  Everyone has their own priority list of issues to consider when dealing with ongoing missile barrages.  (Other Israelis are preoccupied with which items they need to keep in the safe room - in ready-to-go bags - in case the building is hit by a missile and  destroyed). 

Lastly - I note that Prime Minister Netanyahu found quite a healthy dose of religion over the past few days.  Just now, I heard him explaining that he wrapped himself in a Tallith, visited the Kotel and said "Shema Yisrael" just before authorizing the Israeli operation.  He said that he repeated this gestures in thanks yesterday after hearing from President Trump that the operation had been a success. This is fascinating coming from an avowedly secular Prime Minister.  Perhaps the more cynical among us might wonder if he is trying  to appeal to his Orthodox supporters to bolster his support -  but surely Prime Minister Netanyahu could not be that cynical...could he?  I leave that to you to determine.

Conclusion

We remain hopeful that our planned family wedding for September 4th will go ahead along with all of the other events including the aufruf, Hina and Shabbat dinner. Hopefully, there will be some kind of deal in place - with Iran and Hamas, the war will be over and the hostages will be back home.  And I hope that I will have been able to go back and forth at least once or twice between now and then.

There are many things that I have not covered  in this blog - just too much going on - so I will save some material for next time. In the meantime, I am hoping and praying for the safety of our Israeli armed forces in carrying out their operations, for the safety of Israeli civilians all over Israel (Jewish, Christian and Muslim - all of whom have been targeted by Iranian missiles), for the safe return of the  hostages and an end to the Gaza war  and for an end to this war that results in many years of peace in the Middle East. Shavua Tov.

Pre-Shavuot Update 2025

It is the weekend before Shavuot 2025 and I thought it was time to try and put together a blog covering a variety of things in no particular order.  There is much to write about - too much, in fact - and I have been very busy with remunerative work - so less time for the hobby of writing blogs. But I will try to cover a bunch of items and leave some for later.

1. The Hostages and the Gaza War

I should really start with the hostages.  There are still 58 Israelis being held by Hamas, of whom, it is believed that 20 are alive.  This week marked 600 days since the attack and massacre by Hamas on October 7, 2023.  While President Trump's designee, Steve Witkoff, has been making all sorts of efforts to strike a deal between Hamas and Israel, both sides seem reluctant to agree.  This week, there were some hints from all sides that a deal was imminent but this morning Hamas rejected the latest proposal from the U.S., after Israel tentatively agreed to it. The hostages are being held in brutal, inhumane conditions.  The more time that passes, the less likely it is that the remaining live hostages will survive.

The war is also taking a significant toll on the lives of Gazans - and for Israeli soldiers - both regular soldiers and reservists.  It does not appear that Hamas has any interest in a cease fire deal other than one that will leave it in power - ready to rebuild for another attack.  For Israel, there is little appetite for a deal that will leave Hamas in power in Gaza.  As several U.S. Senators said this week  - when fighting against a band of terrorists - the goal is the surrender of the terrorists - the same goal that the U.S. pursued when fighting Nazi Germany in World War II (and Japan as well).  

If Witkoff is not able to broker a deal, Israel may well expand its operations in Gaza in an effort to force a surrender.  This is a daunting task - especially since Israel is dealing with an enemy that would rather die than surrender (in many cases)  In short, this war may continue for quite a while.

2. World Pressure

As time goes on and a deal seems remote, the casualties in Gaza are continuing to mount.  France is now leading the charge to start pressuring Israel economically and politically - to end the war.  Some of the other protagonists include Spain, Great Britain and Canada.  France and  several other countries have pledged to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian State next week - though it is unclear what the defined boundaries or other parameters will be.   It would obviously be helpful  for these same countries to exert their influence to cause Hamas to release the hostages and push for the end  of the war - and to allow food and supplies to be transferred to the Gaza civilian population (Hamas has been confiscating food and  supplies for its own use up until this week - when a new mechanism was put into place to supply civilians directly with food). 

At the same time, the current Israeli government is isolating Israel more and more from the rest of the world and this could have significant  consequences for Israel in the short and long term. 

3. The Houthis and Iran

Israel is also fighting a war with the Yemen-based Houthis (who do not even share a border with Israel).  They are promoting themselves as the defenders of the Palestinians - which for them, means, firing ballistic rockets at Israel sporadically.  As  you may know, Trump reached a deal with the Houthis and agreed not to attack them in exchange for an undertaking by the Houthis not to attack U.S. ships.  So Israel has been left with the task of fighting the Houthis and defending against the barrages of Iranian-supplied ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis. 

Yesterday, we were in an elevator, in the middle of the day, when a missile siren went off, signifying that  there was an incoming ballistic missile, sent by the Houthis.  Fortunately, it was shot down. though we had to wait in a safe bomb shelter room for about 10 minutes. 

Just weeks ago, a Houthi missile got through the defence systems and landed near Ben-Gurion Airport.  That missile hit about 45 minutes after I took off from Israel en route to Athens.  As a result of that attack, most foreign airlines cancelled all of their air traffic to Tel-Aviv.  Some airlines have now restarted their service but many others have extended their suspensions of service.  For example, British Airways, Ryannair, Wizz Air and others all announced they would continue to suspend their service to Tel-Aviv.  I note that Air Canada, not long after the recent Canadian election (see my last blog) announced that it would not resume service before September 2025, which is one of the latest proposed dates from any airline that I have seen.

Israel's fight with the Houthis is, of course, a proxy fight with Iran.  As Trump is negotiating a new JOCPA with Iran, he seems to also be playing "good cop bad cop" with Iran and threatening to allow Israel to attack Iran and try to take out its nuclear program if a deal is not reached.  It may be that Trump's game is more "good cop" than "bad cop" as it seems likely that he will push Netanyahu not to attack at this point.  However, in the case of both Trump and Netanyahu, things are quite unpredictable.

4. Netanyahu

As you know, Prime Minister Netanyahu is in the midst of his criminal trial - which is coming to the most crucial part of the trial - next week - the cross examination of Netanyahu is set to begin as early as Tuesday or Wednesday next week. Despite all of his bravado, I find it hard to believe that Netanyahu is anxious to go through this cross-examination.  Much of his testimony in chief, as reported, was unbelievable and incredible.  I believe that the prosecutors are salivating at the opportunity to cross examine Bibi and I also  believe that he knows it will be very uncomfortable.  He may well pull out all of the stops to derail or postpone the cross-examination.  What could that include?  Just about anything.  A sudden illness (real or imaginary).  The break up of his current governing coalition.   The launching of a sudden attack on Iran.  Or even some kind of plea bargain deal.  I think it is likely that something big is going to happen this coming week - just in time to stave off this cross-examination.  This should be an incredibly pivotal week for Israel.

5.    Eurovision

As you might know, Israel finished 2nd in the annual Eurovision song contest last week that took place in Basel Switzerland.  This was a politically charged contest with some of the European countries pushing to expel Israel and prevent it from participating.  

The Israeli contestant was Yuval Raphael, a singer who had survived the Hamas massacres on October 7, 2023 by hiding under a pile of dead bodies and pretending to be dead herself. She faced demonstrations and boos from Pro-Palestinian/ Pro-Hamas agitators.  The panel of judges, representing each participating country, awarded Raphael/Israel a total of only 60 points (out of 32 scoring countries).  Only Azerbaijan awarded the first place award of 12 points to Israel.  Several countries gave Israel no points -  and most countries awarded very low point totals to Raphael/Israel.

However, the Eurovision contest also involves audience voting by country.  Here Israel finished in first place overall - which included winning the full 12 points from the audience in several countries including Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and others.  In fact, Israel came in 2nd place in Ireland, a country whose current policies have been among the most anti-Israel anywhere.  Israel also came in first place in the voting in Australia (which participates in Eurovision even though it is a bit far away from Europe) and Spain, two other countries whose leadership has been virulently ant-Israel. Overall, Raphael/Israel wound up finishing second in the contest, which was a really strong result.

Much of the music in any given Eurovision contest is quite awful - shlocky, poppy, minimally complex and often annoying.  But you can watch the Israeli entry - Raphael's powerful  "New Day Will Rise" and come to your own conclusions -  especially by comparing it to the winner, JJ and their song "Wasted Love" from Austria.  Last year's winner "The Code" by non-binary  and stridently anti-Israel performer Nemo from Switzerland - was also fairly  atrocious (in my humble opinion)

Israelis get really excited about this event and watch it in droves, even though so many of the performances are usually insufferable.  But Israel's participation the contest has become a political hot potato - especially with the increasingly large Arab/Muslim populations in so many European countries that are looking for any opportunity to delegitimize Israel.

6.    Flight Routes

As I touched on earlier, the options for getting back and forth from Israel are fairly limited.  For my most recent flight - I flew Air Canada to Athens and then El Al to Israel.  I had a long wait in Athens  - about 9 hours - so I decided to get a day room a the Sofitel Hotel - conveniently located rate across from the arrival doors at the airport.  Not exactly cheap but it offered some well needed rest.

So many airlines  have cancelled their flights - that it is really hard to predict who might be flying on any given day.  Only El Al has consistently flown back and forth - and taken full advantage of supply and demand - to charge record prices - and earn record profits.

It will be interesting to see what consumers do once this is all over.  On the one hand, El Al has charged exorbitant, outrageous, even usurious prices.  On the other hand, it is one of the only airlines that has continued to fly.  Some consumers may stay  away from El Al  when there are other options - as a response to the crazy pricing.  Others may appreciate that El Al has continued to serve the Israeli public - even at a high cost.  I have no idea what will happen - but, for now, El Al is continuing to fly and is earning record profits.

Of course I wish they were still flying back and forth direct from Toronto or  Montreal to Tel-Aviv - but they cancelled those flights well before the war broke out.

7. Nova Exhibition

While in Toronto recently, I attended at the Nova Exhibition, which will be in Toronto until June 22, 2025.  After that it is moving to Washington D.C. It will actually open in Washington on June 14, 2025.

The Exhibition is a huge installation of artifacts, videos, testimony from survivors and victims (collected from their cell phones in many cases) of the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacres at the Nova festival.  The Exhibition is quite powerful and well worth attending.  Allow about 2-3 hours if you go.

8. Sports News- Ice Hockey

As you probably know, there is one Canadian team  left in the  NHL playoffs this year.  The games will all be at 8 p.m., starting on Wednesday June 4th, 2025 - which means 3 a.m. Israel time.  In Israel, they are being  shown live on channel 59, which is better quality then my streaming services.

The Edmonton Oilers, of course, include the best player in the world, Connor McDavid.  McDavid is probably the most  exciting player I have ever seen play (and I have watched a lot of hockey).  But he still hasn't won the Stanley Cup.  Hopefully this will be his year.  One of his teammates is Zack Hyman, a player who attended CHAT (the Community Hebrew Academy of  Toronto).  Some people are hoping that if the Oilers win the Cup, Hyman will bring it to CHAT for a visit. Unfortunately, Hyman was injured in game 4 of the semi-finals against Dallas and required surgery.  Looks like he will be out for the rest of this year's playoffs but hopefully he can still come out on the ice and kiss the cup if the Oilers win.

Given the Jewish/Israeli theme of my blog - I also wanted to mention another Israeli/Jewish hockey player - Zeev Buium.  Born in San Diego, California, Buium, is the son of two Israeli parents.  He has dual citizenship and is apparently the first Israeli to play in the NHL - he plays for the Minnesota Wild and saw some action in the playoffs this year.  Buium played for Team USA in the World Hockey Championships this year.  He scored one goal and had three assists - and helped the USA win the gold medal for the first time since 1933 in the World Ice Hocky Championships.  (Canada flamed out with an embarrassing loss to Denmark, despite icing a roster that included Sid Crosby and Nathan McKinnon).

I'll try to watch as many of the Oilers' games as I can - hoping to see a Canadian team bring the cup back to Canada.  I did have tickets lined up for game 3 of the finals in Toronto if the Maple Leafs had been able to make it - but as you may know, they lost 4-3 in a 7 game series against the Florida Panthers.  Yet again, another disappointing year for Toronto.

9. Shavuot

The holiday of Shavuot beings on Sunday night.  This marks 50 days since Passover started -and commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people.  More recently, the holiday has been known for being the only Jewish holiday  where everyone eats dairy (and maybe has some fish).  I will be making some cheese blintzes on Sunday  -  I try to make them in a way that is as close as  possible to the way that my grandmother z"l used to make them.  I find the cheese blintz recipe on toryavey.com to be as close as it gets.

We were at the supermarket this morning and there was a huge run on cheeses and dairy products of every possible kind. It was very hard to find ricotta cheese for the filling.  We  also visited a wine store - and they were, not surprisingly, pushing white and  rose wines.   We picked up Rose wines by Gvaot and Tulip's White Franc - which looks like a Rose but is technically not.   We also bought some white wine from Castel (the La Vie en Rose line) and a Sauvignon Blanc from Psagot. We have to make some decisions about what to serve for an important upcoming Friday night dinner in August. We have already picked out the red wine that we will serve.

Shavuot can mark the start of some really  intense heat in Israel - and the predictions are that it will be very hot across the country tomorrow and  Sunday.  In Ra'anana, the current prediction is about 30c for tomorrow - while in Tiberias (T'veria) it will be a balmy 36c.  Apparently it will "cool down" by Monday but let's hope that the air conditioning  holds up.

That's about it for now.  It should be a very eventful week or two in Israel with all kinds of things going on.  I am hoping for the safe return of all of the remaining hostages and for some kind of deal or end to this war. Especially hoping for the safe return of all of our soldiers including some family members that are in Gaza and other areas.  Wishing everyone a happy and  healthy Shavuot.

 

Oct 7 Anniversary and Other thoughts

One Year Anniversary of October 7, 2023

It is the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, which began at 6:28 a.m. on October 7, 2023.  That day, more than 3,000 armed Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel in 4x4s and on motorcycles and went on a murderous killing spree.  They attacked the nearby communities, murdering and raping residents, burning down homes and businesses, and taking hostages back to Gaza.  They also attacked a music festival - the Nova Festival at which more than 4,500 participants from around the world were attending a trance music festival.  They murdered more than 400 concertgoers and injured hundreds more.  In total, more than 1,200 Israelis were murdered and more than 250 were taken to Gaza as hostages.  It was the worst single day for the loss of Jewish lives since the Holocaust.  There are still 101 Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, though we do not know how many are still alive.

To commemorate this day, there are many events scheduled across Israel, including two different commemorative events this evening.  One is being organized and run by the government, specifically Minister Miri Regev.  Another event is being run by the families of the hostages and families of the victims.  Perhaps not surprisingly, it is the second event that will have the star-studded line up of Israeli performers, volunteering their time, to lead mournful songs for the Israeli public, though their event will take place starting at 7:15 p.m., followed by the "official" Israel event at 9:30 p.m. (Israel time).

Last night, we went to a special event at the Peres Center in Yafo, Tel-Aviv.  There is a huge photographic exhibition of photos by photographer Ziv Koren, aimed at memorializing and preserving the memory of one of the greatest disasters in Israel's history. We walked around looking at the exhibit and then went upstairs to see a special screening of the movie "We Will Dance Again" - a documentary about the massacres at the Nova festival - as told through the words and experiences of some of the survivors.  It was chilling and powerful.  Numbing and paralyzing, in fact.  The movie was fairly graphic and does feature footage, in some cases taken  by Hamas terrorists on their cell phones - and in other cases by victims or witnesses on cell phones that were recovered - of brutal murders of defenseless victims.

The evil displayed in the film is simply boundless and frightening.  There were some incredible stories of bravery and heroism.  For example, Aner Shapira, who was a member of the Nahal military unit.  He was attending the Nova Festival as a civilian.  He and a whole group of others hid in a protective shelter.  Hamas found the shelter and began throwing grenades into the shelter.  Shapira grabbed and threw back 7 live grenades before they could explode in the shelter.  The 8th one exploded and Shapira was killed. But 7 of the people in the shelter managed to survive and they believe that this was at least, in part, due to the heroic actions of Shapira.

One year later, there are still more than 100 hostages being held by Hamas, dead or alive. The war with Hamas is still raging, though Hamas has suffered enormous damage.  Israeli estimates that at the start of the war, Hamas had approximately 40,000 fighters spread among its various units.  Hamas has not differentiated in its reports of casualties between fighters and civilians but Israeli officials maintain that a significant number of those 40,000 fighters have been killed.  In other words, any  publicized Hamas numbers of casualties, which are  from the "Hamas Health Ministry" include large numbers of fighters, though we do not know exact percentages.

Israel has destroyed many of the Hamas-built tunnels in Gaza and has severely damaged the Hamas forces.  But the hostages have still not been returned and the fighting still continues. Hamas has not yet surrendered or been defeated - and the hostages have not yet been freed.  But Israel is hopeful that this will happen soon.

Lebanon and Iran

Meanwhile, fighting in Israel's north has now become the main focal point for the Israeli army.  After all, Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon began firing rockets at Israel on October 7, 2023, at the start of the attack - in "sympathy" with Hamas.  This was a concerted and deliberate attack, orchestrated by Iran.  Unfortunately for Hamas and fortunately for Israel, this did not turn out the way that Hamas had planned it.  Hamas was apparently aiming to take over several Israel towns and cities including Ashkelon and Ashdod. Hamas was also hoping that Hezbollah and Iran would join the war fully at the outset.  

As you might recall, the United States sent immediate and massive military reinforcements, which undoubtedly helped deter Hezbollah and Iran from widening the war at the outset.  But although that may have deterred Hezbollah and Iran from widening the war at that point, it did not deter Hezbollah from firing rockets, sending drones, firing RPGs and other forms of attack at Israel.  Since October 7, 2023, tens of thousands of Israelis have been evacuated from their homes in the north and have not been able to return.  Israel has absorbed massive damage throughout the north - in cities like Kiryat Shemona - all the way to Safed and Tiberias.  Homes, businesses, vineyards and other agricultural areas have been attacked, burned and destroyed.

For many residents of Israel's north, the recent start of the counterattack against Hezbollah  in the north was long overdue.  Northerners have felt abandoned.  Unable to return home, to their businesses, their lives in the north - they have begged the Israeli government to take action.  The government and the army seem to have made a strategic decision to try and fight one major front at a time - and have only now turned to dealing with Hezbollah in the north.

As you may know, the fighting is now raging in Lebanon between the Israeli army and  Hezbollah.  The main goal is to reach some  kind of agreement whereby Hezbollah will agree to move its forces away  from the border  - and there will be some mechanism for enforcing that deal.  The hope is that Israel's northern residents will be able to return to their homes. In 2006, a deal like that was reached - but it was not followed by Hezbollah - which built tunnels and stationed troops on Israel's border starting just after that deal. So far, Hezbollah is not wavering - and is indicating that it will not agree to such a deal - even though much of its leadership has been destroyed in attacks  by Israeli forces.  

So Israeli forces may well be in for a lengthy and  difficult battle with Hezbollah in Lebanon until a deal can be reached that will allow residents on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border to live in peace.

Of course, in the midst of all of this, we are waiting to see how and when Israel will respond to the massive Iranian attack - during which more than 180 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel.  Although many were shot down by Israeli defence systems, it is apparent that many landed - although we do  not know the details of the damage that was caused.  

There are discussions of which targets Israel will go after in Iran - missile storage silos, the Iranian nuclear program - the oil fields.....or the political leadership.  And when this response will occur.  We have heard President Biden ruminating about which targets Israel should not hit (though who knows whether this is all part of some kind of deception) and we have heard French President Macron warning Israel about responsive actions that it might take.  Perhaps Israel has already decided - and put together a plan - or perhaps they are still working with the U.S.  and other countries to decide on the right  approach.  I have no idea but it seems all but certain that there will be a significant retaliation by Israel in the coming days.  Perhaps, this will help nudge the Iranian people towards changing their leadership and freeing themselves from the fanatical ultra-religious government that controls their lives.  

Whatever Israel does chose to do, it is clear that it will not be targeting civilians.  There is no equivalence between the Hamas attacks on Israel and the responses from Israel.  Israel will pursue military targets, those responsible and facilities used for supporting the attacks against Israel.  Even though this has meant many civilian casualties in Gaza, Israel has not targeted civilians deliberately. Civilian casualties in a war always occur - and especially where the fighting forces are embedded in schools, hospitals and religious institutions.  But there is a massive difference between civilian deaths that occur during fighting between military forces - and terrorists that run around shooting unarmed civilians, burning down houses, raping and dismembering victims.  I haven't seen any credible suggestions that Israeli forces have been involved in  this type of activity.

So Israel is not about to attack Iranian civilians.  In fact, in the long run - I believe that one day, when Iran unshackles itself, Israelis believe that we will have good relations with Iran and the Iranian people - perhaps even the Lebanese as well - if Lebanon and Iran can succeed in changing their governments.

For now, however, we are sitting somewhat on edge, waiting to see what type of action Israel will take, how successful it will be and what will happen afterwards.  

Yesterday, there were reports of an earthquake in Iran.  I couldn't help but wonder - can Israel create an earthquake?  Was this the famous Israeli agent "Rita Tadama?" (like the agent "Eli Copter" who was alleged to have killed the Iranian leader or the agent "Moti Rola" responsible for the beeper attacks). Another theory, that I am writing in an updated version of this article, is that Iran was testing nuclear weapons.  But I digress. 

Something is likely to happen soon and we will have to hope that it leads to worldwide pressure (on all of the players, not just Israel) for a full, global deal - one that returns the hostages, moves the Hezbollah forces back from Israel's border, ends all of the fighting and leads to a broader discussion of how to deal with Gaza and the West Bank in the long range. Stay tuned.

Getting to Israel

As you may know, there are now very limited options for getting to Israel.  El Al, Israel's national (though private) airline, continues to fly and earn record profits.  Israeli carriers Israir and Arkia are also flying and a handful of foreign carriers.  This morning's paper reported that there are flights available to Romania - but that flights to closer destinations - such has Athens and Cyprus are now costing upwards of $700 for a one-way flight.

Most other airlines have cancelled or postponed their service.  All of the Star Alliance carriers have stopped flying as have the carriers of the other major world alliances.  

To get here this time, I flew to Rome on Air Canada and then took an El Al flight from Rome - one day later.  So I had to "suffer" in Rome for a day.  I visited "Flour, Farina e Cucina" a Kosher dairy restaurant in Rome - wandered the city and had some delicious gelato.  The next morning, I got on the flight from Rome to Israel with one of the few remaining "reasonable priced" tickets.  Somehow, I was chosen for an upgrade to business class on this three-hour flight.  So I enjoyed a full Israeli breakfast and a cappuccino on the flight - even though there was no entertainment system or trappings of business class that you might get on other airlines.  

One of our family members travelling to the U.S. was supposed to fly on Austrian Airlines shortly before the holidays.  The flight was cancelled at the last minute and he was offered his money back.  But he needed to get to the U.S.  So we pushed and pushed and they put him on a route via Athens on Aegean Airlines.  Just days after he left, Aegean Airlines cancelled all flights to Tel-Aviv.  So we are not sure how he will get back after the holidays but perhaps things will change for the better by then.  We have other friends who have had to cancel flights - or are hoping to get back to Israel somehow.  The only reliable option right now is El Al - from somewhere in the world.  Everything else is questionable.

Diversions

Through all of this, we managed to watch the much discussed Netflix Romcom - "Nobody Wants This" about an interfaith romance between a rabbi and a non Jewish woman.  The main characters are outstanding - compelling, empathetic and interesting.  But, on reflection, the show is somewhat problematic.  I have read many of the different reviews about it and I would agree with two of the primary criticisms.

First of  all, the rabbi in the show is depicted as an incredibly empathetic, decent person - but not really committed to any  Jewish practices or rituals.  He is probably an outstanding family counselor, teacher and listener - all of which are important traits for a rabbi.  Yet, even though everyone knows he is a rabbi - he doesn't seem to follow anything.  He  drives and goes out to restaurants and pubs on Friday nights, leaves his congregation in the middle of services to pursue romantic interests - and eats just about anything - so it seems.  Those around him, including his mother, are portrayed as equally blasé and hypocritical about religious practices.  So perhaps it is not a surprise that he is so attracted to someone outside of his faith. Sure he makes some nice speeches about the importance of religion and his culture and heritage - and his chosen career and calling - and perhaps - he really is reflective of many Reform and Conservative rabbis, especially in the U.S.  But mostly, I tend to doubt it (even though I know of at least two real life stories that seem fairly close to this one).  I would think that if his religious devotion was really that important to him, he would behave differently.

Another major criticism that has been levelled at the show is the way that the Jewish women  are portrayed.  Almost universally - domineering, sexless, controlling, and boring. In contrast with the fun, exciting, non-Jewish, mostly blonde women.  In this repressed world - it is easy  enough to see why the rabbi would be so drawn to the world of excitement.  But it is a very negative portrayal of Jewish women.  One critic suggested that it channeled Woody Allen's Annie Hall in that respect - and there is something to that.  The repressed nerdy Jewish male character looking for excitement by finding the blonde, exciting, non-Jewish, sexually liberated character.   

Perhaps this is how the writer Erin Foster - views her experience as someone who converted to Judaism and married a Jewish person.  Foster had been writing scripts with her sister - much like the protagonist in the film - and may view the Jewish community through the lens of Reform practice.  

Overall, I would say that I quite enjoyed much of this show - though there was a fair bit of cringe - and, ultimately, I am just not convinced about many of the scenes or about the show's ultimate message.  But that may be because I might be considered a bit more to the traditional side of the spectrum.  (Though not too far over).  But it is quite a bit of food for thought in my view, even if there is also quite a bit of fluff and some distastefulness.

The other diversion I wanted to mention is that I recently acquired a board game (one of my major hobbies as you might know) called "Ezra and Nehemiah."  Over the course of the game, players are trying to rebuilt the second Temple in Jerusalem, teach Torah lessons, bring sacrifices to the Cohanim - and take other actions to acquire the most points.  I have been trying to convince my board game group in Israel to try it but we haven't managed to play it yet.  Hopefully we  will get to it shortly.  In case you are wondering what we have been playing - I will mention a few - though it is unlikely you will have heard of them unless you are really interested in the "Euro Board Game" industry.  Brass Birmingham, Trickerion, Ark Nova, Lisboa, Scythe, Kanban.  These are a few of our favourites.  You can read all about them on the site BoardGameGeek.com.  I believe that Brass Birmingham is currently rated as the most popular game in the world on that site.  Most of these games (if not all of them) can be played on Shabbat and are fairly challenging.  But they can take several hours to learn - and several hours to play in many cases.

Rosh Hashanah and  Yom Kippur

We are now in the midst of the "Awesome Days" - the 10 days of Penitence in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  On Rosh Hashanah, which we observed on Thursday and Friday - we heard the Shofar and reflected on our past year and on the coming year.  This Friday night and Saturday we will observe Yom Kippur - where I will lead our local Kol Nidrei service - and the next day - the closing Neilah service - at a friend's backyard  with about 50 of our nearest and dearest.  As an aside, I should mention that I am blessed and proud to have a family member leading Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services at Hillel houses in the U.S. this year - and that is pretty exciting.

One of the most poignant prayers it the centrepiece of both the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services - the "Unetaneh Tokef" prayer - in which we actually recite, explicitly, the various ways that people might die in the coming year.  And we hope that through prayer, repentance and good deeds, we will somehow change our fate. Reading that prayer - while considering what happened to so many of our people over the past year - is chilling and difficult.  

And following Yom Kippur - we will be  approaching the holiday  of Sukkot  - which is known as the "time of our happiness." It ends with the festival of Simchat Torah (the day of Rejoicing of the Torah) - which is usually marked by dancing, drinking, singing - and all manners of festivity.  But the Hamas attacks were carried out, quite deliberately, on Simchat Torah last year.  

How do we deal with this?  How can we be "happy" on such a terrible anniversary?

I attended a lecture by Rabbi Shai Held recently - who has written a book called "Judaism Is About Love."  He spoke, in part, about this very challenge.  And he noted that the Jewish people have faced so many horrific events over the years - the destruction of both of our Temples in Jerusalem and our exile from Israel, other exiles and massacres throughout the centuries - including the Spanish Inquisition and Exile, the pogroms in Europe, the Holocaust and so many other tragedies.  And yet, we have, over the years, exhibited a special resilience.  A will to live - and a will to live in a way that emphasizes love rather than hatred - music, togetherness, family.  Rabbi Held noted that only 6 days after Tisha B'Av - the most solemn day of the Jewish calendar on which we commemorate the destruction of the Temples - we mark "Tu B'Av" the day of romance - and the Jewish equivalent of "Valentine's Day" - or something close to it.

In Israel - we commemorate Yom Hazikaron one day - Israel's day of remembrance for soldiers and victims of terror - and the very next day - starting at sunset - we celebrate Yom Haatzmaut - Israel's Independence Day. So the need to find a way to commemorate the very difficult days but still celebrate and rejoice in life - is one of the key messages of Judaism - as explained by Rabbi Held.  And it is something that I have heard from many soldiers and civilians in Israel over the past year - even those who have lost love ones.

As I mentioned at the outset - I saw the movie "We Will Dance Again" last night - and it was this topic that was raised with the survivors at the end of the movie.  And almost all of them said quite clearly - "I will  dance again."  That theme has been engraved on necklaces that many in Israel are wearing - "We will Dance Again."

And so with that, I hope that this Jewish New Year will bring a year in which the war ends, the hostages are returned to their homes safely, Israelis are able to return to their homes in the south and the north, our soldiers can return home safely and we are able to implement some sort of lasting peace deal.  And that Israelis and our neighbours, who want peace - will have many opportunities to dance again. Shana Tova.