Yom HaZikaron - Remembering (The 2 Spies)

Remembering the fallen Israeli soldiers... The 2 Spies

---

Yom HaZikaron Posted: 04 May 2014 11:05 AM PDT An hour ago the siren sounded, calling us to soberly remember the cost of our country.... the blood of our children~ our sons and daughters. A poem that is often recited at the ceremonies is The Silver Platter ("Magash Hakesef"), written by Natan Alterman in 1947, following a statement by Israel's would-be first president, that the state would not be handed to the Jews on a silver platter. The following is a translated version of the poem. The Silver Platter The Earth grows still. The lurid sky slowly pales Over smoking borders. Heartsick, but still living, a people stand by To greet the uniqueness Of the miracle. Readied, they wait beneath the moon. Wrapped in awesome joy, before the light. Then, soon, a girl and boy step forward, And slowly walk before the waiting nation. In work garb and heavy-shod They climb in stillness. Wearing yet the dress of battle, the grime Of aching day and fire-filled night Unwashed, weary unto death, not knowing rest, But wearing youth like dewdrops in their hair. Silently the two approach and stand. Are they of the quick or of the dead? Through wondering tears, the people stare. "Who are you, the silent two?" And they reply: "We are the silver platter Upon which the Jewish State was served to you." And speaking, fall in shadow at the nation's feet. Let the rest in Israel's chronicles be told. Receive email updates from The 2 Spies  From http://www.algemeiner.com/ Yom HaZikaron:  What it Means to Lose a Soldier MAY 4, 2014 11:49 AM 5 COMMENTS Author: Maayan Jaffe /JNS.org Share this Article TWITTER FACEBOOK DIGG STUMBLE PRINT Tags: IDFIDF IsraelIsrael OneFamilyIsrael soldiers diedMaayan JaffeOneFamilyYom HazikaronYom Hazikaron IsraelYom Hazikaron siren A group of 125 future IDF soldiers at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York in August 2013, before they depart for their Nefesh B'Nefesh aliyah flight. Photo: Shahar Azran. JNS.org – Some 22,000 Israeli soldiers have died since the establishment of the Jewish state, including 40 soldiers between March 2013 and March 2014, according to the Israel Defense Forces. “We in Israel are fighting—and dying—on behalf of every Jew in the world. … We are maintaining a safe haven for every Jew to escape to. Jews in the Diaspora live safer lives and hold their heads higher because Israel and its army exists,” said Chantal Belzberg, executive vice chairman of OneFamily, an organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of Israeli victims of terror attacks and their families. On Yom HaZikaron, the fourth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar (sundown on May 4, 2014), Israelis will pay tribute to the country’s fallen soldiers in a solemn day of mourning. On its official Memorial Day, Israel also mourns the loss of civilians who were killed as a result of terrorism. Among the soldiers killed during these past 12 months was 20-year-old Gavriel Kobi, a combat soldier in the Givati Brigade, who was shot and killed on Sept. 22, 2013 by a Palestinian sniper while on guard duty outside Hebron’s Cave of the Patriarchs. Also killed were 18-year-old Eden Atias, stabbed in the neck on Nov. 11, 2013 while on a bus in the northern Israeli city of Afula, and 31-year-old Shlomo Cohen, a Petty Officer 1st Class in the Israeli Navy, who was fatally shot by a Lebanese sniper while driving near the Israel-Lebanon border fence in an unarmored military vehicle. Cohen was on operational duty on Dec. 15, 2013 at the time of his death. OneFamily’s Belzberg said that when a young soldier is killed, it has a “radically shocking, traumatic and debilitating” effect on the soldier’s parents and family. “Siblings suffer tremendously, but not as deeply as a mother losing her son, the son she bore, nursed, dressed, walked to school, took to his school’s football practice and whose game she watched proudly,” Belzberg told JNS.org. “Siblings suffer because they don’t just lose a brother; they also lose their mom and dad. … They wallow in their grief and have no energy to care for the living. The dead child occupies a lot more time than a living one.” Yehudit Rotenberg, whose son Sgt. Nadav Rotenberg, 20, was killed January 7, 2011 by a stray Israel Defense Forces mortar shell in an incident near the Gaza border, still remembers the day she learned of her son’s death. The family had seen a report on a border incident in which four soldiers were injured. “It was a Friday night,” Rotenberg recalled. “We learned of the incident at around 6:10 p.m. I was worried, but I didn’t believe he could have died. They said there were injuries on the news. Eating Shabbat dinner was very stressful; it was hard to eat the food. … We kept thinking he would call, that he would tell us he was OK. … Then there was a knock at the door, and we saw an army uniform collar through the window.” She said the hardship, the emotion, came quickly. Avital Yahalomi has a similar story. Her brother, 20-year-old Cpl. Netanel Yahalomi, was killed on Sept. 21, 2012 while on patrol along the Israeli border with Egypt. Three heavily armed terrorists attempting to infiltrate Israel attacked the soldiers. One terrorist was wearing a suicide belt, which went off during the battle. Cpl. Yahalomi was a deeply religious solider and a Zionist; three Jewish books were found on his body after his death. His sister, Avital, toldJNS.org that her brother dreamed of being the strongest and best combat soldier. He was upset when he learned that because he wore glasses, which reduced his profile, he could not join the unit of his choice, but instead would be part of the Artillery Corps. This knowledge, however, put his family more at ease. They knew he was on the Egyptian border, but they assumed that he was safe there. “In general, we have peace with Egypt,” Avital said, noting that her brother was careful about what he told the family, never wanting to worry them. On the afternoon of Cpl. Yahalomi’s death, his family was preparing for Shabbat at their home in Nof Ayalon, near Modi’in. When an IDF representative came to deliver the news, then 9-year-old Yitzchak opened the door. “He didn’t know what was happening,” Avital said. “He thought they were coming to kick us out of our home and he called to mother. My father was in the shower. … One by one we learned what happened. Then we all just sat on the couch and we cried and cried. This is something that never goes away. It will never go away.” “When you say goodbye to your son as he gets on the bus with all of the new soldiers, you’ve offered up your son as a potential sacrifice to the country,” explained Belzberg. “Your heart sinks. The worst may happen. But most parents say to themselves, ‘It won’t happen to me.’” She added, “Then, in the middle of the night, there’s a knock at the door. … Three soldiers stare sadly into your eyes. Your worst nightmare has happened. Your son is dead. You scream and your whole body shakes. You collapse.” But you have no choice except to go on. Today, Nadav Rotenberg’s younger brother is in his second year in the army. The first year, said Yehudit Rotenberg, “I worried a lot.” Yet she is also very proud. “These are brave children,” said Rotenberg. “Even though I lost a child, I still believe the army is very important and we have to support it.” Avital Yahalomi has similar ideas. “I am happy to be Israeli, even though it cost me so much. … I plan to stay here, to raise my children here, to send them to the army to defend my country,” she said. “Yom HaZikaron is about remembering a larger family, about saying to each bereaved family that their child, the apple of their eye, is remembered,” said Rebecca Fuhrman, manager of marketing and communications for OneFamily. “Their loss is our loss.” For a full listing of soldiers (in Hebrew) who died between last Yom HaZikaron and this one, visit here. For a list of soldiers and victims of terror killed in 2013, visit here. Maayan Jaffe is a freelance writer in Overland Park, Kan. She can be reached at maayanjaffe@icloud.com.

The 2 Spies - "What are you waiting for?" by Paula R. Stern

Posted: 25 Feb 2014

If you haven't noticed lately Jew-Israel hatred is on the upswing in the world. In line with what The 2 Spies are seeing happen world-wide and along the reasons for this blog in the first place~ we want to share with you an article by Paula R. Stern. She wrote what we wish we could have. Please take her words to heart. The 2 Spies

Paula R. Stern Paula R. Stern is CEO of WritePoint Ltd., a leading technical writing company in Israel. Her personal blog, A Soldier's Mother, has been running for more than 5 years. She lives in Maale Adumim with her husband and children, a dog, too many birds, and a desire to write her thoughts and dream of a trip to Italy, Scotland, and beyond.

Sometimes, simple truths really are… well, simple.

In a complex world, we worry about all the angles, all the issues. And, in hesitating until everything becomes clear, we miss the simple truth, the simple solution. We paralyze ourselves as time passes and, worst of all, we rationalize away the dangers of today, as we magnify the potential dangers of the unknown. 

It was safe before, we kid ourselves, it will be safe again. Tomorrow will be better. They can’t really hate us that much, or worse, they don’t really hate us — they hate Israel and as soon as they realize… it will be okay. Just one more day, one more week, one more month…

So what prompts all this philosophizing?

For the life of me, I don’t understand the Jews living in France. I don’t understand the Jews living in Poland. I don’t understand the one Jew living in Afghanistan (nor the one living in Eritrea) and I can’t believe there are still 100 Jews in Egypt, Algeria, Iraq or Botswana. I don’t understand the Jews living in the Ukraine and, to be honest, I don’t much understand the Jews living in America either.

The only place, at this point, where I can understand Jews living is Israel — and maybe Canada and Micronesia. I don’t necessarily agree with Jews staying in Canada, but at least for today, I can understand it. 

As for Micronesia, I don’t actually know where Micronesia is and as far as I can tell, Google and common sense say there aren’t any Jews living there but they support Israel time after time (maybe because they figure the Arabs can’t find them either?).

But seriously — if you are a Jew living in the Ukraine today, why aren’t you packing your bags? If you are a Jew living in France, do you really expect it to get better? And, if you are a Jew living in the US, do you expect your grandchildren to still be Jewish?

Don’t tell me how hard moving to Israel is — I did it. I came here with three small children and no savings in the bank. We were lucky and blessed and have worked very hard to get where we are. I was lucky — I was offered a job three days after I moved here; my husband came a few months before and a company promised to hire him. 

Why? Because he told them he was willing to start the next day and his wife would ship him clothes. They told him to go back to the States, pack his bags and come home to Israel in two months. He did.

We were lucky because we came when our children were young enough to learn the language quickly and we weren’t picky about where we would live. We were blessed because out of the job I was offered, I built a career and a company. We were blessed because when the first place we chose to live didn’t work out, we moved into the most amazing of cities and communities here in Maale Adumim.

It wasn’t easy and it won’t be easy for the Jews who move here from wherever they are now. But it isn’t nearly as complex or dangerous as remaining in places where you aren’t welcome; where you have to hide who and what you are.

Once the road to Israel was physically dangerous — now, you are a flight away. That’s all it takes. Pack your bags, go to the nearest Israeli embassy or consulate and say, “I want to go home.”

Can Israel handle a mass immigration? We did it before. No one asked Israel if it could accommodate a mass influx of Jews from the Arab countries or from the Soviet Union. They came, they were helped. They learned; they assimilated into the country. 

We have absorbed hundreds of thousands of Jews who came because they couldn’t stay. My next door neighbors are Moroccan, Yemenite, French, American, Russian, South African, British and even some who are several generations Jerusalemites.

Easy? No, not easy, but not nearly as complex as you would imagine and the journey that will change your life begins with a first step. Decide to leave now.

One of my uncles just visited Israel for the first time since 1971. Everywhere we went, he was amazed — by the roads, by the buildings, by the technology. There are few countries in the world as modern as Israel, and none, not a one, that is as safe. Yes, that’s right — safe.

Crime is very low here; healthcare unbeatable, even with the recent Hadassah strike and even with limits to the national healthcare packages. The air is clean; the water of excellent quality. The vegetables are fresh; the bread baked daily and brought to the stores. Yes, life really can be that simple if you don’t insist on making it so complex.

Why, why are you staying in frozen lands where you have to hide your Jewishness when today, in the middle of our winter, it was sunny and in the 70s. Where today, the Jewish Sabbath, our synagogues were full and bursting with song and pride. And tomorrow, we’ll start our work week. Our children will go to school or to some of the best universities in the world.

What holds you to a place where honestly, you know you aren’t wanted? Why would a Jew remain in Poland in the shadow of the concentration camps? Why live in France and worry about the safety of your children?

“Jews, out of France,” they screamed out in a protest attended by 17,000 people. No, not in the 1940s but just last month. What I want to ask the Jews who live there is what in God’s name, are you waiting for?

The European Union’s Agency for Fundamental Rights did a survey of almost 6,000 Jews living in eight countries. More than 75% said they felt that anti-Semitism is on the rise. An amazing 38% of the Jews polled in Sweden, France, Belgium, Britain, Germany, Italy, Hungary and Latvia said they frequently avoid wearing anything that would indicate they were Jewish (skullcaps, jewelry with Jewish symbols, etc.). Many said they have been harassed or encountered anti-Semitic acts.

While anti-Semitism appears to be down in the United States overall, there is a marked increase on US colleges. That means while you might be safe, your college-age children are not.

Is life easy in Israel? Compared to what Jews are going through now in the Ukraine, France and elsewhere, actually, it probably is… on one condition — that you come here ready to be Israeli, ready to live here as we do. 

You might not be able to afford such a big house, two large cars and Hershey’s chocolates. The house might be smaller, maybe even an apartment. You might have to take public buses and trains and eat Elite chocolate — but you’ll be safe, you’ll have a present and a future as human beings and as Jews. 

Your sons and daughters will grow tall and proud; your grandchildren will walk in a land they own.

No, life isn’t easy in Israel, but it isn’t nearly as hard as living where you are waiting, just waiting until an ancient and modern disease strikes too close.

What, what in God’s name are you waiting for?

The Times of Israel: For the original Article: Click here

Read more: What are you waiting for? | Paula R. Stern | Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel 

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-are-you-waiting-for/#ixzz2uTOCgxlM

Follow us: @timesofisrael on Twitter | timesofisrael on Facebook

How to make a shofar - a TV interview from a factory in Israel. One of only three worldwide.

We first saw this on our friend's blog, and wanted to share here also. You can check out The 2 Spies blog with the link below, and sign up to get their communications. You will like them!
Steve Martin

Click here: The 2 Spies Blog

What Happens When We Hear the Shofar?

The 2 Spies

---

What Happens When We Hear the Shofar? Posted: 08 Sep 2013  We have listened to the sound of the shofar 100 times this past few days during Rosh HaShanah. The sound of this natural 'trumpet' is to awaken our hearts to the stirring of G-d, to assess our lives, motives and how we are spending the time He has given us. Over these next few days we continue to take an assessment, to ask for forgiveness where necessary and make the decision to follow Torah more closely and with a more pure heart. The 2 Spies recently read an article that explains what happens scientifically in our bodies when we listen to the shofar. We thought our friends would find it interesting also. It comes from AISH.com We will still have time to respond to the sound of the shofar as there will be one more opportunity on Yom Kippur. Shana Tova, The 2 Spies  Click here for their blog: The 2 Spies Blog The Science of Shofar How our body’s reaction to hearing the shofar’s blast primes us for real change. by Yvette Alt Miller Each day of Rosh Hashanah, our synagogue services are punctuated by a hundred calls from the shofar, a ram’s horn that reverberates with a distinctive, alarm-like cry. The shofar's rousing blast speaks to us more intensely than words ever can. It’s a personal call to each of us to wake up and use the opportunity of Rosh Hashanah to change. Modern science has documented the physical responses human beings undergo when we’re subjected to loud, resonant sounds such as the shofar. Sometimes called the “fight or flight” response, the physical changes we undergo when confronted with a sudden, urgent alarms helps us deal with immediate threats. During Rosh Hashanah, these changes can help us see the world differently, giving us a different perspective and helping us see areas where we need to grow. 1. Our senses are sharpened. When we’re startled, the hypothalamus in our brain immediately starts producing hormones, altering our physiological state. One of the first is Neuropeptide-S, a small protein that makes us more alert. It decreases our need for sleep, and sharpens our alertness and feelings of energy. Our brains also send a signal to our adrenal glands to start releasing adrenaline and norepinephrine, two hormones that increase our heart and breathing rates and sharpen our sense of concentration. Within moments, we’re transformed into a new state of alertness, able to see dangers and details we overlooked before. On Rosh Hashanah, these moments are invaluable. The energy we gain as we hear the shofar’s loud blasts gives us – for a moment – a new, sharper state of consciousness, and a different way of looking at the world. 2. Emotion grows stronger. Another effect of sudden stress is simplification in our thought processes. When we’re startled, our brains release catecholamines, neurotransmitters which stimulate a part of our brain called the amygdale, a center that relies on emotional – rather than purely rational – thought. This shift helps us to not overload on details or become bogged down as we make decisions: it’s the part of our fight-or-flight response that helps us decide to “run!” in times of danger. It can also give us the clarity to see our behavior clearly, without the rationalization that’s part of more nuanced, everyday thought. Thinking with our amygdale in the moments after the shofar’s blasts helps us to see ourselves more honestly, to perceive our behavior as good or bad, without the rationalizations. It can give us the courage to admit our shortcomings and the clarity to know what to do in the future. 3. Long-term memory is switched on. At the same time our amygdale is stimulated, so is our brain’s nearby hippocampus, the region that stores long-term memories. It helps make sure we don’t waste these moments, that we learn from the stress we’ve just experienced. This means that anything we’re about to experience in our newly heightened state will make a lasting imprint on us, remaining lodged in our memories longer than ordinary experiences. This helps to ensure that our Rosh Hashanah resolutions have a more lasting impact. All our thoughts – our emotions, our resolutions and decisions to change – will all become a deep part of us, lodged in our long-term memory. When we hear the loud shofar blasts, our brains become more sensitive; knowing this can help make sure that we use these precious moments to instill positive messages and resolutions to grow deep in our memories, to draw from all year long. 4. Our brain becomes more active. While all these changes are taking place, during times of stress our brains become more active overall. Nerve cells in our brains receive more messages than normal, and we experience increased brain activity. We’re able to process much more information than during less-intense moments. The period when we can hear the shofar's call  is very brief. Yet if we let it, it can stimulate us to think more deeply and make more lasting decisions than we’re accustomed to. Judaism teaches that it’s possible to make even major decisions and change our lives in an instant. The extra capacity we have for thought and mental activity during this period makes change more possible. As we listen to the urgent, loud sounds of the shofar, our bodies are perfectly calibrated to react to this loud, insistent call by giving us greater energy and focus. Let’s use it to analyze our past deeds and resolve to grow in the coming year.

The 2 Spies: HOPE ~ Talking About Tikva! (HOPE!)

The 2 Spies: HOPE ~ Talking About Tikva !: This week Israel will be celebrating 65 years since the founding of the State. For a human, 65 years usually signals the beginning of retirement years. For Israel, well what can we say.... we've only just begun! How far we have progressed in these few years... and we Israelis are feeling nothing but... HOPE ! Hope for our future~ a glorious future~ a successful path set in front of us. We are enjoying and know that we will continue to enjoy a passionate life here in the Land of our Promise. Join with us as we celebrate !

(Maybe THIS is YOUR year to make Aliyah !!)

 

 

 Go to website to see the video: http://the2spies.blogspot.co.il/2013/04/hope-talking-about-tikva.html 

 

The 2 Spies: The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Foundation

The 2 Spies: The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Foundation: The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive collects and preserves the world’s largest collection of moving images that record the story of the Jewish people. The vaults contain material shot in Israel before and after the establishment of the State in 1948, motion picture records of many Jewish communities in the Diaspora and two special collections relating to the Holocaust.

Started in the late 1960s by Professor Moshe Davis and other historians of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. the Archives have passed through many hands and finally into Spielberg's foundation.. The Archive has over 13,000 films and videos and provides an invaluable resource.

Since it is Springtime in Israel, The 2 Spies would like to share the Archive's film on Spring in Israel in 1939. Enjoy!

http://the2spies.blogspot.co.il/2013/04/the-steven-spielberg-jewish-film.html

The 2 Spies: Rabbi Pozner~ A Man of Vision

Rabbi Pozner's window with Hanukiyah



The 2 Spies: Rabbi Pozner~ A Man of Vision: Today's story is of a Rabbi in 1930s Germany who was able to correctly read the times and warn the people ~ Jew and Gentile~ of what was coming.We are in the days, once again, where the signs are all around us. Are we discerning enough to read them~ and to know what to do. The 2 Spies prays that we are.

 

From Nazi Germany to Beit Shemesh: The Mansbach Hanukiyah,  by David Lev

Each year before Hanukkah, the Mansbach family drops by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum to pick up the family Hanukiyah (Hanukkah Menorah) – an item rich with history, symbolism, and sentimental value. Because, family member Yehuda Mansbach told Israel National News in an interview, “This Hanukiyah is the only remaining memory of the congregation my Grandfather, Rabbi Dr. Akiva Baruch Pozner, led before escaping Germany.”

View from Rabbi Pozner's window.

The photo attached tells much of that history, says Mansbach, a resident of Beit Shemesh. “In this photo you see the Hanukiyah stationed at a window, with a Nazi flag across the street.” The photo was taken in 1931, says Mansbach, long before the Nazis came to power. But, as it happened, the house of Rabbi Posner, who led the community of Kiel in Germany, was right across the street from the local headquarters of the Nazi Party.

“It was on a Friday afternoon right before Shabbat that this photo was taken,” says Mansbach. “My grandmother realized that this was a historic photo, and she wrote on the back of the photo : ‘Their flag wishes to see the death of Judah, but Judah will always survive, and our light will outlast their flag.'”

As Rabbi of the Kiel community, Rabbi Pozner did everything he could to encourage Jews to escape Germany. 

“Already in 1933, he was making many speeches, both to Jews and Germans. To the Germans he warned that the road they were embarking on was not good for Jews or Germans, and to the Jews he warned that something terrible was brewing, and they would do well to leave Germany.” Indeed, Mansbach says, many did leave, and by the time the Nazis came to power, some half of the congregation had already emigrated, mostly to the U.S. and the Land of Israel.

The Hanukiyah made it to Israel as well, and ended up in Yad Vashem. But each year they make sure to “borrow” if for their family Chanukah celebration. “My grandparents understood what was going to happen, and this Hanukiyah is a message to us – and to Jews in the Diaspora today – as well. It tells them to come to the Land of Israel now, before it's too late. No one knows what will be tomorrow.”
(IsraelNationalNews.com)  http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/140986

http://the2spies.blogspot.com/

The 2 Spies: Come be Part of the Miracle

Full Blog: The 2 Spies: Come be Part of the Miracle: The main purpose of our blog is to encourage Aliyah. The miracle of the Jewish people being returned to our ancient homeland, the resurrecti...