27 January 2025 – International Holocaust Memorial Day, Hostage release and more on The Israel Brief.
28 January 2025 – President Herzog gives powerful speech at UN and more on The Israel Brief.
29 January 2025 – Why are Israelis wearing orange today? This and more on The Israel Brief.
30 January 2025 – Chaotic scenes as hostages released. The Israel Brief.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
To the United Nations for claiming that Israel is using disproportionate force and committing crimes against humanity in defending itself. Have you no sense of decency?
To the Secretary General of the United Nations, who claimed that Israel is starving the people of Gaza even though thousands of trucks of food have been delivered to Gaza. Have you no sense of decency?
To all the TV stations that call the murderous terrorists of Hamas, militants or freedom fighters. Have you no sense of decency?
To all those that aim to allow Hamas to continue to rule Gaza so that it can rearm and attack Israel again and again. Have you no sense of decency?
To the media that accused Israel of attacking hospitals, when they knew that situated below the hospitals were the headquarters of Hamas. Have you no sense of decency?
To the social media that claims that Israeli soldiers are raping women and killing babies. Have you no sense of decency?
To the media that invented the term “innocent civilians” for the people in Gaza that elected Hamas, and celebrate the killing of every Israeli. Have you no sense of decency?
To the ICJ for accepting a false case of genocide against Israel when it is obvious that millions of Palestinians would be dead if Israel was committing genocide. Have you no sense of decency?
To the BBC for distorting the ruling of the ICJ that ruled that it was plausible that South Africa had the right to bring a case of genocide, into claiming that the ICJ had ruled that it was plausible that Israel had committed genocide. This was a deliberate distortion of the ruling of the ICJ in order to delegitimize Israel. Have you no sense of decency?
To the International Criminal Court for making a mockery of justice by charging two dead Hamas leaders for crimes against humanity, and at the same time charging the Prime Minister and former Defence Minister of Israel with crimes against humanity. Have you no sense of decency?
To the UNIFIL forces in Lebanon who totally failed to carry out their mandate to prevent Hezbollah from operating south of the Litani River. Have you no sense of decency?
To the Presidents of three of the leading universities in America who when asked if it is against university policy to call for genocide against Jews replied that “it depends on the context.”Have you no sense of decency?
To the Catholic church that has promoted antisemitism and blood libels against Jews for over 2,000 years. Have you no sense of decency?
To the Catholic church that promoted the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition that carried on for over 350 years and resulted in tens of thousands of Jews being burnt at the stake for refusing to convert. Have you no sense of decency.
To those that have inverted the prophecy of Isaiah and have turned ploughshares into swords to use against Israel. Have you no sense of decency.
To those that cannot accept that the Jews have returned to their biblical homeland as predicted by the Jewish Prophets. Have you no sense of decency.
About the writer:
AccountantNeville Berman had an illustrious sporting career in South Africa, being twice awarded the South African State Presidents Award for Sport and was a three times winner of the South African Maccabi Sportsman of the Year Award. In 1978 he immigrated to the USA to coach the United States men’s field hockey team, whereafter, in 1981 he immigrated to Israel where he practiced as an accountant and then for 20 years was the Admin Manager at the American International School in Even Yehuda, Israel. He is married with two children and one granddaughter.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Increasing evidence reveals No deliberate starvation; No genocide; No freezing and No indiscriminate targeting.
By Andrew Fox
Is the mainstream media watching?
Now that there is a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, we are seeing the Hamas narrative fall apart before our eyes. I expected it to take a few months for the truth to come out, but it has only taken a few days. We have endured 15 months of screeching about war crimes, illegal targeting, disproportionality and genocide. Each one of these has unravelled in the blink of an eye. The IDF Spokesman’s unit must be feeling rather validated right now.
Let us examine the evidence emerging. Here is a snapshot run-through of the mounting proof to clear Israel of all the allegations against it.
Hospitals have been one item of controversy amongst many in this war. The IDF has been condemned for military action in or near them; Israel has claimed that Hamas uses hospitals as military locations, in violation of the Law of Armed Conflict. There are reams of evidence to support the latter position with a report on this coming later in the month to cover this in exhaustive depth. As the ceasefire was announced, we saw Hamas fighters assembling outside the Nasser hospital.
Not only hospitals; we have also seen footage of fighters emerging from the Mawasi humanitarian zone. Added to which, we now know that the freed hostages were at times held there, too. All of a sudden, the “100 air strikes” reported in Mawasi can be justified because Hamas militants were hiding there (I am sure the BBC will amend the linked article to reflect this). Incidentally, Hamas commander, Mohammed Deif, was killed as he hid amongst civilians in a humanitarian zone.
We have heard claims of starvation and freezing. The reality is rather well summed up by this popular but rather blunt meme:
Starving, freezing Gazans turn out to be well-fed, dressed in vests and with fresh haircuts. Of course, life displaced in a war zone will have been unpleasant, but none of the footage we have seen shows the victims of deliberate starvation, as alleged.
This is doubly rebutted by the footage coming from the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing. N12 News reveals undelivered aid, rotting in the sun. COGAT figures throughout the war have shown that sufficient food has entered Gaza – over 3,000 calories, per person, per day (the World Health Organisation recommends 2,000-2,400 daily calories for an adult).
As I have suggested throughout the war, the issue of food is not with the supply from outside. Any hunger issues lay with the distribution of aid inside Gaza itself. This was not the responsibility of the IDF: it lay with humanitarian agencies. Any failure to feed Gazan citizens lies with them alone – and of course, Hamas – well-documented to have been seizing aid and using it as a lever of control over the population.
Since last summer, it has been reported that during the war, Gaza’s population has gone up, not down. As early as July, the charity Save The Children was reporting that some 50,000 babies had been born in Gaza, citing the UN Population Fund reporting a monthly birth rate of 5,522 babies. Gazan civilians themselves have now verified this.
Some genocide.
Other statistics released by Hamas themselves are also deeply revealing. Hamas propaganda outlet Middle East Eye, citing Palestinian authorities, reports that 100,000 tonnes of explosives were dropped by Israel over the course of the war. In the same article, they state the death toll as 47,107. This is a remarkable statistic to support Israel’s assertion that their campaign has been targeted, and took civilian protection measures into account.
By Hamas’s own figures, over two tonnes of explosives have been dropped for every fatality. This means one of two things: either the Israeli Air Force are the worst shots in the history of warfare; or, the areas where they have been dropping munitions have been largely empty of civilians.
And why were these areas mostly empty of civilians? Because the IDF took the unprecedented measure of evacuating the war zone before striking.
My forthcoming paper, Hiding in Plain Sight (hopefully out by the end of the month), evidences the ten ways in which Hamas has tried to use Gaza’s population as a human shield. That only 47,107 people have died as a result of 100,000 tonnes of munitions is a truly remarkable achievement. It shows the lengths the IDF has gone to, to protect civilian life. This is far in excess of their international humanitarian law obligations.
Nearly half the 47,107 dead are Hamas fighters. My report for the Henry Jackson Society, Questionable Counting, proved the likelihood of the IDF’s reported figures being accurate. In fact, what we did not publish is the statistical modelling we did to suggest the IDF were undercounting: we worked out it was more likely closer to 22,500 Hamas fatalities. However, we did not publish this as we did not feel it accurate enough. As an aside, this heavily assumption-based modelling did not stop the Lancet from publishing a paper based on similar stretched assumptions. See Mark Zlochin’s thread for a great takedown of the recent Lancet publication.
As bodies begin to be extracted from the rubble of Gaza, we see a curious phenomenon in the reporting: they are all men of fighting age.
The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health provides us with more evidence to support the concept that Israel has been targeting militants. Just today, they claimed that 32,152 children had lost their fathers and 4,417 had lost their mothers. This statistic shows a huge imbalance towards men (who, if they are considered the parents of children under 18, will likely be predominantly in the category of “fighting age”). This is a ratio of fighting age men to women of over 7:1. Gaza’s percentage population of adult males before the war was only 26%. The percentage given today by Hamas? Nearly 88% male deaths. This does not suggest indiscriminate targeting.
Hamas’s own news networks are also starting to report the funerals of combatants:
Interestingly, this is higher than the male to female ratio listed on the official Hamas lists of fatalities, which sits at proportionally either 42%, 62% or 53% adult males, depending which reporting method you check (hospital lists, family notification, or judicial committee numbers) – again, suggesting that the IDF has not been bombing indiscriminately, especially when we take into account what is known of their Rules of Engagement and targeting procedures.
I have personally examined both.
I found them analogous to all the other professional armies I have worked with, as did General Sir John McColl, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe. If today’s trend maps across to the broader non-parent population, it once again suggests that all might not be right with the accuracy of the Ministry of Health’s reporting over the last 12 months.
This is all circumstantial evidence, but it is certainly building a picture. Hamas has used hospitals and the humanitarian zone for cover. Having seen the disaster of rotting food on Gaza side of the border, aid agencies are revealed, at best, to be grossly incompetent.
No deliberate starvation; no genocide; no freezing; no indiscriminate targeting; and significant proportions of the dead being exclusively fighting-age men. The Palestinian narrative is falling apart: the bigger question is whether or not the world’s media will begin reporting fairly. I suspect the answer is no. We have seen this playbook before.
About the writer:
A veteran of three grueling tours of Afghanistan, Major Andrew Fox holds a Batchelor’s degree in Law & Politics, a Master’s in Military History & War Studies, and is currently studying for a PhD in History.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
A lifelong personal journey of a grandson to expose Lithuanian complicity in the mass murder of its Jewish citizens in the Holocaust.
By Grant Gochin
Growing up in South Africa, you implored me to “remember” -“Zachor”. I was to remember who we Jews are, and where we came from. You showed me the photos and told me stories. You taught me only love. You asked me to visit our family cemetery in the “old country” and to recite Kaddish for our family.
Zayde, I have.
So then, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, I traveled to the “old country”, specifically, Lithuania. Once there, my first destination was your shtetl. There was nothing Jewish remaining. They destroyed everything. Deliberately. I erected a new gravestone where I could say Kaddish.
The cemeteries were in utter disarray and in shambles. It was glaringly apparent to me that the overgrowth was intentional. No one wanted to remember that Jews had lived in Lithuania.
Together with others, I began to document and restore dozens of Jewish cemeteries in Lithuania.
Zachor Zayde, we preserved memory.
I searched for survivors. I found Sarah, our only cousin who survived the Shoah. Sarah’s descendants and I have formed strong family bonds. We remember. We are a family again. Everybody else was murdered. Lithuanians did it. Not Nazis.
Research led me to other survivors who could have easily been our Jewish relatives. I helped them Zayde, to the best of my ability. We worked tirelessly to support and love them. That is what you would have expected from me; I delivered.
I began to research your life. You did not tell me of the brutality and cruelty Lithuanians perpetrated against you, your mother, your father and your siblings. You sheltered me because you worried that I was too young to comprehend. Indeed, even as an adult, it is almost impossible to comprehend the cruelty and viciousness Lithuanians perpetrated against our family. They did so viciously, opportunistically and joyously.
Zayde, you embodied the dignity of Litvaks. I wanted the Lithuanians to know your name. Simply for them to know you had existed, and to record your name in a modern document. I applied for Lithuanian citizenship. I did not need their citizenship, because I am American now. I just wanted to preserve your memory. Lithuania denied you existed. They lied. They slandered you. When I applied , they used every tool they could create to deny citizenship to any Jew.
Zayde, you were pure love and dignity, I would not allow such monstrous people to obliterate and sully your name. I declared moral war on the Lithuanian Government and fought them in their own courts. I exposed their modern virulent antisemitism. I won. I am now a citizen of Lithuania; many of your grandchildren are also. We have used Lithuania’s slanders against you to crack open their stealth wall of hate. Now, through and because of you, many thousands of Jews have reclaimed their Lithuanian citizenship. Because of the principles you instilled in me to fight for truth; stand for respect and defend the vulnerable. Zachor.
Reciting Kaddish as you asked me to, I discovered the identity of the murderer of our own family. His name was Jonas Noreika. Lithuania considers him their national hero! Initially, I could not believe that such an evil ideology was still possible. I did what you asked of me Zayde, I stood up for truth. I approached the Lithuanian Government to explain to them that they had made a “mistake”. In my own mind, it was not possible that a monster who murdered thousands of his own co-citizens simply because they were Jews, could be elevated to their modern-day national hero. But I made a horrific discovery. The Lithuanian Government has fraudulently rewritten their national history and has zero interest in the truth. I tried everything; I was able to show them the facts. They treated me just as they had treated you, and all of our relatives; with contempt and brutality.
Zayde, you had no ability to stand up to Lithuanians during your lifetime, so, I did it for you. I did it for all their victims, for all Jews. I demanded the Lithuanian Government tell the truth. I fought them with every fiber of my being. Lithuania almost won. They declared their murderers as their heroes and contemptuously told us few surviving Jews that Lithuania was a rescuer nation. Zayde, they spat in your face. They had only contempt for the 220,000 Jews their national heroes had murdered.
No Holocaust organization would help me. They were bystanders. No Jewish institution helped me. Almost nobody would help me fight for truth. I realized that if I did not stand up for you, and for all 220,000 murder victims, Lithuania would successfully declare themselves the victim of their own murders, and the memory of every Lithuanian Jewish murder victim would be murdered again. It was the murder of truth and the murder of memory. How could I accept this and still face you? I could not.
Your life lessons left me no choice but to fight. I sued them in every court in their country, I sued them in the European Court of Human Rights and at the United Nations. I faced down their death threats; their threats of criminal and constitutional charges, their slanders and their attacks. It was them or you. I had no choice. You were love, they are hate. I could not have lived with myself had I allowed them to repeat their vile conduct.
I fought them for fifteen years. I spent hundreds of thousands of hours fighting them. You gave me no option. Allowing them to win would have been a betrayal of you and every Jewish victim.
I led a decade long international media campaign against the Lithuanian Government to expose the truth. I spent years researching, bringing truths to light, and preserving memory. I sat on Boards where we preserved documents and authentic history. I dedicated my life to remembering, documenting and preserving. Respect for you dominated my world and motivated all of my actions.
Good Lithuanians helped. Noreika’s own Granddaughter, Silvia Foti, stepped forward to tell the truth about her grandfather. Michael Kretzmer made an extraordinary documentary to expose the truth. And under the withering glare of international media, Lithuania finally crumbled.
Lithuania has admitted only some of Noreika’s crimes. They remain the most intense Holocaust revisionists in the world. They continue to lie about their many murderer heroes whose crimes I have exposed. Lithuania’s national history is a fraud, but we have finally penetrated the wall of their deceptions. And the world now knows. I have restored the truth.
Zayde, I have honored your legacy. You may now rest in peace. I love you.
*Feature picture: The writer’s grandfather, Samuel Gochin, in Lithuanian uniform of 5th Grand Duke Kestutis Doughboys Infantry. (Source: Gochin Family Archive).
About the writer:
Grant Arthur Gochin currently serves as the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Togo. He is the Emeritus Special Envoy for Diaspora Affairs for the African Union, which represents the fifty-five African nations, and Emeritus Vice Dean of the Los Angeles Consular Corps, the second largest Consular Corps in the world. Gochin is actively involved in Jewish affairs, focusing on historical justice. He has spent the past twenty five years documenting and restoring signs of Jewish life in Lithuania. He has served as the Chair of the Maceva Project in Lithuania, which mapped / inventoried / documented / restored over fifty abandoned and neglected Jewish cemeteries. Gochin is the author of “Malice, Murder and Manipulation”, published in 2013. His book documents his family history of oppression in Lithuania. He is presently working on a project to expose the current Holocaust revisionism within the Lithuanian government. Professionally, Gochin is a Certified Financial Planner and practices as a Wealth Advisor in California, where he lives with his family. Personal site: https://www.grantgochin.com/
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Views, vineyards and wineries, this Moshava (colony) has it all – besides the multitude of visitors it deserves.
By Motti Verses
Fourth grade pupils from the Ariel Sharon School in Nahariya have taken over the picturesque pedestrian street of Zichron Yaakov – a “Moshava” (colony or town) nestled high atop Carmel Mountain, south of Haifa. They enthusiastically circled the Benjamin Pool National Site, the water reservoir built in 1891 and named after Baron Edmond James de Rothschild – a French member of the Rothschild banking family and strong supporter of Jewish settlement in Palestine. Founded in 1882 by Romanian Jews, who the following year received support from the Barron, they renamed the town in honor of his father, whose Hebrew name was Ya’akov.
First of its Kind. Benjamin’s Pool, the water reservoir built in 1891 and named after Baron Benjamin Edmond James de Rothschild was the first of its kind in Israel, and used a newly developed pump to bring water up to the village on the hilltop. (Photo: Motti Verses)
To a casual observer it may easily appear that Zichron Ya’akov is bustling. The truth is that on a sunny January weekday, if it weren’t for the playful pupils , the street with its restaurants, cafés and shops would be quite deserted. In the Gan Tiyul green oasis, the first ornamental garden in the Land of Israel on Hanadiv Street, planted by Baron Rothschild’s officials in 1886, you could hear the sounds and squeals of joy. They were emanating from dozens of animated girls from a local religious elementary school filling the air and playing happily. “If this was Europe,” I thought to myself, this magnificent little colony of visual delight would be bustling with visitors. Sadly, the reality here is that visitors return slowly on weekends, and are hardly noticeable on weekdays!
Road of Revelations. Seen here on main street, cobbled and exclusively for pedestrians with many historical structures and quaint shops selling art, clothing, antiques, is Council Member with the portfolio for tourism, Dganit Azoulay. (Photo: Efrat Peleg)
Zichron Yaakov is a jewel of the Land of Israel, the pearl on the mountain. “It was born from a vision by people of faith who realized the Zionist cause. Over the years settlers have gathered and come through its gates from the four corners of the world,” is the message you will hear from passionate ‘Zichronites’. The Moshava is home to diverse tourist areas, including many artists who open their homes for workshops, cozy hotels, magical B&Bs and original spa complexes, restaurants, wineries and boutique hotels. There are many tour guides routinely leading tourists along the historical trails and magical corners that characterize the colony. It is no secret that tourism in Zichron Ya’akov is an important growth engine for the town’s economic prosperity. At the same time, I felt something was missing. To understand, I turned to the person who symbolizes the Moshava to me, more than anyone else.
Dganit Azoulay ran the high-quality and groundbreaking “Adama” restaurant in the town for many years. But it too closed and the hard-working restaurateur turned her energies to local politics. She was elected in the last municipal elections as a high-profile member on the list of incumbent mayor Eli Aboutbul and became a council member responsible for the tourism portfolio. A year after the municipal elections, Azoulay is optimistic.
“Zichron is going to upgrade its tourism with new projects. A massive renovation of the main pedestrian street, which includes multimedia presentations and the construction of a modern parking lot nearby, with an investment of NIS 5 million, will soon be underway,” she reveals. “At a later stage, the pedestrian street will be expanded by another 400 meters to the Carmel Wineries, where wine production has ceased. A commercial center with an emphasis on wine will be built in the historic winery building that will be preserved, in collaboration with the Carmel Wineries. Even a boutique hotel with 100 rooms will be integrated into it,” says Azoulay. “This spring, a 150-room hotel of the Gordonia Israeli brand will open on the western cliff. In the ‘Wine Park’ residential complex in eastern Zichron, commercial centers including hotels and wineries will be built in the future, and the project is currently in the tender stage of the Israel Land Administration,” she says.
“Zichron is not just a pedestrian street. It is an open museum of the history of the State of Israel. No other place throughout Israel that bears the honoured name of Baron Rothschild is preserved like this. In addition, the Moshava is a base for enjoyable nature trips. Cyclists will find trails on Mount Horshan. Jeep tours here are exciting. Ramat Hanadiv is an attraction in itself,” concludes Azoulay. A Memorial Park and Nature Reserve, Ramat Hanadiv honors Baron Edmond de Rothschild whose vision and philanthropy so influenced the early establishment of communities throughout the Land of Israel. Seventeen acres of beautiful landscape on the southern end of Mount Carmel, it is most famous for its beautifully maintained formal gardens which offer spectacular views and many peaceful and tranquil corners. There is a Visitors’ Center that tells the story of Ramat Hanadiv. Proud of its eco credentials, the building housing the Visitors’ Center, was the first ever certified green building in Israel.
A Walk in the Park. Within the Ramat Hanadiv nature park at the southern end of Mount Carmel between Zichron Ya’akov to the north and Binyamina to the south is the magnificent and serene gardens commemorating the Baron and Baroness de Rothschild. (Photos: Motti Verses)
Like other tourist hospitality places in the country, Zichron Yaakov has also undergone a shake-up during the war. Overnight, the pastoral Eden Inn Hotel became “a residence for evacuees from southern Israel and the student-immigrant population from the Ivim absorption center in the western Negev near Sderot also moved to live in the hotel,” reveals Tal Daniel, the charming hotel’s General Manager.
The writer (left) with Tal Daniel, General Manager of Zichron Yaakov Eden Inn. (Photo: Itzhak Rabihiya)
The hotel has 96 rooms that host mainly small conferences of business companies during the week and families on the weekends. The hotel covers a generous area of 33 dunams and its surroundings projects a visual landscape of green nature. It exudes a kind of kibbutz atmosphere – rural and tranquil – and is within easy walking distance of all the Moshava’s attractions and hiking trails. “A quarter of those staying at Eden Inn on a regular basis are tourists from abroad, but we lost them all due to the war,” says Daniel.
Warm and Welcoming. An idyllic ambiance greets visitors to the lobby of the Eden Inn Hotel. (Photo: Eden Inn Ben Rodstein)
“However, because Zichron was considered a relatively safe destination in the middle of the war, the hotel experienced a boom in the spring and summer. During last fall, with the intensity of the war in Lebanon, Zichron lost this advantage. Sirens were heard constantly. Now that there is a feeling that the country has become safer, it is the north that is experiencing a boom which they desperately deserve and need, however, Zichron now is unfortunately losing its pull factor.”
Some Like It Hot. The intimate hot tub in the courtyard of the Eden Inn Hotel is particularly inviting in the winter. (Photo: Eden Inn Ben Rodstein)
A visit to the pastoral Kibbutz Ein Shemer offers an insight of the early days of the pioneers, living off the land by farming. At the entrance to the kibbutz which was founded in 1927, there is a reconstructed historic courtyard housing a museum of the “Rishonim” – the first. It tells the story of kibbutz settlement covering these pioneers – their system of education, evolving culture and style of socialist labor. What I found most fascinating was the antique tractors and the shack where the first pioneers lived and the restored agricultural tools. How these early pioneers lived, mapped out the future shape the country would take. The resilience of today is found in the legacy of their example. On a more ‘refreshing’ note was the gastronomic refreshments at the kibbutz’s cozy Cawe Coffee Cart. Other nearby attractions are visits to the Gallery of Contemporary Israeli Art in Givat Haviva and the gallery and studio of the international artist and blacksmith Zeevik Gottlieb near Ma’anit (a must and recommended!). To appreciate all on offer and soak in the history and culture, the Menashe Regional Council is suggesting visitors stay overnight at Yichron Ya’acov.
Ploughing into the Past. Over a century of farming equipment used on kibbutzim is on exhibit at the Rishonim museum.
Everything in life is relative. From the perspective of Michal Abramov, the tourism director of the Menashe Regional Council, which borders Zichron, the Moshava is a focus of envy. “In recent years, with the help of a government grant of 6 million NIS, we have promoted a comprehensive plan for the development of agricultural tourism with future infrastructure for rural accommodation, B&Bs and even glamping with at least 500 beds to strengthen the local economy in the council,” she says.
Window into the Past. To learn the history of Israel’s early pioneers, a visit to ‘The Museum of the Firsts’ (“Rishonim”) at Kibbutz Ein-Shemer is a must. (Photo: Motti Verses)
Proud of Zichron’s multitude of hospitality options is Tal Daniel of Eden Inn. I ask her in conclusion:
“What does Zichron Ya’akov mean to you?”
She smiles appreciating the question and had a ready answer by referring me to the poignant words of Israeli actor and composer, Naftali Alter incorporated in Oshik Levy’s famous song. “Understand these words, and you will understand everything,” she says.
She recites the lyrics:
“In Zichron, people are happy, night and day.
In Zichron no one goes to sleep in the heat. There are empty bottles in Zichron and everyone drinks everything in my Zichron Yaakov.”
Absolutely.
This gem of the Carmel, Zichron Yaakov, of course wants and deserves so much more.
War – then and now. Remembering the hostages at the gates of the Aharonson House on the Moshava pedestrian street, where the Nili Museum is located. The museum tells the story of the courageous and heroic deeds of members of the Jewish Nili spy network that aided the British during World War I, contributing to the ending of Ottoman rule and the entry of the British to the Land of Israel.(Photo: Motti Verses)
About the writer:
The writer, Motti Verses, is a Travel Flash Tips publisher. His travel stories are published on THE TIMES OF ISRAEL https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/motti-verses/. And his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPSAnd his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPS.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
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Only one word and it sounds so good, the adjective – “Former” Former hostages Karina Ariev, Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy reunite with their families
Most of Israel did little else on Saturday January 25, then sit riveted to their TVs and watch the unfolding saga of the release of 4 young women, released after 477 days of captivity in Gaza. (Photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)
Articles
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“NOT ONLY AREN’T WE DEAD, WE ARE ALIVE AND ARE HERE TO STAY”
Kibbutz Kfar Aza sends message of resilience following October 7 massacre. By David E. Kaplan
Resilience to Restoration. They could be lawyers, accountants, doctors, teachers, architects or bankers but today they are volunteer laborers, literally ‘paving’ the way to Jewish revival in Israel’s battered south.
Project MaxAmbassadors – healing the hearts of Israel’s children By Rolene Marks
Greats on the Golan. Following Hezbollah’s murderous rocket attack on Druze village killing 12 children, NFL legends, Nick Lowery (l) and Tony Richardson (r) with kids of Majdal Shams on the Golan Heights.
AFRICA, TURN YOUR EYES TO THE REAL GENOCIDE IN SUDAN
African governments focus energy on global issues while failing to address urgent crises on their own continent By Kenneth Mokgatlhe wa Kgwadi
See no Evil. “Where are my parents?” screams an injured refugee child in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, Dec. 10, 2023. Ignoring genocide on its doorstep, preferring to divert attention to issues abroad of which it has little understanding, millions of Africans die or rendered refuges through a continent’s inaction.
In her death, as in her life, Olga’s memory and legacy is a lasting testimony. ByJonathan Feldstein
Short Life, Long Legacy. While Israel has lost so many soldiers, on January 6, it lost another brave fighter who devoted her short life to defending the Jewish state. Olga MeshoeWashington wasn’t Israeli, nor Jewish or ever wore an IDF uniform but was a dynamic young South African native, living in the USA, a devout Chrisitan, “…who put Israel’s defense only second to her family.”
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
African governments focus energy on global issues while failing to address urgent crises on their own continent
By Kenneth Mokgatlhe wa Kgwadi
The lack of response to the 1994 Rwandan genocide by the international community continues to be scrutinized. In April 1994, an estimated 800,000 Tutsis – members of the minority ethnic group in Rwanda – were slaughtered by the majority Hutu ethnic group. At the same time, the world seemed to pay more attention to the FIFA World Cup, hosted in Brazil, and the historic democratic elections in South Africa, which marked its gaining freedom from apartheid. The global community’s failure to intervene in this horrific genocide remains one of the most tragic examples of international indifference.
Sadly, we are witnessing a similar scenario today in Sudan, where an ongoing genocide is being largely ignored by African governments and multilateral organizations. In Sudan, Arab militias have been systematically targeting black African populations, engaging in mass killings, rapes, and other brutal atrocities. Despite the scale of this crisis, Africa’s political leadership has remained largely silent, while the international community – particularly the United States under the Biden administration – has voiced its concern. The contrast between Africa’s response to this genocide and its responses to other international conflicts, such as the Israel-Hamas war and the Russia-Ukraine war, reveals a troubling pattern:
African governments often focus their energies on global issues while failing to address urgent crises on their own continent.
Escaping Global Concern. “Where are my parents?” Musa remembers screaming after a military device he was playing with explodes in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. He recounts the event at a camp for displaced people on Dec. 10, 2023. (Photo: Faiz Abubakr)
This lack of action by African leaders is nothing new. African governments have consistently failed to take meaningful steps to address human rights violations and protect their own citizens from violent conflict. For example, the silence surrounding the ongoing violence in Sudan echoes the indifference seen during previous crises in Africa, such as in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, where deteriorating political conditions have forced many people to flee their countries in search of safety. In both of these countries, instability has led to widespread human suffering, but the African Union (AU) and other regional bodies have done little to intervene.
It is worth noting that international media and Western democracies have been vocal in their condemnation of the Sudanese crisis. However, Africa’s political leadership has largely remained passive, continuing to focus on external conflicts and geopolitical issues rather than on the well-being of their own citizens. This is particularly evident in the way African leaders have responded to the Israel-Hamas conflict. In recent years, South Africa has been outspoken in its criticism of Israel, often siding with Hamas in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the same time, South Africa and other African countries have shown support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, likely due to their alliance within the BRICS framework.
Fleeing for their Lives. Does anyone in the rest of Africa really care for these Sudanese fleeing in August, 2023 the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region? (Photo: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)
While it is important for African nations to have their voices heard on global issues, it is equally crucial that African governments prioritize the security, stability, and welfare of their own people. When African nations are embroiled in violent conflict, as we see in Sudan, these crises not only cause untold human suffering but also have far-reaching consequences for the region and the world. As the global economy becomes increasingly interconnected, the instability in one country can ripple across borders, affecting neighboring countries and even distant regions. The situation in Sudan is a clear reminder that Africa cannot afford to ignore the plight of its own people while focusing solely on conflicts far from its borders.
In countries like Nigeria and Mozambique, we are witnessing the rise of extremist terrorism, which threatens the security of millions of people. In northern Mozambique, for instance, extremist groups like al-Shabaab have carried out brutal attacks, killing thousands and displacing hundreds of thousands more. Similarly, in Nigeria, the extremist group Boko Haram continues to wreak havoc, killing civilians, kidnapping children, and destabilizing entire regions. These crises have drawn some attention from international organizations, but there has been a glaring lack of concerted, effective action by African governments and regional bodies like the African Union to curb the spread of extremism and address the root causes of instability.
Sudan has no appeal to Western protestors. While world’s attention is riveted to terrorist-run Gaza, escaping international attention is the Sudan, which is reported to have “the largest internally displaced population ever.”
One of the reasons for this inaction is the political and economic influence exerted by foreign powers, particularly Western countries. Many African governments receive significant financial aid, military support, and diplomatic backing from countries like the United States, China, and former colonial powers. This assistance often comes with strings attached, with African leaders prioritizing the interests of foreign powers over the welfare of their own citizens. This dynamic has created a system where African governments are more focused on securing international aid and approval than on addressing the urgent needs of their own people.
At the same time, there is a disturbing trend of African countries ignoring the plight of their own people in favor of engaging in foreign conflicts. Many African leaders have shown more interest in aligning themselves with international powers like the United States, Russia, and China than in standing up for the rights and safety of their own citizens. The situation in Sudan is a glaring example of this. While African leaders continue to focus on issues like the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war, the people of Sudan are being killed, raped, and displaced by the tens of thousands. The genocide unfolding in Sudan is a tragedy that deserves the world’s attention, but the silence from African governments is deafening.
It is essential for Africa to recognize that its own problems are just as pressing as those in other parts of the world. As the saying goes, “charity begins at home.” If African governments truly want to make a meaningful impact on the world stage, they must first ensure that their own countries are stable, secure, and just. Only then can they begin to contribute effectively to global peace and security. The inaction in respect of Sudan and other African countries serves as a powerful reminder that African governments must prioritize the needs of their people above all else.
I recently had the opportunity to meet a Sudanese refugee who had fled his home country due to the violence. He shared with me the despair and hopelessness he felt, knowing that he may never be able to return to his homeland. His plan was to move to Kenya, where most of his family members had already sought refuge. Despite the dire circumstances, he held on to a flicker of hope – hope that one day the world would take action to end the ongoing crisis and allow displaced Sudanese people to return home. His story is one of many, and it underscores the urgency of addressing the genocide in Sudan and the broader security challenges facing Africa.
Disaster at the Doorstep. Africa mostly ignores the 11.4 million people now displaced within the Sudan and over 3 million people – mostly women and children – that have fled Sudan to neighboring countries. Seen here is a camp for displaced Sudanese in the city of Wad Madani, on Dec. 10, 2023. (Photo: Faiz Abubakr)
The crisis in Sudan is not just a political or military issue – it is a moral one. It is about human lives, about the dignity and safety of individuals who are being slaughtered because of their ethnicity and social group. In Sudan, the victims are predominantly non-Arab Africans, who are being tortured, raped, mutilated, and subjected to inhumane violence. Their homes are being destroyed, their communities razed to the ground, and their lives wiped out in what can only be described as a systematic, racially motivated genocide.
It is deeply disappointing that the same moral outrage that is often directed at conflicts involving Israel, Western democracies, or other international powers is not being extended to the people of Sudan. In fact, the response to the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, which saw the killing of several black Africans caught in the crossfire, was met with far more outcry than the ongoing genocide in Sudan. This hypocrisy highlights the need for Africans to adopt the principles behind the #BlackLivesMatter movement – not just in the United States, but also in Africa, where black lives are under threat from their own leaders and from armed militias.
Targeting Medical Institutions. Where was the media focus when this destroyed medical storage warehouse in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province was destroyed? (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
We cannot claim to care about the lives of black people around the world if we are complicit in the mass killings and suffering of black Africans in our own countries. Whether in Sudan, Nigeria, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, the DRC, or Burundi, the lives of black Africans must matter – both to the people themselves and to the governments who are meant to protect them.
The African Union (AU) and other regional bodies must take responsibility for these crises and act decisively to end the bloodshed in Sudan and other conflict-ridden African countries. It is time for Africa to turn its eyes toward the real genocide in Sudan and to take a stand against the violence that is plaguing the continent.
The time for inaction is over. African leaders must rise above international political posturing and take the necessary steps to protect their own people. Only then will Africa be able to heal, to thrive, and to show the world what true leadership looks like.
About the writer:
Kenneth Mokgatlhe wa Kgwadi is an independent writer, political analyst and researcher. He is doing his MA in African Studies at the Israeli-based Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Kibbutz Kfar Aza sends message of resilience following October 7 massacre.
By David E. Kaplan
Only three days before the release of Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher and Romi Gonan on Sunday, January 19, I stood on that preceding Friday with an organised group of visitors looking at the damaged homes of two of them on kibbutz Kfar Aza – Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher. Our guide, Warren Samuels, spoke of Emily and Doron, of how they were taken hostage, and we wondered following their hopeful release, whether they would or even could ever return here where we were standing. ‘Here’represented home, but it also represented where Emily and Doron’s unimaginable horror began.
Targeting the Young. Our guide Warren Samuels standing in front of the home where happily lived Sivan Elkabets and her fiancée Naor Hasidim, both brutally murdered. Warren explains the IDF signs on the walls indicating where “body parts” were found on the sofa. “They specially targeted the young people to send a chilling message,” says Warren.(Photo: David E. Kaplan)
As I looked at the relics of their homes straddled with bullet holes and the rows of other devastated homes where the young members of the kibbutz were either murdered or taken hostage on October 7, 2023, I thought back to an article I read of 32-year-old Omri Ronen also originally from this kibbutz, whose 86-year-old grandmother and her Filipina caregiver, were murdered. After nearly 200 days of fighting terrorists, Omri, a member of an IDF special reserve unit, returned here with his father and was stunned to find that “none of the destroyed houses had been rebuilt.”
Death Row. The homes where the youngsters lived and partied and where they died brutally or were taken hostage. (Photo: David E. Kaplan)
Even worse for Omri was finding at his murdered grandmother’s ruined home, a scrawled message in Arabic from one of the Hamas attackers:
“You will die here. You won’t remain here.”
This chilling communication left by his grandmother’s murderers spurred Omri to respond defiantly. He had fought for 200 days, now he was ready to continue fighting only now not only with a gun but with a spade and shovel, a chisel and a hammer. He was determined to rebuild the homes of this once thriving community – to restore life to defy the message from the Gazan merchants of death. In interviews with local media, he said:
Messenger of Death. Message left in Arabic by the Hamas murderers of Omri Ronen’s grandmother (a founder of kibbutz Kfar Aza) and her caregiver.
“Not only aren’t we dead, we are alive and are here to stay”
His grandfather and grandmother were founding members of the kibbutz, “and this place is theirs and ours.” By “ours” he meant all Israelis.The lesson learnt is to process “who these murderers are,” and decide “what our response should be.”
Many months later, we were standing and observing that “response”!
Grandson with Grand Determination. Inspired to rebuild and send the message of Israeli resilience, Omri Ronen seen here with his late grandmother Nira, who was murdered in her home.
‘CONSTRUCTIVE’ RESPONSE
The response was restoration and there were volunteers from all over the country busy plastering, painting, paving and laying tiles, whether below for a patio or above for a roof. Our guide Warren, a volunteer laborer in this project explained:
“I first volunteered to restore the gardens. As there were no residents living here anymore, the gardens had grown wild and weeds were taking over. Our philosophy was even if people were no longer living here, we had to keep the place alive for when they return. We also felt that when residents visit to see the condition of their homes, we did not want them to see overgrown weeds and dead plants.”
Only some 30 of Kfar Aza’s 1,000 residents have returned, living among the skeletal remains of homes burned by explosives, riddled with bullet holes or reduced to rubble by tank shells during the battle that raged for days.
“One can understand the reservation of residents returning,” said Warren. Zohar Shpack, a 58-year-old resident in an interview explained the reservation:
“Are we going to live inside a memorial? Are we going to see a plaque every few meters, he was killed here and she was killed there?”
In the meantime, there was a need to restore this landscape from a wholesale mass murder crime scene.
When the mission of cleaning up, clearing battle debris and reviving the gardens was completed, “we moved onto the next mission,” said Warren, who is from Ra’anana in the centre of the country and spends a few nights a week sleeping at the kibbutz. We all bunch up and Warren calls over a volunteer architect to address us. His name is Roi Goldin who begins by telling:
“I had until recently, been working in one of the largest architectural firms in Israel, based in Tel Aviv and then decided I had to get involved. I am one of many volunteer architects offering our expertise voluntary as is everyone, from laborers to most of the suppliers. We are part of the Brothers in Arms, an Israeli nonprofit organization, that has taken it upon itself to renovate Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the most devastated residential communities. We are over 7000 volunteers, too many to cope with and so we spread it out that at least each volunteer has at least one experience here, which will be meaningful not only for the project but also for the volunteer, so they can feel part of the renewal.”
For those unfamiliar, the Brothers in Arms is an organization of reserve men and women from various units in the IDF, operating within the protest movement against the government’s judicial ‘reforms’. On October 7, 2023, the day Hamas invaded southern Israel, the organization suspended all political and protest activities and began devoting itself full-time to aid and relief under the name Brothers and Sisters for Israel. In June 2024, the Brothers and Sisters inArms received The Presidential Award for Volunteerism from the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog.
Omri, a member of Brothers in Arms, consulted with the kibbutz leaders, who ultimately approved his proposal to undertake a project to fully renovate 16 buildings damaged by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 and that will be made available to young students. It was these buildings we now walked through seeing the wonderful work being carried out.
Building a better Tomorrow. The section of kibbutz Kfar Aza where 16 homes are being rebuilt for students – the leaders of tomorrow. (Photo: David Kaplan)
Warren, who recently retired from working in one of Israel’s largest banks, shows us his new talents as a tradesman. He points out where he plastered, painted and squared walls to accommodate new door frames. “It’s amazing,” says Warren, “they teach you what to do in a day, and soon,” with a broad smile, “we’re accomplished artisans.” It sure looked that way – the work is excellent, overseen by architects like Roi. Warren is most proud that “my kids have joined me in this project,” his son Liron and daughter Michal. Michal was with us in the group also showing us the work she had done.
“It’s amazing that we can do so much more than we think,” says Roi. “I see people who come, who have never worked with their hands and after a day they have mastered it.” He includes as an example, “my own mother of 76.”
While Omri is currently focusing on the reconstruction of homes in the southern community where his grandparents lived and grandmother was murdered, he eventually wants to assist in rebuilding damaged buildings in northern Israeli communities, which have been destroyed as a result of the Hezbollah terror group’s attacks from Lebanon.
Future taking Shape. Our group standing next to future homes that will once again bustle with life and laughter. (Photo: David E. Kaplan)
“I don’t think we need to wait for the government,” Omri said. “People are lining up. They want to give. It helps build resilience and takes them out of that feeling of hopelessness to do Zionist work. They’re excited to come and participate.”
“The message is that they broke us, but we will build back better and more beautifully and stand up to terror. We are here to stay,” Omri vowed.
Ready to Restore. They could be lawyers, accountants, doctors, teachers, architects or bankers but today they are volunteer laborers giving back to society. (Photo: David E. Kaplan)
“WALKING IN THEIR FOOTSEPS”
We move on to the row of devastated houses where the young members of the kibbutz lived “and partied,” and where many of them died or were taken hostage. The homes were left as it was – a visual image of death and destruction.
Hilary Kaplan in our group, gives her impressions of the day at Kfar Aza, which she titles ‘Walking in their Footsteps’:
“Yesterday, Friday 17.1.2025 will be a day that is indelibly printed in my mind. A day that I stood on hallowed ground and tried to take in the atrocities committed on Kfar Aza, one of the many kibbutzim attacked on October 7. 2023.
It is hard to imagine the before – the idyllic situation of the kibbutzim surrounded by green fields, trees, and a fence that was so easily penetrable.
They lived, looking across their fields at Jabaliya, in the Gaza Strip. They worked together, took them to hospital when needed and broke bread together.
No reason to think that anything untoward would happen, just a fence, unguarded, albeit with cameras, that were destroyed by the terrorists – that is how they lived. The cream of Israeli society, murdered, raped, burned alive and taken hostage, 469 days ago.
The horror of what transpired that day speaks for itself as we were allowed to visit the area where the young members of the Kibbutz lived. Barbecues, old couches, chairs, tables, laughter, chatting and music, I could hear it all, and now silence, burnt out houses with specific markings of the army, bullet holes, and beautiful photographs of the young adults whose lives ended that day or who are still held captive in Gaza, destruction and death. The laughter and music silenced.
Leaving Kibbutz Kfar Aza, after seeing and hearing the traumatic stories of the people who lost their loved ones, those who survived, those who are still held hostage, the sacrifice, the instinct to protect one’s family at any cost, and the waiting….who will come home, who won’t? It is inhumane, and yet, the world perceives us to be the ‘aggressors’.
I keep asking myself, “how does one get up in the morning, face another day, put one foot in front of the other….how?” and then we met some amazing people who are giving their all to try and make the gardens grow again, by volunteering, cleaning up the gardens and rebuilding a small section of the Kibbutz to house students. Architects and builders – ordinary folk putting in the time, giving us all a smidgen of hope that no matter how bad things get in our country, we have the ability to rise up and always look to the light, for surely this is what the people who suffered beyond one’s imagination deserve?”
While the message left by the Hamas murderers in Omri Ronen’s grandmothers’ home was received, it is being replied to by the people of Israel – loud and clear and constructively – by rebuilding.
Am Yisrael Chai – The People of Israel Live
* If anyone is interested to volunteer, to please contact: Shiri at: +972 50-694-0394 or Gali at: +972 52-828-2825
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the kind that entices children out of their homes and into the fresh air, the sound of laughter punctuated the silence. Children in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in Israel’s verdant north, gleefully played football. In a matter of seconds, everything changed and the unthinkable happened. A missile fired by Iranian terror proxy, Hezbollah fired towards the area and killed 12 of the children who were so happily playing just moments before.
The victims were named as Alma Ayman Fakher Eldin, 11 Milad Muadad Alsha’ar, 10; Vinees Adham Alsafadi, 11; Iseel Nasha’at Ayoub, 12; Yazan Nayeif Abu Saleh, 12; Johnny Wadeea Ibrahim, 13; Ameer Rabeea Abu Saleh, 16; Naji Taher Alhalabi, 11; Fajer Laith Abu Saleh, 16; Hazem Akram Abu Saleh, 15; and Nathem Fakher Saeb, 16 and 11-year-old Gevara Ebraheem.
Killing Kids. The Hezbollah rocket attack on Majdal Shams on July 27, 2024 killed 12 children: (Top row, l-r) Ameer Rabeea Abu Saleh, 16, Iseel Nasha’at Ayoub, 12, Hazem Akram Abu Saleh, 15, Milad Muadad Alsha’ar, 10 (Middle row, l-r) Alma Ayman Fakher Eldin, 11, Naji Taher Alhalabi, 11, Johnny Wadeea Ibrahim, 13, Yazan Nayeif Abu Saleh, 12 (Bottom row, l-r) Fajer Laith Abu Saleh, 16, Venes Adham Safadi, 11 Nathem Fakher Saeb, 16, and Gevara Ebraheem, 11.
Twelve angels. Thirty-nine children were seriously injured including one little boy who remains hospitalized.
Benny Ben-Muvhar, head of the Mevo’ot Hermon Regional Council, told Channel 12 news that four or five of the children killed were members of a single family. It was one of the most horrific days of the war. The 7th of October was a day of unparalleled brutality and Hamas did not spare anyone – Jew, Christian, Muslim and Druze. Since that day, Israeli warriors have been fighting for our country – Jew, Christian, Muslim and Druze. We have been suffering as a country and our Druze brothers and sisters are a part of us, we share a holy covenant of blood regardless of what external political pundits.
The sirens blared – but was so quick that the children did not have time to enter the shelter. The result was an unfathomable tragedy.
Israel was plunged into mourning and in the days that followed, many made the visit up north to offer their condolences and show solidarity in this relatively isolated village; but as the weeks and months passed, the visits stopped. People went on with their lives. Devastated parents and a heartbroken community were left to mourn and try to pick up the pieces. The community felt forgotten.
This attack killed twelve innocent children playing football and while the media covered the tragedy, they quickly moved on – but the community was not forgotten.
Project Maxis an organization dedicated to combating racism, antisemitism, and intolerance through sports. Through Project Max, athletes from the NBA and NFL have had the opportunity to visit Israel in the wake of 7 October, meet with survivors, hostage families, and gain a clearer understanding of the complex geopolitical challenges faced by the Jewish state.
In recent weeks, two NFL legends, Nick Lowery and Tony Richardson, both Project Max ambassadors visited Israel in a trip made possible by Athletes for Israel – and made sure that Majdal Shams was on the itinerary.
Nick Lowery (right) shares his prize champion ring with one of the children in Majdal Shams.
Eric Rubin, CEO of Project Max spoke to me about the visit:
“No parent should have to bury a child. It was important to go to Majdal Shams to let the community know that we have not forgotten about them. Given the children were murdered playing sports, I thought it would be very meaningful to bring athletes, American Football players there. In addition, the Druze are very proud and patriotic residents of Israel. It was important to show that it has not just been Jews who have been effected or killed since October 7, but also Arabs -Muslims, Christians, Druze and Bedouins were taken hostage or killed. Israel is a diverse tapestry and we need to let the world know that the terrorist’s barbarity impacts everyone. We also needed to make sure the Druze people know they are no less Israeli or victims of this war.”
Rubin continues:
“During former NBA Champion Josh Powell’s visit to Israel, we met some of the survivors of the Majdal Shams attack in Ichilov hospital. During that visit, we heard the horror stories but also saw the resilience of the children and their families. I committed to them that I would do what I could to make sure the world didn’t forget what happened to the 12 angels and all the survivors. It was important to me to keep that commitment and bring Nick Lowery and Tony Richardson there so they can tell the story to the world. But at the same time, it was extremely important to meet with the families, hear the dreams and aspirations of these children who were brutally murdered, and do what we could to try and bring some hope, positivity, love, support and smiles to our beautiful Druze cousins.”
Bereaved parents and the mayor of Majdal Shams present Eric Rubin with a football with the names of the 12 angels.
We often speak about the power of sports to bring healing and build bridges and this visit was the embodiment of that. This was more than just a solidarity visit; for a brief moment, the families and children of Majdal Shams could experience moments of joy instead of pain and loss. For a brief moment, the sound of children’s unbridled laughter as they played sports with two of the best in NFL history rang out in the hills.
NFL Legends Tony Richardson (l) and Nick Lowery (r) together with Druze residents of Mijdal Shams standing in front of the memorial to the “12 angels”.
Sharing his thoughts, Nick Lowery said:
“Why did we go to Majdal Shams? We went to make sure that the community knew, they absolutely knew they were not forgotten. At first, it was awkward, they did not know how much we understood or wanted to understand but we went there to look them in the eye, hear their stories as much as we were able to. We wanted to hear a little about their sons and daughters. We wanted to make sure that this tragedy which also injured 39 children that it didn’t ruin permanently those surviving children their capacity to move on with their lives.”
An emotional Lowery went on:
“The universality of the grief – the father who is a first responder who found his daughter dead on the field and had to leave his own daughter who was so alive minutes before to take care of the children who still had a chance. The father with the brilliant smile who found out that they couldn’t find his son because his son was blown up because the missile literally hit his son in the body and they began to find small pieces of it later, there was a separate shrine to him.”
The visit had a profoundly emotional effect on Lowery and Richardson. It was etched on their faces. There is no doubt that for the community of Majdal Sham – especially the children – spending time with Mike Lowery and Tony Richardson and the care and empathy shown to them, will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
NFL Legends Nick Lowery (l) and Tony Richardson (r) with the children of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights.
Throughout this war, many have been silent about the suffering of Israel’s children. Project Max, through visits from their ambassadors are ensuring that Israeli children, who have endured the unimaginable are seen, heard and most important, hugged.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
