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

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.

FOOTBALL LEGENDS BRING LOVE TO MAJDAL SHAMS

Project Max Ambassadors – healing the hearts of Israel’s children

By Rolene Marks

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 7^th 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 Max is 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).

AN ISLAND OF SANITY IN A SOMETIMES MURKY AND TREACHEOUS OCEAN

A family experience in Jerusalem hospital reveals how “We, the people,” rather than “Them, the politicians,” could show a collective way forward.

By Solly Kaplinski

(First appeared in The Times of Israel)

For almost three weeks recently, we visited our daughter every day at Hadassah Ein Kerem in Jerusalem – she underwent a series of operations and procedures and thankfully, is now on the slow road to recovery. The medical care has been truly outstanding for which we have a lot to be grateful. What especially stands out is the professionalism of the staff, many of whom – possibly even the majority amongst the nursing staff, are Israeli Arabs. But there is something more: over and above their expertise, the genuine concern exhibited, the friendliness and compassion which you can’t fake, the authenticity of feeling, all played an essential part in the recuperation, recovery and well- being of our daughter.

**Unity in Diversity**. Hadassah Medical Center workers hold signs emphasizing cooperation.

Of course, there are always issues and I’m not going to sugar coat this – hospitals are after all stressful, frenetic places and emotions are on display – and one sees the best and the worst excesses of human behavior.

But on the macro level, the tension-free mixed wards, relaxed lounge areas and eating places – which will never make the headlines because this is truly good news, somehow seem to belie the reality of our fragile and at times hanging- by-a- thread country outside the walls of the hospital. Which begs the question:

How do we take the reality of what goes on behind the doors of the hospital: an oasis and haven of relative calm and a slice of normality, and transplant it lock, stock and barrel to our real world. What are the ingredients, the secret sauce for success? How do we mirror image and clone a relatively peaceful institution and make the centre hold in our immediate outside world where “anarchy is loosed upon the world” (Yeats).

**Holding on Together**. Jews and Arabs traveling on the Light Rail through French Hill in Jerusalem, one of the most integrated and diverse areas in Israel “where people live, work, shop, and eat together ….a model of co-existence.”

Sadly, I cannot prescribe a remedy or template for success or for that matter, something earth shatteringly profound but the regrettable observation that failing the emergence of a once-in-a-lifetime larger than life Mandela type leader, we are sometimes left subjected to spineless pygmy politicians of all stripes and sizes. Them as well as a media and their proxies: arrogant, know-it-all talking heads and so-called experts on all sides of the spectrum who cannot be trusted nor seemingly deliver. Consequently, the pathways to a new and more optimistic future have to be bottom-up driven, that it is ultimately “we, the people”, who have to painstakingly and modestly find the way to change our current harsh reality and that yes, there are role models for success. Take my neighborhood for instance, French Hill in Jerusalem, possibly one of the most integrated and diverse in Israel where people live, work, shop, and eat together and is, to all intents and purposes, a model of co-existence – with no authoritarian dictates on how and where we should live our lives. Or take our apartment block where religious Jews and Muslims live side by side together with Christians and secular and traditional Jews.

This harmony and goodwill was especially pronounced when Iran forced us all several times into our communal shelter. In other words, changing our reality is doable! And we can especially take comfort – and inspiration from the fact that Israeli society, the people: amcha, post October 7^th, in the face of an absent, reckless and negligent government, rallied together with our unbelievably dedicated brave and courageous soldiers and pilots – and a President whose middle name is Empathy, and came to the heroic rescue and rebuilding of our fractured, traumatized country and people.

**Young Boys, Old City**. Three boys, one Jewish, one Muslim and one Christian, all bearing the name of Abraham, at the Dome of the Rock and the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, 2000. How connected are they today as adults?

Maybe and of course, this is a long and unrealistic shot (but please, indulge my fantasy – we can “perchance to dream”, can’t we?) we should, following on reflections of our daughter’s hospital experience, entrust our future into the capable hands of the helping professions who get it, who understand human weakness and frailty, who selflessly provide not only the generous and gentle heart – and a broad shoulder to lean on but who help us navigate the depths of pain, suffering and anxiety, and also strive to find the blueprint that makes us whole and brings out the very best in us.

Witness the rapport between the Muslim woman who manages the endo-chemistry laboratory and her Jewish staff member Limor Avraham, the warm connection between the Muslim internal medicine day hospital manager and a Jewish ultra-Orthodox volunteer, and the collaboration between each of the very diverse teams of Jewish, Christian and Arab intensive care nurses, x-ray technicians and kitchen staff. Listen to Hadassah’s staff members sing about their commitment to opening their hearts and working together to save lives, “Together All the Way. Together, There Is No Other Way.”

About the writer:

Solly Kaplinski, former Headmaster of Herzlia High School in Cape Town, also headed up Jewish Day Schools in Toronto and Vancouver. His Aliyah professionally has been bookended by working at Yad Vashem in the International Relations Department and at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) where he served for 17 years as the Executive Director of Overseas Joint Ventures. He is also the author of a novella, A world of Pains: A Redemptive Parable? He lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Arleen, and their 3 daughters, their spouses and an egalitarian minyan of grandchildren, all living in Israel.

PINKWASHING OR PROGRESS?

A Gen Z perspective on Gay Rights in the Middle East

By Blessing Mathabela

Pinkwashing critiques are loud, but in the Middle East, Israel’s queer rights progress is speaking louder! “Pinkwashing” is a term that often comes up when discussing Israel’s LGBTQ+ rights record. Critics argue that Israel uses its progressive stance on queer issues to deflect attention from its treatment of Palestinians. While this critique potentially holds some truth, it overlooks an important reality: in the broader Middle East, where queer rights are virtually non-existent, Israel’s progress in this area stands out. That doesn’t mean Israel is perfect, but it’s not pinkwashing to recognise the strides it has made towards the advancement of queer rights.

Critics of Israel’s pinkwashing are quick to point fingers, but where are the solutions for the LGBTQ+ people suffering in countries where simply existing as queer is a criminal act?

**Homosexuality and Hypocrisy**. In the Palestinian territories, homosexuality is considered a taboo subject with LGBTQ people experiencing persecution and violence, while in neighbouring Israel, LGBTQI individuals enjoy a high degree of rights and freedoms incomparable anywhere else in the Middle East. Same-sex relationships in Israel have been legal since 1988.

LGBTQ+ RIGHTS IN ISRAEL

Israel, for all its faults, is more progressive when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights than many of its neighbours. In Israel, LGBTQI individuals enjoy a higher degree of rights and freedoms compared to many countries in the Middle East. Same-sex relationships have been legal since 1988, and the country boasts a robust legal framework for LGBTQI individuals, including protections against workplace discrimination. Israel also has a thriving LGBTQI community, with Tel Aviv widely regarded as one of the most LGBTQI-friendly cities in the world. The city hosts one of the largest Pride events in the region, attracting both local and international visitors. In addition, LGBTQI Israelis have the right to adopt children, access IVF treatments, and even serve openly in the military. However, while progress has been made, challenges remain, especially within conservative religious Orthodox Jewish communities which maintain traditional views on gender and sexuality. Arab communities in Israel, particularly Palestinian Arabs, also tend to hold conservative views on LGBTQ+ issues, influenced by traditional cultural and religious norms. Many Arab citizens of Israel are Muslim or Christian, and in these communities, homosexuality is often seen as taboo due to conservative interpretations of Islam and Christianity. As a result, LGBTQ+ individuals in these communities often face significant social stigma, familial rejection, and discrimination. While Israel provides legal protections for LGBTQ+ people, including in its civil courts, the cultural acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals is still limited within many Arab communities, leading to challenges for queer Palestinians in living openly.

LGBTQ+ RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

In most Middle Eastern countries, LGBTQ+ individuals face extreme persecution. In Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, same-sex relationships are punishable by imprisonment, torture, and sometimes even execution. In these countries, being queer is not just illegal – it’s life-threatening. Israel may have a complicated history with its treatment of Palestinians, but when it comes to queer rights, it’s miles ahead of its neighbours. There is no denying that Israel’s queer community has more legal rights and visibility than queer people in countries like Saudi Arabia, where LGBTQ+ people face extreme danger just for existing. Yet, the conversation around pinkwashing too often ignores this harsh reality for millions of queer people across the region.

**How Queer!** Totally incoherent are the Queers for Palestine at anti-Israel rallies. Ostracized and persecuted in Palestine as in most Arab counties throughout the Middle East, is it any wonder that their slogans have been widely satirized with variations like “Chickens for KFC” or “Blacks for the KKK”.

PALESTINIAN LGBTQ+: CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE

It’s crucial to remember that queer Palestinians are not exempt from the oppression faced by LGBTQ+ in the broader Middle East. In Palestinian territories, homosexuality remains illegal, and LGBTQ+ individuals often face rejection from their families and communities. The situation is further complicated by the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, where queer Palestinians are caught between the struggle for liberation and the struggle for their own rights within their communities.

For Palestinian queers, the pinkwashing debate can feel like another form of erasure. While their struggle is often overshadowed by the political conflict, queer Palestinians are doubly oppressed: both by the larger societal and political systems around them, and by the discriminatory attitudes towards queerness within their own communities. This isn’t just about Israel – it’s about the broader regional context where queer people, regardless of nationality, are facing unimaginable hardships.

CRITICISING PINKWASHING WITHOUT SOLUTIONS

Critics of pinkwashing often focus on Israel’s use of LGBTQ+ rights to distract from its treatment of Palestinians, but they rarely offer concrete solutions to improve the lives of queer people in the Middle East. Yes, Israel’s policies towards Palestinians need attention, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore the suffering of queer people in countries where being LGBTQ+ can result in imprisonment, violence, or worse.

Accusations of pink-washing are easy to make, but they fail to address the real problem: queer people in the Middle East are living under constant threat. So, while critics focus on the political strategy behind Israel’s queer-friendly policies, they miss the larger issue—how do we protect queer people in the region? Without offering actionable ideas to improve the situation, these criticisms are just noise.

**Crazy Crowd**. One of the many memes that the “Queers for Palestine” spawned highlighting just how incompatible the values of the Western left are with the Islamic right they so readily champion. (Source: X)

THE BIGGER PICTURE: REAL CHANGE, NOT DISTRACTION

While pinkwashing may be a valid critique, we need to keep it in perspective. The real issue is that queer people in the Middle East – whether Israeli or Palestinian – are facing violence and oppression. It’s time to stop letting the debate distract from the larger issue at hand. Instead of engaging in finger-pointing, let’s focus on what needs to change: the way queer people are treated in countries where their existence is criminalised.

If critics want to challenge Israel’s use of LGBTQ+ rights for political purposes, they need to come up with real solutions for the queer people who are suffering right now. It’s not enough to call out one country’s strategy without addressing the systematic abuse queer people face throughout the region.

**Hang ’Em High**. Hamas and Hezbollah’s major sponsor, Iran, has executed between 4,000 to 6,000 gay, lesbian, and bi people since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, many of them in public like this hanging from a crane. (Source: The Algemeiner)

As a South African, I recognise the value of a constitution that explicitly protects the rights of the LGBTQI+ community. In a country where equality is hard-won and deeply ingrained in our laws, it’s a privilege to live in a space that doesn’t treat sexual discrimination as an afterthought. This is something we should not take for granted, especially when so many Queer people worldwide are still fighting for their basic rights. From my perspective, I can appreciate Israel’s progress on queer rights, given the harsh realities faced by the LGBTQI+ community in Palestine and the other neighbouring countries. We must ensure that our advocacy is not limited to criticism alone but translates into meaningful action to protect the LGBTQI+ community everywhere.

Until the fight for global queer rights is truly universal, Israel’s steps forward in this area deserve recognition.

Israel’s 9/11 | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

About the writer:

Blessing Mathabela is a passionate gender justice advocate and a third-year B.Ed student majoring in English and Social Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). With a strong commitment to creating inclusive and equitable spaces, Blessing has held leadership roles as the Deputy Chairperson of the School of Education and as a Secretary on the All-Residences Sub-Council. She has also volunteered at the Gender Equity Office at Wits, where she worked to amplify marginalised voices and challenge systemic injustice. A dedicated feminist, Blessing is driven by her mission to empower others and advocate for social change both on and off campus.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES RATHER THAN BEING DEFINED BY THEM

My October 8th epiphany and impacting on Israel’s Future

By Jonathan Feldstein

A year ago, I had no idea how bad things were, or were going to be immediately after the Hamas massacre. I had no idea my son was in one of the communities along the Gaza border, fighting terrorists who were still trying to kill Israelis. Later he described that as being more frightening than fighting in Gaza itself.

A year ago, I continued with a previously scheduled meeting with friends from a major ministry in Jerusalem. I invited them to my home as if business as usual, even though we knew it was not. We were going to discuss collaborating on projects to bless Israel anyway. Our lives had changed, Israel had changed, though we had no idea how much so.

Maybe it was providential. As a result of our meeting, the Israel Emergency Campaign was born. We established the pillars of where our efforts would go:

civilian security
soldiers’ social welfare, evacuating civilians in danger
supporting at-risk youth in the Gaza border.

The last of these was, and remains, one of the most important, and hardest. These children witnessed horrors nobody should ever have to see, much less in their young lives, and certainly for those coming from broken homes whose parents could not help them the way they deserved and needed.

It was the hardest to advocate for because it was the least tangible, hardest to quantify, measure, or see (and feel) immediate results. Because of that, it is one of the most important, because it requires a long-term investment, the results of which may not be fully realized for a decade.

We committed to raise funds and invest in these children’s future, empowering them, strengthening them. Partnering with the largest social service agency in the Gaza border working among this at-risk population, we committed to provide therapies and skills needed to overcome everything that they were going through. At the time, all the families had to be evacuated for months, so initial services were provided in hotels and cities to which they had been relocated.

It was hard to “sell” this, and still is, because there were, and still are, many more urgent needs: things that are visible, tangible, and immediately compelling. There are things the immediacy of which that are hard to say no to. The Israel Emergency Campaign has done so much to respond to all these needs – and we still are doing that.

A year ago, we realized that if we didn’t step up for these at-risk, broken children, perhaps nobody might. We needed to invest for their future, because their future is a key to the foundation of a strong future for all of Israel. It means that they will be able to overcome their challenges, not be defined by them, and become productive members of society rather than perpetual victims. They will be able to become loving parents themselves, giving their children more than they got. That is priceless.

Our partners understand that together, we can change the term “at-risk youth” to “children of promise.”

Vast resources are needed for programs including counseling and all kinds of therapies, as well as resilience training for adults to be able to provide for the children, even while in the midst of trauma themselves. No parent, even the best parent, comes equipped with skills to cope with these levels of trauma themselves, and protect their kids at the same time, keeping them safe, especially with rockets flying and terrorists roaming the streets.

There are also needs to fund the new resilience center, something that is more urgent than ever, to keep the children safe physically, while nurtured emotionally and spiritually. During the war, the new building took a direct hit by a Hamas rocket. Thank God nobody was hurt. To keep all the children safe, under this specially designed roof that can resist a direct hit from a rocket, we need to provide all the furnishings. These include appliances in which the children’s one hot meal of the day is lovingly cooked, furniture, computer stations to do homework, counseling rooms, and even bomb shelters.

The beautiful thing about this endeavor is that it is a collective where everyone and anyone can play an invaluable part. Every church, every synagogue, every individual can commit to something small, and together we can do something massive. It’s literally making the biggest impact with the greatest integrity. Together, we will invest in the future for those children whose parents can’t help them, or who are orphans, one that will give them the foundation to build a bright future for themselves, and one day, for their own children.

Seeing the dividends of this investment is a generation away. It’s not the same as providing thousands of warm winter jackets and hand warmers to reservist soldiers, something that will be needed again as winter arrives. It has not met with the immediate gratification of scores of Israeli families among the tens of thousands who are still evacuated from their communities, and the smiles of happy children, and respite for their parents. It is no less critical, maybe even more so.

Part of my epiphany is the miraculousness of this very project. A year ago, Israel experienced the most severe attack and largest number of people killed on one day, ever, in all of its wars. Israelis are still in the midst of the loss and grief, experiencing trauma, and displaying the consequences of this. This very campaign is an expression of the resilience that Israel is known for. From terrorist attacks and massacres in the 1920s, through the brutal wars in which Israel has lost more than 30,000, Israel has always bounced back – built, grown, and invested for the long term. That is part of the miracle of Israel now, and the imperative to invest in these, the weakest among Israelis unable to do for themselves – our brothers.

From day one, a year ago, we knew this was urgent and critical. It is part of the history of Israel, and its future. Please join us today to make all the tomorrows a blessing.

About the writer:

Jonathan Feldstein - President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.

POLICE OFFICER SERVES IN HONOR OF HER SLAIN HERO HUSBAND

First to engage, first to fall – he saved the lives of his colleagues.

By Rolene Marks

*Photos courtesy of the Harush family and Israel Police.

“If I had just a tiny bit of information about what was to come, I would never have let him go,” said Hodaya Harush in memory and tribute to her late husband, Eliyahu. Hodaya is an extraordinary woman, a mother of three, who is Haredi and serves in the Israeli Police as an investigator at the Netivot police station. Eliyahu Harush was the first officer to fall on 7 October in Sderot during the “Battle of Sderot Police Station” that would become one of the seminal moments of that ‘Black Saturday’ – a symbol of the heroism of Israel’s police who fought valiantly against a ruthless enemy who threatened the civilians of their town.

A few nights before the seventh, Hodaya had a dream. She dreamt that she was standing with Eliyahu’s shift commander and she was crying. Hodaya tried to erase the dream from her mind but the events of the days to come would reopen that memory.

Eliyahu dropped Hodaya and their three girls off at her father’s house in Petach Tikvah on the Thursday before he started his shift at the police station. He was going to collect them after Shabbat ended. They communicated via What’s App for the next two days and one of the last messages Hodaya received from Eliyahu was a sticker with the message:

“Keep an eye out for children who don’t have family”.

Her final words to him were “Chag Sameach”.

Saturday morning started with sirens and rocket fire. Hodaya gathered her children and joined the rest of the extended family in the mamad (shelter). Hodaya like most Israelis, is used to rocket fire and sirens and tried to settle the children back to sleep. Her brother-in-law, who was also a police officer, received a message from his patrol unit and was called away. Hodaya understood that something big had happened. Although she had never broken Shabbat, Hodaya opened her phone and saw the messages coming in. The news came in that Sderot Police Station had been taken over by Hamas terrorists. Hodaya had seen a picture of the white pick-up trucks with mounted guns on the back that is synonymous with Hamas that day. Hodaya tried to call Eliyahu. She sent messages. She tried another police officer, Mor Shakuri, but there was no answer from either of them. Shakuri was already dead, killed, as was her father Roni that day, when terrorists opened fire on a car he was in with two other officers.

Hodaya’s daughter Lia, just 5-years-old at the time, told her that she had a dream. Lia dreamt her father had been killed. Hodaya felt that the dots were starting to connect. The day passed without any word from Eliyahu – or his whereabouts. Hodaya started to call anyone she could to try find out what happened to Eliyahu. She called hospitals, other police officers and friends. Her heart could not reconcile what she knew logically – something was wrong. She had seen that the district commander had given the order to demolish the police station and was frantic he may still be inside.

“On that Saturday, I didn’t know exactly what was happening, and that uncertainty is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. His father and I ran backwards and forwards from the balcony looking for a sign of a patrol car but none came. It was like a movie. His sister said that maybe he’s hiding and without knowing, I told her: I know that Eliyahu is the first to go out to defend and protect his comrades and the citizens,” says Hodaya. “He is the first to save lives,” she continues.

At 1h36 in the morning, police officers finally arrived and told her that Eliyahu had been killed. Hodaya’s first question was if the police had the body – and if it was whole. They confirmed he had been killed at the front of the police station. Hodaya broke down, devastated. At 26, she was now a widow with three small children. She had to find her strength for them. Two weeks later, she returned to work.

“Even before they buried my Eliyahu, they came to me from the National Police Academy; I was still in training. They came to me from the academy and said to me: Listen, if you don’t want to continue with the course, just tell us.” Hodaya answered with an emphatic no.

“The first thing I said to them, without hesitation, was that it was Eliyahu who sent my resume, I told them: this is Eliyahu’s will. Eliyahu made sure that I joined the Israel Police and I am going to do everything possible to serve as a police officer,” says Hodaya.

Hodaya wrote her eulogy before she knew what happened that morning. She spoke of how he fought in Hashem’s name with bravery and determination to save lives. At the funeral, two officers told her that because of Eliyahu, they were alive. He had saved their lives.

It was at the Shiva where Hodaya would find out what happened that morning. A police officer told her the events as they unfolded:

Eliyahu was on shift with another officer, Sharon, when they received a call that there was an infiltration at nearby Zikim beach. Rockets were raining down on the south and other parts of the country. He told the officer to gear up – full gear, rifles, vest – everything. They were unaware that Hamas terrorists were already in Sderot. As Sharon exited the building, a pick-up truck arrived and opened fire. Sharon managed to get to a nearby shelter where he stayed for five and a half hours. Eliyahu ran out, drawing the fire to him as other officers ran to the roof where they were eventually saved. Eliyahu was the first to engage with the terrorists and the first to fall. He saved the lives of his colleagues who managed to get to safety.

Hodaya has started a campaign to dedicate a Sefer Torah in Eliyahu z”l’s name:

https://my.israelgives.org/en/fundme/Harush

Ten police officers fell in the Battle of Sderot, 59 on 7 October and 66 since 7 October.

GLOBAL CONCERN FOR GAZA WHILE SUDAN HUMANITARIAN CRISIS MOUNTS

While Sudan slips towards a disaster of historic proportions there is minimal media coverage and global concern!

By Allan Wolman

First published in the Daily Friend, an online newspaper of South Africa’s Institute of Race Relations

The BBC recently featured on both their radio and TV platforms – “Sudan the Forgotten War” – highlighting a conflict that has been raging for over a year.

In April this year, Paris hosted the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and neighbouring countries, drawing attention to the ongoing crisis. The conflict in Sudan, rooted in tensions between Arab herders and non-Arab farmers over land, resources, and political power, has led to over 2 million refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries.

How Sudan has become the world’s ‘forgotten war’ | BBC News

The conference condemned the violence, including ethnic attacks, indiscriminate bombings, and gender-based violence, particularly against women and children, describing the situation as the worst child displacement crisis globally, highlighting that the war in Sudan has triggered the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis this year. The head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the region reported shocking accounts of widespread rape and sexual violence.

**Competing with Gaza**. Sir William Patey, former British Ambassador to Sudan told Sky News there appears to be no end in sight to the conflict. What’s more, he warned that efforts of coming to some kind of resolution with international partners are difficult as attention is focused on Ukraine and Gaza.

UN Women – charged with advocating for the rights of women and girls, and focusing on a number of issues, including violence against women and violence against LGBT people – responded to the Sudanese conflict in stark contrast to their silence on the gender-based and sexual violations faced by Israeli women victims on 7 October. The organisation issued a statement titled “A Year of Suffering for Sudanese Women and Girls,” calling on the international community to ensure that the conflict in Sudan does not become a neglected crisis.

**Humanitarian Catastrophes falling under the radar. Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict in the country’s Darfur region cross the border into Chad in August. (Photo: Reuters)**

Sudanese women and girls face heightened risks of gender-based violence, with widespread and increasing reports of sexual exploitation, abuse, and trafficking.

Again, UN Women “stands with the people of Sudan during this difficult time” yet remains mum on the plight of Israeli hostages, some of whom may be about to give birth after being raped and sexually assaulted almost nine months ago.

Millions in Sudan face disaster as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), are accused of using food access as a weapon in the ongoing war. It’s worth noting that within days of accusing Israel of genocide in the International Court of Justice, President Ramaphosa proudly hosted the mass murderer, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (aka Hemedti leader of RSF), at his Pretoria residence.

Sudan: The ‘forgotten war’ where mediation efforts have failed’

FICKLE FAMINE FOCUS

Sudan is facing a potential famine worse than any the world witnessed in Ethiopia 40 years ago, according to the UN. Aid deliveries continue to be blocked by the warring armies, though arms supply to both sides flow in.

With much of the world’s attention focused on Gaza, Sudan, already the worst humanitarian crisis globally, is slipping towards a disaster of historic proportions, with minimal media coverage and global concern. A UN humanitarian appeal for the country has received only 16% of the funds it needs.

**Save Sudan**. Despite a UN humanitarian appeal for the country, it has received only 16% of the funds it needs.

The UNHCR, together with the Egyptian government, estimates that more than 500,000 people have fled from Sudan to Egypt since hostilities began, and are in need of international support.

In response, the UNHCR and other NGOs, in collaboration with the Egyptian government, are working to support those fleeing Sudan. The UNHCR is coordinating a response to address the needs of those crossing into Egypt. Egypt, being a signatory to International Refugee Conventions and Protocols, is fulfilling these obligations and providing life-saving assistance for those fleeing the war on its southern border, as it did by hosting its brother Arab refugees fleeing the carnage of the Syrian civil war.

**Concern diverted elsewhere**. “All the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing”, but too few care!

The question therefore must be asked why Egypt refuses to extend the same humanitarian relief to its north-eastern neighbours – the Gazans – who share a common language, religion, and culture.

Historically, this territory was part of a larger cultural and political entity under Egyptian influence, yet today, the border is strictly reinforced and sealed, preventing any refugees from crossing into Egypt. Again, this crisis is being ignored by the media.

Egypt’s decision to seal its border with Gaza is largely driven by concerns over Hamas’s strong ties with the Muslim Brotherhood. President Sisi and the military view the Muslim Brotherhood as an Islamist organization with a fundamentally different ideology from their secular nationalist stance.

**Gazans Unwelcome**. While Egypt welcomes those fleeing Sudan on its southern border, no such hospitality for Gazans on its north-western border and to ensure “no entry”, builds a new miles-wide buffer zone and border wall along its border with Gaza. (satellite image from Maxar Technologies)

They fear that the Brotherhood could gain power and potentially alter the secular nature of the Egyptian state. This fear has led to strict measures, including the closure of the Gaza border, to prevent any potential influence or power consolidation by the Brotherhood.

About the writer:

Allan Wolman in 1967 joined 1200 young South Africans to volunteer to work on agricultural settlements in Israel during the Six Day War. After spending a year in Israel, he returned to South Africa where he met and married Jocelyn Lipschitz and would run one of the oldest travel agencies in Johannesburg – Rosebank Travel. He would also literally ‘run’ three times in the “Comrades”, one of the most grueling marathons in the world as well as participate in the “Argus” (Cape Town’s famed international annual cycling race) an impressive eight times. Allan and Jocelyn immigrated to Israel in 2019.

IS WAR IN ISRAEL ‘UNLEASHING’ PET-FRIENDLY HOTELS?

Seeing four-legged furry friends in Israel’s hotel lobbies has not been so surprising in 2024 with Israel still at war but for how much longer?

By Motti Verses

(*This article appeared first in THE JERUSALEM POST)

Pet lovers treat their dogs and cats like children, siblings or grandchildren. No doubt that most dog and cat owners think of their pets as family. It is also not surprising to learn that in 2024, 2 out of 3 households in America own a pet, while in Israel it is estimated at 1 out 3 families. If furry friends are part of the family, they surely deserve to join its members on a vacation in hotels. However, this family desire is tricky and certainly challenging. While some hotels warmly welcome pets, others have strict rules against dogs and cats accompanying guests.

The primary reasons behind world hotels implementing ‘No Pets Allowed’ policies are to maintain cleanliness and hygiene standards. Pets shedding fur, leaving behind odors, or even causing damage to furniture or carpets can create an unpleasant environment for other guests. Hence, hotels – always considering what is in the best interests of its guests – will take into account that some guests may have allergies or sensitivities to pet dander or fur and that could potentially trigger allergic reactions.

Pet policies ensures that hotel managements can provide peace of mind to its guests.

Minimizing noise disturbances for their guests is yet another reason. There is always a possibility of barking or other noises that could disturb guests in neighboring rooms. Hotels have a responsibility to ensure the safety and comfort of all their guests. This includes considering those who may have fears or phobias related to animals. Even if a pet is typically well-behaved, unfamiliar surroundings and the presence of other guests could potentially trigger anxiety or aggression.

But sometimes – usually in times of crisis – even hard and fast rules may be broken. When the war in Gaza broke out following the October 7^th massacre, hotels in Israel faced an unexpected challenge. More than a quarter of a million Israelis were evacuated from their homes on the southern and northern fronts. They found shelter in hotels in safe areas across the country. While most left everything behind, that which they could not leave behind were their beloved pets!

**Home Alone**. On a devastated kibbutz in the south following the massacre, where is this cat’s family?

“They are family,” was the common sentiment expressed.

Not only did they want to take them along – but needed to take them in this time of existential crisis. Pets provide huge emotional support. However, not all these evacuees were allowed to bring their pets – dogs or cats – to hotels that were providing a safe haven. In response, the Lawyers’ Forum for the Protection of Animals in Israel (ILFAP) appealed to numerous government ministries requesting that the government address this issue as a matter of urgency and show sensitivity to the plight and misery of the evacuees with their pets. The petition presented the case that there was a symbiotic relationship between owners and their pets who desperately needed each other and should not be separated in times of dire crisis. The petition argued that a refusal to accept pets caused “real harm” to both owner and animal and that it amounted “a violation of the Animal Cruelty Law.” They argued further that evacuated pets should be treated under the same law that was established for the more familiar and universallyrespected, “guide dogs.”

Dani Shahar, General Director of the Ministry of Tourism, supported the petition and appealed to the hoteliers in an emotionally crafted letter to allow pets to live with their evacuated families. He added in his appeal that:

“Past experience elsewhere in the world has shown that evacuees accompanied by their pets not only has proven best for public and animal well-being but supports national resilience.”

The result was that the majority of the hoteliers indeed ignored their standard pet policies and allowed “furry family members” onto their properties.

**Evacuees from the North**. Seniors play a game in a hotel lobby in Tiberias on June 21, 2024, where hundreds of Israelis have been housed after their displacement from their homes near the border with Lebanon. (Photo: Sharon Aronowicz/AFP)

When asked in a recent podcast what was the weirdest thing he had to handle during the Gaza war, Lior Raviv, Managing Director of Isrotel, revealed:

“There are endless cases, but what stands out is that it is the first time in the company’s history we have hosted hundreds of dogs. Suddenly we have a new type of guest that we didn’t know. We even opened a kind of a dog care department.”

Is the war inspiring a rise of pet-friendly hotels?

Clearly the impact of the war included impacting on people mindsets. “Once the war started and we hosted evacuees, we accepted their pets without hesitation, as we believe they are part of the organic family,” expressed David Tucker, the General Manager of Ramada by Wyndham Jerusalem Hotels and the voluntary chairman of the Jerusalem Hotel Association. He explained:

“It wasn’t at all easy to face pets in the hotel facilities, but we understood that it is part of a major crisis. We made sure that dogs must be on a leash at all times; barking dogs are never left alone, and entrance to restaurants of pets was forbidden. But once the war is over and hotels in Jerusalem will return to routine, I am sure there will be a return to previous policies of no pets.”

**Atlas Allows**. Furry friends are part of the family even in Israel’s Atlas hotels. (Photo: Roy Mizrachi)

Itamar Elitzur, Head of the Eilat Hotels Association, explains that accepting pets in hotels during the war was a challenge but one certain hotels were willing to accept “because of the situation and the emergency.” He cited instances where dogs were left for hours alone in guestrooms causing disturbances and cases of other guests experiencing fear from these pets.” Ilitzur believes that once “Israel returns to normality,” so hotels will return to it standard policy of not allowing pets. “I am not aware so far of a single hotel that changed its official pet guidelines.”

Isrotel with its 23 hotels, Managing Director Raviv points out that “We will certainly return to our previous policy of no pets.”

“Is it because of the operational challenges you experienced during the war?” I ask.

The main reason, asserts Raviv is the “hotel guests in Israel are less fond of vacationing with dogs. In the USA, due to the vast distances and hence people go on vacations for longer periods, there is a more of an openness and acceptance of travelers being accompanied by their pets.” Raviv cites as an example, the US state of Florida where “the hotel business model there is suitable to accommodate this reality. In Israel where vacations are short, pet owners prefer to find suitable short-term pet solutions at home.”

Positive views in favor of pets regarding the future are also being heard. Atlas Hotels is an Israeli brand with 16 urban properties. It is a family business of co-founder Danny Lipman and his sons Yaron and Lior, who nowadays carry the torch. Atlas is exceptionally pet friendly and one may well ask, “How come?”

**Happy with the Accommodation**. American traveler Ruby Phillips always picks pet-friendly hotels for her Pippin and Umi husky dogs. (Photo: Ruby Phillips)

“It all started with our other co-founder Leslie Adler who arrived daily to work with his labrador named Trixie,” reveals Vice president Yaron Lipman. “Most hoteliers adopt a conservative approach towards pets; however, we do not see any obstacles. I can safely say that in most cases, dogs are better than human beings. We have no problem hosting guests with pets and we even supply beds and snacks for the animals. We hosted thousands of pets over the years and the problems were negligible. I am optimistic. During the war, hotels hosted evacuees with pets and they noticed that the problems were minor. Regardless of traditionally being against hosting pets, this experience of the war may prove positive and more hotels will accept the challenge in the future.”

In the US during the crisis of Covid-19, pet friendly hospitality also made headlines. Booking.com reported at the time of the pandemic “the pet-friendly filter was the third most-used filter in the hotel facilities section, behind swimming pools and parking.”

**Feeling quite at Home**. A dog with guests at Atlas Backstage hotel in Tel Aviv. (Photo: Eran Levi)

“While in the US the trend of pet-friendly hotels continues to grow, the supply of such hotels in Israel remains limited”, says Eran Ketter (PhD),the Head of the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management at Kinneret College. “Presenting a pet-friendly offering is an effective way for accommodation venues to create market differentiation, enhance customers’ loyalty, and increase revenues. However, what works well in the US does not necessarily work well in Israel. Most hotel rooms here are in large buildings that don’t have the facilities to host pets, unlike cabins and lodges in the US. Israeli clientele is not renown for following regulations, and having pets in local hotels might increase the level of chaos, which is already quite high. Israelis are much more open than Americans to leaving their pets with family/friends or having a dog-sitter coming into their homes, leading to a lower level of demand. Lastly, many hotels in Israel, especially in a leisure destination like Eilat, already enjoy high occupancy rates, and don’t need to make the extra effort in hosting pets.”

**Missing Home**. Children evacuated on Oct. 7 staying in a Dead Sea hotel. (Photo: Oren Ben Hakoon)

I prodded Ketter to envision a possible future of pet-friendly hotels in the wake of an end-of-war scenario in Israel. He responds smiling:

“Perhaps this is a trend waiting to happen, and when enough hotels will follow a pet-friendly path, a threshold may well be reached in the Israeli market and the demand will follow.”

About thr 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 TIPS
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 TIPS

SHEMA YISRAEL IN THE BLACK FOREST

A visit by two Israeli tourists to Germany’s Black Forest revealed more surprises than could ever have expected

By Motti Verses

A few years ago, before Covid, my longtime friend, a PR expert and writer, Itzhak Rabihiya, shared with me a story of one of his very special clients. A group of Christians from Germany, had brought in 2019 to Jerusalem a 120-kg gilded golden menorah. Modeled after the menorah depicted on the Arch of Titus in Rome, the replica of the Temple candelabra measured 150 cm. The Germans raised €120,000 with private donations to fund the initiative and at the time explained their motivation:

“The church never returned the holy candelabra back to the Jewish people and we want to make amends. By our bringing of this iconic and historically so symbolic menorah, we are conveying a public message towards the Jewish people and asking for forgiveness. It’s our way of returning after 2000 years, the menorah from Rome to Jerusalem.”

**Enlightening Relations**. Prior to Covid, a 120-kg. gilded menorah, a replica of the Temple candelabra was brought from Germany to Israel in 2019. (Photo courtesy ‘Christians For Israel- Germany’)

I must say that this surprising initiative – which they termed “The Menorah Project” – was hard for me to fully comprehend. Anyway, over the years, the story turned into a fuzzy memory until a week ago, when Rabihiya and myself participated in a media trip that included visiting tourist attractions in Germany’s Black Forest. “You’re not going to believe this,” said Rabihiya. “You remember those Christian Germans and the menorah project from a few years back, well; they heard we were in their neighborhood and have invited us to visit.” Intrigued, we accepted the invitation and made the necessary arrangements.

Deep in the Schwarzwald, Germany’s Black Forest is a picturesque region with enchanting attractions. Known for its dense, evergreen forests and picturesque villages, it is often associated with the Brothers Grimm fairy tales and the cuckoo clocks.

It was a late afternoon and we programmed our vehicle’s GPS to the town of Altensteig. Certainly not a destination for the average tourist but to us visiting Israelis, it would prove an experience that I will always cherish! We planned to meet a woman, Delly Hezel, the power-house behind the Christian Germans group, supporting Israel. The forest suddenly thinned out when the small town came into sight. Our destination was a quiet street in a modest neighborhood. Delly opened the front door of her apartment and welcomed us in with a wide smile. Inside the living room, her decorations blew my mind.

**Stunning Surprise**. Standing in the kitchen in front of the large poster of the Jewish prayer ‘Shema Yisrael’, (l-r) Itzhak Rabihiya, Delly Hezel and the writer in the apartment in Altensteig in Germany’s Black Forest. (Photo courtesy Motti Verses)

**Illuminating Encounter**. The gigantic board of ‘Shema Israel’ in Delly Hezel apartment in Altensteig with seven stick candelabra in front. (Photo courtesy Motti Verses)

There were flags of Israel hanging on the windows; pictures and sculptures of Jewish menorahs, a gigantic board of ‘Shema Israel’, copious souvenirs from Israel and wherever I looked, symbols of Judaism. Her welcome and warmth was so touching especially during these turbulent times of rising global antisemitism and to discover such a heartfelt connection in the heart of Germany’s Black Forest, was so overwhelmingly.

**Friend and Family**. Delly Hezel, a powerful force behind the Christian Germans group supporting Israel says: “I have been coming to Israel regularly for over 15 years. My friends no longer see me as just a friend, but as part of their family. We experience joy and sorrow together, and it is especially in times of need that we stick together the most.” (website: www.csi-aktuell.de)

Who are they – these surprise supporters of Israel tucked away in Germany’s Black Forest? Founded 26 years ago at the time when Israel celebrated its 50th Independence Day, ‘Christians for Israel – Germany’ initiates projects for Israel, raising 1 million Euro every year. However, since the October 7^th massacre, the involvement has intensified. Many protests and gatherings in support of Israel have been held in Berlin as well as in their region. A website “Israel at war” that shows ways to support Israel was created and survivors of the massacre were hosted by the group in the Black Forest to help with their recovery process. Delly has visited Israel seven times since the war started to show support. Additional organization members joined, embracing the motto:

‘Be present MORE in Israel, NOT less’

Partnering with the Jewish National Fund (JNF), Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency, since the massacre, ‘Christians for Israel-Germany’ have raised over 600.000 Euro in support of Israel.

A short time after our arrival, Markus Neumann,the organization’s energetic deputy, joined us, and told us to climb into the waiting vehicles as we were being hosted for dinner in Bondorf, a small pastoral village, a half-an-hour drive east of Altensteig. The host was Luca Hezel, Delly’s son, head of ‘Christians for Israel- Germany’.

Climbing the stairs to the penthouse apartment, leaving our shoes outside, we were warmly greeted by Luca, his wife Sonja and their two small blonde children Avi and Noa. For a brief moment, I thought Sonja and Luca were the busy ones in the kitchen. During the drive, I had imagined a dish of Bratwurst, a type of German sausage made from pork, beef, or veal. That culinary imagery faded rather quickly when I saw who was really busy in the kitchen! To our complete surprise, it were two Israelis, Avishay Argentaro from Kfar Aza, the kibbutz near Gaza that had been turned into a site of carnage on October 7, and his friend Zadok Aktzin from Ben Shemen, a moshav in central Israel.

Argentaro’s story left us breathless.

**Sizzling Shakshuka**. Avishay Argentaro from Kibbutz Kfar Aza prepares the dinner in Bondorf. The pan on the right is sizzling with Shakshuka. (Photo courtesy Motti Verses)

He related how on October 7, he together with his wife and their two children, they survived nearly 22 hours of terror. During these torturous hours, they hid in the dark, heard terrorists shooting around them and received messages of cries for help from their friends and neighbors. A few weeks later, Argentaro – who previously had participated in the ‘Chef Games’ television program – decided to embark on a culinary venture where he visits homes, cooks for the residents and talks about life on his kibbutz, where he has lived all his life.

Quite amazingly, long before the massacre of October 7, 2023, Argentaro and the ‘Christians for Israel-Germany’ had built up an endearing and enduring relationship for “Already some 12 years.” Now however, it was Argentaro first time in Germany and after our unexpected evening, he was set to culinary engage with local German communities in the Black Forest by cooking dinners and speaking about life in Israel.

**Taste of Israel**. Our Israeli dinner in the Black Forest included homemade Hummus, Shakshuka, baked cauliflower, Israeli salads and other familiar dishes enjoyed daily in Israel. (Photo courtesy Motti Verses)

“The diners will enjoy my gastronomy, but I will also tell them my story of October 7th and what Israel has been going through since,” he said. Argentaro’s dinner in the Black Forest started with the Birkat Hamazon (‘grace’) and all the participants followed with “Amen”. The meal included homemade Hummus, Shakshuka, baked cauliflower, Israeli salads and other familiar dishes we enjoy daily in Israel. It was certainly an evening to remember.

**“It will be a sign on your hand” Exodus 13:9**. ‘Christians For Israel-Germany’ have produced two bracelets that expresses “Our solidarity with the Jewish people and Israel in this time of distress! They should also help to remind us of two commandments of the hour: “**Never again is now!**” and “**Germany on Israel’s side!**“

Delly’s admiration of Judaism and the people of Israel is remarkable. I wanted to understand why, with so much passion for the Israel and Judaism, she doesn’t convert. She explained:

“I believe in Hashem, Abraham, Izik and Jacob and also in Jesus. But not as a God like Christianity is believing. I believe Jesus was a Rabbi with followers. For me he is the Messiah and when he comes, we can ask him if it is his first visit or his second. This is the only difference we have.”

**Blue and White in Black Forest**. Abundant Israeli flags at a German rally for Israel in the Black Forest. (Photo courtesy ‘Christians For Israel-Germany’)

The Black Forest may well be an area full of surprises for tourists but for us two visiting Israelis, our experience with the wonderful people of Christians for Israel-Germany was something I can only describe in biblical parlance – It was a ‘Revelation’!

* ‘Christians for Israel – Germany’ website: www.csi-aktuell.de

** Linkdin:

About the writer:

AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS ARE FAILING THEIR PEOPLE

If Africa is inept at solving problems on its doorsteps, how does that make it adept at solving the problems of others a continent away? Go figure!

By Kenneth Mokgatlhe

It has become clearer to me over the years that governments from my African continent display little respect for the lives of their fellow black people. In many of these mismanaged failing states, vast populations across the African continent live in extreme poverty, remain unprotected from diseases, have little to no access to adequate health services as well as hygienic water sources and seem cursed in having uncaring leaderships as defenseless citizens are slaughtered like chickens.

While sickening, it has struck me as particularly strange how some of these incompetent governments would go and meddle in the Israel-Palestine conflict while neglecting the welfare of their own people.

South Africa, which dragged the State of Israel, into the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the most unequal country in the world. Around 75 to 85 people are violently murdered daily and most victims are black. South Africa has the highest unemployment rate of 33% in the world, and most of those young people are black. According to the World Bank in 2020, 50.5% of the population lived in poverty while 25 percent (almost 14 million people) was experiencing food poverty.

South Africa has major domestic problems that pose internal national security threats. This is a ticking time-bomb that could explode at any moment. It should be a given that the newly elected incoming government should prioritise the plight of its destitute black people in South Africa before interfering in affairs a continent away that are of no strategic benefit to the larger population of the country.

A country’s foreign policy should be an assertion of its national self-interest to the benefit of its domestic situation. A sober person should ask how many millions the ICJ case cost the South African government, how it served the nation domestically, and what effect the exercise had on bringing an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.

**State of Hunger in DCR**. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is Africa’s second largest country, with great mineral and natural resources, yet for decades, the country has suffered constant conflict, epidemics, undernutrition, and food insecurity. One in four people in DRC are experiencing a food crisis.

To make matters worse, we have a continental body, the African Union (AU), headquartered in Ethiopia, which has no regard for Africa and its people. We have a bloody war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which according to the Council on Foreign Relations has claimed the lives of over six million black people since 1996. Daily, black people continue to kill each other in the eastern DRC, but the AU appears unwilling to make a clarion call to end the bloodshed.

**No Peace, No Security**.31 African heads of state attended the founding conference of the OAU in May 1963. Sixty years later, its successor organization, the African Union (AU), has repeatedly come under fire for failing to achieve that objective. (Photo: picture-alliance/dpa).

The 2020-2023 war between Eritrea and Ethiopia claimed more than 700,000 lives, and has resulted in continued war crimes in the North of Ethiopia. Here again, the AU (and the UN) has not taken action. Maybe this is because this war did not trend in the mainstream media. The AU should be the ‘voice of the powerless’ on the continent but has emerged as a ‘paper tiger’ and seek to speak on their behalf – however it is becoming irrelevant to many Africans because it does not advance their interests.

**‘Famous’ for Failure**. Human rights Mozambican activist and chairman of his country’s Center for Democracy and Development, Adriano Nuvunga, expresses his disappointed with the AU for failing to fulfill its chief objective of ensuring peace and security on the continent. (Photo: Sitói Lutxeque/DW)

In the words of Mozambican Human rights activist Adriano Nuvunga:

“Today, the African Union is an organization that primarily represents the interests of the powerful. It is toothless and ineffective, and it repeatedly proves itself incapable of ensuring prosperity, security, and peace for all Africans.”

I am dragging the toothless AU into this discussion because the Chairperson of the AU Commission, former Chad prime minister, Moussa Faki Mahamat, constantly uses all available platforms to condemn Israel.

My question:

When is he going to prioritise the welfare of black people on his own continent?

**Mismanagement and Misdirection**. Rather that seriously dealing with conflicts in Africa, AU prefers to focus on the conflict between Israel and Gaza following the massacre in Israel on October 7.

However, if he is so passionate about international human rights, why does Mahamat ignore what his horrifying playing out in Haiti where fellow black people (descendants of Africa sharing our heritage) are slaughtering each other? Why is he so obsessed about Israel when many black people are dying in their thousands in the Caribbean? What is extra special about Israel that diverts his attention from any concern to the lives of the descendants of Africa?

Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, are African lives so cheap to you?

According to media reports, about 15,000 Sudanese who are also African have been killed while more than 30,000 have been badly injured since the start of the civil war in 2023, but there is absolutely nothing that the AU has done to quell the volatile situation in Sudan. The World Food Programme (WFP) has recently alerted the world that Sudan is now facing unprecedented levels of starvation. We should be asking if “starvation has been used as a weapon of war?”

**Struggling to Survive**. Sadio Abdi Rahman Ahmed, 50, stands with three of her six children near their tent at a camp in Baidoa, Somalia. (Lynsey Addario/National Geographic)

Africa needs to defend and protect the lives of Africans in the continent. We have enough problems in the mother continent that should be preoccupying our minds rather than finding ourselves trapped in conflicts elsewhere in the world. African countries need to unite and cooperate in combating wars, violent murders, terrorism, poverty, inequalities, water insecurity, human and drug trafficking, and unemployment among the youth and women.

I am reminded of the spirit of awakening across Africa in the early 1960’s, captured in the words of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah at the Organization of African Unity founding on May 25, 1963:

“We must now unite or perish”

There is little evidence by the policies presently pursued that we are adhering to that spirit.

About the writer:

Kenneth Mokgatlhe is pursuing a Master of Arts in African Studies, African Sustainable Communities program, at Ben Gurion University of the Negev. He is a political writer, analyst, and researcher.

Category: Humanitarianism

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