As sad as the situation is, I look forward to reading your blog. You know my daughter is in Israel and my granddaughter is in the Army but you put the situation in perspective and it helps me see what is going on. You are a very talented writer and I think you should collect all your posts and make a book out of it. They are invaluable.
I am very glad to meet you! I look forward to your thoughts and observations. One of my small regrets in life is that I didn't make Aliyah around 1971 - I was confused and had no idea how to go about it. I had no Hebrew. My brother spent his "junior year abroad" at the University of - I can't remember the name - and delighted in his stories and adventures. My grandparents in 1958 had made a mission after WWII to try to find any surviving cousins - even if they were unaware of their existence. They were family. They crossed Europe inspecting Red Cross rolls of survivors. Finally, in 1958 Israel, the Jewish State they had worked so hard to raise pennys, nickels, dimes, and the rare dollar for, they found a name on Army rolls (or so I was told) and found a long-lost cousin's name (not changed to a new Hebrew name!). A cousin of my grandfather. They had both escaped their poverty and pogroms- one to America, and one to the Tel Aviv. The cousin wrote a book of his travels, adventures, and the early days of the yishuv. Since phones were not common in 1958, my grandparents took a bus to Ra'ananah, walked up apartment stairs and asked (in Yiddish) of the man answering the door "Do you know these people?" showing them a faded black and white photo of a large gathering of people posed stiffly outside a modest hovel, pre-World War I. And the man famously replied "What are you doing with a picture of my family?!" ❤️ My grandparents had planned to stay in Israel for several weeks. This man (Cousin) and his wife had them stay, in their apartment, for a year! And that's how our family suddenly enlarged, and our connection to Israel, already strong, grew even stronger. As family gained more spendable money over the years, cousins once unknown to each other, traveled back and forth. The Israelis to Los Angeles, and the Americans to Ra'ananah and Moshav Bitzaron near Ashdod.
I didn't mean to tell you our whole family story - I was just trying to tell you that it's very important to me to understand what is going on there, and how Israelis are really coping. So - I look forward to reading more of your personal account. And I thank you for sharing your thoughts.💕
Sharon Solomon
Shlomo Tsippmann, our first cousin to return to Israel 💕
I've been reading your diary for some time now, and just wanted to say thank you for sharing the snippets of your and your nation's everyday life and struggles right now.
I am not a Jew and neither is my husband but both of us wholeheartedly support the Israelis. I am a Polish Catholic, and my husband is English, but our hearts (and my prayers) are with you. I have always loved the history, the culture and the language of your land (did two years of biblical Hebrew at uni, long time ago). My husband had a chance to spent a little time in Israel, almost joined the IDF (if it wasn't for his inability to learn a foreign language....), and the love for your land and its people stayed with him to this day.
We simply cannot understand how anybody with a conscience can support Hamas...
I didn't mean to write such a long babbling piece. I just wanted to say that you are not alone, that from so many places all over the world people send their thoughts and prayers for you. The sacrifice of your fallen will not be forgotten.
A(wo)men to the little things you write about so well. Your words are a lifeline as I try to hold hands with my Israeli family and friend (Jews & Arabs) from afar during these daunting days. Thank you for holding down the fort, The Service of your offspring and for picking up your pen (in English here). Stay safe, stay sane, Vivian & All...
Dear Vivian
As sad as the situation is, I look forward to reading your blog. You know my daughter is in Israel and my granddaughter is in the Army but you put the situation in perspective and it helps me see what is going on. You are a very talented writer and I think you should collect all your posts and make a book out of it. They are invaluable.
Thank you for your thoughts.
We pray for Peace and better future.
Much love, Rose
May your daughter, granddaughter and everyone in Israel stay safe, sane and alive 🕊💙🤍🇮🇱🤍💙🕊🌟🌟
I am very glad to meet you! I look forward to your thoughts and observations. One of my small regrets in life is that I didn't make Aliyah around 1971 - I was confused and had no idea how to go about it. I had no Hebrew. My brother spent his "junior year abroad" at the University of - I can't remember the name - and delighted in his stories and adventures. My grandparents in 1958 had made a mission after WWII to try to find any surviving cousins - even if they were unaware of their existence. They were family. They crossed Europe inspecting Red Cross rolls of survivors. Finally, in 1958 Israel, the Jewish State they had worked so hard to raise pennys, nickels, dimes, and the rare dollar for, they found a name on Army rolls (or so I was told) and found a long-lost cousin's name (not changed to a new Hebrew name!). A cousin of my grandfather. They had both escaped their poverty and pogroms- one to America, and one to the Tel Aviv. The cousin wrote a book of his travels, adventures, and the early days of the yishuv. Since phones were not common in 1958, my grandparents took a bus to Ra'ananah, walked up apartment stairs and asked (in Yiddish) of the man answering the door "Do you know these people?" showing them a faded black and white photo of a large gathering of people posed stiffly outside a modest hovel, pre-World War I. And the man famously replied "What are you doing with a picture of my family?!" ❤️ My grandparents had planned to stay in Israel for several weeks. This man (Cousin) and his wife had them stay, in their apartment, for a year! And that's how our family suddenly enlarged, and our connection to Israel, already strong, grew even stronger. As family gained more spendable money over the years, cousins once unknown to each other, traveled back and forth. The Israelis to Los Angeles, and the Americans to Ra'ananah and Moshav Bitzaron near Ashdod.
I didn't mean to tell you our whole family story - I was just trying to tell you that it's very important to me to understand what is going on there, and how Israelis are really coping. So - I look forward to reading more of your personal account. And I thank you for sharing your thoughts.💕
Sharon Solomon
Shlomo Tsippmann, our first cousin to return to Israel 💕
Dear Vivian,
I've been reading your diary for some time now, and just wanted to say thank you for sharing the snippets of your and your nation's everyday life and struggles right now.
I am not a Jew and neither is my husband but both of us wholeheartedly support the Israelis. I am a Polish Catholic, and my husband is English, but our hearts (and my prayers) are with you. I have always loved the history, the culture and the language of your land (did two years of biblical Hebrew at uni, long time ago). My husband had a chance to spent a little time in Israel, almost joined the IDF (if it wasn't for his inability to learn a foreign language....), and the love for your land and its people stayed with him to this day.
We simply cannot understand how anybody with a conscience can support Hamas...
I didn't mean to write such a long babbling piece. I just wanted to say that you are not alone, that from so many places all over the world people send their thoughts and prayers for you. The sacrifice of your fallen will not be forgotten.
A(wo)men to the little things you write about so well. Your words are a lifeline as I try to hold hands with my Israeli family and friend (Jews & Arabs) from afar during these daunting days. Thank you for holding down the fort, The Service of your offspring and for picking up your pen (in English here). Stay safe, stay sane, Vivian & All...
🕊💙🤍🇮🇱🤍💙🕊🌟✍️💜