Israel Attacked by Hamas 2023/5784, War Musings #4 Pulse of Israel Reports on Hamas Barbarism

I don't know if you've been following the war news on Israeli and unofficial Israeli news and commentary sites.  For sure, you'll find reports that won't be on CNN, BBC, NBC etcetera ad nauseum. 

One of those I recommend is Avi Abelow's PULSE OF ISRAEL. 

Last night I heard what was titled The Hardest Interview I Have Ever Done..., and as difficult as it is to listen to it, it's not something you can turn off. And you shouldn't turn it off. In his words:

In between shifts, I just conducted one of the hardest Pulse of Israel interviews in my life.

Meet Avigail Gimpel who volunteers for the Gush Etzion chevra kadisha. THe chevra kadisha was tasked with preparing the massacred and mutilated bodies, from down South, for a proper Jewish burial.

Her testimony is super critical, as too many media outlets, journalists, online influencers and politicians deny that any massacre took place, while simultaneously believing the blood libel that Israel shot a Gaza hospital which was proven to be a story of lies.

May nobody ever witness what Avigail had to see.

Looking at the photo of them, you'd never guess Avigail Gimpel's volunteer activity, nor the horrendous scenes and tasks she has been doing. Listen, and let her tell you.

You can also listen on Spotify, even the free version. I highly suggest signing up to Pulse of Israel to get all of their news/interviews.

Har Menuchot, Givat Shaul, Jerusalem, Walls of Graves

Yesterday I was at a funeral in Har Menuchot, Givat Shaul, Jerusalem. Unlike the usual noontime summer funeral, we didn't bake in the heat, nor get sunburned. After the ceremony in the airconditioned hall, we got into vehicles and traveled to the newly constructed graves.

 Yes, constructed; it's a building with wide, long corridors decorated by graves stacked four high. 

Each wall is labeled/coded to indicate which floor, section and level, so that the grave can be easily located. Yes, these are today's and tomorrow's graves. People can still request and pay more for an outdoor grave in more natural dirt, rather than the soil added by the Chevra Kadisha, but in a small country like Israel, where land is limited and expensive, these graves make more sense. If you believe in ecology and "saving the earth and natural resources," this type of cemetery is what you should request for yourself.

While walking down the long corridor, following a friend to her "final resting place," I couldn't stop mentioning how lovely it looks. As you can see in the photos, people have found ways to decorate and individualize the plaques. 

The older "stacked" section of Har Menuchot, Givat Shaul, Jerusalem is much less attractive. They remind me of "office drawers" in some archive. But this new section is actually lovely in the way that the Military Cemetery in Mount Herzl is attractive, though this one is indoors and Mount Herzl is a well-tended garden.

Apparently the administration of Har Menuchot, Givat Shaul, Jerusalem is constructing kilometers of buildings like these instead of wasting the Holy Land on the dead rather than the living.

Burying The Dead

Jewish Law, Halacha, is very different from the standard American, Christian, western. For Jews growing up out of Israel, in the galut, diaspora, it's sometimes hard to realize that local Jews have adopted many non-Jewish customs.

I guess it sounds peculiar, and can be misread, for me to say that I love the funerals in Shiloh. Of course, I hate the deaths, but I do value the way our funerals are conducted. We have our own local burial society, Chevra Kadisha, and everything is conducted according to Jewish Law.

The graves are prepared by local Jews, and the body, wrapped in a shroud, is gently placed in the grave and then buried. People, generally the men, take turns shoveling the dirt back into the hole and onto the dead.

The physical, kinesthetic act helps with the very necessary "closure." By being part of the earth, the dead returns to G-d.

HaMakom Y'Nachem, May G-d Comfort the Mourners...