Finally being able to return to Israel – for our colleague Delly Hezel, this was a miracle after a year and a half of forced hiatus due to the pandemic. This trip was marked by touching encounters with wonderful people. Join us at the kitchen tables of Israel!
November 2021: Israel had just reopened its doors to tourists – and even then only for a short time – I still had five weeks of my annual leave left, and my recovered status was still valid. So I was full of joy and anticipation of finally being able to visit many of my Israeli friends again.
The starting point for my encounters was the home of Uri and Lisa in Rishon LeZion. I told you about Uri and his family in issue 127 of our newspaper "Israelaktuell"—his grandfather had come to Jerusalem from Yemen on foot, pulling a donkey. I was Uri and Lisa's last guest in 2020 and their first last year. They welcome their guests in beautifully converted train carriages. For quite some time now, I've had a bed in their house and I'm not allowed to pay. They consider me part of their family.
My first visit to Jerusalem was to see Udi. He, too, has become a dear friend over the years. He only reopened his gallery in the Cardo in November. Where throngs of tourists once surged, it has become quiet. One evening, when I visited Udi in the deserted Cardo, he remarked that I was only the tenth person to walk past his gallery that day. Before the pandemic, that many people would pass by his shop in just a few moments. Despite everything, Udi is full of joy and optimism, and speaking with him is always inspiring for me. Udi treats people with such acceptance and appreciation that one simply feels at ease in his presence.
During these five weeks, the alleys of the Old City are quite empty, and that's not just because of the lack of tourists. Arab terrorist attacks have increased again. Even many Israelis are avoiding the Old City. Tension hangs in the air. Eliyahu David Kay was only 26 years old when he was shot dead by a Hamas terrorist near the Western Wall on November 21. He had just finished his morning prayers and was still wrapped in his prayer shawl when the terrorist's fatal bullet struck him. Eliyahu was to be married in a month. The murder took place at the very spot where I had stood just the day before. It wasn't the only experience of this kind during these five weeks. And yet, Jerusalem has become so precious to me; I love these places where biblical prophecy is fulfilled before my very eyes. For example, Zechariah 8:4-5: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Old men and women will once again sit in the squares of Jerusalem, each with his staff in his hand because of his advanced age, and the squares of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing there.’”
Army instead of modeling career
In the south, I visited the BenHar family. They live in Yated, just a few kilometers from the Gaza Strip, in a small but steadily growing moshav with 170 families. I've known Shaul and Julia for almost ten years now. They've been to Germany several times for concerts. Their eldest son, Ariel, began his service in the Israeli army in November. I visited them two days before he was drafted, and we had plenty of time to talk. Ariel had the opportunity to pursue a career and avoid military service. All the major agencies in Israel promised him a bright future and wanted him as a model. Ariel decided against it. What a courageous, honest young man he has become. Israel can be proud of its soldiers.
My journey also takes me to northern Israel, to Basma and her son Noor. The two Druze were our guests here in Altensteig three years ago. Basma runs a small restaurant in the town of Julis. Her husband, Marcel, died five years ago after being in a coma for thirteen years. He, too, was the victim of a terrorist attack. He was traveling in a jeep for the Israeli army when a bomb hit the vehicle. Marcel managed to free all three of his comrades from the car before he collapsed. He never opened his eyes again until his death. Basma had only been married to him for ten months and was pregnant with Noor. She received no support from her husband's family. The army money went to his parents, and Basma had to leave the house they had just built. Since then, she has lived in her mother's house. But Basma didn't give up. She became a pastry chef, first opening a café and then a restaurant. It was the first in Julis. The people here are happy to have this place and it's nice to see how many Jewish Israelis also enjoy the delicious food here.
I see young girls coming to Basma, simply hugging her and thanking her – for paving the way for girls and women to have lives outside the home. What Basma has accomplished has been groundbreaking. Visiting her again now was wonderful. Noor is there too; he's now a proud soldier in the Israeli army. Basma is currently planning to open another restaurant and is already looking forward to welcoming us there next time.
Besides Basma and Noor, Yoasch was also one of our guests in Germany through the CSI Terror Victims Relief Project. He lives with his family on the Jordanian border in the small village of Kfar Ruppin. Yoasch is responsible for the security of this region and is in close contact with the army. I met him personally in March 2000. In the few hours I spent with him, he not only showed me his surroundings and explained what it means to live here on the border, but also opened his heart a little.
Yoasch served as an officer in the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and was wounded. But the death of "his" twelve soldiers weighs far more heavily on him. He still suffers from the trauma, but now he can talk about it, something he couldn't do for many years. I had to promise Yoasch that on my next visit I would set aside at least a day to spend with him and his family, as there was so much to tell. And so, on this trip, I even spent two days with them. The hospitality I received here was incredible. Yoasch is still so grateful for his time in Germany, and I am now able to experience that gratitude firsthand. He is doing much better personally, and he is now giving back to the world many times over all the good he experienced from others during those difficult times.
Laughing together, crying together
I was deeply honored to receive an invitation to a Koby Mandell Foundation camp. Koby Mandell was 13 years old when he and his friend Yoseph were brutally murdered by Palestinian terrorists in a cave near their home village of Tekoa. This happened 20 years ago. After his death, Sherry and Jeff Mandell founded the Koby Mandell Foundation to offer children a place where they feel understood after a loss. Here, they meet others who have experienced similar losses and find support and understanding. For almost two years, no camps could be held due to Covid-19, so it was incredibly special for me to be able to participate now. More than 150 children and teenagers enjoyed a day filled with joy, activity, and play. And they knew what united them: together they could laugh and cry. I was deeply impressed that many of the former participants are now part of the staff. One woman said to me, "If there is a heaven on earth, it's here at the Koby camps. If I hadn't had this place, I don't know how my life would have turned out." I didn't have enough time to speak with everyone who wanted to share their tragic stories. Many simply came to thank us, Christians Standing with Israel (CSI), supporting these camps.
Frankfurter Kranz at Chana
At Chana's house in Gescher HaZiv near Nahariya, there was Frankfurter Kranz cake. Chana was born in Münster one hundred years ago. In 1938, she came to Israel with Youth Aliyah. Many of her family members did not survive the Holocaust. Stolpersteine (memorial stones) were laid in Münster for her family. On her 100th birthday, the mayor of Münster called her to congratulate her. Her granddaughter Sharon is amazed at how well her grandmother speaks German. She didn't have much opportunity to practice. I look at old family photos with Sharon and translate, since most of them have German captions. They are still searching for family members who have vanished without a trace.
The Hanukkah festival was a particularly wonderful experience for me. Since it's celebrated for eight days, with another candle lit each evening, I was immersed in the diverse ceremonies of different families. One evening at the Western Wall, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was there and lit one of the candles. The streets of Jerusalem are illuminated with countless lights during Hanukkah. There's singing, dancing, and celebration of the light's triumph over darkness. Joy, happiness, and sufganiyot – a type of doughnut in many different variations – were everywhere I went.
There is so much more to tell about this trip. For me, the people and encounters in Israel have become precious treasures. And so another verse from Zechariah 9 proves true: “…for they are like jewels on a diadem, shining above his land.”
As a CSI employee in the "Humanitarian Services" team, Delly Hezel maintains close contacts with those responsible for and affected by our aid projects in Israel.
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 128. You can order the newspaper free of charge here: www.csi-aktuell.de/israelaktuell. We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
