Shalom to one and all,

First and foremost, let me wish everyone a happy and joyous Purim holiday!

Last night I attended the general rehearsal of the Afula Orchestra and the Afula Youth Ensemble on the eve of their departure for a tour of U.S. Jewish communities, including several in the southern New England area, who had wanted to see and hear our performers, as well as host the many young participants (some 90 people!).

The performance was extraordinary and highly professional, and the entire ensemble is ready to perform before you in honor of the commencement of official celebrations and events in honor of the State of Israel’s 60th anniversary. I know that you will all enjoy their performance, so please make sure to reserve the date and time in order to celebrate together.

As you know, Israel is the land of contrasts and contradictions, and we are quite used to experiencing happiness and sorrow at the same time. Though feeling the horror and pain of constant terror attacks, we still feel the need to continue our daily routine and common lives with our Arab neighbors in the region.

I work in a hospital with both Jewish and Arab staff that serves a likewise mixed population, with Arab patients often outnumbering Jews. We have become used to this, despite our often very mixed feelings, especially after any terrorist attack occurs, sometimes even aided by Arab Israelis. On such days we cry silently while continuing to devotedly serve all our patients in the most professional and humane way possible.

I’d like to share one particularly strange and unique event I experienced this week in the emergency room.

While still under warnings of terrorist infiltration attempts and with one of my sons doing his military reserve duty at one of the roadblocks between Israel and the territories, along with his endless stories about Palestinian attempts to smuggle in all kinds of arms and weapons using ambulances, we received word that a 17-year old prisoner from the nearby Meggido Prison (where security prisoners are held) was on his way to the emergency room because of a very high fever. When the prisoner arrived, accompanied by 4 armed guards, it turns out that he was a convicted terrorist murderer. As the attending physician, I had to fight my anger and fear, get close to him and touch him, listen to his lungs and heart and also speak with him, though his movements were restricted by the guards in order to prevent any attempts to attack us or flee. But like any patient, I had to diagnose and treat him with the same professional standards that we apply to everyone. Ultimately, he had to be admitted because of a severe case of pneumonia.

Picture this crazy situation: the need to hospitalize a terrorist murderer in the pediatrics ward… Until we could locate a suitable room, he was kept in the emergency room. The nurses and even guards urged him to eat, he received the expensive medical care he required for his problem, had nothing to fear in our company and did not recoil or flinch from physical contact. There were no signs of violence or beatings on his body, he was dressed in clean clothes and outwardly looked quite well. I couldn’t help thinking about what would happen to us if we had mistakenly entered one or their villages or what is happening with our missing soldiers, Ehud, Eldad and Gilad. Do you really think that they are meriting the same concern and care by their captors?

I felt the need to share this with you because of the constant condemnation and denigration we receive abroad regarding our so-called lack of humanity and aggression!

Next month is Pesach, the holiday of freedom, so may we see all of our sons missing in action released from captivity and home with their families!

Happy holidays to one and all!

Sincerely yours, Yehudit