Yom Shleeshee
Tuesday
18 Av 5781
July 27 2021
The News on the Israeli Street
The daily Corona update . . .
The Covid-19 situation continues to worsen. There were 2,049 more Israelis confirmed with the virus yesterday bringing to 12,385 the total number of active cases in the country. More than 120 Israelis are now in serious condition with 25 of these being critically ill on ventilators. 6,461 Israelis have died since the pandemic began last year.
Palestinian terror in the the last 24 hours . . .
On the Gaza border:
Yet another fire in southern Israel last night caused by explosive balloons in Gaza: this was the scene near Sdot Negev.
In Judea and Samaria:
Palestinian terrorists attacked Israeli buses with “rocks” and Molotovs between Beit Omer and the Karmi Tzur Junction, near the Reihan Junction on the road to Mevo Dotan, between Adam and Hizma, and between Hermesh and Mevo Dotan.
Palestinian terrorists attacked Israeli motorists beside the T-Junction, near Tapuach, on Road 446 near Naalin, near the Meitar Crossing, at Luban a-Sharqiya, and at a dozen other places.
Palestinian terrorists opened fire in the direction of the Avraham Avinu neighborhood in Hevron.
Another government attack on a Jewish community . . .
This time the scene was in the community of Adorim in the Hevron Mountains.
Civil administration and police forces showed up this morning to confiscate seven caravans, each housing a family with children.
Doesn’t the government have anything better to do than target these poor Zionist families in Samaria?
Of course they do.
Not only are there an estimated 50,000 illegal Palestinian buildings in Area C, there are tens of thousands of illegal Bedouin structures in Israel itself.
And yet, the government continues to go after Jewish communities so it can “prove” to the international human rights committee that it is doing something about so-called “settlement activity.”
It is disgusting.
Brawl in the Knesset . . .
Yesterday saw Israeli-Arab Ahmed Tibi–the same Tibi who regularly castigates Israel and supports Palestinian terror–take over as Speaker of the Knesset for a few days.
Yes, you read that correctly.
The Israeli legislature is being run by an avowed anti-Israel political leader.
But back to yesterday.
Religious Zionist Itamar Ben Gvir came to the podium to deliver a speech. He refused to address Tibi as “the honorable Speaker”, causing Tibi to verbally attack him. Ben Gvir then pointed out that Tibi is a “terrorist” and should be heading the legislature in Syria or Iran or some similar place.
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At that point, Tibi ordered security guards to take Ben Gvir out of the Knesset Chamber.
To put it mildly, Ben Gvir did not go quietly or peacefully–nor should he have. Tibi had no right to take action against him over Ben Gvir’s “verbal slight.”
TODAY’S BLOG
Saving Private Gur, Part 1
As intimated in yesterday’s blog, we spent the last few days fairly close to the Lebanese and Syrian border near Kiryat Shmona at a moshava named Yesod Hamaala.
More specifically, we stayed at a house–whose owners have built 4 chalet-style cabins for renters. Each night we were there, my son and I barbecued at the grill on the common patio, and then our families would eat on one of the picnic tables there.
Two nights ago, we were just finishing dinner when a new family arrived.
As they were walking upstairs to their accommodations, we noticed that the man was carrying two large curved “sticks”.
The next time he came down to the patio, I asked him what the “sticks” were.
Little did I realize that such a simple question would lead us to an amazing story of survival, rehabilitation, and rebirth.
To begin with, the man was exceptionally nice, mild mannered, and merely introduced himself as “Gur” from Gush Etzion. He briefly explained that the “sticks” were actually used in the Japanese martial art of naginata–a form of Japanese fencing (click here if you want to see what the “sticks” and the sport looks like–the video you find was actually put there by “Gur”).
We asked him a few rudimentary questions, and he told us that on the next day (yesterday), he would give us a demonstration. He also told us that he was training for an examination he would have in Japan in December, Corona permitting.
We left it at that wondering what inspired Gur to take up naginata. Gur also seemed quietly mysterious, and all of us tried to find out something about him online to no avail.
It turned out we just didn’t know where to look.
Last night, Gur again joined us as we were finishing dinner on the patio, but this time he was dressed as one might expect a Japanese fencer to be attired.
A photo I took of “Gur” on the patio.
Without initially telling us anything about himself, he sat down beside us and quietly regaled us with the history of how naginata evolved during the time of the Samurai but not necessarily in a way that you might expect.
It was an art which primarily evolved among the wives of Samurai as a means of protection should their families be attacked. Gur fascinatingly took us from the 1500s up to the present day.
After this historical perspective, he showed us how the “weapons” are used moving quickly and deftly back and forth across the patio with thrusting offensive moves and retreating back in defense. He explained how it was difficult to show us the real naginata since he had no opponent there.
After about 10 minutes, Gur stopped and gave us a chance to ask some questions.
This was when his incredible story began.
And where I will begin tomorrow. You will simply not believe what happened to “Gur” and how he has rebuilt his life. Come back tomorrow to read his amazing story.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.