Israel
JNF Bike Mission to Israel October 2017: an outstanding vacation!
By KARLA BERBRAYER
This past fall, my husband Alan and I were planning a trip to Israel to visit our daughter, who is studying in Tel Aviv. We have been to Israel many times; we lived in Israel for a year with our four children – so we were looking for another way to view the country.
As we were contemplating our options, I noticed an email from JNF float across my computer. A bike tour of the Negev desert was being advertised. I shared this ad with my husband, who is an avid cyclist – and his response came back to me in a matter of minutes. Let’s do it!
Without much information, and quicker than we decide what to order in a restaurant, we booked our spots on the bike tour. The excitement of seeing Israel as cyclists, and having an active vacation as part of a group, was enticing to us.
That’s when we were told that a number of the participants were from Edmonton. We thought –really? Amazing. It will be fun to hang out with other prairie folk. Must be an interesting group if they all want to go cycling together. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.
We met up with the group in Tel Aviv on the date of the bike departure. Alan and I quickly discovered that we were “the foreigners”. Of our intimate group of 14, ten of the members of the group hailed from Edmonton. The other four included my husband and me, the father of one of the Edmontonians – who is based in Niagara on the Lake, and a woman from Toronto.
From the first night the group bonded immediately. Despite the fact that we were “the foreigners”, we were warmly welcomed into the group. Laughs were in abundance. Within a short period of time, our group developed a roster of inside jokes, code words, and affectionate teasing of one another. Sure, there were the stronger cyclists and the less experienced cyclists, but the bottom line was that we were all committed to this incredible experience of seeing the beauty and culture of the country of Israel together.
We cycled for seven days, accumulating a total of just under 240 kilometres in our trek through the Negev.
Our journey began with a drive from Tel Aviv to Ashkelon. En route we stopped to visit “Achim l’Chaim” – Brothers for Life. This JNF project had a profound impact on all of us. Achim l’Chaim is an organization that supports wounded soldiers. Soldiers shared powerful stories of the traumas that had changed their lives, the impact of PTSD, and other injuries that they had survived. We left Achim l’Chaim with strong memories of the soldiers we had encountered.
After an overnight in Ashkelon, we mounted our bikes for our first serious day of cycling. We headed to the Erez crossing, looking into Gaza, where we focused our cameras in the opposite direction from Gaza, as one is not supposed to photograph the Erez border crossing.
We continued by bike to Sderot, well known for being close to the border of Gaza and the recipient of many rocket attacks over the years. I was surprised to see the work that had been done in this city by JNF. There were several beautiful parks and developments within the city. From the publicity I’d read about the seriousness of the attacks the city had undergone, this is not at all what I expected. As a matter of fact, we had the best lunch of the whole trip in a small restaurant in Sderot, where the serving staff continued to bring copious amounts of food to our tables. It is impressive to see how well the residents of Sderot live, despite the constant danger – evidence that JNF has done much to improve their standard of living.
Following Sderot, we visited Shlomit, a community that felt as if it had been pulled out of the late 1800s – a group of pioneers reminiscent of the first settlers – the halutzim of Israel. People live in caravans, at the junction of Israel, Gaza and the Sinai. There are about 50 families, a religious Zionist community, committed to building the land and populating this remote area. I wondered how unpleasant it is during a sand storm, as I felt the sand and heat making me a wee bit dizzy. One of the women took us to visit the farms where various crops were growing in the desert, under the benevolent eye of JNF. We discussed the fact that none of us felt the desire to move to Shlomit – but one had to admire the resolve of the residents!
That night we slept in Mitzpe Ramon, on the edge of the Mahtesh hagadol.
The next day we cycled from Mitzpe Ramon to Yerucham. We stopped at Sde Boker to taste some wine from a local winery. In Yerucham we ate lunch in a restaurant in the home of the Malcat Yerucham – the Queens of Yerucham.
From Yerucham we began our descent to the Dead Sea through the Hatira Crater. That is where I had my first moment of panic when I looked into the astonishingly beautiful crater and realized I had to go…down. However, that was nothing compared to the descent down the road known as the Scorpion Ascent. I focused on my husband and promised not to look over the edge as we rode our brakes slowly down a steep zigzag path that continued for over 15 minutes, without a guardrail. Definitely a proud moment for me when I reached the bottom and the rest of the group cheered; I had confided in them earlier that I have a fear of heights!
We continued our bike ride on the Peace Route, along the Israel- Jordan border, stopping at a location to see the farming accomplishments in the area. We spent the night at the Dead Sea.
The next day was a challenging cycle from the Dead Sea to Masada. This was the first time that my husband and I had taken the cable car up Masada instead of climbing. We were so hot and exhausted from the bike journey, I felt no guilt in accepting the cable car option!
From Masada we went on to Jerusalem to prepare for Shabbat.
Shabbat was a highlight of the trip. That night we all walked to the Kotel to have Kabalat Shabbat at the Wall.
The meal that we ate in the Leonardo Hotel that night was the most memorable of the week. For my husband and I, who keep kosher, the options of steak, roast, lamb, chicken – were endless and mouth watering.
We sang zemiros (led by my husband) until late into the night, at one point dancing around our table!
After a thoroughly relaxing Shabbat in Jerusalem, we did a night ride through the Old City – one of the scarier cycles as it was a challenge to avoid the cars and people on the narrow cobblestone streets!
The following day we rode on a new bike trail that circles Jerusalem. What a treat! We had been accustomed to riding on the highway. To ride on a bike path felt like luxury. Our journey that day ended at the Cramim Spa Hotel – a highlight in every way. The food, the spa, the hotel rooms, the service – everything about Cramim is to be recommended. I would be happy to visit annually.
The next day we were transported to Tel Aviv for a final dinner and to bid fond goodbyes to our newfound friends.
Our holiday was a thorough ten out of ten. My husband and I are thrilled that we accomplished the challenges of the bike journey through the starkly beautiful Negev Desert. We have a whole new group of close friends.
We visited sites that we would not have been able to visit had it not been for the JNF arrangements. We saw the desert in a way that cannot be compared to views through the windows of a car.
Would I do it again? You bet!
Israel
It’s Not Over Until It’s Over
By ORLY DREMAN (Jerusalem, Nov. 16, 2025) When the live hostages were returned a stone was lifted from our hearts. It was like going from Memorial Day to Independence Day. It is a relief after two years of sadness and worry about the hostages being tortured. With the ceasefire it feels good not to think every ambulance alarm is a siren and that we must run to the shelter. I would like to take things out of the shelter- like mattresses, chairs, water, first aid kit, a generator, flash light, batteries, games and canned food and put back the stuff that was there before when it was just a storage room, but it is not over. I do not see tranquility in the horizon. The children used to ask the grownups to take money to the shelter in case the house is destroyed and they will have nothing left. They also ask if they will have to be soldiers when they grow up and if they might die. We want a better future for our children. My two nieces, one from Tel Aviv and one from the center, plus several good friends whose houses were hit, can now return home.
In days of turmoil it is important to build hope and strength. The whole country was one big family due to our Jewishness, comradeship, the connection of each one of us to each family in Israel. We missed the days of quiet and freedom. Now you see more people shopping at the malls and going out to restaurants without feeling guilty; we would like to be bored.
We are living with uncertainty. It is not a question if Iran attacks, but when. Our people have gone through so much and lost so much. Living in existential stress, we are now going back to routine tension; however, now we already have chronic sleep disturbances. The reservists got out of the war, but the war will never leave them – what they saw and experienced – the trauma and the thoughts that never leave. Therefore, many soldiers, as well as survivors of Oct 7th, have committed suicide. The reservists are also those who paid the highest prices, not just on the battle fields, but also when they returned to civilian life. Because they served in the army during such a long war, they were fired from their jobs or lost their businesses and they are in debt.
Early in the morning we wake up to hear the news. There is no good news – only the names of those who were killed (even during the cease fire). We check if any dead hostages were returned. These are the values we were raised on; we do not leave anyone behind. Hamas is returning them slowly, one every few days. The relatives of the fallen who are still in Gaza are going through a storm of emotions. We cannot heal until everybody is back home. Then come the funerals – which are heart breaking, but it is a closure for those bereaved families. Hearing about Jews being attacked somewhere in the world is already considered normal. I recommend reading a book by Eli Sharabi called “Hostage.” After being tortured in captivity he returned to find out that his wife, his two daughters, and his brother were murdered. He tells about the starvation, the darkness, the loneliness, the physical and mental pain. He is a very brave, strong, optimistic man who chose life.
In the last few weeks there have been many reports about Iran, which is rushing to develop missiles for which they are getting the components from China and North Korea. Hamas and Hezbollah we cannot believe; they are already rearming. For every terrorist that is killed hundreds of new ones arise. We believed them in the past and then came Oct. 7th.
The ceasefire is not significant to Hamas. Only this week they returned an Israeli hostage who was taken into captivity eleven years ago during a ceasefire. If they do not return all the bodies then we feel in our hearts that it is not over. They suck hatred from birth. They are incited at the mosques and at school. Killing Jews is the most grand thing for them. They say out loud that there will never be reconciliation. Peace talk for them is a weakness because if you have talk then you cannot attack and they want to attack. Whatever we offer them – they want more and more. They know how important the holiness of life is to us, so they use it to demand more all the time. Maybe Hamas did not defeat us militarily, but they did beat us politically. The situation of Israel in the world is the worst it has ever been. We are isolated economically and socially. We feel like a child who is excommunicated by bullies.
Once again we still have hope that the words of the prophet Isaiah will happen: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore”.
Israel
Israeli Parliament Advances Death Penalty Bill for Convicted Terrorists
The Israeli parliament has advanced a bill that would mandate the death penalty for Palestinian terrorists convicted of killing Israeli citizens, with some lawmakers believing it would prevent future prisoner-release deals.
In a vote held late on Monday – the first of four needed for the measure to become law – the bill passed with 39 in favor and 16 against, out of 120 lawmakers.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben–Gvir had called on all political factions to back the bill, which he has said was aimed at creating deterrence against “Arab terrorism.”
“This is how we fight terror; this is how we create deterrence,” he said in a statement after the initial vote. “Once the law is finally passed — terrorists will be released only to hell.”
SOME PARTIES BOYCOTTED MONDAY’S VOTE
The bill will now move to a parliamentary committee for further debate before a second and third vote. It is not guaranteed that it will become law, with several key political parties having boycotted Monday’s initial vote.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid was quoted by Israeli media as saying that he would not vote in favor of the bill.
The PLO, the Palestinian national umbrella political group, condemned the vote, with Palestinian National Council Speaker Rawhi Fattouh calling the draft law “a political, legal, and humanitarian crime”. The vote was also criticized by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
Israel abolished the death penalty for murder in 1954, and the only person ever executed in Israel after a civilian trial was Adolf Eichmann, an architect of the Nazi Holocaust, in 1962.
Ben–Gvir has argued that imposing the death penalty would deter anyone considering an attack similar to the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed nearly 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and resulted in 251 hostages being taken to Gaza.
Israel stopped its ensuing military campaign against Hamas last month, when a tenuous ceasefire was agreed that included the release of 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza, plus the remains of deceased ones in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
PRISONER RELEASE DEALS
Israel has released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees since October 2023 in exchange for the release of the hostages that were being held by Palestinian terrorists.
Most of the hostages have been released except for the remains of three deceased Israelis and one foreigner.
Tzvika Foghel, a member of Ben–Gvir‘s Jewish Power party and chair of the parliamentary national security committee, where the bill will now be debated, said imposing the death penalty would mean no more prisoner deals.
Palestinians who have been released have included many convicted of serious crimes, including murder.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the October 2023 attack on Israel, was released in 2011 as part of an exchange of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for one Israeli soldier held in Gaza. Some Israeli politicians such as Ben–Gvir have, during the war in Gaza, opposed the release of Palestinians who were involved in the killings of Israelis.
Ben–Gvir handed out sweets to fellow lawmakers after the initial vote passed. Critics noted that, in Gaza, some Palestinian militants had handed out sweets to the public after the October 2023 attack.
Israel
Israel report by former Winnipegger Bruce Brown
10 minutes
(Posted Dec. 24, 2024)
02:11 AM: Sound asleep.
2.11.01 AM: Wide awake. Awoken by a blaring missile alarm. Incoming. Took me no time to react. Ivan Pavlov would be proud. I quickly scooped up my dog. Grabbed my glasses. An inhaler. My phone and power cord. And sprinted to the safe room. Right across the hall. My wife overseas on vacation. So did this one alone. Er with my dog. We have 90 seconds to reach safety so no real panic, relatively speaking.
2.11.09 AM: In my safe room. Slid shut the heavy steel slabs across the window. You can hear this happening throughout the building. Kinda like a horror movie. Screech. Slam. Screech. Slam. Screech. Slam. Then mine. Screech. Slam. Next I jumped across the room and slammed shut the heavy, reinforced, steel door. It also makes a slamming sound, a really loud one. Then slumped down on the couch with my dog. With some level of relief. Where is this missile coming from. Can’t be from Gaza, they don’t have the capability anymore…I hope. Nor Lebanon, living too far south…I hope. Yemen? Possible. Those dang Houthis?
2. 14 AM: Oh oh. Need to pee. Like really bad. Once in the safe room, you should stay there for ten minutes. Unless there is another siren. Each siren requires a ten minute respite. Respite? Odd choice of words as you are not really resting. Way too tense. Especially as you can occasionally hear the booms of intercepted missiles up above. Kind of unnerving. Back to my need to pee. Its quite dangerous leaving the room during this period. Should your place be hit by the missile or falling debris from the sky. You don’t want to be caught with your pants down, literally, hovering over your toilet. And condos have been hit in Rehovot with some death and much destruction. Hmmm. To pee or not to pee. That is the question. Whether tis better to suffer the pangs of having to pee or the missiles of outrageous fortune. You get the point.
2.14.10 AM: Peeing in the bathroom.
2.14.40 AM: Back in the safe room. With my dog. Sitting on the couch. Fiddling with the remote control. I work in hi tech. The semiconductor world which can be pretty complex. But I simply have not mastered the remote. Really want to see what’s going on. Where is the missile from. Are there more attacks elsewhere in the country. Pushing this button and that button But the TV still off. Okay. Will check my cell. Although the connection sometimes comes and goes when shuttered in the heavily reinforced concrete and steel safe room. Works! Ya! Showing three bars. Sometimes four. Checking my feeds. But no news yet.
2.17 AM: Seriously. I need to pee again. Like really bad. Dang prostate! To pee or not to pee. That is the question…. You get the point. I chose to pee. This time I don’t actually slam shut the heavy, reinforced, steel door. And my dog follows me out. This could get complicated. But first things first.
2.17.10 AM: Peeing in the bathroom.
2.17.40 AM: Chasing after my dog around the condo. Poncho!!! There he is. In the living room. Like master. Like pet. He too is relieving himself. Probably the tension. Dogs can sense these things. “Faster Poncho!. Faster!” I encourage him.
2,18.02 AM: We’re back in the safe room. The heavy, reinforced, steel door slammed shut. And then I start worrying. What if I have to pee again. Its really dangerous out there. Idea! I’ll bring a cleaning pail in here. And if worse comes to worse. Well, I am alone. Sans my dog.
2.18.22 AM: I dart for the cleaning cabinet in the bathroom to grab the pail. Making sure the heavy, reinforced, steel door is shut less my dog run out again. Wait! As it dawns on me at 02.18.22 AM. This is not the smartest thing to do. At least I could have combined grabbing the pail with actually having to pee again. Like maybe I could hold out for the next three minutes or so in the safe room. No urgent need for the pail. But I am already there….
2.18.25 AM: Grab the red cleaning pail
2.18.28 AM: Back in the safe room. The heavy, reinforced, steel door slammed shut again. Siting on the couch with my dog again. Red pail glaring at me from the side of the room…daring me. But my bladder is relaxed. I try the remote again. I feel like my 85 year old mother who often complains about getting her remote to work. I console myself thinking that it must be the batteries. Hmmm. Maybe a mad rush for the utility room to get some new batteries. But that would be mad. I’ll take care of it in the morning. Only a few more minutes and I can safely leave the safe room and go back to bed.
2.19.45 AM: I pour myself a glass of mineral water. This I store in the safe room per Homefront commands. Fresh batteries not, hrmph. As I down the water I realize this is probably not the best idea. Less it creates the urge to pee…. Alas no. Start surfing my feed again. The intercontinental missile was fired by those crazy, dang Houthis from Yemen. All of central Israel sent to their safe rooms. Dang Houthis! The next couple minutes go by pretty smoothly. Although seems like an eternity.
2.21 AM: Back in bed. Albeit sleep comes slowly as my adrenaline starts to reside.
As it were. Israel bombed the dang Houthis that night. For the third time since the outbreak of the war. In retaliation for them firing over 200 ballistic missiles and 170 drones at Israel, which fortunately had not resulted in much damage. We struck them with over 60 bombs in two air raid sorties. Destroying mainly military targets as well as ports and energy infrastructure. Maybe that will teach them for waking me -and a million other Israelis- in the middle of the night.
As it were. Falling debris from the dang Houthi attack landed on a school in central Israel, forcing its collapse. Fortunately and thank G-d it was the middle of the night. Sometime between 2:11 AM and 2.21 AM. So no casualties. Can’t even imagine the tragedy had this strike occurred mid-day.
As it were. I changed the batteries in the remote. It works just fine now. And I left the red cleaning pail in the safe room….just in case. But I hope the dang Houthis finally learned their lesson. Although probably not.
As it were. Two nights later. Another 2:00AM missile from the dang Houthis. . They just wont let me sleep….
As it is. Please continue donating to the Israeli war and revival efforts. You may have given earlier. But give again. The financial costs to Israel are and will be billions. Billions! Sderot and Metulla and Tel Avi and Haifa are Israel’s front lines. Israel is the diaspora’s front line.
Bruce Brown. A Canadian. And an Israeli. Bruce made Aliyah…a long time ago. He works in Israel’s hi-tech sector by day and, in spurts, is a somewhat inspired writer by night. Bruce is the winner of the 2019 American Jewish Press Association Simon Rockower Award for excellence in writing. And wrote the 1998 satire, An Israeli is…. Bruce’s reflects on life in Israel – political, social, economic and personal. With lots of biting, contrarian, sardonic and irreverent insight