For the first week or more many of us felt paralysed by the horror of the massacre and found it impossible to have conversations and participate in normal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All civilised people were horrified and shocked by the barbarity and brutality of the attack but Jewish people felt alone and vulnerable, trying to process the unbelievable once again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rally in Trafalgar Square on Sunday afternoon went a long way to heal the feelings of loneliness and vulnerability. Firstly we gathered and over 200 of us held a plaque dedicated to each of the kidnapped while forming a human chain of solidarity singing side by side and calling \u201cLet them Go\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After an introduction from the Board of Deputies, The Chief Rabbi spoke words of support and comfort to the then a crowd of between 15-20,000. Survivors of the attack that had flown in tell their stories and rally support for the release the hostages spoke of their personal experiences and all the horror and terror of that fateful day pierced the hearts of everyone of us standing quietly together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michael Gove delivered a very powerful speech on behalf of the government and while each of us knew we faced dark and difficult days ahead, knowing the British government was standing firmly and solidly behind Israel\u2019s right to defend herself gave much comfort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prayers were said , the Hatikvah and the National Athem were sung and the crowd dispersed quietly and solemnly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That night was the best night\u2019s sleep since the attacks as the feeling was one of being enveloped in care and compassion backed by a new strength. Hope had been restored to our hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The news from home continues to be heartbreaking: A nation in mourning with so many still missing and unaccounted for and the fate of the hostages unknown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All this sorrow while being bombarded daily with rockets from both Gaza and Hezbollah and even 3 from Yemen makes the daily lives of Israelis very challenging, but the country has rallied and enormous acts of kindness and togetherness are easing the burden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In our home town of Eilat, the population has doubled and tent cities are being built to house those who have lost their homes or were forced to evacuate. On my son\u2019s kibbutz, Ketura, they are housing and feeding an extra 400, doubling their usual numbers. The very best of humanity and Tikkun Olam has been birthed by the depths of depravity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Day 17<\/p>\n\n\n\n
222 confirmed kidnapped, 4 released to try to stop the ground invasion, so 218 remaining . <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1,400+ slaughtered in cold blood, which includes 309 soldiers and 51 police officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5,400 injured <\/p>\n\n\n\n
7,000+ rockets fired at Israel and the barrage is unabated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
500,000+ Israelis displaced from their homes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is now known the some hostages are being kept in the vast network of tunnels guarded by Hamas terrorists. Israel\u2019s first priority is to free as many hostages as possible and then to totally destroy Hamas and their terror capabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the best strategy is being worked out, Israel is concentrating on protecting the country and searching for any infiltrators. Tonight 10 terrorists attempted to infiltrate via the water from Gaza from the underground tunnels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamas continues to fire long range rockets and is trying to intensify the war in order to spark a wider conflict in the area. Rocket fire continues from Syria, sounding sirens in the Golan and the Galilee region, hitting a private home injuring a father and his 9 year old daughter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
14 communities in the North have been evacuated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recordings have been obtained of Gazans phoning their parents bragging about how many Jews they had killed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clearly Hamas has a lot of support among the people, rocket launchers are hidden in tunnels, hospitals and schools so the war to defeat them will be long and hard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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