Peace

 

Once our war began, Israelis tripped over each other in their eagerness to help bring our country to victory. It wasn’t just the Israelis. Jews from overseas came for a week at a time to volunteer preparing sandwiches, picking fruit, shoveling manure, sorting donations, and many other important tasks. I have to admit that most of my war effort was kitchen based even though I longed to help in the agricultural sphere. For various reasons that did not happen until today. A vineyard in Kida needed senior volunteers to help straighten the grapevines. The work was not supposed to be difficult, and Kida is close by so my friend and I took off at six-thirty in the morning protected by sunscreen, hats, and work clothes. What a privilege it was to help the vineyard’s owner who has spent more time in reserve duty than out these past nineteen months. How exhilarating it was to work looking out over the hills towards the Jordan River where my forefathers once walked. I felt honored and satisfied with myself that I’d been able to do the work and look forward to doing more.

As I worked the wheels were set in motion for the release of Eden Alexander, held captive in Gaza for 583 days. Thankfully he returned to Israel this evening.  We’re praying for the remaining 58 to come home, along with a complete victory over the evil of Hamas. May the winegrower we helped today be able to remain at home with his grapes instead being in the army and may we see the words of Isaiah come true. They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Chapter 2, verse 4)