Hi,
Hope you have had a great summer.
As we continue to pray for peace, I wanted to tell you about a special friend of CTN.
A guy with a deep love for Israel and the Jewish People.
Mort Friedman.
Like Jews all over the world, Mort was deeply concerned with Israel being at war.
But he did something very few did.
He got on a plane to Israel and volunteered to help in one of the worst hit communities.
Kiryat Shemona.
“I couldn’t sit here while our boys are fighting and our brothers and sisters are in bomb shelters”.
… I wanted to share excerpts of Mort’s “e-mails home”.
They’re truly Jewish!
You’ll probably cry. And you’ll probably laugh!
… “When I got to the soup kitchen today, the chef pointed to a large sink full of chicken wings. He took his cleaver and whacked off the last joint of the wing, indicating that I can do the rest. For two hours I hacked the chicken wings with the cleaver. You will be pleased to note that I missed my fingers and got the chicken every time”!
… At 11:00 A.M., the katyushas came in force…at the time my hands were forearm deep in chicken wings and barbecue sauce. One is not given time to wash…I ran for the shelter with my arms dripping…Today was worse than usual.
I would emphasize that I would prefer not to see any chicken when I get home!
…After clean up in the kitchen, we went to soldiers in the field to deliver soft drinks, sweets, tefillin for those who wanted and miniature books of Psalms… Some of the soldiers asked about me, an older man in shorts with a safari hat. The fact that I was a volunteer brought great smiles to their faces.
I thanked them for making an Eretz Yisroel (Land of Israel) for me to come to.
… At one point along the column of tanks, we davened Mincha, the afternoon prayer service. We all said our amens with fervor.
… Further on, we came to a gun emplacement. A Chassidic van was blaring music. Israeli soldiers were dancing to the music and the regular beat of their cannon. I joined the soldiers in dancing! … When a soldier told me he was going to the states, I gave him my card and invited him to stay with us at any time.
… We then went up a hill offering an excellent view of Lebanon. You could tell where Israel ended and Lebanon began. One was green and lush. The other was brown. Shortly after we got there, the soldiers started off to Lebanon.
I got teary eyed at the thought of these young men going off to war.
… With the shooting over, I feel the need to return home since I will not be leaving Israel and our fellow Jews in a time of war…”
I thank Mort for reminding me what it means to be part of the Jewish people!
All the best,