A huge thank you to those who have left words of encouragement and those who have emailed me with an outpouring of love and support. It has really bolstered my spirits and brought me to tears (almost. I’ve pushed back the tears which will surely come another day. Not today).

While the center and south of Israel from Northern Tel Aviv to beyond Beersheva and East towards the area known as Yehuda (surrounding Yerushalayim) have been barraged continuously by missiles from Gaza, we here in the Galilee find respite in the tranquility. Perched in the high rounded hills overlooking forested mountains, Lake Kinneret – the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea, one would never know a war is raging just an hour and a half to the South.

I am home from the hospital on bed rest. In a way I thank G-d my case was severe enough to merit emergency surgery. Two of my surgeons were lead professors in their fields at the Technion School of Medicine. Both were Arab Muslims. Both were incredibly professional, answering all my questions and explaining diagnoses, procedures and way forward in detail. They were polite and congenial and gave me the best care. Partially because of the war – the availability of staff and operating rooms; the length of surgeries; the severity of the case; and my case in particular – I had an intermediate surgery that should help my condition. A larger, more extensive operation is scheduled for mid-January, when hopefully the war will have ended.

Today is Erev Shabbat (the day/evening before the Sabbath begins). Usually it’s my busiest day, cooking and doing all the necessary cooking for the weekend, so I can just relax on Saturday. Today was a day I had volunteered to make festive meals for 30 soldiers in the field. It will have to wait for a week or two.

Several ladies I know have volunteered to provide meals for troops. Last week I saw photos of generous portions of brisket, khraimeh (fish in spicy tomato and pepper sauce with cilantro), roasted chicken and veg, a variety of delicious soups and desserts. I can’t wait to be part of this again.

I grew up reading the stories of the Women of Valor in the early days of Israel. They were my childhood heroines, women I looked up to and wanted to be when I grew up. Women like Henrietta Szold, an American from Baltimore born in 1860. She visited British Mandated Palestine when she was 49 and found her life’s work. Szold co-founded Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. For the rest of her life she raised funds to establish hospitals, medical and dental schools,clinics, women and children’s healthcare facilities and soup kitchens for both Jews and Arabs. She also co-founded the Youth Aliyah, helping over 30,000 children escape Nazi Germany to British Palestine. Her legacy continues today.

I learned of the valiant Hannah Szenesh, born in Budapest , Hungary. She emigrated to Israel during WWll. She escaped the ravages of the Shoah and became a paratrooper in the pre-IDF Special Forces Unit. Hannah gave her life trying to help Jews escape the Holocaust. She was captured by the Nazis and thrown into prison, tortured and interrogated but never gave up any secrets. Eventually she was killed by them at age 23. Szenesh was a brilliant poet, her book entitled Blessed is the Match, has been translated into many languages.

The women of this country are nothing short of amazing. Many ladies are buying up wool to knit and crochet olive green or black night watch caps (it’s beginning to get chilly here at night) and kippot, yarmulkes for the troops. Sweets and home baked challah breads are filling up trunks of cars to be taken to the front.

So many of the women here are now flying solo. Their husbands have left jobs and homes to leave for the front, sacrificing everything to protect their country and the ones they love. They have left legions of single moms behind to cope with raising multiple children during wartime. The kids are not in school, and many are suffering from trauma due to running to shelters and the crashing booms of missiles. These mothers are taking care of family businesses and trying to make ends meet during this time. They are carrying extremely heavy burdens while trying to be a comfort and reassurance to their other family members.

Malka Chana Amichai, aka The Bohemian Balabusta, is a true heroine. A full time mother of four with her fifth due any time, Malka is an American who made Aliyah to Israel. Malka Chana is truly beautiful in every way with a huge heart for G-d and for others. She epitomizes the word balabusta, a Yiddish word for the Proverbs 37 woman who does everything – well and with flair. She is an extremely talented artist and horsewoman. After years of working as a midwife and doula, Malka has centered her home business around empowering women. She teaches classes on family purity for new brides and in addition has been leading super-stressed-out women in relaxation and meditation techniques. A social influencer with a large following Malka recently created a card deck of beautifully personally illustrated affirmations for women.

Amidst teaching classes, raising her family, and running her business, Malka and her 4 young children, came up with a brilliant and heartfelt plan to help the army moms (over 80% of mothers in their community). In typical balabusta fashion, she and the children came together to organize and set up a waffle bar extravaganza as a token of love and support. Not only did her children, 2 of the most adorable little girls and 2 sweet boys, make waffles with all the fixings for all the mothers and children of their community, they handed out handmade cards of love prayers and support.

Malka Chana had worked all week raising funds for the now-single moms. Women from all over the world donated decks of cards to the women of this Judaean town to strengthen and empower them in their time of need. It was a huge effort and the response tremendous. The outpouring of love and affirmation will carry these ladies for a long while. Her website is bohemianbalabusta.com if you want to donate a deck to women who now find themselves alone.

Another heroine of Israel is young Eden Levy. Only 19 years old (think of 19 year olds in your country: Israel is truly amazing), Eden saved the lives of countless others with her quick thinking, military training and rapid action. Serving at the Zikim base that forms the border with Gaza on 7 October, Eden saw the terrorists trying to breach the fence into Israel. She bravely eliminated ten of the insurgents, giving needed time for other soldiers to get more ammunition and call for reinforcements. Because of her, the base was not able to be overrun. Eden Levy gave her life that day in sacrifice for her fellow soldiers, the families of the nearby kibbutz and her country. She will go down as a Heroine in Israel.

One of my favorite women here is Julie Levy, who made Aliyah from the US with her family. Julie has a special G-d given talent for finding levity in the most difficult situations. Life as a new immigrant is difficult – new language, places, cultures, foods, attitudes. It can be challenging at best and Julie is able to bring out the funny. Her short videos (Instagram)on life in Israel are hysterical. Julie portrays so many different characters: Jolene Rochelle, the very Southern Jewish woman of new found faith; the Hebrew Ulpan teacher and her nearly impossible American students; the man who sells ice cream at the beach; and my absolute favorite – the Israeli clerk at the mefocal clinic. Absolutely uproarious.

Over the past two weeks, Julie has been sharing the joys of doing laundry (for the troops), the beauty of the Land and the scariness of running to a bomb shelter and comforting children. She finds brightness in the most mundane …. and childhood delight of enjoying her nightly popsicle. Who can survive a war without ice cream? Julie has spoofed on our binge eating – and drinking – ourselves through the war. She has shared jokes in only Julie-style humor about our enemies – and they’re really funny!!! And has kept our spirits lifted up.

July Rothschild Levy has spent the past week highlighting the innovative businesses of Israeli women. Ladies who have independent businesses in arts, cooking, interior design, accounting , digital arts and many other companies. They have all been posted on her Instagram account, officially julie_comedy. In a world with so much horror and sadness, she is most definitely a blessing and a true Woman of Valor and Comedy.

Women of valor in Israel come in all sizes, religions and nationalities. We have so many wonderful and dedicated caregivers here from Nepal (the woman next to me in the hospital), the Philippines and India. Camille came to Israel 5 years ago to work as a caregiver to send money back to the Philippines for her son and family. She was scheduled to visit them on 9 October and had purchased her airline ticket and saved her extra earnings.

Camille lived with 95 year old Jewish woman, Nitza, on Kibbutz Nisim adjacent to the Gaza border. Early in the morning of 7 October, she heard rustling outside their window and voices she knew were not Hebrew. Already red alerts had been going off and missiles were flying in a heavy barrage overhead. But Camille, a devout Catholic, stayed said a short prayer and stayed calm.

Nitza was in her bed in the shelter (safe rooms often double as guest bedrooms here) and Camille was closing the window when she came face to face with the terrorists. Saying amother quick prayer, she reached for her wallet, took out all she had, 1500 shekels (about $350) and gave it to the masked gunmen. “Here. Just take it all. She’s an old lady and doesn’t understand anything. please take it all and leave.” And they did.

Camille saved her life and Nitza’s as well. Trembling, she got in bed with Nitza and pulled up the covers. Amid the sounds of bombs, gunfire, shouting and screams, Camille lay in bed holding on to Nitza and comforting her. The ordeal lasted for hours until the IDF showed up to rescue them.

Even though Camille still had her plane ticket, she canceled her visit. “My place now is with Nitza. I promised her I will stay with her until she dies.” And that is a true heroine, a Woman of Valor.

May we all be inspired by these courageous women. May we all enjoy a peaceful, quiet, holy and uneventful Shabbat. I bid you shalom until Sunday-