Writers of the history, stand with me. Look into my eyes and see, People go away but never say goodbye. Someone stole the moon tonight, took my light. Everything is black and white. Who’s the fool who told you boys don’t cry? Ours of hours and powers and flowers. Life is no game for the cowards, And time goes wild. Every day I’m losing my mind, Holding on in this mysterious ride. Dancing in this storm. We’ve got nothing to hide. Take me home and leave the world behind. Baby, promise me that Never Again – I’m still wet from this October Rain. October Rain.

These are the original lyrics from the Israeli (and Eurovision) hit song, Hurricane/October Rain. Our lives are a pendulum. And time goes wild. Emotions swing back and forth at a rapid pace, as the rollercoaster ride I blogged about just last week. As I was doing a web search for the lyrics to October Rain, or any mention of the song for that matter… they were there two days ago!!! The only thing I could find was “Sorry, we ran into an error displaying these results. Please try again.” It’s gone… Luckily I downloaded a live performance of Eden Golan singing the song to the families of the hostages live in Tel Aviv two nights ago.

On a brighter note, and to ‘schep nakhas,’ from the Yiddish to brag: I looked forward so much to going down to Herzliya last night. John and I were going to the Reichman University, Raphael Recanati International School, to attend my son’s awards ceremony. Max was number one in his class (School of Government and Foreign Policy) for all three years with the highest grade point average and lots and lots of hard work. He will be graduating summa cum laude in two weeks.

On the way down we heard the news on the radio: news of the video clip that was just released from October 7. In one of the tunnels in Rafa, the IDF found the usual ammunition, weaponry, intelligence. This time there included video evidence. A large group of beautiful young girls, taken from their IDF base (they were watching the computer screens for border breaches, but the screens had gone black and their communications lines were cut. Some were still asleep in their beds at 6:39am when the Hamas terrorists broke in), they wear badly beaten, bloodied, hog-tied and lined up against a wall. In the video, you can hear the Hamas leader say “these are the ones who can get pregnant. Look at that one. So beautiful.” They are all hauled off at gunpoint into a stolen IDF jeep and taken into Gaza. It’s unbearable to watch.

I cannot even imagine being a parent and being informed that your hostage daughter was essentially a sex slave. And to see the video which is too graphic to reproduce here (you can still see edited versions on YouTube.. I have the long original version,which I really want to show, but will refrain at this time). The parents gave the go ahead for the film to be released in its entirety because it is so important to them for the entire world to know the brutal truth of what is happening. And still NBC News reports, “ New Oct. 7 video appears to show Hamas abducting…” and CNN and the New York Times headlines, “Recently released footage allegedly shows Israeli girls taken into Gaza.” This is absolutely insane! And their versions were highly edited and shortened.

When we arrived at Reichman, a beautiful table with refreshments – little sandwiches, bourekas, quiches, fruits, juices – had been set up at the event site. It was lovely to see all the parents and friends who had shown up to honor the recipients. And to see several people I knew in the crowd: my good friend’s daughter and her family were there for their best friends; Max’s friends and their families showed up from abroad. It was a lovely reunion. But everywhere were the reminders:

Before the awards were given out, there was a memorial service for the nine soldiers who had been students at RU and killed in the line of duty. 55% of all Reichman University students are in the IDF, in both active duty and in the reserves. It is the most of any Israeli school percentage wise. 4500 of the 8000 who attend classes have or are currently serving in this present war. This is not even to mention alumni. As the service progressed, Jonathan Davis President of the School, learned of the death of a tenth student, just fallen in combat in Gaza. The most poignant for me was Joseph Gitarts. He was a friend of Max’s. They were on the debate team and had traveled through Europe together. Joseph was an honor student and ranked first in his class in Communications. He will be remembered by the memorial garden planted in his honor in the middle of campus. His sister was there to receive his honors.

The rest of the awards program was uneventful, yet inspiring. Students had come to the International School from over 100 countries – from all over the world including Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Africa, South America, India, Taiwan and of course, a Europe and North America. The university slogan is “Live in Israel. Study in English.” The growing curriculum offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Business, Psychology, Computer Science, Health and Medical related services (research), Government, Economics and Sustainability.

And life goes on. This morning I found out my adorable neighbor and friend, Yanna, is pregnant with her second child. We are so excited. I can’t begin to tell you how many women we know who are pregnant now. Life is a precious gift here in Israel. Children are cherished. Families are strong. It’s a sign of the overall health and optimism of this country.

We continue to pray for all those who are held captive. The US has been stymieing Israel’s ability to fight the war as a true war. They fought us tooth and nail on entering the last Hamas stronghold, Rafah. It was revealed yesterday that the Biden Admin withheld crucial intelligence from the Israeli war cabinet on Rafah. They knew about the over 70 tunnels that led into Egypt. These tunnels served as a means to resupply the terrorists with weapons, missiles and ammunition. They served as a major mode of transportation and escape for the top brass, like Ismail Haniyeh. Do they know anything about the whereabouts of the remaining hostages? Could they have been taken into Egypt?

On a happier note, I’ve gotten several requests for the recipe of my non-dairy cornbread. In a Kosher kitchen, according to Rabbinical (not Scriptural) tradition, dairy and meat cannot be combined in the same meal in any way. So if you keep Kosher, you find ways around- because grilled chicken and BBQ ribs just cry out for cornbread. So here goes:

Non-Dairy “Buttermilk” Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plant-based milk (I use rice milk for this one)
• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• 2/3 cup sunflower/safflower oil
• 2 large/extra large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 2 1/2 cups flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten free)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Optional (1 drained can of corn, cut up chili peppers)

Grease a 9X9 baking pan or a muffin tin and set oven to 350*/170*.In a large bowl, add the lemon juice to the plant milk and set aside for a few minutes. The milk might curdle like buttermilk(or not). Stir together dry ingredients. Into the curdled milk, mix in the eggs, oil and sugar. Stir until thoroughly incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients and mix together. If using the canned corn or jalapeños or chilis, now is the time to add them in. Pour into the pan and bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Poke with cake tested for doneness. For muffins, the time in the oven is 12-15 minutes. We use the leftovers crumbled in a bowl with maple syrup and milk for breakfast. Heat in the microwave for one minute. It’s delicious!