It’s been a hectic couple of weeks with The Yakking Show, I will be back with a new post next week. Here is the latest update from Dr. Binyamin Klempner in Israel. Dr. Klempner was our guest in episode 276 in August 2023. You can find earlier updates from Israel here.
Dear Friends,
First the words of President Issac Herzog regarding today’s events,
I want to begin by speaking from here – the capital of Israel – about what is happening in the north, and the serious event that took place this afternoon in Hurfeish. From here I send a prayer for the swift and full recovery of those injured in this criminal attack. I offer strength to the residents of the north and the south, and to the soldiers who stand guard. I say to them: we are with you. The whole country is by your side.
I turn from here to the international community and its leaders and stress – one cannot remain indifferent to this terrorism, from Lebanon or anywhere. Israel has been attacked daily, for many months, by Iran’s proxies in Lebanon, in a flagrant violation of all international agreements and resolutions.
The world needs to wake up and realize that Israel has no choice but to protect its citizens and it should come as no surprise when it does so – strongly and evermore resolutely. Do not be up in arms when the situation becomes out of control.
This is not the time to stand by and allow the situation in the region to escalate. This terrorist aggression must be stopped.
Usually, I remember events and conversations well. Today, not so. It’s as if today’s conversations and events took place in my mind. Or, perhaps, my mind took place within the conversations and events of today. Hazy. Like recalling a dream. But a dream that actually occurred.
Here’s what I recall. A guy was telling me that nowadays it’s safer in Gaza than in the North. Just then a call came in that a nearby Druze village was hit by drones. One soldier dead and ten civilians injured. We found out later that those ten civilians were children at soccer practice and that the soldier was killed by a second drone while he was trying to help the wounded children. The bastards who did it. After the call, the soldier I was speaking with continued. He said there is a town up North in which they get hit so often that the soldiers aren’t allowed to come out of the safe room. Just stay there all day like a prison cell. No windows. No toilet. Nothing. The only reason doors are opened is so that TV style meals can be quickly distributed or it’s time for a guy to leave to a safer base where he can shower and freshen up.
I continued on. The guys thanked me for showing up.
A minute down the road there was a squad of fire fighters in helmets, not fire helmets, combat helmets and bulletproof vests. They were wiped. I made them ice coffee so that they could cool down a bit and feel safe. My main objective on all these missions is to provide a feeling of safety. As fleeting as that feeling of safety is, it makes a difference. I vaguely remember a soldier who was hanging out with the firefighters telling me that he feels more uneasy now, in the North, than he did in his four months in Gaza. Hard for me to believe. But that’s what he told me. I continued on. Fires all over. Big fires. Small fires. Small fires emboldening themselves into massive fires. Massive fires burning themselves out long before any firefighter could get to the scene.
I parked my car on a bluff next to Alma so as to have a better vantage point to take in the carnage. Forests burning. Fields and orchards and vineyards burning. Parked next to me was a Muslim man from the Cherkesian village of Rihaniya. This man had been a volunteer for ZAKA for the past twenty years. Retired two months ago. I asked him if he was at the area of the massacre during the clean up. His face took on a deathly appearance. He barfed out of his throat the words, “I was there.” He looked as if an ocean of tears from his diaphragm up to his skull and beyond, into the heavens above his skull were about to explode into a single massive tear. He shook his head in disbelief. Disbelief in humanity. And said wistfully, “War isn’t healthy. War isn’t good for the air. War isn’t good for the land. War isn’t good for the body. War isn’t good for the soul. What do we need this for? War isn’t good for anybody.” Then he observed, “Look at that massive fire. The wind is strong. The wind can blow that fire right into my village.”
Next to his village is the tomb of the great saints Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria and Rabbi Elazar ben Aruch. Saints who stood up to the Romans. I drove home through the orange smoke haze. Under the aura of death. The aroma of burning pine trees filling my nostrils.
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The war still goes on. Support it, deny it, either way, it’s your war.
If you’d like to donate, the soldiers really appreciate your support!
Here’s the link: 
https://thechesedfund.
Also, here’s the link to my book, purchase a few copies for your local libraries.
————————————————Wishing you strength and safety wherever you are.
Binyamin Klempner