Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 23 July 2003 — Page 15

July 23, 2003 NAT 11

Book Reviews Conflict of faiths explored

Milk, Honey & Vinegar Aunt Florrie had flair

By JUDY CARR Conflict & Connection: The Iewish-Christian-Israel Triangle. By Moshe Aumann. Jerusalem, New York: Gefen Publishing House. 292 pages. This is a scholarly study of the history of Jewish-Christian relations from early times until the present day, when Israel played a part. The research is deep and painstaking, and Aumann quotes documents and extracts. Much is given about the

By DAVID WILDER Tonight begins Yom HaZikaron, Israeli memorial day. Bituach Leumi, the Israeli version of Social Security, announced that in the past year 218 Israelis were killed in terror attacks with over 5,500 injured. Amongst those killed were "the twelve heroes," three Kiryat Arba civilians belonging to the town's emergency security squad and nine police, soldiers, and officers, including Hebron commander Colonel Dror Weinberg. Last night I was privileged to attend a very moving, emotional ceremony during which special certificates were presented to all members of the Kiryat Arba and Hebron emergency squads who participated in that illfated Friday night battle. Included in the over 30 people receiving citations were the families of the Kiryat Arba fighters killed that night, as well as two security officers from Hebron, Yoni Bleichbard and Eliyahu Libman, who commanded the forces following the death of Colonel Weinberg. The program itself incorporated several short speeches and distribution of certificates. The words spoken by Rabbi Dov Lior, Kiryat Arba Mayor Tzvi Katzover, Brigadier General Amos Ben Avraham, commander of forces in Judea, and Yossi Levy, a member of the Kiryat Arba security squad commended the IDF for recognizing the contribution of the

change in attitudes of the Roman Catholic Church, with details of the Church's activities - or non-activities - during the Holocaust. How other churches understand Judaism, the part of missionaries and evangelists, and their deepening ties with Israel is narrated in full. This is not a book to be taken lightly. It will provoke argument and even disagreement. Jews who care about the feelings of Christians towards

emergency security squad, while also recognizing the selfless dedication of the men involved. Photographing the event, I had an opportunity to look closely at the people attending, and two distinct images caught my eye. Sitting in the first row on the left side of the hall was the Tzvitman family - Leonid and Faina, Lada, and her son Eyal, grandparents, a five-year-old, and his mother. One person was missing - Alex - little Eyal's father, Lada's husband, Leonid and Faina's son. Alex was one of those three brave Kiryat Arba residents who lost their lives, killed when a terrorist's hand grenade exploded next to him, killing him and the two others instantaneously. Alex's father received the citation which reads: "To the soldier Alex Tzvitman, of blessed memory, who fell in the battle "Worshipers Way" on the tenth of Kislev 5763, shoulder to shoulder with Israeli soldiers and border police, demonstrating valor during battle, in an attempt to make contact with the enemy, with a commitment to provide security for all the residents in the Hebron region. With gratitude, Amos BenAvraham, Brigadier General, Command^ Judea." The family looked lost, the little boy not understanding why he was sitting there in the audience. He probably also didn't understand why his father had never come

Judaism and have some knowledge of Christianity will increase their awareness. There are Orthodox Jews who avoid all mention of Jesus and Christianity and see the New Testament as their enemy. This book is not for them. It will provide an enormous boost to Jewish-Christian con-sciousness-raising and interfaith. ludy Carr may he reached at FOB 6431, Tel Aviv 67 063 Israel.

home again after leaving the house that Friday night. The most wonderful father in the world, his father, simply disappeared. My wife is a speech therapist in a center for child development in Kiryat Arba. She told me how, periodically, Alex Tzivtman would appear, out of nowhere, with toys and games for the institution's children. That was the kind of person Alex Tzvitman was. When the ceremony concluded, as all stood to sing our national anthem, HaTikvah, Alex's mother stood and wept, not being able to hold back her pent up emotions. Right behind the Tzivtmans sat the Buanish family, Rivka and her children, the family of Yitzhak Buanish, head of Kiryat Arba security, who also fell in the line of duty. Rivka and one of her younger sons accepted the certificate from General ben-Avraham. Later, when the other men were introduced, accepting their awards, I couldn't help but notice that Rivka Buanish almost enthusiastically joined the rest of the audience in clapping and smiling, showing too her appreciation for the work they had done, for their dedication, for their courage. The only difference^ between her family and the others was, of course, that their fathers and husbands lived through that night. Hers didn't. What inner

By JUDY CARR Looking around for something happy to tell readers, I thought of my Aunt Florrie. Florrie was always happy and independent. She believed in enjoying herself and well into her 70s and 80s went to night clubs and dinners. Later, when she was unable to leave home, she read history and philosophy, writers like Burke and Disraeli. Nothing could depress her. Florrie came to Israel when she was in her 80s. As a tourist. She never thought of coming on aliyah, but she was greatly impressed by what she saw here. "They are dedicated," was her opinion of Israelis. "They must be dedicated. There is not one of them who could not be earning more money in another country." The first thing she did on arrival, after a night on the plane, was get out of the hotel

strength she must have, to sit there and almost cheeringly applaud those other men, so wishing that her beloved husband was among them. I'll conclude with yet a third story, the story of a man who wasn't at last night's ceremony. Not because he fell, and not because he refused to attend. Last week the Israeli weekly newspaper Makor Rishon called and requested that I photograph Kiryat Arba resident Baruch Desta. Desta, 29 years old, born in Ethiopia, moved to Israel when he was seven. Together with his parents, four other siblings, and 5,000 other Ethiopian Jews, he traveled for two and a half weeks to get to Sudan, where they were met by an Israeli ship which secretly brought them to Eretz Yisrael. Within a year the family lived in Kiryat Arba. A born leader, Desta was later an officer in the IDF and then joined the Israeli police, working as a special investigator. Being a policeman wasn't enough for Baruch Desta: he joined the Kiryat Arba emergency security squad. On the night of the attack Baruch was injured in both legs, his chest, and his head. One of his legs was partially amputated. He suffered from severe infection which threatened his life. But last week.

and walk on her own all over Jerusalem. She found her own way around, occasionally asking for directions in a shop she thought was respectable. We went out to a cafe together and enjoyed what she called afternoon tea. The waiter got talking to us and charged us a huge bill, calling us back to pay more as we were leaving. "When are you coming to live in Israel?" he asked the elderly lady. Florrie was ready with an answer: "I can't afford it." We went out to Dizengoff together, and she visited a nightclub in Jaffe. Not many tourists in Israel now. Occasionally I seem to see Florrie, with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. She understood Israel better than many who live here. Judy Carr may be reached at FOB 6431, Tel Aviv 61 063 Israel.

when I visited him in his home, Baruch Desta was able to walk outside to the front lawn without any aid, without any crutches, without my hand. He walked alone. Tomorrow night, at the official state celebrations marking the commencement of Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, Baruch Desta will be one of those select few who will light a traditional torch in Jerusalem, a flame symbolizing the light of the existence of the Jewish people in their homeland. Yesterday, instead of receiving his certificate in Kiryat Arba, Baruch was participating in a dress rehearsal for tomorrow's festivity. Baruch Desta, representing Hebron and Kiryat Arba, representing those who lived and those who died, representing Jews who trekked on foot for hundreds and even thousands of kilometers to reach Eretz Yisrael, the State of Israel, representing Yitzhak Buanish, Alex Tzivtman, and Alex Duchan, Baruch Desta has come a long way from his Ethiopian birthplace. He truly symbolizes what Israel is all about. David Wilder writes from the community of Hebron, Israel. This was the text of the Hebron Arutz 7 - Israel National News commentary broadcast on May 5, 2003.

Walking alone