יום שישי, ג׳ אב תשפ״וFriday, July 17, 2026
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Zelda Goldfield is freelance writer living in Jerusalem for over 40 years.
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Tehilla understood that nights of interrupted sleep and scampering into the safe room was a small price to pay compared to the price others paid in the terrible loss of life and limbs.
Every once in a while we are treated to the induction ceremony of soldiers which takes place in the large open area above the Kotel. Sweet and handsome, these 18 year olds solemnly swear to defend our country, promised to us centuries ago by Hashem to our holy Forefathers.
When walking down a sunny Jerusalem street with my father, he would attach clip-on sunglasses to his bifocals. When we would walk into an office or store, he would just flip them up so that he could let in the light. Perfectly practical and reasonable.
Without a moment of hesitation, he jumped into the water, reached out to the listless hand, lifted up the body and brought the little girl to the shore.
On the morning of the day before the expected bris, he reluctantly cancelled the shul hall and catering when the baby's bilirubin count shot up to 18. The mohel tried to comfort him and suggested he take the baby again for a test in the afternoon to see if the numbers were going down. But they weren't.
The volunteering spirit overcame his hesitations, and he left his unfinished job to answer the call for help. Danny was pleasantly surprised when he arrived at the scene of the vehicle on the side of the road. It was a Hatzalah ambulance that had conked out!
I made light of the loss. I produced a wan smile and announced to my caring Israeli group, Gam zu l'tovah.
Some of the inmates were observant upon entering the prison, or came from religious backgrounds.
Amnon lived in a kibbutz located halfway between Jerusalem and Bet Shemesh. Yet he knew nothing about Judaism and had never spoken to a haredi Jew. Tali found herself not only in a new job, but in the position of Defender of Her Faith.
The passengers didn't take this antagonistic behavior sitting down. Literally. They were up in arms, and gave back what they got.
Like many good Brits, come what may, Anne's father would buy a weekly ticket in the football pools. He always used the same numbers; the birthdays of his two children.
If it ain't yours, you gotta give it to Lost and Found. Here, I'll take it fer you, he offered as he grabbed the bag. Tali jerked the bag away from him. I'll do it myself, thank you. Where is this Lost and Found office?
As the number of infected and deceased leaped up dramatically at the summer's end – together with a commensurate increase of protests, strikes and Covid-deniers – our government decreed the Tishrei lockdown.
Enjoy? I loved every minute. Wish I could go back. I still remember the songs we sang, the stories he told.
Oren pleaded with the department head to allow him to take this final exam either on Friday or on Sunday. His laconic reply was that this had never been allowed before and therefore could not be allowed now.
He reluctantly pulled himself up, slung his knapsack over his weary shoulders, and walked for several hours until he discovered that he was approaching the same big rock that he had passed several hours earlier.
We were surrounded by honking cars and looks that could kill. I was guilty of gridlocking! I was the inconsiderate idiot, insanely selfish and stupid.
Tens of thousands of students crowded the streets of Bnei Brak to accompany the man who had been head of the Bnei Brak Beis Din and Rosh Kollel Chazon Ish for many decades.
When she proffered a 20-shekel note to the bus driver, she couldn’t fathom why he wouldn’t accept it.
What could Brigadier General Samuel want to speak about in a lecture about Judaism?
Devorah bravely faced the cameras to thank all the many people who were helping them to return to their home.
Sophie eagerly anticipated her meanderings through the ancient streets of the Old City of Jerusalem where her ancestors had walked thousands of years ago.
I felt as if I were on a conveyor belt that moved us from plane to shuttle to luggage pick-up to passports – and then to freedom and humid air.
Mingled with laughter came the tears as she described the terrifying fear she endured every month before she opened the envelope with her latest test results.
Only when Shabbos finally arrived and the food was cooked, table set, baby sleeping peacefully, did those angels remember to come and wish us a gut Shabbos.
They had succeeded in learning without books, since one man knew the first half of the Ketzos by heart and another knew the second half.
The parents, Shimon and Michal Gross have advised us how to proceed, and they didn't ask for revenge.
July 10, 2026 
