Marvin Chinitz Israel volunteer December 2026

Marvin Aaron Chinitz, blog week 1 in Israel Nov 30 – Dec 6 2025
Third December in a row, volunteering in Hadassah Ein Kerem as a gastroenterology professor.

Monday AM, with my working bus pass, and I lectured the GI department at Hadassah, with updates in colitis treatment. It was well received, as I spent many hours preparing. All the gastroenterologists have returned from milium (reserves), so the hospital had nothing for me to do Monday pm, all day Tuesday and all day Thursday.

Tuesday I had probably one of the most unique tours in Israel. I have befriended a wonderful jewelry store owner Danny Eliav, whose store is next to the king David. By coincidence years ago I read “the Anonymous soldiers” the story of how Jewish Terrorism (by Lehi and Irgun) drove out Britain over 8 years. Jewish terrorism against Britain started in 1939, when Britain’s notorious White Paper limited Jewish entry into Palestine to 25000 per year, while Nazis were murdering 6 million. The cofounder of Lehi was the jeweler’s father Yaakov Levstein ( In Palestine, Yaakov Eliav. Danny gave me a tour of his father’s terrorist actions in the center of Jerusalem, which included bombing the 1300 seat movie theater while showing a movie to British soldiers, and bombing the main post office, and stealing all the dynamite in Jerusalem to accomplish his acts. The father organized and performed a terror act every 3 days, and was captured twice but managed to escape by means similar to mission impossible movies. The actions of Lehi are not taught in Israeli schools, so very few know the father’s history. The “dynamite man” as he was nicknamed, joined the IDF in 1948 and served valiantly in the IDF and mossad for years. Eventually he became head of security of Bank Hapaolim, and was responsible for bringing to Israel the first armored money cars from Brinks. Years ago I read the father’s autobiography, which he rationalized that he was a freedom fighter and not a terrorist. You decide. I recommend you read the book The anonymous soldiers but it is not an easy read.

Thursday I hired a guide for a full day of Lower Jordan River, Masada via cable car, and a new fascinating museum of the Dead Sea Works, founded in 1930 by Moshe Novomeysky. Mr. N discovered after years of experimenting how to extract salt, potash, bromide and magnesium from the Dead Sea by dividing the lower section into huge pools, and letting the sun evaporate the water, and then pump each pool into the next pool. Who knew that the potash (mostly potassium) from the Dead Sea is in almost all the fertilizers of the world, and that in the Golan, the combination of potash fertilizer and drip irrigation is now being used to farm rice. All the movies of people in rice fields up to their hips in water – not needed at all. A trip to Masada with a knowledgeable guide was much better than walking around on top ignorant of details. Yes, I took the cable car for lack of time.

WE visited the Baptism Site Qaser Al-Yahud. The spot where biblical Joshua crossed the Jordan with the Israelites is this spot. The river is now only about 20 feet across and 3 feet deep. Jordan is at the East bankd, Israel at the west bank. At each bank are platforms from which Christians walk into the water to get cleansed, baptized, purified, cured. It is also the site where Elijah ascended into heaven on a fiery chariot. I saw dozens of Christians in the water, coming from both Israeli and Jordanian sides. To separate the two sides there is a rope, the same that we use in swimming pools. No one is allowed to cross the rope to avoid an international conflict, even though they are a few feet away from each other.

Thursday eve after a long day I received a call from the medical student whom Shari and I are supplying a financial scholarship. Somehow he passes his first year exams despite serving in the milluim for most of the past 3 years. We met for a late dinner, and he came with his wife. They treated me as if I was their father. A very good feeling.

Friday I went to a brand new museum, the “old Knesset museum”. The site of the first Knesset building in the late 1940s, located on King George street, very close to the top of Ben Yehuday street. I recommend this to all. Quite educational, and a history of Israel via the lens of the Knesset. I learned that Moshe Dwek, a 24 yr old deranged man, entered the Knesset ( no security at that time) and through a grenade into the main room, and injured Golda and David BenGurion who were sitting next to each other. I saw movie clip of major Knesset decisions made while the building housed the Knesset, especially the argument about accepting German reparations in 1950. I highly recommend this museum.

This AM I attended Shabbat services at – בית כנסת ישרון Yeshurun shul, also on king George street. Shacharit was beautiful and very spiritual. It is a modern orthodox shul, with a wonderful cantor who is assisted by a 5 man choir. Their melodies, harmonies, niggunim brought me back to the way prayers were led hundreds of years ago. Their rendition of the prayer for Israel and prayer for the IDF brought me to tears. Of course there is a mechizah, and the women are in the balcony. The male congregants were quite diverse in term of head coverings – black kippot, colorful kipput, black hat, tiny kippot etc. There was no sermon, so there was no time when I could take a nap. The duchening (cohein blessings) were done twice, so I feel doubly blessed.

This afternoon I visited Uri’s family, each one of whom is a hero for Israel. I was amazed that while almost all of Uri’s family’s young adults are in the IDF, they praise me for being a “tzaddik” with my volunteer work and tzedakah work. I don’t deserve their praise. They deserve my praise.

Marvin written Motzei Shabbat Dec 6 2025.

Marvin Aaron Chinitz, blog week 2 in Israel dec 7 – 13, 2025

This is my second week in Jerusalem. I have not experienced any major events this week.

I will never get used to working on Sunday, but I have no problem not working on Friday. Sunday Dec 7 on my walk to the bus stop at 7:20 AM a woman driving a car sees me wearing my Hadassah name tag, and offered me a lift to the hospital She is a hospice nurse, and has 5 children. Knowing I was in Israel, I accepted her offer. This act of kindness to a stranger would never happen in NY. (my wearing a kippah might have reassured her also). I debate with myself if I should be wearing a kippah to work at all, and if so, which kippah? The colorful knitted ones or the black kippah with self adherent Velcro? I decided to wear the black kippah to work. There are many frum people at Hadassah, so I fit right in with the black one.
(On the nature fields surrounding Gaza, kalaniot, the national flower of Israel, bloom in late winter. The bloom of winter 2023 to 2024 was particularly vibrant. These flowers became the symbol of rebirth, redemption, hope, and resilience of the Jewish people. Israel ceramic artists started a project “The Tears of the Kalaniot,” and have placed ceramic kalaniot throughout Israel. Innumerable Jewish gardens now display ceramic kalaniot, signifying that the flowers will bloom forever.
I tell you about the Israeli ceramic artist who created the kalaniot outside our home in New Rochelle. Shari and I became friends with the artist Fanny and her husband Eyal. They visited our home in New Ro 2 months ago, and on Monday night I visited their lovely, amazing home in Maavereset Jerusalem. Their home is a museum of art creations, and their outside view look over Jerusalem, Jordan and the Judean Hills. Fanny taught me how to create a pottery present for Shari, and it is now in the kiln.

Thursday night I took a train to Hadera, (on coast between Netanya and Haifa), to meet the musketeers, 4 men I hiked with on the Israeli trail – all heroes. 2 Navy seals, 2 combat pilots. All their children serve in the reserves, and all in major combat positions. I gave them their title of musketeers, as on the Israel trail they never separated the entire trip. They were extremely nice to have me join them for 2 ½ intense weeks on the trail. Friday morning I met Brit, a 34 yr old woman whom I also met on the trail – she spent 2 weeks with us in New Rochelle about 4 year ago, and she considers Shari and me to be her surrogate parents outside of Israel.
Friday eve I joined Ilana Kurshan and her 5 children for Shabbat dinner. I davened Kabbalat Shabbat at her very wonderful Kehila of modern orthodox light (with see through mechitza, women daven and read torah). Ilana has written a new best seller “Children of the Book” on how to read books to young children. I knew that she grills her children on the parsha of the week, so I cheated and studied the parsha in the afternoon before I walked there. I was able to answer all her questions. I taught one of her daughters to play parchesi (and yes I let her win) I bought them sufganiyot, and for Ilana, Shabbat flowers.

Thursday I toured the Chagall Windows. They are the walls of the Hadassah Hospital ein kerem shul, and are stunning. One window for each of Jacob’s 12 sons, and each window depicts in art the life of each son. Fascinating.

As I write this I hear a protest in front of Netanyahu’s Jerusalem home, which happens to be 1 block away. Israelis always have to protest about something.

I find the news about Israel and antisemititism much less depressing when I am in Israel. (this was written before the Australian calamity). Many Israelis that I meet tune out most of the news, and try to enjoy life. A pervasive feeling is that the Gaza war is over now that all but 1 hostage is out While another war is unavoidable with Hamas, Hezbollah Iran and may be Syria, when Israel is not at all-out war, mostly everything is as usual. Remnants of the recent wars however are everywhere.
I have no other insightful thoughts or events, unless you want to hear about colonoscopies.
חג שמח
מרווין

Marvin Blog Jerusalem dec 14 – 20 eve 2025 night 7 of hannukah

The best news of my 24 day experience this year happened in the US – sister Lynn’s and Steve’s daughter Diana gave birth to a healthy boy yesterday am. (or was it Thursday eve, I have no idea)

On Sunday eve I prepared for my lecture to Hadassah hospital GI department on Monday AM and the lecture was well received.

Monday eve I attended a play enacted in English called the Accomplices. It was an off- Broadway play years ago and brought to Jerusalem this past week. (by the late Aryeh Weisberg). The play is really a documentary of the behavior of American Jews during WWII. FDR while mouthing words of support for the Jews being exterminated, appointed an antisemite Breckenridge Long as head of immigration policy in the US during the war. Long delayed the implementation of any of FDR’s help for the Jews, and together they could have saved millions. The Irgun sent Hillel Kook, nephew of the famous Rav Kook to NY to stir up support from American Jewry. Hillel changed his name to Paul Bergson to blend into the American scene. Bergson spent 4 futile years trying to push American Jews into action. Even when Roosevelt finally agreed to have a Refugee Review Board in 1944, Long’s delay in implementing the Board cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of European Jews.

However, Bergson’s largest opponent was not Long but Rabbi Stephen Wise, reform rabbi who blocked or try to block every action initiated by Bergson. Wise called Bergson “worse than Hitler.” When FDR and Long complained to Wise about what to do with Jewish refugees, Wise advised to not let them in, and NOT to create the refugee board. Gov Dewey of NY in 1944 established a day of morning for holocaust victims, and Wise travelled to Albany to try and stop Dewey’s actions. Wise was too afraid to disagree or push FDR to help the Jews. Until 1944, Bergson’s only support were mostly non-Jewish members of the US congress. When 400 haredi rabbis marched on Washington, Wise convinced FDR not to meet them.

Finally in 1944, Bergson with the help of actor /director Hecht led huge rallies in several cities of the US. Wise cancelled many of the rallies, and only a few were held. The “esteemed” NY Times buried most articles about the holocaust Undersecretary of State Long only cared about getting onto the Board of Trustees of Princeston U, and he realized if he said 1 thing about supporting European Jewry, he’d be banned from the Princeton Board. Dring his entire undersecretary job, Long shelved every initiative to save the Jews. No bombing of Auschwitz train tracks, no policy to accept more than 20 K Jews, no refugee Board until it was too late. And for all this, Rabbi Wise, close friend of FDR and Long, supported Long’s policy.
Rabbi David Golinkin the foremost Masorti rabbi in Israel, played undersec Long and led the discussion with Bergson’s daughter. Rabbi Golinkin’s father as a NY rabbinical student tried to push American rabbis into action, but Golinkin’s father also failed. The current Rabbi Golinkin wrote a book about his father’s failures to push American Rabbis to action against FDR and Long’s policies.
Bergson returned to Israel (Palestine) after WWII , served on the first Knesset and led a movement to adopt an Israeli constitution. Because of Knesset infighting, Bergson gave up on politics quickly and still Israel has no constitution.

At the end of the play Bergson’s daughter went on stage. She lives on a kibbutz in northern Israel. She said Bergson’s primary goal was to unite the Jews, and to convince them to become very active in supporting Israel and Jewish causes. I felt she was listing the goals of my Chinitz Zion Haggadah. Bergson failed. I failed. And Jewish unity is nonexistent. Bergson’s goals still plague American Jewry, and we American Jews have not yet learned his lessons. But of course the difference between American Jews during WWII and American Jews today is the existence of Israel. We have thousands of Rabbi Wises in America today, including all the Jews who voted for Mamdani.

BTW, the average conversation I have with Israelis includes Mamdani in the first 2 minutes of each conversation. The Israelis I speak to can’t believe that over 33% of NYC Jewish voters voted for him.

Tuesday night I attended Hannukah candle lighting at the kotel plaza. This ceremony is not to be missed. Starts at 4:30 PM, includes Israeli traditional singer, and the candle lighters are dignitaries, political and otherwise, relatives of Oct 7 victims, heroic soldiers. When the singer sang if I forget thee oh Jerusalem, אִם־אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִי

I cried. Here I was living the above song.
So one day I hear about the failure of many American Jews, and the next day I hear about Hannukah :
We thank You also for the miracles,
for the redemption,
for the mighty deeds,
for the saving acts,
and for the wonders
which You performed for our ancestors
in those days at this season.

In the days of Mattathias son of Yohanan,
the High Priest, the Hasmonean,
and his sons—
when the wicked Greek kingdom rose up against Your people Israel
to make them forget Your Torah
and violate the decrees of Your will—

You fought their battle,
judged their cause,
and avenged their wrong.

You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak,

To recite this prayer at the Kotel plaza is quite an experience.
Wed night I travelled to my niece and nephew Haredi family in Bet Shemesh. I had a very nice time, and my first latkes during Israel Hannukah. Yum.
Wednesday I took a tour of the City of David, a must-see archeology site which descends to the Siloan pool hundreds of feet down. The path is divided into 2 – a running water downhill hike in pitch blackness or a dry hike lit by electric lighting but none the less quite narrow and tortuous There is a shuttle car to go back up. I met Uri’s (son in law) parents in the Mamilla Mall outside the Old City,
For Shabbat I stayed with chief of GI’s family in Givat Shmuel . I am frequently invited to other people’s homes for shabbat – a very nice feeling.
Now for observations

1. The Haredim abide by every law of Hannukah, which celebrates a military victory. Don’t they realize this paradox? They refuse to join the IDF
2. One of my taxi drivers told me in serious tone that the Haredim do want to join the IDF, but because of kashrut, no time to study, etc so they are unable. I was going to argue with the taxi driver, but he was going 100 K/hr on a 50km/hour speed limit. That was not the time to argue with him, especially as he was holding onto the wheel with only 3 fingers of his right hand.
3. On my way to Hadassah hospital by bus, the bus route passes a huge 3 story monster head, out of whose mouth are 3 giant slides for adults only. There is a bus stop nearby, called מִפלֶצֶת. Finally after spending 3 decembers in Israel I translated that word into English – MONSTER. Who knew that the name of the bus stop meant “the monster.”
4. As I walked through the old city, I viewed the hundreds of hannukiot in front of each house/apartment. One caught my eye: the candles were placed incorrectly. So even in the Old City Jews make the same mistakes

Marvin