The Resurrection of the Not-Yet Dead

No. I have not risen from the dead because thanks be to God and my many dedicated and devoted readers I have not yet died. This, therefore, cannot be a resurrection from an unknown grave.

I was very pleasantly surprised to receive a notification from my editors that the response to my very caring readers had been approved for publication. Number
1,129 is now published.

Mark Sanburg in Hadera insists that I continue writing until # 1,500 is published. He has faith that I will live to write the 371 more articles that will meet his intended goal for me. Does Mark have good connections with Hashem? Halevai !!!

Of the 18 caring readers who had, as of this date (18 August 2020) written to me and encouraged me to retract my earlier decision to stop writing, there are five in particular who have touched my heart so deeply by their kind words that, if it were possible, I would remove my mask and hug and kiss each one of them.

Unfortunately they will have to wait for another year or two or three until embraces and kisses can be exchanged without the interference of a mask. But I don’t think I’ll make it. Time is not on my side.

I am grateful for the warm efforts of David Bogomolny, Shira Pasternak Be’eri, Mark Sanburg, Sally Abrams and Sarah Tuttle-Singer in particular. The tribute each paid to me, the warmth and kindness to someone whom they knew only from reading his articles, have been printed out to be kept as treasures to cherish.

Five wonderful readers whom I have never had the pleasure of meeting stand out among the other 13.

Rather than considering it to be my “resurrection”, I take pride in it being the “power of the people”.

My younger daughter who takes excellent care of me in my old age did not have as much influence upon me as did the 18 readers who cared for me in their own ways.

I borrow the astounding words of the late and great Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, memorable words which he wrote and will linger long after his death.

“After I die, I really don’t care whether I will go to heaven or to hell. I also do not care at all about what will be written on my tombstone. All that I care about is whether I have been able to touch people throughout my lifetime and can cause them to grow more and more each day, in thought, speech and action, each in their own way.”

His great words from his great heart inspire me to hope that I have touched and may continue to touch people, each one in my own way.

Meanwhile, news from the Gulf emirates are encouraging. It is expected that Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait may follow the trend being set by the United Arab Emirates, and who knows? Maybe Morocco will join. And today’s news informs that Sudan is considering signing on also. Is the Messiah on his way ?

Israelis are overly excited about the news. But with the UAE there are caveats. The majority of the population are not native Emiratis. They are not Muslims and not Arabs, but they are foreign citizens who live and work in the UAE. Among them are some two thousand Jews, none of whom are Emiratis. All of whom are from English-speaking or central European countries.

Reading their reports it is clear… perfectly clear… that the new relations between Israel and them will affect only government and business personnel. It will have little or nothing to do with the native population. The average Emirati citizens will not be flocking to Israel.Nor the average Israelis to Abu Dhabi.

There is nothing which we have in our shops and malls which can be better than the magnificent shopping places in their own countries. Their buildings and infrastructures rank as the #1 best in the world.

Israeli citizens, with the exception of our government and business industrial personnel, will not be flying from Tel-Aviv to Abu Dhabi over Saudi airspace.

A Jew, born in England, who has lived in Dubai for 26 years, has stated that in all those years he has never had an Emirati-born friend. All of his friends and comrades in the UAE are foreigners who work in the country and those fellow Jews who worship in the Abu Dhabi synagogue referred to as ”the villa”.

It was interesting to read a remark from an Israeli-born actor-singer who, when asked if he would like to visit in the UAE, remarked “Yes, I would like to, but my life-style is not recognized there and I would be punished by torture or by death”. He would be advised to consider Amsterdam instead.

Same-sex relations are forbidden under penalty of death in all seven of the emirates. Any public show of kissing or hand-holding between two persons of the same sex will result in imprisonment and/or torture.

Visits should be confined to the world’s tallest tower and buildings and soon to the great Abrahamic pavilion of tolerance for which the UAE is noted with much pride. It is the most tolerant Muslim country in the world and respects all religions which do not dishonor Islam.

Israeli business and industrial persons will have great success in their accomplishments with similar persons living and working in the Gulf states. And Emiratis will have success in their agreements with Israel.

It is an exciting and an historic time. Mi yodaya? Who knows? Maybe our own 21% native Palestinian Arab population can follow on the heels of their Muslim cousins in the Gulf.

Peace may not be too far behind. Insh’Allah.

And if the 18 good-hearted fellow Israeli Jews who wrote encouraging me to continue my writing should travel to the magic world of gold that glitters, I pray that the God of Israel will watch over them and keep them well, safe, and happy. Amen. Shalom and Salaam.