2025-03 Israel

Israel 29,

April 19, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

This is my last evening in Israel and could well be my last entry for this trip. The manager of Maxim Hotel allowed me to have a late check out without paying for the night. That was very nice of him as I know him very well from this year and last year. I have a 6:00 am flight for Ben Gururion Airprort to Vienna with Austrian Airlines. I will try to get a few hours sleep from 10:00 pm to 2:00 am when I will drive to the airport to drop off my car.

If I am lucky they will allow me to stay in the fancy Dan Lounge at the airport for a few hours. My expensive Visa and Master Card credit cards sometimes allow me this privilege. This morning I met up with my cousin Erez and his running partner who I know from previous jogs. He was with his son so they were faster than me and went a head of us. Richard ran at my pace and we covered 9 km in 1:15 or so. We then went out for a 500m swim. The water was cool but great for swimming once you got past the 1st 10 strokes. We then met up with his wife at Golda’s a fabulous ice cream place for frozen yogurts. I hope that I ran and swam enough to work off the calories.

In the afternoon after packing, I went out onto the beach for my last sun tanning and swimming. I lie in the sun for 30 min and then go for a 15 min swim. I also picked up a few rocks on the beach for my kid’s and friend’s rock collection. I walked along the beach until I found the noisiest bar and restaurant. The music is deafening, a real party atmosphere which is just what I need for my last evening in Tel Aviv. I am treating myself to a white fish brochette and a beer while sitting on a high chair at a table over looking the beach. Why not, I guess that I have to celebrate a successful adventure in Israel.

Today Trump is meeting with Iran to discuss nuclear disarmament. In my opinion it is a waste of time as Iran will not budge. They may pretend that they will reduce their nuclear capabilities but their real goal is to develop a nuclear bomb which will make them the most powerful and dangerous Arab country in the Middle East. One way or another their nuclear capabilities must be destroyed. This would probably lead to a revolution in the country against the mullahs who run the country in a religious manner with an iron fist. I worked at a clinic in Toronto run by Iranian doctors. I had many Iranian patients both there and here in Montreal. They are a very well educated, soft spoken, good looking and kind people. An elderly patient is never allowed to come to the office alone. They are always accompanied by a child or grandchild to help with the translation if necessary. They always tell me that they came to Canada to escape the bad government there.

Many times I have tried to engage in a political conversation with Israelis. They are usually reluctant to give an opinion as to what the outcome of the conflict will be. They of course want peace but the question is always at what price. Before Oct 7, things were more or less stable. There had been progress with certain Arab countries with the Abraham Accords. There is 1 thing for certain however, they will never trust the Palestinian leadership as it stands today. Hamas must be destroyed or the ceasefire will only last for 3-5 years allowing them to rearm. Hamas was and I still believe is still supported by the majority of the population in Gaza. A few hundred people in Gaza demonstrating against Hamas does not mean that there is a lack of support for Hamas by the general population. I still vividly remember remember the short clip that can be seen on u-tube of the jeep carrying the German-Israeli girl and the mobs of people cheering as if murdering a poor girl is a great military victory. I still remember the fat Palestinian woman coming up to the jeep and spitting on the poor girl. Why did she do that? Does she not have a daughter herself? Would she like if someone did that to her daughter? Is she still spitting now. Look at the destruction that Hamas has caused to happen in Gaza. There is a famous quote ‘if the Arabs lay down their arms, there will be peace. If the Israelis lay down their arms, there will be no Israel. There will be peace only when the Arabs love their children more that they hate the Jews’.

As for me and my plans for the future, I will return to Canada to continue with my life there. I spent 2 months in Israel last year and 1 month this year. I received no monetary compensation for my efforts. I came here because I was, I am and I will always be a Zionist. I firmly believe that the Jews are a nation and as such have a right to a country. That country is Israel, 15 km wide, and without the desert is 10% smaller than Greater Montreal. Can’t the world accept this fact? In Canada we are facing an election next week in which the outcome is not obvious. 2 of the 3 leaders cannot be counted on to support Israel and hence the Jews in Canada. We have seen a rise in antisemitism in Canada that is unprecedented since WW2. And why? Are not the Jews good citizens in Canada? Do they not contribute to Canada to make the country better for everyone? I have always said, if you come to Canada to live, leave your prejudices and other baggage behind in your old country. Try to integrate and become a Canadian citizen with Canadian values. if not, why did you come here in the first place?

What are my plans for the future? I will come back to Israel next year that is a given. In what capacity will I come back? I am not sure. I will have to see how things develop here in Israel. I wrote my blog every day, spending 1.5 hours writing. The first part of my blot written last year has been made in to a book. I will add the next part on returning home and will include this months adventures. I have more experience but my feelings for Israel not changed. The proceeds of the book with be given to MDA.

Love

Brian

Tel Aviv Beach and restaurant 10:00 pm

Piano player at Maxim, She is in her 90s

2025-03 Israel

Israel 23,

April 13, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday was a quiet day. I spent the morning getting caught up on my emails. I like to classify my emails every day or so or the total number becomes unwieldy. I owed a few friends a return email. I then went up on the terrace and studied Hebrew. Progress is slow as usual but I give myself credit for trying. It was too cool for swimming and the beach was virtually empty. The sky was blue with a little breeze, the perfect weather for walking around and visiting Tel Aviv. There are always new neighbourhoods to visit.

There are facebook websites called Sword of Iron and Volunteers for Israel where anyone who is a member can post things. There is a useful amount of information about what is going on in Israel. Often one can find places to volunteer for the day or for a week. A lady made a posting for volunteers who were looking for a seder to attend. All of my relatives here were either going away or were having a seder with their in-laws. I decided to accept the invitation and brought a box of Belgian chocolates. One of the volunteers staying at Maxim’s was also invited so we walked over together, a 10 minute walk.

The seder was fabulous. The lady was originally from Montreal and had been living in Israel for 40 years. She is a professional comedian and travels the country and the world giving performances in English, French and Hebrew, an incredible accomplishment. Her husband was an accountant from London. My friend was from Ottawa and has lived all over the world. There was another lady from Montreal who had a long career with the Canadian government. The last fellow had an NGO that helps new immigrants adapt to Israel, finding them jobs and apartments. All together it was a highly intelectual group. It is rare that I meet people who have travelled and even lived in as many or more countries as me. Except for one person, we were all on the better side of 68, a real group of genuine real live hippies from the 60s. You can imagine the conversation or maybe you can’t.

The seder was brief as planned, even shorter than our seder in Montreal. Boray Pree Hagoffen and the meal began. We started off the evening with an orange wine that resembled a dry port wine followed by main course of brisket, salmon and salad. For desert we had cheese cake. The wine and conversation flowed until after midnight although I had to leave at 10:30 as I had to get up at 5:30 for work. The lady’s husband did all the cooking, a first quality home cooked meal.

This morning after a 3 day break a was back to work with MDA in Ramat Gan. I had a new team that as usual was very competent. The driver was an experienced paramedic who had spent time in Gaza and Lebanon. He carried a pistol which is common for the driver. We go into many different areas of Tel Aviv, rich and poor and we are never sure what we can meet. Although I have never had an incident in 2 years, it is reassuring. Although I am well trained after my 3 days training with Krav Maga, in orderto disarm an assailant with a gun, knife or baton, I would rather not have to put my lack of experience to the test. The chief today on our mission had 8 years experience with MDA and had just finished his medical training as a physician. He is in the process of deciding what specialty that he will do. I tried to convince him to do urology. Rounding off the team was a young girl who is still training to be a paramedic. The chief let her do the initial history and physical exam of the patient. Afterwards he gave her a lot of teaching in the ambulance, reviewing the case.

Our 1st case was an elderly female in the last staged of breast cancer. The physicians had stopped active therapy and she was having palliative care. The paramedics discussed the case at length with the family to get an idea of what they wanted for their mother. In the end we decided to bring the lady to Tel Hashomer for further palliative care.

The 2nd case was an elderly man of Yemenite origin. In 1948 Israel brought 48,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel in an operation called Magic Carpet. These Jews had lived in Yemen for almost 2000 years. However the antisemitism had become untenable after the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948. 800,000 were forced to leave their homes in Arab countries from 1948 to 1950. They had been living in these countries for 1000 years and left in 2 years with no compensation and not a word from the UN. The man didn’t feel well and all of a sudden, without warning vomited ‘coffee grounds’ all over himself and the floor. Coffee grounds often means partially digested blood in the stomach indicative of internal bleeding. The family, consisting of 6 people didn’t bat an eye lash. They just cleaned it up as if nothing had happened. The floors in most Israeli apartments is made of tile for large plaques of marble 75×75 cm making clean up much more simple than had the floor been made of wooded lattes. We transported the patient to the hospital.

The 3rd case was an elderly man with shortness of breath. He had some crackling at the base of his lungs so we diagnosed that he had congestive heart failure. We gave him 40mg of a diuretic, furosamide and transported him to the hospital. On arrival at the hospital, he voided a large amount of urine and felt much better. His shortness of breath had disappeared and his colour was much improved.

The 4th case was an elderly man who apparently had bradycardia, a slow heart beat. When we arrived he had a high blood pressure but no indication of bradycardia. He was in no acute distress and was not short of breath or had chest pain. We spoke to his family MD who will treat him as an outpatient.

I am writing my blog in one of my usual haunts called Mikes Place. They serve comfort food and the place has big screen TVs on the wall. There is football everywhere. It resembles some of the bars that you find in American ski resorts. On certain nights there is live entertainment but not tonight. I just spilled my bear, missing my ipad and cell phone so the waiter kindly offered me a refill.

Love,

Brian

My hippy friends

MDA paramedics and Tel Aviv

Mike’s Place

2025-03 Israel

Israel 22,

April 12, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday I went to Richon Letzion, where I met up with my cousin Richard and his friends for a run on the beach. We usually meet up at Golda’s, the famous ice cream shop chain and then come back there after the run for an ice cream or frozen yogurt and a cappuccino. This time we ran for 10 km which I have not done for some time. My usual run is for 5 to 7 km. running time was 1:20 which is not bad for a 75 year old man with white hair. I am scheduled to do the World Championship Triathlon for Canada in Australia in October in the sprint division. If I get ambitious later in the summer, maybe I will try to do an olympic distance triathlon. The weather was perfect for a run, 18C with a breeze that made running rather pleasant.

In the afternoon I did some shopping. I walked to Hostage Square which has not changed much since last year except the posters showed some wear and tear from having been out in the weather for a whole year. I think that it gives you the feeling of how the health of the hostages must be with wear and tear that their bodies have suffered having been in the tunnels for over 500 days. The hostages, when released show obvious signs of weight loss and malnutrition. The Palestinians in Gaza, who according to the media, are on the verge of a humanitarian crisis and starvation since day 1, still appear to be fat and well fed.

I purchased a ‘bring them home’ necklace and pendant for my American friend who had forgotten to get one as a volunteer. He lives in Michigan and I will mail it to him on my return to Montreal as promised. I then walked over to the Asrieli complex and mall. The 3 buildings are very impressive from the outside and probably house offices. The mall was nice but resembles many other malls that I have visited. I purchased 2 boxes of Leonidas Belgian chocolate. I will give one to my cousin Shari and I will bring one to tonight’s seder. I took the bus back to my hotel. I have an Israeli bus and train pass that you can reload with shekels. I have become quite adept at negotiating the bus, train and metro system in Tel Aviv.

Last evening I drove to Shari’s house near Beersheba. It takes 1:20 to drive there on good roads and an autoroute. With Waze, I have no trouble getting around anywhere in Israel. I wonder if the members of BDS still use Waze to get around as Waze is an Israeli company. They probably still use it as they want you to desist from using Israeli products but not themselves. Shari lives on a moshav. A moshav resembles a kibbutz except that the homes are owned by individuals and not the community as in a kibbutz. The major equipment is owned by the community but each individual is responsible for his own produce. We had Shabat dinner with her family and extended family. Shari’s school was devastated last year on Oct. 7 when she lost many friends, former students and students. She says that is very sad to see the empty chairs where her students used to sit. It is an ongoing reminder of what happened on Oct 7 and what the world is doing to forget about in their efforts to ‘Free Palestine’ leaving Hamas in charge again. A ceasefire only means that Israel ceases and Hamas reloads and fires.

I am sitting out on the rooftop terrace writing my blog. The view of the sea is as beautiful as always. Yesterday and today there is a strong wind with 2-3 foot breakers crashing on the beach. It was not warm enough for swimming yesterday but hopefully it will warm up later in the afternoon. There are whitecaps everywhere making me wish that I could go out sailing. While in Jaffa a few days ago, I visited the old port and spoke with a man who was sitting on an older Benateau First, 35 foot sailboat. He lives on his boat most of the time and has an apartment in Beersheba. He goes to Greece sometimes which is a 4 day crossing. My dream life perhaps in another life…

Love,

Brian

Hostage Square, Tel Aviv,

Asrieli Complex and Mall,

The view from the terrace of my hotel on the beach in Tel Aviv

2025-03 Israel

Israel 21,

April 10, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

I woke up to sunny skies but cool weather with a cool breeze. I am getting spoiled as 22C is somewhat chilly for swimming. I decided to do a museum today. I chose the Palmach museum. The Palmach was the precursor to the IDF which became organized when Israel became a state in 1948. I regrouped the Palmach, the original group, the Haganah, the Irgun and the Stern Gang. They did not get along as they had different views as to what Israel should look like.

The British were given the Palestine Mandate which was carved out of the Ottoman Empire which had been defeated in WW1. It was a difficult region to govern as the British had made 2 separate promesses to 2 separate peoples each of whom claimed the land. Eventually the British carved off Transjordan, changed the name to Jordon and gave it to a Hashemite king from Iraq. 80% of the population was Arab Palestinian and 20% Hashemite. This did not matter to the British who were only interested in an expedient solution. There was a lot of in fighting between the Arabs and the Jews. At the time only the Jews called themselves Palestinians. Golda Meir had a Palestinian passport. The Arabs revolted against the British and the revolt was put down in a violent manner. The Arabs did not want Jewish immigration so to please them, the British brought out a white paper limiting severely Jewish Immigration.

The Palmach was organized in 1941 to fight alongside the British against the Nazis. The Jewish Brigade was broken up after the war and was later reorganized into the Palmach. All of the above groups fought against the British to get them to leave Palestine. The Jews worked hard to bring clandestine ships to Palestine.Many were stopped and the Jews were brought to Cypress where they were interned for 3 years.

In 1947, the British were fed up with ruling the Palestine Mandate and gave the land back to the newly formed UN. The UN decided to split Cisjordan in two giving some land to the Jews and some land to the Arabs. The boundaries of the two newly formed areas was untenable. 85% or the land was Crown Land, 8% was owned by wealthy landlords in Damascus.

The question of the partage was put to a vote in the UN. The Arab countries voted against the decision. The vote went in favour of the Jews. The Arabs in the land began attacking the Jews to drive them out. The Jews had virtually no weapons except what they scrounged from the British. The British left the majority of the weapons with the Arabs. Ben Gurion declared the country as the State of Israel. 5 Arab countries attacks Israel including Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. No one expected the Jewish state to survive. The war lasted almost 2 years. In the end, Israel gained more territory. 600,000 Arabs left and became refugees in the surrounding countries. Many left because they were afraid of what would happen to them in a Jewish state. The majority left because they were told by the Arab states to leave of their own accord and would be able to return when Israel was defeated. Israel won the war. The Arabs who stayed in Israel prospered and are now 20% of the Israeli population. Those that left were never absorbed into the neighboring Arab countries. They are still called refugees to this day, receiving 2 billion dollars a year from UNRWA.

Meanwhile, 800,000 Jewish were forced to leave Arab countries. Israel took them in as no other country wanted them. They received no compensation for the homes and business that they lost. Many lived in tents for 5 years until the new country was able to build homes for them. Israel doubled its population in 2 years. Israel is the only haven for Jewish people in the world. It must continue to exist. I am a Zionist, meaning that I believe that the Jewish people are a nation and as such have a right to a country. That country is Israel. If you remove the Negev which is desert and is really not livable, Greater Montreal is 10% larger that Israel!!

The Palmach Museum traces the history of the formation of the Palmach and the war which they fought against the 5 Arab countries. The Nakbah at the time referred to the fact that 5 Arab countries with well organized armies were not able to defeat a newly formed nation which had no central army. The was the catastrophe. Later, for the sake of propaganda the Nakbah, or catastrophe became to be used to illustrate the fate of the 600,000 Arabs to become refugees. There were 25 million refugees after WW2. All of these refugees either died, went back to their countries of origin, or were absorbed into the new countries where they were staying. Not so the Palestinian refugees. The Arab countries refused to absorb them and they are still called refugees to this day. The Gazans are the result of this forced migration and call themselves refugees. There are now 6 million Arabs who call themselves Palestinian refugees 80 years after a war. There is no other group in the world which has refugee status for 3 generations. There are 30,000 UNRWA workers in the Middle East with 16,000 in Gaza. Many of these people are Hamas and took part in the Oct. 7 massacre. It is about time that the gravy train stops.

In the afternoon I took a walk through Jaffa. This is the old part of Tel Aviv mostly inhabited by Arabs. Some of the area has been nicely renovated. There are endless streets with shops, restaurants and cafes. I walked along the old port eventually stopping for an ice cream at Golda’s. I am at my usual Thursday evening or Saturday haunt known as the laundromat. What fun.

Love,

Brian

The Palmach Museum

Jaffa

2025-03 Israel

Israel 15,

April 5, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

‘When this hole world starts getting me down, And people are just too much for me to face, I climb way up to the top of the stairs, And all my cares just drift right into space, On the roof,its peaceful as can be, And there the world can’t bother me.’

It’s Saturday morning, cool, sunny with blue skies and 18C. I am up on the terrace at my hotel over looking the beach. The sailboats are out but people are waiting for it to warm up before venturing into the water. The view here is sublime. I just had breakfast with 3 ladies from the States, Australia and Canada. I meet people from everywhere here. The words of the above song unfortunately ring clear to me today. The news from Canada is awful. At McGill, my alma mater and where I have a teaching position as Clinical Lecturer, the pro-Palestinian hoodlums are striking against classes for 3 days. They occupied buildings, broke windows and prevented legitimate students from attending classes. The police were called, made no arrests and didn’t use tear gas. Are the tariffs imposed on tear gas too high so there is a lack of it in Canada. Are the police still serving cappuchinos to the demonstrators? Can you still spit on a police man with impunity, an event that occurred in Toronto last year? Canada is the only country in the world where you can spit on a police man and be arrested. In every other country such as France, the USA or Saudi Arabia, you would be beaten into the ground so badly that there would be nothing left to arrest. I don’t recognize McGill anymore. In Toronto the demonstrators occupied Union Station and stopped transportation. Once again where are the police? Have they not heard of tear gas? Do they no longer use tasers to control violent protesters? You don’t have to taser a lot of them. Taser one and the other cowards will run away. These people are not French demonstrators from the 60s who knew how to dig up paving stones on the street and throw them at the cops. They are pro-Palestinians who are afraid of a good fight. If they really were tough and wanted to support the Palestinians, they would be in Gaza fighting

I blame the former Prime Minister, the mayor of Toronto, the mayor of Montreal and the Dean of McGill for letting this happen. This ‘protest’ should have been nipped in the bud 1 year ago when it first started. Instead it was allowed to occur resulting in an escalation in which saying ‘death to the Jews’ is a common occurrence and is no longer considered to be racist. Throwing paint or fire bombs at so called Jewish institutions is now considered to be one’s natural right to self expression. Is a bakery that sells bagel owned by citizens of Greek ancestry now considered to be a ‘Jewish Institution’ that must be stamped out. Last year I received a letter from the Dean of McGill saying that protest is a healthy reaction by students in a university setting. I warned him in a personal letter that of course was not answered, that violence will occur if nothing is done. Are they waiting for someone to be beaten up or killed for them to do something? Or will the reaction be ‘oh my, tut tut’. I received another letter from the same Dean on Holocaust Memorial Day saying that is a day of remembrance for the people that were killed in the Holocaust. So, to fight this racism, McGill has set up a committee to fight racism called the Committee to Fight Islamophobia and Antisemitism. Excuse me!! What does Islamophobia have to do with Holocaust Memorial day? Except for a few isolated incidents, where is there Islamophobia in Canada today? Islamophobia and Holocaust Memorial Day should not even be mentioned in the same sentence. As for the committee, why is Islamophobia and Antisemitism given equal footing in the name of the Committee. Islamophobia is obviously more important at McGill than Antisemitism or else the 2 words should have been placed in alphabetical order!!

Yesterday morning I met up with my cousin Richard and 3 of his friends in Richon le Tzion for a run on the beach. I told Richard that he could run at his pace and that I would catch up with him on his run back. He is a real gentleman and elected to run with me at my pace. We ran for 7.35 km which took about 1 hour. Of the 3 disciplines in a triathlon, running is my weakest. However, I can do 10 km if I pace myself. We ran on the beach without shoes mostly on the hard packed sand. There were some patches of shells on the beach so you had to be a little careful. Afterwards, we met up with his 3 friends at Golda’s where he treated me to an ice cream and a cappuccino. The portions of ice cream that they give you in a medium cup are enormous and delicious. I didn’t eat for the rest of the day. I hope that they invite me next week. Richard and I might do a long distance swim.

In the afternoon, I went out to the beach. After a hard week’s work on the IDF base topped off with Krav Maga, I think that I deserve a little R and R. As usual I swam out to the breakwater. There were big waves so I did some body surfing later in the afternoon. In the early evening I was back at my usual haunt, the laundromat, to do my weekly laundry. I am now quite good with the machines, knowing how to purchase soap with a coin, pay for the right machine with a credit card as they are numbered and starting the machine by pushing the start button. I even helped a newbie to get started with her machine.

Love,

Brian

My running team

My terrace and the view of the beach from the terrace

Never forget, Never forgive, Never again

2025-03 Israel

Israel 14,

April 3, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

We did a major cleanup last evening as it was our last night at the base. The planes were out all night and we could hear the bombing and shelling in Gaza. Hamas once again gave there nonsensical terms that they would give back some of the hostages if the Israelis withdraw completely, if they continue to remain in power and if some country rebuilds Gaza for them. They don’t seem to learn or even try to remember that it was they who started the war in the first place. 5000 Hamas came across the border, attacked a peaceful kibbutz as well as young people dancing at a music festival. They killed 1200 Israelis, wounded 2500, took 251 hostages and raped many women. Do they really believe that after 500 days that they can now go back to square one with no consequences? What other country in the world would accept this nonsense?

We were up early this morning for breakfast as we were taking the bus to Natanya for our Krav Maga session with the Grand Master. He is a heavy set 65 year old man who really knows his stuff. It is amazing how fast he can move if attacked from any angle. He emphasized how important it is to know one’s surroundings. A woman walking alone, carrying a purse, walking and talking at the same time on her cell phone is an easy target even if there are people around. Always be aware and constantly look around. In Krav Maga, speed is more important than strength. A small person reacting quickly can overcome a bigger, untrained assailant. A terrorist is a different story as he is often well trained to kill.

The Master would pick out one of us to demonstrate his craft. In practice you are supposed to pull your punches but it is not hard to accumulate a few bruises. Once he finished his demonstration, we would split up into pairs or groups of 3 to practice the movements. First we would do the movement in slow motion, gradually picking up speed both with the attack and with the defence. I think that we all learned quite a few defensive moves. Several of us said that they would try to continue practicing with a Krav Maga school on their return to their home country. There are half a dozen schools in Montreal, though not as many as karate or tae kwondo schools. I may or may not decide to continue in Montreal.

The class lasted a whole day at the Wingate Academy. We took the bus back to Tel Aviv and I checked into my usual Maxim Hotel. I then took the bus and train to the airport to get my car rental. I went out to eat at a great seafood restaurant with my friend from Grand Rapids Michigan.

Love,

Brian

Our shelter on the base. We have 45 seconds to get there

Brian

Modern Tel Aviv

Wingate Academy for the study of the science of athletics.

Dizengoff square (which is a circle) with pictures of the hostages and victims of Oct. 7

A great Tel Aviv restaurant

2025-03 Israel

Israel 11,

Mar. 31, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

We were up early this morning and had a change of pace. After breakfast and flag raising, our mahidrot asked for volunteers to paint. My hand and 2 other fellows hands shot up and all of a sudden I was a professional painter. We were driven off to a new place on base with several flat bed trailers which were in serious need of a paint job. We split into 2 groups, the red paint group and the yellow paint group. One fellow was in charge of scraping and dusting first. The red paint was very thick and specially made to go over rust and partially peeling paint. We worked for 2 hours, had a short coffee break and continued on to lunch. I tried to be careful about getting paint on myself. 1 of the fellows was less careful and spent some time at the wash basin with turpentine.

After lunch we had our Krav Maga session outside on the grass with a new instructor. We went over a few of the moves that we had learned from our previous session. We are now proficient at slow motion attack from behind, attack from the front or side with a head lock. All of the methods involve several quick moves to neutralize the attacker followed by punches, kicks and knee moves to disable the attacker. The fight is over in 5 seconds. Our instructor explained the 4 levels of defence, 1) don’t get into a situation where you will be compromised, 2) run away, 3) try to talk your way out including give him your money, 4) fight and in the situation there is no second chance. You must do what I described above.

The second part of the course was what to do if you are attacked by someone with a baseball bat or equivalent, a chain on another dangerous object. The natural defence is to back off. The real defence is to move in as close as possible to the attacker rendering his weapon useless. After that when you are as close as possible, you neutralize the attacker followed by quick blows to sensitive parts of his body and then recuperate his weapon and finish the job. For me personally, at my age, size and hair colour, I will try to stick to the first 3 levels of defence.

After the course, I waited an hour or two until it cooled off a little and then ran 6 km with one of my buddies. There was a slight breeze that made running more agreeable.

After supper we had a course on water supply in Israel. Israel is situated on a small piece of land, mostly desert and has a population of 9 million people. Some of the industry also requires a great deal of water. Israel has been at the forefront of water conservation. Some of the water comes from Sea of Galilee, some comes from the Jordon River. Unfortunately, the water from these 2 sources is 4% of what it used to be. There are some underground sources but Israel tries to preserve as much of this as possible. A large part of the water comes from 5 desalination plants which take water from the Mediterranean. 87% of water is recycled. These 2 sources are not used for drinking water. Israelis are also very careful of not wasting water such as not letting water just run when you are brushing your teeth.

One thing that the Israelis have not been up to par on is recycling. Right now they have other more important problems to deal with. Also most of the immigrants that Israel receives now come from countries that have no clue about recycling so the government must start from zero.

Tonight we are sitting outside on benches enjoying the night air. The conversation is varied as we come from many different backgrounds. Israel is once again on the offensive in order to get the hostages back. In the background we can hear the boom boom from bombing and shelling in Gaza.

Love,

Brian

2025-03 Israel

Israel 8,

Mar. 27, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

We were up bright and early this morning for our trip to Natanya where the Wingate Athletic Training Center is located. Students who come here for a 4 year course will graduate and go on to work and teach in the athletic field. It is also the home of Krav Maga Israel. Our instructor today was the head instructor and has the highest belt, 10th Dan rank. He is responsible for any innovations in the development of Krav Maga. The centre is beautiful and the athletic facilities are first class. There is also an iron dome rocket launcher on the campus.

Krav Maga is an Israeli self-defense method that was developed in Israel. It allows a person to defend him/herself against one or more attackers. It is not a sport in the true sense of the word. The attacker could be a person who wants to rob you or a terrorist. The former just wants to take your money. The latter wants to kill you and as many people as possible in a short period of time. He/she is often armed with a knife. The goal of Krav Maga is to teach you to defend yourself quickly in a close-contact situation. You must act immediately as there will be no second chance. The movements that you are taught allow you to disarm the aggressor in less than 1-2 seconds and then inflict damage on the aggressor so that he is down for the count in 2-3 seconds. Essentially, once you have moved quickly and aggressively, your aggressor will be neutralized. You are then in a position to hit with an open hand, punch, or kick your aggressor repeatedly until he cannot respond. He will not be able to attack you again. There was a way to neutralize more than one aggressor if necessary. The act is fast, furious, and mean, and the entire fight is over in 5 seconds at the most.

We started the session by introducing ourselves. We then paired off. I chose a bigger partner than my last one as I surmised that a person who wanted to attack me would be bigger. My partner was an American Army soldier with more notions than I had about self-defense. After a short warm-up session, our instructor showed us various attacks with the left and then the right hand. He showed us how to block the hand, move, and then hit the aggressor. He then demonstrated how to defend ourselves when attacked with a choke hold from the front, the back, and the sides. We practiced these moves until we had sore forearms. If he saw that we were not hitting hard enough, he came over to give us specific instructions. He asked me how old I was and addressed me as Doc afterward. He told us that an aggressor makes no distinction as to your age. Being older in our society does not give you a free pass. On the contrary, it could lead the aggressor to believe that you are an easy target. We asked him when he would think of stopping training. His response was that he would stop when they buried him.

We had lunch with the students. they all looked young and in very good shape. After lunch we were given 1 plastic knife per couple. He then showed us how to defend ourselves when attacked by an aggressor who is left handed or right handed and when the attack is from the front, from the side and from the back. The take away message was that you must practice the moves over and over again. Hopefully you will never be in a position to use them. Unfortunately that situation may come across once in a life time and could be the difference between life and death.

Love,

Brian

Iron dome rocket launcher on the right tilted at an angle.

2025-03 Israel

Israel 7,

Mar. 26, 2025

Hi Everyone,

Last evening after supper, we all gathered in one room for a get together. We sat on bunk beds, drank coffee and ate cookies and cakes. It reminded me very much of summer camp in the Laurentians when I was an teenager. After lights out for the campers, the councillors would gather around a campfire. There was always someone present with a guitar and we would all sing campfire songs until midnight. Last night was the same, with the same atmosphere but lacking a guitar and an indoor campfire. We chatted about many subjects often telling stories of trips to foreign countries and adventures that we had had. I never have a shortage of stories to tell.

Today we finished off packing the soldier’s bags. Some of the bigger and stronger fellows worked loading and unloading the trucks. I was not chosen for this job. I am not sure why! Instead, I volunteered to work in the kitchen. This was very interesting and rewarding work. We sweeped and washed the floor in the dinning room. We set the table for the officers. We prepared the coffee table. We laid out the plastic dishes for the evening meal. We then did a major cleanup in the bathroom, halls and our bunk rooms. It was over 30C but I still went out for my afternoon 6 km run. It was not easy but I felt good after finishing the run and taking a shower.

This evening we had our last evening together. The madrihots thanked us for the great week that we had together. They will move on to another group next week but we will be coming back to the same base for work and a continuation of our Krav Maga training. The madrihots were wonderful and much appreciated by all the volunteers. Each of us had to give a small speech on their 1 week experience here. Everyone was extremely happy with our group, the madrihots, the base in general and the work that we had to do. The 16 volunteers come from 7 different countries and it was amazing how well we worked together. Of the 5 weeks that I have worked with Sar-El, this was by far the most cohesive and friendly group to work with. I am very happy that we will be together next week.

As usual, when it came my turn to speak, I was not at a loss for words. At first my sentiments echoed the sentiments of the other members of the group as I explained in the last paragraph. There are 4 pictures of myself on the base, receiving my shoulder pads and with the madrihots. These pictures have been posted in previous entries of my blog. I sent the pictures to my good friends and to my hockey team. The majority of them are not Jewish. I asked them discreetly if they would like to join me. I received many positive responses.

This past winter I worked as a ski patroller at Mont Blanc for the first time. The head patroller, Philippe had heard about my experience with MDA as a physician on an ambulance in Israel. When he introduced me as a new patroller in the group, he asked me to say a few words about my experience in Israel on an ambulance. I gave a small talk and mentioned of course that my experience is well documented on my blog which they could read. I never miss an opportunity to self promote. Montreal is a very cosmopolitan city with many languages and nationalities. ⅔ of the city is French speaking. When you leave Montreal and go north into the Laurentians, the population is Quebecois and 100% French speaking. When I spoke I was not sure what the reaction would be as I do not hide my feeling of being a Zionist. I am very happy to say that I received a very positive reaction from the group, many of whom went on to read my blog. Many of the patrollers went on to ask me questions about my stay in Israel in a positive manner. When I finished working with the patrol, I sent an email to the patrollers thanking them for a great season and for welcoming and integrating me into the group I mentionned what I would be doing for the month in Israel. Philippe asked me to post some pictures. I posted the same 4 pictures on our web site on Facebook as requested. Within 12 hours I received 17 likes and several encouraging comments. That made me very proud and happy.

Love,

Brian

This is a shelter. We have 45 seconds to get there. We did not have to use it this time.

2025-03 Israel

Israel 4,

Mar. 22-23, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

I went back to my hotel, had a quick shower and went down for the 6:00 wine, soup and light refreshments party. I met a few new people who are doing different things here. There are many ways to volunteer here and make yourself useful. Everyone had a different story as how they had spent the last week.

I walked around downtown Tel Aviv for an hour or two eventually meandering down to my favourite watering hole overlooking the beach. The young waitress recognized me from last year and the fact that I write a blog. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast so I ordered some nachos and beer, real comfort food. It’s warmed up this evening allowing me to sit comfortably on the terrace under the warm-up lights.

We have been under rocket attack for the last few days. Although I personally have not experienced it, some of the other volunteers heard the sirens and have taken cover in the shelters. The rockets are coming from Hamas in Gaza, from Hezbollah in the north and from the Houthis everywhere. They all blame the Israelis for starting the renewed fighting. Is it possible that they sincerely believe the nonsense that they spout.

There was a big demonstration tonight and some of the volunteers went to see what it was all about. I went to a demonstration last year which was the first demonstration that I have ever participated in. I am very allergic to that sort of thing, preferring to write my own opinion in my blog and hoping that I will have enough of a following to make a difference. Who am I kidding? We will see how my book will be received in the near future when I return.

‘Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile.’

I was up at 6:00 this morning to get ready for the day. I split my belongings into 2 parts, the stuff that I really need and the rest which I won’t need until the following week. Breakfast was great as usual. I counted 37 different dishes of fruits, vegetables, fish, cereals, bagels and croissants. They even have a first class cappuccino machine. The breakfast room and common room have a dozen round tables and chairs and a living room next to it. You are welcome to sit at any table, introduce yourself and get involved in the conversation. It’s like summer camp only better as we all have a common purpose. All of the clientele are doing some sort of volunteering. Many are with Sar-El, volunteering on IDF bases. Others are doing daily trips to farms to pick fruits and vegetables. Others are helping in food distribution in Tel Aviv for people who are less fortunate than ourselves. When you speak to the volunteers and ask them why they are here, they all have the same common response. After Oct. 7, when we saw what they did to Israel, we all felt deep down in our hearts that we had to do our part to help Israel in her time of need. 30% of volunteers who come here are not Jewish. Some are religious, others are secular with a few atheists like myself.

We all put our luggage onto a prearranged van. You can tell the first timers from the veterans. We know beforehand that they give us army uniforms that you must wear at all times so extra clothes are not necessary. You can leave extra baggage in the hotel. No sooner than we got into the van, the sirens went off. We had 30 seconds to return to the hotel and go down into the safe room in the basement. The room was OK but it was standing room only for 20 people. We stayed the mandatory 10 minutes until ‘all clear’. I am happy that we didn’t have to be in there for 2 or 3 hours which can occur if we are under sustained rocket fire. I don’t know who fired the rocket but I do know that it was taken out by the iron dome probably over the sea.

The drive to the IDF base took about 2 hours. Tel-Aviv traffic is terrible and it took some time to leave the city. Eventually, we were in the countryside, continuing down into the Negev just south of Beersheba. I slept most of the way as I was up late last night writing my blog at a bar on the beach. We were introduced to our leaders called ‘madrihots’. They are lovely girls, 18 and 22 years of age. Their enthusiasm was contagious and they put us all at ease and really ‘broke the ice’. We were given our rooms at random. I have 3 room mates, a father and son team from Oregon and a fellow who was in the US army for most of his career.

Lunch was excellent, 20 different dishes to choose from. Apparently the kitchen was recently renovated and the cuisine has much improved. After lunch we got our IDF uniforms. I love it. Our uniforms are big and somewhat oversized. Our madrihots uniforms have obviously been tapered and fitted. I guess that is the advantage of being in the army. I will know that next time around.

We were then introduced to our warehouse managers. They are also very enthusiastic and welcoming. We took before and after pictures. We then danced Israeli style dancing to Israeli music for 10-15 minutes. I remembered the steps from my Bar Mitzvah days. I was also invited to many Greek weddings and christenings and was taught to do Greek dancing there. The steps are very similar. Our base is trucking base. We have 1437 trucks here. Many have to be cleaned, put in shape and repaired. Our job today was to disassemble large, heavy bags containing sleeping bag, uniforms of various sizes and jacket. We then sorted the merchandise, separating the useable ones from the damaged ones and then repacking the bags. All this work is accompanied by loud music to make the day and the work go faster.

We had 2 hours off before supper. Most of the volunteers took the time off to relax. That is a word that I don’t quite know how to spell, so I went for a 50 minute, 7 km run. That was my first run since October when I did the World Championship Triathlon in Spain. It wasn’t too bad as I had my ear pods on and listened to Crosby, Stills and Nash. I will see how I feel tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will be up at 7:00, breakfast at 7:30, flag raising at 8:30 and work from 9:00 to 12:30. I signed up to be with the Krav Maga group. We are 16 in the group, with an even mix of guys and girls. Krav Maga is an Israeli defence method of defending yourself if you are attacked. It is not a sport. When I applied to be in the group, they would not accept me because of my age. I had to write all sorts of stuff saying that I am a triathlete, play hockey and am a ski instructor. Eventually they accepted me after getting a medical certificate and signing a waiver. We will be starting our first session tomorrow afternoon and will do it 1.5 to 2 days a week.

This evening we had a meeting with our madrihots who explained how the base works. We then had to give a little blurb about ourselves. We are mixed group of Canadians, Americans, Estonians, Peruvians and French people. I started my blurb off by saying that I graduated McGill in 1970 and took a year off to go travelling. “ I don’t think that any of you were born then”. Except for 1 or 2 others, I was correct. This is a very young group compared to other groups that I have been in. The average age appears to be 40 to 50 probably due to the Krav Maga option.

I travelled on a motorcycle for 6 months around Europe until the bike was stolen in Italy. I then hitch hiked for 6 months, skiing for 2 months and working on a kibbutz in Israel. That was my first introduction to Israel. I was cold, I was hungry, I was lonely. It was the best year of my life.

If some one had told me on Oct 6, 2023 that at 74 year of age, that I would be going to war, I would have thought that they were crazy. On Oct. 7, 2023 I made the decision to volunteer to go to Israel. The rest is history.

Love,

Brian