My Israel visit: despair, joy and everything in between

How I wish I could write about food.  I find myself only able to write about one thing at the moment: Israel (and the diaspora Jewish community fallout). I have just returned from Israel and I have lots to say. The contrasts are almost too much. 

Let me set the scene. We’re in Jerusalem and have spent the morning at Mt. Herzl military cemetery followed by a visit to Yad Vashem. Both so sombre, but this time Yad Vashem was particularly so. Revisiting the inception and growth of antisemitism from centuries ago through to the Nazi era was unbelievably devastating to hear. It’s the story of Jews living comfortably and then suddenly not, the story I’ve heard before, many times.

Yet this time, hearing it in the shadow of the virulent antisemitism in the world today, it was almost incomprehensible. Previously it was a story from the past. Is history repeating itself? I stood there shaking my head, over and over. No tears from me, just sheer disbelief.

I needed a drink. For lunch, we had booked at my favourite Jerusalem restaurant, Machneyuda. Always excellent food, a fabulous bar and a unique Israeli ‘loving life’ vibe. We walked in and sat at the bar. There was a hen’s party to our left, a group of young Israelis to our right. The music was super loud, everyone was dancing, singing, drinking.

I looked around and burst out crying. Not a little tear, I’m talking sobbing. My sister next to me took one look at me and did the same. We were overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the contrast, almost a contradiction, of the two sides to life in Israel.