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Hi Reader,
I'm getting back to a Monday rhythm here, so let's just dive in. ๐
This week I spent packing for camp in New York, like I do every summer. We've gone back every year we've lived in Israel, and for years before that too. It's where I actually made aliyah from, four years ago, straight off camp and onto a plane with no looking back. Last summer the war pushed our flight, we landed and went straight there, no stop at home first. This year feels almost normal by comparison, which after the last few years is its own kind of good news.
Okay. Here's what's been happening while I've been getting ready to go.
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From The Ground
School years are winding down, exams are wrapping up, and army ceremonies are happening at the Kotel and all over the country this week, the kind of normal that still gets me every time. The north had a harder few days, fighting with Hezbollah picked back up just as the US and Iran were finalizing their deal. And then today, another supposed ceasefire. We hold both of those at once here, the ordinary and the uncertain, and we keep moving forward anyway.
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THE BLESSING NOBODY EXPECTED
Tensions between the secular and Haredi communities in Israel have been at a boiling point lately. You've felt it if you've been paying attention. So let me tell you what happened under a chuppah this past week, as told by the groom's best friend.
His best friend Maor married the love of his life. Among the men called up for the sheva brachot was Rabbi Englard, long beard, Hasidic hat, the whole picture you'd expect. He rose, said his blessing, and quietly sat back down. To most of the guests, it looked like nothing.
It was everything.
A few years ago, Rabbi Englard lost two of his sons in the Meron tragedy. Maor and his friend felt that grief like it was their own, even though they barely knew the Haredi world. They went to the shiva anyway. Jeans and t-shirts, dozens of Hasidim around them, completely out of place. Within seconds they were seated right in front of the grieving rabbi himself.
He looked at them and said, "I'm so happy you came. You're giving me strength. Know that just as you came to console me, I will want to be at your celebrations. Don't forget to invite me." Then, almost to himself: "Who is like Your people, Israel."
They left with a promise. He would be at Maor's wedding. No question.
And then the day came. Maor stood under the chuppah, and there was Rabbi and Rebbetzin Englard right beside him. Blessing him. Dancing around him. Maor's best friend got to tell this whole story out loud, right there under the canopy. Afterward, secular guests and religious guests and total strangers all walked up to the rabbi to hug him and thank him for coming.
Don't let anyone tell you Israeli society is broken beyond repair. This is what real healing looks like, under a wedding canopy. ๐ค
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A KIDNEY, A BIRTH, AND A BRIS
Hila Ben Yehuda needed a kidney transplant before she could safely carry a child. She got the transplant, had a baby through surrogacy, and this week gave birth again, only to discover her midwife had donated a kidney too. "I felt a spiritual connection," Hila said. The baby's brit milah is this Friday, and the sandek holding him will be the man who donated the kidney that made it all possible. ๐๐
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She Came Home to the Kibbutz She Loves
Ten new homes just opened in Kibbutz Nir Oz, and the families are moving back in. Mari and Giora arrived this week, and even their cat Joy found her way home on the first day. A veteran resident named Talma said she didn't have the strength to start over. Her neighbor answered: "I don't either. But we're not starting over, we're building. When everything is ready, you'll come." She came home. ๐
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Still Witnessing Miracles
Former hostage Omer Shem Tov recited the prayer for the welfare of the State of Israel at a friend's wedding, just months after coming home. Miracles happen. Just ask Omer. ๐๏ธ
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BDS Tried. It Didn't Work.
At Eurosatory, one of the world's largest defense expos, France imposed restrictions on Israeli companies this year. The political pressure was real. And yet, Israeli booths were packed. Defense professionals and military delegations from across the globe showed up, stopped, and stayed. You can try to cancel a country. You can't cancel excellence. ๐ฎ๐ฑ
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Significant archaeological find this week:
A Winepress Hiding a Secret for 1700 Years
Archaeologists at Binyamina uncovered two marble busts, roughly 1,700 years old, tucked inside the wine pit of a Roman-Byzantine winepress. One is even inscribed with a name, Lykourgos. Someone hid them there in antiquity, and they sat undisturbed for nearly two millennia. Every layer of this land has a story buried in it. Sometimes literally. โจ
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โจ A Note from Sam โจ
Something a little different lately.
For almost three years, showing up every day with only the good news has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. I genuinely love doing this.
One of the ways I'm able to keep doing it is through incredible partners who advertise here. A couple weeks ago I opened up the opportunity to advertise in the WhatsApp community, or to dedicate a day of good news in honor or memory of someone you love. We've already had three dedications come through.
If you want to be part of the good news, reply to this email and I'd love to hear from you. ๐
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Thank you for being part of this light.
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See you next week,โ
Sam Kramer
โFounder, Israel Good News Only
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