ISAACS FAMILY NEWSLETTER May 2014

Since I was knee-high to a grasshopper I recall memorable Israel Independence Day celebrations. In my youth those involved wild Bnei Akiva extravaganzas and Israel solidarity marches. For the last 15 years it has been Isaacs family barbecues. But this year took the biscuit.

 As you recall, Naphtali (21) was selected for the Presidential award - מצטיין נשיא - as the outstanding soldier of the IDF Engineering corps. This is the ultimate “nachas” a soldier can give parents and we are bathing in Naphtali’s glory. Family, friends, colleagues and neighbours have inundated us with praise and congratulations through Facebook, email and whatsapps. A few even spoke to us.

 This award gave me a foretaste of what it is must be like to have a grandchild. You have this piece of knowledge inside you that fills you with warmth whenever you think about it, and you are warmly congratulated by everyone you meet for hard work done by others.

 Back to Independence Day. Because of Naphtali’s award Judy and I got tickets to the official Independence Day celebration - the lighting of the torches on Mt. Herzl. It is an impressive event with singing, dancing, marching, fireworks and speeches לתפארת מדינת ישראל. If you were watching on TV, that was me, up in the gods, waving the sign “Celtic for the Cup”.                                                                                                            

Naphtali received his award the following morning at the President’s residence. All the 120 soldiers got just two tickets for this event, but Judy’s brother’s daughter’s husband’s friend managed to sneak in our entire family plus grandmother Barbara! With such a large representation, it was perhaps to be expected that when Naphtali was called to receive his badge and certificate, the family cheered so loud that the President himself, as he shook Naphtali’s hand, commented that his family was making one hell of a ruckus, while the Channel 10 commentator reported that Naphtali has a “large and noisy family”. True. But I would have added also, “proud, loving, cool and really good-looking”.

 The ceremony was followed by a buffet at which Naphtali got chatting with a very posh English chap who turned out to be Col. Richard Kemp, CBE, former head of British forces in Afghanistan, who has become one of Israel’s most vocal supporters in military and intelligence circles. You may remember his speech at the UN where he deplored the Hamas tactics of using civilians as shields and lauded the unparalleled extents the IDF goes to to prevent civilian casualties. A veritable righteous gentile.

I imagine that Chief of Staff Benny Gantz has a pretty busy and pressured agenda most days. After all, he is responsible for protecting a tiny country, surrounded by enemies, from terrorist, chemical and nuclear attacks; and from short, medium and long-range missiles, launching from ground, air and sea. But he is also a sweetie pie. He took time pose for photos with all 120 soldiers, one by one, with their parents. He was noticeably surprised when eight of us huddled up with him for a photo with Naphtali, but remained all smiles. We posted the picture of the Isaacs’s and the Chief of Staff on Facebook. If wealth were measured in Likes, we won the lotto.

 Family Business

I reported last time of Elon’s new business selling magic. Well, it’s a family business. Judy is the office manager, ordering equipment online and helping with the accounts. Ari and Abigail (12) run a stall on Fridays in the Rosh Ha’Ayin market and Elisheva (9) counts the takings.

 Princess Elisheva of YouTube

Last newsletter I also reported that Elisheva’s YouTube video had accumulated an astonishing 3000 views. Well, two months later, she is close to 6400! Justin Bieber and Gum Gum style beware. Elisheva’s breathing down your necks.

 Dance  Studies

Becoming a dance teacher is not just about leaps and bounds. To qualify, Orly (19) has to study anatomy, diet, sports injuries and more. Conversations are now often punctuated with Orly-esque insights into the glycemic index of whole grains, or a list of tendons that support the knee. I wonder… if a student in a dance course doesn’t prepare enough for exams, do they become the “under-study”?

 ‘Riting versus ‘Rithmetic

One of my favourite pastimes is completing the sentence – “There are two types of people in the world…”. Try this version… “There are two types of people in the world - people who when playing scrabble first look at their letters and people who first look at the board”.

 Being a right hemisphere type, for me Scrabble is a game of words. Big  mistake. It’s a game of numbers.

 The right hemisphere approach to Scrabble is to make the best words possible with your letters. The left hemisphere approach is to locate double and triple letter or word squares and place your high value letters on them. The difference between the two approaches is that the number-driven approach wins, as I have learned from playing with my left-hemispherical wife. Judy will put down two letters, making three words (two of which I have never heard of) and somehow score 40 points.

 Online Scrabble is not about winning; it’s a about connecting (or at least that’s how I comfort myself after losing game after game). So if you wish, download “Games with Words” and look us up.

 Lots of love from all the Isaacs

Michael, Judy, Ari, Elon, Naphtali, Orly Abigail, Elisheva

Elkana