It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly seven years since Henry Rosenbaum called me, completely out of the blue, during Jmore’s early days. A longtime Jewish communal professional, Henry was serving at that time as director of the Mid-Atlantic office of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
After we exchanged pleasantries, he got down to business. “Do you know that famous picture from the Six Day War of the three Israeli soldiers after liberating the Old City?” he asked. “Any interest in interviewing them when they come to town?”
Immediately, I looked up at my bulletin board and a withered copy of that photo by David Rubinger — arguably the most iconic image in Israel’s history — of the three paratroopers at the Kotel, or Western Wall, shortly after the recapture of the Old City of Jerusalem. It’s a photo I’ve known well since my Hebrew school days.
I cleared my throat and said, “Um, yes, I think that would be possible.” For a Jewish journalist, meeting the three men in that photo would be akin to asking a Rolling Stone writer if she or he would like to interview … the Rolling Stones.
Stepping into the conference room of Friends of the IDF days later, I spotted three paunchy men speaking in rapid-fire Hebrew and looking like they could be zaydes at a deli. They no longer were young warriors of Zion, but they laughed frequently and chatted like old friends who haven’t seen each other in a while.
At first, I just studied the men and kept silent. But there they were: Zion “Ziggy” Karasenti, Haim Oshri and Yitzhak Yifat. Behind them tacked to a wall was an enlarged photo of their younger selves in the aftermath of the battle for Jerusalem on June 7, 1967.
I thought of my late father, who traveled to Israel as a Merchant Marine eight years before the Six Day War. I remember him saying he wasn’t able to pray at the Kotel because East Jerusalem was in Jordanian hands. He merely gazed at the Old City from barbed wire barriers in the center of the city.
And now here before me were the guys who helped reunite Jerusalem and open the city to adherents of all faiths.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the war, Karasenti, Oshri and Yifat were on an 11-day tour throughout the U.S., raising funds for IDF soldiers, wounded Israeli veterans and families of the fallen.
They seemed a bit weary, but they spoke with a great deal of passion and gratitude, particularly about the response from those attending a private fundraiser in Owings Mills.
“The support we received here was amazing,” said Yifat. “The love these people showed for Israel and us and the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War and the reunification of Jerusalem was incredible. We knew it would be a special evening, but we felt that love all night long.
“Everywhere we went — Chicago, San Francisco, Cleveland — we got strong reactions from everyone,” he said, “and we really appreciate it.”
My, how times have changed. Only seven years later, we live in an era when antisemitism is skyrocketing and virtually anything pertaining to Israel is boycotted, canceled or condemned. In the aftermath of the Oct. 7 atrocities, Israel is portrayed as an occupying, colonialist and genocidal state, even by some members of our own community.
But in my mind, the bottom line on the Middle East conflict still comes down to something Ziggy Karasenti told me that day. “If the other side wants peace,” he said, “then we will all have peace.”
Let’s pray that time comes soon.
Sincerely,
Alan Feiler, Editor-in-Chief
Jmore Publisher Scott Rifkin, M.D., reacts to President Donald Trump's latest poll numbers and the real force behind the growing decline of the Trump movement.
Last weekend's Flower Mart once again demonstrated that there's nothing to fear about downtown Baltimore, writes Michael Olesker.
A junior at Roland Park Country School, Katie Grossman writes about a recent experience that spurred her to take action to fight antisemitism.
At a time when many Jews fear appearing Jewish in public, seeing Judaism depicted correctly onscreen is reassuring, writes Jewish content creator Rabbi Yael Buechler.