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For James'
Weekend Reflections -- a quiet corner of Israel's national military cemetery on Mount Herzl reflected in the water.
On May 1, 1943 the British troopship
Erinpura, en route from Egypt to Malta, was sunk by a German air attack with the loss of 943 lives.
Aboard were 334 Palestinian Jewish soldiers who had volunteered and were serving in the 462nd transport company of the British army.
This memorial is for the 140 Jewish young men who went down with the ship to their death.
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Most of the men were below decks when the Erinpura was hit.
She sank in just four minutes.
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Up until the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 and the accompanying birth of Israel's own navy, Jews knew nothing about sailing or fighting at sea. The prophet Jonah was the only famous sea-faring man in our history.
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As I write, a new confrontation at sea is brewing. A so-called Freedom Flotilla of 8 or 9 ships from Europe is approaching Gaza and will try to land and unload 10,000 tons of supplies and thus break the Israeli closure which began when Hamas took over in the Gaza Strip several years ago.
Israel's navy will intercept them and "invite" them to dock in our port of Ashdod instead.
Let us hope and pray that no one is hurt.
It will be a big "media event" for the pro-Palestinian activists on the boats for sure.
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Please remember that tons of food and fuel and supplies cross from Israel overland through the checkpoints into Gaza every day, but not by sea.
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