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Operational Updates
Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi Meets with Commanding Officers
to Discuss Continued Operations
Northern Gaza Strip
On Monday, the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, held a meeting in the Northern Command with the Commanding Officer of the Northern Command and members of the General Staff, in which he approved plans for the continuation of the fighting and held a situational assessment.
Lebanon
Tuesday, A number of launches were identified crossing from Lebanon toward the areas of Har Dov and Manara in northern Israel. The IDF struck the sources of fire.
IDF fighter jets struck a Hezbollah military compound in the area of Hanine in southern Lebanon.
Throughout the day, the IDF struck a weapons storage facility and other terror targets in the areas of Jabal Hmaid and Ayta Ash Shab in southern Lebanon.
Israel Expresses Sincere Sorrow after Unintentional World Central Kitchen Incident
IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, holds a press conference following the
World Central Kitchen incident
Statement by Rear Admiral Hagari:
"Last night, an incident took place in Gaza that resulted in the tragic death of World Central Kitchen employees as they fulfilled their vital mission of bringing food to people in need. As a professional military committed to international law, we are committed to examining our operations thoroughly and transparently."
Listen to the rest of Rear Admiral Hagari's Statement HERE
Statement by Prime Minister Netanyahu:
"Unfortunately, in the past day there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip. This happens in war. We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence."
Statement by Foreign Minister Katz:
"I send my condolences to the countries and families of the World Central Kitchen aid organization workers who were killed in Gaza. The IDF and decision-makers are doing and will do everything to prevent harm to civilians.
The incident will be investigated by qualified authorities to ensure that necessary conclusions are drawn to guarantee the safety and security of aid workers going forward."
Over 240 Trucks of Aid Enter Gaza
Trucks Carrying Humanitarian Aid Enter Into Gaza
Two hundred and forty three trucks carrying humanitarian aid were inspected and transferred to Gaza Monday. Additionally, 216 packages carrying hundreds of thousands of meals airdropped over northern Gaza. Israel will continue expanding its efforts to facilitate aid for Gaza civilians. Twenty one bakeries are now operational in Gaza, providing over 2 million breads, rolls, and pita breads a day for the local population. Today, the IDF paused operations between 10:00 and 14:00 in the Al Idari neighborhood in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, in order to enable movement of humanitarian aid.
13 Year Old Koren Tasa Faced Hell on Oct 7th. He Now Tells his Story
Trucks Carrying Humanitarian Aid Enter Into Gaza
Thirteen year old Koren Tasa was attacked along with his father and brother on October 7th. His father, Gil Tasa z"l, heroically jumped on a grenade thrown at them by Hamas terrorists to save his sons. Koren wants to tell his story in how own words about what happend that day when the terrorists came into his home and confronted him and his brother after his father's death.
Yom HaZikaron: Honoring Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror
This year, Yom HaZikaron will be marked on May 12th. Yom HaZikaron (Day of Remembrance) is when the State of Israel honors its fallen soldiers and victims of terror.
This year, our personal and collective pain is far greater following the murderous terror attack of Oct. 7th, 2023 and the many lives lost in the war since then.
If you have lost a loved one in the past or more recently in the war against Hamas, we would be honored to include your loved one's full name in the slideshow which will be shown during the Yom HaZikaron commemoration event in Atlanta, organized by our Consulate.
To include your loved one in the slideshow, please fill out THIS FORM.
Below is a flyer with information regarding the upcoming community commemoration event on May 12th:
Stories of the Hostages
Pictured above is Elad Katzir. He was taken captive on October 7th by
Hamas Terrorists
134 Israelis remain in Hamas captivity. They have spent the past 174 nights as hostages after being brutally kidnapped to Gaza. Each day, we will be highlighting their stories, until they are all released. Please do your part by sharing THIS POSTand in calling for the immediate release of all the hostages. To learn more about the hostages still in captivity and to raise awareness and share their stories, please visit THIS WEBSITE.
We Honor and Remember the IDF Soldiers Who Have Recently Fallen in the War
Sergeant Nadav Cohen
3.31.24
THIS THIS LINKwill lead you to the personal stories of IDF soldiers who have fallen in the line of duty in the war against Hamas. These soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice while fighting to protect Israel and its people.
Share This Newsletter to Spread Truth
One of the best ways to support the State of Israel during this time is to stay updated with accurate information about the war against Hamas. We encourage you to share this newsletter with your network, and to ask people you know to subscribe to receive important information as Israel acts to defeat Hamas. HERE is the link by which you or someone you know can subscribe to our Consulate's newsletter.
And:
The 179th Day of Israel’s War Against Hamas
By Sherwin Pomerantz
Following the (presumed) Israeli attack on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, Syria on Tuesday, Hezi Simantov, a commentator and correspondent for Arab affairs on Isael’s 'News 13', spoke Tuesday morning with Nissim Mashal and Anat Davidov on Radion 103FM about the assassination of the senior Iranian commander of the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, and the expected consequences.
“According to the reports from Syria and Iran, the Israeli Air Force allegedly attacked a building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, where several senior Iranian officials were located, among them Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who is actually the deputy commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria and Lebanon,” Simantov began.
“A very senior member of the Iranian hierarchy, he (Zahedi) managed the entire operation of smuggling weapons from Syria to Lebanon. He was a very senior person who can be said to have given Israel a lot of headaches in the last twenty years for all his exploits in his involvement in terrorism. This is the most senior Iranian who has been eliminated so far since October 7 on Syrian soil," Simantov said. "This is a severe and painful blow to the Iranian regime, a matter in which the Iranians are more inclined to take revenge against Israel. We have already eliminated several of their senior officials since October 7 on Syrian soil. This is the period when Iran wants to show that it is leading the axis of resistance.”
Simantov believes the Iranians are laying the groundwork to strike at Israeli diplomatic representations worldwide, in the Arab world, Europe, the US or even South America.” Simantov continued, “The assassination attributed to Israel certainly makes the confrontation between Iran and Israel more direct, rather than indirect, as it has been until now in Syria.”
On the matter of Palestinian statehood, the Palestinian Authority intends to press the United Nations to schedule a vote on its admission as a full member of the world body later this month, Ramallah’s permanent U.N. “observer” told Reuters on Monday night. “The intention is to put the application to a vote in the Security Council this month,” Riyad Mansour told the press agency. He added that the Palestinian Authority hopes the U.N. Security Council will make a decision at an April 18 meeting on the Middle East. Mansour claimed Ramallah’s 2011 application for full membership was still pending, because the Security Council never made a formal decision. The P.A. currently holds U.N. observer status.
“Whoever supports recognizing a Palestinian state at such a time not only gives a prize to terror, but also backs unilateral steps which are contradictory to the agreed upon principle of direct negotiations,” stated Gilad Erdan, Israel’s U.N. ambassador. Erdan said that Ramallah did not meet required criteria for statehood in its previous bid for full-fledged U.N. membership and “has only moved further from the goals it should achieve since.”
For the Palestinian Authority to gain full U.N. member state status, at least nine of the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council must approve the application, and then two-thirds of the U.N. General Assembly would have to support it in a vote.
Relating to Gaza, the IDF opened an investigation after seven international aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) organization were killed in an airstrike in the Deir al-Balah area of the Gaza Strip, early Tuesday morning. According to Palestinian reports, the IDF struck a civilian car the aid workers were in on a road near the beach. Airstrikes were also reported by Palestinian media in a separate part of Deir al-Balah at around the same time. IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari spoke with WCK founder Chef Jose Anders on Tuesday, expressing his condolences to the families of the victims and the organization.
Hagari stressed that the IDF is reviewing the incident "at the highest levels" to understand what happened. "We will be opening a probe to examine this serious incident further. This will help us reduce the risk of such an event from occurring again."
"For the last few months, the IDF has been working closely with the World Central Kitchen to assist them in fulfilling their noble mission of helping bring food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza," said Hagari. "WCK also came to help Israelis after the massacre of October 7th; they were one of the first NGOs here. The work of WCK is critical; they are on the frontlines of humanity. We will get to the bottom of this and we will share our findings transparently."
Skirmishes continue on the northern border with Lebanon while the fighting in Gaza continues as well.
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Did Israel get permission to free the Entebbe hostages?
Or for that matter, did Israel get permission to declare independence or bomb Saddam’s reactor? Op-ed.
Rabbi Prof. Dov Fischer
I wish Israel had great political leaders of historic moment. Few countries do. Actually, despite his catalog of prior failings (amid his many successes) — highlighted by October 7 proving what many of us (but not the IDF or its Intelligence) warned for years about merely “mowing the grass” and letting in concrete, steel, and Qatari millions — Binyamin Netanyahu still stands as the best Israel’s got now. That thought is humbling.
Maybe Menachem Begin would be better, but he is not with us now. Nor is Yitzchak Shamir. Neither Bezalel Smotrich nor Itamar Ben-Gvir has a chance in the world at the top spot, although they are tough, and we cannot waste precious time dreaming — although we certainly can vote for their parties. Thank G-d they are in the cabinet, something inconceivable until the past election left Netanyahu with no other choice but to invite them in.
Who else is there? Ehud Barak elicits images of treason and terrible mistakes (he made the IDF smaller and "smarter" and stopped Israeli arms manufacturing saying it could rely on the US). Ehud Olmert brings shame to his name. Yair Lapid, “head of the Opposition,” is so bad that even the opposition after October 7 has abandoned him for Benny Gantz. Lapid's two claims to history: (i) Israel’s shortest serving prime minister, and (ii) handing Israel natural gas resources to Hezbollah. Honorable Mention to Naftali Bennett for putting him there. At times it seems that, if he were not so darned anti-religious and irrascible, Avigdor Liberman would be better than most runner-ups to Bibi.
So, seriously, who is there? Israel cannot even designate a ceremonial president of consequence. Herzog? The right man for the wrong time. All Israeli political roads lead back to incompetent political hacks like Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, and Ehud Olmert’s war-time Defense Minister. Remember that guy? Peretz? A labor union organizer at the cockpit during the disastrous Lebanon war.
Frankly, in a sea of mediocrities and less, Benny Gantz is almost not too much worse than the others. That’s the best that can be said for him: as choices go, there are worse. He had no business recently traveling to America, acting as though he is prime minister, but he acquitted himself reasonably while in the States. Maybe he wanted to disabuse Kamala Harris and Jake Sullivan of the idea that, if they drive out Netanyahu, they then will have a pliable sucker whom they can manage right away. They now know Gantz is not a pliable sucker who can be controlled instantly. He is a pliable sucker who would stand firm for a few days, maybe a week or two, before getting intimidated and suckered into pursuing a Biden-Harris-Blinken-Sullivan course of suicide.
Gantz will not declare a “Palestine” alongside Israel tomorrow, but he would in time. He would freeze building new Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and even would return to closing some down. He would fail to stop illegal Arab construction in Area C, the Galilee, and the Negev. He is, in short, one more Israeli general who transitioned from the battlefield to become a blustering politican who thinks he actually is as great as the soldiers in his unit told him he was.
Alas, military conflict and political war are different. You cannot bulldoze the enemy in negotiations; instead, you need a different kind of courage, strength, and internal fortitude to be able to look the enemy — and erstwhile “friends” — in their eyes and repeatedly say “No.” That takes strength, as a Biden threatens to cut weapons while tens of thousands of traitors assemble in Tel Aviv on a Saturday night to give succor to the enemy by demanding that the government of Israel capitulate and resign.
To look at Biden’s peons and Lapid and Barak and their tens of thousands and to say: “I will not budge until I get a list by name of every hostage alive, and we get a phone call or Zoom to satisfy ourselves they are alive. We will not allow any food or water or medicine until our hostages are returned” - that takes strength. Anyone can say it once or twice, but to stick to his guns? The only politician around today capable of doing that is the one who holds office and is so far behind in many polls that he has no choice but to invent the persona of the courageous leader his followers thought he was. Necessity is the mother of invention.
Israelis have a terribly foolish penchant for electing bombastic generals who lack political greatness to head their civilian governments. Name an Israeli general who, after all his hype, brought the political greatness of a Winston Churchill. Almost Begin, but he cracked after Aliza died. Maybe Shamir, but that 1985 hostage deal? Israeli generals who enter politics are not George Washington or Judah Maccabee.
Ehud Barak may be Judas, but that’s it. Saint Isaac (Rabin) almost destoyed the country with his deals with Arafat after bribing Knesset traitors to vote against the platforms on which they ran. Raful Eitan, a great general, was in way over his head when picking his slate that included traitors. And back to Saint Isaac: Imagine: “Let’s give Yassser Arafat a government of his own, with control over his own television stations, radio stations, newspapers, schools, summer camps, police, and security. Hey, an even better idea: Let’s give him guns and rifles! Yeah, that’ll bring peace. Swell idea. And don’t forget to keep passing along taxes we collect for him so he has the money to remit monthly stipends to the families of his Arabs who murder Jews.” Only an Israeli general could mastermind such a clever peace plan.
Indeed, the entire mess along all three of Israel’s land borders came from three recent bombastic generals whom Israelis foolishly selected to lead them in peacetime: Saint Isaac, Ehud Barak, and Ariel Sharon. Look at each border. Whose bright idea was the “Palestine” Authority? Yitschak Rabin. And whose idea to just walk out of Southern Lebanon without even negotiating concessions, leaving a vacuum for Nasrallah and Hezbollah to fill? Ehud Barak. And which genius drove out 8,500 Jews from Gaza to give Arabs their own polity in the land of Israel, north of Egypt? Ariel Sharon. What came of it?
Such smart and clever generals these be. Maybe they should have spent a year or two learning Talmudic logic in a Kollel.
Israel’s security problems stem from having put faith in G-dless bombastic generals, who rose through the military ranks by virtue of politics and not greatness. Dayan and Saint Isaac were no Patton or MacArthur. Thank G-d Motta Gur defied orders from Moshe Dayan in 1967, by feigning never to have received his boss’s command to stop marching to the Temple Mount. Sorry, I forgot to bring the recharger. My bad.
So history records Rabin's despicable role shooting at the members of Irgun on the Altalena who were bringing desperately needed weapons to defend Jerusalem. The ship and its weapons cargo was sunk, along with heroes like Abrasha Stavsky and almost Menachem Begin. And part of Jerusalem was lost.
Gen. Ehud Barak? “Mister Security”? He even offered Arafat the Temple Mount.
And Gen. Sharon? Truly great and heroic on the battlefront, but the single major reason for 1,200 dead on October 7, women raped, people decapitated, babies put in ovens. More than anyone else, it was Sharon. A shame he did not live to see the fruits of his Disengagement. If he had, he would have died of a stroke.
In time, others also will be called upon to answer.
-How did they allow all that concrete and steel, assuring everyone they were watching closely?
-How did all those tunnels get built when we were told the Mossad was watching every centimeter and had new technology that could detect it all?
-Why were Gazans allowed, for years, to float incendiary balloons onto Israeli farms with impunity?
-Why was Qatar allowed to send in those stacks of cash? Why does Israel continue giving Gazans electricity, food, water, meds, and succor?
-Why did they not get cut off when Hamas would not return Avera Mengistu and the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul?
“But Israel needs allies. Needs America. Cannot go it alone.” Really? Then apply to be America’s 51st state. And better hurry before the Democrats annex Puerto Rico first and then D.C. Or maybe Putin will accept Israel as a Republic in a new Soviet Union?
Israel went it alone when she declared independence. The United Nations did not create Israel any more than she created England. Jews drove out the British. When the U.N. sent Count Folke Bernadotte to impose a U.N. plan that would have left Israel without her own airport in Lod and harbor in Haifa, with Jerusalem internationalized, the Lechi assassinated him. The man who gave the order became prime minister of Israel in the 1980s. When the British hanged Jews in Israel, the Jews grabbed and hanged some British sergeants. The man who gave that order also became prime minister. Neither the U.N. nor the British approved. Lord Moyne was assassinated. The British military headquarters in the King David Hotel was blown up. No one gave permission.
Who gave Ben-Gurion permission to declare a country? Not Truman. Truman had no choice but to vote “yes” at the UN — and then embargoed all weapons to Israel as she fought for her life. Therefore, mostly Jewish and some Irish kids and the Italian mafia combined to run guns to Israel illegally out of Jersey City.
Who gave Begin permission to bomb Saddam’s nuclear reactor? Not Reagan; he condemned it the next day.
Who gave permission to fly into Entebbe and rescue Idi Amin’s hostages? No one.
Who gave Israel permission to grab the five gunboats from France, after DeGaulle reneged on the contact? No one.
No other country needs permission to live. They do what they have to do, and they apologize later: “It is more blessed to ask forgiveness than permission.”
George Washington accepted nothing short of complete surrender. General Cornwallis of England was so ashamed that he sent his Number Two to give up. When Washington was told Cornwallis would not appear himself, he sent his own Number Two to accept the capitulation.
Lincoln could have saved thousands of innocent civilian lives — including the innocent hungry children — if he simply had accepted a “Two State Solution” for peace: the Union and the Confederacy. Instead, he approved Gen. U.S. Grant starving out the foe. Grant imposed a brutal siege on Vicksburg, starving and parching them, until they gave up on July 4, 1863. Lincoln was not ashamed or apologetic; rather, he elevated Grant to command all northern armies. It was said that Grant’s initials — “U.S.” — stood for “Unconditional Surrender.” And he got it. How? He starved and sieged Petersburg. Then he starved and sieged Richmond, while his General William T. Sherman burned down Atlanta.
And what about the innocent civilians, the women, the poor hungry children? Well, what about them? It was war time, existential war to save the country. Apologies later.
Israel should not be sending food and water and meds.
Gazans want food? Release the hostages.
They want water? Release the hostages.
They want meds? Release the hostages.
The United Nations does not matter. Their UNRWA is rife with Hamas terrorists. Obama masterminded and pushed through U.N. Security Council resolution 2334 that declared it illegal for Israel to be at the Western Wall, not to mention the Temple Mount, Rachel’s Tomb, and the Cave of Machpelah. So what? Really: so what? Jack Lew will tell on Israel?
Soon enough, Obama was out, and Trump moved the embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, and declared the Jewish communities of Judea and Samria legal.
And now Biden, Blinken, and their Court Jew, Jack Lew, say it is illegal again? So what? They will pass through the pages of history, as have Obama and Carter. Lew will be back in Manhattan getting a Yeshiva University plaque as Hofjude of the Year. Let him enjoy it while Israel outlives them all and continues populating Judea, Samaria — and Gaza.
Israel has no truly great leader on the horizon right now. But there is a remarkable tradition in Jewish lore that, before any great leader passes, G-d already has set in place just the right person to succeed him and continue the mission. Our Patriarch Yitzchak was ready to succeed Avraham. Yaakov was in place to succeed Yitzchak. Joshua was positioned to succeed Moshe. Elisha to succeed Eliyahu. And so on.
New great leaders are ready to lead when they are called. The nation’s challenge: to know where to look and whom to select.
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Chapter 8 Varanasi, Delhi, and Home
By Melissa Emery
After the bus tour of Kolkata, people began to leave the boat to head home. We spent one more night on the boat. Our favorite guide, Yogi, who had been with us in Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, reappeared that night to take us to Varanasi. This was an optional extension, and only 5 of us were signed up for it, so we were a small but mighty group.
We left the boat at 7 a.m. after a hearty breakfast (as usual). We flew on Indigo Airlines again, from Kolkata to Varanasi. On the way to the airport, we passed a section of Kolkata that we had not seen before – tall, sparkling new office buildings looking downright prosperous. There were old and poor looking homes around them, but at east there was this sign of some progress.
The check-in at the airport was cleverly handled by Yogi. He put all the bags on the scale and then divided by 6, thus avoiding any overweight charges because his only bag was a carry-on. I love a smart solution. The flight was just over an hour. We were near the front of the plane, but I had a middle seat. Guess I can stand that for an hour. Maybe.
It was about an hour’s drive to the hotel. We were staying at a Taj hotel, which was very nice but not quite an Oberoi. Those Oberois have spoiled me. More commentary on them to follow.
Varanasi is an important city for Hindus. It is one of seven sacred cities. It sits on the Ganges, not much farther north than our boat went. (It’s too bad the boat didn’t go there so that the whole group could have seen and experienced what we did.) It is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Buddha gave his first sermon near here in the 6th century B.C. Beginning in 1194, Muslims took over the area and destroyed the Hindu temples, causing many of the Hindu intellectuals to flee.
Turning again to my favorite source, Enclyclopedia Brittanica:
The Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century brought some relief to the city’s religious and cultural activities. There was another setback during the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century, but later the Marathas sponsored a new revival. Varanasi became an independent
kingdom in the 18th century, and under the subsequent British rule it remained a commercial and religious centre. In 1910 the British made Varanasi a new Indian state, with Ramnagar (on the opposite bank) as headquarters but with no jurisdiction over the city of Varanasi.
In 1947, after Indian independence, the Varanasi state became part of the state of Varanasi has the finest river frontage in India, with miles of ghats, or steps, for religious bathing; an array of shrines, temples, and palaces rises tier on tier
from the water’s edge.
As soon as we arrived, I noticed a very posh store in the hotel. Before we had even checked in, I was getting measured for some needed alterations on an outfit I had picked out. This one was not a great bargain, but it is lovely – deep teal tunic and pants with gold embroidery and trim. Now I just need a place to wear it.
We had a little time to rest (or write travelogues) and then left to go to the river for an AARTI. This happens each night at sunset as a way to tell the river to go to sleep. Thousands of people – pilgrims, believers, residents, and tourists – line the bank of the river or watch from boats as nine Hindu priests lead a ceremony. There are prayers and songs, and the priests wave candelabras for all to see. We first had a short walk along the shore, where several cremations were taking place. There were bodies covered in flowers, cows milling around, huge stacks of wood of different types, and lots of people. The families can choose the type of wood to be used based on their budget. One member of our group was told that they put the bodies in the river first and then let them dry out before burning.
We then boarded a sampan-type boat. The upright posts on the boat and the handrails were all decorated with strings of marigolds, and it looked beautiful. The boat was just for the 6 of us, so we had plenty of room to spread out and take photos, which we did in huge quantities. We went out into the midst of the water and rode up and down the river, looking at the temples, shrines, and former palaces of nobility. Every few yards, there was a ghat - a set of stairs - down to the river from the town above. We headed to the ghat at which the ceremony would take place, and, like all traffic in India, we nudged our way closer between boats to get a view. There must have been
200 boats of various sizes, all wedged in side by side. It would have been a challenge for an eel to swim between boats. Our deck, like many others, became a platform which many used to walk from one boat to another.
About 45 minutes after we found this space, the service began. Several VIPs were escorted in to their seats, and then the priests arrived. Each of the nine had a platform on which to stand, and an umbrella of lights over his head. The crowd would have filled Yankee stadium. Those on the shore were packed like sardines on the steps, the tops of buildings, along railings – everywhere you looked.
There was a jumbotron so that all could see the stage, but it didn’t operate during the service. This is supposed to be a solemn and spiritual event, but, with that many people, there was no hope of that. The service lasted about an hour. At the 50 minute mark, the boats behind us began to back out into the river, and we followed them. We were out on the open river remarkably quickly and took another brief ride. During this portion, we each had a small candle on a little biodegradable dish with marigolds that we lit and set into the river.
Once docked, we headed up the hill to find our driver right where he was supposed to be.
All was well. The crowd was dispersing nicely, and the traffic was moving at a good speed, except for us. Our van decided not to go above first gear. The driver tried everything, but no luck. He would rev it up as high as he could in first, and then let the van coast for a while. Everyone around us was beeping and passing us, but there was nothing he could do. About half-way back to the hotel, he pulled off the road. His office had immediately secured another van for us, so we hopped into the new one and headed off at a good clip, very grateful that another car had been possible on such short
notice.
The next morning, we headed out at 5:30 a.m. to catch the sunrise events on the river. We had a little longer walk to get to the river and down a lot of stairs, but the crowd was moving and carried us along. Over here, we have learned that “mind the gap” means find a gap in the traffic and get into it as quickly as possible before someone else fills it. That goes for pedestrians, motorcycles, cars, pull-carts, rickshaws, bicycles, vans, trucks, cows – everyone. We got safely down to the river’s edge before sunrise, so we saw it come up. A priest was blowing a ram’s horn to wake the river up for a new day. There were a lot of priests and Hari Krishnas along the first flight above the beach, and a lot of bathers down in the water. Some boys were having fun, splashing and jumping into the river from platforms, while others were having a bath. The men stripped down to their shorts or undies, but the ladies wore their full sarees (Indian spelling, not a typo) to take a bath. I guess the clothes got a washing, too.
We loaded into our boat and had a lovely cruise down the river to see areas we had not seen last night. It was all fascinating. Then back up to the now repaired van for a little driving tour of Varanasi. We drove all through Banaras Hindu University’s campus, which was extensive and very nice. The buildings were all white with red trim, providing a nice cohesiveness to the campus.
We went back to the hotel for breakfast. Shortly thereafter, 5 of the 6 of us went to a local silk factory. This long-time family business produced gorgeous silks and brocades. We went to the area where the looms are set up. These were not like any looms we had ever seen. Each one was made of wood, and was about six feet wide. The newer ones operated via a cardboard punch card like an old Fortran program card. It would feed into the machine and make the correct strings rise so that the shuttle could be passed beneath them. There were hundreds of strings to work with, and the designs were very complex. The man operating that loom worked it with his bare feet. He had 3 pedals, and they didn’t look easy to press. Another man was just finishing a piece by adding a trim color. This, too, was woven, but
all the same, so no high-tech card was needed.
We were told that, if no card was available for the design, a second man would sit on the other side of the loom and operate the strings. He would know the design by memory. It is unfathomable that any human could learn a pattern so well that he would be able to raise just the right strings, out of hundreds, for each passing of the shuttle. The man showing us around said that they had several weavers who had looms in their homes and would work from there. It is getting increasingly difficult to find people to learn and do this work, so he is worried about the future of the business.
Well, we did our very best to keep them in business! Everything he showed us was exquisite. They had wall hangings in various sizes, scarves, sarees, pillowcases, tunics, and more. All I can say is that I’m glad I left some room in my suitcase when we came on this trip. It is now full.
Photos from Varanasi are at:
https://www.mmemery.com/Varanasi
After a quick shower, we were off to the airport to fly to Delhi. This time, it was Vistara Airlines, and they were a real pain. The check-in guy decided quite arbitrarily that we should only be allowed one carry-on each. That won’t work, buster. I’ve got my camera pack on my back and my laptop in a tidy little carry-on bag. One poor lady in our group had to take all her electronics out of her carry on and check the bag, carrying her connectors and plugs, etc., in a little cloth bag.
I don’t know why, but Yogi worked it out for me to take my two bags on. It did not appear that any other passengers had been
limited to one carry on. We were special.
We were SO special that we had seats all scattered around the very back rows, and 4 of the 5 of us had middle seats. The snack they passed out was lentil dal in a roll and a drink that smelled and tasted like sweat. Horrible.
Anushka, our yoga teacher, had given me some suggestions for things to do and see in Delhi, since Jim and I had 2 days here. Unfortunately, our hotel was in Gurgaon, a brand-new city filled with tech companies. Yogi said it would take an hour to get into Delhi, so we decided to pass on that and just hang out at the hotel.
This place was not a bad spot for hanging out. It is very contemporary, but still had Indian touches in the architecture. It is mostly sand-colored, so it would be very at- home in Phoenix. The huge doors have 3 ft long handles in the shape of a cobra.
The hotel is built with four sides, each facing a central area with a swimming pool on the ground level and then infinity pools on the next level up. I loved it at first sight. There is an Oberoi right next door, so we went over there to have a look and then had dinner there one night.
The two hotels are owned by the same man, and he spared no
expense. The Oberoi is also beautiful and contemporary, but has more steel. I liked ours better. Both hotels, and all those that we stayed in, have countless warm, smiling staff members asking what more they might do for you. There is never a blade of grass out of place, or a smudge on a window. The lobby is, say, at north.
Our room was in the far southeast corner – about a five minute walk. Well, you could do it faster, but I was always stopping to gawk at how beautiful it was. We really did nothing much in these two days but relax, eat too much, and work on photos and the travelogue. For exercise, we walked around the infinity pool in front of the hotel 5 or 6 times a day. Total sloths.
Hotel photos:
https://www.mmemery.com/Trident-Gurgaon-Hotel
We are now at the Newark airport awaiting our flight to Savannah. The flight from Delhi to Newark was 15 ½ hours. We left Delhi at about midnight Tuesday night and arrived here at 5:30 a.m. It will take some time to get over the time-change of 9 ½ hours.
So, a few thoughts about this trip. This was our third trip to India, and we do love the place. The food is always an adventure. Several people in our group came down with “Delhi Belly” but we were fine throughout, and we had a lot of Indian food. (No street food, though.) We never saw a drop of rain, but flowers and grasses looked healthy
and lush. Tourist season ends now and the monsoon season will start soon.
India is a land of striking contrasts: Very rich and very poor. (There is a fast-growing middle class.)
Old and new
Deeply felt ancient roots and blasting into the future
Respectful and pushy The sweet scent of flowers and the scent of, well, lots of other things. Peaceful serenity and chaos Grey slums and brightly-colored fabrics.
Hi tech and ox carts Namaste greetings and beep-beep-get-out-of-my-way traffic.
Hindu and Muslim Dirt floors and marble floors
There is a great sense of optimism and pride in what they are accomplishing now. The country is moving very rapidly forward while maintaining its unique sense of history.
The Ganges, or Ganga as it is called here, is the mother river of India. It is the longest river (1569 miles) in the country, and provides water for much of the agriculture in the country. It starts in the Himalayas to the north and empties into the Bay of Bengal near Kolkata. It is sacred and is felt to provide healing powers to those who bathe in it. Yogi told us that a dip in the Ganga provides blessings. No matter what is floating by, people want to get into the river.
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