Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Winner takes......?
Kadima is reported to have won the most votes in yesterday's election. Yet, as she and Binyamin Netanyahu of Likud claim victory, it is unclear whom will form a government. In Israel's system, the winning party generally forms a coalition. It is unclear how Livni and Kadima will be able to do this. If Kadima cannot assemble a majority of seats in the 120-seat Knesset, Likud will be able to form a coaltion of parties and be in government. Time will tell.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
5.9 Million Jews, 15 million opinions, 25 Politcal Parties
The election season is on in Israel. Unlike the US, this election season is limited to two weeks for television ads . The Likud party seems to hold a lead in the pre-election polls, but other parties are also drawing support. These include, Kadima, led by Tzippi Livni(The Prime Minister), Labor, led by the Defense Minister (Ehud Barak), and Yisrael Beiteinu, led by MK Avigdor Lieberman, an immigrant from the former USSR. Lieberman is seen by some on as an anti-Arab agitator and demagogue; others view him as a forthright leader drawing attention to the need for a basic level of loyalty to the state by all citizens and refusing to take any guff from loud voices who condemn Israel and Israeli policy. There are smaller parties such as Shas (a religious party dominated by Sephardim); Meretz, viewed as a left-leaning civil liberties, peace and progressive party; Yarok Chadash/Meimad, a partnership of environmentalists and religious moderates working for better public education and for tolerance among Jews; there also is the Green Leaf plus Holocaust Survivors party, a combination of a faction pushing to legalize Marijuana and a party seeking to advance the respect, material concerns and honor of the Holocaust survivors in Israel (No I am not making this up).
Among the voters I have spoken with, there is a wide spectrum of opinion: One father in Jerusalem, a Sabra, dislikes Bibi Netanyahu, but thinks Likud will win; he is voting for Labor and Barak. His wife is undecided. Another friend in Modiin, an American oleh, is working hard for Meretz. He admires the people on the party list and beleives in a progressive agenda on peace with the Arabs and on social issues in Israel. His daughter is choosing between Labor and Kadima. Friends in Rehovot, a scientist and a communictions industry engineer are solidly for Kadima, even though they are less than 100% sure about Livni. On orthodontist from Long Island who has been a citizen for 10 years and who recalls enduring missile attacks from Gaza when he lived in Beer Sheva, is solidly for Likud and Bibi. "We do not live in a nice region." He told me. "We have to take a firm line with our enemies. It is all they understand." Also, on economic grounds, he prefers Netanyahu, who had been Finance Minister in a previous government: " I am conservative in my outlook," he exlpained.
I have seen many Likud posters, but I have encountered teenagers passing out literature and campaigning for the New Green/Meimad party. Today in Haifa, Tamar and Binyamin explained that they hold the environment as a very important issue. As young people, they take a long term view. Even thought this party will not deliver a prime minister, they see a chance to influence policy in a significant way as a part of a coalition. Two elderly gentelman talked in the locker room of the local health club in Modiin: "I lean towards Likud, but you cannot trust Bibi. He changes his stripes all the time. He is not trustworthy." "If Barak wins, all will be well," said a taxi driver in Tel Aviv.
According to some reports, over thirty percent of the electorate is undecided. Political ads and parodies appear on television. Coverage in the papers is heavy. Tzipi Livni appeared on a popular talk show on Channel 10 and acquitted herself well, in my view. She represents herself as a strong leader, non-corrupt, with outreach to younger voters and female voters as special constituencies. Livni is outspoken in her criticism of Likud and Netanyahu as being unprepared for the challenges of peacemaking and insensitive to the needs of poorer Israelis. Posters for Ehud Barak seen in Tel Aviv proclaim: "Not sexy--A Leader!" and "Not Trendy--A Leader!" Barak's camp appears to be trying to make his lack of natural charisma as a candidate into a virtue.
Against the backdrop of the politicking are profound challenges for the state, including the challenge from Iran and her clients, the financial crisis shaking the entire world, religious and social internal issues and the needs of many diverse constituencies. Many public service announcements on television, in print and on posters urge citizens to vote. At this point, a great deal is at stake and the outcome is undecided. There is a high degree of engagement in the people I have spoken with and observed over the last ten days. At the same time, some express a weariness with some of the same political personalites, none of whom is especially inspiring to these voters.
Without a doubt, containing and confronting the Iranian threats posed by a nuclear weapons program and proxy terrorist groups on Israel's borders remains the single most important issue, one that is shared by the rest of the region and by the other Western countries, whether or not they recognize it. There are no easy answers. One person who studies stategic and regional issues observes that if and when Iran develops an atomic weapon, it is an open question what they actually intend to do with it. "The Iranians know that they could take out Tel Aviv with one bomb, but they are not really prepared to take ten bombs in response." This sounds like the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction that kept a tense stand-off during the Cold War from erupting into global calamity. Why does this MAD scenario not reassure me? Another friend replies, "The basic value of some value of human life in this world and the fear of destruction inhibited the Soviets. These are Shiites in Iran. To the Shiites, the life of the infidel has no value, and for themselves, to be a shahid is the purpose of life. If giving up life to kill the enemy is the path for which Shiite children are raised, what is stoppin them? On the other hand, if faced with near total destruction, Iran's leaders might think twice."
Personally I do not undertand how the NATO countries, the Gulf States and the USA could have been so tentative in addressing this crisis. For the present, I pray that President Obama's diplomacy can unlock the impasse before it is too late. However, it is hard to see how that would happen. Having visited Yad Vashem on Monday, I am reminded that the unthinkable can happen.
All this electoral politics and nuclear geo-politics is not especially cheerful; but it is of great import. At the same time, a pasage from a reading seen at Yad VaShem affirms the preciousness and meaning of every moment of life, especially in the presence of danger and even death. Let us hold into our love of life, of the daily events, joys, sorrows and pleasures that make our lives meaningful and beautiful. Judaism affirms the preciousness and holiness of life. This is a message that bears repeating every day.
Shabbat Shalom from the Galil.
Among the voters I have spoken with, there is a wide spectrum of opinion: One father in Jerusalem, a Sabra, dislikes Bibi Netanyahu, but thinks Likud will win; he is voting for Labor and Barak. His wife is undecided. Another friend in Modiin, an American oleh, is working hard for Meretz. He admires the people on the party list and beleives in a progressive agenda on peace with the Arabs and on social issues in Israel. His daughter is choosing between Labor and Kadima. Friends in Rehovot, a scientist and a communictions industry engineer are solidly for Kadima, even though they are less than 100% sure about Livni. On orthodontist from Long Island who has been a citizen for 10 years and who recalls enduring missile attacks from Gaza when he lived in Beer Sheva, is solidly for Likud and Bibi. "We do not live in a nice region." He told me. "We have to take a firm line with our enemies. It is all they understand." Also, on economic grounds, he prefers Netanyahu, who had been Finance Minister in a previous government: " I am conservative in my outlook," he exlpained.
I have seen many Likud posters, but I have encountered teenagers passing out literature and campaigning for the New Green/Meimad party. Today in Haifa, Tamar and Binyamin explained that they hold the environment as a very important issue. As young people, they take a long term view. Even thought this party will not deliver a prime minister, they see a chance to influence policy in a significant way as a part of a coalition. Two elderly gentelman talked in the locker room of the local health club in Modiin: "I lean towards Likud, but you cannot trust Bibi. He changes his stripes all the time. He is not trustworthy." "If Barak wins, all will be well," said a taxi driver in Tel Aviv.
According to some reports, over thirty percent of the electorate is undecided. Political ads and parodies appear on television. Coverage in the papers is heavy. Tzipi Livni appeared on a popular talk show on Channel 10 and acquitted herself well, in my view. She represents herself as a strong leader, non-corrupt, with outreach to younger voters and female voters as special constituencies. Livni is outspoken in her criticism of Likud and Netanyahu as being unprepared for the challenges of peacemaking and insensitive to the needs of poorer Israelis. Posters for Ehud Barak seen in Tel Aviv proclaim: "Not sexy--A Leader!" and "Not Trendy--A Leader!" Barak's camp appears to be trying to make his lack of natural charisma as a candidate into a virtue.
Against the backdrop of the politicking are profound challenges for the state, including the challenge from Iran and her clients, the financial crisis shaking the entire world, religious and social internal issues and the needs of many diverse constituencies. Many public service announcements on television, in print and on posters urge citizens to vote. At this point, a great deal is at stake and the outcome is undecided. There is a high degree of engagement in the people I have spoken with and observed over the last ten days. At the same time, some express a weariness with some of the same political personalites, none of whom is especially inspiring to these voters.
Without a doubt, containing and confronting the Iranian threats posed by a nuclear weapons program and proxy terrorist groups on Israel's borders remains the single most important issue, one that is shared by the rest of the region and by the other Western countries, whether or not they recognize it. There are no easy answers. One person who studies stategic and regional issues observes that if and when Iran develops an atomic weapon, it is an open question what they actually intend to do with it. "The Iranians know that they could take out Tel Aviv with one bomb, but they are not really prepared to take ten bombs in response." This sounds like the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction that kept a tense stand-off during the Cold War from erupting into global calamity. Why does this MAD scenario not reassure me? Another friend replies, "The basic value of some value of human life in this world and the fear of destruction inhibited the Soviets. These are Shiites in Iran. To the Shiites, the life of the infidel has no value, and for themselves, to be a shahid is the purpose of life. If giving up life to kill the enemy is the path for which Shiite children are raised, what is stoppin them? On the other hand, if faced with near total destruction, Iran's leaders might think twice."
Personally I do not undertand how the NATO countries, the Gulf States and the USA could have been so tentative in addressing this crisis. For the present, I pray that President Obama's diplomacy can unlock the impasse before it is too late. However, it is hard to see how that would happen. Having visited Yad Vashem on Monday, I am reminded that the unthinkable can happen.
All this electoral politics and nuclear geo-politics is not especially cheerful; but it is of great import. At the same time, a pasage from a reading seen at Yad VaShem affirms the preciousness and meaning of every moment of life, especially in the presence of danger and even death. Let us hold into our love of life, of the daily events, joys, sorrows and pleasures that make our lives meaningful and beautiful. Judaism affirms the preciousness and holiness of life. This is a message that bears repeating every day.
Shabbat Shalom from the Galil.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Strength from Sorrow
On Monday, I visited Yad VaShem. Althought I have been there before, this was a different visit. Past visits have been with groups when there were responsibilities to look after other people and to follow a set schedule. This was a personal visit on a rainy winter day, coming on foot and leaving on foot, with time to meander, reflect and look at special exhibits. The new section is powerful in presentation and in its very architecture. One zig-zags through the main building, following the trajectory of European Jewry's destruction, and its defiance, sprititual and material resistance to evil and in the case of some, survival. The main building ends with concrete walls peeling away to the left and right revealing the sky above the city of Jerusalem. Apporaching this point my gaze and prayers went skyward toward the souls of those who perished.
Three new sections presented themselves: The Shoah in Cinema; Art and Children in the Shoah; and Survivors in Israel. The first is a media library showing films on the Shoah. I paged through many movie posters for various films from many nations. After reading last month a few snide comments from reviewers in the Times and New York Magazine about "yet another Holocaust film"--as if the topic could ever be adequately addressed--I was struck by the number of fine works that contribute to the struggle to incorporate and address the Shoah through cultural expression. Creativity is one counterpoint to evil. The Art and Children section offers a captivating and heartbreaking glimpse into the creative expression by and for Jewish children during the Shoah (Hebrew term for Holocaust). A series of slides projected on the wall portrayed riveting images of illustrations a Jewish father named Carol Deutsch created for his daugher Ingrid's Bible, as a birthday gift. Carol did not survive the war, he was murdered by the Nazis. But his daughter lived and recovered the Bible from Christian neighbors after liberation. The section on Survivors in Israel chronicles the postive choices and contributions Holocaust Survivors have made and are still making for the State of Israel and Israeli Society. This colorful display detailed the biographies of top acheivers in the arts, in graphic design, writing, film, sport, industry, science, politics and other aspects of Israeli life. From Leah Gottlieb, the founder of Gottex swimwear and fashion house, to the Ephraim Kishon, columnist and writer who created one of the best-ever Israeli movies, Salach Shabbati, the survivors indelibly shaped the newborn state and society in many ways. Israel would not be the Israel we know without them. It was encouraging to see that Yad Vashem is seeking to acknowledge these contributions and to change the image and understanding of this population. The resilience, creativity and accomplishment of this group of human beings is staggering when one contemplates what they experienced.
Trips to Poland are now becoming a regular part of the high school experience for many Israeli teens. Two young Israelis, one 21 and one 17, each mentioned their Poland trips as deeply moving experiences that changed them and left a lasting influence on their identity. Shira, shared an art project she made in her Senior year of high school which expressed her emotions and thoughts upon returing from this trip. A set of tefillin with headstones for batim and barbed wire for straps, a menorah of yizkor candles, stones and a central flame from beneath a clay dome, mezuzot fashioned from gas canisters and a havdalah box in the shape of a wooden camp guard tower make a powerful art installation. Apparently, Shira had to push against some censorship at school before her project was allowed to be presented. She explains that she was expressing the yearning for G-d in a time of great trouble and disaster, a maintaining of Jewish identity at a time of the worst imaginable suffering. Shira recounts stories she learned on the trip of some Jews who uttered Shema Yisrael before being shot by the SS. As a teen, she needed to reconcile her own yearning for connection with the Divine presence and her feelings of pain and loss. Such depth strength and insight from a young person gives hope for the future.
Signing the guest book for Yad Vashem, one sees entries from all over the world: from Cincinatti, Ohio, from India, and one comment written in Chinese pictographs. Many Israel soldiers were ther Monday, along with groups speaking Spanish, Russian, English and Hebrew. On the way back, there is a steep path that links Yad Vashem with Mount Herzl cemetery. A short climb leads to the circle of tombs for Israel's leaders. As dusk approached, there was time to place a stone on Golda Meir's grave and Yitzchak Rabin, and to pay respects to Theodore Herzl. The visionary who imagined it all. What would these leaders think today, as elections loom?
Three new sections presented themselves: The Shoah in Cinema; Art and Children in the Shoah; and Survivors in Israel. The first is a media library showing films on the Shoah. I paged through many movie posters for various films from many nations. After reading last month a few snide comments from reviewers in the Times and New York Magazine about "yet another Holocaust film"--as if the topic could ever be adequately addressed--I was struck by the number of fine works that contribute to the struggle to incorporate and address the Shoah through cultural expression. Creativity is one counterpoint to evil. The Art and Children section offers a captivating and heartbreaking glimpse into the creative expression by and for Jewish children during the Shoah (Hebrew term for Holocaust). A series of slides projected on the wall portrayed riveting images of illustrations a Jewish father named Carol Deutsch created for his daugher Ingrid's Bible, as a birthday gift. Carol did not survive the war, he was murdered by the Nazis. But his daughter lived and recovered the Bible from Christian neighbors after liberation. The section on Survivors in Israel chronicles the postive choices and contributions Holocaust Survivors have made and are still making for the State of Israel and Israeli Society. This colorful display detailed the biographies of top acheivers in the arts, in graphic design, writing, film, sport, industry, science, politics and other aspects of Israeli life. From Leah Gottlieb, the founder of Gottex swimwear and fashion house, to the Ephraim Kishon, columnist and writer who created one of the best-ever Israeli movies, Salach Shabbati, the survivors indelibly shaped the newborn state and society in many ways. Israel would not be the Israel we know without them. It was encouraging to see that Yad Vashem is seeking to acknowledge these contributions and to change the image and understanding of this population. The resilience, creativity and accomplishment of this group of human beings is staggering when one contemplates what they experienced.
Trips to Poland are now becoming a regular part of the high school experience for many Israeli teens. Two young Israelis, one 21 and one 17, each mentioned their Poland trips as deeply moving experiences that changed them and left a lasting influence on their identity. Shira, shared an art project she made in her Senior year of high school which expressed her emotions and thoughts upon returing from this trip. A set of tefillin with headstones for batim and barbed wire for straps, a menorah of yizkor candles, stones and a central flame from beneath a clay dome, mezuzot fashioned from gas canisters and a havdalah box in the shape of a wooden camp guard tower make a powerful art installation. Apparently, Shira had to push against some censorship at school before her project was allowed to be presented. She explains that she was expressing the yearning for G-d in a time of great trouble and disaster, a maintaining of Jewish identity at a time of the worst imaginable suffering. Shira recounts stories she learned on the trip of some Jews who uttered Shema Yisrael before being shot by the SS. As a teen, she needed to reconcile her own yearning for connection with the Divine presence and her feelings of pain and loss. Such depth strength and insight from a young person gives hope for the future.
Signing the guest book for Yad Vashem, one sees entries from all over the world: from Cincinatti, Ohio, from India, and one comment written in Chinese pictographs. Many Israel soldiers were ther Monday, along with groups speaking Spanish, Russian, English and Hebrew. On the way back, there is a steep path that links Yad Vashem with Mount Herzl cemetery. A short climb leads to the circle of tombs for Israel's leaders. As dusk approached, there was time to place a stone on Golda Meir's grave and Yitzchak Rabin, and to pay respects to Theodore Herzl. The visionary who imagined it all. What would these leaders think today, as elections loom?
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Rachel's Children Have Come Home
Thursday night is a festive gathering with Emanuel young people at Ima restaurant on Agrippas street. Julia Rosenberg, Erik Schulwolf and Shayna Rudolph joined in for a very enjoyable evening. Julia and Erik are here for a six month stay with the Rothberg School of the Hebrew University. This program allows students to study at Hebrew University, take and Ulpan for Hebrew language and have various experiences in Israel as part of their undergraduate university curriculum. Erik is here from Amherst College and Julia from Cornell. Each of them related positive personal impressions of their first two weeks, in particular the lively nature of the Hebrew classes and the opportunity to meet and get to know Israeli students. The overseas students are in dorms mixed in with Israeli students.
Shayna Rudolph is an Olah Chadashah, a new Israeli Citizen. Shayna has been here one and one-half years. She speaks with candor of the challenges of being a new immigrant. She also reflects with pride on the accomplishments that have come with the challenges. Shayna values being a contributing member of society. She has a solid job in the tech industry, shares an apartment with other olim in a nice area of Southern Jerusalem, and participates in neighborhood activities, including tefillah at a local synagogue. Many of the alumni from her Ulpan Etzion group stay in touch with each other and celebrate birthdays, weddings and other passages together. Becoming an Israeli is a work-in-process, and Shayna does not shrink from that work. The pioneer Zionist settlers beleived that work builds the character. They intended work in the fields, but the same principle holds in an urban setting. Theodore Herzl envisioned this as well. An American woman coming to Jerusalem to live and work is another fulfillement of Herzl's dream.
Julia, Erik and Shayna, each in their own way, have made postive Jewish choices that are encriching their lives and shaping their characters in lasting ways. Israel is like no other place for cultivating the existential growth of Jewish people. I am an Echad HaAm Zionist, in the sense that I beleive there is an important contribution to Jewish life culture and destiny to be made by Jews who live in "Chutz la-Aretz." Yet there is a quality to the existence here that is unique, stimulating and uplifting. For all the challenges and troubles, the beauty, excitement and deeply meaningful context of life in Israel are unparalleled. Only six days into this visit, I feel the heartbeat of my own soul coming to life.
Friday, Gabrielle and I took a trip to the open-air market of Machaneh Yehudah. The clamor, color, variety and energy of the crowds is intoxicating. For Shabbat we went to the Guest House at historic Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. Ramat Rachel sits on the far Southern edge of Jerusalem, a high outpost overlooking the Judean desert to the East and the town of Bethlehem to the South. The kibbutz was built and destroyed three times from 1926 to the 1970's. Today it is a prosperous settlement that thrives on its organic cherry orchard, Guest House hotel, real estate sales and other enterprises. Facing the entrance to the Guest House is a sculpture, carved in 1945 of Rachel bringing her children Home. This Rachel is strong and resolute, along the lines of the French Liberte, yet maternal. A boy and girl cling to her legs, the girl holding a dove and the boy gripping a sheaf of grain. Over Shabbat, Gabi and I met two groups of young people coming on Aliyah. One group was from all over France and Belgium. The other group comprised six different youth movements from Australia. These young people radiated vitallity, freshness and inspiration. We came for a quiet Shabbat in a beautiful spot; we witnessed the story of our people unfolding, in sight of the tomb of our mother, Rachel. Rest well Rachel, your children have come home.
Friday, January 30, 2009
We Are Not Strangers; Gedera and the Kotel
Wednesday public transit offered a quick ride down to the town of Gedera to visit cousin Dov and Shirley. Dov comes for a rendezvous at BILU junction. Even a simple highway interchange brings history to life. A passenger on the bus explains that BILU stands for "Beit Yaacov Lechu v'Nelcha"; "House of Jacob, go forth!", the slogan of one of the first pioneer organizations to bring Jews to resettle and farm the land in the 1800's and early 1900's. Only in Israel does one expect a lesson in Jewish history from a complete stranger; and yet we are not strangers, we are all kin. That is one of the purposes of this place.
Dov and Shirley are a wonderful couple. They personify the story of Israel. Dov and Shirley came on Aliyah at the beginning of the State; Dov from Hungary and Shirley from England. Their lives together span the rise of this country. They raised three sons and now have ten grandchildren. One son is in the Foreign Service, one is an engineer for Israel Aircraft industries and one is a telecommunications exeutive and computer expert. One daugher-in-law is a internet researcher, one is an artist and one is an officer in the Police. They live in a modest but beautiful home in the small town of Gedera, North of Ashkelon, South of Tel Aviv, and now in range of Grad missiles. Their home is bounded by trees and gardens. But the dry winter has left the gardens parched. We talk and catch up on news of our families, the "situation" and swap stories and anecdotes. They share a hearty and acerbic sense of humor that is a pleasure. Their hospitality and affection is open and deeply sincere. There is not a shred of put-on about them.
It is warm, clear and sunny in Israel and cool in the evenings. Today was a great day for a walk to the Kotel for prayers and to place some notes from a person in Connecticut in the cracks in the Wall. There was time for prayers for family, self and prayers for healing for all those in the Emanuel Family who are ill. A pleasant young bearded man named Shmulie at the Chabad Tefillin booth called out to passers by to put on tefillin. He offered a tallit and tefillin and siddur and upon hearing the words, Hartford, Connecticut he sent regards to Rabbi Shaye Goppen, whom he new from student days. Before leaving, he offered some conversation and reflection on his life in outreach.
Later I returned to the Kotel plaza with Gabrielle. We witnessed the swearing in of a unit of newly trained IDF soldiers at the completion of basic trainng. "Rookies," as a more experienced soldier who looked barely older than twenty said as he swaggered by with his buddies. These new soldiers are boys and girls my daughter's age. I felt a surge of pride and a tinge of sadness as these young people stood to share their role in defense of our people and their nation. The parents of the soldiers being sworn in were standing along the railing, along with siblings and grandparents. Each soldier in turn marched forward, recieved a gun then a tanakh (bible) and exchanged salutes with an officer. The recruits stood in ranks with the Israeli flag in the middle and the Western Wall, Kotel, in the background. A speaker reminded the troops that this is TuBishvat season, a day rooted in the land of Israel. This is a fitting time, he said, for them to affirm their own roots in the land of Israel and devote themselves to the defence and building up of the Jewish People in this land. Hatikvah played, the soldiers at attention. Next to us, the parents of one soldier hugged. The mother sang the anthem and patted the hair of her young daughter standing in front of her, watching the older brother begin his official army service. It appeared a moment filled with pride and sadness. As the swearing in ceremony ended, the son approached the family and recieved their embrace. The mother cried with what looked to be a mix of happiness, sadness and concern. At that very moment I felt I was witnessing the end of his childhood and the beginning of an adult life. In those steps from the parade ground to the family, he made that passage. An announcer thanked the families of the soldiers and reminded them that they could obtain a DVD of the ceremony near the exit to the Kotel plaza.
Ancient temple walls and DVD's, M-16's and Hebrew Bibles; up in the Jewish Quarter, young men and women sit on benches in the public square, tapping into laptop computers next to a stone olive press from the Second Temple Period. Yes, the Old City has wi-fi! Across the square, a massive stone-faced synagogue building rises. It is being built in the spot of the Hurveh Synagogue that was demolished by Jordanian artillery in 1948.
Later, we had dinner with a few North American students on programs in Israel before starting college. Dinner was at an old villa just off of Yafo Street called Beit Ticho. The villa was purchased from a wealthy Arab by a Doctor Ticho and his wife. The doctor made the lower floor a community medical clinic for all to use, and his wife made the upper floors their quarters and her painting studio. The veranda and gardens were a salon of sorts for intellectuals, political leaders and local personalities to gather for over forty years. Now the house is operated by the Israel Museum as a gallery and restaurant. We sat for several hours on the terrace under the trees and stars. The mild night allowed a brisk walk back to Baka.
One of the American teens I spoke with commented on the degree of responsibility and service Israeli teens experience, especially in comparison with most North American teens. Yet, as the soldiers took their guns, she felt a twinge of sadness as she regarded the reality of violence in this world. I dream of a world in which the The Jewish people can live in peace with all people around us. The swearing-in ceremony included the prayers, "Lo Yisa Goy el-Goy Herev, Lo Yilmedu Od michamah" "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation/nor shall they learn war any more." This verse from the prophets was joined by "Oseh Shalom," the prayer for peace. I wonder if any other military includes these prayers in their inductions?
The Jerusalem Post reports signs of trouble and hope. The IDF prepares to retaliate for the killing of a border patrol soldier by Hamas;paper the Vatican revoked the excommunication of a prominent Catholic Churchman and Holocaust denier; The U.S. will be "reaching out" to Iran and Syria; George Mitchell, US Middle East Peace envoy is in the region; Denmark has signed an agreement with an Israeli company to establish a network of electric cars and rechargers; a rebuilding New Orleans finds a new emphasis on solar energy, hybrid city buses, organic community gardens and bicycle paths; special assistance for homeowners to insulate their homes. (Could Hartford be next?).
Dov and Shirley are a wonderful couple. They personify the story of Israel. Dov and Shirley came on Aliyah at the beginning of the State; Dov from Hungary and Shirley from England. Their lives together span the rise of this country. They raised three sons and now have ten grandchildren. One son is in the Foreign Service, one is an engineer for Israel Aircraft industries and one is a telecommunications exeutive and computer expert. One daugher-in-law is a internet researcher, one is an artist and one is an officer in the Police. They live in a modest but beautiful home in the small town of Gedera, North of Ashkelon, South of Tel Aviv, and now in range of Grad missiles. Their home is bounded by trees and gardens. But the dry winter has left the gardens parched. We talk and catch up on news of our families, the "situation" and swap stories and anecdotes. They share a hearty and acerbic sense of humor that is a pleasure. Their hospitality and affection is open and deeply sincere. There is not a shred of put-on about them.
It is warm, clear and sunny in Israel and cool in the evenings. Today was a great day for a walk to the Kotel for prayers and to place some notes from a person in Connecticut in the cracks in the Wall. There was time for prayers for family, self and prayers for healing for all those in the Emanuel Family who are ill. A pleasant young bearded man named Shmulie at the Chabad Tefillin booth called out to passers by to put on tefillin. He offered a tallit and tefillin and siddur and upon hearing the words, Hartford, Connecticut he sent regards to Rabbi Shaye Goppen, whom he new from student days. Before leaving, he offered some conversation and reflection on his life in outreach.
Later I returned to the Kotel plaza with Gabrielle. We witnessed the swearing in of a unit of newly trained IDF soldiers at the completion of basic trainng. "Rookies," as a more experienced soldier who looked barely older than twenty said as he swaggered by with his buddies. These new soldiers are boys and girls my daughter's age. I felt a surge of pride and a tinge of sadness as these young people stood to share their role in defense of our people and their nation. The parents of the soldiers being sworn in were standing along the railing, along with siblings and grandparents. Each soldier in turn marched forward, recieved a gun then a tanakh (bible) and exchanged salutes with an officer. The recruits stood in ranks with the Israeli flag in the middle and the Western Wall, Kotel, in the background. A speaker reminded the troops that this is TuBishvat season, a day rooted in the land of Israel. This is a fitting time, he said, for them to affirm their own roots in the land of Israel and devote themselves to the defence and building up of the Jewish People in this land. Hatikvah played, the soldiers at attention. Next to us, the parents of one soldier hugged. The mother sang the anthem and patted the hair of her young daughter standing in front of her, watching the older brother begin his official army service. It appeared a moment filled with pride and sadness. As the swearing in ceremony ended, the son approached the family and recieved their embrace. The mother cried with what looked to be a mix of happiness, sadness and concern. At that very moment I felt I was witnessing the end of his childhood and the beginning of an adult life. In those steps from the parade ground to the family, he made that passage. An announcer thanked the families of the soldiers and reminded them that they could obtain a DVD of the ceremony near the exit to the Kotel plaza.
Ancient temple walls and DVD's, M-16's and Hebrew Bibles; up in the Jewish Quarter, young men and women sit on benches in the public square, tapping into laptop computers next to a stone olive press from the Second Temple Period. Yes, the Old City has wi-fi! Across the square, a massive stone-faced synagogue building rises. It is being built in the spot of the Hurveh Synagogue that was demolished by Jordanian artillery in 1948.
Later, we had dinner with a few North American students on programs in Israel before starting college. Dinner was at an old villa just off of Yafo Street called Beit Ticho. The villa was purchased from a wealthy Arab by a Doctor Ticho and his wife. The doctor made the lower floor a community medical clinic for all to use, and his wife made the upper floors their quarters and her painting studio. The veranda and gardens were a salon of sorts for intellectuals, political leaders and local personalities to gather for over forty years. Now the house is operated by the Israel Museum as a gallery and restaurant. We sat for several hours on the terrace under the trees and stars. The mild night allowed a brisk walk back to Baka.
One of the American teens I spoke with commented on the degree of responsibility and service Israeli teens experience, especially in comparison with most North American teens. Yet, as the soldiers took their guns, she felt a twinge of sadness as she regarded the reality of violence in this world. I dream of a world in which the The Jewish people can live in peace with all people around us. The swearing-in ceremony included the prayers, "Lo Yisa Goy el-Goy Herev, Lo Yilmedu Od michamah" "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation/nor shall they learn war any more." This verse from the prophets was joined by "Oseh Shalom," the prayer for peace. I wonder if any other military includes these prayers in their inductions?
The Jerusalem Post reports signs of trouble and hope. The IDF prepares to retaliate for the killing of a border patrol soldier by Hamas;paper the Vatican revoked the excommunication of a prominent Catholic Churchman and Holocaust denier; The U.S. will be "reaching out" to Iran and Syria; George Mitchell, US Middle East Peace envoy is in the region; Denmark has signed an agreement with an Israeli company to establish a network of electric cars and rechargers; a rebuilding New Orleans finds a new emphasis on solar energy, hybrid city buses, organic community gardens and bicycle paths; special assistance for homeowners to insulate their homes. (Could Hartford be next?).
Monday, January 26, 2009
Israel--When Worlds Collide
Jerusalem, Israel, Tuesday Morning, 12:23 a.m. Holy City Time
Viewed through the El Al jet's window, ocean waves wash up on the shore; green fields glitter off to the right as the aircraft swoops down. The heart quickens. Worlds collide. After landing, modern moving walkways guide travellers down wide, stately ramps cutting-edge in design
and construction. Yet the flow of people on the ramps, and the stone facing on the walls creates echoes of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem at pilgrimage season. Shining glass and rough-hewn pink\gold Jerusalem limestone; ancient and modern; rock and green plants, cool morning air and warm sun, blue sky, and smoke, they are all present here in Israel, in a heady mix and contrast. Nothing is half way. On the surface, so much seems in conflict, but from another perspective, perhaps a dynamic harmony exists?
Someone once said that Israel is the newest of places and the oldest of places.
On the shared taxi-van ride from Ben Gurion International Airport to Jerusalem, the contrasts keep coming. Skirting traffic jams on Highway 1, our driver takes the Northern route, highway 443, heading upwards and Eastward, past seemingly ageless Arab towns and villiages on the left, and the spanking-new Israeli boom-town of Modi'in on the right. Minarets rise to the left, construction cranes to the right. Steel power grid towers jut skyward, anchored in terraced olive groves cut into the hillside two thousand years ago.
Israel contains many worlds at one time.
As we near the checkpoint just past the Tomb of Samuel the Prophet, we are within Jerusalem City Limits. Two passengers in the van, a young husband and wife, ask to be dropped off on Yishayahu Street, (Isaiah Street). The next passenger, a young soldier toting his M-16, requests the Ministry of the Interior in the city center. Climbing the ridge Eastward towards the morning sun's glare, the van turns right. We enter the city by the Ramot Road. For much of the trip, the security fence was on our left. Mostly wire fence and patrol roads, this fence is one reason that Route 443 is safe and passable. Seven years ago, during the Second Intifada, Palestinian rocks and gunfire drove Jewish traffic away from this road. Today, no one even blinks. Drivers main concern is the heavy traffic.
Coming from the North, we pass through ultra-religious neighborhoods of Sanhedria and Meah Shearim. The streets are clogged with cars and trucks, and the sidewalks teem with men, women and children, most of them striding, purposeful in the brisk morning air. Book stores, yeshivas and synagogues adorn the streets between apartment buildings, food and appliance stores. The hum of modern commerce meets piety. On a balcony, three teenage girls hold small books and sway in prayers. One stops, looks down and smiles and waves to someone passing by. A women dressed in long skirt, overcoat and headscarf nods her head silently, ipod earbuds in her ears. What is she hearing? A Hebrew billboard touts the latest edition of Talmud Tractate Bava Batra. And English flyer offers weekly trips to Hebron and Rachel's Tomb. Another poster promotes "Heimishe Tours."
Moving into the city, the van weaves through 19th-century buildings with a European look to them. Remnants of colonial outposts, the Russian compound buildings now are woven into the government infrastucture. Above these mildly exotic relics of an earlier age, modern business towers cut the sky. Cranes are working, even in this recession. Earth is moved, concrete is poured, steel is laid. In Mamilla, just West of the Old City walls: "On this site, The Palace--of the Waldorf Astoria Collection, completion in 2010." Another massive luxury hotel and residential complex on the way. It will join "King David's Crown," "The David Citadel Hotel" and the "Mamilla Project." Since the days of David, Solomon, Herod the Great, and Suleiman the Magnificent, successive builders and developers have vied to leave their mark on this city. Successive generations seek to bring the City of Gold "up to date." I squirm in the presence of these sleek retail/residential complexes, stores that seem more at home on Rodeo Drive than on King David Street: TommyHilfinger, The North Face, up-scale jewelers and Havana Cigars. The inexorable drive of commerce intrudes upon more romantic notions of a timeless city. (And yet, Jerusalem has served as a commercial and retail hub since the days of the Jebusites. And why do one-hundred-year old residential/commercial buildings seem more authentic than those built today? Still, something seems off about the luxury mall just below the Old City walls. This contrast holds no charm. It feels like mixing milchigs and fleishigs.
Alighting in the Southern neighborhood of Baka, details emerge, signs of change: a bistro here, a tony botique that had not been there three years ago, more, newer automobiles. Baka consists of many pre-1948 buildings in Arab style, some renovated, with new construction filling in between them. The hotel is one of these renovated homes. An air of youth and hipness is apparent in the neighborhood's inhabitants and in the stores, coffee bars and patisseries they frequent. Young students stride past homes for the elderly, luxury dwellings rise next to empty lots (though there are fewer and fewer of these). The contrasts abound, and here they feel right.
A brisk walk back into town, past City Hall and the Old City walls leads to Lifeline for the Elderly to deliver tzedakah funds and schmooze with Nava Ein Mor, the Director. Lifeline provides dignified work, hot meals, community and a bus pass to over three hundred elderly men and women in Jerusalem. The workers rebind books, make cartons, and create handmade Judaica gift items of great beauty. Nava, a kind and dynamic person wonders aloud how to reach American synagogue gift shops to form alliances and increase sales. She muses about the prospect of budget cuts in an uncertain economy. If her aged workers are laid off, they never come back. And this work literally helps keep them alive and getting out of bed each morning. Some of the regulars are now in their ninteties.
Evening brings Dinner at a kosher Turkish restaurant with our eldest daughter and a loud, exciting basketball game between HaPoel Yerushalayim and Migdal. The local basketball fans pound drums, ululate, wave red-and-white banners, sing and shout. During timeouts, teenage cheerleader/dancers sashay through their routines. The man in the seat next to me has one empty sleeve in his sweater. I wonder how he lost his arm. HaPoel Yerushalayim wins handily. The din fills the hall. We head for the exits and a busride through the Talpiyot Industrial District back to Baka. Through the bus windows, the lights of the Mount Gilo neighborhood gleam in the background. Bethlehem lies just beyond the crest.
Dizzy with the contrasts, the motion and emotions of the day, I close this first entry. Please feel free to share your thoughts. Shalom from Yerushalayim.--David J. Small
Viewed through the El Al jet's window, ocean waves wash up on the shore; green fields glitter off to the right as the aircraft swoops down. The heart quickens. Worlds collide. After landing, modern moving walkways guide travellers down wide, stately ramps cutting-edge in design
and construction. Yet the flow of people on the ramps, and the stone facing on the walls creates echoes of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem at pilgrimage season. Shining glass and rough-hewn pink\gold Jerusalem limestone; ancient and modern; rock and green plants, cool morning air and warm sun, blue sky, and smoke, they are all present here in Israel, in a heady mix and contrast. Nothing is half way. On the surface, so much seems in conflict, but from another perspective, perhaps a dynamic harmony exists?
Someone once said that Israel is the newest of places and the oldest of places.
On the shared taxi-van ride from Ben Gurion International Airport to Jerusalem, the contrasts keep coming. Skirting traffic jams on Highway 1, our driver takes the Northern route, highway 443, heading upwards and Eastward, past seemingly ageless Arab towns and villiages on the left, and the spanking-new Israeli boom-town of Modi'in on the right. Minarets rise to the left, construction cranes to the right. Steel power grid towers jut skyward, anchored in terraced olive groves cut into the hillside two thousand years ago.
Israel contains many worlds at one time.
As we near the checkpoint just past the Tomb of Samuel the Prophet, we are within Jerusalem City Limits. Two passengers in the van, a young husband and wife, ask to be dropped off on Yishayahu Street, (Isaiah Street). The next passenger, a young soldier toting his M-16, requests the Ministry of the Interior in the city center. Climbing the ridge Eastward towards the morning sun's glare, the van turns right. We enter the city by the Ramot Road. For much of the trip, the security fence was on our left. Mostly wire fence and patrol roads, this fence is one reason that Route 443 is safe and passable. Seven years ago, during the Second Intifada, Palestinian rocks and gunfire drove Jewish traffic away from this road. Today, no one even blinks. Drivers main concern is the heavy traffic.
Coming from the North, we pass through ultra-religious neighborhoods of Sanhedria and Meah Shearim. The streets are clogged with cars and trucks, and the sidewalks teem with men, women and children, most of them striding, purposeful in the brisk morning air. Book stores, yeshivas and synagogues adorn the streets between apartment buildings, food and appliance stores. The hum of modern commerce meets piety. On a balcony, three teenage girls hold small books and sway in prayers. One stops, looks down and smiles and waves to someone passing by. A women dressed in long skirt, overcoat and headscarf nods her head silently, ipod earbuds in her ears. What is she hearing? A Hebrew billboard touts the latest edition of Talmud Tractate Bava Batra. And English flyer offers weekly trips to Hebron and Rachel's Tomb. Another poster promotes "Heimishe Tours."
Moving into the city, the van weaves through 19th-century buildings with a European look to them. Remnants of colonial outposts, the Russian compound buildings now are woven into the government infrastucture. Above these mildly exotic relics of an earlier age, modern business towers cut the sky. Cranes are working, even in this recession. Earth is moved, concrete is poured, steel is laid. In Mamilla, just West of the Old City walls: "On this site, The Palace--of the Waldorf Astoria Collection, completion in 2010." Another massive luxury hotel and residential complex on the way. It will join "King David's Crown," "The David Citadel Hotel" and the "Mamilla Project." Since the days of David, Solomon, Herod the Great, and Suleiman the Magnificent, successive builders and developers have vied to leave their mark on this city. Successive generations seek to bring the City of Gold "up to date." I squirm in the presence of these sleek retail/residential complexes, stores that seem more at home on Rodeo Drive than on King David Street: TommyHilfinger, The North Face, up-scale jewelers and Havana Cigars. The inexorable drive of commerce intrudes upon more romantic notions of a timeless city. (And yet, Jerusalem has served as a commercial and retail hub since the days of the Jebusites. And why do one-hundred-year old residential/commercial buildings seem more authentic than those built today? Still, something seems off about the luxury mall just below the Old City walls. This contrast holds no charm. It feels like mixing milchigs and fleishigs.
Alighting in the Southern neighborhood of Baka, details emerge, signs of change: a bistro here, a tony botique that had not been there three years ago, more, newer automobiles. Baka consists of many pre-1948 buildings in Arab style, some renovated, with new construction filling in between them. The hotel is one of these renovated homes. An air of youth and hipness is apparent in the neighborhood's inhabitants and in the stores, coffee bars and patisseries they frequent. Young students stride past homes for the elderly, luxury dwellings rise next to empty lots (though there are fewer and fewer of these). The contrasts abound, and here they feel right.
A brisk walk back into town, past City Hall and the Old City walls leads to Lifeline for the Elderly to deliver tzedakah funds and schmooze with Nava Ein Mor, the Director. Lifeline provides dignified work, hot meals, community and a bus pass to over three hundred elderly men and women in Jerusalem. The workers rebind books, make cartons, and create handmade Judaica gift items of great beauty. Nava, a kind and dynamic person wonders aloud how to reach American synagogue gift shops to form alliances and increase sales. She muses about the prospect of budget cuts in an uncertain economy. If her aged workers are laid off, they never come back. And this work literally helps keep them alive and getting out of bed each morning. Some of the regulars are now in their ninteties.
Evening brings Dinner at a kosher Turkish restaurant with our eldest daughter and a loud, exciting basketball game between HaPoel Yerushalayim and Migdal. The local basketball fans pound drums, ululate, wave red-and-white banners, sing and shout. During timeouts, teenage cheerleader/dancers sashay through their routines. The man in the seat next to me has one empty sleeve in his sweater. I wonder how he lost his arm. HaPoel Yerushalayim wins handily. The din fills the hall. We head for the exits and a busride through the Talpiyot Industrial District back to Baka. Through the bus windows, the lights of the Mount Gilo neighborhood gleam in the background. Bethlehem lies just beyond the crest.
Dizzy with the contrasts, the motion and emotions of the day, I close this first entry. Please feel free to share your thoughts. Shalom from Yerushalayim.--David J. Small
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