Strength in numbers
From Fiamma Nirenstein's essay, "How I became an 'unconscious fascist'" quoted by Ocean Guy: "One Palestinian told me that if I see things so differently from the majority, this plainly means that my brain doesn't work too well."

This gem reminded me of Bish, naturally. Bish was a bright kid in a national religious school. He asked a lot of questions that got him into a lot of trouble because his teachers didn't have any intelligent answers and therefore he was seen as a troublemaker. Luckily for him he was also regarded as a little "illui" and was a feather in the school's cap so they didn't chuck him out, even when he seriously p!&&ed them off by refusing to go to high school Yeshiva. One of the reasons he had the gall to regularly take on the whole school and later his commanders in the army was the support of his father, who always told him that "just because everyone else thinks differently from you doesn't mean that you are wrong." Did I mention he also got beaten up a lot?

Last year I was obsessed with opinion polls. I just had to know what percentage of lefties like me had adjusted their views according to the changing realities of our lives here in Israel. Bish used to find this amusing and ask what difference does it make what other people think? I found strength in numbers. The elections sort of settled it once and for all. I haven't checked the results of an opinion poll in months. I must have gotten over it.

I do tend to wander, don't I? All this has little to do with Nirensteins' interesting essay.

posted by Imshin 18:40

"Just kidding..."
posted by Imshin 13:31

Right of return for ten million Germans
Shlomo Avineri in the Jerusalem Post:

The evening proceeded along the expected trajectory, until a Lebanese academic raised the issue of the right of Palestinian refugees to return to Israel.

The senior German minister listened attentively, and then said: "This is an issue with which we in Germany are familiar; may I ask my German colleagues in the audience to raise their hand if they, or their families, were refugees from Eastern Europe?"

There was a moment of silence - the issue is embarrassing in Germany, fraught with political and moral landmines. Slowly, hands were raised: by my count, more than half the Germans present (government officials, journalists, businessmen) raised a hand: they, or their families, had been Vertriebene, expelled from their ancestral homes in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia after World War II.

It is estimated that up to 10 million were expelled; with their descendants today they make up almost double that number - almost one in four Germans.

Amid the hush the German senior minister continued: He himself was born in Eastern Europe and his family was expelled in the wake of the anti-German atmosphere after 1945. "But," he added, "neither I nor any of my colleagues claim the right to go back.

"It is precisely because of that that I can now visit my ancestral hometown and talk to the people who live in the house in which I was born - because they do not feel threatened, because they know I don't want to displace them or take their house."

Read on.

How very wise and sensitive of this senior German minister. We could further develop this, but I think it is an excellent example because it does not mention Jews and therefore is not emotionally loaded for the Arabs. Of course, the question to be asked is if the Arabs could give a damn about Israelis feeling threatened by their demands. If they don't, then, unlike the Germans with regard to Eastern Europe, they can't be very interested in making peace with Israel.

More: The Head Heeb discusses this. And Cookie, based on an unrelated article, thinks she deserves refugee status too.


posted by Imshin 13:07

Israeli poet Haim Gouri reviews the Hebrew translation of the latest book written by Palestinian national poet, Mahmoud Darwish, in Haaretz's book supplement "Sfarim".

Darwish's book does not try to share the blame. The entire burden of the yoke is on our necks. In this he is completely different from well-known Israeli poets who express guilt and remorse in their poems. But perhaps the Hebrew reader will take comfort in the ambivalence that characterizes many of the poems in this book and find in them some sort of desperate attempt at dialogue, at possible reconciliation: "Peace unto those who discern like me / in the intoxication of the glow, the glow of the butterfly / in the darkness of the tunnel ..."; "Peace, to see the magnet of the fox's eyes / arousing a hesitant woman's lust ... / Peace, the woe that holds up the treetops / an Andalusian song in the heart of a wandering guitar."

[...]

I think Israelis who have not stopped fighting the Palestinians' fight, have held out a hand and have sought friendship, will ask questions that have no answer in quite a number of the poems in this book. He who addresses us in the name of his besieged and humiliated nation, wounded by gunfire, but cannot look directly at the crushed bodies of Israelis in hotels, shopping malls, buses and cafes. But something very human happens further on when the Palestinian father, who is looking at a picture of his son the shaheed, says: "How did we switch roles, my son, / And you led me behind you?" No, not the proud mourners' pavilions.

* * * *

By the way, we have decided not to renew our subscription to the print version of Haaretz after all. We received it free of charge for a fortnight to make our decision. Then Bish received a phone call complaining that we had cancelled the direct debit (duh!). They hadn't bothered to check if we wanted to renew our subscription at the end of the fortnight, they had just attempted to resume collecting the money automatically, assuming that we would. Two newspapers really were too much. We couldn't handle the mounds of paper that descended on us daily. I can always read Haaretz on the net.

posted by Imshin 08:00

Meryl Yourish on British anti-Semitism. Strong words.

I have a confession.

I am Israeli. But a part of me will always be British as well. I find I do have quite a bit of affection for the old place, and its inhabitants, with all my misgivings and feelings of alienation. I do feel gratitude and quite a bit of amazement that the British should have taken in my ancestors. They couldn't have been very impressive, fresh off the boat with their pekalach (bundles). They had little to offer. They probably looked, sounded and acted very strange. Beats me why they let them in, in the first place, never mind allowing them to become naturalized British subjects of the crown, long before it was fashionable to be nice to poor minorities. If they hadn't, my ancestors or their children (or both) would probably have perished at the hands of the Nazis. I wouldn't even have been dreamt of *.

I cannot forget this. It is a personal debt I owe. How do I repay? That's a tough one. I could say that I repay with a certain degree of loyalty, albeit limited, especially when it conflicts with stronger loyalties. Maybe by watching the odd royal wedding or funeral. But then, you don't have to be British to do that, do you? And maybe by being a reluctant, unwilling Anglophile (although I will deny it to the death).

Hopefully not the exception to the rule, John Williams is certainly no anti-Semite nor anti-Zionist. Quite the contrary.
__________________________________
* This could be an interesting plot for a Sliding Doors type movie. I wonder if it has been done.

posted by Imshin 23:06

How does he do it? (When does he do it?)
I thought he would have less time now that he's gainfully employed. Silly mistake.

Update: Ask and ye shall be answered (or something like that). Oh and read the comments. Tee hee.
posted by Imshin 21:48

Asking for donations for an ambulance in a country founded and controlled by terrorists.

Lt. Smash has received an e-mail from a person named Heidi who seems to think that donating to Magen David Adom, an ambulatory service, is wrong. I understand this to mean that she believes the people who will benefit are undeserving.

I would like to invite Heidi to come and meet my four-year-old niece. She is the youngest of three and tends to be rather spoilt. Yesterday, her sister played beautifully at her end of year piano recital and the little one was so visibly jealous my heart went out to her. It's not easy being the youngest of three. I know from experience. Maybe that's why I stopped after two daughters and don't plan having any more. Anyway, she has this funny little impish face and soft brown hair that curls round the edges and a sweet little singsong voice.

If (God forbid) something bad should happen to her, her parents know they can dial 101 and a Magen David Adom ambulance will come to help. That is if there are enough of them and if they have enough staff and if they have supplies. In these days of people blowing themselves up in crowded public places, this is not something that can be taken for granted. There often just isn't enough to go round. Last year I told you (can't find the link) of my friend's brother who had the misfortune to suffer a heart attack at the same time as a bus blew up in his city of residence (Jerusalem). By the time an ambulance had arrived he was dead.

I fail to see why Heidi should think my little niece undeserving. She is not a bad person, even if she has been known to throw a tantrum or two or three. She is actually quite sweet. I would really like Heidi to come and meet her and look her in the eye (if the little one agrees to stand still long enough) and then tell her parents, who are not very well-off and could hardly be said to make more money than any average Western European or North American, as Heidi claims, that it is wrong to give money to an ambulatory service that may one day save her life.

It seems to me that Heidi is being rather thoughtless and hardhearted, don't you?

Via Meryl Yourish who also gives another angle about giving money to Magen David Adom.


posted by Imshin 20:13

Sometimes I'm so happy to be living in Israel, surrounded by other Jews, because (among other things) I don't have to deal directly with people like this Ingrams guy. Mind you, we have a lot of other unpleasant characters of various types.

The Ingrams person says

I have developed a habit when confronted by letters to the editor in support of the Israeli government to look at the signature to see if the writer has a Jewish name. If so, I tend not to read it.

Considering the amount of very vocal pro-Palestinian Jews in Britain, it makes you wonder. Is this why so many Jewish people in Britain have felt the need over the years to change their names to non-Jewish sounding names? After all, this guy won't even read their letters to the editor, assuming he knows what they are about to say based on the coincidence of their name, or judging by their lack of forsight in not changing it in time.

Thank you, Dad, once again, for liberating me at an early age from that land of darkness, where, it seems, I would have been forever forced to hide my roots and my identity had I wished that Mr. Ingrams and his ilk read my letters to the editor.

By the way, interesting debate developing on Ampersand's comments on this issue. One commenter, John Isbell, says "I guess I'll add, rather tendentiously: whenever I see a letter on black issues with a black signature, I tend not to read it.
Of course, black signatures are so much harder to spot. The way they blend in with the community. Jewish names you can spot a mile off."

posted by Imshin 21:58

The morning paper brings good news!
So often I open the door in the morning to bring in the newspaper and I am met with headlines telling me of a murderous attack that took place while I was sleeping. Today it was good news for a change. Israeli security forces had located and freed Eliyahu Gurel, the cab driver who had been abducted by Palestinians, apparently affiliated with Fatah.

posted by Imshin 06:19

Blogathon
I'm a bit late to link to this. Sorry guys. Laurence Simon, Meryl Yourish and Small Victory Michele are blogging for Magen David Adom in Blogathon 2003.

Allison has thrown down the gauntlet. I usually give blood, but I'm on a diet and they probably won't want my blood right now, so I've decided to follow Allison's lead. I have pledged $18 dollars each to all three. 18 in numerology of the Hebrew Alphabet stands for "Hai" (alive).

By the way, they asked for my legal name, whatever that means, and I felt a bit uncomfortable about it, so I've gone for the anonymous option. But you'll know it's me, hopefully, because of the amount. I've already told you I'm hopeless at these things.


posted by Imshin 22:29

Hudna Log

An East Jerusalem Arab stabbed one man, and injured two others in a knife attack at a seaside restaurant in Tel Aviv early Tuesday.

This is 24 year old Amir Simhon, who was stabbed to death.

posted by Imshin 21:24

Yeah, I heard this on the radio, too. It was yesterday's amusing news item of the day. Today's was about the chairman in a Knesset committee meeting who broke his gavel while attempting to restore order. I think they air these stories in the sleepy early afternoon hours to amuse drowsy workers like me and prevent us from nodding off.
posted by Imshin 16:26

Hands up any one else who didn't know who Carrie Bradshaw was. I was going to ask on the comments, but then I thought I'd better not show my ignorance, so I googled. Is it possible that I am the only person on the planet who has never seen "Sex and the City"?
posted by Imshin 19:22

Hudna Log
Eliyahu Gurel, a 61 year-old taxi driver from Ramat Gan, has been kidnapped. It is believed he was abducted by Palestinians and is being held near Ramallah. Security forces apparently tracked him to the vicinity with the help of his cell phone. His taxi was abandoned near Jerusalem. I hope he is still alive.

posted by Imshin 17:15

Meditating on Mitzpe Ramon
Yesterday, in the early morning, I decided to go out for walking meditation along the path on the edge of the cliff. I haven't done any walking meditation for ages. It's a very calming practice. I can't do it in the city, but in Mitzpe Ramon I feel quite comfortable to walk along slowly, aware of my breathing and the feel and sound of my feet touching the ground underneath them with every step. I was quite alone, aside from a few people on their way to the nearby synagogue and one or two fellow walkers.

On my way up to the cliff's edge, I noticed a family of ibex further up. Later on I came parallel to them as I walked and brought my attention away from my breathing to look at them. While I was doing so, a car coming along the road, stopped abruptly with screeching brakes and a family of five or six tumbled noisily out, disturbing the early morning calm. They immediately began bustling around the ibex, posing for photographs and, horror of horrors, throwing them bread so they would come nearer to be photographed. I wondered if I should say something to explain to them that it was not a good idea to feed these wild animals, especially not with bread, but I decided it would not do any good. They did not look as if they would be capable of understanding and there would just be an unpleasant exchange, which would make us all miserable and bad tempered.

* * * *

People in Mitzpe Ramon are very excited about the prospect of a legal casino opening in the town. There has been talk of this for years, and they believe it is going to happen very soon. They see it as the answer to the severe unemployment problem in the town. It will bring gamblers and more tourists. They will have to sleep somewhere. They will have to eat.

I fear that in their starry-eyed fantasizing they fail to see the downside of such a development. They ignore the fact that their quiet little town could change in such a way as to make it a far less pleasant place to live in.

Because gambling brings baggage with it, not just jobs for the locals. It brings a seedy side. Now it's not as if there isn't a seedy side to Mitzpe Ramon today. It is a poverty stricken place. It has its drugs and petty crime, but it still has a certain innocence. A casino, even a legal one, will bring with it some really unpleasant characters. It will bring the loan sharks with their violent collectors. It will bring a flourishing sex trade, with its imported whores from the Ukraine and the unsavory characters who enslave them. It will bring foreign workers who will do the work for starvation wages, with the locals finding it hard to compete. And it will bring with it far more people like that family that jumped out of their car yesterday morning and fed bread to the ibex.

And worse.

I fear the price to the environment will be awful. I doubt the ibex could survive such a change. I fear for the crater.

Mitzpe Ramon may become more affluent, and it may grow and have more jobs to offer its inhabitants, if and when a casino is built. But if it becomes sleazy and crime infested, it will probably lose it's main source of income of today, the "nice" visitors like us (we are nice, and even if we are jailbirds, we're nice jailbirds ;-) ), and like the well-to-do tourists who come to stay at the lovely Ramon Inn and tour the crater, and the other natural and archeological attractions in the area. It could also lose its religious community, including a respected national religious high school Yeshiva and a flourishing Braslav community, which, I believe, are good influences on the town (even if Braslavs tend to be a bit nutty).

I hope I'm wrong. I hope that a legal casino really does save Mitzpe Ramon. I hope that, in the long run, the Mitzpa'im, as they call themselves, will find the casino worth the price. That is if it ever materializes.


posted by Imshin 17:07

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