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Update

April 25, 2009 by

It’s been a very busy week, what with the launch of my new web log and learning how to arrange text and pictures and making tons of mistakes and uploading the same pictures 3 and 4 times without understanding that once they are there, they are there…

But it’s an adventure and what’s making it all the more pleasant is the prospect of actually being able to let people see why these tours I do are so incredibly fascinating.

But that’s for the other site..

After all of the excitement of greeting the new Olim who are living in our upstairs apartment and helping them get settled in, preparing for Pesach, having guests from outside of the country, and the Bar Mitzvah or our grandson Daniel, I was under the impression that things would settle down. But no. This week we have Israel’s Memorial Day and following that, Independence Day. That means that two and a half days (remember, Memorial Day starts the evening before) this week will be taken up with these commemorations. And it’s not like the US where you can ignore these days. The stores close. And EVERYONE is involved in one way or another.

Of course the traditional way of celebrating Independence Day here is by having a barbeque. And the truth is that most people do that. Our family, instead, will be meeting for a picnic brunch so that the children can play soccer and generally run around and have fun. Later in the day, I suspect that most of them will be at traditional barbeques while I recover.

Rachel and family, Independence Day, 2008

Rachel and family, Independence Day, 2008

I always wondered how I would deal with the boredom once all of my children were out of the house. I still haven’t gotten to the boredom part. I am indeed blessed!

Filed Under: Family life, Israel, Ramblings Tagged With: ,

Israel and the Arabs

April 3, 2009 by

I was going to post the following even before yesterday’s horrific attack by an Arab on two children in a community adjacent to where my own grandchildren live, killing one and fracturing the skull of the other. But now more than ever, I need to talk about how wrong-headed the advocates for Arab “rights” to the land of Israel are.

In 1978, we visited Israel with our 5 children. We walked through the Arab shuk in the Old City of Jerusalem. We talked to the shopkeepers who were friendly and welcoming. One invited my husband for some coffee and they sat and talked about the things that one would talk about with friends. We went to the city of Hebron, visited the cave of the Patriarchs, walked through the Arab market there, and felt accepted and safe. When we spoke to the Arabs there, they said life was good.

Left alone, the Arabs living in Israel would have become happy, productive members of society. The Arab community and the Jewish community were interacting on the basis of equality and mutual respect. But then Arafat and his minions reared their ugly heads and began to radicalize their population. Suddenly the Arabs in Israel and in Judea and Samaria were being taught to see their goal in life as “driving the Jews into the sea,” as eradicating the Jewish presence from the land of Israel.

Where has this gotten the average Arab? Not very far. The leaders have taken away their incentives to work and be productive. The land they have could be farmed in the same way the land we Jews have is. We export produce throughout the world. They complain that they have nothing. Their leaders have taken the substantial fund granted through the United Nations, the US, and other nations and have built themselves beautiful homes and large bank accounts. In cities where the Arabs have complete autonomy, the roads are pitted, the sidewalks broken, and the garbage lies in the streets. Their leaders have robbed them of self-respect and of hope for the future. No wonder they are willing to go out in a “blaze of glory” by murdering innocent children.

This article, from Haaretz, a fairly left-wing Israeli newspaper shows more clearly than most why our chances for peace with the Arabs in the near future are dim. Wafa Younis is an Israeli Arab.

PA expels founder of Jenin youth orchestra to Israel
By Yoav Stern

Wafa Younis, a musician from northern Israel who founded a youth orchestra in the Jenin refugee camp, was arrested there on Tuesday by Fatah militants and sent back to Israel from the West Bank. Last week the orchestra played for Holocaust survivors and elderly Arabs in Holon, news that ignited passions in Jenin.

On Tuesday, Younis had been meeting with students’ mothers when about four armed men in civilian clothing surrounded her. The militants were led by Zakariya Zubeidi, head of Fatah in the camp, who demanded that Younis go with him in his car to the camp’s police station.

“The police chief, who is familiar with my activities, said he would prefer that I leave because those are the instructions regarding anyone with an Israeli identification card,” Younis told Haaretz Thursday.

“Zubeidi offered a hudna, where we would suspend our activities for a time, and I agreed. I’ll return to Jenin at the right moment because the children are waiting for me, because the community is waiting for me. And if I can’t teach them in their classroom I’ll teach them in the center I founded in A’ara [where she lives].”

Younis’ work in the camp has made her a household name there. After teaching more than a dozen schoolchildren to play the violin, oud, drums and other instruments, she arranged performances in Israel for the orchestra, Strings of Freedom. A year ago it played in A’ara for the families of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, Israeli soldiers who were abducted to Lebanon, and of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

On Thursday PA officials said they and Fatah were under heavy pressure from Hamas members in the camp as a result.

“On the Internet there are pictures of the children under photos of the Israeli prisoners, and they performed for Holocaust survivors,” one Fatah official said. “Hamas accused us of normalization activities, of identifying with the enemy, so we were forced to expel Younis. The subject is now closed.”

Younis, who was interviewed by Arab and foreign news outlets Thursday, told Haaretz that she would appeal directly to the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. “I’ll ask him to appoint a genuine commission of inquiry that will hear the children and their parents, too,” she said. “I will wait until the issue is thrashed out because I cannot continue my work with these interruptions.”

Filed Under: Israel, Ramblings Tagged With: ,

Believe it or not, another movie review

March 19, 2009 by

My sister is SOOOO going to be moving to Modi’in when she hears that on a regular basis Israeli films have premiere showings here. Last night, the director of a new Israel film (so new, it’s not yet showing up on Hebrew or English Google), came and spoke about film making and showed his film “Ben and Eli.”

His talk was very interesting, talking about how a well made film can encourage us to root for the scoundrel, even for the murderer. He spoke of how it was done and gave us a few examples. Clearly, he did it because it made us aware of our shifting loyalties in the film that he was presenting.

The film stars Lior Ashkenazi who is a well known Israeli actor who is easy on the eyes. It deals with the relationships of fathers and sons– chiefly his relationship with his son, but also his relationship with his father.

Eli, the son, is a mischievous redheaded schoolboy of about 12 years old. Ben is an architect and the city engineer of Herzliya. As the film progresses not only does their near idyllic relationship undergo changes, but so does Eli’s personality as he gains insights and experience in fairness, justice, truth, and human relationships.

All four if us agreed it was an entertaining film that engaged our minds as well as our senses. Four thumbs up.

Filed Under: Israel, Ramblings

Welcome home!

March 17, 2009 by

Tomorrow we will be welcoming two new olim to Israel. These are a couple who we do not yet know, but who will be staying in the apartment that we just finished renovating. Over the past few months, the wife and I have been corresponding and she seems to be a lovely person. In the last couple of weeks, we have finished furnishing the apartment, putting in the linens, the kitchen equipment, cleaning– and finally tomorrow, they will arrive.

I have been thinking about the fact that it is a lot like giving birth… the anticipation, the preparation, and “due date” and the meeting of unknown people who will be a part of your life. Like every new mom, I wish them an easy birth, a worry-free toddlerhood, and a happy life here.

And I am pretty certain that they won’t be getting up in the middle of the night and crying. At least I hope not.

Welcome home!

Filed Under: Israel, Ramblings

After the surgery

February 19, 2009 by

It is Thursday. Surgery was Tuesday and rather than summarizing the medical aspects, I will refer you to my daughter’s web site http://trilcat.blogspot.com/

I have a few observations:
1. My daughter is an amazing person. She provided a safe, loving environment for her little guy throughout this ordeal. She dealt with the entire process with equanimity. May no one I love ever be tested like this, but she passed with flying colors.
2. The doctor was enormously professional and inspired confidence. His manner was calm and he was clear and honest when he told us how the surgery had gone. I appreciate that.
3. The eye hospital at Tel Hashomer treated my daughter and grandson with caring and kindness. My daughter had a bed to sleep in each night.
4. Despite the fact that we have socialized medicine, we had very few hassles associated with the hospitalization. We walked out of the hospital without having to pay a sheqel.

Most important, Ephraim Yehoshua continues to be a blessing. He is a healthy, sweet, precious baby with a beautiful face and we couldn’t possibly love him more.

Filed Under: Israel, Parenting, Ramblings

The last week of renovations???

February 9, 2009 by

This was to be the last week. A couple of weeks ago they came and took measurements for the glass panels that will be our stair rail. Last week the stair people took out two defective steps. Yesterday everything was supposed to come together. Except no one showed up. Today the glass people called. The arrived shortly thereafter. They have the glass pieces. Unfortunately, they are not cut properly and instead of rectangle for the hallway rail, we have trapezoids. Instead of parallelograms on the panels going down the stairs, we have.. there was a reason that geometry wasn’t my favorite subject. And despite the fact that these guys were supposed to do a good job and that we are paying them for a good job, I feel terrible for them that we are going to insist they do it right. Otherwise we will be looking at our panels and seeing them crooked for as long as we can see.

So this is not going to be the last week. There will never be a last week. It will just go on and on and on.

So now I have a new form of wishing someone well. Instead of saying “As meah v’esrim” (may you live ’til 120), I will be saying “ad sof haShiputzim” (May you live until the end of renovations…. -at least-)

Filed Under: Family life, Israel, Ramblings

Sunny days and Fridays

February 6, 2009 by

The renovations continue. Just when I was thinking there is almost nothing left to do, I realized that there’s at least another week left…

Today is a bright sunny day and I went out early to do the grocery shopping. I used to hate grocery shopping in the US, but here, I love it. I never get over how beautiful the fruits and produce are and how relatively inexpensive they are here. I love that I don’t have to worry if the food I am buying is kosher. I check for fat content, for sugar content, but I don’t have to worry about the kashrut. How nice! I love running into people I know at the supermarket, especially on Friday mornings, knowing they are all getting ready for shabbat.

I came home and suddenly was overcome with a desire to clean. Yes, hard to believe of me, but suddenly I wanted to make everything spotless. It’s been about 4 hours now and I am taking a rest, but I am still on the cleaning kick… and no, Dr Savta is not available for hire, even by my children.

Have a wonderful shabbat!

Filed Under: Family life, Israel, Ramblings

Rachel in Gaza

January 25, 2009 by

Since the military operation in Gaza, there have been rumors of a woman appearing to the Israeli troops and guiding them away from danger. David Hazony has written this most beautiful piece about the belief that it was mother Rachel, protecting her children. The original appears here on the Commentary web site

This is his article:

Did Rachel Appear in Gaza?
David Hazony – 01.25.2009 – 1:37 PM

For weeks now, we have been hearing rumors about a mysterious woman who appeared before Israeli troops in the thick of the Gaza battles. Not just any woman, mind you, but the biblical Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, matriarch of Israel. (My nine-year-old daughter gave me an excellent speech about the pluses and minuses of believing these rumors.) Israel’s former chief rabbi, Mordechai Eliyahu, announced that he himself had sent her. And now another former chief rabbi and Shas spiritual leader, Ovadiah Yosef, has confirmed these reports.

This is the point where I’m supposed to say how ridiculous it is. A hoax, or a superstition, or something. But I’m not gonna do it.

I don’t care if you call the appearance of Rachel a metaphor or a miracle. There is a point in rabbinic discourse where miracles and metaphors all mingle together, where the word “literally” loses its meaning, making room for midrash — the art of saying something illiteral and literary. To say that Rachel was with our soldiers, that our matriarch was protecting her boys, is a deeper statement than anything that can be made by a professional reporter with a camera.

Let’s give the religious spinmasters the benefit of the doubt. Of course she wasn’t there. But, of course, she was.

Filed Under: Israel, Spirituality

Blown away

January 22, 2009 by

Sometimes I am so very proud to be an Israeli! Israelis can be brash, intense, and rude, but they can also be the most loving, giving people on earth.

Yesterday they proved that again. Israelis turned out in droves to have their blood tested so that they might possible be able to provide bone marrow. The two hopeful recipients are children and the crowds of people came out in the hope that someone will be found for each of the children and for many more who are waiting here. When I say “in droves” I am not exaggerating. This is a country of just over 7 million people. Twenty eight percent of our population is under the age of 14– and therefore unable to provide donations. Nine point eight percent are over the age of 65. They were not collecting samples from anyone over the age of 50. Of course, some people registered during previous drives. So, the number of those who were tested is completely unbelievable. The best hopes were that thirty thousand people would show up. In fact, OVER SIXTY THOUSAND samples were collected. SIXTY THOUSAND– in one day… in a country that has only a bit over 7 million people! The malls were crowded with people standing in line waiting for testing. It was an amazing sight.

Kol HaKavod!

Filed Under: Israel

Renovations III

January 4, 2009 by

The update is that the staircase will be delayed by yet another week. The tiling in the upstairs apartment is moving along slowly. The bedrooms there are painted (at least the first coat). The electrical work is still not completed (perhaps on Tuesday). We are still living in two areas: our living/dining/kitchen (where my visiting sister is also sleeping) and our bedroom. We finally have lights in the bedroom meaning that candlelit showers are now an option, rather than a requirement.

The larger renovations are taking place about a 2 hour ride south of us. We have the best of our youth and lots of moms and dads of young children working hard to prevent the killing of our civilian population. Interesting how everyone feels suddenly bad that innocent people might be hurt. Where were their bad feelings for the last 8 years as thousands of rockets and mortars were being lobbed into houses, kindergartens, shopping centers and other places that normal people frequent? How long would any civilized nation take random armed attacks on its population that resulted in death, destruction and serious trauma? How many countries would tolerate a situation that leads to a whole city full of children who are frightened to go to bed at night and need to sleep in their parents’ rooms and who are wetting their beds while the rockets and mortars continue to fly?

Here is what the news media aren’t telling you (and we civilians don’t even know all of the details). Before the home of a Hamas leader is struck, (remember, they are the ones who want all of us dead, the sooner the better) the army calls and warns them. They (the Hamas guys) then normally send their women and children up to the roof to act as human shields (nice, eh?) The Israel Army then sends a non-lethal missile that will explode nearby (not injuring anyone) to scare the women and children off the roof. After they leave the building, it is destroyed.

Now let’s think of other ways of stopping the violence:
1. Talking — they don’t want to talk to us; they want to destroy us.
2. Negotiating — uh, ditto
3. Begging — uh, double ditto

It is with a heavy heart that we expose our young men and women to the possibility of injury and death. But for us, there is no choice. We pray that the Hamas government will fall and that the Palestinian people in Gaza will have the chance for a future whose meaning does NOT all derive from our destruction, but one in which they will live their lives in happiness and strive for those things that enrich and ennoble one’s soul.

Filed Under: Family life, Israel
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