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 |  My life in Tel Aviv. Welcome to Israel! |
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Shalom! I was born outside of Haifa, moved to Tel Aviv when I was twelve, and served in the Israeli Defense Force for two years. Now, I am a student at TAU. I hope I can show the world the humanity of my nation. We're not so different, after all.
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he had destroyed the entire world; and whoever rescues a single life earns as much merit as though he had rescued the entire world. |
| The Goldstone Report found us guilty of war crimes. Because, evidently, defending oneself from the onslaught of self-sacrificial terrorism is a crime against humanity. That makes me angry. Can we save the term "crimes against humanity" for actual crimes against humanity? Like Darfur, for instance? Or (possibly) Chechnya? We apply this term so loosely, and then it does not hold the solemnity it warrents, I think. I went for a run this morning and tripped over my own feet. Very humiliating. And I was wearing one of my IDF shirts so I basically humilated our glorious military. Date with Yoav did not involve sex! A miracle! In Israel, date number three is the date where boys make the assumption that they have earned bed priveleges. Many girls agree. Very few girls will volunteer, however, so it is up to the boy to suggest or charm or otherwise convince. And Yoav did not! He was a gentleman. Still shy and book-like, but a gentleman. Two more days until a vacation from school for a month. I need this vacation, I think. I am trying to plan a trip to NYC with a friend for a week since we both have discounted airfare. I hope it works out! If it does, I will need recommendations from the Americans for where to go  . |
| Third date in five minutes. It was supposed to be last night, but in light of Asaf's death he called me and asked if we could postpone. That was a nice move. Very respectful. I want to talk politics. Is it too soon? I love to talk politics, and this is who I am. But I know it offends people. Honestly, I think he just wants in my pants. He is a guy, after all. |
| במאי אלוהים יברך ולשמור את ליבם של המשפחה אשר עם האומה מתאבלת על מותו של אסף רמון, בנו של אילן שלנו. במאי אנחנו כאומה להתאבל על מותו, עבור לנו התבוננה באור של החלומות שלנו כבויים, פעם אחר פעם. מותר לנו לנצח זוכר אותו בתור מה שהוא אמור להיות. במאי לצפות אלוהים על ישראל והעם הישראלי, ולא להשאיר אותנו קרוב פעמים טרגי כזה. In memory of Asaf Ramon (1988-2009) He was the symbol of a new Jewish fighter--a strength, a passion, a kindness, and a determination that was supposed to go unchallenged. But G-d has taken him from us, just as his father was taken from us in our hour of need. May G-d bless and watch over the hearts of his family who mourns with every Israeli. May we as a nation mourn his passing, for we have watched the light of our dreams extinguished, time and time again. May we forever remember him as what he was supposed to become. May we forever remember that life ends, but dreams do not. All of Israel grieves today. We ask our enemies not to strike. We ask them to have mercy. ברוך דיין אמת . Baruch dayan emet. |
| Happy eighty third birthday to my grandfather! My father's father, my grandfather, was born in a Polish Shtetl called Mielec in 1926. He lived there with his father, mother, and three brothers until the late 1930's where, at the age of thirteen, he and his family were relocated to a ghetto in Warsaw. The next ten years saw him transfered from camp to camp, until Buchenwald, where he stayed until its liberation in the Spring in 1945. He, his older brother, an uncle, and a second cousin were the only survivers of his entire family--everyone else was gone. So my grandfather left Europe as soon as he had the health and funds to do so, and he came to the United States. He lived in New York with distant relations for a few years. And then he came to Israel. I never liked my grandfather growing up. He was always quiet and he spoke with an accent, so it was difficult to understand what he was saying. He rarely smiled. As a child, I thought he was just mean, but as an adult I can appreciate some of the lessons he has taught me. Lessons like always eat full meals, and do not go to bed hungry, and never walk long distances alone, and do not expect G-d to do the work you must do yourself. Lessons like choose your battles, and be careful who you select to be your heroes. Thank you, grandfather. Our President, Shimon Peres, collapsed yesterday at a speech near Tel Aviv. He is alright, and will be released from hospital today. Settlers and the IDF had an altercation in the West Bank. One thing after another this week! Tension still between Israel and Lebanon. It is up to them if they want war. If they fire at us, we will, inevitably, strike back. |
| War with Lebanon is coming. They're firing rockets into northern Israel, so we're firing back, and now we're in the middle of a vicious serious of "If you do this, I'll do that" conversations. This worries me a lot, obviously becuase this kind of war is quite dangerous and could potentially end poorly, but especially because my brother is in the army. And he's deployed right next to the Lebanese border. And he's only nineteen, and too confident for his own good. More Jews are being killed around Eilat and Sinai. The government is telling us not to go there. I am glad I live in Tel Aviv. It was just my dad and I for Shabbas. My mom is visiting her own sister south of here, and my sister was with her fiance's family. It's like every week Shabbas is less about family and more about discussing politics and how dangerous it is to be Jewish, and this is not what I grew up with. It makes me sad, and it makes me not want to go home anymore on Friday evenings. My dad did ask about Yoav, the new guy. I told him a little about him. He said he always expected Shira (my sister) to marry a quiet, academic man, and for me to marry someone brave and strong and sure of everything. I told him I was not marrying Yoav. I told him I was not marrying anyone, as of this moment. He laughed and said in five years I will be picking out a wedding dress, completely in love, and deciding on names for my children. Ha! I think I need to go out and relax tonight. Have some fun. I think always of things that make me feel worred and then those thoughts make me more stressful and then it is difficult to go back to being cheerful. So, tonight I will drink to happiness, peace, and my family's safety! Shabbat Shalom, everyone. |
| Yoav (the new guy) left me a message this morning on my cell phone. He says: "Hey, Noa. How are you? Um. I hope you had fun going out to dinner, because I--you know--I did. I would really--I mean, would you maybe want to go out again? Maybe? Sometime? Like, anytime for me. Except...I mean, not today, because I'm going home to visit my family, but...maybe Sunday? I have classes, and so do you but maybe after? Unless you have a night class. Then maybe Monday. Or if you have, like, a night class then, well...I guess? Just let me know? I don't know your schedule. That would be creepy, wouldn't it, if I did? Man. Anyway. It was really cool to hang out with you. I hope to do it again. Hang out, I mean, not...um. So, just give me a call back, okay? Shalom, Shabbat! And--never mind..." He will not be addressing the Knesset anytime soon, I think is safe to say. High Holidays are coming. Yom Kippur. Stressful. I don't know, I think I will participate this year. I think my mother might behead me if I do not .Orthodox Judaism is thinking about accepting homosexuality. They are just now realizing we are under no obligation to follow the words of Jesus of Nazareth. The Hasidem will never, ever concede but because most of Israel is Orthodox (and Reform--I am not sure on exact numbers) a community acceptance would probably guarentee gay marriage rights. Look at us being liberal . |
| Israel has made the news again, lately. Netanyahu made a secret trip to Moscow, which is, yeah, a little odd. He said it was for "secret and private acitivities", but our relationship with Russia is not a good one. The USSR was a fan of killing Jews, and then they went and gave the Palestinians money during various conflicts in the later part of the last century. And now they tend to support Iran, which means they do not support us. So I do not know why Netanyahu decided a visit was in order. Also! We are building the settlements, international community. Deal with it. It is our land, and our people have the right to live there. It's time we made our own decisions. And Spain's FM cancelled his meeting with our FM to go meet with Hugo Chavez, that Venezualan guy. Who the hell is this Chavez? He's everywhere all of a sudden. He was in Syria, Iran...This must be something about oil? Second date with Yoav, the new guy: (1) He took me to a European restaurant downtown Tel Aviv and we ate and talked about the weather, his pets, my sister's engagement, his family in the United States, and my trip to Germany/Austria. We avoided politics. (2) I found out he is 100% Polish. I told him he had a very unoriginal heritage (this was a joke--everyone in Israel is Polish. If you are not part-Polish, you're Russian or Sephardic but almost everyone is at least part-Polish because of World War Two.). (3) He does not eat mushrooms for no reason other than he finds them repulsive. I asked him what the hell mushrooms ever did to him and, really, if he were starving would he really have the audacity to refuse them? Another joke. (4) He is not religious. He does not believe in G-d. He has no interest in believing in G-d. He feels that if there is a G-d he must have a sick sense of righteousness and mercy. I was turned off by this a little, because while my feelings on religion are certainly not definite, I definitely do not rule it out. Was too extreme, I thought. (5) He complimented my hair, my outfit, my posture (????), and my vocabulary. I complimented his table manners, but only because I felt obligated. (6) He wanted to talk finances, and he was very excited when he learned that economics was my major in school. He is majoring in finances (surprise!). I had no interest in talking money on a date, and I told him this. Talking about money isn't allowed on Shabbas, therefore it is not allowed on a date. I do not think he understood my logic. Pity. (7) He served for three years in the army and had every intention to remaining in service, but he has back problems evidently which made this impossible. That was a turn on! I respect those who wish to remain in the army. (8) He likes to read. (9) He was a bit more animated, but I think he is a serious person by nature. I think he is a little shy, also. He paid, though, and he was protective of me when we were walking home and there were some drunk kids fooling around. That was nice  . He is someone who makes sure the doors are all locked at night like a million times. (10) He's really good with kids. There was a young family at the table next to ours, and they had toddlers, and he was really good with them. It was cute. But I am not so much good with children, nor do I particularly want any of my own. Not right now, at least. |
Was up the whole night coughing  . I woke my roommates up twice, which is not good but I didn't mean to. Drinking hot tea with honey, which helps but I don't like how sweet it tastes. No class until later, and then I think that I will go to sleep. I hope this is not swine flu . That is not at all kosher...Also my date last night went fine. He is a nice guy, and he is not bad to look at. He is not very funny, though, and I did a lot of the talking. I said yes to a second date. Maybe he was just nervous? |
| People here are obsessed about "Inglourious Basterds". I have seen it twice, but I know people who have gone back three, four, and five times. I think it's because of that final scene where Hitler gets shot like five hundred times. I think a lot of people had been wishing to see something like that for a long time . Also I am going on a date in ten minutes. I think this may end horrible, but my mind is open. I can't decide if I should wear my hair up or down! Decisions... |
| I don't remember growing up but this morning I looked in the mirror and I realized I wasn't a child. I spent almost all of my Bat Mitzvah money the day after I got it on clothes, so clearly I was no responsible woman. I was still convinced at age sixteen that I wanted to be a doctor. This was prior to nearly failing chemistry. Twice. I don't even think the army made me grow up. I did some pretty stupid and immature things while in uniform. I don't know what made me grow up but I realized today that, somehow, I did. Now I feel old. |
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