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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. |
| A Guide to Israeli Society 1. The Ashkenazim: In Jewish-speak, Ashkenazi means a Jew who left the Middle East (back when they kicked us out of Israel the first time) for Germany, Poland, Russia, and other European countries. They did pretty well, and came up with Yiddish and lived in Stetls and were fantastic cooks. The Hasidem are Ashkenazi. A lot of them immigrated to the U.S. over time, but many stayed. And then after the Shoah there were like seven million less of them. And then the pogroms in the U.S.S.R. killed millions more. So, they wanted a homeland! It was the Ashkenazim who worked so hard to establish Israel, and the Ashkenazim who were so sucessful and wealthy and influential in the U.S. Now, they are in Israel our "upper class". They own businesses, run banks, are in the government, and tend to be rather insufferable. 2. The Sephardim/Mizrahim: Before the Shoah, the Jews of the world were, like, 95% Ashkenazi. After the Shoah, that number dropped to 60%. So the Sephardim and Mizrahim (from Turkey, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, North Africa, and even parts of Saudi Arabic), who were once forgotten, suddenly became an important part of the surviving Jewish population. The Sephardim and Mizrahim are darker-skinned, have dark eyes, dark hair, and look, to the untrained person, like Arabs. They are smaller than Ashkenazim, usually, but more athletic. Bolder, blunter, tougher, stronger, and meaner, the image of the frail, academic, know-it-all Jew does not at all apply to the hardworking and course Sephardim/Mizrahim. 3. The Africans: The Ethiopian Jews came a decade or so ago, claiming to be the lost tribe of Israel. For decades, the community of 14, 000 was hunted, killed, and faced with forced famine and diseases. In 1991 the IAF underwent a rescue mission (an "exodus") to save the people from their huts and villages. Thousands turned up for rescue, most of them children. They left every possession behind so more could fit on the planes. Some of them had never seen planes before. They went from Africa to Israel, where Jews were not black, but white, and where they had to learn Hebrew and learn to adjust to modern society. Now, they are treated in a sense very poorly, and have lower acceptance rates to Universty. They are poorer. They suffer many of them from post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety and depression. But they are kind, and musical, and beautiful, and gentle people. 4. The Haredim: I complain about the Haredim/Hasidim often. In America, you call them Hasidic. They dress like eighteenth century Polish men, and do not cut their temple hair, and have too much energy, and love to kvetch about how Jews are so sinful, yada yada yada. They live in close communities with way too many children and way too many rules. They throw stones are bad Jews and freak out when Jerusalem is called "secular." They are largely concentrated in the West Bank. Good luck getting them to move! 5. The Israeli Arabs: These Arabs with ID cards can work, go to school, own businesses, and enjoy all the rights, more or less, that non-Arab Israelis enjoy. They have not chosen to reject Israeli citizenship. They are not required to join the army, and almost none of them do. They blend in with society and often attract no attention, praying quietly and getting along at least publically with Jewish peers. Many own restaurants that sell Arab food. 6. The Palestinians: They live in places like Ramallah, Gaza, and the West Bank. Some live in refugee camps, others in misshapen communities that feed on anger, hostility, and radical Islam. The children are taught to hate their Jewish "over-lords" for the most part, and though many never act on such feelings, far too many do. They cannot easily travel past checkpoints, and do not have Israeli ID cards, having rejected citizenship. They are "stuck" in their communities. Some leave for the United States, others for other Middle Eastern countries. But many stay, and so the past is kept alive. I think people like to divide us into Jews and Arabs, but there is so much more to these descriptions. I am both Sephardic/Mizrahi and Ashkenazi, and proud of being both. The Russians who arrived within the past two decades are also a major part of our culture, and so it would be foolish to discount any aspect of our society as stereotypical. We are like France and the United States in many ways: a melting pot of different people. Is something I like very much  . |
| Feeling better! Now I am behind on school work. Ana Yis'raeliya wa Yehudiya, which means I am Israeli and Jewish. If you are in the Gulf countries and you call someone a Yehud (a Jew), this is a big insult. Oi vey. But here, if I call you an Arab, this is no insult. Hmm. Going to basketball game tonight! I love basketball  . Is so much fun to watch. I am very untalented of playing it, though. I am not so athletic in general, haha. In school, we had to do classes where we had to do sport, and was never so good for me  . I like matkot, but this is all. I like football, but is not easy!The newest Saw movie is great . Was much fun to watch.Plans for the night? |
I have flu  .Not swine flu, I am not so cool for this, just normal flu. I have not been sick in years and years, but now in one winter I have bronchitis and then now I have flu. Is not so fair, G-d. Self-pity, yes? No, I am not feeling so sorry for myself. I do not sleep enough, so now maybe I will catch up. As long as my mother does not find out, I can relax some time.I am very proud of all the Israeli aid to the Haitians. Is nice to be proud of my country. Going back to bed. I went to classes yesterday, and I will go today. I cannot miss any because then I am behind. So is all about drinking tea, coffee, a little bit of vodka...just enough to stay awake long enough to take notes! How are you this winter? |
| May G-d be with the Haitians in their time of need. Barchot veTefillot. Blessings and prayers. Tonight is very exciting. I am going to the Carmel Market . I adore the Carmel Market. Arabs yelling and Jews yelling louder and everyone arguing over prices and deals and worth and value. Is exhilerating! I love to haggle. I love to, like, choose something that is forty shekels, and then bring it down to twenty or fifteen . Is good fun! I love to argue. Loudly.I love TACT records here in Israel (here are the TACT artists preforming a song: http://www.youtube.com/user/davy1031#p/u/15/cq3TdQXymO0) . Once, the rapper Subliminal (who I really like) had a really good friend named Tamer Nafar, who was not Jewish, but Arab. Both were Israelis, obviously from different cultures, but both maintained a very public friendship. And then came the Second Intifada, and the friendship ended. There is a documentary about this called Channels of Rage, or ערוצים של זעם Do you get to barter in America? |
| My roommates need very much to shut up right now. I think they can be heard all the way in Turkey. Is difficult sometimes to be the only one not having sex every night, now that Lior left, but you know what? Is okay. I get my classwork done. So. Really. Is okay. And, I mean, I could be like them but I have better things to do than every guy I see on the boardwork. Ahem. So, these Jordanians tried to blow up three of our diplomats on their way to Amman, but is totally okay, Jordan says. They are "hunting down those responsible." Jordan is one of those countries we like to think of as not being dangerous. It's easier that way. I had a lesson on the Tigris and Euphrates region throughout history. Fascinating, yes? The earliest civilizations...that stuff really interests me. I have always loved history. Studying history makes me feel better about things . Is like, look, humanity survived this and this, so it will all be okay. I loved history in school, and I did well with Hebrew, too. I always struggled with English (mostly because of not practicing much), math, the sciences...I struggled mostly with settling down and paying attention  . What was your favorite class in school? What did you like the least? |
| How odd it is to consider myself Middle Eastern! Today in a course we had to identify ourselves with a region of the world. I am not European, I am not American, I am not African, I am not Asian...I am not Arab, but in many ways Arab culture is my culture. Israel is in the Arab's neighborhood, and though politically there are so many divisions, our culture and their culture have created a sort of truce. I can eat falafel, for instance, with pleasure and not think of the war . But I do not so much identify with any real region. The Middle East, geographically, is my home, but Israel is not the same sort of place as Egypt or Iraq or Lebanon. I think what I identify with is not region, but a philosophy of a Jewish homeland, and that is Israel. So, yes, I am Middle Eastern, but I am really Israeli. Is there a difference? I have thought little of this. Anyway, I have decided to go back to going on dates. Why not? If I don't like him, I make him go away. Is no problem .My sister's wedding is in one month! I am so excited! |
| Demjanjuk's lawyer must have the worst job in the entire world. Can you imagine having to defend a murderer of 27,900 innocent people? That is a staggering number. And, of course, defending a Nazi? How anyone could ethically justify doing such a thing? During the trials in Nuremburg, former S.S. officials had to look their victims in the eyes, hear from witness testimony, see the photographical documentation of their crimes, and, still, very little remorse. For instance, Hermann Goering (Hitler's second), said this when questioned by a psychiatrist after appearing in court for the first time, “If the killing of the Jews meant anything, such as that it meant the winning of the war, I would not be too bothered by it. But it . . . did nobody any good whatever except to give Germany a bad name.” Ouch. But nevertheless, what I wonder is if any person could turn into this. I wonder if any person could become so enthralled with a philosophy, agenda, or leader's dogma that he loses his humanity. For instance, were the major Nazis like Soeckel or Himmler or Eichler or Mengele or Goering born such executioners? Or was Nazism able to so alter their psychology that, when asked about the murder of millions of children, Goering replied said that, looking back, he found it rather "unsportsmanlike." This is applicable very much to modern day, because one can ask the same questions about radical Islamicism. Is one born a terrorist? Most would say no. So, then, I think the question becomes what is the formula for turning men into Nazis and terrorists? And, once we've discovered that, what is the antidote? |
| The Happiest Countries in the World (2009) are: 1. Happiest: Denmark Unhappiest: Zimbabwe 2. Happiest: Switzerland Unhappiest: Ukraine 3. Happiest: Austria Unhappiest: Armenia 4. Happiest: Iceland Unhappiest: Russia 5. Happiest: Finland Unhappiest: Moldova 6. Happiest: Australia Unhappiest: Romania 7. Happiest: Sweden Unhappiest: Georgia 8. Happiest: Canada Unhappiest: Belarus 9. Happiest: Guatemala Unhappiest: Bulgaria 10. Happiest: Luxembourg Unhappiest: Albania What do these countries all have in common? Europe, except for Canada, Guatemala, and Australia. Shockingly, there is not one Middle Eastern country in the top ten! However, it should also be noted that there is no Middle Eastern country in the bottem ten, either . Israel is #34 out of 79 (yikes), and the United States is #31. Of course, not all countries, clearly, were surveyed, but still...Eastern Europe dominates the bottom ten, and Western Europe dominates the top ten. Africa, Asia, and the Middle East are almost completely unrepresented from the top ten and bottom ten (except for Zimbabwe). The top ten happiest countries have neutrality in common. This is nice, for those countries that can afford it. Israel is only #34, but I'm assuming Arabs were surveyed alongside the Jews. While I think Israeli Jews are quite happy (how can you not be happy in Tel Aviv?), the Hasidim enjoy suffering and misery, and there are always those having bad days. The Palestinians, I am willing to bet, did not give a glowing review of life in occupied Gaza or the West Bank. But what is happiness? Human rights? Wealth? Peace? Can it really be measured? |
| Iran: "A team has been assigned to calculate all the damages [inflicted on Iran] in the Second World War. This will be an invoice they [Allies powers] must pay to the Iranian nation. You inflicted lots of damages to the Iranian nation, put your weight on the shoulders [of the Iranian people] and became victors in World War II. You didn't even share the war profits with Iran." Oh, absolutely not. Leh lehizdayen benzonah! See what this is, international community? See what they are trying to do? When Britain, France, Russia, and the United States refuse to pay them war reparations they will whine and say, "But Israel gets war reparations from Germany for a genocide that never existed," yada yada yada. And then they will insult our grandmothers and grandfathers again and for what? So they get more attention? So they can scare more countries? Let's talk about Second World War, and Iran. The Iranian Shah talked with Nazi officials and the Germany government to help aid in the invasion of the Soviet Union. So perhaps it is Iran who should be paying Russia reparations for an unsuccessful invasion! Ahmadinejad will seize any opportunity to be the absolute lunatic he is. He's an anti-Semitic, radical dictator with a growing collection of active nuclear weapons. "Sanctions" will do nothing but give them more reasons to antagonize. Action is the only solution. |
| Tired. Moody. Irritable. I kind of feel the kind of tired you feel when you're sick, except I'm not sick so I don't know how to explain it. A bit of a toothache, too, which is enough to ruin my night. Thinking about brewing coffee. Coffee makes me feel relaxed. Before we start airstriking Gaza again, can we remember that they started it? Always, always they cast the first stone. We get accused of war crimes, but they get to look like victims. I don't believe in victims. I need a vacation. |
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