The finished product
Friday, July 28, 2006
Sulha - Jerusalem
I had to take a test for Osteoporosis at Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital on Mt. Scopus. I took a sick day off work, which is something I hadn't done in 4 years, and thought it was high time I did. Normally hospitals give me the creeps, but when you walk into one in Israel, you see the many kinds of people all being given treatment here - Arabs, Druze, Jews - and I thought what a nice place for a "Sulha"
I had to prepare for a visit by 19 interfaith workers from the States later that afternoon and really didn't want to give the impression of being a "dirty Jew" in my home. I ended up doing what I usually delegate to my kids - cleaning the bathroom and thought that'll better my reputation. I managed to give a 45 minute lecture and field questions from the group. The reason they were so interested in visiting with me is that I live over the green line - so that kind of makes me a settler of sorts. I don't live way over the green line, but about a 10 minute drive. And I'm a peace worker. So settlers and peace workers don't usually jive and they were curious to meet me, after one of the members of their group had met me at an olive-picking expedition with Taayush or Rabbis for Human Rights.
"Can I clone you?" asked one of the visitors after my speech.
"Huh? I think my kids would be absolutely horrifed to have two of me around..."
One thought I'd make a good rabbi. A gypsy rabbi. That'll be a first.
I invited another resident of our town to speak because I wanted them to get another perspective of how the majority of people think around here. I'm definitely not in the majority. After he spoke and talked about how awful it was not to be able to pray on the Temple Mount because it is the Jews' holiest site (not the Western Wall as most people think) and expressing wishes that the 3rd temple will be rebuilt right there, someone asked him about the Nakba. Before he arrived, part of my lecture was that we are ignorant of one another and most Israelis don't really know or care about what Palestinians call the Nakba (the 1948 catastrophe where they were forced to leave or voluntarily left their villages inside Israel - after which most of these villages were totally demolished).
"NAKBA??" he walked towards the questioner. "Why is it a Nakba? Because Israel was created?" He seemed to be fuming.
I smiled because - hey - I'm right on. This guy has no clue what it means.
The person explained - "It's because in 1948 many Arabs had to flee their homes and this created many refugees...."
But he didn't continue.
The speaker actually said he would like to come to one of my interfaith meetings, which would be great because then he'd get some more knowledge in, and he wouldn't have to feel so defensive when someone mentions the Nakba or other things Palestinians go through. We certainly know what we go through - the constant fear of terrorist attacks when in crowded buses and streets and cafes - but we simply do not know the fear of the Other. And this is what we have to be brave enough to face as well.
The next day was the 3 hour Sulha gathering in Jerusalem. I tried to pull in others to the gathering, but it was quite difficult at this time. I met up with Hubby and his friend just in from Toronto and a young man who was his driver and friend of this guy's family.
Hubby had already prepped him about my peace work. They were totally not into it.
The young guy, a cute 22 year old, explained to me his difficulties when he served in the army while going into Ramallah for an operation searching for terrorists.
"There was a man there with his kid. He was holding a gun towards us. We're given orders that if they have a gun on them, we're allowed to shoot. Look, it's either us or the guy." He paused. "So I shot him"
I didn't ask - what did the little kid do? What did you do about him? I just said "That is absolutely awful." How awful to have to make life and death decisions like this when you're no older than 18 or 19 years old yourself.
And with that sad thought, I walked towards the Sulha gathering in Jerusalem's Gan Sacher park where you couldn't help but notice the large circle of people sitting quietly in a meditation for peace. Arabs from the North had come in droves with their families - some traumatized by the Katyushas. I invited some Arab teens to stay in my home and they thanked me, but I think they still want to return to their families later in the evening.
We spoke in a listening circle for an hour - everyone spoke from their heart about their anger, sadness and hope about today's situation in Lebanon and Gaza - after which we listened to some prayers. Standing in a circle, we sang together one traditional prayer in Hebrew (Ein K'eloheinu - "there is no God but our God") and Arabic (la illa il Allah - also - "there is no other god besides God") in a particularly beautiful melody, which is still ringing in my head this morning, and my soul was happy to be in the midst of an oasis of peace in a public park in Jerusalem where many curious onlookers looked but didn't join. Seeing is believing though and I hope they went back to their families to tell them about seeing this unusual large group of Jews and Arabs sitting peacefully together.
And as the evening ended, I had a spiritual revelation of sorts. Remembering that these are the 9 days before our ancient fast of Tisha B'av when the Jewish Temple was destroyed 2,000 years ago, where even the 9 days take on some aspects of mourning, many Jewish sages have said the reason the temple was destroyed was because of baseless hatred between Jews. Then there was the split of the Israeli kingdom to become separate kingdoms of Israel (North) and Judea (South) around 500 or 800 b.c.(and am too lazy to look up the exact date) and the subsequent destruction of the first Temple on the same date of Tisha B'av.
An Orthodox Jewish onlooker spoke to me about our group and said "The North and South of Israel are really divided" - the North is feeling the war, and the South feels nothing. Not to mention all these refugees trickling into Jerusalem from the North.
Perhaps God is somehow "dividing" the North and South of this country again so we can do a "tikkun" (repair) of an ancient wrong. And I think somehow we are doing this tikkun, as many many people from the North are being hosted by people from the South - people here are opening up their homes. I see public notices in newspapers of people willing to host Northern families. I get daily e-mails by the dozens about this not to mention Jerusalemites going on holiday who are giving their empty homes over to Northern families until this situation quiets down...
Somehow - this, together with the Sulha, makes for a really good tikkun.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
A Must Read!!
This is a "must read" about the situation we are in right now - Israel and Lebanon. He is a terrific writer. I think he hits it right on. Unfortunately.
wishful thinking
I've been getting e-mails from many different sources about the conflict - most are hopeful. The first is from Taayush
"Dear Friends,
Please find below a link to a new forum – "JULY 2006: IF NOT NOW, WHEN". Nestled in between the thunder of the guns and the wailing of the media, this is a place for Israelis, Lebanese, Palestinians and everyone else connected with or affected by the conflict to directly exchange views, information, experiences, and sometimes also blows, I guess. The forum will also host digests from media on all sides of the conflict, as well as links and excerpts from blogs from the field. It will be great if you would be the first to pick up the gauntlet and to start posting – if each would just tell a bit about herself or himself (age so and so, doing such and such, living there and there), so that when new people show up to the forum they don't find it completely empty.
Moderator vacancies are open, by the way.
The link is here "
==================================================
The second e-mail I got today is from this guy, whom I don't know - and I don't really know what light workers do, but whatever it is, it's much better than what's going on between our country and Lebanon.
"Dear light worker,
This is a letter from Israel, my name is Jacob Avidan and I'm light worker and I live in Israel as well as you know the middle east is in a state of war as a light worker im sending love and light to the battle zone everyday recently Ihave noticed a powerful energy that sent from around the world to this area so I start receive this energy and anchored it with my body and spirit and now I'm receiving everyday this powerful energy and I want to say thank you from the center of my heart for sending this powerful love yesterday as I'm working with this powerful love I received an understanding about focusing the energy and I need your help
At Friday morning im gathering a group of light workers to anchored this energy in three points at of the battle zone:
At 9 am in the Golan heights
At 11 am in the Galilee
At 1 pm in Haifa
These three points will create a triangle that will be the base of a powerful pyramid that you and the group going to create I hope that this energetic work going to help the people of the middle east
With your wonderful love and open their hearts and end this ancient hate
So send your love to Israel Friday July 28 2006 at 9am 11am and 1pm and we will receive it
If you have any question please write to me
humangel@nana.co.il
Love and light
Jacob Avidan, Israel"
The third e-mail I got was about a Sulha for Palestinians and Israelis to take place in Jerusalem on Thursday (pre-empting the big one in August) between 5:00 and 8:00 pm at Gan Sacher. I hope to be there.
The fourth e-mail was from a macrobiotic food group thinking to expand and include not just Jews from Israel but everyone from the Middle East - peace through eating...
So we all have our hopes for peace, and the e-mails seem to be coming in more frequently with people more desperate to want to end the conflict. Unfortunately, I heard some news that a katyusha hit the village I went to visit in May - Mughrar in the Galilee - a village with Moslems, Druze and Christian Arabs. A young teenage girl was killed. And with that, I will print out the e-mail I received today from Arthur Waskow of the Jewish Renewal Movement who sent out a revised Mourner's Kaddish (prayer) for this occasion.
Yitgadal V'yit'kadash Shmei Rabah
May the Great Name, through our expanding awareness and our fuller action, lift Itself to become still higher and more holy;
May our names, along with all the names of all the beings in the universe, live within the Great Name;
May the names of all whom we can no longer touch but who have touched our hearts and lives, remain alight within our memories and in the Great Name;
May the names of all
who have died in violence and war
be kept alight in our sight and in the Great Name, with sorrow that we were not yet able
to shape a world in which they would have lived.
(Cong: Amein)
B'alma di vra chi'rooteh v'yamlich malchuteh b'chayeichun, u'v'yomeichun, u'v'chayei d'chol beit yisrael, b'agalah u'vzman kariv, v'imru: --
May Your Great Name lift Itself
still higher and more holy
throughout the world that You have offered us,
a world of majestic peaceful order
that gives life to the Godwrestling folk
through time and through eternity ----
And let's say, Amein (Cong: Amein)
Y'hei sh'mei rabbah me'vorach
l'olam almei almaya.
So therefore may the Great Name be blessed, through every Mystery and Mastery
of every universe.
Yitbarach, v'yishtabach, v'yitpa'ar, v'yitromam, v'yitnasei, v'yithadar, v'yit'aleh, v'yithalal -- Shmei di'kudshah, -- Brich hu, (Cong: Brich Hu) >
May the Great Name be blessed and celebrated,
Its beauty honored and raised high;
may It be lifted and carried,
may Its radiance be praised in all Its Holiness –-- Blessed be!
L'eylah min kol bir'chatah v'shir'atah tush'be'chatah v'nechematah, de'amiran be'alma, v'imru: Amein (Cong: Amein)
Even though we cannot give You enough blessing, enough song, enough praise, enough consolation
to match what we wish to lay before You –
And though we know that today there is
no way to console You
when among us some who bear Your Image in our being
are slaughtering others
who bear Your Image in our being.
Yehei Shlama Rabah min Shemaya v'chayyim { aleinu v'al kol Yisrael, v'imru Amein.
Still we beseech that from the unity of Your Great Name flow a great and joyful harmony and life for us and for all our family, the Godwrestling folk;
(Cong: Amein)
Oseh Shalom bi'm'romav, hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu v'al kol yisrael v'al kol yishmael v'al kol yoshvei tevel -- v'imru: Amein.
You who make harmony
in the ultimate reaches of the universe,
teach us to make harmony
within ourselves, among ourselves --
and peace for the Godwrestling folk,
the people Israel;
for our cousins the children of Ishmael; and for all who dwell upon this planet.
(Cong: Amein)
wishful thinking
I've been getting e-mails from many different sources about the conflict - most are hopeful. The first is from Taayush
"Dear Friends,
Please find below a link to a new forum – "JULY 2006: IF NOT NOW, WHEN". Nestled in between the thunder of the guns and the wailing of the media, this is a place for Israelis, Lebanese, Palestinians and everyone else connected with or affected by the conflict to directly exchange views, information, experiences, and sometimes also blows, I guess. The forum will also host digests from media on all sides of the conflict, as well as links and excerpts from blogs from the field. It will be great if you would be the first to pick up the gauntlet and to start posting – if each would just tell a bit about herself or himself (age so and so, doing such and such, living there and there), so that when new people show up to the forum they don't find it completely empty.
Moderator vacancies are open, by the way.
The link is:
here "
==================================================
The second e-mail I got today is from this guy, whom I don't know - and I don't really know what light workers do, but whatever it is, it's much better than what's going on between our country and Lebanon.
"Dear light worker,
This is a letter from Israel, my name is Jacob Avidan and I'm light worker and I live in Israel as well as you know the middle east is in a state of war as a light worker im sending love and light to the battle zone everyday recently Ihave noticed a powerful energy that sent from around the world to this area so I start receive this energy and anchored it with my body and spirit and now I'm receiving everyday this powerful energy and I want to say thank you from the center of my heart for sending this powerful love yesterday as I'm working with this powerful love I received an understanding about focusing the energy and I need your help
At Friday morning im gathering a group of light workers to anchored this energy in three points at of the battle zone:
At 9 am in the Golan heights
At 11 am in the Galilee
At 1 pm in Haifa
These three points will create a triangle that will be the base of a powerful pyramid that you and the group going to create I hope that this energetic work going to help the people of the middle east
With your wonderful love and open their hearts and end this ancient hate
So send your love to Israel Friday July 28 2006 at 9am 11am and 1pm and we will receive it
If you have any question please write to me
humangel@nana.co.il
Love and light
Jacob Avidan, Israel"
The third e-mail I got was about a Sulha for Palestinians and Israelis to take place in Jerusalem on Thursday (pre-empting the big one in August) between 5:00 and 8:00 pm at Gan Sacher. I hope to be there.
The fourth e-mail was from a macrobiotic food group thinking to expand and include not just Jews from Israel but everyone from the Middle East - peace through eating...
So we all have our hopes for peace, and the e-mails seem to be coming in more frequently with people more desperate to want to end the conflict. Unfortunately, I heard some news that a katyusha hit the village I went to visit in May - Mughrar in the Galilee - a village with Moslems, Druze and Christian Arabs. A young teenage girl was killed. And with that, I will print out the e-mail I received today from Arthur Waskow of the Jewish Renewal Movement who sent out a revised Mourner's Kaddish (prayer) for this occasion.
Yitgadal V'yit'kadash Shmei Rabah
May the Great Name, through our expanding awareness and our fuller action, lift Itself to become still higher and more holy;
May our names, along with all the names of all the beings in the universe, live within the Great Name;
May the names of all whom we can no longer touch but who have touched our hearts and lives, remain alight within our memories and in the Great Name;
May the names of all
who have died in violence and war
be kept alight in our sight and in the Great Name, with sorrow that we were not yet able
to shape a world in which they would have lived.
(Cong: Amein)
B'alma di vra chi'rooteh v'yamlich malchuteh b'chayeichun, u'v'yomeichun, u'v'chayei d'chol beit yisrael, b'agalah u'vzman kariv, v'imru: --
May Your Great Name lift Itself
still higher and more holy
throughout the world that You have offered us,
a world of majestic peaceful order
that gives life to the Godwrestling folk
through time and through eternity ----
And let's say, Amein (Cong: Amein)
Y'hei sh'mei rabbah me'vorach
l'olam almei almaya.
So therefore may the Great Name be blessed, through every Mystery and Mastery
of every universe.
Yitbarach, v'yishtabach, v'yitpa'ar, v'yitromam, v'yitnasei, v'yithadar, v'yit'aleh, v'yithalal -- Shmei di'kudshah, -- Brich hu, (Cong: Brich Hu) >
May the Great Name be blessed and celebrated,
Its beauty honored and raised high;
may It be lifted and carried,
may Its radiance be praised in all Its Holiness –-- Blessed be!
L'eylah min kol bir'chatah v'shir'atah tush'be'chatah v'nechematah, de'amiran be'alma, v'imru: Amein (Cong: Amein)
Even though we cannot give You enough blessing, enough song, enough praise, enough consolation
to match what we wish to lay before You –
And though we know that today there is
no way to console You
when among us some who bear Your Image in our being
are slaughtering others
who bear Your Image in our being.
Yehei Shlama Rabah min Shemaya v'chayyim { aleinu v'al kol Yisrael, v'imru Amein.
Still we beseech that from the unity of Your Great Name flow a great and joyful harmony and life for us and for all our family, the Godwrestling folk;
(Cong: Amein)
Oseh Shalom bi'm'romav, hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu v'al kol yisrael v'al kol yishmael v'al kol yoshvei tevel -- v'imru: Amein.
You who make harmony
in the ultimate reaches of the universe,
teach us to make harmony
within ourselves, among ourselves --
and peace for the Godwrestling folk,
the people Israel;
for our cousins the children of Ishmael; and for all who dwell upon this planet.
(Cong: Amein)
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Weekend Survival Tips
We survived the weekend with the two Haifa refugees, and our newlywed daughter and Hubby. We even had a more traditional Shabbat than usual. Son-in-law didn't care what we do in our home but my daughter had more angst about it.
"Make sure you have a 'plata' on" she begged - a plata meaning a hot plate where one doesn't cook on the Sabbath but is allowed to warm up pre-cooked foods on a hot plate instead. Plus her Hubby drinks tons of mint tea, so the water had to be pre-boiled and put on the hot plate as well for drinking throughout the Sabbath.
I needed some peace and quiet this weekend, so they came at a good time. We banned all cellphones (on vibrator only) and there was no TV or music playing. Only the quiet noise of backgammon and chess playing and the rustling of newspapers could be heard.
My married daughter and I usually have a routine of pretending we're Russian women at mealtime on Friday night, where we talk in Russian accents and curse in Russian. My daughter started.
"Peederas!! (homo!)"
"Piesdietz!! (slut!)"
The blonde teenage refugee looked absolutely horrified, as we laughed at these naughty words. We realized we cannot play "Russian" this weekend - her folks are Russian and she can not only teach us more words, but can understand what was being said.
The refugees together with my daughter went to town later that night and sauntered back in around 8:30 am on Saturday. Hubby had set up the tent for them on our porch, but by 10:30 am, the heat was unbearable and they collapsed on our couches.
"Why are THEY all sprawled out on the couch?" asked my daughter.
Hubby - "Because I forgot to lock the porch door."
The two laughed.
We had time to taunt each other throughout the day. The Complainer wanted a job waitressing where my married daughter waitressed.
"She can't even speak English properly - how can she waitress?" asked one of my older daughters.
"Would you like some piss-ghetti with ong-ions???" she asked - mimicking the way the Complainer actually pronounces these words.
"That might get her extra tips if the customers have a good sense of humor" I interjected.
Anyway, many of the waitresses in the meat section of that restaurant are now engaged to be married in the next few months. Maybe it's a lucky restaurant. I think I'm gonna send my next two oldest daughters there to work and find decent husbands.
Anybody take Ong-ions with that please?
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Another Peace-nik in Iran
Didn't think there were any peaceniks there, didya? Well I came across one . I really believe there are more out there. And besides, I like the flying peace dove on his site better than the one on mine!
A misfit in Lebanon
I came across this site and I think we are kindred spirits. Here's a guy who sincerely wants peace. Like I do. And it also seems like he's going against the grain/wind or whatever. Not too many people up there are thinking like him. He seems like a really good bloke. Let's give him some support!
Great Deals on B&B's
My brother called me up this afternoon,
"There are great deals on zimmers (B&Bs) in the North! They're practically giving weekends away."
Yup. Dunno if he was joking or not, but summertime is when Israelis flock to these picturesque country zimmers, nestled in the Galilean hills - some are decorated simply for families with enough yard for a barbecue and some are luxurious for couples with a jacuzzi and romantic breakfasts for two. They are pretty much empty now.
I told him I had about 11 people over for the weekend, for Sabbath dinner.
"Are they all Jewish?" he asked. Which got me thinking that I could ask my Israeli Arab friends from some of the Northern villages if they are ok – and if they wouldn't mind sending some of their (older) kids down to me. They're probably better behaved than my kids and would get a crash course in English.
He continued - "How can you afford this?"
Afford what? Having guests? I learned from both my Ultra-Orthodox Jewish friends and my Arab friends that having guests is not a financial issue. If there are guests – then it's a blessing. And anyways, I have to work on myself on the guest issue. I'm certainly not as generous as Ibrahim from the Mt. Of Olives who has built a separate wing of his home just for guests, mostly internationals who pass by for a few weeks or even months, but sometimes for Jewish Israelis who want to get a taste of Arabic culture. I wish I could learn from him how he does it. Here I have guests for 5 days, and I'm nearly tearing my hair out. Maybe it's just because they're teenagers. Maybe I need adult guests. Or a separate wing to my house so if I want to disappear from the friendly chatter, I can.
But I was insulted at being asked if I could afford guests. I could only answer him with what I hear both my Arab and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish friends say – God will provide.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Chaos in the House
I was perusing who is perusing my site from which sites and I came across this particular website from Iran . Unfortunately, I cannot tell whether he is writing in Arabic and Farsi, but he looks like a nice guy. Not like that idiot President of his.
There were no buses back to my neighborhood from Jerusalem and the bus stop was packed full of people. I decided to share a cab with three other women also waiting. The cab driver was crazy.
"That'll be 80 shekel" he told us the fare would be.
"that's ridiculous. I never pay more than 50"
I wanted to get out of the cab but the other women didn't care - they were just going to pay him 15 shekels each, take it or leave it. I pointed to a taxi stand where I always take cabs from. He glared at me.
"You go with all those Muhammads?" letting me know that everyone at that stand were probably East Jerusalem Arabs, which I already knew but didn't care.
"Yeah. They're good drivers and they don't rip me off like you are doing"
Meanwhile, he's going on and on the rest of the ride about a French homosexual passenger, mimicking his accent, telling us we're all fat because his cab can't get up the hill (this is where I asked him for my money back), and thought I was the filthy rich one because I was from North America. What a dick. Next time, I'm stuck, I'll be sure to use the taxi drivers from East Jerusalem who stand by Kikar Zion in downtown Jerusalem.
It's day 5 that two teenage refugees are staying in our home. Our town is full of refugees from the North and I felt it last night while shopping. It seemed like pre-holiday shopping with the crowds and carts filled to the brim. My cart was equally brimming full of food. One of my checks to the supermarket had recently bounced causing me not to be able to write any more checks. But here I was with $150 worth of food for 10 people, all packed up in my cart, ready for the trunk of my car. I shelled out my ID card and gave it to the supermarket manager.
"I'll bring you the cash tomorrow for today's stuff and the bounced check" I promised. And off I went with my stuff.
Later that night the refugees were planning a night on the town with my Daughter. They had the blow dryer going for 1 1/2 hours and the cellphones ringing and the house phone ringing and the front door opening and closing. Hubby was sleeping again on the couch, but I thought I'd go out of my mind with all the noise. Sunday they all go back to their hostel and I'll have my peace and quiet back.
In the morning, I needed to have a quiet respite from my chaotic household which grew in size because my other daughter brought in 2 more friends and my married daughter and her hubby were coming in for the weekend. I took Hubby to a hotel brunch, where it was quiet and peaceful - unlike the noisy places I usually frequent in the shuk.
Married daughter kept on interrupting my quiet brunch threatening to leave because of all the people in the house. I decided the best thing for me this weekend would be to have a real Shabbat (Sabbath) in the house - kind of like what the Orthodox Jews do. No phones ringing, no television, no blow dryer noise for 2 hours, no cellphones, no computer clicking, no nothing. Just sitting back and reading and talking, not to mention eating - and lots of it. It actually sounds ideal. It might be just what I need this weekend.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Bad choices
Still seeing and hearing nothing in Jerusalem - war wise. Thank God. We have one refugee staying in our house from Haifa who phones home daily to speak to her mother who is cooped up in her bomb shelter. Our cousins in Safed have relocated with relatives on the coast.
I am weary of this - even though it seems like a million miles from home. I find I have no energy for peace efforts at the moment. I didn't even go to the Sulha Planning Committee meeting yesterday. Bad choice. I should have gone, because I would have found kindred spirits there. Instead I went home where my very own family are thrilled whenever Israel's bombs hit Lebanon. Don't they care about the civilians? Not at this time.
The Israeli Arabs up North in their villages told the Jerusalem Post they do not have any bomb shelters like the city dwellers do in Haifa. Why? Bad choice for the Israeli government not to have thought about building for them too...
And obviously Hizbollah don't give a fuck either about who gets killed - whether it's a fellow Moslem or an Arab Christian in Nazareth - as long as they are able to toss their katyushas around.
And the rabbis said all this chaos is happening here because of the planned international Gay Pride event in August. I think it's because my boss died and since then, all this stuff began, plus everything is breaking down in my office, which would never have happened had he been around. I think even our office machines were petrified of him. Hubby thinks all this is happening because our house is filthy and chaos reigns inside and out. It's not really filthy though. I've seen filthier.
Plus my Complainer daughter is lying to me, telling me she is Eilat with girlfriends when one of my "spys" found her in Eilat with her "should-have-been-an-ex" boyfriend. He is not allowed in our home anymore after terrifying all of us in a 12 hour siege outside our home one Saturday a few weeks ago, telling her he was going to beat her up. We thought by calling the police he would be shooed away from her and from us for good. But here's another kid, with her bad choices, that's not digging a peaceful life for herself either. Go figure.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Loser thieves
Everything was pissing me off this week. I get to work rather sluggishly these days - there's no old man waiting for me impatiently at 7:30 am to begin the day. I returned home on two buses, looking at everyone thinking - what if I actually "said" what I was thinking. Like seeing a young Ultra-Orthodox married couple, and she was so, so young. I felt like going over to her and asking - "what are you? Like 16 or something?"
Later on a nutcase came on the bus with tons of packages. She was blabbering to herself and crying, even though from looking at her, she looked quite pretty and put together, with rings on all her fingers. People were being nice and trying to help her, but she was totally wacko. I felt like telling her "Gee, I'm so glad there's someone crazier than me on this bus."
Taking the 2nd bus home, there was standing room only. Some young woman kept on stubbing my toes with her heels - I felt like telling her "Don't you dare step on me again with your Russian high heels...." I knew she was Russian.
And last night, while Hubby was sleeping on the couch, falling asleep while watching Fox News, someone crept in and stole his briefcase with his car keys, ID card, business papers, etc. He woke me up at 2:30 am totally devastated.
"My whole LIFE is in that bag!!"
After searching the entire house, I concluded that Hubby was right in that it was stolen. We took a very early am walk (in my nightdress, mind you) through the park - perhaps the thief threw the useless-for-him briefcase in the bushes. We walked around the back of our place, and peeked in the trash can. Nothing.
He called the police and guess what? It was waiting for him there. They found it a few blocks away near the mall. Minus his cellphone and checkbook and ATM card. Stupid thief. He didn't bother stealing our car, even though the car keys were there. He took shit he wouldn't be able to use because the checks were cancelled as well as the ATM card and the cellphone. Now what will Stupid Thief do with all these things? The cash was with me, fuckwad!! Heh heh! And I never leave it on the diningroom table.
So I'm partially working on like 3 hours of sleep. I'm OK, though. But I'm so tired that I told my 16 year old that she can have 2 of her friends from Haifa over for the rest of the week. These kids aren't having too much fun these days. They've been spending their vacation in bomb shelters and I thought Jerusalem might be just the vacation resort it was always meant to be... Plus I could use a few good deeds up my way.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
What War??
Shel Booli Restaurant in the Machane Yehuda shuk - Jerusalem
For those of you thinking I'm cowering in a bomb shelter while planes are flying overhead....nah. War's not for me. And besides you can all read about it in the papers and watch that shit on tv. I'm fed up with wars and warriors and of course you all know how miserable this all makes me.
Jerusalem felt normal yesterday and people just went about their business on Fridays. For some - that meant shopping. For me - that meant eating. I found a great little gem in the Machane Yehuda shuk called "Shel Booli". The owner, a cancer survivor, makes healthy sandwiches and salads and they are half the price of what you would find at a regular joint.
Great salads..on "happy" plates
Check this salad out and the plates my friend and I called Happy Plates. I think it was the colors of the plates that put us in a great mood aside from the great tasting food.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Righteous Ogre
Ogres scare people. Like Shrek. Outside they terrify everybody, but inside, they're wonderful people. You just have to get to know them.
My boss died this week. Suddenly. He wasn't young, but I was sure he'd live to around 100 years old and never retire. I was sure I'd retire before him. And it is difficult for me and anyone who has worked in my office to bounce back to work - and we were told we can have a week's respite in order to mourn.
We used to come in at 7:30 in the morning and he'd be waiting impatiently for us to begin our day's routine. Now nothing. No routine.
He was difficult to work for but I managed and looked beyond the pettiness of me not being able to write my own e-mails and him checking every word that I did write on my own, and not rustling papers lest it disturb his train of thought, never being allowed to leave the office in case he'd "need" me for something, never being allowed to work for anyone else who needed my "English language" expertise, because he may need me at the same time, and I even learned to lie to him about my computer crashing, and printers not working, telling him it's better if this was typed on another computer or printed on another printer because it would be quicker - because he'd get hysterical if there was ever a lapse in the running of equipment here. I'd type list after list for him - personal and work-related of things to do, of which he'd get to only 1/3 of them, if he were lucky. And I'd never dare take a sick day or be late 5 minutes. That would surely be my demise. Plus, he'd scream and yell at the receptionists for all kinds of very minor infractions, like disconnecting a phone call, or not being at their desk even for a moment. When he'd leave the office we'd gather together and have coffee at the front desk for a few minutes of chit chat, only to scatter like cockroaches when we'd see him coming back in.
But there was another side to him, like the time he treated me and his secretary to a fancy lunch at the King David Hotel, for no reason at all. Every time he barked at me, he'd always apologize 10 minutes later, and compiment me on my work. Every time I was distressed for personal reasons, his laser would pick it up and he'd know something was wrong. Sometimes I'd tell him, sometimes not. One time last year, when I was walking around without any money for weeks, and feeling quite depressed about it, he found out about my situation and gave me and a fellow coworker who was a close friend, some money to go to see a wonderful movie playing at the Jerusalem Theater. He was raving about it and asked me if I'd go to see it.
"I won't be able to go to the movies for a while" I told him.
"Here" he said, dishing out some money for popcorn, a taxi and 2 tickets. "I want you to see it tonight."
You couldn't refuse a gift from him.
Last week I found myself thrown off a bus because all I had was a counterfeit coin. I was 10 minutes late to work because I had to walk. His secretary told him what happened, and later that morning handed me a 50 shekel bill which she said was from her. I had a feeling it was from him.
Yesterday, I told her I wanted to pay her back the money.
She told me "Give it to charity in his name."
"He gave me the money, didn't he?"
She nodded. "He didn't want you to know it was from him."
But I knew. And I wasn't the only one he did stuff like this to. There were many others.
I will miss him terribly. Rest in peace, Mr. Boss.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Jerusalem Film Festival
I couldn't get tickets for the opening night at the beautiful outdoor venue of Sultan's Pool, next to the walls of the Old City, but that never fazes me. First of all, it has been my tradition for years to stand at one certain gate and ask passerbys if they have extra tickets. They always have extras. Either for free or for sale. Even more exciting for me was the fact that Hubby said he would join me, which is a rarity. I usually do all these things alone or with friends or with daughters. So I wanted this to especially work.
An hour before the show I parked myself in my spot, even getting pessimistic comments from people like "forget about it" when I told them I was trying to get into a sold-out show. I probably even walked up to a few VIPs I didn't know were VIPs, like Atom Egoyan, the director, who was here from Toronto or the Canadian producer whose name I forgot, even Debra Winger whom I didn't recognize until they announced her on stage, asking them for tickets and getting laughed at while commenting - "yeah, for $500 I'll sell it to you." I did an eyeroll for them. Really. This is not a fucking Stones concert.
I felt like one of those Jerusalem Beggars asking for money on the street. I am a yearly Jerusalem Film Festival Opening beggar for sure.
After about 25 minutes, droves of people came in and among them 2 different kindly souls who handed me their extra ticket which I didn't have to pay for. God is kind!!
Especially so, since we are a bit tight on cash, and I was going to blow my last wad on 2 tickets.
The weather was getting cool, and Hubby mocked me for bringing a jacket, as it was unbearably hot during the day. But being a seasoned Opening goer I nearly froze to death 2 years ago when they showed Heroes and swore I'd never go through that again, no matter how hot it gets during the day. I felt bad for Hubby, though. I knew he was going to shiver.
We sat through 1 1/2 hours of a performance by a band called Atlantic, who did shitty covers of the Stones, Animals and other 60's oldies, but did wonderful on popular Israeli songs. And the speeches were short but plentiful. This director, that producer, this politician, that politician, etc. And I was surprised to see Jeff Goldblum there, looking quite handsome.
"We could eat sushi with him at the after-party" I told Hubby. I was successful last year in standing by the gates of the party after the movie asking for extra invites. One person handed me two. I could swing it this year. But as the weather got colder, I figured none of us will want to eat sushi with Debra Winger and Jeff Goldblum. I pitied her looking at how she was dressed with a sleeveless, summery top. Had no one warned her about the chilly Jerusalem evenings either?
The movie shown was the first Israeli film to be shown on opening night. Someone to Run With. I had no idea what it was about, but if it had subtitles, Hubby can follow along. Turned out we both thoroughly enjoyed the movie about Jerusalem's wayward youth, with a good plot to boot. I even recognized a few of the extras as downtown regulars who hang out.
Halfway through the movie Hubby was too cold to sit and went up the stairs for a hot beverage and to walk around to warm up.
The next day a friend of mine and I saw another movie from the Festival called Ticket to Heaven - an old one (1981) about Moonies and how they deprogrammed this guy who got sucked into the cult.
People seem to be so forthcoming and happy during festival week. And everyone chatted with everyone on line at the ticket counter when I wanted to exchange some tickets for other movies.
I saw someone I knew at the Cinemateque's coffee shop who handed me 2 free tickets to see a new Gypsy movie just added to the list of 300 films being shown during the Festival. She knew I was associated with the Gypsies here in Jerusalem. I was so happy to get another gift.
While my friend rushed in to see another movie where we were offered, yet again, free entrance (to fill up empty seats), I headed back home to reality - Shabbat was coming and someone needs to feed the family.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Counterfeits
I'm having a really awful bad quality moment - or shall I say a few bad quality moments.
My boss rushed me into work yesterday and I took the bus thinking I would take the 2nd bus inside Jerusalem to get to my work instead of walking 25 minutes. It would speed things up greatly. I handed the bus driver a 10 shekel coin and he looks at it.
"It's not real"
"Whaddya mean it's not real. It's a coin!"
"I'm sorry, I can't take this coin. You'll have to give me other coins"
Well, I had no other coins and no other bills. I'm flat broke. I got off the bus, half humiliated, and walked the rest of the way to work, calling my frantic boss to tell him I'll be 10 minutes late because of a counterfeit coin - which was all the money I had in the world.
Meanwhile, my kids were supposed to close a deal on an apartment they bought the other day and the lawyer they hired told them the builder "slipped in" a few papers she had never seen before, holding them responsible for the rest of the mortgage or having to lose whatever they deposited should the builder go bankrupt. They had been sitting in the office for 3 hours, ready to sign the deal, when voila. They were told by their lawyer not to sign until the other side gets their shit together. What a "bassa"(disappointment).
Back to the counterfeit stuff - I went to one of the stores that may have given me the bad coin. The salesperson immediately gave me a good coin in its place and we figured out together how to notice a fraudulent one.
In a 10 shekel coin - the fakes are lighter and the side is not uniformly lined. It looks sloppy.
In a 5 shekel coin - it looks exactly the same except for the sides again. The fake is rounder and the real ones are octagon-like.
So beware out there of these evil coins.
This morning, hoping for a better day - I got a loan from a friend so I can go to the opening of the Jerusalem Film Festival tonight, which has been my tradition for the past 6 years or so, I put on my funky pants from India, got into Hubby's car, and heard "rrrrrriipp" somewhere. The entire upper side of these lovely but awful quality pants were ripped. Thankfully, I'm wearing a knee-high top so it covers the rip, otherwise I'd look like some bag lady with ripped clothing near her behind or - maybe it's in fashion somewhere in the world.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Monday, July 03, 2006
Mideast Youth
I was asked to write for this up-and-coming great website. I jumped at the chance, not only because I was flattered at being asked to write for it, and having some great moments of being read by mostly Arab readers, but because it was for Middle East Youth.
"Me? Youth?"
OK, I'm way beyond my youth years, but nevertheless, if someone thinks I'm cool enough to write for some of the "youth" in this world - I'm in.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Running with Rabbis (for Human Rights)
I was feeling quite gloomy Friday morning, my boss having told me and the entire office that he will be retiring in a couple of months, which left me in tears most of the day on Thursday. It took me a year to get used to working with him - and he used to brag how people who worked with him needed to be under the care of a psychologist/psychiatrist after their stint with him. He was one tough bugger, and an old one too - way past retirement age. But I thought he'd never retire, and I even got to enjoy his rantings during the day, because they were so silly most of the times over simply nothing. I likened my reaction to the Biblical slaves that were able to go free after 50 years, but many chose to remain as slaves having gotten used to their owners.
What would make me happy this morning? I didn't have a penny to my name so a scrumptious breakfast out was not an option. I hadn't done any kind of volunteer work with Rabbis for Human Rights since the Olive Harvest a year before last October. And they were going to a tiny village south of Hebron, Jawawis, at the normal hour of 11:00 am instead of leaving at their usual ungodly times at 6:00 am on Friday, my day off of work.
I thought maybe I really am crazy going in the heat of the day to this place in the middle of nowhere. But doing things like this gives me a high, which I cannot fully describe. Knowing that you are going where most Israelis dare not venture and instead of seeing an "enemy" you see people, simple farmers, who are so appreciative that you are there, that you are supporting them.
Turns out just a handful of us were there and Arik Ascherman, the Chief Rabbi of Rabbis for Human Rights took us in his own car. He explained what had happened and some of the area's history with the army and settlers. This village's hay supply (20 bales) was burnt, supposedly by settlers from Susiya nearby. Rabbis and Taayush and the Kibbutz Movement had donated 12 bales of hay and we were to unload it for them.
Arik's car bumped over the unruly paths leading to the village that I told him, if I won a lottery, I would donate a 4-wheel drive to Rabbis for Human Rights. We waited for the hay to arrive, and there were only a few women there, so I chatted with some Christian Peacemaker Team women from Italy and the US who are living in Twane to help the villagers there.
Some of the young men wanted me to take their photos and then grabbed my camera to see the photos I took of them. But they didn't stop there. I heard some shrieks from them and laughter, and then I realized - hey! they're looking at the wedding photos and at my daughters who looked absolutely lovely, but were, in comparison to traditional Arab women, much more scantily dressed. The redheaded one ran to me with my camera showing me the photo in my camera of my dark haired, sultry, 16 year old, Ex Criminal, and the Good Daughter, who had the blonde bombshell look for the wedding, and excitedly got his friends to talk to me.
Who are these girls??? they wanted to know.
"They're my daughters and they're MARRIED" I lied, grabbing the camera back from them.
When the hay did arrive, it was 3 strong locals and Rabbi Arik, together with Taayush activist Ezra Nawi, who unloaded the supply and went off to demonstrate at the main road against settler violence. I don't do demonstrations and stayed back only to be joined by some of the village's women who asked me why I wasn't at the demo. I showed them my camera. "I just take the photos". My Arabic consists of maybe 10 words, and I disappointingly could not carry on a conversation with these women, but that still did not stop the feeling of closeness I had with them. I offered them some of my water. I smiled. It was my only way of communicating, but it was enough. One teenager asked me something in Arabic I couldn't understand but I accosted Arik coming back from the short demonstration.
He translated - "She wants to know if there will be any internationals staying with them in their village"
"Will there be"? I asked
"We'll have to work something out". I'm sure he will get to it.
After we left, with Arik wishing the Israeli soldiers who were at the scene a "Shabbat Shalom" he said we'd be making a detour to Beit Umar (Beit Umma?) near Hebron. There had been some previous trouble there with settlers and he was called to check it out. We met a Palestinian taxi who showed us the way and through the village we twisted and turned, about 15 minutes. It was a huge place, and I thought, my family would truly be shitting themselves if they knew what I was doing at the moment. Now is not the ideal time for excursions deep into Palestinian territory with kidnappings of Israelis on the rise by terrorist cells. But I stuck to my belief that if you go with the aim of giving help to these people, there may some kind of immunity against this sort of thing. I hope I am never proven wrong. We overlooked beautiful groves of plums and apricots overlooking the settlement of Bat Ayin.
Apparently they were tending their groves in the wadi and encountered Jewish shepherds from that area whose animals were eating their crops, vines, etc. The Jews called the police and the police arrested the Palestinians. They seem to be nervous getting to their fields now. Arik said we don't need to be taken down to the wadi, but nevertheless, after 15 minutes a tractor appeared taking the 5 of us down to the wadi.
"They don't take 'no" for an answer, do they?" I mentioned to Arik.
Riding down in the back of the tractor, the 5 of us squished together, I felt like I was riding on a bucking bronco. The ride was breathtakingly beautiful and it felt idyllic looking at the beautiful groves but it wasn't really. Not for them. While riding down there with 5 Palestinians and us 5 I wondered to myself again, what many Israelis believe (wrongly) of most Palestinians - that if they wanted to, they could easily chop us up into little pieces down here and no one would ever find out.
It really takes a lot of trust on both sides for us to be here together nowadays. To talk, to sympathize, to listen unconditionally, to offer help.
On the way back I got a call from my ex-Criminal daughter who was let out of her hostel on her way to her friend in Netanya.
"Where are you?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm on a tour" I told her not wanting her to worry, even though I wasn't too worried myself about myself.
"Where will you be going tonight?" I asked.
"Probably to a club somewhere in Netanya" she told me.
I think I'm more worried about her going clubbling in Netanya at 16 years old than I am about myself running with Rabbis for Human Rights deep in Palestinian Territory.
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