Hi everyone,
It doesn't seem that long since the last update, but almost a month has passed. Amazingly, we have been in Israel now for almost nine months. It seems like a lot longer. I am continuing to adjust to my new work environment. It is going slowly, but I'm sure that sooner or later I will adjust. The thrill of taking the train every day has worn off, and the 1 and half hour commute each way is starting to annoy me. On the plus side, in a few months I will be changing my work schedule to Monday through Friday for at least a few months, so I am looking forward to that. Caryn is taking a hiatus from Ulpan for a little while. She has also been sick the last three weeks, but is on antibiotics now and hopefully will be better soon. I forgot to mention in my last update that we got our permanent car, which is a 7 seater call Citroen. It takes some getting used to, but it's a nice car or Minivan or SUV. Not really sure what it is. IN any case, we can all drive together now, so that is nice.
Caryn and I met with Ilan's teachers last week and got a good report. While he was initially very resistant to learning Hebrew, he is a lot more motivated now, and making good progress. He is starting to read in Hebrew and doing pretty well. He has also entered into a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Phase, so our lives have been revolving around that. Gali has followed Ilan, and is also enjoying the Turtles, and even Tiki sings the theme song continually, which I have to admit is catchy. Besides that, Gali is also doing well, although we never hear her speak Hebrew, but she has a few friends who only speak Hebrew, and she can communicate just fine. Tiki is very cute and very engaging, which can be a lot of fun and also be very tiring, as she is like the Energizer Bunny. She is also generally the last of our children to fall asleep and often pays us several visits in the middle of the night (unless I am too tired, then she just pays us one visit and ends up staying). Eitan had Strep throat a few weeks ago, and after having a runny nose for two months, was like a new baby after taking antibiotics for a couple of days. He stopped being clingy, and was happy and playful most of the time. He also continues to be a good eater, eating everything in sight. We think he might have been a dog in a previous life, as he likes to fetch, eat food off of the floor, and chew on socks. Unfortunately, he is not housebroken.
Caryn and I spent the last Shabbat in April in Modiin. We had a really nice time, and we davened in a small minyan (prayer quorum), that was housed inside a school. It was a very kid friendly environment, which we really liked. On the down side, it is not financially feasible for us to by anything in Modiin at this time, so it does not appear we will be moving there this summer. Ilan has also expressed some reservations about moving out of Beit Shemesh, so we will likely stay in Beit Shemesh, although we may decide to move within Beit Shemesh.
On Saturday night,May 1st, we celebrated our first Lag Ba'omer in Israel. This was quite an experience, as this does not really exist as a holiday for the most part in the states. I still had to work on Sunday, but the kids were off from school, so it definitely was not a holiday for Caryn. Anyway, from the second night of Passover, we count every night for seven weeks, until he holiday of Shavuot (Pentecost). On the 33rd day, there is a mini holiday, as our tradition recalls that a plague that had killed 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva ended on that day. I won't get into the historical aspects of this, but suffice it to say, there is more to the story than that. In any case, this holidays is the pyromaniac's dream. Everywhere throughout the country, people are lighting bonfires. Some of them are actually quite large, and they are all over the place. In a mile radius from our house, I would say we saw about 40-50 separate bonfires. The whole city smelled like smoke. I'm not really sure why we light bonfires, and I would not let my kids participate, only watch, as it seems really dangerous, as some of these fires are 10 feet or more high. From nearby by Ramat Beit Shemesh, where the Charedim (Ultra-Orthodox) live, you could say an orange glow emanating from the area. While it was cool to see, it was also a little disturbing as the smell of the air reminded me of NY after 9/11.
Besides that, we celebrated our niece, Amalya's birthday. Actually, her family celebrated and we crashed the party, but they didn't seem to mind. Since we missed so many of our nieces and nephews birthdays over the years, we try to wish them happy birthday in person. Amalya was effusive with her praise for every present, and I remarked how she was the anti Uncle David (family joke). Amalya's birthday coincided with Yom Yerushalayim, were we celebrate the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem that occurred in 1967. I have to say that the country seems very confused over the day, with most of the non-religious outside of Jerusalem not celebrating. Apparently in 1998, the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) made it a nation holiday, yet if that's the case, I can't really figure out why I had to go to work, along with everyone else. To be it's not really a holiday if you have to work. Overall, I was a little disappointed with it, as the day passed very quietly. I will definitely need to take off one year and be in Jerusalem for the holiday. Speaking of holidays, Shavuot starts in 5 hours, so I need to wrap this up. I got to work half a day today, which is still exciting, and tomorrow I am off. I hope every one is well, and if you are Jewish, have a Chag Sameach.
Kol Tuv,
Zumi
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Column: One Nation "Peace or Piece of Paper"
This is the first of what I hope will be a monthly column on various issue affecting Israel and the Jewish People. I have chosen to name my column, One Nation, as the unity of the Jewish People is primarily what guides my beliefs, be they religious or political. While I have my own beliefs on many different issues, the consensus of those Jews committed to the Jewish People on any given issue will heavily effect my viewpoints. In Israel, I consider the overwhelming majority of Jews to be committed to the Jewish People, regardless of their political or religious beliefs.
Since the birth of the State of Israel, there have always been foreign powers who have placed varying degrees of pressure on Israel to follow their dictates or the will of the International Community. In some cases Israel withstood this pressure, while in other cases Israel has agreed to follow a course of action that it did not perceive to be in its best interest, I.E. the withdrawal from Sinai after Sinai Campaign in 1956. Over the past year, Israel has faced pressure from America and the International Community over the peace process in general, and specifically on the continued building in what the International Community refers to as the Occupied Territories.
As a result of this pressure, last November the Netanyahu Government agreed to a 10 month building moratorium in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank. The moratorium did not include any part of Jerusalem, which according to Israeli law is part of the sovereign State of Israel, as opposed to West Bank, which has never been formally annexed to Israel by any Israeli Government. Recently, there has been speculation that Netanyahu has agreed temporarily to halt building in East Jerusalem, although no official statement has been made to that effect.
Since taking office, the Obama Administration has tried to get the moribund Peace Process between the Israelis and Palestinians restarted. Recently, there has been some cautious optimism, as apparently both parties have agreed to “proximity talks”, even though there is no agreement on what exactly those talks entail. It is fairly obvious to most that these talks will go nowhere, but at least having the talks gives the appearance that things are moving in the direction of peace. Forgetting for a moment Palestinian demands, there is a fundamental difference between the views of the Obama Administration and the Netanyahu Government as to the final result of the peace process.
The Obama Administration, like those before it, sees peace between the Israelis and Palestinians as one between representatives of those two Peoples. They see Palestinian leaders, like P.A. Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad, who appear to be reasonable, and will to work towards a two state solution. As a result, the efforts of this and previous administrations has been to work out a political deal that would be acceptable to the Palestinian and Israeli leadership. While I’m sure the Obama Administration sees this as a difficult task, it does not believe it to be impossible.
However, for the current Israeli Government, this is not the final peace they envision. They envision a true peace among the Israeli and Palestinian People, where a Jew can live in Palestinian controlled territory in safety and not have to fear for their life. It is obvious that the world would never accept a situation in which Israel expelled its Arab Citizens. If that is the case, why is it then assumed that for Peace to occur between Palestinians and Israelis, Settlements would need to be removed? If Arabs can be citizens of Israel, like they should be, then why couldn't Jews be citizens in a Palestinian State or have dual Israeli/Palestinian Citizenship?
When viewed from this perspective, the Settlements are suddenly removed as the obstacle to peace. Unfortunately, what is left is the realization that Jews would likely not be safe at this point in time, living in a Palestinian State. Until the Palestinian People are educated for peaceful co-existence with the Jewish State of Israel, this type of peace will not be possible. It is for this reason, that we often hear from the Israeli side that they have no partner for peace. While Fayyad may be more pragmatic than his predecessors, he has not demonstrated the leadership required for true peace to occur.
This leaves the Netanyahu Government in a difficult position. On the one hand, it does not foresee any peace agreement in the immediate future that would guarantee its long term security interests, but on the other hand its closest ally will be pushing for a different type of peace, which may compromise Israel's long term security. I believe the following analysis provides the best advice to the Israeli Government: “Israel is dependent on the U.S. as no other country is on a friendly power. Increasingly, Washington is the sole capital to stand by Israel in international forums.…..It takes a special brand of heroism to turn total dependence into defiance, to insist on support as a matter of right rather than as a favor; to turn every American deviation from an Israeli cabinet consensus into a betrayal to be punished rather than a disagreement to be negotiated. And yet Israel’s obstinacy, maddening as it can be, serves the purpose of both our countries best. A subservient client would soon face an accumulation of ever-growing pressures. It would tempt Israel’s neighbors to escalate their demands. It would saddle us with opprobrium for every deadlock.”
These words, as quoted by Yehuda Avner in his new book, “The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership”, were written forty years ago by then US National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger. Amazingly, those words are as true today as they were back then. If Israel is to have true peace some day, it must hold firm to those positions which it knows to be correct, and not sacrifice them for an elusive piece of paper that will not will not bring true peace.
Since the birth of the State of Israel, there have always been foreign powers who have placed varying degrees of pressure on Israel to follow their dictates or the will of the International Community. In some cases Israel withstood this pressure, while in other cases Israel has agreed to follow a course of action that it did not perceive to be in its best interest, I.E. the withdrawal from Sinai after Sinai Campaign in 1956. Over the past year, Israel has faced pressure from America and the International Community over the peace process in general, and specifically on the continued building in what the International Community refers to as the Occupied Territories.
As a result of this pressure, last November the Netanyahu Government agreed to a 10 month building moratorium in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank. The moratorium did not include any part of Jerusalem, which according to Israeli law is part of the sovereign State of Israel, as opposed to West Bank, which has never been formally annexed to Israel by any Israeli Government. Recently, there has been speculation that Netanyahu has agreed temporarily to halt building in East Jerusalem, although no official statement has been made to that effect.
Since taking office, the Obama Administration has tried to get the moribund Peace Process between the Israelis and Palestinians restarted. Recently, there has been some cautious optimism, as apparently both parties have agreed to “proximity talks”, even though there is no agreement on what exactly those talks entail. It is fairly obvious to most that these talks will go nowhere, but at least having the talks gives the appearance that things are moving in the direction of peace. Forgetting for a moment Palestinian demands, there is a fundamental difference between the views of the Obama Administration and the Netanyahu Government as to the final result of the peace process.
The Obama Administration, like those before it, sees peace between the Israelis and Palestinians as one between representatives of those two Peoples. They see Palestinian leaders, like P.A. Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad, who appear to be reasonable, and will to work towards a two state solution. As a result, the efforts of this and previous administrations has been to work out a political deal that would be acceptable to the Palestinian and Israeli leadership. While I’m sure the Obama Administration sees this as a difficult task, it does not believe it to be impossible.
However, for the current Israeli Government, this is not the final peace they envision. They envision a true peace among the Israeli and Palestinian People, where a Jew can live in Palestinian controlled territory in safety and not have to fear for their life. It is obvious that the world would never accept a situation in which Israel expelled its Arab Citizens. If that is the case, why is it then assumed that for Peace to occur between Palestinians and Israelis, Settlements would need to be removed? If Arabs can be citizens of Israel, like they should be, then why couldn't Jews be citizens in a Palestinian State or have dual Israeli/Palestinian Citizenship?
When viewed from this perspective, the Settlements are suddenly removed as the obstacle to peace. Unfortunately, what is left is the realization that Jews would likely not be safe at this point in time, living in a Palestinian State. Until the Palestinian People are educated for peaceful co-existence with the Jewish State of Israel, this type of peace will not be possible. It is for this reason, that we often hear from the Israeli side that they have no partner for peace. While Fayyad may be more pragmatic than his predecessors, he has not demonstrated the leadership required for true peace to occur.
This leaves the Netanyahu Government in a difficult position. On the one hand, it does not foresee any peace agreement in the immediate future that would guarantee its long term security interests, but on the other hand its closest ally will be pushing for a different type of peace, which may compromise Israel's long term security. I believe the following analysis provides the best advice to the Israeli Government: “Israel is dependent on the U.S. as no other country is on a friendly power. Increasingly, Washington is the sole capital to stand by Israel in international forums.…..It takes a special brand of heroism to turn total dependence into defiance, to insist on support as a matter of right rather than as a favor; to turn every American deviation from an Israeli cabinet consensus into a betrayal to be punished rather than a disagreement to be negotiated. And yet Israel’s obstinacy, maddening as it can be, serves the purpose of both our countries best. A subservient client would soon face an accumulation of ever-growing pressures. It would tempt Israel’s neighbors to escalate their demands. It would saddle us with opprobrium for every deadlock.”
These words, as quoted by Yehuda Avner in his new book, “The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership”, were written forty years ago by then US National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger. Amazingly, those words are as true today as they were back then. If Israel is to have true peace some day, it must hold firm to those positions which it knows to be correct, and not sacrifice them for an elusive piece of paper that will not will not bring true peace.
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