It's Friday afternoon. Things are slowing down a bit, as they do here on Friday afternoon, and Frank has just left for Friday evening services. Early in the week I walked on Habonim beach with my friend Naomi, and we saw this lovely collection of Little Egrets on the way. The beach is beautiful there, just south of Haifa.

Barack Obama visited here in the middle of the week. He visited Sderot where the Qassams fell all during the spring; visited with the parents of Ehud Goldwasser and Uri Regev, the two soldeiers whose bodies were returned in a prisoner exachange with Hezbollah last week; and he spoke with Gilad Shalit's father (Shalit is the young corporal still in captivity by Hamas). He repeated again and again on TV that he supports Israel's security 100% and will be a friend of Israel. And he also visited Machmud Abbas (Abu Mazen), the head of the Palestinian Authority and reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the conflict here. This morning a beautiful picture of him wearing a white kipa (yarmulka, skull cap) at the Western Wall (a holy site), putting a little note into the wall. The cracks between the huge stones of the wall are filled with small crumpled papers, prayers tucked there by people who come to pray.

Israelis by and large support McCain. Israelis think that Bush has been the best presidential friend that Israel has ever had, and they know that McCain will continue Bush's policies, which are basically hands off. While Bush and Rice support a two-state solution, they have not ever insisted on changes in policy as Israel continues to expand settlements, carries out home demolitions of Palestinian homes which are purported by the Israelis to be illegal, and turns a blind eye to the harrassment of Palestinians by Jewish settlers in the West Bank. The Israeli government explains most of these activities as necessary to meet the security needs of Israel. Whether or not these activities and others like it are justified is not the relevant issue in what I am trying to say here; the point is that the policies of the Bush administration are by and large to not press the Israelis into any concessions to the Palestinians.

When Obama was still running against Hillary Clinton in the primaries his opposition began to publish information designed to scare people, especially Jews: that Obama's middle name is Hussein, that he was educated in a Muslim school, that he is a Muslim, that he is an Arab and therefore can't be trusted, that he is too inexperienced, etc. This kind of publicity continues (if you don't believe me, watch Fox News) and it does scare both American Jews and Israelis. Never mind the fact that some of these accusations are patently false. I ask people all the time about what they think about the coming election, and I am trying to learn to listen without getting defensive! What happens in the next US presidential election will have influence on what happens here in the Middle East; there is no doubt about that. And whereas I do not believe that there will be any major changes in US policy towards Israel or towards the Palestinians, I also believe that Obama has great potential to bring everyone to the table, which would be a good start. That is one of his primary talents, I think, and also his stated goal in all the policies he is presenting. I believe this is very hopeful, both for the US and also for Israel.

Later....
I didn't get this blog posted when I intended to, and now it is Sunday. We are enjoying some lovely cool and clear weather. Yesterday I went to the beach with my friend Ruti and her four-year-old son Yehonaton and we played in the water for about an hour. The sea was very rough and it was quite exciting; I thought that the lifeguards had a tough time overseeing a sea full of great big waves and a whole lot of people, including many small children! After our guests left I went to a place where there is a lovely view of Haifa Bay, usually not very visible because of haze in the summer. Here is the picture. If you look at the very top of the bay you will see (maybe) a white spot. That is Rosh HaNikra, a grotto in white cliffs that sits on the Lebanon border! You can never see it from here in the summer, but there it is, some 30 kilometers north.



Love,
Pat

July 23, 2008

A friend of ours remarked at dinner the other night that we live in a tough neighborhood. He was not referring specifically to Haifa, but more to the general atmosphere in this part of the world.

For the second time in three weeks a Palestinian resident from East Jerusalem went on a rampage with a bulldozer in central Jerusalem. This took place on fashionable King David Street, near the King David Hotel in mid-day; a neighborhood very familiar to us when we stay in Jerusalem. How many times have we walked on that same street. Barak Obama spent the night at the King David Hotel last night.

Eighteen Israeli civilians were injured, one seriously, before the driver of the bulldozer was shot and killed by a Border Police officer and a civilian. It is worth noting that many citizens of Jerusalem have permits and carry sidearms.

Security sources expressed concern yesterday at the sharp rise in the number of attacks in the capital, and the role of East Jerusalem's Arab residents in them. Since the start of the new year there have been five major attacks in Jerusalem, claiming the lives of 12 Israelis.

The combination of a lone gunman, who decides to attack without having an organizational structure behind him, and the freedom of movement an Israeli identity card guarantees East Jerusalem Arabs, apparently constitutes a weak point in the security situation, making it difficult to prevent similar attacks in the future.

There are some in Israel's security service who advocate destroying the homes of the perpetrators in order to preserve deterrence. At the same time Jewish settlement activity in Arab neighborhoods of the city is on the increase in an effort to push Arabs out of East Jerusalem.

The rage of the bulldozer drivers suggests a breakdown in Palestinian leadership. One man, then another, and another, and another, wake up one morning and, just like that, go into the street to attack yeshiva boys, run over children under the wheels of a bulldozer, shoot at Border Police officers.

Akiva Eldar writes in this morning's "Haaretz" that fanatical minorities on both sides are dragging two nations behind them into the abyss. Somewhere, somehow, there has to be a formula that will begin to move these two peoples toward a two state solution, allowing each nation to live without fear or threat and with a measure of trust. At this point, unfortunately, it does not look like the political will toward achieving this goal is there.

Frank

This entry should be dated yesterday, when I woke up and went outside to go exercise and found that every car in the parking lot had a balloon tied to the mirror! What's this, a holiday? I asked myself, but it wasn't -- an ad from Mitsubishi, I suppose encouraging you to buy a car. Later in the day another parking lot was full of balloons when I came out from shopping.


However, today was not a holiday at all. As you have probably read, Israel traded five Hezbollah prisoners (among them Samir Kuntar, who committed an exceptionally cruel murder of a family 16 years ago) for the bodies of two soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. These soldiers were killed in an attack along the Lebanon border two years ago, and that event was the occasion for the second Lebanon war. Yesterday the bodies were returned to Israel. The event was broadcast on the radio and television all day, the agony of the families, the tears, the solemnity of the occasion. In contrast, Kuntar enjoyed a hero's return in Beirut and pictures of that occasion were also broadcast -- it looked like 10,000 people were celebrating in the streets of Beirut. Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, twisted the knife until the last minute, suggesting that one of the captured soldiers might still be alive. Apparently they have known for several weeks that neither of them were alive, and the examination by the Red Cross and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) doctor found that they had surely been killed in the original attack and were not kidnapped at all. The contrast of what was happening here and what was happening in Beirut was stark. Today there were funerals for both of them, both funerals broadcast over television. Goldwasser's young widow spoke as did his mother. At Regev's military religious funeral his father and brother both spoke.

Israel has a strong ethic to bring captured soldiers home and to retrieve the bodies of soldiers who were killed in war. The events of yesterday and today represent another strong ethic: these soldiers were the sons of Am Yisrael (the nation of Israel), not just the sons of their parents and families. All the nation grieved. Israelis will tell you over and over again that this is a hard country, and it is, for many, many reasons.

One soldier is still in captivity. Gilad Shalit was captured in Gaza by Hamas over two years ago, a month before Goldwasser and Regev were ostensibly kidnapped by Hezbollah. It is pretty clear that he is alive and there have been negotiations all summer towards his release. Hamas wants the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners (in prison for terrorism) in exchange for Shalit. Understandably the government is reluctant to meet these demands, but at the same time they want Shalit very badly. It's a complex situation, made more complex by the recent indictments of our prime minister, Ehud Olmert, for accepting bribes and other criminal involvements. In the meantime an uneasy cease-fire exists with Hamas so that the shelling of towns and settlements bordering on Gaza has stopped.

Gilad Shalit is another ben ha'am, son of the nation. The nation anxiously prays for his return.

Pat

I've been walking around taking pictures, both in Jerusalem and here. So this post will be about flowers! The best time for flowers in Israel, of course, is in the spring -- then the fields are blankets of color. Then the irises bloom on Har Gilboa, the tulips and lupine bloom in the valleys and you can find small orchids blooming everywhere! Now the flowers are in the gardens. The flowers that I am posting here are all very common on the streets in the cities. This particular flower at the top is everywhere, but I've asked several people and no one seems to know her name...


This is white bougainvillea. Bougainvillea grows everywhere -- purple, orange, salmon, and white. There is a huge wall across the street from where we live, covered with white bougainvillea and when the white bracts fall, they fly everywhere through the streets, piling up in corners. Lovely trash!


Yellow Hibiscus. Hibiscus is blooming all over Haifa now -- red or white mostly, but yesterday I came across this beautiful yellow flower. They are really astonishing -- probably five inches across.




And below, a close-up of the stamens and pistil of a red hibiscus.



















Last, blue phlox. Another flower that is ubiquitous at this time of year -- large bushes everywhere.

Of course I could write more about the water that it takes to make the desert bloom here, and the political issues around water, but not today. Today I am just enjoying the flowers!

Pat

July 14, 2008

Can you picture welcoming Shabbat in a bar/restaurant in Tel Aviv? Well, that is the situation in which Pat and I found ourselves this past Friday night. In order to get the true picture, I have to give you some background.

My father was one of five brothers in Germany. When the Nazis came to power in the 1930s the family split, looking for safe haven. Jews were not welcome everywhere in those days. One of the brothers and his family went to Australia; three, including my father and our family came to the US, and one went to Palestine with his family. So, I have two cousins, their children, spouses and grandchildren here. It is quite a large, close family. We connect with them every year when we come, we visit and talk on the phone. We try to keep in touch when we are back in America as well.

As luck would have it, every summer there seems to be a family celebration here, either a birthday or a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Of course we are invited and we usually go. We are the cousins, who come every summer from America. We usually don't know anyone at these gatherings except the family. It gets to be a bit awkward.

This summer there was a Bat Mitzvah of one of the grandchildren. It is important for the story that you understand a piece of Jewish life here in Israel. Many Jews in this country consider themselves to be "secular," not observant of Jewish rituals in any way. They know Hebrew; it is their language of everyday discourse, but they are far removed from religious life. It is odd in some way; the Sabbath and all the Jewish holidays are part of the national fabric and rhythm of life, but their observance may not include religious activities.

My family here is part of that way of life; they mark life cycle events quite differently than do most Jews in America. When we in America talk about Bar or Bat Mitzvah, we usually include some religious services in which the young person participates and social festivities follow.

Here there is a different rhythm. The invitation to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah invites you to a restaurant. Following the meal there is usually a "this is your life" slide show created by the family showing the growth and development of the youngster. This is usually followed by words spoken by the parents and/or other family members. This ceremony often is quite moving!

That is where we were Friday night. My cousin, knowing me, knowing it was Friday night, invited me to welcome Shabbat there in the restaurant. I could not refuse. Something moved her to include this brief ritual in the events of the evening. So, at the appropriate time, they turned down the music of the DJ, invited everyone to gather and told everyone that we were about to welcome Shabbat.

On the bar, with whiskey bottles in the background, she lit the candles and I said the blessing and chanted Kiddush. There were some people in the room who knew the words and melody and joined me; for everyone, it was a unique moment in time. I guess that is what the message of Shabbat is all about. That evening became more than just another party. It had its sacred moments at the beginning and at the end.

Frank

The last two weeks we have been in Jerusalem studying at the Hartman Institute. We are there for the first two weeks in July almost every year. The Hartman Institute http://hartman.org.il, in their own words, is a "pluralistic research and training institute fostering new directions for Jewish thought and education." Every year they hold a seminar for rabbis from outside Israel from all branches of Judaism who come together for these two weeks to do text study together. This year there were 91 participants. If you check out the website you can see how beautiful the spot is! This year the theme was "Sacred Narrative and Collective Memory," and under this wide umbrella we studied various views of Mt. Sinai, Abraham and Moses, some holocaust literature, and lots of other things. The teachers are exceptionally good.

We had a number of extra-curricular activities; one night a singer named Shlomo Gronich entertained us http://www.shlomogronich.com/english.shtml and it was quite wonderful. Check out the website! Another night we went to see an incredible play, Na Laga'at, which means "Please Touch." All the players were either deaf or blind or most likely both. They communicate with one another entirely through touch, hence the name of the troupe. The performance was moving and inspiring and amazing. People who are both deaf and blind are completely isolated within themselves until something like this incredible troupe finds them and then they can communicate. One fellow communicates through someone tapping Braille on his hands! They were in constant physical contact with one another or with one of the "translators" who were hearing sighted people who guided the performance. The players spoke or mimed of their hopes and dreams: to watch birds, to go to a fancy hair salon, to walk free outdoors, to get married! These scenes were acted out on the stage. At the beginning all 12 players were kneading bread, which was then baked on stage. After the performance the audience was invited on stage to interact with the actors. I met an actor and learned how to sign "thank you very much" and held his hands in mine while I signed. He hugged me. Then we ate the bread!!

We also had a lovely day with archaeologists. We went to several sites; the first was Nebe Samuel, a site north of Jerusalem where the biblical character Samuel is presumed to be buried. Here is is a picture from the roof, looking toward Jerusalem in the far background.












A synagogue and a mosque are found in the site, and the site itself was originally a church.Here is a picture of the "ner tamid" (everlasting light) of the synagogue.



Lastly, we visited the City of David, a huge and fascinating archaeological site in Jerusalem. Supposedly the palace of King David is there, but the archaeologist we were with, who is one of the prime archaeologists of the site, doesn't think so. Actually, the whole archaeological tour was taken under the question: Is the Bible real? That is, are there archaeological confirmations of Biblical stories? You can see how that fits under the general rubric of our two weeks. In part of the tour we walked through Hezekiah's tunnel, part of the elaborate water system that was built in Biblical times. The last picture is the guy walking in front of me in Hezekiah's tunnel. Narrow indeed!!! That part of the walk was about 10 minutes. We also visited a newly uncovered site which was a pool with steps leading down to it. In my next life I want to be an archaeologist!!!
Walking through Hezekiah's Tunnel.

We're back in Haifa, and I think I have lots to write about just from the time at Hartman. We are hoping for a quiet summer without the excitement we have had in the past!

Pat