A few days ago I read in the French newspaper "Le Monde" (22.12.2009) about a group of 16 NGOs (some of them well known, such as the UN, Oxfam, Amnesty International, etc.) claiming that "the international community had "betrayed" Gaza's inhabitants". The article includes a list of complaints, about which I had heard from someone working in one of those organizations, stating, among other things, that Israel was not allowing construction materials to be imported into Gaza. The articled described also the toll of this blockade on the citizens of Gaza - 40% of the active population being jobless, daily electricity cuts, tap water not being suitable for drinking, and more.
What I would like to discuss here is not the political decisions taken here in the Middle East, but the way Israelis relate to the situation and live with it. Most Israeli citizens sense they have no impact on the decision making in this area, and yet they have to live day by day with their consequences - something very hard to imagine for someone in Europe or anywhere else in the world.
As I was reading this article, I happened to receive a phone call from a friend; I immediately decided to share the news with him and gave him a simultaneous translation of this article. The man I was talking to, let's call him Chaim, is a very well informed person reading newspapers on a daily basis, including a news portal providing unpublished news. He had not heard about this claim until now. Haim's response was sarcastic: "Does the article also mention who is responsible for this deadlock?". I answered: "Sure, Israel is being blamed for this, that is, Israeli is being held responsible." Chaim sighed and said: "O, yes, sure, we are to be blamed for everything and that happens to the Palestinians! Why would they mention how Hamas is treating its citizens? Why would the Europeans bother to find out who is the real culprit! I guess we are expected to bow down and allow those Hamas people to keep shooting at us without responding. I believe that deep inside, they all wish us dead and would be happy to have the Hamas do the job for them".
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Fresh vegetables at Khezy's
Friday morning. Every Friday morning, my partner goes religiously to Khezy's to buy fresh organic lettuce and vegetables of all kinds. Khezy is an Israeli agriculturist from Ramat Hasharon owning several acres of agriculture fields on the outskirts of Ramat Hasharon, at the border of Herzliya; after years of "modern" agriculture, heavily relying on chemical pesticides and having suffered of a health condition due to constant exposure to agricultural chemicals, he has discovered the advantages of organic agriculture. Khezy does not have the look of a farmer as I know them from central Europe: quite, tall, slim and wearing glasses, he seems to be talking to his vegetables in the fields, stroking them in his shops. He is always happy to guide new customers through his patched together shack and to present his vegetables, as if they were his pets. On Friday mornings, typically posh housewives from the well-off nearby villa neighborhood and people like us who enjoy the drive into the fields come to buy freshly harvested lettuces and green leaves of various kinds for their Friday evening family dinner. When he is not standing behind the cash, Khezy usually sits in the back of his old shack on an old sofa, leaning back, while watching the cash from afar and chatting leisurely with the nice costumers. Sometimes he plays backgammon with a few friends or relatives. From time to time he turns aside and drops a sentence or two in Arabic to his employee, an Arab woman of 55 from Jenin (a Palestinian city in the north of the West Bank), quite an unusual sight these days in Israel. Her name is Fatma. Fatma fetches the herbs and the leaves from the field or cleans the harvested vegetables displayed on the shelves for the costumers. She wears an old, wide and out-fashioned skirt over an even more out-fashioned pair of trousers, with rubber boots on her feat, her head wrapped in a white cloth. Her movements are slow and heavy, she limps heavily when walking around. Once Khezy, on a rainy day with very few customers, had told my partner Fatma's story. She had been working for him since years; then, one day, she had had a stroke and was left paralyzed. After months of hospitalization and rehabilitation in Jenin, since she was a widow since long, her grown up children took charge of her, until she managed to resume living on her own. Khezy obviously knew about her situation and certainly would have come to visit her, if it would have been possible to enter the Palestinian territories. Eventually, when she returned to her own home, after about 8 months, Khezy made arrangement to obtain a special permit for her, allowing her to travel into Israel and staying there overnight at some relatives' of her and he took her back to work, knowing that this was the only option she had to find some occupation. Fatma makes tea from aromatic herbs which Khezy grows by himself and whenever a nice customer steps in, she offers tea to him or her. This time, as soon as we came in, she waved towards me, asking "Tea?" with a welcoming smile. I accepted immediately. Khezy invited me to sit down on an old chair and Fatma came up with a tray filled with big chunks of toasted pita bread, heavily sprinkled with olive oil and coated with appetizing "za'tar" (a traditional mix of grounded wild oregano - named za'tar - with salt and sesame seeds) - a definitely scrumptious and irresistible snack. Fatma poured boiling water into a jar filled with herbs and poured tea into several small glasses, asking me how much sugar I would like in my tea. When I said "none", she looked grimacing with disgust, saying in Hebrew "That's not tasty!". In the meantime another Arab woman, around forty, similarly dressed as Fatma, showed up and sat down to sip her tea. Again Khezy said something in Arabic, she answered something. The two women seemed to feel very comfortable; Khezy himself seemed like he had no intention to get up from his sofa anytime soon; he asked his partner to prepare the invoice for a customer who wished to pay. He told me that soon he would bring along a special oven for baking pita bread, so the customers could also buy freshly baked pitas; he is also considering to serve tea to his customers; somehow it seemed to me that his main preoccupation is to find a daylong occupation for Fatma, to keep her busy. Not because he needs it, but rather because she needs to keep herself busy. I felt like I could keep sitting there for hours, like sitting in a tent with Beduins in the desert, far away from civilization. Actually, you can see the highway from Khezy's shack - but seen from there, this seems like another world.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Sukkot
The feast of Sukkot is about to end. It has started Friday evening a week ago and will end by tomorrow evening. For most people I know, Sukkot means yet another one of those endless holidays, when thousands of people come and crowd the public places; there is more traffic than usual on the streets in the cities. Every day, when walking around in Hayarkon park between the Tel Aviv harbor area and the Shikun Lamed neighborhood, you can smell day after day the smoke of grilled meet and of nargila water pipes. On the Hayarkon river, where normally only kayakers and rowers rush up and down the river, one can see here and there pedalo boats or slow and frail little motor boats for families - a sure sign that this is a holiday, but not a Shabbat. On Saturdays, all the shops for boat renting are closed and you won't see anybody on the Hayarkon (there is no need to swim in it either, since the Hayarkon is notoriously dangerous and with the seashore at about several hundreds meters distance).
For those who are not religious, Sukkot means, mainly for those who have young children, that if you have ths space for it, you will build a kind of hut or square tent on your balcony or in the garden, for the sake of the children, because it is so exciting, while it keeps you connected to an ancient tradition as well. The kids often craft colorful paper decorations to decorate the inside of the "sukka" and on the first evening, dinner will be served in this hut, and perhaps once more on the next day. If the weather (and the parents too) allows it, the kids may sleep in this hut and be tremendously excited about it. By the end of the 8 days of Sukkot, most families will have lost interest in sitting in their sukka, because it is so fussy and so much work to move the dining table and the chairs in there. When those days will be finally over, many people will feel that at last, now we can resume normal life, as much of the work has been halted during the last few weeks.
For the religious people, this is a totally different story. The first and the last day of Sukkot are feast days, meaning that work is not permitted, like on Shabbat. Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles or Festival of Booths, commemorates the ancient times when the Jews, after the Exodus out of Egypt, became desert dwellers for fourty years. Eating daily in the Sukka is a mitzva. But no less important is the celebration of "arba'at ha-minim", "the four kinds": "lulav", a palm branch, "aravot", willows (two), "haddassim", myrtle twigs (at least three), and "etrog", a citron (looks like a big lemon). Sukkot cannot be celebrated without them. On the market places for the religious people, each one of those plants are offered distinctly. The etrog and the lulav are by far the most expensive. The lulav has to be of good quality; typically, on the days before Sukkot eve, myriads of religious men hang around the lulav and etrog vendors and examine them as if they were diamonds. A good etrog may cost more 100 $ and even more; the expensive ones are kept in cardboard boxes cushioned inside with cotton wool or a rug and the yellowish huge lemon is being treated like a precious gem stone. The specialized vendors even hold an examination glass, like diamond cutters.
Several years ago, an Israeli couple of actors, who had become religious, made a beautiful film about Sukkot and about the mitsva of welcoming guests in the Sukka, even when one is wretched poor - the film's title was "Ha-Ushpizin", meaning "guests welcoming" in Aramaic (see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0426155/).
During the days in between the first and the last day, the holidays are called "chol ha mo'ed Sukkot", the weekdays of the festival; this means that even the religious people may drive their car, ignite fire and cook. But it is recommended not to go to work during those days, as people should spend their time with their family. The secular people, who all year round feel that they have the countryside, the parks and the cafes 9and even TV) for themselves all year round during Shabbat, all of a sudden see their surrounding invaded by bunches of religious families - and orthodox families have an average of seven children per couple, often all dressed up in a similar way, in dull colors - bluish, grey or black, with white shirts. In public parks one can see groups of orthodox families hanging around together, enjoying the fresh air and the green space, while being surrounded by men and women in tight jogging suits, young women and girls in sleeveless tops and shorts; the religious people seem to superbly ignore all this, as if there was an invisible screen separating between them. I have often heard people around m saying: "On Sukkot, when we actually would have the time to travel around in the country, it is in fact impossible to enjoy it, because the datiim (the religious) are all over the place." Many people choose to use that time to travel abroad: about half a million of Israelis have bought flight tickets and holiday packages for this period, most of them went somewhere in Turkey or Greece.
Chag Sameach! Happy holiday!
For those who are not religious, Sukkot means, mainly for those who have young children, that if you have ths space for it, you will build a kind of hut or square tent on your balcony or in the garden, for the sake of the children, because it is so exciting, while it keeps you connected to an ancient tradition as well. The kids often craft colorful paper decorations to decorate the inside of the "sukka" and on the first evening, dinner will be served in this hut, and perhaps once more on the next day. If the weather (and the parents too) allows it, the kids may sleep in this hut and be tremendously excited about it. By the end of the 8 days of Sukkot, most families will have lost interest in sitting in their sukka, because it is so fussy and so much work to move the dining table and the chairs in there. When those days will be finally over, many people will feel that at last, now we can resume normal life, as much of the work has been halted during the last few weeks.
For the religious people, this is a totally different story. The first and the last day of Sukkot are feast days, meaning that work is not permitted, like on Shabbat. Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles or Festival of Booths, commemorates the ancient times when the Jews, after the Exodus out of Egypt, became desert dwellers for fourty years. Eating daily in the Sukka is a mitzva. But no less important is the celebration of "arba'at ha-minim", "the four kinds": "lulav", a palm branch, "aravot", willows (two), "haddassim", myrtle twigs (at least three), and "etrog", a citron (looks like a big lemon). Sukkot cannot be celebrated without them. On the market places for the religious people, each one of those plants are offered distinctly. The etrog and the lulav are by far the most expensive. The lulav has to be of good quality; typically, on the days before Sukkot eve, myriads of religious men hang around the lulav and etrog vendors and examine them as if they were diamonds. A good etrog may cost more 100 $ and even more; the expensive ones are kept in cardboard boxes cushioned inside with cotton wool or a rug and the yellowish huge lemon is being treated like a precious gem stone. The specialized vendors even hold an examination glass, like diamond cutters.
Several years ago, an Israeli couple of actors, who had become religious, made a beautiful film about Sukkot and about the mitsva of welcoming guests in the Sukka, even when one is wretched poor - the film's title was "Ha-Ushpizin", meaning "guests welcoming" in Aramaic (see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0426155/).
During the days in between the first and the last day, the holidays are called "chol ha mo'ed Sukkot", the weekdays of the festival; this means that even the religious people may drive their car, ignite fire and cook. But it is recommended not to go to work during those days, as people should spend their time with their family. The secular people, who all year round feel that they have the countryside, the parks and the cafes 9and even TV) for themselves all year round during Shabbat, all of a sudden see their surrounding invaded by bunches of religious families - and orthodox families have an average of seven children per couple, often all dressed up in a similar way, in dull colors - bluish, grey or black, with white shirts. In public parks one can see groups of orthodox families hanging around together, enjoying the fresh air and the green space, while being surrounded by men and women in tight jogging suits, young women and girls in sleeveless tops and shorts; the religious people seem to superbly ignore all this, as if there was an invisible screen separating between them. I have often heard people around m saying: "On Sukkot, when we actually would have the time to travel around in the country, it is in fact impossible to enjoy it, because the datiim (the religious) are all over the place." Many people choose to use that time to travel abroad: about half a million of Israelis have bought flight tickets and holiday packages for this period, most of them went somewhere in Turkey or Greece.
Chag Sameach! Happy holiday!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Afrer Yom Kippur
Someone sent me this link, it's a short film (1,35 min.) displaying in fast movement the 35 hours of Yom Kippur (2006). It will give you an idea about the atmosphere:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdetCA_7ly8
We aren't done yet with the Holy Days - the next holiday coming is Sukkot (סוכות), or "the Feast of Tabernacles" or "the Feast of Booths"... At work, this time feels like jumping from one holiday to the next one, difficult to do serious work, many projects are postponed to "after the holidays" (אחרי החגים).
But we are done with the gloomy part, now we may rejoice!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdetCA_7ly8
We aren't done yet with the Holy Days - the next holiday coming is Sukkot (סוכות), or "the Feast of Tabernacles" or "the Feast of Booths"... At work, this time feels like jumping from one holiday to the next one, difficult to do serious work, many projects are postponed to "after the holidays" (אחרי החגים).
But we are done with the gloomy part, now we may rejoice!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
יום כיפור
Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement or Repentance, is just about to begin this evening, Sunday 27th of September, at sundown, until tomorrow evening, Monday, when it becomes dark. Besides being the most holy of the Holy High Holidays for all Jews in the world, here in Israel it is in fact a very special day for all, even though for very different reasons.
Yom Kippur - version A
In the cities, the onset of Yom Kippur is quite spectacular and truly amazing: all shops, restaurants, cafes and businesses of any kind are closed down at least since early afternoon, broadcasting services included. The only people to stay in duty are soldiers, policemen and a few paramedics and physicians on emergency duty. The city turns silent, even the private homes. No more cooking, frying or baking, no loud music or TV, only kids shouting and rushing around. During late afternoon hours the car traffic starts to slow down more and more, until the last car disappears. As the streets become empty, around the official beginning time of Yom Kippur, hundreds of people walk out on the streets and swarms of bikers, old and young, take possession of the streets, the highways and the parking places. You may even see babies crawling on the asphalt nearby the traffic lights. To the accidental tourist, this is an unbelievable sight and an amazing experience.
For the children of secular Israelis (those who do not adhere to religious rules - about half of the Israeli Jewish population. For more details about this, see:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Israel), this is the day in the year when they feels on top of the world. No cars, except for police patrol cars cruising slowly and carefully through the indifferent crowd. All you can hear are children shouting and laughing and people chatting. This is the secular version of Yom Kippur, a true feast.
Yom Kippur - version B
For the observant Jew, Yom Kippur is something totally different: it is all about repentance, prayer and fasting. This is done within one's praying community in the synagogue. After days of repentance prayers (Slichot:: see http://www.yideotube.com/2009/09/berogez-eli-singing-at-selichot.html) and after taking the last meal ("se'uda mafseket") before the beginning of Yom Kippur, men go to temple and will stay there praying until late night, and they shall be back there next morning, for the whole day. Also women and young girls go to temple, mothers of young children will fast at home and stay with the children. Observant people typically wear straw slippers, as leatherwear is forbidden on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur fasting included both eating and drinking; showers and bathes are also forbidden. I was told that lately there has been an intense discussion about the question whether it is all right to wear Crocs sandals on Yom Kippur or not; eventually some of the rabbis said that it's all right, others forbid it "because they are too cosy" and do not fit the spirit of Yom Kippur. (For more specific information on Yom Kippur, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom Kippur).
Yom Kippur - version C
Between those who celebrate their Yom Kippur holiday while driving the bike all over the country and between those who observe the ritual fast while praying all day long, there are many other people choosing various other options: some do fast, "because that's family tradition", but otherwise stay at home while resting or sorting out their photo albums; some 20.000 Israelis have chosen to travel abroad for a few days; hundreds are emptying the DVD-libraries, taking home piles of DVDs to watch in silence at their home during Yom Kippur; yet others spend the day like any holiday, walking to the sea, then going home and eating something (without cooking, to avoid cooking smells), then reading the newspapers or a book. Most people take great care not to create inconveniences to those who might be fasting - because among the secular, one never knows who is fasting and who is not. Some people, known as gentiles, will fast on Yom Kippur, but wish to keep it a secret. It is actually quite common among secular friends and colleagues to ask each other, before saying goodbye: "Are you fasting?". Many gentiles, in Israel, fear to see one of their fellow secular friends making the leap and moving over to the religious and observant part of society - "chazara betshuva". The more delicate ones avoid asking that sort of question, because they know that this is a very personal issue.
Whatever you will be doing on Yom Kippur, may you be written in the Book of Life!
יום כיפור
Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement or Repentance, is just about to begin this evening, Sunday 27th of September, at sundown, until tomorrow evening, Monday, when it becomes dark. Besides being the most holy of the Holy High Holidays for all Jews in the world, here in Israel it is in fact a very special day for all, even though for very different reasons.
Yom Kippur - version A
In the cities, the onset of Yom Kippur is quite spectacular and truly amazing: all shops, restaurants, cafes and businesses of any kind are closed down at least since early afternoon, broadcasting services included. The only people to stay in duty are soldiers, policemen and a few paramedics and physicians on emergency duty. The city turns silent, even the private homes. No more cooking, frying or baking, no loud music or TV, only kids shouting and rushing around. During late afternoon hours the car traffic starts to slow down more and more, until the last car disappears. As the streets become empty, around the official beginning time of Yom Kippur, hundreds of people walk out on the streets and swarms of bikers, old and young, take possession of the streets, the highways and the parking places. You may even see babies crawling on the asphalt nearby the traffic lights. To the accidental tourist, this is an unbelievable sight and an amazing experience.
For the children of secular Israelis (those who do not adhere to religious rules - about half of the Israeli Jewish population. For more details about this, see:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Israel), this is the day in the year when they feels on top of the world. No cars, except for police patrol cars cruising slowly and carefully through the indifferent crowd. All you can hear are children shouting and laughing and people chatting. This is the secular version of Yom Kippur, a true feast.
Yom Kippur - version B
For the observant Jew, Yom Kippur is something totally different: it is all about repentance, prayer and fasting. This is done within one's praying community in the synagogue. After days of repentance prayers (Slichot:: see http://www.yideotube.com/2009/09/berogez-eli-singing-at-selichot.html) and after taking the last meal ("se'uda mafseket") before the beginning of Yom Kippur, men go to temple and will stay there praying until late night, and they shall be back there next morning, for the whole day. Also women and young girls go to temple, mothers of young children will fast at home and stay with the children. Observant people typically wear straw slippers, as leatherwear is forbidden on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur fasting included both eating and drinking; showers and bathes are also forbidden. I was told that lately there has been an intense discussion about the question whether it is all right to wear Crocs sandals on Yom Kippur or not; eventually some of the rabbis said that it's all right, others forbid it "because they are too cosy" and do not fit the spirit of Yom Kippur. (For more specific information on Yom Kippur, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom Kippur).
Yom Kippur - version C
Between those who celebrate their Yom Kippur holiday while driving the bike all over the country and between those who observe the ritual fast while praying all day long, there are many other people choosing various other options: some do fast, "because that's family tradition", but otherwise stay at home while resting or sorting out their photo albums; some 20.000 Israelis have chosen to travel abroad for a few days; hundreds are emptying the DVD-libraries, taking home piles of DVDs to watch in silence at their home during Yom Kippur; yet others spend the day like any holiday, walking to the sea, then going home and eating something (without cooking, to avoid cooking smells), then reading the newspapers or a book. Most people take great care not to create inconveniences to those who might be fasting - because among the secular, one never knows who is fasting and who is not. Some people, known as gentiles, will fast on Yom Kippur, but wish to keep it a secret. It is actually quite common among secular friends and colleagues to ask each other, before saying goodbye: "Are you fasting?". Many gentiles, in Israel, fear to see one of their fellow secular friends making the leap and moving over to the religious and observant part of society - "chazara betshuva". The more delicate ones avoid asking that sort of question, because they know that this is a very personal issue.
Whatever you will be doing on Yom Kippur, may you be written in the Book of Life!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
New beginnings
Summer is over, now it's official: not only have we passed beyond the threshold of 21st September, the official (physical) date of the end of the summer, but on Friday night we had our first rain here in the country. Real rain. It started around 3 or 4 pm and it was so loud that I woke up.
The first rain is quite an event here, because during the summer months it never ever rains. I remember that in my first years in Israel it wasn't easy for me to adjust to this fact. The landscape in the countryside, which in spring time has grown so intensely green, bit by bit dries out and turns yellowish, then brown, until the grass and the vegetation almost disappears. The air is constantly loaded with dust, cars are always coated with dust. Then, when the first rain comes, the air becomes clear, everything looks cleansed and the cars are all of a sudden all clean.
At the same time a new type of clouds have shown up in the sky, these days: puffy clouds, like cotton wads; someone around said that these clouds look like a forgotten piece of theater decor.
Even though the rain has gone and temperature has been raising again since yesterday, the humidity is much lower and it no longer feels like summer heat.
This is about the time when people start taking down their winter clothes from the upper part of their wardrobe, for those who live in one of those cramped houses so typical for Israel.
Rain seems to have been a meaningful issue in Ancient Hebrew: the fact that there exist several words for different kinds of rain displays that very clearly. "Rain" in modern Hebrew is "geshem". In Ancient Hebrew, we find the terms "Yoreh", early rain - the first rain in autumn; "Malkosh", late rain - the last rain before summer, and "Matar", plain rain, from which the modern Hebrew word "mitriyah", umbrella, is derivated. It seems that the word "geshem" in the Scriptures means "heavy rain" - it is mentioned in the story of Noah's flood (for those who like to read more about this, see: http://jhom.com/hebrew/rain_h.htm).
In its basic meaning, so it seems, "geshem" means "substance", in the sense of "that which is substantial" - and it seems to be related closely linked to the Arabic "jism", which means "material form, body". But this is another story.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Rosh Hashana
Today is a special day: this evening, Friday 18th, is Rosh Hashana eve, "'Erev 'Rosh Hasha'na" (the ' shows you the stress on each syllable). Rosh Hashana is the New Year of the Jewish calendar: this evening, after sunset, begins the year 5770.
What does this mean for Jews? It depends on whom you are asking.
For the secular Jewish Israeli, who lives according to the Gregorian calendar, this is about tradition, a nice holiday; those who follow old family traditions will serve apple slices and dip them in honey, as a symbol of hope for a "sweet" new year and many other kinds of food, such as pomegranate berries, dates and more. Whatever the various ways people in Israel celebrate Rosh Hashana, it has little in common with western Sylvester celebrations. Mostly, this is a feast of family gatherings. In the large cities, such as Tel Aviv, people also celebrate New Year on 31st December - many throw late night parties, dancing and drinking; it is not a common habit though in Israel.
For religious Jews, Rosh Hashana means that a new year is beginning and this is the time when God decides for every and each person what his or her life will look like in the coming year. The most important thing, for a religious Jew, at Rosh Hashana, is to listen to the Shofar: the Shofar, the traditional Jewish horn celebrates the presence of God, in whose realm we all live - a right one gas to earn. Rosh Hashana is about happiness and joy that one is part of this realm of life. But the horn also reminds cries and sadness - this is to remind people that they must examine their deeds in the past year and see if they have done any wrong; Rosh Hashana is the beginning of the 10 Days of Awe or of Repentance; wrongdoings still may be fixed until Yom Kippur. The next most important thing to do, for the religious Jew, is taking part in the prayer at temple; songs are performed by the Chazan (in Ashkenazi temples, for samples see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7SBznfK4_g) or a "paytan" (in sefardic or oriental temples, for samples see: http://www.piyut.org.il/ ), a religious singer, whose target it is to move and touch the listeners' soul as deeply as possible. Dinner at home is a part of the whole celebration, but an accessory one.
This the occasion at which many Jewish men, mainly chassidic, but also secular, choose to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav in the Ukraine. For the Breslav Chassidim, this is the highlight of the year.
It seems that for either secular and religious Jews, Rosh Hashana is a basically happy, a life assessing holiday.
Let's all have a happy Rosh Hashana!
What does this mean for Jews? It depends on whom you are asking.
For the secular Jewish Israeli, who lives according to the Gregorian calendar, this is about tradition, a nice holiday; those who follow old family traditions will serve apple slices and dip them in honey, as a symbol of hope for a "sweet" new year and many other kinds of food, such as pomegranate berries, dates and more. Whatever the various ways people in Israel celebrate Rosh Hashana, it has little in common with western Sylvester celebrations. Mostly, this is a feast of family gatherings. In the large cities, such as Tel Aviv, people also celebrate New Year on 31st December - many throw late night parties, dancing and drinking; it is not a common habit though in Israel.
For religious Jews, Rosh Hashana means that a new year is beginning and this is the time when God decides for every and each person what his or her life will look like in the coming year. The most important thing, for a religious Jew, at Rosh Hashana, is to listen to the Shofar: the Shofar, the traditional Jewish horn celebrates the presence of God, in whose realm we all live - a right one gas to earn. Rosh Hashana is about happiness and joy that one is part of this realm of life. But the horn also reminds cries and sadness - this is to remind people that they must examine their deeds in the past year and see if they have done any wrong; Rosh Hashana is the beginning of the 10 Days of Awe or of Repentance; wrongdoings still may be fixed until Yom Kippur. The next most important thing to do, for the religious Jew, is taking part in the prayer at temple; songs are performed by the Chazan (in Ashkenazi temples, for samples see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7SBznfK4_g) or a "paytan" (in sefardic or oriental temples, for samples see: http://www.piyut.org.il/ ), a religious singer, whose target it is to move and touch the listeners' soul as deeply as possible. Dinner at home is a part of the whole celebration, but an accessory one.
This the occasion at which many Jewish men, mainly chassidic, but also secular, choose to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav in the Ukraine. For the Breslav Chassidim, this is the highlight of the year.
It seems that for either secular and religious Jews, Rosh Hashana is a basically happy, a life assessing holiday.
Let's all have a happy Rosh Hashana!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
About the picture on my website title
I thought that I ought to say a few words about the picture on my website's landing page: it is a picture I took around March 2009 in my old neighborhood in the center of Tel Aviv: in Hebrew its name is Lev Ha'Ir (heart of the city). This is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Tel Aviv, most of the old houses were built around 1930. As you know perhaps, Tel Aviv is a newly created city: the first cornerstone was set in 1909.
The picture shows Balfour street at the corner of Yehuda Halevy st. - not the kind of view tour guides lead you through. In my view as a citizen who has been living for more than a decade in Lev Ha'Ir, what makes Balfour st. so special are its fabulous trees. You get to know the special quality of their presence only after you have been spending several months in this area. All over Tel Aviv there very ancient trees scattered in various backyards and back side streets. They make you feel protected when you walk by them - something I have come to value while living in Tel Aviv.
About 2 months ago my family and I moved out of Lev Ha'Ir to another neighborhood, up north, although still part of Tel Aviv. I miss those trees. Although we have plenty of trees in my new neighborhood, they don't feel the same...
The picture shows Balfour street at the corner of Yehuda Halevy st. - not the kind of view tour guides lead you through. In my view as a citizen who has been living for more than a decade in Lev Ha'Ir, what makes Balfour st. so special are its fabulous trees. You get to know the special quality of their presence only after you have been spending several months in this area. All over Tel Aviv there very ancient trees scattered in various backyards and back side streets. They make you feel protected when you walk by them - something I have come to value while living in Tel Aviv.
About 2 months ago my family and I moved out of Lev Ha'Ir to another neighborhood, up north, although still part of Tel Aviv. I miss those trees. Although we have plenty of trees in my new neighborhood, they don't feel the same...
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Israeli art on the streets of Tel Aviv
Today, while strolling on my bicycle through Rothschild avenue in Tel Aviv, I discovered that a new art exhibition had just started: large white banners with the copy of three different pictures on each side are hanging from the trees above the alley: most of them are paintings, by Israeli artists, old and young, some from before the state foundation, such as Nachum Gutman. The pictures all have one common theme: Tel Aviv (for more information, see Tel Aviv's municipality website at: http://www.tlv100.co.il/HE/News/Pages/omanut_bashderot.aspx, in Hebrew, or: http://www.tlv100.co.il/EN/Pages/EngHome.aspx, in English; for more about contemporary art in Israel, see: http://www.e-flux.com/shows/view/7070).
The sight of the the various pictures, which depict various places in Tel Aviv, filled me with joy. I asked myself why and here is the answer I found: because I recognized almost every place depicted and I saw pictures by artists whom I have known or do know personally.
If you happen to be in Tel Aviv in September, then by all means do stroll down Rothschild avenue, as well as Ben Gurion ave. Although life in Tel Aviv is not always easy and pleasant, it is a pleasure to see that we have so many fine artists and also so many beautiful places here in Tel Aviv.
The sight of the the various pictures, which depict various places in Tel Aviv, filled me with joy. I asked myself why and here is the answer I found: because I recognized almost every place depicted and I saw pictures by artists whom I have known or do know personally.
If you happen to be in Tel Aviv in September, then by all means do stroll down Rothschild avenue, as well as Ben Gurion ave. Although life in Tel Aviv is not always easy and pleasant, it is a pleasure to see that we have so many fine artists and also so many beautiful places here in Tel Aviv.
About schools and education in Israel
In Israel schools traditionally start on the 1st September. This is about the time when various newspaper articles are published about the catastrophic state of Israel's educational system. Public schools in Israel are indeed in deep trouble: classrooms are notoriously overcrowded, with an average of 32 pupils per classroom in high schools; school teachers are underpaid and too often they take advantage of their sick days; both my children, Ben and Elinor, have experienced repeatedly their teachers leaving in the middle of the school year, with temporary replacement teachers in between, which means constant readjustment. Nearly every year, the ministry of education makes new cuts in the number of teaching hours; last year, my daughter Elinor had a free day on Thursdays, due to the accumulation of such cuts. Parents feel helpless. This is also the reason why so many parents decide to take their child's education in their own hands and to found a private schools, such as the Kesem school, an environmental open school in the Jerusalem area, just to name one of them.
Although Israel spends more than most other countries on education, Israeli school children obtain very little personal attention from their classroom teachers. In secular schools, problem number one is the low discipline. Eventually, the pupils who do well at school do so mostly thanks to their parents' involvement and their financial investment in private teachers. As a result, the gap between school kids who are children of well educated or well off parents and those whose parents have little education and cannot afford providing their kids private lessons keeps growing.
The educational crisis has been going for years already. A retired school principle from the Afula area once explained me, while we were discussing the issue at a family dinner, that back in the 60s, when he was a high-school pupil, only about 30% of the children were aspiring to graduate and study at university, all the others would leave earlier to acquire a technical education or just started working; back then high schools were able to provide quality, since they were meant for the intellectual elite. Nowadays, high schools have been imposed the role of baby sitters; on top of it, they must provide equal chances for all. Since Israel basically is a state of immigrants from all over the world, this means supplying public school education not only to the children of well educated Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or Haifa citizens, but also to children of Russian immigrants from Moscow, Kiev or Riga, to newly immigrated religious Yemenite Jews who know only biblical Hebrew; to the children of Ethiopian immigrants who have been living for years in impoverished communities and neglected by the authorities for various reasons and speak mostly Amharic; to the children of Arab Israeli citizens, either Muslim and Christians, to the Bedouins of the Negev desert and of Galilee; to children from poor peripheral settlements, such as Dimona or Beer Sheba. The Arab citizens in Israel have a school program of their own in Arabic. But there is more to this complex mosaic: the religious population - they also have public schools, the "khinukh mamlakhti dati".
Many in Israel are dissatisfied with the public school system. Over the last 10 years, more and more private schools have been created by various communities, both religious and secular, in order to provide a better education for their children according to their own beliefs: almost 30% of Israel's schoolchildren study in a private school; many of them are officially acknowledged by the Ministry of Education, although the ministry is far from encouraging this tendency. With more and more young Israeli citizens receiving education in a private institution, some people here are deeply concerned about the cohesion of the Israeli society in the future.
Although Israel spends more than most other countries on education, Israeli school children obtain very little personal attention from their classroom teachers. In secular schools, problem number one is the low discipline. Eventually, the pupils who do well at school do so mostly thanks to their parents' involvement and their financial investment in private teachers. As a result, the gap between school kids who are children of well educated or well off parents and those whose parents have little education and cannot afford providing their kids private lessons keeps growing.
The educational crisis has been going for years already. A retired school principle from the Afula area once explained me, while we were discussing the issue at a family dinner, that back in the 60s, when he was a high-school pupil, only about 30% of the children were aspiring to graduate and study at university, all the others would leave earlier to acquire a technical education or just started working; back then high schools were able to provide quality, since they were meant for the intellectual elite. Nowadays, high schools have been imposed the role of baby sitters; on top of it, they must provide equal chances for all. Since Israel basically is a state of immigrants from all over the world, this means supplying public school education not only to the children of well educated Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or Haifa citizens, but also to children of Russian immigrants from Moscow, Kiev or Riga, to newly immigrated religious Yemenite Jews who know only biblical Hebrew; to the children of Ethiopian immigrants who have been living for years in impoverished communities and neglected by the authorities for various reasons and speak mostly Amharic; to the children of Arab Israeli citizens, either Muslim and Christians, to the Bedouins of the Negev desert and of Galilee; to children from poor peripheral settlements, such as Dimona or Beer Sheba. The Arab citizens in Israel have a school program of their own in Arabic. But there is more to this complex mosaic: the religious population - they also have public schools, the "khinukh mamlakhti dati".
Many in Israel are dissatisfied with the public school system. Over the last 10 years, more and more private schools have been created by various communities, both religious and secular, in order to provide a better education for their children according to their own beliefs: almost 30% of Israel's schoolchildren study in a private school; many of them are officially acknowledged by the Ministry of Education, although the ministry is far from encouraging this tendency. With more and more young Israeli citizens receiving education in a private institution, some people here are deeply concerned about the cohesion of the Israeli society in the future.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Another popular food: sabich
Sabich is a kind of oriental food that has become pretty much popular over the last 10 years. I must admit that I have never tried it. I just noticed more and more small oriental fast-food buffets popping up in the area, so that it could not be ignored. When i once witnessed my friend Donna, a sophisticated down-town Tel Aviv dweller, send her three young daughters to go and buy themselves a sabich for lunch, this was a sure sign in my eyes that sabich is something, not just an ephemeral trend. But I still didn't know what it really was and all my friend Donna could tell me about it was that it consists of pitta bread with lots of goodies stuffed inside.
Then I happened to hear my friend Yossi mention that sabich is a real calories bomb; so I asked him: "What exactly is sabich?". His eyes sparkled and he cried out: "Ah, sabich! How come you don't know what sabich is? I don't believe it!". "Well, believe it, I don't know what it is, so please tell me!". Then Yossi the physician became the boy whose parents immigrated from Iraq in the fifties; he told me that sabich is something Iraqi Jews would eat religiously every Saturday morning after coming back from synagogue. His mother would take an Iraqi pitta bread (http://www.mideastweb.org/recipes.htm) and fill it with hummus, chopped tomato salad, a hard-boiled egg, a slice of fried eggplant, potatoes and some tahina on top. So now I knew why I never ate it: it's just too much for my delicate stomach - but Yossi said that it is so tasty that it's really hard for him to refrain from eating it now.
So much about sabich. For those who are planning to come to Israel, here is an article about the first sabich buffet in Israel - and more:
http://www.gemsinisrael.com/e_article000039492.htm
For those who'd like to make their own sabich, here is a recipe:
http://everything2.com/title/sabich.
Enjoy!
Then I happened to hear my friend Yossi mention that sabich is a real calories bomb; so I asked him: "What exactly is sabich?". His eyes sparkled and he cried out: "Ah, sabich! How come you don't know what sabich is? I don't believe it!". "Well, believe it, I don't know what it is, so please tell me!". Then Yossi the physician became the boy whose parents immigrated from Iraq in the fifties; he told me that sabich is something Iraqi Jews would eat religiously every Saturday morning after coming back from synagogue. His mother would take an Iraqi pitta bread (http://www.mideastweb.org/recipes.htm) and fill it with hummus, chopped tomato salad, a hard-boiled egg, a slice of fried eggplant, potatoes and some tahina on top. So now I knew why I never ate it: it's just too much for my delicate stomach - but Yossi said that it is so tasty that it's really hard for him to refrain from eating it now.
So much about sabich. For those who are planning to come to Israel, here is an article about the first sabich buffet in Israel - and more:
http://www.gemsinisrael.com/e_article000039492.htm
For those who'd like to make their own sabich, here is a recipe:
http://everything2.com/title/sabich.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
#1 food in Israel: hummus
When I first came to Israel, many years ago, I met a German young woman who was on her way back to Germany. As we met in the guesthouse, she decided to pass on to me some of the knowledge she had gathered during her stay in the country and took me out into Tel Aviv streets in the evening hours. She explained me that the Israeli specialty was called "humus" - like the gardening soil, which sounded very strange to me and not really appetizing. Much later I found out that it is an Arabic word and that it is called "hummus" or "chummus". (For more details, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummus).
Hummus is a very simple dish that is not so simple to prepare with success. Most Israelis will never even attempt to prepare it by themselves and rather go out looking for the best hummus in town, wherever that is in the country. If you live in a big city, you will fancy to find "your" best hummus in town. Freshly made, if possible, by hand (not with a food processor), by an Arab - or at least served by an Arab. If you live somewhere in the suburbs or in a small town, you will mostly find an oriental Jew named, Moshe, Chayim or Shalom, who runs a small takeaway food restaurant serving hummus in pitta bread with chips and oriental salad (diced or chopped tomatoes and cucumbers); there you can get a "chumus be-pita" at the price of 10 or 12 NIS, a complete meal, even for a laborer.
Although it is pretty basic, made of mashed chickpeas with tahina sauce, it is delicious and nourishing. Very Israeli, although the Lebanese claim that it is a Lebanese dish. But Lebanese hummus is a bit different, mostly a side dish, more delicate, with pine nuts. So there is a typically Israeli version of hummus. When you come to Israel, it is a must!
Although it is pretty basic, made of mashed chickpeas with tahina sauce, it is delicious and nourishing. Very Israeli, although the Lebanese claim that it is a Lebanese dish. But Lebanese hummus is a bit different, mostly a side dish, more delicate, with pine nuts. So there is a typically Israeli version of hummus. When you come to Israel, it is a must!
Why write about everyday life in Israel?
Israel is almost daily featuring in the news. As a European who has been living in Israel for several decades now, every time I come to visit my relatives and my friends in Europe, I realize how little they know about REAL life in Israel. So time has come for me to tell people a little about life here in Israel through my personal and humble perspective.
What do people outside Israel mostly think of at first, when talking about Israel? The middle eastern conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, of course. Well, enough has been written about the conflict and about the war. I shall not even attempt to tell you about the conflicts and their reasons.
What I want to focus on is the little things of everyday life, the casual, regular encounters, blissful moments, whatever is part of regular everyday life as I see it. I hope that this may outbalance somewhat the imbalanced and very partial pictures you see in the news spots.
The first theme I shall talk about in my coming posts is food - food as a place where cultures meet and mingle.
What do people outside Israel mostly think of at first, when talking about Israel? The middle eastern conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, of course. Well, enough has been written about the conflict and about the war. I shall not even attempt to tell you about the conflicts and their reasons.
What I want to focus on is the little things of everyday life, the casual, regular encounters, blissful moments, whatever is part of regular everyday life as I see it. I hope that this may outbalance somewhat the imbalanced and very partial pictures you see in the news spots.
The first theme I shall talk about in my coming posts is food - food as a place where cultures meet and mingle.
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