israeli politics

In Kenneth Brannaugh’s film, Belfast, there is much  discussion of the family moving from Belfast to England – primary because of economic necessity.  As a child of refugees and perhaps a refugee myself, the one sentence in which the grandfather tells the boy that he will be looked after by his parents, his extended family, his neighbors and his society, struck me with both fists.  That’s the way every child should grow up, but in contemporary society few get that opportunity.   

One of the reasons that drew me to Israel in 1972 was the idea of community  – the fact that many people who had lost their families or were displaced for other reasons remembered the need for society and worked together to recreate that.  My next door neighbor was Iraqi, married to an Uzbecki, and she and our other Polish neighbor family created a group with me that was my first experience of families.  

My own parents when I drew up had either lost their families or found themselves far apart geographically after the holocaust, and spent their energies trying to survive and to help the survivors.  

The society of the first decades of my life was one brought together by tragedy and necessity, and one abandoned by the next generation who needed to blend in with a greater world.  Perhaps this is true of the next generation of Israelis as well.  Scattered all over the universe they find their personal space and others who share their intellectual needs elsewhere.  Also of course, their financial needs. 

Few people get rich here.  As is was always said, the way to making a small fortune in Israel is to come here with a big one.  

But the sense of community has become far more complex in the past decades.  Politicians worked on dividing the peoples far more than bringing them together.  And I pledge, more and more, to continue to find ways to bring as many of the communties here possible together as much as possible.

I got back yesterday, and am very severely in need of sleep, groceries, laundry, and a haircut,  but this is more on my mind than ever – finding ways to create communities, to widen the concept of community  We’ll see how far I get.

 

 

 

may 24, 2022 – society Read Post »

israeli politics

People are moving all over the world, willingly and unwillingly, eagerly and tiredly – the result is that there is no manpower.  Our trip from Israel to the US through Britain was a terrible trauma.  Workers are not trained to move the numbers of peoples, to take responsibility for human beings, to recognize problems, individuality.  The management of flow in Heathrow was tinged with hysteria and ignorance.  And I was almost happy that they made it so difficult to go back, to rebook, to prove that Ezi was ‘fit to fly’ that we turned in desperation to El Al, which was far more simple and kept us from a total breakdown.  Were we to listen to GB, and the doctors who were trying to follow Britain’s orders, we would have been able to leave only on Wednesday, even though he has been healthy for well over a week.

may 23, 2022 – moving People Read Post »

israeli politics

my only remark about flying is that from the moment we changed to El Al from British, my tachycardia diminished.  i know I will be speaking with tough people, but reasonable people, not bound by unreasonable rules.  We are off now – and I promise to read all the papers properly, not just headlines.

may 22, 2022 – flying Read Post »

israeli politics

unwilling to free himself from the instructions he received two weeks ago, Ezi was going crazy trying to get permission to fly British.  So today we went to a clinic on broadway – they messed us around for an hour or two, examining the insurance and the papers, and then informed us that the date of the papers would have to be three days later than we needed.  Despite the repeated apologies I had the feeling we had been taken,  and despite the promises that we would not be charged I have major doubts.   This may be the first time I feel I have been worked on in new york.

and now I have been proven wrong.  my test results were mailed to ne.  Never say evil when stupid will suffice.

may 21, 2022 – health clinics Read Post »

israeli politics

how can anyone possibly keep a government going with every member behaving like a ball in the air and Bennet is managing as many as he can?  But he keeps dropping LEFT balls and not RIGHTs balls so left balls are begiing to disappear.  it’s a matter of conscience.  But can the few left wingers get together and create an alternative that can piggy back on someone else?  we’ll see.  in the meantime, we’re still far away, with a lot of dirty laundry and a longing for zion….

may 20, 2022 – in the air Read Post »

israeli politics

Now we come to the good part – I mean the part that seems like a Seinfeld episode.  Part 1, almost two weeks ago, when Ezi got his prescription for paxlovid, I asked that it be sent to the CVS near us, even though the place looked suspicious to me, nothing like the CVS I used to know. 

I came up to the counter, passed the paper to the pharmacist and waited as he examined it, then sent me over to the head pharmacist.  The head pharmacist examined the paper carefully and said to me – “come back one hour.”  I came back an hour and a quarter later, and the pharmacist told me it wasn’t ready, to come back in an hour.  “But he promised me one hour,” I pleaded, knowing there was a chance I’d come back and the pharmacy would be closed.  He went over to the head pharmacist, who without looking at me, said “ten minutes.” 

I spent the 10 minutes nudging the guy with the keys to the shampoos all locked up on the shelf, took one, returned it, took another – enjoying his opening up the glass door, locking it, opening it open again, as a little revenge on the head pharmacist.

Didn’t think I’d have to go back there, but when I did, with my own prescription, the guy with the shelf keys saw me and moved to another part of the shop.  Anyway, I was headed for the back where the pharmacy is, so he had nothing to fear.  I gave in my prescription and was sent again to the head pharmacist, who peered at the paper and said, “tomorrow morning.”

The next morning I waited until he had plenty of time to get organized, but when I went there, the pharmacist said it was “on hold.”  The doctor, she said, must have changed her mind.  Since I couldn’t reach the emergency room, despite many efforts, and the pills were time-sensitive, Ezi and I took a taxi over to NY Presbyterian.  When I told them the problem in Emergency they sent me to the waiting room.  But after half an hour I had had enough.  I grabbed one of the tiny doctors and she immediately said, “follow me,” and stopping in the middle of a long hall, slipped into a room.  I waited in the hall, thinking that any minute a note would appear that said “drink me”- it seemed so much like Alice in Wonderland.  But then the doctor emerged and disappeared down the hall like the white rabbit.  But no, a woman resembling a caterpillar came out after her. “Oh, I’ve been looking all over for you,” she said.  “I’ve called and called.” She showed me a slip of paper with a number remotely resembling mine – but with all the numbers confused. “The pharmacy couldn’t identify your insurance and wanted to know if you would pay.” Of course I’d pay – I’d get it back from the insurance, and if not, the fear of a stroke mid-flight urged me to swallow whatever they told me. 

We walked back cross-town to the pharmacy and back to the head pharmacist.  “Yes, I have spoken to your doctor.  Will you pay?” …”Come back one hour.”

After an hour the line was long, but I was persistent, and when I was told the prescription wasn’t ready, went looking for the guy with the keys.  But someone back there took pity on me, and within fifteen minutes I was out of there.  With an expensive shampoo. 

Then I took the pill. 

It feels wrong.

I think they made a mistake.

I think I want to go home.

 

may 20, 2022 – wonderland Read Post »

israeli politics

(my friend wrote that I made no sense at all on may 19, so – for the first time – i revised the story.  it’s one long kvetch)

Here’s the story for today.  Although I have been taking beta blockers for tachycardia and atrial fibrillation for the past year, I wear 2 watches to monitor almost everything.  And since we’ve been travelling, the monitors have been showing strange signs, jumping up and down like the stock market.   So I upped my meds and continued to smile: neither solution worked.   And this morning, when we were on our way to the hospital to get Ezi a clean bill of health so we can order tickets to go home, my monitors started going crazy, warning of imminent disaster, and I was persuaded to ask the emergency people to check me out. Before that, we went in to the hospital and were told that we had been misinformed, that they could not provide a letter to allow him to fly.  Then we went out and sat down on a bench, trying to figure out our next move, and I started to think about my own health. What if we really got permission to fly and I got a stroke?   Our friend, who called at that moment to see how we had fared with Ezi’s letter, urged me to do him a personal favor and go back to ask for an anticoagulant. I knew he was right, but I really wanted to get that permission to fly over with.  I debated with myself for a few minutes, and turned back into Emergency. I could see that the resident in charge thought I was crazy, but I pressed on and told my sad tale to the nurse.  They admitted me right away and did a whole bunch of tests.  It took all day and Ezi didn’t get his ‘fit to fly’ letter, but I got examined from head to toe and came out with anti-coagulants. 

New York Presbyterian seems like an incredible place – all very polite young doctors and nurses, just like on all the recent television series. The little doctor who saw me – for all of five minutes – told me his Mom had had the same symptoms and had a successful ablation that solved everything.  It was very very sweet.

However, there were two problems.  One, that it took all day and I never got to see the actual results, and Two, that the woman next to me all day turned out to be positive for Covid. 

She was a very nice Uzbecki woman – Her husband identified our language as Hebrew and shared their Jewish background with us, and it was good to have a conversation.   But we didn’t do much talking – they were very focused on the post-op infection she had after a lumpectomy, and when they were given the additional news about the covid later in the day didn’t pay much attention to it.

It was very different from hospitals in Israel – the friendly atmosphere, the multicultural staff and patients, the young ages of all the faculty.

There was also something that I thought was unique to hospitals in Israel – a guy lying in the hall.  When my phone died and I couldn’t read on kindle, I watched the couple.  The patient was good-looking and happy to remove his shirt and be examined by the youthful inquisitive doctors, and he and his partner seemed to be having a good time, entertaining all of the other patients behind glass doors..  Because the wall to the hall was glass, it was like watching tv again, and since my phone had died I spent the day watching others. 

In the end the choice to go might have been life-saving, but to me it was another New York experience.  Thank goodness I have good friends to keep me alert. 

may 19, 2022 – Drs and stuff Read Post »

israeli politics

According to the CDC Ezi is allowed to leave his quarantine tomorrow. 

According to the doctor he needs 2 negative tests and then the doctor will write a letter which will allow us to make a reservation to fly after 10 days.

According to the CDC I need to take a pcr test tomorrow because I probably had covid before Ezi got it, which will show up positive when I take a pcr test in order to leave.

According to my count I’ve got enough meds until Friday.

According to my jeans I’ve been eating too much.

According to my stomach I need more food

may 18, 2022 – according to Read Post »