israeli politics

This country could probably be saved if people would learn to have real conversations.  Right now we just bark at each other.  The trick in conversations is to exchange information and to come to a solution.  we just push our way through.

It’s not as though I think it’s different elsewhere in the world.  And it’s not as though I’m good at conversations – I just shut up when the least but of agression emerges from the conversation, or if I don’t think my story wants to be heard.  

Maybe that’s why I write.

And maybe that’s why peaceniks always lose.

june 9, 2022 – conversation Read Post »

israeli politics

What is a coalition if not people of different minds joining together?  And yet our coalition is just like a herd of cats, and it will soon fall – leaving us with Bibi.  Who knows? Maybe with Trump too. 

No wonder corona is back.  what’s next?

 

june 8, 2022 – coalition Read Post »

israeli politics

Tapes of Adolf Eichmann from 1952, discussing his role in the Holocaust, are being released now – and reveal to what extent was his desire to eliminate the Jews.  What is banal about the trial is the banality of the person himself and the fact that a simple bureaucrat can willingly do so much damage.  

june 7, 2022 – eichmann Read Post »

israeli politics

First and foremost – I tried to update my computer yesterday and lost all my shortcuts.  So it should be clear I don’t know everything.

Second – we have a bit of a mess with our government right now that seems to be falling apart.  And from this frying pan we move into the fire.  Unlike most other governments that are wobbling, ours has a frightening alternative – Bibi.  The hate and chaos he engendered is only partially diminishing, and maybe it’s too late anyway to reverse the anger and mistrust, but still …a stable leadership in these troubled times would be very welcome.

Third – we’re on a corona wave again.  I have no idea if I had it before or not – but the thought of wearing a mask all the time does not please. 

 

june 7, 2022 – what a mess Read Post »

israeli politics

I’ve been reading Haim Zhitlovsky who at the  beginning of the last century called for a “Yiddish State” in a way as an alternative to the Zionist state.  All Jews would speak Yiddish all over the world.  No wonder Ben Gurion wanted to wipe it out.  But it’s coming back – even in Israel.  Next week I’ll be speaking about it

june 5, 2022 – Yiddish Read Post »

israeli politics

As I began to be sad that we’re posponing our plans for Ezi’s birthday because our visiting kids are sick, Ezi reminded me that he celebrated his birthday in ’67 in the air raid shelter.  And later in the day the Jordanians dropped a bomb a few blocks away.  Maybe that’s why I’ve never managed to have a proper birthday party for him.  The more I think about it, the more we mark events by war or  incidents of terror.  

So last night we had a get together with some of our friends, and they too count back to historical events.  A few, like Ezi, are more than 4 generations back in Israel, a few are children of holocaust survivors, or themselves survivors – not a representative sample of the population of Israel, but a comfortable group, like an old shoe.  Sometimes it’s nice to be with people with the same experiences.

 

 

june 5, 2022 – Ezi’s Birthday Read Post »

israeli politics

When Amnesty first came out with the decision that Israel is Apartheid in all four areas – Gaza, West Bank, East Jerusalem and within the 1967 borders, I wondered about the accuracy of linking all four areas together. After all, there are Arabs in our building, opposite us, and actually, a number of apartments on our street.  This is very different from the situation in Gaza, for example, where there are no Jews.

When I returned to Israel, I was delighted to have the situation explained to me by my friend Frances Raday, whose clear and rational response.  The article is here.  

As someone whose great-grandfather bought his land in the nineteenth century, Ezi blew up when I mentioned the subject – “Colonialist?” he said. “Half the people in this country were thrown out of North-African countries.”   

But I came here in 1978, so maybe I’m a colonialist…

june 3, 2022 – amnesty Read Post »