israeli politics

The President has now announced a compromise – I haven’t had a chance to read it properly and already the criticisms are coming at him from all angles.  He really worked hard on this compromise and the compromises I would have to make really hurt – but they are the only thing that would save us,  

One thing is clear – this is the first time I have heard attention paid to the Arab population since before the last elections.  

But I have to read things more carefully.

The President’s Compromise – March 15, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

Yesterday a terrorist crossed the Lebanese border, exactly next door to my friend’s house, hitched rides to Megiddo, and apparently blew up a big Hizballah bomb, wounding seriously a young Arab man who happened to be driving by.  Everyone is wondering how he got there and why – but I, who often get my facts wrong, see the symbolism in Megiddo – or Armageddon in English.     Don’t you?

armageddon – March 15, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in a large group,” said George Carlin.  And the “stupidization” of this country that has been progressing for the past dozen years or so is finally paying off.  When the Minister of Health says that the blood bank has been emptying because the forms were changed with the last minister from “mother and father” to “parent 1 and parent 2,” people stopped donating, you have to understand what it means.  Either everybody is crazy or he is.

And I am apparently following the trend.  When I told the cardiologist today that the high dose I’ve been given lately is making me stupid, he said – very gently, “It isn’t the pills….”

  

titanic – March 14, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

because we have doctors’ appointments today that begin before 8 a.m. I was up at 5:30 and completely alert, a rare thing in these days when I am being pumped with an overdose of heart medicine.  And ready for the day that began with a crane falling into the sea because of the weather, and the laws being passed to protect Bibi from being excused from his position.  No laws to protect people from accidents, to control emissions, to improve the economy, to protect citizens’ rights – we don’t have time for that.

before the day – March 14, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

Almost everyone I know is doing whatever can be done to stop the destruction of democracy in the government.  Last night I spent the evening with a bunch of lawyer friends who are all active in different ways.   One writes articles, one speaks in government committees, one teaches in East Jerusalem, and others are not allowed to speak about what they are doing.  Everyone has a finger in the dyke, but the dyke is big and the waters are high and very dangerous.  

Finger in the Dyke – March 13, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

i’m going to separate the negative from the semi-positive.  First, gentrification.  Until the government started behaving like they really believe the messiah is coming next week, our biggest problem was gentrification.  That is, old prople are being encouraged to leave their apartments in Tel Aviv for a few years while they are being updated, fortified, enlarged, and beautified.  The problem is, we don’t want to go.  

So, a play centered around the attempts to find a grandson for a woman so that she will want to upgrade her residence was very relevant.  A little less now, but still good.  Here are some scenes:

It’s called, Ï’m your grandmother” and it stars Rivka Michaeli, and I already wrote something about it, but of course I don’t remember.

 

gentrification – march 13, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

I cannot express in words my pride in the people in Israel who are willing to fight for democracy and insist on doing it in peaceful ways.  My estimate is around 150,000 people – without taking into account people like me who are too ill, too old, too weak, too sick, or too busy to be there.   Our dedication in politics is to me extremely admirable, and I pray that when things calm down we’ll pay attention to the other injustices in our system.

protests tonight – March 11, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

Although I’m still not going anywhere not medical, we made exceptions for our grandchildren who are all doing projects on ‘roots’, and allowed ourselves to answer the lists of questions prepared for us by their teachers.   We have done this before a few times but maybe because I’m measuring my heart every few minutes everything hits me more deeply.  Yesterday and today I’ve been forgetting the demonstrations I’ve had to miss, even trying to make the idea of the enormous conflict a sign that Israel is an involved country, that something good is involved in the connection between Saudi Arabia and Iran. 

I mean what would you do if your kids asked you about your conflicts between you and your parents?  How would you feel if you took a photograph of your grandchild standing before a tower that your grandfather-in-law built?  What would you feel if you had to admit to your grandson that you have never succeeded in finding survivors in your family?  There are few things that can beat the kinds of emotions raised from those simple questions.

 

roots – march 11, 2023 Read Post »