So far, we have been lucky with the weather. Except for some showers at the beginning of January, it has been dry. Not good for fire conditions in rural Israel, but it certainly facilitates being a tourist. Normally, December, January and February compose the rainy season here. So, we had been expecting much more rain than we in fact have had.
Yesterday and today made up for that good weather. Yesterday, we still had our rental car and was able to overcome the obstacles of moving around in the rain. Today, however, was another story. At the end of the day yesterday, I returned our car after a month--we'll get another car tomorrow as we have learned that you can't move around too well without them, especially given the amount of inter-city driving we are doing.
Last night we borrowed Gina's car (Ety's daughter) to get home and back to her house this morning. They needed the car today and so I had to take the bus home. In fact, the bus system here in Jerusalem works well. It covers the city well with routes that make sense. As I've previously said, Gina lives in a religious neighborhood. The bus I took went from Har Nof in the extreme western part of the city through a corner of downtown and then passed through a series of other religious neighborhoods before it took a right turn to complete its route on King George Street in the city center.
Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of the route before getting on the bus, so in fact, it was not the best route to take. Not being sure where it would go, I got off at a stop just at the end of Ge'ula, one of the principal religious neighborhoods of the city (adjacent to the most famous, the closed enclave of Mea Shearim) on Nathan Straus Street. As I got off the bus, the heavens opened up after an hour of quiet drizzle. By the time I had made my way down Jaffa Street to King George and the Ben Yehuda pedestrian district, I was soaked. Desparate to get dry for a little bit before completing my walk home (another 15 minutes), I looked for a coffee bar, a beit cafe, the Israeli institution that I've come to prefer even to our coffee bars in São Paulo (sorry, Café de Porto). I didn't find one that met my increasingly exacting standards, but I did find an attractive Schwarma/falafel place that didn't reach down to the "joint" level, but was too informal to be called a restaurant proper. Since Schwarma is one of my musts on any trip to Israel, I stopped in and had a decent, but not spectacular Schwarma sandwich. At least it gave me a few minutes to shake the water off my coat, feel a little bit warmer and try a new place.
When I left, the weather fooled me for a few minutes. There was even a patch of blue sky. But by the time I had gotten to Derech Azza (remember from an earlier post that's Gaza to you and me), I got dumped on again until I was about 2 minutes from the house. But, here I am now, clothes changed, coat and hat in front of a heater drying off, generally warm (the feet are the last to recover) and happy for the experience.
Two points of interest. After my warm praise for the Jerusalem bus system, I don't feel so warm and fuzzy about the surface light rail that the city has constructed and is currently testing. The route is a useful one that will tie a number of neighborhoods to the center. On the positive side, it has also caused the construction of one of Jerusalem's landmarks, the "David's Harp" suspension bridge, which will carry the streetcar over the main entry street to the center, Shazar Boulvevard. But, the streetcar takes up the entire width of Jaffa Street, arguably the city's most important central city thoroughfare. Currently, points where the street can be crossed are severely limited. Jaywalking, an art practiced for centuries on this thoroughfare, is currently impossible. Nor do I think it will be after the system opens for business later this year. As a result, pedestrian traffic on the street will decline and with it will go the shops. Mamila Mall, this isn't. The stores are downmarket and there has always been a high turnover. Within a few years, I think they will be closed and we will have an urban desert.
If the problems were restricted to Jaffa Street, that would be sad, but they will also affect its parallel companion, Agrippas Street. That street, narrower than Jaffa has now been restricted to buses and taxis only. Private transport out. So, again, we will have the same problems with commerce that are already beginning. My real concern is for the Mahane Yehuda market area that has become one of Jerusalem's hotspots of the avant-garde. Popular restaurants, galleries, etc. are making this the equivalent of the Sheinken Street or Yafo neighborhoods of Tel Aviv. (It's a little erroneous to call Yafo a neighborhood, since it's really a city in its own right, a city with centuries of history, compared to the 100 years of Tel Aviv.)
Second point. I've referred to religious neighborhoods. This is an interesting phenomenon. As the haredi population of Israel and Jerusalem grows, they are seeking residences among other haredi. They prefer to keep somewhat apart from the general, secular population mostly due to the desire not to have to see cars moving and other evidence of behavior that doesn't agree with their sabbath practices. Second, they prefer to have their women and children only exposed to people who dress according to the modesty requirements of the observant Orthodox. Jerusalem has traditional religious areas such as Ge'ula and Mea Shearim. Har Nof is a new neighborhood, built in the 1990s that is almost exclusively Haredi. There are many others spread around the city and throughout the suburbs. At the entrances to many of these neighborhoods are gates that are closed for the 25 hours that Shabbat observance is in effect. Two weeks ago, I needed to pick Ety up after she spent Shabbat with her son in Bnei Brak. Shabbat ended there at 5:46 pm. I arrived at 5:50 and the barriers were still up on most of the streets. Not wanting to give offense, I drove around for 10 minutes until I found a street where the barrier had been moved aside. As it was, I was the first car to drive up our son's street.
Is this separation a good thing? A recent poll found that more than 50% of the secular population and more than 60% of the haredi population wanted to be separate. However, separation also creates a great deal of discomfort and mistrust between the secular and Haredi populations. Haredi rabbis have recently urged Jewish women not to date Arabs. Secular Jews are angry at the level of public services that the Haredi population takes advantage of. And, the real irritant between the groups, army service. Military service is universal in Israel. However, Haredis who are studying in a Yeshiva or Kollel can be exempted. When parents send their kids off to military service, they are not happy that a portion of the population can opt out. The Haredi sympathizers in the Knesset have finally perceived this and there is a bill moving through the legislative system that will cause more Haredi youth to serve in the IDF and participate more in society by working in addition to their religious obligation to study the Torah daily.
Let's see if the bill gets through.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Gone Fishin'
No blog posting yesterday because I traded in Jerusalem and my laptop to go fishing and hunting with my cousin and good friend Moshe. We first spent the morning exploring the site of a Byzantine church (3rd or 4th century) whose intricate tile floors are still mostly intact and impressive. The church is, after all these centuries, a ruin like the town that must have existed around it. I haven't uploaded the photos yet, but I will modify this post to include one when I do.
But, Moshe, Yo'av and I will be among the last to see the church for a while. On Friday, the government will rebury the church as neither they nor KKL (Keren Keyemet Leisrael or the Jewish National Fund) have the funds to build a proper shelter over the ruins to preserve them from the sun, other environmental degradation and, of course, the graffiti and other depredations of humankind. This happens throughout Israel where ancient ruins are more common than 7-11's in the States. I'm glad I got to go. I love exploring these ancient sites. It not only reinforces the historical importance of Israel in the history of the West, but also has a spiritual dimension, knowing that so much of what we find is there because of spiritual quests throughout the ages, whether we now see those quests as positive or negative influences on our development.
The visit had its amusing moments as well. We were not the only ones who had heard about the excavation and the coming closure of the site. There was a steady stream of serious archeological fans showing up who wanted the archeologist (who was trying to get his work done before the Friday deadline) to show them the site in detail. I heard arcane discussions in English and French about whether the tile work was 3rd or 4th century and everyone was very serious. At one point, the archeologist had had enough and shouted in Hebrew that he had work to do and no time to be a guard (shomer)!
The site itself is on the way from the major cities coastal Israel (Tel Aviv, Ashdod, etc.) to Hebron. There were a number of signs pointing to Hebron, the Cave of the Patriarchs, and Kiryat Arba, the controversial settlement that has for years been the focus of Palestinian anger and attacks in the Hebron area and has bred some of the most radical right-wing, nationalist settler groups.
The day's hunting (for pigeons) and fishing (for ... fish, what did you think we were going to fish for?) kept us in the outdoors until sunset. I actually caught two fish, which we will enjoy along with Moshe's catch on Friday night. Spending the day outdoors in the sun and warmth of the coast (much warmer than Jerusalem) was a restorative. The fact that the outdoors we were in, whether it was the fields of the moshav where we went hunting or the beach north of Ashdod, is real outdoors. The contrast with the beaches of São Paulo is unmistakeable. When we spend two hours walking Baleia, we're still in the city, crowded among hundreds of other weekenders who are the same people we see and speak with in the city. Even though we were only 20 minutes from Moshe's house just west of Ashdod, we were in another world distant from culture and intensity of the city.
I feel restored. One of the best days of my visit by far!
But, Moshe, Yo'av and I will be among the last to see the church for a while. On Friday, the government will rebury the church as neither they nor KKL (Keren Keyemet Leisrael or the Jewish National Fund) have the funds to build a proper shelter over the ruins to preserve them from the sun, other environmental degradation and, of course, the graffiti and other depredations of humankind. This happens throughout Israel where ancient ruins are more common than 7-11's in the States. I'm glad I got to go. I love exploring these ancient sites. It not only reinforces the historical importance of Israel in the history of the West, but also has a spiritual dimension, knowing that so much of what we find is there because of spiritual quests throughout the ages, whether we now see those quests as positive or negative influences on our development.
The visit had its amusing moments as well. We were not the only ones who had heard about the excavation and the coming closure of the site. There was a steady stream of serious archeological fans showing up who wanted the archeologist (who was trying to get his work done before the Friday deadline) to show them the site in detail. I heard arcane discussions in English and French about whether the tile work was 3rd or 4th century and everyone was very serious. At one point, the archeologist had had enough and shouted in Hebrew that he had work to do and no time to be a guard (shomer)!
The site itself is on the way from the major cities coastal Israel (Tel Aviv, Ashdod, etc.) to Hebron. There were a number of signs pointing to Hebron, the Cave of the Patriarchs, and Kiryat Arba, the controversial settlement that has for years been the focus of Palestinian anger and attacks in the Hebron area and has bred some of the most radical right-wing, nationalist settler groups.
The day's hunting (for pigeons) and fishing (for ... fish, what did you think we were going to fish for?) kept us in the outdoors until sunset. I actually caught two fish, which we will enjoy along with Moshe's catch on Friday night. Spending the day outdoors in the sun and warmth of the coast (much warmer than Jerusalem) was a restorative. The fact that the outdoors we were in, whether it was the fields of the moshav where we went hunting or the beach north of Ashdod, is real outdoors. The contrast with the beaches of São Paulo is unmistakeable. When we spend two hours walking Baleia, we're still in the city, crowded among hundreds of other weekenders who are the same people we see and speak with in the city. Even though we were only 20 minutes from Moshe's house just west of Ashdod, we were in another world distant from culture and intensity of the city.
I feel restored. One of the best days of my visit by far!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Important Article about Israel
This article in the LA Times about growing intolerance of others in Israel is worth considering. It reflects what most Israeli papers have been commenting on over the past week. Speaking to our Israeli relatives, a generally pretty centrist group, we see milder forms of suspicion and distrust.
I see two trends in this concern over intolerance and racism. First, while Israel has, as the article points out, enjoyed one of the calmest years in recent history in terms of terrorist attacks, Israelis are very concerned about external threats coming from Islamic countries as well as from Palestinian militants, especially Hamas. Iran represents multiple threats: nuclear weapons, support for Hezbollah, interference in Lebanon and Syria. Various militant groups in Gaza have been throwing rockets and mortars across the border into southern Israel in recent weeks in "defiance" of Hamas' ban on such attacks. Etc., etc. I think this concern over external threats gets translated into distrust and intolerance of those who are different.
The second trend I see is more insidious and more dangerous. Israel was initially a special place, especially to us outsiders from the Diaspora, because of its pioneer spirit. Israelis pulled together to build a nation from the sands and swamps of the Holy Land. They served together in the army. Wherever they were from, once they arrived here, they quickly became falafel eating Israelis. Some years ago, I got my wife's aunt and uncle to tell us the story of their arrivals in Israel, their participation in the wars following Independence. The stories were very moving. However, their grandchildren don't know those stories and , worse, don't really seem to care much. Israel to them is a very different place, a place of prosperity and comfort, of minimal obligations to the state, a place to get on with life. This indifference to halutz, the pioneer spirit that built the country, can easily breed intolerance as the threats that Israel must live with become annoyances that people want to separate themselves from. Desire for separation makes intolerance easy.
I hope Israel's great center (as the article calls it) will in fact assert itself and return some sanity to the public debate over who should live next to whom, who Jewish women should date, whether people who are different are threatening. The Gabrielle Giffords shooting in the US has done much to lower the rhetoric there. The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 did much to lower it here for a while. I hope another incident of that type is not required to bring the public debate and private attitudes to a more civilized level.
I see two trends in this concern over intolerance and racism. First, while Israel has, as the article points out, enjoyed one of the calmest years in recent history in terms of terrorist attacks, Israelis are very concerned about external threats coming from Islamic countries as well as from Palestinian militants, especially Hamas. Iran represents multiple threats: nuclear weapons, support for Hezbollah, interference in Lebanon and Syria. Various militant groups in Gaza have been throwing rockets and mortars across the border into southern Israel in recent weeks in "defiance" of Hamas' ban on such attacks. Etc., etc. I think this concern over external threats gets translated into distrust and intolerance of those who are different.
The second trend I see is more insidious and more dangerous. Israel was initially a special place, especially to us outsiders from the Diaspora, because of its pioneer spirit. Israelis pulled together to build a nation from the sands and swamps of the Holy Land. They served together in the army. Wherever they were from, once they arrived here, they quickly became falafel eating Israelis. Some years ago, I got my wife's aunt and uncle to tell us the story of their arrivals in Israel, their participation in the wars following Independence. The stories were very moving. However, their grandchildren don't know those stories and , worse, don't really seem to care much. Israel to them is a very different place, a place of prosperity and comfort, of minimal obligations to the state, a place to get on with life. This indifference to halutz, the pioneer spirit that built the country, can easily breed intolerance as the threats that Israel must live with become annoyances that people want to separate themselves from. Desire for separation makes intolerance easy.
I hope Israel's great center (as the article calls it) will in fact assert itself and return some sanity to the public debate over who should live next to whom, who Jewish women should date, whether people who are different are threatening. The Gabrielle Giffords shooting in the US has done much to lower the rhetoric there. The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 did much to lower it here for a while. I hope another incident of that type is not required to bring the public debate and private attitudes to a more civilized level.
Israel Thoughts - for a change
I've now been here in Israel for a bit more than 3 weeks (of six weeks total) and the country continues to astound me. From the beauty and urbanity of the neighborhood where we are renting a flat (which I'll recommend or not at the end of our stay), Talbiya in Jerusalem, to the arcane twists of politics here to the constant struggle to keep up with the rules and customs of our haredi children and grandchildren, Israel offers a very full life.
Of course, the real purpose of our being here is to help Ety's daughter with the kids while the family welcomes their seventh (count 'em, 7) child, an adorable daughter, who deserves all the kvelling that her grandparents can provide, dor de cotovelo or no. Ety is now over at her daughter's house with the two youngest while I put together this post. I'll go over when I finish this and my Hebrew homework for the day to see how the older kids (ranging from 5 to 11) deal with their new sister's first day at home.
Some observations.
Winter here, this year, is amazing. Plenty of sun — a mixed blessing as the Carmel wild fire attests — that keeps the cold at bay. Walk in the sun and you want to strip down to your shirt. Move into a shadow and back on the coat goes. In Jerusalem, there is plenty of sun. In Talbiya, the German Colony and Har Nof, the architecture has carefully protected sunny vistas. Even in our flat/zimmer/bungalow behind an apartment building, we have plenty of light entering.
I admit we are living in a privileged place. Netanyahu's residence is two blocks away and we share the block with HaBeit HaNasi, the Israeli White House, the residence of President Shimon Peres. Netanyahu's residence near the end of Derech Azza (Gaza to you and me) draws a wide variety of demonstrations and simple curiosity.
To the immediate left of the entrance gate is a series of white tents that house the parents and supporters of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped in 2006 by terrorists in Gaza and not seen by anyone but his captors since. The lack of progress has led Shalit's parents to take up a fairly civilized residence in the white tents until he is released.
In exchange for his release, Hamas is demanding the exchange of a large number of prisoners, including a number that Israel finds totally unacceptable as they were allegedly involved in killings of Israelis, directly or indirectly. So for four years, no deal. A German intermediary keeps shuttling back and forth, but frankly, Netanyahu is between a rock and hard place. As a former military man and brother of Entebbe hero and martyr Yonatan, Netanyahu wants to get his man back. But the terms can't be met. I will go around to visit them later this week. Shalit deserves the support of everyone who believes in decency. If you want to know more about Shalit, have a look at this blog.
The latest manifestation of the craziness surrounding Shalit's imprisonment is the attack yesterday on the motorcade of the French Foreign Minister who went into Gaza to review conditions there and had her convoy attacked by demonstrators with one aide being injured and the cars being seriously egged. How to win friends and influence people. She was attacked because she had previously expressed support for Shalit's release on humanitarian grounds. Today, the kidnappers of Shalit are being held responsible for the bombing of the Coptic Church in Egypt at the end of the year as well. I'm not sure what the German intermediary thinks he can do to obtain a credible agreement with groups that primarily seem to want to kill anyone who is not a member of their particular stripe of Islam.
One of the most striking aspects of Jerusalem is the light here. This is due in part to a decision taken long ago to demand that all buildings be constructed of the local granite stone, Jerusalem stone, which casts a warm slightly yellowish light. This tinge becomes pronounced in the early morning and late afternoon when the sun is low. The sky takes on this warm yellow tone. It really does warm the heart to see it.
Ok, now off for some kid-minding duties. If this seems strange on a Sunday, in Israel, today is the beginning of the work week which runs from Sunday to (generally) mid-day Friday. So, until later.
Of course, the real purpose of our being here is to help Ety's daughter with the kids while the family welcomes their seventh (count 'em, 7) child, an adorable daughter, who deserves all the kvelling that her grandparents can provide, dor de cotovelo or no. Ety is now over at her daughter's house with the two youngest while I put together this post. I'll go over when I finish this and my Hebrew homework for the day to see how the older kids (ranging from 5 to 11) deal with their new sister's first day at home.
Some observations.
Winter here, this year, is amazing. Plenty of sun — a mixed blessing as the Carmel wild fire attests — that keeps the cold at bay. Walk in the sun and you want to strip down to your shirt. Move into a shadow and back on the coat goes. In Jerusalem, there is plenty of sun. In Talbiya, the German Colony and Har Nof, the architecture has carefully protected sunny vistas. Even in our flat/zimmer/bungalow behind an apartment building, we have plenty of light entering.
I admit we are living in a privileged place. Netanyahu's residence is two blocks away and we share the block with HaBeit HaNasi, the Israeli White House, the residence of President Shimon Peres. Netanyahu's residence near the end of Derech Azza (Gaza to you and me) draws a wide variety of demonstrations and simple curiosity.
To the immediate left of the entrance gate is a series of white tents that house the parents and supporters of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped in 2006 by terrorists in Gaza and not seen by anyone but his captors since. The lack of progress has led Shalit's parents to take up a fairly civilized residence in the white tents until he is released.
In exchange for his release, Hamas is demanding the exchange of a large number of prisoners, including a number that Israel finds totally unacceptable as they were allegedly involved in killings of Israelis, directly or indirectly. So for four years, no deal. A German intermediary keeps shuttling back and forth, but frankly, Netanyahu is between a rock and hard place. As a former military man and brother of Entebbe hero and martyr Yonatan, Netanyahu wants to get his man back. But the terms can't be met. I will go around to visit them later this week. Shalit deserves the support of everyone who believes in decency. If you want to know more about Shalit, have a look at this blog.
The latest manifestation of the craziness surrounding Shalit's imprisonment is the attack yesterday on the motorcade of the French Foreign Minister who went into Gaza to review conditions there and had her convoy attacked by demonstrators with one aide being injured and the cars being seriously egged. How to win friends and influence people. She was attacked because she had previously expressed support for Shalit's release on humanitarian grounds. Today, the kidnappers of Shalit are being held responsible for the bombing of the Coptic Church in Egypt at the end of the year as well. I'm not sure what the German intermediary thinks he can do to obtain a credible agreement with groups that primarily seem to want to kill anyone who is not a member of their particular stripe of Islam.
One of the most striking aspects of Jerusalem is the light here. This is due in part to a decision taken long ago to demand that all buildings be constructed of the local granite stone, Jerusalem stone, which casts a warm slightly yellowish light. This tinge becomes pronounced in the early morning and late afternoon when the sun is low. The sky takes on this warm yellow tone. It really does warm the heart to see it.
Ok, now off for some kid-minding duties. If this seems strange on a Sunday, in Israel, today is the beginning of the work week which runs from Sunday to (generally) mid-day Friday. So, until later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
