'May All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat' vs 'Occupied Territories'

I've been tele-fundraising from Israel to the UK in recent days for a small, but very intensive Jerusalem-based charity (http://www.ezranet.com) that distributes food baskets, clothing and related aid to the really poverty-stricken throughout the country; 2,500 baskets weekly, 10,000 by Pessach in a special campaign.

Several of those I spoke with in Great Britain - Jews, mind you - in London and Manchester were, and although a minority, quite adamant in their refusal to donate food to near-starving Israeli children... until Israel "changed its policies in the Occupied Territories."

Now, while on-line with them, I bit my tongue and stayed professional and on-message, clarifying that the donations were totally non-political (as is the organization), non-sectarian and were meant, as in the Passover passage, "Kol Dichfin, y'tee v'uchal - "May all who are hungry come and eat." Lot of good professionalism did for these kids.

One woman I spoke with (and I now wonder if she ever carried a child in her arms OR her womb) - insisted, despite my repeated attempts to sway her to understand that we were discussing hot soup for a cold and hungry child, and not politics - that "everything was politics."
Another I spoke with opened the conversation with a hearty chuckle, and, "I'm not sure you understand just how un-sympathetic I am." (Sigh). Talk about a callous heart.
I guess what struck me the most was the obsessive, near-gleeful, meaness of their attitude; hungry kids be damned - politics first!

And while we cavil about high-level academic snubbing of Israelis at UK universities and the like, in-duh-viduals like these are really ok, "quite fine thank you," in the local parlance, I suppose with poverty-stricken Jewish children going hungry - as long as their noxious ideological appetite get a good meal out of it.

I suggest we show them and their ilk where we stand: please go over to http://www.ezranet.com, click onto the donations page in the upper right-hand corner of the home page and send a kid a few hot meals for this coming Shabbat and Pessach. They accept dollars and UK pounds, with over 90 percent of it going toward real food and it's a tax-deductible donation in the US and UK.

May we all, the House of Israel and her supporters worldwide have a healthy and happy Passover festival.

(Cross-posted at www.israelity.com)

'Israelity' 'n' me/Rain for Purim

Rain for Purim. That’s the latest forecast. The traditional rainout on Purim is expected, yet again, here in Jerusalem for this coming Sunday. Damn. And there are so many great events planned for the city, not to mention across the country. All the crepe’ paper ink leaking down onto the kids costumes and decorations, just like Halloweens trick-or-treating I grew up with in the States.

But ever since end of the first Gulf War in 1991, I more immediately associate the coming of Purim celebrations with the riiiiiip of tape and plastic sheeting off our windows; Israel Radio had reported a government decision that it was safe to remove the improvised “safeguards” against the threat of CBW attacks by Saddam Hussein the evening of the holiday. I think my old apartment still has remnants of the masking tape embedded in the glass…

Hey, great premier podcast, Harry and Ziva R.! Harry, you’re sooo “indie” and edgy over Eurovision - and sooo right. What a musical dreckoteria that show is. Hey, you two have a real career choice out there in radio, ya’ know… remember RadioWest (z"l), Ziva?! (For all you’se others out there, RadioWEST was Israel’s only all-English language, 24/6 radio station and an aural home-away-from-home for many Western-born immigrants. Semi-legal and broadcasting in Jerusalem from a super-secret locale - oddly enough - just across the street from the Second Channel Broadcasting Authority. Hmm… RadioWEST was a true labor of love for many on both sides of the mike, in Jerusalem and the environs. For more, go here and “control + F” with: “Pirate broadcasters claim they have been used as scapegoats").

Anyway, back to now: Daughter Inbal Chaya, 17, has, thank God, has successfully just completed her six-month round of chemotherapy treatments. She’s now due - barring awful surprises - some two years of pill-taking to finally defeat her lymphoma, once and for all. Its’s been a tough road for all of us, with an immense amount of help from family and friends. We’re not quite out of the woods, but can see a clearing through the trees. She’s planning National Service instead of the IDF, and has been investigating boarding schools and women’s seminaries.

Wife Mazal has re-started studying for her economics degree at the Open University, and together with that, started working back at her bank, where’s she’s been for the last 25 years.
Meanwhile, the kids are preparing for Purim, what with costumes, usually homemade and, umm, creative, and are starting to get their fill of traditional “hamentashen -oznei Haman” triangular pastries. Wife and kids are furiously wrapping gift packages while I post here. Meanwhile - chilled arak well in hand - I’ll be studying the sagacious learning in “Torah from Krusty“. Go. Go there and learn, my child…

Co-blogger Dave Bogner here (further down), pretty much covers the waterfront about pre-Purim stuff ’n’ nonsense is like here, as far as ramping up to the lunacy on Sunday goes…
I’ll be posting lots ‘o’ pics about Purim events here in the capital in coming days, including parties, kiddierama,and so on, so stay tuned.

(Crossblogged at Israelity)

Still alive and well...

Took a long break from blogging, in order to jobsearch 24/6, take care of intensive family matters, both at home and at large, do radio for a new foreign client in the Far East, set up a "real" Flash-based website with a great designer (that, after getting all the digi-kinks and typos out, should be up in a few weeks), begin a new evening job with a local telemarketing firm, and - of all things - get my Goverment Press Office card renewed for 2005. It has been a wickedly tough, bone-wearying few months around here, I'll tell'ya.

A bit on what's been happening, without getting into last Friday's terror attack and it's reprecussions, "Disengagement" politics, the wider disputes and, oh, the meaning of life in general. That's all for the next entry...

Best news is that daughter Inbal, 17, is responding well to her chemotherapy treatments. She has about a month to go, and then goes on a two-year pill "maintenance" regimen. Only after- God willing - 5 years, according to statistics, can we start talking about "remission." Unfortunately, she's ingesting enough steroids and chemotoxins in her last few batches to choke a horse. Makes her real moody (as if being 17 itself wasn't enough), and she, apparently, caught an infection. Since her immune system is leaning towards negative numbers due to the medicines, she's back in the hospital for a few days to suck down antibiotics. Wife Mazal is with her around the clock. Avner is doing his best, and I'm working.

Working: I managed to get a weekly freelance spot writing for In Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Post's metro edition. Did four editions, so far and love being back in the newsroom, at least to meet once a month for planning - despite all the controversy (mostly justified) about working conditions, the recent sale of the organization, and such. That is a newspaper with dedicated staffers, administration and interns... Here are two of the latest articles I've done for them:

"Taxing Times"
"Routing for Rachel"

Had a genuine saga trying to renew my GPO ID card, as noted above; it's a tough to get into many press conferences and other secured or otherwise closed venues for coverage without that sly slip of plastic... Turns out that, according to the GPO, far too many in-duh-viduals were gaining access to those events with - formerly - casually handed-out cards, so they cracked down on their definition of the term (epithet?) journalist/correspondent.

Now, since I've been mainly tending to family matter as noted above, I didn't have requisite number of Internet "hits" for articles, or print/radio press coverage to be considered worthy. So they turned me down on first and second application. What a drag... so there I am, metaphoric hat in hand, running pillar to post at the GPO and begging indulgence to give me a break, so I can make a living... Ugh.

Been working at CSM for a few months now. Great place, great crew and ambience, too, despite my initial misgivings about working at a call center. There are so many new, "middling," and veteran immigrants from around the world working here, and a good "rosh" - headspace. Now to just buff up this weeks sales figures...

November 29, 2004: Anniversary of the UN vote on Resolution 181

(This entry is cross-posted by a host of participating websites in a "blogburst," led by http://www.israpundit.com/ to commemorate a milestone in Israel's history.)

Tomorrow, Monday November 29th, is the anniversary of the UN vote on resolution 181, which approved the partition of the western part Palestine into a predominately Jewish state and a predominately Arab state. (It is vital to recall that the UN partition plan referred to western Palestine, to underscore that in 1921 the eastern part was ripped off the Jewish National Home by the British Government and handed over to the then Emir Abdullah.)

The partition plan was approved by 33 to 13, with 10 abstentions. The 33 countries that cast the “Yes” vote were: Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussia, Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, Liberia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, Union of South Africa, USSR, USA, Uruguay and Venezuela. (Among other countries, the list includes the US, the three British Dominions, all the European countries except for Greece and the UK, but including all the Soviet-block countries.)

The 13 countries that voted “No” were: Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and Yemen.

The ten countries that abstained are: Argentina, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, United Kingdom and Yugoslavia.

On November 30, 1947, the day following the vote, local Arabs murdered six Jews in a bus making its way to Jerusalem, and proceeded to murder another Jew in the Tel-Aviv - Jaffa area. This was a prelude to a war that claimed the lives of 6,000 Jews, or 1% of the total Jewish population in 1948. This toll is the per capita equivalent of today’s Canada losing 300,000 lives, or the US losing 3,000,000. In addition, immediately after the UN vote, Arabs attacked their Jewish neighbors in a number of Arab countries, with notorious murders in the Syrian city of Aleppo leading the list.

Here's a map of the areas affected by the vote.

Bruised and bleeding, Israel prevailed nonetheless. More, including pics of the actual Biblical "Hill of Evil Council," and it's current occupants (can't make this one up folks - it goes way beyond satire or parody) here in a later blog...

Netanya seashore the morning after the storm...
Posted by Dave

Nir in gear with "Bingo," at Road Radio 90FM. Read the blog further down for details about this and the rest of the series of images.
Posted by Dave

Netanya seashore before the storm...
Posted by Dave

Radio 90FM's DJ Nir Eichel with family at their Netanya studios. See blog further down for details.
Posted by Dave

Netanya: IKEA, bowling & 'Emtsa Ha'Derech'

Been away from the keyboard for a few days, as Mazal, Inbal, Avner and I took off a few days at the beginning of the week as guests of the "Hayeinu" cancer-support organization.

Family counselor Ze'ev Weingarten arranged a three-day stay at the "Blue Weiss Hotel," a classy serviced-apartment/hotel in Netanya, at full-board in a two-room suite facing the sea. Sorry - they don't seem to have a website up at the present time... hmm.

After settling in (along with near gale-force winds and rain from the first big storm of the season - but great weather for ducks), we did what any self-respecting Israeli does when visiting the Netanya environs: we stopped off to gape at the home furnishings at IKEA, that Swedish Mecca of the Near-East, of course.

Those clever Swedes, (all together now kids - let's hear those Sesame Street "Swedish Chef" 'oopie-doopies' ring out!) after dissing Israel for years with the Arab blacklist - even reportedly refusing to ship here from "up there," they all-of-a-sudden decide to open a major outlet at the busy "Poleg" Junction along the Tel-Aviv-Haifa highway. Hard cash on the hardwood talks louder than scores of political yammerings, huh guys?

Next morning out, we went over to "Ye Olde Industrial Zone," where we were first on the lanes at the Netanya Bowling center. Since it was Mazal's first time bowling, she, of course, rolled a strike. Notice those final scores. Read 'em and weep, boys...

After showing off all our best "Flintstones" twinkle-toed bowling technique, we headed back down stairs to Netanya's own "Emtsa Ha'Derech - Road Radio - 90FM." For those reading this abroad, what's referred to here as, "regional radio," means that local stations are free to set their own content and playlists, get local advertisers etc, but link up to a national radio network on the hour for "Channel 10 news."

Co-owner and program director Margalit Hadar graciously gave us a tour of the (impressive) facilities, stopping to sit in along with 11-year veteran DJ Nir Eichel during the broadcast of his "Bingo" morning-drive game show. It was great being back behind the mike - even if it was someone else's and I kept my mouf' shut...

And the blogroll keeps marching along...

Mucho toda to "Celestial Blue" for adding yours truly to her blogroll. Now, I have a lot more to live up to, since she's a damn sight better and more proactive photoblogger than I am, not to mention having leaves and a Canadian autumn that lasts more that two weeks...

Drove through what is a great approximation of the dark side of the moon, straight through to the morning star yesterday evening to pick up a donated TV. More about that later today.

In the meantime: "We drove along the Jerusalem-Dead Sea Road until we came to Alon Road. And that is when I realized we were really off the beaten track. Except for the well-paved road, there's nothing man-made for miles, just mounds of sensuously curved sand in pinks and beiges, a landscape like none I'd ever seen before."

One of my daughters broke her leg at school yesterday - chasing a boy to slap him, apparently - and I will be with both her, and my older daughter Inbal Chaya, at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital writing up the rest... what a way to blog.