Forgiveness or Intolerance - Yom Kippur Reflections

This year's Yom Kippur was marked, among other things, by Iran deliberately choosing the day to launch a new Shahab missile capable of reaching Israel: a deliberate act of intolerance, antagonism, and flaunting of military strength. Reactions here included the same spectrum of intolerance, belligerance, and antagonism. The choices are ours. It still seems to me that we are fighting fire with fire, rather than attempting to diffuse the situation, if indeed it can be diffused.

At the end of the day I dressed Rotem in her white dress, and we set off for the synagogue to hear the shofar at the end of the fast day. Surprisingly, there are now two synagogue services in Ben Ami which is ordinarily a secular community: new residents who live in the new neighborhood are evidently reluctant to join the Ashkenazi service and called for a Sepharadi one alongside. Entering the hall below the uncompleted synagogue (after 5 years I sort of doubt it will ever be finished) I soon realized that I had entered the Sepharaci service. The usual Ben Amo crowd from my block was not here, but the music was much more to my liking, so I stayed. I put Rotem on my lap and we were soon singing Avinu Malkenu and chanting "Adonai Hu HaElokim" to a thoroughly unfamiliar melody. No more minor slow Ashkenazi melodies. We were soon clapping hands. I was definitely born into the wrong sect. I'm switching.

Taking |Rotem on my lap, I whispered to her that Yom Kippur was about to end, and that this was the time to forgive any animosities.

"Rotem, this is the time to say "slicha". If I ever said anything or did anything during the last year that hurt your feelings or made you angry, I'm sorry." I took her hand and we stood up with the rest of the congregation. She stood open-mouthed as the shofar sounded again and again, and we went outside into the moonlit evening.

Rotem then asked me to come with her to ask our neighbor's child, Noam, to make up. I don't know what they had a disagreement about, but Rotem wanted to end it, but she did not have the courage to face Noam alone. We walked over and Rotem said she wanted to make up. Noam did not answer.

"It's OK, Rotem, you did the right thing. Maybe Noam will think about it." We walked home as the stars came out and I told her how difficult it is even for adults to forgive sometimes and end their anger at each other.

Perhaps small children are learning better than adults to be tolerant and forgive. Maybe they can show us.

The Road to Area A is Paved with Good Intentions...

A Palestinian boy passes through the turnstile at Jalameh.

Today is the third day of Eid El Fitir – the feast at the end of Ramadan. We observed that the “easing up of conditions” that was to take place during Ramadan and the holidays were either not implemented, or fell by the wayside.

We drove the little girl Aya and her mother Suheil to Jalameh after her dialysis treatment at Rambam. Aya played happily with a Dora balloon - a gift from Neta - and promptly fell asleep. When we arrived the parking lot was so crowded that we could barely find a place to park. The checkpoint is filled with holiday visitors going in both directions.

At the entrance to the terminal there is crowding and pushing. Families are standing with small children, people are constantly moving through the turnstile in both directions. At the far end of the terminal there is a window for people entering the West Bank, and it is very crowded there. People entering Israel come to the turnstile from another window to the left that is beyond our view/ People are fed up, complain about the long wait and the degradation at the checkpoint. One man complains that he came out quickly because he was let through due to a heart problem, but his son and daughter-in-law are still inside. Another declares that he has not seen his family in Jenin for a long time, but prefers not to go: he refuses to put up with the degrading experience of going through the crossing. It appears that instead of improved conditions for the holiday, the checkpoint is more crowded and less efficient than ever.


Holiday Visitors. "Easing Up on Conditions?"

On our way out we saw a bus waiting and asked the drivers who they were taking. They said they were waiting for workers who were harvesting olives near Tiberias.
Soon there will be a vehicle crossing point here and Israeli Arabs will be able to take their cars to Jenin to shop. We can see the new facility that is already standing, which is supposed to open October 1st.

Neta suggested we see if anyone was using the newly opened checkpoint at Salem, which I had never seen. We stopped at Salem, which was opened for people to cross during Ramadan and the holiday. Next to an opening that had been made in the fence a place had been prepared for people to cross, but the entire place was empty. (See photo). It is ironic that there is so much overcrowding at Jalameh, but no one is taking advantage of the opportunity to cross here. The army had set up a sunshade, tables, and even chemical toilets. All are waiting for people to use them – but because the opening of the crossing was not publicized properly, all these efforts were in vain.



A large red sign stands at the checkpoint that reads: “This road continues into Area A [which is] under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority. Entrance to Area A by Israelis is forbidden, endangers your life, and is a criminal offense.” A fine backdrop for the present peace summit in Washington and New York! Note: this jurisdiction is true for Israeli Jews: Israeli Arabs are, of course, permitted to enter, as we have seen them coming back and forth at Jalameh.)



We met H., an Israeli Arab from Haifa, who was waiting for a bus that had taken people from Kfar Yasif in the Western Galilee to Jenin. He explained that he works for a company that provides the busses for tours to the West Bank in order to promote business. A Danish company subsidizes the cost of the busses and people pay a token fee to cover the rest of the expense. H. states that he is an Israeli Arab and is proud of it, and says he would rather live here than anywhere else.
Shaked-Tura – 15:55 – The checkpoint is quiet. Three pedestrians pass through. The muezzin calls from the mosques in Tura and Dir El Malak. A man stops to pray under the concrete shelter.

The lower parking lot is relatively empty. There are no workers, and most of the traffic coming through the checkpoint are families visiting relatives from the seamline zone. A polite voice sounds over the loudspeaker in Arabic: “Bring your packages through first and then enter.”

In the upper part of the checkpoint in the sleeve people were less polite. Families are going through in both directions. The problems seem to be with “mixed” families in which one member has a blue Israeli ID and the other has a green Palestinian one. It is not clear why, but every family encounters problems: people have to wait ten minutes or more with small, tired children, all dressed in holiday finery. Everyone gets through in the end – but not without a lot of shouting over the loudspeaker and many demands: Wait there, where's your permit? SHow me, the rest of you stand there...in a shrill, amplified voice.

Easing up on conditions? Good intentions perhaps, but not really put into practice.
But, then, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, too.

Shana Tova - 5770

The signs are in the air: the summer is coming to an end as the children's song says. Mornings are even a bit nippy and cool, and larger and larger clouds float across the sky - hopefully a promise of rains to come.

The year ended with the lovely wedding of Ofer and Nava, an evening that started off with a session throughout the reception and ended with us all frolicking on the dance floor with flashing lights and irridescent bracelets. It's been a year of celebrations, the loss of two former Adamit members,and many other events. The new year will be marked with many exciting changes for me, including the arrival of Itai and Hilla's baby girl in December.

Reflecting on the past year and what is to come, I feel personal optimism mixed with trepidation for what is in store for the country. Will we be any close this year to achieving what we have been hoping for? Touring the checkpoints last week with several representative from the delegation of the European Commonwealth, I was asked, "Do most Israelis feel that there should be no settlements?" I answered that many Israelis are against the settlements, but all too many are totally unaware of what is going on in the West Bank. The two women - Virginia and Suzanna - asked intelligent and relevant questions, while Jean Martin's main role seemed to be to urge us on from one checkpoint to the next with, "I think we've seen enough here, let's move on." Perhaps this was prompted by the fact that he must have frelt extremely uncomfortable in the 35+ degree heat in his jacket and amazing bright orange tie!

And so, I will wish us a year of better leaders, greater awareness, tolerance, and understanding, an less apathy and complacency - a year of turning around and returning to the values that this country was founded upon, and abandonment of fanaticism and ideology that does injustice to Jewish values and Zionist ideals, and a year of broader horizons for all of us.

Shana Tova!

The Words Nut Uttered

Several weeks ago Bibi delibered a speech at Bar Ilan in which he was very careful not to mention the words "two states for two peoples". He was extremely careful. That was because Bibi did not want to be caught retracting his words afterwards with actions that deep inside he is not willing to take. He is, after all, eager to prove himself as being honest. And in the present reality of politicians being indicted and gpoing to jail, honest politicians are what we need!

Now we hear Bibi again through what he is NOT saying. He will not utter the words "Moratorium" or "freeze." That is because Bibi has absolutely no intention of halting the building in the West Bank. Absolutely none. So we will have a "slowdown", a "quiet period", perhaps building will only be resumed "after the holidays" as is the comming remark to justify procrastination about anything at this time of year.

Bibi is doing one thing for certain: he is making sure that he makes no committments towards peace or towards a Palestinian State. After all, he did not say he would. And it's what Bibi does not say that makes things clear.

Make no mistake about it. Bibi is honest. He will not say what he will not do.

Shalom Kitah Aleph!

Here is Rotem, excited and happy on her first day of school with her school bag and school shirt.



Each new first grader was assigned to an eighth-grader who will act as a big brother or sister. The first graders were then led through a decorated welcome gate, while parents shed a tear of excitement.


Today is also a great day for Israeli justice: Hirschenson and Ben Izri were carted off to prison to serve five and six year sentences.

One more criminal still walks the streets: former Prime minister Ehud Olmert is finally being indicted for bribery, stealing, and using other people's money to pay his debts to Rishon TOurs.

These crimes are quite serious, but as far as I am concerned, Olmert is already guilty. He abandoned residents of the north and haplessly waged a war in which over 150 Israelis died (not to mention several thousand Lebanese) wihtout proper planning or strategy. For these crimes, which are far more serious he is already guilty.
As we say, go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. As a matter of fact, you have thousands of dollars to return to a lot of people.