Tel Aviv Nights

Friday, August 22, 2008

Tel Aviv Nights

Well, I made Aliyah August 2007 from Portland, Oregon, USA and lived in Jerusalem for one year. During that first year I wrote about my "misadventures" in the Holy Land in my first blog, "Life In Kvetchistan". Being a new Israeli, I decided to be as Israeli as possible and be very honest, blunt and open about all my experiences. I received numerous favorable responses from everyone that wrote me except 50% of the Israelis(mostly the religious). After just non-stop emails from this group, The Orthodox and Religious, I decided to end writing on my blog. Now, after a year in Jerusalem, I moved to Tel Aviv and back to the normal Western World with normal people, I have decided to restart my writing about my experiences of living in my new country, Israel. Now, I love living in Tel Aviv, but it has it's problems too. Being Israeli, I will always give my raw, pull no punches, direct and honest view of Life and people in Israel. Israelis are my new family and I care very much about my new country and my new family so I hold nothing back. Read what I have to say, analyze it, digest it, let it swirl around in your brain awhile before ya spit it out. All comments are welcome as usual and expected. So get ready Israel and especially Tel Aviv, cause here it comes, life, people, and everything in Israel as I see it.
First, Tel Aviv is ideally a potentially great city. According to Wikipedia, it is listed as the most expensive city in the Middle East and the 14th most expensive city in the World, even ahead of New York. It is the 2nd largest city in Israel with a population of 384,400, but the metro population is 3.15million, nearly half of Israel's population. Tel Aviv started off in 1908, when a group of Jews from Jaffa purchased 5 hectares (12 acres) of dunes northeast of Jaffa which were divided into 60 plots. The goal of the group was to create "a Hebrew urban centre in a healthy environment, planned according to the rules of aesthetics and modern hygiene. " In the short term they succeeded, but as for the long term they failed miserably. Tel Aviv and most of Israel for that matter is a dirty, trash cluttered, mosquito infested mess. Most homes don't even have mosquito screens over the windows and it is over 100yrs later.
In 1917, the Ottoman authorities expelled all the Jews of Tel Aviv, around 2,000 persons. In 1925, Patrick Geddes drew up a master plan for Tel Aviv that was adopted by the city council led by Meir Dizengoff. The core idea was the development of a Garden City. In this idea they partial succeeded. The total lack of fountains, orchards, flower gardens and green spaces in Tel Aviv may be not due to planning but lack of financial and natural resources. Still there are some nice tree lined and park areas such as Rothschild Blvd.
Tel Aviv is known as the "White City, because it has the worlds largest concentration of white Bauhaus style architecture. The term "White City" might have been applicable say 40-50 yrs ago and can be selectively and very rarely applied to some buildings in Tel Aviv today but the vast majority of Bauhaus buildings in Tel Aviv could be more appropriately termed "Dirty grey", "Peeling grey" or "Tijuana townhouses". Even in the most expensive areas of Tel Aviv, like Rothschild Blvd, the state of most buildings in the city is appalling, especially for the prices and rents charged. There a very few buildings where the paint is not peeling off, the roofs are collapsing, or the walls are falling in. Actually, I will just come right out and say it, the city looks like shit or at best "Beirut during the Lebanon War." It pains me to say the if Iran launched Scuds at Tel Aviv, it would be very difficult to find the actual hit sights from the missiles because of all the half falling apart and half demolished buildings. Maybe this is a new military secret. Hide in the rubble. That way the enemy is not sure where to zero their missiles in on.
Tel Aviv served as the temporary capital from May 1948 till December 1949. Being a coastal Mediterranean city in the Middle East, temperatures in Tel Aviv are warm and dry during the summer and mild and getting most of its rain during the winter. The beaches are one of the best attractions to Tel Aviv and are fairly well kept. Tel Aviv is the secular and cultural center of Israel.
So I moved to this potential pearl of a city 15August and am living near the New Bus station on the South side of town. It is the place where most working class people start off. It is populated mostly by Africans(legal and illegal), Asians(mostly Phillipino healthcare workers), Russian shop owners and probably organized crime mobsters and of course, Hookers.
For some odd reason, prostitution is not outlawed in Tel Aviv. Right or wrong the fact is that most of the women involved in prostitution in Israel are here against their own will. Usually, brought to Israel on a ruse, their passports a held by their Mafia pimps and they are drugged or beaten into complying and "working" their way back to Russia or the Ukraine. They are unable to go to the Police or other Israeli social services because their status here is illegal and they are afraid of jail time and don't speak the language. At best their existence is a low term "Hell". It is a national disgrace that the government allows this to happen to women, but what do you expect from a government dominated by sexist Orthodox religious men who make women shave their heads and wear wigs, walk behind their husbands, sit in the back of the bus and pump out 5-8 kids. This attitude toward non-Jewish women(which most hookers are) is just carried over. In the end the average women involved in prostitution in Israel, is stuck between a violent mafia pimp and a sexist government that cares little about their welfare. It is just these types of attitudes that the prophets lamented about outside the Gates of the Temple right before the destruction of the Temple and the Exile. Hopefully, we are not going down the same road again, 2,500+ yrs later. If we had any "Moral Spine"as a "Moral Nation"we would outlaw law this horrible practice, jail these Mafia pimps and give somekind of aid and counseling to these poor women.
Anyway, hope I haven't pissed off everyone in Tel Aviv/Israel already, cause I am just getting started. To reform a drug addict or alcoholic you don't get them to change their ways by telling them how great they are and stroking their ego. You go straight for the problem, expose it, talk about it, analyze it, devise a plan of attack and work on curing it. That is what I am attempting to do here. Now my life, by any means is in anyway perfect, but sometimes it is easier to see another's problems being and looking from the outside. That is why one goes to a psychotherapist and not ones family to help solve ones real problems.
Same here, I see an Israel, going down the wrong path(ask anyone here and they will agree with me). An Israel that has lost it's way. A country were vice, corruption and protectsia are the standard norm and not the exception(and everyone knows it). A country whose young persons have lost faith in everything and have devovled into rampant consumerism and selfish destructivism. A people that aren't really living but just exsisting. I see a whole nation of individuals that have very little respect for their country, their fellow Israelis and most importantly NO RESPECT FOR THEMSELVES.
Our story as Jews is a fasinating one. To go through what we have gone through and to arrive back where we started is an amazing journey. To go through the horrors of the Holocaust, near annilation in 3 wars and endless terror, we are lucky to be all mostly sane. Unfortuantely, we still carry the mental baggage of the past. We have left the "Ghetto" but the "Ghetto" is still with us and rules and controls us to this day.
Yes, their are the few exceptions of those that are doing well, and are happy and content, but in all my life I have never seen such unhappy and confused and lost people. For example, I have not yet met one Israeli man over 30 that is not angry, severely depressed, and does not drink excessively and smokes like a chimney. I see a nation living for the moment with no plan for tomorrow.
Now I don't pretend to have all the answers, I do see the problems and maybe by making Israelis face their problems head on they can change and seek answers to these very serious problems. This blog will always be honest and direct, no sugar coating here, no stroking egos. What I say will make you mad, it will make you angry, it will make you scream, it will make you hate me, curse me and sometimes wanna "kick my ass" but it will be the truth. Once read, once thought about, you know it will be the honest truth that you don't, can't or don't wanna see. Once read, what I say will be in your head and there it will stay, swishing around waiting for you to deal with.
If you are content and happy and think everything in Israel is just going fantastic, then by all means, don't read my blog. This blog will make you have headaches and many a sleepless night. Again, I don't and won't have all the answers but just maybe between our being honest with each other and especially our "self" we can work to find solutions to the problems that I present here. Shalom haverim, Yadin

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    • Tel Aviv Nights

Like An Itchy Rash, I'm Back

Ok, first I want to apologize for not posting in so long. There is no excuse except maybe laziness(LOL). But really, I had things to say but since most people in Israel like to run around like the three monkeys, with the hand over one's mouth, eyes and ears, I thought my writing was pointless. I love this country and my fellow Jews but there is something seriously wrong in this country and the only way to fix it is to face our problems like adults and deal with them. So that is the purpose of this blog. To write about my experiences in this country, to write about and deal with the "reality" of what life is really like here and to deal with those problems and lastly to do it with a bit of humor. So with that said, let's get into it.

On the personal front, I have had many changes. I have had two girlfriends and currently looking for a new "Misses Right". Any takers???LOL. I am not working at my previous job and currently working at home. Moved out of Beit Canada absorption Center and have my own apartment downtown. And lastly, am not going to any Ulpan but currently studying on my own. Ok, my first girlfriend in Israel was a wonderful, kind and beautiful person The major problem was that she was never able to find a job once she moved to Jerusalem. This is very difficult to accept. She is very intelligent and determined and speaks Hebrew and very good English with a slight British accent. I did everything I could to find her a job and spent most of my free time sending her job referrals everyday. Guess you can lead a horse to water but can't make them drink right.? For example, I speak English and very little Hebrew but was able to find 10-20 jobs where people wanted to hire me. Even today, I have people calling me daily trying to hire me. I tink she just could not find herself and did not know how to focus on "the job"of finding a job.

Another major problem with our relationships demise would be that her famly went on and on about when we were going to get married and I could not say. I barely made enough to take care of myself much less another person and pay for a ring, wedding and honeymoon. I think through misscommunication and cultural and religous differences, they never understood me or my intentions. I really loved her and wanted to marry and start a family with her but could not do everything by myself. The pressure was just too much(also the fact that I was a new immigrant to the country only 6mths) so I told her to go back home and I ended the relationship. I feel bad but I know it was for the best. Becasue about this time we would be getting maried and there would have been lots of chaos becasue of losing my job at my previous employer, IDT by the way.

Lastly, and leastly was the total lack of respect and interference of her family. I am 42yrs old but everytime I was around them, I was treated like a 10yr old(maybe they thought I was stupid becasue I did not speak Hebrew). There was constant interference telling me and her what we should do and other very direspectful comments. Anyway, it is over and I am much relieved because the pressure was too much for me at the time. Now I am much happier and I hope she is happy too and finds the right person to make her happy.

Then I dated another woman for a few months. Again she was a very nice person, but she smokes and I don't and I just hated that. She already has 3 kids, which I am perfectly fine with but oddly the whole time we dated she never let me meet them. And lastly, and most importantly she never wanted to get married again or have more children. I tried to convince myself that none of those 3 things mentioned really mattered but eventually it was just too much for me so I stopped seeing her. Basically, I have to consent to my personal standards and needs. I don't wanna date or marry someone that drinks, smokes or does drugs. And I am 42 and want a family with children, so that option should never be off the table. Anyway, she is a very nice person and I wish her the best.

Again, I want to ephasize that just because someones needs and goals or wants are different to mine does not mean that they are WRONG or I am WRONG but we are on a different path. I think one of the major problems with the world today and society in general is that people expect veryone to live and believe like they do or they will hate or try to destroy them. This is very ignorant and naivee. Since there are over 6-7 billion people in the world, we will never find someone who believes the same as we do, so we must be open to new ideas and opinions and appreciate everyone for who they are. I make my comments on people and on Israel, it is just my opinion. That is it. Take from it what you need and then move on.

Ok, my last and first job in Israel was at a company called IDT. For 5yrs everyone told me to go work at IDT. From the Jewish Agencyt to the Aliyah Shaliach to Beit Canada to friends in the US and Israel. IDT was the place to start work in Israel and they were right. I loved working at IDT. My boss Sarah was the GREATEST. I am not a very good sales person but she showed me and told me the "Right things"to say and helped motivate me everyday. She was let go too, but I know she wll do GREAT at whatever she chooses to do. I don't know why IDT had financial problems. I don't see how they could lose money but hey, I am not them. It did seem to me, that(like most Israelis) they never seemed to have a long term plan but just dealt with things as they came along. If you spend your life like the typical Israeli government or person putting out fires, it will not be very long before the whole house comes crashing down. Unfortunately, after only 6mths the company started laying off people and they jacked up our work goals to an impossible level.

I sent out a few resumes and got so many phone calls( I still do even a month later) that I just decided to quit and go work at home. So I am working at home with a few companies making sales calls to the US. It is a GREAT opportunity and I wish I had started it years ago. Oh well, live and learn, right?

Lastly, I moved out of Beit Canada and got my own apartment and quit going to Hebrew ulpan and never went back to another. Beit Canada was a nice place and so are the people working there. My only complaint is why do they even charge a fee for living there? Why not make it free and just pay you less Sal Klita. A better idea would be for the government to send all new immigrants that need a place to live to the hundreds of kibbutzs and moshavs all over Israel for one year for free to work and study Hebrew. It would help out the kibbutzs and Moshavs with free labor and money. The new immigrants would get more from the Israel experience and learn Hebrew faster. But that is just my opinion. Also, at Beit Canada is over in East Talpiot. For some crazy reason the government lets the Arabs(Palestinians who want to kill us) ride the bus and work in Israel. Well, call me crazy but that is like letting the Nazis work and ride around in France right before World War 2. Excuse me, but either they are Palestinians living in their own Palestianian state, so why do we let them over here? Anyway, I am sure there is nothing to worry about right?, Accept maybe that guy who was from the Arab neighborhood right across from East Talpiot that shot up the Rav Kook yeshiva and his family flew Hamas, Hezbollah, PA flags after the massacre. Thanks Israeli government for protecting us. Really smart.

Another problem with East Talpiot is all the trash piles, everywhere, the worst at the bus stop right by the absorption center. The street sweepers would drive by everyday and pass right by the piles of trash near the sidewalk. Very strange. And the wild dogs, people just let their dogs just walk around. I can't tell you how many times I had to hit a dog over the head for trying to bite me. It is not thier fault. It is the selfish and irresponsible Israelis that just let them wander around. Not to mention all the dog poop everywhere in East Talpiot. People just let their dogs poop in the middle of the sidewalk even though the dog could easly poop near a tree or bus 2ft away. It is bizarre to me that lots of American and French tourist buy exspensive million shekel apartments in that area, Arab terrorist, wild dogs and dog poop and all. WOW!!! Where do I send my check? LOL

Anyway I moved downtown Jerusalem and that is not much better. Every Thursday, Saturday or any excuse for a holiday/party there are crowds of wild, drunk youths running around, screaming and yelling till 5am. The Police do nothing. During Purim I thought there was hundreds of terrorist attacks from all the explosions going on outside my window, but it was just crowds of obnoxious, screaming youths throwing explosive devices, even though many people have been killed in the same area by "suicide bombers" for real over the years, but that is beside the point of having selfish "ME time"fun right?. Anyway, that is enough for now. More comments to follow so stay tuned. Shalom, Yadin

Avodah tov and Yeshiva Lo Tov

So, we meet again. I have utterly been overwhelmed with all the events of the past 2mths but now I will try to catch up and stay caught up. First, I started a new job back in November and it was very difficult and I almost quit but did not give up and now I am doing fine and exactly doing very well(I know, I know, too many conjunctions. Mrs Jarvis, my 8th grade English teacher is probably rolling over in her grave right now.). I work at an American Hitech company calling American small businesses trying to sign them up for our service. I make 250-300 calls a day. Speak with 50 people, have 45 people Yell at me, 5people listen and I send them the email with our website link and then I call everyone back that got the email and close 1-2 sales per day. So it is a numbers game. More calls equals more sales. and more money. SIMPLE!!! The key here is to NEVER give up, don't take the first NON< class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">persistent. It is funny, that all my life I was taught that you should always be nice and get people to like you and if they don't you must be doing something wrong, and too give up and try something else if the going gets tough, but that is BULLSHIT. NEVER GIVE UP. That is what works.
But speaking of giving up. I did stop going to this insane , militant, fascist, Religious nutcase Zionist, brainwashing Yeshiva called, Machon Meir. If ever there was a more dangerous place in the whole country, this has to be ground zero, except maybe those crazies in Kiryat Arba. I am letting the Shin Bet, the Police, the Mossad and the US State Dept know right here, that Machon Meir and other religious Zionist Yeshivas like it are the main reason on the Israeli side for the extremist violence and why there is now Peace in this country. How it works is. Machon Meir follows the philosophy of Rav Kook(everything is in the name, ken) and Religious Zionism. The religious parties in the government, coecred the government into funding their Yeshivas in order for them to join the government coalition. The Rabbinate has ruled that there are 300,000 Jews (most Russians) that aren't really Jewish even though some have Israeli citizenship. So, the Interior Minister revokes there Teudat Zehut(Israeli ID card) and says they must do an Orthodox conversion to get there citizenship and there is a time limit to do this.
So these poor soles, desperate not be returned to Russia, go to Machon Meir or other religious fanatical Yeshivas and get turned into mindless religious nuts. Like the ones who gun down, men women and children praying in the Cave of the Patriarchs or try to blow up the Dome of the Rock or even shoot the Prime Minister(Rabin). I was sitting in class one day and overheard several students advocating that someone should shoot Olmert because he want to divide Jerusalem. NUTBALLS!!!!. These kids are so desperate to get their Teudat Zehuat and stay in Israel. That they will say and do almost anything. Many of the students have their passports and ID cards(Permanent residents) held by the Rabbis at Machon Meir(for safe keeping of course) until the Rabbis decide they are ready(worthy) to officially convert. The Rabbinate and the Rabbis at Machon Meir are very tight and discuss everything and everyone and don't let anyone pass through unless they walk the walk and talk the talk(religiously and politically). Step out of line or no go along with the program and you conversion could take several years or never happen at all. Their weekend retreats to take a Hilltop in the Judean hills or a special Shabbat at a Ravs house or walk over to a protest at the Knesset or Prime Ministers Office across the highway., that everyone is encouraged to participate.
Oh yes and one of the Rabbis spent like 12yrs in a Soviet prison for hijacking a plane in the 70s to bring attention to the Soviet Jews plight. The whole 4 1/2 mths I was there not once was there a discussion or demonstration on how to properly put on a teffilin or the correct prayers to say during the day. It was all political and how in the Torah relates to fulfilling the commandments of retaking the Land from the Palestinians(Amalek). So I could not take anymore and decided to stop attending. I will say this again. Shin Bet or the Police should investigate this place and the Justice Minister should move to have this and other places shut down. It is places like this that are dividing the country and making PEACE nearly impossible. Until, next time, Cheers, Yadin

Bad Haircut, Globus Theatre and Fight with the Charity Guy

Well, after the Chagim. My girlfriend moved to Jerusalem. She got a job and found a place and I could not be happier. One of her first experiences here was of course a bad customer service experience(imagine that, in Israel, NO WAY!!) She had gone to a hairdresser that I will not name but will only say that he is located near Ben Yehuda St across form the Supa(Super for you Americans) Pharm. The hairdresser did a horrible job on my girlfriends hair. It looked like she had her head caught in an out-of-control fan. She was so upset. She did not want to got out anywhere. The hairdresser just blew her off and even laughed saying that was what she wanted. Of course, in typical Israeli style, he laughed and refused to fix her hair and then yelled at her to leave when she tried to complain. It is amazing that anyone does any business in this town because of the horrible customer service one gets for ones money in this town. I guess if you are raised(as Israelis are) to be rude and not expect much then this is all normal but it would be a totally different thing in the US. A bad haircut, rude customer service and all that for NIS 100. WOW!!!! You Israeli's. I really pity you guys to have a lifetime of this crap. BTW, she went to another hairdresser and they fixed her to hair satisfaction(at the Malha across from the bookstore)
Also, went with my girlfriend to see this movie "The Band Visit" at the Globus Theater at the Jerusalem(Malha) Mall(Canyon). Seeing a movie at Globus is very different than in the States. At Globus everyone stands in line(well what would be called one here) and you buy your ticket all at once. Then you fight the crowd over to the concession stand as everyone pushes each other and crowds around the counter, yelling and trying to get the teenage girl to serve them some popcorn or whatever you need. Then you push, fight your way into a crowded theater, where you have to sit according to the number on your ticket. You have to crawl over people to get to your seat and I repeatedly had to stand up when someone passed by me to let them by because the aisle is like 2inches wide. Also, I love how Globus has no spaces or ramps for the handicap, so people in wheel chairs park in the aisle/doorway of the theater. Who knows how many of us would have died if a fire broke out, because there is so little room to move. I guess Globus will have to find out the hard way, when a fire breaks out and kills G-d knows how many people and their families sue them for every penny they have. Also, the movie stops half way thru and there is any intermission(Again with people climbing over each other to get out.) In the US you can buy your ticket and enter and leave the movie theater at anytime. There is plenty of room between seats so you can come and go as you please. Oh the ease and joy of a movie theater in the US.
Anyway, onto the movie, for winning so many awards at the Israeli equivalent to the Oscars, I was not impressed. If this is the best that the Israeli film industry can crank out, then they need to just pack it in. The story was stupid. An Egyptian band takes the wrong bus from the Airport and ends up in a small town in the Negev(I don't bet but it sure did look like Arad). They spend the night in the town cause the buses have stopped running(Before it got dark???Please). No one had the common sense to take a cab to Beersheva and then the train or another bus or ask anyone for a ride. Then this crazy lonely lady is trying to sleep with half the band. Anyway, I would rent this one guys, It ain't worth the shekels but the popcorn was good.
And just when I was really starting to enjoy myself and leave the Malha to catch the bus at the South exit an aggressive religious guy started bugging me for a donation to some charity. Now I am not against giving to charity(this one was suppose to be for children but who knows for sure). This Haradi guy, white shirt, kippa, Tsissi and all starts pushing this bowl with coins in my face. I waved him on(I only had a NIS 100 bill in my wallet, but that is none of his business). When I passed, he pushed the bowl in my face and said, "What, you got something against children?"
"No I don't but if I don't feel like giving you money, I don't have too". In America a smart person would just move on to the next person.
With this he keeps pushing the bowl in my face and says, "Are you Jewish?"
With that, I said,' What does it matter? Get that bowl out of my face unless you wanna be picking up coins all night from the street."
From there it went all down hill, LOL. He stopped what he was doing and starts yelling at me in Hebrew and English. All of a sudden there are around 5-10 other Haradi guys surrounding me(and my girlfriend) and him and starting to press in aggressively at me. My girlfriend is yelling at him, him and the others at me and her. The haradi guys and him start pushing me and my girlfriend while they are yelling. I put my girlfriend behind me and square off with these PRICKS. He puts down the bowl and starts to come at me saying he was in the Army(LOL I bet he must have been at least 40+. Must have been a funny sight for the kids around us seeing two old guys squaring off to fight) and he was gonna do so and so to me.
Meanwhile people are surrounding us trying to see what is going on. Before he takes a swing, I start yelling at the top of my lungs...
"Unbelievable!!!! First he aggressively ask for a donation and keeps pushing the bowl in my face and then when I won't give a DAMN donation he wants to start a fight with me. Unbelievable!!!!." This kinda startled him, and he stopped coming toward me. Then some religious ladies start screaming at him calling him a fool and a disgrace to all religious people.
So I shout out again and look at every one of the young Haradi boys in the eye, "How can one study Torah and pray all day and act like such assholes and Nazis? Does what you read just go thru you eyes and out the top of your head. When you are doing G-d's work you should be humble and kindly accept what people give you and not be pushy. What do you not trust that G-d will provide for you since you are doing his work?"
Now they back off and start to walk away. The religious people and now other people standing around start to yell and push at him and the other religious Haradi guys and they disperse. My girlfriend laughs and explains to me what the ladies say. Here I thought I was gonna have to fight these religious nuts and maybe even seriously hurt someone and the Good Israelis come to the rescue. See I do give compliments where they are due.
With this my girlfriends bus comes and she goes to get on the bus. Before she gets on the bus the "Charity Guy" gets on before her(He is going the same direction). I run up to him and snap a few pictures for the police or the Mall manger. I call my girlfriend and tell her not to talk with him but what does she do but sit down right across from him and start yelling at him. As the bus drives off, she is now standing and yelling at him and he is slumped down in his seat hiding in his chair and trying to become one with the floor. LOL!!!
She calls me later and tells me what he said. He said he was sorry and was wrong and was very ashamed of his behavior and begged that I not turn him into the police or Mall Managers. He even blessed us and wished us many children. WOW!!!! Very funny. I guess you can change some people. All I wanted was for him to move onto some else. I guess the main lesson here is to stand up for what you know is right and shout at the top of ones lungs at injustice. Maybe people can be shamed into changing there ways. WOWW!!! LOL!!!
Maybe I should try this with the Politicians in this country. If only they had some shame. LOL!!!
Speaking of shame, I read today that not one kilometer of the fence/barrier was constructed in the last two months. Well, when someone gets killed because a suicide bomber got across at the section that is not completed, I hope that the PM will have enough shame to resign for failing to serve and protect the people of Israel but I doubt it. Until Mahar, Yadin

Ashkelon/Yad Vashem

Oh the joys of another day in the Holy Land. More on the Chagim and then I am almost caught up. So after Mamsheit we went to Ashkelon(excuse spelling please). Ashkelon is one of the oldest settled areas in Israel. First the Caananites lived there, then Egyptians got some tribute from there, then the Philistines(Mycenaean Greeks not those Palestinian posers who are really Arabs from the Arabian peninsula) and we all know about Samson bringing down the columns on top of himself and the Philistines. This also is/was the Israeli nuclear strategy for years called the "Samson Option". Basically it stated that Israel would never use it's nuclear weapons(that it does not have, WINK!! WINK!!!) unless it was over-run by Arab/Soviet/foreign armies or unless it was attacked by Chemical/biological/nuclear weapons. If attacked or over-run Israel stated clearly(thru back channels and let it be known) that Israel would launch an all out devastating attack(nuclear) on all responsible Arab/Soviet/foreign forces, major cities and capitals attacking Israel. Thus, the "Samson Option", bringing down the pillars and buildings on our enemies and ourselves. It seems to have worked so far.
Then came the Israelites and we all now how much trouble the Israelites had with the Philistines(cause the Philistines had better weapons=chariots and metal weapons as opposed to the bronze weapons of the Israelites), The Assyrians, the Babylonians and Persians spent sometime there. Alexander the Great besieged the city and leveled it to the ground as an example not to mess with him. Then various Greek, Roman, Arab, Crusader and Turkish armies conquered, besieged, and reconquered the area time and time again. Basically leaving a pile of rubble buried over by sand dunes that sweep over everything here. Everyone has left their mark at Ashkelon. A building here and a column there to show they ruled the city. You can even follow the ancient walls from the Crusader period atop the sand dunes.
And what have the modern Israelis left??????? What else of course but piles and piles of TRASH/GARBAGE everywhere. One of the greatest archaeological prizes in all of Israel is a park for picnics and family fun at the beach and is just bathed in trash from one end to the other. The selfish and ME-ME-ME Israelis just use the park, leave their trash and the Mediterranean wind blows it all around. Luckily the sand blows around with the trash and manages to cover some of the trash but it is never enough. I fear that thousands of years from now archaeologist will be digging here and describe contemporary Israeli society as one that worshiped plastic and aluminum because of the preponderance of it ever where. Like the pottery and idol/effigies of the ancient past modern Israeli society are worshippers of the "Plastic Bag Cult". Sadly they(archaeologist) will probably over look all our greatest discoveries/achievements and sadly write papers, erroneously about the"Plastic Bag Cult" of a small, short lived culture in the Middle East.
But seriously, it is just a NATIONAL DISGRACE that such a historical and archaeological treasure as Ashkelon can be so mismanaged and abused. I got an idea, how about every Spring and Fall the people of Ashkelon have a big picnic sponsored by the City and the Parks association and then spend just 4hrs with everyone walking around picking up trash. We do it in Oregon every year and we actually, pick up and clean every single beach along our 300mile coast. WOW!!! Imagine that, but that would be just too much for Israelis. How would one have the time since one has to talk(argue) on the cellphone, go to the latest Maccabi futball game or study the Torah all DAMN day. Anyway, I am not going to let up on this issue. Littering and garbage in this country that so many people have fought and died(and are still dieng for even today) for is just a NATIONAL DISGRACE and all Israelis should hang their heads in shame at the state of the LAND here.
Ok now onto something else. Visited Yad Vashem and Mount Herzl and will not go into much detail about it. Of course I will encourage everyone to visit because the Holocaust really did happen(despite what some nuts in Iran say and by the way, this is an OPEN invitation to President Ahmenjad(however you spell his name) of Iran and all the other Holocaust deniers to visit and I will be glad to walk them through the tour. Besides it is FREE so ya can't beat that right? I will also encourage everyone to visit the memorials to the West/Southwest of the memorial hall. There is a War memorial, Memorial to Warsaw Ghetto fighters, a White Swedish ambulance that saved Jews at the end of the war and an actual railcar that carried Jews to the Death camps. These War and Holocaust Memorials often get overlooked but are well worth the walk(and the view is very peaceful and beautiful).
Mt Herzl is the resting place of Theodore Herzl, one of the major leaders of the Zionist movement and architect of the Zionist state. Despite the rhetoric from the Religious Zionist crazies who are now trying to rewrite Israeli/Zionist history and say that they were the major driving force behind Zionism and the founding of the State, the facts are buried in the ground on Mt Herzl. You find Herzl, Jabotinsky, Gold Meir and Eshchol and many other graves of partisans and Independence fighters who fought and died to give us a free secular State for Jews(even the Religious CRAZIES) from anywhere to come and live. Until tomorrow, Cheers, Yadin

Perpetually Trying To Stay Caught Up/Hatzerim/Mamsheit/Dimona

Ok, man "LIFE" just gets so busy over here and there is so much happening that I seem to always be behind. But don't worry, it seems like when things get moving to fast in one direction over here suddenly there is a change and things run faster back the other way. So if you stand still long enough it all comes back around(ex. Life, Politics, the Bus etc).So onto the Hagim....
The Hagim was fun.I went to the Israeli Airforce Museum at Hatzerim(Beersheva), the Nabatean city Mamshieit near Dimona, the archaeological park at Ashkeleon and Yad Vashem/Mt Herzl.
-The Israeli Airforce museum at Hatzerim is just fantastic!!!! Being a Big history and military NERD that I am it was like going to an Air Force Disneyland. There was just about every airplane and helicopter from Israel's past and present. They even have a 1930s biplane that would fly around about every hour painted silver and sporting the Magen David. If I was 12 again I would have been much more ecstatic(I was anyway). LOL. There are German Messerschmidt's that Israel purchased and used during the War of Independence. B-17 bombers, Phantom jet fighters, Huey(Vietnam era) combat and transport helicopters Israel used in the '67, '73 and Lebanon Wars. There was a large transport plane that Eshkol used to use as the Prime Ministers plane. IAF#1 I guess one would say. The Attack helicopters were the COOLEST. Bristling withe guns and missiles, one can imagine a pilot flying over Lebanon or Syria or Egypt and just letting those BASTARDS have it. HEE!! HHEE!! LOL!!!! There was even drone airplanes(planes without pilots) used for scouting and recon and recently Hellfire missile attacks on dangerous targets. In the NW corner of the park is an impressive array or Israeli and captured (mostly Soviet era) anti aircraft missiles and anti aircraft guns. My favorite was the Soviet quad barrel anti-aircraft gun. During the Lebanon civil war, rival Lebanese militias use to mount these to the back of Toyota pickup trucks and ride down the streets of Beirut. They could turn these guns down the street and "Light" it up. Basically just bathing the street and buildings in large Cal fire. To hear and see one of these going off at the time is awesome and inspiring. They also had some of the hang gliders the PLO used to infiltrate Northern Israel back in the 1980s. I think one of the PLO terrorists made it back to Lebanon after the attack on a IDF base but the others died and left these hang gliders. WOW!!!! The park also had a copy of the Israeli made fighter the Livno/Livni(damn can't remember how to spell it correctly and actually Livni is our lame excuse of a Foreign Minister, wanna be Prime Minister who can't speak a Lick of understandable English. She would not know a smart Diplomatic strategy for Israel , even if it hit her in the face). Israel spent lots of money on this homegrown fighter but in the end US aircraft manufactures convinced the government to stick with them and I am sure a few extra dollars in a couple of Swiss bank accounts helped too. HHEE!! HHEE!! LOL!!!! Anyway the park was just awesome. I could have spent all day(and several days there) but it was like 110 degrees and me girlfriend was thoroughly bored after only an hour. Who would have imagined!!!!??? HHEE!!! HHEE!! LOL!!!! So check it out. The price and exhibits are really worth it.
Later we went to the Nabatean city of Mamsheit(excuse the misspelling). I love archaeological sites and could have spent all day there too. It was GREAT to see the existing structures of an over 2000yr old city. Mamsheit was a caravan stop on the "Spice Trail"(NOTE=Not the last Spice Girls tour. LOL) that the Nabatean culture was built on. Basically, it was a stop over for caravans for food, water, trade, wine, women and song and all that. The Nabateans made their living by taxing the caravans and selling them stuff. Some of the structures in the city are very impressive. A couple of Churches with Mosaic floors and baptismal crosses sunk into the floor. Some very impressive house with courtyards, closets, large rooms, kitchens and stables. I always wonder what people did about locking their doors and how did they flush the toilet(LOL!!) but maybe will find out later. And being the holidays they had extra stuff going on like camel rides and a Bedouin bazaar. And for only 20-25 shekels it is a great place to bring the family and spend the day.
On the way to back from Mamsheit one passes through Dimona. Now in case you did not know and don't tell anyone I told you cause I don't want Shin Beit/Shabbakk(The Israeli FBI) on my ass but Israel has a nuclear reactor there. And just in case you did not know Israel has over 400-500 nuclear weapons on airplanes, missiles and even on submarines, but you never heard it from me OK(WINK!!! WINK!!!). Don't tell the Iranians either, ok because they may go and try to make their on nuclear weapons to use against us(that is if they are smart, but I don't think they are cause they are just a bunch of ignorant, savage, crazy Muslims right, WINK!!! WINK!!!) But you never heard it from me and how the now President Shimon Peres is the "Father of Israel's Nuclear Program" here. Oh and guess where we got the plutonium/uranium for all those bombs??? Well, you didn't hear it from me but first we stole some from the Dutch or the Belgians and then the US gave us some more(but I never told you that, OK??).
Then, we had this crazy dude named Vannunu(something like that) who worked at the reactor in Dimona. He took pictures inside the reactor and then tried to sell/give them to the British and other press. And DAMN that unjust Israeli government at the time arrested him and threw his TRAITOR ASS in jail for something like 20yrs.(Something like that stupid Jonathan Pollard. Who both forgot to read all that "TOP SECRET"/"NONDISCLOSURE" paperwork they signed. But who takes all that stuff seriously anyway. REALLY!!!!THEY don't really mean jail time for disclosing SECRET stuff. That is only to the Soviets or Arabs right. NO???!!!! DAMN!! WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED!!!) THOSE BASTARDS(LOL). Then Vanunu gets out and starts talking again(after 20yrs) and they put him under house arrest. JUST CRAZY. Too bad he did not slip and accidently break his neck on all those stairs in Jaffa(Where he lives but I didn't tell you OK> WINK!!! WINK!!!) Oh and don't try to ever go down to Dimona and check to see if they have nuclear bombs cause you won't find any, cause we(OOPSS!! I mean they/us/them don't have any(WINK!!! WINK!!) And that fenceline, signs and guys with guns are just to keep out the camels(I think the pesky camels work for Al Quaida)(HEE!! HHEE!!). Cheers, Yadin

Lost ID/Underground Prisoners Museum/Government House/The Wall and Arab Jerusalem

Well, the holidays(Chagim) are over and time to get back to Ulpan, Yeshiva and life in Jerusalem. First, I need to recap the events of the past few weeks. Saturday, 22Sep lost my ID(Teudat Zehuat). The darn things are so big and awkward fitting that it slipped out of my wallet and it was gone. So I went with all my info to the Minister of Interior, filled out the correct form(with the help of a friendly Jerusalemitette), paid my NIS100 and got my new ID. I am sure some Beduin is using my ID for target practice out in the desert. And one thing about ID cards in Israel. They need to be smaller and better made for security reasons. Any 7th grade kid in the US could easily take out my picture and slip in theirs. Not very smart for such and important document.
Sunday 23Sep was back in Jerusalem getting the new ID and then went to the "Underground Prisoners Museum" aka the former British "Central Jerusalem Prison". It was a great tour. The government has gone in and renovated the prison to look like it did(mostly) back in the 1940s, when the British stupidly jailed and executed(only 2) Jewish Underground Zionist fighters and Arabs too. Some of the Zionist prisoners were not too bright either. One blew up a train station with people in it(it is still closed and not used today) and another killed a British officer. These idiot Etzel and Irgun fighters killed, attacked and blew up British troops in Israel when it was obvious to anyone after WWII that the British were in retreat everywhere around the world and given time would have voluntarily withdrawn after negotiations. But the British were stupid too, by blocking Jews from coming into Israel, confiscating Jewish stockpiles of arms for self defense they caused the Israeli forces to not be able to decisively defeat the Arabs. And here we are today stuck with the mess the British left us. If the had honored the Balfour declaration and not let so many Arabs come into Israel and had not restricted some many Jews from entering Israel(especially during the Holocaust, which is damn crimminal in my book) the land west of the Jordan would have been majority Jewish and we would not have the situation we have now with the Arabs. All so the British could have oil. But I guess one has to ask oneself in Britian, "How many children killed in the gas chambers and cremated equals a gallon of gas in Britian". Anyway the museum was GREAT and really worth the price(NIS25). So check it out.
And along with that, I will mention Government House, the Wall and Arab Jerusalem. Government House is a UN compound at the top of the hill in East Talpiot. The UN compound sits atop a beautiful hill with an awesome view of Jewish Jerusalem, the Old City and Arab Jerusalem(it use to be in what was the UN neutral zone from 1948-1967). It use to be an old British fort but now flys the blue UN flag and is surrounded by a double fenceline. I am not quite sure what the UN has been doing there for 60years. Monitoring the PEACE maybe(For that I give them an F-). You can see their white SUVs driving all over the area with the black "UN" letters painted on the outside. I checked out their website but still could not come up with a reason that a world body occupies land in a sovereign country. Oh well, maybe they like the view.
Below and surrounding the compound is a beautiful park the Israelis created after 1967 with trails, bike paths, promenades for awesome views and lots of trees planted soon after 1967. Directly below the park is Arab Jerusalem. The houses are old and run down and the roads are barely paved. You can tell the Arab houses by the black water tanks(the Israeli have white water tanks). To the East of Government house is the Peace Forest which was planted after 1967. It has nice trails and walkways but of course like the rest of Jerusalem unsightly piles of trash. It is strange to see park workers watering the flowers and standing right beside piles of trash and do nothing. I just don't understand this way of thinking. Northwest of government house are Arab shanty towns, the Valley of Gehinna, the City of David and the Old City in the distance. The Valley of Gehinna is the entrance to Hell(Sheol)according to the Bible. It is a desolate area and I think the lowest place in all of Jerusalem. Also, I have heard that members of the major political parties in Israel(Kadima, Labour, Likud, Shas, United Jewish Torah etc) can be seen crawling out of the lower pits of Gehinna in the morning on their way to the Knesset but I would not swear by this(HHEE!! HHEE!! LOL)
South of Government house is the East Talpiot development area. This are has been built up with fortress like housing complexes that obviously tell the Arabs on the otherside of the valley, that we are not moving or going anywhere. Which I think is right. I think Israelis should live wherever they want since it is our land and they are just guests. Northeast, east and southeast of Government house in the distance is the Wall. It is controversial but I think a very smart thing to have to keep the Arab terrorist out. I just don't understand why they included over 120,000 Arabs on the Jewish side of the Wall. They need to build another fence to keep the Arabs out of Jerusalem and hence the rest of Israel all together. It makes no sense to allow them access to our country since they are sworn to destroy us. When one gets on the bus or walks down the street, you never know if one is going to try to blow themselves and kill as many Jews as possible. I think it is very irresponsible for the government to leave such a wide area open to be attacked or vulnerable from the Arabs. I don't hate the Arabs. I just think we should have our on secure country with a Wall for secure borders and the Arabs be on the otherside with their own homeland/country. And no more allowing them to work in Israel either.
If Mexicans were coming over to the US and blowing themselves up on buses and in restaurants I guarantee you that the US would invade Mexico, seal of the border with a fence and never let any Mexicans in the US again. But here I am in Israel, with Arabs threatening to kill us and drive us into the sea but we still allow them to come into the country and work. I see them everyday, on the buses, in the markets, on the street, everywhere. There is not a construction site in Jerusalem that does not have Palestinians working there. I don't hate them it is just time to tell them to go work in their own country. They even have special blue and white buses that go get them in east Jerusalem to bring them over. And they work for less than Israelis which drives down the wages over here. Anyway, enough for today. Ulpan is going really well and I am learning more and more each day. My main goal is to one day argue with other Israelis in Hebrew(Ivrit) and they understand me and me them and we yell and scream like everyone else does. THEN I WILL BE A REAL ISRAELI. LOL!!!! Lahetriot