Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Pickin' Up Where I Left Off...

I've been making some phone calls via Skype to Israel to get some things together. I know, why am I planning things less than a week before leaving? Maybe I really have been in Israel for too long!

This summer hasn't been quite summer-y in terms of weather so I'm pretty anxious to greet the 80+ degree weather with full sunshine. Sometimes I wonder why I'm sitting in my house for 4-5 weeks. But I owe it to my brother to show up for his graduation this Saturday. But when you're unemployed and the weather doesn't call for pool, it's easy to get fidget-y about the time passing faster.

But my mom thinks I've been in Israel too long. She'd read the paper and say, "Oh it's going to be like 70, 75 degrees next week. You should be able to go to the pool." Then I would stammer and say, "But Mom, it needs to be at least 80 degrees!" Then she would reply, "You really have been in Israel too long!" But I think it's just how I adapted and haven't dropped any habits. I love plain yogurt and don't mind eating tomatos, zucchini, and cucumbers for breakfast with my eggs. I still keep kosher 99% of the time within the parameters of my current surroundings. Shabbat tends to come and go for me but when I do it myself, it feels relieving that another week has gone by and I survived it. As implied in my last post, Israel is becoming a priority in my decision-making. I have also cut back on my shopping needs and gone scouting for cheapest sales, even in stores like Abercrombie. Not because I'm about to become a poor graduate student, but why pay more just for that brand-name? If I can get a pair of jeans for $20 at final mark-down from Abercrombie, then why not? Otherwise, I'll find another pair of jeans elsewhere or just wait.

Oh, not to mention that when I went to Jersey Shore with my oldest friend, I was seriously hallincuating while hanging out on the beach. I saw Tel Aviv and people playing in the water and on the shores. I was really missing that scene. I tried to "transport" back to Israel just by laying in the sun and playing Israeli songs on my iPod. Okay, I guess I have to admit that I was in Israel for too long.

When I made calls over to Israel, it didn't matter who, I just felt that connection to the land. It's so weird that I can't explain it. It's different from Facebooking and instant messaging. But when I heard someone's voice from over there, I felt as if I was right in the next room, a wall separating us. When I talked to Nate and Tobi, it's similar being back in my dorm room at Hebrew U making those weekly calls to see how Nate was doing with his chemo. When I called Linda and heard her warm voice, it was so easy to fall back in the old habit of being part of the family. When I talked with my old Jerusalem ulpan roommate, Meredith, I was so excited. I couldn't wait to get there already!

Hm, nope, I don't think I was in Israel for too long. It's definitely alive in my heart and soul (as this blog is appropriately titled). Even though I'm a little nervous but overall, I'm very excited to pick up my life where I left it (persumbly with lots of changes in terms of location).

Here's a tentative itinerary:
July 2nd-3rd: On the kibbutz with the Ravids
July 3rd-July 6th: Jerusalem
July 6th-July 30th: Haifa
--> July 18th-20th: My aunt's family visit Haifa so I get to play tour guide!
--> July 25th-27th: Jerusalem
July 31st-August 8th: Still up in the air, depending how the dollar is doing, the weather... and what everyone's up to. I'm sure at some point here, I'll go back to the Ravids' and spend time in Tel Aviv.
August 9th-August 14th: Melissa comes back and we're in Jerusalem!!!

I think my goal this time is try to take a few more trips like Caesarea, Modi'in, and Eilat. And yes, plus get the hang of Hebrew. I am making a goal to finish this David Copperfield that I'm reading so that when I go to Israel, I'm only going to read easy children's novels in Hebrew and anything in Hebrew. There's no Jerusalem Post in Haifa but maybe there's a copy around on Friday if I look carefully for some reading materials on Shabbat.

Goodness, how am I going to sleep? I got up at 6 AM this morning...

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Returning Home with Political Baggage

I am being very aware of how days I have left before I jet out of Rochester to Tel Aviv (via Toronto on AirCanada) on July 1st. I am become extra aware of the news in NYT and Israeli papers so that I am prepared to answer some questions that Israelis may pose for me, particularly the upcoming election.

It means having to be specific on why so much of the West and liberal Americans want to support Obama. It means telling them what a disaster the US is domestically and we are in need of a president who can fix and prep the US for the future. Americans are sick and tired of being ruined after 7 years of presidency, especially that Bush has turned into a lame duck. And explain why Hillary Clinton lost. I cannot defend John McCain as to why he is a better choice other than for Israel. And I am on the fence about the whole thing, no matter who's Obama's VP. This is a bad time for American Jewish communities who still very much want to support Israel and are Democrats.

My friend asked me over dinner a few nights ago to remind her why "Obama is bad for the Jews." She's fairly secular Jew who is just beginning to explore the Jewish world a bit so what I had said to her shocked her. She came from a staunch Hillary Clinton family so here she was, in the same uncertain position but would like to vote Democrat. First, I told her that Obama has not been to Israel enough- only once in 2006 to Chicago's sister city. What bothers the Jews the most is how he wants to deal with Iran, Israel's current biggest enemy. Obama, in summer 2007, explicitly stated that he would meet dictators upfront including Iran without using envoys or UN sanctions. Here's the transcript:



Question: Would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?


Obama: I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them -- which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration -- is ridiculous. ... And I think that it is a disgrace that we have not spoken to them. We've been talking about Iraq -- one of the first things that I would do in terms of moving a diplomatic effort in the region forward is to send a signal that we need to talk to Iran and Syria because they're going to have responsibilities if Iraq collapses.



Right, but it makes Israel nervous. US' plan could fail and erupt in a Middle East war that would seriously threat the Jewish state. Iran's president, Ahmadinejad, denies the Holocaust and does not recognize the State of Israel. So the logic is that Ahmadinejad must recognize the State of Israel and accept the Nazi Holocaust in order for any peace talks with Israel and the US.



In general, Obama's attitude and foreign policies annoy and worry the Jews. Some Jews go as far to point out his Muslim background and his middle name, Huessein, and argue that he'll be pro-Palestinne. The fact is that fundamentalist Muslims are angry with him for not recognizing his own Muslim background so there is very little for those Jews to worry about.



Further reasons for Obama's weak stance with the Jews are his ties to the black church that he just divorced from (aka Reverend Wright), lack of abroad experience (3 weeks in Pakistan and romping around Indoesia doesn't really count), and general historical Jewish-black tensions. My biggest gripe in his cheap talk, especially his speech on Memorial's Day. He spoke to a group of WWII veterans and told them that his great-grandfather had served in WWII and helped to liberate Auschwitz. BUZZ! The Americans did not liberate the camps in Poland, it was the Soviet troops that did. Historians called on him on that. Later, the campaign revised its statement that the grandfather liberated Buchenwald. Kind of like picking a name out of the hat to me.



Recently, he has been attempt to connect with the Jewish voters. He says that he supports undivided Jerusalem under Israeli control while entertaining the idea of a two-state solution. Jews know better. Two state solution cannot happen unless Jerusalem divides.

Obviously as I have lived in Jerusalem and observed what has happened in Gaza since Hamas took over, I don't believe that Abbas could take better care of East Jerusalem than the Israeli government, no matter how much the Arabs complain.

So what do I do at this point? Zev says to keep an eye on Chicago's Jewish community given that they have known him the longest. I should update the Israelis without leaning to one side of the fence which I don't want to do until October or November. But also watch what happens when Israel attempts to talk with Syria and how Israelis react.

Or, maybe the Israelis won't say anything.... not that it matters but as I said to my mother several weeks ago, "I'm not anyone's spokesperson. I'm just a voter." As a voter and an US "ambassador" to Israel, I should be informaed of both sides of the issue at hand so that I can answer any questions without bias (if anyone can help it) and eventually make an informed decision.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Canada's PM on Israel

The Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, delivered a speech forIsrael's 60th. It is so extraordinary that I must lead off with this today:

"All of my life, Israel has been a symbol of the triumph of hope and faith. After 1945, our battered world desperately needed to be lifted out ofpost-war darkness and despair. After so much pain and suffering, humanityneeded comfort and optimism. After so much death and destruction, we neededthe renewal of the dream of a better and more civilized world. In short, weneeded to be inspired. It was the people who had suffered who most providedthat inspiration. By their example, they led the world back ! to the light. From shattered Europe and other countries near and far, the descendants ofAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob made their way home. Their pilgrimage was theculmination of a two-thousand-year-old dream; it is a tribute to the unquenchable human aspiration for freedom, and a testament to the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people.

"In the sixty years that followed, Israel blossomed into one of the mostsuccessful countries on earth; a land of ingenuity and enterprise, an oasisof agricultural genius, a wellspring of fine art and high culture, a modelof democracy. Israel truly is the 'miracle in the desert.'" But the source of Israel's strength and success,! in my view, is itscommitment to the universal values of all civilized peoples: freedom,democracy, human rights and the rule of law...

"Unfortunately, Israel at 60 remains a country threatened by those groups and regimes who deny to this day its right to exist. And why? Make no mistake; look beyond the thinly-veiled rationalizations: because they hate Israel, just as they hate the Jewish people. Our government believes that those who threaten Israel also threaten Canada, because, as the last world war showed, hate-fueled bigotry against some is ultimately a threat to us all, and must be resisted wherever it may lurk.

"In this ongoing battle, Canada stands side-by-side with the State ofIsrael, our friend and ally in the democratic family of nations. We havestood with Israel even when it has not been popular to do so, and we willcontinue to stand with Israel, just as I have always said we would...

"There will be many challenges along the way, but considering how far Israel has come in such a short time, in the face of such seemingly insurmountableodds, I can foresee no dark force, no matter how strong, that could succeedin dimming the light of freedom and democracy that! shines from within Israel."