Make blogs, not war
Israelimom has been active in a forum for Middle East residents, and makes a request for others in the Middle East to get involved. It’s all part of the make-blogs-not-war movement, in which the “little people” are having dialogues, despite the best efforts of their governments:
I have to say, the new Middle East forums are taking up a large chunk of whatever computer time I do find. It’s quite addictive, obviously not just for me lol, we just went over 1,000 posts already in a relatively short time. I find it very interesting to view things from new perspectives. Sure, sometimes those perspectives are so foreign to mine, that it can be almost frustrating. Also, people feeding from different sources of information can be challenging. Thankfully, there are still some relatively objective resources online, for us to compare notes every now and again. I am still looking forward to getting more people from the Middle East involved. We have quite a large number of Americans, Europeans and even Australians. All are very welcome and add a lot to the discussions, but I was hoping for some direct dialogue between people from the Middle East themselves…. so, if you have some “Middle Easterners” in your contact list, please drop them a word about our new hangout – http://www.metalks.com !
I haven’t had a chance to check out the forum itself. If any of you are involved, feel free to leave comments describing your experiences there.
To Serve or To Dorm, that is the question
Imshin brings up an interesting topic for debate, inspired by this JPost article. It seems a judge recently ruled that Haifa University must stop giving those who have served in the Israeli military a leg up on getting coveted, cheap, dorm space, since so few Israeli Arabs, who are not required to serve in the army but may volunteer if they choose, actually do so.
Remember when Rory Gilmore was still in High School and she was really worried she wasn’t going to get into Harvard because she didn’t have enough community work on her CV? I didn’t think of it much at the time, but it does stand to reason that unpaid contributions to the community should be rewarded, doesn’t it?
Not according to Judge Sokol. According to Judge Sokol contributing to the community for two to three years, often putting oneself in danger’s way, being paid no more than what a straight speaking friend of mine back in the army once called “Not enough even to pay for tampons and the pill” is apparently an unfair advantage.
Mind you, in this case, the problem is apparently mainly one of economic ability to pay for alternative accomodation.
It is true, Arab Israelis are legally exempt from serving in the IDF, unlike the rest of us. This is because the State of Israel is sensitive enough to recognize that Arabs may find it morally difficult to contribute to the active defense of their country against Arab invaders. They are, however, very welcome to volunteer.
I see no reason why those Arab Israelis (or anyone else for that matter), who didn’t choose to volunteer to serve, but can provide proof of two to three years of equivalent community service shouldn’t also be allocated dorms by the same criteria as army veterans.
On the other hand, unlike their Jewish counterparts, Arab Israelis, automatically legally exempt from national service, are quite free to go and work instead for two to three years, so they can afford to pay for alternative accomodation options.
Is it written anywhere that they have to go to university at eighteen? Their Jewish peers are contributing to the community at eighteen and only get to go to university at the age of twenty one, at the earliest. If anything, the unfair advantage in this case is of those students who are automatically exempt from national service.
What do YOU think?
Love in the Dog Park
Tip from Lisa about a good place to pick up dates in Tel Aviv:
Speaking of photographers, a few days ago my friend Eyal Ofer called and asked if I knew any popular pick up places in Tel Aviv that were not bars or clubs. Without hesitation I answered, “The dog run at Gan Meir.” A couple of hours later Eyal called me from Gan Meir (Meir Park, named after Meir Dizengoff, the first mayor of Tel Aviv) and said, “You were so right!” (I love being right). Below are some of the photos he took. If you like Eyal’s work, you can see and buy more by contacting him at: yalphoto@gmail.com.
More (great) pics here.
Late Summer (Working) Vacation V
I often write articles for the “Israel Travel” supplement of a large Jewish newspaper in the US. The theme is “A Day In . . . ” as in “A Day in Be’er Sheva” or “A Day in Tzippori.”
Yesterday, in preparation for an upcoming edition, I went to Mitzpeh Ramon for the day. I would have preferred to go north, where there is no desert sun and glaring sand — and we in the middle of August, too! — but when I planned the trip there was a war going on up north, and my editor and I decided to stick with the south for now.
A small taste of the article to come, from my own blog:
Mitzpeh Ramon was amazing. It’s a desert town about an hour south of Be’er Sheva, in the Negev Desert. The town has a population of about 6,000, and is situated at the edge of a large crater called a Machtesh. A machtesh looks like a canyon, but was formed by different geological forces than a canyon is. Macheteshim are unique to Israel, and are known around the world by their Hebrew names.
Things I saw/ did yesterday:
*Picked up two policemen at a checkpoint; they needed a ride south. They were very nice guys. Only in Israel do the policemen hitch rides with citizens passing through a checkpoint!
*Enjoyed stunning views of the Machtesh
*Watched some kids learn to rappel down the side of the cliff.
*Took a 2-hour jeep ride through the crater
*learned about the Nabatean spice route
*Hand-fed some alpacas and llamas at an Alpaca Farm- so cute!
*Learned some basic archery at a campsite that also offers “Archery Golf.”
* Checked out a bed-and-breakfast that also offers jeep tours and spa treatments.
*Had lunch at one of the four kosher food-service places in the whole town. Most of the town is all “the ingredients are kosher, but we’re open on Shabbat and do not have kashrut supervision.” Uh, thanks anyway.
*Had a scrumptious dinner at the Ramon Inn hotel, known not much for its rooms, but famous for its food, which was indeed unusual and delicious.
*Saw a natural rock formation in the middle of the desert that looks just like a camel. It was spooky, how much it looks like a camel.
* Visited the “desert sculpture garden,” which spoke to me not at all and seemed a little weird.
*Saw a lot of wild Ibex, who wander around the town of Mitzpeh Ramon in herds.
*Breathed very fresh air; Mitzpeh Ramon has the best air quality of any place in Israel
*Stopped at the side of the highway on the way home, after dark, and gazed at the stars. The visibility was incredible. Stars are cool, man.I’m exhausted, but it was a good day. Thanks very much to my guide, from Keshet: The Center for Educational Tourism in Israel.
Late Summer Vacation (however short) IV
Since having a baby a few week’s ago, Beth can no longer fit all her (four) kids into the family car. So they ain’t gettin’ anywhere very far.
Still, it is summer break, or “The Big Vacation,” as they say in Hebrew. So they went by inter-city bus to an indoor playground in Jerusalem for a day of fun.
And they found a car after all . . .
More pictures and commentary here.
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