Foto Friday #27
Filed under: Art, Blogging, History and Culture, Israeliness
Oops! Technical glitch didn’t get this post up and out on Friday. But we at Israelity believe in fluidity. Flow. Flexibility. Liquid.
Enjoy Foto “Friday” and see you next week!
Tel Aviv from Azrieli Center…
Back Street Jerusalem….(watercolor) Judith Yellin-Ginat
Downtown Kitties…Elms in the Yard
Everybody’s Doin’ It
I’ve always found the Israeli blogosphere to be a fascinating, complex place, comprised of a variety of sub-groups that often have very little to do with each other, and for the most part, broken down according to language. While I can’t vouch for the local Russian or Arabic language bloggers, it’s interesting to note that the Hebrew and English language bloggers not only have very little knowledge of the other group, but to some extent, each group sees itself as the “Israeli blogosphere”.
I admit that I rarely read blogs written in Hebrew, and the only one I read with any degree of regularity is one written by a close friend (who is, incidentally, also an amazing writer). I just don’t have as much time as I’d like to delve into the Hebrew language blogs, though I do try to keep my eyes open for new blogs of interest.
This morning, I discovered blogs written by channel 10 police affairs reporter Sharon Gal and channel 10 political reporter Chico Menashe. The blogs, written in Hebrew and hosted on channel 10/Nana’s Israblog portal, are just two of the blogs being written by various channel 10 news personalities, and primarily contain behind-the-scenes tidbits about life as, well, a channel 10 news personality.
Gal, who just began writing his blog yesterday, describes his blog as being “your podium and mine. From me you’ll receive spicy stories about crime matters, primarily from the backyard of the police and behind the scenes of the criminal underworld. You’re invited to respond, to criticize, to get angry, and to become enraged. The important thing is that it should be interesting.”
And it is. In his first post, aside from the usual “what this blog is for” yada yada, Gal begins by lamenting the fact that fellow blogger Menashe gets to write about behind-the-scenes goings on on the Prime Minister’s airplane, while he will rarely have the opportunity to share such stories about flying with any senior officials, given the nature of his reporting duties.
“And I, a police affairs reporter, how much can I tell you about the behind-the-scenes goings on while flying with some senior individual. But then I remembered, I do have a similar story: On the plane with (Zeev) Rosenstein. But that was a while ago. No worries. It’s still interesting. Away from the intense scrutiny that followed his return to Israel from Miami, not really a super story from behind the scenes. Aside from the fact that Olmert is also suspected of crimes and is meeting frequently with criminal investigators. Rosenstein also met frequently with criminal investigators. And the truth is that lately Olmert has been meeting with investigators a lot more than Zeev Rosenstein, who’s imprisoned in the solitary confinement wing. So we’ve got a common denominator, and also a strong first story for the blog. “Experiences from a flight with a high-ranking official (in the world of crime). Chico, I can do it too!”
And, while Gal doesn’t actually ever getting around to telling us about his flight with a crime kingpin (having felt that he’d already written enough for his first entry, he promises to write about it next time), his entry is interesting enough that I think I’ll be back for more. The same goes for his pal Chico’s blog, which promises its readers stories that didn’t make the editorial cut, small stories, and perhaps, most intriguing of all, colorful stories. “A combination that may better explain the background of events happening here, giving the feeling that everything in the political realm is stuck, and not going anywhere.”
Foreign Seniors Need not Apply
Filed under: Business, General, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Politics, Travel
Elderly relatives coming for a visit? Planning to take them out to see the sights and sounds of Israel? Don’t expect any discounts. When my pensioner parents came to Israel during the summer, we were surprised, no, wait, make that downright shocked, to discover that they weren’t eligible for senior citizen discounts at the sites we chose to visit. Apparently, only senior citizens residing in Israel and in possession of valid senior citizen cards are eligible for these discounts, and when I demanded to know why, I was told at each site that “it was the law”.
Not being too keen on that answer, I decided to dig deeper. Following extensive correspondence (and one telephone call) with various, helpful individuals working in Israel’s Tourism Ministry, not to mention a perusal of legislation regarding senior citizens (sent to me by one of the lawyers working at the ministry), I’ve come to the conclusion that only seniors with Israeli citizenship are eligible for a veritable plethora of mandated senior discounts.
Frankly, I wasn’t impressed. One individual with whom I corresponded drew my attention to the fact that the same laws apply in other countries as well (though certainly not in all, as I discovered). And, call me biased, but I’d like to think that Israel isn’t just like any other country. I think of the committed supporters of Israel who not only send their money, but also visit with great frequency, proud of their connections to the Holy Land. Mostly, I think of the elderly relatives of those who moved to Israel from abroad, the ones who come to visit not as tourists but simply as parents coming to see their children and grandchildren. These are not your run-of-the-mill visitors, tourists on vacation, having picked a random location to explore. These are people who come to visit their loved ones, loved ones who have chosen to make Israel their home, loved ones who serve in the army and serve their country.
Hell, my parents don’t even particularly enjoy coming here anymore, but they do, because we are here. And, because they come for several weeks at a time and we’d probably kill each other if we stayed home and did nothing for the duration of their visit, we go sightseeing. While I’m sure we’ll continue to use this plan in the future, it will not be without some modicum of bitterness and frustration, because even though my parents have given the state of Israel one of their most precious possessions (not to imply that I am merely a possession, of course), the state can’t even be bothered to thank them for the gift.
Leave them Teachers Alone!
Several days ago, my colleague (and most excellent pal) Stephanie wrote a post on a subject that’s taken the local English-language writing world by storm lately – the possible creation of a freelancers union. The pros and cons have been discussed on the local independent writers list and debated ad nauseum on the especially lively local technical communicators list. While I’m still not sure where my feelings lie on the subject, there’s a brand new union that I support wholeheartedly.
According to this article on the Haaretz website, a group of more than 100 kindergarten teachers – all women – have made their mark on history by forming the first ultra-Orthodox labor union. The decision to create the union came about four years ago, after the ultra-Orthodox educational network, in a bid to cut costs, began sending dismissal letters to all teachers with more than 25 years of seniority.
“The kindergarten teachers shattered a taboo in ultra-Orthodox society – fighting for one’s rights. These women are all their families’ sole wage earners, some are widows, and others are single parents. All have large families and worked devotedly for many years, when suddenly they were faced with the threat of dismissal, as if the rug were being pulled out from underneath them. Creating the labor union was a real fight for survival.
The initiative came from a group of several dozen kindergarten teachers who were determined to influence the decisions made under the recovery program (required by the Education Ministry). After they realized that the Agudat Yisrael’s teachers union – where they had no representation whatsoever, as women and as kindergarten teachers – did not intend to help them, they decided to take action. The network argued in court that it is not halakhically acceptable for women to be elected and to represent workers, and therefore it is ignoring the organization. But the kindergarten teachers obtained rabbinic permission to form their union, and within a few weeks, more than 100 kindergarten teachers, both young and old, had joined their ranks.”
I’m always impressed by women who stand up and fight for their rights, even more so when the women in question are forced to take on a battle that won’t necessarily be perceived as acceptable within the confines of the society in which they live. Way to go, ladies.
Smokers’ Paradise
I’m not a smoker, though some of my best friends either are or have been in the past. I’m not the annoying type of non-smoker – while I would obviously prefer that no one did it, I realize that it’s not my decision, and you won’t find me preaching to those who choose to do so. Too much cigarette smoke makes me ill, and back in the days when airlines still allowed smoking on planes, a kindly flight attendant called at least too long non-smoking breaks on a flight to the US. The flight was full and they’d screwed up my ticket, placing me in the smoking section. They were only able to switch me to a seat that was one row in front of the smoking section, which, as I’m sure you can surmise, made no difference whatsoever. I suffered. Boy, did I suffer. Headaches, sore throat, congestion, and so on. I was miserable, and everyone could see it, hence the mandated no smoking breaks.
No one was happier than I when the airlines decided that all flights would be non-smoking, which couldn’t have gone over to well among the Israeli smoking public. With few exceptions, current smoking regulations in Israel are barely enforced. Doctors in hospitals will light up while standing under “No smoking” signs, shoppers light up in the malls. Most restaurants have yet to create separate, enclosed smoking areas. The situation is indeed dire, though it’s certainly better than it once was, which should give you an idea of just how bad things were here for non-smokers at one time.
Laws aside, many smokers (though certainly not all) here are rather inconsiderate. People light up while riding escalators or climbing stairs, requiring all those who follow in their wake to inhale. While making my way through the underground tunnel at the train station, by the time I’ve reached the end, I often feel as though I’ve just smoked a cigarette, given the way smokers light up as soon as they step off the train. Many of them prepare beforehand, rooting around in their bags for cigarettes, and popping one into their mouths before they’ve even gotten off the train.
As opposed to San Jose, Israel is indeed a smokers’ paradise. Tali Aben over at Israeli VC on Sand Hill Road laments,
“When I read articles like today’s in the SJ Mercury News, where smoking will be illegal in San Jose parks, as well as city sidewalks, including people smoking inside their cars, it makes me miss Silicon Valley even more.”
I’ve never been to San Jose, but if this is the way they deal with smoking, I’ve got to say that I miss it too…
Check out the rest of Tali’s post over here.
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