Accepting responsibility for Israel’s security
Filed under: A New Reality, coexistence, Crime, General, Israeliness, Life, War
Adjusting the new berets for the Karkal graduates
“Oh, great,” I thought, this is what she’s going to be doing now, as the asimon fell and reached my brain for the first time, filling it with a mixture of pride and trepidation.
Later, during the short, moving ceremony at the Nahal Memorial near Pardes Hanna, the commander of the brigade referred to the incident when describing the responsibilities the graduates were about to take on.
When he said that a unit on patrol had killed an armed terrorist attempting to infiltrate, the gathering of parents of family applauded.
At first it seemed somewhat awkward and inappropriate to me, to be clapping for someone else’s demise – even if they were setting out to likely commit murder themselves.
But, as I reflected on it, I realized that it hadn’t been a bloodthirsty venomous ovation, but sort of a muted, reluctant show of recognition that this kind of job has to be done and our children are the ones who have chosen to do it.
The cheers from the crowd when the ceremony ended and the one-time recruits threw their brand new green berets in the air were much more lusty and heartfelt. As long as that order of moral clarity exists – where achievement and initiative takes precedent over killing, gloating and destruction, our society, for all its faults, isn’t doing too badly.
In the paper the next day, we read that that ‘terrorists’ shot at the border had actually been armed Beduin drug smugglers. It only contributed to the notion that my daughter’s job for the next couple years is not going to be an easy one – not for her physical stamina nor for her moral compass.
Snyder talks
In case you’re planning ahead for July activities, in addition to Jerusalem’s renowned film festival — hundreds of international films screened at a series of Jerusalem theaters over the course of two-plus weeks — the city’s Israel Museum will be reopening in July after a prolonged renovation.
In a recent interview (and podcast), director James Snyder — who moved to Israel in 1995 from his choice posting as deputy director of New York’s MoMa — said one of the best parts about renovating the space was choosing new work to grace the museum’s newly renovated space. Two artists, Anish Kapoor and Olafur Eilassion, were chosen for sculptures that welcome visitors and highlight the museum’s placement within the Jerusalem skyline, and their work can be seen here.
Despite his years in New York, one of the centers of the cultural world, Snyder says Israel’s ancient cultural continuum is extraordinarily satisfying. “That kind of context…and backdrop doesn’t exist in so many places,” he mused. The sheer universality of both Jerusalem and the museum’s collection made him think about creating a powerful kind of window into a universal world culture.
Foto Friday – Beating the Heat at the Biblical Zoo
Filed under: Art, education, Environment, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Life, Religion, Travel
This little fellow, a Grey-headed fruit bat, makes his home in the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in southwestern Jerusalem. Popularly known as The Biblical Zoo, it was recently named Israel’s top tourist attraction.
The zoo was in the news today because of the hot weather that’s keeping the animals indoors or – in the case of the resident hippos – in the water.
The zoo collection features animals from the Land of Israel, with special emphasis on those species mentioned in the Bible. For example, this Black python (Desert Cobra), mentioned no less than 25 times in the bible.
And the leopard, famous for this quote from Isaiah 11:6: “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.’
Exodus 19:4: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles‘ wings and brought you to myself.”
The Bible doesn’t specifically mention elephants, but Chronicles 2:9, 17 does mention their still treasured but now contraband byproduct: “Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.”
Photo: Ruthie Shuler
Our little pal the fruit bat, by the way, is mentioned in Leviticus 11:19, rounding up the list of flying birds of prey and scavengers that are absolutely unkosher and not to be eaten by Jews. So Mr. Bat can continue his peaceful daylight sleep. At night, he’ll have to duke it out for mice with the local owls — and there are many here. We’ll meet them another Friday.
Desert survivalist defies the odds a second time
Filed under: A New Reality, Environment, General, Israeliness, Life, Travel
I’m not sure if he’s the tour guide I would choose for my wilderness excursion.
For the second time in nine months, famed desert survival specialist Nir Gur, went missing this week. And once again, following widespread searches, it had a happy ending of sorts. At least the circumstances were less sensational than the first disappearance.
Eight months ago the 61-year-old Gur, former director of the Ein Gedi field school and created a desert survival center, was found in the Golan, naked with a gun shot wound to his head. He barely survived and was unconscious for a month. When he awoke he had no recollection of how he came to be in that state and police have been unable to solve the case.
Gur recovered, and this week was due to attend a meeting at Seminar Hakibutzim on Tuesday but never arrived. His wife reported him missing Wednesday morning, sparking widespread media publicity and a national search. According to media reports, Gur was found on Wednesday night near Kibbutz Yagur after a massive police search which included use of a helicopter. He was reported to be in a confused state, slightly scratched but otherwise unharmed.
While he’s proven that he’s indeed a survivor, I’m not sure I’d want to follow him out into the desert – without a portable GPS system.
Sidewalk vigilantes
I love Israelis. I do. In fact, I am, sort of, Israeli, myself. I realize this when I’m away from Israel, and find myself getting a little too close to the person in front of me on the ATM line, or back home, when I tailgate a little too closely. I also point more with my finger than I used to, and probably don’t say ‘Excuse me,’ quite enough.
But one thing I don’t do is park on the sidewalk. Ever. Sure, if there’s a sign signaling sidewalk parking on some narrow little road which was never built for cars, and certainly not as a two-way street, then I will avail myself of some of the sidewalk. But only then. I just don’t get people who park on the sidewalk when there are many places available on the street. I know, they’re lazy. Yet how could they be so blatantly rude and dismissive of those who need the sidewalk?
And the woman standing next to her car...
At that point, I was seized with the need to see justice done. I took a picture of her car on the sidewalk, and then called the police, who, surprisingly, were completely respectful and took all the relevant information. I didn’t stay to see if they came or if she finally moved. But hey, I figure that maybe she won’t do it again.
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