The Day After the Attack on Eilat
Yesterday, I wrote:
Eilat is a vacation getaway, with glitzy hotels, crowded restaurants, and shopping centers lining the Red Sea, amusement parks, an IMAX theater and a dolphin park. It’s Israel’s answer to Miami Beach.
Floating off an Eilat beach in the crystal water, the Jordanian resort town of Aqaba is clear on one side, the dramatic mountains of the Egyptian Sinai on the other. Despite the high hotel prices that Israelis grumble about, they bring their families back for vacation year after year, particularly since security warnings have discouraged them from visiting more affordable beach getaways like the Sinai and the Turkish Mediterranean coast.
Though part of Israel, and so visibly close to Arab neighbors, Eilat has always felt like something of an oasis from the Middle East conflict, somehow immune from it. Much of the reason – no suicide bombing had ever taken place in this city of sun and fun.
That all changed today, as glass shattered across the blood-stained bread trays of a downtown bakery.
That was yesterday? What of today? Today, the hardworking population will wake up, bury and mourn the victims of the attack, then dust themselves off, and get back to business, shaken but determined. Hopefully, we will all get busy booking our next vacations in Eilat. I know I will. (pretty cool — to get to relax at a fabulous beach hotel and feel like you are making a noble statement at the same time…)
Israel Conquers Sundance!
Not one, but two Israeli films grabbed major awards at the industry buzz-maker Sundance Film Festival. Congratulations!
‘Sweet Mud,’ an Israeli narrative of a boy coping with his mother’s mental illness on a kibbutz in the 1970s, won the jury prize for world cinema Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival.
“This is unprecedented,” said ‘Sweet Mud’ director Dror Shaul in a phone conversation from the United States. “The Israeli filmmaking industry bombarded Sundance as Simon Dotan’s ‘Hothouse’ won the documentary award and we won the international competition.
“We were not prepared for this, it basically hit us, but we are very happy particularly because Israeli filmmakers are now sitting in Cineart in Rotterdam and trying to come up with co-productions. Every such win boosts Israeli filmmaking,” he added.
‘Sweet Mud’ portrays kibbutz life in the 70s, questioning the socialist idealism of the kibbutz movement and breaking many taboos.
It tells the story of Dvir, a captivating 12-year-old boy (played by talented 14-year old Tomer Steinhof) growing up on a kibbutz. The story spans four seasons from the summer of ‘74 to the spring of ‘75.
It is the year of Dvir’s Bar Mitzvah and he and his classmates are forced to undergo a series of “initiation” tests before reaching manhood to prove their allegiance to the kibbutz movement.
The autobiographical storyline draws on the writer/director Shaul’s memories of growing up on a kibbutz alongside his mentally unstable and widowed mother. In the movie, Dvir’s enchanting mother Miri, who teeters on the edge of insanity, is impressively portrayed by first-time actress Ronit Yudkevitch.
Israel Drives America Into Therapy
Who would have thought that the first Israeli television series successfully sold to a major American network would be so …. neurotic?
But here it is, coming soon on HBO — starring Dianne Wiest and Gabriel Byrne, no less. Here’s the full cast list.
And here’s the story:
HBO has ordered 40 episodes of “In Treatment,” a half-hour drama starring Gabriel Byrne.
Based on the popular and critically acclaimed Israeli series of the same name (“BeTipul” in Hebrew), “Treatment” centers on a therapist (Byrne) who is calm, smooth, insightful and non-confrontational with his patients but turns into a testy, self-doubting individual full of barely concealed anger when he is a patient seeing his own shrink.
In the pilot stage, HBO ordered five episodes of “Treatment.” The series pickup brings the total to 45 half-hours, the same as the original Israeli series.
It is not clear how HBO will schedule “Treatment.” In Israel, the show aired five nights a week for nine weeks, with every episode focusing on one of several families and their weekly therapy session.
Meanwhile, the second season is gearing up in Israel, with a new shrink and a bunch of new patients – according to the creators, only two patients are returning — they sought therapy as a couple in a bad marriage, and their new therapy sessions will be post-divorce. The first-season shrink, played by Israeli film enfant terrible Assi Dayan, will move up the food chain and become the senior shrink, who gives the regular therapist therapy.
The Katsav Dam Bursts
I was in the minivan, on my way to pick up my 10-year-old from a birthday party in video arcade hell at the mall (yes, we have those in Israel, unfortunately) when I flipped on the radio for the news and heard President Katsav ranting and raving live about the injustice of it all, the evil police, the vindictive legal system, and of course, the slimy, slimy media and how all of them were out to get him, and how all three had conspired to create rape and sexual harassment charges out of thin air.
His voice cracked, it sounded like there might be a few tears, and even on the radio, you could hear him banging on the table. I was frustrated not to be watching it.
That was at about 7:15 PM, I think. When I got home, in between all the fuss of getting kids ready for bed, I made a mental note to switch on the television to catch the top of the news so I could see what he looked like. When I did, I couldn’t believe it….he was STILL talking live. How long did has this been going on?
(LATER — Ahhhh, I get it now! He wanted to make sure his speech ran long enough to completely upstage Prime Minister Olmert speaking at the Herziliya Conference at the same time, calling for his resignation…very clever. And apparently, when Olmert called for Katsav to quit, he got applause. First applause he’s heard in a long time.)
I can understand how he has a lot to say. This thing has been in the press for what — seven months — it broke before the Lebanon War this summer, and he’s stayed pretty much silent through the whole ordeal, through some incredibly nasty stories describing him as every secretary’s octopus boss from hell. He’s crying McCarthyism, he’s crying Dreyfus, he’s crying everything that will make us feel sorry for him.
His bottom line — he’ll take a leave of absence, but he’s not quitting: “I yield my immunity so an indictment can be filed against me, but the law does not demand I resign.”
If there is an indictment, he says, then he’ll resign.
What do the people think? Unscientifically, a Ynet poll found that 89 percent of the public wants him to resign now. Ynet also reports that the Education Minister wants to take his pictures down from public school walls.
I do feel a little sorry for him being indicted, tried, and convicted in the court of public opinion, before an indictment has even been handed down. But I find it hard to believe that they would hand down charges this serious against the president of Israel without some real evidence. And there’s so much smoke, there has to be some fire, so his song and dance about his wonderful perfect marriage ring pretty hollow.
Speaking for every Israeli parent, I’m for any solution that can get him off the front pages so I don’t have to discuss rape and sexual harassment every other week with my young children.
The Jerusalem Post has a nice chunk of his rant translated. As you can see, he’s playing the race card big-time.
“My friends and I have stood against a vile attack while my name and reputation have been dragged through the mud,” he said.
“I have refrained from responding…and even during these difficult days I do not intend to lower my head in humiliation. I will struggle with all my strength to clear my name,” said a president choked up by his tears.
“Citizens of Israel, don’t believe the accusations! There is one truth. I am the target of one of the worst hunts in the history of the State. Over the past few months an unprecedented brainwashing of the public has occurred. You’ve heard hair raising stories presented as truth by the media. I’ve survived because the truth stands with me,” said Katsav.
“This public trial at the hands of the media has prevented me from defending myself…my truth. None of you have seen any evidence. I promise you that no such evidence exists. No one has asked for my side, and you grabbed onto these stories as truth. No one, at any point, stopped to ask if these accusations are true.
Charging a smear campaign carried out by the media and using words such as “McCarthyism” and “persecution,” an enraged Katsav said, “No radio or television station has searched for the truth.” At one point Katsav attacked Channel 2’s anchorman Gadi Sukenik, saying, “Channel 2 has spilled my blood. The same Channel 2 that cancelled an interview with me because they preferred Muhammad Dahlan.
“Citizens of Israel, it is you who will be struck dumbfounded by the truth. The truth, no newspaper will be able to hide. I have never hurt any man or woman. I have always carried out my duties with honor.”
Katsav, who was born in Iran, implied that the charges against him were motivated by racism against Israelis of Middle Eastern origin, who had traditionally be marginalized by Jews of European heritage.
“I saw myself as a symbol for all those who are not part of the elite clique born with silver spoons in their mouths … who believe that only they can represent the people of Israel,” he said.
Yup, that’s the race card.
Oh, boy, how badly is it going to play if he gets pushed out of office and gets replaced by Shimon Peres. The uppity brown-skinned Persian is shamed and humiliated as the elite clique of Eastern European founding fathers returns to the top of the hill in the President’s mansion. It’s going to get ugly.
LATER: Two similar reactions. Lisa calls me up, “Lord, did you see how red-faced and embarrassed Katsav’s attorney’s were? They looked like they’d rather be anywhere else.”
At the same moment, columnist Nahum Barnea writes:
Two top attorneys, David Libai and Zion Amir, sat in a small room packed to the gills with cameras and microphones on Tuesday afternoon while squirming about uncomfortably in their seats. Both are experienced in defending lost cases but never before had they defended such an embarrassing case.
Sex and Religion for the Kiddies
Oh, the things that pop up in our weird little internet world! The web site flix.co.il — a local YouTube equivalent — has discovered a new bizarre sex symbol in an unlikely place. In the world of nostalgic television clips, someone uncovered a short program called “Tofi and the Gorilla” aired on the government (the ONLY) television channel in 1981.
It’s become a huge hit on Flix, with viewers speculating how in the world a chick dressed (undressed) like that got on a children’s show, not to mention some of the weird themes. If you know Hebrew, you can witness the bizarro dialogue in the clip above, where the gorilla decides he’s Satan. “I’m not a Jew! I’m a murderer and I’m going to drink your blood!”
What were the producers smoking? Or maybe knowing that there was nothing else on television, they were purposely making it a little underhandedly sexy and twisted to entertain the adults who had nothing else to watch?
Israel as a Family Business
Michael Eisenberg explores an interesting metaphor:
I have been racking my brains to try to figure out how Israel’s politics and the Israeli army have gotten so bad so fast. Between the corruption, President Katsav’s and Justice Minister Ramon’s sex and kissing scandals, the resignation of the Chief of Staff due to the military’s failure in the war this summer, politically motivated appointments of incompetent ministers (read Amir Peretz) and bureaucrats and so and so on, the situation has become positively dreadful. The Prime Minister has an approval rating lower than any I can remember and is only thought of positively in context of the more pathetic standing of Defense Minister Peretz.
What is stunning is that political appointments and corruption have been around as long as politics have been around and certainly Israeli politics yet, somehow, it seems much worse now. I thought about this for a while and came to what I believe is an interesting perspective. Today’s political situation in Israel resembles a family business.
The first generation of a family business, often an immigrant generation, is steeped in values of hard work, passion for a job or a mission and grew up in relatively simple surroundings. The pioneering generation of Israeli leaders were very similar. Formed in the melting pot of physical survival and the agricultural work ethic, they were salt of the earth and born leaders. From Ben Gurion and Menachem Begin to Ariel Sharon and Yitzchak Rabin (whatever you think of their individual political views), they were molded in a rag tag army that quickly became the envy of the Middle East and earned the admiration of generals everywhere due to their leadership. They made the desert bloom under incredibly difficult economic conditions and through financial hardship. They persevered, persuaded and, most importantly, inspired Israelis and Jews the world over to build our land. They were born leaders who knew the struggle of physical and economic survival. These great visionaries, leaders and icons were not corruption-free but they could escape scandal or brush it aside by force of personality or the overall greatness they personified. More importantly, they led through it. Great people, visionaries and executers can overcome the challenges and stigmas of scandal.
However, we are now suffering through the second generation of the family business. These people were once called the princes of Israeli politics. In fact what we have are leaders who were given their positions due to their name or influence and not true leaders. They have tasted wealth and hobnobbed with the wealthy and influential their entire life. They have been brought up in the system. I read this morning an Op-ed by Gideon Levy in Haaretz where he correctly points out that there is no difference between any of the candidates for Chief of Staff. They have no distinctions, nor has any Chief of Staff in recent memory except for Ehud Barak (I disagree with other parts of the op-ed). So true!
We have not escaped the statistics. Just like 65% of family businesses fail in the second generation so too Israeli second generation politicians are failing us. Worse, if we do not wake up soon we will find ourselves in a worse problem, 90% of third generation family businesses fail. And, Israeli politics is a family (mapai) business.
What to do? Metaphorically, sell the business. We need to bring in new management – from the outside. We need an entirely new generation of politicians and army leaders. People whose foremost character trait is leadership and not the environment they grew up in. We need to aspire to greatness, not mediocrity and accommodated corruption. I just finished reading a monograph by Jim Collins, author of Good To Great. In this monograph, he applies the lessons of Good to Great to the social sectors (not for profit). The conclusions are the same as in Collin’s book on business (check out his website). You need to get the right people (management) on the bus and the wrong people off. Well, we need to pack up many of the politicians and throw them off the bus before we get bitten by the 3rd generation bug. Let’s bring in new leadership from the outside.
Shahar Takes the Court
Our rising tennis star is kicking some serious butt:
Israeli teenager Shahar Peer carved out a bit of history with her 6-4 6-2 humbling of third-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday.
The 16th seed became the first Israeli woman to reach the quarter-final of a grand slam with a performance of great agility on Vodafone Arena, often cruelly exposing the lethargic movement of her flat-footed Russian opponent.
The 19-year-old broke the Russian’s serve three times in a scrappy opening set and even a five-minute rain interruption while she was serving at 4-2 in the second failed to disrupt her concentration.
An SMS from the IRS
On the assumption that Israelis don’t pay attention to their snail mail anymore….
The Israeli government internet portal has launched a new service making life easier for anyone who has ‘business’ with the government offices. Citizens will now be able to register to a service through the website sending reminders by email or SMS notifying them of payments due.
Bibi Embraces New Media
Love Bibi Netanyahu or hate him, most agree he is the master of the media. And now, when politicians can be less and less dependent on gatekeepers in the mainstream press, he is taking full advantage — first with his written blog, and now on video.
This is how it works. On his website (in Hebrew) there is a page for his readers/fans/constituents to ask him a question on their chosen issue. Then everyone is asked to vote on which of the proposed questions he should address. One the topic is picked, the camera goes on and he starts working the Bibi TV magic. Apologies that what we’ve got below is in Hebrew, but anyway, you can check out the YouTube look (actually it’s Flix.co.il)
News Cycles That Make Your Head Spin
Sometimes I think the only way to stay really sane in Israel is to forgo paying attention to the news. Yesterday was one of those days when, by the time you started getting a handle on the big news story of the day, it disappeared and was replaced by something else.
We woke up with the big revelation regarding secret peace talks with Syria, by lunchtime it was all about Olmert’s criminal investigation, and then suddenly, both stories had vanished because Chief of Staff Dan Halutz resigned. Even for Israel it was a crazy news day.
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