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A story I wrote last week for JTA brought me to a neighborhood near my own — literally, a 10-minute walk — that I had never visited before. Two neighborhoods, really.

The first was Givat Hamatos, or Hill of the Airplane, named for a plane that crashed there during the 1967 Six-Day War. Givat Hamatos is now known as the latest site for Green Line construction, as the prime minister is planning on extending his contiguous Jerusalem line that will cut off any possible Palestinian string of neighborhoods, as well as Palestinian East Jerusalem. But until a few years ago, Givat Hamatos was the caravan neighborhood for Russian and Ethiopian immigrants, as well as some down-on-their-luck Israelis, like Barak Hasid’s family, interviewed in the story.

What struck me about Barak Hasid and Givat Hamatos, is how close he is to my home, and our very different existences. His family has made do with very little for quite a while, and has found some kind of peace — or at least he has — in their story. A lemonade out of lemons kind of narrative. And then I drove through Beit Safafa, the adjacent neighborhood, trying to get a sense of the place, the people, and the location, which is sandwiched between Givat Hamatos and the Talpiot industrial zone on two sides.

It’s a nice neighborhood with fairly large homes, a very new soccer field (thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation), and is the home to Yad B’Yad, or Hand in Hand, the Jerusalem branch of Israel’s bilingual Arab-Hebrew schools. I can’t tell you much more than that, because I didn’t find anyone to speak to me. But I’m still working on that. I figure there has to be more to the Beit Safafa story, given its history and existence of coexistence.

It’s strange to think of a possible residential neighborhood down the road from me as a) settlement construction and b) possibly part of a future Palestinian Jerusalem. What I do know is real estate locations, and there’s no question that Givat Hamatos works from a geographical standpoint. It’s off a main road, close to a busy business area and has access to major transportation. But nothing is ever that simple in these parts, so we’ll have to see what happens in this particular section of my backyard.

The ‘anti-boycott Israel’ effort gains steam

The next time Madonna or another big-time artist announces that they’re going to perform in Israel, they’d better be ready for a slew of letters, phone calls and emails.

No, not from the kooky ‘Boycott Israel’ people, who insist on bombarding the artists with campaigns full of lies and distortions likening Israel to an apartheid state in an effort to convince them to cancel their trip to Israel – this time it’s going to be from supporters of Israel, influential, buddy-buddy supporters of Israel.

A group of international music and film executives, agents, attorneys and artists mostly from Los Angeles, but also including representation from New York, London and Tel Aviv, have recently launched the Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) – an organization that pledges to use a wide range of measures to bolster the resolve of artists who sign contracts to perform in or travel to Israel.

Look no further than last year’s debacles with Elvis Costello, the Pixies and Klaxon among others – artists who had signed contracts, but then due to a change of heart most likely brought on by pressure by the boycotters, decided to back out after tickets were sold and the shows were advertised.

Those experiences convinced a group of music pros in LA that something had to be done. Led by Steve Schnur, in charge of music and marketing for Electronic Arts and president of Artwerk Music Group, and responsible for licensing music for some of the most popular computer video games, and David Renzer, the former CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, the CCFP advisory board includes Israeli world music artist Idan Raichel; David Lonner, CEO of Oasis Media Group; Gary Foster, principal of Krasnoff Foster Productions; Doug Frank, former president of music operations for Warner Brothers Pictures; and the organization’s Israel point man, Ran Geffen-Lifshitz, CEO of Media Men Group, the country’s largest music publishing company.

“Every month, we receive a report from Ran’s team in Israel on the various artists who have announced they’re coming to Israel,” Renzer said last week during a visit to Israel.

“We then ask our advisory board whether anyone has a special relationship with the artist or his management, and often the answer is yes. So, they’re hearing not from an anonymous fan, but from a high-level person in the entertainment industry.”

The artist receives a phone call or letter congratulating them on his decision to perform in Israel and making him aware of the impending boycott efforts.

The letter, in part, reads: “Millions applaud the recent announcement of your upcoming tour of Israel. However, over the next few weeks and months, you will undoubtedly be hearing from other voices calling for you to cancel your trip in protest of actions in the West Bank and Gaza. Unfortunately, these misguided groups are trying to use the forums of music and culture to make inflammatory and incorrect political points.

“Singling out Israel, the only democracy in the region, as a target of cultural boycotts, while ignoring the now recognized human-rights issues of her neighbors, will not further peace. Ultimately, boycotts are an affront to Palestinian and Israeli moderates alike who are seeking to reach peace through compromise, exchange and mutual recognition.

“We look forward to your joining the ranks of independent-minded artists who have recently performed in Israel, including Elton John, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Rihanna, The Black Eyed Peas, Metallica, Linkin Park, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and many others.

“Music is our shared common language – one that transcends words and hatred.”

The letter is followed up with whatever is necessary to insure that the artists aren’t bushwacked by the boycott efforts, whether it be personal meetings, phone calls, handholding, offers to provide personalized tours in the country and referrals to the CCFP website.

The newly created site offers an impressive array of video clips of artists performing in Israel, a photo gallery of celebrities who have toured Israel, a “newsstand” with topical articles about artists, celebrity reflections on Israel and educational information on issues of democracy and human rights in the country.

“It’s a grassroots approach, but at a high level,” explained Steve Schnur.

And it’s one we can all get behind.

‘Disaster diplomacy’ doesn’t get off the ground for Israel, Turkey

Israel shouldn’t feel badly that Turkey has turned down its offer to send crack rescue teams and doctors to assist in searching for victims and those injured in the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the southeastern part of the country on Sunday.

They’ve also rejected offers from a lot of other countries, preferring to handle the disaster aftermath which has left over 200 dead by themselves. That’s too bad, because Israel has vast experience in finding survivors of disasters, not only from our own wealth of experience due to terror attacks but also from sending teams in the past to Haiti, Thailand, and yes, to Turkey when another quake hit in 1999.

It’s also too bad, because despite the overtures Israel keeps making to Turkey – whether it be this attempt at ‘disaster diplomacy’ or when Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Peres sent condolences to Turkish leader Erdogan following the death of his mother last month – there hasn’t been much repricocity ever since IDF soldiers killed nine Turkish citizens in May 2010 as it halted a flotilla from breaking the Gaza blockade.

Turkey did send firefighters to help Israel battle the massive Carmel fire in December last year, but it didn’t really change anything on the diplomatic front. Yesterday, Netanyahu called Erdogan according to The Jerusalem Post, this time to personally offer assistance with the earthquake recovery efforts Erdogan thanked Netanyahu for his concern and for the offer of support.
Turkish officials in Ankara rejected charges that they have refused Israeli assistance because of the poor relations between the two governments, and said the decision wasn’t politically motivated. And since they’ve rejected offers of help from other countries, including the US, they’re probably being truthful. But at the same time, it doesn’t look like relations between Israel and Turkey are going to thaw anytime soon.

Gilad’s shirt

You may have read this already, but it’s too good to miss. Remember that shirt Gilad was wearing when first handed over — and first interviewed on TV — by the Egyptians last week?

It was probably mostly polyester, a blue-and-white collar (any significance to that?), with epaulets and a small blue-red-and-and white check. Not very attractive, and not a great look for the emaciated Gilad, but it seems to have become a fashion trend in Gaza.

Stores in Gaza are offering ‘The Shalit shirt’ in a wide range of colors, for a reasonable NIS 60, which is around $17. And it’s not just Gazans who are fans of the shirt; there are at least two Facebook pages that have been created, devoted to Gilad Shalit’s shirt.

Upon closer perusal, one page appears to be a front for some anti-Israel sentiments. But the other has become a kind of conversation, mostly unpleasant, but a forum of sorts for Arabs and Jews to write both nasty and conciliatory comments toward one another, and not about Palestinian menswear. And they’re on the same page because they’ll both ‘like’ a Gilad Shalit shirt page, but wouldn’t normally look for each other on Facebook.

Coexistence? No, not really. But does it mean anything positive to have Gazans wearing Gilad’s Egyptian shirt?

Egypt involved in another Israeli prisoner release

Egypt is certainly busy these days. Only a few days after Egyptian security officials helped to implement the deal that sent IDF soldier Gilad Schalit home in the lopsided prisoner exchange with Hamas, another unjustly held Israeli is about to be freed, according to Egyptian media reports.

Israel and Egypt are putting the “finishing touches” on a list of prisoners to be freed in exchange for Ilan Grapel. Grapel is a US-Israeli dual citizen that Egypt has charged with spying, sedition and inciting Egyptians to violence during the 18-day revolution that unseated president Hosni Mubarak. The 27-year-old’s release was reportedly worked out as part of the deal that brought home Schalit, but it’s unclear when exactly the exchange is going to take place.

Grapel emigrated to Israel in 2005 from New York and served in the IDF during the 2006 Lebanon War, where he was wounded in action. Currently enrolled as a law student at Emory University in Atlanta, Grapel was at the time of his arrest working for Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services, a non-governmental organization, in Cairo. Friends, family and US and Israeli officials have all dismissed the charges against him as “bizarre” and “ludicrous” and some point to photos Grapel posted on his Facebook page of himself in Cairo as proof that he was no spy.

If Grapel is really released this week, it would be fitting for a Schalt-Grapel meeting to take place. I’m sure they’d have something to talk about. And Israelis would have another reason to cheer.

Maybe we should get Egypt involved in the medical residents’ dispute with the Health Ministry.

 

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