We love Iran

March 19, 2012 - 10:33 PM by · 4 Comments
Filed under: Blogging, coexistence, design, education, General, Israeliness, Life, News, Politics, War 

Ah, those crazy art students. Wouldn’tcha know it, but it took a couple of graphic designers to reach the Iranian public — through the web and Facebook – and let them know that we’re really just people, and not all that interested in a major war. The couple, Ronny Edry and his wife, Michal Tamir, created several simple, graphic posters depicting regular Israelis and the words, “Iranians We Will Never Bomb Your Country,” and within hours, began receiving hundreds of responses from Israelis and then Iranians.

On their Facebook page, people are sharing music links — Stevie Wonder’s We Can Work It Out — messages about their appreciation for the campaign, wishes for a happy Iranian new year and Iranian versions of the Israeli poster. If you were just reading this site, you’d think there’s no chance for a nuclear war.

Read this comment:

Just in from Iran:

miscommunication is a funny thing . when i saw the original blog and first comment was why so cocky why u say u dont bomb us like u want to but u dont and few hours later i saw one israeli said why they dont said it back that we dont bomb u either. u see? something its good thing in Your country and its bad thing in mine . because we dont know each other. they never let us to know each other. they afraid we became united and realize we got played and they cant control us any more (they are : government of both countries ) . i dont know about u guys but here they keep saying israel is bad . israel its evil and all that crap and its going into your subconscious and u start believe a lie that deep down u know thats not true at least not all of them but u know what, when i see pictures specially family ones its like i know u guys and i never met any of u .any one with a little bit knowledge knows innocent people gonna get kill in wars .people who dont deserve it and people who do deserve it they going to sit in their office and write a apology note . love and respect to every irani or israeli or american or what ever countries that say no to war . some people said this is start of a friendship between two countries but i say (base on two countries history ) this is reunion of brothers and sisters who lost each other over time and finally find each other .

B. Tehran – IRAN

It helps to have a ‘place’ to go where you can regain a sense of sanity about people and war and the general desire to vote for peace rather than warfare. The question is whether pink and green posters can make any kind of difference in this global disaster.

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Gilad’s shirt

October 23, 2011 - 12:03 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: coexistence, design, General, Israeliness, Life, News, Politics, tv 

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?

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Welcome home, Gilad

October 17, 2011 - 8:28 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, History and Culture, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Life, Politics 

We’re all thinking about how it’s going to be for Gilad, the Schalits and the greater Israeli reality over the next few days and months.

It’s astounding to think that it’s been five years since he was captured; and what has happened in that space of time. The Schalits have been in a kind of restrained limelight over the course of the last five years, making themselves and their son a well-known issue, and living a very public existence for the last 15 months, as they dwelled in their sukkah — the tent in front of the prime minister’s residence.

As they went home several days ago, their home became a kind of tourist site; mostly for well-wishers, I would hope, but probably for others as well, who wanted to get a glimpse of this couple, this family that has undergone so much for so long.

And so, this photo of a billboard that is being circulated around Facebook is a good reminder for many of us.


It says: A moment before Gilad gets home!…Let’s all take a step back, and give the family the time they need for healing and reclaiming the life that was taken from them five years ago.

Hear, hear. Wishing the Schalits the most joyous of homecomings, and hopefully a time of peace and respite. That goes for all of us.

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Cottage cheese sale

July 1, 2011 - 9:56 PM by · 2 Comments
Filed under: Business, Food, General, Israeliness, Life 

(Credit: Virtual Jerusalem)

It’s a victory for the Facebook boycott of cottage cheese, and really, for cottage cheese consumers countrywide. One of Israel’s largest dairymakers, Tnuva, announced this week that it would be reducing the price of cottage cheese — which still only comes in one size — to NIS 4.55 from NIS 5.20, that’s the price sold to retailers, which allows them to offer it to customer for NIS 5.90 a container.

However, says Facebook Tnuva boycott initiator Itzik Alrov, the reduction isn’t enough, so the boycott is going to continue. In the meantime, Israeli supermarkets are making special offers on cottage cheese, two for NIS 10 at Shufersal; NIS 4.90 for the rest of 2011 at Rami Levy. And on the subject of dairy products in general, boycott organizer Alrov is planning on adding other dairy products to the list, including yogurts and yellow cheese.

So, gotta be proud of the power of the Facebook boycott, as it’s good to know we can force manufacturers to pay attention to what consumers are saying. Particularly when it comes to Israeli cottage cheese, which is the best. Even in the lower fat percentages, that stuff is creamy, bears no resemblance to the American equivalent.

So pick up some containers and celebrate! If you’re feeling particularly flush, consider making this recipe for fluffy cottage cheese pancakes from Whole Foods:

Serves 4

In these moist and tender pancakes, the cottage cheese adds quality calcium and protein. Serve with a bit of butter and maple syrup or, for a special treat, top with fig spread.

1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
Canola oil cooking spray

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, cottage cheese, milk and oil. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and whisk until completely blended.

Spray a large skillet or griddle with cooking spray then heat over medium heat. Working in batches, form each pancake by spooning about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the skillet. Cook, flipping pancakes once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to plates and serve.

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Answers.com no longer has all the answers

June 28, 2011 - 1:11 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Business, News, Technology 

Answers.com with former CEO Bob Rosenschein

Answers.com, one of Jerusalem’s largest employers of English-speaking immigrants and a long-time survivor of the first dot.com crash, has been effectively gutted by its new owners. TechCrunch reported that yesterday, 45 of the company’s 65 Israel-based employees were fired, along with some of the New York staff (the company had a total of about 90 people). The axed included Answers.com’s founder and CEO Bob Rosenschein and CTO Jeff Schneiderman.

The bloodshed was not entirely unexpected (new owners tend to look at their acquisitions with more scrutiny than, perhaps, the founders with all their history and attachment). But that doesn’t make it any less painful for the staff let go.

The purchase of Answers.com always seemed a bit strange to me. Publicly traded on NASDAQ, the company was profitable and seemingly happily humming along when AFCV Holdings, a portfolio company of growth equity investor Summit Partners, swooped in to acquire Answers.com for $127 million.

That may seem large but, when the deal was announced, shareholders were unhappy, claiming that it tremendously undervalued Answers.com. They even tried to block the sale (a U.S. court denied the motion in April 2011).

AFCV said the layoffs were necessary to focus the company on its main product –the Q&A site WikiAnswers – and that a number of product initiatives (including 1-Click Answers, AnswerTips and Widget Gallery), as well as a mobile version, would no longer be supported. AFCV also said that, since Answers.com was not public anymore, the company didn’t need certain support structure.

All that makes sense, and it was probably no surprise to Rosenschein and Schneiderman that AFCV would want to consolidate management at their own headquarters or with their own people (hastening the duo’s departure). And it may even make a certain amount of business logic – as Gil Reich, the head of Answers.com’s product management, pointed out in his own blog, Answers.com went through so many ups and downs in its 12-year tenure, that the new owners may have felt compelled to “ruthlessly cut everything it felt distracted from (the company’s) core mission of a great community creating great content.”

But it’s nevertheless frustrating to see a company that employed a lot of good people in Israel lose that staff to a new American parent that clearly doesn’t share the same sense of “career Zionism.” The Business Insider blog described it more nefariously: It looks like the new owners are “milking the company for the cash that comes from all that SEO traffic.”

One of my friends at Answers.com wrote on her Facebook status, it’s the “end of an era, beginning of a new one?” We’ll have to wait and see. There are still 20 people left in Israel at Answers.com. For the rest, that new beginning may not be exactly what they expected.

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