IDF battles swine flu with extra leave

July 2, 2009 - 11:40 AM by Nicky · 1 Comment
Filed under: General, Life, health 

Whether you call it swine flu or Mexican flu, the number of cases of the virus H1N1 in Israel continues to creep up.

Please don't lick that pig...

Please don't lick that pig...

Since the flu first reached here in late April, just days after it was identified in Mexico and the US, there have been anything from 300 to 542 confirmed cases, depending on which newspaper you read. And, according to one Israeli paper, the total number of flu cases has more than doubled in the last two weeks alone.

Earlier this week, the IDF decided to take some preventative measures, after an increasing number of troops came down with the illness.

The problem, the IDF discovered, was with soldiers who had come into contact with Jewish American youngsters as part of the Jewish Agency’s Taglit-Birthright program, where they bring Jewish kids from the US to Israel to experience the country.

According to Ynet, some 20 soldiers working with Taglit youth contracted the H1N1 virus over the last few weeks. These soldiers then returned to their units, and infected their fellow comrades, raising the number of sick servicemen to several dozens. Units affected – including one Navy torpedo boat – had no choice but to declare a temporary shutdown.

Now the IDF has decided not to take any more chances. This is the nation’s security we’re talking about after all. The army’s chief medical officer has ordered soldiers who work with Taglit to take five-days leave to make sure they are flu-free.

Out in the civilian world as well, flu continues to spread. Last week, the PM, Bibi Netanyahu canceled all his meetings after a close associate tested positive for swine flu.

The health maintenance funds (Kupat Holim), now responsible for treating swine flu patients, are also feeling the crunch. When my husband phoned a contact in his health fund to try to bring forward a doctor’s appointment it took him three days to get hold of her, and when he finally did she said she was too busy dealing with swine flu cases to talk.

Now there’s talk of testing all the 5,000 or so visiting athletes due to fly in any day to take part in this month’s Maccabiah games. Any that test positive will be refused entry. Deputy Health Minister, Ya’akov Litzman told reporters: “I don’t want to reach a situation in which another 5,000 people come here and just increase [the incidence of] the disease.”

Well, it’s still early days yet. Like much of Europe, flu season in these parts usually only begins in November. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens next.

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May the new Israeli government live to a ripe old age

April 1, 2009 - 12:26 PM by David · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, History and Culture, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Politics 

The new Israeli cabinet

The new Israeli cabinet

Well, it’s April 1st – and we have a new government in Israel. I’m assuming there’s no connection between those two facts, and like all Israelis, I wish Prime Minister Netanyahu and his 30 ministers the wisdom and foresight to see us through these tough times.

Watching the swearing in ceremony at the Knesset late last night, we were struck by something which typifies the unique hybrid of Israeli culture and norms. Never mind the lack of decorum and acting speaker Ruby Rivlin having to chide MKs to keep quiet while the members of the 32nd government were giving their oaths. We’re used to that.

But here were all these powerful government ministers getting up on the podium, one by one, before the Knesset, the nation, and the world. And they were beginning their oaths by saying, “I, Gideon Saar, the son of Ezra, blessed be his memory, and Rivka, may she live to a ripe old age…”

In what other country would you hear that? Call it heimish, quaint, or just a subtle affirmation that, hey… you just can’t take the Jewish out of Israel.

It’s unlikely that Sa’ar, or any of the other secular-looking ministers are religiously observant, but Judaism is such an integral part of Israeli culture, that it sounded perfectly natural to hear the ministers add on the religious embellishments to their parents’ names.

It’s a trivial matter, and for most viewers, it was probably second nature to hear. But for some people who moved to Israel out of choice – whether observant or secular – it was just one more instance of realizing that they had made a good decision.

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Here we go again

October 27, 2008 - 1:27 AM by David · 1 Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Politics 

kadima_elections.jpg
So, it’s all but a foregone conclusion that we’re headed for early elections. Just what this country needs.

Kadima leader Tzippi Livni, claiming that she wasn’t ready to give in to the ‘blackmail’ of potential coalition partners like Shas, took the high road and went to President Shimon Peres today and returned the mandate he entrusted her with last month to form a new government.

So barring some unforeseen blip, and owing to the convoluted manner the president and the Knesset parties must behave now, we’re looking at mid-Feburary for election day. And guess who’s prime minister til then? Ehud Olmert.
Ain’t Israeli politics grand?

I’m actually looking forward to the campaigning, because the televised election ads are among the most entertaining moments of TV since the original Saturday Night Live in the mid-1970s.

That’s about the only consolation to the whole ordeal, because whether Livni and Kadim come out on top again (highly unlikely), the Labor Party and Ehud Barak make a comeback (even unlikelier), or the Likud and Bibi Netanyahu clean up (Lord help us because it’s very likely), the resulting coalition will be very similar to The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, which goes “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

I’m sure that despite the fateful issues and decisions facing us, the next elections will have a record low turnout. Until we start producing some new blood and new ideas, more and more Israelis are going to continue turning off to politics. And it’s a time when we can ill afford to leave our fate to others to decide.

Maybe the environmental Green Party will finally galvanize voters and become this next election’s Pensioners’ party or Shinui – a dark horse coming out of nowhere.to capture the minds and hearts of the population.

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