Four years in a Hamas jail
Filed under: A New Reality, coexistence, General, Israeliness, Life, Politics, Social Justice, War
Over 10,000 people joined the the Schalit family Sunday as they began walking from their Mitzpe Hila home in the upper Galilee on an 11-day trek to Jerusalem called the “Freedom March” to mark four years since their son Gilad was captured by Hamas and was taken to Gaza.
The procession – led by Gilad’s parents, Noam and Aviva – is currently headed in the direction of Nahariya ,and will wind up on Thursday, July 8 in Jerusalem, where they’re demanding the government do more to free Gilad.
According to a weekend poll in Yediot Aharonot, more than 70% of the public favors releasing terrrorists who have committed murder in exchange for Schalit.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that his heart was with the family as they set off on the walk, and invited the parents to meet with him when they arrive in Jerusalem.
“Four years after [Schalit's] abduction, I call on the international community to line up alongside the State of Israel and our unequivocal and just demand that our abducted soldier be returned immediately,” Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting.
On Friday, Noam Schalit called on all Israelis to join him and his family on their march, which will end at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem. Once they arrive, “we will sit and we will not return home without Gilad,” said Noam in a video message that he released on Friday, the fourth anniversary of the day that his son, then a 19-year old soldier, was kidnapped as he patrolled the border between Gaza and Israel. He has been held by Hamas in Gaza since then.
The only contact his family has had with him has been three letters and one video they have received. Hamas last week refused, yet again, another appeal to let the Red Cross visit with Schalit to verify his condition.
Needless to say, Schalit’s captivity is at the forefront of most Israelis thoughts, especially at such a landmark date. Perhaps, if all those who castigated Israel for its blockade of Gaza and its actions against the aid flotilla last month, redirected their wrath against Hamas, something might actually get accomplished.
Walking for Israel
Filed under: A New Reality, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Politics, Travel
Living in Israel, you sometimes develop a feeling of isolation – like you’re alone in the world with everyone else either against you or not understanding the situation.
That’s why every Israeli should spend a couple of days in Toronto. The 200,000 plus Jewish community is extremely cohesive and totally focused on Israel. According to figures presented by the Toronto Jewish Federation, around 75% of the Jews living there have visited Israel, a huge jump over most American Jewish communities.
Those sensibilities permeated the atmosphere at the Ricoh Coliseum on Sunday, when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu launched the 42nd annual United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto’s Walk for Israel.
‘’The ties between Israel and Canada have never been stronger,” said Netanyahu to thunderous applause from the adoring crowd of around 7,000 people who arrived early in the morning due to security precautions, ahead of the seven kilometer walk which was raising money for Toronto UJA projects to help Ethiopian immigrants in Bat Yam.
There was a festive atmosphere in the auditorium with balloons, and an equal display of Israeli and Canadian flags being waved and worn. And that feeling spread to the walk in the beautifully sunny day in which an estimated 15,000 walkers were out in the joyous procession, replete with plenty strollers, flags and spirited singing.
A random sampling of walkers found unanimous praise for Netanyahu’s speech and for all things Israeli.
Mark Eltis, a 32-year-old native of Montreal who moved to Toronto for college, was participating in his first walk. He said that Netanyahu had “hit the nail on the head” with his speech.
‘It was incredible opportunity to bear witness to the prime minister’s amazing speech, and an opportunity to show him the support that Canada and Toronto have for Israel,” said Robin Kislavsky. “It’s an incredible, cohesive community.”
That cohesiveness was in evidence through its unadulturated love for Israel it displayed on Sunday. Just what the doctor ordered.
IDF battles swine flu with extra leave
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...
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.
May the new Israeli government live to a ripe old age
Filed under: A New Reality, General, History and Culture, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Politics
The new Israeli cabinet
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.
Here we go again
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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