The new U.S. ambassador

July 20, 2011 - 6:45 AM by · 3 Comments
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Life, News, Politics 

So the new U.S. ambassador to Israel is a friend of a friend. That is, we have mutual friends, he just doesn’t know it yet. Daniel Shapiro, as he’s known, is the 18th U.S. ambassador to Israel, one of President Barack Obama’s closest Middle East confidants, and is active in the Washington, DC Jewish community, which is how I — sort of — know him.

In Washington, he was a member of the Conservative Adas Israel shul and sent his three kids to local day schools. The Adas Israel membership is one of our connections. The other is through Brandeis University, where another mutual friend introduced him to his wife. I found that one out through Facebook, where that mutual friend posted pictures of his swearing-in ceremony, during which his boss, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, alluded to his sophomore year spent at Hebrew University:

“At Hebrew University during the first intifada, Dan and his classmates spent many hours discussing how Israelis and Palestinians could one day live in peace, side-by-side,” she said. “Dan has seen firsthand that the status quo is unsustainable,” she said.

I don’t think we spent the same year together at Hebrew U., since he’s a tad younger than I, although it’s possible.

But what is worth considering is that mutual friends #1, who will be in Israel in August, and will be spending some time at my house, will also be hosted by the new U.S. ambassador and his family in their lovely Herzliya digs. Certainly a worthwhile invitation, considering the pool and great location.

So who knows? Maybe we’ll be receiving an invite ourselves, through the ever-narrowing degrees of separation. Me and the new U.S. ambassador to Israel? We’re like this.

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Obama’s ‘bright’ spot for Israel

October 3, 2010 - 2:47 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, Environment, General, Technology 

Israel solar Power company BrightSource Energy Inc. has received an endorsement from the highest places – US President Barack Obama, to be specific.

Jerusalem-based BrightSource Industries through its California-based parent, BrightSource Energy is slated to deliver more than 2,600 megawatts of solar electricity in California’s Mojave Desert using new technology demonstrated at Goldman’s Solar Energy Development Center in the Negev, the largest solar energy facility in the Middle East.

BrightSource was founded by Arnold Goldman, who was also the founder and CEO of Israeli firm Luz International Ltd., one of the world’s first solar energy companies in the 1980s.

BrightSource is developing more than 4GW of solar power projects in Southwestern American states – enough to power 1.4 million homes. BrightSource now boasts the two largest solar power agreements ever – 1,300 megawatts with Southern California Edison and 1,310 megawatts with Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

In Obama’s weekly radio address this past weekend, he was talking about his adminstration’s efforts to create jobs in the clean energy sector, and how a subsidized loan program established by his administration is helping companies like BrightSource create US jobs.

“For example, I want share with you one new development, made possible by the clean energy incentives we have launched. This month, in the Mojave Desert, a company called BrightSource plans to break ground on a revolutionary new type of solar power plant.

It’s going to put about a thousand people to work building a state-of-the-art facility. And when it’s complete, it will turn sunlight into the energy that will power up to 140,000 homes – the largest such plant in the world. Not in China. Not in India. But in California.

With projects like this one, and others across this country, we are staking our claim to continued leadership in the new global economy. And we’re putting Americans to work producing clean, home-grown American energy that will help lower our reliance on foreign oil and protect our planet for future generations.”

It’s true that Obama didn’t mention the Israel origins or technology that the company uses. But it’s still a feather in BrightSource’s cap. In addition to winning a huge loan guarantee — worth $1.4 billion — from the Department of Energy for the Mojave project, BrightSource is also reportedly preparing for an IPO.

BrightSource is one place the sun is certainly shining.

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Nice sentiments help Obama win the Nobel

October 11, 2009 - 12:56 PM by · 3 Comments
Filed under: coexistence, Politics, War 

I went away for a few days camping and came back to discover that President Barack Obama had won the Nobel peace prize. I was so surprised that I wondered briefly if while I’d been away I had got stuck in some kind of time warp, and a whole year had gone by.

And the prize goes to... President Obama meets Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to push forward peace. Photo by Avi Ohayon/GPO/Flash 90

And the prize goes to... President Obama meets Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to push forward peace. Photo by Avi Ohayon/GPO/Flash 90

It seemed a far more likely explanation than that the Nobel prize committee had actually decided to award a US president, in power for just a twinkle of the eye, with a peace prize for doing – nothing actually.

I’m a fan of Obama, and I admire what he stands for and the promise he holds. But that’s all we’ve got so far – just a promise, and a few statements about peace and goodwill to all men.

The peace committee said the prize was “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”, while Time Magazine added that it was “primarily for his work on and commitment to nuclear disarmament.” From where I sit, however, with Iran threatening to blow Israel off the planet and fast approaching the nuclear capacity to do just that, Obama’s sugary wish to disarm the world seems pretty frivolous.

I don’t often agree with Republicans, but Michael Steel, chairman of the Republican National Committee got it right when he said: “What has President Obama actually accomplished? It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who made real achievements working toward peace and human rights.”

Here in this region of the world, where conflict is in your face, and peace seems so elusive and unattainable, there are many people working on the frontlines of the peace movement who really do deserve a prize.

They face the conflict every single day, and still continue working for change, even at great cost to themselves.

What about Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish , the Palestinian doctor who lost his children in the bombing in Gaza, and still campaigns for peace? What about the founders of Parent’s Circle , an organization set up by Israelis and Palestinians who lost loved ones in the conflict but use their bereavement to fight ardently for peace, people like Robi Damelin, who wrote a public letter to Ynet warning of the terrible cost of the intifada as talk grows of the possibility of a new third intifada breaking out in Israel?

What about the dozens and dozens of peace organizations here where Jews and Arabs work side by side, bringing people together, and trying to create a different reality. Every one of us could cite an example. These people aren’t just making nice speeches about peace, they are actually out there making it.

If we are really lucky, in four years from now, Obama will actually deserve a Nobel peace prize, but as we all know, nice sentiments don’t always lead to action. In the meantime, couldn’t the Norwegians find someone who’s actually achieved something?

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Holy notes

April 5, 2009 - 7:57 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Holidays, Israeliness, Religion 

This is one’ll be short, as we’re neck-deep inside the fridge, cleaning out moldy jars of salsa and unidentifiable containers of food, making room for all the kosher-for-Passover items.

slichot_notesinwallBut it seems that Western Wall workers on doing some of their own spring cleaning in preparation for Passover, removing the thousands of notes left by visitors in the cracks of the walls.

According to news accounts, the notes are removed using wooden sticks first dipped in a mikveh — ritual bath — as supervised by the Kotel rabbi, Shmuel Rabinovitch. They are then buried — like any holy writing — in the Mount of Olives, in order to make room for another year of notes to God.

So that means that even President Barack Obama’s note is heading to the ground; but it seems that his wishes were already answered.

Here’s where you can head to place your own note.

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