Brothers in arms against the fire
Filed under: A New Reality, coexistence, Environment, General, Israeliness, Life, News, Politics
Members of the Bulgarian fire fighting delegation arrive in the Carmel. (Photo: Ben Hartman)
But maybe there is a silver lining in the national disaster that has befallen us – the result, it seems of the carelessness of two teens who didn’t smother their bonfire.
I’m talking about the willingness of our global neighbors – near like Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority; regional like Greece, Cyprus and Turkey; and those as far as Russia, Bulgaria, France, Italy, England and the US – to send supplies and forces to help our country in its hour of need is a heartwarming eye-opener.
On the one hand, there shouldn’t be any surprise at the offers of aid – it’s a natural reaction that should be taken for granted. Human life is in danger, so you help, regardless of your geopolitical differences.
On the other hand, we’ve been conditioned over the years to be paranoid, whether it’s justified or not. The world is against us, and if a government utters a pro-Palestinian statement, it means they’re either at best anti-Semitic or at worst seeking Israel’s destruction.
An example of our national obsession with connecting everything to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the unfounded rumors that spread almost as fast as the flames that the fire was the result of arson perpetrated by everyone from al-Qaida to Hamas.
Those suspicious pro-Israel advocates who see an enemy around every corner must have been shocked that such “cold peace” friends like Egypt and Turkey have done the right thing and mobilized for a neighbor. Even the Palestinian Authority, our closest neighbors and those whom we are most at odds with, sent fire trucks to Taibe and Barta’a, two Arab villages in the Galilee. It’s almost as satisfying as them recognizing Israel as the Jewish homeland.
Of course, it’s reasonable to assume that this show of solidarity will have no bearing on future relations with Turkey or our ability to negotiate with the Palestinians. But who knows? Maybe it will.
Listening to reports of firefighters from Bulgaria and Greece standing shoulder to shoulder with our exhausted men, barely unable to communicate beyond a shared goal of containing the killer blaze, was indeed an example of the spirit of the global community in practice, not just in theory.
It’s a clear illustration – far beyond Israel’s participation in the Olympics or in the Eurovision song contest – that, despite the bitter divide over the future of the land we are destined to share with the Palestinians, we are an accepted member of the family of nations. It’s too bad it took such a monumental tragedy for that to be revealed.
Volunteering for the fire
Filed under: A New Reality, Environment, General, Life, News, tv
The dimensions of the tragedy are still developing, but the huge fire in the Carmel region near Haifa, which until now has claimed 41 lives, destroyed over 20,000 dunams of forest, and has forced the evacuation of over 13,000 residents, is already being called the worst fire disaster in Israel’s history.
Even with 23 international aircraft carrying firefighters, supplies and fire retardant chemicals on the way from Greece, England, Spain,
Russia, Turkey, Cypress, Bulgaria, Croatia and Azerbaijan, to join the entire 1,500-strong Israeli firefighting force, the blaze wasn’t expected to be under control for days.
The rest of the country watched in horror Thursday night as images of the carnage and destruction remained on TV screens throughout the evening, and a sense of helplessness spread over the viewers. But, while the professionals were doing their job, that helplessness turned into the kind of mobilization that Israelis have become known for around the world.
A forum on Ynet was opened to enable families in other parts of the country to offer assistance and open their homes to the evacuated families from the Carmel.
Within a few short hours, thousands of people had posted listings, and started the ball rolling to house, clothe and feed the 13,000 residents of the North who are suddenly homeless, hopefully only temporarily.
Social services have opened up phone lines for families needing assistance: 08 977-5717
As we enter Shabbat, let’s all pray and do our part in any other way to help bring an end to this worst natural disaster that Israel has ever seen.
Wave that flag, wave it wide and high
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, design, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Politics
(Photo: Marc Israel Sellem)
You just might be surprised where it was made. Some Knesset members were certainly taken aback when they discovered that the production of Israeli flags has gradually shifted over the years to countries like Turkey and China where manufacturing costs are lower.
That’s unpatriotic, the MKs say, as reliance on imports has led to economic difficulties for local textile plants which used to provide the bulk of flags, which are displayed year round, but are especially ubiquitous as Independence Day nears every year.
In addition, evidently there have been instances over the years of errors in the printing process abroad whereby the Israeli flags were not 100% accurate. Not sure if the blue to white ratio was wrong or the Magen David had extra point. But in any event, MKs from across the political spectrum succeeded Wednesday in passing in its preliminary reading a bill that would mandate that all Israeli flags be manufactured in Israel.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the bill not only restricts production of Israeli flags to Israeli-owned companies or Israeli citizens or permanent residents, but also forbids the sale of foreign-produced flags, including a special clause to prohibit the acquisition of foreign-made Israeli flags or symbols of the State of Israel by any institution that receives over 50% of its funding from the government.
Knesset Economic Affairs Committee Chairman Ofir Akunis (Likud) said that he would push to complete the legislation in advance of Independence Day, which will be celebrated on May 10, 2011. “This is both a national and a social law of the first order,” said Akunis. “We must do everything we can to encourage and develop Israeli industry, especially industries in the periphery, and it is appropriate that we begin by having public institutions purchase Israeli-made goods.”
The question is, does that start a slippery slope where in the future we won’t be able to import other product like humous (actually, who would want to when it’s so good here?) or sneakers? It’s something to think about as we wave our flags next year.
Ravishing Rosh Pina
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Holidays, Israeliness, Life, Travel
With Turkey off the natural list of prime destinations for Israelis this summer, more and more vacationers have been looking closer to home for some r&r.
The ‘tzimmer’ – or bed and breakfast industry – has flourished here in recent years, especially in the Galilee. You can’t go ten feet without another private home advertising luxurious or rustic surroundings for couples or families.
And nowhere has the b&b explosion hit more squarely than in Rosh Pina, the quaint, hillside town just east of Safed. Stocked with new age craft stores, natural food cafes, cobblestone roads and incredible views, the once-sleepy town is now alive with Israeli tourists looking for a little bit of Switzerland in their own backyard.
On our recent visit there, we chose a tzimmer called “Love in the Orchard,” an adorable four-tzimmer establishment run by Yoram and Zahava Shamai, two salt of the earth Rosh Pina veterans. They turned their huge backyard into a beautiful orchard with fruit trees, surrounded by two cottages (with another two on the top floor of their house).
Each room is meticulously decorated, and stocked with a huge jacuzzi, giant double bed, kitchenette, LCD tv with cable and DVD, wireless, and every other anemity imaginable. Not only that, there’s a decent-sized swimming pook in the back yard with a relaxing patio – perfect for early evening swims with a glass of wine.
The ‘breakfast’ part of the the b&b comes via an option for a breakfast complete with herb omelettes, sparkling wne, fresh whole wheat rolls, cheeses, fruit and cider. By the second day, we had to beg off because there was just too much food.
Rosh Pina, besides, being a great location to stroll around in despite the steep inclines, is a perfect jumping off point to explore the Galilee, whether you head toward Safed, Kiryat Shmona or stick close to home and the amazing Tel Hazor archeological site 10 minutes away.
A few years ago, there was a rumor that Madonna was negotiating over buying a place in Rosh Pina, so she could be close to the sources of Kabbala in Safed. Now we can understand why.
Eilat under attack
Filed under: A New Reality, coexistence, General, Holidays, Israeliness, Life, Politics, Travel, War
August is one of the busiest seasons of the year in Eilat, as well as its hottest. The kids out of school, summer camps finishing up, and semi-attractive deals offered by the dozens of hotels and resorts in the Red Sea haven all contribute to an influx of tourism from within during the month.
Especially since Israeli tourism to Turkey has dropped to virtually zero because of the post-Flotilla diplomatic tension between the countries, Eilat is even more packed than usual. Which makes this morning’s news about five rockets likely fired from Sinai landing near the city is sending tremors throughout the country.
The five rockets – two in the Red Sea, one in a field near Eilat, and two in Jordan – included one which reportedly landed in front of the Intercontinental Hotel at the neighboring Jordanian port city of Aqaba, injuring four.
According to initial reports, a possible group behind the rockets could have been Hamas, which is known to use Sinai to smuggle weaponry and operatives in and out of the Gaza strip. There are also known to be global Jihad elements in the Sinai who have the capability to fire rockets toward Eilat. The attacks could be a continuation of the weekend rocket attack on Sderot, an attempt by Palestinians rejectionist groups to torpedo planned direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Regardless of the reason, the fact that rockets are falling close to the main vacation center in Israel is disconcerting indeed. Some Facebook posts are already intimating cancellations of plans to go to the Red Sea location: “My summer vacation is ruined,” wrote one FB poster.
Rocket attacks in Eilat are rare but not unheard of, with two attacks having occurred in the last five years. In April, two rockets fired landed in Eilat and Aqaba.
But what’s more disconcerting about the attacks – both in the Eilat area and in the South near Gaza – is that if the terror groups are trying to goad Israel into another Operation Cast Lead-type incursion, these incidents won’t be remembered at all.
The world media will write about Israeli aggression and overreaction, and ignore the fact that a sovereign state has been attacked. The average newspaper reader of TV news watcher in the US or Europe probably has no idea these acts of violence have taken place against Israel. But, if Israel retaliates, you’d better believe they’ll know about it.
So, besides getting the word out that Israel is being attacked seemingly on a daily basis these days, there’s one other thing to do: keep going to Eilat. I’m not going to cancel my plans to vacation there near the end of the month, and I urge everyone else to do the same. The coral reef and the dolphin beach more than make up for the inconvenience of having to dodge a rocket here and there.
Subscribe
Subscribe to Israelity via email:
Social Media
Categories
- A New Reality
- Art
- Blogging
- Business
- coexistence
- Crime
- design
- education
- Entertainment
- Environment
- Food
- Foto Friday
- General
- health
- History and Culture
- Holidays
- Immigrant Moments
- Israeliness
- Life
- Medical Breakthroughs
- Movies
- Music
- News
- Nostalgia Sunday
- Picture of the Week
- Politics
- Pop Culture
- Profiles
- Religion
- Science
- Social Justice
- Sports
- Technology
- Travel
- tv
- War
The Face of Israel Today
-
About Israelity
Free newsletter
Stories from ISRAEL21c.orgPopular Posts