We love Iran
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.
Life in a cell phone call center
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, General, Israeliness, Life, War
Cell phone call centers are one of the great melting pots of Israeli society. If there are a couple universal trueism, one is that everyone in Israel has a cell phone and the other is that they all break down.
People like to playfully argue over which cell phone company offers the worst service, but the general consensus seems to be Cellcom hands down. On a visit to the company’s Givat Shaul service center last week, I witnessed the usual and expected longs line, and angry, frustrated people, but was still not prepared for the scene that unfolded.
An older, grandfatherly type gentleman, together with his strapping 20-something grandson were already being serviced when I walked in. And during my 30-minute wait, they remained in position, getting more and more agitated in body language as their service provider worked on his computer and spoke to them just out of my ear shot.
Suddenly, the grandfather stoop up to his full 5 foot 2 inches or so and with an army commander’s voice, started shouting, “I don’t accept that, and you don’t know what you’re doing.”
The whole room stopped what they were doing and stared as the man continued his passionate rant. The service provider, a young, strapping man also in his 20s, was at first taken aback but quickly recovered and instead of kowtowing to the customer, said, “You can’t talk to me like that, I’ve been very nice to you, and now I want you to leave.”
As the two adversaries moved closer to each other toward an inevitable physical altercation despite their age and size difference, the grandson, until now quiet, suddenly stood up, held his grandfather, and spoke to the service provider in a voice that everyone in the room could hear.
“You have to give my grandfather respect. His son died in the war (no mention of this one). When you stand for the siren next year on Yom Hazikaron, you should remember him, he was a hero.”
Invoking the sacred war hero angle didn’t sway the Cellcom rep. “I don’t care, he can’t talk to me that way. Get him out of here.”
Then, of course, customers in line and staff behind the counter all began to chime in with their views and opinions. Eventually the manager came in, calmed the situation and took the grandfather and grandson to another room to attempt to appease them over what apparently was a phone they were being charged for that wasn’t fixed.
The room quickly returned to normal and my number was called soon after that. I got the same service provider, so I was naturally on my best behavior. When I finished my business, I walked out of the building, musing that even in the mundane matters of cell phone repair, the existential threat to Israel’s existence is never far away.
Is this a drill?
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Life, War
I don’t know whether to be relieved or worried by the government’s decision to hold a large-scale nationwide drill next Tuesday. Relieved, because the government is clearly preparing us all for missile attacks, which is very responsible and forward thinking; and worried, well because the government is clearly preparing us all for missile attacks.
Sound the alarm and make for a shelter
With the war of words between Israel and Iran heating up, it’s hard not to feel a little jumpy even when you’re an optimistic sort.
The government’s idea is to hold a nationwide civil defense exercise, called Turning Point 3 (I presume we’ve already had Turning Point 1 and 2). During the exercise sirens will go off across the country. And this time, instead of ignoring them, the entire population will have to head for the nearest shelter or protected site.
For my kids it’s a trip to a rather dank and smelly underground shelter at the school. For my husband it’s going to be interesting since the shelters in his high-rise office block are rented out for storage. For me, well with no one around to notice, it’s probably not worth making the effort to amble down the stairs to my son’s bedroom cum shelter. Even though it’s got wireless Internet.
In a meeting at the Knesset, Dep. Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said the exercise was based on the presumption of a missile assault from three or four directions, some with unconventional weapons, synchronized with large-scale terrorist attacks up and down the country.
This, he stressed, was no fantastic scenario made up by Hollywood scriptwriters, but a highly credible development in the event of war. I can’t help but wonder what drill they have planned for us in the event of a nuclear strike.
My village started preparing for the drill last week, when the sirens suddenly went off early in the morning. No one seemed particularly concerned, however, and just went about their business as normal. Finally someone raised their head and said: “Do you think that’s a drill?”
Anyway, good to know we’re prepared. Gas masks to be handed out later this year. Ah, the good life.
The gloves are on for Israeli boxers
Filed under: coexistence, History and Culture, Israeliness, Profiles, Sports, War
The Philadephia Daily News recently ran a compelling profile of international Israeli boxers Ran Nakash (pictured) and Elad Shmouel.
The main thrust of the piece is that being raised in the Middle East makes one a particularly hard brand of badass, making Israel an emerging source for fighting talent:
“Israel is becoming what Russia was 10 years ago when the Klitschkos [current heavyweight titlists Vitali and Wladimir] were starting out,” said [matchmaker Don] Elbaum, who believes Nakash will fight for some version of a world championship before too long. “In the next couple of years, I think you’ll see an exodus of incredible boxing talent coming out of Israel.”
Some of the piece’s hyped-out tone is grounded in hyperbole (calling Israel “an area where to end any day alive qualifies as a small triumph” might be a bit of a stretch), but overall, these two guys do come off as seriously dangerous. Shmouel speaks about how his experiences witnessing a suicide bomb attack in a shopping mall when he was in his teens have made him tough. Nakash maintains a successful career as a Krav Maga instructor for the IDF.
And they discuss their impressions of the recent Gaza war and assess the prospects for real regional peace. But politics and punching prowess aside, what’s life in Israel really like?
Shmouel, who recently concluded his mandatory 3-year military service obligation as a first sergeant, said many Americans can’t begin to fathom the reality of the Middle East situation from what they see on television.
“You have to experience it to understand,” Shmouel said. “You have to be there. It would change people’s perspective, that’s for sure.”
Victims donating to victims
Filed under: A New Reality, coexistence, Israeliness, Life, Politics, War
Throughout the recent Gaza war and its ongoing aftermath, Israelis and Palestinians have been trying to paint themselves as “the real victims” and the other side as “the real perpetrators.” But if we’re all victims, then how can we possibly take responsibility for war spearheaded by our leaders? And if we’re all perpetrators, then why would we care?
The fact is, Operation Cast Lead has meant horrible levels of destruction for the infrastructure and people of the Gaza Strip, destruction which could have been avoided if Hamas hadn’t hidden behind the human shield of one of the most densely populated areas in the world. And as we’ve seen on ISRAELITY before, just because Israelis support our government’s recent war against a terrorist regime that’s been shooting rockets at us for years doesn’t mean that we’re numb to the damage done.
Two grassroots activists are trying to organize Israeli sympathy into material support for Gazan families whose lives and homes were recently under severe fire by the region’s military superpower. 27-year-old peacenik Lee Ziv and Sapir Academic College 25-year-old student Hadas Balas (pictured, doubling as a not-so-shabby singer-songwriter) decided to collect clothing, bedding, nourishment and other essentials from donors to bring them in to Gaza.
Ziv spoke with the Jerusalem Post this week:
“There is no connection to politics,” said Ziv. “We don’t represent a side, we just see an immediate need for blankets for people who have nothing to cover them at night and milk for infants who have nothing to eat.”
Since a short radio interview on Sunday morning, Ziv said her phone had been ringing off the hook. “Within two minutes of the interview, I had 40 voice messages. The response has been overwhelming. Schools have called asking how they can help. A father called who had three sons serving in the IDF in Gaza. A woman called who had a mortar fall on her house.”
The duo thought they’d be bringing one or two truckloads of supplies in today, but thanks to the viral snowball of their email campaign, media interest like the radio interview last week, and the bandwagoning on their efforts by some key human rights organizations, the donations have been so numerous that they’re spearheading a fleet of 10 full trucks.
According to coverage in Haaretz, the duo has accomplished this feat thanks to key help from organizations like Hashomer Hatzair in Jerusalem, Beit Hachesed in Haifa and Kibbutz Kfar Aza, the Qassam-battered community which has offered up its warehouses as a depot for the donations.
More information on donating to the operation can be found here.
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