The Felix Factor

2007-08-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Dear devoted readership,

As always, you must forgive the small vacation I took from blogging. I can assure you all that I did not take a vacation from life in the meanwhile. A variety of different experiences have happened in the past 6 weeks, some of them interesting, some depressing, some frightening, some profoundly philosophical, some purely enjoyable, some life-changing. I don't lead your average monotonous existence of steady work, the bar/club scene, and sampling of "fine" restaurants. In fact, I would consider that lifestyle, if I were to lead it, and everything associated with it, as a grave personal failure. Instead, I serve in the IDF (that's Israel Defense Forces for you space cadets), in a position that requires me to combine focus and total awareness with belief and insanity. I dwell in a modest apartment in a nice Jerusalem neighborhood, and I eat a steady diet of hummus, various salads, bread and chocolate milk. My social life consists of attending communal prayers, Shabbat dinners, Shabbat lunches and Seudat Shlishit (Saturday night meal). But the majority of the time, my social life consists of sleeping in a dirty, nasty bunk bed in sketchy old barracks, wearing the same uniform that I sweated in for several days running, and simply trying to catch up on sleep. If I am lucky, I will be allowed to take my boots off and air out my feet. If I am on the "alert ready team", which I am a lot of the time, then I could keep my boots on for three, four days straight. In the army my body, if sent to sleep, will wake up fully refreshed after just 4 hours. A shower is a preciously rare treat, as are decent bathroom facilities.

After we finished our final bouts of training in late June, my company carried out a 50 kilometer masa (march) on the night of June 27th. It began at 7pm and ended at 7:30 am the following morning - 35 km of walking and 15 km of carrying stretchers. The terrain was Southern Judea, which is dry, rocky and very hilly. I was carrying about 35 lbs worth of personal gear, and, on an on and off basis, an extra backpack with water bottles, whose weight I'd rather forget. The uphill parts were the most difficult fitness-wise, and many people wouldn't have made it up without the help of others. There was a nasty hill somewhere around kilometer 26, where the water-pack was weighing me down and the steepness of the ascent challenged my already destroyed quadriceps and back. I have to thank one particular young man, a chef from North Carolina, who literally dragged me up to the top. I would have surely collapsed otherwise. Towards kilometer 30, a new kind of pain kicked in, one that goes beyond the burn and the constant back pain that we're all pretty much used to. It was the pain in the muscles of the feet, worn down by supporting weight and being slammed against rocks and uneven terrain. The foot pain was universal, no one was immune, and it became the first bane of our existence during the march. The second bane was the now all too familiar stabbing pain felt in the shoulder and upper back while one is uncomfortably positioned under the stretcher. At kilometer 35, after a short break, we hoisted the stretchers onto our already weary bodies. Each stretcher was loaded with 200 kilograms of sandbags. So, in addition to all the downward pressure we felt from our regular loads, we now each had 50 kg nestled between the shoulder and the neck.

The last 15 km could only be described as a never-ending nightmare. The ascents and descents were no easier that in the earlier parts of the masa, and the sun started rising, adding heat to the already absurdly painful equation. We climbed the last several hours worth of hills with our legs and backs in a state of total numbness. The pain, by kilometer 45, had transformed in a general state of deep fatigue. We had all hit the proverbial wall, physically, and were kept going by the prospect of being done. Something quite simple - to be done with training and to move out of the training base and all the negative memories and experiences associated with it. The final climb, which we started around 7am, was up the "snake path" of Masada. This is an ancient fortress near the Dead Sea where Jews made a last stand against the gloried 10th Roman Legion, the last chapter in a rebellion that was to lead to our exile from the Land of Israel in 71 AD. Masada clearly carries a lot of meaning to the Jews and to the Jewish army in particular, and to be able to finish our final march on top of it was an honor indeed.

Counterintuitive as it may be, this last ascent was actually not that hard. My legs and feet had been rendered numb for hours, my back was forgetting to send the pain signals to my brain. The final climb was more emotional than anything else. Physically this was impossible, but my entire company, after 12 hours of hard, fast mountain hiking, every foursome carrying its cursed stretcher, literally sprinted up Masada. We passed tourists on the way up. The Israelis were clapping and shouting their support, the Americans were just staring in shock. They didn't expect to have their insular, organized tour to a "site of historical interest" be interrupted by 75 dirty, sweaty young men, wild-eyed, carrying loads of military gear and stretchers, assault rifles hanging off their necks, sprinting with inhuman energy up the mountain. I was so overcome with emotion that I actually, in between panting, managed to let a few lonely tears roll down my cheeks. We are living proof that Masada and other ancient history in Israel is not just for the books and the tourists. Jewish fighters are here today, in the present, and we walk and run over the very land that our ancestors did, fighting for our right to be here. Once we reached the top of Masada, we began singing, dancing and taking pictures. The end of the masa and that hour that we were just soaking it in at the top of Masada, made the 8 months of pain absolutely worth it.

Since the masa, and the beret ceremony that followed, my unit was sent to Hevron for a week, and then to Shchem (that's Nablus for the uninitiated), where we have been ever since. Hevron is an exceptionally important city in Judaism, second in significance to Jerusalem and is located in the dead center of Judea. Our patriarchs, and most of their wives are buried there. There's a town called Kiryat Arba, which has about 9,000 Jews and abuts downtown Hevron. From there it's a 10 minute walk to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, and from the Tomb westward you can visit a series of Jewish neighborhoods, that contain about 1,000 Jews in total. This same downtown area is more or less abandoned, with maybe 10 or so Arab families living in buildings here and there. The area is cordoned off by the IDF and the Border Guard from the rest of the Hevron, which is a sprawling, crowded mess filled with about 200,000 Arabs. Serving in Hevron was relatively boring, but it did afford me and the other observant guys in my unit the opportunity to pray at one of our holiest sites.

Next, as I mentioned above, we were deployed to Shchem, located centrally in Samaria and populated by 400,000 Arabs. It is also a holy city for the Jews and contains Joseph's Tomb, among other sites. All around Shchem are Arab villages and Jewish towns, scattered among the various hilltops and valleys. On some of these hills there are tombs of Eliezer and Itamar, the sons of Aaron the original Cohen, amongst others. Mount Girizim, where the Jews build the first makeshift, semi-permanent temple shortly after entering the Land of Israel, is one of the dominant hills. The hills are exceptionally steep, the terrain is very difficult and rocky, and the low areas are surprisingly flat and suited to agriculture and cattle grazing. Shchem itself is kind of like an Arab village grown too big, with little planning for roads, sewers, streetlights, and a total absence of green spaces. Everything is stone structures, piles of trash and terrible city planning. No Israeli can go into Shchem in the middle of the day, as he will most definitely be killed, or, at best, kidnapped and held for ransom. The city is closed and only Arabs with identity cards issued by the PA can go there. The exceptions are international organizations, like CARE, the UN or the EU, and foreign tourists who are not recognizably Jewish, and who come in groups that are in contact and cooperation with Fatah. I despise the various Europeans and Americans who come with these organizations or groups. They have no idea what is going on, they don't understand what the the army is doing there, and they are completely wrapped around the proverbial fingers of their Arab handlers. The Arabs themselves, I don't particularly mind. They are an enemy nation, but the dispute is between our two peoples, and each side can and should make their claims and try to achieve them. It's the interference from the international community that ruins any chances of the nature of the conflict being changed and any finality being reached. I know my readers are itching for the details of what I do in Shchem and how I do it, but it's mostly classified. You'd have to be a close friend of Felix to get that type of information.

To go back to something I mentioned in my last post, the ultimate arbiter of what is morally right and what is morally wrong is the word of G-d, as expressed in the Torah and as interpreted by the thousands of years worth of texts and scholarship since the giving of the Torah in about 1300 B.C. This is a basic, fundamental concept in Judaism. Anyone who wants to be a real Jew and wants to lead a real, Jewish way of life has to accept this reality. Once you accept it, the intellectual depth and breadth of Jewish learning will open up to you full understanding of both Jewishness and the world as a whole. If you do not accept it, you will be drifting along, and eventually away, from the true core of the Jewish people. Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Progressive and whatever other streams of Judaism have been created, they are watered down, weak and have no ability to transfer true Jewish identity and real Jewish knowledge down the generations and for eternity. These streams are incomplete, they are compromised and they are causing the assimilation of millions. The goal of any nation, I believe, is not to assimilate into American/global/consumerist mass culture, but to maintain its own unique identity, develop scientifically and economically, and enhance the power of its own identity (linguistically, historically, culturally, religiously) using the advances that humanity is making. It's not as easy as just accepting Holywood's and MTV's version of life. But depth of identity gives strength, happiness and empowerment beyond anything that the latest consumerist and hedonistic trends can offer.

Sincerely,
Felix

2007-06-21T04:22:00.000-07:00

Yet another installment, this one about the final weeks of training and on morality.

As my 8 months of physical and mental anguish were coming to an end, the army decided to give us all a reminder that, yes, it can get harder. Prior to last week, we had two weeks of suffering on a level hitherto deemed impossible. We had a week of urban warfare training, which, despite the interesting aspects of sneaking around and knowing which angles to cover and where to shoot, also involved an unreal amount of running and crawling in full gear. Not just the regular amount of full gear, but also a ceramic bulletproof vest. The training was carried out literally in the middle of nowhere. The IDF built a mock Arab town in the middle of the Negev, complete with mosques, homes with various layouts, couryards, streets, alleys, sewage pipes, multi-apartment complexes. We lived in the desert near the "village", with no sleeping bags and no tents, and we trained all day and all night in the "village" itself. We ate like pigs (yay!), but we had approximately 2 to 3 hours of sleep per night, interrupted by guard duty. Considering that we were in heavy gear for 20 hours per day, most of it in the sweltering heat, it was a new level of pain for us. If one could block out the constant sweating and the unending back and leg pain, one could have noticed that we all became quite good at coming around corners in as unnoticable a manner as possible, and that in an urban combat situation luck is still the most important factor.

The following week was "war week", which was spent out in the Judean Hills close to our training base. This week was meant to simulate a full week in an actual war. We slept 2 hours per night, again interrupted by guard duty. We ate one meal per day, and walked all day and all night, each carrying between 80 and 100 lbs of gear. Due to my G-d given skills, I am in the forward scout team for the battalion, meaning that my team of four people has to navigate the movement of larger forces, lead them to their respective locations, and reconnoiter new ground. The conditions were tough - viciously hot during the day, dry and cold and night. The ground was hilly, rocky, and exceptionally thorny. Aside from walking for about 10 hours per day, we also stopped periodically to attack random hilltops. This meant that the slow pain of walking with heavy weight was transformed into explosive effort of sprinting and crawling up hills, shooting at various targets along the way. We were also engaged from time to time by enemy forces, and had to chase them for a good half hour at a painful jogging pace. When you're dead tired, running after someone with all your gear, only to then find the energy for an all out burst of speed as you "kill" them, it takes a physical and mental toll that requires sleep. And sleep, of course, was something you're not allowed to get during "war week." Of course, at the end of every engagement, a few people would be "injured" and that can only mean one thing - carrying them on stretchers for long periods of time, until your shoulders want to fall off.

Despite the pain and exhaustion, there were many interesting points. We were flown in a helicopter a few times and we did a joint exercise with tanks and heavy mortars. Watching heavy weapons churn up a hillside while helicopters circle overhead dropping smoke grenades and firing heavy machine guns, it was kind of like being in a movie. Of course, no matter how good the bombardment is, at the end of the day, it's the foot soldiers that still had to find the stamina to go forth and take hills, taking out the remaining targets and laying final claim to captured ground. To add to the overall crappiness of the week, we also had to put on our gas masks at various junctures. A gas mask is a hot, sweaty situation with a serious lack of oxygen. Wearing one while climbing hills in the heat of the day for hours on end is utter hell. At the end of the week, we peformed a "withdrawal" back to base, different from other hikes in that we were low on water and half a dozen people passed out. Of course, we had several people pass out during the week from exhaustion, but 7 guys losing consciousness in a four hour hike - you can tell it wasn't a walk in the park. Add to that the injuries and the people who simply gave up, and only about 70% finished the week. Pretty good, all in all.

This past week we have been cleaning up the dorms, handing over equipment that belongs to the base, and those with not-so-perfect Hebrew like myself have been taking classes to improve reading and writing skills. Of course, after all that we have gone through, what really matters in these Hebrew classes is that we spend the entire day in a nice air-conditioned room. What the little 19-year old "Hebrew teacher" is trying to say is of secondary importance. Aside from some morning runs with full gear, we've been spared any real pain. This "hapshanut" or slacking, went on all last week and will go on for another week. Two weeks of sleeping well, eating very well, and no sign of being out in the field. Heaven. We have one big massive march to do at the end of next week, but since it's the last thing in training, no one is particularly worried about it.

With regard to morality - why does the human being need any set of moral standards whatsoever? Because devoid of any sense of morals, the human is basically an animal with a more evolved brain. Morally correct behaviour is what allows societies to exist, as members of those societies interact with one another in ways that allow for expression beyond food, sleep and sex. Of course, the real question is - What are these morals? Who determines them? Are they black and white or open to interpretation? Can they be changed? How do we decide when, if or how to alter our moral standards? All good questions that I can easily answer with the greatest document ever to see the light of day. I am sure my regular readers know what I am getting at. I will discuss further in my next post.

On a side note of great importance, my life here in Israel will, in one week's time, be made fuller and richer by the arrival of one of my closest friends. He will join me in this endeavor we call Zionism and together we will build a better Jewish homeland and a more elevated Jewish existence. Why not aspire for the best? Israel isn't just about mouth-watering shwarma, smooth hummus, white beaches and clear torquois water. Although, living here is such an investment of one's energies and time, that enjoying the perks is definitely part of the package deal. Shabbat Shalom to my readers, and to those of you who know what I am talking about - get on Facebook. You can't fight the digital future.

2007-06-02T04:05:00.000-07:00

Shavuot, celebrated a week and a half ago, commemorates a key moment in Jewish history when G-d gives the Torah, both the written and the oral, to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai. Pesach and Shavuot are therefore representative of the two key characteristics of the Jewish people. Pesach, celebrating our liberation from slavery, is a holiday that cements our national identity. Meaning, we the Jews are a single, ethno-national group, with a language, a history and a significant degree of genetic continuity. Shavuot represents the next stage in Jewish development - the connection to G-d through the study and performance of the lifestyle and life philosophy of the Torah. Every nation has its own national character, but we are unique in that our nationality is integrated with our religious beliefs. Judaism as a religious philosphy and a religious lifestyle is the principle aspect of Jewish national life.

Sadly, between about 1860 and 1960, massive waves of secularization in all parts of the Jewish world have sucked away Judaism from the Jews, and today, in 2007, the majority of Jews are connected rather weakly to their Jewish essence. The spiritual impoverishment of the Jews began with the secularization of European Jews trying to assimilate into German, French and English societies in the period of 1860-1900. The trend quickly spread to American Jews and to Eastern European Jews in the early 1900's. The former quickly entering into the economic opportunities of the American system, the latter involving themselves in the Socialist philosophy and its associated revolutions and state-building processes. Ironically, it was the Jewish socialists who build the foundations of modern Israel from the early 1900's up until the formal creation of the state in 1948. Finally, the secularization trend reached the Jews of the Middle East and North Africa in the 1950's, after they came to Israel. Against their will or not, they were integrated into the Western-minded Ashkenazi-dominated Israeli society, and many of them accepted the Socialist secular philosophy of Eastern Eurpean Jewry.

Today, every Jewish community is majority secular and lives, thinks and acts more like Western progressive individuals and less like Jews. Israel, for fairly obvious reasons, has a relatively high percentage of fully Torah-observant Jews, about 33% of the population (and growing fast!). In the US it's about 12% and in Europe about 20% that live the Torah lifestyle. Compare that with the year 1850 when there was no widespread concept of a secular Jew, and you can see the difference. Not since Roman times, when large segments of the Jews left the Orthodox core and assimilated into a progressive and accepting Roman citizenry, has the Jewish world had such a massive percentage of Jews throw Torah aside.

On the other hand, we do have the State of Israel, which gives us the hope that we can find a solution that blends the national and the religious, allowing for both physical expressions of our identity such as land and language, and for spiritual expressions such as belief, religious holidays, kashrut and Shabbat observance. The spiritual aspects of Jewish identity are still strong if they stand by themselves, but then they lack a national logic and hence aren't particularly compelling. On the other side of the coin, the physical reality of the Jewish state with the original Jewish language doesn't mean much if it lacks the spiritual substance that gives meaning to its very existance and gives drive and purpose to its future.

The reason why I launched into the discussion above is because the national direction of Israel is the single most important underlying issue today. Economic decisions, political manuevering, the security situation - all these aspects of national life are not trite, but they are to a large extent effects, not causes. They are the outer, surface issues, and not the inner core of the nation of Israel. The cause, the inner core, the very life force of Israel is its Jewish identity. To whatever exent we can create a strong Jewish identity, both as national-political entity and a spiritual entity, we can move forward and keep developing Israel into the future. To whatever exent we fail to be Jewish enough and we let ourselves be sucked into the lifestyles and values of New Yorkers and Western Europeans, we will watch Israel slide downward.

Hence, my current training in the IDF, my future performance of my military specialty, and that of every single serviceman and servicewoman in the army - these are all things that are driven, one way or the other, by how Jewish we truly are and how connected we are to Torah and Hashem. If we're not strong enough in our spiritual identity, my accurate shooting isn't worth much. As proud as I am of my strong core muscles, and their ability to carry weight for long periods of time, it's a pretty meaningless little fact if the majority of Israel's youth is obsessed with trying to pretend like they are living in Los Angeles.

Did I ever mention in this blog that Los Angeles, especially Holywood and San Fernando Valley, is the source of the worst values and ideas that modern Western culture has created? That place is incredible morally corrupt and large groups of people the world over, especially residents of urban areas, are absorbing the rottenness of the culture emanating from Los Angeles. Tel-Aviv being a prime receiver of said immorality. Physical comfort, trendy lifestyle, easy money, nice cars, lots of sex. If it looks so good on TV, why wouldn't people want it? Luckily for Israel, the counter-trend of religious belief and strong values is working at a solid pace and regaining lost spiritual ground. Soon, with G-d's help, Torah values will be much more strongly incorporated into the State of Israel's government, political policies and educational system. We have a long, long way to go though.

As far as my training, we have been covering very long distances with weight and with loaded stretchers, and we're been improving our various tactical skills. Nothing you wouldn't have already seen on some TV special. And we're better than the US Army, even though we don't have as much muscle mass, and our equipment is second rate. It's all about motivation.

2007-05-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks since my last confession. And it will have to wait two more if you're reading for detail. For now, I have limited time so I'll quickly expound on the topics of Jerusalem Day, which happened this past week, and the goings on in Sderot. Jerusalem Day celebrates the reunification of the city in 1967, and it used to be a national holiday. Today, it is primarily the holiday of the national-religious sector. Now, I know that it seems like this blog is out to prove that the knitted kippas are the only Zionists left in Israel. And while that does happen to be partially true, the reality is that, just like last year, Jerusalem was packed with national religious youth from yeshiva high schools, pre-military yeshivas and higher yeshivot. They came on organized group trips from all over Israel to attend the festivities. There were also massive showings of families. Total numbers are estimated at several hundred thousand. Said festivities were described in detail in a Jerusalem Day post of last year. There was marches, music, and the most numerically large group prayer/music session the Kotel Plaza sees all year. I can assure you that there was no secular representation at Jerusalem Day and, in fact, the left-wing media derided the event and tried to do its best to keep the spotlight off it, despite the sheer magnitude of the crowds and the meaning the holiday holds for the still Zionist populations in Israel's society.

In the IDF, we had a rabbi, who served in my unit in his youth, come and give a speech about the meaningfulness of having Jerusalem as our capital, the uniqueness of Israel and its centrality in world events, and the importance of military service as a means to ensure our survival. It was an inspiring speech, filled with quotes from the Torah and from Israel's leaders. Not the current trash that stinks up the Knesset, but the purer, ideological leaders of a generation ago. There was also a moment when the rabbi mentioned that there were a lot of crazy Americans in the unit who left their privileged existance and came to serve the Jewish people. The audience erupted in a good five minutes of applause and I have to say that it felt damn good to be given such a massive public display of appreciation. I generally have to deal with the pessimistic attitude of my fellow soldiers, so seeing that when their emotions are revealed, they really are impressed with the Americans who are such quality additions to their units, it uplifts the heart.

I think there are a lot of poorly written sentences in this post, but I am tired from drinking beer and eating freshly grilled burgers, so you must forgive me. I am turning in, and I will be back in two weeks with another update. By that point, I may have some detail for you on next weekend, which will be spent in the city of Hebron. I will try not to start a newsworthy incident, but I am somewhat of a firebrand, so you never know. Wearing the ceramic vest is going to be beyond uncomfortable, but I will get to pray in the Cave of the Patriarchs, so it'll be worthwhile.

2007-05-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

Since I last posted, my army experience has gotten significantlay more serious. Basic training was easy and fun relative to the intensity of advanced training. The physical and psychological pressure is mounting. Everyone in my unit is counting down the days until training is over and we can get a week's vacation before our first assignment. Sadly, I cannot write on this blog about the details of my training, as it is now in the classified stage. Were I in a different unit, I would be able to discuss my training more freely, but I am not, so I will have to describe advanced training in vague generalities and devote more time in my blog to broader topics. The focus will still be on Israel, of course.

The first broad topic will be illustrated by a narrow example. My platoon started basic training with 42 fresh-faced recruits, all of whom had to pass rigorous tests in order to be admitted into the unit. Now, with 6 months of training behind us and 2 more months to go, we have 32 soldiers left, with 10 of them on the injured list. Of those injured, about 5 are actually in the process of being transferred out. So, in effect, my platoon is 27 strong. We've lost 36% of our platoon to a combination of actual injuries, imagined injuries, but more commonly - the inability of people to find the inner motivation to handle the mental aspects of training. We are 64% of our original strength, and the figure is more or less similar in the two other platoons of my training company. It must be noted that none of the religious guys, kibbutznikim or Americans have left the unit. And that doesn't mean that those three groups are great physical specimens. It means that they are the only ones with the motivation to ignore the stresses of training and keep pushing themselves.

Since I am in that mood, let me also rail against my least favorite group in Israeli society - the secular, middle to upper-middle class Tel-Aviv area materialist hedonists. We started out with 9 such guys in my platoon, we now have 3 left. One of the three who are left is most likely leaving soon, so make that two. Proportionate to their percentage of the draftable population, we should have 13 of these guys left in the platoon. But, as those who have left us have made it clear, it is almost impossible to continue training when all of their friends are partying it up every single night because they chose to serve in the slacker part of the army. The part where "soldiers" have every other week off. Yes, you read the last sentence correctly. The Tel-Avivis and their kindred spirits in places like Ramat Gan, Herziliyah, Petakh Tikva and so on, find positions in the army where they "serve" for five days, while going home every night, and then have 9 full days at home before they have to report back to the army. That's known as "hamesh-tesha" the "five-nine" service framework. I was also shocked by how bootleg and wasteful that is. They are practically spending 3 years living at home, doing nothing, maybe working part-time, and partying it up. Every other week that have to show up and drink coffee from 8am to 4pm, but that's about all the army requires of them. Ridiculous.

Well, the important thing is that there are enough motivated guys to keep this IDF thing going, but our numbers are lacking. Anyone out there who is motivated - get your butt to Israel and pick up a gun. The situation isn't critical yet, but unless there's a Zionist renewal, it will get critical sooner than we think. And the Arabs are sensing our weakness. They saw that we weren't quite as strong in Southern Lebanon as we could have been. Our society is getting Americanized. Fatter, lazier, more materalistic. The enemy, on the other hand, is getting leaner, meaner and more fanatical. The Nation of Israel had better wake up. There's a dearth of Zionist motivation, and it's been hurting the IDF for the past 15-20 years. Luckily, the birthrate in the national-religious sector has propped up the army with an ever-growing batch of motivated recruits coming out of national-religious education system. And we still have the kibbutznikim/moshavnikim and the new immigrants to rely on. But the majority of Israeli society doesn't fit into these categories and it is that majority that has lost the will to fight.

Will the religious birthrate make up for the recruitment problem in the secular sector before the Arabs force us to jump ship? I don't know, but it doesn't look good. We need more Zionists here. Simple as that.

2007-04-02T01:32:00.000-07:00

PESACH

First off all, there's precious little my blog can add to the wealth of Jewish knowledge that is available today on the web. Pesach is the holiday of our initial independence, which led to the formation of the Jews as a Jewish nation with the Torah and with Jewish law. This happened only after our Exodus from Egypt, when, as newly free people, we received the Torah at Mount Sinai. Prior to the events celebrated on Pesach (and later Shavuot), we were a Hebrew-speaking monotheistic ethnic group. Hence, the act of fleeing our slavery and gaining freedom was the key step before accepting the Torah and with it - the Jewish way of thinking and living. Pesach is the original Independence Day for the Jews.

Sadly, I am spending my Pesach seder tonight in the cold, rainy outdoors, gripping a cold gun and dreaming of the light and warmth of home. An IDF rabbi will come by our post and do a quick 30 minute seder, with all the essentials in a special weather-proof box. At any part of it, 2 soldiers participate, and 2 will cover the approaches to the border, on a rotating basis. As one country singer put it "Freedom ain't free."

The whole point of Pesach is freedom from the slavery of galut (the Diaspora). For 2,000 years Jews the world over said "Ha'Shana Ha'Ba b'Yerushalaim!" (next year in Jerusalem) at the end of the Pesach seder. They still say it. But now that we have Israel, and it's a free plane ride away, most comfortable Jews aren't keen on coming. So I recommend, if you don't plan on aliyah, don't say you'll be in Jerusalem next year at the end of your Pesach meal. It's plain hypocritical. But if you do want to come, then declare it with all your heart, and I'll see you at next year's seder, right here in Jerusalem.

Hag Sameach to all my readers!

2007-04-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

Infantry Matters and Northwards

In response to Johnny Kosher's comment - of course planes and missiles are crucial. But they respond to strategic threats, which are totally separate from the type of warfare the IDF is fighting now and will be fighting for the forseeable future. Infantry performance on the ground determines the victor, not a successful bombing campaign. This is the lesson of the conflicts of the 21st century. Urban and guerilla warfare skills are everything. This is the case in Afghanistan and Iraq and it was the case with Hizbollah in the summer of 2006. And Kosher, if you want to go to a sayeret, you'll realize very quickly that carrying weight is the bane of your existance. You should prepare by cancelling your gym membership and jogging with a pack.

My company got sent to the North this week. It's Pesach, which means the army is at its busiest. The enemy likes to strike on holidays, as it is a huge public relations victory for them. Hence, all border areas are being reinforced, even by trainees. Israelis love to picnic and camp all over the national parks, and many of them are next to the Lebanese border. Personally, I am looking forward to digging myself into a hole and covering myself up with some brush. When off-duty, we'll be barbecuing. We brought what must be a hundred kilograms of meat with us. I am gonna have to teach the Israelis what a bleeding red, rare steak is all about.

2007-03-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Easing into Pain

After my regila, week off from the army, I started advanced training. The first week back was based around the concept of "lets make sure these kids are Zionist in that good old-fashioned military way." Excellent idea, and it was executed quite well. Five days of touring battlefields, history museums, meeting with veterans of different wars, and learning Jewish and Israeli history since the inception of modern Zionism in the late 1800's. The only thing we did that seemed to remotely resemble army life, aside from wearing the uniforms, was a couple of running sessions. The best part was that instead of being on base, we lived in a series of nice guesthouses. I was happy to find out, over the course of the seminars and discussions we had, that about 90% of the guys in my unit are center-right or right-wing in their politics. The kibbutzniks aside, nationalism is strong with my brothers-in-arms. On the other hand, the kibbutzniks perform so well in the army environment, that I have to say I wouldn't mind if they were 30% of my unit, instead of 10%. Their basic human values and work ethic are very strong, even if their Jewish identity is, for all intents and purposes, zero.

The following week, my training company had guard/kitchen duty on base. Luckily for me, my squad was chosen to guard the ammunitions bunker in Beit Lead, the Central Command HQ base in the center of the country. The base itself has many different units, but most people there are jobnikim, or non-combat soldiers performing an assortment of administrative and sundry duties. Since we were not on our home base, our commander decided it was a good time to let us lehit'khapshen, or slack off. We did some runs, practiced a cool way to turn a corner in urban combat, slept a lot and ate unreal amounts of food.

Mostly though, we took turns guarding the entrance to the plot of land on which several dozen ammunition bunkers are located, many half-buried and covered in thick vegetation, giving the place a non-military feel. One person would guard the gate, checking all those coming in and out, while two others would go on "patrol." Technically, we were supposed to look for suspicious objects and activity, and check the locks to all the bunkers. In practice, the "patrol team" would find a nice spot out of the way from prying eyes and nowhere near the entrance itself, take off our vests and guns, and lay around, talking or sleeping. During night shifts, sleeping on patrol was crucial. If the commander would approach the gate, the guard there would phone his slacker buddies, who would get up, suit up and walk back to the gate, as if coming back from the required 30-minute patrol. No harm, no foul. Of course, you may say what we did was wrong and that we shirked our duty and endangered the ammunitions stores of the base. To you I say - try guarding 2 hours on, four hours off, non-stop for 8 days and nights, then talk to me. Napping or fooling around, or in my case, reading, is the only way to deal with guard duty. Yes, it is technically sketchy what we did, but anyone who has been in the army knows what a pain in the ass guarding is. It's pointless, boring and the chances of something happening are so slim, you might was well not guard at all. Finding ways to make guarding bearable is one of the chief preoccupations of soldiers since the nascence of organized force.

After two easy weeks, we come to this past week - shavua kita, or squad week. The week was spent in the field, marching and training with an intensity way above anything up to this point. The ultimate misery were the dual abuses of lack, or total absence, of sleep, and the brutality of stretcher marches. The only upside was that the backpack with the eight 2-liter water bottles that every squad carries was replaced with a special pack that sits quite comfortably on ones lower back. I volunteered to spend an entire day and night carrying the water, and I have to say, a better bag makes the difference between horrendous pain and barely bearable pain. But the award for being the most hardcore goes to my buddy, the quiet Russian from the Transdniestrian Republic, who carried the Mag, the heavy machine gun, during the entire week. The gun is bad enough, but the ammunition is the real killer (pun intended). His total combat load was 60 lbs.

Speaking of combat loads, I think some of my readers may be interested in what exactly is the weight that I keep complaining about in my posts. There's the basic combat weight that one has to carry, based on one's specialty, and there's the additional weight which includes squad level equipment and extra clothing, sleeping bags, etc. The combat weight (fairly evenly distributed thanks to the new vests, except for the gun of course) for each specialty is:

Regular soldier - 27 lbs
Sharpshooter - 33 lbs
Grenadier - 36 lbs
Light MG - 50 lbs
Heavy MG - 60 lbs

MG means machine gun, by the way. These weights may not sound like much, but imagine that you have to run up and down hills in rough terrain, crawl for hundreds of yards at a time, or march long distances on rocky, dirt roads. Not pleasant. Each squad also carries a stretcher, about 15 lbs, a communications device, 22 lbs, and the water pack weighing 35 lbs. Three people have to carry these (on a voluntary or rotational basis), and the rest of the squad needs to carry the personal bags that contain sleeping bags, ground blankets, clothing and random other items. There's a personal bag for every two people. Frankly, I think the only thing that military inventors should focus their energy on is how to make the soldier's equipment lighter. Forget the missiles and planes, those things are useless anyhow. Make lighter steel that's cheap to produce and the soldiers' performance will skyrocket.

2007-03-03T04:11:00.000-08:00

Month of Pain and General Thoughts

I know you have all been bored for a full month due to my blog-absence. We haven't been getting weekends off from the army and in general it's not been an easy four weeks. After the resounding fun of the Golan Heights exercises, my training company got back to our base and resumed the regular schedule of training. We first had shavuah hulia, team week. A "team," or hulia, is four soldiers, one of whom is the team leader. This team of four is the basic building block of a combat force. We spent a week in the field, with the usual rough conditions and exessive running around with weight. During this week, we trained to attack a mountainside in the hulia structure. The only type of attack with live fire that is done in IDF training (in the open field) is uphill. The reason for that is simple. If you get used to running, crawling and shooting your way up a rough, rocky hillside, any other type of movement in a real situation will seem easy by comparison. We practiced the attack both during the day and at night.

I think everyone there rather enjoyed it. Firing your gun at random targets while running up a hill, or finding a rock and shooting up targets from the stationary position, all for a good 10 minutes of constant action - it's a pretty nice release. As expected, one of the nights in the field we had a masa, a march. It was 12+1, meaning 12 km march, followed by 1 km of carrying a stretcher. As described in earlier posts, stretchers are the commanders' way of bringing extreme pain to our bodies. While the distances may sound tame, for reasons that can only be fully understood by someone who experienced it, marches are grueling. The walking speed combined with the weight on your back makes your body work surprisingly hard. Towards the end of every masa we do, my shirt is completely drenched in sweat and my body is in a state of total exhaustion. We generally do one masa per week.

The second week in February didn't have a particular theme, it was just hard. There was some shooting, a lot of obstacle course training, a lot of random physical labor around the base, too much guard duty, and too little sleep. The obstacle course, as described in previous posts is a tough experience. You run a kilometer, do the set of obstacles and run another 500 meters, all in full gear. Almost every military movie or show features the obstacle course and it always looks retarded. Well, in real life, it's even more retarded. But as retarded and simple as it is, for some reason I do not understand, it is extremely hard to actually pull it off in a reasonable amount of time. There are guys who simply can't do certain stations. It's not that they are the weakest guys, or in the worst shape. It's one of those things where you either can or you can't. With regard to times - the hardcore types do it in 7:30-8:00, and your average IDF soldier pulls off anywhere from 8:30 to 10:00, with the mean time being 9:20. Yours truly did it in 9:07. Sounds weak, but that's because I am, in fact, weak. Without weight, I run like a gazelle. Put weight on me and I tend to perform in the 60th percentile. The obstacle course is standard in the IDF and has been for 60 years. Guess who the record holder is? Ehud Barak. Yes, that fat old man, who today is a bad left-wing politician, used to be a total beast of a man. He did the bochen maslul, obstacle course, in 5:50 back in the 1950's. This is a completely insane time, and it was done on the course at the Wingate Institute of Health, which is on the beach, so the running part is in the sand and hence much more difficult. For comparison, the fittest guy in my company, this Ethopian (obviously), does the course in 6:45, and he's a uniquely fast individual. He's a full minute off Ehud Barak's time!

What's really telling is that today the mean IDF time is 9:20, whereas it used to be 8:00 from 1948 (when they first started measuring) until the late 1960's. In the 1970's and 80's it went up to 8:30, and the time has been 9:15-20 since the early 1990's. The country is getting richer, lazier, fatter and wimpier. If you read or talk to older Israelis about what they used to do in training and compare that to today, it becomes clear that we have gone down several levels both physically and mentally. Granted to go down from a level that was mindnumbingly high still puts us in a good spot. But, the IDF really needs to get its act together and pick it up a notch. Recent investigations following the Second Lebanon War showed that the army needs more time training in the field, more marching, more stretchers, more crawling, more crappy conditions, it needs to get back to its roots. As of now, the IDF has practically transformed its infantry arm into thousands of excellent SWAT teams. As useful as that is in the West Bank and Gaza, we still need to be capable of fighting an old-fashioned war. Starting this past fall, the IDF is in the new (actually old) mode of thinking.

The last two weeks have featured different courses. Like all soldiers nearing the end of basic training, I needed to do a course to specialize in some particular aspect of the organized violence that is the military. Due to my excellence on the shooting range, patient personality and stunning good looks, I was sent to the sharpshooters course. Sharpshooter is kala in Hebrew, which, incidentally, also means "bride." The course was enjoyable, lots of various types of shooting at stationary and moving targets at different distances, both during the day and at night. Don't worry, it wasn't all fun. We ran to and from the targets to check our hits and when you do that all day every day it wears you down. On the upside, we slept plenty and got a lot of time to eat. Two very simple needs that one learns to appreciate. There was also a masa thrown in here and there - the 14+2 and the 16+2 - and a few nights where we got woken up for random physical abuse. The 14+2 was the masa samal, meaning the march of the platoon sargeant. That means it was his march, he led it and he abused us before, during and after the march. Between the 14km march and the 2km with the stretchers, we had krav maga, which, as I've described in previous posts, is basically a brutal workout. From whence we found the strength to carry stretchers after that is beyond me. It was supposed to be one of the hardest nights in basic training as at the end of the masa samal we received the logo to put onto the beret. I can't admit I would not have rather bought the logo in a store. You people have no idea what a sadist our samal is.

I now have a week off from the army. It's known as a regila, which is a week long vacation all soldiers receive once every four months during their service. My mom is in Israel right now and I'll be spending my time off travelling around with her, visiting some relatives and friends and soaking up the mud and salt of the Dead Sea. Some of you may think that a week better spent is one full of bars and clubs, but clearly you're not religiously observant and you follow your baser instincts. Which is cool, I was there from age 16 to 25 so I can't judge. For me, lots of sleep, a good book or two, and quality family time is more valuable than the tomfoolery of my college years.

I also have an impressive announcement - a friend of mine, well past his 28th birthday and a fellow graduate of the same snooty Ivy League school, just volunteered for IDF service. He was at first stymied by their idiotic bureacracy, but after an intense week of going to the recruitment bureau daily and pounding on random people's tables, he did his physical and IQ test, pushed through all the volunteer papers, and got a draft date. If he can defeat the bureacratic beast, so can anyone else. It just takes persistence. So for all you old farts (22 and up), who still want to serve 18 months in a combat unit even though you're technically not supposed to, you can still do it, it's never too late. Unless you're really fat, in which case I suggest you lose weight first. If you don't, you'll most likely end up with stress fractures from hauling your own weight around. It's not funny.

On the political situation - who cares? The politicians in this country are clinically retarded and what little brainpower they do possess, they expend on corruption. Israel is holding strong in spite of its government, and purely on the merit of the fact that the majority of the people here really do love Israel and do their best to make it a decent place to live. The shitty minority of pricks, including the human waste that is the political elite - they are an embarrassment that slows this nation's growth. But try as they might, Israel is advancing nonetheless. The economy is strong, the standard of living is rising, the medical and scientific progress goes on unabated, and the army is strong, if somewhat misdirected. Most importantly, the level of Jewish identity and religious observance is slowly rising, and the secular socialists are losing ground. They don't realize it, because they run the media and live in isolated population islands in the Tel-Aviv area, but the spiritual strengthening will continue with or without them. In conclusion, the entire Moslem world is still bent on our destruction and unlimited resources are being directed to that end, but we're showing them all a huge middle finger.

AM ISRAEL CHAI!!!

2007-02-02T00:39:00.000-08:00

Golan Heights Battalion Exercise, Drudgery, Temple Mount Violence

The week before last was mixed. Mixed in the sense that there were some exceptionally difficult moments but they had an element of fun. Yes, the IDF life can have some fun in it, if you're the type to enjoy things in the midst of what is mostly pain and discomfort. The entire battalion spent the week training in the northern Golan Heights, and in the area of Mt. Dov and Mt. Hermon. The living conditions were not pleasant. We slept in what are basically old shipping containers painted with what I assume passes for artwork. Winter in the north means rain, cold and a bitter wind. The veteran companies in my battalion were doing most of the "action" and we, the training companies, were doing a lot of the setting up and guarding. Towards the end of the week, however, we participated in a war game.

My platoon was playing Syrian commandos. After 24 hours of heavy duty marching, alternated by periods of rest and food, we set up an ambush, which essentially meant we lay on the cold, muddy ground for 8 hours straight. We were getting rained on, and yet we had to hold the position in order to spring the ambush properly. It was the height of discomfort. Finally, the "enemy" walked into our trap and we wiped them out. Needless to say, the "Israeli" forces were not supposed to get their butts kicked, but that's what happens when Felix is on the warpath. If I do say so myself, I was hardcore. At some point, I crawled around the buffudled "enemy" and took out a bunch of them from an unexpected angle with that stupid laser attachment we all affixed to our guns. Old school, with a new school touch.

It turned out my squad performed better than the others, who suffered heavy "casualties." We had only two "wounded" and took out over half of the "enemy." My mefaked, commander, who looks like a darker and shorter version of Bruce Lee, is partially responsible for our success, but most of the credit goes to me and to four other standout guys in my squad - a 23 year old kid from Boston who recently moved to Israel and became religious and is hence zealous, a Russian kid who's the quietest person you'll ever meet, and a guy from the Atzmona mechina and another one from the Eli mechina. A mechina is a yeshiva that combines Torah learning with army preparation, and these have become immensely popular with dati-leumi, national-religious, young men. The Atzmona mechina used to be in Gaza, but was moved to the border with Egypt after the disengagement. Eli and Atzmona are the best mechinot in Israel and its graduates are always in the best units in the army. The army is basically a joke to the two guys from the mechinot, they are clearly overprepared.

But the fun part was not the fake combat. After all, 36 hours of running around hilly, rocky, muddy terrain with little rest and eating only two slices of bread with jam once every 6 hours can hardly be called fun. The natural surroundings were the redeeming quality that made the pain (kind of) worth it. The Golan and the north in general in the winter is stunning. The hills are covered in lush greenery and the rain brings out a rich brown and black in the earth. The air is clean and wet. When we were training to the south of Mt. Dov, we had the pleasure of one of those great views the feeling of which no digital media can capture. A snow-covered Mt. Hermon to the North, its series of peaks reaching into the low winter clouds. The ruins of Nimrod's castle on the southern side of Mt. Dov, shining golden in midday. Kiryat Shmona and picturesque farmland sprawled out in deep valleys.

We were only a few kilometers from the Lebanese border, and Hizbollah has some stunning real estate, no less impressive than our own. What made the scenery even more dramatic was the fog that came and went. At times, it travelled over the tops of the mountains, like a blanket lifted, exposing the terrain beneath it. At other times, it crawled down the slopes and into the valleys. The fog moves as a certain mass, and before it reaches you, it shrouds a mountain or a village or a valley, and you can clearly see the shape of this mass of fog and the movement of its inner strands. It's quite hypnotic.

Last week was all guard duty and kitchen/cleaning, during which the only truly military thing we did was running the obstacle course in full gear. In a way, it was a hard week. The guarding is on a 24-hour schedule so your sleep cycle is distorted, which tires you out. Random physical work is tiring and the obstacle course is a royal pain. You put on about 35 lbs of gear, run a kilometer, do the obstacle course, and run half a kilometer. We did that every other day. On the days we didn't, we had krav maga, which consists of sprinting and crawling back and forth for an hour straight on a basketball court, while the instuctor and your commanders randomly hit you. That would probably be a tolerable experience if you didn't get hit by Yevgeny, the insane krav maga instructor. He brings the pain. Krav maga in the army is definitely not at all related to the type of krav maga people learn in martial arts schools, with all the kicking, punching and other such silliness. Krav maga is about making you fit and tough enough to take hits. Actually teaching you to hurt an opponent is the last and least important stage.

Aside from my own little IDF world, there's also the greater political reality that is widely referred to in the liberal media as the "Middle East conflict." Israeli archeologists have been digging around the Temple Mount for a few years now. Depressingly, the Israeli government has allowed a local Muslim council known as the Wakf to have local sovereignty over the Temple Mount itself, even though the State of Israel is 100% sovereign over all of Jerusalem, including the area of the Temple Mount. I know this is a contradiction, but that's the idiocy of the situation. The Arabs have used the fear that successive Israeli governments have had in asserting control over a piece of real estate that the Jews actually own to convince the world that the Temple Mount is a place that belongs to Islam. They have renovated the two mosques that are there, the Dome of the Rock (the one with the golden dome) and the Al-Aqsa (the smaller grey-domed one), which had been in decay under the Moslem Ottoman Turks for about 500 years. They have also built madrassas, Islamic schools, and the Al-Aqsa university on the Mount itself that teach the standard fare of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.

The Israeli authorities decided to improve on the ramp leading from the plaza below the Temple Mount to the Mount itself. The ramp has existed for hundreds of years and has been buttressed by wooden supports for decades. The Israeli government decided to build a new, more solid and more modern ramp that is, of course, in keeping with the architectural integrity of Jerusalem. After a week of saying nothing, suddenly the Arabs of the Old City, and those who come from the surrounding villages to the Temple Mount to pray, started to riot against the construction process. Israeli police units were called in, and some dramatic-looking images were photographed by annoying European journalists who seem to be central to the modern media's drive to replace sound facts and solid evidence with flashy images. The media then throws in a quick soundbyte to promote an ideology, and you have propoganda in the digital age of attention deficit disorder. Very sad.

The essence of what is going on with regard to the Temple Mount has nothing to do with what happened this week. The underlying issue is that the Moslems know that their claim to the Temple Mount helps weaken the Jewish claim, even though the Jewish claim is stronger from both the religious and historical perspectives. Religiously, Jerusalem isn't mentioned in the Koran, neither is the Temple Mount. The Moslem claim is based on medievial commentary that suggests that Jerusalem was the place from which Mohammed rose to heaven. But Jerusalem is not in the word of Allah that was revealed to Mohammed. In the Torah, on the other hand, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are described in extensive detail, as is all the land in the area. The Temple Mount is a key element in the Torah and its meaning to Jewish belief and observance is paramount.

Importantly, the historical and archeological evidence for the First and Second Temples is overwhelming. There can be no doubt that Jews lived in Jerusalem and the surrounding area from about 1100 B.C. until the expulsion of 70 A.D., and during most of that time the Jews had a functioning Temple with priests, Torah learning, Jewish law courts, etc. The Arabs came to the area as conquerors in the 8th century A.D. and even though they staked a political claim, they didn't stake a strong historical and religious claim until the Jews started arriving in Israel in great numbers in the first half of the 20th century. And only after 1967 (surprise, surprise) did the Israeli Arabs and the Moslem world in general come to think that the Islamic claim to the Temple Mount is unequivically central to their faith. Well, they admit it is of tertiary importance, behind Mecca and Medina, but important nevertheless...?

Yet, the reality is that we have Moslems and Jews with competing claims. The Arab leaders who control all education and media in their countries and in the PA-ruled territories use the Temple Mount to rile up passions and to launch attacks against Israel. The current flare-up is an attempt to psychologically prepare the Arabs for the third Intifada. Also, since Iran is now calling the shots in the Moslem world, especially with regard to the destruction of Israel, the money and weapons flow to Hizbollah and to Gaza have reached unprecedented heights. The various terror armies in Gaza are nearing the armament levels of Hizbollah. It is in Iran's interest to have Israel simultaneaously fight in Gaza, in Judea and Samaria, and in southern Lebanon. This would deflect US attention from Iran's nuclear program and give Iran breathing room to figure out what to do with massing American forces in the Persian Gulf which are soon to reach levels that can demolish Iran's nuclear and military facilities by air strikes and shipborne missiles.

The connection between the Moslem religious leaders in Jerusalem and Teheran is direct and the latter have plenty of financial and political influence over the former. Iran is the force behind all the various groups in the Arab world, and the Moslem world in general, that are working towards Israel's collapse. According to the Torah, competing spiritual and political claims to any part of Israel, the Temple Mount included, is a test for the Jews. We must either stand up and take and fully control what is ours or we must make compromises with the enemy, breaking the fundamental laws of our religion. Since the majority of Israel's Jews have been seduced by the modern Tel-Aviv lifestyle, and since a shrinking majority is a majority nevertheless, Israel has a government it deserves - a weak, corrupt, disorganized group of money-obsessed party men, answerable to no one but the small central committe of said party.

We are, as a result, spiritually too weak to be able to use our physical strength. But, as I've described, a multi-front conflict of serious proportions will soon break out and Israel will hopefully come out of it with limited damage and as few casualties as possible. Once that happens, our leaders can either act Jewish or they can act European as a way to solve the conflict. In the latter case, they must be replaced by better men, men who represent the feeling and mood of the right and are able to bring in the confused center into the governing coalition.

Until the above happens, a large conflict must occur, and Jerusalem will be key, as always. As for when, I am no prophet, but no earlier than April.

2007-01-27T14:29:00.000-08:00

Heavier Weapons and Fieldcraft

Last week, six guys from each platoon were sent to heavy weapons courses or to a driving course. The driving course is for APC's (armored personnel carriers), and is, frankly, quite a waste of time. The IDF rarely uses them and after the recent war in Lebanon, an Israeli general would have to be functionally retarded if he thinks he can transport his soldiers around in what are basically armored coffins. The Hizbollah has the new Russian Kornet anti-tank missle that can be fired by a mobile crew of three, and it is making the IDF's tank corps rethink how it operates. The APC's are completely helpless in combat in a mountainous or built up area and no amount of re-strategizing will change that. It may still be worthwhile to go into an Arab village in the Judea or Samaria in an APC, since Hamas doesn't have anti-tank missles yet. But if soldiers need only be protected from small arms fire, an armored Jeep would be better, faster and cheaper.

Most of the guys were sent to heavy weapons courses for such destructive wonders as the automatic grenade launcher - it requires a crew of four and fires 100's of grenades (actually small shells) per minute. This is an amazing piece of equipment, it basically provides short range artillery firepower. Another heavy weapon some of my friends trained on is the mortar, your well-known support weapon whose real worth is in it's ability to shoot accurately over an obstacle to hit the intended target. Finally, we have the .50 caliber Browning machine gun. This thing was designed in 1906, used in World War I and is, still, 100 years later, absolutely the best heavy machine gun in the world. Because you have to be quite strong to carry them around, the guys that were sent to train on these weapons were the bigger, stronger ones. I am a relative weakling, so the heavy weapons aren't for me. Most of us didn't attend these courses and spent last week doing a little bit of everything - running, shooting, guarding, taking care of equipment, cleaning, resting. There was a two day period where the guarding and training occured, in an alternating basis, for 48 hours straight, so the lack of sleep was painful.

This week, however, is the real story. It is dubbed "Fieldcraft Week" and is basically five days of what can only be described as torture. We started it off by not sleeping on Saturday night and preparing all of our equipment instead. At 2:30 am on Sunday morning, we marched out, each carrying an average of 70 lbs, in heavy rain and freezing wind, and spent two painful hours covering hilly, muddy ground to get to a barren, windswept hillside where we "slept" for a few hours before starting the day. The five days that followed are hard to describe. We lived in the field, sleeping in worthless old sleeping bags on the cold ground without even a basic tent. We averaged 3 hours of sleep per night, and it was sleep interrupted by ever-annoying guard duty. We ate 2 meals a day of dry rations, and since there wasn't much food in each rations box and we were given an absurdly small window of time to eat it in, the hunger effect was easily achieved. But, as bad as the lack of sleep, exposure to the FREEZING Negev nights, and undereating were, the actual substance of what we did was even harder.

We spent the days, and most of the nighttime as well, marching around with our equipment, practicing various small unit maneuvers, carrying the "wounded." This last part is the most painful exercise ever. You are already exhausted because you are never allowed to take your fully loaded vest off, even when you sleep. Since you also carry additional packs on and off over the course of the day, and wear yourself out crawling and walking up hills, your body goes into a certain state of shock. Having very little sleep makes the situation even worse. To then be forced to carry each other over that same rough terrain is taking the human body and asking it to go above and beyond.

I can't relate in words the feeling of carrying a stretcher. You have an angry pain in your shoulder from where the handle digs into the bone and muscle. You completely forget that before you lifted the stretcher you thought your personal vest and pack alone were tough to carry. Your eyes are focused on the ground, as there's no trail and you are negotiating holes, bushes and rocks. Your back aches from the weight, your leg muscles alternate between burning and numbness. You have to focus all of your mental and physical energy to cover the ground quickly, and you have to avoid thinking about when the excercise will end. It can go on for 20 minutes, or for two hours. You can be going on flat ground, uphill or downhill. People will take turns under the stretcher, and sometimes you'll break the stretcher down and just carry each other one-on-one, the ultimate punishment.

When you're stopped by your commanders and you look over the ground you've covered, the distance and the type of ground it was, you're genuinely confused. There's no possible way I did that, it doesn't make sense. And you're right, it doesn't. Only in the military framework can your body actually perform such extreme activities. I have to honestly say, I can't imagine how I did what I did for five days on next to no sleep. It's totally bizarre and I wonder how I didn't just injure out at some point. I have to attribute it to adrenaline, and to the fact that the mind is, in fact, stronger than the body.

Since my company is the best company ever, we got to do helicopter training during our fieldcraft week. Technically, we were supposed to do this much later on, but the officers decided that since we were so meturafim, insane (in a good way), that they were going to incorporate helicopters into the week's fun. We were picked up in random fields and dropped off on even more random hilltops. From the hilltops, we continued with our usual fieldcraft activities, the helicopter being some sort of a surreal interlude. Watching the machine land, feeling the force of the wind lashing against your body, charging against the wind to get into the helicopter, strapping in, looking out the open back as you fly over mountainous ground, rushing out, and hearing the helicopter fly away as you move in formation towards your next objective - it's quite an experience. During the day, it's more of a scenic experience. At night, the helicopter ride feels like something out of a video game.

Another aspect of fieldcraft is digging observation posts and fire points. You basically dig into a hillside, put up some rocks and earth around the post for protection, camoflauge it with bushes and leaves, and you have a location to hide, rest, collect intelligence or take on the enemy. Digging and carrying rocks around is actually kind of relaxing relative to our other activities. At the end of the week, my squad was commended by the company commander for being the best overall, although I think he was most impressed by our manuevering. He promised some sort of a chupar, reward, and we all hope it means going home a day early for some Shabbat. Time at home is the single best way the army can reward someone. Conversely, taking that time at home away is the single best way to punish us.

This upcoming week will be similar to fieldcraft week, but a bit more realistic. The training companies of our battalion are taking on the veteran companies in a war game in the Golan Heights. Clearly, we're going to get beat, badly. But it's all in good fun. I am just hoping that our commanders give us a break and we spend more time laying around and waiting and less time running and covering ground with heavy packs. Sadly, I am sure that next week will feature a lack of sleep and combat rations. Those two aspects of field life are hard to avoid.

2007-01-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

Intense Week, Emotional Finish

This past week was quite difficult. We learned how to move in tactical pairs. Although the week was supposed to be just about that one set of skills, it turned into an experience that included far more. We lived in the field, slept in old American sleeping bags, ate the same dry canned food thrice daily, and were continually cold and dirty. Out of every 24 hours, we spent only 2 sleeping. The rest of the time was filled with practicing various stances, crawling, carrying each other in stretchers or one-on-one. When not in motion, we were generally disallowed from sitting down and resting our feet. The body eventually enters into a state of exhaustion. Never being able to take off a fully-loaded vest takes a tremendous toll on one's energy levels. Just to make sure we didn't get bored, we also had some long runs. If you think you're in shape, try this one at home - strap 30 lbs of weight to your body and crawl up a 60 degree inclined hill for about 100 yards as fast as you can; run down; run 100 yards back up; run back down. That's one set. Do as many as you can with 2 minutes in between. Forget any sports practices you may have had, this is brutal.

After three days of the above-described fun, we had a long, but surprisingly not difficult, march. It could be that I am getting used to it, or it could be that the pace wasn't as fast as previous marches. At the end of the march, we finished up with a sprint up a hill, at the top of which our officers lit bonfires and we heard an inspiring speech by our deputy company commander. The highlight was that we finally got the shoulder tag of our unit. The rest of the pins and patches will take a long time to earn. Following some decent sleep (finally!), we had a day of conditioning on base. Lots of push-ups, sprints, and negotiating the obstacle course with full gear. Most of us didn't care what physical activity we were required to do, we were just happy to eat good food and have access to bathrooms.

Thursday, the fifth day in the Hebrew week, was a great day. We were taken on a tour of areas in East Jerusalem and the Old City where fighting took place in 1967. Old-school veterans shared their stories, and eventually we walked through the Moslem quarter and came into the plaza of the Kotel (the Western Wall). After an expected amount of turmoil and confusion, we were ready for the swearing-in ceremony. Lone soldiers were taken into the Border Police compound at the Temple Mount, where high level officers congratulated us on our commitment and gave us free stuff, again. I don't know what to do with all the cookies and shampoo the army keeps giving me.

After my special treatment as a lone soldiers ended, I rejoined my unit. We were all lined up in a tunnel that leads into the Kotel plaza, singing songs and getting riled up for the ceremony. The plaza itself was completely filled with a good 10,000 friends, family and other well-wishers. Finally, we marched out in some sort of order and took our places along the gun racks for our unit. All the platoons were arranged around an open area where the IDF's top brass spoke to us about Zionism, service and the upcoming threats. The audience was loud, the TV cameramen were having a great time filming us and projecting the images real time onto two massive screens in the center of the plaza. The atmosphere might as well be described as electric.

The head Rabbi of the IDF spoke at length about Joshua's conquest of Israel in Tanachic times and about the modern day's IDF connection to the warriors of ancient Israel. We were then each given a gun and a Tanach (Old Testament+Prophets+Writings). The gun we got was actually not ours, but just the next one on the gun rack. We were expected to exchange with each other after the ceremony until everyone had his gun. Leave it up to Israelis to actually plan for disorganization. The handing out of the Tanachim and the M-16's took place to a set of religious songs, "Shir Ha'Maalot" and "Adon Olam" amongst them, set to more modern tunes.

Finally, we all screamed out "Ani Nishba," meaning "I swear." Or, for those who for religious reasons refuse to swear, it was "Ani Matzhir," meanign "I declare." The climax was the Hatikva, the national anthem. About 500 soldiers and the well over 10,000-strong crowd all sang in unison in what I can only descibe as the single most uplifting moment in my life so far. The elation I felt can only be understood by someone who harbors intense Zionist feelings and fully internalizes the importance the IDF has in keeping this little enterprise we call the State of Israel alive. It was simply awesome. Once it ended, there was lots of hugging, families taking pictures and lots of young men excited by the fact that they are allowed to bring their gun home for the first time. I am not 18, but I can't say I wasn't somewhat giddy about the prospect myself.

This Shabbat has been spent reading and eating. Someone asked me what do I "do" as an oleh, an immigrant, in Israel. So I thought I'd share it with my general readership:

Aside from the army, I hang out in Jerusalem with all the other American olim. We comprise about a quarter of the population, and if you add all the tourists/students/work visa Americans, it's a whole "thing" to be a English-speaker here. Guys learn in yeshivot, girls in midrashot, people study in Hebrew university. Those in a different stage work in various jobs. Many people work in certain fields that have a fetish for hiring Americans. Some are wealthy, some are not. People rent apartments, do shabbat meals, date, go out, daven. Conversations about aliyah issues are common, and you can always find out what/how/where/when. People complain about phone bills, bank fees and the left-wing monkeys who run this country. The secular, and the less religious, have premarital relations. Young religious people who used to be secular have lapses with drinking and hooking up, although it depends on what crowd you're with.

The food, as is well know, is really good. My apartment is fully kosher and there are sometimes extra people hanging out or sleeping on couches. In other words, we live life, abide by the Torah as best as an unmarried person can, and go on long walks.

Life is more Jewish here, and if you make an effort, it's completely Jewish in every way that is possible. At the same time, there are practical sides of life that you have to get through. So far, no one I know is even thinking about going back. Zionist feeling is strong and there are many things to love about this place. The current aliyah trend taps into a very strong group of people who make this place their own, despite the problems. I don't know how it is for the totally secular crowd, they must have a more difficult time, but they are hanging in there.

On the whole, life here is very good. Once you figure out how this place works, and you forget about materialist desires, it's quite a pleasant place to live, not even taking into account the Zionist imperative and the goodness of being a nation in its own land.

There's also a large community of guys like me, who volunteered for the IDF in their 20's, so there are plenty of people with whom I have a lot in common in terms of my particular aliyah experience.

By the way, if any of my readers know anyone who may be interested in aliyah and/or IDF service, forward this website address to them. As far as I know, there are no blogs out there quite like mine.

2007-01-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

Basic Weapons Skills, Group Dynamics and Social Representation in my IDF unit

These past two weeks have been physically demanding, but have also included what we've all been waiting for - weapons training. Movies and imaginations aside, the way that a soldier is trained to use weapons is done in such a way so as to make the experience as safe and as precise as possible. This is done both to ensure that no one gets injured and to instill the idea in the mind of every IDF soldier that weapons aren't toys, and there's nothing fun about them, at least not in the childish way that "fun" is perceived when we see "action" in movies. It all starts with the fact that we carried our guns around for quite sometime before we learned to take them apart and to check them for safety. A certain amount of time after that, we finally got to shoot, but very little. Eventually, we got to shoot a lot. The way shooting works in training is clearly focused on developing safety awareness and technical skill. There's no room for flair.

The discipline at the shooting range is much stricter than anywhere else on base. The fact that various equipment needs to be brought out to the shooting range and back, makes the soldiers physically stressed. Getting out to the range and back turned into mini-marches. While some groups were shooting, others were doing calisthenics, crawling or practicing getting into and out of various shooting positions. This last activity sounds fun but is actually physically quite draining. Holding the kneeling position for five minutes, with the gun and body properly aligned, is very difficult.

At this point, we are all very comfortable with our cut-off M-16's, and many of us are excellent shots. We also spent a whole day throwing a grenade. Yes, it apparently does take a full day to have each soldier in a platoon throw one live grenade. Between the practicing and the random running up hills, throw-a-grenade day turned out to be quite hard. The army has a way of making you get tired and give you a workout when you least expect it. Last week also featured a day of kitchen duty, random cleaning and dealing with equipment issues. The low point was the two days and nights of guard duty - 2 hours of guarding, 4 hours rest, 2 hours guarding, 4 hours rest, and so on for 48 hours. I can assure you, this is an unpleasant experience.

It's becoming very clear that out of the 120 guys in my company, 60-70 maximum will finish the training. A lot of people can't mentally handle the IDF training atmosphere. The commanders haven't kicked people out, but some have quit on their own. Our company commander always states that anyone who doesn't feel it's for him can be transfered out. From the experiences of the older guys, a 50% attrition rate during training is pretty standard for the IDF. Although it seems high, it does make sense. Not everyone is cut out for it, and there are many jobs to be filled in the IDF that need these guys to drop out. So as they leave, I am not too disappointed to see them go. In some cases, they can't leave soon enough. The guys that are totally not meant for this type of environment generally cause problems for the other soldiers and that leads to interpersonal tensions. Group dynamics is the absolute key to a successful unit, far more important that such silly things as military skills or physical fitness. People can be trained and made more fit. But if someone can't work in a team, and give of his energy to his fellow teammates, that's a personality trait that is difficult to change.

In fact, it's becoming clear that the single most important element in one's success in the IDF is how well you can work with others and how patient you can be. You have be a giver, not a taker. Someone who contributes in even the smallest matters, and not someone who takes advantage and lets others do the work. Some people naturally have that mentality, some are developing it as training goes on, and the rest are going to fall into that 50% that is going to go on to other jobs in the IDF.

I know my company quite well and the following statistics should give my readers a taste of who is defending Israel these days. In the following, I list the social subgroup, its percentage of my company, and then (in parenthesis) its percentage of the draftable Israeli population.

National-religious - 37% (21%)
urban secular - 16% (40%)
(excluding olim)
Jewish Russian olim - 7% (12%)
Non-Jewish Russians - 9% (6%)
Ethiopians - 4% (2%)
Kibbutzniks - 9% (2%)
Moshavniks - 10% (2%)
French Olim - 2% (2%)
English-speaking Olim - 10% (4%)
Ultra-Orthodox - 0% (10%)

I note that the percentages add up to over 100. This is because of overlap in many categories and because I ignored fractions for simplicity's sake. For example, the national-religious and English-speaking immigrants have some overlap. This is done on purpose as my readers would be interested in the English-speaking sector regardless of their observance level. But the general point still stands, even if the math isn't completely precise. I should also note that the draftable population currently stands at 5.7 million, including 5.4 million Jews and 300,000 non-Jewish Russians. For clarification, olim means immigrants. The national-religious, or dati-leumi, are Orthodox, but participate fully in society. They are most certainly not to be confused with the hareidim, the ultra-orthodox.

As you can see from the simple analysis of my unit, there's a shortage of Zionism in the secular sector, and a total absence of it in the ultra-Orthodox sector.

So, who is defending Israel in 2006? Not the ultra-Orthodox and not the secular urbanites. Those secular, urban, Israel-born, middle class kids who did get into my unit, are almost surely going to drop out by the end of training, although there will be some exceptions of course. They are simply the least motivated to be there.

The higher quality people who will in the end finish training with me will be some combination of national-religious guys, new immigrants (russian or american), kibbutzniks and moshavniks. The materialistic life that the secular middle-class in this country leads, and their lack of Jewish-Zionist values, make it almost impossible for them to succeed in the army.

Clearly, I want the greater Tel-Aviv area to return to having Jewish identity and a Zionist ideology. They are, after all, just as much a part of the Jewish physical and spiritual whole as anyone else in Israel. I also want the ultra-orthodox to show some Zionism to go along with their Jewish observance. I used to get angry at the ideological slackers of Israeli society, and I still do from time to time. But as I get to know them as individuals and I start to understand what education they had and what cultural influences affected them, I cannot blame them. They should serve in other units in the IDF, not in mine. In some cases, they shouldn't serve at all. Only those who are commited to some sort of set of Jewish values are needed. And if there's one place we don't need self-hating anti-Zionist Jews, it's right here in Eretz Israel. A lot of work needs to be done in Israeli education to keep those on the spiritual fringe connected to Judaism and to Zionism. The good news is that those who are Zionist are incredibly strong and can pull some of the dead weight. After all, what normal society can get 100% agreement on anything? I'll take the 80% recruitment rate of Jewish males and be happy with it. There's room for improvement, but we're holding fast (that should be the State of Israel's motto).

2006-12-22T04:03:00.000-08:00

The training pace is picking up. The hikes are getting longer, there's more running and crawling and we are shooting more and more. The specific details of how various training is carried out is classified, but can easily be imagined. We generally get 6 hours of sleep, so exhaustion is not as much of a problem as it could be. When my squad guards at night, each person has to wake up to do his half hour. In those cases 5 hours of sleep is the most you can hope for. We are all getting more and more comfortable in our vests, learning to use the pouches, and attaching strings to everything. Most items that one puts in one's vest, and some that go into the pants pockets, have to have strings attached for convenience and to lessen the chance of losing the item. Tape is also widely used to tighten up loose ends. Between two types of tape, string and a lighter, one can pretty much "improve" all of one's equipment. This "improvement" is mainly to save time when the equipment is used, and time is probably one's most precious commodity. If you can get ready to do something in 4 minutes instead of 5, that's pure gold in the army environment.

Of course, there are also the duller aspects. There's kitchen duty, generally a full day once every two weeks. A lot of people, including myself, view kitchen duty as a break from working hard and we rather enjoy it, especially the long breaks we are able to get away with. There's also the rotational duties of guarding the base itself, which is quite boring and has little actual use aside from accustoming us to wearing the equipment and using the radio.

Everyone is expected to become at least a decent shot, so we have been spending quite some time at the shooting range. It takes some time to get used to one's gun, as not all guns are identical. They need to be adjusted and you have to develop a feel for the gun and for how you position your body. As my commander put it, in an ever-so-cliche manner, "you have to be one with the bullet." I don't know if it's my Russian connection (Russians are the best shots) or if I just get a lot out of my religious observance, but I am doing as well at the 50 meter distance as I did at 25, and that should mean success at 100 meters as well. There's only one guy in my company who is a better shot, but only in daylight. We have started practicing twilight and night time firing, which is obviously much less accurate, but clearly highly applicable. Apparently, I can see at night, because most people can't even hit the target, and I seem not to have those problems.

We have still not gotten our sighting mechanism and are shooting with the naked eye, although that is about to change. The kids who are having problems are taken to shooting simulators, where they basically play an arcade type video game and a sophisticated computer monitors every detail of their body positioning. They can then adjust accordingly. Aside from some special cases, the majority of guys will end up being accurate enough.

Aside from pure military content, there has also been a good dosage of classes that emphasize Zionism, Israeli military history and Judaism. I guess the IDF has moved beyond its socialist days and the top brass is realizing that secular Israeli kids need serious strengthening of their Jewish identity and their connection to Eretz Israel. Most people admit, if grudgingly, that it is the disproportionate presence of national-religious soldiers in the IDF that has transformed the army from a bearer of socialist/atheist/progressive ideas into more of a Jewish army with an emphasis on allowing the full range of Jewish observance and on holidays. Hannukah, which commemorates Jewish military prowess in the times of 2nd Temple, was emphasized heavily, which I am very happy about. Coming back from a hard march late at night, gathering around to light the Hannukiah, reciting the blessings and then singing Hannukah songs, in full equipment and war paint - that's a pretty rousing experience.

A note on food - they are feeding us a tremendous amount of calories, I counted that I consume about 4,000 per day, and I am a small guy. I don't burn more than that, so my weight is constant. I have been told though, that they are trying to fatten us up in the beginning. We will be having weeks of living and doing various training in the field and there will be a lack of food relative to the amount of daily activity. Clearly, this leads to weight loss. So, the IDF wants to make sure no one loses too much weight once the field training really starts. Otherwise, the chance of injuries drastically rises. Quick weight loss stresses the body, and if you're carrying weight over long distances and working out hard at the same time, you can easy get injured. Hence, we should still have some fat before things get more intense. That's the logic anyways.

I have a visitor from the States this weekend, who's here on one of those ridiculously subsidized 10 day trips. I got the weekend off from the army and it's really great to be with people from my pre-Israel days. The world is quite small though, so there's no reason why the connections that I made in the past should wither. Quite the opposite, they can grow in a new way. My current visitor is one of my best friends and there are other best friends who should make their way over here to the Eretz Israel, the ever-growing and ever-improving Land of the Jewish People. Israel is the center, and the off-shoots are contracting, coming back to the source. You can't argue it or fight it, you can only deny it.

2006-12-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

One week down, 15 more to go in basic training.

Generally, the army is about getting up early, exercising and spending all day either in class or out in the field, training. A certain amount of time is alloted to cleaning, eating, dealing with equipment and randomly getting punished (push-ups, sprints). The news is that I now have an M-16. It's the shortened, improved version, and I have a Meprolight on it. This little scope-looking thing doesn't magnify the target, it just shows you a yellow dot when you look through it, which helps you aim quickly. After a year, everyone gets an M-4 "flat-top", which is the latest best thing by Colt of HARTFORD, CT. Yes, as strange as it is, all the M-series weapons in the IDF have my home address written on the side.

I also happen to have been the 2nd best marksmen in my company of 119. I am quite impressed with myself. We shot at a little piece of paper at 25 meters, which doesn't sound like a long distance, but when the target is small, it's quite a challenge. My first five shots were within 1.5 cm of each other, which is very good considering the average was a 5-6 cm spread. Next week there will be much more shooting, so I'll have to improve. If I can get it to under 1 cm, I will beat that one lucky kid who was the best shot in the company. The point is that the expensive lasik surgery I had a year ago gave me the 20/20 vision, which is a fundamental requirement. But everyone has that, with or without glasses. What makes someone a good shot is the ability to relax and focus.

This next week also promises to include some hiking and crawling - two basic army activities. The fun is only beginning.

2006-12-02T14:58:00.000-08:00

Basic training starts this upcoming week and continues for 16 weeks. The last week in March I have a regila, which is a week off. B'Ezrat Hashem, my mom will be in Israel during that time and I will be able to ride around the country with her and make her as at least as relaxed and happy about Zionism as my dad. Having your parents, and your family in general, support you is important. Although, considering how misinformed people are about Israeli life, and how disconnected family members can be from their more ideological relatives, many people in my situation have to go it alone. In a sense, it has a hardening effect. Just another factor of life in Israel that hardens people. But to get the good out of Israel, which is very good, we have to deal with some of the negative aspects.

With regard to the good, Zionism is doing well, as long as you don't listen to middle-aged immigrants, secularists obsessed with material wealth and post-Zionist left-wing intellectuals. Those three groups are really problematic. The first group will vanish with time and their childrens' full absorption will make Israel a better place. The second group will either continue to complain or move to Los Angeles, either way, they don't matter much. The third group is the real problem. Left-wing intellectuals run the Ministry of Education and the university system, which allows them to bring their demented anti-Israeli ideas to young people. Intellectual elites have historically done the best things and the worst things to societies. I guess Israel must bear through some massive national mistakes on its way to becoming a state with a sense of purpose. It's not pretty, but we'll have to bear it through.

Tomorrow, I will be placed in the pluga, company, with which I will stay for my first 12 months in the IDF. The key to getting through the IDF without getting angry, depressed or overwhelmed is to bond strongly with your fellow soldiers. No one can make it through the service by being an individual. The system is designed in such a way so as to make it impossible to do most things by oneself. It's a group effort all the way, or it's failure. Supermen are pretty much useless in the IDF ethos. From what I've seen so far, aside from a few bad apples, I should be getting put together with some great guys. My machlaka, platoon, should be 30-35 guys and there should be a minyan of 10 of those who pray regularly. That will definitely happen, as long as the commanders will spread out different social groups and not bunch people together. Being able to have a minyan, even when we're out in the field with no synagogue access will be a real kiddush Hashem.

In random news, I purchased and then returned two electrical heaters. I can't seem to find one that makes me happy. I am, however, overjoyed that I was able to return a product bought in a store and get my money back on the spot. This is standard procedure in the US, but in Israel this was not common practice until recently. Progress does happen. Sure, I had to raise my voice a little bit to get cash back instead of store credit, but it's a lot better that having to come to blows with the manager. Those who know Israel know what a great bonus it is to be able to get customer service without fighting for it.

Alright, I gotta go pack my bag and get some shut eye. Remember people, money is the root of all evil. And if you can't control the evil, it will control you.

2006-11-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

I came back today from two weeks straight in the army. The 2.5 week program for new immigrants ended on Tuesday. We spent the last week of the program armed with long M-16 A1's. We had to sleep, shower, eat and go to the bathroom with the gun. If one was seen walking around anywhere without a gun, it's a serious offence. The reason for this, aside from the fear of a gun getting into the wrong hands, is that having a gun on you regardless of what you're doing makes you comfortable with it. You quickly get used to walking, running, sitting and doing just about everything else with the gun on you. From my performance on the shooting range, I have to say - thank G-d for lasik eye surgery. I am a good shot, and I don't need corrective eyeware.

Aside from learning to love to our M-16's, we did some running, some push-ups, and a fair amount of crawling around. Crawling sounds fun and easy, but it is not. It's one of the most difficult aspects of training. Covering 50 yards over rocky, thorny, muddy terrain as fast as possible and repeating multiple times, is not just physically exhausting. It's mentally taxing and it rips the skin off your elbows, as well as causing bruises in various parts of your body. I earned a gory gash on my right elbow, which is still healing. Push-ups also switched from being on the palms to being on our knuckles, and still on gravel. Fitness-wise, again, I have no problems. But the random strange pains are a problem for everyone. It does get easier though and I am told that within a month one's knuckles and elbows become hardened and the pain lessens significantly, until it vanishes entirely.

Finally, we did some hiking. By hiking, my commanders meant running, with equipment, up a 3 kilometer slope. Hard, but fun. Additionally, we spent some time learning to get into various firing positions. I can assure my Hollywood-trained readers that it's not as easy and simple as it it may seem. Tips for those thinking the army is for them - get good at crawling, falling and getting up quickly and smoothly, and don't be grossly obese. Not to much to ask for, and again, the army is about mental toughness. The physical part your body will learn to do on its own, your job is to keep mind in the right place.

A fun experience was the selection phase that I went through last week for my intended unit. It involved a significant amount of stress and only further emphasized the idea that if you're mentally capable, you can do anything. If you're mentally weak, no amount of physical training will help. Those who I think are interested in the details of this selection phase will receive personal e-mails. The basic point is that I was accepted and I am now slightly cooler than I used to be, or at least that's what I tell myself.

My last base, aside from being a good preparation for real training, has been socially interesting. I met everyone from a football jock from West Palm Beach Florida, to an Ethiopian who can run a 4:30 mile while chainsmoking, to crazy Russians, to Boston University frat boys, to very French Frenchmen, to a Dutch history student (much like myself but with 40 more lbs of muscle), to a Yale swimmer, to Russian super-athletes, to California surfers, to white-skinned Toronto-ians, to a crazy but cool Texan, to a Cuban-Miami type (yes, apparently there are Jews like that), and my favorite - a proper Brit with a BA in medieval literature and an MA in late medieval German literature from Oxford. This last case also rowed crew, and finds the "discipline" part of the IDF so easy it's basically a joke. If anyone knows guys who rowed crew and knows Brits, he'd understand why. The sport of crew and upper-class British society have rigid discipline the likes of which few armies can attain. Not to mention that, in all honesty, "discipline in the IDF" can hardly be called that. For someone with even a somewhat Anglo-Saxon background like me, the "discipline" part of the army is not a challenge.

On Tuesday, after giving back our temporary weapons, we were taken back to Bakum, the IDF's processing center. On the way, we stopped at a mall and enjoyed the special soldiers' discounts that the vendors seemed eager to force on us. A break from army food is always appreciated, although I can't be so cliche about it, since army food has so far been quite good. I then spent two days in limbo in Bakum. The Bakum experience can either be quick and painless, like my first time there, or it can be flat-out crazy. This time around it was the latter. Upon arrival, we were split up into "plugot klita" - absorption companies. This is basically a unit where you hang out temporarily while the bureacrats do the paperwork to send you to where you're supposed to be in the army. Of course, this is not an efficient system. The fact that you get a sticker with a number and that these numbers determine which absorption company you're in and therefore where and how you get processed, already bodes administrative problems. My plugat klita, like all plugot in Bakum, was supposedly assigned to various cleaning duties. We rebelled against our jobnik commander and told him that we intend to do nothing until the paper-pushers get us to our intended units. He was angry, but as a jobnik (someone who has no relation to combat) he should be used to getting lip from soldiers. I am therefore happy to say that I did not work in the kitchen nor clean anything during my 48 hours in Bakum. We slept in tents, which was an entirely arctic experience and we spent endless hours waiting to get 5-minute interviews with selection officers. Bakum basically felt like some sort of black hole. A place that exists but doesn't really relate to the outside world. A place where you're alive and well but practically imprisoned, and where you fate is determined by processes you have no control over. To add the excitement, fully half of the guys who came with me to Bakum ended up in Bakum's jail. Jail in Bakum is where they keep those who refuse the assignments that the jobnikim in Bakum attempt to send them to. It is widely known that if you stay in jail for a few days, up to two weeks, you will eventually get the assignment you want. Jail is not really jail by the way, it's just a more restrictive lifestyle in a crappier absorption company.

I guess all of this sounds crazy to the un-initiated, but within the bizarre IDF reality, it makes sense. All Israelis have fond memories of Bakum, and now so do I. The key thing, as with everything in life, is to have a sense of humor about it. Eventually, I was properly processed and representatives from my new unit had me sign a few papers, gave me some new gear, gave a speech about road safety and the dangers of alcohol and sent me home for a 3 day weekend. In IDF terms, 3 days off is considered luxurious. I am resting up this weekend, because first thing Sunday morning I report to my new base. Once there, I will have two weeks of pre-training, including further testing, before starting the actual training phase. IDF is all about preparation phases and although I initially thought they were a waste of time, I have changed my mind. Soldiers need time to get used to army life and break in their boots.

In other news, my room still looks like hell and clearly needs the proverbial woman's touch. I need a new bed, I need a normal chair and a rug. These things exist, but all I want to do with my free time is rest, not run from store to store. Shabbat was spent at my relatives', whose ability to feed me hot, home-cooked meals is greatly appreciated. I am going out with a couple of friends now, to sit in one of Emek Refaim's little cafes and discuss our progess as new Israelis. Some of my Ulpan Etzion people with the 6-month IDF obligation (making aliyah at ages 22-25) are deferring their service to do an MA. Some are about to start in December. The 6-month track is known as shlav gimmel and drafts in December and May every year. It allows only limited job choices, the most exciting of which is probably artillery. The other options are truck-driving and the like.

For those making aliyah aged 26 and up, you have to volunteer to do the 6-month service. I can assure you that, if you want it, you will get it. If you're a super-Zionist like myself, you can volunteer for an even longer service, which opens up more job options. If I ran Israel, every childless male immigrant aged 30 and under would be required to serve for 2 years. Those making aliyah aged 31-39 would have to do 6 months. But then again, I can be accused of being too patriotic or overly Zionist. Because clearly, even with our blatantly positive characteristics, we must be more moderate??!!? I think I am the sane one and everyone else is either over-intellectualizing or being egotistical. Usually a bit of both.

I recommend the new James Bond movie by the way. It's lacking in special effects and futuristic gadgets, which makes it much more realistic and overall a better movie. Go watch it. Anyways, I am going to regale my friends with war stories and show them my bruised elbow.

2006-11-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

IDF

Wednesday morning I took THE step to becoming a real Jew in the State of Israel by joining the IDF. Now, instead of just talking about how much I don't like the anti-Zionist Jews in Israel (primarily the black hats), I can say with some authority that they, in fact, are bad Zionists, while I am not. Of course, the black hats also give a bad name to the national religious public like myself, who have no problem doing the army and simultaneously being observant.

My first day, I went to a meeting point on Givat HaTachmoshet in northern Jerusalem, where I waited with several hundred other pieces of fresh meat until we were led to a big movie theater and shown a inspiring reel of footage from the Six Day War in 1967. From there, we got on a bus and were driven to Bakum, the central processing center. There, we received shots, donated blood to cancer patients, gave a pin-prick blood sample, got X-rayed, filled out a medical form, got some initial equipment, received ID cards and ate mediocre food. This all took most of the day, and by nightfall we arrived in a northern base. We spent the evening getting lined up and running from spot to spot. Thursday morning we were apportioned into platoons and squads and got the commanders that are going to be in charge of us for the next 2.5 weeks.

The rest of Thursday was spent doing endless short sprints and getting into, and staying in, the basic formation "at attention." Everything is done with a time limit, and being late or making random small mistakes is reason to get into "matzav shtaim" - position two. This is the beginning position of a push-up. From here, we would either hold it, or go to "matzav ehad," the down part of the push-up and hold that. Normal push-ups also happened, but not as commonly as just holding a position. "Matzav ehad v'hetzi" is position "one and a half" - which is half-way down in the push-up. This is, obviously, painful. Personally, I am in good shape, so I am not bothered by little sprints. The push-up thing got to be a bit much, but it's really not a big deal. In all, I found the beginning to be easy. As long as you're willing to do what you're told and don't take anything personally, there's nothing hard about it. The younger guys probably find it harder because the whole concept of discipline and doing what you're told must be a bit scary and overwhelming for someone aged 18-19.

Randomly, we also spent several hours in a big auditorium getting talked to by higher-up commanders and watching slide shows. Regarding praying, there's a religious commander who takes all the religious soldiers to the synagogue three times a day. Shacharit is 40 minutes, mincha and maariv is 15 minutes each. I feel bad for the non-religious guys because many of them don't have the motivation they need, and they can easily get it by bringing themselves closer to G-d and being more spiritual.

There are a lot of russians in my unit, as they do still comprise fully half of all the immigrants to Israel. Most of them seem to be enjoying themselves, because the Soviet mentality is well-suited to discipline. Not to mention that some of them are impressive athletes. There are also a lot of French guys, who try, but their Frenchiness makes it all a more difficult experience than it really is. South Americans are also present, and, of course, there are tons of Americans and Canadians. The English-speakers are all in their early to mid 20's. Most of them are like me, having made aliyah. The rest are in the IDF via Mahal, a program that allows foreigners to volunteer for a 14.5 month stint, without accepting citizenship. From what I am told, most of them accept Israeli citizenship at some point during their service.

Friday I went home and experienced, for the first time, of how nice it is to be able to ride public transportation for free. I am going back to that base tomorrow, which I understand will be an easy day for us. Starting Monday, things are going to get "hard" again. Over the next two weeks, we'll do some hiking, sleep outside, shoot some guns, and of course spent too much time in "matzav shtaim."

I will be going home again two weeks from now, so you'll have to wait for the next update. By that time, I will be a grizzled war machine so I hope I'll still remember how to use a panzy little laptop.

2006-11-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

Temple Mount Issues, Impending War with Hizbollah and Syria

(Following courtesy of Arutz-7)
Sheikh Raad Salah - head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, a Hamas supporter, and an outspoken enemy of Israel - warns that Israeli plans to build a synagogue on the Temple Mount could lead to violence and bloodshed. "The day will never come when a Moslem or an Arab will have the right to cede even one foot of the Al-Aqsa Mosque or of Jerusalem," the Sheikh's Al-Aqsa movement announced.

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem was the site of the two Jewish Holy Temples, the first of which was built by King Solomon in the year 832 BCE, close to 1,500 years before Islam was founded. For most of the next 1,000 years, Holy Temples stood on the site, until the Romans conquered the entire land and destroyed the Second Temple. Though the area came under the control of the Romans, Byzantines, Moslems, Christians, Turks, British and others over the coming centuries, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount were always the focus of Jewish religious and national yearnings and continued to be the Jews' "capital in exile." In the Six Day War of 1967, the modern state of Israel liberated the Temple Mount area, placing all of Jerusalem under Jewish control once again after a hiatus of 1,900 years.

Israel, however, never actualized its sovereignty over the holy Temple Mount site, but rather granted the Moslem Waqf nearly total control. Jews, in fact, have not been allowed to pray there ever since then-Chief IDF Rabbi Shlomo Goren led a prayer service there on the first Tisha B'Av after the liberation.

MK Uri Ariel (National Union) is preparing a plan for the construction of a synagogue on the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount. The plan must be approved by the Jerusalem municipality's planning committee - an unlikely eventuality - and Ariel is set to meet with rabbis and public figures on the issue later this week. MK Ariel notes that such a building would "rectify a historic injustice," and that every Supreme Court ruling on the issue has recognized the right of every Jew to pray on the Temple Mount.

"The synagogue will not interfere with believing Moslems who wish to pray at the Al-Aksa Mosque," Ariel said. "On the contrary, this is an opportunity for the Moslem world to demonstrate and prove that it is tolerant enough." The "Moslem world" is not jumping at said opportunity. The announcement by Sheikh Salah's organization states, "We hereby warn aloud about the existence of a Jewish national consensus that is trying to build the Holy Temple at the expense of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. We warn that similar plans were submitted to Ariel Sharon and Ehud Barak and their publication led to violence, the ramifications of which have not ended to this day."

"The timing of the publication [of this plan] is not coincidental," the Islamic Movement states, "and it jibes with the increased calls for expulsion [of Arabs], the implementation of the policy of religious persecution and national discrimination, and the giving of a green light to the construction of the Third Temple. We remind, for the 1,000th time, that the entire Al-Aqsa mosque, including all of its area and alleys above the ground and under it, is exclusive and absolute Moslem property, and no one else has any rights to even one grain of earth in it."

"We remind the Israeli establishment, which stands behind these plans, that the problem of Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem is not just a Palestinian problem, but a Palestinian, Arab and Islamic problem. The day the Al-Aqsa Mosque is harmed, Heaven forbid, all the Arab and Islamic nations will call to prevent this damage. Watch out! Beware of merely the thought of hurting or desecrating the mosque."
(End of Arutz-7 Report)

I couldn't have presented the problem any clearer than www.israelnationalnews.com did. We own the Temple Mount legally, morally, historically. All we have to do is not be afraid of the Moslem world, and Jerusalem can be made into the true capital of the Jewish people. Clearly, the Moslems are afraid that we'll exercise our religious and historic rights and kick them out of the Temple Mount.

As for the Northern border - analysts at the IDF General Staff are drawing up plans in order to prepare for a war against Hizbollah and Syria in the summer of 2007. Haaretz is reporting that intelligence analysis shows that both Hizbollah in southern Lebanon and the Syrian army are preparing for a major war. The prediction is that the forces arrayed against Israel on the Northern border will be ready to attack us as early as April or May of next year.

Aaron Zevi-Farkash, the outgoing head of Aman (Military Intelligence), has stated that war with our friendly neighbors is unavoidable, and that Iran will sooner or later directly join the conflict. Farkash also made it clear that the Europeans think that an atomic weapon in Iranian hands is much like an atomic weapon in the hands of the Soviets - dangerous but unlikely to be actually used. The Europeans simply don't see the difference between the pragmatic Soviet leadership, for whom nuclear weapons were a matter of prestige, and the Iranian leadership, for whom nuclear weapons are a tool of religious warfare.

It's becoming clear, according to various security officials' interviews in the Israeli press, that Israel will strike Iran shortly before Iran develops its first nuclear bomb. It is highly likely that fighing with Iran may start as part of the war with Syria and Hizbollah. In that case, we'll be seeing a large, regional war in 2007. No one worry though, Hashem has given the Jews of Israel the ability to win. As for the courage to use our full force instead of poking around from house to house in an attempt to avoid destruction of civilian lives and property.... well, that's where the problem starts.

I pray Israel will get leaders who do not fear their own strength, do not fear the international community, and realize that enemy civilian deaths are not our fault. It seems simple, doesn't it?

2006-11-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

I wanted to clarify some realities in today's world. Anti-Semitism in the Middle East has reached proportions far greater than what was happening in Europe in the 1930's. The school textbooks, television programs, the news, the newspapers, and university lectures, not to mention the teachings in mosques, are full of the lowest, most vile, most explicit forms of Anti-Semitism. Jews are descriped as descendants of monkeys and pigs who drink gentile blood and eat Arab babies. We are presented as conspirators to every bloody conflict on Earth, in control of the military-industrial complex and world banking, which we use to enrich ourselves and to impoverish the rest of humanity. Cartoons, both in newspapers and on TV, continually portray Jews with blood-dripping fangs and claws, committing dispicable acts towards the innocent.

In western nations, Islamo-fascists have found common cause with leftists, anti-globalists, Neo-Nazis, liberal intellectuals and groups supposedly concerned with human rights. Together, these disparate groups agree on one agenda - that Israel is an evil and immoral occupier of Palestine, commiting genocide on a regular basis. They completely ignore the fact that the Arabs in Palestiane lived as a minority under Turkish rule for over 500 years, were content to be a province, and never fought for independence. They didn't have any "nationalist feeling" until 1967, even though they fought the Jews from the 1920's until 1967. The "Palestinian national narrative" is a recent invention, much like the concept of "Syrian" or "Jordanian" or "Egyptian" Arabs. These were all created by Western powers and are not separate nationalities. The Arabs are one large nationality of 300 million stretching from Iraq to Morocco. Up until the 7th century, the Arabs only existed in the Saudi Arabian peninsula, from where they conquered the Middle East. The word "Palestinians" under the British Mandate actually referred to Jews in the region, lending even less credibility to the term.

Meanwhile, the world ignores Jewish national claims in a land that hasn't had any political claims since the Crusaders laid a religious claim between the 11th and 13th centuries. Instead, Israel, whose religion and culture are organic to the land in question, is viewed as a foreign implant, compared to Hitler's Germany, and its destruction urged from every quarter. Iran holds massive Holocaust denial conferences, and the 70-odd Islamic nations continually agree on their mutual hate of the Jews and their State. Iran's continual statements that the intended goal of the regime is to destroy the Jewish state through whatever means possible is not criticized in the UN or by the EU. The general view in most of the West is that Israel is a bother, an annoyance that prevents a "reconciliation" between the West and Islam. Meanwhie, the hate spewed by all media, publishing and educational outlets in the Moslem world is mind-boggling. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a hoax proved to have been composed by the Russian tsarist secret police the early 1900's, has been translated and is a best seller throughout the Middle East. As an example, Saudi Arabian schoolbooks contain explicit summaries of the Protocols as factual:

"The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: These are secret resolutions, most
probably of the aforementioned Basel congress. They were discovered in the
nineteenth century. The Jews tried to deny them, but there was ample evidence
proving their authenticity and that they were issued by the elders of Zion. The
Protocols can be summarized in the following points:

Upsetting the foundations of the world's present society and its systems, in
order to enable Zionism to have a monopoly of world government.
Eliminating nationalities and religions, especially the Christian
nations.
Striving to increase corruption among the present regimes in Europe, as
Zionism believes in their corruption and [eventual] collapse.
Controlling the media of publication, propaganda and the press, using gold for stirring up disturbances, seducing people by means of lust and spreading wantonness.
The cogent proof of the authenticity of these resolutions, as
well as of the hellish Jewish schemes included therein, is the [actual] carrying
out of many of those schemes, intrigues and conspiracies that are found in them.
Anyone who reads them — and they were published in the nineteenth century —
grasps today to what extent much of what is found there has been realized. (^ CMIP report: The Jews in World History according to the Saudi textbooks. The Danger of World Jewry, by Abdullah al-Tall, pp. 140–141 (Arabic). Hadith and Islamic Culture, Grade 10, (2001) pp. 103–104.)"

According to Freedom House 2006 report, Saudi "textbook for boys for Tenth Grade on Hadith and Islamic Culture contains a lesson on the "Zionist Movement." It is a curious blend of wild conspiracy theories about Masonic Lodges, Rotary Clubs, and Lions Clubs with anti-Semitic invective. It asserts that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion is an authentic document and teaches students that it reveals what Jews really believe. It blames many of the world’s wars and discord on the Jews." (^ 2006 Saudi Arabia's Curriculum of Intolerance Report by Center for Religious Freedom of Freedom House. 2006 PDF)

This is just the beginning, but I don't want to beat the proverbial dead horse and tire my readers. What is more shocking than what is being systematically implanted in the minds of Muslims and Iran's explicit threat of "wiping Israel off the map," is the fact that these nations and their leaders, are welcomed members in most international organizations, especially the UN. The UN fawns over their Moslem members, and, in order to appease them, spends more time passing anti-Israel resolutions than doing any other single item of business. The media, universities, intellectuals, journalists, politicians and opinion-makers in the West either support this demonization of Israel or are silent about it. This is no different than the events leading up to World War II. Just as the world then did nothing, so it will again sit back. Israel is in no one's particular strategic or economic interest to defend. There are over 6 billion people in the world, a tiny spec of a country with 5.4 million Jews is utterly meaningless. The world has never stepped in to save us, nor should they be expected to. It's up to one but us.

I know most liberals would scoff at such assessments. Especially Jewish ones. But they are going to get killed just like the rest of us if we don't look reality in the face and confront it with determined force. There is a time to bend over backwards for peace, and there is a time to realize that the enemy is absolutely not interested in peace, but rather in a phased destruction of our country. The utopian models built by liberal globalist thinkers in the 1990's included the gradual erasing of borders, the dissolving of national groups, the creation of continent-sized economic blocs and a single, powerful world government that would ensure safety and a good business climate. While this may appeal to some on an intellectual level, it is clearly a universalist theme with a strong foundation in the internationalism preached by the communist movements of the 20th century. Childish dreams of the enamored idealist few are quickly brought under the control of the violent, the brutal and the power-hungry.

But then again, humanity loves to repeat its mistakes, and no one should be surprised. In our little corner of the Middle East, the current drama is playing out, a rehearsal for the bigger show yet to come. Maybe, if we can stop the enemy here and now, the threat will recede and we can prepare for a tomorrow. If not, at least we can fight hard enough, for long enough, until the moment comes for a greater scale conflict. The battle, in very real terms, is being fought here by the Israel Defense Forces. The following are online videos of Jewish soldiers who have to risk their lives to ensure that this little State of ours keeps growing strong, despite all odds.

1) This is video is a tribute to the sacrifices made this summer in Lebanon.
http://israelrules.blogspot.com/2006/10/soldiers-part-four.html

2) This is a video of battalion 97, Kfir brigade, in training. This is the only all-religious battalion in the IDF.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fh2vS2g7tM

3) This is a video of battalion 931 of the Nahal brigade on a mission in Lebanon. This is intense and 25 minutes long. You can't click on the link, you have to copy and paste it into the address part of your browser. Then, your video player will pop up and play it. It should play in a large screen version. Again, this is very real, shot by a reporter embedded with the battalion command team.
http://switch248-01.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=209947&ak=63628786

Those of us who are true Jews must pray to G-d that the IDF, and the society from which it draws its men, its moral support and its motivation, will weather the many storms to come.

2006-11-01T07:51:00.000-08:00

Judaization of Israel, IDF-related matters, Felix's IDF service

Tel-Aviv is still Tel-Aviv, but more Jewish! Yes indeed. Despite the aggressive secular culture of Tel-Aviv and its liberal, anti-religious residents, Jews with a strong connection to their identity have made great progress in building yeshivot, re-starting moribund synagogues and teaching Judaism in secular frameworks for those interested. Rosh Yehudi is a great outreach organization that has developed a large, and growing, following amongst young, secular Tel-Avivis.

Of course, not all is peaches and cream. The majority of secular Israeli are still not even thinking about keeping Shabbat. But that is not important in and of itself. What is important is that secular Israeli culture is on the decline, as an ever-growing number of young people is finding out that nihilism is not a satifactory lifestyle. Young religious couples are moving into Tel-Aviv and slowly changing the culture towards more observance, or at least respect of observance. Moreover, the religious have a really high birthrate, which makes the process of bringing spirituality to the emptiness of secular life significantly easier.

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, women defining themselves as hiloni (secular) are having an average of 2.1 children. Women defining themselves as at least dati (religious) are averaging 4.3, more than double the rate. Currently, amongst Jewish 1st graders and 2nd graders, just over 50% are religious. Children are the future...

On a separate topic, an Israeli BA (which takes 3 years to complete) costs about $7500 in tuition. This is, thank G-d, not that expensive, although living costs make getting a degree much harder for most Israelis. The IDF gives all its demobilized soldiers a pikadon - a decent sum of money based on years in service and on the job the soldier had. This sum can range from $4,000 to $10,000. This money can only be used for tuition, starting a business, or marriage expenses. If it is not used within 5 years of discharge, it is automatically deposited, in full, into the person's bank account.

Clearly, this money is a great bonus and it helps out a tremendous number of people. However, it would be much cheaper and easier, for those people using the money for the BA, to simply "forgo" the pikadon. Instead, they would present their university with proof of military service, and the degree would be free. This is more effective then having the student prove to the army that he is enrolled, get the money deposited into his account, and then, supposedly, using the entire sum to cover tuition expenses and not a new motorcycle.

Of course, differences between varying lengths of service and levels of duty can be accounted for. There should be a simple and straightforward law - (a) anyone who served in a combat unit for at least 1.5 years gets a free BA; (b) anyone who served at least 2 years in a non-combat job, or in a combat unit for under 1.5 years, gets 2 free years in a BA program; (c) anyone with any other type of service, shortened or whatever, gets 1 free year in a BA program. This is a simpler and cheaper system that cuts out a lot of middle-man bureacracy.

For example, there's a simple law that all soldiers ride public transportation for free. Clearly, this costs nothing to implement and it would be utterly stupid to make the soldiers pay for transportation, and then claim the money back from the army. So, lets take example from those practices which are cheap and efficient.

The tuition aid situation could also use a dose of fairness. New immigrants receive a free BA, or a free MA if they already have a BA from their country of origin. In order to make it fair, this great benefit should only be available to those immigrants who fulfill their IDF duty. Sadly, most of the French and South American immigrants I know, do their best to avoid the shortened 6 month service required of them. Citing "difficulties in adjusting to aliyah," they dodge their duty. The IDF makes this quite easy, as they don't want unmotivated recruits. This general attitude by the army has created an atmosphere where many potential recruits in the last 15 years have been claiming "pacifism" or "conscientious objection" as reasons not to serve. In those cases, 4 months in a military jail are served, and the draftee never has to worry about the army again. Of course, the infamous yeshiva exemptions used by nearly the entire ultra-orthodox community are still as big of a problem as ever.

Due to the various backdoor ways to dodge IDF service, the current recruitment rate of Jewish males stands at 80%. Of the 20% who avoid the draft, 10% use the yeshiva loophole, 4% claim some sort of legal objection and are briefly jailed, 4% are exempted from the system due to being mentally or physically unfit, and the final 2% dodge the system altogether by going abroad or hiding from authorities, who are not too eager to hunt them down.

Granted, an 80% draft rate is actually quite a success considering that most Israelis have almost European standards of living. The 80% figure has been steady since the late 1980's, even as the country has become much wealthier and more individualistic. However, as late as the 1970's, the recruitment rate averaged 95%. But, the number of ultra-orthodox men studying in yeshivot was rather small, and the army didn't let recruits lie to them about medical or mental conditions.

There's no reason why Israel, through smart policies, can't get the recruitment rate back up to a more respectable level. After all, history teaches us that the strongest and longest lasting nations are the ones that are the most socially cohesive. National service has always been the hallmark of a society with a purpose, and the most effective way to create citizens who feel strongly responsible for one another and for the nation as a whole. As Jews in a Jewish country, we must certainly have a purpose to our being here. If the parts of society that don't subscribe to this philosophy are allowed to gain strength, Israel will be weakened, and life here will become individualistic and self-centered. This automatically leads to moral corruption and decline in values - the prerequisites of national downfall. As mentioned earlier in this post, the forces of good are strong and are keeping at bay the forces of decadence. We just have to keep it up. Deterioration has a way of sneaking up on a country.

Of course, all of the above logic applies to me personally. Hence, I will be starting my IDF service a week from today. Of course, it will all be "classified" and I won't be able to write much about it in this blog. Basically, I will be James Bond but without the martinis, because gin and tonic makes me sick. There will, however, be plenty of expensive cars, beautiful girls, reckless sky-diving, wild car chases, thrilling shoot-outs, and luxurious dinner parties. I intend on saving the world, maintaining British influence in world affairs, and keeping the Queen's name from being tarnished. All the while, looking irresistable in tuxedo and a kippa.

In other personal news, I have moved into an apartment in Moshava Germanit, just off of Emek Refaim. Yes, it's an upscale neighborhood, for anyone familiar with Jerusalem. My apartment is in the most expensive part of that neighborhood. How I was able to pull this off is quite random and I don't understand why the landlord doesn't charge higher rent. I'd like to think he is doing a good deed, but I think it's just out of laziness. Either way, I'll take my luck however I can get it.

2006-10-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

Succot and Simchat Torah

Last week saw a Jerusalem full of tourists, both foreign and local, attending various events, concerts, mass prayer sessions at the Western Wall and shaking lulav and etrogs all over the place. Last Monday, I woke up in time for Shacharit (the morning prayer) at the Kotel. During Succot it's a tradition that an unmanageable number of people pack the Western Wall plaza for Shacharit in order to hear the Kohanim blessings. These blessings are quite regular in the morning service, but having hundreds of Kohanim do the blessing at the Wall, with an estimated 70,000 people in attendance is a higher level of kedusha. Afterwards, I met up with two crazy Brits and an international motorcycle dealer and we commenced our Succot trip.

First, we drove east into the Jordan Valley, and then northward on highway 90. The Jordan Valley is flat, flanked Judean (and further north Samarian) mountains to the West and the Moab mountains to the East. The latter are already in Jordan, our friendly neighbor. On the way up, we stopped at a base for Gdud (battalion) 97. One of my accompanying Brits served in that unit and we visited some of his friends. This unit is unique because it is all religious, as opposed the rest of the army which is mixed religious/secular. I don't know how I feel about a unit that limits integration, but it exists nevertheless. Unlike some silly tourists, I did not ask to hold anyone's gun. The gdud focuses its activity in the Jordan Valley and the eastern approaches to the Samarian Mountain area that lead up to Shchem. The latter is known as Nablus to English-speakers, an abberation invented by the Romans at the same time as they invented the word Palestine, both done in an effort to erase Jewish claims to the land. Anyhow, the living accomodations are nicer than what I have at the yeshiva, and they have air conditioning. The lap of luxury you may say.

We continued North, stopped for mindblowing shawarma in Beit Shean, and finally reached the Kinneret. We drove up it's eastern shore and set up camp on Dugit beach, where we met up with a group of girls from Nahlaot, a hippy/religious area of Jerusalem. They were a bit weird, as expected, but they needed our help setting up the tent, so we tolerated their worthless chatter. Dugit is well known and had just finished hosting the Bereishit festival - a combination of camping, music and drugs - left-wing hedonists in full attendance. Thank G-d I missed it, that last thing I need is to be surrounded by a bunch of drugged up upper-middle class Tel-Avivis.

When it came time for the evening prayer - maariv - we decided to get 10 men for a full minyan. There were plenty of families camped out, some religious some not. I decided to test the religious/secular divide, a key aspect of Israeli culture, and approached a group of Mizrahi families who did not appear outwardly religious. Lo and behold, the men drew kippot out of their pockets and siddurim our of their backpacks. Not only that, but after praying, one of them gave us a lesson on the Gemarra chapter that has to do with Gog and Maggog. The bigger lesson is - Mizrahi Jews are the best because even if they don't all act religious, when it comes down to it, even the "secular" ones are far more observant and knowledgable about Judaism than the secular Ashkenazim. The Ashkenazim, helped by the European "Enlightenment" tend to be either completely religious or totally secular. The Mizrahim are either religious or in the traditional middle ground. Hence, in the Jewish sense, we European Jews have much to learn from our better-looking Mizrahi brothers and sisters. After some night swimming, we slept under the stars.

Tuesday morning we found a succa to pray in, this time about 50 people joined in. The international motorcycle dealer, who has been to 78 countries and taught himself Russian (!), convinced me that we should swim as far out as possible into the Kinneret. We swam an hour out, and it took us half an hour to get back. I have to say, I am still quite the swimmer, and considering that it took me an hour to get about 20% of the way across the Kinneret, there's no reason why, after some training and with proper safetey precautions, I can't at some point swim the lake. There are a lot of people who do it regularly, so it's something to think about. We then drove to Tzfat, where we took a dip in Arizal's mikve. The Arizal was a great 16th century Kabbalist, whose commentary on the Zohar is authoritative and widely studied. The mikve, ritual bath, that he used back in the day is operational and very very cold. There was a large number of people there, trying to purify themselves.

From Tzfat we drove to a tatzpit (viewpoint) in the Druze village of Bet Jann. This is one of the best tatzpiot in Israel as it affords a simultaneous view of the Kinneret and of the Meditteranean. Absolutely indescribable. We then drove back to Tsfat, pounded serious shawarma and attended a class at Ascent, a "Kabbala" learning center run by crazy Chabadniks. Thankfully, they didn't try to "reveal the secrets," because I think even the stupidest tourists have long caught on that no real Kabbalist is going to teach them Kabbala. They do, however, have good discussions on various Torah topics. I attended one on Ahavat Israel - Love of Israel. Meaning - loving fellow Jews as much as one loves himself, if not more, and the spiritual importance that has to the Nation of Israel. The topic was good, and it was two hours well spent, although I must say I couldn't feel comfortable in a room full of hot Mizrahi women. This is why men and women study separately, usually. Because if they don't, guys like me won't be able to focus on the topic at hand. And what was up with all the Mizrahim all over Northern Israel? We also stopped the grave site of Rav Yochanan Bar Zakkai, one of the authors of the Zohar, near Mount Meron, and that area too was full of religous and traditional Mizrahim.

Wednesday we went hiking in Golan, in a place called Nahal Yehudia. The Golan is an amazing area and the particular trail we hiked brought us to some gorgeous natural pools with nice 20 foot heights from which to jump. From then, on to Tveria, known as Tibereas to the Christians. It was bustling, and, like the rest of the North, full of religious Mizrahim. We came back to Jerusalem late Wednesday night, but I was back out and about first thing Thursday morning.

I did a free tour of the Minharot Ha'Kotel, the Kotel Tunnels, which has be one of the coolest things to do in Jerusalem. If you're a history/archeology buff like me, you cannot miss this the next time you're in town. There was also a point where we, as Jewish infidels, can get the closest to the Holiest of Holies that the Moslem Wakf will allow. Lets put aside the fact that we are the SOVEREIGN POWER on the Temple Mount and we should not let the enemy have local control over our holiest side. Lets also put aside the fact that when we conquered it, fair and square, in 1967, the Wakf handed Moshe Dayan the keys. Dayan, in accordance with the policy of the Labor government then in power, refused to take said keys, and an agreement was reached that the Wakf would rule the mount, while Israel ruled the rest of Jerusalem. A little island of Arab semi-sovereignty in the middle of a city that is totally part of the State of Israel. Absurd!

The key point is that the Israeli government have been acting like a bunch of wimps, afraid of the international community and afraid of "Arab anger." Do they not realize that acting weak and subservient from a position of power makes us look like politically incompetant retards? The Arabs have been laughing at us ever since.

After the tunnels tour, I emerged in the Moslem quarter. A bit of wandering around, and I joined up with a group that was touring all the Jewish-owned synagogues, yeshivot and properties in that un-friendly neighborhood. It was very informational - I had no idea how much progress we've been making in that part of town. The Bait Ha'Tzalam (photographer's house) is the tallest building in the Old City and afforded awesome views. The Arabs didn't appreciate the thousands of Jews who were walking around their neighborhood. But we are the rightful authority here, we gave them all the rights they could ever dream of, and we provide them with money, services and benefits. So their scowls are of no interest. Towards the evening, I smoked some hukkah (that's "nargila" for you Americans"), with M, a skinny little American kid who's a sniper in the IDF, and is in the middle of a medics course. We also hung out with another American, A., whose specialty is blowing stuff up.

Since I had had quite a religous week, I decided to spend Shabbat and Simchat Torah, at Kibbutz Nachshon. This is a Ha'Shomer Ha'Tzair kibbutz, which translates into Young Guard. They are as left-wing as you can get. Well, it turns out that their idea of Simchat Torah is setting up a club on an open lot in the kibbutz, 50 shekels all you can drink, and, admittedly, a very good DJ. For all you party-goers, worry not, Israel still has plenty of hedonists. We've exported half of them to Los Angeles, but the other half still fills the clubs. B'ezrat Hashem, these remaining post-Zionists will either do tshuva (repentance) or make their way to America. They haven't contributed to the process of building the Jewish nation since the 1970's, so they need to shape up or ship out. Pierced nipple, anyone?

2006-10-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Northward

I am going to the Galilee tomorrow for three days of hiking, swimming in the Kinneret, sleeping under the stars and wandering around a festival.

In running news, I jogged 10km today. That's 6.25 miles. It takes a certain focus to run for that long. Up until a few weeks ago, I had been averaging 7 miles per week for a three month stretch. The intent was to strengthen the lower leg muscles/tendons/ligaments, even though there was little progress in speed or stamina. A few weeks ago I started increasing my mileage. Three weeks ago I ran 10, two weeks ago 10 again, last week 12. I should do 15 miles this week and 20 miles next week.

2006-10-05T04:06:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went to the Tel-Aviv beach to do some training. I figured I haven't been pushing myself enough and I needed a kick start. So I ran in the sand with a light backpack. It was killer. If you think you're in good shape, go running on soft sand. The sinking action saps your stamina, it's a great workout. I followed it up with some hard swimming and a few sprints just to drive the point home.

Succot - what's the deal with this holiday? Is it a harvest holiday from an agrarian past? No, you deconstructionist fools. Just because we're building a straw structure in the middle of October doesn't mean that we're re-enacting an archaic custom that connects us to days of farming yore. In fact, Succot was never agrarian in nature, because we're in a Mediterranean climate here and the harvests are brought in over the course of the year, depending on the produce. Frankly, I am angry at my Reform Hebrew school background that tried to combine Succot with the American Thanksgiving. Stupid Beth Israel. Of course, they also saw it fit to hire a lesbian rabbi, which is such a great affront to basic Jewish morality that misrepresenting Succot can be forgiven.

Succot is about our homeless state as we wandered the desert following the Exodus from Egypt. The succa is a temporary structure that should remind us of our travails on the way to the Promised Land. The actual explanation is that our very existence in the desert is described in the Torah as being under G-d's succa. We were protected by clouds of glory that shaded us from the elements, hid us from our enemies, and absorbed the enemy missiles in times of attack. The clouds were an expression of G-d's caring for us during a time when we had just gotten the Torah and were still confused and weak in the national sense. But it wasn't all benevolence - if we misbehaved or dishonored G-d's name in any way, the clouds would cease their support for us. They never left though. These clouds also gave forth manna, or sustenance, which the clouds rarely withheld.

This concept of the heavens so directly interacting with the Jewish nation is carried into the First Temple Period when G-d's support for the State of Israel is seen as essential, and the phrase "succat David" or "King David's Succa" is used in various prayers and the after-meal blessing. It is meant to recall a time of G-d's total support and of great national strength that we achieved. The other angle here is that the Jewish kingdom was, and still is, frail like a succa, but, if torn down, it could easily be rebuilt. The philosophical point here is that we are very flexible and that no pitfalls are so major so as to break the national spirit. Hashem takes care of the existential survival, even if the collective succa of Israel isn't quite as big and tough-looking as the forts and castles of empires. After all, if G-d wants to cradle us in total safety, why have we not developed a more robust structure to symbolize His protection over us? Because that would be self-deluding. In Jewish thought, Hashem's ultimate power is not used to create a wonderful, safe and happy existence for his chosen people. It's quite different. We are to strive for such an existence ourselves, using the ways that G-d has revealed to us and the ways that we have derived through the study of Kabbalah, which is the spiritual undercurrent of the analytical processes of Jewish scholarship.

Thus, the temporal aspect of the succa under which I am going to eat a ton of hummus and tehina this week, is not just related to the transient episodes in Jewish history. It is also illustrative of a key idea of how our connection to the ultimate Source, which imbues us with the power to make great strides as individuals and as a Jewish nation, is based on our ability to get knocked down and get up again. It's like that crappy song from the late 90's. But in the sense of Jewish progress along a moral path, and not in the sense of getting drunk and still being able to get drunk the next day, which is what the song is about. Every time I am reminded of that song, I think back to the summer of 1999 when I was the greatest lifeguard ever in the JCC of the Greater Hartford area and the JCC's Camp Shalom. Yes, those were my glory days.

I am spending this weekend in Modi'in, which is a nice, brand-spanking new city half-way between Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem. Three brothers, all fellow West Hartfordians and all serving in the IDF, are having me over. We'll talk about how lame our high school was, how much we look down on the Jewish establishment in our "hometown," and what is the best way to kill a terrorist.

Chag Sameach!

2006-10-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur were amazing, thanks to the thousand or so people that packed my yeshiva for services. There were t'filot (prayers), ruach (atmosphere), and ruchaniut (spirituality). Everyone wore white, everyone was on a level above normal, it was quite an experience. My yeshiva is an almost entirely national-religious neighborhood, so there were continually young people, kids and families outside, walking around, going in and out of the numerous synagogues and just hanging out. It was special, and not in a corny sense of the word. On Yom Kippur, there were no cars on the streets, which filled with walkers and bikers. I didn't hurt during the fast. It's much easier to fast when, according to polls, 93% of Israeli Jews fasted yesterday. That's what I call national solidarity. I'll admit that I wasn't praying the entire day like the more committed types. I spent some of the holiest day of the year, wondering about the holiest city in the world. I also entertained a fellow Dartmouth graduate, who also had the cajones to make aliyah and currently resides on a kibbutz up north. He is planning on volunteering for a longer army service, very cool.

We now are about to enter into 7 days of Succot, a holiday based on G-d's plentiful natural bounty. Not the harvest, rather the succor and protection he provides us with, specifically that which kept us alive and safe during the 40 years we wandered in the desert following the harrowing escape from Egypt. Succas, wood-and-straw huts, are going up in people's balconies and yards all over Jerusalem. It is a big mitzva during Succot to eat all one's meals in the succa, and, if possible, to sleep in it as well. After Succot, we have Simchat Torah, when we celebrate the completion of the final Torah portion of the year. The Torah is read in weekly portions, and thus takes a full year to read from beginning to end. I am referring here to the Chumash, the Five Books of Moses, known to my Christian friends as the "Old Testament."

The Chumash covers the period from Creation (take that as you will), through the early peoples, Noah and the flood, to Abraham, the first monotheist and Jew, and the first Jew to make aliyah to Israel, heeding G-d's call. The Chumash continues describing the generations of Isaac and Jacob, Abraham's son and grandson, and Jacob's twelve sons. These twelve sons are the foundation of the 12 Tribes of Israel, and it is they who descend to Egypt and suffer 200 years worth of enslavement there, from about 1500 B.C. to 1300 B.C. Then, Moses takes the Jews out of Egypt and leads them back to Israel. On the way, the Jews get the written and the oral Torah at Mt. Sinai, become a religious nation with a legal code, and are about to enter into Israel when they commit a terrible sin. Of the 12 spies that the Jews send to reconnoiter Eretz Israel, 10 come back with reports that Israel is unconquerable due to the strength of its Caananite inhabitants. The two dissenting opinions are by spies Joshua and Caleb, but the Jews accept the story of the 10. For this, the Jews suffer 40 years in the desert.

When everyone who thus sinned dies, including Moses, the Chumash ends and the Prophets and Writings begin. These works describe the history of the Jews from the crossing of the River Jordan into Eretz Israel, close to where Jericho is located, in about 1250 B.C. At that point they are led by Joshua and Caleb, the only ones spared from the sentence to die in the desert, and commence the conquest of the Land of Israel. Prophets+Writings covers early period of conquest, King David's final conquest of Jerusalem and the outlying areas of Israel, King Solomon's building of the First Temple, and the subsequent history of the Jews in Israel until the destruction of said Temple by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. While Chumash is read over the course of the year, and is considered G-d given, Prophets and Writings are written by contemporary scholars/rabbis and are studied concurrently with the Chumash over the course of the year. The Oral Torah, known as the Mishna, includes detailed explanations of Halacha, Jewish law, and is a staple in yeshiva learning. Talmud, both the Jerusalem and the Babylonian, record 100's of years worth of arguing over points in the Mishna, by the top scholars of the 6th-4th centuries B.C. Talmud is studied by more advanced students and is not necessary for the normal practicing Jew. Easier, and more relevant, is the study of scholarship of the past 2,000 years, which discusses both Jewish law and Jewish philosophy.

I have had a total of 2.5 months of yeshiva at this point and have another month left. I am far from considering myself truly knowledgable, but I hope to have some fundamentals down. Maybe in the future, I will study some more.

Next week, I will go up North with a few friends, if all goes as planned. We will spend time in Tzfat, and will attend a hippy-type festival on the shores of the Kinneret. Israeli love enormous festivals with music and games and general collective goofiness. Having them in open spaces in nature is amazing. Sleeping will occur outside and the weather now is amazing.

And now, a note on economics. Last week the World Economic Forum published its 2006 Economic Competitiveness Index. Israel is now ranked 15th, an improvement on its 23rd spot last year. The USA has dropped from 1st place to 6th, edged out by Switzerland and the Scandinavians. The USA is steadily holding 10th place in the UN's index of living standards, a list in which Israel is in respectable 22nd place. The average monthly salary in Israel is currently 7,633 shekels per month, which is approximately $21,000 per year. On the cost-of-living side of the equation, the average basket of consumer goods and services, including housing, averages to 80% of the cost of that same basket in the US. So life in Israel is cheaper, but seemingly not that much cheaper. But this basket includes fancy-schmancy clothing, regular restaurant outings, supermarket food prices and apartments in urban areas. If you buy cheaper Israeli clothing brands, or lower-end Spanish brands no one ever heard of, and if you chill out on the restaurants and get your food in a shuk (open-air market), the economics tilt much more in your favor. All statistics are by the Central Bureau of Statistics of Israel, and I can confirm from life experience that they aren't lying.

Hence, the only real item of concern is buying a home. Well, I intend to buy "far" from an urban area, because I want space for my money. "Far" in Israel means 30 minutes by car. For some reason most Israelis like to be within 10 minutes of urban activities, which drives up city apartment prices. In Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv and Tel-Aviv's trendy suburbs, a 1000 square foot apartment (that's the average living space in Israel) can run for $200,000-250,000. Such apartments are tend to be 4-room arrangements, with balconies (the average Israeli living space set-up). And yet, that's seems to be OK with homebuyers. I agree these apartments are in nice, new buildings with the right "specs," but it's just not my thing. I would rather pay $120,000-150,000 for a 1,500 square foot, detached house in a rural area in the North, with a garden and little lawn. Coming up with a sizable downpayment, in my opinion, is best done by robbery, chicanery and good old swindling.

There's always the option of living in Judea, Samaria or the Golan Heights, where a 1,500 square foot house can go for $60,000-80,000. You may need slightly larger cajones for that. But the quality of housing for less money is such a draw, that virtually all the children of Jewish residents of Judea, Samaria and the Golan choose to stay in those areas. And there are always new people moving in. On an $80,000 property, $10,000 is a good enough downpayment and the house is yours. This is why the growth of these areas is 5.6% yearly. Way to go Jews. By the time the next left-wing government is voted in, they'll have to plan to evacuate 300,000 Jews in Judea and Samaria and 200,000 Jews in East Jerusalem. Read - task impossible. I spent last Shabbat in a mostly Arab village on the slopes of Mt. of Olives, that has a few Jewish apartment complexes. I can attest to the fact that Jewish property buying in East Jerusalem is proceeding at a decent rate, and the housing cost is very, very reasonable.

Back to salaries. Most people I know here in Israel who have Bachelors degrees or higher, are getting an above average salary. In some fields, way above average. These juicier jobs are in engineering, programming, and anything relating to the technical sciences. Either way, if you have a degree, perseverence and some cajones, the issue of parnassa (making a living) doesn't seem to be a problem. However, well-paying jobs in the government, security and finance fields are totally controlled by an old-boys network from the army, so immigrants who don't have the right IDF background are advised to focus on high-tech, marketing and sales. High-tech is always growing fast, so they'll take anyone who can write a program or whatever those math geeks do. Marketing and sales value flawless English over anything else. Other good options for your IDF-dodging immigrant include the medical field and any one of the plethora of Israel-Diaspora organizations. The latter is not the best salary, but still decent. Finally, there are immigrants who simply have a lot of money and so getting a job is not an issue. Usually, these are people aged 50 plus. I don't envy them. They totally miss out on anything that can remotely be called an Israeli experience and are, in fact, perma-tourists. B'ezrat HaShem, their kids will make worthwhile Israelis.

Anyhow, there are many ways to live in Israel and not die of starvation. Generally, the best thing for most people is to get used to the concepts of one-car-one-family and a-child-doesn't-deserve-his-own-room. It's called BUNK BEDS. That's how Israeli kids are raised and it's good preperation for the army. It also makes them socially more normal. Having your own room your entire childhood is probably why many Americans are depressed and egotistical.

I need to go for a run now. This is Ron Burgundy signing off, and you stay classy, San Diego.

2006-09-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

Question: how many churches can the Arabs burn before the post-Christian Europeans wake up to reality? Answer: as many as they want. The demographic and spiritual gains that are being rapidly made all over Europe by Islam mean that for many European societies it is almost too late to stand up to the Moslems in their midst. Read articles about the growth of the Islamic population in Western Europe and the growing rate of conversion to Islam for some references.

In the Holy Land, meaning Land of Israel west of the Jordan River, prior to the the intensity of the last few generations, the Christians made up about 25% of the population of the area. Today, due to the force and aggression against them in formerly Christian towns such as Bethlehem in Judea, the number of Christians has shrunk to the point of being negligible. This is the untold story of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Samaria and Judea have been Islamicized almost completely, and this was not the case as recently as 50 years ago. Most of these Christians left to Europe and the US. There are still a few left to tend to the Christian holy sites and they are protected because of the interests of tourism. Does the Christian world, of both Europe and North America, care about this? No, not really. Most of them are too busy thinking that being a secular atheist is the answer to the world's problems. Yes, lets eliminate our spiritual heritage and become totally focused on "logical" means to deal with the world around us. Sure, that makes plenty of sense. It's not like the spiritual vacuum could possibly be filled by something powerful and dangerous like Islam. No, no, that can't be the case. Those Arabs will learn the wonders of secular socialism and the guaranteed moral and economic decline it leads to and all will be well! People are so deluded.

Politically, we are all here hoping for elections as early as the beginning of 2007. Kadima has lost a lot of its support and Netanyahu's popularity is on the rise. The fact that he's right-wing both politically and economically is a great thing, and I hope he'll take the top job in the not-too distant future. We need more tax cuts, spending cuts, and we need to break up more monopolies and create more opportunities for small businesses. We also need to be stronger in the face of the greater Islamic threat, which includes conducting frequent anti-terror operations to keep our enemies weak and disorganized. It's a difficult and dirty job, the IDF is up to the task. All it needs is a leadership that understands that the answer to our problems don't lie in EU support and UN pieces of paper, but rather in practical, terror-reducing action. A good public relations campaign is crucial as well, but a big part of that is a government that acts with a strong moral purpose and not with wishy-washy European-esque nuance. The former is effective and garners long-term respect, while the latter is pathetic and damages our deterrent capability.

I am learning a lot more than I did in the summer with regard to Torah, Talmud and philosopy. I guess the more you know the easier it is to learn even more. The reality is that I can do this for a year straight and become very knowledgable, (3 years and I can get ordained as a rabbi), but I need to do other things with my time as well. There will always be time for part-time study, which is comforting. Rosh Hashana is this Saturday and Sunday, which means a lot of prayer, a lot of time for self-reflection. We are to ask forgiveness for our sins, although forgiveness is only granted if the person repents completely in his heart. You cannot say one thing and feel another in your heart and think that G-d can't figure it out. He's got a direct line to your heart and only 100% repentance will be accepted. We are also to pray for all the good things that we want for ourselves, our families and the Nation of Israel in general in the upcoming year of 5767. We may not see direct answers to our prayers, but that is because G-d knows the best way to move the world forward and oftentimes our prayers are answered, but in ways that may be hidden from our eyes. Hence, prayer is a powerful tool for uplifting oneself and humanity. Of course, prayer has to be primarily focused on getting the strength to improve ourselves, and not just begging G-d for this or that favor.

I will be spending part of the Rosh Hashana holiday at Rav Moshe Kaplan's home. He's a big-time Kabbalist and teaches at my yeshiva. His lectures are amazing and he's one of the leading Jewish scholars of the late 20th/early 21st centuries. I am very honored. Let me say that with all my current learning, I am probably not going to become nearly as religious as many of my readers think I will. There are many levels of religiosity and as of right now, I don't know if I can be where many of my co-students are. Maybe that is a good thing, I don't know. I am just trying to learn as much as I can. After all, the quest for knowledge, both practical and spiritual, is what our short little lives are about. If you don't care for the truth and are not looking for it, then what's the point of life? Secular entertainment and fleeting pleasures are fun, but lowly compared to the ultimate pleasure that our soul seeks, whether we pay attention to its search or not.

2006-09-18T05:02:00.000-07:00

I am finally home! I loved every minute I spent in the US. There's a lot of love from my family and friends, and there are few things better in this world than to have a large group of people giving you solid moral support. But, due to my genetic fortune, or misfortune as the case may be, the Jew in me considers Israel my true home. The US was a nice rest stop, and it sure is a great cash cow, but it is not mine. When the plane I hit the runway in Israel, I felt a rush of unique pleasure. Even though the plane was full of Israelis, and my re-introduction to the Land already began as we lifted off from JFK, it was only when we touched ground that I felt fully embraced by Eretz Israel.

Since I've gotten back home, things have been going well. I spent last Shabbat with my yeshiva (jewish learning institute). We took a bus down to Gush Etzion on Friday morning. This is a Jewish area south of Jerusalem, where we hiked the Judean Hills with a great guide who wove modern and ancient Israeli history into the hike. He brought us to a natural mikve (ritual pool/bath) that was created by digging a tunnel into the side of a hill. Apparently, the Judean and Samarian hills have a certain type of rock in their core that acts like a sponge and retains water from hundreds if not thousands of years worth of rain. These aquifers are amazing structures that are totally underused by Israel, mostly due to the political reality. Regardless, local Gush Etzion folk found a tunnel that was dug into a hill and directed the water spouting out of it into a shoulder on the side of the same hill where they constructed a mikve. It's popular with people of all ages, but, of course, men and women use it at separate times. Can't have the opposite sexes checking each other out, it may cause impure thoughts. And if you've seen the kind of hotties that habitate Israel, you'd be full of impure thoughts anyways, so no need to exacerbate the situation. The water, by the way, was extremely cold.

After a bit more hiking, we boarded the bus and continued further south, to the city of Hevron. Immediately next to Hevron is the 9,000-strong Jewish town of Kiryat Arba, where we were got set up in some nice dorms. We changed into our Shabbat clothes and walked over to the Ma'arat Ha'Machpela, the Cave of the Patriarchs. It's in Hevron, but literally 300 meters from the border of Kiryat Arba. Hevron itself is in the following situation. 20% of the city, including the Cave of the Patriarchs and other Jewish historic and holy sites, are under the full control of Israel. There are 1,000 Jews who live in this part of Hevron, in several little neighborhoods that are dispersed throughout predominantly empty buildings. These buildings were Jewish property from time immemorial until 1929, when the Arab rioters killed 67 Jews, injured 70, expelled the rest, and took over the property. The Brits, in control at the time, it must be noted, did nothing to prevent this atrocity from occuring. In 1967, subsequent to Israel's victory and conquest of Judea and Samaria from Jordan, Jews moved back into Hevron. There was a fair amount of violence, and the majority of the Arabs who had moved into this part of Hevron after 1929 left to other parts of the city. The Jews who live in Hevron are very idealistic and have zero fear of the Arabs. Of the 1,000 Jews who live in this 20% of Hevron today, 560 are children.

The empty buildings are the subjects of numerous legal actions. Right-wing organizations are suing that the State hand over ownership to Jews, since they were unjustly expelled in 1929 and the property was siezed by force. Left-wing organizations are counter-suing that what happened prior to 1967 doesn't matter, and that the salient fact is that Israel conquered the area in 1967 and the then-residents were Arabs, hence they should be allowed back into said properties. The other 80% of the Hevron came under Palestinian Authority control as a result of the Oslo Accords. This part of Hevron is home to 200,000 Arabs. About 80% of the Arab males are members of Hamas, so it would be a serious understatement to call this a Hamas stronghold. The IDF cordones the 20% off from the 80% and unless you're totally insane or suicidal, you cannot go into the 80%. It is, as our tour guide simply put it, a one-way ticket. Back to my story...

We did Kabbalat Shabbat, the welcoming of the Sabbath, in the Cave of the Patriarchs. Aside from our yeshiva, there were three other yeshivas there, as well as local Jewish residents. The "Cave" is actually the underground part of this holy site, and it is there that the patriarchs and some of the matriarchs of the Jews are buried. You have all read the Bible, so you know who they are. Above the cave compound there is a large building, parts of if being built by various rulers of this land. In it are mock-ups of the patriarchs' graves and several prayer halls, study rooms and other such areas for Jews to hang out. Kabbalat Shabbat was incredibly uplifting and possibly one of my most powerful spiritual experiences. The situation in Hevron, even the Jewish area, is not totally safe, and the IDF soldiers there were definitely protecting us. Through the soldiers' merit, thousands of people can worship at our second holiest site.

We then had the Shabbat meal, got a bit boozed up and passed out. Saturday during the day we did a walking tour of Hevron with a rabbi who elucidated the significance of the various archeological digs and of the Jewish community's attempt for a legitimate and normal way of life. Since it was Shabbat, all the families were outside playing with their kids and we met with them, asked them questions and I believe we were all impressed with their level of dedication. After motzei Shabbat, the "going out" of the Sabbath, we took the bus back up to Jerusalem. Right now, I am busy creating cash out of thin air and doing some IDF-related things.

Bit'o'philosophy: I had a tremendously long class today that explained Kabbalistic thought with regard to Jewish practice, spirituality and living in Israel. Kabbala scholarship has always existed in Israel and only in Israel. The reason for this is that although there is a way for a learned Jew to develop Judaism intellectually while located in the Diaspora, the Babylonian Talmud being the crowning achievement of Diaspora Jewish thought, spiritual development in Judaism can only occur in Eretz Israel itself. The intellectual works that we study in yeshiva are from both Israel-based and Diaspora-based scholars. Of course, during the nearly 2,000 of exile, more scholars were in the Diaspora by default. However, once we enter the spiritual realm of the Zohar, Kabbala's major treatise, and other scholarship pertaining to the highest level of Jewish thought, we are 100% immersed in Israel-based knowledge.

The philosophy that envelopes everything from your weekly Torah portion to the blessing you say over the wine cup of Shabbat to the prayer services to the holidays, etc., maintains that there are certain objective times and places. Meaning: the world is mostly a subjective reality that we perceive with our senses, some physical and some intellectual. However, the spiritual world, even while being metaphysical and hence more difficult to understand, contains powerful elements of the objective concepts of time and place. The Land of Israel is an objectively physical place, one that was granted to the Jews by G-d, who Himself exists objectively. This means that spiritual progress can happen only in our Homeland, even if intellectual progress can occur just about anywhere. Although since the creation of modern Israel, virtually all intellectual Jewish progress has been happening right here in Israel, by the way. And many of the top pre-State scholars lived in Israel, such as Ramban and Rav Yehuda HaLevy, the author of the Kuzari. The Arizal alone is worth half the scholarship of the Diaspora and he lived in 18th century Tsfat. Of course, the Cook family, which is Jewish scholarship's equivalent of Einstein and the early physicists, live in Israel. I know there are a lot of vocab words being dropped here, so you'll have to pardon me or look them up.

But why the concept of an objective idea as the starting point for any sort of progress? Just as the Jewish understanding of G-d and His interacation with the world develops from the starting point that we accept His existance, so does the entire spiritual content of Judaism develop from the starting point that Israel is the center of Jewish spiritual reality. As Jews, we don't accept the post-modern concept of total subjectivity of all existence, best articulated by those pesky 19th century German and French philosophers. We believe that this approach, which underpins modern secular culture, leads to circular thinking and doesn't allow for logical consistency. We, the crazy Jews, believe that there are certain objective realities in the Universe which we must accept at the outset in order to seek out truth in all things in a consistently logical way. It's a lot like mathematics. No mathematician can do an equation, on any level, unless he, consciously or subconsciously, accepts that the integer 1 and the void of zero are objective realities. Only then can he work forward in the development of different levels of mathematics. Hence, Judaism can only claim to be logical if we, like mathematicians, start our thought process with an objectively extant basis.

Got it? Good. Now go say a prayer or something. And don't eat seafood and pork. I can't blame you if you eat eel though. It's prohibited, and there's a good Kabbalistic reason for it. But from what I recall, eel is so delicious that it's ridiculous. If I break down in my observance level, the first thing I'll do is eat eel sushi. Then I'll break my perfect shomer negia streak. I am doing well so far though. As for you, well, do what you can and your spirit will tell you when and how to progress. If you want good Torah/Jewish commentary, read www.israelnationalnews.com, they have a section 1/3 of the way down the main page on the left hand side that is succinct and excellent in relaying solid Jewish thought. If you're not Jewish, then go ahead and pound your lobster and eel. Lucky ba$!@rd.

2006-09-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

The big question in Israel now is - whose heads are going to roll in the aftermath of the war with Hizbollah? There's a widespread consensus that the government acted slowly, hesitantly and irresponsibly during the war. There's also a consensus that some of the generals have gotten too comfortable in their jobs and neglected key aspects of Israel's defense, namely the reserve system. There will also have to be answers given as to why the new missle defense system for tanks that is capable of countering the Russian Kornet anti-tank system was not added to the Merkava's arsenal. What use is a new technology if the only people using are scientists? There were also several mishaps during infantry assaults which are embarrassing. And lets not forget how the enemy used media broadcasts, which featured IDF units against landmarks easily recognizable by anyone who knows the terrain. This flare-up that has caused so much internal political damage to the government, has allowed the enemy to get a diplomatic victory with a "cease-fire," and that set the stage for a larger battle in the future can yet be used for the good of Israel.

In studying the errors of the 34 days, Israel can improve itself and face the enemy much better prepared, both with the right military hardware and with a more focused and resolute mindset. There is little doubt that Hizbollah will strike again and that Iran and Syria will continue to supply it with arms and money. There's also little doubt that the next Israeli government to be voted in will act in a manner befitting of a sovereign state defending itself. Netanyahu and the rest of the right must rise to the occassion. The alternative is gradual military defeat and a parallel national decline. And faithful readers of my blog know by now that such a disaster cannot happen for both practical reasons and for loftier spiritual ones.

2006-08-24T00:27:00.000-07:00

Let me quickly rip on Chabad. I tried to learn with a Chabad fellow here in the Chabad house of West Hartford. The rabbi here has impeccable credentials and I have attended prayers, so I figured I'd learn a bit. Well, after being schooled in Religious-Zionism, which is modern Orthodoxy's ideological wing, I can no longer respect ultra-Orthodox Jews in the way that I used to. As great as it is that someone with years in yeshiva can remember which commentators are connected to which sources, the theological foundation that has been the thrust of Jewish learning since the destruction of the 2nd Temple cannot be cast aside by a belief in the holiness of the Rebbe's interpretations. His interpretations are an opinion of one sub-sect of the ultra-Orthodox world, a world which has, in the past 100 years, created a warped version of 19th century Eastern European shtetl life and has built a Jewish philosophy that denies modern-day Israel. It is no wonder to me why the 5 million Israeli Jews who don't wear black hats dislike, or even hate, the half a million Israeli Jews who do. The ultra-orthodox are aggressively propogating an anti-Zionist message and undermining the State. This is all premised on the misguided belief that Moshiach will come and take care of everything as long as they pray hard enough, and nothing else matters. Prayer gives strength and Torah learning allows us to understand the ways of the world. But these two practices don't directly cause Moshiach's coming. What they do directly affect is our ability as Jews to build a successful 3rd state, a 3rd Temple and a society based on Torah law. That's the whole f*#%-ing point of Judaism. I can't learn Torah with someone who doesn't accept 2,000 years of Orthodox Jewish scholarship, but does enjoy cute feel-good sayings by cult-like leaders. Yes, we all like Chassidut, but it's not a substitute for the fundamentals of Judaism.

Jews have to realize that we have the power to change things because we can act in the Land of Israel like no one else can. In Eretz Israel, we have amazing powers. The world obsesses over us because they know that we are the vanguard. One positive act in Israel revertebrates around the world with greater effect than if it had been performed anywhere else. A negative act can have the same disproportionate effect. If being an intelligent observer of current events isn't enough to convince one of that, refer to the Bible. This is why it is imperative for Jews to build the kind of government and society in Israel that the Torah demands. And pretending like it's 19th century Poland, while scamming money off the government and dodging the draft is not helping in achieving that goal. I don't understand how people can read the sacred texts, pervert their meaning and then get away with presenting themselves as Torah-true Jews. These people are an embarrassment to Israel. And their fellow black-hatters in the Diaspora... well, it's clear what I feel, so I can stop writing.

2006-08-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

After some quality time on the beaches of Long Island Sound, I am ready for the sights and sounds of NYC, my former home. Is there any place like it?

With the "war" being "over" the IDF is gearing up for a bigger conflict to come. Congratulations Olmert and your group of special friends. You sucked up to the French and their sleazy partners ("partners" indeed) and you have gained nothing diplomatically or security-wise for Israel. You did allow Netanyahu to get some quality appearances and to start to rebuild the strength and confidence of the Right. For that, all Israelis should be thankful. Now, demented socialist policies are even less likely to be implemented and not even those on the fence will allow Avoda (Israel's main left-wing party) to wreck the economy. However, you did mismanage the war, you tied the hands of the IDF at every turn, and you sacrificed 120 soldiers for a meaningless ceasefire. But there's more afoot than that.

There is serious upheaval in the IDF, as the reservists cite the unpreparedness, the confusion about how to use the reserve units in battle, and the mismanagement of the refresher courses. Everything is being dealt with as a result of the scuffle with Hizbollah. Meanwhile, the politicians are trying to stay low, hoping the people don't notice who the real criminals are. The Israeli voter may have been swayed in the past by the left-wing media and by illogical populist rhetoric, but a war reminds those with common sense that they should use reason and logic when they vote. And not the kind of crypto-Marxist, internationalist hogwash propogated by the looney leftist elites. Rather, voters will choose the view points of the nationalist and religious-nationalist leaders, for whom Zionism and basic Jewish patriotism are core values. Of course, Likud, Israel Beiteinu, and Mafdal-National Union have to unite and stop splitting up the solid right-wing majority with ther incessant bickering.

The chattering classes scorn the very ideas that built Israel, that are continuing to build it and that work day and night to keep Israel secure and strong. The post-modern, nihilistic, pleasure-oriented emotional ride that characterizes the trendy fools of today's empty secularism has completely missed the essence of what is actually going on in Israel and the world at large.

There's a struggle between Judeo-Christian values and Islamic values. Secularists and atheists, as well-meaning as they are, can only disrupt the West's efforts. There are still plenty of Westerners who know that our way is right, and Ahmadinejad and company are wrong. If only we can push the the weakening forces aside, the West will contain and diminish the enemy, and we will continue to lead the world. But due to our inner desire for personal pleasure and total denial of that which is meaningful, there is, sadly, a chance that we will fold and Islamofascists will gradually deplete our resources until we fall to our knees. In that eventuality, I will flee to a remote log cabin in the Canadian Rockies and hope that it all blows over.

2006-08-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

Cease-fire. There are some skirmishes but it seems to be holding thus far. Of course, the root issues of the conflict between Hizbollah and Israel have not been resolved. Syria and Iran have been left unpunished for their ongoing support for Hizbollah, and Hizbollah is as insistent on its ultimate goal of destroying Israel as ever before. In a day, a week, a month, a year the conflict will resume. I doubt Olmert's government will hold together for very long after the internal politics start dissecting the aftermath of this past month.

On a personal note, I will be starting my job in October. There's 95% certainty of this, I just have one little bit of paperwork to do when I get back, and it will be settled. Public relations. Baruch Hashem.

2006-08-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

In the past week, I've spent lots of time with family and friends, including a wonderful wedding on Saturday night. Unfortunately, I can only enjoy myself when I compartmentalize reality. Because for me the reality is that my Jewish brothers are falling in combat. I am in deep pain. But there's little that can be done to alter the reality of having a large, well-armed, well-trained enemy force, supported by Syria and Iran, fighting for the destruction of Israel. They have their goals and they have clearly stated them over the years. "The Zionist entity will be destroyed." This is their call, their belief and they are not backing down. They brought the war to us and now we have to defend ourselves.

I can only enjoy being with friends and family when I set aside the reality of life in Israel. My heart and soul are there, and I can't wait to get back. My prayers don't have the same effect here as they do in Israel. In Israel, I am closer to the source. The essence of Jewish belief places Israel in the center of all observance and prayer.

Most Jews in the US don't care. They live in denial of Israel's spiritual power. And if they do care and do realize what Israel means to Judaism as a religion and to the Jews as a people, then they are unwilling to put the proverbial money where their mouth is. I know that not all Jews are supposed to come back to Israel. Many are meant to remain in the Diaspora, where they will either assimilate or give birth to children who will do what their parents couldn't. But I cannot be happy or content with their lack of desire, lack of Zionism. Without Zionism, Judaism is an empty shell, with empty rituals. I try to practice Ahavat Israel - the love of all Jews, but I know deep inside that I may never master this one trait. Other believing Jews, who can understand the significance of every Jew, will have to pick up Ahavat Israel one extra notch to make up for the likes of me. But I can never look at the unfair distribution of Jewish responsibility and say that there's a purpose to it. The hardcore Zionists win the argument in my mind.

I may make nasty comments about left-wingers in Israel, but they are closer to me and to my spirituality than the most learned Orthodox in the US. The secular, tatooed, left-wing Tel-Aviv club-goer is my dearest brother. The fully observant, Torah-knowledgable American Jew is a distant cousin, on a low spiritual level. When a secular Israeli tells me that he doesn't need to observe Shabbat because he lives in Israel and that's enough of an expression of his Judaism, I cannot say that he is completely wrong. The greatest Brooklyn rebbe cannot be compared to the secular kibbutznik who risks his life for Israel. I believe this absolutely.

2006-08-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

You have all read about Israel's war with Hizbollah, no need to rehash. 10 reservists were killed today by a rocket strike, z"l, a heavy blow for the IDF. I have made a lot of harsh statements about the Israeli government in this blog, blaming them for not running the war properly. I still feel that they need to stand up to the UN and to the US by doing whatever it is that will make Israel safe. The only people who know how to do that are IDF generals. The politicians should just lay low and let the military obliterate the enemy without sending out mixed messages. Every time an Israeli politician says "ceasefire" or "international peacekeeping force," they are undermining IDF morale. The IDF is revved up and ready to win, and if only they would be left out of the political bickering, win they shall. But I fear that politics will constrain the IDF, as has been the case for the past three weeks. Who really knows what is at stake in the back rooms of international diplomacy?

In my own little world - I got new running shoes, Nike Huaraches. A bit retro, but they are light and feel great. It's neutral shoe, which means that it doesn't have any support for someone with overpronating issues. Turns out that my feet don't pronate, but they do supinate moderately. They don't make shoes that help supinators, so I am best served with a shoe that is neutral and doesn't have any variances in its construction. I ran for three weeks, took a week off (which is recommended in the beginning of a program), and now I am back on track.

I don't have a set system of running, I just do whatever I feel like doing, three times a week. I have found that I like to do one long run, one fartlek run and one sprint session. I precede each session with a 10 minute jog and 10 minutes of stretching to warm up. The long run session is, as of now, 2.5-3 miles. I intend to build it up to 6 miles. This run is basically to condition your lower legs and to develop an endurance foundation by getting your body used to the build-up of lactic acid. It should be done at a comfortable pace. The fartlek run - "fartlek" means speedplay in Finnish and is a continuous run where you alternate jogging with higher speed portions. How often you speed up, for how long, and to what velocity is up to you. This alternation of slow and fast confuses your cardiorespiratory system, and this shock causes the body to adapt by improving stamina. The sprint session is generally a series of 400s with a minute and a half rest in between. This type of workout builds the ability to maintain a decent level of speed over longer distances. Of course "sprinting" for 400 meters is not actually sprinting, it's more like a 80% effort run.

In order to get faster, I need to also cut some fat. Apparently, assuming stamina and speed parameters remain constant, every pound equals 2 extra seconds in one's mile pace. My momma's cooking is good, that's one of the key advantages of visiting home, but I have to cut back so I could become the speedster I was meant to be. Muscle mass is also a hinderance. I used to lift in my glory days, and although I haven't touched a weight since April 2005, I am still carrying too much muscle for my frame. My pectorals, as anyone who knows me can attest, are freakishly strong. Maybe not like they used to be when I benched 225 lbs for 7 reps, but still too big. My latissimus dorsi are also oversized - I used to do nearly the entire stack on the lat pull and the seated cable row. According to the exercise physiologists, for someone with my impressive height of 5 feet 7.5 inches, I have to weigh about 135 lbs if I want to be the best runner I can be in the 1 to 2 mile distances. I am currently 149 lbs, so if I could get to 145 by Labor Day, I would be happy as a clam. Which, by the way, is not kosher.

Of course, I don't intend toget down to 135 lbs. Becoming that light would mean getting rid of too much upper body muscle mass. If I could do a 5:30 mile and a 20:00 5km by about November, I'd be totally satisfied. Considering how fat and out of shape your average Ameircan male is, I'd be a rare specimen if I could run at those speeds. But I want to be an OK runner, not a serious one. After all, serious runners are too scrawny-looking. Speaking of your average American male aged 18-35, he is 5'9.5", weighs 180 lbs, and has 25% bodyfat. That means the lean body mass is just 135 lbs, so an ideal weight would be 150 lbs, which would mean 10% bodyfat. Clearly the average male needs to lose 30 lbs of fat and put on some muscle. There is lots of variation off the mean, but these are telling statistics nonetheless. People need to get their body fat checked and start running and doing calisthenics. Fitness clubs are a total waste of money. Heed my advice people.

2006-08-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

As is evident to anyone paying attention, the IDF operations in Lebanon are expanding on a daily basis. There are now over 10,000 troops on the other side of the border, and more and more villages are being cleared of Hizbollah. 36 IDF soldiers have now lost their lives battling the enemies of the Jewish State, z"l, but great progress has been made. A daring special forces raid deep into Northeastern Lebanon yielded 10 dead and 5 captured Hizbollah operatives. Hopefully, the information gleaned from these prisoners can be useful in battling our wily enemy. So far, the IDF estimates 300-400 Hizbollah fighters have been killed. This is a good start, but much more needs to be done.

I am currently on a visit to the US and I find it extremely lonely and depressing to be here. There are many people whom I love, but the place itself, and virtually everyone in it, lives on what might as well be a different planet. Israel is a world that is completely misunderstood by people who get their information from TV and news sties. Israel is a complex, rich life with infinite aspects that no one outside of the Land is privy to. The possibilities for Jewish spiritual growth dwarf every other place on Earth, and the ability to put one's Judaism into action is truly powerful.

The American Jewish community is a spiritually weak, slowly deteriorating population that cannot help but be influenced by the non-Jewish forces that dominate all aspects of American life. Judaism in America is a feel-good hobby that can be practiced to different degrees based on an individual's preferences. That makes Judaism hardly more meaningful that long-term hiking trips and Buddhist meditation. Secular American Jews don't know Torah, so I can only have limited ill-will towards them. But Orthodox American Jews, who learn Torah, who pray regularly, who know what Judaism says about Israel, are consciously avoiding the basic essentials of Jewish belief by continuing to live in New York and Chicago and other places. They hold to the idea that Torah is great no matter where you are and you can lead a Jewish life anywhere. They continue to live under the same philosophy that sustained the Jews BEFORE the reality of Israel's existence. But now, with G-d clearly setting up what He outlines in the Torah as the crucial stage in Jewish life, with the clearly outlined "ingathering of the exiles" taking place before our very eyes, with Israeli Jewry growing by leaps and bounds while Jewry elsewhere is stagnating and decreasing, with physical and spiritual advances happening in Israel that cannot occur in the Diaspora, how can believing Jews still assert that being dispersed is a legitimate way to be Jewish?

Read the Torah, read any commentator who has withstood the test of time, and you will see that Zionism is the essence of Judaism and Judaism is an empty shell without it. Before Israel was a possibility, Zionist thought existed only in prayers and Torah and Talmud classes. Today, Zionism is being realized in both the physical and spiritual reality. The sooner Diaspora Jews wake up and smell the coffee, the quicker will Israel's growth and development be. Israeli Jewry is growing, already at 5.35 million and going strong with high birthrates and a net positive immigration balance. 51% of first and second graders are in religious schools, and soon, Torah-true Jewish life will be the reality for the majority of adult Israelis as well. Secular Zionism is slowly coming together with religious Zionism and Am Israel is only strengthened by the ongoing military situations. You have to be there to believe it. The Israeli economy is growing despite the war, investments are strong, and the stock market is solid. Our enemies cannot destroy Israel in any way.

What about demography? Read www.pademographics.com for how the Arabs have been fooling us with their clever mathematics and to learn about the true demographic picture.

Am Israel is moving forward, and the obstacles do not impede the grand strategic progress. American Jews must wake up and join in, or else they will be relegated to the dustbin of Jewish history.

2006-07-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

You are not going to hear this in the news tomorrow, but I am in East Jerusalem right now, and I am listening to serious gun fire going down. This is not a celebration, but a fire fight. Most likely, an arrest went awry and broke down into an old-fashioned gunfight, but with automatic weapons. It's a beatiful night and the bullets make for relaxing music.

2006-07-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

The fighting in Bint Jbeil has claimed the lives of eight Israeli infantryment, z"l, and several dozen have been wounded. Sadly, the price the IDF is paying is necessary in order to kill as many Hizbollah as possible. While exact numbers are not available, the IDF estimates they've killed around 100 Hizbollah guerillas. This means there's a 1:4 ratio of every Israeli soldier killed to every enemy killed. Relative to the total dominance the IDF has in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, it's clear that Hizbollah is an opponent that's going to extract a heavy price. The Arabs in Jerusalem, citizens of Israel by the way, are celebrating. I can hear them shooting in the air as I write this. If someone handed me a .50 caliber machine gun and half a ton of ammunition, would I open up the village across the little valley? That size caliber easily goes through walls.

The reason why the IDF is losing as many people as it's losing, and this has to be highlighted, is because the Israeli government doesn't allow the IDF to flatten houses in villages. The IDF has to leave most of the structures in place, and can only call in artillery and air strikes if they are 100% that a house has terrorists within. Since intelligence is never perfect, most of the time infantryment enter homes without knowing who is inside and if they armed. So, at the cost of IDF soldiers' lives, we are limiting civilian casualties. WHY?!? This pathetic obsession with preserving "innocent" life is draining our resources and it's completely pointless.

What may not be well-reported abroad is that the miliumnikim, reservists, are being called up in ever increasing numbers. The ground combat in Lebanon is expanding and the IDF needs more and more infantry. It's simply impossible to see everything from the air, as southern Lebanon is very mountainous, full of trees and thick growth, and has an infinite number of crevices and caves.

Am Israel, the Nation of Israel, is responding well. There are flags everywhere, people are completely united, and all around my hometown of Jerusalem I see two great posters, both with flags in the background: "Hezek v'Emetz!" and "Anachnu Ninatzeach!" - meaning "Strength and Courage!" and "We will be victorious!"

To someone not in Israel right now that may sound like cheesy lines from old movies. But if you were here, you'd feel good walking down the street and being reminded that we, as a nation, have huge cajones and that we need not fear. The million and half residents of the north are braving the Hizbollah rocket onslaught with exemplary steadfastness. Lets not forget that in American terms, that's the equivalent of 75 million citizens living under rocket threat and living life in and out of bomb shelters. No small thing.

But Israeli Jews are completely unique group of people, and the way they are handling themselves is impressive. The connection and the identification with the IDF is very strong, since everyone has served or is going to serve, and everyone has friends and family currently serving. That makes war a national effort, and not the far-off adventure by a small warrior caste, which is the American way of waging war. Casualties in Israel are a very personal thing, while in the US, the three thousand dead in Iraq and G-d knows how many wounded are a total non-issue for the 99% of the population that aren't "military families." This distinction between the great civilian masses and the small warrior class makes the US an extremely bizarre, disconnected society. Israel is continually 'megabeshet' meaning - it's 'crystallizing.' This is the concept in Hebrew of coming together and strengthening bonds. In the US, this idea is totally alien as a national experience. The "coming together" after 9/11 is totally incomparable to what I am talking about.

2006-07-24T02:43:00.000-07:00

Five soldiers from the elite Sayeret Egoz were killed recently z"l. A dozen soldiers were injured in fighting today. To the best of my knowledge, there are units from all infantry brigades operating on the border or within Lebanon. The active duty parts of each infantry unit have been moved to the North, while the reserve portions are taking over duties in the West Bank. However, the massing of infantry is reaching such a scale now that many reservists will also be sent to Lebanon. So far, the fighting has claimed almost 40 Israeli lives, soldiers and civilians. While I am sure that my readers can read all these facts on their own, I need to make it a point to recognize the physical loss my people are suffering.

The current IDF strategy is a mixture of bombing infrastructure, with the attendant collateral damage, and of attacking Hizbollah positions with tanks and infantry. Sadly, Hizbollah has had 6 years of total quiet in order to build themselves up. Ever since Israel signed the Oslo Accords in 1993, we have been in withdrawal mode. The 1990's saw Israel create the "Palestinian Authority" in the West Bank and Gaza and to grant them large areas of complete local sovereignty. To make things worse, Israel provided the PA forces with arms in order to suppress the terror groups. Of course, there's no distinction between the PA, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and all the rest of them. The weapons gifted by Israel to the Arabs were quickly turned on Israel herself. Terror attacks pressured the Israeli government to give up more and more land. In 2000, in the zenith of "land-for-peace", Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon, to the joy of leftists everywhere.

Soon after that withdrawal in May of 2000, Arafat gave the order for the Al-Aqsa Intifada, which began promptly in September of that year. Three years of bloodshed followed, until Israel hit the Arabs with great force and closed off the West Bank and Gaza. However, terror continued, albeit on a smaller scale, and Israel gradually succumbed to international pressure to give up on all of Gaza and to evacuate the 8,000 Jews who lived there. While many perceived this as a great way to jettison a troublesome area, people with a brain knew that the disengagement from Gaza would embolden our enemies. Indeed, after Israel withdrew from 100% of Gaza in August 2005, the Arabs there commenced firing Kassam rockets into Israel proper, ruining the lives of tens of thousands of civilians. Since the communities affected were small and not politically influential, and since Israel didn't want to appear unnecessarily belligerent, our government did nothing. The government also did nothing while Hizbollah strengthened itself with Syrian and Iranian help, right in front of they eyes of IDF troops on the northern border.

After a fake sense of relative calm, Hizbollah, which has publically admitted to fully coordinating its operations with Hamas, struck Israel in the North. Israel now finds itself fighting a mediocre force in Gaza and a large, well-equipped and well-prepared force along the Lebanese border. How this was not predicted by the brilliant left-wingers who run our government, I cannot say. Their desire to please the international community in general and the Europeans in particular was so powerful, that they completely forgot that their primary job isn't to make a French businessman feel confident enough to sign a contract with an Israeli firm, but rather to make sure Israeli civilians aren't getting shelled by enemy forces.

Luckily, part of the ruling elite has been awakened from their brief embrace with the anti-semites who run most Western countries, and has realized that no one could care less if Israel pleases or doesn't please the UN, and that the world is perfectly content to grant Hizbollah at least as much legitimacy in action as the IDF. In such a case, why waste diplomatic resources and precious time with useless discussions? No cease-fire is needed, no half-effective solution should be called for. No exchange of hundreds of terrorists for soldiers who are most likely killed should be arranged. Israel needs to assert its sovereign right to demolish anyone who attacks its civilians on their national soil. If this means setting Lebanon back a few decades economically, so be it. After all, the Lebanese government has a duty under basic international law to be in full control of all military forces on its soil, and not to allow an army supported by foreign governments to operate freely in its southern regions. The Lebanese chose a shaky agreement with Nasrallah instead of fighting him. To think that they actually believed that he would sit quitely and not cause a major conflict with Israel is naive. The Lebanese government, as any other government in the region knows what Hizbollah's goals are, and that they will stop at nothing to achieve them. Periods of quiet are only an opportunity for Hizbollah to prepare for the next outbreak of war.

The average Lebanese resident, especially if he's a Christian or a Druze, has no desire to suffer the consequences of Hizbollah's war with Israel. But, if they choose to live in Lebanon, they should be combatting Hizbollah. Instead, they preferred an illusion of calm, and are now supposed to sit back and watch Israel bleed as it takes on an enemy that the Lebanese should have be fighting on their own? Lebanon needs to take responsibility for having a rogue army in their country, and needs to side with Israel in this war, instead of trying to suck up to the Europeans with requests for aid, and trying to suck up to the Arab world by pretending to be the victims of Israeli aggression. The sob stories of innocent Arabs who happen to have terrorists living next to them and amongst them have to end. No normal country would allow such a situation to occur. All violent force has to be under the monopoly of a single central authority that has full responsibility for using it. Terrorist organizations undermine this idea, and Arab regimes, if they want to ever be perceived by Israel and the world at large as at least somewhat normal, need to suppress any and all tendencies within their countries for terrorist organizations. Regimes that themselves are nurturing terror groups, such as Syria and Iran, of course need to be wiped out.

With regard to Syria and Iran, I hope that Israel strikes Syria as soon as possible, disabling infrastructure and crippling its military. This will significantly decrease the financial and logistical support that Hizbollah relies upon. The Iranian regime also needs to be struck, specifically its key infrastructure and military installations. Hizbollah will thus find itself isolated and under-supplied. Hopefully the dismemberment of the Syrian and Iranian regimes will lead to internal revolutions and upheavals in those nations. Let them fight it out, on religious or ethnic grounds. Israel and the US can then support with arms shipments whichever side is likely to be least of a threat if it were to claim power. If it so happens that Iran, which is composed of several large ethnic groups, splits into multiple countries, then so be it. Stability is a silly concept that has been used by left-wingers in the West to allow corrupt and violent regimes to remain in power. Stability is not an inherently desirable goal. Until this concept seeps into the thick skulls of Westerners, the Islamists will continue to cause problems well into the future.

2006-07-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Two soldiers were killed yesterday in infantry combat near the northern border, z"l. Dozens have been injured, including six today. Those who were killed belonged to Sayeret Maglan, an elite unit. The combat is going well on the whole, but every human life is precious to the State of Israel, so it's hard to see the successes through the pain of loss. But in order to win, more lives will be lost, both civilian and military. In case it's not clear to any of my readerst that I hate the left wing here's another logical statement that your typical socialist idiot would disagree with: There are no reasons that could stand up to clear logic that would lead any rational person to believe that Israel doesn't have the right to operate freely in Lebanon until the Hizbollah threat is eliminated.

On an different note, I realized half a year ago that people who haven't studied Judaism are so ignorant about it that any information they get from weird, non-authentic sources is falsely understood as true or at least plausible. And I am not just talking about non-Jews, I am talking about JEWS. Yes, my very own people are about as knowledgable about all things Jewish as a Holywood movie. This is insane. Study Torah people, from someone who actually knows Torah. Not from a Reform "rabbi" who got his "ordination" from the "Hebrew Union College of Judaism." And not from a Conservative "rabbi" who got studied "Jewish subjects" at some pathetically compromised institution like the "Jewish Theological Seminary." These people are not real rabbis and they didn't learn Torah in an authentic manner and, most importantly, they never learned real Jewish philosophy, which is reserved only for those who have a real, in-depth Torah background of twenty years. It has always been like this and the present is no different. There is a tremendous amount of complex knowledge that needs to be mastered before one learns Kabbalah, and there are no people in this world who know real Kabbalah aside from the Orthodox. Without Kabbalistic knowledge and awareness a rabbi is simply incapable of teaching.

The variants on Judaism we see today are deviations from the real thing. The real thing was founded 3,300 years ago and has been developing and clarifying its philosophy and laws ever since. But never, not until very recently, have we ever had a situation where new streams are created that distort and alter the Torah in order to simplify Jewish observance and make Jewish philosophy more palatable to a secularly trained mind. Jews always used to assimilate. Great, so go ahead and assimilate. But don't pretend like you're not assimilating by mainting half-hearted, watered down "Jewish" streams. All you're doing is delaying the inevitable assimilation of your children. Once removed from true Torah, a Jew is cut off from his spiritual source. He will eventually become a lost and unsatisfied Jew. Then, he will stop being a Jew.

For these reason, I have found that totally secular, unaffiliated Jews actually have more potential to do tshuva and start to build themselves up as real Jews. The ones who have been brainwashed by Reform and Conservative movement philosophy are goners! No wonder the Torah community in Israel is opposed to the spreading of these movements here. A secular person at least has a chance to become a complete Jew, and an every growing number do every year. The ones that are sucked into liberal, fake versions of the real thing are taught to hate the true teaching and the true way of Torah.

2006-07-19T04:43:00.000-07:00

War is everywhere now. There are IDF troops in Gaza and Lebanon. Despite the reports, I can assure my readers these are not small incursions. The IDF is targeting terrorists up and down the West Bank. There is an uncertain number of suicide bombers on the loose in the center of the country, so broad areas have been closed off for all human endeavor as the police hunts them down. A suicide bomber was stopped yesterday about 500 yards from where I am currently sitting. He is known to have several accomplices with back-up suicide belts. The border guard and the police are all over the Arab areas of East Jerusalem. The Arabs in this city are having nightly celebrations in support of their terrorist brethren. Their idea of celebrating is shooting into the air. As someone who lives a stone's throw away from Arab villages, I don't appreciate the shooting. Residents of many northern areas are leaving for the slightly safer south, and volunteer families are taking them in. The combat in the north is not going to be over in two weeks, don't believe the silly statements in the press.

On the other hand, the country has banded together. Aside from the hopelessly left-wing, everyone is solidly behind the war effort. Even Tel-Avivians, known for their looney left-wing views, are realizing that this is very serious and is the opening round for what may very well be an existential war. The fact that Tel-Aviv is within range of the enemy probably plays a huge part in their re-discovered militarism. Granted the IDF is far more powerful relative to our enemies than it was in 1967 and 1973, but that doesn't mean that it's going to be easy. The nature of guerilla and urban warfare is such that a significant amount of the IDF's advantage is nullified. No one wants to return the 1982-2000 period when the IDF was losing 70 soldiers per year in southern Lebanon, but it seems that there might be little choice.

Of course, as the overwhelming majority of Israelis, I am not frightened by the current events, nor do I fear what may develop in the near future. None of my life plans are being altered, much less my daily routine. Like that old, polio-ridden anti-semite wisely said, "we have nothing to fear but fear itself." Succinctly encapsulated brilliance.

2006-07-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

How can one not believe in the fact that the G-d of Israel is protecting His people, when 99% of the over one thousand rockets fired by Hizbollah into Israel have caused no harm? To have such a limited effect, one cannot simply rationalize that the Hizbollah command and control systems are backward, faulty and operated by under-trained personnell. Just like G-d has kept our enemies from hurting us on a massive scale in previous wars, so again He is protecting His chosen people. Believe in random luck all you want, but that doesn't stand up to simple mathematical calculation.

The G-8, in a bizarre moment of moral clarity, have decided to side with Israel by way of the statements they have made during their current summit near St. Petersburg. This gives the IDF time to keep striking Hizbollah. The IDF is saying they have destroyed about half of the enemy's combat capacity. However, it's still clear that more operations are being planned, as the reserves continue to be called up. Many of the guys in my yeshiva have gotten their call-up notice. The daily prayers have also taken on a whole new level of intensity as we are now praying with regard to very pertinent events. There's a special prayer for the success of the IDF and for the safety of Israeli soldiers that is being added as well. The call-up of reserves hits the religious zionist community harder than other sectors because virtually every able-bodied male is in a combat unit.

Meanwhile, left-wing retards are planning ever larger demonstrations in Tel-Aviv. The anti-war demonstration they had today drew 400 people. They are opposed to "Israeli aggression." These are the scared Jewish sheep. They'll be holding those anti-Israel signs all the way to the gas chambers.

In personal news, after taking nearly three months off from running, I am back in my little running shoes. I needed the time off to heal some painful shin splints and do a tremendous amount of walking in order to build up the various tendons and ligaments and prevent further injuries. Hopefully, I'll have the patience to take it easy and to build up slowly. Once you start getting results, it's very easy to let your ego take over and push yourself too hard. That may be ok if you're planning on peaking at the end of a 3-month track season. But if you're planning on running continuously for years to come, you must be patient.

Also, I am still addicted to felafel, shawarma, hummus and t'china. It's not a good plan for a six-pack, but it's so delicious that I don't care. From the Torah perspective, as elucidated by one of the greatest commentators, the Rambam, I am failing by caving in to a sinful pleasure that hurts my body and by extension my spirit. The Maharal and Rav Cook (and many others I am sure) also wrote well-referenced opinions against gluttony, comparing it to the same level of spiritual voidness as sexual deviance. Which makes sense, as both of these activities catapult one away from the values necessary to connect to higher planes of being. That makes it that much harder to re-connect and make spiritual progress.

But have you seen a fully-loaded shawarma?!? I would kill a million Arabs for a bite of the good stuff.

2006-07-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

We are now deeper into the conflict. Four Israeli sailors (z"l) have been killed by an advanced C-802 missile that was fired by Iranian troops who are assisting the Hizbollah. Eight civilians (z"l) have been killed in a missile strike on Haifa's train station, which was carried out with 250 mm Syrian rockets. Hundreds of people have been wounded all over northern Israel. The Israeli Air Force, the Israeli Navy and the artillery are carrying out strikes against Hizbollah targets all over Lebanon. Our strikes have effectively cut off all sea, land and air communication and transportation routes to and from Lebanon. This lowers the chances of Syrian and Iranian assistance to Hizbollah. You can all check out detailed coverage of the conflict on Jerusalem Post's website, where they also post pictures of some of the slain soldiers z"l.

Just as life goes on as if nothing is happening, there's still a palpable energy brewing in Jerusalem, even though no one here is directly affected. Since Israel is so small, everyone knows someone in every corner of this Land. Hence, I am not the only one with friends and relatives who are getting bombed by Hizbollah. It seems that at this point, the majority of northerners are going into bomb shelters when the sirens sound, and normal life has been put on hold. People in the affected area aren't going to work, and summer camps have suspended their programs. Those of us who are diligent students of Jewish history know that the months of Tammuz and Av (roughly responding to July and August) are very problematic for the Jewish people and many terrible tragedies have occured at this particular time of the year. G-d is testing us yet again, and we have to pray with strong conviction and do what is right by the Torah in order to come out of this better than we went in.

As I write this in an internet cafe, the owner of the place and a few customers are discussing the ranges of various missiles that Hizbollah possesses and what cities can be hit. The consensus is that Hizbollah can reach down to Hadera, which is not too far north of Tel-Aviv. There are also the usual jokes about who's getting that call from his IDF officer. Once that call comes in, life can go from going to work, running a business or attending class to donning the IDF olive green and doing dirty work to defend the country. I have only praise for the IDF's reserve system, but it is still difficult to stomach the fact that if enough reserve soldiers are needed, men in their 30's who have children will be called up. Sadly, the air war has its limitations in the rugged mountain terrain of southern Lebanon, and damaging Hizbollah in a decisive way requires a large scale ground incursion like the one currently ongoing in Gaza. With all of this coverage of the missile exchanges some people abroad are forgetting that there are IDF troops destroying Hamas operatives and infrastructure in Gaza, not to mention the nightly arrests and raids being carried out in the West Bank.

At this point, the Israeli government is still playing the game like a bunch of sleazy diplomats, trying to secure promises, trying to broker a deal. In the end, if a deal gets the kidnapped soldiers back, will the violence stop? Maybe for a little while, but the threat will remain and nothing will change. Hizbollah is strengthening strategically and publically admits its connection and kinship with Syria and Iran. The enemy does not fear the Nation of Israel. The Nation of Israel, on the other hand, does fear. Not the enemy, but the international community. The Israeli government fears what may be if the Western world increases its criticism. Is it worth continuing the conflict or is it time to make a deal? Will the West cut off economic relations with us if the Lebanese civilian death toll climbs?

These are the questions our pseudo-intellectuals are asking themselves. They start with a position of fear, of doubt, of confusion. If they were real Jews, the kind of Jews that our religion bluntly states we must be, they would have no fear, no doubt and no confusion. The Torah is not a bunch of old legends, and the G-d of Israel is not a metaphor for a general law of Nature. G-d is a complete and total force that allocates itself in our physical world in such a way so as to keep it functioning and moving in a specific direction, continually allowing for perfect flows of energy to all objects and occurences. G-d created and maintains the inter-relationship of all the various parts that make up the multiple aspects of existence. The Jewish connection with G-d is very real, very powerful, even amongst those Jews who haven't realized it yet. We, as a people, must realize that we, as selfish individuals, are not the center of the universe. Our desires, our fears, our feelings are simply reflections of our weaknesses and the inherent problems of what happens to a human when he improperly exercises the power of free choice. Free choice exists in order to realize that we have amazing powers that can connect us to a force of unimaginable and infinite power. From there, we logically proceed to the realization that we are part of a greater spiritual reality. This reality doesn't just exist in some heavenly world to which we go when we die or to which we pray to. The opposite is true - the greater spiritual reality exists at the same time and in the same place as the physical reality. We, as Jews, can grasp multiple realities at once and create a crucial link between the physical and the super-physical.

This may sound like crazy talk to an avowed secularist. And if not, there's still the question "So what?" and "What do I have to do with it all?" Without getting into it too deeply, Jews can, on an intellectual level, come to understand the Torah philosophy. Within the practical codes of law and behavior set down by G-d, exist the keys to making the theoretically impossible connection between the physical and the Divine, and, importantly, bringing that connection to affect our very lives. The simple emotional elation that a human can feel in a particular moment of spirituality is a powerful thing. But more powerful is using the analytical abilities of the mind to create logical algorithms that can prove the operative assumptions of Judaism, thereby making it rationally indisputable. If you believe that quantum physics is provable science, than Torah concepts are easily as provable if not more so. For those interested, I can get into the Torah-science discussion in person. But I forewarn, if you are intelligent and are afraid of bursting your scientific bubble, then study up on that science before we have that discussion. That way, you will be closer to the right understanding of things, and it'll be even easier to prove Judaism's case. He he. That's some Talmudic humor for you.

Even so, lets say we can understand what I wrote. And we can understand deeper concepts of scientific thought that expose small, but crucial, elements of our physical reality. But "why, oh why do I have to do all those silly 'rituals' and why do I have to dress modestly and act prude? and why do I have to perform laws I don't understand?" These questions, like Jewish philosophy, don't require leaps of faith. They do require a logical mind and an ability to think on multiple levels simultaneously.

I have gone way off the security discussion, but I did give you, my dear readers, and fraction of a drop of the ocean of Jewish thought. And, as our actions as Jews have great power to alter reality, we must ask hard questions and delve deep.

Light two candles next Shabbat, and make the following blessing as you do it: Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha'Olam, Asher Kiddishanu b'Mitzvotav V'Tzivanu al Hadlakat Neirot Shabbat, Amen. It's a simple act that takes thirty seconds, men or women can do it, and won't infringe on your life. And by doing it, you won't just bring a great spiritual surge into your home, but you will empower the Jewish people in a very direct way, thereby helping to protect the lives of Jews here in Eretz Israel. We need to harness all the Jewish spirituality we can, especially at this time. Thank you.

2006-07-14T03:51:00.000-07:00

The situation is worsening in the political sense. The entire world, including all European nations and Russia, is condemning Israel for its defensive actions. They waited a day or two and decided, in their idiotic psuedo-intellectualism, that Israel, being the stronger party, should not be responding as harshly as it is being hit. After all, the strongest party has to back down, correct? No, that's incorrect. When a weaker party attacks a stronger one, the stronger one can use its position of military superiority to defend itself to whatever extent it deems necessary. This is such a simple fact that to have the international community deny it can no longer be interpreted as anything other than pure anti-Semitism. The international community hates Jews, hates the State of the Jews, and wants Israel to fail as a state. That is the only explanation for their siding with the Arabs, who clearly struck first.

To those who care, I am doing fine. Hizbollah has been striking northern Israel, at the cost of two killed and about 150 wounded thus far. All northern communities, including Haifa, are under threat, and about a million people were ordered to go into bomb shelters last night. That's not to say that they all went, as Israeli civilians have a fatalistic attitude about war, and I think the majority stayed in their homes. But that doesn't diminish the fact that a million Jews in northern Israel are under missle threat, even if that threat isn't the most accurate or the most sophisticated.

According to people who know the inner workings of the IDF, a large-scale call up of reserve combat units is being planned. The IDF is planning on taking the war into the mountains of southern Lebanon, and the only way to kill Hizbollah operatives is to hunt them down with tank and infantry units. Unfortunately, Hizbollah is a large, well-armed and well-trained force, probably the most professional Arab force out there. With all the ongoing commitments of the IDF in the West Bank and Gaza, there are not enough troops to hold the line, do all the arrests and raids and fight Hizbollah all at the same time. Hence, it is almost certain that reserves will be called up soon. As usual, they will be called up, each unit for a month at a time, and reserve battalions will be rotated in and out of the war zone. Since the enemy operates in remote terrain and in built-up urban areas, only infantry can do the actual work. Luckily, the IDF has been planning for a large-scale conflict and has been increasing the number of infantry units in both the active and reserve components. This has included not only sending many more draftees into infantry, but also converting tank units into infantry units.

I encourage you all to pray for the safety of our civilians and soldiers. Pray for those who have been killed so that they may rise to lofty levels closer to our Creator. Pray for those that have been injured so that they may be healed swiftly by the hands of our amazingly talented medical personnel, through whose abilities flows the power of Hashem. Finally, pray for those under missle threat and for soldiers going into combat that He may keep them safe and allow for a victory at as small a cost as possible. Hashem has been working miracles through the actions of the IDF for generations, and we must all pray that He stays close to us and brings us to victory.

2006-07-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

Soon, I will write about my studies in yeshiva, about my Shabbat in Elon Moreh in Samaria, about my trip to Hebron, about the quality time I've been spending in the Moslem quarter of the Old City. I will write about barbeques in Gan Sacher, the big park near the Knesset, about the conversations I have had with rabbis, soldiers, border guards and Christian missionaries. I will write about beauty of my Land and I will detail the incomprehensible culture of our Arab neighbors and the bizarre conditions they live in. I will tell you about a man in the Jewish Agency who does amazing things with miniscule resources in order to help hundreds of young people. I will describe Ateret Cohanim and I will touch, ever so lightly, on Kabbalah.

But now, I want to focus on the security situation. As you all know, the enemy has once again risen its ugly head against Israel. The Hamas operation that killed two tank crew members, injured two others, and captured Gilad Shalit two weeks ago was followed by a large scale IDF incursion into the Gaza Strip. For the past year, since the evacuation of the Jews from Gaza, Kassam rocket fire has immeasurably damaged the lives of civilians of Sderot, Ashkelon and the various kibbutzim and moshavim around Gaza. The IDF had been responding in a weak and ineffectual manner, as the Israeli government decided that tens of thousands of its citizens living in fear in their own homes within the 1949 Armistice "Green Line" is not an issue worth solving. With the brazen attack that resulted in the capture of Shalit, even the left-wing rulers of Israel have decided that the Arabs had pushed to hard, and they decided to order the IDF to push back. The IDF has been operating in Gaza for the past two weeks, at the cost of one Israeli soldier killed and several wounded. Our forces have killed hundreds of Hamas operatives. There have also been civilian casualties, despite the IDF's efforts. The enemy surrounds himself with women and children and will not battle the IDF in the open field of combat. As that is to be expected, due to the enemy's technological weakness, then it should also be expected that the women and children of the enemy's camp should be inadvertantly killed and injured.

But things have gotten significantly worse. The State of the Jews is under intense attack from Lebanon in the North. Katyusha barrages and sniper fire hit a jeep, killing three. A Hizbollah force then captured the two remaining occupants of the jeep. As in the Gaza case, the IDF forces were on the Israeli side of the border, a border certified by the UN in May 2000 as correct and inviolable. Currently, there is large scale artillery and tank fire across the Lebanese border, and the Israeli Air Force has been conducting strikes. IDF infantry and tank forces have penetrated Lebanese territory, and Hizbollah infrastructure has been severely damaged. In the course of the fighting, an IDF tank was hit, its crew of four killed. Unfortunately, just as in the Gazan case, the Arabs don't rely on modern infrastructure for military prowess and so further operations, especially infantry-oriented ones, are needed in order to punish Hizbollah for their attack. The Hizbollah spokesperson clearly stated that if Israel releases thousands of terrorists, Hizbollah and Hamas would release their respective captives. It is now clear beyond all doubt that the terrorist networks around Israel are fully cooperating in their blatantly and honestly stated plan of the elimination of the Jewish State.

It is shocking that the leftist elite that rules Israel has not yet awakened to the cold, hard fact of a determined enemy bent on our destruction. The two pieces of territory from which Israel withdrew all its presence are the two areas from where the current onslaught is coming. Israel is still apologetic and half-hearted in its response. The constant reference to a "restrained" military reaction is confusing and demoralizing. The enemy senses that they have the momentum and they are correct. Israel's operations in Gaza yielded limited results and Hamas is as popular as ever. A poll of the West Bank and Gazan Arabs showing that 77% of them identify with Hamas' goal of using military force in general and suicide bombers in particular should come as little surprise. This poll has been conducted numerous times in the past decade and the number has always hovered between 75% and 80%. A clearer message from the Arabs could not be sent. And yet, Olmert and his group of left-leaning politicians are still wavering. Just a few days ago Olmert, in his childish idiocy, announced that no matter the ongoing combat, nothing will stop him from the "historic process of re-drawing Israel's borders."

So, as Israel is being pounded by enemy fire, as its civilians in the South, and now the North, are crowded into bomb shelters, their daily lives disrupted, their children in fear; as tens of thousands of IDF soldiers are carrying on daily and nightly combat on what can no longer be even generously called small-scale; as Jewish soldiers are killed and captured on soil that even the anti-semitic French recognize as sovereign Israeli; even now Olmert and his circle of pathetically blind left-wing pseudo-intellectuals is planning the destruction of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, communities whose isolated existance in those barren hills will do nothing to sway Hamas and Hizbollah ideology. The enemy have clearly stated what they want, they have demonstrated willingness to kill to get it, and they have flaunted international law even more often then they have used it for their advantage.

The IDF generals, in hope that the Knesset will act in accordance with basic logic, has started to call up reserve units. Even if the Arabs back down, the IDF should nevertheless deliver a series of debilitating air and ground strikes against them. The momentum of the current flare-up is with the Arabs, but we cannot let them dictate the intensity or the pace or when it will all stop. They clearly fired the first shots, the international community is finally neutral, if not on Israel's side, and Israel has a chance to act with indisputable legitimacy. Now is the time to strike Hizbollah and Hamas with overwhelming force, paying no heed to possible civilian casualties. More importantly, the IDF must attack Damascus and all major parts of Syrian economic and military infrastructure. Since Syria is one of the major sponsors of Hizbollah and Hamas, it makes simple sense to debilitate it. Iran is the other sponsor, and a more major one than Syria. After demolishing the Syrian economy and all its communication and transportation infrastructure, Iran should then receive a warning that if Hizbollah or Hamas strike Israel again, Iran will be the next target of the Israeli Air Force.

Will the Israeli government have the courage for such a move? No. In fact, we'll be lucky if the Israeli government has the courage to kill a tenth of Hizbollah and Hamas operatives. The G-d of Israel is trying to be clear in his message to the Jews, but we are not heeding. He has, in no complex or metaphorical way, set the game pieces in such a way that a great display of IDF power is needed. We, the Jews of Israel, are free to act in what we know is the proper way, or we can freely choose to be abused and beaten by a weaker enemy, allowing them to erode our morale. Of course, the Nation of Israel and the Government of Israel are not one and the same. The government is disconnected from the majority of the people and is only truly representative of the same ruling elite that has run Israeli society since the 1950's. Will we wake up?

2006-06-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

In the past two weeks I've moved, I've begun studying in a yeshiva, and I have had poor internet access. I know you all miss my cultural insight, political lucidity, and overall wisdom. I have a lot to write, although some of the stuff is so deep and intellectually sharp, I don't think I am worthy of putting it into words for all to read. I will post soon.

2006-06-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Ulpan Etzion is coming to an end, and on Sunday night we had a mesibat sium, celebrating our quickly approaching freedom. As always, Jewish Agency bigwigs were on hand and various Zionist speeches were made. There was eating, music, dancing, and a mildly entertaining awards ceremony. The event was held outside, which was nice, albeit a bit chilly. The Israelis love a good tekes - ceremony - so we're having another one on Wednesday. It's like kindergarden with all this "lets sit around and talk about how great we are, how great our program is, and how we're gonna all do so well going forward." Of course, sociliast committees have a lot to do with this Israeli tradition of constant ceremony. But, once again due to socialist roots, the ceremonies are the least formal events you have ever attended. Don't let pictures of Olmert in a suit fool you. When not posing for the press, politicians and businessmen look like the just rolled out of bed and threw on whatever was hanging instead of laying around on the floor. Since I got to Israel, I've worn either jeans or running shorts. That includes dealings with government agencies and private offices. Maybe there is a corporate culture in Tel-Aviv, but it's small and it is totally absent anywhere else in this country. To a New York eye, it may look like this country is full of schleppers, which is kind of true. But that's only because they simply don't care.

Anyhow, I went to a pizza shop with some people on Emek Refaim to watch the US-Czech Republic game. Adding tons of chopped garlic in olive sauce and zatar on the pizza, thereby "Mizrahizing" it, bumps up the concept of pizza a few notches. The game was fun to watch, I was rooting against the US team, as always, so I was happy with the outcome. Take that, you evil imperialists!

After the game, I checked out Book Week, which is being held in the old train station off Derekh Hevron. It's the perfect venue - large open space, rustic, old-school appearance. There were stands of every publishing company in Israel. Which, interestingly, also includes the publishing departments of everything from political think tanks to the Ministry of Defense. There were a broad variety of Jerusalem residents there, from all ethnic and religious streams that the Jewish mosaic has to offer. The great thing was that they were all avid readers. No shortage of intelligence in this country. I am not saying that's such a good thing though. It's much easier to rule a place where the majority of people are plain stupid. No such luck when you have 5.33 million Jews, and growing, packed into one little nation. That's probably one of Israel's biggest internal issues - too many Jews. Ha ha.

Seriously though, I am hardcore - we need more Jews here, the more the better. This land has a power no other place has. The more there are of us here, the more deserving we are of it, the better of a place it becomes to live in. The better of a place it becomes, the more we have to fight. The more we fight, the more people we need. G-d has his way of forcing unwilling Jews to come here. Those Jews that he wants here anyways. He'll reach every Jew's heart, or he will force him toward the Land. Or, He will let you go and vanish amongst the Gentiles. But no one knows what their part is in G-d's plan unless they explore that part of themselves, as the power of choice is with the individual.

As for the problems here, as I said, it's all part of G-d's growth plan. And, clearly, it works. We're witnessing a Jewish population explosion in Israel. Two thousand years of near abscence, and we're back. There's no need to compromise, no need to beg for help or for mercy from our so-called allies. If they were true allies, they'd stand by us if we assert ourselves. Our goals should be based on Jewish truth, on a Jewish vision. And we have to pursue the vision as a priority that cannot be traded in for short term gifts. Any compromise to the enemy only weakens us as a people and weakens our eternal claim to this Land. The current Gaza situation is proof that the disengagement, on the whole, didn't benefit Israel. Granted, it's easier to shoot at the enemy from afar than to have ground troops in the Gaza Strip. But, their ability to fire rockets at Israel has grown exponentially, and everyone knows that there are small IDF infantry units in Gaza, setting up for air and artillery strikes. Combat-wise, Israel may be slightly better off. But from the perspective of the Israeli citizens living in daily fear of Kassams hitting their house in Netivot or Sderot, the situation has gone inexcusably out of control. The residents of these communities, along with the kibbutzim in the Western Negev, are now the front line pawns of this silly game we play.

However, there are still plenty of left-wingers who believe that giving up more land will improve the situation. And these mental midgets operate most of the media outlets in Israel. But, try as they might, the undecided center is starting to realize the Right is right and the Left is stupid. The current government will either do nothing on the political-security front or will be brought down and new elections will be held.

Oh, and a message to those of you who think I am having an existential crisis and that I am "searching" for answers. The fact that you think so means that you're a victim of post-modern thought. Meaning, you have been brought up to believe that systems of thought exist in order to be deconstructed. Since every system becomes just an alternate way of answering the same set of questions, and since every system can be deconstructed by someone who doesn't accept its underlying assumptions, the post-modern thought process leads to the ultimate stage of a total lack of philosophy and a complete absence of connectedness to anything. To be connected and to know, you don't "search for answers." Instead, you take in something much greater and more powerful. There's nothing to search for, it's all already here, staring you in the face, every day of your life. It's our choice to deny reality and to allow such nonsensical ideas as deconstructionist post-modernism to swallow our very being and blind us to the truth. If we accept that which is obvious, yet sublime, we can proceed with learning and expanding our amazing intellectual powers as human beings. There's no need to be confused, to "search" for anything. There's just the basic human need to accept the assumptions he knows deep inside are true, and the basic need to learn all forms of thinking. Don't let some druggie 19th century German philosopher tell you otherwise.

2006-06-07T05:20:00.000-07:00

I've got strep throat. It sucks, but I got antibiotics so I'll survive. By the way, if anyone has a couple of hundred thousand dollars that they don't know what do with, give it to me so I can buy an apartment. A deed that good would reserve you a great place in the afterlife. So, if you care where and how you spend eternity, cough up $200,000. Thank you.

2006-06-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

Jerusalem Day two weeks ago had 600,000 participants in total. That is ten times more than what I had thought. It's the proportional equivalent of 40 million people converging on Washington DC for a single reason. The left-wing camp has its work cut out if it wants to keep abusing its minority rule. Luckily for the left, they are the media, business, government and judicial elites, so they'll most likely get their way. The evils of Israel's socialist, centralized past that installed these people in power positions will continue to haunt the country for the forseeable future. On the upside, your average Israeli is slowly becoming familiar with the concepts of competition, fairness, market forces, accountability and transparency. So it's only a matter of time that the elites and the monopolies get broken and a more reasonable system of business and governance arises. But it will take time, painful time.

Last week was full of happenings. On Monday I had a bureacratic fight. I haven't enjoyed that wonderful experience for a while, so it was a nice refresher course in how if I don't behave like a crude thug, I will not get what I want. Tuesday and Wednesday was the Ulpan Etzion trip to the South of the country. We started off with a visit to Sde Boker, a kibbutz and Ben-Gurion's residence in the latter part of his life. The man is an icon in Israel, and for good reason. However, he was an atheist socialist and did his part in Sovietizing the Israeli state in its early years. I learned a few things from his home, now made into a sort of history museum. We then proceeded do some hiking in a canyon full of birthright kids, and then onward to a new hot springs facility in the Negev. It was just built, and it raises up water that is located 900 meters below the ground into several pools of varying temperature. Of course, the water has all sorts of minerals that are good for your skin. The spa has a modern, attractive, well-organized feel to it. In Israel, one can really appreciate this.

We then visited the faux-Bedouins. It's the same "oasis" in the northern Negev that all tourists get taken to. We had the food, the silly lecture on Beduin society and culture, their great (?) coffee, and slept in those massive tents. There was a whole tent that was pretty much a massive coffee-house type place with gift shop and a group of left-wing Israelis playing Indian intstruments. Our visit coincided with that of an Israeli middle school trip. Maybe they thought they were having a genuine Bedouin experience. Regardless, the food was good. The breakfast was especially tasty with loads of labane, which is an amazing, thick, sour, yogurt sprinkled with zatar. The hummus was good, but clearly store bought. Nothing wrong with store bought Israeli hummus by the way, it's delicious. They did manage one genuinely Bedouin thing - fried bread with spices. Whatever. Between the birthright trip, the trips with Kibbutz Yagur three years ago, and this one, I have had enough of these fake Bedouins. After breakfast, we rode camels. It was a first for me, but, honestly, it left me feeling that I many have trouble producing fruitful seed. On the way to and from the Bedouins, we drove through Arad, which is a really nice little town on top of a plateau, full of Mizrahis and Russians. If you're employed, it's a nice place to live.

Afterward, we proceeded to Ein Gedi, where we hiked to a small waterfall. As exciting as that was, more hiking brought us to a much larger and more powerful waterfall. There were some parts where I positioned myself between rocks in order to heave up dozens of unathletic women and fat, uncoordinated men. Honestly, people! If you're in your 20's and you can't manage to do a tiny bit of climbing that the majority of your peers have no trouble doing, you need to take time off from your life and get yourself into better condition. You're just part of that bottom third that I like to call - worthless. It's all mental, stop being pathetic! I know that most of my regular readers don't fall under this category. But I haven't reached the spiritual level necessary to be accepting of those who are physically challenged, so I need to periodically rave. I am working on it though. I hope to one day be nice to unathletic people.

Having enjoyed a powerful waterfall, we headed back, on a different and more challenging path. I took time from staring at the ground before me to admire the rockiness of the desert canyons, the ibexes and birds of prey. The Negev has a beauty all its own. Let me say, as a side note, that many of the girls on this trip, used the various swimming opportunities to display their products. I think my shomer negia state has entered another level. I was completely and totally unimpressed. The other guys agreed that there were some examples of G-d's handiwork that were objectively attractive. But I was genuinely ambivalent. Not only did I not care, I looked down on them for degrading their bodies by displaying them for public view. Either I am well on my way to becoming completely comfortable with my shomer negia status, or I am about to start batting for the other team.

After Ein Gedi, we had lunch in a hotel on the Dead Sea, a pretty nice splurge on our behalf by the Jewish Agency, thanks Gaidamak for your generous donation. A bit of swimming in the Dead Sea, and we were off to the new and revamped Masada. We watched a hilarious little film in a complex at the bottom of the ancient fortress. It was an Israeli made film, with Israeli idiosyncrasies, translated into English by someone with good literal skills but poor understanding of nuance. Needless to say, if you're smart, multi-lingual and and an acute observer of culture, the film was more entertaining than it was meant to be. Our tour guides must have realized that the weak third of our group was incapable of doing the relatively easy hike up Masada, so we took the finicular. Being in a cramped space with South Americans is a less than enjoyable experience, but I survived. Once at the top, we got a tour, had some in-depth discussions of the 2nd Temple Period and the Jewish Revolts, and got to observe a wedding ceremony. Yes, while pampered American children get overcharged by the Israel Parks Authority for having their Bar/Bat Mitzvah on Masada, the historical spot also serves as a cheap, yet high-quality, wedding location for really good-looking Mizrahi Jews.

We then hiked down, and met up with about a thousand other kids like ourselves. We all filled up a massive bleacher set on a hill facing Masada, and proceeded to enjoy an army band, followed by a few short speeches by Israeli notables. You don't have to live in Israel long to realize that notables here get about as much respect and reverance as a cool teacher in an inner-city high school in the US. In other words, we barely tolerate their presence, half-listen to what they say, and maintain the kind of energy that makes the notable feel thankful that their little appearance went off without a hitch and no one threw anything or kicked their ass. We were then treated to a sound and light show. The sound was provided by powerful speakers positioned around the bleachers and the lights were used in various places on top of Masada, along its walls, at the bottom of its mountain, along the slopes, all to tell one of the most powerful stories of Jewish heroism in the face of, what else, overwhelming odds. I don't remember ever seeing such a show in the outdoors, especially in the middle of the desert, with such wonderful views. If any of you haven't done this, you must. It can only be arranged through a tour group, because the Masada people have to get enough groups to make the show worthwhile.

At 11pm we headed back to Jerusalem, and arrived at 1am. I was sleep deprived on Thursday morning as I made my sluggish way to the Central Bus Station for my trip to the Golan. I was supposed to go up with a friend, but I missed the bus that he made. I got on another one, direct to Tiberias. The bus took Route 6, which, in central Israel, runs close to such wonderful places as Tulkarem, Talbe, and Qalqilya. Nothing like riding a bus, seeing a massive terrorist nest 500 meters to your right, some Jewish towns stretching for a few kilometers to your left, and glimpses of the Mediterranean just 8 kilometers farther on your left. I can't imagine what kind of mental midget you have to be to genuinely believe that the 1967 borders are defensible. I don't know how high-tech border security can be nowadays, but you can throw a rock across central Israel. The bus made a pit stop in Afula, which, like Arad, is full of Mizrahim and Russians, but is not as nice. Having arrived in Tiberias, I tremped to Tzomet Tzemach, which is an intersection at the southern point of the Kinneret. Tremping is hitch-hiking in Israel-speak. The Kinneret is absolutely stunning in the summer, deep blue, quiet, clean. There are plenty of beaches, but they are small and not overcrowded. If I weren't in a hurry I would've jumped in. At Tzemach, I devoured a triple burger at a BurgerRanch. Not so great. I was then picked up by a rabbi of the yeshiva I was visiting. Thursday night was Shavuot.

After checking out what is probably the most ideal setting for a family lifestyle - perfect moshav, modest homes, little plots of land, happy families, attractive synagogue and study areas, a perfect and untainted ideological population - I proceeded to study through the night. It's a tradition that on Shavuot, the holiday when we celebrate the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, Jews learn all night. Since the Torah portion was sufficiently discussed after mincha and maariv, the all-night learning included Halakha, Talmud and Mishna tracts. For those of you a bit behind on how your ancestors lived since the beginning of Judaism up until 2 generations ago, mincha is the afternoon prayer service and maariv is the night prayer service. Shacharit is the morning prayer service. The entire moshav prays in the beit knesset (synagogue) regularly, so it's always packed during prayer time. The men's section, which is the main section, is hardcore and the praying is full of kavannah (conviction/meaning) and ruach (spirituality). The women have a section that is kept totally separate by a mechitza, a barrier. Believe me, I tried, you cannot see through it. The advantage of the Israeli dati-leumi crowd is that they are very ruchani so it doesn't take much to be inspired.

After the services, everyone mingles outside of the synagogue. Men and women talk, as do guys and girls, but they keep a respectful distance. The guys and girls are quality physical specimens and I can imagine various impure thoughts run through their heads, but I guess with the right upbringing and belief system, it's not an issue. Anyways, my friend and I had dinner at the home of the head rabbi of the moshav. Shalom bayit - peace of the house - is the term used to describe family harmony in Judaism. Religious people have some amazing shalom bayit. Everyone is happy, relaxed and well-adjusted. And no amount of children stresses out the parents. They are completely calm and manage to give just the perfect amount of attention and discipline to all the kids. Who are amazingly well-behaved by the way. Anyone who has been in a religious household knows how amazing their family life is. It's not that they are acting for the guests, you can tell by how people interact that they just have no tension underlying their interactions with one another. I find that to be almost illogical. I had many meals with different families on the moshav this weekend, and the total perfection of shalom bayit was a universal theme. Crazy cult or just application of basic Jewish principles to family life? Hmm...

Learning Halacha was informative and interesting, but learning Talmud was something else. Almost all the male residents of this moshav are hardcore Jewish scholars. So they join the yeshiva guys in their learning. I learned Talmud one-on-one with this amazing guy. Like most dati-leumi, he is in a totally different world than the image of the introverted, strange black hat that most secular people associate with strict Jewish observance. He was, typically of dati-leumi, a hardcore IDF type, who is currently splitting his time between working in a flower export business the moshav runs and learning in the beit midrash (study hall). He is on a very high knowledge level, and learning with him is difficult to describe. It runs something like this. We read a passage in Aramaic, which is close to Hebrew. After translating it, we bring to light the concepts described. We then follow the arguments. At first, I feel that I am understanding it, and that it's just basic logic. Then, he brings in a citation, and the confusion mounts. We go deeper into the text and my mind alternates between understanding and the mental block of being logically stumped. He then brings in an opinion, and all is made clearer, but the implied is still confusing the mental picture. We go deeper into the text and my mind feels like it's racing to catch up, but it's just too slow. He backs off, and lets me catch up. Eventually, I tie the strings together and blurt out something half-way intelligent. It takes us an hour to get something out of a third of a page. If any of you want to feel like a child learning math for the first time, and want to be genuinely stopped dead in your thinking tracks, learn Talmud with someone who knows what they're doing. It's great mental exercise. Of course, my study partner also threw in a bit of Kabbalah, just to mess with me. Amazing stuff.

The guys at the yeshiva pretty much learn, pray and exercise. On Friday, after some much needed sleep, the yeshiva students and I walked down into Nahal El-Al, which is basically a canyon-esque crevice on land owned by the moshav. It's wooded, and fun climb down. At the bottom, there' s a waterfall, and a clean, cold swimming hole. Beautiful. It serves as a natural mikve for the moshav residents but is also popular with Israelis who go hiking in the area. We came back up and went for a bit of a jog before Shabbat services. I had to take about 6 weeks off recently from running in order to allow my shin splints to heal up. I got cocky with my running progress and was flying around in early April at pretty impressive speeds considering my lack of a running background. As always occurs, when you get overly confident, you hurt yourself. So now I am just coming back into running. Nevertheless, excuses aside, I got my butt kicked by the guy with whom I studied Talmud. Of course, so did some of the young yeshiva guys so I shouldn't feel bad. Still, when a 40-year old man spanks you in a 5km run, you feel fat and slow. I gotta get my butt in shape.

Shabbat was a relaxing and spritiual experience, although I take issue with the fact that shacharit on Shabbat is over two hours in length. When you're starving, a long service is not easy to handle. In the final analysis, it was an amazing weekend, totally not relatable in blog format. Today, in the morning, my friend and I tremped to Tveria and took a bus from there to J-town. Every little thing you do is a bit of adventure in Israel. But you have had enough. Now go surf the net for some wholesome, family-friendly entertainment.

2006-05-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

Avraham Burg and other left-wing ideologues keep polluting the minds of Jews the world over with their "universalist" approach. They use concepts that everyone agrees are good, such as democracy, freedom and justice in order to advance an ideology of an empty, atheist existence. Socialist internationalism is viewed as the superior value, while religion, nationalism, theistic philosophies and a deep understanding of spiritual connectedness are viewed as negative. From the perspective of Judaism and Jewish life, this type of thinking is destructive. The philosophy of leading a Jewish life and of having a Jewish state in the land of Israel is incompatible with Marxist internationalism.

If democracy, personal freedom and "humanist" values are our main concerns then why did we ever need a Jewish state? What does Israel offer uniquely to the world in this regard that was not already accomplished by the United States and other free countries? What secular, left-wing intellectuals and writers don't seem to comprehend is that Zionism is fundamentally a religious concept and not a simple nationalist movement. The Jewish people's attachment to the land of Israel over thousands of years in exile cannot be explained in any other way. The obsessive concern with maintaining Jewish identity can also only be explained in religious terms. If secular humanism and socialist internationalism philosophies are correct and the Jews are the same as everyone else, and are simply the vanguard to progressive thought, then what difference does it make if we assimilate or not and what is the point of bending over backwards in order to secure a separate state? It only makes sense because deep down we believe there is something special about the Jewish people and our connection to the land of Israel, and something special in our unique covenant with God.

So, we, the Jews, must let go of our secular humanist brothers and sisters. They have been swallowed whole by a simple value system that denies a complex spiritual reality beyond the physical plane. The committed Jews must act as such in their actions, in their hearts, and in their souls. Those who want to come back will be welcomed, and those who don't will not be missed. The left-wing, post-Jewish media and intellectuals are just a bump in the road. Israel will grow religiously and population-wise. Diaspora Jews, although growing fewer, will become more committed to Jewish life. Smaller, better, and ready for the big move.

This isn't ideology talking. It's reality. And no amount of money donated by fat donor and left-wing atheist Steinhardt to the Birthright program can "raise Israel awareness." Torah raises awareness, sharpens the intellect and strengthens the Jewish resolve. Birthright and other "Jewish programming" is just subsidized partying.

2006-05-26T02:45:00.000-07:00

Firstly, the Israel Festival on Wednesday night provided plenty of free concert entertainment, including Shlomo Artzi, Hadaq Nahash and other Israeli singers giving free performances in Gan Sachar and Gan Ha'Atzmaut here in Jerusalem. The real excitement took place yesterday - Yom Yerushalaim, or Jerusalem Day. This day celebrates the wresting of all of Jerusalem from Jordanian rule in 1967. I started the day off be meeting up with the rabbi of a yeshiva I am considering and his students in a synagogue in the Moslem quarter. There are dozens of buildings in the Moslem quarter owned by Jews, most of them are yeshivot. It may seem crazy to the left-wingers that Jews would be living and studying in an area where they are faced with a hostile population. But what left-wingers don't understand is that from the right-wing point of view, there's nothing forbidden or scary about the Moslem quarter. In fact, the Arabs leave the Jews who live and study there alone, most of the time. Not because they are so tolerant, but because they are scared. Right-wingers are not afraid of Arabs and will defend themselves violently without hesitation. This knowledge on the part of the Arabs creates a tense, but livable status quo. We had several shiurim, lessons, including one by the head rabbi of this synagogue we visited. This man is of the hard core. There are groups of Jews who are continually attempting to buy property from Moslems in the Moslem quarter. It's not easy, but it does get done. It's probably the best way to strengthen Jewish presence in Jerusalem, without employing violent means.

After learning, we had some shawarma in the Jewish quarter, then walked over to Kikar Zion, where tens of thousands of dati-leumi youth were gathering for the march. There were various bands and music, and people were singing and dancing from about 5pm to about 6:30. It was quite a sight. Left-wing youth movements or schools haven't been able to get this many people out with a common ideological set of values since the 1960's. The right, however, can create enormous demonstrations, and does so periodically. Around 6:30, the masses of young Jews, along with their rabbis, started the march, down Ben-Yehuda to the Old City. We were then channelled by the police into two streams. One went into the Damascus Gate, the other continued around the western edge of the Old City and entered through the Lions' Gate. Both gates lead into the Moslem quarter. The quarter is almost completely empty, with all the homes and business shuttered and locked down. There were a few Arabs giving us the evil stare from behind the police. But there were more Israeli police and Border Guards than Arabs, hands down. It's amazing how dead the quarter was relative to how busy and loud and crowded it is on any other day. I guess the general idea is to avoid confrontation, which is probably not a bad move. The yeshivot were singing and were pretty riled up. Add that to the fact that there were tens of thousands of people crowded into the narrow streets, and you have a situation where any small confrontation would've turned out badly for the Arabs. Aside from yeshivot, there were also random families with kids, and lots of soldiers, in and out of uniform, with guns. Clearly, the Moslem quarter is ours, the Arabs are just temporarily residing on properties that they will one day relinquish peacefully or otherwise.

The marching then brought the throngs to the Kotel Plaza in the Jewish quarter. The plaza was very crowded, there was a band, and the crowds spilled over into the surrounding streets of the Jewish quarter. There was, again, singing and dancing, and tremendous praying. There are few things as powerful for a Jew than to pray in Jerusalem, just a couple of dozen meters from the Temple Mount. But when you have tens of thousands of young people praying for several hours, it's a whole other experience. I guess to a non-Jew, it would look bizarre and somewhat crazy. But to a Jew, it was a display of belief and emotion than cannot be re-created anywhere else in the world.

2006-05-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was all family time with my relatives in Rehavia. Sunday night I spent in a place called Bar Kochba. Yes, it's named after the leader of the 3rd century Jewish rebellion in Eretz Israel against Roman rule. And, yes, it's a bar. Right across from the southern walls of the Old City is an complex of bars and restaurants. It sits atop the Ben Hinom valley, which I described in an earlier post as being the source of the Biblical (and hence the modern) concept of Hell. Bar Kochba is open, so you get a nice summer night draft, and with views of the Old City, the surrounding valleys and the Yemin Moshe neighborhood across the valley, it's basically a perfect set up for a bar. I also ordered something to go with my Red Bull and vodka. It was called abidjian, which I assume is some sort of a nod to... Armenians? Anyways, it was crushed avocado and eggplant, wrapped in cooked eggplant, surrounded by hummus and t'hina with various seasonings, and it came with homemade crusty bread. Nothing unusual for me to jump with joy because of a meal, it happens frequently here. The food is simply amazing.

Sunday was also a day when many infantry units were getting sworn in at the Kotel (Western Wall), so the Old City was flooded with soldiers. Sunday night, while I was hanging out in Bar Kochba, we were treated to the goings on in Ben Hinom valley. They set up a concert for soldiers, it was quite a site. Bleachers filled with seveal thousand guys in green jumping up and down and screaming for hours straight. Because of the acoustics of the valleys and hills, the noise carried quite far. It's a nice change from the prayer calls of muezzin! I think if I keep living in this city, I'll be singing the Moslem call to prayer by heart. Not that it isn't stirring, but it's very strange. Half a kilometer in a certain direction and it's a whole different world.

Speaking of Arabs, about a week ago, there were some left-wing activists on Emek Rafaim. They set up a projection screen where they were showing, what else, how the evil state of Israel was abusing the beautiful and peaceful Arab culture in the West Bank. I had a not-so-civil discussion with these people. First of all, they were clever to set this up in German Colony, which, although with a large religious population, has some more liberal elements as well. If they had tried to pull this in Kiryat Moshe or some other area full of national-religious types, it would've ended a lot worse than a bit of shouting. I literally laughed at this one girl - an intellectual-looking Jewish girl with that glassy eyed communist look in her eyes. She was trying to prove to me that the future is the nation of Palestine from the River Jordan to the Sea, with Jewish and Arab citizens living in a secular, cosmopolitan, tolerant mix. How do you argue with someone like that? I tried to present my side reasonably, but she'd have nothing of it. Her gay-looking Arab friends joined in to try and show me how moderate they were and how they wanted peace with the Jews. Which Jews, I asked? Maybe Jews like this little brainwashed rich girl from North Tel-Aviv that has a soft spot for "social causes." She accepts the fact that "Jews have no right whatsoever to this land, some old books (?!?) don't prove Jewish claims." That's in their own words. At this point, I went into my old-school mode. It became clear to my Arab friends and their Jewish useful idiots, that things were about to get taken to the next level. They decided to close up shop for the night, because they felt that, even though I was outnumbered, I was going to go on a serious rampage. Sometimes it's not a matter of the balance forces. They instinctively knew that my spirit was much greater than their socialist-international waffling philosophy.

I have to admit, the rush from knowing that you are totally correct and that a greater power is on your side, is beyond real. This Thursday May 25th is Yom Yerushalaim - Jerusalem Day. Masses of Jews are going to display our ownership of Jerusalem in the old-fashioned way, by walking around our property. The entire Old City, including the Moslem quarter, will see tens of thousands of young Jews going for a walk. I am going to a class in a yeshiva located in the Moslem quarter with a bunch of guys and then we're joining the marching about. Yes, there are Jewish buildings and yeshivas in the Moslem quarter. If we don't display that we own ALL of Jerusalem from time to time, then we'll eventually lose all of it. Who knows, if things get out of hand, you may see me on TV. I'll try not to start any trouble, but considering my behavior at the Israel Day Parade in New York last June, anything is possible.

2006-05-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Interesting bit of news made it into Jerusalem Post. Dartmouth College, a venerable bastion of the left-wing politics so prevalent in all elite "liberal arts" universities in the US and the grantor of a BA to your humble servant, has waded deeper still into the liberal malaise. The Interfraternity Council, representing all the fraternities on campus, blocked the Jewish fraternity of Alpha Epsilon Pi from being officially recognized at the college. This in spite of the fact that Dartmouth has official Black and Hispanic fraternities, as well as several other fraternities that have a very distinct ethnic character. An example is Kappa Kappa Kappa (no, it's not the KKK), which is almost entirely Asian. Another example is Psi Upsilon, which is pure WASP. So much so, that a few years ago, when they accepted a black guy, they gave him the nickname "Quota." Not to point out the fact that he was fulfilling the African-American quota, but more to make light of the fact that there was no quota and hence no blacks in the fraternity. And he was the most preppy, WASP-ified black guy you've ever met. My point is that Dartmouth has at least dozen organizations that draw their membership, officially or unofficially, from narrow sectors of the student population.

The Interfraternity Council gave a few reasons for their decision, but the most telling one is that the other fraternities didn't feel comfortable with a new organization that was "eighty to ninety percent homogenous." Never mind the fact that such semi-exclusive organizations already exist, and have been functioning at Dartmouth for decades without so much as a peep. This is all pointing to the general anti-semitic undercurrent in the liberalism of today. The fact that it is being displayed for the world to see by a school I went to, a school that contributes to the business and intellectual elite of the US, a school that thousands of the brainiest high school graduates aspire to gain admission to, saddens me deeply. It's just another sign of the cultural trends in the US, and not an insignificant one.

Downplay it if you want, I have nothing more to say on this topic.

2006-05-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

I want to dedicate this post to the Tel-Aviv beach. I have been three times thus far, and will surely visit this place dozens of times this summer. It's a short 50 minutes from Jerusalem, and is basically a free vacation. White sand beach, clear aqua blue water, simply amazing. The water is cooler than in an tropical climate, but that only makes it more enjoyable. There is an unreal number of people playing makot (paddle ball), and a dozen volleyball games. There are young people, families, there's the vacation atmosphere and the clubbing atmosphere. Yes, I said clubbing. There's a section of the beach we went to last time that extends to the sea from a popular bar/cafe. The owners of this place blast music, and thus their stretch becomes very popular with young people. There are hookas being smoked all over the place, there are cafes that have tables set up right on the beach, and of course you have the water, the gorgeous water. The Tel-Aviv marina provides spectacles of hundreds of boats, catamarans other watercraft. This goes on well into October, on a daily basis, and it's literally 200 meters from downtown Tel-Aviv, including the happening trendy areas. I will re-iterate my general objection to the secular lifestyle. But, if one were to live that lifestyle, Tel-Aviv is pretty much the perfect set-up.

The Israeli economy is gearing it forward. The economy grew 5.2% in 2005, and 6.6% in the first quarter of 2006, which is great news. Netanyahu's reforms are yielding results. He cut taxes, cut spending, privatized ports, broke (some of) the monopolistic bank practices, and performed other capitalist manuevers. Competitiveness is on the rise, 200,000 people have joined the work force in the past couple of years, the unemployment is down significantly, and the average salary has gone up from 7,000 shekels to 7,680 shekels per month. Of course, all this growth has meant huge tax revenue increases for the Israeli government. Lets hope that the socialist Knesset members don't influence their more intelligent colleagues to spend the surplus. And G-d forbid if they drastically increase spending. You never know what politicians will do in order to consolidate power and buy each other off, but if they can manage to keep their hands off the economic policy and the budget for a few years, Israel will gain tremendously. The average salary should hit 8,500 shekels per month by 2008. The surplus, which will be exceptionally large by then, can be invested in education and helping those who truly can't help themselves. The government needs to ride the economic wave long enough so that investors gain long-term confidence and stop thinking of Israel as having one foot forever planted in socialism. But there are always those socialist voices determined to bring Israel down.

I guess the economy is as exciting as the beach. Maybe even more so. 7,680 shekels/month is about $1,700, which translates to $20,500 per year. Purchasing power parity however is $23,000 due to the fact that the average on all prices is lower than in the US. While this is still not the $38,000 GDP/capita enjoyed by the US, at the current rate of growth, the average purchasing power parity in Israel will hit $30,000 by 2010. If Olmert sets that as his goal, he will have done much more for Israel than by implementing ill-advised, left-wing policies in the West Bank. For those of my readers that think the disengagment plan and the current "convergence" plan are helping the economy, let me point out that Sharon didn't announce the disengagement until March of 2005, by which point the economy was already flying along for two years. People with large amounts of money to invest know a good thing when they see it, and they mainly care about fundamental economic analysis. War is, by itself, just a factor. A country can be very successful economically and simultaneously be in a constant state of war, as long as the war is controlled and the enemy isn't getting the upper hand. Complicated? Yes, but it's doable and we're doing it.

2006-05-14T05:28:00.000-07:00

Adin Steinsaltz - one of the top Israeli religious thinkers and Talmudists. It was he was paired up with A.B. Yehoshua to blast the Diaspora Jews. Not Robert Aumann. Although Aumann would've supported them as well, I am sure. Steinsaltz is a genius by the way. Read "The Thirteen Petalled Rose" for a start. Once you get into his world of thought, you'll learn more about the world than you have ever known. It's a really short book, don't be afraid. Also, read the following article about the what happened at the AJC convention:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1145961325970&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Jerusalem Post has articles for and against, so you can read them all and pick whether you agree with what Zionism is today or not. You all know where I stand.

2006-05-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

Firstly, let me say that I enjoyed the ceremony we went to for Herzl's birthday. It took place at his tomb on Mt. Herzl. Mostly it was singing, prayers, and a short speech or two. I have to say, I am impressed by how much praying took place. It was like being in synagogue, not at a state event. Clearly, this is a very positive situation. The Arabs are dead scared of religious Israelis, because they fear the power. Hence, the truer we are to our roots and who we really, and have been for 3,500 years, the easier it will be deal with our enemies. On a particularly non-shomer negia note, there was a pair of twins in the group that sang at the ceremony. They were absolutely, subjectively or objectively, the prettiest girls in the world. Had I brought a ring with me, I would've outfought every other male there and proposed on the spot. To both of them. Yes, Yemenite twins would do just fine. Anyhow, Zionism was discussed, prayers were said, Hatikva was sung and reporters took lots of pictures.

After the ceremony, everyone who wanted approached Herzl's tomb. I ripped off the tags on the chairs that the Prime Minister and the Chief of Staff sat on, so now I have two little momentos that say "Rosh Ha'Mimshala" and "Ramat Kal." This doesn't give me any bragging rights though. Israeli politicians are very accessable, it's the equivalent of New York city councilmen for New York residents. Meeting with them is pretty easy. Thus, I got to meet Amir Peretz, who is a complete and total idiot. Seriously, this guy is a union organizer, a socialist and he's got the Stalin mustache. Sure, he's got political skill, but I cannot have any sort of intellectual respect for the man. I also met, and yes shook hands, with Ehud Olmert. What can I say? He's a middle aged Jewish man. The whole Knesset is full of old Jewish men, yelling at each other and planning each other's downfall. What a bizarre group of people. The younger ones are basically powerless, and they have to wait till the old men let them have access to the reins of power. And there are few things more difficult in this world than fooling or getting the best of a wily old Jewish man. Hence, they rule this country. The kind of cambinot (complicated, semi-moral, clever manuevers) they pull, how they keep this place going, how they keep the enemy at the gates and the entire world from stamping us into the sand is nothing short of fantastical. Sometimes I think it would help if the place was run by straight-laced WASPS, but then I think on Israeli society and on our demented neighbors, and I thank G-d for creating the eternally brilliant and somewhat insane creature - the old Jewish man.

The American Jewish Committee was having a centennial celebration last week- one of those idiotic galas, where they include people like Kofi Annan to be honored for ... his continued support of anti-Israel moves by the UN? The AJC, as most American "Jewish" organizations, is a pathetic bunch of kow towing fat cats, obsequiously begging the real rulers of the land for protection. They think they are liberated, powerful and influential, but in reality the American Jewish establishment is nothing but a bunch of wealthy, insecure assimiliationists with a ghetto mentality. They are pathetic. They invited some Israeli big-wigs to the shindig. One was Robert Aumann, a Nobel prize winner in game theory, and an Orthodox Jerusalem Jew. Another was Avraham B. Yehoshua, a left-wing professor and author, a typical Tel-Aviv secular Jew. I don't know if they both planned it or not, but, totally unexpectedly, during one of the major conferences with thousands of top American Jewish leaders in attendance, they both pretty much stated that American Jewry is illegitimate, that it's operating on false premises, that Israel is the only place to be a Jew, that Jewish Israelis are the only legitimate Jews, and that Diaspora Jews can pretty much sit down at the sidelines while Israel builds itself into a nation.

Most American Jews don't even know what the AJC is, and are so unaffiliated or so loosely affiliated with Jewish life that they wouldn't even know, or care, that the above happened. But that is precisely the point. Most American Jews are so out of touch with both their own Jewishness and with the fact that Israel is miracle growing by leaps and bounds, in historical terms, that their involvement in Judaism is dismissed by the Israeli public in general. Sure, there are plenty of Israelis that will disagree with Aumann and Yehoshua, and they will cite how these two personally did this or said that at some point in the past. But the fact remains that these two men are leading thinkers from two very large Israeli Jewish camps. And Israelis do know them, do read what these men write an say. And yes, most Israelis feel estranged from the Diaspora. There are individuals that are connected by family ties, or by grand thoughts of a Diaspora-Israeli coalition that helped build the state in its early years. But most Israelis are so involved in their lives and in the internal issues affecting the Jewish state, that the Diaspora is irrelevant.

Yehoshua and Aumann both stated that Israel is a total Jewish life, where living Jewishly permeates all basic matters of public and civic life. Shabbat is a national, political issue, as is kashrut. Serious Judaic principles involving Jewish land, Jewish public and private life, Jewish relations, as a nation, to the rest of the world are all part of the public discourse here. American Jews don't have to grapple with Judaism in the same way. They live an American life, and choose to include some amount of Judaism in addition to their primary identity as Americans. In Israel, your primary identity is an Israeli Jew. You live on the land that is yours, the government is yours, the army is yours, the legal system is yours. The process of developing Israel is not easy, but the progress that has been made is improbably immense. Diaspora Jewry is simply not a consideration. If anti-Semitism increases somewhere, those Jews are welcome to make aliyah. If not, then not. But this is the only place where being Jewish is one's full, civic, political, personal, public, religious, and emotional expression. There's a totality of Jewishness that the Diaspora cannot have, by definition.

I could go into what the Torah and the Talmud, and the sages say about living in Israel, but that would just be beating a dead horse.

I strongly recommend to every Jew out there to study the Jewish texts and Jewish thought. Not in an Israel context, of course, G-d forbid that a Jew should ask another Jew to think of the very essence of Judaism. But just start learning the knowledge base and the philosophy that makes Greek/Roman/Enlightenment philosophies seem like child's play.

2006-05-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

On Yom Ha'Zikaron, all the students of the ulpan went to a local Tali high school. Tali is a system of schools that teach more religion than government-secular schools but less than government-religious schools. In my opinion, this school system should replace the secular system entirely. The secular school system only has one class a day on Tanach and Judaism/Zionism, which is not enough. It's not that one class a day can't be sufficient to impart a solid amount of Jewish knowledge, it's just that giving the knowledge is only half the battle. The real achievement in Jewish education is bringing Judaism to the overall social life of the school and integrating Jewish and Zionist values into the entire school experience instead of just into a 45-minute daily class. It is the lack of such an environment that I think makes the secular system less effective in building quality Israeli citizens. Of course, even if the government chooses to do nothing in this regard, time will solve everything. As the religious sector grows, the secular schoolchildren will make up a progressively smaller proportion of Jewish Israeli children. Of course, it's a shame that the secular sector will continue to have weak Jewish education, no matter how minor of a sector it will become in numerical terms.

Back to Yom Ha'Zikaron - the ceremony was moving, the siren at 11am was even more powerful than the one the night before. The courtyard of the school was filled with the 800 high school students and about 150 students from Ulpan Etzion. Everyone was wearing white shirts, as is customary for the Day of Remembrance, and the ceremony included poems, songs and lists of names of fallen soldiers who had graduated from the high school. The emotional climax was the Kadish read for the fallen, the two minutes of silence during the siren, and the singing of the Hatikvah. I found it especially powerful that the national anthem was sung with no accompanying music and without a singer to lead everyone else. Without microphones, loudspeakers, amplifiers and an overbearing voice of a single singer, the anthem sounded much more pure and more beautiful.

Tuesday night, Yom Ha'Zikaron ended, and Yom Ha'Atzmaut began. Downtown Jerusalem hosted what can only be described as insanity of the multitudes. There were Independence celebrations in various theaters and community centers, but I figured since I still have the vigor of youth on my side, I might as well go all the way. Ben Yehuda, Yaffo and King George streets were packed with the various residents of this crazy city. There were teenagers, kids, families, young and old. There were a few conspicuous groups of American Birthright trip participants. They crowded around a stage that was set a bit way off from Kikar Zion and that mainly played clubbing music and hip-hop. The main stage was overwhelmingly playing Israeli pop songs, although I think 50 cent/G-unit slipped one in towards the end. The really popular songs like Adon Olam (a prayer sung to a pop melody) and anything by the Mizrahi singers were sung by the crowd, which is definitely an experience. It was also very clear that representatives of two major population sectors of Jerusalem were absent - the ultra-Orthodox and the Arabs.

The Arabs consider Yom Ha'Atzmaut the day of the Nakba, or Catastrophe, and it is a day of mourning for them. And I am not just talking about West Bank and Gaza Arabs, I am talking about Israel's very own Arab citizens. The fact that 1.4 million holders of Israeli citizenship consider the formation of the State of Israel a disaster is clearly a sign of problems ahead. Granted, almost 300,000 of the Arabs are Christians or Druze, and I am sure some of the Muslim Arabs aren't totally anti-Zionist, so the real figure of the "fifth column" is probably more like a million. Regardless, there are a lot of them. The kind of war that needs to happen on this land to fix this problem is something no one wants to think about, but it will start one terrible day in the not too distant future. We're still going to win, have no doubt, but only after a bloodbath. Unless G-d waves a magic wand, which I am sure He's not planning on doing. We have to earn this little piece of real estate all by ourselves.

The ultra-Orthodox consider Yom Ha'Atzmaut a Zionist holiday that celebrates independence of a State that has not been established yet. They are waiting for the Moshiach, then and only then will Israel truly be independent. Well, we're all waiting for Moshiach, but that doesn't mean that we had to have been sitting on out collective ass for the last 120 years. It was worthwhile to spend the time building the State. We merit Israel by our doing not by our praying. Praying gives us the power to accomplish things, but we still have to accomplish them prior to Moshiach getting here. What can I say, I am a dati-leumi idealogue.

Before heading out to Kikar Zion for the celebrations, I went over with a bunch of people to Nitzanim, which is a synagogue close to the ulpan, where a special Independence Day service was held. I was especially impressed when Shir Ha'Maalot was sung to the tune of Hatikvah. For those of you who know as much about Judaism as I did back in my free-wheeling, spiritually empty youth - Shir Ha'Maalot means "Song of Ascents" and is one of King David's psalms. It's really beautiful and I encourage all to read it in both the Hebrew and in whatever galut language is most relevant to you. The song is amazing, it's traditional (Mizrahi version) is the best, and there's a line that gets me every time. Of course, a lot of things "get me" in Israel.

Yesterday I went to Tel-Aviv with my Brazilian roommate and a bunch of the French kids. The beach was all it's cracked up to be. It was hot and sunny, the water was perfect and clear. The Brazilian was busy plying his favorite craft - talking to girls in a mixture of really bad Hebrew, funny-accented English, and that incomprehensible Portuguese. One of the Frenchies had two friends from France visiting who were staying in an apartment close to the beach. It's nice when Daddy buys a piece of choice real estate for vacations in the Holy Land. I think at this point the French Jews all own at least one apartment in Israel. Nu?? Stop with your Frenchiness and get the hell over here already. I am sure France will not miss you. The French will be too busy getting slapped around and taken advantage of by their homegrown, fundamentalist Arab masses.

After some serious shawarma, we went decided to go out and see the nightlife of Tel-Aviv. Apparently the night after Yom Ha'Atzmaut is a quiet night in the city, but there were still plenty of entertainment options. There was a club owned by Subliminal that was impossible to get into. It was one of those deals where hundreds of people crowd around the entrance and try to get the attention of the massive Russian security guards who then select who to allow inside. Clearly, unless you have at least two mind-bogglingly stunning beauties hanging all over you, getting in is a matter of knowing people. An interesting note - all the security guys at the entrance of clubs and bars in Israel are massive Russians. It's as if all those Soviet sports schools for Greco-Roman wrestlers and weightlifters existed for one purpose only - to churn out employees for Israeli night clubs.

In general, I am not a good person to review the night life of secular Tel-Aviv. Anyone who has experienced it knows that it is at least as "good" if not "better" than in any other Western, cosmopolitan city. But for me, I find secular entertainment empty and a general waste of time and money. Given what other things one could do with one's time, especially in Israel, I simply don't understand people who live the New York-like life in Tel-Aviv. What, in effect, are they doing here? Is that type of life really an expression of Jewish Zionist values? I don't think so, and there aren't really any people in the secular left establishment who make a concrete, facts-based argument to the contrary. The opposite, the secular left in Israel is trying to be as American as possible in all aspects of their life. The leaders of that sector have tried to reconcile Zionism with an increasingly consumer-oriented, materialist value system that is strengthening as the economy becomes more capitalist. But they fail to see plain facts. The only people in Israel that have been able to combine making money with Jewish Zionist values are the religious. It's easier for religious people to be less pretentious, less superficial and more focused on the meaningful aspects of their lives than for their secular counterparts because they aren't slaves to a secular value system. Regardless, Tel-Aviv was all it could be and we made our way back to Jerusalem in the wee hours of the morning. I woke up at 1pm today with a sunburn, exhausted, and missing some serious cash. Clubbing isn't cheap anywhere.

The following section is about the amount of Judaism in Israeli life, so stop reading now if you don't care. Israel is more than just secular and hareidi, which is what the left-wingers would like to have you believe. So I will lay out some facts and figures for you.

First the terms:

Hareidi means ultra-orthodox, anti-zionist, black suit wearing types. Notably, Chabadniks and some other groups are hareidi but are supportive of the State of Israel. The national-religious sector, also known as the religious zionist sector (dati-leumi and dati-tzioni, respectively, in Hebrew), is characterized by knitted kippot. Many of them wear tzitzit, but otherwise wear modern clothing. Dati-leumi women dress conservatively, with long skirts. And of course the real grey area is the definition of “traditional” or "masorti" in Hebrew - most Israelis labeling themselves “traditional” have a level of observance and a set of beliefs that would place them in the Conservadox wing of American Jewry, lodged right up against the Orthodox.

The Israeli government (Central Bureau of Statistics) is at:
http://www1.cbs.gov.il/reader/?MIval=cw_usr_view_Folder&ID=141

They list the following for 2002:
5.9 percent Haredi
10 percent Orthodox (this is a mix if ultra-orthodox who are Zionist and strict dati-leumi)
13 percent Traditional - “Religious” (the more lax dati-leumi)
28.5 percent Traditional - “Not So Religious” (yes, that’s a direct translation!)
42 percent Secular - (this is the Ashkenazi secular mass, which includes most Russian Jews)

In the school year 2005/6 enrollment of Jewish children in elementary school broke down as:
27 percent Ultra Orthodox (many of these kids are from traditional or secular homes and were sent there because these schools are free and high-quality)
24 percent Religious National
49 percent Secular

for middle and high schools:
19 percent Ultra-Orthodox
19 percent Relgious National
62 percent Secular

I assume that the small number of “Tali” schools (traditional stream within the secular school system) is lumped in with the secular school system.

But a breakdown by actual religious beliefs and practices yields a much different picture. The most commonly quoted study is the Guttman Institute’s 1996 survey, but similar results were found in longitudinal studies by Ben-Gurion and TA Universities:

A solid 70 percent of Israelis:
keep kosher homes
fast on Yom Kippur
light Hanuka candles
attend Passover Seder
believe in G-d

at least 50-60 percent of Israelis:
- light Sabbath candles
- make kiddush on Friday night
- don’t usually work on the Sabbath
- believe in the Divine origin of the Torah on Mount Sinai
- believe in the chosenness of the Jewish people
- believe in the efficacy of prayer

Despite the PR circus around the topic of civil marriages, 90 percent of Israelis marry using the Jewish ritual.

The report is well summarized here and is worth reading:
http://www.jcpa.org/jl/hit07.htm

It also seems that “secular” is not so secular. A few pertinent quotes:
Many of these “traditional” Jews differ from the Orthodox only because they will drive their cars on the Sabbath, use electricity, watch television, or go to a soccer game or the beach, frequently after attending religious services in the morning and the evening before. Many of the men don tefillin every morning, others cover the spectrum of observance. What is critical is that all are committed to a major religious component in the definition of their Jewishness and the Jewishness of the Jewish state.

The fourth and second smallest group consists of those who define themselves as secular, some 20 percent of the Jewish population. These are people whose beliefs are secular. Their practices, on the other hand, may be quite similar to those of many traditionalists, only they maintain those practices for family and national reasons rather than accepted religious ones. The fact that Jewish religious observance has such a strong national component makes it a major component of Jews’ national identity even if they no longer see themselves as believers in the Jewish religion.

The Guttman study shows that three-quarters of the 20 percent follow the most common traditional religious practices. Only a quarter, or 5 percent of the total Jewish population, say they observe no religious practices whatsoever, a figure which is belied by figures that show that 98 percent of Israeli Jews have mezuzot on the doorposts of their houses and 92 percent circumcize their male children, to mention only two of a number of observances that are so deeply entrenched in the culture that hardly anyone thinks of them as religious observances.

Hence, Israel is thus a much more “religious” society than is implied by the bald percentages of “Orthodox” Jews. And it’s clear from the school enrollments that there a major demographic shift is underway.

This parallels developments in American Jewry - Orthodox have gone from a sliver constinuency to fully 1/3 of affiliated Jews - and that’s using a very broad definition of “affiliated” that equates joining a JCC pool with synagogue membership.

So there. Go Judaism. I am now off to visit the North of Eretz Israel. If you read this far, you either love me or you have a boring job that you need to quit.

2006-05-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the beginning of Yom Ha'Zikaron. There was a one minute siren at 8pm, for which I stood on Emek Refaim. People got up and out of the restaurants and cafes; cars, taxis and buses stopped; people walking or biking in the street stopped; everyone stood in silence for a minute in remembrance of the over 22,000 Israeli soldiers who have fallen since the struggle for the modern State of Israel began in 1860. "Overwhelming" is too weak a term. After the siren, I went over to the Baka Community Center, which had a moving outdoor ceremony. There were solemn speeches, lists of fallen soldiers from the Baka neighborhood, a burning "Yizkor" sign, beautiful Israeli songs, and prayers. Tomorrow, there will be another siren, two minutes long, at 11 am. At 10am we will all be going to a local high school in order to participate in the ceremony there. Since this neighborhood is mixed national-religious and Mizrahi (two extremely patriotic segments of the Jewish-Israeli population), virtually all the guys graduating this year will be going to combat units.

Immediately after the somber mood of Yom Ha'Zikaron, Jerusalem will change to the loud festivities of Yom Ha'Atzmaut. It's no accident that Yom Ha'Shoa and Yom Ha'Zikaron are followed so closely by the celebration of Israel's independence. By design, the Israeli population grieves and remembers the price of the State's existence, and then plunges into BBQ-ing, partying and drinking to celebrate the miracle that is Israel. The Central Bureau of Statistics has just released the new population figures, and the Jewish population of Israel has grown to 5.33 million, an increase of 118,000 over the past year. This increase is almost exclusively due to a high Jewish birthrate, as the net immigration balance is positive by only a few thousand. 21,000 people made aliyah in 2005, but 18,000 made yerida (cheers to the the secular Tel-Avivis finding their dreams fulfilled in LA). No one is realistically putting any stock into hopes that aliyah will rise significantly above the levels of yerida, so as long as the immigration balance is somewhat positive, the birthrate will take care of the rest. I think everyone realizes that it will be very symbolic when, in about 5-6 years, the Jewish population of Israel will reach 6 million. By that same time, the US Jewish population will have dropped below 5 million.

I know I write about demographics a lot, but the reality of Israel's Jewish community becoming the majority of the world's Jews, when just 60 years ago the number of Jews living here was a barely noticeable 5% of world Jewry is, witheout a shadow of a doubt, a miracle. People thought the early Zionist leaders were insane, and yet, with G-d's help, everything is coming to fruition, and quite quickly, in historial terms. There's nothing to indicate that trends will change, in fact, they are likely to intensify and speed up. When a critical mass of the Jewish people will reside in their natural, G-d given home, Israel will spring forth power, influence and knowledge that will awe the entire world. We all know Jews have formidable powers, and are a completely insane group of people, so a sleepy little country we will never be. And being located in a terrible neighborhood of violent, backward Arab regimes only serves to strengthen Israel. The more violent the Arabs are, the more they pressure Israel, the higher Israel rises demographically, economically and techonologically. A few tactical territorial concessions are but a bump in the road. Long-term, no Mideast nation can possibly compete with Israel. All we need is a little bit of sovlanut and a whole lot of mazal.

2006-04-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

I went out on Thursday night. I don't usually go out, due to my insistence on the moral lifestyle, but my Brazilian friend used his Latin charm to convince me that once in a while it is good to be in the presence of large numbers of intoxicated people. So, we went out to an area between King George and Kikar Tzion that is packed with bars, some indoor some outdoor, some hippy-looking, some sheik. It was insanely packed, more packed than any cluster of night spots in New York. A cool place was Agon, which has, like many of these bars, an inconspicuous entrance, but turns out to include two courtyards, several bars and all sorts of space in between. There were at least 300 people in this place alone. An interesting mix goes out in Jerusalem. American yeshiva students studying here for a year, Mizrahi Jeruselamites, American tourists, non-American tourists, religious, secular, speaking a mixture of French, Spanish, English and Hebrew. There was alcohol to drink, nargilah to smoke, food to eat, quite fun I suppose. I did get the distinct feeling that most people were aged 18-22 though. Some of the more upscale places a bit farther from the frenentic bar scene had an older crowd and were, clearly, more expensive. As I now actually understand Hebrew, I determined that in many of the bars there exist, in fact, two price systems. One for locals and one for drunk Americans with their parents' credit cards who don't know the difference and couldn't care less. The restaurants, however, being respectable establishments, maintain a fair pricing system for all. I discovered a 24-7 restaurant that serves really high quality food. Generally, 24-7 means something fairly nasty, but this was quite the opposite.

I had some converstations with the most random, and interesting, people, but the highlight of the night was the onion and cheese quiche at 3am. It was flat out amazing, as was the side salad. For $10 it better have been. Ok, maybe there were other highlights, but only a picture would serve to adequately describe those.

This Shabbat I decided to stay at the Ulpan, and spent Saturday biking to the southeast. I explored Arnona, a very nice Jewish neighborhood that, although upscale, is still reasonably priced. Further to the south of it is Kibbut Ramat Rahel, to which most tourists get taken. It's on a hill and has a good view of the southern parts of East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and assorted Judean Hills. It also has a view of the Malha Mall area where the stadium is located. Next to the kibbutz is the Arab village of Abu Zahr, which explored only a little bit before it became clear I don't really belong there and need to get pedalling in the opposite direction. East Jerusalem is really strange. Jewish and Arab neighborhoods are a few hundred meters away, but they might as well be in different worlds. I also did some biking today, and explored the UN area of Armon Hanatziv. This hill probably has the best view eastward into the Jewish heartland.

In preparation for Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Independence Day), flags are being put up all over the place. Balconies, windows, lamp posts, store fronts, car antennas and all sorts of inventive places. Pride is a virtue the rest of the West better recover if they hope to survive.

2006-04-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

As you all know, Tuesday the 25th was Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel. It's actually called The Day of Holocaust Remembrance and Heroism. That last part is about remembering, and exalting, the various ghetto uprisings and the Jewish partisan units during World War II. I thought I'd write a long blog about how incredibly significant the entire World War II history is to Israeli self-determination, how it's a huge part of the national Jewish character here (much more so than I had ever imagined), how the new Yad V'Shem is a powerful experience, how intense it was to hear the siren that stopped the entire nation and everyone stood in silence for its duration, how the Shoah is a part of an almost daily national discourse, how it shapes national security policy, how it permeates the consciousness of average Israelis to a level definitely incomparable to what I am used to in the US Jewish community, and how all of these things make being Jewish and living in Israel an amazing and at times overwhelming feeling. But, I really can't get into it, it's too much, it's too deep, and frankly you have to live here to truly get it. Suffice it to say, it's as massive a part of the national Israeli culture as the Hebrew language and the IDF. In other words, life here doesn't make sense without an esssential understanding of the Shoah.

In other news, I was recently informed, thank you random reader, that the Conservative and Reform movements in the US are starting to promote aliyah amongst young people. I am usually on top of my favorite topic, but this is a new fact. Apparently, it's quite true, and Nefesh'b'Nefesh is starting to develop in the direction of the non-Orthodox. A lot of it has to do with the fact that the Jewish Agency is allowing Nefesh'b'Nefesh to basically dictate aliyah outreach policy. Lo and behold, the impossible is occuring. A bureacratic organization is realizing that a privately-run organization is cleverer, faster and more efficient. Miracles do happen. Lets hope G-d's plan is realized and a subconscious wave of Jewish Zionist fervor starts to spread throughout the young Jews of the Diaspora. Comfort and income security, they will realize, is not the essence of life. Ideology, even on a basic level, is more powerful and is the only real glue of a society with a future. Plus, comfort and income security are relative and can be improved with hard work. Not everything has to be served up on a silver platter.

Personally, I will offer what I can in order to promote the above. The rewards are as follows:

Friend level (a vacation of under 3 weeks) - you get a tub of hummus, the couch and a private tour of Jerusalem.

Special Friend level (3 weeks to 8 weeks) - you get hummus, free tours, and my bed.

Silver Friend level (2-5 months, usually a study program) - you get my hummus, bed, free tours, use of my bike, and an opportunity to play with fun toys (no, V, not those types of toys).

Gold Friend level (you make the big move) - you get my bed (yes, you can live in my room I will sleep on the couch), my food is your food, my bike is your bike, you get to play with fun toys and you'll get both regular tours and special tours.

Platinum Friend level (you make the move and do 'fun' activities) - same as Gold level plus something that can't be described.

so start making plans.

2006-04-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that I bought a bike on Thursday. I rode it to Givat Tzarfatit for Shabbat and it's promising to make my life more mobile and less dependent on public transport. I never thought I would do this, but I wear a helmet. Doubtless, I look like a gimp, but (a) I am not as brave as I was at 17, and (b) Jerusalem is full of speeding cars so the chance of an accident is far higher than in the world's greatest suburb of West Hartford, CT. If you come visit the holy city, and you see some gimpy looking bicyclist with a backpack, waterbottle and pump on the frame, wearing a bike helmet and sunglasses, pathetically struggling up a steep hill at the pace of a snail, iyou'll know it's me. Most people walk.

Oh yes, and wish me good luck, I have a special date on May 1st. I've been dreaming about it for a while.

2006-04-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

Pesach came to a nice ending yesterday (it's 7 days in Israel, 8 in the Galut), and the final seder, the night prior, was in this rabbi's apartment in the Old City. There was a conglomeration of people from all over, although the English speakers were the best represented, about 25 people in all. The rabbi is Chabad-affiliated, although I am not sure how his funding works. But he definitely hooks up young people with a meaningful religious experience on Shabbat or holidays. I liked it and I am coming back. It's getting much easier to read the Hebrew texts, and I am actually understanding the prayers, partially, without looking at the translation. So, progress is being made. There were quite a few young men there who gave me advice on the next stage of my "Israel experience." It's always encouraging to hear the stories of those whose life path is similar to mine. It also suggests that I am not crazy. Or if I am, there sure are a lot of people who are just as insane as me.

Aside from these quality types, there are also a lot of people in Jerusalem who treat this city as a vacation spot. I hate the tourist mentality, especially when it's applied to this city, and particularly because the economic behavior of our guests includes the buying of property, which raises prices on housing and everything else. You can tell a tourist from a mile away in Jerusalem, even though they technically look exactly like your typical Ashkenazi Jerusalemite. There is a foreign energy that emanates from the tourists, and it's clear they don't belong. I can feel the emptiness in their souls, it's palpable. We will take your money however, thank you, now go back to Cedarhurst.

I urge all of you to find meaning in your lives, even if it means doing something that you may have always thought was a bit crazy. The drudgery of corporate life and the spiritual emptiness it forces on its employees is made bearable by the opportunities to "relax" and "wind-down" and to "vacation." The "vacation" especially is an interesting concept in the Western cosmopolitan system. Just like people buy products to make their lives happier and more enjoyable, people also buy vacations to make them feel good about themselves. The vacation is the ultimate consumer product. The ideal way to get to that peak before you go right back down to the valley. It's a depressing, unstable way to live. By "live" I mean to truly live, not just to not die.

2006-04-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Ulpan Etzion, watching the Sopranos and trying to read Hebrew newspapers. The kibbutz life was good, and, frankly, my life right now is pretty much the kibbutz life. Most people are still away for Pesach so the ulpan is quiet, there's plenty of free time and the free food keeps a-comin'. We're not sitting around singing songs and playing guitars, but the pace is nice and lazy.

The happy pace was interrupted by the suicide attack just a few hours ago in Tel-Aviv. Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (Fatah's suicide wing) claimed responsibility. Hamas, the governing power in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, stated that the attack was a legitimate response to the "state terrorism" that Israel perpetrates against the Arabs. With all due (non)-respect to those who believe there's a "cycle of violence" here, you have no idea what you're talking about. Violence is not cyclical, that's a just a convenient way for post-modern liberals to conceptualize conflicts without making a definitive determination of what is actually happening and who is exactly at fault and for what and what their specific goals are. This type of thinking is predicated on the belief that all human beings just want to live in peace, while extremists on both sides perpetrate violent attacks in support of hazy, fundamentalist goals, and that the violence is totally pointless and will lead nowhere, while overcoming the crazies will allow reasonable people from each side to sit down and work out a mutually acceptable solution. This thinking is completely disconnected from reality.

The terror organizations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip aren't criminal gangs full of sneaky ideologues who cleverly subvert innocent youths into committing violent acts, while the overwhelming majority of the population they live amongst is "just trying to live their daily lives." That's bullshit. The terror organizations are very extensive, with massive political, social and military wings. They have sophisticated, world-wide financial networks and have been using the cover of the "Palestinian Authority" to scam billions of dollars from the UN, the EU and the US. They directly or indirectly control all the municipalities and villages of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The leadership of the hamullahs, clans, that constitute the essence of Arab social and economic life are all members of or associates of one terror group of another. The entire social support network is run by the terror organizations, and there's no such thing as an independent private sector. Hence, they are so entrenched in the private, public, social and economic life of the West Bank and Gaza Arabs that to call them a minority is idiocy. The overwhelming majority of Arabs in the Palestinian territories support the actions of terrorist organizations, as can be evidenced by numerous polls that consistently put the figures at 75-80%. Of course, the greatest piece of proof is that Hamas is the most popular political faction and was voted in to dominate governance, collect taxes and spend the tax money on roads and schools, of course.

As for their ideology, the terror groups aren't crazy in the least. Their leaders are PhD's, doctors and engineers, many of them educated in Russia or in the West. They have a very clear and pragmatic plan to pressure the Jewish State indefinitely with terrorist attacks and skirmishes with the IDF, all the while keeping the left wing of Israeli society, and most of the world, enthralled with tales of peace and understanding delivered in flawless English. At the same time, they are openly discussing their greater plan for the destruction of the Jewish state in Arabic to their own people and to anyone else who would listen. They know that by stating contradictory intentions they confuse and slow their Jewish opponents as well as the Americans and the Europeans. They have figured out the basic weaknesses of a Western, liberal society - a deep desire to believe in peace regardless of the facts, a soft heart for the poor underdog, an over-sensitivity to casualities, and an inability to call and an enemy an enemy and kill him. This knowledge gives the terror groups a tremendous advantage as they work towards their goals against a more militarily and economically powerful opponent. To them, the conflict is, in the end, a zero-sum game. But, they know that it can take generations of manuevers to bring the game to an end. They are also aware that the end game, if it goes their way, will have to involve an Israeli economic collapse and massive Jewish flight from the Holy Land. With regard to the morally weak far left wing in Israeli society, the Arabs are right. Many of them don't have the staying power necessary in this happy little hotspot. However, there's a large, and growing, nationalist consensus that has strong convictions and has the capacity to use force when necessary. This right wing also has zero intentions of jumping ship and throwing the State of Israel into the dustbin of history like some ill-conceived experiment. If we base our calcuations on polls that ask how commited your average Israeli Jew is to keeping this land, fighting for it, and not bailing for Los Angeles, the patriotic nationalist camp is at about 75% of the Israeli Jewish population. Add to that the fact that the religious, for whom it is a basic principle of faith to stay here, account for virtually all of the population growth, and it's clear that the Jewish side is at least as committed to winning this thing in the long-term as the Arabs are.

The essence of the conflict is control of land, and the Arabs, including those with Israeli citizenship residing within the 1949 armistice lines, are overwhelmingly in favor of creating a 23rd Arab nation in the Middle East from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean coast. However, they cannot win this conflict, they can only carry it forward. The Jews are more advanced in every way, will always be richer and stronger, and will always have a proud nationalist majority that is willing to fight. The Arabs haven't controlled this land since that stint in the Middle Ages, and it has changed hands too many times to definitively state anything. If any piece of land anywhere was ever up for grabs, it's Israel in the 20th and 21st centuries. The claims are not settled, nothing is fully agreed upon, and there's no forseeable, predictable endpoint. Force has always set final boundaries, and humanity hasn't changed. Those who believe otherwise are fooling themselves.

With regard to this specific terrorist attack, in my opinion the proper response is to flatten the entire village from whence the suicide bomber came. Not just his family's house, but the entire village. The house demolition strategy is actually very effective in discouraging young men from signing up to get blown up, so a village or town demolition would work even better.

2006-04-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

I am retarded - I said in my last post that I was spending Pesach at Kibbutz Yagur, that's way off. I am at Kibbutz Nachshon. It's west of Jerusalem and is N's future residence, when he finally gets away from the foolishness and superficiality of NYC. In related news, being around people speaking Hebrew quickly, with slang, jumping from topic to topic, is making my head spin a little bit. I am trying to understand what's going on, but it's not easy. Next Pesach I'll be fluent. It usually takes people about two years to carry on full conversations about whatever topic. Spanish probably takes people no more than half a year to master. At least I am not learning Chinese, although sometimes I feel like I am.

2006-04-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

I am spending Pesach in Kibbutz Yagur. The seder they had here was nice, kind of comparable to a Reform seder in the US. But it's in a large, kibbutz format, so it was cool. After that, there was lots of hanging out on people's verandas, turkish coffee, wine, guitar, singing. Kibbutzim may not be socialist anymore, but the social aspect of people sitting around in large groups and enjoying themselves without the help of the entertainment industry is alive and well. And I like it. Around 2am when everyone went home, myself and three guys starting playing a drinking game. Simple card game, three types of alcohol, until 4:30am. I am not the drinker I used to be, but it's ok because Israelis get drunk faster than a college freshmen at his first party. Slept until 2pm today and so far have managed to eat fried maza and eggs and watch the Matrix. Kibbutz life is good. Or maybe I am just not the city type. Not that there are any real cities in Israel, Tel-Aviv barely qualifies. But it's better that way, the air is fresher, and it's quieter. I would hate it if Israel developed cities the size of New York or London.

Anyhow, Hag Sameach le'Kulam!

2006-04-11T15:11:00.000-07:00

Went on a walk of Yemin Moshe and Abut Tor today. Yemin Moshe is probably one of the most physically attractive neighborhoods of Jerusalem. It's directly across the Gai Henom valley from the southern wall of the Old City. Most of the real estate there is owned by foreigners who only come once or twice a year. They rarely rent out, so the neighborhood is quite empty most of the year. Sad, really. Such a great location, in such a great city, and it's completely dead. In my opinion, people should only buy real estate here if they intend on living here.

Abu Tor is mostly Arab, but the upper part of it is actually Jewish, and quite exclusive. There are amazing views of the city and eastward toward the Judean Desert. The more I walk around this city the more I realize how many wealthy people live here. Poorest city in Israel? Those statistics are very misleading. I then walked from Abu Tor into the Armon Hanatziv park which is below the promenade I wrote about in one of my early posts. The park is actually one of the nicest and biggest in the city. Up to the top and I am on the promenade, 10 minutes from Ulpan Etzion. Lunch was an outdoor BBQ affair, with quality hummus.

Pesach - the holiday of freedom. More precisely, Pesach is the holiday of overcoming the lowest level of spirituality and physicality, as symbolized by our slavery in Egypt. Not only were we in a foreign land and suffered great abuse, but our observance levels dropped to previously unheard of levels. The Jews were in a complete rut. From the moment we left Egypt, we started to climb up the spiritual levels by increasing observance and growing closer and closer to Hashem. We were also elevating ourselves physically by nearing Israel. There are fifty Kabbalistic levels of spirituality (the actual structure is insanely complicated), and in Egypt we were at the lowest possible level. At the moment that we received the Torah at Mt. Sinai, we had reached the complete and total peak of spiritual realization as a people. We were literally in G-d's presence and we were elevated to a level that we can only imagine now. Shortly thereafter, we completed our ascension, "aliyah" in Hebrew, by entering the Land of Israel. Unfortunately, we slowly started to slip down the spiritual slope, and post-Torah Jewish history flows from there. As Jews, we have never been at the spiritual level we had achieved at Mt. Sinai. How did we merit it then, at that moment? At that moment, we came together as a people, there was no sina (hate) of one Jew for another, achiut (brotherhood) was in tzura shlema (complete form), and we all fully believed in G-d and his awesome power. Having reached that point, the Lord brought us to the Promised Land. From that point, the Torah ends. After that we have Prophets, Writings and all sorts of historical/interpretive texts that outline Jewish history, religion and practice since our first attempt at a State.

History has been both cruel and kind. But the point of Pesach is to teach us that regardless of how low sink, we have the capability to reach the highest spiritual level. And that, combined with being physically in the place G-d reserved for us, is how we will merit G-d's revelation in our physical world through the process of the Redemption. The ultimate goal is spiritual dedication and our presence in Israel. As a people we have not merited the full realization of these two goals. Hence, Jews must continually improve their level of belief and observance on the one hand, and strive to move to Israel on the other hand. That's why the apex of the Pesach seder is the statement "Next Year in Jerusalem!" - expressing the physical aspect of bringing about the Redemption. Of course, many of us are, in fact, already in Jerusalem. At this point, 43% of the world's Jews have realized the physical aspect of the goal of the Jewish way of life. So, Israeli Jews say "Shana Ha'Ba'a b'Yerushalayim Ha'Bnia!", meaning "Next Year in a Rebuilt Jerusalem." This means that even though we are here, we're not all here, and we, as a people still have a lot work to do. So our next step is to merit Jerusalem's rebuilding into the capital of the complete Jewish state, with the Third Temple rebuilt. That's when we get to the Redemption.

Almost there...

2006-04-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

One of my faithful readers asked me about what was happening to me with regard to Judaism. Israel is not like the Diaspora. Many basic practices are taken for granted, whereas in the US they would require a special effort. Many other practices are also really easy to keep and require minimal effort here. So, in many ways, I am more observant than I was in the US. Lifestyle aside, Israel is spiritually an uplifting place. If you have the right philosophy, it's easy to have a strong belief in G-d here. Combine that with the uniqueness of the Land itself and you have a pretty potent mix.

In the US, being Jewish is an aspect of one's identity. In most US Jews, it's not a well-developed aspect and being Jewish is almost accidental. Like being Irish-American. Yes, I have a background, so what? Let's just move on with my standard, mainstream American life. Most American Jews are on the way out of the fold and there are very few forces pulling them back in. The 70% intermarriage rate, and rising, among the non-Orthodox American Jews pretty much spells out the end of the overwhelming majority of Jews in the US. For most Jews, now is the opportunity to decide. Having been part of an ongoing chain for 3,800 years, does he now break that chain and assimilate or reinforce and strengthen his identity? Pretty much all of the non-Orthodox will not even ask themselves such a question. They will just assimilate without giving their Judaism much thought at all.

However, if Jews never assimilated, there would be 300,000,000 of us in the world, according to Jewish population experts. So, together with genocides, assimilation has been an ever-present aspect in Jewish life everywhere. The herd must be thinned. Those that have the weakest Jewish identity and who are not interested in the incredible wealth of tradition and knowledge that their ancestors have kept going for thousands of years, will leave the tribe. Those that remain are therefore the most committed and the future of Judaism is ensured. The current process underway in the US is a perfect example of what happens with an almost complete lack of anti-Semitism and declining observance levels. The herd is thinning and it's a good thing. Also, with the Diaspora communities becoming smaller, and with the Israeli Jewish community becoming bigger (net positive immigration balance, high birthrate, almost 0% intermarriage), it's just a matter of time before the inevitable occurs. Israel is home to 43% of the world's Jews, and 60% of all Jewish children aged 15 and under. That means that in 20 years Israel will have the critical mass to be the absolute epicenter of Jewish life, with Diaspora communities surviving only by associating with Israel. By 2050, the Diaspora will become just a bunch of scattered sattelites of the State of Israel. All these numbers come from sociological studies by the likes of Sergio della Pergola, the number one Jewish demographer around. Ya'll can read up population statistics to your heart's content. Just make sure you mind the date they were published - The Israeli Jewish population is adding over 50,000 per year.

As important as the Diaspora was during the past 2,000 years, the present and the future of the Jewish people are once again in Israel. The third Galut is ending, the third Beit Ha'Mikdash will be built, and, as everyone knows, third time's the charm...

2006-04-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

Last week, we had a little ceremony at the ulpan, kind of a Pesach thing. Due to my well-written essay on what freedom means, it was chosen from the 250 essays to get read during the ceremony. I guess I am honored. You know how sometimes you do something that other people think is really great and they give this look like they expect you to say something or somehow express how happy or honored you are or... I don't know but they definitely expect you to say something fitting. During those moments, I am just not on the same wavelength as the people expecting a certain reaction from me. So either I robotically say what needs to be said or I just tell them that I don't think it's that great and that I couldn't care less. The last approach shocks people, and I seem to prefer it. I just don't do sentimentality very well. I am a heartless bastard. Except when it comes to a few topics, then I have the potential to get emotional and moved to an almost absurd point.

Anyways, I spent last weeked in Givat Tzarfatit, and, unlike three months ago, I understood half of Eretz Nehederet. That's a comedy show kind of like the Daily Show in the US, that basically makes fun and parodies everything about Israeli culture/politics, while giving news with a comic spin. Comedy is the most difficult thing to understand in a foreign language, and when people are making jokes, they are usually speaking quickly, with lots of slang and cultural intonations that can't be taught in a classroom. So understanding even half of it is an accomplishment. In some scenes I got three quarters, which really surprised me. I guess it depends on the topic.

Two weekends ago, I visited Abu Gosh. Not for the hummus, although it's AMAZING there. Abu Gosh is an Arab village about 20 minutes west of Jerusalem. It's mostly Moslem, but it's one of the few villages that has never been hostile to Israel, not even during the insanity of 1948-9. My relatives went there to buy house plants. For some reason there are several large greenhouses that sell a wide variety of flowers and accoutremants relevant to having a nice looking balcony/garden in Abu Gosh. Really interesting town, and quite wealthy and attractive. The hills west of Jerusalem, while not as nice as the Judean Hills themselves, have a classic look when combined with well-tended white stone homes.

In keeping with the chronologically illogical structure of this post, now we're at last night. There was a nice house party in Moshava Germanit (German Colony), which I earlier explained was a nice residential area off of Emek Refaim. It was mainly Anglos, some of them studying here, others having moved here permanently. $900 for a three bedroom place, on 2.5 floors, with a garden, on a green street with expensive homes. Nice. Hopefully I'll get a similar living arrangement soon. Now, there generally is nothing particularly interesting about a house party. People come, people go, there's alcohol, some people smoke cigarettes, there's music and dancing, some people pretend that they are hitting on women, some women pretend they are attractive and thin, some actually are, a lot aren't. But the unusual thing here is that I met this dude. No, not like that. But he was a copy of me, just two years further down the line, since he was born in 1978. Other than that, very similary background story and life progression. Except that he's more right-wing than me. Which is probably where I am headed in a few years.

Today, I walked around Jerusalem with a bunch of guys from the ulpan, and with a random dude who's studying here in a yeshiva from Chicago. A bit of Mea Shearim, and we had to walk through the Muslim quarter to come out of the Lion's Gate. Chicago boy almost died of a heart attack a few times he was so nervous about being in a crazy Arab crowd. Granted, we were all wearing kippot, and we couldn't even pass for innocent tourists. But it went well.

I don't know why the Moslem quarter was so crowded, but the Lion's Gate was chock full of families. I need to find out what the draw is, maybe there's some sort of market or a particular set of religious services on certain days that draws Arabs from surrounding villages. We walked down into the Kidron Valley, and explored the Tomb of Abshalom and the bottom part of the Mt. of Olives cemetery. From there, we walked over to Silwan, an Arab village on a slope of the Mt. of Olives. We wouldn't have gone there, but it was the fastest way to get to a point from where we could climb the entire mountain via the cemetery. Silwan is one of the most anti-Israel of all the East Jerusalem Arab villages. In practical terms that means that they have stoned cars and people, have supported terrorists, and have had lots of people arrested for plotting unsavory things. They were also a nasty battleground in 1967, and Israel is not a place where people forget. We only had to be in the village itself briefly before getting into the main part of the cemetery.

Those of you who have seen the Mt. of Olives from the Jewish quarter know what a site it is. Well, it's worth a visit, and it's interesting to climb up and check out graves on the way. The further up we went, the more exclusive the plots became. At this point in history, there aren't any available plots, all have been bought, and most have been filled. Although there's still plenty of space, and if any of you have a few (million) shiney shekels to spend, you can buy a plot off someone. There are various sections, belonging to different groups of Jews. Kavkaz, Bukharan, Hassidic, Litvak, Sephardi, Mizrahi (which is not Sephardi, there's a difference although most people don't know). Towards the top, we came to a great view of the Old City westwards, and a view south into the Judean Hills. Parts of the separation fence can be seen from there, as well as Jewish towns that are in limbo with regard to whether the Israeli government will include them in the fence or not.

On top of the Mt. of Olives is a hotel build by the Jordanians before 1967 in order to profane the Jewish sanctity of the mountain. It's still there, I have no idea who operates it. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Israeli government allows the Arabs to run it so that rich Arab visitors can have a nice view of Al-Quds. It could run by the Hyatt family. The Hyatts are an Arab Christian family from East Jerusalem who have a few mansions on the Mt. of Olives. Yes, they own the Hyatt chain of hotels. To say that they are rich is an exreme understatement. They are one of the wealthiest families in the world. Our very own Israeli Arabs making it big time in hotels and real estate around the world. Yay.

There's also a Mormon university on the mountain, I still need to go snooping around there. There are some churches on the Mt. of Olives, and on the side of the mountain. The land was bought by the Church in the 19th century and the various European churches built there. The mountain contains the Gardens of Gethsemane where Jesus walked about, preached and was kissed by Judah. The Gardens are in a complex controlled by a Russian Orthodox church, which is beautiful by the way. It has a dozen onion-shaped golden domes and maintains its grounds impeccably. Part way down there are also tombs of two prophets - Hagai and Ben-Zoar. On the way down the Mt. of Olives, we were treated to a bizarre sight - two Jerusalem policemen came galloping up the mountain on massive horses.

Dinner was sabikh. Sabikh is served in a pita or laffa, it's basically fried eggplant and boiled egg. Various veggies, fresh and pickled, hummus, harif, tehina, amba and you have a serious meal. It's a good alternative to felafel and shwarma. I also downed about a gallon of ice cream after dinner, I don't know why but sometimes these things happen.

2006-04-07T03:27:00.000-07:00

When I was in Tzfat, by the way, I had a really interesting experience that I forgot to relate two posts ago. My Dad were walking around the narrow streets, enjoying the old city, when we saw, in a little courtyard, a young religious guy practicing with nunchuks. He was wielding two nunchucks at the same time, going all Bruce Lee, but without the screaming. We watched him for a while. He took a break and we had a little chat. He studies in a yeshiva, with a focus on Kabbala. And he picked up the nunchuk skills while travelling around East Asia after his army service. Anways, seeing an Orthodox guy in Tzfat twirling nunchuks is a pretty bizarre sight.

2006-04-07T02:46:00.000-07:00

On the evening of Wed March 29th I was asked to attend a dinner with a group made up of families from the Jewish community of Chicago. They were here under the auspices of the UJA, doing a "mission" to Israel. "Mission" is an idiotic term used for trips made by large groups of American Jews, generally from certain communities, who do a whirlwind 10-day tour of Israel, meet with various representatives of Israeli society/army/government and are continually asked by Sokhnut/UJA guides that organize and lead the "mission" that Israel needs their support and that they need to donate money if they wish to see Israel keep making wonderful progress in a variety of areas. So, a bunch of people and I, got up and spoke about ourselves, blah blah blah, yay Israel, blah blah blah, and then joined the families at their tables, where we ate good grub and fielded an array of child-like questions. These people were all from a bunch of Reform and Conservative synagogues in the ultra-rich north Chicago suburbs, and one of their rabbis was a woman named Patty. If that doesn't summarize their ignorance about Israel, Judaism, Jewish identity and the conflict, I don't know what does. Here are some of their questions and statements:

"Oh my G-d, Felix, you went to Dartmouth?! I hope my son gets into a good school like that! Who won the elections? What do you mean "coalition"? Why are IDF soldiers hurting innocent Arabs? Have you seen an Arab? Are you serious, there's an Arab village a mile away and there are army units there arresting people!? Israel can't survive without US aid! What, they have to spend all of it on US arms? I saw lots of people in black at the Western Wall, are they orthodox? Why are so many soldiers wearing kippas? I want to retire and be buried in Israel! Israel needs to do (insert baseless and stupid opinion) to achieve peace. Israel isn't doing enough of (insert opinions on policies that Americans don't understand). Why can't I order an ice cream right now? What do you mean I just had a meat entree... oh right! Why are there all these religious signs and papers on the walls? Where are all these Jews from, they look darker, or are they Arabs? Ah, Mizrahi Jews are from Arabic countries, you don't say, and they speak Hebrew and they are Jewish? Jessica, after this, lets go to a spa and get massages! My daughter, Jessica, and her friend Suzy, are getting their Bat-Mitzva tomorrow here in Jerusalem! Isn't that exciting?!? We have such a big Jewish community in Chicago, and everyone always has really big, really wonderful Bar/Bat-Mitzva's! No way, we're on the other side of Green Line right now?!!?! Kids, we're going to Eilat tomorrow and staying at the Royal Something-or-Other, it's SOOO nice, not as nice as when we were in St. Lucia, but we have to vacation in different places every year. Israel is such a crazy place, it's so dangerous, all these bombings and attacks all the time, how can you live here?!? Don't you worry you're gonna get blown up?! Why would you leave perfectly nice CT suburbia? It's so NOT convenient for people here, they don't have nice lawns and the cars are so small! It's so nice that there's a place for Jews, but it's too bad not enough people are coming here. You're here to do what?!? Oh my G-d, don't you think that's a little bit crazy? Wow, what a commitment, I wish others would do the same."

I can go on, but honestly, I, and others who came with me, we all felt like we were talking to children. And we all agreed that they just don't get it. If you're living an secular, culture-less, house/car/shopping oriented lifestyle in picture perfect suburbs, and your ups and downs are determined by meaningless things, your Israel identity is so marginal and your Judaism is so surface, that it is inevitable that there will be a huge gulf between your world view and knowledge base as compared to someone who lives Israel and who lives the Jewish expression and history of Israel as an everyday reality.

2006-04-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

Spurred on by an overwhelming display of support from my massive base of faithful readers, I am back to posting. The minor hiatus was caused by a combination of factors that I might as well blame on those pesky Jews. It's clear that the breadth and depth of my life in Israel are simply too much to record in full, so my readers will have to, periodically, be satisfied with overviews.

March 15: My Dad and I walked around Jerusalem, and spent a lot of time in the Tower of David Museum. The latter is located in the Old City, near the Jaffa Gate. The fortified complex there is actually not the Tower of David, but that's what it has been mistakingly called forever. It was built by the Ottoman Turks 500 years ago when they set up an administrative center in Jerusalem and wanted and old-school fortress with a good view of the city. Today, within it is located a museum of the history of Jerusalem and makes for a great afternoon for anyone who wants a good grounding the history of this incredible city. That evening, we had dinner at my relatives' place in Givat Tzarfatit, where there was also a family visiting from LA. Nice people, but clueless about Israel to the point of idiocy. As an aside, I consider LA the central cesspool of Western immorality and the harbinger of societal decline. But if there was ever a perfect location for movie studios, expensive mansions and limitless numbers of easy blondes, LA is it.

March 16: I travel to Tel-Aviv with my Dad. We meet up with friends of the family who shows us around and feed us amazing borsch. My Dad is impressed by the number of futuristic looking high-rises that have gone up since the last time he was here in 1999. Frankly, so am I.

March 17: We spend the morning walking around Old Yaffo. It's a must-see by the way. The sea-side part of it has been restored and you get that medievial feel along with a great ocean view. Throw in artist's studios, little museums, a few archeological digs and a vista of the Tel-Aviv skyline, and any tourist should be more than satisfied. In the most ancient section, very close to the sea, is a beautiful Russian Orthodoox Church. My dad buys a mezuza from a little workshop, and we progress to the Tayelet (promenade) in Tel-Aviv proper. The weather is impressive, the kite-surfers are doing acrobatics on the waves, the outdoor cafe provides cold beer and friendly service (!), and the conversation carries into ancient Jewish history. In the late afternoon we make our way out of Israel's only real Western city and arrive in Migdal Ha'Emeq, a small northern town. Shabbat is spent eating the best Russian food outside of my mom's West Hartford, CT kitchen, and we do some laid back walking in the surrounding woods. There are lots of kibbutzim in the area so the views are of well-tended fields and wandering cows. On Motzei Shabbat, the 18th, we come back to the eternal capital of the sovereign nation of Judenrein Palestine, err... I mean... of the Jewish state of Israel.

March 19th: An organized excursion to Tzippori and Tzfat. These are both in the Galilee, a gorgeous, mountainous area close to the Kinneret. Tzippori used to be a major Jewish city in ancient times and is only now being excavated. As always, there's the original Jewish layer, followed by a Roman/Byzantine layer. The site hasn't been used since those times so there are not additional archeological layers. The town was built on a low hill, surrounded by large valleys, with a good view on all possible avenues of approach. It also has one of the best non-Kinneret water sources in the North. The ancients knew what they were doing. We then travelled to Tzfat, which really has to be visited with a knowledgable tour guide, I wouldn't do it justice here.

March 20th: Another excursion, this time to Caesaria, Haifa, Acco. Caesaria was build by King Herod, one of the biggest builders of the kings of Israel. At the time he ruled, he was actually a vassal of the Roman Empire, but Israel enjoyed de facto independence. The Romans were pretty much hands off, and Israel during most of the 2nd Temple period was a good and Jewish place to be. Until the Roman influences were pushed, and the rebellions started. Moral of the story, let the Jewish state live and all will be well, and everyone will be happy and business will prosper. Anyways, Herod built Caesaria as a sea side port where he could entertain the Roman administrators and soldiers. It was built to cater to Roman lifestyle and thus has all the requisite pieces of Roman architecture - aqueducts, a hippodrome, a circus, an arena/theater, baths. It was what Tel-Aviv is to Israel today. A part of Israel, but not really Israeli. And, like Tel-Aviv, it catered to foreign diplomats and businessmen. After the Roman period, the Christian Byzantine period brought some church structures to the site, and during the Crusader period, the European knights built some impressive walls. We then proceeded to Haifa for some in-depth lectures on the Carmelite order of Monks in their Stella Maris monastary and the required walk through the Bahai gardens. Interesting - there were lots of German Christians who moved to Israel in the 19th century and got permission from Ottoman authorities to build a community in Haifa. The main street that runs from the bottom part of the Bahai gardens to the port still has many of the houses of those German families. It's the straightest street in Israel. As befits the Germans, they didn't make any mathematical errors during construction. In 1941 the British Mandate authorities deported the community based on evidence that they were housing Nazi agents. We then went to Acco, which has a great Crusader fortress and the second holiest mosque in Israel. Interestingly, the powerful local Moslem ruler of Saladin's time, in whose honor the mosque was built, Al-Jahbar, was actually a Jew from the Balkans who converted to Islam. He was one of the most brutal military leaders during Seljuk times and is admired by Moslems to this day for his feats in fighting the Christian infidels. I think it's funny every time some Jew becomes the object of idolization by non-Jews.

March 21st: A guided tour of the Old City. Nothing to be said here, aside from the fact that tour guide was good enough so that I learned quite a lot about Christianity's sites in Jerusalem.

March 22nd: We checked the Knesset, the High Court of Justice and the government complexes in general. Good stuff. The Rova cafe in the Old City, although with a good view, is halavi (milk-only), which is annoying as I prefer shawarma to felafel any day.

March 23rd: My Dad gets some quality time with Jerusalem's Arabs and decides that we need to encourage them to emigrate to France. I concur. A huge benefit of having a family member visit is that all of a sudden you're no longer poverty-stricken and you can eat in more expensive restaurants. But, you still prefer to eat in little hummus places owned by crazy Mizrahi guys because the taste of the food is more important that the "atmosphere." The former is for people interested in enjoying local fare, the latter is for tourists and uppity locals trying to act American.

March 24: I go to Rehovot with my Dad, we visit my uncle, Shabbat comes and goes, and on the 25th at midnight Dad flies back to the land where streets are paved with gold. I wish he would have stayed.

March 26th: The first day of the big three day trip to the North with my ulpan. We visit Zichron Yaacov and places and stories of the first wave of Aliyah in the 1880's, along with the Rothchild narrative. That family did a lot for Israel and there's a great museum of the First Aliyah in Zichron that explores the positives and negatives of building up the land in the early years with outside support. Today, Zichron Yaacov is a upper-class town, I am gonna have to marry rich to live there. But the area is beautiful, forested, with gardens and nice views of the Mediterranean. We then travel to the northeast and hang out in a kibbutz on the Kinneret, hike around the Arbel, which is a pair of two identical cliffs that face each other and contain caves where Jewish rebels hid from Roman persecution in the 3rd-5th centuries. It was at this time that the Zohar, a defining work of the Kabbalah was written by Shimon Bar Yochai. The 3rd-16th centuries were the time when Jewish mysticism flourished, and even though the Jews did not hold sovereignty over the land of Israel, there was at that time a continuing stream of scholars flowing into Tsfat and the Galilee in general, and Jewish philosophy was expounded and recorded for us by some of the greatest minds the Jewish people had ever produced. The history of Kabbalistic scholarship and of Tzfat is an amazing topic, worthwhile for anyone to explore.

March 27th: We go up to Metulla in the part of the Upper Galile that sticks out like a finger in the northernmost tip of Israel. Great views of Southern Lebanon and of villages there flying yellow flags in support of Hezbollah. Go Hezbollah! Those people have the most and the best of equipment, personnel and training in the entire world of Moslem terrorists. Except the Chechens, those people are in a class all their own. Israel should be thankful to Hashem every day that our local Arabs aren't inviting Chechen guerillas to fight the IDF. Israel would still win, but the cost would be unbearable. We spend the night in a big hotel on the Kinneret, with partying, dancing and all that. I also watch Broken Wings, which apparently did well in the Cannes festival a few years ago. It sucks, don't watch it, or you may forever lost hope in the Israeli movie industry.

March 28th: We tour the Golan Heights, the bunkers facing Syria with a great view of the border and of the Syrian town of Kuneitra. We visit sites of famous engagements in the 1967 and 1973 wars. We then tour the Yarden Winery. I've never seen the inner workings of a winery, so I really enjoyed it. Especially the wine-tasting at the end. French wines don't stand a chance. On the way back to Jerusalem, we pass by Megiddo Junction where the War of Gog and Maggog will take place at the End of Times, ie the Apocalypse. I can't wait. Meanwhile, Israel's largest prison is located in the area and tons of kibbutzim and moshavim.

Oh yes, Tel Dan, almost forgot. We were there on the 27th, it's a nature reserve with narrow but very clean, clear and powerful streams. I drank the water and it was good.

2006-03-28T04:54:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened in the past two and a half weeks, but this post will cover Sunday the 13th, a day on which I skipped class to take care of some bureacracy. I then decided that it's a beautiful day and the Arabs aren't likely to stab me, so, after eating some felafel in the courtyard of the Jerusalem municipality building, I walked along the Old City Walls eastward and into the Bab A-Zahra neighborhood. This is basically an Arab village and like all Arab villages/neighborhoods it is dominated by a hamulla (clan) that has an agreement with the Israeli authorities to behave well and keep their people in control. Generally, Arabs abide by the decisions of the elders of the hamullah, so if there's a good established relationship with the Municipality, the police and the border guards, there are rarely problems. Bab A-Zahra was interesting. Like all Arab areas, it has plenty of wealthy homes and plenty of poorer areas, but most of the crappy appearances have to do with people littering and not taking care of public areas than with lack of money. Also, like all Arab areas I visited that day, I was the only non-Arab there. I guess I am "crazy", but I think most people are being stupid by being afraid of the Arabs. Granted, they give you dirty looks, but as Arabs with Jerusalem residency, they have very little reason to piss off the government. The police and border guards are always close enough to show up and crack skulls. Although I guess if you've just been stabbed, it really doesn't matter what happens five minutes later.

After I got tired of the dirt and skaniness I walked back to the Old City walls, towards the northeastern corner. Right there is, randomly, the Rockefeller Museum. I don't know what it's doing there or what's inside, but I'll have to check it out at some point. I turned the corner and started walking southward along the eastern wall of the city. There's a cemetary there that serves the Moslem quarter of the Old City. It's not well-cared for and full of stray cats digging through mounds of trash. There's a real problem with the Moslem quarter, as the residents are fond of dumping trash wherever it suits them, inside or outside the walls. I entered the Moslem quarter through the Shaar Ha'Arayot, which meant I found myself on Via Dolorosa. Back in Roman times, when the city was just Jewish, it was a main road built by the Roman administration, and Jesus, along with thousands of criminals, carried his cross down this road to Golgotha. Today, this road runs through the middle of the Moslem quarter, but it is lined with stalls where enterprising Arabs sell Christian symbolica to fat American and German tourists. Along this road, there are a bunch of stations where Jesus is supposed to have stopped. One of the first ones is a place currently occupied by St. Anne's cathedral. It's a Catholic church of the Order of the White Fathers. Aside from the cathedral, there is some open ground, some nice gardens, and excavations. The latter show cisterns from the Roman period, remnants of Byzantine and Crusader churches, and the place of Bethesda, the pool where Jesus healed some people back when he was playing doctor. There was no one there as it was 11am on a weekday (sunday is a weekday in Israel), so I explored the digs by myself. I then walked around the cathedral, checked out the crypt area. Kind of cool, especially considering that it was an oasis of cleanliness in the middle of a crowded and unpleasant, or shally I say "colorful", neighborhood.

Moving on, I walked down Via Dolorosa and observed a group of Polish and German tourists wearing stupid hats and listening to a starry-eyed guide. Tourist groups are the funniest and most out of place people in the Old City, and yet they at least as common as groups of loud Arab kids with clearly unwashed faces. I am not being racist here, but it's objectively clear that Arabs, at least those living a very Arabic lifestyle in the Middle East, need to shower. I walked off the beaten tourist track and explored the side streets and alleyways. Dirty, but kind of interesting with regard to old buildings and colorful drawing of the Temple of Rock mosque everywhere. I walked into a door that led to a courtyard, adorned with lots of drying laundry and a few Arab families who gave me that now familiar look that combines confusion, hate, fear, maybe some other emotions I can't decipher. I also observed how Arab teenagers throw glass bottles at each other. I guess it's a fun thing to do. There are some entrances to the Temple Mount from the Moslem quarter, but when I attempted to enter via said entrances, the Israeli border guards there told me that only Moslem can use those entrances and that all others must use the entrance near the Kotel.

The Temple Mount is, while under sovereignty of the Israeli government, a bit unique. Despite the fact that it is within Israeli territory, and has been since it was conquered from Jordan in 1967, the Israeli government decided that, even though it won in a massive way in a defensive war, it was wise to show the world that Jews care about their Moslem neighbors. So the decision was made to allow the Wakf, a Moslem religious council to control the Temple Mount. That means that non-Moslems are not particularly welcome and can only come at certain times, in and out of certain entrances, and are prohibited from bringing any non-Moslem objects/literature with them. If the visitors wonder into a part of the Temple Mount where the Wakf doesn't like having non-Moslems, someone will come up to you and ask you to move along. The golden-domed mosque that is built over the rock which all three religions consider sacred is off limits to non-Moslems as is the Al-Aqsa mosque (the one with the homelier looking grey dome). I tested all of these rules when I came out of the Moslem quarter, into the Jewish quarter, out of the Kotel area (access to which is security controlled but not limited to any group of people), and then entered the Har Ha'Bayit (Temple Mount) via the internationally accepted gate for infidels. Once on the hill, known as Mt Moria geographically, I walked around what is basically a compound of parks with Moslem families picknicking, madrassas, the campus of Al-Quds University, and the two aforementioned mosques. I was definitely barred from entry into the mosques, which is annoying. No one disallows Moslems from entering Christian or Jewish holy sites, so it's a double standard that they should reserve for themselves sites that are holy to them, and especially sites that are holy to all three monotheistic religions. At some point, I will have to pretend I am an American convert to Islam and gain entrance. I need to see that rock. Do your own research as to why that rock is so central to Judaism.

Since I was already up there, I decided to check out the madrasses. I walked into one of them, and they teachers ran up to me and started to shoo me out. The kids were all sitting around studying what I guess was the Koran, just like you see on TV. I didn't want to be shooed out, so I told them I just want to observe. The teachers, dressed in sheets and looking angrier by the moment, starting waiving their hands and explaining that tourists can just enter their school. I told them I am not a tourist in fluent Hebrew and they got extremely agitated and one of them called the Israeli border guards who are in charge of keeping peace on the mount. I left before they showed up. It's kind of like that scene in the Big Lebowski when Walter, Donny and the Dude leaving the bowling alley just as the police are pulling up in response to call that Walter drew his gun. If you leave early, the authorities just don't track you down unless you've literallly killed somebody.

Following that fun exchange, I walked over to the eastern wall, with it's great view of the Kidron Valley and the Mt. of Olives. A better view than from the Jewish quarter, which is further back from the eastern wall. There are some nice looking churches on the Mt of Olives and some gardens where all sorts of things occured according to Christian theology. Mt. of Olives is also meaningful to Jews, again, do your own damn research. Today there's a Mormon university there, an Episcopal church, a Russian Orthodox Church, and a few biblical tombs, including Absalom's. After a five minutes on that wall, a Wakf officiall asked me to leave. Granted, I got to the top of the wall by climbing on top of some building and I knew I wasn't allowed there, but it was a good view while it lasted.

After all this fun with Arabs, I had a toasted bagel with lox and cream cheese in the Jewish quarter, while explaining to a black lady who came with some Christian group from Stamford, CT (yay connecticut) basic issues of Judaism. She was totally ignorant about politics as well. Why does one need a visa to go from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, what kind of a country are we? I told her we're not one country, but the complex Israel-Arab conflict and territorial issues where simply too much for her. I don't realize sometimes how for a person with little knowledge the conflict is basically totally confusing and makes little sense. One really needs a good base of knowledge before coming here if one wants to understand what the tour guides are talking about.

I then proceeded out of the Dung Gate (worst name ever) into the City of David, which is an excavation of a neighborhood of Jerusalem that King David built as an addition to the city in order to control the slope along which runs the water from Mt Zion and Mt Moria. Just an aside, the Old City is on Mt Zion, as is the most central part of the New City of Jerusalem, but the Temple Mount in on Mt Moria, which basically a bump in Mt Zion. The excavations of Ir David are limited but interesting, and from there we have a nice view across the Kidron Valley into the village of Silwan. This is an especially large Arab village, as far as Arab East Jerusalem villages go, and it has a history of being periodically violent towards Jews and the State of Israel. The village sits on top of the road that is one of only two ways to access the the Mt of Olives, so good relations need to be maintained so that they don't stone Israeli cars, tourist buses, and individual Jews who like to walk where they shouldn't. But, I had had enough Arabs for one day, and my gut told me that I shouldn't push my luck in a village where my chances of being stabbed are quite high. I stayed on the western side of the Kidron valley, and walked down the slope of Mt Zion. Most of the slope is an Arab neighborhood but it's small and is well patrolled by the police and border guards due to its proximity the City of David. I walked down to Brikhat Ha'Shiloah, the pool of Shiloah, where in ancient times the water running out of Mount Moriah and down the slope of Mt Zion and through David's City was gathered. Today it's a skanky area with some ancient stones and scary looking water, with a madrassa right next to it.

From there, I walked futher down and turned westward, walking along the southern slope of Mt Zion, with Gai Ben Hinom on my left. Gai Ben Hinom is the valley that borders Mt Zion on the south and is named after a pre-Jewish owner of that stretch of land. When the Jews conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites about 3,100 years ago, the locals who lived in the valleys used to sacrifice their children to their various pagan gods. One of their biggest landlords was Gai Ben Hinom. The Jews were so terrified of their brutal practices that they started viewing the valley as a place where those "lower" than good Jews would end up. This discussion entered the Bible, and so the term Gai Ben Hinom then came to mean "hell" in Hebrew, and, in the Christian understanding hell is the place where humans go if they misbehave. Anways, across from where I was walking was view of yet another Jeruslem hill, on the slope of which is the Arab neighborhood of Abu Tor. This is a rich area, where the Arabs are loyal as all hell to the Jewish state that allows them to lead upper class lives. Jews have been moving into Abu Tor, but mainly the crazy artists types that always live where no else wants to. I walked up Mt Zion, the southern slope of which is beautifully undeveloped and green, towards a Christian cemetary and then into a Green Orthodox monastary, where, in typically absurd Jerusalem fashion, one can find both a resting place of Jesus's moms, and the Tomb of King David. I've got a soft spot for King David, like many Jews do, and for good reason.

So the 13th was a good day. At night, we had a Purim party at Ulpan Etzion, which was fun, but a bit restrained since our teachers and administrators were in attendance. Also, there's this one British girl whose is frighteningly ugly and her inapproprate dancing, although not in my vicinity, made me beyond uncomfortable. Monday the 14th was quiet but on Tuesday my dad came to Jerusalem and we commenced exploring and travelling. Next post will go into that. By the way, today are Israeli elections.

2006-03-13T02:33:00.000-08:00

I had an incredible day yesterday. But that's for my next post. This one will summarize the weekend. On Thursday night I went to a Megilat Ester, performed in a theatrical type format at the Merkaz Shimshon. It's located on King George Street, between the King David and the King David Citadel hotels. It's a mixture of a religious center and drama/performing arts. The Ulpan bought a few dozen tickets for those interested, and I can't turn down anything free. We first showed up at the wrong entrance. I forced my way in past some objecting guards while trying to explain to them I am here to see Megilat Esther. I forgot what a "play" was in Hebrew and I said "metapelet" instead of "megilat". Metapelet means 'caretaker." So I must've sounded like some confused retard looking for his caretaker Esther. Which was actually a good thing. When Israelis think you're mentally challenged, they become very helpful and patient. Apparently, I had just barged into an event with lots of well-dressed, good-looking people eating expensive cheeses. Security showed me the way, and I found myself in a waiting hall with about 30 other people from my ulpan and about a 100 other people there for the play. I whiled away the time discussing the future of world Jewry with a funny looking guy who's a pediatrician in Moscow and whose goal in life is to help needy children in backward Russian villages. What a loser.

Anyhow, we entered the auditorium and walked up to the stage. The seats were arranged on the stage itself, with only about 15 square meters in the middle for the performance itself. It turns out that it was a one-woman show. She basically told the story of Esther by acting out various parts of it. In between scenes, she'd interact with the audience and relate different parts of the story to the Holocaust. If you don't know how Megilat Esther can be compared to the Holocaust, you're WAY behind on basic reading. All in all, it was a good performance, although the woman did kind of scare me with some of her characters.

On Friday I went to spend Shabbat with my relatives in Rehavia. As before, it was a wonderful experience. This time, we went to another synagogue in the neighborhood - Yeshrun. It was less pretentious and a better experience. Then, Shabbat dinner was had, G is a great cook. She's got a few killer dishes that can easily outshine top notch restaurants. The kids were cute, as expected. On Shabbat, a few neighbors dropped in for lunch. Didn't think anything of them right off the bat, but it turns out that the wife was a big time theater actress in St. Petersburg in her day, which is quite a feat.

Her husband was something else though. He came to Israel in 1922 at the age of three. His parents were living in a small town in the Ukraine, his father was a doctor. During the civil war that followed the Revolution, the Reds and the Whites would win and lose territory to each other on sometimes a weekly basis. When they gained control of an area, they would round up "traitors" and shoot them. Brutal times. Of course, Jews were singled out by everyone for mass punishment. Aside from the communists and the tsarists, there were also Ukrainian nationalists, the Greens, who mostly didn't fight anyone during the Civil War. They mainly destroyed Jewish towns and killed the inhabitants thereof. It was their way to gain Ukrainian independence in whatever government was going to win. I am sure it made perfect sense to them. Dr. Ephraim Ha'Levy managed to get out of the bloodshed and followed the early Zionist route - a ship from Odessa to Turkey, some nasty travel in Turkey (which was in the midst of its own revolution), and finally British Mandate Palestine. The latter was a mass of land including current day Israel, the disputed territories of the West Bank and Gaza and modern day Jordan. The Brits took this area as well as Iraq and other areas in the Middle East as a result of World War I. Jerusalem was the British administrative center and the Ha'Levy's made it their home. This old man was/is an aquaintance of Agnon, Klausner and Amos Oz, all big names in Hebrew literature and all from the original Zionist families. Back then the yeshuv (Jewish settlement) was small. There weren't too many Arabs either, the land was in fact many times emptier than it is now. Jerusalem was completely raw place, it hadn't changed in hundreds of years, forgotten by mankind. The early days of the State were definitely interesting and this guy was as old-school as it gets. In the early 1930's he was in Switzerland studying medicine, but came back to Israel in 1935 and continued on to become a bacteriologist at Hebrew University. He taught and researched there and at Hadassah Hospital. He's also been in every country in the world for at least a month at a time. 87 and going strong, amazing guy.

Spurred on by those interesting discussions, I decided to spend the next day pulling a Felix...

2006-03-09T04:03:00.000-08:00

Last night, myself a few other people had an intimate discussion with someone from the Jewish Agency. I am honored to have had the opportunity. My thoughts and analysis of the situation in Israel are right on. To those of you who support the State of Israel's continued existence, let me just say that things are going well and the future looks good, but the path there is going to continue to be ugly. All parameters are moving in the right direction, but the state and the internal social dynamics will never be able to be viewed through purely Western eyes. Security-wise, suffice it to say the so-called "peace camp" is completely detached from reality.

On a annoying note, the South Americans in the ulpan are getting cheeky. They party too much, don't respect the fact that not everyone wants to be kept up until 3am by their festivities. These are the downfalls of living in a communal environment. Thing with a program like this is that it is basically a 5 month vacation with no responsibility. Maybe the authorities that be will kick some of them out, which would be great. It would make everyone else respectful of other people's sleep. By because those same authorities are softies and don't want anyone to feel bad or find themselves with no support network during their first few months in a new country, the trouble-makers will not bear any consequences. One can only rely on their goodwill. And if any of you know South Americans, you know that they keep partying and being loud no matter what. And they do not understand the logic of people differently inclined.

I was aware of this before I came here, as I am more interested in the fact that it's a good language program in a nice Jerusalem neighborhood and it gives me access to key people and information that I wouldn't otherwise get. The bad apples come with the package.

While I am venting - Ynetnews is a shitty news website. The fact that Yediot Ahronot runs it is a black mark of shame on their reputation, if they ever had a reputation to uphold. Weak articles, childish opinions, editorials and analysis written be people that never learned how to write, pieces on topics that are totally inappropriate for a serious audience. If anyone wants journalism and analysis that isn't complete trash read Jerusalem Post (centrist with left-wing and right-wing writers), Haaretz (left-wing) or Israel National News (right-wing). These publications, in both paper and online versions are actually good. Ynet is a rag.

Next week is Purim, so there will be three days off from class, which for most people means they are taking the entire week off. Aside from some great festivities that will include heavy boozing and large parties/demonstrations of the holiday spirit in many public places, I am looking forward to my Dad's visit. There will be touring in Jerusalem and other parts of the country, good eating, and discussions on religion and Zionism. Zot artzeinu, v'nisheret artzeinu l'olam v'ed.

2006-03-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

Since the 1940's, when virtually the entire Jewish population was left-wing and secular, waves of aliyah and birth control patterns have completely changed the Israeli Jewish population. I just had a converstation with my teacher at the ulpan. She's been around for a while, and she says that there's no doubt that Israel has become far more religious over the decades. It used to be a socialist, secular state with religion existing on the fringes. But religious families have high birthrates, and the Mizrahim, Middle Eastern Jews who came to Israel in the 1950's and had to endure forced secularization in the school system, have been coming back to the observance level of their parents more and more. Even Ashkenzim, many of whom are avowed secularists, have been "losing" far more young people to a religious lifestyle than they have been "gaining" from the tiny number of people who become secular every year. Add to that the fact that Western aliyah is almost completely religious, and you get the current situation.

The current state of affairs is that 10% of Israeli Jews are ultra-Orthodox (hareidi in Hebrew), 21% are Modern Orthodox (dati-leumi), 40% are traditional (masorti), and 29% are secular (hiloni). It used to be that surveys would lump the last two categories together, but in the last 5-odd years the sociologists wizened up to the fact that there are several million Israeli Jews who observe enough mitzvot to qualify as more than secular. Specifically, observance of kashrut, some observance of Shabbat, periodic synagogue attendance, strong personal belief in G-d, and traditional observance of the holidays would allow someone to be classifed as masorti. The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is a good place to look at some research, and I am sure those interested can find other sources. Just beware that online encyclopedias and general-Jewish-info sites are generally are poorly researched and hardly ever get updated. Think tanks and universities are more reliable.

As much as the secular establishment, with its control of the school system and of the media, tries to make Israelis more secular, more cosmopolitan, more American and more consumer/Hollywood obsessed, the reality is very different. Aside from Tel-Aviv and it's northern and western suburbs, everywhere else the true secularists are a minority. I wouldn't be surprised if the Soviet aliyah, which is almost entirely secular, starts to become more religious. Since they are already right-wing nationalists, it's just a natural step to send their kids to government-religious schools. In fact, I knew some families who are doing just that. These schools are completely public, but they have a lot of religious content and are run in a more traditional, old-fashioned way. This is appealing for parents who want their kids to learn and to grow up being proud of their identity. Even though only 31% of the Israeli Jews define themselves as religious, as of the 2005-2006 school year 51% of Israeli Jewish first graders are attending religious schools. This isn't just birthrate differences. A lot of Russian and Mizrahi parents are choosing to give their kids a more religion-based education.

B'sach ha'kol, in sum, secularism is receding and religion is growing.

2006-03-07T06:18:00.000-08:00

Firstly, a quick recovery to a friend's sister who was injured skydiving. She'll be fine, but I'll still throw a prayer in for her.

Last week, two people passed on. A friend of my family died of old age. He sponsored my family to immigrate to the US. Basically, at the time we immigrated one had to have a guarantor in the US. Either a Jewish community or an individual willing to vouch for the immigrant family. So this fellow, who used to work in the Soviet foreign ministry and absconded with his family to the US in the early 1970's, was the sponsor that allowed my family to go through the US immigration bureacracy much smoother than if we had gone through a Jewish community. He passed away in New York, and my parents attended funeral on Friday.

I also attended a funeral here on Sunday. My uncles mother-in-law, R., passed away of old age and was buried in the Jerusalem hills. She comes from a big Zionist family in the USSR, and her parents were the original early 20th century Zionists, but they never made it to Israel. They had to go underground, as Stalin ended shooting Zionist activists in the 1930's. Political persecution, camps, jail, the works. She came to Israel in the 1970's. Her daughter married my uncle, who also comes from one of the early Zionist families - my own. By "early Zionist" I mean that they were involved in spreading Zionist ideas before and after the Russian Revolution, until Stalin cracked down on their activities. They hobnobbed with Chaim Weizmann and Ben-Gurion. At the time, the Zionist movement was really small, it was concentrated in the Western Ukraine/Easter Poland so everyone knew the leaders personally. My maternal grandmother was a little girl when Chaim Weizmann stayed at her mother's house for a Zionist meeting in 1920. In the 1930's my grandmother taught in the same school as Weizmann's sister. Of those early Zionists, the ones who made it to Israel became the founders of the state and set up all of the original institutions. May all the family and friends be comforted. People should only know the sorrow of a natural passing.

With regard to my own little life, my dad is coming next week for two weeks. We'll do some travelling, be touristy and discuss politics.

2006-03-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

Twice a week I go to the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University. The Mt. Scopus campus is the one with the humanities faculties, the Givat Ram, located next to Gan Sachr and all the government buildings, is the one with all the technical faculties. Bus #24 can be hopped on Emek Rafaim, that really nice street with all the stuff to do in my area. The bus's route takes me through some of the richest areas of Jerusalem, including Talbiyeh, which is where all the top politicians have homes. After getting out of Talbiyeh the bus turns into the government/park area. There's a Greek Orthodox church there, and then you have a massive park, fairly wild, that's basically a massive hill with the top being rather flat. On top of this hill are all the buildings of the various ministries, as well as the Supreme Court and the Knesset. So I get the tour, then the bus pull into Givat Ram, which is on the same hill, but higher up. Off the bus, I enter the campus. Guard, bag searched, of course. A little walk on the campus, which is beautiful by the way, and I am in the stadium. The Givat Ram stadium is proper, Olympic-size with a great track, with a green field in the middle with that really well-maintained, professional grass for athletics. Aside from two weekly runs in the streets, I've started to go to Givat Ram to do some measured track running. There are lots of serious runners there, but always a bunch of slackers like me. There also some girls there that are on the track team who put me to shame. Most of the real athletes there are Ruskies. If it wasn't for the aliyah from the former USSR, Israeli sport would still be useless. But now it is on quite a high level, competing internationally and doing really well, randomly, in Judo. The other sports aren't quite winning medals yet, but they've come a long way. Division I level is already present, it's just a matter of political will to take the top athletes to the next level. It really depends on the money at this point.

On the way back today, I bought some Yotvata Choko - chocolate milk, and some quality bread to go with my tub of hummus. I practically drown myself in hummus at least twice a day. Since it needs to be eaten with bread, this is probably why I am not sporting a six-pack yet. A little will power would help, but if you fall in love with hummus, it's difficult to go on a break. I can explain to the hummus that I need a some time off, that I need to check out some other foods. After all, if I really love the hummus, I'll come back running back eventually. But the hummus is just so smooth and creamy... it'll pretend like it's listening, but then it'll just seduce me into scooping up a large glob, and the taste will overpower all my senses. I'll have to summon more than just simple human courage to push the hummus away.

On a religious note, I am breaking Shabbat right now by typing about 20 minutes after sunset. So I have to go.

2006-03-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Went to the beach yesterday in Tel-Aviv. It required getting out of class a bit early, around noon. We were on the beach by 2pm, and enjoyed a nice, if not warm, day. It's still chilly, and definitely not swimming weather, but the beach is still a great place to lay around. Probably in about a month I'll be swimming. Israelis generally don't swim until May, but I am a bit of a pioneer when it comes to cold water. I even walked into the water up to my knees yesterday. How brave of me. There were a couple of kite-surfers. These are people on small surf boards who use 'kites', actually small parachutes, to catch wind. This allows them to surf at great speeds and to do all sorts of jumps and flips. Very impressive. After some shesh-besh, I forget what it's called in English but it's a great board game with dice and checkers moving around to form columns. You know what I mean. Anyways, we ate at Yotvata B'Ir. Yotvata is a kibbutz in the Arava Valley, which is in the south of Israel bordering Jordan. They make incredible milk products that are sold all over Israel. At some point very recently the kibbutzniks had a great idea that they should open, or at least franchise out, Yotvata restaurants all over Israel. The restaurants are halavi, meaning they have milk products and whatever else as long as it's not meat. The food is delicious if pricey. So far, there's one on the beach in Tel-Aviv and one in Jerusalem, and I think there's one in Rehovot.

The best way to get from Jerusalem to Tel-Aviv is to get to Kikar Zion, and catch a mekhonit sherut. From there. These are taxi-vans which fit ten passengers. They have routes, more or less, but you have to figure it out with the driver before you get on. Once the sherut is full, everyone pays 20 shekels and just over an hour later you're in Tel-Aviv. Brilliant. It brought us to the Takhana Merkazit, which is South Tel-Aviv. It's pretty sketchy, as most of South Tel-Aviv is now full of random foreign workers and all sorts of wonders of big city cosmopolitanism. As Tel-Aviv grows, the good comes with the bad. But most of the sketchiness is Philipinos and Romanians, generally I just feel bad for them. They work their asses off for low pay and have to live in sketchy areas. This is a fact in all large western cities, some people think it's colorful, I think it sucks. But the rest of Tel-Aviv is either hip, artsy or luxurious. Quite a nice place to live if you're secular or don't mind the predominance of the secular lifestyle.

A separate paragraph for the Israeli girls. You know there's a Kadosh Barukhu when you see lots of Israeli girls in one place. Easily half of them are so shockingly attractive you think you're on drugs and imagining things. The other half is still far better than anything I've see in the US. There are homely ones as well, but they are in the minority. I usually don't react to things, but my jaw literally dropped several times. This goes for all you girls out there as well. The guys are probably even more impressive than the girls. I should probably keep away from the beach if I want to keep my shomer negia streak going strong.

So around 8pm we made our way back to Jerusalem, again via sherut. Most have screens that display news, they are in Hebrew, but my language skills are getting good enough to deal with the news more or less. As you know, there have been several terrorist attacks in the past few days. There have also been published interviews with heads of terrorist groups, world net news daily mostly, wherein the terror leaders explicitly state that they are planning the 3rd intifada and that it will be in greater scope than the previous too. We recall the first intifada was in the late 80's, the second one started in October of 2000 and theoretically ended last year as a result of the building of the security barrier and IDF action. Round 3 is scheduled to begin soon, probably after Hamas solidifies its hold over all the functions of public life and all the streams of money previously controlled by the PLO. Once the new terror masters are in place, they'll have another go at us. I can only hope that the Israeli government responds in a much more brutal manner than in the past. The Arabs understand only the stick, not the carrot.

2006-03-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

Thursday evening of last week I went up to Midgal Ha'Emek. It's a small town in the north of Israel, very quiet, fresh air and very green. I took the bus from Jerusalem's Takhana Merkazit (Central Station) to Hof Ha'Carmel, a station in Haifa. Unfortunately, the only train in Israel is the north-south one that runs along the coast, so inter-city buses are still the only options for the car-less. I like hyphens. The buses in Israel are quite Israeli. That means that getting information on which bus to take to what destination and what gate it leaves from involves getting a dirty look from the information booth employee. Getting the ticket means waiting in a disorganized line. Getting on the bus means jockeying for position in what cannot be in good faith called a line. But my patience levels have increased to some new highs in the two months I've been here, so I hardly notice these inconveniences. There was traffic out of Jerusalem, as expected on Yom Hamishi (Fifth Day=Thursday), and the bus driver was playing Galatz, one of the two IDF radio stations. They throw in American songs once in a while, but three quarters of the time it's Israeli music, which is simply the bomb. Speaking of bombs, there are metal detectors in the entrance to the bus station, and all bags get searched. This requires some patience, but I've already switched my mentality over from the one I had in NY. In fact, the switch happened way before I got to Israel. It happened almost a year ago. I was still employed at Jewish-last-name-A, Jewish-last-name-B & Jewish-last-name-C LLP. They paid well, but it wasn't my cup of tea to say the least. A tangent off a tangent, as I write this I am listening to Subliminal. If you ever learn Hebrew, and you know who you are, you'll appreciate his lyrics on a higher level than that attained from those weak translations I attempted.

Law firms are a great place to work for many pseudo-intelligent types with liberal arts degrees. But by February 2005 I already knew where I was headed and more or less when. And I started to switch to a calmer, more Biblical view of life. That has only continued since I've actually gotten here. Not that there's no room for emotional swings or for specific, aggressive action when necessary. There most definitely is. But most of the time, the approach to life is more laid back. "Laid back" is an expression misused on dating sites and by people trying to sound like they're somehow more relaxed than the next guy. Well, in Israel, being "laid back" is quite a pure concept, in all its Mediterranean-ness. It doesn't mean you're a chilled out stoner hanging out on a beach in Cali, although it may for some people. Laid back means you take most of life at a moderate pace and try not to worry about, well, anything. You make your little niche and you do what you need to without getting stressed. If you decide to spend energy on worrying about the bigger picture, there are more important things to worry about than work, school, careers, bureacracy, money. Those things exist here as everywhere, people just don't have involved conversations about those topics, they're just more of a background to what is actually going on. What is, in fact going on in people lives here? What do they talk about, think about, worry about, dream about? What occupies their thoughts if not what most 'normal' people would consider the stuff of life?

Family, friends, enjoying doing things like going out, walking around, taking trips, going to the beach, eating. All these things are really enjoyable here for some inexplicable reason. Well, there are reasons, but it sounds post-modern to say something is inexplicable and incomprehensible. And since I was raised and educated in an empty, post-modern society, I still write accordingly. Then there's the conflict, which is happening just a few miles from where I am currently located. Despite what the public hears from the media, there's actually a lot going on. Not a random incident once a week or once every few days. Not even close. Every night there are fun activities going on. Living so close to those areas doesn't mean that I see or hear anything. A mile in Israel is like 500 miles in the US. But there are regular people who lead what is basically a double life. These are the active duty soldiers of the IDF and the reservists. Despite the fact that recruitment levels are currently at 82% of males and 62% females, that still means that virtually all Israeli guys you would get to know and most women have or are currently serving. Guys also have to do reserve duty for up to a month per year every year until age 42. It's a small country so when people serve they go back into the civilian world on weekends. Two thirds of guys serve in combat or combat support positions. These people are leading double lives. One moment they are crawling in sand and crouching behind rocks and getting shot at. The next, we're watching a movie or eating hummus in some restaurant. Moment after that, they are hiding in a hole, covered with dirt, for 48 hours eating canned cr@p, waiting to spring an ambush. Next scene - they're eating with family for Shabbat. And it goes on like this... I think it's a lot to ask people, even young motivated ones, to put up with that kind of life. But, like Israelis say "ein brirah" - there's no choice.

Back to me on the bus to Haifa. I eventually get to the Grand Kanyon, a mall, in Haifa where I visit with a family friend, G, who owns a store there. We discuss importing leather products from Turkey and Italy and my presence attracts some Russian-speaking female clientele. They don't buy anything, but one of them attempts to explain to me something about her friend ... blah ... blah... usual female bs when they don't know what to say to get you to ask for their number. People just don't stop. On the other hand, if it wasn't for the Russian girls, I don't know how the Israeli guys would keep their sanity. Israeli girls aren't exactly lining up for casual sex. Anyways, I am shomer negia, so these things bear little relevance to me.

We wait for G's kids to show up. One of them is in the army, and is not the same since I saw him three years ago. Still looks the same, just moves differently and smiles less often. We drive to Migdal Ha'Emek. There are two days of quality family time, amazing food, Olympic figure skating and some discussions about the topics above. They are all voting for the Ihud Leumi/Mafdal block, that's a serious right wing party. Arabs are the enemy, not the neighbor. The land is ours and the international community with their whining and Arab-pandering can shove it. Let them play their liberal tolerance games with their internal Arabs for now, in 10 years they'll reap a harvest of blood and will probably just ask themselves "what did we do to deserve this?" But we, here in Israel, can't cuddle the enemy. Squeeze them until they kneel and beg for mercy. Then mete out justice to all who deserve it and deal with the rest in the manner most suitable to our needs and no one else's. They're basically right. The basic human goodness assumed by bleeding heart liberals is simply not applicable in this part of the world.

I take the bus back to Jerusalem on motzei Shabbat, Saturday night. Some homework, a bit of Spanish conversation with South Americans in an altered state of mind, and sleep.