Random Thoughts

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN AND . . .

2013-05-19T03:23:00.000-07:00

(Originally published in The Times of Israel)

Despite being named the eighth most redneck city in the U.S. as reported by that prestigious journal, ransackedmedia.com, I love my hometown of Sacramento. It is a pleasant tree-lined city with blue rivers and greenery and good people, even if I occasionally think their self-worth depends a bit too much on keeping the NBA's Kings in town.

Despite my fondness for Sacramento, after three months back in the U.S., I was ready to leave the old hometown and head home to Israel. In addition to just needing my quotient of life in our Jewish-majority homeland, I was, frankly, getting a little weirded out.

Sacramento was fine. It was the rest of the U.S. that had me wondering. Sandy Hook, Boston, a shopping mall here, a theater there. A child knifed to death by her 12-year-old brother in the foothills above Sacramento, three women held for years by a Cleveland masochist, a five-year-old killing his two- year-old sister with a Davey Crickett My First Rifle.

My First Rifle was described by the county coroner as a "little rifle for a kid." Makes sense. I suppose there was a little coffin for a little sister killed by a brother with a little rifle for a kid.

80,000 NRA activists cheering on Sarah Palin and a cast of extremely strident people as they resist the idea of checking to see if a guy or girl who buys a gun at a trade show is a whack job. Somehow the idea of registering a gun is a threat to the Republic and all it stands for.

We register and license cars. We register and license CPA's. In California we register and license hairdressers and cosmetologists. But somehow checking out buyers and registering and licensing guns is a threat to liberty.

Some of these folks seem to think that their gun will stop the U.S. government, with its tanks, carriers, and missiles, from taking over the country. They see their guns as the last line of defense against what they fear is a tyrannical government. What they seem to have forgotten is that they, we the people, are the government, and those soldiers they will be defending against with their rifles and pistols and semi-automatics are their sons and daughters, nephews and nieces.

So, in the face of this insanity, it actually seemed calming to be returning to the security and peacefulness of Jerusalem.

Then we arrived.
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SKIING, SUSHI, AND THE VOTE

2013-01-31T09:50:00.002-08:00

(Originally published in The Times of Israel)

Last week was an interesting and eventful week for Israel, but, then, they all seem to fit that description. It was also a fun and satisfying week for me.

I was walking back from the post office last Monday. One tends to go to the post office a lot more frequently in Israel because it is the place where one makes a variety of payments to the government, and at least this one seems to do that quite a bit.

Between the post office and my apartment building is, among other things, the Israel Bar Association, which hosts seminars and meetings for lawyers and law students. Gathered on the steps for what appeared to be a break were about 30 young people, Among them were young Arab women in fashionable head coverings and designer jeans, Orthodox Jews with men wearing kippot (head covers), and an assortment of other people in a variety of colors, sizes, and garb.

I thought once again of the difference between the Israel I have come to know and the Israel portrayed in the world's mainstream media. I thought the same thing a few days later as a young Arab woman, also wearing a fashionable head scarf, worked the cash register in my line at the supermarket and spoke Hebrew that was obviously a lot better than mine.

Tuesday of last week was an all-star day. My daughter, her boyfriend, and I drove up to the north of the country on Monday night. We were among the first in line Tuesday morning at Israel's only ski resort. Mt. Hermon is on the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967. One can only imagine what might be raining down from the Heights on Israel today had it returned the Heights to the Syrian regime.
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The Great Pepper Caper and Other Stories

2013-01-17T11:05:00.004-08:00

(Originally Published in The Times of Israel))

In what could be the greatest Middle East debacle since I reported on the Saudi Arabian pencils and panties scandal at this time last year, it has now been disclosed by Challah Hu Akbar, writing in the Elder of Ziyon blog, that three kinds of Israeli peppers were discovered on the shelves of Spinneys, one of Lebanon's largest retailers.

Heads are sure to roll. Things do not get much more embarrassing in the Boycott Israel/Hate the Jews world than to have wholesome food from your neighboring Zionist entity show up on your shelves. God forbid, it could be a Zionist conspiracy to supply nutrition to your population.

Not to worry. The man who discovered the offending peppers on the shelves of the Spinneys in Sidon contacted local authorities, who called the Lebanese Army. Apparently things are so calm and under control in Lebanon that the Army was able to bring in military intelligence and the police to go to work on this high-priority case.

MIRACLES

2013-01-04T12:34:00.002-08:00

Having just finished the season of miracles, I thought I would report on a few miracles I experienced about a week or so ago. I had lost my car registration, so I went to one of the Israeli Ministry of Transportation offices here in Jerusalem to see if I could get a replacement. The Ministry of Transportation here provides the services of a Department of Motor Vehicles in the U.S.

Israel's bureaucracy is famous for being, well, bureaucratic. Historically and sometimes still today it can be frustrating, seemingly uncaring, rude, and basically not easy. Add in language challenges and impatient clerks, not to mention impatient citizens jockeying for position in line. Speaking of lines, they weren't really part of Israeli culture until about 20 years ago. Theoretically, yes. In reality, no.

Some wise advice I received as my wife and I started our path toward citizenship was to always consider your first visit to an office an exploratory, information-gathering expedition, not one likely to result in achieving your objective. We were told to consider it an opportunity to get through some pages in your book.

Truth be told, our experience has not been that bad. At times, it has been surprisingly easy and pleasant. Israeli bureaucracies, along with restaurants and service industries in general, have improved immensely in the last few years. Still, given DMV's generally, this was an encounter I was not looking forward to.

UPCOMING ISRAELI ELECTIONS: THE RUNDOWN

2012-12-10T05:08:00.002-08:00

The Israeli elections are coming up on January 22, and the 37 “lists” competing run the gamut from communist, pro-marijuana, pirate (yes, pirate), and anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox to green, nationalistic, and anti-Zionist Arab. Other than the fact that they are both democratic and the fact that the voters complain about their choices, there is little in common between the American presidential and the Israeli parliamentary elections.

Although the media might focus on the personalities of those at the head of a party, Israelis do not elect a prime minister. Each party assembles its “list” of candidates. Because the number of seats a party gets in the 120-member Knesset reflects the percentage of votes the party receives out of the total votes cast, the higher one is on the list, the more likely the candidate is to get a seat in the Knesset. A candidate’s place on the list is decided either in a party primary, by a party committee, or by the leader of the party. The fighting for position is intense.

When an Israeli voter enters the voting booth, he or she does not see a list of the candidates. Usually the voter sees the name of the parties and the name of the leader of each party. The voter votes for the party. Unique among democracies, Israel has no districts. Each person on the list who becomes a Knesset member represents the whole of Israel. The threshold for a Knesset seat is only two percent of the vote, so virtually anyone can, and many often do, form their own party and win a few seats.

The leader of the party that receives the most votes does not necessarily become the Prime Minister. In recent years no party has received the 61 votes to rule on its own and to decide who will be Prime Minister. They have had to form coalitions. For example, in the last election Kadima leader Tzipi Livni received one more vote than Likud leader Bibi Netanyahu. However, Netanyahu was able to put together a coalition with other parties to form a majority of the Knesset and to become the Prime Minister.

Here is a rundown of the major parties contesting the current election and the likely, but in no way certain, results:

TRAGIC COMEDY, PALESTINIAN-STYLE

2012-11-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

(Originally published in The Times of Israel)

The situation would be comic if it wasn’t all so hopeless and tragic. You’ve got a statehood bid by an entity that has two sub-entities. One is controlled by a terrorist group, Hamas, sworn to the destruction of Israel and the elimination of Jews. (Read its charter if you want a nightmare.)

Hamas claims it cannot control even more extreme groups in its midst. It is an oppressive, undemocratic, and increasingly corrupt regime. Its leadership is split over the statehood bid: one leader asserts that Abbas should be prosecuted as a traitor if he ever sets foot in Gaza, while the other says he supports the bid as long as it does nothing to limit the right of the“resistance” to continue to try to eliminate Israel and does not infringe on the “right” of the descendents of people who previously lived in Israel to“return” to a country they never lived in.

The other sub-entity is headed by President Abbas, who is spearheading the UN bid. That entity is thoroughly corrupt, undemocratic, and often oppressive. The President is in his seventh or eight year of a four year term. His sons are millionaires as a result of his “service.” Virtually no one respects him. He was irrelevant in the latest war that half of his proposed nation engaged in and in the negotiations that led to the ceasefire.

President Abbas has refused to negotiate for four years, despite Prime Minister Netanyahu’s declaration of support for a two-state solution, an unprecedented nine month halt in settlement construction , and other quiet concessions and gestures, and despite continued requests by the Obama Administration, which is at least partly to blame for him not being willing to negotiate .

MY FIRST WAR: PART II: BUS BOMBING, THANKSGIVING, BODY COUNTS, AND VISITS

2012-11-21T05:23:00.001-08:00

A friend of one of our sons just posted: "The ground war has begun--in central Tel Aviv."

A bomb went off on a bus in a crowded Tel Aviv area about an hour and 45 minutes ago. First reports are 15 injured, four seriously.

Hamas said it would start suicide bombers again. Not sure if this was one, or if someone left it on the bus. But it makes no difference. It is still reprehensible. There are no military targets in this area. Just lots of people from the surrounding office buildings and restaurants.

The bomb went off on the bus as it stopped right next to a building that houses an art gallery where a friend of our daughter works. She can look out the window and see the carnage if she were to want to do so.

The world condemns Israel for accidently hitting civilians who are living amongst the Hamas' rockets and arms. But the world has been silent for months and years while Hamas and its allies deliberately target civilians. Where are the UN resolutions?

We are planning a Thanksgiving dinner for tomorrow. It is fun and meaningful to celebrate Thanksgiving--the quiessential American holiday--while abroad. Per our usual practice, we will have friends of our kids and assorted other young Americans here on study programs or living here without their parents.

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Jeremey Ben-Ami: Hubris of an Oracle

2012-11-20T04:00:00.001-08:00

I am often amazed at the contradictions and the hubris demonstrated by self-described lovers of

Israel

who criticize it and lobby the American administration to pressure it for its ostensible good. The two of the most prominent such loving critics are Jeremy Ben-Ami of J Street and the writer Peter Beinart.

Ben-Ami and Beinart mourn the supposed demise of Israeli democracy, and then constantly implore American Jews to lobby Washington to counter the policies of the leaders elected by the democratic process in

Israel

. They profess their respect and love for Israelis, but then self-assuredly assert, from the comfort of their offices and lecterns in

America, that they

know better than Israelis what is good for their nation and the future of their children.

Messieurs Ben-Ami and Beinart remind me of what my father used to say to me: "I only hope that when you grow up you know half as much as you now think you do."

While I have generally come to the conclusion that Ben-Ami and Beinart are not particularly serious thinkers, and that they both thrash around in an effort to stay "relevant" and prominent and, in Ben-Ami's case, to keep the membership involved, they do have the potential to misrepresent and to mislead otherwise well-intentioned people.

Mr. Ben-Ami's latest letter to his membership is so far afield for one who professes to be pro-Israel that, despite my general feeling that he is becoming increasingly irrelevant and discredited, it got my blood boiling.

MY FIRST WAR: REGRETS AND OBSERVATIONS

2012-11-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

The outpouring of concern and support we have received since I posted on Facebook and e-mailed my brief message about our first (and hopefully only) experience with a red alert and taking cover has been heartwarming. Thanks to everyone. It does mean a lot.

The experience was disconcerting but we are doing fine. Things are calm in Jerusalem now, while Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Ashqelon, and a couple of other cities have been targeted by rockets today. You do listen up a bit when you hear a siren or another loud noise. We went out to the open-air Mamilla Mall last night (Saturday) and while it was not quite as crowded as usual, there were plenty of people, including tourists, out enjoying themselves.

Of course, we did note where we would go if the sirens went off. In fact, we decided that the parking garage was a lot better bet than our apartment staircase. Newer Israeli homes and apartments are all required to have safe rooms, rooms that are reinforced and that have one window that can be shut airtight.

Older apartment buildings have basement shelters, where all of the residents can take cover, once they have been cleared out of all the old stuff that has been stored in them for years. Our apartment, which is even older, has nothing, so we are left with the choice of sprinting toward a public shelter a few hundred meters away or taking refuge in the stairwell, which we are told is the safest place in the building because of the number of walls between us and the outside of the building.

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IS THE SHIP REALLY SINKING?

2012-11-15T15:21:00.001-08:00

Dear Members of Israel Peace Alternatives and Guests:

I noted that my old friend Hillel Damron will be speaking to you on November 29th about the “survival of democracy” in Israel, the “fading dream” of the two-state solution, and the “Jewish Holy War” involving “Price Tags.”

I have known Hillel for many years and have great respect for him and his service to Israel. My daughter and his son were good friends when they were growing up in Sacramento.

Like Americans who love and are concerned about the U.S., Hillel can be quite critical of Israel. As he has said to me, it has been quite a long time since he lived in Israel and, to his regret, he does not get to go back home often.

I am a more recent citizen of Israel and I live here about seven months a year. I am at my apartment in Jerusalem now, just as Jerusalemites are opening their homes so that the million-plus Israeli civilians who are the target of rockets from Gaza can come and hopefully get a peaceful night’s rest.

Like Hillel, I am sometimes critical of Israel. As in every country, there is plenty of room for improvement. However, as someone who lives in Israel a good part of the year now but who is not a native Israeli, I think I can provide a little different perspective than Hillel.

My main concern is that Hillel, as a native Israeli, may, just like Americans who argue about the U.S., not give the context and perspective that should accompany his criticisms. I would like to provide some of that.

The “survival of democracy” in Israel implies that there is a question about whether Israel’s democracy will survive.

BOCCE BALL, RICHARD RODRIGUEZ, AND THE NATION-STATE

2012-10-31T14:11:00.001-07:00

                        　

　
(Originally published in The Times of Israel)
　

My wife and I just returned to Israel from a wonderful eight days in Italy. Tuscany, to be exact. Three nights in Florence, three in Sienna, and two in Lucca. Beautiful. Great food and wine and olive oil, tremendous scenery, terrific history and architecture, nice people, and charm, charm, charm.

Even the driving was hassle-free, despite Italy’s reputation for horrific traffic and terrible driving habits. Granted, we were not in Rome or other major urban centers, but we did hit some traffic and traveled on the audostrada without problems.

Exception: finding the rental car return at the Florence Airport. Signs that require microscopic equipment and arrows that require inspired interpretation. I needed three times around the circuit to finally get it right.

But other than the car rental return, all was smooth. My nomination for the greatest invention by humankind since the last great invention by humankind: GPS. A godsend.

One cloud over an otherwise terrific trip: Every young, college-educated person we met, whether Italian or another European nationality, told us that finding a job at or near a level commensurate with their education was very difficult or impossible.

We spoke with impressive young people who had moved across borders in a futile search for meaningful employment. No luck. The European Union takes well-deserved pride in creating open borders. I doubt that the idea was to create more cross-national opportunities to be told No Work Today.

Anyone who has traveled to Tuscany can attest to the richness of life in its many small hill towns. There is one beautiful square after impressive church after quaint tower after beautiful woman on a bike after charming trattoria after. . . Well, you get the picture. In fact, one cannot stop taking pictures.

The richness of Italian life, and the zeal with which the Italians still seem to enjoy it, got me thinking about what immigrants to the U.S. have given up in exchange for the wonderful freedom and economic opportunities America offered.

As each generation goes by, Americans descended from immigrants lose a little bit more of the habits and traits and traditions that were characteristic of their immigrant ancestors. Grandpa's accent, Grandma's boiled chicken, Yiddish papers on the kitchen table. I remember them. My children don't.

The great welcome that America gave the immigrant--and the opportunity to move into the mainstream and achieve “success"--security, acceptance, the large home in the suburbs--extracted a price. The more a descendant of immigrants moved into the mainstream and away--in distance and time--from the immigrant experience, the more he or she shed the characteristics that made the immigrant experience unique.

The more a child moved into the mainstream and achieved success, the more the child lost the sense of belonging to and comfort with the immigrant community. For many it was a price well worth paying, but it was a price.

The author Richard Rodriguez, who grew up a few miles and a few years before me in East Sacramento, wrote in his book, Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez, of the bittersweet experience of moving into and up in mainstream American society while feeling estranged from and sometimes embarrassed by his parents' immigrant roots.

Rodriguez loved his family and his heritage, but he felt the need to unshackle himself from some of his ties in order to fully take advantage of America's opportunities. His struggle with himself and his community over the unshackling is poignant and enlightening. While the book was written a generation ago, it still rings true.

I remember East Sacramento from my childhood. You still could hear lots of older immigrants with Italian accents. There was an Italian flavor in many of the shops. Quality Market and Corti Brothers Market smelled and looked a lot like the markets in the Tuscany towns we visited. And the old gents gathered in Portal Park to play bocce ball.

The accents are gone now, as is Quality Market. Corti Brothers is still hanging in there, but on most days there are a lot more cars in Trader Joe's parking lot a few doors down. The bocce ball courts are still there. In fact, they have a sign heralding the hosting of some significant championships. But I am not sure that it is Italians playing.

The neighborhood is the hope of America--it’s “diverse.” That’s a good thing. But it isn’t the rich life it once was.

Daniel Gordis, in his recent book, The Promise of Israel, Why Its Seemingly Greatest Weakness Is Actually Its Greatest Strength, attributes a good part of the animosity toward Israel to its conscious purpose to re-create the Jewish State--a nation-state--for the very purpose of congealing, enriching, and preserving the Jewish people. In short, we've recreated the neighborhood.

A lot of folks came back to Israel so that they could live fully as themselves in the only place one can truly do that--their home--and in the only environment one can do it in--in freedom.   In Israel the days turn on the Jewish calendar, the debates invoke Jewish teachings, and the children shout in their historical language. Just like in the old neighborhood.

But timing is everything. And, as Gordis argues, the Jews are getting themselves back together and preserving and enriching their life as a people just when a lot of the world, and particularly the intellectuals of Europe, have decided that nation-states are, to put it politely, no longer fashionable. When it comes to the Jewish nation-state, they are often just downright hostile.

Gordis argues that the nation-state dedicated to preserving a people’s heritage and way of life is a good thing. Indeed, he argues that preserving differences is a key to maintaining and spreading freedom.

One can appreciate and embrace the wonderful freedoms and opportunities that America’s melting pot gave millions of immigrants and their descendants while also appreciating and encouraging the specialness and richness that were part of the old neighborhood and that are preserved and continued in the nation-state. One model does not preclude the other. Indeed, one could argue that the world is a better place for having both.

                                               ------------------------------------------

　

Election note: I was in Istanbul for five days a week or two before the 2008 presidential election. Everyone--Turks and visitors alike--wanted to talk and get our opinions about the upcoming election. Would America really elect a black man President? Was he a Muslim? How could McCain select Palin? Could she become President some day?

Four years later in Italy: In eight days just one person mentioned the election to me.

MY UPSIDE DOWN WORLD--OR, TELL ME IT AIN'T TRUE

2012-10-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

(Originally published in The Times of Israel)

I've been back home in California since the second week in August, and am now getting ready to head back home to Israel in about 10 days. Being back in Sacramento is always fun. Family, friends, the Sierras, the San Francisco Bay Area, calm suburban living, baseball, easy parking. Hard to argue with.

But as much fun as it has been, it also has been depressing to watch some of American policies from here. Things seem upside down. At a minimum, it's very confusing. Here are a few reasons why:

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SISTER ACT

2012-07-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

(Originally published in The Times of Israel)

On August 14 the Sacramento City Council will consider a proposal to form a Sister City relationship with Ashkelon, a city along the southern coast of Israel. Predictably, members of the BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) movement and others that hate Israel are opposing the proposal, which would hopefully result in greater understanding and warmer relations.

Those opposing the relationship have called for a turnout of opponents at the City Council meeting and are distributing a very one-sided “fact” sheet documenting every alleged transgression by Israel relating to the Ashkelon area and the Arab population.

Ashkelon is totally within the 1949 armistice lines. Thus, the effort to derail the Sister City relationship proves once again, as if any additional evidence was needed, that many in the anti-Israel crowd have a problem with the very idea of Jews having a nation regardless of its boundaries.

Sacramentans who support the Sister City relationship intend to also attend the meeting to thank the City Council and to encourage the members to vote in favor of the relationship.

If Sister City relationships depend on histories devoid of any conflict or controversy, it is likely we won’t be seeing many of them. In the interests of ensuring that the City Council of Ashkelon is fully informed about their proposed new relative, I wrote them a letter:

Dear Ashkelon City Council Members:

I am a proud citizen of both the U.S.and Israel. I grew up in Sacramento and love it, and I now reside part of the year in Sacramento and part in Jerusalem.

I understand that you are considering a Sister City relationship with the City of Sacramento, in the State of California, USA. I think that’s a great idea. However, I wanted to be sure that you know all about Sacramento’s history before you vote on the proposal.

The United States of America expanded into the West pursuant to a doctrine called “Manifest Destiny.” Manifest Destiny, which occurred in the 1800’s, involved the systematic destruction and dispersion of Native Americans and the settling of Europeans on their lands. In short, the Europeans occupied the lands of the Native Americans. These Native Americans were relegated to “reservations” and have been seeking fair remedies ever since.

Sacramento and its surrounding areas were home to several American Indian tribes who lived peacefully and in harmony with the land for centuries. In the mid-1800’s, when gold was discovered within miles of Sacramento, the area became the focus of intense settlement by Americans and European.

The Americans and Europeans settlers colonized the territory, setting up encampments and mining facilities with no regard whatsoever for the native populations. The Native Americans lost their land, their holy places, their grazing lands, and much of their culture.

As part of the Gold Rush, Asians were brought to California. Their labor was exploited and they were treated harshly. They had virtually no rights. When the famous Transcontinental Railroad was built, Chinese laborers were brought to California and were basically treated like slaves.

Among other areas, the Chinese workers worked on the right-of-way over Donner Pass. The elevation on the Pass is about 7,000 feet. They worked in the harshest winter conditions. They received inadequate shelter, little food, and were subject to terrible cold. Many were injured and died.

But for war, Sacramento would be part of Mexico today. The United States won a war against Mexico in the 1840’s. In the Treaty of Guadalupe, which Mexico was forced to sign after the war,California became part of the United States and was occupied by it.

During World War II, Japanese American citizens were treated like alien enemies. Despite the fact that they were loyal citizens and many of their sons bravely fought in the U.S. Army, they were rounded up and imprisoned in camps for the duration of the war.

The camps were in desolate parts of the American West, and the conditions were primitive. The internees were completely deprived of their rights as American citizens. There was a sizeable population of Japanese American citizens in the Sacramento area. They lost their homes, their businesses, and their farms.

Like Ashkelon, Sacramento today has a diverse population and a commitment to diversity, tolerance, and understanding. Occasionally, however, ethnic tensions come to the surface. Sacramento experiences occasional hate crimes. In fact, a number of years ago three synagogues in Sacramento were subject to arson attacks.

I am happy to report that, just like in Ashkelonand the rest of Israel, Sacramento’s community leaders act firmly against such bigotry.

You should know that Sacramento has Sister City relationships with cities in some countries with questionable behavior. For example, it has a relationship with a city in China, a country with a human rights record that has been condemned by many and that has occupied Tibet for over 50 years, with disastrous consequences for Tibetan freedom and culture.

I should point out the obvious: this is my version of the history of and the current situation in Sacramento. Others see the history of Sacramento,California, and the U.S.from different perspectives and with different emphases. There is always room for debate and discussion. As you well know, there is usually plenty of blame to go around in any dispute.

The bigger issue than arguing over the history is dealing with the present. The question when it comes to your decision whether or not to agree to a Sister City relationship with Sacramento is whether we should dwell on and become entangled in debates and bitterness over Sacramento’s past or whether we should reach out and try to embrace people today. The question is whether building relationships and understanding and friendships through a Sister City relationship is preferable to arguing over past grievances and alleged transgressions.

I can tell you that Sacramento today is full of warm, well-intentioned, decent people, much like the residents of Ashkelon. I am sure that Sacramento still makes mistakes. What community does not? But I can assure you that Sacramento is a beautiful city doing many positive things.

I think Ashkelon would gain much from being connected to the City of Sacramento and its people. Ashkelon would learn from Sacramento and Sacramento would learn from Ashkelon.

So, despite the fact that Sacramento’s past is not without its controversies, I strongly recommend that Ashkelon agree to a Sister City relationship with Sacramento. I think the people of both communities and the regions they are in will benefit greatly.

Sincerely,

Alan Edelstein

GOOD SHOW (KIND OF)

2012-06-30T12:36:00.001-07:00

In my last post, http://www.edelsteinrandomthoughts.com/2012/05/boycott-british-bangers.html , I joined a large chorus criticizing the International Olympic Committee for rejecting the call for a one-minute moment of silence at this year's London games to mark the 40th anniversary of the Munich massacre. I commenced my boycott of all useful British things, which I recognized was a difficult task due to the lack of valuable British things, because of the hosts apparent agreement with the IOC's position.

The London Assembly has responded to the world outcry and unanimously adopted a motion supporting the minute of silence. http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/london-assembly-calls-for-munich-games-victims-to-be-remembered/201221654

That's the positive news. The despicable news: The IOC apparently feels that commemorating Israeli athletes who were murdered by terrorists is a "political gesture." Its position caused Andrew Dismore, the London Assembly member who made the motion, to say:

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BOYCOTT BRITISH BANGERS

2012-05-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

(Originally published in The Times Of Israel)

I've decided to boycott the British. It is fairly difficult to actually think of anything useful or attractive that the British make, but I am going to give it my best shot.

Why the boycott? I've just had enough of the British. They have become annoying and irritating. And they've got chutzpa. They are a hateful bunch, unfairly anti-Israel, and the Jew-hatred tradition that was such an integral part of their elite society for many years, and that was somewhat pushed below the surface in the post-WWII era, seems to have burst back up with enthusiasm.

For the last decade, British university union activists and academics have repeatedly called for academic and cultural boycotts of Israeli universities and individual academics, regardless of their politics or beliefs.

Why? They happen to disagree with Israel's policies on the West Bank, just like they probably disagree with the policies of many countries in the world. But they have decided that only the culture and academics--primarily Jews-- of the only country in the world with a majority of Jews is deserving of a boycott.

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PRIORITIES

2012-04-29T03:59:00.002-07:00

[Originally published in The Times of Israel on April 28]

It would be funny if it weren't so pathetically predictable.

In the last few weeks Palestinian Authority President Abbas has again refused to negotiate unless Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu makes huge concessions regarding borders in advance of negotiations.

Rockets specifically intended to kill and maim civilians continue to be fired from Gaza into Israel's south. The "moderate" regime of President Abbas announced its intention to hang a Palestinian for selling his Hebron property to a Jew--a capital offense if there ever was one.

Apparently not to be outdone by Abbas' government, Hamas, the half elected/half bloody coup rulers of Gaza, announced that they will begin public executions of "collaborators," rapists, and murderers.

None of the above elicited a squeak from the international community. It is all just business as usual.

Then Israel made legal an action permitting three communities totaling 188 families that were originally approved about 10 years ago, and the response would have left Pavlov's dogs in the dust. UN Secretary-General Ki-moon said that he was "troubled" by the action and that it went against the Quartet's calls to refrain from "provocations." And, of course, the U.S. government expressed its "concerns."

Despite the fact that it is entirely natural for Jews to desire living in their ancestral homeland, I and many other Israelis would prefer that the Netanyahu government would not take these sorts of actions. We support compromise, even if it disturbs us that the Palestinians apparently intend that no Jew will be allowed to live in their proposed state.

These actions are simply easy pickins' for those who love to attack Israel, and they help mislead many well-intentioned but ill-informed people about the reasons the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has not been resolved. And the fact of the matter is that legalizing them will be meaningless if and when a peace deal is made.

The communities in the Sinai that Israel returned to Egypt in exchange for a peace deal were legal under Israeli law, as were the communities in Gaza and the northern West Bank from which the Sharon government unilaterally withdrew in the hopes of peace. When it came time to take steps for peace, whether as part of a deal or unilaterally, the legality of the communities was not an obstacle.

Having said that, can anyone in their right mind think that about 600 Jews living in an area that might become the Palestinian nation is the reason the dispute has not be resolved? As many critics of the government's actions have said, these are the first "new" "settlements" "established" in a decade.

Moreover, several Israeli governments have offered virtually the entire West Bank in exchange for peace. And, yet, there has been no resolution of the conflict.

President Abbas will not negotiate unless he is guaranteed his terms before the negotiations. The two Palestinian governments that do exist seem to be in competition for the most crude and unfair executions. Rockets are fired at civilians on a daily basis.

None of this seems to cause much concern or attention in the UN or by anyone else in the media or officialdom.

But the legalization of the tiny communities of a few Jews who have been living in the legalized locations for several years focuses the world's attention. That's setting priorities.

IRONIES

2012-04-20T06:09:00.001-07:00

The media report that President Obama plans on visiting the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Monday, during which visit he will explain the Administration's strategy to prevent and respond to mass atrocities in the world.

I applaud the President for taking the time from his busy schedule to visit the Museum. It shows his respect for those who perished in the Holocaust and his commitment to helping preserve their memory. I also applaud the Administration for developing and explaining a strategy to prevent future atrocities. It demonstrates that preventing mass murder is a high priority of the United States.

The Administration should be commended. However, I could not help but note a bit of irony in the President's making a visit at this time. The irony arises from the fact that the Administration has not been doing all it could to peacefully prevent another effort at the mass murder of Jewish people. Indeed, the Administration has been undercutting Israel's efforts to prevent Iran from carrying out a nuclear annihilation of the Jewish people without having to resort to military action.

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THE REST OF THE STORY

2012-04-05T13:20:00.001-07:00

I often marvel at how Jews are such a tiny percentage of the American population, and yet attributes of our culture, some of our religious tenets, aspects of our rituals and celebrations, our humor, and other characteristics of just "being Jewish" have crept into and become a part of American life and popular culture. It speaks positively about the freedom and welcoming nature of America, and it speaks volumes about what Judaism and the Jewish people bring to those willing to open their hearts and minds.

Pesach, or Passover, is a prime example. If you would have told my grandparents, all of whom came to America in their late teens and early twenties in the early part of the last century, that an African-American president (that alone would have knocked them over) would hold a seder in the White House, they would not have believed it.

One of my grandfathers asked me on several occasions if Neil Armstrong actually walked on the moon or if it was all a fake. Not an entirely unreasonable question from a man who took a horse and carriage to catch the train to catch the boat for America.

Passover does seem to have found a special place in America. Americans relate to its message of freedom, caring for the stranger, and liberation. Why shouldn't we? We love freedom, we like to think of ourselves as sympathetic to those who yearn for liberation, and we have a history of welcoming the stranger, even if some of us display a little ugly backlash now and again.

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SKIING IN THE SENIOR LINE

2012-04-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

I had a terrific day of skiing on Monday at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It felt great when the young man behind the ticket counter gave me the senior discount. What didn't feel so great--actually really irritated me--was the fact that he did not ask me for proof of my age. Seems like the ultimate illustration of taking the bad with the good.

There does seem to be a little hide-the-ball discrimination going on. It seems that as the baby boom keeps going and as joint replacement and pain medications advance, the ski resorts keep moving the senior age up and/or reducing the amount of the discount. Understandable, though still unfair.

The conditions were perfect. A foot of new powder, nice and soft. Sunny yet cool enough so that the snow did not get slushy. I skied some pretty hard terrain, including quite a bit off-trail. For those who know Sugar Bowl, I did Strawberry, Crow's, Fuller's Folly, the Sisters, Roller's, and an ungroomed Vanderbilt. I was pretty proud of myself.

I enjoy skiing a challenging hill and then looking around to see if I am the oldest on the slope. Cheap satisfaction. And when you ride a chairlift up the hill with skiers of a similar age, you get quite an education in various medications and therapeutic remedies folks use in preparation for or in recovery from a day on the slopes. Quite a sport!

If I was being totally gracious, I would take a moment to thank the doctors, physical therapists, other medical providers, and pharmaceutical researchers who made it possible for me to abuse my bones and joints for five-plus hours and still walk upright, albeit with quite a pain in the right knee. But they know who they are.

There is little like the rush and the satisfaction and the fun you get from skiing a challenging slope with sunny skies and great snow. Hard to beat.

Pass the Aleve. Extra Strength.

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

2012-03-13T17:30:00.011-07:00

I just completed my great eight day cross-country adventure. I agreed to drive my son's 1998 Subaru from Sacramento to him in Washington, D.C. The last time I did this drive alone was 42 years ago in my 1974 Ford Pinto (puky mustard color, white landau top, four-on-the-floor stick shift, $3,450 out the door), and the last time I did it at all was with my wife in 1977 in the same Pinto.

Shortly thereafter the Pinto's tendency to combust on impact was exposed and my wife's parents forbade her from driving with me. But other than that small explosive detail, the Pinto was reliable, sturdy, uncomfortable, and ugly. The Subaru was a lot better on all counts.

The trip sounded great in theory. However, as debarkation day approached and my wife, who undoubtedly is smarter than me, said that she would be flying out to meet me near D.C., I began to question just how fun this would be.

Turns out it was great fun.

DAY 20 COUNTOWN TO EGYPTIAN DEMOCRACY

2012-01-23T07:19:00.000-08:00

Only 20 days to the one-year anniversary of the day I started my countdown to Egyptian democracy. With all the euphoria about the "Arab Spring" and the many predictions of the imminent creation of democracy in Egypt and other Arab countries, I somewhat cynically initiated my countdown, giving the Egyptians one year to establish their democracy.

How is it going? Well, the run-up to the elections, during which the Egyptian army has ruled, did not inspire confidence. With the continuing violence, repression, arrests, attacks on Christians, and invasions of the offices of pro-democracy non-profits, Egypt did not look like it was on the verge of democracy.

However, the elections were held and it appeared that the atmosphere was generally free and non-violent. The result, on the other hand, leaves many questions. With the Muslim Brotherhood at almost half of the seats and the even more radical Salafists at nearly a quarter, the Islamists now have over two-thirds of the seats in the Parliament.

Elections alone do not make for a democracy. A free society before and after does. Dictatorships are often elected democratically. The question is whether that will be the last democratic election.

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PENCILS AND PANTIES

2012-01-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

Somebody's head could roll--literally. It was recently reported that Kravitz pencils, manufactured in Israel only for its domestic market, somehow showed up on the shelves of Abu Rialin, a Saudi retailer that sells all of its inventory at the same price.

As befits a country with a major focus on hating Jews and Israel, Saudi authorities are quite upset that the Ministry of Commerce overlooked this major faux paus, especially considering the fact that the pencils were well-marked with a Hebrew logo.

The pencil affair was exposed by a Saudi reporter on the Saudi website Jazan. The reporter wanted to know how such a major scandal could have been missed by the Ministry of Commerce. It's reassuring to know that hard-hitting, unafraid investigative reporting is being done in Saudi Arabia.

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THE BIG DIG

2011-12-22T01:44:00.000-08:00

Dear Tom:

Since you like to write letters to leaders you think need your counsel, I thought I would write one to you because you are sorely in need of some good advice. Here goes:

Stop digging!

There is one thing worse than a politician who refuses to outright admit he was wrong and apologize and instead tries to explain his way out of a terrible mistake, thus making himself look like a big weasel. And that is a journalist trying to do the same thing.

You now say that you regret charging that the U.S. Congress gave Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu a standing ovation because the "Israel lobby" "bought and paid for" the Congress. You now say that you wished you had said the "Israel lobby" "engineered" it.

Somehow that change in words seems to make a difference to you?

How exactly did the "Israel lobby" "engineer" the standing ovation? Did the lobby pull some kind of strings so that every member of Congress stood up and started to applaud at the same time? Is the lobby full of puppeteers and are the members of Congress mere puppets?

Did the lobby somehow use I-phones or some other electronic device to command the members of Congress to all rise and applaud at the same time? Did the lobby put out a memo directing everyone to respond in this fashion?

If, indeed, some Israel supporters suggested that the Congress give a hearty welcome to the Prime Minister, and Congressional members decided that they wanted to do that, is there something conspiratorial or threatening to our democracy in them doing so? Is this manipulation and engineering?

Do you actually think that changing the words from "bought and paid for" to "engineered" makes a difference to the nefarious implications of what you wrote?

Tom, you went onto say that you stand 100 percent behind the basic point of your op-ed. Help me. What exactly was the point? That Jews control and engineer the Congress? That citizens of the U.S. expressing their point of view and members of Congress responding positively is some kind of a danger?

Are you upset that the American people and the Congress do not agree with your point of view? Do you feel that their must be something underhanded or unclean because your views have not prevailed?

Are you angry at Prime Minister Netanyahu because he is doing what the people who elected him want him to do rather than what you think he should do? Do you think he is fooling and manipulating the people who elected him?

Do you think you know better what is good for them than the Israelis who gave up Gaza, pulled out of Lebanon, gave up control of most Palestinians prior to the second Intifada, and made generous offers at Camp David, and Taba? Do you feel comfortable lecturing the people who have sustained years of rockets and sirens in the south of Israel?

Tom, you say that an increasing number of American Jews are becoming detached from and disaffected with Israel. On the other hand, you paint this picture of some omnipresent group so powerful that they can engineer the behavior of the entire U.S. Congress. So I have to ask, who actually makes up the "Israel Lobby?"

Here is some advice any campaign or media consultant and any politician who has been through this sort of experience would have given you: either come completely clean, say you made a dumb mistake, and apologize from the bottom of your heart, or just shut up. But for your own sake and everyone else's, stop digging!

Alan

SURF'S UP

2011-12-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

The surf's up and Thomas Friedman has got the biggest, baddest board of them all. He's not just going to ride the wave. He is going to attack it. He is one angry, mean surfer. Nothing seems to get in his way, particularly reality.

The creation and acceptance of the new conventional wisdom is like a wave. We seem to have wave after wave when it comes to Israel. A few issues, much hyperbolic talk by Israeli politicians, some very irresponsible comments by some members of President Obama's Cabinet, a willing press, and the truth is born, facts be damned.

When it comes to Israel, the newest wave appears to be an amendment of the prior one holding that if only Israel would stop building "settlements," there would be peace and reconciliation within minutes. Now, in addition to Israel's "settlements" preventing peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, it also seems that Israel's democracy is about to be destroyed.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's recent demand that Israel and the Palestinians just "get to the damned bargaining table" seemed to, at a minimum, put the onus equally on the parties for the lack of negotiations, conveniently forgetting that Israel has been pleading for direct negotiations for over a year and suspended West Bank "settlement" expansion for 10 months in order to motivate the Palestinians.

A HEALTHY DISCUSSION

2011-12-16T12:48:00.000-08:00

Comments on: It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

1. Will Christians lower their voices in Israel?

2. I am always glad when it's over.....I get "Happy Holidayed" to death from people I don't know...and I have to be cordial by saying the same thing....a bit ridiculous but the season at least tends to bring out the best in
people which is a nice temporary fix. That's my random thought of the day!

3. I see you came outof closet and admitted freely and voluntarily the you watch FOX News. Watching your tiny TV in the closet must have been a drag( pardon the pun!).

4. Happy Hanukkah, My friend, to you and your family!!

5. And Happy Holidays to you and your family! Love your posts!

6. Israel sounds great for Hanukkah for sure, and for all Jewish holidays for that matter; but I have to say that America is looking pretty perfect up against Spain. One Fox News nativity scene is nothing compared to what it's like here. EVERY public place, EVERY bank, store, and public school sets up a nativity scene "un belén" as it's called here. If I could find an actual Spanish Jew here, I would love to ask them how they felt about this.

In fact, last week I had an hour free during my teaching schedule and I was asked to help set up the nativity scene with another teacher.

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