On May 16th 1948 The State of Israel Was Born

On May 16th, 1948, the state of Israel was born. In people’s life this is an age when a person could reflect back on his/her life, consider the personal accomplishments and plans how to lead the rest of his life. I don’t have to look far to make this comparison, my brother, who is 7 years older than me, is 68 and I always remember his birthday in connection with that of the state of Israel.

The first years of my brother were the years of austerity when to deal with the shortages, the Israeli government instituted a system of rationing. To buy most rationed items, my parents, along with the rest of the adult population, had to register at chosen shops, and were provided with a ration book. The shopkeepers were supplied with enough food only for registered customers.

Those were difficult years, and it was a struggle for parents to provide for their families. My mother told me that our neighbor, normally an even tempered gentleman, slapped his son once, in frustration since the little one refused to eat chicken liver and threw the plate on the floor. She didn’t tell the story in order to disparage the father, but to demonstrate the level of exasperation of most parents at that time.

I don’t believe that they were traumatized by the times of austerity, my parents were young, and besides, at that point almost everyone else was as poor. I know that my father refused to buy anything on the black market, and even those who bought special food illegally usually consumed it quietly at home.

Still the time of austerity affected the rest of my parents' life and they never took for granted the good times which followed. They taught us to finish everything on our plate, literally and metaphorically. They were frugal and raised us not to be greedy or wasteful. I believe that the values which we learnt at home influenced my brother’s choice to spend his career in public television, and mine to become a college teacher.

Thinking of the age of Israel, another name comes to mind, a man who is only a year younger than our state. The prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was born in Israel in 1949. Although, like my brother, he was born at the time of the austerity, he spent the rest of his life compensating himself for the hardship of those early years.

I have to ask myself what are the values that Netanyahu learnt at home, as he grew up to be callous to the suffering of the poor and the disadvantaged, and thinks nothing of leading an extravagant lifestyle at the expense of the state of Israel and the tax payers.

Other Israelis who are Bibi’s age only get 2000 NIS as their social security allowance. Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, each, spend double that amount on take-out food from restaurants

Today on May 16th 2016, 68 years after the birth of the state of Israel, I am curious to know what does our prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu consider as his personal accomplishments, but worse, I worry what kind of legacy he plans to leave behind.

 The essay appeared in the Times Of Israel

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/on-may-16th-1948-the-state-of-israel-was-born/

King Benjamin the First

It has only taken 66 years, but finally, like many other great monarchies in Europe, we too have a king. Our beloved ruler, King Benjamin the First was elected on March 17th 2015, 26 Adar, 5775 in the Jewish calendar, and was crowned by his adoring subjects,

Although formally King Benjamin does not come from a royal family, his parents were certainly members of the Zionist aristocracy. Young prince Benji and his two brothers were sent to the best schools (over seas) and got superb education.

This outstanding upbringing came in handy: less than a year after the royal election our king realized that there was no one who could do the job as well as him. Thus he came to the rescue and bravely took upon himself the immense responsibility of running the whole country singlehandedly.

Our monarch is the head of state, but since no one here knew enough about the  outside world, he kindly agreed to take charge of Israel’s foreign policy. And as he wished that our hearts would remain pure and truthful, the king made sure that  everything we read, heard or saw was accurate. To that end he had no choice but to become the communication minister. Because he cares so much about our financial wellbeing, and he could not find, in the entire nation,  an expert who understood the economy well enough, our gracious King was willing to shoulder that burden as well. Finally, in his capacity as a minister in charge of collaborations with our Middle Eastern neighbors, King Benjamin is solely responsible for  bringing about peace.

You may be surprised,  but only yesterday our king appeared before the Supreme Court and fought for our future, as he revealed to the judges the real truth about the natural resources in our country.

This is not the first time that our brave David battles Goliath. Not long ago, he flew to the US and bravely confronted the whole American Congress.

We are very lucky to have such a great king, the whole world admires him. In such a short time, he made Israel the best place on earth. We are thriving, have good jobs, our children attend exceptional schools, elderly people are being cared for, and our Palestinian neighbors enjoy quiet and peaceful life thanks to the equal rights that our beloved king had granted them.

If you’d like to know more about the good life in Israel, you are welcome to check the new book of Chronicles which was published lately by our king. You can find there more information about the aristocratic background of the king and his good wife, the queen. For the readers who like to read about royalty, the book provides useful and significant information about our crown prince and his younger brother.

If, at this point in time,  you don’t find enough substantial information in the book, don’t worry, it will be added soon in the second book of  Chronicles. The incoming chapters will include primary sources and documents pertaining to the immeasurable contribution of the king’s father to building Israel, and the theological background which was provided  by the queen's father.

Next time you pass by Ben Gurion avenue, you may want to take a photo as a souvenir, as soon it  will be replaced by a new sign--Benzion Netanyahu (father of the king) Boulevard.

Long Live King Benjamin the First.

The essay appeared in the Times Of Israel

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/king-benjamin-the-first/

“When I want Something I Get It:” Benjamin Netanyahu's Desires

The idiom “a picture is worth a thousand words” was reversed yesterday at the Israeli Knesset, and a brief (six words) sentence in Hebrew “when I want something I get it”  became stronger than thousands photo opportunities.

Our prime minister spoke yesterday, for the first time, like a true leader, with conviction and passion. I was almost proud of him.

But unfortunately Benjamin Netanyahu’s desires are not about ending world hunger or bringing peace to our region.

If, as he himself admits, our leader is relentless, even unstoppable,when he wants something,  my only conclusion is that Netanyahu doesn’t want to end the conflict in the Middle East and to bring about peace.

It is not that I hadn't suspected it before, but often we learn more about people from what they don’t say than from their actual words.

I don’t wish to believe that the Israeli leaders do not care about the well-being of the Israelis and the future of the country, and all they do in the Israeli Knesset is to make petty deals and pay bribe. However, to the regular Israeli, like me, it surely seems like that.

Thus rather than being impressed with the determination of Mr Netanyahu, I was shocked  again at the depth of his cynicism.

We were taught to admire the ethos and the seriousness of the Netanyahu family.  It is sad when all that is reduced to consummating the romance with the gas tycoons over Israel’s future natural resources.

In the beginning of September Benjamin Netanyahu met with the representatives of the movement Women Wage Peace, who sat in front of his home and fasted for 50 days to commemorate the 50 days of Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014.

Unlike Sara Netanyahu who had met the women earlier and chided them for not sitting outside the residence of the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, her more experienced husband, our prime minister pretended to care about the movement and created goodwill by stating that he was ready to meet Abbas with no prior conditions.

The prime minister was photographed with the women, and he told them "we want life security and peace for our children." But he never said that when he wanted something he got it, probably because peace is not something he really wants.

Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, as a member of the movement Women Wage Peace I also want life, security and peace for everyone. I and 15000 other women and men do not want to worry every time our children go back to the army whether we will see them again. We also don’t want the future citizens of Israel, our soldiers, to be scarred for life from what they experience in the occupied territories, it is a horrible price to pay.

For the New Year, I hope that all the creativity and energy that our leaders put into one gas deal will be diverted into a  plan  to promote  peace in our region and that Israelis and Palestinians will finally get what we want --- a  future.

The essay appeared in the Times Of Israel

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/when-i-want-something-i-get-it-benjamin-netanyahus-desires/

“Evil Tongue Does Not Speak To Me:” Words And Stones

Driving in Bnai Brak yesterday I saw a billboard with the sentence: “Defamation/slandering does not appeal to me.” In Hebrew the phrase is especially powerful. The equivalent of  defamation is “evil tongue” and  “does not appeal to me” is “does not speak to me.” In Hebrew the words constitute a pun as the emphasis here is on the evil caused when we don’t shut our mouth.

The Bible forbids slandering, in Leviticus 19, among other commandments, there is one about slandering: “Do not go about spreading slander among your people.” (16).

In today's world, here in Israel, the Law of Defamation (1965) is supposed to protect people’s dignity and reputation and to prevent degrading a person or a group of people because of race, national origin, religion,  place of residence, etc. Article 1 of the Law clarifies that defamation occurs when  a person (individual or corporation) is belittled in the eyes of people and it could lead to hatred.

Please keep reading in the Times Of Israel 

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/evil-tongue-does-not-speak-to-me-words-and-stones

“You Send Your Son To Welding School:” The Debate Over Vocational Education

In the late 1930s my 16 year old uncle wanted to join a kibbutz, but my grandmother demanded that he first study a vocation which would help him succeed in his new life. My uncle applied to the Max Fein Vocational School and became a welder.  Many years later he told me how proud he felt to be able to bring with him to the Kibbutz a useful gift of a vocation.

This event took place about ten years prior to Israel’s independence, and it was clear that people like my uncle, graduates of vocational schools, were exactly what our country needed.

Please keep reading in The Times Of Israel

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/you-send-your-son-to-welding-school-the-debate-over-vocational-education/

Enigma Of A Cultural Hero Or Between Arik Einstein And Bibi Netanyahu

NOV.28.2013 -

I am sad today, my favorite Israeli singer Arik Einstein (1939—2013) died suddenly yesterday morning. He wasn’t only loved by me, he was immensely popular. But since he was a highly private person and his family asked for a quiet funeral, I didn’t expect that an official state funeral would close down the streets of Tel Aviv.  Moreover, I couldn’t imagine that our  prime minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu would appear at the funeral and claim Arik Einstein as his own. This was a hit below the belt--please let Arik RIP. I wish my last memory of the beloved singer could remain untarnished by an image of Bibi Netanyahu making yet another speech.

Actually this is a good place to start because everything about Arik Einstein was the exact opposite of Netanyau. Arik Einstein was a very talented man who wanted to be left alone, to maintain his privacy and to do the things that he loved quietly and outside of the limelight. Netanyahu is an intelligent man who cannot survive without constant attention and demands plenty of recognition for everything that he does.

Privacy is not a concept that Netanyahu appreciates; his rise to the top has only been possible thanks to television: like a sunflower he basked and flourished in its light. Since his days as the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations (1984 to 1988) when he “perfected his technique,” he has not missed an opportunity to be seen in public or to speak on television.

In contrast, in the early 80s Arik Einstein, by then already a successful and highly acclaimed singer and actor, stopped appearing in public.  However, he never ceased working and continued to make music and record. He had a special talent to attract and discover quality musicians and to bring out their special qualities. He collaborated with a large number of musicians and sang their songs in a beautiful clear baritone voice.  His clean and unaffected voice has become a symbol to everything which was honest about Israel, a voice of yearning for better and simpler days. 

 Arik Einstein changed the music scene in Israel for the better but never took any credit for it. He  even refused to accept the most prestigious award in Israel, the "Israel Prize.”

In an extrovert and noisy nation like ours, it is incomprehensible how such a private person who has stayed home for more than 30 years could become a national symbol and a cultural hero.  This quality of not tooting one's own horn but just doing the job quietly and professionally, even meticously, is also not a common Israeli trait. At the funeral someone said that every one of us has his/her own Arik.  I feel that this could be part of the answer.  We would like to believe that we are a little better than we really are,  and  that within us we have some of the humility, professionalism and integrity that Arik had.

It helped that Arik was good looking, witty and graceful, and since he withdrew from the public eye so long ago, he never grew old. In our hearts  he remained the Israeli Peter Pan -- forever fresh, handsome and young.

As for Bibi, unlike Dorian Gray, this fine looking man did age publicly in front of our eyes and his faults have become increasingly prominent - one of the unfortunate effects of over exposure.

Still since he took the time to be at the funeral and to speak about Arik, perhaps it could be an opportunity for Netanyahu to learn from this cultural hero a lesson about integrity. If such reflection does take place, I wouldn’t even mind to have my last memory of  Arik Einstein mixed with an image of Bibi.

  

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U58uKBDtZyo