What Do Boyer Graduates Do For Fun?

Somehow it wasn’t out of character for  Boyer Class of 1970  to spend its annual reunion weekend in Yeruham. The program for the weekend would be considered a big yawn for most vacationers, but not for  Boyer graduates. It included an hour long lecture on Friday by a social activist, a meeting on Saturday with the mayor, and an informal get together with a committed, some would even call him quixotic, philanthropist.

In addition, a special social minded tour guide took us around town and as part of Yeruham’s contemporary history we visited the home of a witness. In 1955 he  arrived from Morocco as a young boy, and together with his family was dumped there in the middle of the night. The tour ended with lunch at the home of a member of a group of women who cook for tourists and visitors.

This choice of the Boyer group could be better understood if we remember the mission of the school from its beginning in the second part of the 1960s.

Please keep reading in the Times Of Israel

http:http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-do-boyer-graduates-do-for-fun//blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-do-boyer-graduates-do-for-fun/

Israel Conference On Peace and The Missing Parents

Israel Conference On Peace last Thursday brought together an impressive roster of speakers, whose opinions matter. There were Israelis and Palestinians, representatives from the left and from the right and even several statesmen like Tony Blair and Martin Indyk who are involved in the peace “industry”. They all spoke to a full house that was waiting for some encouraging message of hope.

Still if we need a proof that the Israeli left is out of touch with the life of most Israelis, we could start with the location of the conference and the price of registration.

The conference was held at a luxurious hotel in Tel Aviv.

Please keep reading in the Times Of Israel

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israel-conference-on-peace-and-the-missing-parents/

A Senior Intern: Stereotypes and Reality

I know from experience that as they get older, women and men tend to become transparent. To women it  usually happens somewhere between 50 and 60 years of age, and about a decade later to men, since in their 50s many of them are still at the prime of their career.

Thus, on a recent stay in the US, I wasn’t surprised to discover that in commercials, if older people are seen or heard from, it is usually in a very specific context. For example  I saw them mostly in advertisements for prescription drugs (usually constipation and impotency), where they are portrayed as anxious or confused consumers.

From there it is only a small leap to becoming a full blown nuisance,

Please keep reading in the Times Of Israel

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-senior-intern-sterotypes-and-reality/

See No Evil: "The Night In Question"

Twenty years ago today our Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was murdered.

A year earlier we returned to Israel after a long stay in the US. From distant Texas the summer of 1994 seemed like a wonderful time to be back in Israel. No one could have guessed that all that would end on October 4th 1995.

I recently took part in “the Narratives Project,” an initiative organized by The Parents Circle-Families Forum (PCFF). It brings together 15 Palestinians and 15 Israelis for several meetings in order to get to know each other and to promote understanding and peace.

The first meeting was for an intensive weekend in Beit Jala. In one of the organized activities we were asked to write down dates with special meaning and to stick the notes on  a rug at the center of the room. 

Please keep reading in the Times of Israel

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/see-no-evil-the-night-in-question/

Lord of the Flies Is Here: Israel 2015

In the past month I have been feeling like  I live in a dystopia, but until this morning when I read in Haaretz Zeeva Achi Meir's letter to the editor, I wasn't sure  which one it was.

The title of the letter is “Zabotinski and Abba (Abba is also the first name of Achi Meir’s dad) are ashamed of Netanyahu and his friends.”

It starts with the writer’s concern regarding the erroneous and dangerous leadership of the right. She refers specifically to the sons of the revisionists. It ends with the statement that the founders of the revisionist party would have objected to the way things are in Israeli society, and would have fought with all their might against the blindness, callousness and lack of humanity of the prime minister and his confederates. They betray their parents’ legacy and are leading the Israeli society, and the state of Israel, from a mere disaster to the catastrophe of its loss (in moral and existential terms).

Please keep reading in the Times Of Israelhttp://blogs.timesofisrael.com/lord-of-the-flies-is-here-israel-2015/

For Better And For Worse: A Woman's Best friend

Last week I came across an article in The Atlantic about friendships and how it changes throughout the years.

Since friendship is an important part of life, and by chance I am now in the US visiting an old friend, I decided that it was a good time to share my essay about friendship, and especially about the institution of the “best friend”:

My mom's best friend called me on my mother's birthday to let me know that she hasn't forgotten that date. The friend is 97 year old and my mother has been dead for almost 20 years. Still I wasn't surprised,

Please keep reading in the Times Of Israel

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/for-better-and-for-worse-a-womans-best-friend/

My [Facebook] Home Is My Castle

Last October The Marker  section of  Haaretz newspaper cited a study which found that during Operation Protective Edge one of six Israelis blocked or defriended a Facebook friend. 60% of the people did it because they disagreed with the content and 52% because they encountered offensive posts.

I am not ashamed to admit that I too was one of those six. Although I am too polite to defriend any one, and it has never been an option, I did block several people who shared or liked opinions, which I felt, were offensive or painful. In addition, I stopped following quite a few friends.

Since then my Facebook page has become a haven where I spend time only with like minded people,

Please keep reading in the Times Of Israel

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/my-facebook-home-is-my-castle/