Ridiculous

Entitled

by LB.

Apparently, Israeli musicians do not like being charged extra for carrying large musical instruments on buses. Fair enough. The analogy drawn between the instruments and large duffel bags–for which there is no charge on top of the standard ticket fare–is valid. The fare disparity between carrying musical instruments and other luggage seems like a fair cause for complaint. What is Egged’s response? The policy is in compliance with the regulations issued by the Ministry of Transportation.

The fact that the government has direct oversight over these issues is part a problem, but that is another story. My real qualm here is with another analogy drawn by a cellist interviewed for the Ynet article (Hebrew). After a laughable attempt at analogizing a cello to a laptop, the cellist proffered an infuriating justification: “[B]ut it’s absurd that we’re paying double for [the cello] . . . we put it in the aisle anyway, and it doesn’t bother anyone.” (emphasis added)

Doesn’t bother anyone? Excuse me? A loud minority of Israelis who use mass transit, ruin the already-unpleasant experience–and bother everyone. Placing large items in the middle of aisles on buses is just one example of this behavior. (I wonder what the Ministry regulations are on blocking exit routes on buses.)

The rush to board the bus (or train), as if it were a matter of life and death, is yet another example of this unpleasant behavior. Never mind the elderly, and other who are unable to compete with 20-year olds (or with 40-year olds, for that matter). The vigor displayed only moments earlier, in the fight to board–is nowhere to be found when an 80-year old lady is left with nowhere to sit. Suddenly everyone is too tired, and the octogenarian may not find a seat at all. Maybe they’re just worn out from overcoming the competition, striving for their entitled place on the bus…

Similarly, idiots playing loud “music” on cell phones, asserting a “right” to do so when to turn off the offensive noises (although annoyingly playing with your ringtones can be an effective counter).

So, no, cellists should not be placed at a disadvantage. They should be treated the same as the musically-challenged (and those who prefer the clarinet or the flute). But the cellist quoted above will gain no sympathy by saying it’s just like another dismal act. And adding insult to injury, he then presumes to speak on behalf of the injured, by claiming that it bothers no one. It bothers many, which he might have noticed if he weren’t too busy asserting his “rights.”

Every Hebrew Mother

‍‍כט טבת תרס - Jun 1st, 2009

by LB.

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“.תדע כל אם עבריה שהפקידה את גורל בניה בידי המפקדים הראויים לכך”

“Every Hebrew mother shall know that she has placed her sons‘ fate in the hands of the commanders worthy of it.”

If there is one line, more than any other, that represents what the IDF should be, this oft-quoted one by David Ben-Gurion is it. One of the biggest concerns parents have when their kids are drafted, by law, is who will be responsible for them. However, that is but the last line – the entire quote is a rather pithy description of what a commander should be:

It is not enough that the commander know his job. He must love man, the life of his subordinate must be dear to him, and the soldier sent to him must be dear to him, so that he shall love him. Only such a commander will find among his subordinates the total devotion that will lead them where-ever he may send them. If the commanders arouse trust, allegiance, and love in their soldiers – then every Hebrew mother shall know that she has placed he son’s fate in the hands of commanders worthy of it.

With more and more teenagers dodging the draft, it is more important than ever not to make soldiers feel like they are no more than mere pawns. This is not to say that the army should be anything but a strict hierarchy, whose needs must always come before the individual conscript’s wishes. However, more should be done to increase motivation among Israeli youth, and come as close as possible to truly universal service.

Moreover, when Jews do make aliyah and proudly serve their country, while their families are halfway around the world, they should not be used as propoganda on the one hand, and stabbed in the back as soon as the press is gone. Unfortunately, as reported in Maariv (Hebrew), that is precisely what happened over this past weekend.

Two brothers, new immigrants from the U.S., who were portrayed as model soldiers for their conduct during Operation Cast Lead, were fortunate enough to have their father come visit them recently. One of the two, however, had an unfortunate experience. Although he was granted a few days of leave to see their cancer-stricken father, he asked to spend an additional few days with his father over Shavuot (I am assuming he would make up his duties over another weekend). When this request, too, was denied, he asked to be able to say goodbye to his father at the airport before his Saturday night flight. Again, his request was denied.

Shavuot commemorates the Jewish people receiving the Torah. This is the same Torah that commands to “love your neighbor as yourself.” The same Torah that Hillel the Elder summarized: “What is hateful to you – do not do unto others.” Although full members of the Jewish people, these brothers are new to the modern State of Israel. And on Shavuot we read the book of Ruth. A major theme in the book of Ruth is acceptance, and welcoming of other. It seems these commanders could not have chosen a more poignant time to make such an unfortunate decision.

A father placed the fate of three of his sons (one was honorably discharged recently) in the hands of Israeli commanders, commanders who were not worthy of it. There are many excellent, worthy commanders in the IDF. Men and women whom it would be an honor to follow. It is evident, however, that the IDF has also been blessed with a number of commanders that are very much unworthy.

The Urge to Terrorize

‍‍כא אייר תשסט - May 14th, 2009

by LB.

1 comment

In order to lose weight, one must resist the urge to overeat. In order to overcome alcoholism, one must resist the urge to drink. There are many urges humans have, many of them potentially harmful. Considering the benefits, if fleeting, of giving in to these urges, the need to resist them is only natural.

Speaking in Bethlehem yesterday, the Pope called on the Palestinians to “have the courage to resist any temptation… to resort to acts of violence or terrorism.”

What sort of sick individual is tempted to commit mass murder? Do people really need to be courageous in order to resist the urge to “resort” to terrorism?

JCC Promoting Antisemitism

‍‍כ אדר תשסט - Mar 16th, 2009

by LB.

5 comments

Antisemitic plays in the guise of legitimate criticism of Israel are nothing new. In 2005, there was the British polemic about the “activist” Rachel Corrie. The most recent of these artistic expressions of racism, Seven Jewish Children, does not even make an honest attempt to mask its antisemitism.

Antisemitism will probably persist as long as the sun rises in the east, but what I learned from the NY Times today has truly managed to shock me. The JCC in Washington, DC is serving as a mouthpiece to this modern blood libel. This is not the first time the JCC has promoted “progressive causes,” and pretty crudely, too. This past September, Sandra Bernhard warned “Sarah Palin not to come into Manhattan lest she get gang-raped by some of Sandra’s big black brothers.”

This, however, is a new low. This is the JEWISH community center. On their blog, Theater J, run by the Washington DC JCC, Ari Roth, director of this trash, says “[t]he play is this year’s My Name is Rachel Corrie.” Of course it is. But is he really implying that is something positive?

He says the play is “problematic… [for] suggesting that there is a Jewish ownership—not merely an Israeli military’s responsibility—for the recent violence in Gaza.” I don’t even know where to start. Never mind that diaspora Jewish communities do not even come close to taking an active role in the welfare of the Jewish state, thinking that throwing money at “their brothers” is sufficient. Forget that those who Israel targeted were, and still are, trying to effect a genocide upon the Jews. But no, the play is only “controversial.”

Next time your local Jewish Community Center asks you for a donation – ask them if they, too, promote antisemitism.

Peretz is a Delusional Idiot

‍‍כא שבט תשסט - Feb 15th, 2009

by LB.

3 comments

In light of Labor’s dismal showing at the polls, Amir Peretz thinks he can win back the chairmanship of the Labor Party. This is the former labor leader who shut down the country at whim, turned Defense Minister and cost Israeli lives and a failed war.

I hope he wins. It will truly spell the end of Labor. The public is not that stupid. My prediction is that Labor would be forced to merge with Kadima, forming one Left-wing political party, and bringing Israel back to the right-left bi-polar system.

Publish It Not in the Streets of Ashkelon

‍‍כ שבט תשסט - Feb 14th, 2009

by LB.

3 comments

I’ve waited a few days to post this, in hopes that an English-language newspaper will pick it up, but it appears to be completely off the radar. Israel prides itself on being the Jewish home, where Jews always have been and always will be welcome, regardless of any other factor. Especially the color of their skin. Nevertheless, the residents of at least one neighborhood in Ashkelon seem to think they are living in the past. America’s past.

Ynet published an article (but only in Hebrew) about a couple trying to buy a home in Ashkelon. Their real estate agent tried to inquire about an apartment, on behalf of the couple, who are of Ethiopian origin, and was given a rather rude awakening by the owner who was trying to sell his apartment.

“There are no Ethiopians in this area. Never have been and never will be. That is our policy…anyone can come, but not Ethiopians. The whole building is like this. I hope so, at least, in order to maintain the value of the apartment and the value of the building.”

Apparently, this is not news to city hall. Former Deputy Mayor Avi Vaknin said he has “encountered this phenomenon numerous times, and shocked every time.” He also added that it is good that it is being “revealed in all of its ugliness because only [that] will help fight such ugly phenomenons.” Really? That’s the only way to fight this? This, coming from a city hall official (albeit former). I don’t understand.

Not only has this been going on for years, but the media does not think it is even newsworthy. That’s a great aliyah draw.

Livni, Not a Failure?

‍‍יז שבט תשסט - Feb 11th, 2009

by LB.

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I think it’s pretty incredible how Peretz, Halutz and Olmert are all remembered as complete failures for the disgrace in Lebanon 2.5 years ago. Yet, somehow Livni managed to emerge untainted. And she’s the architect of the failure known as UNSC 1701…

Anyone care to proffer an explanation?

The Ethics of “The Ethicist”

‍‍יג שבט תשסט - Feb 7th, 2009

by LB.

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As entertaining as the New York Times’ The Ethicist is, I find myself disagreeing with Randy Cohen’s conclusions rather often. I think the first question he answered in this week’s column is too complicated to be boiled down to a two paragraph response. However, that is not my real concern.

In writing about a parent’s dilemma about whether or not a child should be allowed to smoke marijuana on a family trip to the Netherlands, Cohen makes the following comparison:

While there may still be good reasons for your son to avoid marijuana there — concerns about pot’s long-term effects, belief that time spent not looking at Vermeers is time wasted, the risk of tumbling into a canal — fealty to U.S. law is not one. When a Saudi visits the U.S., she has no ethical obligation to forswear driving simply because it is illegal for a woman to do so in Riyadh.

To reiterate, he has compared a law banning marijuana to a law forbidding women from driving. Regardless of what one thinks the legal status of narcotics should be, there is a world of difference between such a law and one drafted to shield the public from the horrors of women leaving the house more often. By making this comparison, Cohen has, in effect, placed the US law forbidding the use of marijuana on the same moral plane as the systematic discrimination against women practiced by Saudi Arabia.

The country who says that “establishing houses of worship for non-Islamic religions was too sensitive an issue,” no longer shocks me. Somehow, the New York Times still does. Randy Cohen should know better.

Mazuz v. The Law

‍‍יג שבט תשסט - Feb 7th, 2009

by LB.

5 comments

Politics as usual. That’s what I should think. It happens all the time. People who hold important positions in the government of Israel act out of self-interest, for cheap political ends, as opposed to representing the people.

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has long been a particularly disgusting individual of this sort. This past week he made an official request to bar Baruch Marzel from chairing the ballot committee in Um El-Fahem for “security concerns.” Mazuz is concerned that Marzel will offend the residents of Um El-Fahem to the level that the state is concerned for his safety. In this case, the police is responsible to prevent criminal activity. The police is required to stop anyone who want to harm Marzel. Mazuz is not supposed to instruct the state’s institutions to cave in the face of criminal threats.

If, as Mazuz claims, “Marzel’s very presence in the Arab village would be enough to set off a riot” then the legal issue is with said “Arab village” and not with Marzel, whose service as committee chairman is perfectly legal.

In spite of Mazuz’s attempt to evade responsibility, Eliezer Rivlin, who heads the Central Elections Committee turned down the Attorney General’s request. Rivlin is right on the money when he said “it was the authorities’ job to keep the peace regardless of those present at the ballot boxes,” and that if there is “evidence of a brewing riot the State should take the necessary measures to prevent it.”

The city of Um El-Fahem has announced that it will deliberately act the laws of Israel, “block all the entrances to the town and the police will bear the full responsibility for what goes on that day.” What is it that will happen that day? And why will it happen? “We shall urge all city residents to hit the streets and not allow him to enter.” A premeditated riot. So Mazuz has decided to attempt to capitulate, not deal with rioters.

Threats should be met with force, not with attempts to curtail Jewish freedom of movement in the Jewish state.