One Tuesday After...

The Tuesday 9th was one week ago, and gone are also the excitement, emotions, anger, thoughts and worries.

People had elected what they considered the best for them. With or without other people's worries, they, those people with the right to express their vote, decided what is the best for them, their families and the future of their children. The elections were fair, people went to vote in a relatiely higher number - although it is a bit not so inspired to make elections' day a free day when the young people will most probably go to the seaside or to Eilat instead of going to vote. But the big majority knew exactly what they are voting for, what is the discussion about corruption, who is acccused for corruption and what does it mean voting the person accused of corruption for another mandate. The voters also had enough time - 13 years - to figure out if that person is worth being in the office again. Or what will it happen when more religious parties will be present in the government. Or how good will it be for the country to have a stronger voice of the Kahanists heard in the Parliament or in the public opinion. 

That's how things are and there is nothing to do against or for. How things will be, people who voted decided the last Tuesday. They are the one responsible for their future and it will be their future from now on. 

Democracies gave the people's right to decide about their future. Including about a future where democracy is rather a memory. 

'Senseless! Heartless! Torah-less and Reckless!

Der Yid, the oldest and the most widely circulated Yiddish newspaper among the Orthodox Jews in America and abroad, published this Friday, 12.04, an extensive article that was translated into English too - which is a not a normal occurence - aimed at convincing people to vaccinate their children. Founded in 1953 in New York by the Satmer Hasidim, it is nowadays read among many other Jewish religious groups in the USA and in other parts of the world.

Here are a couple of quotes, from the English translation:

'When there is an emergency, one rushes to call Hatzalah.

When there are doubts if to fast on Yom Kippur, one asks a regular doctor - not one who may have good advice on diets'.

'The small groups of antivaxers spoke to the press and tarnished the image of observant Jews, as if we can't be trusted to make the right choices for our children, and as if we spread infections.

We heard of instances in certain areas where people warn to distance from Jews to avoid infections. It reminds of medievals libels that Jews are causing plagues which led to horrible antisemitism. This may, G-d forbid, sart a fire of hatred to Jews.

The entire fight is conducted in a short-sighted non-Jewish manner, which only harmed their interests and brought a terrible defamation of Hashem's name...'

Der Yid runs since a couple of weeks ads on the front page aimed at encouraging people to vaccinate their children. The national American media aired in the last days many interventions of Jewish groups and 'outraged citizens' that openly opposed the vaccines, for apparent religious and medical reasons, although in reality none of those arguments really apply. What is sure is that a more active involvement of the religious leaders both in America and Israel will save not only the honour of the community, but especially lives. 

In the last months, an outbreak of 285 cases of measles were reported in New York City, from a total of 465 nationally. Ongoing outbreaks were also recorded in the last months in Ukraine and in Israel. The opposers of vaccines are also among parents sending their children to Waldorf School, Amish communities or extreme Christian groups. This March, Rockland County situated in the Northern part of New York City, where tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews mostly in Monsey, New Square and Kaser, declared state of emergency for 30 days. According to the measures, unvaccinated children should be barred from attended public schools and being present in public spaces for 30 days. 

There are several rabbis and institutions that until now opposed the vaccines, using the usual hoaxes as for instance an connection never proved scientifically between the measles vaccines and autism.

For instance, the group called PEACH - Parents Educating and Advocating for Children's Health - an ironic name - , which advertises its false opinions via a hotline and magazines. Rabbi William Handler of Brooklyn, belonging to the extreme group of Neturei Karta, which also pledges for keeping the sexual predators safe from the juridical state action. Members of the Agudath Israel's highest council on Jewish law, Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky and Rav Malkiel Kotler, head of Beth Midrash Govoha, one of the largest yeshiva in the country, also expressed in the past various opinions against the vaccinations.

The measles outbreak in the Jewish community in Rockland started last September, shortly after the High Holidays. 

Kibbuzim versus Settlements - The Hilltop by Assaf Gavron

Very often one can read in the media opinions, news and condemnations of the 'settlers', 'settlements' and 'hilltop youth'. Who are they, what do they believe in, what are they fighting for, and against whom?

Kibbutzim versus Settlements

Instead of thinking in terms of religious choice and ideological apologies, the literary setting is the best for an easy immersion into this new 'political soul'. At the very beginning of the state of Israel, the kibbutzim, with their revolutionary communist perfect social and political matrix were the main ideology. Money and children education and daily working tasks were shared among the members, whose membership was accepted only by a explicit decision of the va'ad - local committee. It was a fascinating adventure that fascinated not only the European Jews that escaped the WWII horrors, but also non-Jewish visitors from all over the world, inclulding the ayatollahs' advisor Jalal Al-e Ahmad who even wrote a book The Israeli Republic where he shared his enthusiasm about this political and social setting (more about this book on another occcasion). The members of the kibbutzim were deeply non- and anti-religious. Some religious kibbutzim - or rather moshavim, where a certain form of property was allowed - were later created in order to answer a newly need for religious expression. 

After the 1970s, with an Israel more self-aware and confident in its military strength and political identity, new religious waves, both among the locally-born Jews (the sabras, literally translated as cacti, with their rough character but with a juicy soul ) and the new immigrants, especially from America. Some might say that those ones brought from the exalted Evangelist communities a certain fanatical approach to religious fervor, introducing music and dance and outbursts of feelings as part of their new 'born-again' identity. The traditional Hasidic/Haredi Jews will rather stay away of those. Those 'born-again', among them highly educated intellectuals and rabbis, will rather prefer to settle themselves and their growing families in the 'settlements', communities created in Shomron, Gush Etzion or the late Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip that Ariel Sharon brought to an end in 2005.

Therefore, as the kibbutzim are slowly dying, and they lost their appeal, especially among young people, and many of them even went through a relative 'privatization', they are replaced by the settlements. A religiously-centered Zionism is what for many is the right vision of a country that against all odds insist to exist. Based on the religious learning attributed to the Rav Avraham Isaac Kook - as most of his learning was not written by him and during his lifetime, but collected and turned into volumes by his son Zvi Yehuda - the settlement movement infused a different layer into the original Zionism, with a Biblical basis and a spiritual direction. It is not the time and the place to delve into a deep critic/analysis of it.

Meet the Hilltop people

This was a very basic introduction to the 'settlement' movement as a counter-reaction to the kibbutzim phenomenon, as The Hilltop by Assaf Gavron is mostly building his story along those lines. Gavron, which is considered one of the most important Israeli writers of the 'new generation', wrote part of the book in a cabin in a West Bank settlement. 

His people and their animals - a camel cow (whose milk is apparently kosher enough to feed the holy people) or a dog called Condoleezza - are populating a fictional community neighbouring an equally fictional community called Ma'aleh Hermesh. How they succeeded to settle there, survived and easily escaped several attempts to get evicted, only the complicated kafkaesque Israeli bureaucracy can answer. But when officials - of any kind - are appearing in the book, be sure that you are guaranteed a good laugh, exactly as in the everyday reality. 

The members of the community are equally hilarious and tragi-comical. Gabi, the born again Breslav, Shin Beth informers, teenagers 'bravely' fighting against Arabs in Second Life. Each of the characters present in the book are interesting, but I've find most of the time their interaction rather uninteresting, repetitive and relatively boring. It's like you have a lot of good cards on your hand, but at the end, the final combination is predictable. When the novel is over 400 pages, you might have a lot of good expectations, actually.

However, although the construction is relatively sloppy sometimes, and especially if you have a realistic and direct experience of life in the 'settlements' once in a while it is boring to tears, for someone not familiar with it, it might bring some good information and insights and a comical edge that is obviously missing in the (only) tragical media reports. 

Rating: 3 stars

About Tuesday

A couple of years ago, when Obama was president, the decision makers in Israel shared more than once the opinion that Washington shall understand that 70 years after its founding the Jewish state is entitled to take its own decisions and be responsible for them. An opinion perfectly available that would have make a break in a certain level of inter-dependence between the two countries, each with specific strategic, geopolitical and economic interests.

After 13 years in powe as prime minister - anyone remembers Thomas Moore's quote: 'Laws could be passed to keep the leader of a government from getting too much power'? - 'Mr. Security' Benjamin Netanyahu announces that he succeeded - in fact - to convince the American administration about: the need to recognize unilaterally the Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights, eventually over the West Bank soon, the moving of the embassy to Jerusalem etc. What would it have to say when a new administration will be installed - at least the mandates of the American presidents are wisely limited to eight years - and will decide to reverse those decisions? 

If on Tuesday, the first Benjamin - or Bibi - will win against the second one - Benny Gantz - as the polls are already showing, what future for the Israeli democracy? There will be probably negotiations for creating a coalition, and the president Rivlin has an important word to say. But the Kahanists will be in the Parliament and together with them, way too much religious people. Fortunatelly, there are still some normal heads among the religious establishment wise enough to know that religion and politics shall be separated otherwise the poison is dangerous for both sides.

The predominance of an unique religious mindset already estranged the diaspora organisations. For years, the Kotel - the Western Wall - is a place of confrontation and exchange of curses. An abnormality despicable for all those involved in the bashing, will be about to become normality. 

Bibi's extremists friends, from Orban Viktor to the Austrian far right party and the Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines will rejoice, but this is the place where the Likud, created in 1973 by Menahem Begin and Ariel Sharon belongs to? Not forget about Putin...Or the Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

Journalists are permanently under threat as the prime-minister and its family hates it. Using a rhetoric familiar to his American friend, he and his wife and the son Yair are labelling easily every news daring to criticize them as 'fake news'. Israel Hayom and the dozen of thousands of boots and fake accounts and media brigades are 'real'. In psychological language it's called being delusional.

If the polls are to be believed, the day after Tuesday will be a sad day, with a new round of witch hunting, with a media under new threats and a deeper division not only between the Jewish/Israeli electorate and the Arab electorate - whose demonization is also part of the current 'Mr. Security's discourse - but between the Jewish/Israeli electorate and the Jewish/Israeli electorate. This division will go far beyond between the Tel Aviv 'party' people and the Haifa 'working people and the Jerusalem 'praying people', but between those who want a better and safe future for their families and children and the one family who's concerned about its own wellbeing. Europe, America and the world, there will be mor and more 'yordim' coming. 

Democracies are dying too and there is nothing that might stop the decline. 

Does Romania love Israel so much?

The recent declaration the social-democrat Romanian prime-minister Viorica Dancile made during her (second time) AIPAC speech regarding a moving of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem created a bit of international turmoil. A country often featured in the international media for the rampant corruption and the problematic economic achievements, besides a highly incoherent and (again) corrupt political establishment, it suceeded to get its moment of glory. What a brave country, the only one in the European Union - who is never the less currently president of the Council of the EU - that dared to express its support for the state of Israel. The fact that the president - belongong to the German minority in the country, openly reprimanded the Madame PM for her bold declaration might be the result of his complete trust into Germany's political guidance, among others. The King of Jordan (facing terrible pressure from the local terrorism threatening his throne every single moment if he is not taking a stronger stance in Israel/Palestinian-related issues) who was expected to visit Romania and participate among others on a round table regarding terrorism in the region cancelled his visit and the Palestinian ambassador in the country was recalled from consultations.

But is Romania such a big lover of Israel and the Jews in general. Or rather some of the Romanian politicians would rather love Israel than the Jews? Or, in fact, any of them?

This country's position towards Israel and the Jews during the Cold War - to focus only on the recent times -  was always ambigous and circumstantial and most probably the recent declaration should be intelligently read in the context, without too many expectations, including for a coherent and heartwarming policy towards Jews and the state of Israel in general.

Partially good point: Romania was the only communist country to not break diplomatic relations with Israel. (Some well-informed naysayers will rather say that in fact Bucharest continued to play a very clear pawn position, sending to Moscow - with whom it was officially 'en froid', especially after the 1968 Prague Spring - various information received through its open channels with Israel. Gossips, of course...) 

Several other not-so-good points: 

- Ceaucescu was a great friend of Arafat who was a brother-in-arms of the Soviets. Romanians generously trained locally and also fed his PLO friends with made in Romania weapons (those weapons were used for...guess for what?). 

- In 1974, Romania recognized PLO and a representative office was open here, and Ceaucescu tried to mediate near president Carter for an American recognition of the PLO. The same Romania openly supported the Palestinian cause to the United Nations. Students of Palestinian origin were allowed to come to study to Romania especially in the medical and engineering field, not few of them involved in various non-academic PLO-related activities.

- The despicable terrorist Carlos the Jackal, author of several deadly attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets who was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was used by Ceaucescu - for money and comrade's kisses - against his political opponents abroad.

- Following very intense negotiations, with a high financial stake in exchange for money that ended up in Ceaucescu's personal budget,  a high percentage of the Romanian Jews were allowed to emigrate to Israel. This emigration had a humiliating price: people were fired months in advance being allowed to leave the country and they had to leave all their properties to the state - based on a signed declaration that made impossible any post-communist restitution because it looked as it was done willingly. Once in a while, among those Jews, the 'intelligence' local services succeeded to sent their own people too. Love was so strong, you see...

- The Jewish life was under permanent observation from the same 'intelligence' that continued to keep a careful and skeptical eye on everything that has to do with Jewish life after the communist was no more a state description. In the 1980s, a wave of institutional, state supported anti-Semitism was the state policy in a country with a decreasing number of Jews. Truly believers communist Jews who helped at the very beginning the local communists when they were hardly able to read and write their own country's alphabet and language were eliminated from the rangs of the Romanian Communist Party and often humiliated, although they did their best to be like the rest - including by changing their names, giving up totally the religious practice and identity in general. After the end of the communism, the promoters of the nationalist ideology were safe and alive and very popular guests of  the local media channels, talking freely, among others, about the 'Jewish conspirations'. This point of view was amplificated ad nauseam by the state church and its humble representatives. 

That's only a (very) short account of some random facts. Will an eventual embassy move really change anything? Let's say past is far away and there is a new future and the Israeli political consultants that often visit Romania to keep themselves in shape in-between the many Israeli elections might know a different reality but...what is the international political weight and relevance of such a decision? Does it really help a cause? Any cause?

The Mizrahi Nation

This balanced and well-documented essay written by Matti Friedman a couple of years ago, Mizrahi Nation, adds a very welcomed perspective on the sometimes very fierce and subjective debate between the Jews of Middle Eastern versus European descent.

Although there are many facts and personal stories that sometimes support a narrative favoring a discrimination-based narrative, in the last decade the gap is rather tends to narrow. There are many more mixed families - although having a darker skin might burden you with additional identity controls - and although there is still no prime-minister of Middle Eastern descent, at least there are more people in the Israeli government with such a background - I am not talking about Aryeh Deri (whose family was not religious and in fact got his religious training in very Askenazi learning institutions). Nothing is set to stay like this and sooner or later things will rather improve if not the rift will be completely overdone by other new realities. 

The Orientalism-based perspective does not offer too many chances (if any) of a change, but the reality on the ground is a bit faster and fairer that the academic minds would like it. In reality, the ethnic realities are permanently changing and you might need new theories to grasp and codify them according to the facts and not to a reality that suits a certain ideological mindset.

More explorations and book reviews on such topics in coming posts (including the much recommended book by Friedman: Spies of No Country. Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel, featuring the stories of those Jews of Middle Eastern origin that served the new Jewish state serving as spies in their countries of origin.

'The Western Wall is long enough to accommodate everyone'

A short quote from the speech delivered by the Blue&White Party Chairman Benny Gantz at the 2019 AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington DC:

'In Bergen-Belsen no one asked, who is Reform and who is Conservative; who is Orthodox and who is secular. Before going into battle, I never checked to see who had a kippa under their helmet. The divisive dialogue tearing our strong nation apart may serve political purposes, but is shredding the fabric that holds us together.

As a proud owner of a red beret, worn by the liberators of the Kotel, I can tell you with confidence that the Western Wall is long enough to accommodate everyone. Everyone! There will be no radicals, from either side of the political map, ruling. There will be no “Kahanists” running our country. There will be no racists leading our state institutions. There will be no corruption leading our way. No corruption whatsoever! The leaders of Israel cannot be led by anything else other than the best interest of Israel and its people'.