After a long day of work, I got onto the bus and a smiling religious Ethiopian bus driver asked how I was doing. "Baruch Hashem (Thank God)," I answered, "and how are you rabbeinu (Our rabbi)?" Rabbeinu is a respectful way religious Jews refer to religious scholars, those who are older than you, or those who you want to honor with the title. The moment he heard the term, the bus driver laughed and said, "A Rabbi? Me? Look at me, I'm just a bus driver. You don't have to call me that."
When I sat down, I kept on thinking about that janitor story ... I had my response. A few minutes before my bus stop, I approached the bus driver and told him, "In Pirkei Avot (6:3), it says that if you learn one thing from a person, you should treat them with honor. It goes on to say that King David learned only two things from Ahitophel, and called him rabu (My Rabbi)." The bus driver smiled, "Go on." I continued, "I learned two things from you - firstly, you're smiling and greeting everyone who boards your bus, something Shammai recommends in Pirkei Avot (1:15). Secondly, you were humble and refused the title when I called you rabbeinu." "Hence," I said, "I should call you rabbeinu for you have taught me two things." The bus driver smiled as he slowed down to let me off, "How about you just call me achi (my brother) or chaver (friend)?" "I'll think about it," I answered with a smile as I got off the bus, "Have a good night."
_
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Begin on Unity
אמש בכיכר הזאת עמד שחקן צעיר, מה שמו? דודו? דודו,
טו-פז, דודו טופז, כאן הוא אמר את הדברים הבאים, עכשיו דממה, שלא נשמע זבוב, דממה
מוחלטת, שמעו: באוזני מאה אלף אנשי המערך, הוא אומר את הדברים הבאים:
"הצ'חצ'חים, הם במצודת זאב, הם בקושי שי"ן גימלים, אם הם בכלל הולכים
לצבא, כאן נמצאים החיילים ומפקדי היחידות הקרביות." אודה ואתוודה לפניכם, עד
הבוקר לא שמעתי את המילה "הצ'חצ'חים", ולא ידעתי מה פירושה. הם קוראים
לכם הצ'חצ'חים! האם זה מה שאתם?
במחתרת, בימי תנועת המרי, שאל אותי גלילי, אחרי התייעצות עם נתן ילין-מור, זכרונו לברכה, מטעם הלח"י, כשתכננו יחד פעולות נגד השלטון הבריטי, ואמר לי כהאי לישנא, גלילי, אמר לי: איך אתם פתרתם את הבעיה של עדות המזרח באצ"ל? ואני מסתכל בו בתמיהה ואומר לו: ישראל, מה אתה שואל? איזה בעיה? והוא אומר: נו, אינך יודע, לא שמעת? הבעיה של עדות המזרח. אז אני אומר לו, איזו בעיה? אין לנו! כולנו אחים, כולנו יהודים, כולנו שווים, כולנו!
עכשיו אני אספר לדודו טופז למי הוא התכוון. בני עדות
המזרח שלנו היו לוחמים גיבורים, גם במחתרת ... פיינשטיין היה ממוצא אירופאי, איך
קוראים לזה אשכנזי; משה ברזני היה ספרדי מעיראק. בלילה לאחר שנידונו למוות, והיו
צריכים בבוקר-בבוקר להוריד אותם מן התלייה, והרב היה איש זקן, הוא אמר שיבוא
להוריד אותם, ולא רצו לפגוע ברב, הם לקחו לליבותהים רימון יד, לחצו.
אשכנזים? עיראקים? יהודים! אחים!
אשכנזים? עיראקים? יהודים! אחים!
This is taken from מנחם בגין דיוקנו של מנהיג
_
_
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Checking the Point, III
It's 4:20am, and I'm up on Shabbat morning. No, the kids aren't crying - I just have to be at some checkpoint in 40 minutes. Within a few minutes, I'm outside with all the gear waiting for the quick intro from the checkpoint's commander. She starts talking, and all I'm thinking is, "Where are you from?" When I get a few minutes, I take my guess, "Are you from Argentina?" R. answers, "No, do you know the village X?" I'm sure I've heard of it, but it can't be, "I didn't realize Druze women serve in the army." "I'm not Druze, I'm a Christian Israeli-Arab." This shift was going to be interesting, and probably not long enough to deal with all the questions I wanted to ask.
R. is amongst the six from her village who serve. They're all females - the men still aren't ready to take the plunge, though she feels it's nearing. When I asked her why she'd want to serve, "It's my country, and it's a privilege to give back." I found myself agreeing with a lot of what R. was saying, especially with her lack of optimism about the region's chances for quiet, "We won't see peace here, until this region accepts that we're a reality." One comment really stood out though, "If I could choose who would rule this country - Christian Arabs, Muslim Arabs or Jews - I'd take the Jews every time. You've obviously made mistakes, but there's a desire and ability to better the country that makes me proud to be a part of it." It was a really interesting day, and talking to her made me realize how important the army (and national service) is for this country. I really hope our current government can take the necessary steps to ensure all Israeli citizens are obligated to give back.
***
One of the bus drivers from the previous blog seemed like the volatile type to me, so I made sure to talk to him every day when he arrived at the checkpoint to ensure there was no unnecessary headaches. Monday morning was no different, "Good morning," I said, "You look stressed today, what's wrong?" "Do you know how much I earn?" He asked. I tossed out a few random numbers before he answered, "1500 NIS per month. Do you think that's enough to provide for my family?" That's a startling low salary, and I really wasn't sure what to say. He continued, "I just want to work in Israel, where I can earn more, but it's not really possible." Once again, I didn't have much of a response - another side effect of the Intifada that still impacts thousands of Palestinians today. "I hope there's an agreement soon, our people need it."
***
A father arrived with his two children at the checkpoint a few minutes before closing time, "Can my children cross? They're going to spend the evening with their grandparents." I asked him to hold on as I went to ask the commander. As I did so, I noticed the father's little boy was just staring at me. When I came back, I let him know that within a few minutes we'd let his kids go through. His son was still staring at me, and though I smiled and waved, I got no response. When I opened the gate to let them through, the little boy started crying. "Is he ok?" I asked. "He's probably just scared," the father commented as he took his children to their grandfather. I just looked at the kid, and felt terrible. I made this kid cry ...
***
As we were unlocking the gates for the afternoon shift on Tuesday, we noticed something on the outer gate. A white t-shirt. Seemed rather innocent, until I went to get a closer look and saw it had a photo of the one and only Yasser Arafat printed on it. I wasn't too impressed and asked one of the kids around the gate, "Did you see who put this up?" No one had seen anything ... or who put the knife below the shirt (you can see its handle below the left side of the shirt). A statement of intent? Mischievous kids? I guess we'll never know.
***
One of the most common statements I heard by various Palestinians is that Jews and Arabs coexisted as equals in the Arab world before 1948. While there were many cases of coexistence between the Muslims and Jews, the Jews as a whole lived as second class citizens and struggled with the many restrictions placed upon them, not to mention the pogroms (be it the threat or actual following through) or forced conversions. The distortion of Jewish history in the Arab world isn't the smartest way to build bridges of co-existence today.
***
One of the Palestinians that I talked to daily enjoyed sharing pearls of wisdom from the Torah. It didn't stop there - he also loved discussing gematria, a subject I don't really know that well. It was fun to interact with him daily, but I was curious as to how he had accrued such knowledge. Eventually, one Palestinian explained it to me, "He spent years working in Bnei Brak." I guess there's a reason the chachamim advised that one's children be around the sound of Torah from a young age.
***
"How's your tree nursery going?" I asked the Palestinian. "It's doing well baruch hashem," he answered. He was in and out of the checkpoint non-stop, moving his plants and trees all the times. "How's your family doing?" I asked as he waited patiently. "My wife is expecting," He shared, "We've been waiting for four years and finally, a miracle." I smiled, I was genuinely happy for him. "Happiness, health and peace," he said, "That's all we need, right?"
***
As he waited for his 2011 Jeep to be checked, I asked Abed where he lived, "Qalqilya Illit," he smiled. As we struck up a conversation, he started talking about the separation barrier, "You know my friend, it will come down just like the one in Berlin came down." "I'm not so sure it will be in our lifetime," I answered, "Both sides wanted it in Berlin, our people aren't remotely ready for that." "If you could do it with Egypt, why not us?" He asked. "I don't think you can call what we have with Egypt peace," I responded, "It's more like a cease fire, and let's not get into how much their street hates us." "I still think it's possible, our people can live side by side," He responded defiantly. "A bit of optimism can never hurt Abed," I smiled.
***
"Oh no," I said, "He's back." One Palestinian had given us a particularly hard time. He had lost one of his papers, and until he got a new one, couldn't come through our checkpoint. Yet for two days, he came back and argued his point. A few Palestinians at the checkpoint couldn't stand it already and told him what we'd repeated numerous times. During this particular shift, he left after screaming, "You're only doing this because you hate Arabs. Yes, you hate Arabs." I wasn't sure how to respond, and neither was the commander. Oh well, at least the optimism lasted a good few minutes.
***
It was a long week. These checkpoints are draining, and testing. One can do this job, and still remain respectful and empathetic to the Palestinians. It's imperative the army helps soldiers - be it conscripted soldiers or reservists - adjust to the harsh realities of checkpoint life, be it through weekly discussions, or monthly seminars. Help them understand why it's important to act the right way, even when you're unsure if you're facing a friend or foe ... Suspect and respect. Soldiers who forget that will not only be hurting Israel, but will also be hurting themselves.
_
R. is amongst the six from her village who serve. They're all females - the men still aren't ready to take the plunge, though she feels it's nearing. When I asked her why she'd want to serve, "It's my country, and it's a privilege to give back." I found myself agreeing with a lot of what R. was saying, especially with her lack of optimism about the region's chances for quiet, "We won't see peace here, until this region accepts that we're a reality." One comment really stood out though, "If I could choose who would rule this country - Christian Arabs, Muslim Arabs or Jews - I'd take the Jews every time. You've obviously made mistakes, but there's a desire and ability to better the country that makes me proud to be a part of it." It was a really interesting day, and talking to her made me realize how important the army (and national service) is for this country. I really hope our current government can take the necessary steps to ensure all Israeli citizens are obligated to give back.
***
One of the bus drivers from the previous blog seemed like the volatile type to me, so I made sure to talk to him every day when he arrived at the checkpoint to ensure there was no unnecessary headaches. Monday morning was no different, "Good morning," I said, "You look stressed today, what's wrong?" "Do you know how much I earn?" He asked. I tossed out a few random numbers before he answered, "1500 NIS per month. Do you think that's enough to provide for my family?" That's a startling low salary, and I really wasn't sure what to say. He continued, "I just want to work in Israel, where I can earn more, but it's not really possible." Once again, I didn't have much of a response - another side effect of the Intifada that still impacts thousands of Palestinians today. "I hope there's an agreement soon, our people need it."
***
A father arrived with his two children at the checkpoint a few minutes before closing time, "Can my children cross? They're going to spend the evening with their grandparents." I asked him to hold on as I went to ask the commander. As I did so, I noticed the father's little boy was just staring at me. When I came back, I let him know that within a few minutes we'd let his kids go through. His son was still staring at me, and though I smiled and waved, I got no response. When I opened the gate to let them through, the little boy started crying. "Is he ok?" I asked. "He's probably just scared," the father commented as he took his children to their grandfather. I just looked at the kid, and felt terrible. I made this kid cry ...
***
As we were unlocking the gates for the afternoon shift on Tuesday, we noticed something on the outer gate. A white t-shirt. Seemed rather innocent, until I went to get a closer look and saw it had a photo of the one and only Yasser Arafat printed on it. I wasn't too impressed and asked one of the kids around the gate, "Did you see who put this up?" No one had seen anything ... or who put the knife below the shirt (you can see its handle below the left side of the shirt). A statement of intent? Mischievous kids? I guess we'll never know.
***
One of the most common statements I heard by various Palestinians is that Jews and Arabs coexisted as equals in the Arab world before 1948. While there were many cases of coexistence between the Muslims and Jews, the Jews as a whole lived as second class citizens and struggled with the many restrictions placed upon them, not to mention the pogroms (be it the threat or actual following through) or forced conversions. The distortion of Jewish history in the Arab world isn't the smartest way to build bridges of co-existence today.
***
One of the Palestinians that I talked to daily enjoyed sharing pearls of wisdom from the Torah. It didn't stop there - he also loved discussing gematria, a subject I don't really know that well. It was fun to interact with him daily, but I was curious as to how he had accrued such knowledge. Eventually, one Palestinian explained it to me, "He spent years working in Bnei Brak." I guess there's a reason the chachamim advised that one's children be around the sound of Torah from a young age.
***
"How's your tree nursery going?" I asked the Palestinian. "It's doing well baruch hashem," he answered. He was in and out of the checkpoint non-stop, moving his plants and trees all the times. "How's your family doing?" I asked as he waited patiently. "My wife is expecting," He shared, "We've been waiting for four years and finally, a miracle." I smiled, I was genuinely happy for him. "Happiness, health and peace," he said, "That's all we need, right?"
***
As he waited for his 2011 Jeep to be checked, I asked Abed where he lived, "Qalqilya Illit," he smiled. As we struck up a conversation, he started talking about the separation barrier, "You know my friend, it will come down just like the one in Berlin came down." "I'm not so sure it will be in our lifetime," I answered, "Both sides wanted it in Berlin, our people aren't remotely ready for that." "If you could do it with Egypt, why not us?" He asked. "I don't think you can call what we have with Egypt peace," I responded, "It's more like a cease fire, and let's not get into how much their street hates us." "I still think it's possible, our people can live side by side," He responded defiantly. "A bit of optimism can never hurt Abed," I smiled.
***
"Oh no," I said, "He's back." One Palestinian had given us a particularly hard time. He had lost one of his papers, and until he got a new one, couldn't come through our checkpoint. Yet for two days, he came back and argued his point. A few Palestinians at the checkpoint couldn't stand it already and told him what we'd repeated numerous times. During this particular shift, he left after screaming, "You're only doing this because you hate Arabs. Yes, you hate Arabs." I wasn't sure how to respond, and neither was the commander. Oh well, at least the optimism lasted a good few minutes.
***
It was a long week. These checkpoints are draining, and testing. One can do this job, and still remain respectful and empathetic to the Palestinians. It's imperative the army helps soldiers - be it conscripted soldiers or reservists - adjust to the harsh realities of checkpoint life, be it through weekly discussions, or monthly seminars. Help them understand why it's important to act the right way, even when you're unsure if you're facing a friend or foe ... Suspect and respect. Soldiers who forget that will not only be hurting Israel, but will also be hurting themselves.
_
Sunday, May 06, 2012
Checking the Point, II
Another morning, another encounter with Machsom Watch. Unlike yesterday, they weren't here to provide a tour, but to monitor the checkpoint from afar. The checkpoint was opened on time, and was moving along nicely when two school buses approached. The bus drivers were next in line when one of the ladies complained, "Shouldn't you be letting them in? The children are in danger as they're playing around the road." I responded, "Once the group inside is finished ma'am, they're next in line. You're right however, the children shouldn't be playing in the road and I don't really understand why the bus drivers would leave the doors open to put the children in this kind of danger." She looked at me, and didn't utter another word. Within a few minutes, they had driven off. The check point was closed 90 minutes later as per regular procedure.
***
The check point was reopened for an hour during the early afternoon hours. Within 30 minutes, I noticed two people filming a lot of children, who were clinging onto the fence that allows cars in. I approached my friend and asked him what was happening, "They're filming us 'mistreating' the children as we can't let them in." What had happened was one of the school buses that had come in earlier had been used for a school tour, and these children were waiting at the check point for a bus that was running very late. With the children continually irritating the Palestinians on line, as well as jumping on the cars, my friend approached one of the cameramen and said, "You do realize they're only doing this, and endangering themselves, because you're filming?" He shrugged, and I started to seethe - we were becoming the 'bad guys' in a Pallywood production. I tried asking some of the Palestinians to help calm the children down, but their efforts made no difference. After twenty odd minutes of film, the two English speaking cameramen were off. Almost instantly, the children went to the area where they could sit and were silent. It was surreal. Were they asked to behave like this, or have they been taught to behave like this? I don't really know, but sadly, I know my friend and I will be on some news show in some country portrayed as cruel, soulless Nazi wannabes.
I believe the IDF can combat this phenomenon by placing cameras at every check point. This would ensure there is ample evidence of 'normal behavior' videos and 'camera assisted' behavior videos.
***
The evening shift for this check point was as usual hectic. Large groups of people were going in and out from both sides, and it was moving along smoothly. In the last few minutes, one of the girls from the Military Police wanted to test the newbie to ensure she was checking documents properly. She asked a man, who with his wife, if they could switch documents without explaining why. His face soured, and he said, "I find the suggestion disrespectful and am not up for these games." She said ok, and let him pass. When he returned to get his car, I stopped him and said, "I'm sorry we offended you earlier. We just wanted to check something out, and meant no offense whatsoever." He was in a rush, and I'm not sure if he understood what I was saying, but thanked me and went to get his car. One of the men who was next to him, a shepherd who we see every day came over, "I want to say one thing. We're not stupid - we understand why you're here, and we know it's not easy. But we're human beings, and wanted to be treated as such. Though he felt disrespected because of the misunderstanding, it is important that you tried to explain the situation and clear things up. Thank you."
Check points continually place soldiers in difficult situations. Most are well aware of the positive and negative implications of their presence, and that ensures we handle our responsibilities at a high level. Though following the rules, as we did earlier with the school children for example, is imperative and can come off as 'harsh' and 'unnecessary,' we must still remain empathetic and sensitive to the population we're dealing with. Whether it's chabdehu ve'chashdehu (respect and suspect) or keeping children away from a checkpoint for a certain period of time, respect and common decency don't take much effort and may even have an overall positive influence on those we interact with.
_
***
The check point was reopened for an hour during the early afternoon hours. Within 30 minutes, I noticed two people filming a lot of children, who were clinging onto the fence that allows cars in. I approached my friend and asked him what was happening, "They're filming us 'mistreating' the children as we can't let them in." What had happened was one of the school buses that had come in earlier had been used for a school tour, and these children were waiting at the check point for a bus that was running very late. With the children continually irritating the Palestinians on line, as well as jumping on the cars, my friend approached one of the cameramen and said, "You do realize they're only doing this, and endangering themselves, because you're filming?" He shrugged, and I started to seethe - we were becoming the 'bad guys' in a Pallywood production. I tried asking some of the Palestinians to help calm the children down, but their efforts made no difference. After twenty odd minutes of film, the two English speaking cameramen were off. Almost instantly, the children went to the area where they could sit and were silent. It was surreal. Were they asked to behave like this, or have they been taught to behave like this? I don't really know, but sadly, I know my friend and I will be on some news show in some country portrayed as cruel, soulless Nazi wannabes.
I believe the IDF can combat this phenomenon by placing cameras at every check point. This would ensure there is ample evidence of 'normal behavior' videos and 'camera assisted' behavior videos.
***
The evening shift for this check point was as usual hectic. Large groups of people were going in and out from both sides, and it was moving along smoothly. In the last few minutes, one of the girls from the Military Police wanted to test the newbie to ensure she was checking documents properly. She asked a man, who with his wife, if they could switch documents without explaining why. His face soured, and he said, "I find the suggestion disrespectful and am not up for these games." She said ok, and let him pass. When he returned to get his car, I stopped him and said, "I'm sorry we offended you earlier. We just wanted to check something out, and meant no offense whatsoever." He was in a rush, and I'm not sure if he understood what I was saying, but thanked me and went to get his car. One of the men who was next to him, a shepherd who we see every day came over, "I want to say one thing. We're not stupid - we understand why you're here, and we know it's not easy. But we're human beings, and wanted to be treated as such. Though he felt disrespected because of the misunderstanding, it is important that you tried to explain the situation and clear things up. Thank you."
Check points continually place soldiers in difficult situations. Most are well aware of the positive and negative implications of their presence, and that ensures we handle our responsibilities at a high level. Though following the rules, as we did earlier with the school children for example, is imperative and can come off as 'harsh' and 'unnecessary,' we must still remain empathetic and sensitive to the population we're dealing with. Whether it's chabdehu ve'chashdehu (respect and suspect) or keeping children away from a checkpoint for a certain period of time, respect and common decency don't take much effort and may even have an overall positive influence on those we interact with.
_
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Fighting Intelligently
At a checkpoint today, a guided tour of some sort arrived as we opened the gates. While other soldiers went to their posts, I just sat watching 20-30 individuals (mostly tourists it seems) take photos and film us as we prepared to allow Palestinians in. Curiosity got the best of me, and I eventually approached one of the participants, "Who is leading the tour?" She responded in broken English that it was too hot to think, but those few words allowed me to hear her strong French accent. Though my vocabulary is rather poor, I still am confident enough to hold a conversation in French and proceeded to ask her the same question in French. "Machsom Watch," she answered as she showed me their pamphlet.
I decided it was an opportunity to talk (me?!?!), and with her tour guide going on in English about "the approaching hell of the Palestinians entering the check point," a few more of the French speakers came to listen to me. "One has to be careful with groups that have a strong political agenda," I explained, "They'll always slant a story accordingly." The conversation lasted a good ten minutes, but by the time I had finished giving a different angle, there were two groups - one listening to me, and one to the tour guide. After my tour had stopped, I helped an old man through the gate and wished him a good evening. I heard the other tour guide say, "This is a good soldier. He greeted the man and told him good evening." I just hope my message has given those who listened a different angle, and desire to hear the whole story, not just the one Machsom Watch puts out.
On that note, I think the IDF would be wise to give one day seminars how 'we' should behave with these tours. Let the soldiers understand how important of a role their mouths can play in this conflict - be respectful, talk to them, explain your stance and present them a side of the conflict they may have ignored until now. If done well, maybe - just maybe, a positive impact of some sort can be made.
***
Mosquitoes are killing me. I've never had so many bite marks in my life - 21 on my face alone.
***
It's ironic seeing an older Palestinian man walking through the check point wearing a Likud hat.
_
I decided it was an opportunity to talk (me?!?!), and with her tour guide going on in English about "the approaching hell of the Palestinians entering the check point," a few more of the French speakers came to listen to me. "One has to be careful with groups that have a strong political agenda," I explained, "They'll always slant a story accordingly." The conversation lasted a good ten minutes, but by the time I had finished giving a different angle, there were two groups - one listening to me, and one to the tour guide. After my tour had stopped, I helped an old man through the gate and wished him a good evening. I heard the other tour guide say, "This is a good soldier. He greeted the man and told him good evening." I just hope my message has given those who listened a different angle, and desire to hear the whole story, not just the one Machsom Watch puts out.
On that note, I think the IDF would be wise to give one day seminars how 'we' should behave with these tours. Let the soldiers understand how important of a role their mouths can play in this conflict - be respectful, talk to them, explain your stance and present them a side of the conflict they may have ignored until now. If done well, maybe - just maybe, a positive impact of some sort can be made.
***
Mosquitoes are killing me. I've never had so many bite marks in my life - 21 on my face alone.
***
It's ironic seeing an older Palestinian man walking through the check point wearing a Likud hat.
_
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