Ah, Politics!

Thought I'd never broach the subject, didja?

Islamoyankee has noted some interesting phrases and promises in an article in the Forward by John Kerry. Part of me wants to see complexity and subtlety here, but I can't seem to find any.

I'm not sure what bothers me more: Kerry's unapologetic pandering — really, a governmental body devoted entirely to protecting the Jews? — or his promise to continue Bush's foreign policy vis-à-vis Israel.

I realize that Kerry's people are worried about the Jewish vote, which Democrats have historically carried without much effort. Their concern is not without reason. Bush is viewed by supporters and detractors alike as a friend of Israel, and as a detractor I must admit that he is. The President is an avowed Zionist, and I can't imagine him wishing any ill upon the Jewish State . . .

. . . which means what? I would trust him to visit, shake hands with the locals and maybe spend a few hundred sheqels* at Mahane Yehuda**. I'm not so sure about his ability to help bring stability to the region, let alone peace. The Palestinians aren't any better off for his efforts, and the Israelis are more comfortable only due to their own internationally condemned actions.

I will vote for John Kerry in the coming election. I believe that his domestic policy will be better than the current administration's, and his foreign policy no worse. I just wish I could get excited about him.

*Current exchange ~ 4.5 sheqels to the dollar.
**Jerusalem's shuk, or outdoor marketplace.

Just a little different

I haven't really been hit by culture shock, but there are some things I can't help but notice:

• Palestine used to have a terrible rat problem, which the British addressed by importing cats. Now Israel has a cat problem. We two, being newcomers, think that they're cute, especially the kittens. The natives aren't so fond of them. I guess it's a matter of perspective; pigeons aren't really a problem in New York, but people seem to have an automatic disdain for them. In any case, it's important to remember that the cats here are wild animals and that one should not attempt to pet them.

• Toppings at the local Domino's analog include green olives, black olives, egg, sweet potato and shallots, and one can order wine with a pizza delivery.

• Speaking of which, I've never seen so much kosher wine in one place as I do in any wine shop here. Every variety for which I could hope, along with some unusual quirks like 375 ml bottles of emerald Riesling, sold in four-packs. (Said Riesling comes complete with a very cheesy mini-booklet about romantic evenings for two. I can easily hear a friend of mine reciting it to the accompaniment of a popular film soundtrack. Needless to say, we bought one.)

On propaganda and education

Over lunch last week, a friend told me about a disturbing incident that took place shortly before she made `aliyah*.

Her university was sponsoring a series of Israeli-Palestinian student dialogues in which she had decided to take part. The theme for one of the sessions was connection to the Land, and each participant was asked to bring in some sort of literature — a word used loosely in this case to mean text, art, or anything else — expressive of his or her connection. The panel saw photos of kibbutzim, Arabic poetry about al-Quds**, and such.

The problem arose when my friend presented her selections: Libi Bamizrach by Rabbi Yehudah Halevi (1085?-1140 C.E.) and Psalms 137:5-6 ("If I forget thee, O Jerusalem . . .") and provided dates to go with them. The Palestinian participants, as she tells it, just about bit her head off, saying that these texts were Zionist forgeries from the early 20th Century, and that Jews had no ancient history in Palestine.

I can understand not having heard of R. Yehudah, but the book of Psalms? There are plenty of arguments that the Hebrew Bible is not as old as it claims to be, but the latest date of redaction that I've heard proposed (until now) was some time in the 2nd Century C.E.. (Perhaps Elf can lend me a hand there.)

I'm not really sure how anyone can be kept this ignorant at an American university, particularly when the subject of ignorance is fairly important to one's own religion. (As I understand it, Islam considers the Bible to be a flawed but important secondary scripture.) What's really scary is that, as my friend pointed out, these are the people who decided to come to the dialogue. Imagine what's going on in the heads of the people who didn't.

* lit. "ascent." Colloquially, to make `aliyah is to emmigrate to Israel.
** Arabic name for Jerusalem. Roughly "the Holy Place."

From the inside

Since we're nearly settled into our new home (we're only now kashering the dishes), I thought this might be a good time to address some things that have been going through my mind since arriving in Israel.

1. It is thoroughly disconcerting to find myself passing by — and occasionally eating in — institutions that have been hit by terrorist attacks. To someone like me who has followed news about the matzav* closely, these restaurants and cafés have an almost mythically disastrous air about them, like Kishinev, or the sky above Nagodoches county. Imagined visages of destruction didn't prepare me for the feel of this city during peacetime, nor for something as simple as the leek and mushroom quiche at Café Hillel.

2. News reports in the States somehow manage never to give the impression that Israel is a multi-ethnic society, nor that most of the time people get along fairly well. That is to say that for all the different clothing styles, behaviors, customs, languages and skin colors ("Yes, Virginia, there are black Israelis"), the worst most people seem to do is ignore whomever they don't like. Anyone who thinks America is a safer place than Israel should compare hate crime stats sometime.

3. It takes surprisingly little time to get used to seeing young people with machine guns everywhere.

4. I haven't had a single bite of truly disappointing food since I got here. Really. I know it's there to be had, what with the kosher McDonald's and Burger King franchises, but the fact that I haven't accidentally come across something unappetizing without seeking it out gives me real hope for this country.

5. Israel does need a little extra hope, because the smoking problem here is almost unbearable. The most exciting thing about having set up a home Internet connection (this morning!) is that I no longer have to come home smelling like smoke, which is what happens when one sits in an Israeli Internet café for thirty minutes.

*lit. "situation"; colloqually, the current Arab-Israeli violence

Here goes nothing

In honor of my upcoming departure for Israel — and in recognition of the mishmash of personal and public thought that is my LJ blog — I've decided to take the leap and go dual. LJ will see only personal issues (such as my really liking my wife and wanting to talk about it), whilst this site will deal with more public-spirited thoughts.