Keeping Jerusalem Unified

by Anthony Reich on May 20, 2012

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Today, Sunday 20th May, we celebrate 45 years since Jerusalem was reunified in the Six Day War according to the Hebrew calendar.  These have been 45 eventful but happy years, which have seen the holy city of Jerusalem quickly regain its central place in Israeli and Jewish life.  After 2,000 years of exile from the Land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem, and a further 19 years of being denied access to the holiest sites in Judaism, Jews around the world celebrated when the IDF paratroopers finally reached the Kotel and Motta Gur announced the famous words, “The Temple Mount is in our hands”.  That moment is being savoured and celebrated today on Jerusalem Day.

The important place that Jerusalem occupies for Israelis and for Jewish people all around the world has strengthened over the past 45 years.  Once again, we have had the merit and the joy to be able to visit the holiest site in Judaism.  It is impossible to consider a possibility that Jerusalem would not remain unified in the future, and that Jews could be denied access to visit the holy sites in the way that we were forced to experience in the past.  This is almost certainly one of the reasons why discussions on the final status of Jerusalem in the peace talks with the Palestinians are so fraught.  It seems as though the Palestinians understand the strength of feeling that we have for Jerusalem, and continue to demand it for themselves.  This may enable them to extract major compromises in return for giving up on Jerusalem in the final agreement.

There can be no escape from the centrality of Jerusalem in Judaism.  Even those who wish to prevent Jews from having access to Jerusalem would struggle to the deny strong links that Jews and Judaism have to this holy city.  The holy nature of the city was arguably only established during the time of David and Solomon when the temple was built.  It is no mere coincidence, however, that the temple was built in this city and on Mount Moriah.  This is the site of the dream of Jacob’s ladder, the site of the almost-sacrifice of Isaac and possibly even the site from which the which the world was created.  Whether or not one believes in these biblical links, it is simple to refer to Jewish texts that have been written and passed down over thousands of years, and which bear testimony to the close links that Jews have to the city.

Over the past 45 years, the city of Jerusalem has developed and grown in a way that makes it unrecognisable from the city that was reunified 45 years ago.  The Kotel (the Western Wall), the only remnant of the remains of the temple, was quickly transformed into an area that could be host to the many millions of visitors that wish to visit the heart of Judaism.  It is believed in Judaism that the divine presence emanates from Jerusalem.  In order, however, for the divine presence to be felt, it is required that there will be those to receive and bask in its glory.  The Kotel has truly fulfilled that purpose.  It plays host to state and military ceremonies of great importance and significance.  It also hosts all manner of religious worship, celebration and heartbreak.  The Kotel plaza is often filled with tens of thousands of people as they cram themselves in to take part in the merit that our generation enjoys to have free access to this place.  The surrounding parts of the Old City, and stretching out well beyond into the new city and further, have seen a renewal and redevelopment that has transformed the face of Jerusalem, without changing its character.  The modern Chords Bridge at the entrance to the city, numerous luxury hotels and the sight of the Jerusalem light rail show the face of a contemporary city keeping up with the times, while allowing residents and visitors to get close to its historical roots.

Over the years, conquerors of Jerusalem have denied access to other religions as a punishment, and as a sign of their supremacy over the city.  It is, after all, a city that is holy to all three monotheistic religions.  Contrary to this trend, it is interesting that Israel decided to allow all religions access to their holy sites in the city.  Rather than weaken Israel’s grip on the city, I feel that it has served to strengthen Israel’s position in Jerusalem.  I believe that most Israelis are proud that this is the case, as much as they are determined to ensure that Israel’s rule over the city continues well into the future.

The truth is that it is difficult to try to predict what the future holds for the holy city.  There seems to be no real reason for the Palestinians to wish to rule over the city.  While it is a city that is holy to Muslims, it ranks only third in its holiness to the cities of Mecca and Medina.  Muslims have access to, and complete control over all Muslim holy sites in the city through the Waqf.  This stretches even to having control over the Temple Mount and the Al Aqsa mosque, despite this also being the site of the holy Jewish temple.  I imagine that the only benefit that can be gained from ruling over Jerusalem, or parts of the city, is that it may give them the right to deny access by others to these areas.  We can never risk this situation coming to fruition.

Despite the fact that a great deal of thought has been given to the possibility of creating Jerusalem into something of an international city that is owned by everyone, but nobody in particular, there is no real precedent for a successful implementation of such a model.  This gives rise to a great deal of scepticism, and suspicion as to what the true intentions of the Palestinians may be with regard to Jerusalem.

For now, the united city of Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel, and the centre of the Jewish world.  It also plays host to Muslims, Christians and members of other faiths that may wish to visit, live and study in the city.  There seems little wrong with this model, and no individual is denied any rights that he may wish to have.

It is my hope and prayer that Jerusalem will continue to play its role as a central part of so many faiths, and that all faiths will continue to have free access to all corners of this ancient and fascinating city.

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her skill.    (Psalm 137)

Image by Kym Rohman

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“You Don’t Speak Hebrew?”

by Andyboy on May 18, 2012

This post is from our contributor Andyboy. To catch up on his controversial articles and commentaries on Israeli and Jewish affairs you can visit his blog at:http://andyboy1.com/

Duty Free Rotunda at Ben Gurion Airport

Ben Gurion Airport - Gateway to Israel (Tip: find a clerk that speaks English!)

I wish I had a dollar for each time I’ve been asked that question since making Aliyah 25 years ago. Actually it’s not so much a question but an accusation dressed up as question.

It’s true that when I arrived in Israel, with that mixture of trepidation and excitement common to all new olim (immigrants), I could barely speak one word of Hebrew. I carry the legacy of that defect with me to this day, every day!

When I arrived at the immigration office in Ben-Gurion airport to be “ processed,” I met with a clerk from the Interior Ministry in order to deal with the necessary documents. Naturally, the Ministry, in their infinite wisdom, ensured that those clerks allocated to deal with olim from the UK, could barely speak a word of English.

An interesting introductory lesson to the mindset of Israeli officialdom, and a warning of things to come.

Anyway, this particular issue refers to the preparation of my “ Teudat Oleh”, the basic document needed by to all olim to enable them to deal with the various government and official departments in the future. The clerk is required to translate the English name into Hebrew. As mentioned above, this assumes an ability of the clerk to be reasonably fluent in both languages.

But, as we all know “Assumption is the mother of all f**ups!),” as it was in this case. Consequently, I emerged from the office, blissfully unaware that, henceforth, my family name would sound, in Hebrew, as if it ended with the sound “ ah” instead of the correct sound “ee”.

By the time the significance of this error sank in, it was, in practical terms, too late to change it. It wasn’t that it would not have been possible, theoretically, but the reality was simply too daunting for me at that time, especially with my non-existent Hebrew.

It was common knowledge, in those days, that you avoided any appointments with the Interior Ministry, unless it was a matter of life or death. The horror stories of the situation in the local branches of this Ministry are the stuff legends are made of. The seething mass of humanity shoving and elbowing their way to the front of, what was laughingly described as a ”queue”, to confront clerks whose hostility defied belief, was not a situation to be entered into lightly.

And so I didn’t!

To be absolutely fair, the situation today is considerably improved. The office facilities are clean and modern, and they have even installed those little machines that dispense numbers, so that you know your place in the line. Of course, as I mentioned in a previous piece, this does not deter the professional queue jumpers from inserting themselves at the head of the line with a “ rak she’elah” (which means “ I only have a question”, and promptly turning the question into a one hour discussion.

Actually, returning to the subject of speaking Hebrew, these words above are probably amongst the most important of a short list of essential vocabulary for new olim. Other useful phrases to know include:

  • “ Iy’ eh b’ seder” (everything will be OK) – it won’t be!
  • “ Al ti dag” (don’t worry) – start worrying!
  • “ Mi acharon?” (who is last in line?) – {Not as true as it once was, but still used, irrespective of the tickets!} – and if it’s you, be prepared for the follow up request to hold the place, as the person disappears on an errand.

I would be doing myself an injustice if I didn’t claim that my Hebrew has improved since those distant days. But that’s my opinion, not shared, apparently, by those on the receiving end of it. The only people sympathetic to my situation are other olim, and not only Anglo-Saxons, but ANY olim.

Sometimes we cry on each other’s shoulders as we exchange experiences.

I know what I am about to say will be viewed as an excuse, but the fact is that I have been confronted so many times by Israelis, who, the moment they detect my accent, announce proudly: “It’s OK, I can speak English!” and promptly demonstrate how good (or bad) they are. My other excuse is that I made Aliyah directly from London to Eilat, a city where English was used as the main form of communication with foreign tourists.

I always remember one particular anecdote that has stuck in my mind regarding the language. A few year ago I had the misfortune to suffer a kidney stone attack whilst I was staying in a hotel in Tel-Aviv. As I was being transported to the hospital in the back of an ambulance, I had to try to understand from the paramedic, through a level of pain that only those who have ever suffered this condition (or given birth) can understand, that I was being asked “Do you have money? How will you pay us?”

Since they did not know, at that time, how to determine what my groans of agony signified, I assumed they were afraid I would kick the bucket before we got to the hospital, and no one would pay them for the service. At that stage I was not in a position to co-operate.

But once in the emergency room, hooked up to an IV drip, the insertion of which involved a Russian speaking doctor instructing a Russian speaking nurse on the procedure, they returned and again demanded payment. Fortunately I had enough cash. Witnessing the exchange, the doctor came over and asked me in heavily accented English: “ don’t you speak Hebrew?”

It struck me as an odd sense of priorities, under the circumstances.

And what is the end of my story about Hebrew? Well, not exactly the end, but an interesting twist.

A few years ago my son made aliyah to a very Anglo-Saxon community. Finding it difficult, initially, to secure a job in his profession, he started giving Hebrew lessons to the new olim in his area (you may deduce that his knowledge is considerably greater than mine). From small beginnings,  he now has a successful business teaching Hebrew, via the internet, to clients all over the world.

Interestingly, he has never taught me, which is probably a good thing, given father and son relationships in general. Actually, we have a good relationship, so much so, that he recently asked if I could help him, in some way, in his business.

The  irony! Me involved with a company teaching Hebrew! But, At least, no one will know that we are related.

You see, he had a different clerk when he made aliyah, so his family name is spelled correctly in Hebrew. We are father and son with different family names.

Welcome to Israel!

“You don’t speak Hebrew?”

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Photo of the Week: Yom Yerushalayim

by Sharon on May 16, 2012

Jerusalem Flags

Yom Yerushalyim celebrating 45 years of the reunification of Jerusalem is May 20, 2012. Flags of Israel and Jerusalem are flying above the streets.

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Bibi Does Election U-Turn

by Anthony Reich on May 13, 2012

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Within the space of three short days, early elections were on and then off again.  The timescale of this U-turn was quite astonishing.  On Sunday evening, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced to his Likud party convention that early elections would be held.  On Monday morning, the first reading of the bill to dissolve the Knesset was passed.  In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the new coalition agreement was signed with Shaul Mofaz and the Kadima Party, and early elections were cancelled.  By bringing Kadima into the coalition, Bibi has almost created a government of national unity.  The only main party which is now outside of the coalition is the Labour Party, and its new leader Shelly Yachimovich becomes the leader of the official opposition.

There are a number of people, both within political circles and outside, who feel that Bibi’s conduct on the issue of the elections has been less than fair and honest.  It transpires that he was holding coalition discussions with Shaul Mofaz for at least a week before the announcement that an agreement had been reached.  This begs the question why Bibi decided to make a public announcement about early elections and allow the Knesset to debate the first reading of the dissolution bill, when he was on the verge of concluding a new coalition agreement?  Was this a negotiating tactic to force Mofaz to make the final concession?  The formal announcement that an early election would take place certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons.  No sooner had electioneering got into full force, when it was all frozen.

Even though the way in which it was done raises big questions, I believe that the act of delaying the election is probably more beneficial for the State of Israel and its citizens than proceeding to early elections.  Israel is currently confronting a number of critical issues, and there was a huge danger of these issues becoming too wrapped up with a general election.  Despite the international focus having been moved away from Iran over the past few months, this issue probably remains Israel’s largest challenge in the short to medium term.  Some parties are taking a much more aggressive approach advising Israel to take military action against Iran.  Others are advising a more cautious and conciliatory approach.  Even former heads of intelligence have weighed in with their “words of wisdom”, only in an attempt to exact political revenge on those that they don’t like.  This is a fraught subject that has major implications for Israel and her citizens.  A decision taken by a stable almost-unity government is surely better than airing this issue in election platforms.

There is also the controversial issue of the replacement to the Tal Law.  This is an issue which is split down party political lines as the religious parties are doing their utmost to convince lawmakers to enact a replacement law that will still allow yeshivah boys to be exempt from military service.  Opponents wish to see at least some minimum form of national service which will apply to all of Israel’s citizens, without exceptions.  This is a messy political hot potato that is best kept out of election platform politics.

The passing of the new budget is almost always held to ransom by coalition negotiations.  Parties negotiating possible inclusion in the coalition frequently predicate their support of the budget on receiving key concessions in the coalition agreement.  At a time when the economic stability of many countries in the world is so much under threat, economic high jinks cannot be afforded in Israel.  It would be good to get the budget approved without the need to bow to parties looking to extract value from the coalition negotiations.

For Kadima, the extension of the Knesset term has saved it from election decimation.  There is little doubt that a general election at this time would have substantially reduced its Knesset faction.  At the same time the new coalition agreement has raised doubts in the minds of many Kadima members, particularly those who came from parties on the left of the political spectrum, about whether this is a first step towards uniting with the Likud.  The most senior of these doubters, Kadima council chairman Haim Ramon, immediately tendered his resignation from the party.  He was followed by many grass-roots members of the party in a move which threatens to split the party, even before a single ballot is cast in a general election.

The big winner in this move is Prime Minister Netanyahu.  He has shown himself to be a shrewd political player, even though he has trodden on more than a few toes in the process.  The upshot of all of his political manoeuvring is that Bibi is king of Israel, just as his supporters like to chant at public gatherings.  He currently holds all the cards in his hands, and has a very strong political position to see him through to the end of the Knesset session and into the next general election.  He will need to see out at least one more summer, which is promising to be a summer with greater social protest than we saw last summer.  This is certainly a threat to him, but the electorate has little or no alternative choices to select from.  Opposition parties to the Likud are disparate and decimated.

The electorate has been spared an election this summer.  This will save a substantial sum of money, and will delay the inevitable filthy negative politics associated with election campaigns for at least another year.  I hope that, by the time we reach the start of the next campaign in a year or 18 months from now, many of the critical issues mentioned above that urgently require attention will have been dealt with.

Image by tzipi livni.

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Likud and Kadima: A New Unity Government

May 8, 2012
Knesset

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kadima party chair Shaul Mofaz held a joint press conference announcing a new unity government. The two largest parties in Israel bring 55 of the 120 seats of the Knesset together in one large voting bloc.

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Photo of the Week – Race for the Cure

May 8, 2012
Jerusalem Race for the Cure

The second Komen Israel Race for the Cure was held on May 03, 2012, thousands of people participated, including hundreds of Arab women. The route began in Gan Sacher with the finish line by the Walls of the City.

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A Little Election Excitement

May 6, 2012
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Despite the fact that Prime Minister Netanyahu has been out of circulation as he has been sitting shiva following the death of his father, the Likud machine is working hard to arrange the next general election. According to the law, the election could be called anytime until November 2013.

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Photo of the Week – Yom Hazikaron

May 1, 2012
Yom Hazikaron

Honor guard and flame near the Kotel, the Western Wall lit to remember those killed in war and by terror attacks.

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A Peek Into The Future

April 29, 2012
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Over the past few weeks, we have been occupied with looking back. We celebrated the exodus from Egypt and the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea.

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When The Siren Sounded……..

April 26, 2012

This post is from our contributor Andyboy. To catch up on his controversial articles and commentaries on Israeli and Jewish affairs you can visit his blog at:http://andyboy1.com/ ———————————————————————————————————————————————————– This year, when the  morning siren sounded on Holocaust Remembrance Day, I found myself in the unusual location of the Aroma coffee shop, situated at a rest [...]

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