First Report -
Wednesday night
Shabbat, July, 2011 |
Ironically, I am writing this from the transit lounge of JFK airport, on my way back for the funeral of Lisa Phillips, z"l. Lisa deserves an entire blog post about her and her accomplishments in fighting poverty and hunger in Milwaukee. I'll be sure to post the eulogy on Sinai's website.
Julie and I arrived to Israel late Tuesday afternoon, a little more than four days ago. We went directly to Jerusalem where, after a quick shower, we went out for a late dinner to a new restaurant on the Midrachov, the pedestrian boulevard on Ben Yehuda street. The restaurant is called "Rimon" and it had two seating areas, one for milk and one for meat. We chose meat - it had been a long flight!
During the summer, Jerusalem can be in the nineties during the days, dropping to the seventies at night. It's a dry heat, however - really! - so it never seems too warm. SItting outside for dinner was quite comfortable. On Wednesday we spent most of the day getting to know the neighborhood where Rabbi Jacob Herber, of Congregation Beth Israel in Milwaukee, will be sharing for the balance of the month while we study at the Hartman Institute. The enighborhood is called Bak'a and is located in the souther part of Jerusalem, right near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. 
Wednesday night, we went to a concert - Shlomo Bar and his band, HaBreirah HaTiv'it - which means, "the natural choice." They have been around for decades - Shlomo himself is 68 - but they don't miss a trick. The music is middle eastern inflected Hebrew, a meld of Arab and Jewish music. It's fantastic and he's a legend. Here are some examples of his stuff:
 | | Shlomo Bar Video |
 | | Shaar Harachamimi - Shlomo Bar & Habrera Hativiit - Live from Holland |
 | | Shlomo Bar singing "Shachar Avakeshcha" Medieval liturgical poem by Ibn Giberol, 1021-1058 c.e. |
On Thursday, we went to the newly updated Israel Museum. In the past i was a fine museum; now it can claim to be a great one. You can learn more about the museum here.
My favorite part is four synagogues from germany, Italy, Suriname and India that were taken apart and shipped and rebuilt in Israel. Here's a photo of the Suriname synagogue with a sand floor, typical of tropical shuls! Late Thursday afternoon, we headed to Kfar Saba and and dinner with Ros Roucher and Rabbi Philip Nadel. At one point, their cell phones rang simultaneously, setting up this photo I just had to take! Israelis are very technically savvy and "plugged in!"
 Friday morning, Julie and I got up early and went to the old city. We visited an archeological site neither of us had seen, called "The Burnt House." It's a Roman era home that was destroyed in the Roman attack on Jerusalem in the first century. Like the victims of Mt. Vesuvius in Italy, victims were caught off guard. Typical of such finds in Israel, a contractor was digging in the basement and discovered something of great historical importance. To learn more about the Burnt House, see here. Late afternoon, we went to see some old friends - last time we saw them was 1992 - who just moved into a new apartment in Tel Aviv. Eric and Tamar Rait are an example of the heterogeneity within the Jewish community in Israel. Eric is from upstate New York, Tamar was raised in Italy but her parents are from Persia and Bucharia. 
Being with old friends with whom one can pick up the thread of conversation after decades - a wonderful way to welcome Shabbat!
Much of what I've shared in personal, and in upcoming reports, I'll focus on the political and diplomatic scene here in Israel. For the moment, here is a list of Ten Facts regarding the new flotilla situation forming right now. It was sent out by the reform movement.
10 Quick Flotilla Facts
Flotilla Violates International Law, Supports Terrorism, an Tries to Provoke Violent Confrontation
IN THE SUMMER OF 2010, anti-Israel extremists and Turkish jihadists organized a flotilla to violate Israel's legal naval blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza. The Israeli Navy redirected five of the boats to the Israeli port of Ashdod without incident. However, those on the sixth boat refused to cooperate. When Israeli officers boarded the ship, the Turkish jihadists brutally attacked them with knives, metal bars, and guns.
Nine jihadists were killed. This year, the same anti-Israel extremists are planning another international flotilla, purportedly to bring humanitarian goods to Gaza. International leaders, from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to EU spokespersons, have urged the organizers to cancel the flotilla and instead use legally approved channels to deliver any goods to Gaza.
1. The flotilla campaign is not a humanitarian effort. It is a crude political stunt by provocateurs who want to force Israel into a violent response.
2. The flotilla organizers blatantly violate international law by trying to breach Israel's legal maritime blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza. As long as Hamas remains committed to armed conflict with Israel, Israel has the right to impose a blockade to prevent the importation of weapons.
3. Flotilla organizers intend to aid and support Hamas, a terrorist organization dedicated to the murder of Jews and the "obliteration" of Israel. Hamas is a proxy of the brutal Iranian regime. Providing material support for Hamas violates U.S. criminal and civil law, according to the U.S. State Department.
4. Flotilla organizers are not "nonviolent human rights activists." They belong to extremist organizations that oppose the existence of the Jewish state and support terrorist groups that are dedicated to the violent destruction of Israel, such as Hamas.
5. If flotilla organizers were sincere about wanting to help Palestinians, they could easily send aid through approved Israeli and Egyptian entry points, as U.S. State Department officials have repeatedly said.
6. Gazans do not face a humanitarian crisis. They have ample supplies of basic necessities and consumer goods, are currently experiencing an economic boom, and have a higher standard of living than people in most of Africa and parts of Asia.
7. Hamas brutally repressive regime, not Israel, has caused the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
8. If flotilla participants really were peace and human rights activists, they would go where they are urgently needed today to Libya and Syria, where peaceful demonstrators face ruthless repression, torture, and murder.
9. Flotilla organizers violate one of the most basic rights: A nation's right and responsibility to protect its people from enemies intent on murder.
10. International leaders, from the UN secretary-general to the U.S. State Department, oppose the flotilla as unnecessary and as a dangerous provocation.
Rabbi David B. Cohen
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