Earl Shugerman brings every week a serie of stories about Anglo-Saxon immigrants to Israel. This project is aimed to promote a more realistic view of life in Israel.
The Anglo-List – Bringing us together
by Suzanne Suckerman
I came to Israel from Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1989 just after I got married. My husband always wanted to live in Haifa. We were the only Anglo-Saxon couple our age and so socially it took a long time to fit in. It was mainly through my husband’s business that we began to meet the English speaking community and slowly acquire a social network. Immigration from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia was at its peak and the Jewish Agency and other Aliyah organizations were concentrating on that. Support in Haifa, at that time, was scant and we were left to our own devices. Over the years we plodded along, slowly making our way. Our two children were born here and attend school here and it has been through them that we have learned a great deal. The education system, religious, parenting, military service to name but a few are all so different in South Africa.
Haifa was recently chosen to absorb the new, large wave of English speaking immigrants coming to Israel. Over the past 2 years over 1000 English speakers have made Haifa their home and similar numbers will be arriving in the next few years. In the course of a conversation with an ex-colleague, I identified a need for a central source of practical information on life in Israel, specifically for the English speaking immigrant community. After some research I understood that a website was the way to go.
Haifa also attracts foreign students, businessmen, members of the Bahai faith as well as a contingency of foreign workers from the Philippines. In order to meet their specific needs and give support to these groups, I proceeded to set up a new information website called Anglo-list.com. This website is unique, and fulfils an important commercial and social function. We understand the English speaker’s needs, and this site has been designed, and will continue to evolve, to meet those needs. This Aliyah, business, consumer, entertainment and information website gives practical information, advice and tips and covers such issues as the medical and education systems, security issues, social services, entertainment as well as being a directory for government and official offices and Aliyah information.
From a community point of view, we have set up social networks and our membership is growing daily. We plan to hold social events and develop a support group. Readers are contributing their personal Aliyah stories, some humorous and some serious. The community relates strongly to this, they are inspired and comforted from other peoples experiences.
We also now have the strength to request that provision be made for the English speaker from companies and organizations
Potential immigrants are using the site to make crucial decisions about their future. The large Bahai community in and the Philippinos, also have access to the site and we are working on incorporating information for them as well.
On a professional level we have a list of service providers. A condition for advertising on this site is being able to provide service in English. Various organizations are advertising on the site and have contributed information and articles on their specific service – special education, small business development and student bodies to name but a few.
Learning Hebrew, as a spoken language, can be a long and difficult process, we have also addressed this issue and provide a phonetic dictionary of useful terms, phrases and slang.
The Mayor of Haifa, Mr. Yona Yahav, has endorsed the site and we work in close cooperation with Aliyah organizations.
It is our plan to enlarge the site and incorporate the entire country – and our vision to turn this site into the premier English site for English speakers in Israel will become a reality.
Earl Shugerman brings every week a serie of stories about Anglo-Saxon immigrants to Israel. This project is aimed to promote a more realistic view of life in Israel.
Finding Faith: Abraham risked all for the Promised Land
Many Israelis follow the age old tradition of the Friday night dinner and prayers to honour the beginning of the Sabbath. Friends and family meet to share companionship and pray together. This Friday I celebrated the start of the Sabbath with my friend Zehava and her family.
Zehava and her husband Leon are French born, old timers in Israel. They immigrated to Israel in 1980. They have two teenage sons and a six year old daughter Shira who is the “Apple of My Eye.” They also invited their American cousin Linda to join us.
Linda is a fifty’s year old single female with a 16 year old daughter. Linda was born, in France, but lived in California most of her life. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and then went to sit on the veranda to drink coffee and chat.
Linda was married to a “wonderful Christian man for 14 years.” “We respected the differences in our spiritual backgrounds and praised our daughter for exploring faiths independently”, added Linda. ” I belonged to a Reformed [Jewish] Congregation when we married and my spouse was a self proclaimed agnostic”.
“However, in the course of time I found that I needed to be more in touch with my Jewish roots. I took classes in the Talmud and Torah through Chabad House and found [the] spirituality that I had been missing in life. My husband explored his Catholic heritage. I found myself, after a two-year process, even considering a life in Israel. I lived in a beautiful home, had a great job, and a fine partner but decided to risk it all to try life in Israel”.
“My husband insisted on staying in the States. We agreed to a one-year trial separation period to see how we did on our own. [This would] allow me to taste the life in Israel”.
“Three years later, I am still in Israel, employed as a clerk in a Tel Aviv bank. We decided to end our marriage and allow our daughter to spend the school year in Tel Aviv. She stays in California during her vacations. She sees this as a great adventure, and loves learning about new cultures and languages. Arabic is her second language in school”.
“ Did I make a mistake?” I ask myself that question many times a day. “Time will tell”. “Life here has many challenges”. “We need to learn a new language, a new culture, face a less luxurious lifestyle and there is still the struggle for peace”.
It is impossible to understand the invisible Hand that shapes our destiny. However, many Jews have felt the magnetic allure of Israel. The patriarch Abraham was the first. He left the comfortable trappings of ancient Babylonia to undertake an arduous emigration to the “ land that G-d would show him”. Evidently this demanded a great deal of faith. To mere mortals of the modern age, doubts can always surface to challenge our thinking.
Although Israel is not a Utopian society where the streets are paved with gold, it is an integral part of Jewish heritage. Today record numbers of Global Jewry are returning to their ancestral homeland. They are undeterred by the challenges that face them. The obstacles are merely there to be overcome. And after 60 years in the remaking, Israel continues to thrive thanks to the new found faith of Linda and many others.
About the author: Earl Shugerman is a retired American Government public relations specialist, currently spokesperson in Haifa for The Jewish Agency and a writer specializing in interfaith relations. He has worked together with the Catholic and Southern Baptist Movements, the Reformed Jewish Movement and Muslim groups in interfaith activities.
Report written by F. Stephen Larrabee and Julian Lindley-French
The election of Barack Obama as the new U.S. president provides an opportunity to overcome many of the divisions that have bedeviled U.S.-European relations in recent years and give the transatlantic partnership new dynamism and vision. In the coming decade, the United States and Europe face a daunting array of challenges. These challenges are so complex and demanding that neither the United States nor Europe can manage them on their own. They require close and sustained collective action.
To manage these challenges successfully, the transatlantic relationship needs a new mindset based on the premise that a multipolar world is emerging—one that will affect foreign policy options and consequently the ability of Americans and Europeans to shape others. To that end, a new transatlantic security partnership must be crafted that reflects both the new global realities and the political realities in Europe and the United States.
Central to such a partnership will be shared interests and values and a mutual commitment to the projection of stability and the anchoring of emerging powers in effective multilateral institutions underpinned by a strong commitment to the international rule of law. Specifically needed is a new architecture founded on a strong U.S. involvement in NATO, NATO-EU relations aimed at promoting and projecting effective civil-military security beyond the Euro-Atlantic area and an EU-U.S. security relationship that assures the protection of the home base.
This report is aimed at furthering that goal. It seeks to define the substance and parameters of a new security partnership between the United States and Europe as well as to outline an Agenda for Action for the new partnership.
“Hiram legend was not used when modern Freemasonry started in 1717.
By 1730 (just a few years later) it was the central part of the Masonic ritual. Today it remains the heart of the ritual. It is supposed to teach us Masonic lessons. But what are they?
Freemasonry (remember the period when the Hiram legend started, 1717-1730) teaches that each person is entitled to dignity and respect, freedom of thought and speech, not even our friends, or ourselves, should curtail this freedom. Hiramic legend could be about the universal struggle for freedom.
If so, what is this freedom?
Freedom of speech includes freedom of those who say things we hate, hurtful things that upset people. Otherwise, it is not real freedom.”
Keren Hayesod Deutschland veranstaltet zwischen dem 14. und 23. November 2009 eine Konzertreihe mit dem Orchester der Israelischen Verteidigungsstreitkräfte (ZAHAL).
by Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth
Isidore Isaac Rabi, winner of a Nobel Prize for physics, was once asked why he became a scientist. He replied: “My mother made me a scientist without ever knowing it. Every other child would come back from school and be asked, ‘What did you learn today?’ But my mother used to say, ‘Izzy, did you ask a good question today?’ That made the difference. Asking good questions made me into a scientist.”
Judaism is a religion of questions. The greatest prophets asked questions of God. The Book of Job, the most searching of all explorations of human suffering, is a book of questions asked by man, to which God replies with a string of questions of His own.
The earliest sermons usually began with a question asked of the rabbi by a member of the congregation. Most famously, the Passover Seder begins with four questions asked by the youngest child.
So I can identify with Rabi’s childhood memories. When I left university and went to Israel to study in a rabbinical seminary, I was stunned by the sheer intensity with which the students grappled with texts. Once in a while the teacher’s face would light up at a comment from the class. “Du fregst a gutte kashe,” he would say (you raise a good objection). This was his highest form of praise.
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski tells of how, when he was young, his instructor would relish challenges to his arguments. In his broken English he would say: “You right! You a hundred prozent right! Now I show you where you wrong.”
Religious faith has suffered hugely in the modern world by being cast as naive, blind, unquestioning.
The scientist asks, the believer just believes. Critical inquiry, so the stereotype runs, is what makes the difference between the pursuit of knowledge and the certainties of faith. One who believes in the fundamentals of a creed is derided as a fundamentalist. The word fundamentalist itself comes to mean a simplistic approach to complex issues. Religious belief is often seen as the suspension of critical intelligence.
As Wilson Mizner once put it: “I respect faith. But doubt is what gets you an education.” To me, this is a caricature of faith, not faith itself.
Questions testify to faith – the universe is not impervious to our understanding, life is not chance.
What is the asking of a question if not itself a profound expression of faith in the intelligibility of the universe and the meaningfulness of human life? To ask is to believe that somewhere there is an answer. The fact that throughout history people have devoted their lives to extending the frontiers of knowledge is a moving demonstration of the restlessness of the human spirit and its constant desire to transcend, to climb. Far from faith excluding questions, questions testify to faith – that the world is not random, the universe is not impervious to our understanding, life is not chance.
That, I suspect, is why Judaism encourages questions. On the phrase: “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness,” Rashi, the 11th-century biblical commentator, says: “This means, with the power to understand and to discern.”
Critical intelligence is the gift God gave humanity. To use it in the cause of human dignity and insight is one of the great ways of serving God. When faith suppresses questions, it dies. When it accepts superficial answers, it withers.
Faith is not opposed to doubt. What it is opposed to is the shallow certainty that what we understand is all there is.
Reprinted with kindly permission of Aish HaTorah International.
Earl Shugerman brings every week a serie of stories about Anglo-Saxon immigrants to Israel. This project is aimed to promote a more realistic view of life in Israel.
Yesterday, a group of my Anglo friends and I were sitting at Lias Books sharing ideas about entertainment for the weekend. Israelis are avid readers and my favorite pastime is reading detective novels and attending book clubs. I am a particular fan of James Patterson.
Israelis also love movies. Haifa, my hometown has 22 theaters that show movies in most major languages and for all ages. Popcorn, hot dogs and cokes are usually available, but often at inflated prices. The ticket costs are comparable to those in America. Most movie theaters are located in malls, and allow the audiences to enjoy cafes, window shopping, and other mall amenities. Many cafes have outdoor terraces due to the balmy climate.
The Cinemall at Lev Hamifratz, Haifa boasts a spectacular 23 screens.
Very sadly, the revered American pastime of the Sunday afternoon drive is not part of Israeli entertainment. Driving in Israel is at best a rugged adventure. Israeli drivers are not known for their patience and in many parts of the country parking is a real nightmare. By contrast, the public transportation in the country is wonderful. In many places, bus and train services are readily available and inexpensive.
The entertainment of Haifa surely showcases a wide range of fascinating things you can do here, and in many cities in Israel. Among the large number of things to do in Haifa, you would probably first look for some eating joints in the city. Dining is one of the best forms of Haifa entertainment, with a large number of places offering everything from French, Italian, Chinese, Continental and the traditional Middle Eastern dishes. Located in some of the most convenient spots and serving delicious dishes, the popular restaurants in Haifa are surely a must try. The joy of international dining in Israel is enhanced by the number of nationalities and languages spoken by diners and staff in most houses of cuisine. One Saturday night, my American companion, Linda and I counted seven languages while dining at our favorite cafe. We strolled along the Haifa beachfront after dinner.
After a wholesome meal at the restaurants you can also check out the scintillating nightlife of Haifa. Wonderful ambiance and great music, combined with the liquor of your choice will surely give you an excuse to party the night away. Shopping in Haifa is great. You can buy fashionable clothes, hand-blown glass, silver, enamel, pottery and also gold jewelry. Entertainment in Haifa thus includes the major shopping zones of the city on Masada Streets and also the Panorama Center. Many American products are sold in major malls.
The theaters in Haifa are popularly endorsed by both indigenous folk and tourists. They showcase the best of the local culture and traditions. Thus the major places of interest in Haifa also include the performance halls like the Haifa Auditorium and the Haifa Municipal Theater. Other than live theater, they are also known for hosting dance recitals, musical performances, orchestra and many more.
For the family, entertainment in Haifa is not complete without Sports and Recreation. Full of fun and pleasure, the activities like tennis, bowling, basketball, skating, football, fencing, diving hiking, biking, swimming will provide you with a lot to indulge yourself in.
Israel is a small country about the size of New Jersey. The three major cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa are relatively close. A road trip running north to south can embrace them all in an hour and one half. My friend Helen commented yesterday that; “it is still amazing to me that I can visit the holy sites in Jerusalem, take a short swim in the Sea of Galilee, and dine in Tel Aviv in the same day!”
Israelis watch more television and play more video games per- capita than any nation in the world. I am writing this article at the University of Haifa. My computer neighbors asked me to join them in a few hands of video poker! “This is my favorite pastime”, exclaimed David, a young American Oleh! “What about your work?”, I joked. He laughed in a good natured manner and drew a losing hand.
Welcome to modern Israel!
About the author: Earl Shugerman is a retired American Government public relations specialist, currently spokesperson in Haifa for The Jewish Agency and a writer specializing in interfaith relations. He has worked together with the Catholic and Southern Baptist Movements, the Reformed Jewish Movement and Muslim groups in interfaith activities.
“The West needs innovation; Israel’s got it,” write Dan Senor and Saul Singer, authors of Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle. They argue that the Israeli economic model, based on innovation, can help the West, in particular, “get out of its economic hole.”
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel – a country of 7.1 million people, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies, in a constant state of war since its founding, with no natural resources – produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the United Kingdom?
Drawing on examples from the country’s foremost inventors and investors, geopolitical experts Dan Senor and Saul Singer describe how Israel’s adversity-driven culture fosters a unique combination of innovative and entrepreneurial intensity.
As the authors argue, Israel is not just a country but a comprehensive state of mind. Whereas Americans emphasize decorum and exhaustive preparation, Israelis put chutzpah first. “When an Israeli entrepreneur has a business idea, he will start it that week,” one analyst put it. At the geopolitical level, Senor and Singer dig in deeper to show why Israel’s policies on immigration, R&D, and military service have been key factors in the country’s rise – providing insight into why Israel has more companies on the NASDAQ than those from all of Europe, Korea, Japan, Singapore, China, and India combined.
So much has been written about the Middle East, but surprisingly little is understood about the story and strategy behind Israel’s economic growth. As Start-Up Nation shows, there are lessons in Israel’s example that apply not only to other nations, but also to individuals seeking to build a thriving organization. As the U.S. economy seeks to reboot its can-do spirit, there’s never been a better time to look at this remarkable and resilient nation for some impressive, surprising clues.
Reviews & Endorsements
“An eye-opening look at a side of Israel that most people never think about.” (The Week)
“There is a great deal for America to learn from the very impressive Israeli entrepreneurial model—beginning with a culture of leadership and risk management. Start-Up Nation is a playbook for every CEO who wants to develop the next generation of corporate leaders.” Tom Brokaw, special correspondent for NBC News, author of The Greatest Generation
“Senor and Singer’s experience in government, in business, and in journalism—and especially on the ground in the Middle East—come to life in their illuminating, timely, and often surprising analysis.” George Stephanopoulos, host of This Week, ABC News
“In the midst of the chaos of the Middle East, there’s a remarkable story of innovation. Start-Up Nation is filled with inspiring insights into what’s behind Israel’s dynamic economy. It is a timely book and a much-needed celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit.” Meg Whitman, former president and CEO of eBay
“Senor and Singer highlight some important lessons and sound instruction for countries struggling to enter the 21st century. An edifying, cogent report, as apolitical as reasonably possible, about homemade nation building.” Kirkus Reviews
“The authors ground their analysis in case studies and interviews with some of Israel’s most brilliant innovators to make this a rich and insightful read not just for business leaders and policymakers but for anyone curious about contemporary Israeli culture.” Publishers Weekly
Earl Shugerman brings every week a serie of stories about Anglo-Saxon immigrants to Israel. This project is aimed to promote a more realistic view of life in Israel.
Aliyah is the word that describes the return of the Jewish People from the exile in the Diaspora back to the Land of Israel. The word Aliyah is derived from the verb “laalot” which means “to go up”, or “to ascend” in a positive spiritual sense. A person who makes Aliyah is called an Oleh, meaning “one who goes up”. Making Aliyah heralds a new dawn. People redefine their aspirations and focus on a positive future. Finding a meaningful and loving relationship is an inherent feature of Israeli culture. As Hannah discovered, help was close at hand.
When I came to Haifa for a family Seder in 2006, I decided I could retire here. I had wanted to retire for some time but didn’t know where. I had lived in Massachusetts for 28 years but couldn’t imagine spending my winters there as a retiree. When I got to Haifa, a very big light bulb came on!
I had a very good life in the States but there was one goal I hadn’t been able to reach. I wanted to meet a kind, intelligent, sexy, fun Jewish male around my age and for years I put this goal on my “top goals list” but never reached it.
When I got to Haifa, one of the first things I did was to attend services at Or Hadash, a reform synagogue in my neighbourhood. I met a very kind Israeli woman called Pnina there and she made me feel very welcome and introduced me to many members of the congregation. I immediately felt very comfortable and “at home” and Or Hadash became my shul.
One day Pnina and I were looking over at the male congregation and every man I asked about was married. She asked me if I wanted to meet someone and I said yes. She arranged for me to meet the father of one of her friends – an Australian widower, a year older than me. We had a blind date and continued seeing each other on an irregular basis. After seven months of getting to know each other, we began a more serious relationship and now, just over a year later, we are very happy doing many things together. He has introduced me to his children and grandchildren and has met my mother, sister, brother-in-law and various friends. In October we are planning to travel to Australia together to welcome his son’s first child there.
I was already enjoying my Aliyah here and meeting Shmuel was the “icing on the cake.”
Today’s emergency United Nations Human Rights Council debate in Geneva on the Goldstone Report predictably saw a line-up of the world’s worst abusers condemn democratic Israel for human rights violations.
In a heated lynch mob atmosphere, Kuwait slammed Israel for “intentional killing, intentional destruction of civilian objects, intentional scorched-earth policy”, saying Israel “embodied the Agatha Christie novel, ‘Escaped with Murder’. Pakistan said the “horrors of Israeli occupation continue to haunt the international community’s conscience.” The Arab League said, “We must condemn Israel and force Israel to accept international legitimacy.” Ahmadinejad’s Iran said “the atrocities committed against Palestinians during the aggressions on Gaza should be taken seriously” and followed up by the international community “to put an end to absolute impunity and defiance of the law.”
What the world’s assembled representatives did not expect, however, was the speech that followed (see video and text below), organized by UN Watch. The speaker is a man who repeatedly put his life on the line to defend the democratic world from the murderous Saddam Hussein, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban. The moment he began his first sentence, the room simply fell silent. Judge Goldstone, author of the biased report that prompted today’s one-sided condemnation, had refused to hear Colonel Kemp’s testimony during his “fact-finding” hearings.
But UN Watch made sure today that this hero’s voice would be heard – at the United Nations, and around the world.
***
UN Human Rights Council, 12th Special Session Debate on Goldstone Report – Geneva, October 16, 2009
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Did More to Safeguard Civilians Than Any Army in History of Warfare
Colonel Richard Kemp served in the British Army from 1977 – 2006.
Mr. President, based on my knowledge and experience, I can say this: During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defence Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.
Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability behind the human shield of the civilian population.
Hamas, like Hizballah, are expert at driving the media agenda. Both will always have people ready to give interviews condemning Israeli forces for war crimes. They are adept at staging and distorting incidents.
The IDF faces a challenge that we British do not have to face to the same extent. It is the automatic, Pavlovian presumption by many in the international media, and international human rights groups, that the IDF are in the wrong, that they are abusing human rights.
The truth is that the IDF took extraordinary measures to give Gaza civilians notice of targeted areas, dropping over 2 million leaflets, and making over 100,000 phone calls. Many missions that could have taken out Hamas military capability were aborted to prevent civilian casualties. During the conflict, the IDF allowed huge amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza. To deliver aid virtually into your enemy’s hands is, to the military tactician, normally quite unthinkable. But the IDF took on those risks.
Despite all of this, of course innocent civilians were killed. War is chaos and full of mistakes. There have been mistakes by the British, American and other forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq, many of which can be put down to human error. But mistakes are not war crimes.
More than anything, the civilian casualties were a consequence of Hamas’ way of fighting. Hamas deliberately tried to sacrifice their own civilians.
U.S. Soldiers with the 101st Division Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division watch as two Chinook helicopters fly in to take them back to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, November 4, 2008.
The most pressing issue on the U.S. president’s agenda today is whether he will commit more troops to Afghanistan – the “good war.”
In an article published in the November issue of Commentary Magazine, military historian Max Boot brings all his expertise to bear on explaining how the U.S. can win in that Taliban-plagued country.
But first we have to win the battle at home – the battle to convince Barack Obama to learn the right lessons from history and to heed the wise counsel of his own general, Stanley A. McChrystal.
The Washington Post also reports on the military debate over whether to withdraw from isolated rural parts of Afghanistan where U.S. troops are more vulnerable to attack and refocus on urban centers.
Following Gilad Shalit family’s authorization, video of Gilad Shalit received from Hamas in exchange for prisoner release distributed to news agencies as sign of life, more than three years since soldier captured.
Earl Shugerman brings every week a serie of stories about Anglo-Saxon immigrants to Israel. This project is aimed to promote a more realistic view of life in Israel.
Forty years ago, I was a communications student at the University of New Mexico. The year was 1968 and like many youth of my era, I sought something rewarding and exciting to do with my life. I still had two years of studies to finish, but was unsure of my goals for the future. I volunteered to do a six month work/study program at a kibbutz in southern Israel, named Hatzor. The purpose of such programs was to promote Aliyah to Israel. Participants split the day evenly between work at the Kibbutz and Hebrew study in an Ulpan.
I soon discovered that sitting in a classroom was unsuitable. Conversely, my job as assistant Kibbutz caretaker was a perfect match. I delivered supplies throughout the settlement, did the gardening, collected the garbage, and did general maintenance. My supervisor, Shmuel, was a forty+ American born Kibbutznik. Shmuel was a short thin fellow with a moustache, slight limp, and ever-cheerful smile. Shmuel was very friendly but said little about himself. He mentioned that he had come to Israel in 1948 from New York as a volunteer, was married, and had a teenage son. He had studied journalism in New York and limped as the result as a car accident in “The Big Apple”.
My six months at the Kibbutz went quickly. I did not acquire a lot of Hebrew; nonetheless, I made many wonderful friends and learned to be a pretty fair maintenance man. The Kibbutz members were the most wonderful people. Many were survivors of the Holocaust. A number came as volunteers in 1948, primarily from The United States. At my “Going Away” party, I was stunned to learn that Shmuel and several of the other Kibbutz members were crew and passengers on the famous immigrant ship “The Exodus”. They had braved the British embargo. Some were interred in British prisons. For the first decade in Israel, they lived in treehouses and tents. The situation was further compounded by conflict with the Arab legions during the struggle for a Jewish homeland. Some of their comrades had died, or suffered serious wounds during their fight for freedom. Yet, they were warm, humble, and generous souls. Many of the volunteers had been members of Mahal.
The Mahalniks were mostly World War II veterans from American and British armed forces. Allied armies were reduced considerably after the end of the war and many soldiers were demobilised; moreover, the service experience became mundane and did not resonate with some servicemen, particularly pilots. In various circumstances they were invited, or heard of the Jewish state’s struggle for independence and enlisted. There were Jews and Christians, both ideological supporters of Zionism and mercenaries.
The Ha’apala movement, also called “Aliyah Bet”, which attempted to evade the 1939 and 1948 British Naval blockade restricting Jewish immigration to Palestine, was assisted by 236 Mahal former servicemen of the Allied Navies as crews of ten clandestine Jewish refugee ships, out of sixty-six participating vessels.
The 1948 Arab-Israeli War saw approximately 3,500 foreign volunteers from forty-three countries among the Jewish forces, out of an estimated 29,677–108,300 total (its size grew considerably in later stages of the war owing to immigration into Palestine). A total of 119 Mahalniks were killed in battle.
One of the most senior Mahal personnel was Mickey Marcus, a Jewish United States Army colonel who assisted Israeli forces during the war and became Israel’s first Brigadier General. Marcus’s wartime experience was vital in breaking the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem.
As we commence The Jewish New Year, I want to remind the world of these unsung heroes who did so much to build this wonderful nation.
A New Year postcard depicts the illustrious Exodus
The New York Times reports that U.S. President Obama and the leaders of UK and France will accuse Iran of building a secret underground plant to manufacture nuclear fuel, saying the country has hidden the covert operation from international weapons inspectors for years, according to senior administration officials.
The revelation, which the three leaders will make before the opening of the Group of 20 economic summit in Pittsburgh, appears bound to add urgency to the diplomatic confrontation with Iran over its suspected ambitions to build a nuclear weapons capacity. Mr. Obama, along with Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, will demand that Iran allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct an immediate inspection of the facility, which is said to be 100 miles southwest of Tehran.
U.S. officials said that they had been tracking the covert project for years, but that Mr. Obama decided to make public the American findings after Iran discovered, in recent weeks, that Western intelligence agencies had breached the secrecy surrounding the project.
On Monday, Iran wrote a brief, cryptic letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency, saying that it now had a ‘pilot plant’ under construction, whose existence it had never before revealed. In a statement from its headquarters in Vienna yesterday, the atomic agency confirmed that it had been told by Iran that a new pilot fuel enrichment plant is under construction in the country.
by Richard Sideman
President, American Jewish Committee New York, September 18, 2009
To the Editor:
Re “Justice in Gaza” (Op-Ed, Sept. 17):
Richard Goldstone displays the same disregard for Israel and naivety regarding Hamas that permeates the report he wrote for the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Since its inception in 2006, the council has consistently demonized Israel while giving a free pass to some of the world’s worst tyrants, from Sudan to Iran. Mr. Goldstone largely neglects what prompted Israel to act militarily against Hamas.
While the United Nations made no effort to stop the Palestinian rockets, Israel showed remarkable restraint over the years until it could not hold back anymore.
More disturbing, the Goldstone report has set a new standard for equating the behavior of democratic nations and terrorists.
He makes no moral distinction between Israel, a United Nations member state, and Hamas, a terrorist organization that violently seized control of Gaza two years ago from the Palestinian Authority.
The implications of this moral equivalency go beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In fact, they undermine the United States and other democracies facing asymmetrical warfare from adversaries who care little for international norms of war and international humanitarian law.
In sum, Mr. Goldstone’s conclusions are a disservice to the credibility of the United Nations itself.
New York, September 18, 2009 – The think tank United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) today called on Gotham Hall to refuse to host President Ahmadinejad and offered Gotham Hall an opportunity to clarify its role as the host of a banquet for the Iranian delegation and as host for a speech by President Ahmadinejad on September 25, 2009 during his stay in New York for the UN General Assembly.
In a letter to Allen Kurtz, Managing Director of Gotham Hall, UANI President, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace wrote “UANI requests Gotham Hall to clarify and reconsider its decision to host the banquet and address and instead decline to provide such a venue for President Ahmadinejad. As we expressed to area venues in July, UANI denounces any decision to host President Ahmadinejad in New York and calls upon Gotham Hall to join the international community in isolating Iran and condemning its illicit nuclear program.”
“By doing business with the Iranian government Gotham Hall is accepting blood money from a regime that brutally suppresses its own people and that is a danger to global security. Moreover, by providing a forum for President Ahmadinejad’s speech, Gotham Hall is serving as a bullhorn for the propaganda of the illegitimate leader of a brutal theocratic dictatorship.”
To the extent that Gotham Hall persists in its plans to host President Ahmadinejad UANI will call on members of the public to boycott Gotham Hall.
Israels Präsident Shimon Peres hat zum jüdischen Neujahr 5770 ein Grußwort an die jüdischen Gemeinden in der Diaspora gerichtet:
„Das herannahende neue Jahr wird hoffentlich von der Verwirklichung unserer Ziele gekennzeichnet sein: dem Erreichen von Frieden, der Erhöhung der Sicherheit, der Förderung wirtschaftlichen Wachstums sowie der Gewährleistung der Zukunft des jüdischen Volkes und der Stärkung der Beziehungen zwischen Israel und unseren jüdischen Brüdern in der Diaspora.
Die Gelegenheit zum Frieden winkt, und sie muss selbst zum Preis schmerzlicher Zugeständnisse ergriffen werden. Die hartnäckige Position der arabischen Welt, „Nein“ zu Verhandlungen, „Nein“ zur Anerkennung Israels und „Nein“ zum Frieden zu sagen, ist heute dem dreifachen „Ja“ zur saudischen Initiative gewichen. Die internationale Gemeinschaft ist sehr daran interessiert, die Bemühungen um den Friedensprozess zu unterstützen, und ich bin zuversichtlich, dass die Vision eines umfassenden Friedens mit konzertierter Anstrengung realisiert werden kann. Dies wird unseren Kindern und ihren Kindern nach ihnen Stabilität, Ruhe, Sicherheit und Wohlstand bescheren.
Israels Wirtschaft zeigt erste Anzeichen der Erholung von der globalen Wirtschaftskrise. Die makroökonomischen Signale sind vielversprechend, und diese Indikatoren spiegeln sich im wachsenden Umfang von Investitionen wider; die Hightech-Industrie lebt wieder auf, und Startup-Unternehmen sprießen von neuem aus dem Boden. Es ist Zeit, die Gelegenheit zu nutzen. Es ist Zeit, in Bereichen wie alternativer Energie, Wasserproduktion, Heimatschutz-Infrastruktur, Erziehungs- und Lernprogrammen und Stammzellenforschung in Israel zu investieren. Darin liegt unsere Zukunft, und wir haben sie in den Händen.
Es ist unabdingbar, mit unseren Brüdern in der Diaspora Beziehungen aufzubauen, die auf den soliden Grundlagen von Partnerschaft und Erziehung stehen. Tatsächlich kann die Rolle der jüdischen Erziehung in der Diaspora nicht überbewertet werden. Sie liefert die Bausteine der Brücken, die die jüdischen Gemeinden im Ausland und in Israel miteinander verbinden. Sie bietet die Bedingungen des Engagements zwischen der jungen Generation von Juden und unserer Nation und die Sprungbretter für ein größeres Bewusstsein für die Bedeutung der Beziehungen zwischen Israel und der Diaspora. Sie wird dazu dienen, unser Erbe und unsere Tradition in ihrem ganzen Reichtum zu bewahren.
Der Geist der Partnerschaft muss in jedem Bereich der Beziehungen zwischen Israel und der Diaspora verstärkt werden. Vor uns stehen dramatische Herausforderungen, die abermals die Notwendigkeit unterstreichen, in Augenblicken der Prüfung zusammenzustehen, der eine für den anderen verantwortlich, wie es die Propheten bestimmt haben. In der Tat ist eine Bedrohung für das Wohlergehen der jüdischen Gemeinden auf der Welt gleich einer Bedrohung für Israel selbst, und das Schicksal des Diasporajudentums liegt im Herzinnersten Israels.
Liebe Freunde, da wir uns nun ins neue Jahr aufmachen, möchte ich dem ganzen jüdischen Volk in der Diaspora von Herzen meine guten Wünsche übermitteln, in der Hoffnung, dass dies allen ein Jahr der Freude und des Glücks sein wird.
Israels Ministerpräsident Binyamin Netanyahu lässt das folgende Grußwort an die Diasporagemeinden übermitteln:
„Liebe Freunde,
da die jüdischen Gemeinden auf der ganzen Welt Rosh Hashana 5770 feiern, möchte ich Ihnen allen ein Shana Tova aus Jerusalem wünschen, der ewigen ungeteilten Hauptstadt des Staates Israel und des jüdischen Volkes.
Rosh Hashana ist für uns alle eine Gelegenheit, nicht nur eine Bilanz des vergangenen Jahres zu ziehen, sondern auch unsere Hoffnungen und Gebete auf das vor uns voraus liegende Jahr zu konzentrieren.
Viel hat sich im vergangenen Jahr verändert. Letztes Jahr sind israelische Städte unerbittlich von iranisch unterstützten Hamas-Terroristen mit Raketen beschossen worden, und unsere Wirtschaft, wie vie viele auf der Welt, steuerte in eine ernste Rezession hinein. Heute genießen die Bewohner des Südens eine Zeit der Ruhe, wie sie sie seit vielen Jahren nicht erlebt haben, und die Wirtschaft zeigt erste Anzeichen einer Erholung.
Obgleich erst fünf Monate im Amt, hat unsere Regierung der nationalen Einheit bereits eine breite wirtschaftliche Koalition aus Regierung, Handel und Arbeit geschmiedet, um einen beispiellosen Zweijahreshaushalt und eine historische Landreform zu verabschieden, was das Wirtschaftswachstum für die kommenden Jahre erheblich ankurbeln wird.
Aber viel Arbeit bleibt noch zu tun. Wir müssen weiter unsere nationale Sicherheit gegen beträchtliche Bedrohungen gewährleisten. Wir müssen ein robustes Wirtschaftswachstum schaffen, die Erziehung in unseren Schulen verbessern und der Kriminalität auf unseren Straßen Einhalt gebieten. Und wir müssen einen verantwortungsbewussten Friedensprozess voranbringen, mit dem Ziel, einen historischen Frieden mit unseren Nachbarn zu schaffen.
Vor allem müssen wir vereint bleiben. Unsere nationale Einheitsregierung hat dem breiten Konsens, der in diesem Land existiert, Ausdruck verliehen. Nationale Einheit ist stets ein wichtiges Gut, aber in Zeiten der Herausforderung ist es unverzichtbar. Daher werde ich, während wir in den kommenden Jahren auf das Erreichen unserer ambitionierten Ziele hinarbeiten, alles in meiner Macht stehende tun, um unser Volk zu einen.
Diese Einigkeit ist sowohl innerhalb als auch außerhalb Israels notwendig. Die Bande zwischen Israel und den jüdischen Diasporagemeinden auf der ganzen Welt sind eine ungeheuerliche Quelle der Stärke, und ich werde in den kommenden Jahren an der Stärkung dieser Bande arbeiten.
Mögen Sie alle in das Buch des Lebens eingeschrieben werden, und möge unser Volk ein Jahr der Sicherheit, des Wohlstands und des Friedens genießen.“
Britain and France had to choose between war and dishonour. They chose dishonour. They will have war. (1938, Winston Churchill to Neville Chamberlain in the House of Commons, after the Munich accords)
An Open Letter to His Excellency Ambassador Thomas Matussek
Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations
The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has announced his intention to attend the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York later this month.
We are writing to express our concern that President Ahmadinejad be allowed to abuse the platform of the UN to propagate hate, to spread false accusations against other members of the UN, and to hijack the agenda of the UN, as he has done recently at other UN conferences.
The government of Iran is in defiance of several sets of UN sanctions, has failed to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and might soon be capable of building an atomic bomb.
The Iranian government is also defying the will of its own people. People are imprisoned for their political beliefs, and women and religious minorities are being oppressed and persecuted. President Ahmadinejad has repeatedly denied the Holocaust, spread anti-Semitic libels, and threatened to wipe Israel off the map. He regularly incites to genocide.
Should President Ahmadinejad once again show complete disregard for the UN Charter we would respectfully ask that Germany’s delegation absent itself from the meeting for the duration of his address, in order not to dignify his remarks with the presence of a modern and liberal democracy like Germany.
Remember Munich 1938. No apeasement with ennemies of democracy!
Earl Shugerman brings every week a serie of stories about Anglo-Saxon immigrants to Israel. This project is aimed to promote a more realistic view of life in Israel.
In western society, people tend to regale in the exploits of illustrious forebears. In a recent survey, Winston Churchill was identified as the most famous Briton. William Shakespeare finished a close second.
During its brief history, Israel has embraced people with a modest perspective. They contribute to the welfare of the state as a whole. To them, fame and avarice are entirely secondary. Israel’s existence has been the enduring hope of a long and painful exile.
The following is a précis of everyday folk, who put the country first and foremost.
Bobbi and Gershon Lichtenberg made Aliyah from the affluent surroundings of the USA. After nine months, Gershon opined:
Are there challenges in our daily lives? Absolutely. One thing that I read before Aliyah said that the mistake that the author had made was to expect to bring a mid-western (Chicago) lifestyle to Israel. We did not expect that. We were ready for change and challenge, to live an economically conservative lifestyle, not a middle class one, and to expand our lifestyle only if our economics and desires allowed. As my wife said before we made Aliyah, “We still live like hippies.” Could we have more? Yes, but we are also cautioned by the old joke, How do you get a small fortune in Israel? Come with a large one.
To us it is important to be contributors to the state of Israel, not just a drain on the support system. We want to work and pay in to the tax system. This is our way of handling things. If we were a little older and living on retirement funds, our contribution would occur every time we bought something in a store, paid Arnona (property tax paid even by renters), or took a bus or cab. Doing volunteer work if we did not have jobs would be another way to contribute. There are many opportunities to do more than just sit or sightsee.
So what is our life like here? I work as an echo cardiographer (doing echocardiograms) at Rambam Healthcare Campus, a 1000+ bed hospital here in Haifa. How did I get this job? This is what I have done for most of my adult life, starting 3 decades ago. In the late 1980’s, I was lucky enough to work in Rochester, NY with Dr. Shimon Reisner, an Israeli cardiologist. He has always said he would get me a job here and, after 20 years, I was still able to take him up on his offer. This is referred to as ‘protekzia,’ which always sounds to me like something involved in a criminal activity. But having someone help you is a normal way of doing things here and there is nothing wrong with it. It simply means that people are happy to help open doors for you but it is up to you to walk in and put in the effort to succeed. I happen to have a skill that is useful here but, on the other side, the pay for it is only a tiny fraction of what I can make in the U.S. The cost of our lives here is also much lower.
After 1948, it became evident that the fledgling state would need to enhance its defensive capability. This point was not lost on Charles Winters, a businessman from Miami. Charles Winters was not Jewish, but sympathised with the country’s plight. In direct contravention of US neutrality, he contributed two converted B17 bombers (known as the Flying Fortress) to the Israeli Air Force. In an effort to preserve Israel’s independence he surrendered his own. He was incarcerated for a number of years. It was only during the presidency of George Walker Bush that a posthumous pardon was granted.
Presidential pardon: (inset) Unsung hero Charles Winters
As an exponent of liberty, Israel encapsulates many divergent religious beliefs. Israel has the mantle of being the only democracy in the Middle East. This is very much the cornerstone of its existence. The last unsung hero deserving of homage therefore is society as a whole. American immigrant Yael explains:
My family and I attended Or Chadash [Synagogue in Haifa] for Yom Kippur services this year. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. It is a day of both atonement and reconciliation. Jews throughout the world seek forgiveness for previous transgressions and vow to make the coming year more observant of Jewish law and ideology.
This is our first year in Israel and we were stunned at the sight we saw at Hovev on the way to pray. There were thousands of people gathered at the mall at 5:30 pm, just when the mall closed for the holiday. The men and women wore designer clothes, blue jeans and t-shirts or in some cases traditional Orthodox garb. Thousands of kids were riding bicycles or on skateboards. Many of the families had their family dogs, which were howling and jumping, which added to an already energized environment. Everybody was waiting for the streets to close at 6:30pm to begin Haifa’s annual Yom Kippur race for kids.
My family and I went to pray until about eight. The temple was packed with people participating in this five thousand year old observance.
We returned to Horev to see thousands of kids racing down the hill trying to reach downtown first, a trip of about five miles. I saw two of my friends from high school, Norit and Noga. They were just observing the fun. “What’s this all about?” I asked. Noga answered with a big smile “This is Haifa’s biggest annual social event. My parents participated twenty five years ago!”
Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement for Jews throughout the world, yet in Haifa and in other parts of Israel there are celebrations. Many Jews in Israel observe the traditional Yom Kippur fast and solemnity, while others seek joy. This is one of the most fascinating components of life in Israel to me as an American immigrant. Seventy percent of Israelis classify themselves as Hilonim or non-religious; yet live and sadly at times die to keep this small nation a Jewish state. To quote my friend Noga, the greatest blessing of life in Israel is that we can choose how to live our lives both as Jews, and individuals.
“Next year I will be there with my skateboard,” I said to myself.
Memorial services in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. Eight years ago, al-Qaeda terrorists from Hamburg, Germany, hijacked planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center tower, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, killing 2,752 people.
The New York Times notes “the fortress city,” many New Yorkers feared to protect against a future attacks, never came to pass.
In an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal, Fouad Ajami, adjunct fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, discusses the relationship between 9/11 and the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
Der britisch-deutsche Journalist Alan Posener kommentiert wöchentlich das Zeitgeschehen in Politik, Gesellschaft, Wirtschaft und Kultur für HIRAM7 REVIEW.
Von Alan Posener Die Welt / Welt am Sonntag / HIRAM7 REVIEW
Robert Spaemann ist nicht irgendjemand. Der Philosoph ist Vordenker und Nachbeter des gegenwärtigen Papstes. Wenn sich also Spaemann zu Israel äußert, sollte man genau hinhören. Am 25. Juli 2009 veröffentlichte Spaemann einen Beitrag in der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung (FAZ): „Schutz und Gehorsam“. Schon am nächsten Tag war er auf der Website der Deutsch-Arabischen Gesellschaft, der wichtigsten Organisation der deutschen Anti-Israel-Lobby, nachzulesen.
Robert Spaemann beginnt mit der Feststellung: „Dem Staat Israel ist es in dem mehr als einen halben Jahrhundert seiner Existenz nicht gelungen, als bereichernder, selbstregulierender Teil der Region anerkannt zu werden.“
Das ist zweifellos richtig, und dafür gibt es Gründe, vornehmlich die Tatsache, dass die arabischen Führer kein Interesse an der Art Modernität haben, die Israel der Region seit seiner Gründung vorlebt. Demokratie, Rechtsstaatlichkeit, individuelle Freiheit, intellektuelle Lebendigkeit. (Das Interesse des Vatikans an diesen Errungenschaften der Moderne ist übrigens auch nicht stark ausgeprägt, aber das nur nebenbei.) Spaemann macht aber Israel dafür verantwortlich, dass die meisten arabischen Staaten bis heute sein Existenzrecht nicht anerkennen: „(Israel) ist immer als Herr aufgetreten.“
Sagen wir es so: eine solche Schuldzuweisung ist zumindest einseitig.
Spaemann geht aber weiter: Israel habe sich nur deshalb ständig als Herr aufspielen können, weil es von den USA eine Schutzgarantie besitze. Wer auch nur elementare Kenntnisse der Geschichte des Nahostkonflikts besitzt, weiß zwar, das dies bis nach dem Sechstagekrieg 1967 keineswegs der Fall war; und dass die Schutzgarantie, die etwa die Bundesrepublik dank Besatzungsstatut und Nato genoss und genießt, viel stärker ist als die völkerrechtlich und militärisch unverbindlichen Erklärungen amerikanischer Präsidenten gegenüber Israel. Aber egal.
Aus dieser angeblichen Schutzfunktion der USA lautet Spaemann eine „Gehorsamspflicht“ Israels ab. Es sei nun einmal ein „Grundgesetz des politischen Lebens“: „Wer Schutz gewährt, muss die Bedingungen diktieren können.“ Und das täten die USA nicht, so dass sich Israel beständig „wie ein Halbwüchsiger handeln“ könne, der „nie die Suppe auslöffeln“ müsse, die er sich eingebrockt hat, weil „Papa es schon richten wird.“
Unsereiner dachte naiverweise, zum „Grundgesetz“ des Westens gehöre die Souveränität der Staaten, anders als im Ostblock unseligen Angedenkens. Wir dachten, über Israels Außenpolitik hätten Israels Regierungen zu entscheiden, und über Israels Regierungen die Wähler. Wir dachten, der „Zusammenhang von Schutz und Gehorsam“ sei mit dem Mittelalter verschwunden; und wir fragen uns, ob der Vatikan wirklich jemals bereit gewesen wäre, den Schutz, den ihm Italien und die Nato – also letztlich auch die USA – während des ganzen Kalten Kriegs gewährt haben, mit irgendeiner Form des „Gehorsams“ zu beantworten. Das war zwar der beständige Vorwurf der Kommunisten, die im Papst lediglich eine Propagandapuppe des US-Imperialismus sahen, aber gegen solche Anwürfe hat unsereiner die Päpste stets in Schutz genommen.
Und es ließe sich ohne weiteres nachweisen, dass der Vatikan seine Politik nie von den Interessen Italiens, der Nato oder des Westens diktieren ließ. Aber quod licet Jovi, non licet bovi, so mag Spaemann denken: natürlich gelten „politische Grundgesetze“ nicht für den Stellvertreter Gottes auf Erden. Sondern allenfalls für jene, die durch ihre bloße Existenz jenen Anspruch des Papstes, Gottes Stellvertreter und alleinbevollmächtigter Ausleger seines Willens zu sein, in Frage stellen: sein Volk – die Juden.
Was soll also Washington als Schutzmacht von seinem Mündel Israel laut Spaemann verlangen? Nun, zuerst die übliche Litanei einseitiger Vorleistungen: Stopp des Siedlungsbaus und dann „Beseitigung“ aller bisher gebauten Siedlungen und Beendigung der „Besatzung fremden Territoriums“. Gut, über die Sinnfälligkeit und die Erfolgsaussicht solcher Maßnahmen kann man rational unter Israelfreunden diskutieren.
Aber Spaemann verlangt viel mehr, und gilt es, aufzuhorchen: „Ferner: Israel verzichtet auf die ethnische Selbstdefinition, die jeden Nichtjuden in diesem Staat zum Fremden macht.“ Anders gesagt. Der Judenstaat verschwindet. Besser könnte es die Hamas auch nicht formulieren.
Es ist schon bemerkenswert, was herauskommt, wenn „es“ aus führenden Katholiken wieder einmal spricht. Von Papst Benedikt wäre – gemäß dem „Grundgesetz von Schutz und Gehorsam“ eine klare Zurückweisung solcher Gedankenspiele zu verlangen.
Schließlich kann sich Robert Spaemann solche Kindereien in einer großen Zeitung nur leisten, weil man – zu Recht – davon ausgeht, aus seinem Munde das zu hören, was Benedikt klammheimlich denkt.
Earl Shugerman, will bring every week a serie of stories about Anglo-Saxon immigrants to Israel. This project is aimed to promote a more realistic view of life in Israel. The following story relates to an American immigrant named Jordan.
My name is Jordan. I came to Israel four years ago from Miami after receiving a degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Florida. My family is reformed and not particularly Zionist.
My original intention was to study Hebrew for six months at a Kibbutz ulpan near Haifa. I was out of the plane for about five minutes and I was already in love with the country. It was love at first sight and I am glad to say that I still feel the same passion. I came here for the experience and now proudly serve in The Israeli Defense Forces in combat engineering. I still can’t quite explain why I love this country so much. Perhaps there is no single reason or reasons.
My first year in the country was spent at the kibbutz studying Hebrew four hours a day and working in the kibbutz factory four hours a day to pay my way. Kibbutz life was interesting but not for me.
The Kibbutz is a community where members equally own all property. Individuals live on the settlements and usually work at them as well. Most kibbutzim are involved in either agriculture, light manufacturing or both. Residents live in nice homes with kitchens; but can also eat at community dining halls. City life is still my choice.
I left the kibbutz and applied for Aliyah with the assistance of Nefesh B’Nefesh. Nefesh is an organization that promotes Aliyah from English speaking countries. They helped me to navigate the paper work and advise me of both my rights and responsibilities including compulsory military service. Visiting mom and dad was very difficult. They respected my decision, but like most parents worried about my new life in Israel, especially the war.
Today they are so happy and proud of my decision that they are planning Aliyah! My dad is about to retire and the folks visited Zichron Yaakov as a possible home. It is just right for us; they both exclaimed! It was love at first sight for them as well.
I am now in my last few months of military duty and rent an apartment in Haifa. Two buddies and I found a beautiful place in the Horev area of Haifa with a view that is incredible. We can see the ocean and much of Haifa through our large picture windows. All three of us are new citizens and choose to live in Haifa for the same reasons.
Haifa is a beautiful city of hills and beaches that offers city life advantages but without the tension that we felt in other urban areas. Haifa is also a very peaceful and pluralistic community where people just enjoy life. Jews, Christians, Muslims and others live together in peace. During the army I was stationed in both the West Bank and Gaza. My impression is that most Arabs and most people just want to live peaceful lives and enjoy this wonderful part of the world.
Upon completing the military I intend to continue my education at The Technion. Haifa’s Technion is a world famous technical school that offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees, primarily in the sciences.
I hope that those individuals reading this article will consider Aliyah and come to live in this incredible nation and this wonderful city!
Scotland’s parliament has been recalled for an emergency session today amid mounting international outrage over last week’s release of terrorist Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, convicted for the Lockerbie plane bombing.
Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill will address the meeting to defend his decision to free al-Megrahi on “compassionate” grounds. Al-Megrahi was serving a life sentence for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 that killed 270 people, and received a hero’s welcome on return to his home country Libya.
Earl Shugerman, will bring every week a serie of stories about Anglo-Saxon immigrants to Israel. This project is aimed to promote a more realistic view of life in Israel.
Chaya is a form of the Hebrew word for life. It is also the name of my favourite cousin in Jerusalem.
She is Orthodox and by the age of thirty has six wonderful children. She is also an American Oleh. Her family immigrated to Israel, two decades ago. Their intention was to be in the holiest city of the holiest nation on earth. My pride and joy is her three year old son El Chanon. El Chanon is a handsome, brilliant, and very precocious young man with dark hair, brown eyes, and a very enchanting but somewhat sly smile. His mom refers to him as a walking Chamsin (turbulent storm), and his proud grandma jokes that he is Israel’s greatest threat to stability.
Needless to say, life has special meaning to the Jewish people considering the struggles of the past five thousand years culminating with the Holocaust. The heart of Israel is the holy city. For two thousand years Jews living in exile annually chanted “Next Year in Jerusalem”. Jerusalem is the soul of Judaism, the heart of the Jewish homeland.
“Without Jerusalem there is no Israel“. David Ben-Gurion stated emphatically to Mickey Marcus, Israel’s first Aloof (General) during the 1948 battle for the city.
Marcus was an American volunteer. Chaya, like most residents of the holy city takes great pride in giving guided tours of her beloved metropolis.
During my last visit, we enjoyed touring the city on Israel’s double decker bus 99. El Chanon managed to get into everything and talk to everyone to the merriment of all, including our bus driver Haim, a resident of the city for forty years and proud grandfather.
The 99 bus navigates a route of both scenic and cultural interest. Mount Scopus boasts a visage encompassing the Old City, the Temple Mount and Bethlehem. As the Old City passes into the remote distance, the New boasts iconographic sites. The Knesset houses Israel’s parliament. The Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial is a poignant reminder of a lost world – the 6 million Jews that perished in humanities most insidious crime. However, the Israel Museum is a testimony to Jewish endurance. It exhibits Judaic items both past and present.
By the end of the tour many of the travellers felt like old friends. Next year in Jerusalem is now.
About the author: Earl Shugerman is a retired American Government public relations specialist, currently spokesperson in Haifa for The Jewish Agency and a writer specializing in interfaith relations. He has worked together with the Catholic and Southern Baptist Movements, the Reformed Jewish Movement and Muslim groups in interfaith activities.
Earl Shugerman, will bring every week a serie of stories about Anglo-Saxon immigrants to Israel. This project is aimed to promote a more realistic view of life in Israel.
English speaking Olim have a myriad of organisations and groups to support their new life in Israel. The largest private organisation that supports all English speaking Olim is the AACI (Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel). It has offices throughout Israel.
The author of this article is especially appreciative of the AACI’s sterling work. The efforts of Yanina proved invaluable during my acclimation.
AACI, a voluntary, non-profit organization, was established in 1951 to help North American immigrants acclimate to Israeli society and to build strong ties between North American Jewish communities and Israel. AACI is governed by a lay board and administered by a professional staff. Its many activities are financed through the support of foundations, annual membership dues, an annual fundraising drive and private donations.
AACI provides a wealth of services and programs to cater for its membership:
Professional counseling on Aliyah and Klitah (absorption)
Employment Resource Center
Emergency, mortgage and small business loans
Support groups
Advice Sessions: tax, banking, translation and more
Legal consultations
Blood bank privileges
The AACI Cohen Library for the Visually Impaired
Senior Outreach
AACI Acts can move mountains when its members’ welfare is at stake.
AACI Acts:
Lobbied successfully to modify the effect of new Israeli tax laws on immigrants;
Produced and distributed a free Emergency Handbook and held gas mask demonstrations prior to and during the Gulf War;
Confronted the social, economic and psychological pressures affecting its membership through the Seniors Outreach Project.
AACI Build Community offers a warm and welcoming environment, with special programs targeting families, young adults, mid-lifers and seniors. Members participate in:
Welcome Home events for new olim (immigrants)
Home Hospitality
4th of July/Canada Day & Thanksgiving Celebrations
AACI Travel Experience & Study Vacations
Social and Cultural Programs,
Lectures and more
Our regional representative, Yanina, is an American immigrant herself. For a number of years, she has assisted new Olim in overcoming all the obstacles. Her force is a calm disposition, which comes with years of experience. Yanina is supported by a group of volunteers including Laurie Rubin.
Laurie recalls her own Aliyah:
I met then-boyfriend, Miles, in San Francisco in 1981 and soon into our dating, he was clear about wanting to move to Israel. Our relationship developed and so did our plans to eventually marry and move to Israel.
We lived for 9 months at the Merkaz Klita in Kiryat Yam, which was difficult for me. I went to ulpan there (didn’t know one word of Hebrew) while Miles started his job at Technion. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any family or friends in Israel at that time and felt quite lonely.
It was AACI that helped me greatly in making me feel more “settled”. A wonderful volunteer visited me in Kiryat Yam, I attended classes at the moadon in Haifa, met people, volunteered and before I knew it, I had my “anchor”.
Since then, things have only gotten better. Moved to our own apartment, had 2 children, met lots more people, got various jobs…It’s still extremely difficult not having family around (I’m lucky to be able to visit them twice a year), but friends have become like family. I’m very active as a volunteer for AACI (Friendly Caller to new people), participate with the Haifa English Theatre, work as a teacher of Business English in hi-tech and go to the gym frequently among other activities.
Our next article will be a tour of Israels holiest city, Jerusalem, with my cousin Naomi and her 3 years old son Elchanan who is our favourite Israeli citizen.
About the author: Earl Shugerman is a retired American Government public relations specialist, currently spokesperson in Haifa for The Jewish Agency and a writer specializing in interfaith relations. He has worked together with the Catholic and Southern Baptist Movements, the Reformed Jewish Movement and Muslim groups in interfaith activities.
In an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, the president of the World Jewish Congress argues that Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Read the full contribution of Ronald S. Lauder below.
Note to Obama: The Palestinians still haven’t recognized the Jewish state.
More than one American president has tried to bring peace to the Middle East, and more than one has failed. So as the Obama administration outlines its own prospectus for a comprehensive settlement to Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians and the wider Arab world, it would do well to take note of some potential pitfalls.
Rule No. 1: Respect the sovereignty of democratic allies. When free people in a democracy express their preferences, the United States should respect their opinions. The current administration should not try to impose ideas on allies like Israel.
The administration would also do well to take heed of the Palestinian Authority’s continued refusal to recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. This is not a trivial matter. A long-term settlement can only be forged on the basis of mutual recognition and respect. To deny the essence of the Zionist project—to rebuild the Jewish people’s ancient homeland—is to call into question the seriousness of one’s commitment to peace.
It is a sad statement of the Palestinians’ approach to peace-making that denial of the Jewish homeland is not simply contained in the openly anti-Semitic leadership of Hamas. It is a widespread belief across the spectrum of Palestinian opinion. This reality must be confronted.
Today’s leadership must never forget that the core historic reason for the conflict is the Arab world’s longstanding rejection of Israel’s existence. The two-state solution was accepted by Israel’s pre-state leadership led by David Ben-Gurion in 1947 when it agreed to the partition plan contained in United Nation’s General Assembly Resolution 181. The Arabs flatly rejected it. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knows all too well, President Bill Clinton’s peace plans in 2000 foundered due to Palestinian rejection of the Jewish state, even as Israel, once again, accepted their right to statehood.
More recent experience in Europe also offers lessons about the dangers of negotiating with terrorists. Over the past year, officials from Britain, France and the European Union all held talks with officials from the “political wing” of Hezbollah in a bid to get the terrorist group to moderate its behavior. Hezbollah is undoubtedly grateful for the legitimacy that these meetings have conferred, but it is not laying down its arms. Indeed, according to a recent report from the Times of London, the group has now stockpiled 40,000 rockets close to the Israeli border.
To be sure, we must have hope. Peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan are useful models. Nonetheless, the recent rebuffs by Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia of efforts by the Obama administration to promote a more conciliatory attitude to Israel offer a salient reminder that those who started this conflict may not yet be in a mood to end it, whatever their rhetoric to the contrary.
And then there are the settlements. Undoubtedly, this is a complex matter. Yet the administration must beware of overemphasizing it. Compromises between people of goodwill can be made on the settlements, as Israel has demonstrated in the recent past. But no compromise can be made on Israel’s right to exist inside secure borders unmolested by terrorist groups or threatened by belligerent states.
That’s why an unambiguous strategy explaining precisely how Hamas and Hezbollah can be disarmed and how Iran can be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons is of central importance to any peace plan.
The administration must also be wary of letting Israel’s opponents use the settlement issue as a convenient excuse for failing to make moves of their own. The settlements matter, but they do not go to the core of this decades-old conflict.
Making peace in the Middle East is an unenviable task. It is also a noble calling. To be successful, it will require patience and fortitude. It will also require an ability to stand above the fray, to see the problems for what they are, and the courage to confront them at their source.
Posted by HIRAM7 REVIEW 
Posted by HIRAM7 REVIEW 
Posted by HIRAM7 REVIEW 
Je t’appartiens [i.e.: I belong to 
