I saw another one of those dreaded "announcements" from Aeroplan announcing mileage accumulation changes, this time for flights on United Airlines. Aeroplan card holders will now find it even more difficult to achieve the various "Altitude" status levels when collecting Aeroplan miles from some key partners.
I suppose it was only a matter of time. Last year, Aeroplan introduced "Tango" flights for the Israel route and other international destinations. With these tickets, passengers only accumulate 50% of the Aeroplan miles. Plus, these fares are not eligible for free upgrades to first class. It would take 20 round trip flights in a year between Toronto and Tel-Aviv on these fares to be eligible for "super elite" status (now called s100k).
Until now, there was at least one way around this problem. Passengers could fly United from Toronto to Tel-Aviv (through Newark Airport) and still collect 100% of the air miles, even at the cheapest air fares. Now this latest announcement from Aeroplan indicates that most of the cheapest air fares on United will only provide accumulation of 50% mileage, effective March 31, 2014. This was already the case with Swiss, Lufthansa, Austrian, Turkish and other partner airlines. The long and the short of it is that if you are flying with the least expensive air fares, it is getting harder and harder to accumulate Aeroplan points. It is also worth pointing out that US Air is leaving the Star Alliance effective March 31, 2014 - so perhaps it is no coincidence that United made the change once it realized it had no Star Alliance competition between the U.S. and Israel.
This is not the only negative change that Aeroplan has introduced. Over the past few years, the "tax and fuel surcharge" has skyrocketed on Aeroplan tickets. So, let's say you want to use 80,000 points to get a "free" ticket on Air Canada. It will cost you $680-$800 in "fuel surcharges." Aeroplan calls these charges "tax and fuel surcharges." But they aren't really fooling consumers. These "fuel surcharges" allow for significant profit for Aeroplan on "free" tickets. They aren't really "fuel surcharges." They are simply ticket charges. Paying $800 in surcharges to go to Israel in the winter, for example, is absurd. You could probably find a ticket on another airline, taxes in, for close to $900, without wasting 80,000 points.
In fact, I looked into taking a trip to Montreal two weeks ago from Toronto. The "surcharge" was $170. A ticket with Porter would only cost $199, taxes in, if you could find a deal. So what kind of "free" ticket is that.when you have to pay $170 AND 15,000 points?
This year, Aeroplan introduced "e-upgrade charges." If you are not Super Elite and you want to upgrade your seat on a transatlantic flight into the first class cabin, it will now cost $500, if there happens to be room. Up until this year, there was no charge. That was one of the incredible benefits of flying Air Canada regularly - the ability to upgrade for free when there was space available. I guess these changers are all intended to ensure that only the customers paying the much higher fares, on a regular basis, will get the benefits (that they probably won't need as much anyways).
Overall, it seems unlikely that I will come close to making Superelite status this year and it sounds like it will be less and less worthwhile to even try. Mileage accumulation has become harder and harder, benefits have been reduced significantly and some of the better benefits have been eliminated.
To really try to fool everyone, Aeroplan rolled out its "Distinction" program to run parallel to its Aeroplan program. Nobody that I have spoken to has been able to determine that there any benefits whatsoever of this program. At first, the program made it sound like customers could, by achieving "Distinction" status, get discounted rates on Aeroplan tickets. The advertised discount was as high as 35%. But, on close reflection, people realized that Aeroplan is only offering the discount on "market rate" fares. So in other words, let's say that an Aeroplan ticket to Israel would go for 80,000 points. Aeroplan might say they are "sold out" and the market rate is now 130,000 or even 200,000. (Or some other ridiculous, inflated, arbitrary number). "Distinction" status holders will get their percentage discount on that number. So instead of being able to pay $750 for a "free" ticket along with 80,000 points, you can now pay about 84,500 and $750, when the "market rate" is 130,000 points. If the "market rate" is 200,000....well, you follow?
For someone flying back and forth on a long haul flight - like the Toronto-Tel-Aviv route, seven or eight times a year, this was enough, up until last year, to earn Super-Elite status and get some great benefits like free upgrades, double Aeroplan miles, wider available for "free" tickets and other perqs. You could do this, even while buying the cheapest fares. But now, it looks like you would have to pay an average of at least $300 to $500 more per ticket, which adds up considerably.
The difficulty is that there are very few options for Canada-Israel "commuters." El Al still lacks the same in-flight amenities and has a horrible mileage accumulation program. If an El Al ticket would get passengers full mileage accumulation on another system's program, that might start to make the decision a bit more complicated.
Ultimately, for a direct flight between Toronto and Tel-Aviv, Air Canada still offers the most convenient flight from Toronto and significantly better service. The flight leaves at 5:30 p.m. and flies overnight, arriving in Israel at about 11:00 a.m. This is a great schedule, although it would probably be better if it were to leave around 8:00 or even 9:00 p.m.
The flight back on Air Canada, which is a 13 hour day time flight, is atrocious. It leaves at 12:30 p.m. Israel time and arrives at 6:30 p.m. in Toronto. The flight goes on forever. For flights from Israel to Toronto, in my view, it is better to fly El Al or take United through New Jersey on its overnight flight. At least that way, you can get some sleep.
Overall, the cumulative effect of all of these changes at Aeroplan is that the program seems to become worse and worse each year, while the benefits seem to be fewer and fewer. Its quite unfortunate. Maybe one day, some other airline, like Westjet, will start offering flights back and forth to Israel at a reasonable price with decent amenities. For now, there are even fewer good choices.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Prime Minister Harper in Israel - More Comments
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| Prime Minister Harper in the Knesset |
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be in the Middle East until Saturday. Earlier today, he met with Israeli President Shimon Peres. He also visited the Kotel - the "Wailing Wall" - as well as Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust Museum. At a state dinner in the evening, the PM took the stage and tickled the ivories while signing a song or two. Sounds like it must have been a fun event. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend.
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| Prime Minister Harper in Israel - at the Piano |
Unquestionably, the main event of the PM's trip was his speech at the Knesset - Israel's Parliament, yesterday afternoon. The speech has attracted a great deal of attention in Canada and in Israel. For ease of reference, here is the link to the full text: PM Harper Address to Knesset
Here is the link to the video of the full speech, which was delivered in English and French by Harper. The speech was streamed live on CBC, the Israeli Knesset channel and some other channels.
PM Harper's speech was quite remarkable. It was the first speech delivered in the Knesset by a Canadian Prime Minister. It touched on a range of issues including Canada's regrettable refusal to allow more Jews to come to Canada at the time of the Holocaust, the continuing refusal of the UN to treat Israel as a full member nation with all of the associated committee privileges, the existential nuclear threat to Israel posed by Iran and the rise of new anti-Semitism, disguised as anti-Israel sentiment. Canadian Jews must have been very proud to hear this speech in Israel's Knesset.
Although the policies of this Conservative government have been attacked by some as overly biased towards Israel, PM Harper called, quite clearly, for a two-state solution and an Independent Palestinian State, which he noted "must" come about. This came on a day in which he had visited Ramallah earlier and pledged $66 Million to the Palestinian Authority while meeting with Palestinian President Abbas. Harper also noted that Canada would be among the first countries to recognize a new Palestinian state that was formed through a process of negotiation with Israel.
But Harper also denounced those who blame Israel for all of the Middle East's problems, and he attacked those who would call Israel an apartheid state. At that point in his speech, two Israeli-Arab MKs began to heckle the Prime Minister and were then engaged in short exchange by Prime Minister Netanyahu. The two MKs then got up and left, after arguing that Israel's treatment of its Arab minority population and Bedouin population was, in fact, "apartheid." The irony was not lost on Netanyahu, who had pointed out earlier that the Israeli Parliament was probably one of the freest places in the Middle East for the expression of these types of dissenting views. The very fact that Israel has Arab MKs, an Arab Supreme Court judge, and countless other fully integrated institutions makes it extremely insulting and inaccurate to refer to Israel as an apartheid state - and even more insulting to people who lived through South African apartheid.
This whole issue of whether Israel and the Palestinians should be completely divided as part of a peace deal has drawn a great deal of attention in Israel over the past few weeks. Minister Yair Lapid has called for a full separation of the two peoples for the mutual benefit of both. Minister Avigdor Lieberman has made similar suggestions. The issue is complicated since Israel has a large Arab minority population of Arab Israeli citizens Would they continue to be citizens of Israel or would they now be citizens of Palestine? Critics have called these proposals a form of "ethnic cleansing." But the essence of a "two-state solution" is that one would be the "homeland" for the Jewish people and the other state would be the homeland for the Palestinian people and the two peoples would each benefit from having their respective homelands.
In previous peace talks, including those chaired by President Clinton, the Palestinians were demanding that their state be free and clear of any Jews, while demanding that Israel agree to accept hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees into the State of Israel (not the nascent Palestinian State). Some Palestinian negotiators are still making this demand. But surely this is twisted and backwards. It makes eminent sense that the Palestinian refugee problem would be solved through immigration by Palestinian refugees to the newly formed Palestinian state - not to Israel.
President Obama himself raised the idea of 1967 borders with "land swaps." What would "land swaps" mean? It would mean that Israel would agree to retain some of the settlement areas in the West Bank (Judea and Samara) (with their residents) in exchange for some heavily Arab populated areas in what is now Israel. No one would move, give up their homes or be "transferred." But the territories, with their residents, would be exchanged.
Minister Lieberman picked up on this idea and suggested that it would be a sensible solution. Even John Kerry's proposal, judging from what has been leaked so far, seems to contain something along these lines. But the Israeli Arabs (understandably, as Netanyahu stated in the Knesset yesterday) were extremely upset at this idea. Some Israeli Arabs indicated that in this type of case, they would leave their homes and move to Haifa (i.e. stay in Israel) rather than be part of a new Palestinian State.
Well, isn't that an interesting answer to the comments made by MK Tibi yesterday? Some Palestinian Israelis would rather leave their homes and move to another part of Israel rather than become citizens of a newly formed Palestinian State while staying in their own homes and communities. In other words, they would rather continue to be part of an "apartheid state", as they describe it, than come under Palestinian Authority. Of course, for some, this is because they are not willing to accede to a "two-state solution." They prefer a "one-state solution" under which all of Israel and the Palestinian Territories would be one state, with equal rights for everyone. For Israel, this would be demographic suicide and the end to Israel, as a Jewish state. That is is precisely why it is advocated by some Palestinians. That is also why it has been so important to Israeli negotiators to press for a recognition that Israel is the Jewish homeland.
Getting back to Prime Minister Harper, the press, particularly the foreign press as well as some Palestinian reporters have been trying to get Harper to agree to criticize all Israel settlements. They have been baiting him with questions that are designed to get him to attack Netanyahu. They pushed him to do this in Ramallah during a press conference and he refused. Some Palestinians were incensed, arguing that he insulted them by refusing to call the settlements "illegal" in accordance with what was stated as long standing Canadian policy. But Harper refused to take the bait and stated that he did not come to the Middle East to single out Israel for criticism. Under the current negotiations that Kerry has been overseeing, there is said to be a recognition that Israel would keep certain settlement blocs under a proposed peace deal. So it would not be helpful for any leader to simply take the position that anything built outside of the 1967 borders is necessarily "illegal" under international law.
To balance things out a bit (and I try to be as balanced as I can...), I have to turn back to Harper's speech in the Knesset. Harper was preceded by Prime Minister Netanyahu and by opposition leader Yitzhak (Isaac) Herzog. I thought Herzog's speech was quite good. He called quite forcefully for Israel to seize the opportunity of the current negotiations and reach a deal with the Palestinians. Herzog sounded much more pragmatic and realistic than the previous Labour Party leader Sheli Yacomovitch and this may well be a sign that the Labour party will look to join the government if it can do so to bolster a potential peace deal (possibly at the expense of Bennett's party). Herzog stated that a majority of the members of the current sitting Knesset would support a deal with the Palestinians now and called on Netanyahu to do everything possible to reach such a deal. Whether the Palestinians will agree to an deal is still an open question.
If there is a reasonable criticism of Harper's speech, Herzog's speech probably illustrates the area in which Harper fell short. While his speech was very supportive of Israel and its many challenges, he offered no suggestions as to what might be done to push for a peace deal. His call for a Palestinian State was strident but lacked any additional substance or suggestions. He said little about the Palestinians, even while some Israeli opposition politicians would take a different approach from that taken by Israel's current government. Not that I am suggesting that any foreign leader should come to Israel to meddle and criticize but there was probably some room for a bit more nuance.
Harper's visit to Israel is bound to solidify and bolster support among the Canadian Jewish community and, quite possibly, the Canadian evangelical community as well. For the most part, that is not to say that it is simply a political ploy. Harper's support for Israel seems to be heartfelt and logical. Much of what he had to say seems unassailable from the viewpoint of those living in a Western democracy. Even though many Canadians may well disagree with Harper on his Middle East policies, I feel that he must be given credit for taking a principled, morally supportable stand on a contentious issue in a thorny part of the world.
Nevertheless, there is still some basis for cynicism. Did this trip really require an entourage of some 200 people, largely funded by the Canadian government? Was it necessary to take along 21 rabbis? (Two or three would have probably been sufficient). Is anything of substance being accomplished or negotiated? These are some points that have been raised and they are legitimate.
Despite these questions, the trip seems to be going quite well so far. It is heartwarming to see Harper receive an Israel National Ice Hockey Team jersey from Prime Minister Netanyahu, to see Harper speaking at the Knesset and visiting the Kotel and to hear a Canadian Prime Minister standing up and taking a strong position against worldwide anti-Semitism and in support of Israel. These are courageous positions for a Canadian Prime Minister to take in the face of domestic and international criticism.
Unfortunately for Israel, there are very few other world leaders who offer Israel this type of support and kinship. Israel and the Canadian Jewish community are fortunate to have the Harper government's leadership on this issue and are undoubtedly enjoying this trip.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Prime Minister Harper's Trip to Israel - January 2014
Prime Minister Harper will also be receiving an Honourary degree from Tel-Aviv University. It is unclear whether his itinerary will include a trip to the Canada Centre - Israel's Olympic-sized ice rink in Metullah, although given the PM's interest in ice hockey, this would seem to be an appropriate stop. I'm sure that Israel's national ice hockey team would be happy to entertain the Prime Minister as they prepare for the upcoming IIHF Division II Tournament.
Prime Minister Harper's government has been a great friend of the State of Israel. It has been willing to take a principled approach towards issues of terrorism, Israeli security and fairness of treatment towards Israel by the international community, even when these issues have been unpopular. Under Harper's leadership, the Canadian government has stood by Israel's right to defend itself in the face of relentless, unprovoked rocket attacks from Hezbollah in 2006 and Gaza in 2009. The Canadian government has also refused to go along with pro forma anti-Israel resolutions put forward annually at the U.N. and other one-time U.N. resolutions that unfairly attack Israel. For example, Canada stood alone in January 2009, opposing a U.N. Human Rights Council motion to denounce Israel, exclusively, over the military operations in Gaza in response to the rocket attacks that Israel faced from Hamas. The U.S. is not a member of this distinguished council, which seems to define its success by the number of anti-Israel resolutions it can put forward at any given time, despite any other worldwide conflicts that might be occurring.
Some have argued that Canada's support of Israel means that Canada abandoned a long-standing position as an "honest-broker." But what does this really mean? Israel is the only country in the Middle East with values that are remotely similar to Canadian values. It has a vibrant and free press. Equality for all citizens. Freedom of religion for all citizens. The rule of law. Contrast that with Israel's neighbouring countries and territories - Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza...the list goes on and on. How could Canada approach all countries in similar fashion in these circumstances?
Canada can and should support and assist the Palestinians in their negotiations with Israel with the intention of building a democratic, peaceful, secure country and coming to a peaceful resolution with Israel. That is the stated Canadian objective. I have confidence that this Canadian Prime Minister and his government would be very supportive of Palestinians with those goals and would be prepared to provide economic and other assistance to bolster a mutually acceptable peace deal with Israel. Maybe we could even wind up with an ice hockey arena in Ramallah to go along with the one that is in Metullah. This Canadian government would also have credibility with the Israeli government in helping to work towards a comprehensive peace deal.
But in dealing with regimes that are not supportive of these types of goals, and that advocate violence and terrorism, such as Hezbollah or Hamas, it would make little sense for Canada to simply be an "honest broker" between Israel and those entities.
Much credit goes to Minister Jason Kenney, Canada's Minister of Employment and Social Development. Minister Kenney has been a staunch opponent of terrorism, worldwide. He has supported Holocaust education and awareness and has opposed antisemitism and other forms of racism wherever they might exist. Even at conferences where antisemitism is in vogue, Minister Kenney has been prepared to call a spade a spade and demand that antisemitism be treated no differently from other forms of racism. While this is anathema in so many other countries throughout the world, it is a principled approach that contrasts dramatically with the U.N's Orwellian attacks on Israel. .
This is not all intended to mean that the Canadian government should support every one of Prime Minister Netanyahu's policies or that Canada must refrain from criticizing the Israeli government. But any criticism of Israel, should be, as Prime Minister Harper recognizes, contextual. Contrast this approach with the outrageous comments of then Canadian Liberal candidate Michael Ignatieff, who called Israel's actions in Lebanon (in response to a barrage of rocket attacks) a "war crime." (He later apologized).
With the credibility that Canada now has in Israel, it may well be able to assist Israel and the Palestinians in the current negotiations that have been taking place under the guidance of John Kerry. Ministers in the current Israeli government including powerful Minister of Finance Yair Lapid and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman have been publicly supportive of trying to reach a comprehensive deal. While there are certainly Ministers in the Israeli government including Minister Ayalon and Minister Bennett who are opposed to the current negotiations, there seems to be some basis for optimism.
It is unfortunate that support for Israel has been characterized as a "right-left" issue in Canadian politics and in other places in the world. In the U.S., many socially progressive Democratic politicians have been strongly supportive of Israel for the types of reasons that Prime Minister Harper and Minster Kenney have put forward. They have recognized that if there were democratic, free governments, like Israel across the Middle East, there is little doubt that those countries would be at peace with Israel. While the Israeli record is far from perfect, Israel's policies in some social areas are completely unrivaled across the Middle East and throughout much of the world; its vibrant, free press; its treatment of minorities including religious minorities, gays, and others and its open court system which consistently adheres to the principles of the rule of law.
With these types of values, it makes sense that democratic countries like Canada and the U.S. would side with Israel in its current conflicts, just as it makes sense that Canada and the U.S. have sided with democratic European countries like Britain and France when they have faced threats from non-democratic, hostile forces. Few people would say that Canada should have simply played the role of "honest broker" in some of the international conflicts in which Canada has been involved over the course of its history.
I wish the Prime Minister and his delegation the best of success in their travels and I trust that they will have an eye-opening, rewarding and welcoming experience and who knows, maybe they will even assist with some breakthrough negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians to bring about an end to a seemingly intractable conflict.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Haproyect Shel Ravivo and Daklon - An Evening of Mizrahi Music
I wrote about some Mizrahi artists and music on November 17, 2013 (See "Israel's Mizrahi Music..."). The blog post was not comprehensive but was a look at few influential singers who have enjoyed significant popularity in Israel in the past few years. I had not actually been to a concert to see any of them perform live, though I had certainly been to some weddings where a good part of the music was Mizrahi.
So last night, we decided to go and see the "Haproyect Shel Ravivo" (Ravivo's Project) at Hangar 11 at the Tel-Aviv Port. The concert was scheduled for 9:30 p.m., well after Shabbat ended to ensure that people could make it from a variet of locations. Hangar 11 is a club-style venue, with seating in the round, a rotating stage and a capacity of well over 1,500. The food served is certified Kosher under the auspices of the Tel-Aviv Rabbinate (though we actually didn't eat any of it - the menu was fairly limited and the prices were not particularly appetizing...).
The concert was billed as a special event with Haproyect Shel Ravivo welcoming a guest performance by Daklon. Daklon is considered one of the fathers of Israeli Mizrahi music. Now almost 70 years old, Daklon was popular in Israel in the 1960s in some segments. He would string together chains of Hebrew lyrics, sometimes biblical, to Mediterranean (Greek, Arabic and even Spanish/Italian) melodies. To get a flavour for Daklon, here is a clip of him singing "Shabechi Yerushalayim":
Haproyect Shel Ravivo put together a collaborative song with Daklon in 2013 which has been well received in Israel. At this concert last night, they introduced him enthusiastically as one of Israel's greatest musical pioneers. Given his age, Daklon has slowed down quite a bit. But the members of Proyect Shel Ravivo accompanied him to the stage. They took turns helping him around the stage, staying near him while he was singing and generally showing a mixture of admiration, respect and comradery. The only word that would really fit would be the Hebrew word "kavod" - which means respect and honour. Daklon sang about three or four medleys with Haproyect and then they helped back down off the stage. The audience enjoyed it and it was very moving.
Haproyect itself is a 10 piece band, which performs a variety of Mizrahi influenced music. Much of the music is revival music - Israeli hits from the 60s and 70s that have been reworked into modern adaptations. Some of the music is based on traditional Yemenite or other Mizrahi melodies. Most of it is infectiously upbeat and, as they describe it in Hebrew - מוזיקה שעושה שמח- music that "makes you happy...".
The group is a cross generational band with some of the musicians in their late 20s or early 30s (like the drummer) and others, probably close to Daklon's age. The three front men, the lead singers, are probably in their 40s, if I had to guess. The electric bass player looked much older. Haproyect was formed in 2012 and has enjoyed some great success in Israel.
The concert began at about (9:45 p.m.) with an instrumental meddley. The three lead singers then joined, dressed in black shirts, jackets and dress pants. While the lighting was varied and, at times, intense, the musicians themselves were relatively understated. They welcomed the audience and just jumped right into a series of medleys that appear on their CDs.
As the stage at Hangar 11 rotated around the room, the three singers took turns singing to different parts of the fully packed house. The audience was appreciative but not raucous. There were many people who had come in large groups. Some were extended families with grandparents and children all together. There were groups of 8 or 10 guys in their early 20s - and all sorts of other combinations. There was a large group of women in their 30s sitting right near us. While most of the audience were probably in their 40s and 50s, it was quite a wide ranging audience.
After about 45 minutes, Haproyect brought Daklon to the stage. Once Daklon's performance concluded, the lead singers of Haproyect took off their jackets, changed into white shirts, and upped the tempo further. They invited everyone to get up and dance ("you have our permission," lead singer Raviv told the audience).
They played a mixture of some new medleys as well as some of their most popular hits. One of the new medleys featured a whole series of popular Israeli hits from the 1970s (including Eurovision song "Abonabee Abonabay"). People were singing along, dancing and generally having a fun time. The band members were smiling throughout, joking with each other and with the audience and prancing around the stage. They certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Just before midnight., they played their second and final encore - "Ten La Z'man Lalechet" - their biggest hit medley, which I highlighted in my blog post on Mizrahi music. It was charged with energy, fast moving and lots of fun. Quite a fitting way to conclude an evening of finger snapping, toe-tapping, hand-clapping music.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Memorable Events in Israel 2013
New Year's Day is not a national holiday in Israel. Although there are certainly many Israelis who celebrate New Year's Eve (known in Israel as the "Sylvester" holiday - after Pope Sylvester - the origin of New Year's commemorations), it is a normal work day for most Israelis.
Nevertheless, with the calendar changeover from 2013 to 2014, I thought I would review some of the major Israeli events of 2013. I wound up writing about most of these events in one way or another during the year, but not everyone has the chance to read all of my blog posts. (Some intentionally disregard them...). So I thought you might enjoy this collection of key events, in no particular order.
1. Israeli National Elections:
This has to be considered the biggest event of 2013. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was re-elected, though he formed a very different coalition. A new government was created without the ultra-Orthodox parties, and with a huge number of voters turning to the centrist party, Yesh Atid. For a detailed discussion of the Israeli elections, you can have a look at my election summary post here or some of my other blogs about the Israeli elections which are listed in the contents by topic page. The coalition is still a work in progress with some very different views being represented within the same government. Nevertheless, the election was a sea change in some ways for Israeli politics.
2. Visitors to Israel:
President Obama visited Israel for the first time as President in March 2013. It was a short visit and nothing particularly substantial was accomplished. Nevertheless, any time the President of the United States visits Israel, it is a newsworthy event. There was a great TV ad put together by McDonald's in honour of the occasion. Other visitors to Israel in 2013 included performing artists Rihanna, Jose Feliciano, the Pet Shop Boys and Alicia Keys. Pink Floyd member Roger Waters certainly did not visit. Instead, he spent his time trying to vilify Israel and dissuade other artists from visiting or performing here. Fortunately, many artists of goodwill and other celebrities ignored his wrong headed and quite possibly anti-Semitic attacks.
3. Mishpacha: Celebrations and Losses:
Israeli President Shimon Peres celebrated his 90th birthday in style. Celebrants in attendance included former President Bill Clinton, Barbara Streisand, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and many others.
Israel lost one of its great musicians, Arik Einstein. Two well known Rabbis passed away: former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef died as did Rabbi David Hartman, founder of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. The American founder of the modern day Kabbalah movement (followed by Madonna and many other celebrities) Philip (Shraga) Berg passed away and was buried in Israel. In December 2013, noted philanthropist Edgar Bronfman died. He was a great friend of Israel and a noted advocate of Jewish causes worldwide.
4. Charged, Released and Convicted:
There were many stories relating to criminal activity or accusations of criminal activity that made the news in 2013. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was acquitted of all charges after facing a state led investigation and prosecution that spanned many years. Israeli singer Eyal Golan was released without any charges after stories circulated about a sex scandal involving minors. Former Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger was arrested on a slew of charges relating to fraud and bribery. That process could take years until the outcome is determined. Danny Dankner, the former CEO of one of Israel's largest banks, Bank HaPoalim was convicted on fraud and breach of trust allegations as part of a plea bargain.
5. Another Large Scale Hi-Tech Sale:
Israeli security company Trusteer was sold to IBM for almost a billion dollars. Trusteer manufactures software that is used for, among other things, securing bank account information. This was yet another in a series of transactions where international business interests have been willing to pay top dollar for leading Israeli technology companies.
6. Israeli Municipal Elections:
Israeli municipal elections were held on October 22, 2013. While it is true that it was mostly a story of incumbents returning to office, there were some other stories of interest. The election results in Bet Shemesh have been mired in scandal, with an Israeli Court recently ordering a new election due to evidence of widespread voter fraud. In Ra'anana, a former Mayor returned to power with a landslide victory over the incumbent. For a more detailed look at Israel's municipal elections, you can have a look at my article of October 24, 2013.
7. The Kotel and Egalitarianism:
A Jerusalem District Court released a landmark decision in April 2013 (State of Israel v. Lesley Sachs). According to this decision, there is no prohibition on women being able to pray in the women's section of the Kotel, wearing Tallitoth and Tefillin if they wish to do so. This marked a huge change over the way in which Israeli laws were being enforced up until that point. Within months, Israeli Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett expanded and opened up the Davidson Center (the Southern Wall) in an effort to diffuse the effect of this ruling. Women are still prohibited from bringing a Torah Scroll to the women's side of the Kotel. However, this Court decision was a huge victory for Israeli organization Women of the Wall. For a discussion of the issue as it was in 2012, see this blog. For a discussion of the changes in 2013, see this entry.
8. The Weather:
Israel faced a huge rain storm in January 2013 that flooded many areas. In December 2013, Israel encountered one of its largest snow storms in many years. More than 30 centimetres of snow fell on Jerusalem by some estimates. The city was paralyzed for days, with the loss of electricity and roads that became completely blocked. Just my luck that after being in Israel for this storm, I happened to be in Toronto during a snowstorm that caused 300,000 families to lose power, in some cases for more than four days during the bitterly cold winter. So everything must be considered in proportion. But this was a huge storm by Israeli standards.
9. Ice Hockey:
How could a Canadian summarize Israeli events of 2013 without mentioning Ice Hockey? The Israeli national ice hockey team won a gold medal in its division - Division II, Group B at the World Ice Hockey Championships in April 2013 in Izmit, Turkey. The team will now move up to Division II, Group A for the 2014 tournament. Israel will play teams ranked 29-34 in the world, with a chance to move up to Division I if the Israeli team can finish first in this difficult group. The tournament will take place in Belgrade, Serbia from April 9 to 15, 2014. Israel will face Australia, Belgium, Estonia, Iceland and Serbia, with Estonia and Serbia listed as the favourites to win the division. It is also worth mentioning that Twin Peaks Ice Rink in Holon, Israel became fully operational in 2013, providing Israelis who live in central Israel with a much more convenient place to get some ice time. Until recently, the only place to play was Metullah, which is more than 180 kilometres north of Ra'anana.
10. Wine News:
In November 2013, Israeli archaeologists found a 3,700 year old wine cellar near Nahariyah, Israel, containing 40 ceramic jars, each large enough to hold 60 litres of wine. It is believed that this cellar was part of a Canaanite palace. Many historians have noted Israel's ancient history of high quality wine production, which was dormant for many years during periods of Muslim rule. While Israeli wine making was reintroduced in the late 1800s, as early immigrants arrived as part of the first two waves of immigration, the industry only truly took off in the early 1980s. Israel is now blessed with more than 280 wineries, including Kosher and non-Kosher, large and small, producers.
The 2nd Annual Kosher Wine Festival was held in Jerusalem in January 2013 (I managed to attend the 2012 event with a visiting friend) and the Golan Heights Winery celebrated its 30th Anniversary in June 2013 with a big festival at the Tel-Aviv Port.
Conclusion:
This summary is by no means comprehensive, though, hopefully, it is reasonably accurate. As usual, I welcome any comments, suggestions or additions. I apologize in advance if I have overlooked some key events. This is, after all, just a hobby for now. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful 2014.
Nevertheless, with the calendar changeover from 2013 to 2014, I thought I would review some of the major Israeli events of 2013. I wound up writing about most of these events in one way or another during the year, but not everyone has the chance to read all of my blog posts. (Some intentionally disregard them...). So I thought you might enjoy this collection of key events, in no particular order.
1. Israeli National Elections:
This has to be considered the biggest event of 2013. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was re-elected, though he formed a very different coalition. A new government was created without the ultra-Orthodox parties, and with a huge number of voters turning to the centrist party, Yesh Atid. For a detailed discussion of the Israeli elections, you can have a look at my election summary post here or some of my other blogs about the Israeli elections which are listed in the contents by topic page. The coalition is still a work in progress with some very different views being represented within the same government. Nevertheless, the election was a sea change in some ways for Israeli politics.
2. Visitors to Israel:
President Obama visited Israel for the first time as President in March 2013. It was a short visit and nothing particularly substantial was accomplished. Nevertheless, any time the President of the United States visits Israel, it is a newsworthy event. There was a great TV ad put together by McDonald's in honour of the occasion. Other visitors to Israel in 2013 included performing artists Rihanna, Jose Feliciano, the Pet Shop Boys and Alicia Keys. Pink Floyd member Roger Waters certainly did not visit. Instead, he spent his time trying to vilify Israel and dissuade other artists from visiting or performing here. Fortunately, many artists of goodwill and other celebrities ignored his wrong headed and quite possibly anti-Semitic attacks.
3. Mishpacha: Celebrations and Losses:
Israeli President Shimon Peres celebrated his 90th birthday in style. Celebrants in attendance included former President Bill Clinton, Barbara Streisand, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and many others.
Israel lost one of its great musicians, Arik Einstein. Two well known Rabbis passed away: former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef died as did Rabbi David Hartman, founder of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. The American founder of the modern day Kabbalah movement (followed by Madonna and many other celebrities) Philip (Shraga) Berg passed away and was buried in Israel. In December 2013, noted philanthropist Edgar Bronfman died. He was a great friend of Israel and a noted advocate of Jewish causes worldwide.
4. Charged, Released and Convicted:
There were many stories relating to criminal activity or accusations of criminal activity that made the news in 2013. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was acquitted of all charges after facing a state led investigation and prosecution that spanned many years. Israeli singer Eyal Golan was released without any charges after stories circulated about a sex scandal involving minors. Former Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger was arrested on a slew of charges relating to fraud and bribery. That process could take years until the outcome is determined. Danny Dankner, the former CEO of one of Israel's largest banks, Bank HaPoalim was convicted on fraud and breach of trust allegations as part of a plea bargain.
5. Another Large Scale Hi-Tech Sale:
Israeli security company Trusteer was sold to IBM for almost a billion dollars. Trusteer manufactures software that is used for, among other things, securing bank account information. This was yet another in a series of transactions where international business interests have been willing to pay top dollar for leading Israeli technology companies.
6. Israeli Municipal Elections:
Israeli municipal elections were held on October 22, 2013. While it is true that it was mostly a story of incumbents returning to office, there were some other stories of interest. The election results in Bet Shemesh have been mired in scandal, with an Israeli Court recently ordering a new election due to evidence of widespread voter fraud. In Ra'anana, a former Mayor returned to power with a landslide victory over the incumbent. For a more detailed look at Israel's municipal elections, you can have a look at my article of October 24, 2013.
7. The Kotel and Egalitarianism:
A Jerusalem District Court released a landmark decision in April 2013 (State of Israel v. Lesley Sachs). According to this decision, there is no prohibition on women being able to pray in the women's section of the Kotel, wearing Tallitoth and Tefillin if they wish to do so. This marked a huge change over the way in which Israeli laws were being enforced up until that point. Within months, Israeli Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett expanded and opened up the Davidson Center (the Southern Wall) in an effort to diffuse the effect of this ruling. Women are still prohibited from bringing a Torah Scroll to the women's side of the Kotel. However, this Court decision was a huge victory for Israeli organization Women of the Wall. For a discussion of the issue as it was in 2012, see this blog. For a discussion of the changes in 2013, see this entry.
8. The Weather:
Israel faced a huge rain storm in January 2013 that flooded many areas. In December 2013, Israel encountered one of its largest snow storms in many years. More than 30 centimetres of snow fell on Jerusalem by some estimates. The city was paralyzed for days, with the loss of electricity and roads that became completely blocked. Just my luck that after being in Israel for this storm, I happened to be in Toronto during a snowstorm that caused 300,000 families to lose power, in some cases for more than four days during the bitterly cold winter. So everything must be considered in proportion. But this was a huge storm by Israeli standards.
9. Ice Hockey:
How could a Canadian summarize Israeli events of 2013 without mentioning Ice Hockey? The Israeli national ice hockey team won a gold medal in its division - Division II, Group B at the World Ice Hockey Championships in April 2013 in Izmit, Turkey. The team will now move up to Division II, Group A for the 2014 tournament. Israel will play teams ranked 29-34 in the world, with a chance to move up to Division I if the Israeli team can finish first in this difficult group. The tournament will take place in Belgrade, Serbia from April 9 to 15, 2014. Israel will face Australia, Belgium, Estonia, Iceland and Serbia, with Estonia and Serbia listed as the favourites to win the division. It is also worth mentioning that Twin Peaks Ice Rink in Holon, Israel became fully operational in 2013, providing Israelis who live in central Israel with a much more convenient place to get some ice time. Until recently, the only place to play was Metullah, which is more than 180 kilometres north of Ra'anana.
10. Wine News:
In November 2013, Israeli archaeologists found a 3,700 year old wine cellar near Nahariyah, Israel, containing 40 ceramic jars, each large enough to hold 60 litres of wine. It is believed that this cellar was part of a Canaanite palace. Many historians have noted Israel's ancient history of high quality wine production, which was dormant for many years during periods of Muslim rule. While Israeli wine making was reintroduced in the late 1800s, as early immigrants arrived as part of the first two waves of immigration, the industry only truly took off in the early 1980s. Israel is now blessed with more than 280 wineries, including Kosher and non-Kosher, large and small, producers.
The 2nd Annual Kosher Wine Festival was held in Jerusalem in January 2013 (I managed to attend the 2012 event with a visiting friend) and the Golan Heights Winery celebrated its 30th Anniversary in June 2013 with a big festival at the Tel-Aviv Port.
Conclusion:
This summary is by no means comprehensive, though, hopefully, it is reasonably accurate. As usual, I welcome any comments, suggestions or additions. I apologize in advance if I have overlooked some key events. This is, after all, just a hobby for now. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful 2014.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Aroma Here, Aroma There....
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| Aroma Espresso Bar - Israel |
The difference between Aroma and many North American coffee chains is the emphasis on fresh food to go with the coffee. Aroma features a variety of salads and sandwiches which are made on freshly baked bread. In Israel, some of the Aroma locations are Kosher but most are not. The non-Kosher locations add chicken, roast beef and other meats to the menu. The Kosher locations are generally all dairy.
The main location in Ra'anana, on Ahuza Street, was a Kosher location. However, it burnt down in a fire last year. It has still not reopened. The place is still boarded up, creating quite the eyesore on a very main Ra'anana thoroughfare. So Ra'anana residents looking for an Aroma coffee need to drive over to the nearby mall or enjoy coffee from one of the many other fine cafes in the city.
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| Aroma - Fairview Mall, Toronto |
In Canada, Tim Hortons, a coffee chain, has locations across the country. While Tim Hortons is known for a wide variety of food offerings at very reasonable prices, its coffee is not of the high end variety. Tim Hortons appeals to an entirely different clientele than the various espresso cafes. Interestingly, a chain like Tim Hortons might stand a chance in Israel. There are few places, if any, in Israel where you can get a bagel and a coffee for $3 (10 Shekels) like you can in Tim Hortons. Then again, although Israelis might like the cheap bagels, they would probably not enjoy drinking Tim Hortons coffee..
Starbucks made an effort to open in Israel. But it was very pricey and Israelis did not enjoy the coffee. As well, it did not serve quality food. Its stay in Israel was short lived.
Aroma has been opening other locations around the world. There are apparently four now in New York and a few in different countries in Europe. Looking at the current situation in North America, Aroma should be poised to continue its growth and success. The combination of high end coffee and fresh food still occupies a unique market segment. In Canada, Second Cup, Timothys and Starbucks would all need to reinvent themselves to compete for that type of business. Or they could simply try to continue counting on their own marketplace niche.
The success of Aroma may well provide other Israeli cafes with the impetus to try their luck in North America. Arcaffe, Ilan's, and others also serve quality coffee and fresh food. But they will probably need to hurry. I can't imagine that it will take too long before existing North American coffee chains begin to catch on and realize something that Jews seem to have known for a very long time - quality food is important at any get together...
Monday, December 30, 2013
Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem - Yossi Klein Halevi - Review
Halevi's book is a lengthy piece of Israeli history, primarily covering the period since 1967. Halevi tells this story by looking at the personal lives of a group of seven elite Israeli paratroopers who were involved in liberating Jerusalem from Jordanian occupation in 1967 and their lives after this war.
The early parts of the book describe the backgrounds, personal lives and views of these different individuals.
The book then becomes quite intense with detailed descriptions of battle. It is graphic and moving. Halevi covers the 1967 war, the war of attrition between 1967 and 1973 and then the Yom Kippur war of 1973. He describes a number of battles, details many of the lives of fallen soldiers as well as the wounded and gives some glimpse into the various political events that were also occurring. The description of the events leading up to the Israeli capture of the Old City of Jerusalem and the arrival at the Kotel of the Israeli troops is particularly exciting.
From 1973 forward, a great deal of the book is a discussion of the emergence of Gush Emunim, the settler movement. Halevi chronicles some of the key personalities involved in establishing Israel's West Bank settlements (Judea and Samaria) and the political battles that they fought. Much attention is given to Ofra and to Gush Etzion. Halevi also covers the growth of religious Zionism in Israel, often quite sympathetically. He traces the rise of right-left political tensions in Israel, particularly over the issue of settlement development. He deals with a wide range of events including the election of Menachem Begin, the Sadat visit to Israel, the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin the failure of the Clinton-brokered peace process.
The book is plodding at times. Unlike Shavit's book, it is not particularly poetic, nor is it consumed with moral dilemmas. Halevi provides a much more sombre view of history, even though he certainly describes some moving and gut wrenching events.
Despite the title of his book, Halevi raises fewer questions and offers much milder criticism of Israeli policy and of various historical events than Shavit. In fact, even Halevi's account of Baruch Goldstein's murderous mosque attack seems somewhat sympathetic.
Where Shavit's idyllic Zionism is the cultural-historical Zionism created by secular, even anti-religious pioneers, Halevi describes a Zionism in which Judaism and Jewish culture occupy a much bigger place at the heart of the Jewish state. There is more content to Halevi's version, which is obvious and evident from his choice of Jerusalem as the central starting point for his book.
At the same time, Halevi's history is in many ways a much narrower one which overlooks the Palestinian viewpoint that Shavit tries to address empathetically. That is not necessarily a deficiency of Halevi's book, which is quite a different type of history. But Halevi's book lacks a certain breadth or sense of completeness, even within the more limited period that it covers.
Friday, December 27, 2013
My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel - Ari Shavit - Review
This book is not an academic history of Israel. Rather, it is a collection of historical moments and a discussion of selected socio-economic and cultural issues. It is woven together in a very personal way, through a compilation of interviews, family anecdotes, and some historical and philosophical musings. The writing is beautiful. At times, the book is captivating, and at other times, challenging and graphic. But overall, it offers a great deal of discussion points over the future of Israel, of Zionism and of Israeli-Arab and Israeli-Palestinian relations.
Shavit travels through time, selecting historical events that he views as essential landmarks in his conception of Israel's history. Along the way, he takes readers through, in great detail, stories of Zionist community building in pre-Israel Palestine, Israeli-Arab and Israeli-Palestinian violence, the 1967and 1973 wars, the development of Israel's nuclear program, the creation of the first post-1967 settlements in Judea and Samaria and numerous other events.
Shavit spends time discussing Israel and the project of Zionism with a wide range of people, in a manner that it is somewhat reminiscent of Amos Oz's great 1993 book, In The Land of Israel. Unlike Oz, most of Shavit's subjects are "movers and shakers" rather than everyday people who the writer might happen to come across. As Shavit describes it, he might be meeting up with some of these people in a high end Tel-Aviv condominium or on a yacht somewhere. Nevertheless, I found his treatment of most of these people to be quite fair, including those who he disagrees with wildly. He presents interviews of leaders of the settlement movement, Israeli business tycoons, an ultra-Orthodox political leader, former Israeli military heroes and former leaders of the Israeli left. He also visits with, for example, the owner of a hedonistic Tel-Aviv night club, the scientists involved in Israel's nuclear project and an Israeli-Arab judge, to name a few. Sure, any book like this is bound to be extremely selective. But that is the nature of this type of work. Overall, it is a reasonably wide collection.
One criticism that has been offered is that there are very few, if any, women interviewed or even mentioned throughout the work. Another is that perhaps the Palestinian representatives with whom he meets are presented too one-dimensionally. Some on the left oppose what they perceive to be Shavit's ultimately apologetic tone towards historical Israeli military excesses, particularly in the founding of the State and in the post 1967 years. Some on the right portray Shavit as naive and unacceptably harsh towards the settler movement and Israel's religious Zionists. There may be some validity to some of these concerns.
More substantively, in my view, the book does not really include a serious discussion of the secular-religious tensions and issues in Israeli society or the topic of religious pluralism. While there is a discussion of Aryeh Deri and the Shas party, which seems to be relatively sympathetic overall, Shavit does not delve into the religious underpinnings of Zionism, other than to dismiss religious Zionism as a post-1967 construct of the settlement movement. The reader is left with little sense of the basis for Shavit's Zionism, other than a form of post-Holocaust nationalism - or perhaps prophetic nascent pre-Holocaust Jewish nationalism as well (rooted as a response to pre-war European anti-Semitism). But Shavit offers no compelling reason why today's youth, about which he raises serious concerns, should adopt the old style Zionist outlook other than as an existential defence mechanism.
The book covers a great deal of ground. It looks at the experiences of many different Holocaust survivors and considers how that type of background shaped so much of Israeli society, as well as the manner in which Israel treated Holocaust survivors in Israel's early years. It looks at the tragedy that befell so many Palestinian families as the State of Israel was established, though Shavit tries to take a balanced approach to some of these historical events. It looks at some changes in Israeli political cultural, though there is very little discussion of the huge impact that Menachem Begin had in changing the Israeli political landscape. It looks at the growing Israeli-Arab population and the issues that Israeli faces in finding the appropriate way to treat a minority population in a Jewish democratic state.
Ultimately, Shavit raises questions that reflect a number of schisms that Israel faces internally and externally. These different challenges - Israeli/Palestinian, Ashkenazi/Oriental (as Shavit puts it), Ultra-Orthodox/Secular, Settlement movement/leftists, are all discussed through the lens of certain personalities and Shavit's own outlook. To spoil the conclusion, Shavit does not really offer a prescription. He presents these various urgent challenges and concludes by wondering whether Israel will succeed in overcoming them. There is some optimism but the challenges are daunting and the future is painted as cloudy, probably heading for a major storm.
Most of the discussions are rational and well argued and most of the conclusions make sense. But many questions remain and perhaps that is what makes the book such a worthwhile reading experience.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Major Israeli Storm December 2013
Israel is in the midst of a major storm. Jerusalem has accumulated more than 30 centimetres of snow since yesterday. That is a respectable amount even by Canadian standards. Unfortunately, Jerusalemites and, Israelis in general, are not nearly as well equipped to deal with snow as Canadians. Many Israelis took their families on car trips to Jerusalem to see the snow. En route, the snow was so heavy that traffic ground to a standstill and cars became stuck in the snow. Police and fire crews have indicated that they have rescued more than 1,500 people from stranded cars. 
Schools are closed in Jerusalem and many houses are not heated properly. There have been power failures across the city and many gas stations are closed, as well as all kinds of other businesses. Apparently, it's the largest snow storm Israel has had in more than 50 years. A stalwart few have continued to pray at the Kotel despite the weather conditions...Meanwhile, there has been snow in other parts of Israel including the Golan Heights. But most of the rest of the country has been dealing with a major rain and wind storm.
In Ra'anana, the temperatures have hovered around 6-8 degrees, while we have been dealing with a major thunderstorm and blowing winds. Last night and early this morning, there was sleet but so far, no snow.
After raining on and off for a few days, the rain has continued constantly since last night.
Even by Canadian standards, this would be a significant storm. But the major difference is that homes and businesses are simply not set up to deal with it. For example, we stopped at the supermarket this morning. There was no heating. People were dressed in sweaters, jackets and gloves. The cashiers were wearing gloves and hats. We asked the customer service manager - who told us that you can't heat a supermarket - it would affect too many of the items in the store, he said. Just after we paid, the store suffered a power failure and announced (though its emergency back up system) that it would only be accepting cash and no credit cards until the power returned.
Two nearby gas stations were closed due to the spreading power failure and some of the nearby intersections were running on flashing yellow lights.
The storm is expected to last another day or two. The good news is that once the storm is over, temperatures will probably rise fairly quickly and things will get back to normal for a country not used to dealing with these types of storms. The other good news is that Israel is always happy to accumulate as much rain water as possible, which will hopefully cause the Kinneret, Israel's only fresh water lake, to rise from its low levels.
It looks like we will be eating Shabbat dinner with sweaters - and maybe gloves....but keeping dry inside.
Shabbat Shalom.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Menachem Begin Heritage Center
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| Former Israeli P.M., Menachem Begin |
Former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin was a fascinating historical figure. His biography is filled with tremendous accomplishments. From his imprisonment in Europe for having been a Z|ionist to his leadership of the Irgun group in pre-Israel Palestine, Begin faced countless life and death challenges. After the establishment of the State of Israel, he served in the Knesset in the opposition for close to 30 years before becoming Prime Minister of Israel in 1977. He is best known throughout the world for signing a peace treaty with Egypt under the leadership of Anwar Sadat. He is also known for authorizing the Israeli destruction of Iraq's Osaka nuclear reactor in 1982. But the musem also deals, quite fairly, with Begin's unravelling, following the 1982 Israel-Lebanon War.
On entering the museum, guests are provided with headphones so that they can tour the museum in languages other than Hebrew. The Center tour is divided into sections of Begin's life. It includes videos, photographs, articles and other media forms. We made sure to phone in advance and book an English language tour (our guests were English speakers). We were put with a group of about 30 others for the 1 1/2 hour tour.
Throughout the first part of the presentation, I wondered if the museum would deal with some of the more controversial aspects of Begin's life. After all, hearing the story of Begin's early years, from his struggles in Europe to his immigration to Israel and his leadership of the Irgun group, one cannot help but be impressed by the history of a real Jewish hero.
This theme continued throughout the years of Begin's service in the opposition in the Knesset (Israel's parliament) and even through his first governmental mandate.
But the Center does not shy away from the 1982 Israel-Lebanon War, the Sabra-Shatilla Massacre by the Christian Phalangists and the subsequent inquiry into the Begin Government's role in permitting or failing to prevent that massacre. The Center, by tracing Begin's speeches and commentaries, also raises some very central questions about Begin's belief in the "territorial integrity" of the Land of Israel. Some of the commentaries suggest that Begin used the Egyptian Peace Treaty as a means of retaining control, for Israel, over Judea, Shomron (the "West Bank"), Gaza and the Golan Heights. You can't help but wonder whether an alternative arrangement, a broader peace deal, would have served Israel better - or whether such a deal would have even been possible at the time.
The fallout over the Israel-Lebanon war, the large number of Israeli soldiers killed in the war, the failure of the army to accomplish its war aims and the controversy over events in Lebanon all led to the demise of the Begin government and to Begin's retreat from public life into a state of recluse.
Like with many other Jewish historical figures, including our Biblical ancestors, we are reminded that human beings, even great ones, often make mistakes.
We all enjoyed the tour of this museum and left with plenty of material for discussion - and maybe even heated argument...
Fortunately, following the tour, we weren't too far from downtown Jerusalem, so we were able to stop off at one of our favourite Shawarma places, Moshiko, before heading back to Ra'anana.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Beit Aaronsohn and Zichron Ya'akov
The museum tour includes a short movie about the history of the Aaronsohn family and then a guided tour through the family home and adjoining buildings. It was a a moving and worthwhile experience for all of us.
After touring the museum, we took a short walk through the streets of picturesque Zichron.
We then took a short drive over to the Tishbi Winery. Tishbi has an inviting visitors' centre with an adjoining restaurant, a wine tasting area and a huge selection of chocolate for tasting or for purchase. The chocolate is Valrhona chocolate, imported from France. It is quite pricey though Tishbi has a huge selection of many different types made from cocoa beans from all over the world.
The wine itself - well...from what we tasted - it is nothing fantastic. The medium level wines - the "Estate" series were potable - but certainly not exceptional. The next level up were the "Reserve" series - at 95 N.I.S. per bottle - or about $28 Cdn. While all of these wines are Kosher but generally not Mevushal, we were not particularly impressed by what we tasted. However, the winery also sells wine from the keg - "fill your own style." We bought a 2 Litre glass jar and filled with some of the 2012 Cabernet-Shiraz that was available. We couldn't resist at the bargain price of 16 N.I.S. per litre (roughly $4.70) for drinkable wine and a nice souvenir bottle. The wine was certainly not nearly as bad as some of the stuff that I have tasted from Ontario wineries - but it was certainly not Napa Valley Cabernet...Nevertheless, since we were there and it was so cheap, it seemed worthwhile to grab a jug of it.
On our drive back to Ra'anana - which is about an hour away from Tishbi, we passed by one more winery - Binyamina - which I have written about previously.
While I can't say that the Tishbi winery was a huge hit, we did pick up some very tasty chocolate and some of the novelty jars of wine jelly that Tishbi also sells - to go with the 2 litres of plonk. But Zichron Ya'akov was certainly worthwhile. So overall, it was a fun and interesting day.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Israel's "Mizrahi Music" - Some Selected Clips
Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has enjoyed a wide range of Hebrew music. Many Israeli musicians have become quite popular and some have even wound up touring in North America and other places around the world.
Over the years, the musical genres have varied widely. Israel has had it share of crooners (like Yehoram Gaon), folk musicians (Chava Alberstein), contemporary pop/rock artists (Shlomo Artzi/ Rami Kleinstein), hard rock (Benzine, Shalom Hanoch) and many others, including, of course, religious music. I am not about to trace the musical history of Israel, which certainly could not be done in a short blog.
But while many non-Israelis have heard of some of the better known mainstream Israeli artists - Chava Alberstein, David Broza and the late Ofra Haza, to name a few, most non-Israelis have little exposure to the majority of popular Israeli music. There are many great Israeli musicians and it is much easier today to access the music in an internet age.
But I thought I would open a bit of a window into a genre of music that is among the most popular in Israel today - at least among certain segments of society - "Mizrahi music" or "Oriental music" as it is sometimes translated into English. This music is heavily influenced by Arab culture and sometimes the music of Greece and other surrounding Mediterranean countries. Mizrahi music is ubiquitous at Israeli weddings, on radio stations and at many different types of large public gatherings. One well known Israeli Mizrahi artist, who happens to come from Kiryat Eqron, is Dudu Aharon who has been named Israel's "Artist of the Year" on a number of occasions.
A fascinating recent phenomenon is the growing popularity of a group called "פרויקט של רביבו" ("Ravivo's Project"). This group has released a number of disks and videos seeking to revive popular 70s and early 80s Yemenite music that was often sung at group gatherings and was based on traditional Yemenite melodies. The emphasis, as illustrated by the words, the music and the facial expressions of the band members, is on having a great time. The group has recorded a number of videos, filmed in group settings, with a variety of people chewing Qat drinking beer and whiskey, smoking Hookahs and smiling - while singing medleys of Mizrahi music. This first video by the Project really captures the spirit of Mizrahi music. If you haven't really been exposed to it - try it out - at least for the experience... (If you like it, I will try to get you invited to a Yemenite Hina - where you can hear a whole night's worth and maybe even chew some Qat - or you can find out where this group is playing next time you are in Israel...). To give you an idea of the popularity of this video, as of the time of the writing of this blog, it had been watched more than seven million times...
While the music may be sung in Hebrew, it is certainly not "religious" music. In fact, one of the common slights of Mizrahi music is that the lyrics are often repetitive, simplistic and even base. Unlike some of the other Mizrahi artists, Ravivo's Project has put together medleys of different traditional Yemenite songs, with traditional lyrics. This is part of an effort to "revive" some older, once popular music. The lyrics are not as "common" as some of the more contemporary Mizrahi artists, whose lyrics often have nothing to do with traditional Mizrahi music.
At the same time, the group has paid homage to some of the religious roots of Yemenite music. In this next video, the group leader Raviv, explains that the group was asked by many people to put together a medley of Shabbat (Sabbath) songs. So here it is - a medley of traditional Shabbat songs - sung to Yemenite melodies. Some of the songs that make up this medley -like "L'cha Dodi" might be more recognizable - even if the tunes are not. The last song of the medley (starting about the 7' mark) is the very well known ("כי אשמר השבת...) ("Because I observe the Sabbath, G-d will watch over me..."). This video has been watched well over two million times as of the time of writing of this blog.
Since I mentioned Dudu Aharon - I should probably also add a link to one of his most popular songs - "Tagidu la" ("Tell her that there is a guy who is asking to be the closest one to her...."). These are not traditional Yemenite lyrics - and the music, while somewhat influenced by Mizrahi elements, is not really viewed as pure Mizrahi music. But it is enormously popular in Israel, especially at weddings and parties. Dudu was recently featured as the star on a year long reality program - Israel's version of "The Bachelor."
Finally, I had to add at least one video of Israel's true king of Mizrahi music. Eyal Golan, has been popular in Israel for quite a number of years. But this next song has been astronomically well received. It is now sung at weddings, at the Kotel on selichot nights by groups of people walking to and from the Kotel between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - and at parties, clubs and all types of other occasions. I have seen synagogues using it during hakafot on Simchat Torah (which shows how incredibly popular it has become in just a few years since its release). The song "Mi she'maa'min lo mifached" - whoever believes, is not afraid, of losing faith, because we have G-d, the king of the world, to take care of us...") - is performed live here:
It is certainly a good thing that Eyal Golan professes such deep faith, since he is mired in a number of different scandals and has been forced to respond publicly to a variety of different allegations, none of which have been proven in court, and which I am not about to discuss in any detail.
I have no plans to turn this into a musical blog...but the idea for this type of entry came to me as I attended a Mizrahi wedding on Wednesday night - and listened to this genre the whole evening. I thought that it might be worthwhile sharing some of it with people who might not have had exposure.
If you already have a large collection of it, well - I guess you can skip over this post quickly. But if you have never listened to it - you might find it interesting to hear a type of music that you may not have heard before.
I have no comment on whether chewing Qat will make this music more enjoyable. This might be difficult in North America, where I believe it is a restricted or banned substance, even though it is generally not considered to be a narcotic. Is is much easier to find in Israel and very common in Yemen and Sudan.
I can say that some nice single malt scotch would probably help, though I suspect that is not what the Ravivo Project guys are drinking in the video. As for the Hookahs - and what they might be smoking in them - well - at this point, I will probably defer to a Toronto expert - the current Mayor Rob Ford - who seems to have quite a good handle on what to smoke at a party (or in a car, at City Hall, or just about anywhere else...).
For now, one way or another - enjoy the music....
Over the years, the musical genres have varied widely. Israel has had it share of crooners (like Yehoram Gaon), folk musicians (Chava Alberstein), contemporary pop/rock artists (Shlomo Artzi/ Rami Kleinstein), hard rock (Benzine, Shalom Hanoch) and many others, including, of course, religious music. I am not about to trace the musical history of Israel, which certainly could not be done in a short blog.
But while many non-Israelis have heard of some of the better known mainstream Israeli artists - Chava Alberstein, David Broza and the late Ofra Haza, to name a few, most non-Israelis have little exposure to the majority of popular Israeli music. There are many great Israeli musicians and it is much easier today to access the music in an internet age.
But I thought I would open a bit of a window into a genre of music that is among the most popular in Israel today - at least among certain segments of society - "Mizrahi music" or "Oriental music" as it is sometimes translated into English. This music is heavily influenced by Arab culture and sometimes the music of Greece and other surrounding Mediterranean countries. Mizrahi music is ubiquitous at Israeli weddings, on radio stations and at many different types of large public gatherings. One well known Israeli Mizrahi artist, who happens to come from Kiryat Eqron, is Dudu Aharon who has been named Israel's "Artist of the Year" on a number of occasions.
A fascinating recent phenomenon is the growing popularity of a group called "פרויקט של רביבו" ("Ravivo's Project"). This group has released a number of disks and videos seeking to revive popular 70s and early 80s Yemenite music that was often sung at group gatherings and was based on traditional Yemenite melodies. The emphasis, as illustrated by the words, the music and the facial expressions of the band members, is on having a great time. The group has recorded a number of videos, filmed in group settings, with a variety of people chewing Qat drinking beer and whiskey, smoking Hookahs and smiling - while singing medleys of Mizrahi music. This first video by the Project really captures the spirit of Mizrahi music. If you haven't really been exposed to it - try it out - at least for the experience... (If you like it, I will try to get you invited to a Yemenite Hina - where you can hear a whole night's worth and maybe even chew some Qat - or you can find out where this group is playing next time you are in Israel...). To give you an idea of the popularity of this video, as of the time of the writing of this blog, it had been watched more than seven million times...
While the music may be sung in Hebrew, it is certainly not "religious" music. In fact, one of the common slights of Mizrahi music is that the lyrics are often repetitive, simplistic and even base. Unlike some of the other Mizrahi artists, Ravivo's Project has put together medleys of different traditional Yemenite songs, with traditional lyrics. This is part of an effort to "revive" some older, once popular music. The lyrics are not as "common" as some of the more contemporary Mizrahi artists, whose lyrics often have nothing to do with traditional Mizrahi music.
At the same time, the group has paid homage to some of the religious roots of Yemenite music. In this next video, the group leader Raviv, explains that the group was asked by many people to put together a medley of Shabbat (Sabbath) songs. So here it is - a medley of traditional Shabbat songs - sung to Yemenite melodies. Some of the songs that make up this medley -like "L'cha Dodi" might be more recognizable - even if the tunes are not. The last song of the medley (starting about the 7' mark) is the very well known ("כי אשמר השבת...) ("Because I observe the Sabbath, G-d will watch over me..."). This video has been watched well over two million times as of the time of writing of this blog.
Since I mentioned Dudu Aharon - I should probably also add a link to one of his most popular songs - "Tagidu la" ("Tell her that there is a guy who is asking to be the closest one to her...."). These are not traditional Yemenite lyrics - and the music, while somewhat influenced by Mizrahi elements, is not really viewed as pure Mizrahi music. But it is enormously popular in Israel, especially at weddings and parties. Dudu was recently featured as the star on a year long reality program - Israel's version of "The Bachelor."
Finally, I had to add at least one video of Israel's true king of Mizrahi music. Eyal Golan, has been popular in Israel for quite a number of years. But this next song has been astronomically well received. It is now sung at weddings, at the Kotel on selichot nights by groups of people walking to and from the Kotel between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - and at parties, clubs and all types of other occasions. I have seen synagogues using it during hakafot on Simchat Torah (which shows how incredibly popular it has become in just a few years since its release). The song "Mi she'maa'min lo mifached" - whoever believes, is not afraid, of losing faith, because we have G-d, the king of the world, to take care of us...") - is performed live here:
It is certainly a good thing that Eyal Golan professes such deep faith, since he is mired in a number of different scandals and has been forced to respond publicly to a variety of different allegations, none of which have been proven in court, and which I am not about to discuss in any detail.
I have no plans to turn this into a musical blog...but the idea for this type of entry came to me as I attended a Mizrahi wedding on Wednesday night - and listened to this genre the whole evening. I thought that it might be worthwhile sharing some of it with people who might not have had exposure.
If you already have a large collection of it, well - I guess you can skip over this post quickly. But if you have never listened to it - you might find it interesting to hear a type of music that you may not have heard before.
I have no comment on whether chewing Qat will make this music more enjoyable. This might be difficult in North America, where I believe it is a restricted or banned substance, even though it is generally not considered to be a narcotic. Is is much easier to find in Israel and very common in Yemen and Sudan.
I can say that some nice single malt scotch would probably help, though I suspect that is not what the Ravivo Project guys are drinking in the video. As for the Hookahs - and what they might be smoking in them - well - at this point, I will probably defer to a Toronto expert - the current Mayor Rob Ford - who seems to have quite a good handle on what to smoke at a party (or in a car, at City Hall, or just about anywhere else...).
For now, one way or another - enjoy the music....
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Induction Day to the IDF...
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| וילכו שתיהן יחדיו... |
The IDF is one of the more organized institutions in Israel, out of necessity, since Israel faces so many different types of threats. High school students are tested, interviewed and screened for a whole range of positions. Some of the more coveted positions can involve multiple interviews, physical and academic testing and even role-playing exercises. Ultimately, many conscripts have a significant say in the type of service that they would like to peform. Many recruits will learn a range of valuable and highly marketable skills during their service, some in sophisticated scientific, technical or computer related areas. Many also develop a range of important leadership skills, especially those who become officers.
Many Israelis take a year off to travel after comleting their military duty and then look at options for entering university, college or looking at other career opportunities. But this is all down the road...
On induction day (יומ הגיוס), the conscripts are asked to show up at one of the IDF conscription centres. The hundreds of 18 year olds entering the army are accompanied by family and friends to one of these large IDF bases. Names are called out and the conscripts are asked to board a bus which will take them to the actual induction facility. The newly inducted soldiers will then proceed to some type of "basic training," which can vary in length depending on the unit in which they will ultimately be serving. Typically, basic training may last anyone from one to three months. After basic training, the soldiers are dispersed to their assigned bases.It is certainly difficult to see your 18 year old child entering the army. But, sadly, it is a reality of life in Israel that the country requires a strong, capable and ready military, that is based on civilian involvement. That is the price of living in the only Jewish country in the world - and being able to spend most of the time in relative peace, even while surrounded by hostile neighbours. It is these young conscripts. along with Israel's full-time military personnel, who contribute so much to making that possible.
Israelis are hoping for the day when such a strong and active military will not be required. But that day seems like a long way off now. For now, we are forced to wish our kids an "easy induction" - a "גיוס קל" which is an all too common Israeli greeting.We hope that our daughter's service will be rewarding and successful for her. We also hope that over the course of her service, Israel and its neighbours will come that much closer to a more peaceful coexistence. While there are few signs that this is likely, it would simply be too depressing to give up all hope.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
A Stay at Ichilov Hospital in Tel-Aviv
We recently had the unfortunate opportunity of having to get to know the Israeli medical system much closer than we might have liked. I don't say "unfortunate" with any negativity towards the system - we had no complaints about the care that was provided - simply that we would have, of course, preferred not to have faced this type of occurrence.
I'm not going to write about the details of the medical situation that our family member faced. But I thought I would provide a few points that you might find interesting.
We spent 8 days getting to know the workings of the Ichilov Hospital in Tel-Aviv - at the Dana Children's Hospital. Ichilov is Israel's 3rd largest hospital complex. It incorporates three hospitals with a total area of more than 150,000 square metres. It also houses a bomb-proof emergency facility, that can supposedly withstand convenential, chemical or biological attacks. Fortunately, the hospital was not put to a test of these features while we were there.
Certainly, from our experience on this occasion, the care was top notch. The physicians were knowledgeable and experienced and made use of current technology to provide efficient and professional care. The nurses and attendants were attentive and diligent. We are thankful for this.
I found it interesting that the hospital complex includes a full shopping mall that is connected to the hospital - and located on hospital grounds. It is also connected to a large outdoor complex. This means that patients who are able to do so can leave their rooms and take a stroll through (or be pushed on a wheelchair through) the connected mall or the other grounds. The mall includes an Aroma Coffee Bar, among other places. So you see a number of patients, in their hospital gowns, sitting in the Aroma (inside or outside, depending on the weather) with their visitors or wandering around in other parts of the mall. While many patients would obviously not be well enough to take advantage of this, for others, this can be quite the breath of fresh air.
A drawback for visitors (and immediate family members of patients) is that the hospital is located right in the middle of Tel-Aviv. The hospital therefore charges full downtown Tel-Aviv parking rates, which can get up to the full $30 daily maximum in no time at all. Although we live in Ra'anana, we decided to go to Ichilov Hospital in Tel-Aviv, rather than the nearest hospital - which is Meir Hospital in K'far Saba. This was based on recommendations from first line physicians and others who were reluctant to recommend Meir.
Our family member was required to stay over a Friday night. So we had to decide what to do for a Friday night dinner. Fortunately, two families of close friends insisted on preparing a full Friday night meal for us. They thought of everything - from the grape juice and wine to the Challah, soup, chicken and dessert. So we took the meal and went to the deserted food court in the mall that adjoins the hospital. We sat around some food court tables with our ready-to-eat Friday night dinner - and made Kiddush and enjoyed our meal. It was a strange experience - eating in an empty mall on a Friday night -but we lucky to have such wonderful and considerate friends.
Things are almost back to normal and everything seems to have gone well. It is certainly comforting to know that there is very high level medical care near by and that we can count on such supportive and helpful friends and family members.
I'm not going to write about the details of the medical situation that our family member faced. But I thought I would provide a few points that you might find interesting.
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| Ichilov Hospital - Dana Children's Center |
Certainly, from our experience on this occasion, the care was top notch. The physicians were knowledgeable and experienced and made use of current technology to provide efficient and professional care. The nurses and attendants were attentive and diligent. We are thankful for this.
I found it interesting that the hospital complex includes a full shopping mall that is connected to the hospital - and located on hospital grounds. It is also connected to a large outdoor complex. This means that patients who are able to do so can leave their rooms and take a stroll through (or be pushed on a wheelchair through) the connected mall or the other grounds. The mall includes an Aroma Coffee Bar, among other places. So you see a number of patients, in their hospital gowns, sitting in the Aroma (inside or outside, depending on the weather) with their visitors or wandering around in other parts of the mall. While many patients would obviously not be well enough to take advantage of this, for others, this can be quite the breath of fresh air.
 |
| Ichilov Hospital Complex |
Our family member was required to stay over a Friday night. So we had to decide what to do for a Friday night dinner. Fortunately, two families of close friends insisted on preparing a full Friday night meal for us. They thought of everything - from the grape juice and wine to the Challah, soup, chicken and dessert. So we took the meal and went to the deserted food court in the mall that adjoins the hospital. We sat around some food court tables with our ready-to-eat Friday night dinner - and made Kiddush and enjoyed our meal. It was a strange experience - eating in an empty mall on a Friday night -but we lucky to have such wonderful and considerate friends.
Things are almost back to normal and everything seems to have gone well. It is certainly comforting to know that there is very high level medical care near by and that we can count on such supportive and helpful friends and family members.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
A Trip to Mahane Yehuda in Jerusalem
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| Mahane Yehuda |
Visiting on a Tuesday, it seemed that it was quite a bit quieter than it might be on some other days. The market was still hopping, filled with sounds of marchants calling out their daily produce specials and crammed with shoppers making their way through the winding stalls. But it wasn't quite "wall to wall" as it has been on other occasions.
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| Mahane Yehuda Jerusalem - Pomellas |
As we were walking through the market yesterday, we coudn't help but notice that it was Pomella season. Many of the vendors were featuring huge juicy green pomellas. There were also many different types of apples, some remaining figs, some oranges and a variety of vegetables.
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| Mahane Yehuda Pineapples |
We then decided we would visit Itchikidana, the well known, Kosher vegetarian Indian restaurant in the Machane Yehuda area. Unfortunately, as a news article last year had suggested, the restaurant wound up in a battle with the Kashrut authorities over the certification of the various vegetables that it was using in its recipes and wound up closing. This was a real shame. I had never actually eaten there, though I had heard much about it and I was anxious to try the food. The opportunities to get Kosher Indian food in Israel are quite limited.
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| Ichikidana - Last Look... |
Later it was time to drive back to Ra'anana. But it was close to rush hour and we knew traffic would be horrendous. So we flipped on Waze, an Israeli invented traffic program that combines maps, GPS and up to date traffic monitoring based on peer usage. It took us on a winding path, through a number of different side streets - and then to Hwy 431 instead of exiting Jerusalem through the main route - highway #1. We bypassed much of the traffic and managed to make it back to Ra'anana in about the same amount of time as it had taken us earlier, despite the much heavier traffic conditions.
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