Sunday, July 14, 2013

El Al Review

El Al is Israel's national airline.  It's motto for the past few years in Hebrew has been "הכי בבית בעולם" which translates, approximately to "the most at-home-in the world."  It is a great slogan that evokes a certain feeling of  loyalty, family and nostalgia, which resonates with many Israelis.  Certainly El Al creates the feeling of entering Israel as soon as you reach the check-in counter from wherever in the world you might be flying.

For the Toronto-Tel-Aviv route, El Al and Air Canada are the only two airlines that fly direct, non-stop.  So for those looking for the most direct, easiest way to get to Israel from Toronto, there are only two choices.  With respect to pricing, El Al is competitive and can often be significantly cheaper than Air Canada.  It also seems to me that there are still more "deals" to be had with El Al by negotiating with agents and other non-web ticket sellers.  With Air Canada, agents will often sell the tickets at a higher price than the price available on various web sites.

El Al is a member of the One World alliance which includes American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and WestJet to name a few.  El Al's own mileage program is called the Matmid program.  It allows you to collect points for flights and save up for bonus flights, upgrades and other benefits.  I am not going to get into the details of it but, overall, it is geared towards Israelis who are travelling frequently to a variety of destinations.  For a North American or someone travelling back and forth between Israel and North America, the benefits are not at all comparable to something like the Aeroplan program (now renamed Altitude) or the programs of many other airlines.  Some people might prefer to join the British Airways or American Airlines program and collect the points for an El Al flight through one of those other programs.

I have flown El Al quite a number of times over the past 30 years and it is fair to say that it has improved greatly.  One of the improvements is the check-in process.  There is available web check-in, which is highly recommended, especially when-leaving Israel.  This can save quite a bit of time.  The in-flight service has also improved significantly. The flight attendants are now generally polite, friendly and helpful.

However, some aspects of El Al service have remained quite outdated and are in great need of an update.  On the Toronto-Tel-Aviv route, there are no personal entertainment systems.  There are a few main screens for all the passengers.  There are a limited number of personal entertainment devices that can be rented but these are in short supply.  Whether using one of these devices or relying on the main screen the entertainment selection is fairly limited.  For the audio selection, there are about 10 different channels, of which two are reserved for the main screen.  You can catch up on some of the latest Israeli pop music on one of the stations, some Israeli "mizrahi" music (Mediterranean influenced music) on another channel or you can listen to a religious channel.  This is a unique aspect of flying El Al since none of the other airlines offer Hebrew entertainment on their routes to Israel. 

The El Al audio can be interesting for an hour or two, but overall, the best advice when flying El Al is to bring your own entertainment - books, audio devices, tablets or whatever else you might need.  This is a long flight - almost 11 hours on the way to Israel and sometimes, close to 13 hours on the way back to Toronto.   The lack of a reasonable entertainment system contrasts greatly with airlines like Air Canada, United, Lufthansa and others that can feature hundreds of movies and audio selections.

The food on El Al is all Kosher, so it is nice not to have to order a special meal on a flight.  But even though it may be Kosher, that does not mean it is tasty...On a recent flight from Tel-Aviv to Toronto the first meal was a choice of three options - beef, chicken or fried fish.  I went with the chicken and it was extremely dry and for the most part inedible.  The second meal on the flight (a flight of more than 12 hours) was a choice of an omelet or a salad...I took the omelet and it was quite brutal.  I guess I`ll try different options the next time and maybe I`ll have better luck.

Passengers on El-Al feel free to wander around the plane and chat with their fellow passengers.  There are often many groups travelling and there are many Israelis on the flights so there is a certain homey feeling to an El Al flight.  It also might be the only plane with a regular minyan (Jewish prayer quorum) at the back of the plane.  Many of the rules that some of the other airlines might try to follow - including orderly embarkment and disembarkment from the plane are dispensed with on El Al to help create that Israeli cultural milieu - or simply as a result of it.  

On the plus side, El Al has a second-to-none track record in areas of safety and security.  Flying El Al is, in some respects, reassuring, knowing that every possible step is being taken to ensure the safety of the passengers.  This is apparently very costly for the airline and helps explain why El Al has had to cut corners on other aspects of its operations.

For those who are flying regularly between Tel-Aviv and Toronto, it would be hard to justify flying El Al over Air Canada in light of the many benefits of the Aeroplan Altitude program, if the price is remotely similar.  But for people flying less frequently and looking for a direct flight at a reasonable price, El Al can often be significantly cheaper than Air Canada and that alone may make an El Al flight worthwhile.

I hope that in the coming years El Al will look at some of these issues and try to address them.  Maybe it could offer worldwide wi-fi access at a reasonable price.  If passengers pay to use it, it may not be such a huge cost for the airline.  This is something that some other airlines have been discussing though I am not sure that it is currently being offered by anyone other than Lufthansa.  This would help offset the deficiencies of El Al's current entertainment system.  Or perhaps it could revamp its Matmid program entirely and make it more like the programs offered by some of the world`s better airlines.  Ideally, of course, it would completely revamp its in-flight entertainment system and give each passenger a personal screen and an electricity outlet.  However, it is probably too much to expect wholesale changes to the interior of the planes, due to the costs involved.  But El Al should be able to find some ways to move its passenger experience from the 1980s to the present day, especially since the flights are so long.


Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Out of the Depths: Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau - a Review

On my lengthy flight back to Toronto, I had the chance to read Out of the Depths, as it is named in its English version, the memoirs of Israel's former chief rabbi, Israel Meir Lau.  Rabbi Lau's life story includes his harrowing, heart wrenching and, at times, miraculous survival from the Buchenwald concentration camp and his liberation from that camp at the age of 8 years old.  Rabbi Lau recounts stories of the murder of his family members and the way in which his heroic brother saved his life and watched over him until the Nazis were finally defeated.  He managed to survive Buchenwald as one of its youngest survivors.  This section of the book is compelling and challenging, like many of the stories of other Holocaust survivors. 

The book then shifts over to Rabbi Lau's  yeshiva upbringing and his encounters with many of Israel's great rabbis as he grew up in the nascent State of Israel during a time in which the newly established country was struggling for its existence.  He provides various glimpses into the world of yeshiva learning and the mindset of many of the yeshiva students and teachers.  As the book wends its way through Rabbi Lau's ascent to the highest rabbinic position in Israel, it covers a number of different talmudic commentaries, midrash stories and siddur quotes that are interwoven into the Rabbi's life story, just as his historical background is woven into the very fabric of his everyday life.  Along the way, Rabbi Lau discusses the influence of and interaction he had with many different rabbis, ranging from his own teachers and mentors to other world-famous rabbis including the Rebbe of Gur and the Lubavitch Rebbe. 

The later parts of the book begin to discuss various encounters that Rabbi Lau had with Israeli and world leaders including Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Elie Wiesel, Pope John Paul II, Fidel Castro, King Hussein, Karim Abdul-Jabbar and others. Some of the meetings and dicussions that are recounted are fascinating though this part of the book has less of flow to it and is somewhat disjointed.

The book generates some very difficult questions, theological, historical and existential, which continue to bubble after one finishes the book.  How does someone grapple with the theological questions posed by the Holocaust and the murder of six million of our people?  What motivated Rabbi Lau to maintain his belief system and commit himself to a life of "God-fearing" observance and practice after living through the horror of the Nazi period and seeing so many people, so many good people, murdered?  His parents, uncles, aunts and so many other family members were all destroyed along with the Jewish community in Piotrkow, Poland.

One part of the answer that emerges is Rabbi Lau's desire the fulfill his mission and continue an unbroken historical chain.  As the 38th generation of a chain of rabbis going back to year 1000 C.E., Rabbi Lau sees himself as destined to play a role in Jewish continuity.  His father urged his older brother to do all that he could to protect him and Rabbi Lau's brother, Naphtali, followed his father's wishes in awe-inspiring fashion. Rabbi Lau's miraculous survival must have been providently ordained, the book seems to suggest.

Another answer that emerges, the justification of many observant Jews, is the steadfast commitment to continue Jewish observance, custom and heritage in the face of such a large scale destruction of the Jewish community.  In other words, the refusal to grant the Nazis a posthumous victory by allowing the observant Jewish community to vanish.

But I have to confess that I was left with more questions than answers in reconciling some of these aspects of Rabbi Lau's book and his story.  As Rabbi Lau arrived in Israel, as a young boy, the other immigrants to Israel, all around him were caught in an existential struggle.  They served in Israel's armed forces, built Israel's infrastructure and developed so much of the basis for Israel's economy and other systems that were so crucial at this time period.  It is unclear what involvement he had with this whole struggle that Israel faced (and continues to face) though Rabbi Lau does include stories of pastoral visits to soldiers during times of war.  Rabbi Lau recounts some of his special victories during this time period, including his successful fight to prevent public transportation in certain areas of Haifa on Shabbat (the Sabbath) and to ban the importation of non-kosher meat to Israel.  Later in the book, he cites his success in consolidating some of the powers of the Israeli chief rabbinate and centralizing much of its authority.  Throughout the book, he makes it clear that he was always a staunch Zionist and that he would not leave Israel to accept a posting in another country, even temporarily.  

While shaping and developing the Israeli chief rabbinate and working to further the development of yeshivas and orthodox Judaism throughout Israel are certainly a laudable legacy,  they do bring to the fore one of the central political issues that the Israeli government is wrestling with today.  The world Rabbi Lau describes of 24-6 yeshiva study and stringent observance of halacha is devoid of any discussion of how any of the people Rabbi Lau enountered earned a living or contributed to the material side of Israeli society, other than through teaching Torah.  As this army of yeshiva-educated students swelled in Israel, the state became increasingly challenged by the question of how to ensure that these students could provide for themselves and contribute to Israeli society with their total lack of exposure to non-religious educational pursuits.  This question emerged in Israel's most recent election as one of the more pressing questions that Israel faces.

Another issue that I should point out (given the content and types of articles that I have regularly included here) is Rabbi Lau's attitude towards women.  Of course, there is little written about this topic in this work but that in itself speaks volumes.  Very few women are mentioned in this book and even fewer are discussed in any detail.  Certainly Rabbi Lau's mother played an enormous role in his life and made decisions that likely saved his life.  But Rabbi Lau seems much more dedicated to preserving the rabbinical legacy of his father, whose works are mentioned and discussed repeatedly throughout the book.  Later, Rabbi Lau's journey to find a spouse seems much more of an effort to find the appropriate rabbinical family with whom he could build an alliance rather than any focus on the character, personality or qualities of his future wife.  Indeed, Rabbi Lau's father-in-law, Rabbi Yitzhak Yedidya Frankel, seems to play the role of the father figure that Rabbi Lau lost so early on in his life.  There is far more discussion of Rabbi Frankel and the role he played in Rabbi Lau's life than of Rabbi Lau's wife or any role she may have played.

In a sense, it is difficult to criticize Rabbi Lau for this since this is the lifestyle, culture and tradition in the very observant Orthodox community.  But in Israel, a society in which so many women (including many observant women) were playing active roles as politicians, professionals, activists and army personnel in other communities, Rabbi Lau's world, viewed through the lens of his book, seems to be one in which the only role women play is the role of arranged spouse and mother.  While I do not doubt the contribution so many of these women have made to Jewish continuity and to their families, I could not help but consider whether this model of society, if had been dominant, would have even permitted Israel to become established, let alone to flourish.  Is a pre-medieval social structure really a viable and  appropriate way to structure a 21st century society?  Even with Rabbi Lau's great success in becoming Israel's chief rabbi, I was left with many difficult questions after reading this memoir of his life. 

Rabbi Lau's life is an incredible story of the unlikely journey from Holocaust survivor to Chief Rabbi.  This book provides great insights into the world of yeshiva learning in Israel and the world views of Israel's very observant and ultra-orthodox communities.  It also leaves the reader with a great number of thought provoking questions and challenges, many of which are probably unanswerable.

 


Thursday, July 4, 2013

Punctured Tire? Moshe Lis Tire Repair at Tzomet Ra'anana

We realized that we had a punctured tire this morning though the tire was only partially deflated.  Of course this ruined our mid-day plans.  But more importantly, we started worrying about the potential costs of replacing the tire or getting it repaired.  This was not the first time this has happened to us so we had a rapair shop in mind.

We drove over to Moshe Lis tires, located at the southeast corner of Tsommet Ra'anana (the Ra'anana-K'far Saba junction (09)7431395).  We were met quite promptly by one of the staff.  With a quick glance at the tire, he let us know that we had a nail in the tire and that he could fix it in no time.

He pulled the tire off, pulled out the nail, fixed the tire and filled the air in all four tires - in less than 10 minutes, which included, of course, a mandatory water immersion diagnostic test to ensure that the tire had been properly repaired.

The bill?  45 N.I.S. or about $12.50 including the tax.  I'm not sure I could have even bought a coffee at a Toronto area tire repair shop while waiting to have a tire repaired - at that price.  The service was quick, efficient and, most importantly, accurate.   This was really, probably, the least painful car repair I can remember going through in many years.

I am told by a very close personal source (who has used Moshe Lis several times) that they will come within 10 minutes to just about any location in the Hasharon region of Israel and fix a tire at the same price.

I have no relationship with these folks - other than as an arm's length customer - but I have to say I was quite impressed with the service, the process and the value.  In fact, we even felt that we had to provide a tip to the guy who did all the work.  I'm not totally sure whether this was appropriate or not but he didn't seem to mind.

Unfortunately, if you are stuck with a flat tire elsewhere in the country, the general expectation is that you will change the tire and get it repaired yourself, even if you are driving a vehicle that you have rented from one of Israel's major rental companies.  If you are here as a tourist, you certainly would not expect to dail a 1-800 number and have a CAA equivalent show up within 15 minutes.

But that is all a digression for visitors.  Moshe Lis is really for those who live in or are staying in the Ra'anana-Herzliah-Hod Hasharon area and find themselves needing a quick tire repair.  Based on the few times that we have used their services, it is difficult to see how another shop would do a better job.



Sunday, June 23, 2013

Ice Skating at "Ice Peaks" in Holon, Israel

Ice Peaks, Holon Israel
It was a reasonably hot day today in Israel - high 80s F (about 31-32 C) - typical of summer weather.  What can you do to cool off?  Most Israelis (if they are not at work) might head to the beach, a water park, or just stay put in an air conditioned place.  For Canadian-Israelis - the best way to cool off is to head over to the...ice rink.

Up until recently, that would have involved a trip up to Metullah - which is about 185 km from Ra'anana.  With traffic, that can be a drive of between 2 hours (in late night, clear driving conditions) or as many as 3 1/2 hours in less optimum conditions.

But recently, a new ice arena opened in Holon, which is central Israel.  The rink is called Ice Peaks.  It is located right off of Highway 4 at the entrance to Holon.  While it is not an Olympic-sized ice rink (far from it), it is nevertheless a sheet of real ice, which is scarce in Israel.  Whether as a result of short-sightedness, budgetary constraints or other reasons, the builders of this ice palace (the literal translation of its Hebrew name) failed to make the arena hockey friendly.  It is not equipped with proper dressing rooms and it is only large enough to accommodate 4-on-4 ice hockey.  Nevertheless, it is only the third real sheet of ice in Israel (aside from Metullah, there is also a rink in Eilat, of all places - which is at least four hours away from central Israel).

Skaters at ice Peaks in Holon
We dropped in this afternoon for some free skating.  The rink charges 55 N.I.S. per person (about $15) for an hour's worth of skating.  There is a sliding rate for a longer time period.  The price includes "skate" (ski-boot style) rental though there is no discounted rate if you show up with your own skates.  Not many Israelis have skates, so that is not surprising.

The rink has a snack kiosk - not kosher - which sells a range of food items from nachos and cheese, hot dogs and melted cheese bagels ("toastim") to middle eastern specialties - Malawach and Jichnun (Yemenite delicacies).  I'm not sure there are too many other places in the world where you can ice skate and then eat Malawach...The snack bar also sells some fairly decent Illy coffee - espresso and other espresso based drinks.  There is some further information about the arena here.  The rink is open 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday to Thursday.  It is also stated as being open 9 a.m. to midnight on "Fridays, Saturdays, holidays and vacations."  I'm not sure whether that includes holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur so you may want to check in advance if you intend to turn your Days of Awe into days of awesome skating moves.

We skated around for about an hour.  Of course no one was wearing any kind of head protection...well... maybe we saw one or two bicycle helmets.  Most people were in shorts and t-shirts though some were wearing sweaters and gloves.  For many people at the arena, this was their first time.  So there were people holding on to the boards all around the rink.  There were also some very good figure skaters skating around the arena - some performing spins and twirls as if no one else were on the ice.  Seemed a bit dangerous to me but I suppose it would have been the job of the ice marshals to maintain some order.

There are now various groups using this ice surface for ice hockey practices, scrimmages and games.  The Israel Recreational Hockey Association has been holding some of its weekly games in Holon.  As well, a number of Israeli amateur teams have been practising here.  Despite the shortcomings of this facility, it is a giant step forward for ice hockey in Israel.  Given that the Israeli national ice hockey team recently won its division at the 2013 World Ice Hockey Championships and has moved up a division for 2014, this arena will undoubtedly assist the team as it strives to became Israel's best international ice hockey team ever.

Hopefully, in the coming years, additional full-sized ice hockey arenas will open up in Israel so that the sport can continue to grow, for amateurs and for more serious competitors.  Ice hockey seems ideally suited to the stereotypical Israeli personality - it is a quick, fast paced, exciting sport - that can be a bit rough at times.  But it involves high levels of skill, agility and quick thinking and it is rarely boring.  While it may never surpass soccer (football) or basketball in popularity here, it seems to me that in the long run, it is likely to fare far better than baseball despite the valiant efforts of expatriate Americans. 


For now, if you miss the ice and need to spend some time enjoying a very mild taste of a great winter activity, ice skating in Holon might be a welcome change of pace.  I am not suggesting that this is better than Israel's wonderful beaches, water parks, archaeological, historical and religious sites and its beautiful national parks, all of which are outstanding places to visit in the summer.  But every now and then (or maybe more often that if you are Canadian or Russian), especially when it is really hot outside, some ice can be very, very nice.


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Middle School Graduation in Ra'anana

Hativat Hasharon Graduation - First Part
I wrote last week about an important high school graduation that I attended in Israel.  Many people sent me notes indicating that they found it quite interesting to read about the differences between this type of Israeli graduation and one that might take place in many places in North America - or certainly, at least, in Toronto.  So I thought I would add a blog article about another graduation that I attended yesterday - a middle school graduation.  It was actually quite similar to the high school graduation and as a parent, I was, of course, equally proud!

This middle school graduation was for Hativat HaSharon, a junior high school that runs from grade 7 to grade 9. (7th to 9th grade, if you prefer...).  Like the high school graduation that we attended earlier in the month, the evening began in an outdoor setting with individual areas set up for each classroom.  The setting was the school field and the weather was simply perfect for it.  We started somewhere around 6:30 p.m.  We had a few speeches - the home room teacher, the student class representative  and the parent representative (someone many of you know quite well).  The teachers then presented the students with gifts - a wonderful book about famous historic sites in Israel and some portable speakers.  After that it was time for some food.  The parents had all prepared some food items in advance and this was all set up on a table.  It was a chance for the students, parents and teachers to mill around and speak about the three years that the students had spent in middle school.  As with the high school graduation, it was an intimate gathering with the feeling of a family event.  All of the students were there with parents or other family members.

Once the first part of the evening was over, we made our way over the school auditorium/gym for the main event of the evening.  Like with the high school graduation - this was divided into two parts.  First the speeches and awards.  Then the student "show" - the main event of the evening.

The first part of the evening featured speeches presented by the school principal, the "coordinator" (something similar to a head guidance counselor role), the mayor of Ra'anana and the head of the Parent Teacher Association (here called "Va'ad Hahorim" - the parent association).  I have to say that this was quite long.  Many  school staff were recognized and provided with flowers or other tokens of appreciation.  While it is wonderful to see that the teachers and support staff were so appreciated, it was a lengthy process. 

Magen Manof Award
The principal and the mayor of Ra'anana also presented a number of awards to the students.  There were the acadamic awards for excellence - presented to students with averages above 93% - about 10-15 of them in a graduating class of approximately 240 and an award for the student with the highest overall average (she clocked in at just over 97%).  There were also some other really nice awards.  The school provided "certificates of appreciation for volunteerism and leadership" to students who had made special contributions in these areas.  Perhaps 20 or 25 students received these awards.  As well, the school selected 7 or 8 students for a special award of "excellence in volunteerism and leadership" ("Magen Manof Award").  I am proud to say that many of you know one of the winners of this award quite well.

Hativat Hasharon Graduation - Main Event
Once the formal part of the ceremony was completed, the show began.  The students had worked very had on this part of the evening for many months.  It featured singing, dancing, short skits and pre-taped video shorts and ran for about an hour and a half.   The school had retained a production company to work with the students.  The students took many well known songs (mostly english/american pop songs) and rewrote the lyrics.  They worked with a choreographer to come up with appropriate dances.  Among the music selections were numbers from Grease, a song by Abba, Gangnam Style (with a large group of male students trying to pull off the famous dance) and quite a number of others.  There was very little in the way of Israeli music - though there was a "Mizrachi Medley" of songs by Israeli singer Moshe Peretz. Overall, the event was fun and entertaining and very colourful, at times.

The evening also featured a number of skits that were pre-taped and shown on large screens.  Some included the teachers who were happy to make fun of themselves.  Some of the skits were quite funny.  The principal mentioned after the show that she had asked the production crew to make every effort to ensure that each and every student was somehow involved in the production and this came through. 

Couples Dance Number
One of my favourite pieces was the second last number, featuring couples of students dancing together.  The boys lifted the girls into the air - some with acrobatic flair - and put together some really fancy moves.  It had obviously taken a great deal of rehearsal time but many of the students seemed quite proud, and deservedly so, of the final product.

Hativat Hasharon is a secular Israeli middle school.  There was almost nothing included in the evening that could be described as "yiddishkeit."  But the prinicipal's message to the students and parents lauded the importance of teaching the kids values of volunteerism, dedication to community, kindness and tolerance towards others as well as striving for academic excellence.  The message was heartfelt and sincere.  Judging from the students' obvious dedication and effort in putting together this show, it was a message that had been received.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Guest Blog - On Gay Pride and Visiting Jericho

My friend and colleague, Arnie Zweig, was in Israel last week.  He has contributed a guest blog...thought some of you might enjoy it:

So besides the usual unusual encounters in Israel, two events that Sherry and I attended may be worth your read. 

On Friday morning we made our way down Ben Yehuda Street to join together with about 100,000 others from Tel Aviv to celebrate Ga'ava;   gay pride parade in Israel;  in a county where some believe  to have been founded on the Torah and where the Torah forbids homosexuality, it is especially worth noting the outwardness of this  parade and the intensity that it is celebrated by those in Tel Aviv.

I say Tel Avivians since the rest of the country seemed not to have cared less.   When we spoke to others in Jerusalem or from other cities in Israel, they dismissed the parade as something that was foreign to them and not part of "true" Israel;   Of course, each Israeli has their own version anyway of what is true Israel;

It was virtually impossible to distinguish the gays from the non- especially in the parade-(on the gyrating beach on Hof Gordon-it was not so difficult to distinguish)-but the marching of the parade seemed to be for everyone;  anyone that wanted to walk was able to walk and join in with the heat, with the water spraying guns and with the dancing;

There were some major "floats" in which the obvious talented gay dancers displayed their acumen; however after 20 minutes of heavy techno music with no variation in the songs nor in the rhythm, the parade became a bit on the boring side;  there was no creativity in  the floats or the costumes or in its presentation;

The message of celebration of the manner of living gay was pretty evident;  it would have been a lot more fun if the celebration was thought through and presented with some clever costuming, themes or even outlandish dress;  Not even a gay Homer Simpson?  boring.......

After a restful Shabbat , we headed off for a bit of a desert adventure in the Negev;  since we have been to the Dead Sea before we decided to do the north part and headed to a resort called "Bianquini."  Good thing we didn't read the Trip Advisor before, otherwise we would never have spent a second there.  Trip Advisor gave it 9 out of 100.   The food and accommodation, lack of cleanliness, lack of service all added up to a failing grade.  However the two macho guys who had rented their tsimmer (room  for rent) beside us with their quite voluptuous blond busty prostitute didn't seem to be quite as picky as us. (Not sure if that would have increased the rating or decreased it - I will leave that one to the reader. )  

However we made up for the experience by going to the oldest city in the world-Jericho- for dinner.


When we entered there is a big red sign "NO ISRAELI CITIZENS PERMITTED TO ENTER".  so we kept our Canadian passports close to us and entered Palestinian Authority territory. 

We were told about a restaurant called "Limona" as the best in town; the town by the way is quite small being only a population of 18,000; very poor, no alcohol that we saw; no movie theatre that we saw.

Limona however turned out to be a great restaurant and the food was plentiful and excellent from the great grilled fish to the roasted potatoes and rice and baskets of wonderfully tasting pita as well as the 12 salads they brought out as an appetizer and ending with a huge bowl of fruit as part of the meal included.  You couldn't eat everything.  There was no rush to leave as eating a large meal and sticking around for a couple of hours is part of the culture and there is nothing else to do anyway.   So we hung out and watched a large screen television of "Arab Idol" until we headed back to our one star accommodation at Bianquini before heading out the next day for a hike in Wadi Qelt in 33 degree weather.  

As always-many different worlds live in a small country.  

Arnold Zweig

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Israeli High School Graduation



We attended our first high school graduation last night.  Our daughter graduated from Ostrosvky High School in Ra’anana, Israel.  Ostrovsky is a secular, public Israeli high school.  It is considered one of Israel’s best high schools with a matriculation (successful grade 12 graduation) rate close to 100%.  The school places a significant emphasis on academic excellence and features very strong specialized high school programs in math, physics, robotics and computers.  Ostrovsky is also the home of the best high school women’s basketball team in the country, which won the national championship once again this year for the fourth consecutive year.

This year’s high school graduation was held outdoors at Park Ra’anana, which is Ra’anana’s version of Central Park, a beautiful park that includes an amphitheatre, basketball court, roller hockey pad, mini-zoo, free outdoor exercise equipment and many other amenities.

The evening was divided into two parts, formal and informal.  The “informalities” began at about 6:30 p.m.  There were eight graduating classes, each with approximately 35 students.  The eight classes assembled in different areas of the park for the first part of the evening.  At these class ceremonies, the home room teachers presented awards to the students including excellence awards.  The home room teacher and some other teachers had the chance to speak to the students and some of the students made presentations and provided appreciation gifts to some of the teachers.

This part of the evening was very moving.  Teachers in Israel are on a first name basis with their students.  They connect via email and Facebook and take an active role in their students’ success.  Over the three years of high school, the students of each home room class remained together.  The class group went on trips together including trips across Israel and a trip to Poland to visit concentration and death camps and other sites.  The relationships between the teachers and the students – as well as the relationships among many of the parents and among the students themselves are often very close relationships – a tight knit community, if not a family. 

In our case, our daughter was fortunate to have had an outstanding home room teacher, whose sense of dedication to his students’ well-being was constantly evident.  He addressed the students and then provided them each with a few special gifts – a copy of his address, a small gift – and a DVD of all of the photos that he had assembled over the three years with the class group. 

The teachers did not all speak at this meeting.  However, one of the math teachers was the subject of a powerful presentation.  The teacher of the “5-unit” math course – the highest level of high school math in Israel – was called up for a presentation.  This math teacher, a PhD. in math, is known for being extremely demanding, rigorous and for running a highly disciplined class environment.  But his dedication to math and his commitment to excellence are contagious.  He pushed the students (including our daughter) for three years and produced tremendous results.  The students realized how fortunate they were to have this type of teacher and two of these students had special words to present.

After about two hours, we moved from the less formal part of the evening to the school-wide graduation ceremony with all of the students and their family members and friends in the Ra’anana Amphitheatre. 

The first part of this ceremony consisted of a number of speeches, which were probably similar to the speeches given at many different graduations around the world.  There were quite a number of speakers including the school principal, the guidance counselor, the mayor of Ra’anana, the head of the parent-teacher association and a few others.  In total, this went on for close to 1 ½ hours.

Some of the speeches were particularly poignant, especially the principal’s address.  A high school graduation in Israel is a very emotional evening.  Whereas in Canada or the U.S., or many other countries, most of the students are planning to continue their academic studies in September (or, perhaps, one year later), in Israel most of the students will be enlisted into the army (the Israel Defence Forces).  Since Ostrovsky has such a strong academic program, many of its students are recruited to serve in prestigious, high level units, including intelligence units, the air force, and some elite combat units.  A principal addressing these students knows that many of them may well face significant, dangerous challenges during their mandatory military service. 

The principal called upon these “students of the millennium generation” to continue to work to change society.  She highlighted the many positive ways that students have used technology in Israel (and worldwide) to help recruit more voters, to organize rallies and political campaigns and to push for social change.  She called on the students to take responsibility for helping make Israel a better place by working to reduce the gap between the wealthy and the poor in society, by working to support political candidates of their choice actively and peacefully (as so many did in Israel’s recent national election), by helping to promote tolerance in society, and by helping Israel to find a way to reach peace deals with its Arab neighbours. 

One of the speakers, I believe it was the head of the PTA, also had a very interesting message.  She recounted that when her son was young, he would climb up a neighbourhood tree and people would tell him to come down before he gets hurt.  Although he fell from the tree and was injured, it was not particularly serious.  She now urged him and the other students to “continue to climb as high you can, don’t be afraid of the heights and don’t let anyone tell you to come down from the tree.”  It is a message that resonates throughout Israeli society, in a country which must constantly cope with existential threats, even though the country may enjoy intermittent periods of relative quiet.

The school faculty then distributed awards of high excellence to students with averages exceeding 95%. Various other awards and certificates were handed out, recognizing a wide range of student volunteer activities and dedication to the school, the community and many different causes. 

Once the formal part of the evening was over – one and half hours later, the fun part of the evening began. The grade 12 graduating class presented a revue show entitled “Ostrovsky’s 51st graduating class in 60 minutes.”  The show included various dances, some with more than 80 students on the stage at the same time, short skits, video clips that the students had prepared, one or two video clips prepared by the faculty, and a number of songs.  It was entertaining and fun.  One of the comedic highlights was a group of males students, dressed in tutus, singing Carly-Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe” – with accompanying dance moves and gestures.  In another skit, A group of teachers produced a video clip of a mock classroom scheme – in which the students are doing a whole bunch of inappropriate things in the class – wearing sunglasses, talking on their cell phones, texting each other, putting on nail polish – and my favourite – one “student” asks if he can eat a snack in class – he then pulls out a chopping board and starts cutting up a cucumber and tomato to make a salad…it was quite funny.

The finale featured most of the students dancing and singing on stage.  And the students all headed out to a post-grad party – which I know very little about…

Most students have not yet completed all of their grade 12 exams and may still be writing them until mid-July, depending on which courses they took.  So the year is not yet over for everyone.  But some students have completed their exams and may enter the army as soon as early July.

 Students planning to continue on with their education will need to complete Israel’s “psychometric exams” – an SAT-type standardized test.  But first, they will need to complete their mandatory military service, which could range from twenty months to just under three years.  Some will choose to become career military personnel and may continue with their education under the auspices of the IDF.  Others will attend university as soon as they are able to do so after completing their service. 

For now, the students still have more exams to write and an upcoming prom (which is becoming more and more of a tradition in Israel, of late).  Then, for most of them, it is off to the “real world” in a way that is quite different from what 18 and 19 year-olds around the world experience. 

We can only dream for a day when Israel will be at peace with its neighbours and universal, mandatory service will not be necessary.  But looking at events taking place in Syria, Egypt, Gaza, Iran, Turkey and Israel’s other neighbouring countries it is difficult to be optimistic that this will occur anytime soon. 

We wish the students of the 2013 graduating class of Ostrovsky (as well all the other graduating students in Israel) success in all they do.  May they serve proudly and return home safely.  To all the 18 and 19 year-olds we know in other countries, who will be entering university or college in September, we wish them the best of success.  They should constantly remember how fortunate they are to be living in countries that are not facing these types of existential threats and they should take full advantage of their opportunities.