With your friendship... never again...



Mad World by Gary Jules

Tix Tick Me Off

What is it about NY city cops when the temperature drops?

Last night I saw George Clooney's directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (about Gong Show creator's Chuck Barris' claims of being a CIA assassin). A friend and I went to the 10:40pm showing at the Union Square theater (my favorite since "the tub" of popcorn, a whopping 170 ounce container, when consumed, is refilled for free). We were overjoyed at the amazing parking spot scored - right in front of the main entrance. We felt like rock stars. As any good NY driver would do, I checked the street signs, insuring that my rock star parking spot was, in deed, a parking spot. I noted that we'd have to be out of there by 1am as no cars are allowed sanctuary between 1am and 7am. No big deal.

The movie ended at 12:40am and we stayed through the credits (Charlie Kaufman wrote the script and Matt Damon and Brad Pitt had cameos as Dating Game contestants). My friend went to the bathroom, as women are oft to do and I made my way to the car with at least 10 minutes to spare. As I descended the multiple flights of escalators I was stunned by a freaking tow truck pulling up in front, and an equally freaking police cruiser firmly parked behind my conveyance. I went into high-school-gym-escape-from-danger mode and zoomed down the remaining metallic staircases.

Thankfully the fuzz's theft of my car had not yet begun and I was able to get into it without saying a word to the blue-suited piranhas. I drove around the corner. Sadly, my friend had to walk an extra few yards to get to my car. And in sub-zero weather, that is simply not fair.

We live in a society! People! Please! When will the madness stop?

Pictures!

After writing so much about my amazing trip, I am finally ready to share some of its pictures. Please keep in mind that when it comes to photographing people my style is composed of unattractive, close-up, candid shots. My intent is never to take great pictures. I'd rather shoot quickly and move on than obsess too much about getting "the perfect picture."

Enjoy! Click here to view the slideshow.

By the way, in the last picture of me, before the panoramic shots, I am actually moonwalking on Masada (read about the amazing story of Masada). I think that's what I'll call my autobiography, Moonwalking on Masada.



Unless I think of something else to share, say or pontificate about, this will be the last posting regarding my Israel trip.

The Value of Silence and the Fear that is Within

One day we went on a hike along a majestic, naturally occurring crater in the Negev desert. Here are some pictures. After a 30 minute hike we reached a nearby summit and were looking straight down, and around, into the whole hole of the heart-shaped crater. Once there we did something surprising - we shut the hell up. Everyone was invited to find a quiet spot somewhere on the peak and sit for 30 minutes without a saying a word.

This may have been my favorite part of the whole trip (aside from getting to know the Israelis). I enjoy silence and seldom feel the need to talk a lot. Usually when people talk a lot you can estimate their intelligence by the inverse of the amount of time their mouth is blabbing. The exception, of course, is humor. But even humor is funnier in its restraint than its long and winding "jokes."

Anyway, my point is that sitting quietly on a giant mountain alongside a giant crater was almost overpowering. We spend so much time worrying about the minutia of daily life. But a lot of that slips away when taking a moment to be quiet and observing earth's majesty. The sensation is comparable to quietly starring at a starry night.

Before our silence began our leaders conveyed some of David Ben Gurion's writings. The line that stood out most for me was about what happens when one tries to take in such a magnificent site. It is, paraphrased, about the "emptiness we fear to find inside." This made me think of why people tend to focus on life's minutia. It is specifically because they can change the small things that people focus on them. Giving any time to consider the bigger stuff is a test in futility for most people because of that emptiness they fear to find when pondering how to affect the bigger, more important parts of life.

But it is that very reason why we can't ignore the big stuff. The only emptiness that exists is the one that we create. Even beginning to tackle the emptiness means its destruction. Also, if we are open to new ideas and ways of thinking then there won't be an emptiness. Just be open to things and you wont' be empty inside. It's that easy.

Coincidentally, when I went to write down Ben Gurion's quote my pen ran out of ink and I had to use the force of the pen to make indentations on the page so that I could read the line - no ink, just hard impressions on soft paper. Now if that's not freaky and foretelling I don't know what is.


By the way, if you're curious about this natural wonder, here's an excerpt from a larger description: "Located south of Beersheba in the Central Negev, Makhtesh Ramon is usually referred to as a crater, but it is not an impact crater from a meteorite, it is actually a "makhtesh," a valley surrounded by steep walls and drained by a single "wadi" (riverbed). It is the world?s largest makhtesh."

Jewish Identity

One issue that permeated most discussions in Israel was the question of Jewish identity. What does it mean to be Jewish and what makes someone a Jew? Opinions differ greatly, bringing up a different issue - what if you consider yourself Jewish but someone else doesn't? So much of our identity is defined by others - how would you feel if someone said you were not something you believed you were?

The way this discussion boiled down, in my opinion, is into a few different schools of thought - religious, cultural, genetic and nationalistic.

You're Jewish if you're born to a Jewish mother, believe in God and keep the Sabbath.
You're Jewish if you see yourself as Jewish, were brought up in a Jewish lifestyle and help Jewish communities.
You're Jewish if you possess certain genes.
You're Jewish if you are a citizen of Israel, serve the army and defend Jews around the world.

Before this trip I could have guessed the first three schools of thought. However, I never really thought about the connection between Israel and being Jewish. Israel is defined as a Jewish state but Jews existed for many years without one. Being Jewish can't just be about the land of Israel. But most Israelis identify their Judaism as nationalistic - "of course I'm Jewish, I'm a citizen of Israel and serve in the army!"

I was blown away by this kind of thinking and it started growing on me with each passing day. Israel is a Jewish state - but it's a democracy, not a theocracy. How can you be a democracy predicated on a religion? That's a question for another day and the issue is clouded because obviously some people don't identify with Judaism as a religion. Another topic I will gracefully ignore is how some ultra-religious sects of Judaism don't believe that Jews should erect a government in Israel before the Messiah arrives.

Israel fights for Jews wherever they are. Israel is open to all Jews, all over the world. It is a land for Jews. Any Jew can become an Israeli. It is much more a "second home" to Diaspora Jews than Italy is to people of Italian decent who living abroad. That is a very powerful and startling realization. The understanding goes both ways - it is incumbent upon worldwide Jews to help and support Israel. The connection between Jews is undeniable but must also extend to the state of Israel. It is inconceivable to imagine the Jewish people without Israel. Sure, we've been around during times that Israel has not been ours but can we ever go back to that way of living?

I'd liken the question to an air conditioner. Sure, people lived for many years without them, but can you take an air conditioner away from someone who hasn't known life without the convenience? Not that easily. And finally, if we can no longer conceive of Jewish identity absent Israel, we must do all we can to insure its survival because without it, where would we be left? What would happen to Judaism.

Never Easy Going Home

After 6 days of recuperation the time has finally come to get back into the blogging swing of thangs.

The basics are easy enough to convey. I was a part of a group of about 25 American Jews, ranging from 18 to 30 years old, who got the chance to go to Israel for free in a ten-day program specifically focused on politics. In Israel we were joined by 6 Israelis of our own age who helped put things in perspective and teach us about the culture. This was a cool surprise because it made us feel less like outsiders and opened us up to more outlooks.

Each day was packed with events, travels and speakers. We'd often wake up at 7am, or earlier, and go straight through to 11pm, or later. Officially we were not allowed to leave the group or go out at night alone. But some of us snuck out a few times to hit some local bars and learn more about the "culture." One night we went to Jerusalem's Yellow Submarine club for a concert by Shotey HaNevu'a (something like "false prophecy" in English).

Being the only member of our group who spoke fluent Hebrew, aside form the Israelis, gave me some benefits as far as understanding when we were being made fun of. In embarking upon the trip I wanted to learn about modern-day Israel and replace my old memories of Israel and limited experience with Israelis (mostly older family) with more modern perceptions of the land and people. I therefore naturally gravitated more towards the Israelis and enjoyed our impromptu lessons in modern slang which continued throughout the trip and culminated with me bringing home a modest, hand-written dictionary of new words, compliments and insults learned on the trip.

To those worried about security I can only say that at no point did any of us feel even slightly troubled. Throughout our time there we had anywhere between 1 and 5 armed, locked and loaded guards around us. The height of plain-clothed, loaded-uzi, finger-on-the trigger security came when we walked through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem in the early evening. Quite a feeling, to say the least. But no worries.