Too much ?

Regina and Mayer Mansdorf, 89, at a demonstration calling for the release of Jonathan Pollard.


Just when it's difficult to conceive of things getting any more intense or diverse than they were last week when we experienced the swift transition from the sadness and solemnity of Memorial Day to the joyfulness and celebration of Israel's 60th anniversary, along comes an evening where disparate events are juxtaposed in such close physical proximity that it's hard to assimilate it all.

At the same moment that another Jewish woman was killed by a terrorist missile in southern Israel, several thousand Jerusalemites formed themselves into a human chain in front of the U.S Consulate two days ahead of the visit of President George W. Bush, to urge the American president to "free your captive--Jonathan Pollard."

The crowd spilled over to the square around the corner from Prime Minister Olmert's residence where a long list of speakers berated the Israeli government's lack of action as well as the intransigence of the American defense establishment in refusing to allow Pollard out of jail after 22 years punishment.

Amongst the crowd I spotted Mayer and Regina Mansdorf, a couple who are almost 90 years old, who both survived the Holocaust, emigrated once to America and then to Israel in the 1980s. They live close by and never miss the opportunity to speak out against injustice. Standing close to the spry elderly couple are a gaggle of teenage girls who lead the shouts of "Free Pollard, Free Pollard" that are quickly taken up by the large, mostly religious crowd.

Human rights lawyer Nitsana Darshan Leitner addresses the demonstrators, as does former Prisoner of Zion Yosef Mendelevich, who spent 11 years in a Soviet prison camp back in the 1970s.

Police photographers discreetly take photos of participants as a throng of border patrol and police officers ring the square.

About four blocks away at the beautiful Mishkenot Shaananim conference center, the evening session of the first Writers Festival gets underway. It takes no more than 10 minutes to walk between the rally and the festival, but the atmosphere and the crowd couldn't be more different. Several hundred fashionably dressed and largely secular types have gathered in the marquee overlooking Sultan's Pool and the walls of the Old City to listen in on a discussion between Israeli author Eshkol Nevo and American writer Jonathan Safran Foer, moderated by Israeli literary critic Noa Menheim. The audience is overwhelmingly female and surprisingly, not all made up of native English speakers.

The conversation focuses on Jewish identity and the nature of the conflict in Israel. Both authors are disarmingly frank and good-natured, even while they disagree over their perceptions of the major conflicts in Israeli society. Foer, an avowed secular Jew living in New York with an identity he says is shaped by eastern Europe, sees the crux of the matter here as the great divide between ultra-orthodox Jews and the rest of Israel. Nevo, Jerusalem-born and now living in Raanana, tells Foer the Haredim aren't a factor in his ife, but ensuring a safe drive between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is. "On the scale of conflicts that's number one," he states.

Nevo somehow weaves in the thought that Israelis aren't being taught the "Arab narrative" in high school, and I decide it's time to leave. There's a book launch at the Conservative synagogue on Agron Street that I don't want to miss. The synagogue is just across the street from the Pollard protest, and as I walk by, Esther Pollard, Jonathan's wife is exhorting the remaining demonstrators to keep up their activities during the Bush visit.

The Moreshet Yisrael Synagogue is almost full as I slip into one of the few remaining seats at the back of the sanctuary. The evening is to mark the publication of the latest book by one of the congregation's emeritus rabbis, Avraham Feder. Rabbi Feder is a prolific author, lecturer and chazan and husband of my friend Tzipora.

After a learned introduction by Rabbi Yosef Green, Rabbi Feder's predecessor at Moreshet Yisrael, Rabbi Feder launches into a passionate, accessible and inspiring talk about the art of the darshan--one who gives a drasha. Rabbi Feder's new two-volume book is entitled Torah Through a Zionist Vision, and he tells us,"The Torah's Zionist call jumps out on every page." Last month when I spent Seder with the Feders, he told me with a sweet smile that there wasn't a single Shabbat when he didn't mention aliya or Zionism in his drashot to his congregation in Toronto.

Tonight, Rabbi Feder, a powerful and extraordinarily effective communicator, closes his talk by noting the difference between delivering a drasha and writing a book. "In a drash you're dramatic, passionate--you yell a lot," he explains. "In a two volume book things are calmer, steadier, there's time to be more philosophical, it's a serene passion," he says.

The rabbi leaves us with the main point he says he's tried to get across by writing this book. There are no footnotes in his book--"I don't pretend to be a Biblical scholar." Rabbi Feder says he's taken a more literary approach inspired by a Bialik essay and focusing more on the revelatory aspects of Torah. "I hope this modern perush will help us realize what a precious gift we have," he concludes.

Three events within a half mile radius over a three hour period that draw hundreds of participants representing a panoply of perspectives and providing serious food for thought. Sign of a vibrant society or a fractured people??

Photos of all 3 events are at http://flickr.com/photos/jerusalemdiaries/

Jerusalem Pride

Yom Haatzmaut in Jerusalem

(More photos at http://flickr.com/photos/jerusalemdiaries

Anticipation...

Taxi driver standing to attention as the siren wails to commemorate those who died in Israel's wars and acts of terror.



Flags are in place; the air force has been rehearsing its formation fly-by routine for days; platforms and lighting stand ready in the main squares in town; groups of tourists mill about and there's a discernible festive air. But before we celebrate the nation's 60th anniversary,we have to pay tribute to the 22,437 Israelis who fell in the battles and terror attacks that continue to claim Jewish lives even until today.

Tonight the country will come to a complete standstill at 8 p.m and again tomorrow morning at 11 a.m for two minutes of remembrance of the fragility of our existence in the Jewish homeland.

Ceremonies at every military cemetery in the country will bring out thousands of mourners. Since the beginning of 2008, 16 people were killed and 65 wounded in terror attacks--mostly in the south.

Streets are empty--everyone is at home marking the somber evening. All places of entertainment, cafes and restaurants are closed. Authorities estimate that more than one million Israelis will visit the military cemeteries over the next 24 hours.

But other events in the week leading up to Yom Haatzmaut have stolen the headlines--the new corruption allegations against Ehud Olmert, of course, but it was much more interesting to contemplate the 500kg plate of hummous that measured 4 meters across that broke the Guiness world record for plate size and amount of hummous consumed in one go, or maybe it was the 140 new sabras born to N. American olim who arrived under the auspices of Nefesh B'Nefesh or the 400 new olim who arrived from 23 countries on Aliyah Day yesterday that preoccupied our attention.

In any event--on Thursday when Israelis finally get to celebrate Independence Day in the traditional fashion with BBQs, fireworks and a real day off,it will be with the usual mix of emotions that accompany every holiday in the State of Israel--joy and sadness; appreciation and remembrance and above all, incredulity that we've made it to 60...

Little ironies on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel

Chelsea soccer manager Avraham Grant


Israeli soccer fans won't be watching the all-important Chelsea-Liverpool Champions League semi-final match on Israeli TV tonight--it's the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) and only Holocaust-related programming is aired on any Israeli TV channel.

In 2008 it's Germany to the rescue as the German sports channel carried by both of Israel's cable TV providers is the only station broadcasting the game in Israel.

And Avraham Grant, Chelsea's Israeli manager--guess where he's heading after the match? To Poland to take part in the annual March of the Living--an event he hasn't missed for years. Grant, the son of a Holocaust survivor, will join thousands of Israeli and Diaspora youth who commemorate Holocaust remembrance Day by marching from Auschwitz to Birkenau.

Those Pesky Passover Middle Days

"Angel or Berman?" That's the pressing question of the day as the Passover holiday draws to a close in Jerusalem. Which bakery across town will have the shortest line for their freshly baked rolls after the Pesach dishes are packed away for another year; the foil is ripped off the oven and the plastic stripped off the counters.

Looking back on this Chol Hamoed week, it's eye-opening to realize that most visitors here for their first Pesach from abroad, no matter how religious, have no clue how seriously Israelis take their Passover holiday.

Tourists are always amazed at the tens of thousands who flock in to the Old City for Birkat Kohanim (the thrice yearly collective mass blessing of the priests) and the number of special events, tours and massive traffic jams that occur when an entire country goes on vacation together. Every year, more and more restaurants stay open during Pesach, and they're all packed.

This Pesach, even though we found ourselves in the grip of a fierce 6-day sharav heatwave with temperatures soaring into the high 90s, crowds thronged every free event in Jerusalem, including the four-times-a-night showing of a new multimedia history of the city projected onto the Old City walls outside Jaffa Gate. (See Photos at http://flickr.com/photos/jerusalemdiaries/)

We went on the second night, mistakenly thinking the crowds would be lighter, and found ourselves wedged in between a group of boisterous twenty-something men in T-shirts and a young Charedi family with two double strollers and three free-standing kids. Around us was the entire spectrum of Israeli society--everyone in a convivial and festive mood, all commenting on the "special atmosphere" of a sultry evening in front of the Old City awaiting a free, new attraction in our beloved city.

While we were waiting for the show to start, loudpseakers announced, "Ori Cohen, your parents are waiting for you in front of Jaffa Gate. Please approach any police officer near you and you'll be brought to your parents..." In the twenty minutes we stood taking in the ever-increasing masses who filled every space in the area above the new Alrov-Mamilla Mall, the announcement was repeated with different names no less than six times.

The 25-minute show, narrated by two well-known Israeli entertainment figures (Shuli Rand of "Ushpizin" fame and actor Lior Ashkenazi) and projected way larger than life on the 16th century walls, featured an emotional view of Jerusalem's history and it's signifiance to Jewish life throughout the ages. Accompanied by lively music and topped off by a 5-minute display of pyrotechnics over the Tower of David, the spectacle was just what was needed to keep our minds off the news of the day that keeps on intruding into our lives, Pesach or no Pesach.

Whether it's the latest alleged Israel spy scandal or the murder of two security guards or our prime minister who appears convinced that we should give away the Golan Heights--we'll deal with it all after Pesach. Or at least after we've figured out where to go for that first taste of chametz on Saturday night.

You'll Know It's Passover in Israel Because...

Kashering utensils on a Jerusalem street before Pesach




For the past several years I've been putting out a light-hearted '18
Ways You Know Pesach is Coming In Israel’ piece to describe the
frenetic days leading up to Pesach in the holy city.

This year, there are a few additional notable events that are driving the news cycles over here.

Apart from the Mid-East visit of the vile Jimmy Carter, who sets off sometime in the next few days for his tete-a-tete with arch-terrorist Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Damascus, there’s the controversy over the Chametz Law. Never heard of it? Well, since 1986, Israel has had a law on the books that forbids leavened products from being displayed in public during Pesach. For the duration of the holiday, supermarkets cover their shelves containing non-Pesach items with thick white paper—whether to abide by the law or to avoid causing further pain to customers suffering from bread withdrawal is not clear.

Last week, all hell broke loose when a Jerusalem judge overturned the law (that no one had ever been charged with violating…) opining that it’s permissible to sell chametz, as long as it’s not publicly displayed. Shas is trying to get the Knesset to discuss the matter before the Pesach recess. Meanwhile, Haaretz revealed in a poll published last Friday that 68 percent of the population answers “no” when asked if they are planning on eating chametz during Pesach.

Citizens of southern Israel have far weightier concerns, as they face the prospect of a Passover under fire—for the seventh year running. The ceaseless daily barrage of Kassam and Katyusha rockets toward our southern cities and surrounding western Negev kibbutzim has shattered any semblance of the 'enhanced security' we were promised by the 2005 Gaza pullout. Almost everyone who supported and promoted the "disengagement" plan now acknowledges that destroying 22 Jewish communities in the Gush Katif section of the Gaza strip has done nothing to further the path to peace.

As if that weren’t bad enough, almost all the former Gush Katif residents are still in temporary housing almost three years since their eviction. Many who moved into the vast and dismal caravilla camp of Nitzan, near Ashkelon are still unemployed and dealing with the emotional and psychological effects of displacement.

Meantime, on Pesach the extent of the dire poverty of hundreds of
thousands of Israelis is exposed. Latest figures indicate that roughly 20.5% of Israeli families live below the poverty line in 2008, a slight increase from last year’s 20%. Moreover, 24.7% of Israel’s residents and 35.9% of its children live in impoverished families. Families and the elderly form almost endless lines in every city around the food banks and soup kitchens that do their best to provide the basics necessary to celebrate the holiday. The Mesamche Lev group distributed 46,278 pairs of shoes to 10,200 needy families last week, while all the other voluntary social welfare organizations report unprecedented demand for their services this Pesach.

In every Charedi neighborhood during the week before Pesach, men and
boys block the narrow streets with handtrucks piled high with sacks of
carrots, potatoes, oranges and cartons of eggs--all courtesy of the
Kimcha D'Pischa funds that funnel donations from abroad to the Charedi
communities, specifically for Pesach food.

The tourists, largely oblivious to our problems and cheerfully putting
up with our current hot and dusty spell, have descended on us with a
vengeance. Most visible are the busloads of pilgrims from eastern Europe, Nigeria and an assortment of Asian countries--the Jews arrive in much smaller family groups, excited to be in Israel for one of the three pilgrimage festivals.

So, as the popular Israeli expression goes, "We overcame Pharoah,
we'll overcome this too..." This year, as always, we'll celebrate
Pesach, the festival of our liberation and the birth of the Jewish
people as a nation in the hope that we'll soon merit a saner reality.

Meanwhile, for those who have read this far…here's an updated version of the 18 (now 20) Ways You Know Pesach is Coming To Israel:

1. The Israeli Army presses into service some 200 IDF chaplains including reservists, to commence the massive task of kashering the hundreds of kitchens, mess halls and eating corners used by soldiers all over the country.

2. Street scenes in Israel change every day before Passover according
to what's halachically necessary: In the days before the holiday,
yeshiva students wielding blow torches preside over huge vats of
boiling water stationed every few blocks on the street and in the
courtyard of every mikveh. The lines to dunk cutlery, kiddush cups and
the like start to grow every day, and, at the last minute, blow
torches are at the ready to cleanse every last gram of chametz from
oven racks and stove tops lugged through the streets.

3. No alarm clock needed here--the clanging garbage trucks do the
trick as they roll through the neighborhood every morning during the
two weeks before Pesach to accommodate all the refuse from the furious
cleaning going on in every household. Two days before the Seder
there's the annual pick-up of oversized items and appliances. Dozens
of antiquated computer monitors and old toaster ovens stand forlornly
next to the garbage bins on their way to the dump.

4. The day before Passover, families replace the yeshiva students,
using empty lots to burn the remainder of their chametz gleaned from
the previous night's meticulous search. In vain, the Jerusalem
municipality sets up official chametz burning locations and issues
strict orders banning burning in any other areas. Yeah, right…

5. Most flower shops stay open all night for the two days before
Pesach, working feverishly to complete the orders that will grace the
nation's Seder tables.

6. Meah Shearim and Geula merchants generally run out of heavy plastic
early in the week before Pesach. In a panic, I make an early morning
run to the Machane Yehuda market to successfully snap up a few meters
of the handy counter-covering material.

7. No holiday in Israel is complete without a strike or two. In years past the Histadrut Labor Union threatened to launch a general strike 10
days before the holiday to protest planned economic cuts. Ben Gurion Airport was included… This year, it's government workers who are out on strike... The Civil Servants Labor Union launched a two-day strike this week, partly halting many services at the Interior and Finance ministries in protest against what they say is unfair promotion of Israel Discount Bank over Bank Yahav in providing services to civil servants. Yes, you heard that right…

8. Observant Jews mark the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot by carrying out some of the laws of mourning--one of these is the
prohibition against cutting hair.

Good luck if you haven't scheduled an appointment for a
pre-Pesach/Omer haircut. You can't get in the door at most barber and
beauty shops.

9. Mailboxes are full of Pesach appeals from the myriad of
organizations helping the poor celebrate Pesach. Newspapers are
replete with articles about selfless Israelis who volunteer by the
hundreds in the weeks before the holiday to collect, package and
distribute Pesach supplies to the needy.

This year, Hazon Yeshaya Soup Kitchens plan on serving 7,000 meals per
day during Passover. More than 15,000 food parcels will be distributed
before the holiday, just by this one organization.

10. The biggest food challenge to those of us ashkenazic, non-kitniyot
(legume) eaters is finding cookies, margarine etc. made without
kitniyot, but an increasing number of ashkenazic rabbis are coming out
with lenient rulings regarding legumes.

11. Since most of the country is on vacation for the entire week of
Pesach, all kinds of entertainment and trips are on offer. Ads appear
for everything from the annual Boombamela beach festival, kid's
activities at the Bloomfield Science Museum and concerts in Hebron,
the City of David, Sderot and the Dead Sea.

12. Pesach with its theme of freedom and exodus always evokes news
stories about recent olim. This year, general immigration numbers are
significantly down, but American aliya has enjoyed a mini-boom. For a
couple of thousand new Israeli-Americans, it'll be their first Seder
at home in Israel. Israel Radio announces that 700 prisoners will get a furlough to spend the holiday with family.

13. This just in: According to Israel's Brandman Research Institute
study, 43 million people hours will be spent nationwide in Israel's
cleaning preparations for Passover this year. How does that break
down? Of those cleaning hours, 29 million are done by women and 11
million by men. Persons paid to clean do the remaining 3 million hours
at a cost of NIS 64 million ($15.6 million).

14. Israel's chief rabbis sell the nation's chametz to one Hussein
Jabar, a Moslem Arab resident of Abu Ghosh and manager at Jerusalem's Renaissance Hotel. Estimated worth: $150 billion secured by a down payment of NIS 20,000. Jabar tool over the task some 14 years ago, after the previous buyer, also from Abu Ghosh, was fired when it was discovered his maternal grandmother was Jewish.

15. Radio commercials for all sorts of products and services are set
to Seder melodies. Last year, Volkswagen used the Mah Nishtana tune to
advertise its cars. Another favorite is "Echad Mi Yodeya?--Who Knows
One?" that has become a jingle for one brand of coffee. "Four mothers,
three fathers, two sugars, one cup of coffee!"

16. For those of us too lazy to go to our rabbis to sell chametz, one
Israeli website offers the possibility of performing this ritual in
cyberspace: For those of you out there with Hebrew enabled computers,
take a look at http://www.kipa.co.il/passover/sell.asp

17. Sign of the times? A few years ago, former Sephardi Chief Rabbi
Mordechai Eliyahu issued a ruling that Viagra may be taken on Pesach
provided the pill is encased in a special empty capsule so that the
drug itself is not in direct contact with the body. In a move to ease another kind of Pesach yearning, the Israeli branch of Ben & Jerry's ice cream has developed Matza Crunch flavor. French vanilla with chips of chocolate-covered matza make up the new flavor, which is being sold for $4.50 a pint in Israeli supermarkets.

18. At the Kotel last week, I watched as workers performed the
twice-yearly ritual (pre-Pesach and pre-Rosh hashanah) of removing
thousands of personal notes from the crevices of the Kotel to bury
them on the Mt of Olives.

19. Guess Who's Buying Matza? According to Iyad Sharbaji, the manager of Gadaban Supermarket at the entrance to the the Galilee Arab town of Umm al Fahm, his Matza is consumed entirely by local Arabs. Sharbaji told Haaretz that he generally stocks up on Matza for Passover and has to replenish stock before the end of the holiday, due to keen demand by locals.

It turns out the avid consumption of matza is not a new trend in Arab towns and villages, whose inhabitants view the traditional Jewish food as nothing more or less than a welcome and refreshing change in the menu. "It's not a religious issue, and certainly not a political one," Sharbaji explains.

20. A sign of our economic times--supermarkets entice
shoppers with a promise to allow us to settle up the bill in six equal
monthly payments on the credit card. Yes, many of us will still be
paying for the Seder come Rosh Hashana!

Rachel Corrie: More Uquestions than Answers

Go to www.frontpagemag.com today for my article on the questions that are still unanswered surrounding the death of Rachel Corrie five years ago...

Opening the 60th anniversary celebrations...

Nigerian Christian Pilgrims

Guess who's opening Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations this week?? A delegation of rabbis? An exuberant group of birthright kids from overseas? Representatives of Jewish organizations worldwide?

Nope--the opening act of our 60th anniversary will be a mass prayer session of 1,000 Nigerian Christian pilgrims at the Hulda Steps on the southern wall of the Temple Mount.

According to an announcement from the Ministry of Tourism, a choir of 15 Catholic priests singing Hebrew songs and accompanied by violins will kick off the gathering this Tuesday, March 18--two days before Purim.

Now I have nothing against Nigerian pilgrims--they're here by the busload this winter, dressed in colorful robes, buying up cheap tchatchkes from grateful Arab merchants in the Old City and providing business for everyone from bus companies to hotels. And yes, I know that more than 60 percent of tourists to Israel are Christians these days, but still, what does it say about us that we're so willing to glibly hand over the opening salvo in our 60th independence celebrations to non-Jews?

On Line Purim Rally 4 Israel

Join 1,000,000 in the largest ever online rally in solidarity with Sderot and Israel

Enhance your Purim---take part in the online rally for Sderot and victims of terror in Israel. March 20...go to www.together4israel.org

Chag Purim Sameach from Jerusalem...

No words

The study hall at Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem.


The victims of the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva terror attack:

. Segev Pniel Avihail, 15, of Neve Daniel
. Neria Cohen, 15, of Jerusalem
. Yonatan Yitzhak Eldar, 16, of Shilo
. Yonadav Haim Hirshfeld, 19, of Kohav Hashahar
. Yohai Lifshitz, 18, of Jerusalem
. Doron Tronoh Maharata, 26, of Ashdod
. Avraham David Moses, 16, of Efrat
. Ro'i Rot, 18, of Elkana

Late last night I received an e mail from a former colleague who now works for CNN in Atlanta. He asked if I could provide their news desk with a description of the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva so that they could give their story "a bit more color."

As I spoke to the news assistant over the phone to try to describe the yeshiva, I realized that there was absolutely no way for her to possibly grasp the blow the terrorist had tried to impart on one of the central institutions of contemporary Israeli life.

How to describe the fact that the ideas and actions emanating from Mercaz Harav have fashioned the Israel of today? From promoting the thought of Rav Kook to the philosophy of settling Judaea and Samaria to providing a base for Avital Sharansky and her worldwide campaign for freedom for Natan Sharansky and hundreds of thousands of other former Soviet Jews, to training Israel's best educators and sending the best students to serve in the top IDF combat units---all this, and more, may be attributed to Mercaz Harav.

And in a few hours, on a perfect Jerusalem spring morning, eight Mercaz Harav teenagers and young students will be buried in cemeteries all over the land.

There's not a doubt in my mind that the people and activities of Mercaz Harav will only be strengthened by the tragedy that has befallen this venerable institution.

In the words of Rav Kook: "A little light dispels much darkness..."

Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem

From Laura in Sderot: The last 36 hours...

My friend and colleague Laura Bialis, an independent documentary film maker responsible for the new film Refusenik that will have its US premiere next month at the Seattle Jewish Film Festival, is living in Sderot. This is her latest bulletin from the last 36 hours in Sderot...

ANOTHER WEEK IN SDEROT: THIS IS WAR

As many of you know, I am living here in Sderot, making a film about the situation through the eyes of Sderot's musicians. I live with Avi Vaknin, one of the musicians in my film, and Aner Moss, who is working as my cinematographer.

I am sad and angry today. It has been a really difficult week here. Wednesday the qassam attacks escalated again. Several fell on Sapir College, which is just a couple of minutes from here, killing a student. Many landed in Ashkelon -- one on a hospital. The attacks continued Thursday with more injuries. Because the rockets started hitting Ashkelon, the Prime Minister (while eating sushi on a trip to Japan) announced that Hamas is trying his patience.

Living in Sderot these days is all about listening and waiting. It feels like there is going to be a real War. You can hear everything. Sometimes we hear a far away boom. We look at each other and say: "Must be us. Must be us bombing them." We hear helicopters. The first time I heard a helicopter here I realized suddenly that this isn't LA. Its not a news helicopter or a police helicopter, or most likely not even a hospital helicopter. A helicopter here can only be one thing. IDF. The first time I heard airplanes, I realized there was no airport around here. You hear airplanes and they are military airplanes. If they are loud, probably F-16s.

Below is a journal from my last 36 hours:

Friday, 3:00AM:
Tzeva Adom (Color Red Alert) does not go off, but there is a weird alarm going off-- its the thing that goes off after there are several Tzeva Adoms in a row. It wakes us all up, and we don't know what to do-- do we run to the shelter? Maybe it is a mistake. I make a mental note to try and interview someone about the Tzeva Adom system.

Friday, 10:00AM:
I say (out loud) that we are lucky for no Tzeva Adom this morning. A half an hour later, we are getting ready to leave the house: Tzeva Adom, Tzeva Adom. We run into the shelter. This time, we hear the whistle. Avi always told me, that the scariest moment is when you can hear the whistle, because it means it is landing right near you. After the whistle, a huge boom that rattles the house. We run out to the street, all the neighbors have come out and everybody yells, "Where did it fall?" People are running around looking. We finally realize it has fallen across the street on the back side of our house. Luckily there are no homes there, just an open field.

Friday, 4:30PM:
Right before Shabbat. Avi's brother and his family stop by to visit. His 8-year-old twin nieces are chasing our cat around our backyard and playing catch with grapefruits they picked from the trees. Aner is filming. All of the sudden, a huge boom. It was a qassam WITHOUT the Tzeva Adom warning-- one of the scariest things possible. Then it starts: Tzeva Adom, Tzeva Adom. We run into the shelter. More explosions. Close.

Friday, 8:00PM:
Shabbat dinner at Avi's parents. Avi is really depressed and angry. He keeps asking, "Is this a way to live? Why? Why?" He doesn't usually get this worked up, but something about seeing his nieces exposed to the danger makes him sad. He can't eat.

Friday, 10:00PM:
We can hear singing and cheering. Its a huge group of Bnei Akiva, they tell me, I go out with Avi's nephew, Lidor, another one of my subjects who is in the Sderot Youth Choir. We see six hundred young people from a group called "Lev Ehad (One heart.)" They hold Israeli flags and walk through the streets of Sderot singing, clapping, and cheering, to show solidarity. Its an amazing sight.

Friday, 10:30PM:
We are driving home. We have the radio tuned to 104fm, where after 9PM there is silence, but the Tzeva Adom is broadcast -- supposedly a couple of seconds before you can hear the loudspeakers. We stop the car and run up the walkway to the nearest house. We bang on the door. Nobody home. We get close to the wall of the house, just in case. For the first time I am afraid, I can hear my own heart beating. Something about the process of trying to run and not knowing where to go.

Friday, Midnight:
We are sitting in our house drinking coffee with Robbie and Lavi-- two of Avi's friends-- film students from Sapir college. Robbie is really mad. They are talking about how upsetting it is that seven years of rockets and the government doesn't care, but now that rockets hit Askhelon, its suddenly not okay anymore. Robbie says it is because of who live here-- Mizrachim (Jews from Arab countries) not Askenazim. Poor people. The government doesn't care about the people of Sderot-- but Askhelon is now the limit. Avi talks about his new song. Its called, "Sushi in Japan." I presume it is about Olmert, eating his sushi.

Saturday, 2:00AM:
Tzeva adom. This is strange-- doesn't usually happen at this hour. We run to the shelter. Can't hear a boom. Maybe its too far. I get back in bed and try to sleep. I hear helicopters.

Saturday, 5:00AM:
Tzeva Adom.

Saturday, sometime between 5 and 7AM:
One or two Tzeva Adoms. I don't remember. I don't get up, I don't wake up. I just stay in bed. Screw it all. If they want to bomb me, go ahead.

Saturday, 7:30AM:
Tzeva Adom. We wake up and run to the shelter. I am so tired I can't even stand up. Get back in bed. I can hear gunfire. Really loud gunfire... like a machine gun. Is is from a tank or a helicopter or something.

Saturday, 9:30AM:
Tzeva Adom. Okay, maybe its time to get up. I hear airplanes -- really loud. Must be F-16's.

Saturday, Noon:
Helicopters. I get online. I can't help it. What does it say in the news. Thirty-three qassams from yesterday until now. Twenty-six people killed in Gaza, including some civilians. Several IDF soldiers injured.

I look at the press from the West and get very angry. Its mostly about their injuries. Another article about Palestinian protests about our attacks. This is ridiculous. If there were no rockets raining on us the IDF wouldn't have anything to do there. I don't like the way we are portrayed. We don't want this war. They are dragging us in. What can we do? There are rockets raining on us daily. But in the media we look like the aggressors. It feels so unfair to be sitting here and reading that. My entire perspective has changed. I used to think that Israel needed to take care of how it looked to the Western World -- that we can't look like monsters. Now I know it doesn't matter. They will paint us however they want. I just can't read the news anymore, it makes me too angry. We need to move forward with our lives, protect ourselves. The government has a responsibility to protect its people. The question is, what is the best way to do that?

Saturday, 2pm:
Tzeva Adom. I'm alone in the house, I run to the shelter.

Saturday, 3pm:
Tzeva Adom. I stay at my desk. This is ridiculous.

Saturday, 7pm:
The news. Two Israeli soldiers killed. 45 Palestinians.

As I am writing this, more helicopters. More guns. Very depressed.

Shavua Tov From Sderot.
------------------------
Laura Bialis
Foundation for Documentary Projects
Israel Cell: (052) 6868-411
LA Office: (310) 826-8112
LA Cell: (310) 658-8858
laura@documentaryprojects.org

NY Rally for Sderot

Bombed. Terrorized. Traumatized.


These words describe the harrowing situation of our brothers and sisters of Sderot, Israel. Its inhabitants have been mercilessly subjected to thousands of rockets from Palestinian terrorists living in Gaza since Israel’s withdrawal two and a half years ago.



Please join AMCHA: Coalition for Jewish Concerns as we gather in support of our brethren living in constant fear and pain. We'll remember those killed and maimed by the Kassam terror rockets.


When: Sunday, March 2nd 12:30pm

Where: Isaiah Peace Wall opposite the United Nations Building
First Avenue and 43rd Street, Manhattan

We are honored to have speaking both Alon Davidi, Chairman of the Sderot Security committee, winner of the Jerusalem Award for Jewish Bravery, and Noam Bedein, founder of the Sderot Media Center.

Bring your family and friends. Ask your rabbi to announce.

For more information, please contact AMCHA: CJC at 718-796-4730. Rabbi Avi Weiss, National President. Rabbi Etan Mintz, Executive Vice President.

Aliya: Going Down

Aliya in the good old days...


Today's Maariv daily newspaper reports on aliya statistics for 2007. The headline says it all--2007: more people leaving Israel than making aliya.

The depressing news is that in all of 2007 only 18,129 immigrants chose to make Israel their home. That's down a few hundred from 2006, but less than 10 percent of the peak year in recent memory of 1990 when 199,516 new immigrants descended on Israel in one 12 month period.

The breakdown of olim for 2007 is revealing--the largest number are still arriving from former Communist countries: 4,700. 3,600 from Ethiopia; 2,335 from France; 2,094 from North America and a measly 562 from the UK and all other countries combined, including S. Africa, Australia, Venezuela, Argentina etc.

(Who can trust those numbers anyway--last week a veteran Jewish Agency emissary working in Venezuela was arrested and charged with helping 200 non-Jews pose as Jews so that they could immigrate to Israel.)

And how many emissaries does the Jewish Agency employ around the world to encourage aliya?? There's something wrong with this picture...

Israel's Big Bad Barricade

Yossi Tzur with pictures of the 17 Israelis, including his 16 year-old son, killed in a Haifa bus bomb.


Here's a link to my latest article in frontpagemag.com about Israel's anti-terror barrier. I welcome your feedback.

FrontPage Magazine

Are We Passing Out the Candy Yet?

Imad Mugniyah.


All the major news outlets are reporting the "elimination" in Damascus of one of the world's most wanted terrorists:

car bomb in Damascus on Tuesday killed a senior military commander of the
Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hizbullah, a Lebanese political source told
Reuters on Wednesday.

According to the al-Manar television channel, the man killed was Imad
Moughnieh, one of Hizbullah's founders and the organization's operational
commander. The channel blamed Israel for the assassination.

Witnesses had seen the body of a man taken from the scene of the blast in
the Syrian capital on Tuesday evening.

Moughnieh is believed to be the mastermind behind the attacks against Jewish
centers in Buenos Aires in 1994, as well as the kidnapping of a TWA airplane
in Lebanon in 1985 and the abduction of westerners in the country during the
1980s.

The United States considers Moughnieh to be the man behind the bombing at
the American embassy in Beirut in and the attack against the Marines in 1994
headquarters in Lebanon in 1983, which killed over 200 Americans.

Is anyone in Israel or the US passing out candies or jumping up and down in the streets? Not quite...Israel Radio interviewed the widow of one of the Israeli officials murdered in the Buenos Aires Israeli Embassy bombing. She really didn't have much to say, other than to recall that dreadful day in 1994, and quietly say that some other terrorist will surely rise up to take Moughnieh's place.

Great speculation here as to how such an operation could have taken place in Damascus, of all places. Moughnieh's Pajero vehicle was blown up around midnight. He was one of the world's most hunted terrorists whose movements were reported to be as hidden as Osama Bin Laden's. Tomorrow, Hizbollah leader Nasrallah will preside over the funeral in Lebanon. Wouldn't want to be in charge of security arrangements at that event...

Winograd Report: English summary

Thanks to Media Central for this translation:

January 30, 2008


Good Evening.

1. About an hour ago we submitted the Final Report of the Commission to Investigate the Lebanon Campaign in 2006 to the Prime minister, Mr. Ehud Olmert, and to the Minister of Defense, Mr. Ehud Barak.

2. The task given to us was difficult and complex. It involved the examination of events in 34 days of fighting, and the scrutiny of events before the war, since the IDF had left Lebanon in 2000. This covered extensive, charged and complex facts, unprecedented in any previous Commission of Inquiry.

3. The fact that the Government of Israel opted for such an examination, and that the army conducted a large number of inquires of a variety of military events, are a sign of strength, and an indication that the political and military leaders of Israel are willing to expose themselves to critical review and to painful but required mending.

4. We have included in the classified version of the Report all the relevant facts we have found concerning the 2nd Lebanon war, systematically and in a chronological order. This presentation of the factual basis was an important part of our work. It is reasonable to assume that no single decision maker had access to a similar factual basis. In this task we had a unique advantage over others who have written about this war, since we had access to a lot of primary and comprehensive material, and the opportunity to clarify the facts by questioning many witnesses, commanders and soldiers, including bereaved families.

5. For obvious reasons, the unclassified Report does not include the many facts that cannot be revealed for reasons of protecting the state's security and foreign affairs. We tried, nonetheless, to balance between the wish to present the public with a meaningful picture of the events and the needs of security. We should note that we did not take the mere fact that some data has already been published in the media as a reason for including it in our unclassified Report.

6. We, the members of the Commission, acted according to the main objectives for which the Commission was established – to respond to the bad feelings of the Israeli public of a crisis and disappointment caused by the results of the 2nd Lebanon war, and from the way it was managed by the political and military echelons; and the wish to draw lessons from the failings of the war and its flaws, and to repair what is required, quickly and resolutely. We regarded as most important to investigate deeply what had happened, as a key to drawing lessons for the future, and their implementation.

7. This conception of our role was one of the main reasons for our decision not to include in the Final Report personal conclusions and recommendations. We believe that the primary need for improvements applies to the structural and systemic malfunctioning revealed in the war – on all levels.

Nonetheless, it should be stressed that the fact we refrained from imposing personal responsibility does not imply that no such responsibility exists. We also wish to repeat our statement from the Interim Report: We will not impose different standards of responsibility to the political and the military echelons, or to persons of different ranks within them.

8. Let us emphasize: when we imposed responsibility on a system, an echelon or a unit, we did not imply that the responsibility was only or mainly of those who headed it at the time of the war. Often, such responsibility stemmed from a variety of factors outside the control of those at the head. In addition, a significant part of the responsibility for the failures and flaws we have found lies with those who had been in charge of preparedness and readiness in the years before the war.

9. The purpose of this press release is not to sum up the Final Report. Rather, it is to present its highlights. The Report itself includes discussions of many important issues, which are an inseparable part of the Report, its conclusions and recommendations.

10. In the Final Report we dealt mainly with the events of the period after the initial decision to go to war, which we had discussed in the Interim Report. Yet the events of the period covered by the Final Report took place under the shadow of the constraints created by the decision to go to war, with all its failings and flaws.

We want to stress that we stand behind everything we said in the Interim Report, and the two parts of the Report complement each other.

11. Overall, we regard the 2nd Lebanon war as a serious missed opportunity. Israel initiated a long war, which ended without its clear military victory. A semi-military organization of a few thousand men resisted, for a few weeks, the strongest army in the Middle East, which enjoyed full air superiority and size and technology advantages. The barrage of rockets aimed at Israel's civilian population lasted throughout the war, and the IDF did not provide an effective response to it. The fabric of life under fire was seriously disrupted, and many civilians either left their home temporarily or spent their time in shelters. After a long period of using only standoff fire power and limited ground activities, Israel initiated a large scale ground offensive, very close to the Security Council resolution imposing a cease fire. This offensive did not result in military gains and was not completed. These facts had far-reaching implications for us, as well as for our enemies, our neighbors, and our friends in the region and around the world.

12. In the period we examined in the Final Report - from July 18, 2006, to August 14, 2006- again troubling findings were revealed, some of which had already been mentioned in the Interim Report:

o We found serious failings and shortcomings in the decision-making processes and staff-work in the political and the military echelons and their interface.
o We found serious failings and flaws in the quality of preparedness, decision-making and performance in the IDF high command, especially in the Army.
o We found serious failings and flaws in the lack of strategic thinking and planning, in both the political and the military echelons.
o We found severe failings and flaws in the defence of the civilian population and in coping with its being attacked by rockets.
o These weaknesses resulted in part from inadequacies of preparedness and strategic and operative planning which go back long before the 2nd Lebanon war.

13. The decision made in the night of July 12th – to react (to the kidnapping) with immediate and substantive military action, and to set for it ambitious goals - limited Israel's range of options. In fact, after the initial decision had been made, Israel had only two main options, each with its coherent internal logic, and its set of costs and disadvantages. The first was a short, painful, strong and unexpected blow on Hezbollah, primarily through standoff fire-power. The second option was to bring about a significant change of the reality in the South of Lebanon with a large ground operation, including a temporary occupation of the South of Lebanon and 'cleaning' it of Hezbollah military infrastructure.

14. The choice between these options was within the exclusive political discretion of the government; however, the way the original decision to go to war had been made; the fact Israel went to war before it decided which option to select, and without an exit strategy – all these constituted serious failures, which affected the whole war. Responsibility for these failures lay, as we had stressed in the Interim Report, on both the political and the military echelons.

15. After the initial decision to use military force, and to the very end of the war, this period of 'equivocation' continued, with both the political and the military echelon not deciding between the two options: amplifying the military achievement by a broad military ground offensive, or abstaining from such a move and seeking to end the war quickly. This 'equivocation' did hurt Israel. Despite awareness of this fact, long weeks passed without a serious discussion of these options, and without a decision – one way or the other – between them.

16. In addition to avoiding a decision about the trajectory of the military action, there was a very long delay in the deployment necessary for an extensive ground offensive, which was another factor limiting Israel's freedom of action and political flexibility: Till the first week of August, Israel did not prepare the military capacity to start a massive ground operation.

17. As a result, Israel did not stop after its early military achievements, and was 'dragged' into a ground operation only after the political and diplomatic timetable prevented its effective completion. The responsibility for this basic failure in conducting the war lies at the doorstep of both the political and the military echelons.

18. The overall image of the war was a result of a mixture of flawed conduct of the political and the military echelons and the interface between them, of flawed performance by the IDF, and especially the ground forces, and of deficient Israeli preparedness. Israel did not use its military force well and effectively, despite the fact that it was a limited war initiated by Israel itself. At the end of the day, Israel did not gain a political achievement because of military successes; rather, it relied on a political agreement, which included positive elements for Israel, which permitted it to stop a war which it had failed to win.

19. This outcome was primarily caused by the fact that, from the very beginning, the war has not been conducted on the basis of deep understanding of the theatre of operations, of the IDF's readiness and preparedness, and of basic principles of using military power to achieve a political and diplomatic goal.

20. All in all, the IDF failed, especially because of the conduct of the high command and the ground forces, to provide an effective military response to the challenge posed to it by the war in Lebanon, and thus failed to provide the political echelon with a military achievement that could have served as the basis for political and diplomatic action. Responsibility for this outcomes lies mainly with the IDF, but the misfit between the mode of action and the goals determined by the political echelon share responsibility.

21. We should note that, alongside the failures in the IDF performance, there were also important military achievements. Special mention should go to the great willingness of the soldiers, especially reserve soldiers, to serve and fight in the war, as well as the many instances of heroism, courage, self-sacrifice and devotion of many commanders and soldiers.

22. The air force should be congratulated on very impressive achievements in this war. However, there were those in the IDF high command, joined by some in the political echelon, who entertained a baseless hope that the capabilities of the air force could prove decisive in the war. In fact, the impressive achievements of the air force were necessarily limited, and were eroded by the weaknesses in the overall performance of the IDF.

23. The "Hannit" episode colored to a large extent the whole performance of the Navy, despite the fact that it made a critical contribution to the naval blockade, and provided the Northern Command with varied effective support of its fighting.

24. We should also note that the war had significant diplomatic achievements. SC resolution 1701, and the fact it was adopted unanimously, were an achievement for Israel. This conclusion stands even if it turns out that only a part of the stipulations of the resolution were implemented or will be implemented, and even if it could have been foreseen that some of them would not be implemented. This conclusion also does not depend on the intentions or goals of the powers that supported the resolution.

25. We note, however, that we have seen no serious staff work on Israeli positions in the negotiations. This situation improved in part when the team headed by the prime minister's head of staff was established. The team worked efficiently and with dedication, professionalism and coordination. This could not compensate, however, for the absence of preparatory staff work and discussions in the senior political echelon.

26. This fact may have much significance to the way Israel conducts negotiations, and to the actual content of the arrangements reached. In such negotiations, decisions are often made that may have far-reaching implications on Israel's interests, including the setting of precedents.

27. The staff work done in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the adoption of a favorable resolution in the Security Council was, in the main, quick, systematic and efficient. At the same time, for a variety of reasons, it did not reflect clear awareness of the essential need to maintain an effective relationship between military achievements and diplomatic activities.

28. We now turn to the political and military activity concerning the ground operation at the end of the war. This is one of the central foci of public debate.

29. True, in hindsight, the large ground operation did not achieve its goals of limiting the rocket fire and changing the picture of the war. It is not clear what the ground operation contributed to speeding up the diplomatic achievement or improving it. It is also unclear to what extent starting the ground offensive affected the reactions of the government of Lebanon and Hezbollah to the ceasefire.

30. Nonetheless, it is important to stress that the evaluation of these decisions should not be made with hindsight. It cannot depend on the achievements or the costs these decisions in fact had. The evaluation must be based only on the reasons for the operation, and its risks and prospects as they were known - or as they should have been known - when it was decided upon. Moreover, it is impossible to evaluate the ground operation at the end of the war without recalling the developments that preceded it and the repeated delays in the adoption of the Security Council resolution; and as a part of the overall conduct of the war.

31. Against this background, we make the following findings on the main decisions:

o The cabinet decision of August 9th – to approve in principle the IDF plan, but to authorize the PM and the MOD to decide if and when it should be activated, according to the diplomatic timetable - was almost inevitable, giving the Israeli government necessary military and political flexibility.
o The decision to start in fact the ground operation was within the political and professional discretion of its makers, on the basis of the facts before them. The goals of the ground operation were legitimate, and were not exhausted by the wish to hasten or improve the diplomatic achievement. There was no failure in that decision in itself, despite its limited achievements and its painful costs.
o Both the position of the Prime minister – who had preferred to avoid the ground operation – and the position of the Minister of Defense – who had thought it would have served Israel's interest to go for it – had been taken on the merits and on the basis of evidence. Both enjoyed serious support among the members of the general staff of the IDF and others. Even if both statesmen took into account political and public concerns – a fact we cannot ascertain - we believe that they both acted out of a strong and sincere perception of what they thought at the time was Israel's interest.

32. We want to stress: The duty to make these difficult decisions was the political leaders'. The sole test of these decisions is public and political.

33. At the same time, we also note that:

o We have not found within either the political or the military echelons a serious consideration of the question whether it was reasonable to expect military achievements in 60 hours that could have contributed meaningfully to any of the goals of the operation;
o We have not found that the political echelon was aware of the details of the fighting in real time, and we have not seen a discussion, in either the political or the military echelons, of the issue of stopping the military operation after the Security Council resolution was adopted;
o We have not seen an explanation of the tension between the great effort to get additional time to conclude the first stage of the planned ground operation and the decisions not to go on fighting until the ceasefire itself.

34. A description of failures in the conduct of war may be regarded as harming Israel. There will be those who may use our findings to hurt Israel and its army. We nonetheless point out these failures and shortcomings because we are certain that only in this way Israel may come out of this ordeal strengthened. We are pleased that processes of repair have already started. We recommend a deep and systematic continuation of such processes. It is exclusively in the hands of Israeli leaders and public to determine whether, when facing challenges in the future, we will come to them more prepared and ready, and whether we shall cope with them in a more serious and responsible way than the way the decision-makers had acted – in the political and the military echelons -- in the 2nd Lebanon war.

35. Our recommendations contain suggestions for systemic and deep changes in the modalities of thinking and acting of the political and military echelons and their interface, in both routine and emergency, including war. These are deep and critical processes. Their significance should not be obscured by current affairs, local successes or initial repairs. A persistent and prolonged effort, on many levels, will be needed in order to bring about the essential improvements in the ways of thinking and acting of the political-military systems.

36. For these reasons we would like to caution against dangers which might upset plans and delay required change processes, and thus produce dangerous results:

o Fear of criticism in case of failure may lead to defensive reactions, working by the book, and abstention from making resolute decisions and preferring non-action. Such behavior is undesirable and also dangerous.
o In a dynamic complex reality, one should not prepare better for the last war. It is also essential not to limit oneself to superficial action, designed to create an appearance that flaws had been corrected.
o It is also essential not to focus exclusively on coping with dangers, but to combine readiness for threat scenarios with an active seeking of opportunities.
o When speaking on learning, one should take into account that enemies, too, are learning their lessons.

37. The 2nd Lebanon War has brought again to the foreground for thought and discussion issues that some parts of Israeli society had preferred to suppress: Israel cannot survive in this region, and cannot live in it in peace or at least non-war, unless people in Israel itself and in its surroundings believe that Israel has the political and military leadership, military capabilities, and social robustness that will allow her to deter those of its neighbors who wish to harm her, and to prevent them - if necessary through the use of military force - from achieving their goal.

38. These truths do not depend on one's partisan or political views. Israel must - politically and morally - seek peace with its neighbors and make necessary compromises. At the same time, seeking peace or managing the conflict must come from a position of social, political and military strength, and through the ability and willingness to fight for the state, its values and the security of its population even in the absence of peace.



39. These truths have profound and far-reaching implications for many dimensions of life in Israel and the ways its challenges are managed. Beyond examining the way the Lebanon War was planned and conducted; beyond the examination of flaws in decision-making and performance that had been revealed in it - important as they may be; these are the central questions that the Lebanon war has raised. These are issues that lie at the very essence of our existence here as a Jewish and democratic state. These are the questions we need to concentrate on.

40. We hope that our findings and conclusions in the Interim and the Final Reports will bring about not only a redress of failings and flaws, but help Israeli society, its leaders and thinkers, to advance the long-term goals of Israel, and develop the appropriate ways to address the challenges and respond to them.

41. We are grateful for the trust put in us when this difficult task was given to us. If we succeed in facilitating rectification of the failings we have identified - this will be our best reward.

Watershed Moment?

As predicted, heavy, slushy, wet snow is falling on Israel’s high ground today. Jerusalem’s schools are closed; courts canceled sessions; buses are running on main streets only and Mayor Uri Lupolianski has invited everyone to a snowman contest in one of the city’s main parks this afternoon.

But the main event of the day refuses to be overshadowed by the blowing snow. At precisely 6 p.m, a summary of the long-awaited final report of the Winograd Commission will be read. The press has already been informed that none of the commission members will answer questions, so at 6:20 p.m. when the reading concludes and the 500 page report is distributed the pundits will be out in full force.

The latest telephone surveys show that the majority of Israelis feel that Prime Minister Olmert has not implemented the lessons of the Second Lebanon War: [No 58%; More or less 8%; Yes 19%; Other answers; 15%]
( According to the Maagar Mohot Survey Institute presented on Israel Television Channel 10, January 29, 2008)

When the MM Survey asked if Olmert should resign if the Commission report is “severe.’ 19% said no: 73% said Yes: Other replies: 8%.

So, along with the melting snow that promises to derail day-to-day life over the next couple of days, a more consequential watershed moment may be at hand with the release of the Winograd report.

Tu B'Shvat Washout

Oranges picked by volunteers get loaded onto the van to be distributed in Sderot






Tu B'Shvat 2008 ended the long, dry cold spell we've been having in Israel. The downpour meant that we couldn't do our traditional fruit-gleaning this year--instead, here's a retrospective of a previous Tu B'Shvat ....

Hours later, the scent of citrus is still on my hands. I know Tu B'shvat isn't much of a holiday outside Israel, but here, the New Year for Trees is an opportunity to physically connect with the land and it's bounty. In honor of Tu B'Shvat, my son and I picked tangerines for the Table to Table organization at a citrus grove just outside Ashkelon.

Citrus is just about the easiest fruit to pick--no bending down; everything is at eye level; no prickly thorns and there's a gratifying thunk every time one of the heavy, juice-laden fruit fills up the bag.

It's been years since I last picked fruit as a kibbutz volunteer and I'd forgotten the intoxicating combination of the scent of acres of oranges, grapefruit and tangerines combined with the exhilaration of working outside on the land far away from the noise of the city.

Combine that with the satisfaction of helping out a dynamic organization committed to "food rescue" and the day is just about perfect.

Table To Table is just three years old and was started by a South African immigrant concerned that good food was going to waste while thousands of Israelis rely on food banks and soup kitchens. He started collecting unused food from catered simchas, but in a few short years the effort has grown to incorporate Project Leket that matches volunteers like us with farmers whose end-of-harvest produce would just rot; a trucking program that uses refrigerated trucks to pick up food from army bases, corporate cafeterias, factories, farms and packing houses and delivers it to social service organizations, as well as the original Night Rescue initiative that still collects food from wedding halls and other simcha venues.

Today, at the Pri Or orchards outside Ashkelon, it's two guys from Mercaz Hesed in nearby Sderot, a town under constant Kassam rocket attack, who drive in their truck to load and deliver the freshly picked produce to the needy.

After picking, we're too close to Nitzanim, one of Israel's best beaches, to pass it by. The beautiful beach just beyond the sand dune national park is absolutely deserted. Just down the road, we pay a visit to the new Jewish refugee camp of Nitzan--"home" to more than 350 families kicked out of their homes in Gush Katif. The area has expanded since I was last there a few weeks ago--but the aimless kids with sad faces still roam the streets, and the complete lack of normalcy--no work, no shops, no schools--is still apparent.

On the way back to Jerusalem a brief stop in Abu Ghosh, an Israeli Arab village on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, allows me to indulge my craving for a real cup of Turkish coffee. Just 15 minutes later we're driving through Meah Shearim on the way home. Tu B'Shvat isn't exactly a huge holiday for either of these communities, but the sheer variety of scenery and people we encounter in a few short hours is quite stunning.

Last night, a few of us gathered for a traditional Tu B'shvat seder in a friend's home in Kochav Yakov, just north of Jerusalem. All of us had been affiliated with a Sephardic synagogue back in the US where the Fruticas event was a highlight of the year. The seder incorporates blessing and eating a variety of fruits grown here and someone pointed out how back in the old country we'd always have to say, "this fruit is LIKE what they eat in Israel." Not any more. Here we're picking, eating and blessing the real thing, the fruit of our own land.

It seems the citrus smell will be lingering on my hands--and in my mind for a while.

As Hamas Cuts Gaza Electricity, Sderot Israel Bleeds

When will Israel hold Egypt and Hamas Palestinian terror leaders personally responsible for the suffering of the people of Sderot?When will Sderot reality change? When will the innocent people, the children of both Gaza and Sderot stop suffering due to the terror activities of Hamas?

read more | digg story

Winter in the Middle East

The Palestine Authority propaganda machine has the world believing that wicked little Israel has cut off fuel to Gaza and that the poor peace-loving Gazans are shivering through the current cold snap by candlelight.

Yesterday an Israeli military official rejected claims that Gazans were suffering from a power shortage.

"Even today, Israel is behind 70% of the power supply to Gaza, and therefore any claim to the effect that there are electricity problems in Gaza is unfounded," he stated. "These are media spins by interested parties. We did not cut back on electricity and don't intend to do so at this point.

"The Palestinians are in fact the ones who shut down power for several hours a day in a bid to create a crisis. At the moment, th