Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Gaza-Sderot: Candles of Hope

First in Hebrew, then in Arabic, and then in English
You are all invited, and you can bring your friends and family!







חברי 'קול אחר' מזמינים אתכם:


עזה-שדרות: נרות של תקווה


תושבים משני צדי הגבול מדליקים נרות בחנוכה וקוראים לעצור את גל האלימות הבא ולהתחיל סוף סוף לדבר

יום ב', ל' בכסלו תשע"ב, 26 בדצמבר 2011,

על גבעה הצופה אל פני עזה במושב נתיב העשרה, בשעה 16:30 - נר שביעי של חנוכה

בחודש נובמבר הכריז הרמטכ"ל בני גנץ שפעולה התקפית ומשמעותית בעזה היא רק עניין של זמן. בינתיים, כבר קיבלנו פרומו בדמות סבב דמים נוסף שגבה קרבנות רבים בעזה וטילים על ישראל. אין חדש תחת שמי ישראל ועזה. כוח ואלימות הם קוד הדיבור היחיד של מנהיגים משני צדי המתרס.

חברי קבוצת  קול אחר משדרות ויישובי האזור מזמינים אתכם להשתתף איתנו בטקס הדלקת נרות יוצא דופן בחג החנוכה, בו נקרא לממשלת ישראל ולמנהיגי החמאס:

אל תחשיכו לנו את החג שבא לגרש את החושך!

אל תובילו אותנו לעופרת יצוקה 2!


לאחר עשר שנות אלימות ואיוולת שזרעו הרס רב והותירו אותנו, אזרחים משני צדי המתרס, באותו מקום מיואש - הגיע הזמן לנסות פעם אחת דרך אחרת:

הידברות, משא ומתן, וחתירה להסכם הבנות ארוך טווח, שיאפשר חיים של שקט וכבוד לנו ולשכנינו. האופציה הכוחנית הביאה אותנו למבוי סתום!

הגיע הזמן ליוזמה מדינית!!!

באירוע תוצב חנוכיה גדולה על גבעה בואכה עזה, ותושבים משני צדי הגבול ידליקו נרות. כל נר יבטא משאלה לעתיד שונה וטוב יותר לכלל תושבי האזור. האירוע יכלול כתובות אש בעברית ובערבית וקטעים מוסיקליים.


'קול אחר' הינה קבוצה של תושבי שדרות ויישובי האזור, המקיימת קשר רציף עם תושבים מרצועת עזה, ומקדמת יחסי שכנות והידברות באזור הדרום ובכל הארץ.




 
تتشرف مجموعة صوت آخر بدعوتكم لحضور مراسم احتفالها تحت عنوان:
غزة - سديروت: شموع الأمل

وذلك يوم الإثنين الموافق 26 ديسمبر 2011، في موشاف هاناتيف هاعاسارا، على التلة المطلة على غزة، في تمام الساعة
الرابعة والنصف مساءً - الشمعة السابعة من شموع عيد الأنوار (الخانوكا)

سيقوم مواطنين من كلا جانبي الحدود بإضاءة شموع خلال عيد الأنوار (الخانوكا)، والدعوة إلى منع موجة العنف القادمة.
لقد حان الوقت أخيراً لإسماع صوتنا

في نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني، أعلن رئيس الأركان الإسرائيلي أن الهجوم العسكري على غزة مجرد مسألة وقت. في الوقت ذاته، كانت هناك موجة جديدة من العنف راح ضحيتها العديد من مواطني غزة، كما جلبت هجمات صاروخية على إسرائيل. لا جديد تحت الشمس في إسرائيل وقطاع غزة. القوة والعنف هما اللغة الوحيدة لقادتنا على كلا جانبي الحدود.

مجموعة صوت آخر من سديروت والمجتمعات المحاذية لغزة تدعوكم للمشاركة في المراسم الخاصة لإضاءة شموع عيد الأنوار (الخانوكا)، والذي نرسل من خلاله نداء للحكومة الإسرائيلية وقيادة حركة حماس: لا تفسدوا حياتنا في هذه المناسبة التي تهدف إلى تبديد الظلام! ولا تقودونا إلى عملية رصاص مصبوب ثانية!

عشر سنوات من العنف والحماقة خلفت دماراً كبيراً، وتركت وراءها مواطني كلا جانبي الحدود في نفس درجة اليأس. لقد حان الوقت لتجربة أسلوب آخر: الحوار، والمفاوضات، والعمل على وضع اتفاقية طويلة الأمد من شأنها أن تجعل الإسرائيليون والفلسطينيون في غزة يعيشون في سلام وهدوء وكرامة. لقد أدي خيار القوة بنا إلى طريق مسدود. لقد حان الوقت لمبادرة سياسية!!!

خلال مراسم الحفل، سنقوم بإضاءة شمعدان عيد الأنوار على التلة المطلة على غزة. سيقوم مواطن إسرائيلي أو فلسطيني من غزة بإضاءة شمعة من شموع العيد، ستمثل أمنية من أجل مستقبل مختلف وأفضل لجميع سكان المنطقة. سيتضمن الحفل إضاءة لافتة نارية كبيرة باللغتين العبرية والعربية تدعو إلى السلام، بالإضافة إلى فقرات موسيقية.

مجموعة صوت آخر هي مجموعة من سكان سديروت والمنطقة، لديها إتصالات مستمرة مع فلسطينيين من قطاع غزة. تهدف إلى تطوير علاقات الجوار والحوار في الجنوب، وجميع أنحاء البلاد.



Other Voice invites you to our activity
Gaza-Sderot: Candles of Hope
Monday, 26 December 2011, at Moshav Hanativ Ha’asara, on the hill overlooking Gaza, at 4:30 pm – the 7th candle of Hanukkah

Citizens from both sides of the border are lighting candles during Hanukkah and calling out to prevent the next wave of violence. It is time to finally begin talking
In November, the Israeli Chief of Staff announced that a strong military attack on Gaza is just a matter of time.  Meanwhile, we had a “promo”; a new round of violence claimed many victims in Gaza and brought rocket attacks on Israel. There is nothing new under the sun in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Power and violence are the only language of our ‘leaders’ on both sides of the border.
Other Voice from Sderot and the communities along the Gaza Border invite you to participate in a special Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony, in which we will send out a call to the Israeli government and the Hamas leadership: Do not darken our lives during the holiday that comes to expel the darkness! Do not lead us into Operation Cast Lead 2
            
          10 years of violence and foolishness have sown great destruction and left citizens on both sides of the border, in the same place of despair. The time has come to try a different way: Dialogue, negotiations, and work on a long-term agreement that will make it possible for Israelis and Gazans to live in peace and quiet and dignity. The power option has led us to a dead end. It is time for a political initiative!!!
            At the ceremony, we will light a large Hanukkia (Menora), on a hill overlooking Gaza. Each candle will be lit by either an Israeli or a Gazan, and will represent a wish for a different and better future for all peoples of the region. The event will also include the lighting of a large fire sign in Hebrew and Arabic that calls for peace, and musical interludes.

Other Voice is a group of residents from Sderot and the region that have ongoing contact with people in the Gaza Strip. We advance neighborly relations and dialogue in the south and in the entire country.



Sunday, December 11, 2011

We did it! Bank Leumi Closes 2 Million Reasons Campaign

 אם תרצו אין זו אגדה
If you will it, it will come

אחרי לחץ אדיר ולא מרפה על בנק לאומי לפסול את ארגון אם תרצו מהתחרות, הם סגרו את המצבע שני מיליון סיבות

After an unrelentless campaign to disqualify Im Tirzu, Bank Leumi closed their campaign Two Million Reasons

                              (the poster announcing stopping the project)

מלהתחילה, הקמפיין היה די מביש ועשה לא מעט שימוש ציני בעמותות

From the beginning, the campaign was embarrasing, and Bank Leumi cynically used the NGOs for their own benefit

כאשר נודע לנו שאם תרצו הינו אחד העמותות שמנסה לזכות בכסף, הקמפיין הפך מציני ומביש למרגיז ומכוער

After we learned that Im Tirzu - a fascist organization that demonizes on a regular basis any and all people and groups who do not believe in their special brand of 'Zionism'  - the campagin changed from being embarrasing, humiliating and cynical, to angering and ugly

אם הבנק רוצה לגלות אחריות חברתית, היא יכולה לנקוט במספר צעדים אמיתיים: לתת הרבה יותר משני מיליון ש"ח (הרי יש להם מיליארדים) לעמותות שעושות עבודת קודש בתחומים של חינוך, בריאות, וסביבה; להוריד עמלות מיותרות שהוא גובה מהלקוחות שמפקידים את כספם אצלם. זאת תהיה התחלה יפה

If the bank truly wishes to exhibit social responsibility, it can do so in a number of ways: (a) it can give much more than two million shekel t(after all, it has billions) to organizations that support education, health and the environment and it can do away with the unecessary commissions that it takes from the clients who put their money into the bank. This will be a good start.

אם תרצו אין זו אגדה
If you will it, it will come

אם נרצה, נוכל לעצור את הפשיזם
If we will it, we can stop the fascism

אם תרצו, נוכל להחזיר את הכבוד לחברה
If we will it, we can restore human dignity to our society

אם תרצו , ואם נעבוד עבור מטרות אלו, אין זו אגדה
If we will it, and if we work for it, it will come

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Why is This Money Going to Im Tirzu? למה הכסף ילך לאם תרצו

Today the blog begins in Hebrew, moves into English, and then back into Hebrew

למרות הקמפיין המואץ שלנו מול בנק לאומי לפסול את תנועה אם תרצו מהמצבע של שני מיליון סיבות, בינתיים הם הגיעו למקום השלישי

זאת אומרת, שהם הולכים לזכות בכסף שמיועד לעמותות חברתיות וחינוכיות, שמשקיעות כל כך הרבה מאמץ בלתמוך באוכלוסיות ופעילויות שנשכחו על ידי ממשלה, שנשכחו על ידי רוב הציבור
במקום שהכסף יילך למטרות הומניטריות וחשובות, הכסף יילך לארגון פשיסטי שמנסה בכל הזדמנות לסתום פיות של "שמאלנים, אנטי-ציוניים", שמעיזים לא להסכים עם המדיניות של הממשלה ועם הכיבוש הבלתי נסבל, והלא נגמר

אלו ימים עצובים לדמוקרטיה
אלו ימי בושה של בנק לאומי

In spite of our intensive campaign to convince Bank Leumi to drop Im Tirzu from its donation contest "2 million reasons," the fascist organization is in third place.

This means, that they are going to win a lot of money that was earmarked for social and educational NGOs, organizations that volunteer so much of their time to help populations and activities that have been forgotten by our government, indeed forgotten by most of the public.

Instead of supporting humanitarian and important goals, the money is going to go to a fascist movement that tries at every turn to shut the mouths of "anti-Zionist leftists", who dare not to agree with government policies, and cannot and will not agree with the endless, unacceptable, insufferable Occupation.

These are sad times for democracy
These are shameful days for Bank Leumi

If you have an account in Bank Leumi, let them know that you are horrified by their irresponsible actions, and their willingness to support fascism

אם יש לכם חשבון בבנק לאומי, תודיעו להם שאתם נבהחלים מהפעילות הבלתי אחראיות שלהם והנכונות שלהם לתמוך בפשיזם

אם תרצו  - ארגון להרס חברתי, להרס כבוד האדם, לסתית פיות
Im Tirzu - an organization for social destruction, that is harmful to human dignity, against opposition to the Occupation, to human injustice

Bank Leumi - is this the organization worthy of your 2 million shekels?
בנק לאומי - האם זה הארגון שראוי לזכות בשני מיליון ש"ח

A sad day for democracy, a shameful day for Bank Leumi
ימים עצובים לדמוקרטיה, ימי בושה של בנק לאומי  



   

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Bank Leumi - Disqualify Im Tirzu from Your Contest - בנק לאומי תפסול את תנועת "אם תרצו" מהתחרות על תרומות

Hebrew follows English!
עברית אחרי האנגלית

Bank Leumi! Don't let Im Tirzu - a racist movement that operates campaigns against people who do not believe in its ideology - to be one of the competitors in your contest for 2 million shekel donations. The contest is supposed offer support to NGOs that help populations that do not receive the help they need from government institutions, such as the homeless, the hungry, autistic children, teenagers who want to participate in Holocaust trips/seminars to Poland run by youth movements, but don't have the money to pay for the trip, etc.

Im Tirzu engages in activities that harm democracy, that go against the values of human dignity, equality, and social justice. It works at causing division and hatred among citizens of the state, and it endangers our fragile democracy.

Bank Leumi! I did not open up a bank account so that you could use my money to support Im Tirzu. If you do not disqualify Im Tirzu from the contest, I will move my money to another bank that prefers to honor citizens of the state - including those who are not Jewish or those who do not subscribe to Im Tirzu's convoluted definition of Zionism. I will also make other Leumi account holders aware of your bad decision to support such a movement, so that they can transfer their bank accounts as well.

Bank Leumi! There are 2 million reasons why not to allow Im Tirzu to participate in this contest.

Instead of supporting fascism and racism, support democracy and human dignity.


בנק לאומי! אל תעשה שטויות ואל תיתן לתנועה "אם תרצו" - תנועה גזענית שמפעילה קמפיינים נגד אנשים וארגונים שאינם מסכימים עם האידיולוגיה שלה - להשתתף בתחרות שלכם על כספי תרומות. התחרות אמורה לעזור לעמותות שמושיטות עזרה חשובה וחיונית לאוכלוסיות שאינן זוכות לטיפול נאות ומספיק מן מוסדות ממשלתיים, כגון חסרי בית, אנשים רעבים, ילדים הסובלים מאוטיזם, נערים ונערות שרוצים להשתתף במסעות לפולין של תנועות הנוער, אך אין למשפחות שלהם כסף למימון הנסיעה, ועוד ועוד. הפעילות של אם תרצו היא פעילות שפוגעת בדמוקרטיה, פוגעת בערכים של כבוד האדם, שוויון, צדק חברתי. הפעילות שלה מפלגת את האזרחים במדינה, ומסכנת את הדמוקרטיה הכל כך עדינה

בנק לאומי - לא פתחתי חשבון בנק אצלכם על מנת שתוכלו להשתמש בכספי בתמיכת "אם תרצו." אם לא תפסול את השתתפותה, אמשוך את כספי ואעבור לבנק אחר שיודע לכבד את כל אזרחי המדינה - גם אלו שאינם יהודים ואלו שאינם דוגלים ב"ציונות" של אם תרצו
גם אדאג ליידע אחרים לגבי ההחלטה הגרועה שלכם לתמוך בתנועה זו, על מנת שאלו שמחזיקים חשבונות בנק אצלכם יוכלו להעביר את כספיהם לבנקים אחרים.

 לבנק לאומי - יש שני מיליון סיבות למה לא לאפשר ל"אם תרצו" להשתתף בתחרות

 במקום לחזק את הפשיזם והגזענות, תחזק את הדמוקרטיה ואת כבוד האדם  

Saturday, December 3, 2011

This Has Got to Stop

It's hard to know which battle to pick first. These days, in Israel, there are so many of them. Too many of them.

We could begin with all of the discrimination that is gaining ground against women. A number of ultra-Orthodox Jews, from the areas of Mea Sha'arim in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak, for example, are having women sit in the back of the bus, and walk on separate, small makeshift sidewalks created solely for women, are publicly walking out and protesting against women singing in public, and/or 'encouraging' women to be 'modest' and to cover themselves completely from head to toe, including wearing a huge, long shawl, that transforms the woman into a walking blob.

For all of you who feel that these injustices against women are too much - here is a link to an action, initiated by the New Israel Fund 

(Below follow photos of David and me participating in the action. Take your own photos, send them to the NIF, and join the call)





Number two on the list (though, this one is no less important than number one), deals with the proposals in the Knesset to set limits on democracy. One of the latest dark proposals sets to impose a 45% tax on human rights and 'left wing' NGOs. Here is a link to a Ha'aretz editorial about the dangers. A number of Knesset members propose law after law after law, each time hoping to curb democracy and curb the role/independence of the judicial system. (See my previous post on Democracy 101)

Number three is the deligitimation and the outward cynicsm, by the power holders, against the social-economic justice movement that began this summer. Last week, the annual Israel-Sderot Conference for Social Issues was held at Sapir College. (Here is the link to the English page of the conference, though it's a bit outdated. The new stuff is only in Hebrew)

This conference, which was conceptualized, and is still advertised, as being a platform for all peoples in the country, an alternative to the mainstream conferences that showcase Israeli capitalists and politicians, while ignoring pressing social issues, has become a 2 day platform for the army, for the powerful and for the politicians, even more mainstream and more anti-social reform than the Herzliya Conference and the Caesarea Conference ever dreamed of being.

For example, when I read through the program, and did some quick arithmetic, I found that 98.2% of the lecturers and panelists were Jewish-Israelis and only 1.8% were Arab citizens of the State. Of the 36 panels, only 2 focused on development in the Negev (Sapir is situated in the Negev) and there was not one Arab speaker on either of these panels, a travesty, given that approximately 200,000 of the Negev population are Arab. (I could go on... for those of you interested, write me and I will send you what I wrote in Hebrew about this).

So, in addition to the discrimination, and frightening moves toward fascism, we now also have blatant cynicism in the guise of a social conference being held in the heart of the periphery. (This may be the reason why Sapir continues to be the host of this conference. There is more readily available sand to be thrown in people's eyes in the desert than in the more northern regions of the country...)


All of this has to stop and soon is not soon enough.



Thursday, November 24, 2011

I Have a Great Idea - Democracy 101

It has occurred to me that there is something more I could be doing to help fight the fascist trend that is trying so hard to overtake Israel. I now have an idea for helping combat this rise in fascist trends.

It occurred to me that a number of our Members of Knesset (a partial list includes all of the MKs from the Yisrael Beitenu party, Michael Ben-Ari [for those of you who read Hebrew, here is information about him], and Danny Danon from the Likud) have no idea what democracy is, what it entails, why it is so precious, and what it stands for.

For a number of reasons, these MKs (and others) missed the classes and lectures on democracy, that set forth what this type of governance and government is all about. Perhaps, for that reason, we can't really blame them; they are just ignorant because they never learned about it (like I never learned physics...)

My proposal, therefore, is that we come to the Knesset (since they are very busy people and might not be able to make classes elsewhere) and give them an intensive course on Democracy 101 (or Intro to Democracy, as it would most probably be called here).



The good news is that there are many such courses available, many have materials posted on the Internet, and we could use these course materials as a good basis for our course. (For example, the United Nations Development Program has a course that looks good, which can be found here. And I also found a simple, but useful, outline of basic principles of democracy at this link). 

I'm thinking about 12 class periods of 2 hours each for the first semester. For those who get at least a 70 (we don't want to be too hard on them the first time around), they can go on to the second semester for a more advanced course on democracy. By their third semester, they should be pretty good at it, and then they could do a class project that put democracy into action. 

We're looking at a time frame of one year (if they have three consecutive semesters of courses). This means that by December 2012, or January 2013 at the latest, we can expect to have some real concrete activities, based in democracy, undertaken by our MKs!!

 I only hope that our country can hold out until then...

P.S.
If you would like to be part of the faculty for such a course, please send your materials directly to the Members of Knesset noted above (you are free, of course, to send them on to other MKs and Ministers as well). If you drop me a line with what you sent to whom, then I can keep track of how our course is going, what we should include in the exam, and when we can expect to have some concrete examples of democracy at work.






Sunday, November 20, 2011

I'm So Tired

I am living in a different country than the one to which I immigrated, back in 1972. There are so many times when I barely recognize it, and too many times when I am very frightened by what we have become. 

I know that what I once thought to be true, wasn't necessarily so, and I know that I was young and naive and ignorant when I came, and I know that we have a tendency to be nostalgic about the past, and to see it in a better light than it probably was. But still, it was better (At least if you were a secular Jew.)

Back then, we sang Hevenu shalom aleichem - we have brought you peace - and even meant it... Back then we sang Shir la'shalom (a song for peace) and even believed it... Back then we thought our democracy was as strong as strong could be, and relegated fascism to other distant regimes.

                       (Hevenu shalom aleichem - we brought you peace)

When I came to Israel, I thought I was coming to a country that embraced democracy, a country that valued equality, and freedoms. I thought the leaders of my new country would not lash out when they encountered diversity. I thought the society was one that encouraged the voices of different peoples, from different backgrounds, ethnicities and religions to be sounded and heard. I thought that its people knew what  racism, discrimination and persecution can lead to and why we must make sure it never occurs on our shores. I thought that my country would not only excel in scientific and creative initiatives, inventions and development, but also in the expression of values such as mutual caring, social and economic justice, community, solidarity.

The country in which I now live is focused on division, separation, and fear. The leaders of my country are focused on proposing law after law after law that aim to curtail freedoms, quash human rights, suffocate voices, negate anyone that is not Jewish. The country in which I live is becoming uglier and uglier. The country in which I now live is tiring, and angering, and frustrating. So frustrating.

How many petitions can I sign against draconian Knesset proposals to curtail yet another freedom?
How many emails can I send out to friends warning about this dangerous law proposal or that one?
How many news articles can I read that discuss another attempt, proposed by MKs from Yisrael Beitenu, the Likud, and Kadima, to do away with our democracy ?

How many blog posts can I write to protest the ugly country we have become?












Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Oh Freedom Over Me

This is dedicated to the brave Palestinian freedom riders who, today, November 15th, 2011, tried to ride the bus to Jerusalem, that is only accessible for Israelis.

Sing along!



The wheels on the bus go round and round
round and round
round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
all through the town

That is if you are a Jewish guy
or a Jewish girl
in a settlement
If you're a Muslim,
a Palestinian guy
you can't ride this bus!

The horn on the bus goes beep beep beep
beep beep beep
beep beep beep
The horn on the bus goes beep beep beep
all through the town

The police on the bus say
get off now, get off now, get off now
The soldiers on the bus say
get off now
if you're not a Jew

The driver on the bus says
tickets please, tickets please, tickets please
The driver on the bus says tickets please
all through the town

The Palestinians on the bus are led away
led away led away
The Palestinians on the bus are led away
for daring to get on!


To my Palestinian brothers and sisters: May you have the continued courage to try to ride the bus.

To my Israeli brothers and sisters: Stand up for justice, and protest the separation laws. You can ride the bus; support the Palestinians' rights to do so as well. 

Enough discrimination, enough oppression, enough Occupation.



Sunday, November 13, 2011

Dear Foreign Governments and Foundations - We Accept Dollars and Euros, VISA and Master Card

A short story, from today:

Once upon a time, in a place called the Holy Land, there was an attempt to have a democratic society. But democracy meant securing and ensuring freedom, and rights, and equality, and diversity for all of its citizens, not only those who belonged to a certain people, and the ministers could not have that.

The ministers gathered together to put an end to this monster, democracy, that had been created. They gathered information about human rights groups, that called attention to injustices and discrimination. They  quaked with fear, as they saw that these groups published their findings, spoke out loud about justice and peace, and about infringements of these rights, and went looking for support for these ideas outside of the borders of the land.



The ministers saw that foreign powers, and foreign foundations liked this idea of democracy and equality, and were willing to invest money in such projects, so that freedom could ring throughout the land. This became intolerable.

"It is a terrible thing to fight for human rights. It goes against everything we stand for. We cannot allow voices to cry out when there are injustices. It is suicidal for our society to back human rights group. We must do everything in our power to stop human rights groups from hanging our dirty laundry out for all to see"
cried the Israeli ministers.

"Stop the funding! Shut the mouths!
cried the Israeli ministers

"Enough with these bleeding hearts."
shrilled Knesset Member Fania Kirschenbaum

"Show the traitors what for!"
growled Minister of Foreign Affairs, Avigdor Lieberman.

 "Those anti-Semitic foreigners never understand us" bemoaned Likud MKs Tzipi Hotovely and Ofir Akunis, who sponsored bills to cut funding, and to place high taxes on any group that dared to fight for democracy. "We will have another Shoah if we allow human rights groups to work here!  As always, the whole world is against us"

"Children, you have my blessings" said Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, as he patted them on their heads. "We will put an end to this travesty, and make sure that human rights are erased from our land."

And the words
democracy
rights
freedom
equality
justice
peace

were erased from the language of the Holy Land.

The ministers and Knesset members slept very well that night, content that they had defeated the monster of humanity. 
Things did not go so well for the ordinary people. They tossed and turned, and broke out into cold sweats. They tried desparately to wake up from the frightening and dark nightmares, but, unfortunately, found no respite. 

Dear foreign funders - stand with us as we tell our ministers and Knesset members that they do not frighten us.
They try to erase democracy, rights, freedom, equality, justice and peace, from our vocabulary and from our land They have tried, but they will not succeed.
We will continue to fight for human rights.
We will double and triple our efforts.
We accept dollars and euros, VISA and Master Card.
Thank you for your continued, and larger donations.



For those of you who can stomach reading the details, you are invited to read about how Israeli ministers have backed bills to limit funding for Israeli human rights groups (read the Ha'aretz story here)

Friday, November 11, 2011

And Now it's Time for a Movie

Here is a link to a new short documentary that was made by the cinematographer Ose Oyamendan. The name of the film is Bridges over Blood, and mainly focuses on the Gaza-Sderot region, but also deals with people-to-people peace processes between Israelis and Palestinians (from the West Bank and also within Israel).

Bridges over Blood is a film that can give many people hope, for while we have not yet grown to the critical mass needed for bringing about a change in our relations, and an end to the war and Occupation and siege, it shows how much is possible when people reach out to one another in brother/sisterhood and caring.

Sit back and enjoy the show. Please send the link (and this blog) on to others. Spread the word that where there is a will, there is a way.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Nazi ghosts from the past, Jewish voices from the past in the present

It's been awhile since I delved deeply into German-Jewish (Israeli) relationships in the shadow of the Holocaust. I thought that I had pretty much heard it all, thought about it all.

The weekend in Bad Honnef taught me otherwise.



We were 22 people - 14 Christian Germans and 8 Jews (1 German and 7 Israelis). The topic of our Friendship across Borders (FAB) seminar was Memory and Forgetting, in the context of the Shoah, and we looked at these two sides of the coin from many different ways. I won't go into the different group exercises and discussions that we had - many with words, others using 2 black boxes (one a shoebox, another just a small carton colored black for effect) that represented the harsh memories that we try to forget when thinking about the Holocaust. We also used our bodies in some of these exercises, in order to move beyond words, that can't always express deep inner feelings and knowings.

I do not go into detail  since if you weren't there, I am pretty sure that the meaning of what we did will really come through. I will just say that the exercises and discussions were so meaningful, and jolting, that, at times, they not only brought tears to my eyes (not a hard thing to elicit in my case), but touched something so deep inside, that I surprised myself with how deeply I (re)connected to the topic, and to all of the participants.  

For over 20 years I have been engaged in the psycho-social significance of the Holocaust in the lives of the victims, their children and grandchildren, and sometimes the perpetrators as well, and their children and grandchildren. My PhD dissertation was on this topic (from the side of the victims). I have written a lot about this in academic articles and in my books. I have interviewed hundreds of survivors, children and grandchildren, and run seminars for the 2nd and 3rd generations in Israel, and also with German colleagues in Germany. I thought that I had pretty much heard it all, thought about it all.

Wrong.

The Germans in our group tended to talk about the ghosts (Nazi perpetrators) of their past, that often haunt them, leaving an inner darkness that never quite dissipates. We Jews spoke more about the voices of the victims from the past that accompany us at different times through life. These voices cause sadness and loss, and they sometimes warn us about putting our trust in other peoples, that is, in non-Jews.

Schade, חבל, what a shame, that one people is haunted by demon-like terrifying ghosts, and one people (the group to which I belong) is fraught with existential fear about potential enemies just waiting to annihilate us. These are not such good ways to live.

I thought I had pretty much heard it all, thought about it all. But I learned during these three and a half days that the demons and the fears of the past still linger in all of us, even if they have become more and more faint, at least on the conscious level. I (re)learned that we can never be completely free of our traumatic past, and that there will most likely always be a part of us Jews that see Germans and think 'Nazi', for a fleeting moment, and that there will most likely always be a part of the Germans who see a Jew and think 'stay away - danger', for a fleeting moment. But we also (re)learned that by facing our connected pasts together, we Jews and Germans can look these demons and fears in the eye and not succumb to their hatred, nor feel lost in an endless black hole of total loss.

This seminar in this picturesque town, situated on the Rhine, surrounded by woods filled with trees changing colors, touched me deeper than I anticipated. I thought that I had pretty much heard it all, thought about it all. It was good to be proven wrong. It was good, even it was very, very difficult, to reconnect to this topic of the Holocaust, to the meaning it has for me in my life, and the way I perceive the German 'others'. It was deeply moving to rediscover the goodness of humankind that exists in people who refuse to let their dark collective past turn them into angry and frightened people.

It's not completely true, but after this weekend seminar, we/I can more honestly say:
I/We ain't afraid of no ghosts...








Wednesday, November 2, 2011

DO NOT BOMB IRAN

I am trying to figure out why Netanyahu, and some others in his cabinet, hate us - the people  - so. Have we been so bad to him/them that they feel the need to punish us, and perhaps put us in mortal danger?

The news is filled with discussions concerning our (Israel's) possible attack on Iran's nuclear development sites (read the Ha'aretz story here). There are 'experts' in favor and against; some say that we must bomb them, in order to prevent another Shoah. Others say that if we do bomb them, then all of our lives will be in terrible danger, as thousands of rockets will be rained down upon from us, from the North to the South.  This will not be a war of army versus army, but rather one in which civilians are the targets, and the ones who will pay the price.

But the voices of attacks agains Iran are growing
stronger
and stronger
and stronger



In my professional opinion - THIS IS NUTS.

Why must we always look for another enemy, someone else to fight, another country to threaten? What is the reasoning behind continuing to make more and more enemies in our region of the world. We live in this world. We live in this region. Wouldn't it make more sense to work on creating sustainable neighborly relations than creating more war?

We have a very cold peace with Jordan and Egypt. Who knows how long those will last? We occupy Palestine - in the West Bank - and  the Gaza Strip through the siege and total control of its land borders, air space, and sea. We have hostile relations with Lebanon and Syria, which are our immediate neighbors, and have threats going back and forth between us and Iran.

Now do not get me wrong. Ahmadinejad is VERY, VERY dangerous. He is unpredictable, he is cruel to his own people, he is a tyrant, anti-Semitic and a Holocaust denier. He does not believe in democracy and free choice and women's rights; heck he has no interest in people's rights of any kind.

But playing this war game with him and outwardly threatening to attack his country is unnecessary and dangerous escalation. It is playing with fire, and we are the ones who will be burned.

All of our social psychology research tells us, that when you relate to the other as an enemy,  they respond in kind. All of our social psychology research has taught us, that when we enter into competition with the other, then the other does the same, and our relationship becomes consumed by the need to try to beat the other. The concept of cooperation disappears. 

We have a government that only knows to threaten and bully and bring up the Shoah in every sentence to justify every offensive tactic we make. We have no clue how to think in different ways that do not involve extreme military strength.

THIS IS NUTS.

Oftentimes, our neighbors are no better than us (what is happening in Syria is a crime against humanity, for sure), but this does not make our actions okay. They (Syria, Iran) are wrong and we are wrong.

Dear Mr. Netanyahu, DO NOT BOMB IRAN. Do not put our lives in further danger. Do not look for another enemy to lash out at. Do not threaten and threaten and threaten countries closer and further away, do not punish and punish and punish the Palestinians by keeping their borders sealed, the checkpoints in place, and by building more and more houses in settlements on the little territory the Palestinians have left.

You say you want peace. Then do it. Just do it.
You say you care about our security - then do something to ensure it.
You say that you will not let Israeli citizens be harmed - then stop harming us.

Enough with the threats.
באמת - מספיק
(Really - it's enough)



Sunday, October 30, 2011

And the Rockets Red Glare, the Bombs Bursting in Air

Once again, we have Israeli air force attacks in Gaza, targeting and killing members of the Islamic Jihad, bringing terror to ordinary citizens there. Once again we have rocket attacks on Israel, killing and harming innocent people, bringing terror to half the country.

Perhaps if we all sing, in harmony, the following song (to the following well-known tune), our leaders will heed our call... (well we can always hope, and singing it won't make things worse)



Oh say can you see
all the terror around
as we bomb and kill them
and they shoot rockets at us 

This is our daily life
it's a mess, yes it is
as we spend all our time
running quickly for cover

When the sky lights up so
we can't bask in its glow
for it heralds the call
for more killing and harming

Oh say our dear 'leaders'
why do you hate us sooooo?
help us live,
without these 'lights'
and the darkness
they bring 




Wednesday, October 26, 2011

My friend, who used to be from Gaza

My friend M, a journalist and human rights activist from Gaza, came to a conference in February of this year that I helped organize, entitled "Gaza-Sderot: Moving from Crisis to Sustainability." This conference, which called for exploring sustainable solutions to our impossible violent reality, was hosted by the Sapir College. This conference was the joint effort of organizations/institutes that do a lot of good and important work for peace and social justice: Other Voice, The Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development, Kollot baNegev, The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, and the Herzog Center for Middle East Studies and Diplomacy 

M spoke at the opening ceremony, and over the three days he spoke to many of the 300 people - Israelis, Palestinians and internationals - who attended the conference. He was also interviewed by the Israeli press. VERY unfortunately, after he gave an interview to a major internet media source, they acted in a very irresponsible manner and ran a headline, stating, that according to M, the Hamas government could be toppled. (This is not what he said; he talked about the need to end the occupation and end the siege on Gaza, and about the lack of human rights, and his willingness and desire to speak to Israelis about this ...). This article reached the Palestinian press, causing this good man, and his family, great damage.

When M returned to Gaza after the conference, the Hamas police stopped him at the check- point and interrogated him. They continued to interrogate him many times, took away his documents, got him fired from his job, and openly threatened his life for being in touch with Israelis, for spending time in Israel, and for 'betraying' the Palestinian people.

His 'crime' was that he came to a peace conference in Israel, and talked to Israelis.

Life became impossible for M. He has been on the run, and finally managed to escape from Gaza.  He had to leave his wife and children behind, since he has no documents, no job, no money... He is now trying desperately to get his family out, and to perhaps get to another country where he has has a chance to find a job, and regain life. He and his family have been caught in an impossible bind for nearly 8 months.

I 'speak' to M two to three times a day on Facebook. I usually feel that my words are empty, because they are just that, only words, and because all I can offer is moral support. I managed to raise a few donations from generous and kind-hearted people (many of them from my family). He managed to get these funds to his family in Gaza, who are in a desperate situation. But words and an occasional donation are only stop gap measures, certainly not long time solutions.


My friend from Gaza needs our help. If you - who are now reading these words - are able to help this dedicted peace and human rights activist - by sending a donation, I will make sure that this money gets to him. Any size donation is welcome.

If you have other concrete ideas about how to help my friend from Gaza, please let me know so that I can get these ideas to him as well.

This may not be the proper use of a blog; some of you may be uncomfortable with this request, and decide to stop reading. Some of you may be saying: "I don't read this to get hit up for money."

In spite of the uncomfortable position I have put you in, and in spite of the chance I take that this will be the last time you visit this blog, I hope that you will keep this blog on your reading list and  even share the link with others. I also believe that those of you who can help, will do so.

We need to help M. He is a good man. He did nothing wrong. His family did nothing wrong. He is being punished for coming to Israel and speaking to Israelis.
If you can help, in any way, let me know, and I will make sure that your donations and/or your concrete ideas for help, reach my friend, who is in desperate need now for all of the support we can give.  

He is a good man.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Occupy "Occupy"!

The Occupy Wall Street movement has taken over the world. Though the movement didn't begin in Manhattan, but rather in the Arab world, everyone now is adopting the slogan, as millions of people are demonstrating for social-economic-political justice in their own corners of the world.

Demonstrating for social-economic-political rights and justice is important, as is keeping a sense of humor. Here are some occupy photos that will hopefully keep both (the fight for justice and the humor) going.

OCCUPY "OCCUPY"!

                                              Occupy Tel-Aviv


                                                  Occupy Wall Street


                                              Occupy Sydney


                                              Occupy Madrid


                                                  Occupy Manila


                                                 Occupy Refrigerator
                                        

                                                Occupy Cookie Jars



                   In the Palestine case, probably need to rethink using slogan here ...
                      


                                           Occupy Outer Space (in general)




                              Occupy Outer Space (more locally)



and now my personal favorite:


(If you stop getting messages from me about new blog posts, it may be because I was arrested by the Mazkir (mayor) of the Kibbutz for protesting for more justice here ... Please send letters of support and chocolate to my husband, and I will ask him to pass them on to me when he comes to visit...)