Arrived in Tel Aviv the 3rd of June and greeted at the gate enthusiastically by Sammy’s sister and nephew who were waiting with open arms to welcome us. Always a nice way to arrive anywhere, especially here, in this place that is so full of contradictions on every level.
Spent the day unpacking and getting situated and fighting off stomach flu and jet lag.
June 4.
Our first full day and we were taken by car to Jerusalem to witness the induction ceremony of new soldiers in the Israeli Army. Sammy’s nephew, Nadav, is one of these patriotic young men who is 18 years old, just finished high school, and recently completed 3 months of basic boot camp , where he got his unit’s highest marks for marksmanship.All those years devoted video-games must have had an effect after all, and as usual with may things here, we were not sure whether to feel pride or despair
Yesterday, in front of the Wailing Wall and in front of family and friends, these young cadets swore their allegiance to the state of Israel and received each a gun and a bible.
It was a chaotic, very informal gathering that was punctuated by religious jews who aggressively continued their rocking and praying facing the holy wall , oblivious to the ceremony taking place all around them and the military marches and sappy patriotic hymns blaring from the speakers . There are many mysterious and irrational aspects to Israeli society, none more bizarre than the fact that religious far-right jews are given citizenship but do not have to serve in the army, and even more bizarre, some ultra-orthodox jews here do not even acknowledge that there is a state of Israel and the army is not necessary because in their view only the Messiah can return the jewish homeland and therefore, this one is invalid. These would be the ultra orthodox anti-Zionists as opposed to the ultra-orthodox ulta-zionists such as the most stubborn jews living in the settlements.
After the ceremony we all went to have dinner in Abu Ghosh, an Arab village that chose to remain part of Israel back in 1948. We had the best Hummus & grilled lamb at a restaurant called “The Lebanese”. One more irony to check on the list.
To top the day off, we arrived back in Tel Aviv to hear accolades –from Sammy’s father no less, who is an avowed nationalist – about Obama’s speech in Cairo. The right wing here are panicked about the US severing their special status relationship with Israel, but apparently the speech was masterful in giving both Arabs and Jews due acknowledgement for their respective suffering. Once again, we want to see this as a sign of real hope for better understanding between the two sides and not mere rhetoric . It is interesting for us to be here at this moment that seems to mark a kind of turning point in American policy towards the Middle East.
Meanwhile, life in Tel Aviv goes on around and through all this in the most normal way, with families playing on the beach and surfers riding the waves in the most carefree way.
There is such a strange and palpable tension between all these different sects and points of view that have been brought together in this one small area. This intersection is what we are interested in experiencing as we continue down this particular road.
June 5th
After another frustrating day dealing with connectivity issues with the internet and email system, as well as Anthony’s ongoing bout of stomach flu, we spent the evening at the Cucher’s Friday night Shabat dinner with Sammy’s sisters, mother, father, nephews and nieces and brother in law. It was a rather momentous occasion since it was really the first time in 18 years of being partners that we shared such an intimate family gathering together. And Pepe rose to the occasion and made a warm welcoming toast with everyone around the table to say how happy he and Lily were that we were all together as a family and that he made a special point to welcome me in particular, all said in perfect English. He was making a very emphaatic gesture to Sammy and me and it did not go unnoticed. He is a very sweet, sincere man with a big heart.
We also talked a lot about politics, of course; it was very interesting to hear Sammy’s nephew Shmulik (23) provide us with a very clear, propagandistic view of how righteous Israel is in so many ways and how he is learning PR techniques as an official delegate who provides foreigners with an ‘accurate” picture of the real Israel. He is teaching the technique to other young Israelis (the party line) and he told us that he would demonstrate it for us before we leave. Shmulik is a smart, clever young man just out of the army and he is a product of a strong Zionist upbringing, the same one that Sammy grew up with but later became so skeptical of so many years ago.
June 6th
Another almost perfect sunny Saturday in Tel Aviv in June, apart from Anthony’s ongoing stomach woes—we started the day at the gay beach surrounded by more pretty young things and packs of playful dogs and far too many children everywhere (the religious right encourages childrearing beyond all else).
We were then invited to have lunch at the home of Avi and Racheli Pnini, parents of Tom Pnini, a student at Parsons. It was a feast! But Anthony could not really eat more than the rice and potatoes. We have been promised another lunch in two weeks after we return from our upcoming trip to the north.
Tom’s father, Avi, is a very accomplished theatre actor and is quite famous here in Israel. They are both jolly, easy going, warm people, full of love and light. They were so happy to have us there and to meet their family and friends. One friend, Dani, is a professor of film studies and the curator of the Israelis section of the Jerusalem Film Festival and his mother in law, we were told, is the First Lady of Archeology in Israel, having made some crucial finds in various digs years ago. It was a day full of conversation about art, poetry, culture, travel, memories, and more. Not once did we discuss politics, as these folks clearly have a lot of other interests beyond the most obvious ones that preoccupy so many Israeli gatherings.
And finally, Diana Shoef took us to a protest march marking the 45th anniversary of the Israeli Occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. The march went from the City Hall Plaza, past the Army/Air Force Command Center, and finished at the entrance to the Tel Aviv Museum. It was a gathering of the Far Left in Tel Aviv, groups gathering together around the common goal of providing a voice for those repressed in the Palestinian territories. There were perhaps 1000 people there, some arab Israelis, and many vocal opponents to the established party line. These protests have absolutely no effect on public policy, but they are vital in order to show the world that not all Israelis support the occupation blindly. The OCCUPATION MAGAZINE at www.kibush.co.il contains daily articles, reports and eyewitness accounts from inside the territories.
During the Gaza invasion in January , we were told, it was extremely difficult for the protestors to march without facing the wrath of many people on the street who were horrified that a group of Israeli citizens would criticize the invasion while innocent Israeli lives were lost in the south and soldiers were putting their lives at risk on the front lines. They were greeted as cowards and their voices were not heard in the Israeli press. They were harassed, and even worse, ignored by the media.
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