Balkan Beat Box: Ramallah-Tel Aviv

My song of the day!  An Israeli band, awesome rythm, lyrics in both Arabic and Hebrew, Middle East Peace message- what more could I ask for?? Check out the powerful meaning, I found an English translation: 

Hop in Tel Aviv, get those from Ramallah 

All the neighbors play on the field 

Perhaps all the talk peace will come Inshallah 

Maybe after all stand here a new generation 

No need to discuss, should go onIt's a bit painful but worth the past 

What he was - blind us like this 

Children need a new future 

Walla did not understand those who sit up 

And not those that distinguish between God and Allah 

Come on, what happened? Cannot you see what's going on around 

Now it's time all the children of Ramallah - Tel Aviv

Not be part of politicians foolishly

Without eyes, running zigzag to touch the sky

You intact and tasty yet took life and

Sucked to death of Fools

Has been drafted to war, he had a tad of revenge

He kills another kid that has not always been lacking

Do not learn to grow up, learn to overcome

Do not know what.

Looking for blame Mother Earth finds

Hop in Tel Aviv, get those from Ramallah

All the neighbors play on the field

Perhaps all the talk peace will come Inshallah

Maybe after all stand here a new generation

No need to discuss, should go on

It's a bit painful but worth the past

What he was - blind us like this

Children need a new future

Hebrew vs Yiddish

~`photo by This is Tel Aviv

Many people who don’t have a lot to do with the Jewish culture, find it hard to define the differences between Hebrew and Yiddish, or even wonder if it’s not the same language - “uhm, the one all these Jews speak, right? ”. Although both of them are written with the same alphabet, they are never ever supposed to be confused. Not only they come from two distinct language groups and have been spoken in different parts of the world by people of different ethnicities. In Israel, they also represent two opposite worlds that have a completely different vision of what being a Jew means.

But let’s start with the linguistic aspects. Yiddish was used by the Aschkenazi families in Eastern Europe. Some scholars consider it just a Judeo-German dialect, others describe it as an independent language. Hebrew is a Semitic language of Afroasian origin. Classical Hebrew is the ancient, Canaanite version in which the Bible is written, therefore today it is used mainly for religious purposes. However, in this article I’m referring only to Modern Hebrew - don’t get lost. This language is quite peculiar, artificial in a way. It has actually come into being only at the end of 19^th century, as a fruit of the Hebrew revitalization project. All the Jews settling in Palestine about that time needed a common language to unite the diverse, arising nation. The Zionist linguists and writers (Ben Yehuda in particular) modernized the old, biblical Hebrew by changing various grammatical rules, making the sentence structure more Slavic and borrowing many words from various Jewish or foreign dialects. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, this hybrid has become (beside Arabic) one of the two national languages.

The whole Zionist movement that led to it was based on the importance of Jewish identity, but most of its secular activists would perceive it somewhat differently than the Ultra-Orthodox haredim. The establishment of the Jewish state meant breaking off with the “diaspora mentality” and creating a brand new exemplar, totally different from the pale, bearded intellectual of the past. The pioneer Sabras were supposed to be strong, direct, plain and persistent; full of ideological socialist-zionist enthusiasm; liberally distanced from the Hasidic religious tradition, dividing time between the strenuous farming work, Hebrew poetry and heated debates in the kibbutzim communities. The Jewish identity has been replaced (or smoothly transformed?) by the new Israeli one. The words perfectly mirrored that transition. Many Zionists after coming to Israel  would symbolically change their old names into new ones – take Ben Gurion, ex-Dawid Grün. Erec Israel signified a new beginning. They associated Yiddish with the ghetto-shtetl provincialism and treated the Eastern European Jews with a sense of superiority or contempt. It was only later that Yiddish gained back a bit of respect and started to be considered another part of the rich Jewish tradition. Nowadays, it returns to being in young Israelis’ favors, it can even be studied at the Israeli universities.

If you wish to learn one of these languages, it will certainly be a splendid window on the Israeli life and culture. Nevertheless, you must remember that each of them will reveal a different image of the country - one of its many, many faces.

Stories from behind the barrier

The infamous Palestinian issue is the first thing that most people associate with Israel. No wonder- The State of Israel was founded thanks to winning the 1948 Arab War. It owes its present territory (including the West Bank, the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza and the Golan Heights) to the Six-Day War with the Arab countries in 1967. Therefore, it’s existence is inseparably linked with the conflict.

As the topic doesn’t disappear of the headlines, Palestinians fall victim to numerous harmful simplifications. On one hand, there is the Israeli press and TV that tends to create this national psychosis of a kind. In the media, most of the Palestinians are presented as bloodthirsty, fanatic terrorists that dream of killing all the Jews in the name of Allah. The rest is described as a uniform mass of poor, uneducated, Muslim goat-owners.

On the other hand, the pro-Palestinian fraction tends to be biased as well. Many Europeans talk a lot about the ‘Free Palestine’ movement, blindly supporting anything related to their beloved ideals of liberty and peace, with no knowledge about the complexity of the conflict. In their eyes, the Palestinians are nothing but helpless victims and refugees, identical in terms of political affiliations, aspirations and desires.

It seems quite a paradox that both of the totally opposite political sides basically do the same thing: use sweeping, populist generalizations and deprive the occupied nation of its dignity.

If you want to step out of this logic, get some in-depth knowledge and become familiar with the authentic, Palestinian perspective - read Raja Shehadeh. This human rights activist, lawyer and writer contradicts all the Arab stereotypes. In his books, he describes the every-day life of a West Banker. All the difficulties and humiliations, travels hampered by the separation barrier and IDF controls, continuous settlements destroying the natural environment, arrogant and inhumane attitude of the ‘almighty’ soldiers, actual threats and frustrations... The list go on and on. The way he talks about it is highly emotional and patriotic but far from hatred. He reminded me of a best-loved grandfather, full of dignity, wisdom and understanding; the kind you just want to sit by and learn from. I truly advice you to do so!

However, if you are the modern, Internet-immersed sort of grandchild, here are the links to impressing Israeli organizations that openly stand for revealing the truth about the Occupied Territories and finding a common ground with the people from the other side of the wall:

http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/

https://www.facebook.com/IsraelLovesPalestine

The watercolor world of Eden Calif

I ran into this girl completely by accident. I was scrolling down my Facebook news feed when I suddenly noticed a really awesome sketch of my friend's face, drawn in a original but casual manner. It got me curious about the artist so I immediately checked out her fanpage. I recommend you to do so as well:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eden-calif-art/329918573818367?fref=ts

Just imagine: a random 16 years-old Israeli that has already developed both brilliant technique and individual approach to painting. Wonderful. Using mostly watercolors and pen, she magics up slender silhouettes of ballerinas and surreally dramatic faces. Fascinated by the originality of the artworks, I chatted the girl up in order to get to know the person standing behind them. As I might have guessed, she turned out to be an artistic spirit. Music, painting, drawing, poetry theatre: it seems that she uses all the available forms to express her feelings and personality. What stroke me in particular was that Eden has never ever taken art classes! Taking after the talented women of her family, having been raised around a studio full of brushes and colorful stains, she naturally adopted this sense of sensitivity and creativity. Apart from that, she has this Israeli "set yourself goals, believe and achieve" attitude I've been already writing about. I obviously asked her about her feelings towards her country, too. 'I think I'll stay here in the future' she responded. Despite all the tensions and conflicts, Israel is her home. That's where her supportive family and friends are, that's where everybody understands the humor included in her artworks, that's where she got used to living.

For the time being, Eden Calif is just a teen with a passion and talent. But I'd advise you to remember that name and follow her on Facebook. There is certainly something unique about her works and in some years, who knows, that may lead her to achieving what she dreams of.

Pope Francis in the Middle East

The Pope's first official visit in the region is something I cannot forget to mention. During the last few days, this topic was present in the news all around the world. Not surprisingly at all: Pope Francis is a significant religous and poltical leader, enjoying great popularity thanks to his open-minded, humble and joyful attitude. His recent speeches and meetings in the Middle East seem to prove that he does deserve this opinion.

Refering to the main values that Christianity stands for, he put a greatest emphasis on the issue of peace. His visit itself served as a great opportunity to unite people. The Catholic communities from Israel got a permission to attend the pope's speech in PA, entering which is usually impossible for them. The division, marked clearly by the infamous wall, was somewhat diminished by the common prayer of Arabs and Jews.

What also impressed me was the clarity and skillfullness of the Pope's diplomatic approach. As a person from the outside of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he clearly wanted to avoid being associated with one of its sides. He didn't come there as another actor with certain ecnomic or political interests. The aim of his visit was to remind people how essential is it to bring peace to the Holy Land. With respect and empathy, he acknowledged the national tragedies and problems of each of the two countries. He firmly stated that each of them has a right to exist in peace and sovereignity and condemned all the unacceptable actions that slow down the negotiation process.What's more, he invited both the president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmud Abbas and the president of Israel Simon Peretz to join him in the common prayer for peace in the Vatican. This may be an occasion for the two to meet on a "no-man's-land", in a less tense political atmposphere. 

Of course, I would be far from saying that this is a ground-breaking step that will be able bring these two countries to a completely different path. Many things stay the same: you still get the violence and 'price-tag ' attacks, the far-right and the terrorists don't care, both sides keep breaking the agreements. But I greatly hope the Pope's invitation might be this tiny little gesture that will contribute to altering their policies a bit. And that is something bigger than you may think.

*I really recommend you to read the transcript of his speech:

http://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-pope-franciss-speech-on-arrival-in-israel/

Omer Adam ft. Arisa – Tel Aviv

Listen to this song.

Yes, I am aware, this is Hebrew pop. Indeed, this might not be the genre you listen to every day. I do agree, the cover photo is horribly kitschy. On the other hand… WHO CARES?

Listen once more. Ignore your inner critic, inner snob, inner melomaniac or whoever inside of your head wants to make a fuss about a pinch of electro-oriental disco. Embrace the simple beat, enjoy the energy bursting out from every line, let the quivering Mizrahi melody flow...

Religion and high tech at the JCC

I finished my Days of Israel experience this Friday by attending two magnificent lectures held at the JCC as a part of the ‘A Kaleidoscope of Israeli Cultures’ international expert panel. To start with: shame on you all who were too lazy to come! Sitting there, I kept wondering what’s the mysterious reason for all these free chairs around. Fascinating topics, renowned scholars and a great place – an opportunity not  to miss.  Now, as you guys are sobbing with regret, let me comfort you with an entertaining summary of the lectures.

The first one "Religions and Religiousness in Israel: A Coat of Many Colors" was delivered by dr Annamaria Orla-Bukowska from the UJ Institute of Sociology. She was describing the vibrant Israeli multireligousness in such a joyful, calm way that I couldn’t help smiling. What I loved in particular was her absolutely open-minded, respectful attitude towards every single denomination she would talk about. Perhaps it was this approach of a wise social anthropologist: no judging, just constant, curious observation. At the end, she said one brilliant sentence that seems to perfectly characterize the extreme intensity of Israel: “Our human nature tends to fit everything into these little boxes. Whereas in Israel, nothing fits into any box! Everything overflows”.

Dr Orla-Bukowska’s speech was followed by a presentation by Rabbi Avi Baumol “The Start-up Nation: How Talmud Shapes Modern Day Israeli Capitalism”. This one had what I enjoy most in lectures and books - completely new information and a fresh point of view. I am not very much into technology and economy so I wouldn’t rather get another opportunity to learn all these things. But to tell you the truth, it turned out to be far more interesting that I’d ever guess. Israel is known as a high tech world leader. But have you known how many genius devices come from this country? From flash drives through drop irrigation system up to endoscopic pills, our world is filled with tiny yet brilliant Israeli inventions. The authors of the cited book ‘The startup nation‘ believe that that this phenomena must be linked not only to the government policy or foreign grants but also to certain psychological aspects. The optimistic Israeli ambition and self-confidence close to arrogance (see:http://israelidreamin.blogspot.com/2014/05/israeli-movies-rule.html) make perfect businessmen, leaders and innovators. But these traits cannot come out of nowhere. 
The authors derive them mainly from the compulsory military service and constant immigration. The latter one is rather obvious. People abandoning their past homeland are always the risk-takers. They tend to treat the aliyah as a chance to fulfill their dreams and hopes – that applies to launching a business as well. Moreover, as Israelis are raised in a multicultural society, they naturally develop an open-minded, creative attitude. The latter one- military service - came as a bit of a shock to me. As a pacifist, I’ve always considered the army as something that kills all the personal qualities, transforming young people into thoughtless fighting machines. However, the Israeli Defence Forces appear to work quite differently. They actually encourage the soldiers to think and work independently, acquire leadership skills and question the authorities.
According to Rabbi Baumol, the last skill is not anything new for the Jews. Conversely, it is deeply rooted in the Jewish mentality thanks to… the Talmud. This was the shock number two. I’ve always associated Orthodox Judaism with a strict obedience to the 613 commandments. And here comes an orthodox rabbi, proving that the foundation of his religion is challenging the authority of God! The Old Testament and Talmud are plenty of stories in which the least significant ones argue with the Almighty himself. Mind-blowing. What’s more, the old Jewish tradition has its unique approach to intellectual development. The Talmud knowledge is all deep-rooted in logic, critical thinking and reality, it forms a culture of discussion, arguments and doubts.

If you ever wondered ‘Why are Jews so smart?”, that seems to be a fair answer.