Israel is actually a pretty simple country. The way I figure it, Israel can be summed up in three themes, or three stories.
Firstly: Love
We all got dressed up and left our little flat in Jerusalem, heading for Emek Refayim. For the past long while the Stern family have been scattered all around the world, until the parents got broody again and wanted to gather us together. So it was Stern family week in a three bedroom flat in the coolest area of Jerusalem - the city of our births.
We found a really cute Asian restaurant, sat down, order a few bottles of wine and some sushi, and the party began. As mother Stern and that dude Pythag put it - the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Kind of kitsch, but I see where they're going with it. The food and drinks start arriving. There is laughter, there is ranting, there is the occasional outburst. You got to be pretty quick to keep up with the conversation. Rude, fast and sussed. But its a family dynamic that has been 26 years, or so, in the making, and its pretty damn fun.
Its quite easy to feel loved and connected in Israel. Its in the air, its everywhere. You walk through the old city and wierdo Lubivitch Jews try grab you to lay teffelin (Jewish prayer things). Quite intrusive, but there is something amazing about a stranger in the street treating you like family.
"No thanks, Its not for me" I said.
"Your mothers Jewish?" he asked softly and inquisitively
"Yeah..." I answered with suspicion.
"THEN ITS FOR YOU BABY, ITS FOR YOU!!!" He shouted with arms open.
You feel love everywhere in Israel. The beaches are packed with the most beautiful people you have ever seen. Like a country full of models. God knows why HItler thought the Aryans were the chosen race. He obviously had never been to downtown Tel Aviv. Olive is the new Blonde.
It also turns out that I have family in Israel which I never knew before. Besides my family in Rechovot with their 345 cute new children, there is another side of my family. A big loud, involved, social family with four kids all around my age. We laughed, ate, chatted and went to trance parties. They welcomed me in with open arms and open fridge.
Actually pretty much everyone in Israel welcomes you in. Karla's couch became my bed. Even after I had Josephs bike stolen. Friends take you for coffee and force feed you shots of Arak. Everyone insists on taking you to 'the best Humus/ Maloach/ Fallafel in Israel. You never feel lost in Israel - like a place to sleep is only one bus ride or one favour away.
Jewish mothers, Bedouine hospitality, Muslim families. Grandmothers. Religious houses. Family. Culture. Tradition. Trance hippy community. Big public meals. 450 000 people taking the streets together. Tzedakkah.
Its Israel - it feels like home. There is so much love. And I absolutely love it.
Secondly: Hate
I finally found the bus stop for bus 101. But I wasn't sure if the bus had already come. For a moment I sat perplexed Then a girl comes running up to the station, out of breath, late and looking for the same bus. Shes Israeli, and immediately figures out on her iPhone that the bus had not yet arrived. It was 22:00 at night and we got chatting while we waited together. Typical Israel high school girl. Sweet, confident and kind.
But this had been no ordinary day for me. The reason I was still waiting for the bus that late, was because I had spent the day in Ramallah; the would-be capital of the West Bank, the occupied territories. While it took only 30 minutes and 6 NIS to get to Ramallah from Jerusalem, getting out was a different story altogether. The check point had closed and we sat for close on an hour in a line of traffic about 2km long. It had just closed. Why? Who knows. When its closed, you wait. Or you turn back and cancel your journey. Ramallah may be a five star prison, but its a prison nonetheless.
I can't remember how the conversation led from Gossip Girl to real life. But i asked her:
"Do you like Arabs?"
Her answer was clear and mechanical. "No, I hate Arabs".
I expected that response and followed up. "Why? Do you know any Arabs?"
She paused: "No. But they are trying to kill us. So I hate them".
But its not just Israelis that hate Arabs. This is not a political blog. The truth is, it seems like everyone hates at least one other group here in Israel. Palestinians hate Israelis, the secular hate the religious, the orthodox hate the reform or conservative. Settlers hate the army. The open minded hate the close minded. Everyone hates the government. Its can actually be quite tricky to keep up with who hate who and why.
But i'm not judging. The truth is; there is pretty good reason to hate. There are bombs on buses, there are army missiles that blow up houses. There is an occupation. There is terrorism. There are people that suck the states welfare as an order by God. Different people, in your space, all the time. Often wanting to kill you, remove you or just change you. Plus they hate you too. And they express it. So hate them back. Hate or be hated unilaterally.
Somewhere along the line Israel became somewhat of a segregated society, Most Israelis don't think about the occupation, because its on the other side of a wall. Most Arabs don't like Israelis because they never interact. The religious keep to themselves. Southern areas of Tel Aviv are made up almost entirely of African and Asian immigrant workers. It can be subtle, bu its separate.
I used to think that the issue in Israel was the occupation and conflict. End the occupation, end the terrorism, and you get peace. Now I realize that I was wrong. Talking about ending the occupation is like talking about what we should be when the aliens land. Its so theoretical and far-from-reality that its actually a pointless discussion. Its encourages division, hate and ruins good dinners.
You cannot bring peace to a country where everyone hates each other. Ending decades of conflict does require some level of understanding, trust and communication. It also requires people to want peace. And that's impossible when people wont look at their neighbours. Politics is on paper. Real power is with the people.
"Stop hating" I said to her.
"I can't! They want to kill us. And they have tried for years. You can't just stop".
Its actually a widely accepted excuse: We can never live together. There is too much hate over too many years.
But that's bullshit. Neighbours slaughtered each other in Rwanda. Protestants and Catholics fought brutally in Ireland for decades. Europe all but destroyed itself and its people in two World Wars. Apartheid turned Blacks into second class citizens in South Africa. All of these countries were able to unify, create peace and move forward. Israelis and Arabs are not special. If everyone else is able to live together, then there is no reason that these groups in this country cannot.
Hate is baggage. And Israel sometimes feels like a storage cupboard.
Thirdly: Food
It was 3am when we finally left this little bar in the center of Jerusalem. I was with Amit, an Israeli who I had traveled with in Africa. Then nights menu up till that point had consisted of Goldstar and Arak. Suddenly we were hungry.
"Do you know what is Me'meloach?" He asked.
"No, but i think i want to find out".
"Sababa. Awehness. I will show you the best meloach in Israel".
And off we went to a little shop next to Chilli's Pizza. Within 30 seconds the guy at the counter has whipped up a bedtime snack that made Barcellos look like stale bread. Thick, soft pastry spread thick with lubeneh cheese and humus, topped with eggplant, onion, olives and spices. If that food was a religion, I would become the Rabbi.
Israel is the home of good food. The dairy products are god sent. The fruits taste sweeter and better than anywhere else. The eggs seem like they were laid by the Messiah himself. Plus Israelis can cook. Everyone mother, grandmother, aunt and daughter is famous for a specific dish. Cheesecake, eggplant stuffed with techinah, chocolate chip cookies, shakshukah, kube. Savardi dishes, arabic restaurants, Yeminites, Moroccans.
Even the street food is amazing. Warm burekahs, fallafel in pita over flowing with toppings and sauces. Shwarma wrapped tight in laffa, so big that it makes you feel sick to finish one. Thick based pizza drowned in toppings..
For the past four months I had pretty much eaten beans and rice every day, usually more than once a day. I grew to get really used to it and actually love it. Then bang, the sensory experience of Israel. A treat for the taste buds.
And so....
And so that's about. Its a pretty simple country. Its Israel. People love each other, people hate each other and there is damn good food.
Firstly: Love
We all got dressed up and left our little flat in Jerusalem, heading for Emek Refayim. For the past long while the Stern family have been scattered all around the world, until the parents got broody again and wanted to gather us together. So it was Stern family week in a three bedroom flat in the coolest area of Jerusalem - the city of our births.
We found a really cute Asian restaurant, sat down, order a few bottles of wine and some sushi, and the party began. As mother Stern and that dude Pythag put it - the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Kind of kitsch, but I see where they're going with it. The food and drinks start arriving. There is laughter, there is ranting, there is the occasional outburst. You got to be pretty quick to keep up with the conversation. Rude, fast and sussed. But its a family dynamic that has been 26 years, or so, in the making, and its pretty damn fun.
Its quite easy to feel loved and connected in Israel. Its in the air, its everywhere. You walk through the old city and wierdo Lubivitch Jews try grab you to lay teffelin (Jewish prayer things). Quite intrusive, but there is something amazing about a stranger in the street treating you like family.
"No thanks, Its not for me" I said.
"Your mothers Jewish?" he asked softly and inquisitively
"Yeah..." I answered with suspicion.
"THEN ITS FOR YOU BABY, ITS FOR YOU!!!" He shouted with arms open.
You feel love everywhere in Israel. The beaches are packed with the most beautiful people you have ever seen. Like a country full of models. God knows why HItler thought the Aryans were the chosen race. He obviously had never been to downtown Tel Aviv. Olive is the new Blonde.
It also turns out that I have family in Israel which I never knew before. Besides my family in Rechovot with their 345 cute new children, there is another side of my family. A big loud, involved, social family with four kids all around my age. We laughed, ate, chatted and went to trance parties. They welcomed me in with open arms and open fridge.
Actually pretty much everyone in Israel welcomes you in. Karla's couch became my bed. Even after I had Josephs bike stolen. Friends take you for coffee and force feed you shots of Arak. Everyone insists on taking you to 'the best Humus/ Maloach/ Fallafel in Israel. You never feel lost in Israel - like a place to sleep is only one bus ride or one favour away.
Jewish mothers, Bedouine hospitality, Muslim families. Grandmothers. Religious houses. Family. Culture. Tradition. Trance hippy community. Big public meals. 450 000 people taking the streets together. Tzedakkah.
Its Israel - it feels like home. There is so much love. And I absolutely love it.
Secondly: Hate
I finally found the bus stop for bus 101. But I wasn't sure if the bus had already come. For a moment I sat perplexed Then a girl comes running up to the station, out of breath, late and looking for the same bus. Shes Israeli, and immediately figures out on her iPhone that the bus had not yet arrived. It was 22:00 at night and we got chatting while we waited together. Typical Israel high school girl. Sweet, confident and kind.
But this had been no ordinary day for me. The reason I was still waiting for the bus that late, was because I had spent the day in Ramallah; the would-be capital of the West Bank, the occupied territories. While it took only 30 minutes and 6 NIS to get to Ramallah from Jerusalem, getting out was a different story altogether. The check point had closed and we sat for close on an hour in a line of traffic about 2km long. It had just closed. Why? Who knows. When its closed, you wait. Or you turn back and cancel your journey. Ramallah may be a five star prison, but its a prison nonetheless.
I can't remember how the conversation led from Gossip Girl to real life. But i asked her:
"Do you like Arabs?"
Her answer was clear and mechanical. "No, I hate Arabs".
I expected that response and followed up. "Why? Do you know any Arabs?"
She paused: "No. But they are trying to kill us. So I hate them".
But its not just Israelis that hate Arabs. This is not a political blog. The truth is, it seems like everyone hates at least one other group here in Israel. Palestinians hate Israelis, the secular hate the religious, the orthodox hate the reform or conservative. Settlers hate the army. The open minded hate the close minded. Everyone hates the government. Its can actually be quite tricky to keep up with who hate who and why.
But i'm not judging. The truth is; there is pretty good reason to hate. There are bombs on buses, there are army missiles that blow up houses. There is an occupation. There is terrorism. There are people that suck the states welfare as an order by God. Different people, in your space, all the time. Often wanting to kill you, remove you or just change you. Plus they hate you too. And they express it. So hate them back. Hate or be hated unilaterally.
Somewhere along the line Israel became somewhat of a segregated society, Most Israelis don't think about the occupation, because its on the other side of a wall. Most Arabs don't like Israelis because they never interact. The religious keep to themselves. Southern areas of Tel Aviv are made up almost entirely of African and Asian immigrant workers. It can be subtle, bu its separate.
I used to think that the issue in Israel was the occupation and conflict. End the occupation, end the terrorism, and you get peace. Now I realize that I was wrong. Talking about ending the occupation is like talking about what we should be when the aliens land. Its so theoretical and far-from-reality that its actually a pointless discussion. Its encourages division, hate and ruins good dinners.
You cannot bring peace to a country where everyone hates each other. Ending decades of conflict does require some level of understanding, trust and communication. It also requires people to want peace. And that's impossible when people wont look at their neighbours. Politics is on paper. Real power is with the people.
"Stop hating" I said to her.
"I can't! They want to kill us. And they have tried for years. You can't just stop".
Its actually a widely accepted excuse: We can never live together. There is too much hate over too many years.
But that's bullshit. Neighbours slaughtered each other in Rwanda. Protestants and Catholics fought brutally in Ireland for decades. Europe all but destroyed itself and its people in two World Wars. Apartheid turned Blacks into second class citizens in South Africa. All of these countries were able to unify, create peace and move forward. Israelis and Arabs are not special. If everyone else is able to live together, then there is no reason that these groups in this country cannot.
Hate is baggage. And Israel sometimes feels like a storage cupboard.
Thirdly: Food
It was 3am when we finally left this little bar in the center of Jerusalem. I was with Amit, an Israeli who I had traveled with in Africa. Then nights menu up till that point had consisted of Goldstar and Arak. Suddenly we were hungry.
"Do you know what is Me'meloach?" He asked.
"No, but i think i want to find out".
"Sababa. Awehness. I will show you the best meloach in Israel".
And off we went to a little shop next to Chilli's Pizza. Within 30 seconds the guy at the counter has whipped up a bedtime snack that made Barcellos look like stale bread. Thick, soft pastry spread thick with lubeneh cheese and humus, topped with eggplant, onion, olives and spices. If that food was a religion, I would become the Rabbi.
Israel is the home of good food. The dairy products are god sent. The fruits taste sweeter and better than anywhere else. The eggs seem like they were laid by the Messiah himself. Plus Israelis can cook. Everyone mother, grandmother, aunt and daughter is famous for a specific dish. Cheesecake, eggplant stuffed with techinah, chocolate chip cookies, shakshukah, kube. Savardi dishes, arabic restaurants, Yeminites, Moroccans.
Even the street food is amazing. Warm burekahs, fallafel in pita over flowing with toppings and sauces. Shwarma wrapped tight in laffa, so big that it makes you feel sick to finish one. Thick based pizza drowned in toppings..
For the past four months I had pretty much eaten beans and rice every day, usually more than once a day. I grew to get really used to it and actually love it. Then bang, the sensory experience of Israel. A treat for the taste buds.
And so....
And so that's about. Its a pretty simple country. Its Israel. People love each other, people hate each other and there is damn good food.
No comments:
Post a Comment