Hell Aviv

Summer seems to be already here, as it was 97 degrees yesterday. All I can think about is a being out of Tel Aviv and somewhere like this.

Gellert Baths, Budapest. Flickr.

Take me here now.

The Junior Officers' Reading Club

I picked up this book about two years ago at a visit to a local bookstore right as they were going out of business. If anything it was a better parting memento than I would've expected. Of all contemporary memoirs related to the military and Iraq and Afghanistan, it stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of wit and humor, as well as intelligence. Patrick Hennessey is a former British Army officer, and graduate of Sandhurst Military Academy, who served tours of duty overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan as well as in Bosnia. It's probably the most honest account of any modern army experience that I've read. Hennessey's story is not just a straight forward military narrative, his infusion of everything from pop culture to his relationships with his friends back home and his girlfriend make it an engaging read for anyone. As someone who is a similar age and who has served also, I found a lot to be easily relatable. 

What makes his story especially interesting is that Hennessey is not one who just fell into the military due to circumstance or lack of direction. He is an Oxford grad and for lack of a better term, would be fall into the category of today's elite. It's a unique account of someone who falls outside of the the normal demographic that is generally represented or highlighted in the army. 

Only in Israel

Seriously.

Park of the Three

If there's anything I'm not into, it's Hasbara just for the sake of it. Sometimes I forget to mention though that Israel is still one of the most beautiful countries on the planet. Politics, religion and all the craziness aside, there really is so much more out there.

Up north near the town of Beit She'an and the border with Jordan is Gan HaShlosha, it's one of the most amazing parks in Israel, with constant year round warm temperatures in its water. It's pretty much as idyllic as it gets. It's more than just a good excuse to get out of Tel Aviv for the weekend.

Gan HaShlosha National Park. FB.

Kreuz Ost

Beantown United

It's often easy to forget how crazy the world we live in is. Halfway across the world, just about six months ago rockets were being fired at my city, and I found myself with my gf, along with thousands of others rushing into bomb shelters unexpectedly searching for cover. A few days later I happened to be a mere three blocks from where a bus exploded. All in one unpredictable week. And without a reminder, it was all pushed into the back of my head. The routine of normal life and work quickly resumed. It was only a few years earlier also, during my army service that I first experienced this feeling of uncertainty, the reality of life in the Middle East. The winter of '08 - '09 and Operation Cast Lead was one I wouldn't easily forget. As a nascent Israeli, I've found myself becoming accustomed to this reality, that doesn't make it normal though, and it certainly is not how life is supposed to be. I hate to sound self righteous, but if there's one thing I can say with confidence, it is that terror directed against innocent civilians is never acceptable under any scenario. No matter what.

I'm an American born and bred and my roots are in NY, and I can still remember 9/11 so vividly. And it's something that profoundly shaped my world view and coming of age. If it wasn't for 9/11 and the type of inhumane violence during the second intifada, it's possible I very likely would not have ended up serving. To see this type of terror resurfacing, no matter what the ideology behind it is just overwhelms me with sadness and just as equally, anger. It is never acceptable to see the type of things you would see on a battlefield on young kids and families, and innocent people everywhere enjoying a sporting event on a beautiful day.

One Nation.

We are all one nation. At the worst of times is when you see the best of Americans. The willingness of first responders and random brave individuals to put themselves in harms way by running straight towards danger and the unknown to help strangers in need is something I am in awe of. I can only hope that whoever carried out this sick and cruel attack will find themselves a cowards end. The good will always outnumber the evil.

Raw Material

I love these old vintage Tzahal pics so much.

Raw Material Flickr

Yom HaShoah

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel to memorialize the six million Jews murdered in WWII by the Nazis. Last night at sundown to commence the observance, all businesses were closed, including all public transit also. Even gas stations close for the night. Every single place is closed. It made the return commute from work a bit complicated, but I didn't really mind.

The experience of Yom HaShoah in Israel can be quite surreal, and intensely moving. It is set every year to symbolically coincide with the date the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began. All television channels cease regular programming and only broadcast documentaries and films related to the memories of those lost, as well as other programs related to the war. The most moving of all customs however is the two minute  siren which sounds at 10 am every year on Yom HaShoah. No matter where you are, walking down the street, sitting in your office, or even driving on the freeway. For those two minutes, everything stops, and everyone, regardless of where you are or what you are doing, stands to pay their respect.

Yom HaShoah siren on the Ayalon Highway

The Fuzz

This actually is a pretty good comparison.

America vs. Israel

"There's More Than a Few Bastards Here"

If you're gonna go out, this is how it's supposed to be done.

The Waves of Change

I've been worrying already for quite some time about the religious take over of the IDF, and all throughout Israel for that matter. Demographics are changing, and the former secular kibbutznik soldiers, who used to represent the core base of the army and its upper ranks are seemingly disappearing. Throughout my service, it was more than evident, and things only seem to be getting worse.

Part of what bothers me so much is that the catering towards religious soldiers that exists in the IDF is unprecedented in any other Western military. This goes against all of our claims to be a Western styled country standing up for secular humanist values in the heart of the Middle East, surrounded by enemies seeking our destruction. I can't think of any other country that has separate marching orders for different populations within its ranks. This fundamentally doesn't exist in any other Western country.

There are more than a few examples, but here is just one that I remember clearly while I was serving in basic training. As is standard, each morning after breakfast, we would go back to our quarters to complete the daily inspection of our barracks. Everyone would do this. Everyone, but the religious soldiers who were exempt. They were allowed time to go the synagogue on base to pray while the rest of us would have to clean up their living spaces, and make their beds.  And not to mention clean up around our barracks, which included the lovely task of picking up trash and cigarette butts. I'm not someone who is anti-religious, far from it, in fact. However, I am for equality and fairness and sharing the burden with one another. Apparently these values seem to be slipping away in today's IDF. I don't know how exactly it happened, but I hope it can be fixed.

Here is the newest issue of the IDF's monthy magazine "Bamahane". Since it's Pesach, they dedicated a special issue to Haredi ultra-orthodox soldiers. The first of supposedly more to come. The regular magazine normally highlights life for soldiers in all branches of the military, with some interesting behind the scenes takes and personal stories and profiles of Israelis during their service. This issue though is a bit different, no photos of women are to be found at all. In addition, a special Torah portion written by the son of chief Sephardi Rabbi Ovadia Yosef can be found within. A rather intense transformation.

It's pretty obvious that army is moving further and further away from its core original values. Jewish and secular has now been replaced by Jewish and religious. Moshe Dayan is probably turning in his grave right now. By handing over the reigns of Bamahane, and strictly publishing to appease the Haredi population, with the obvious intention of increasing enlistment, the trends are changing, and I hope it's not too late to reverse them.