Oi!

This is what happens when you stay up late watching Jackass 3D. You get reminded of true street punk and forget for a moment that you're in the Middle East.

I don't know of too many bands who will play a show in San Francisco and dedicate songs to British and American soldiers serving overseas. It doesn't get any realer than that.

J'lem Town

With the summer heat bearing down upon us, I decided it was a good time to get out of the city and spend the day in Jerusalem with my girlfriend. It was a much needed respite from the scorching temperatures of Tel Aviv. Even days spent at the beach can get a bit old when it's the only haven from the dense cityscape and you're still surrounded by Matkot playing Arsim.

View from the Austrian Hospice

A much needed day trip was in order, and it couldn't have been more worth it. We spent the whole day exploring the Old City, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods of West Jerusalem just outside the ancient walls. I hadn't been to Jerusalem since last year, and the trip was a breath of fresh air from cramped and crowded Tel Aviv. I'm sure even if you spent half your life living in Jerusalem, you would still be stumbling upon and discovering fascinating things, both new and old all the time. Just as we approached the city, with its rolling hills dotted by surrounding villages spread out in every direction, I could already tell that this was just the type of trip I needed. The feeling of being back in a place with so much open space and so many parks was the perfect antidote. It reminded me of back home, and reconfirmed what I had already thought, that large and spread out cities like London and Jerusalem are way more conducive to comfortable living, than overwhelmingly dense and compact places like New York City or Tel Aviv. Just my personal preference. Factor that together with a city as historical and beautiful as Jerusalem and you end up in a place that's really special.

Old City walls in the distance

I'm always particularly impressed also by the difference in culture and temperament between the two cities and their inhabitants. The ultimate hedonism that exists in Tel Aviv is replaced with a more cerebral and down to earth mindset in Jerusalem. While in Tel Aviv you rarely see people reading, unless they're Russian, Jerusalem is much more literate. It's common place to see people reading books on the bus, and all over. Also, if you're looking to find top quality bookstores, stocked with popular as well as niche titles, Jerusalem is the place to go. For some reason, the prices are much better compared to the bookstores in Tel Aviv too. And if I have further cause to champion Jerusalem, it doesn't hurt that you can walk into a supermarket and expect to find the type of American snacks you might be missing. Oh yeah, and better pizza and public transit also. Which both clearly count for a lot

Mamilla Mall just outside the Old City

At Your Command

It's been well over a month since pics leaked on Facebook of female IDF recruits and made headlines all over. The controversy has slightly died down, thanks in large part to the effort the army has been making to crack down on this type of behavior. Still, as someone who has served and has been lucky enough to have become acquainted some with the girls on our side, I thought I might as well just share a few extras of our armed forces' finest.

Whoever is second guessing service in the Navy might want to think again.

Chillness is a Virtue

It's strange that I've seen so much of Europe, and have even found myself in far out corners in Romania, yet I still have never been to Amsterdam and The Netherlands. This has to change soon.

Wikitravel

Italiana Noir

On Thursday, right before the weekend began here, I found myself going through some old stuff stashed in my closet. To my surprise, there was my Kindle that I hadn't seemingly used in forever. Truth be told, I've never fully made the switch over to e-readers, which isn't to say though that I don't like the convenience that they offer. I decided to take it out and charge it up and check it out again. I was pleased to discover some old books that I had loaded onto there a long time ago.

None more so than Andrea Camelleri's 'The Shape of Water'. From the moment I read the first chapter, I knew instantly that this was exactly the type of pulp detective novel that I'm enamored by. Camelleri's sly wit and ability to recreate the Mediterranean Noir feeling and the distinct and unsettled Sicilian atmosphere for his readers is flawless.

When I discovered that the Inspector Montalbano novels had been made into an Italian tv series, I practically jumped to YouTube as soon as I heard. If only I could speak just the slightest bit of Italian in order to understand everything. In the meantime, I'm going to be fast at work looking for any version with even half-decent English subs.

Open Season

The world is a mess, let's face it. Due to all of the craziness that's happening from Syria to Egypt and Afghanistan, and to the constant instability here in Israel and all across the Middle East also, it's easy to see how other stories can get pushed to the way side. Piracy in the Horn of Africa and throughout the Indian Ocean and beyond has not gone away, and I've only discovered recently just how bad the problem is. 

Royals and Royals

Alas, the hysteria can finally cease. There is now officially a Royal Baby. While I'm not one to buy into all the craziness surrounding this kind of spectacle, I just can't get behind the people who genuinely show such disdain for a couple who just had their first kid. Royal or not. Why not show some love and have a good time? From the looks of it, they definitely did in London and all over the U.K.

Of course, as with any international event that's a big deal, Shimon Peres is there to send best wishes and Mazal Tov. I'm sure the baby will love the shirt.

The Golden Horn

There isn't a better time than summer to catch up on those books that have been sitting idly on the shelves. After some months spent of heavy reading, I decided that something a bit lighter was in order. 

Hagia Sophia. Where it all goes down.

While I was in Istanbul last year, strolling down Istiklal Caddesi I popped into a local bookstore and picked up one of the types of cheesy thrillers I love. Laurence O'Bryan's "The Istanbul Puzzle" fits that definition perfectly. Given that I had been feeling some of the nostalgia from my Istanbul trip lately, it proved to be an ideal companion to the relive the city and all its deep history and complexity. I wouldn't go as far as to recommend this book if you're expecting deep prose and sweeping characters. However, if you're looking for a quick read to transport you to a place you've been and are longing for, or to somewhere new you would like to experience, I can say with confidence that "The Istanbul Puzzle" makes for a fun ride.

 Seafront. Golden Horn.

The Wild West Bank

There's a surplus of IDF videos on YouTube. Most dedicated to Israeli female soldiers, in a way to show their "support" for the "cause". The rest are a myriad of uploads by supporters, and soldiers themselves too. More often than not showing clips of Golani soldiers or Tzanhanim shooting at targets or trudging their gear on an exercise while backed up by some over the top techno music. 

The other day, I happened to stumble on this find, which I thought to be a little more interesting and unique than the standard IDF videos you'd find. Kfir, even in its short history as an infantry brigade in the army has already developed a reputation as being a heavily Russian unit. A lot of the guys being new immigrants as well. It's also generally one of the more under looked brigades in the army. Recruiting to Kfir hasn't been as easy as some other similar ground forces units. For the majority of their service the soldiers serving in Kfir are stationed exclusively in the West Bank, and tend to not see home very often. They've been involved in a lot of things you may have heard about on the news also. So it's not as if their role is not a crucial one. Given the date of the video, it's likely this specific battalion saw some significant action during the tail end of The Second Intifada. As someone who was in the same place at one point as a new immigrant in the army, albeit coming from half way around the world, this type of glimpse into the lives of those who served on the line is always intriguing to me. I would bet that a lot of these guys passed through Michve Alon.

Disgrace

It's a sad day and age we live in when glamorizing terror is what's considered hip. It seems pretty easy to do when it's not your eight year old child who's been murdered or your family member or loved one who's been affected.

Happy Odyssey

Quite possibly the best overture on Wikipedia ever.

"Sir Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart^[1] VC, KBE, CB, CMG, DSO (5 May 1880 – 5 June 1963), was a British Army officer of Belgian and Irish descent. He served in the Boer War, First World War, and Second World War; was shot in the face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip, and ear; survived a plane crash; tunnelled out of a POW camp; and bit off his own fingers when a doctor refused to amputate them. He later wrote that "Frankly I had enjoyed the war" when describing his service in the First World War.^[2]

Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart

After returning home from service in the Second World War, he was sent to China as Winston Churchill's personal representative. Whileen route he attended the Cairo Conference.

Carton de Wiart was thought to be a model for the character of Brigadier Ben Ritchie Hook in Evelyn Waugh's trilogy Sword of Honour.^[3]The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography described him thus: "With his black eyepatch and empty sleeve, Carton de Wiart looked like an elegant pirate, and became a figure of legend."

Green Everything

I can't help but love when the army trots out classic choreographed PR photos like this. Might as well put a pretty face on Hasbara, I suppose. It sure beats the embarrassing and government funded 'Size Doesn't Matter' campaign . So I guess the army is doing something right.

Sharknado

After almost eight years, I think Snakes on a Plane might finally be getting a run for its money in terms of competition. And definitely Tara Reid's best role since Bunny Lebowski. That's saying a lot.

Heat Wave

About a year ago I first heard the name Lior Nordman. It was on a Vice documentary about Fashion Week in Tel Aviv, which happened to be occurring right when hostilities broke out between the IDF and Hamas in Gaza. The result, of course, being rockets fired at Tel Aviv for the first time since the Gulf War in 1991. The bubble of Tel Aviv officially broke.

While citizens in the south have been bearing the brunt of living under the threat of rocket fire for so long, this time Tel Avivim got a sense of what the feeling is like. I remember the first time hearing the air raid siren and just looking out the window in shock for a moment before telling my gf to drop everything and get downstairs and into the closest shelter. I remember having had to run for cover in the army, and frankly not being too bothered by it. This was entirely different.

For the fashionistas of the city and the international crowd visiting from abroad at the time, it was especially an experience that won't be forgotten. True to the core roots of this city, the show in Tel Aviv went on in spite of the intermittent rocket fire. With some thanks to a few Iron Dome batteries around Gush Dan, which helped make life a little bit easier under the circumstances.

If there is anyone though in the artistic community in this country who is unafraid of anything and embodies this type of spirit, it's Lior Nordman. I confess, I don't know too much about the guy, but from what I've seen, there likely isn't anyone else out there in Israel who is transforming cultural expression the way he is, and pushing the limits of all taboos.

Ring it

Raw doesn't even adequately describe it. The word disgrace is more appropriate. For a 22 year old Dutch girl working as a journalist to be gang raped among a crazed mob in Tahrir Square, I think it's about time we sound the alarm. How many more cases of sexual assaults on females at protests in Egypt must happen before something is done about it to make them stop?

Dictatorial Measures

I always find myself awake and up late at night, scrolling through the channels at around 2 am. Israeli cable tv might not be exactly up to par with perhaps that in the U.S or Britain. We make due with what we have though. So when I stumbled upon The Dictator unexpectedly on some random HOT movie channel, it was definitely a pleasant surprise.

It also brought me back and reminded me of the spectacle that used to be Gaddafi. It's hard to believe that it's been only less than two years since he met his deserved fate. The most pressing question though....what happened to his loyal Amazonian Guard?

Rush Hour: Part II

The Thursday afternoon commute home from work is always an interesting time for me. Trains and buses are packed, and Israelis from all walks of life are pressing to get home from the end of a long week. Perhaps no one more so than IDF soldiers on active duty. Just a few years ago I was in the same position of hustling back from way up north each weekend to return to Tel Aviv for the brief 48 hours (usually less) of freedom. If I wasn't stuck on base guarding and closing Shabbat, of course.

 

Whenever I see groups of English speaking soldiers passing by I'm always taken back to that feeling. Truthfully, I don't think there is anything more liberating or fulfilling. These days having gotten used to working in an office far away, from the constant grind of army life, I won't lie though, sometimes I miss it. However, given the option, I think I'll probably stop short of wanting to go back. For some reason, complete personal and professional freedom is something I'm not ready to give up again. That being said, I'm proud of my time in active service. The random call ups for Miluim once a year or so are more than enough though to satisfy the urge.

Light it up

I just wanted to give a special July 4th shout out to all US Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard personnel out there, especially those far away from home. Thank you for guarding freedom. It's not taken for granted

Thanks to you, we can live like Americans, however the fuck we want. 

Orthodox Mafia

For as long as this country has existed the Orthodox have held a monopoly on marriage. I sometimes forget how bad it really is. All it takes is for one example to pop up to realize it again. Growing up secular, we often take for granted the rights and privileges we have, especially if you're from the states or Europe. Israel, however does things quite differently. Despite all of the millions of skekels invested in Hasbara and public diplomacy on behalf of this country, and all of the talk about being a liberal and open democracy, I can't help but admit that for the most part it's just one big facade. I won't dispute that in some cases there are many aspects that attest to the quality of life in Israel, liberties that are unheard of in other Middle Eastern countries. On the whole however though, it truly cannot hold up the standards of freedom in the west at all.. Especially considering the fact that in Israel, there still is no civil marriage whatsoever. Which means, if you're a Jew and you want to marry a Christian or a Muslim or anyone else who isn't Jewish, it is illegal. You cannot marry anyone other than a Jew in Israel. Marriage is only permitted for those within the same faith.

Lior Nordman

If that isn't bad enough, even within Judaism for Jews, the Orthodox rabbinical authorities hold control over everything. In order to have a "Jewish wedding" in Israel, it can only be done through the Orthodox method, which has in effect become a Mafia in and of itself. Those who are Jews and were born abroad to Jewish parents are put through a rigorous background check to even get approved for what is considered a Jewish wedding here. And if only one of your parents is a Jew, you'll be in need of some serious luck. This type of monopoly and control over the personal lives of its citizens is so outrageous, it is almost beyond me to comprehend. I won't even get into the segregated buses or sidewalks, where little girls get spit on for dressing "immodestly" in places like Beit Shemesh. Things are even worse.

There are only a few political parties in Israel who looking to change things. The overwhelming majority is content to continue with the status quo. The old inherited Ottoman laws still fit perfectly with the State of Israel in 2013. This is the heart of the Middle East after all. Some things never change. 

Shakedown Street

Sort of reminds me of Phish lot, gone slightly formal.

 זרוע היבשה 

זרוע היבשה