End of an era, at last

My son Asa left home almost three years ago, starting his journey in the army. Yesterday he closed this adventure. He will discharge from the army in the middle of November, but de-facto he is a civilian again, starting his dismissal vacation yesterday. He returned his weapon, his uniform and came back home.

The last three years were not easy. For 18 years we defended him, hardly letting him to cross the road alone. And suddenly he left our safe and warm home for taking part in defending our country and controlling life-and-death of others. Suddenly, without any warning and any preparations, he was pushed into the melting points of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

We watched from a distance how he transformed from a spoiled lazy boy to a charming and attractive grown up. Three years ago he was a teddy bear; today he can be a model on a fashion magazine's cover.

He started the army without any required physical skills, as most of his school years he spent in front of computers. But after half year of intensive training and exercises he lost about 20-30 kgs, discovered his mental and physical strength and even started to enjoy the warrior's life.

Most of his army duty was spent in the occupied territories: more than a year in Gaza Strip (in the isolated settlement of Netzarim) and almost a year in the West Bank, near Jerusalem. He didn't told us everything he and his unit did, but we all knew what kind of job he was doing: babysitting the settlers, watching roads and transportation lines, working at checkpoints, venturing into Palestinian villages for arresting terrorists, patrolling in the dunes and the orchards, shooting here-and-there. In short, participating in a war.

Our terror was two sided: we feared for his safety and at the same time we feared for his soul, hoping he will not be involved in inhuman act, terrorizing innocent civilians. Fortunately he was more babysitter than a fighter, so his contact with the locals were minimal.

Now he is home again, starting a new journey, hopefully less dangerous and more enjoyable.

My dear son, I wish you to find your way, your place and purpose in life. The world is at your hand. You can do whatever you want, you can achieve what ever you dream of. Knowing you, your strength and will, I am sure you will succeed!

Dead by Chocolate

Life is difficult. You can just die ... by chocolate. But if this is our destiny, at least with a lot of dark chocolate, topped with chocolate mousse, covered with chocolate syrup and sweetened with some Brazilian chocolate drink.
L'Chaim!

Glimpse into a leftist's mind (or results of an ugly war)

This week we came out from the shelters we were forced due to the war between Israel and Hezbollah. After about four weeks of fights, silence and normality returned: refugees came home, streets became crowded again, lights were turned on in houses at nights and the queues are returned to shops.

I don’t want to talk about the war, about its geopolitical consequences; you can find a lot in this subject in a number of sites. I want to concentrate on my personal feelings, views and ideas as they are reshaped because of this war and the one in the South with Hamas.

I consider myself as a leftist. I believe in human rights, equality to every person regardless of origin, skin color, gender, religion or any other criteria. If there should be any favor to certain individuals it should be based only on contribution to the society. As a leftist I am against the occupation of the Palestinian territories and I am against the settlements in the occupied territories. I believe in the two states solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But at the same time I believe in a peaceful solution. I cannot accept I cannot justify terrorist act, suicide bombing, and Qasam or Katyusha rockets launching on civil population. There is no justification what so ever for any terrorist act against civilians. Moreover, any nation seeking for independence must lose its natural right if it uses illegitimate methods. I believe that means justify the goal and not goals justify means.

In the last decades leftists fought for these ideas. Slowly these ideas took roots, and even non-leftist recognized the reasoning and understood that our mail goal is a free and democratic Jewish country. And it cannot be reached with continuing the occupation; we have to relinquish Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

So Israel disengaged from Gaza, removed all settlements and with all the troops. The Palestinian answer was launching hundredths of Qasam rockets in South Israel. Just as the Hezbollah answer to Israel’s withdraw from South Lebanon was organizing a number of kidnapping, violating the blue line and launching massive rocket attacks on civilian targets in North of Israel. I stayed in my village; during the war more than 600 rockets hit the neighborhood. There is no single army installation around my village, just a small city (Ma’alot) and a couple of small villages. The only reason to launch rockets on us was to kill and terrorize civilians.

So where is my leftist belief standing? Do I still believe in the same solution as before? Yes, I do. But I don’t believe reaching this goal shortly. And I don’t believe we should do any more unilateral steps reaching. Every time Israel unilaterally withdrew, the Arabs interpreted it as weakness. They never interpreted our pull-out as opening a door for negotiations for peace talks.

So we should stop any further withdrawal. We have to express our will and eagerness to a solution but at the same time we have to take any possible steps guarding ourselves, including building a security wall even if it hurts some Palestinians access to their land. They should fight the militant terrorists if they feel this wall harms their life.

I am not the only leftist (radical or liberal) feeling this way. After years of demonstrations, Peace Now activities, the Palestinians paid back us with terror and more terror. So now they are alone, without our support and without understanding.

For somebody who disagrees with me, I attach these pictures. They were taken in the Tefen Industrial Park (about 5 km from my village), hit by a Katyusha rocket. Fortunately it hit an open area and it broke only some windows. But the same rockets killed a number of people when their car or flat got a direct hit. Tefen is an industrial area. There is no army installation there, only hi-tech companies with people wanting only peace and a decent living.

So, dear Palestinians, until you are not ready for a peacul solution for an acceptable compromise, forget about me. Call me only when you are ready!

Asa the kindergarten teacher!

Asa returned yesterday from the IDF summer camp, organized for children of fallen soldiers. He was selected as one of the instructors, working with 5-6-7 ears old. He came home with a lot of stories about children, about their fathers.

The story of the camp, the joy of the children is told through Asa's smile, conquering every picture.

See these pictures on Picasa Web Albums!

Time flies

Time flies. We didn't even notice and our kids are no children any more. Suddenly they are grownup, having their own will, their own style, goals and pace. Suddenly we, the parents, become not important, not deciding and not influencing.

My first shock came more than two years ago when my son Asa left for the army. Until that day he never even took a bus without our knowledge and permission. Unexpectedly, without even consulting with us, he decided to go to a fighter unit and he started to decide about his future.

The first shock came unexpectedly. I tried not to think about his leaving and I tried not to look how grownup suddenly he became. So when the parting came it was a real jolt. Now I am much more prepared. Aia is still in high school, but she is already an independent and grownup lady. Her time and her departing will come very shortly.

From one side it hurts to learn we became at most just friends, while in the “old times” we were like God for our children. They don’t ask anymore for permission or advice what to do. They just tell us what they want to do – or they simple let us know after the happenings.

But on the other side it is a great feeling: We did it! We raised them, nourished them, taught them, help them, equipped them with reasoning, with understanding, with the ability to decide, to choose and to understand. And now they are ready to stand on their own feet and lead the pack.

Good luck! Enjoy life! We supplied you everything you need. Ia m sure you will use your knowledge with wisdom, with reasoning and for good.

Disappointment...

For days the weather forecast predicted heavy show in hills of Galilee. Everybody waited with high anticipation for the long dreamed white snow. Not for the special school holiday (no school on a snowy day) but for the rare beaty: White snow covering the trees ; hearing the snow crashing under the feet ; building snowman ; Jimbo and Mango in the snow, tasting it, smelling it ...

But no, there was no snow! Not even a single drop!

So nothing left except waiting for the next time and remembering the last time it was snowing in Tefen (about 4 years ago). Here is a small sample how it looked like at that time. 

Happy Chinese New Year 2006 to Everybody!

By chance I was in New York last week on a business strip, planned to go home on Friday. But as we didn't completed the planned discussion I was "kindly requested" to stay a couple of more days.

So I was fortunate to visit Chinatown for the New Year celebration. Millions of people, paper firecrackers, dragons, drums, smell of great Chinese food, fantastic atmosphere! Even the rain couldn't harm the festival.

If you are interested, you can see some pictures at Chinese New Year '06!


Happy New Year - year of the dog!

Beginning...

Is any reason writing a blog? Is anything ordinary is occurring I must share with the whole world? Someone can say "absolutely not". I get up in the , go to work, sit in front a "TV screen" most of the day, go home when already dark, see the evening news and go to sleep.

Yes, in general it is true. But at the same time a lot of small (or not so small) and interesting and exciting and sometimes normal (or even boring) happenings occur, thoughts are popping up, people are contacted, projects start and drops, places are visited. And there is the family, children and their happenings,. And politics and cultural events, and successes and failures and the list can go on forever.

Life is not boring. On the contrary. Every day is a new day, a new opportunity, a new beginning. Every day there is something special, something beautiful. Sometimes it is just how the sun is shining. Sometimes it is the the caring hand of your wife. Sometimes it is something big, sometimes it is small.

The size or the importance of events is not important. This is my life, the first, the last, the only one.