Just for fun: you can catch Arie and me as a pair of shadows to the left side of this video...well, if your eyes are really good. Hip hop/reggae/funk star Royale (Roy Uadri) performed a birthday show in Tel Aviv that included guests from as far as New York to local celebs like Shai 360. At one point, he performed with an a capella group (calling it "gospel ivrit" - oy!). Roy's resume is quite respectable (having performed with big names like Hadag Nachash and Subliminal). His guitarist, Danny Weissfeld, has also opened and performed alongside big names on both sides of the ocean (yes, even Kelly Clarkson).
I wasn't the only one to thank Arie for the show--Roy made certain to swing by and thank Arie personally for coming. Seems this up-and-coming Israeli star knows Arie from a chance discussion of Israeli hip-hop in a cafe earlier...anyway, enjoy the clip!
Mi Ba - Roy Uadri
(from http://www.myspace.com/royuadri)
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
A Closer Look at an Example of Healthcare in Israel; Potential Lessons for America and Other Countries
I could go on at length about how all Israeli citizens have access to care and the tragedy of our system to guarantee the right to health for all citizens. I could again point out that our system is most expensive for the average taxpayer because we don't cover all citizens. I could throw in a sarcastic comment driving home the point by saying, "Maybe if our country were one of the wealthiest countries in the world we could break the Top 35 countries in health systems on the World Health Organization list by providing more widespread care to citizens, but, alas..." Since I handled this topic in a previous post, I'll spare you this discussion and emphasize other issues regarding healthcare in Israel.
In this post, I will address aspects of Israeli healthcare using Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem as an example that emphasize the impact the regional situation has had on the provision of care and the patient population found in the hospital. First, to understand Hadassah, one must look at the history of the hospital system. Founded in association with the American women's Zionist organization of the same name, two hospital locations of the Hadassah Medical System can be found in Jerusalem today. While a previous Hadassah building existed in Hebron in the 1920's, that location was abandoned following the 1929 Hebron Massacre and the first building in Jerusalem was erected in 1934 on Mount Scopus at Hebrew University's campus in East Jerusalem. On April 13, 1948, a medical convoy of doctors, nurses, medical students, and other staff (77 in total) were massacred en route to the hospital, forcing Hadassah to shut down operations at the hospital and seek the opening of a a Hadassah hospital in a new location in Jerusalem. While the armistice agreement with Jordan in 1948 permitted one military convoy to cross from West Jerusalem to East Jerusalem and the Hebrew University campus every two weeks, the Mount Scopus hospital was not reopened until 1975, long after the Six Day War in 1967.
In 1961, Hadassah Hospital's campus on Ein Kerem in West Jerusalem opens its doors to what would become the center of one of the most advanced medical systems in Jerusalem, in Israel, and in the world forty years later with funding again from the Hadassah Woman's Zionist Organization of America. Hebrew University's medical school, dental school, school of nursing, and school of public health are all located on this campus. It has also become a popular tourist destination, given the stained glass windows representing the twelve tribes as donated by Marc Chagall in 1960 to the campus synagogue. Phew, that's about enough background information--if you're really itching for more, click here to go the Wikipedia article.
View from Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem, overlooking West Jerusalem neighborhoods on a foggy morning
Chagall stained glass windows; holes remain in a few windows since Chagall said he could never quite regain his original inspiration when he was asked to repair windows damaged during the Six Day War in 1967
Internal cell phone antenna for maintenance of communication at all times (physicians in Israel carry cell phones instead of pagers; interestingly enough, a recent study found that cell phone use instead of pagers reduces the number of medical errors in America)
A spacious trauma bay inside the Emergency Room
Portable x-ray machine hangs from the ceiling to be rapidly deployed to any trauma bay for use
Container of nails found in patients during surgery following a suicide bombing (bombs are oftentimes packed with nails to increase damage caused by the explosion)
Even beyond mass casualty incidents, emergency medicine in Israel relies on advanced technology; here, ambulances are equipped with digital cameras to provide physicians with photos of car accidents so they can determine where impact occurred and where patients are likely to have injuries
In this post, I will address aspects of Israeli healthcare using Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem as an example that emphasize the impact the regional situation has had on the provision of care and the patient population found in the hospital. First, to understand Hadassah, one must look at the history of the hospital system. Founded in association with the American women's Zionist organization of the same name, two hospital locations of the Hadassah Medical System can be found in Jerusalem today. While a previous Hadassah building existed in Hebron in the 1920's, that location was abandoned following the 1929 Hebron Massacre and the first building in Jerusalem was erected in 1934 on Mount Scopus at Hebrew University's campus in East Jerusalem. On April 13, 1948, a medical convoy of doctors, nurses, medical students, and other staff (77 in total) were massacred en route to the hospital, forcing Hadassah to shut down operations at the hospital and seek the opening of a a Hadassah hospital in a new location in Jerusalem. While the armistice agreement with Jordan in 1948 permitted one military convoy to cross from West Jerusalem to East Jerusalem and the Hebrew University campus every two weeks, the Mount Scopus hospital was not reopened until 1975, long after the Six Day War in 1967.
In 1961, Hadassah Hospital's campus on Ein Kerem in West Jerusalem opens its doors to what would become the center of one of the most advanced medical systems in Jerusalem, in Israel, and in the world forty years later with funding again from the Hadassah Woman's Zionist Organization of America. Hebrew University's medical school, dental school, school of nursing, and school of public health are all located on this campus. It has also become a popular tourist destination, given the stained glass windows representing the twelve tribes as donated by Marc Chagall in 1960 to the campus synagogue. Phew, that's about enough background information--if you're really itching for more, click here to go the Wikipedia article.
View from Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem, overlooking West Jerusalem neighborhoods on a foggy morning
Chagall stained glass windows; holes remain in a few windows since Chagall said he could never quite regain his original inspiration when he was asked to repair windows damaged during the Six Day War in 1967Today, Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem is a bustling campus with rapid development. Hadassah has already broken ground on yet another multi-million dollar building on their campus with funding from Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City. Additionally, in 2005, the center was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize due to its commitment to equality in treatment, ethnic and religious diversity, and struggle to build bridges to peace. Given the reduced resources in the Palestinian Authority (PA) medical system, attempts have been made to provide advanced training and resources to foster an advanced medical system in the PA. While this project has met many difficulties and challenges along the way, the commitment to care of all people in the region can be seen by the number of patients who represent Jews and Arabs, Palestinians and Israelis, and patients who come from all over the world. The medical staff is almost equally as diverse, representing Jewish citizens of Israel, Arab citizens of Israel, and East Jerusalem Palestinians (during the Second Intifada, access to Israel was limited to Palestinians, with the exception of residents of East Jerusalem who continue to maintain increased rights to travel in Israel).
Many challenges for patient care in this multi-layered and complex system remain. Prior to the Oslo accords, care of Palestinians was covered by Israel. However, part of the push to increased autonomy for Palestinians included their removal from the national health plan of Israel. Today, decisions about the coverage of medical care for Palestinians are made by the Minister of Health in the PA. Changes of the minister from Fatah to Hamas to Fatah in the PA have altered what is covered by the PA government for patients in Israeli hospitals. One physician I met argued that it would be great to pay out of pocket for every bone marrow transplant and help everyone, but it is just not logistically feasible and doesn't solve the issue of disparity between the two medical systems.
I had the opportunity to visit the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit at Hadassah and learned that the challenges continue even further. While the pathologies and the diagnoses are as complex as those found at hospitals elsewhere in the world (we saw one child that likely had a rare Protein S deficiency), regional issues further complicate the approach to diagnosis and treatment (this same child has minimal documentation from her hospital in the PA and many months went by with out any progress on her diagnosis before she was referred to Hadassah in Israel). Referral and communication can be very challenging between the two worlds as will be discussed further.
In pediatric oncology, the presence of a fever can be life-threatening and a patient on chemotherapy may need to come in within 30 minutes. While a number of Palestinian may only be 15 minutes away from Hadassah and just outside Jerusalem, security checkpoints may increase travel time by 3 or 4 hours (assuming that checkpoints are open and military intelligence has received no information regarding an imminent security threat). While Hadassah maintains some contacts in the Israeli military, but the reality of hastening a patient through security remains difficult. Again, the situation is infinitely complex--soldiers are wary of the massive crowd of Palestinians waiting to get through and conjure up the images seen at checkpoints of an 11 year-old wearing a bomb and one can somewhat understand why some soldiers may be reluctant to approach anyone seeking rapid movement through a busy checkpoint. On the other hand, the checkpoints and border security continue to represent a barrier to human rights and access to emergency health services for many Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza and can have tragic consequences. The merits of the checkpoints, whether between Israel and the West Bank or Gaza or internally in the West Bank between two Palestinian cities, remains a complicated and tense issue. (A great deal would be answered if statisticians could link the number of checkpoints to the prevention of terror attacks in Israel and, separately, in the West Bank and then if a group of philosophers and diplomats resolved the conflict between the human rights of Israelis to live free of suicide bombings versus the rights of Palestinians to live and work unimpeded by and free of security checkpoints dotted all over the West Bank.)
As mentioned earlier, communication and referrals remain another issue for Palestinian patients. Since access to Hadassah can be challenging, patients are given letters with specific instructions and phone numbers of physicians to call at Hadassah should the patient arrive at a Palestinian hospital in an emergency. Hadassah physicians lament many times never receiving the phone call. Speculation has been that some Palestinian physicians may see it as a sign of shame to call a Israeli physician but, above and beyond this, a referral to an Israeli physician in some of the more politicized and harsh regions of the West Bank (e.g., a pro-Hamas town) could be seen as "collaboration with Israel" and lead to a rapid death sentence at the hands of a group of masked men. This may be the same reason that while many Israeli physicians fighting for peace hope that taking care of a Palestinian patient leads to return to their communities and change any beliefs held about Israelis or Jews but that the reality may be that these patients from more politicized communities return home to never discuss that they were in an Israeli hospital.
Given these challenges and not knowing when a Palestinian family may be able to arrive, physicians at Hadassah do not present patients with times for appointment--only days. Unique in this environment, one family has been observed to be present first thing on every appointment day although they come from a town known for radicalism near Hebron. While everyone is relieved that care is able to be provided to the child rapidly and consistently, medical staff are far from free of the ills of gossiping and speculation and believe he may be able to move rapidly because he may actually be a "collaborator," helping the Israeli Shin-Bet security forces by providing intelligence information about people in his town, or may be linked to the upper echelon of Fatah (PA Chair Mahmoud Abbas' political party).
Another set of challenges with the care of patients can be found in the religious Jewish community. Haredim, also known as the ultra-Orthodox, on the principles of strict interpretation of Jewish doctrine, consider their rabbi's opinion to be of the utmost importance. Jewish law binds these Jews to protect their bodies (they are on loan from God) and the maintenance of good health is required. As a result, the rabbi often times agrees with the medical decision making of the physician. Nevertheless, occasionally, these opinions differ and make life challenging for the physician. For example, one pediatric oncology patient needs lower extremity amputation soon for removal of a dangerous life-threatening osteosarcoma but the rabbi thinks the leg can be spared by delaying and having the whole community pray for the child. Many times, patients in the Haredi population present late in the development of a disease as do Palestinian patients.
Center of the pediatrics building at Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem
Many challenges for patient care in this multi-layered and complex system remain. Prior to the Oslo accords, care of Palestinians was covered by Israel. However, part of the push to increased autonomy for Palestinians included their removal from the national health plan of Israel. Today, decisions about the coverage of medical care for Palestinians are made by the Minister of Health in the PA. Changes of the minister from Fatah to Hamas to Fatah in the PA have altered what is covered by the PA government for patients in Israeli hospitals. One physician I met argued that it would be great to pay out of pocket for every bone marrow transplant and help everyone, but it is just not logistically feasible and doesn't solve the issue of disparity between the two medical systems.
I had the opportunity to visit the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit at Hadassah and learned that the challenges continue even further. While the pathologies and the diagnoses are as complex as those found at hospitals elsewhere in the world (we saw one child that likely had a rare Protein S deficiency), regional issues further complicate the approach to diagnosis and treatment (this same child has minimal documentation from her hospital in the PA and many months went by with out any progress on her diagnosis before she was referred to Hadassah in Israel). Referral and communication can be very challenging between the two worlds as will be discussed further.
In pediatric oncology, the presence of a fever can be life-threatening and a patient on chemotherapy may need to come in within 30 minutes. While a number of Palestinian may only be 15 minutes away from Hadassah and just outside Jerusalem, security checkpoints may increase travel time by 3 or 4 hours (assuming that checkpoints are open and military intelligence has received no information regarding an imminent security threat). While Hadassah maintains some contacts in the Israeli military, but the reality of hastening a patient through security remains difficult. Again, the situation is infinitely complex--soldiers are wary of the massive crowd of Palestinians waiting to get through and conjure up the images seen at checkpoints of an 11 year-old wearing a bomb and one can somewhat understand why some soldiers may be reluctant to approach anyone seeking rapid movement through a busy checkpoint. On the other hand, the checkpoints and border security continue to represent a barrier to human rights and access to emergency health services for many Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza and can have tragic consequences. The merits of the checkpoints, whether between Israel and the West Bank or Gaza or internally in the West Bank between two Palestinian cities, remains a complicated and tense issue. (A great deal would be answered if statisticians could link the number of checkpoints to the prevention of terror attacks in Israel and, separately, in the West Bank and then if a group of philosophers and diplomats resolved the conflict between the human rights of Israelis to live free of suicide bombings versus the rights of Palestinians to live and work unimpeded by and free of security checkpoints dotted all over the West Bank.)
As mentioned earlier, communication and referrals remain another issue for Palestinian patients. Since access to Hadassah can be challenging, patients are given letters with specific instructions and phone numbers of physicians to call at Hadassah should the patient arrive at a Palestinian hospital in an emergency. Hadassah physicians lament many times never receiving the phone call. Speculation has been that some Palestinian physicians may see it as a sign of shame to call a Israeli physician but, above and beyond this, a referral to an Israeli physician in some of the more politicized and harsh regions of the West Bank (e.g., a pro-Hamas town) could be seen as "collaboration with Israel" and lead to a rapid death sentence at the hands of a group of masked men. This may be the same reason that while many Israeli physicians fighting for peace hope that taking care of a Palestinian patient leads to return to their communities and change any beliefs held about Israelis or Jews but that the reality may be that these patients from more politicized communities return home to never discuss that they were in an Israeli hospital.
Given these challenges and not knowing when a Palestinian family may be able to arrive, physicians at Hadassah do not present patients with times for appointment--only days. Unique in this environment, one family has been observed to be present first thing on every appointment day although they come from a town known for radicalism near Hebron. While everyone is relieved that care is able to be provided to the child rapidly and consistently, medical staff are far from free of the ills of gossiping and speculation and believe he may be able to move rapidly because he may actually be a "collaborator," helping the Israeli Shin-Bet security forces by providing intelligence information about people in his town, or may be linked to the upper echelon of Fatah (PA Chair Mahmoud Abbas' political party).
Another set of challenges with the care of patients can be found in the religious Jewish community. Haredim, also known as the ultra-Orthodox, on the principles of strict interpretation of Jewish doctrine, consider their rabbi's opinion to be of the utmost importance. Jewish law binds these Jews to protect their bodies (they are on loan from God) and the maintenance of good health is required. As a result, the rabbi often times agrees with the medical decision making of the physician. Nevertheless, occasionally, these opinions differ and make life challenging for the physician. For example, one pediatric oncology patient needs lower extremity amputation soon for removal of a dangerous life-threatening osteosarcoma but the rabbi thinks the leg can be spared by delaying and having the whole community pray for the child. Many times, patients in the Haredi population present late in the development of a disease as do Palestinian patients.
Center of the pediatrics building at Hadassah Hospital, Ein KeremThe regional conflict has influenced more than the patient and medical population at Hadassah. During the Second Intifada, a number of threats and three actual attacks were leveled against hospitals in Israel. As a result, Hadassah (and other hospitals in Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israel) beefed up security and began to prepare for some of the worst-case scenarios. Many details of the architecture and buildings reflect this increased security. Hadassah, in addition to the other hospitals of Jerusalem, has also dealt with the victims of some of the worst suicide bombings in Israel and, as a result, has become a world leader in emergency care and the rapid deployment of care following mass casualty incidents. The main building is capable of handling everything from missile attacks to biochemical warfare to even an indirect nuclear attack (the building has a separate air supply and resources to last for weeks). I will let the following pictures provide some examples:
Thick steel doors for the protection of both patients and medical staff
"Biological terror - medical guide," with instructions in Hebrew for patients with anthrax, pneumonic plague, botulism, and smallpox
"Biological terror - medical guide," with instructions in Hebrew for patients with anthrax, pneumonic plague, botulism, and smallpox
Internal cell phone antenna for maintenance of communication at all times (physicians in Israel carry cell phones instead of pagers; interestingly enough, a recent study found that cell phone use instead of pagers reduces the number of medical errors in America)
A spacious trauma bay inside the Emergency Room
Portable x-ray machine hangs from the ceiling to be rapidly deployed to any trauma bay for use
Container of nails found in patients during surgery following a suicide bombing (bombs are oftentimes packed with nails to increase damage caused by the explosion)
Even beyond mass casualty incidents, emergency medicine in Israel relies on advanced technology; here, ambulances are equipped with digital cameras to provide physicians with photos of car accidents so they can determine where impact occurred and where patients are likely to have injuriesHadassah and other medical systems in Israel represent challenging, meaningful, and stimulating environments for medical staff to work and provide care for diverse patients. While the challenges and the effects of regional conflict may be frightening, I want to refer you to the previous post. Given the advanced services of Hadassah, I was still impressed with how quiet the emergency room and the trauma bays were for one of the largest hospitals in Israel and a major contributor to emergency care for Israeli citizens. Compared to our inner-city hospital back in the United States, where it is regular to see patients in beds in the hallway with "room numbers" placed on the wall, Hadassah presents a striking difference and it is unclear how such hospitals in the United States would deploy services rapidly in a mass casualty incident.
Given the great tragedies of recent history here, we can only hope that this relative period of calm in the region permits physicians to focus on advancing care for a diverse population and share the lessons learned during tougher times with hospitals around the world.
On a positive note, I'll leave you with some pictures around City Hall in Jerusalem during Hanukkah:
Given the great tragedies of recent history here, we can only hope that this relative period of calm in the region permits physicians to focus on advancing care for a diverse population and share the lessons learned during tougher times with hospitals around the world.
On a positive note, I'll leave you with some pictures around City Hall in Jerusalem during Hanukkah:
Thursday, December 6, 2007
A Theoretical Letter
Dear Israelis seeking travel to the United States,
The Ministry of Tourism advises against any travel to the United States at this time. The threat of violence and terrorism continues in the United States. Violent crimes in the United States far exceeds that found in Israel and any other Western country. The homicide rate is 2-3 times higher than Israel per capita and, in spite of continuing violence, firearms are easily accessible to all citizens. Attempts to buy back weapons from citizens, such as have been conducted in the West Bank in recent years, have never been successfully initiated in the United States. United States policymakers have an ongoing relationship with the gun lobby that prevents any changes from being made to policy that endangers all Americans. Access to firearms that far exceed those used during hunting are easily accessible, even to individuals with a criminal record or a history of violence in certain states. These firearms are additionally available to all civilians without any training in the use of firearms.Israelis often forget that the streets of major U.S. cities are unlike our streets in major cities such as Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. Should travel to the United States be necessary, extreme caution should be used for anyone walking in major cities during the day and especially at night and we advise against anyone walking alone (male or female). Caution should always be used and travel to public places should be avoided whenever possible.
Again, the State of Israel advises against any form of travel to the United States at this time. Please contact the Ministry of Tourism for further updates regarding the security situation in the United States.
As you are no doubt aware, a tragedy occurred in Omaha last week. (Unfortunately, at the time of proofing this post, I can also add the tragedies at a Colorado church and a Las Vegas bus stop.) News of these tragedies reached all the way around here and Israelis, no doubt, are aware of what occurred. In Jerusalem, I noticed that the flag at the United States consulate flew at half-mast. As harsh as this sounds, I posit the following question: how many tragedies have to occur before we Americans get it? The ongoing policy of "guns freely available to anyone and everyone" is endangering every single person in our country.
I am constantly reminded of the misconception many have outside of Israel when they ask, do you feel safe in Israel? Bombarded with the dramatizing of the 24-hour news channel (remember that Fox News is not the only channel guilty of turning world events into entertainment), it is no wonder people think this country is on the fritz. And yet, the amount of violent crime is so minimal even in the biggest of cities here in Israel. Granted petty crime (theft) is significant, murder or rape occurs so infrequently in cities as large as Tel Aviv that it makes huge news here when it does occur. Go beyond even the grand-daddy New York City--think about any medium or small-sized city in the United States and consider how many news stories focus on violent crime on the 6:00 news. Hey, even our vice president is guilty of shooting someone.
What about guns here in Israel? Aren't they everywhere? On one's first trip to Israel, it can be very disconcerting to see so many young soldiers in uniform or off-duty soldiers in civilian clothing carrying M-16's. It is far from uncommon to be riding a train or a bus and not sit next to someone carrying a weapon (especially on a Sunday morning, when maybe 70-80% of people on the morning public commute are young adults fulfilling their national service requirement and heading to their assignments). Security guards stand in front of shopping malls, bus stations, bars and restaurants also carry weapons. Every bag taken into a facility is thoroughly checked and a commonly question given to someone entering one of these establishments is, Neshek? (translation: Weapon?)
Yes, guns are everywhere and, yet, the homicide rate in Israel even with the threat of terrorism is far, far less than that in America. Put simply, we have a huge problem in the United States--the amount of violent crime in our country significantly exceeds that of pretty much any other nation in the West. One does not even need to watch the film Bowling for Columbime to understand this point.
In Israel, every single person who carries a weapon has had extensive training using that weapon. They know how to continually make certain the safety is on, they know never to leave their guns out of their sight for a single moment, and, for the most part, they have learned to confirm as best as possible that a target is truly a threat before pulling the trigger. Civilians, for the most part, do not carry guns in Israel and their use is constantly monitored and controlled. Rarely are guns ever accidentally or purposely fired at civilians in Israel (note: I am not including volatile parts of the West Bank or Gaza, either under Israeli or PA control; also note that even given recent events, many parts of the West Bank under PA control are still much safer than cities in the United States when one refers to the homicide rate per capita).
Now compare this scenario to the United States, where anyone and everyone can get a gun. A very limited security check needs to be conducted before someone can purchase a gun. The person can have virtually no training in use of the firearm and how to make sure the safety is checked and the gun is properly stored. Oftentimes, children tragically find a parent's gun or an untrained, nervous individual pulls the trigger in a tense situation. In the trauma bays of major cities, physicians see the tragedies that guns cause daily in the United States. Even al Qaeda likely discussed that it is easier to buy guns in the United States than in Afghanistan.
And let us not forget the countless tragedies that have occurred in recent years in the United States because of who has been able to acquire deadly weapons. How many times must we bear witness to events before something changes, such as those that occurred in Columbine, after Hurricane Katrina in and around the Superdome, at Virginia Tech, last week in Omaha, this week in Colorado and Last Vegas, and numerous other examples? Not a single policy changes after these events--lobbying by the NRA is way too powerful and laws seem to go in the opposite direction in some states (e.g., Jeb Bush's recent "success" in Florida). We seem to be so "gun-ho" about our Second Amendment rights to use guns to protect ourselves from tyranny and oppression, yet we fail to see our own hypocrisy (I see Bush as both tyrannical and oppressive but I think few would think that using guns would be a proper course of action and I would never even consider such a thing as a morally appropriate way of fostering change in our modern society).
Now, imagine the following. Imagine the Supreme Court reinterprets the Second Amendment and recognizes that the right to guns prohibits the right to live free from fear and violence in our society. Imagine a world where we can let our young adults walk around at night without a fear of mugging, murder and rape, as youth do and feel safe doing in most places here in Israel. Imagine we provide a better tomorrow for our children where they do not live in a "Wild West" worsened by newer and more advanced semi-automatic weapons of destruction. Imagine if we united after our national tragedies of internal violence as we did after September 11 and recognize the need to change policies to protect the future of America. Imagine we recognize far more people die from the terror of guns and American terrorists that use them than from nationally-motivated terrorism in the United States. Imagine a world where the delegalization of guns reduces their demand and, while illegal weapons would still be available in underground markets, with fewer guns out there, police could more easily monitor and track their whereabouts. Imagine a future where America becomes a shining example to other countries of a people free from fear and violence.
Unfortunately, in the absence of change, this possibility remains fiction and Israelis remain safer avoiding travel from the "volatility" of the Middle East to the street violence of gun-toting America. Do you feel safe in America?
Monday, November 19, 2007
אוי.וויי.קום (Oy.vey.com)
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has announced a feasibility study to determine if non-Latin characters can be used for domain names and URLs in the future. Thus, one will need not type in Israel something like "http://www.nana.com" but can type a permutation of "http://נענע.קום" in the future. So, was Hebrew chosen as a language to use in the initial feasibility study? Nope! Instead, ICANN decided on Yiddish. Yes, they chose that language of European Jewry that developed into a rich world of culture and comedy. As one professor of mine as an undergraduate put it: "Hebrew is not a very funny language. Yiddish, though, is !@#$%^ hilarious."
Yiddish was chosen as a preliminary language since the characters for Hebrew can be found in the Yiddish character set, in addition to some other dots and features of the Yiddish language. Thus, they know that if it works with Yiddish, it'll definitely work with Hebrew. Try it for yourself to see if it works:
http://בײַשפּיל.טעסט
Yiddish was chosen as a preliminary language since the characters for Hebrew can be found in the Yiddish character set, in addition to some other dots and features of the Yiddish language. Thus, they know that if it works with Yiddish, it'll definitely work with Hebrew. Try it for yourself to see if it works:
http://בײַשפּיל.טעסט
It's All About the Bedouins
I've finally managed to return to the blogging world. It's almost like I needed a visa to get out of the world here and after one-and-a-half months of coursework, including seminars around the country and a trip hiking south in the desert, I've received my permission to yored out of Israel and oleh into blogger's paradise.
I mentioned previously I would talk about Arad, but for now I must leave you with a few words, the following photo, and a few more words. Some would say Arad is no Tel Aviv, others that Tel Aviv is no Arad. Most tend to say that the road is longer from Tel Aviv to Arad than the other way around. Here's a view of where I spend my nights:
Staaaaaaaaaaaam! (Israeli for "just kidding.") Nevertheless, this picture encapsulates what Arad looked like prior to the development of the city and is the scene just a 30 second bike ride outside of the city limits.
When one finds oneself in such a remote place, one would be hard pressed to find any life or vitality in such harsh conditions. Au contraire! As you may have guessed by the title, a whole people's way of life centers around the solitude and tranquility of the desert. Having spent part of the morning yesterday in Kseife, a Bedouin town nearby Arad, and an entire seminar previously traveling through Bedouin communities in the Negev, I offer the following look at the Bedouin.
The morning of my seminar began in the Bedouin town of Laquia, farther from Arad. We visited a women's NGO that uses traditional Bedouin methods of weaving to develop bags, carpets, and pillows. Ultimately, this female-run enterprise helps empower women in the Bedouin community.
What Laquia and Kseife represent are Israel's attempt to "modernize the Bedouin." As a nomadic people, even upon settling into more permanent villages that permitted wide-open spaces, Bedouin in Israel are encouraged to settle in one of a few cities or towns in the northern Negev. Many Bedouin who live in these cities find the life quite restrictive. For traditional women, especially, who are permitted to travel within a particular tribe or community, now find themselves limited to their homes because of the mixing of tribes in a given city. Blood libel represents another significant issue within the cities: in the open spaces, members of a particular extended family or tribe could walk away from a problem and now no such opportunity exists.
As a result, many of these Israeli citizens have chosen to remain in villages spread throughout the northern Negev. These "unrecognized" villages receive no services from the government including water, electricity, nearby schooling for children, easily accessible healthcare clinics, and so on. Occasionally, the homes in these unrecognized villages can be destroyed to make way for other building projects. As a result, most of these villages contain cheap steel trailers that double as homes so as not to lose significant expense in the event that a home becomes listed as one to be demolished.
Unfortunately, Wadi Naam represets one of the worst examples of the policy to turn a blind eye to the presence of these villages. Wadi Naam, a community that predates other infrastructure in the area, is now situated fairly close to Ramat Hovav, Israel's waste and chemical management facilities in the Negev. Additionally, a power plant has been built in the center of the village. The village of Wadi Naam has one of the highest rates of birth defects in the entire country and one can immediately notice a faint foul smell from the industry upon getting out of the bus.
Some in Israel may argue that Bedouins feel no connection to the State of Israel and may represent a security threat (especially given the likelihood that Bedouin in the Sinai are responsible for trafficking of weapons from Egypt to Gaza, as well as young girls to work as prostitutes from Eastern Europe into Israel). One can see otherwise with Israeli Bedouin: I noticed posters commemorating the loss of Prime Minister Rabin hanging in a Bedouin school with both Arabic and Hebrew filling the walls. Additionally, a small portion of the Bedouin community join the army and serve in Bedouin units specialized in navigation in the desert given the skills Bedouin have developed culturally for centuries as a nomadic people. Nevertheless, some of that patriotism is waining.
Some signs of change are present, however. Israel has begun to recognize a few of the unrecognized villages as opposed to suggesting that those Bedouin must reside in cities to receive benefits. And one cannot ignore the compulsion of many individual Israelis to pursue social justice--a number of Israelis sit with Bedouins and assist the community on the Regional Council for the Unrecognized Villages. Additionally, Physicians for Human Rights has done advocacy and clinical work providing for the unrecognized villages. The policies of the Israeli government likely do not represent overt antagonism against its own citizens (hopefully) and more likely represent maintenance of the status quo as a lower priority issue compared with dealing with the peace process, Palestinians, Iran, etc. Many are finally recognizing this rich culture among Israeli citizens of the Negev and, too, are enriched by so much more than delicious pita and some of the best coffee the Negev has to offer.
I mentioned previously I would talk about Arad, but for now I must leave you with a few words, the following photo, and a few more words. Some would say Arad is no Tel Aviv, others that Tel Aviv is no Arad. Most tend to say that the road is longer from Tel Aviv to Arad than the other way around. Here's a view of where I spend my nights:
Staaaaaaaaaaaam! (Israeli for "just kidding.") Nevertheless, this picture encapsulates what Arad looked like prior to the development of the city and is the scene just a 30 second bike ride outside of the city limits.When one finds oneself in such a remote place, one would be hard pressed to find any life or vitality in such harsh conditions. Au contraire! As you may have guessed by the title, a whole people's way of life centers around the solitude and tranquility of the desert. Having spent part of the morning yesterday in Kseife, a Bedouin town nearby Arad, and an entire seminar previously traveling through Bedouin communities in the Negev, I offer the following look at the Bedouin.
The morning of my seminar began in the Bedouin town of Laquia, farther from Arad. We visited a women's NGO that uses traditional Bedouin methods of weaving to develop bags, carpets, and pillows. Ultimately, this female-run enterprise helps empower women in the Bedouin community.
What Laquia and Kseife represent are Israel's attempt to "modernize the Bedouin." As a nomadic people, even upon settling into more permanent villages that permitted wide-open spaces, Bedouin in Israel are encouraged to settle in one of a few cities or towns in the northern Negev. Many Bedouin who live in these cities find the life quite restrictive. For traditional women, especially, who are permitted to travel within a particular tribe or community, now find themselves limited to their homes because of the mixing of tribes in a given city. Blood libel represents another significant issue within the cities: in the open spaces, members of a particular extended family or tribe could walk away from a problem and now no such opportunity exists.
As a result, many of these Israeli citizens have chosen to remain in villages spread throughout the northern Negev. These "unrecognized" villages receive no services from the government including water, electricity, nearby schooling for children, easily accessible healthcare clinics, and so on. Occasionally, the homes in these unrecognized villages can be destroyed to make way for other building projects. As a result, most of these villages contain cheap steel trailers that double as homes so as not to lose significant expense in the event that a home becomes listed as one to be demolished.
Unfortunately, Wadi Naam represets one of the worst examples of the policy to turn a blind eye to the presence of these villages. Wadi Naam, a community that predates other infrastructure in the area, is now situated fairly close to Ramat Hovav, Israel's waste and chemical management facilities in the Negev. Additionally, a power plant has been built in the center of the village. The village of Wadi Naam has one of the highest rates of birth defects in the entire country and one can immediately notice a faint foul smell from the industry upon getting out of the bus.
Some in Israel may argue that Bedouins feel no connection to the State of Israel and may represent a security threat (especially given the likelihood that Bedouin in the Sinai are responsible for trafficking of weapons from Egypt to Gaza, as well as young girls to work as prostitutes from Eastern Europe into Israel). One can see otherwise with Israeli Bedouin: I noticed posters commemorating the loss of Prime Minister Rabin hanging in a Bedouin school with both Arabic and Hebrew filling the walls. Additionally, a small portion of the Bedouin community join the army and serve in Bedouin units specialized in navigation in the desert given the skills Bedouin have developed culturally for centuries as a nomadic people. Nevertheless, some of that patriotism is waining.
Some signs of change are present, however. Israel has begun to recognize a few of the unrecognized villages as opposed to suggesting that those Bedouin must reside in cities to receive benefits. And one cannot ignore the compulsion of many individual Israelis to pursue social justice--a number of Israelis sit with Bedouins and assist the community on the Regional Council for the Unrecognized Villages. Additionally, Physicians for Human Rights has done advocacy and clinical work providing for the unrecognized villages. The policies of the Israeli government likely do not represent overt antagonism against its own citizens (hopefully) and more likely represent maintenance of the status quo as a lower priority issue compared with dealing with the peace process, Palestinians, Iran, etc. Many are finally recognizing this rich culture among Israeli citizens of the Negev and, too, are enriched by so much more than delicious pita and some of the best coffee the Negev has to offer.
Monday, October 22, 2007
An Unjustly Overdue Post
After disappearing from the blog-o-sphere for some time, I have returned and offer the following brief updates:
1. Following my return from Jerusalem, I ventured to Haifa with an entourage to nosh at Fattoush (arguably, one of the best restaurants in Israel), visit the Bahai gardens, and enjoy the Haifa International Film Festival. Nearby the film festival, we ventured into a bazaar offering food and gifts to moviegoers.
Photos of the trip as follows:
Labne at Fattoush in the German Colony (note hummus with garlic and mushrooms in upper-right of photo)
View of the Bahai gardens from the German Colony (note that the Shrine of the Bab seen in the distance marks approximately only half of the way to the top of the gardens)
View of Haifa from the tayellet (promenade) on top of Mount Carmel
How bazaar! (Sorry, I couldn't resist)
View of Haifa from the tayellet (promenade) on top of Mount Carmel at night
Sunset over the Kinneret from the kibbutz
Entrance to Zichron Ya'akov, established by Baron Edmond de Rothschild during the First Aliyah
Ruins and all along the Mediterranean, Caesaria
1. Following my return from Jerusalem, I ventured to Haifa with an entourage to nosh at Fattoush (arguably, one of the best restaurants in Israel), visit the Bahai gardens, and enjoy the Haifa International Film Festival. Nearby the film festival, we ventured into a bazaar offering food and gifts to moviegoers.
Photos of the trip as follows:
Labne at Fattoush in the German Colony (note hummus with garlic and mushrooms in upper-right of photo)
View of the Bahai gardens from the German Colony (note that the Shrine of the Bab seen in the distance marks approximately only half of the way to the top of the gardens)
View of Haifa from the tayellet (promenade) on top of Mount Carmel
How bazaar! (Sorry, I couldn't resist)
View of Haifa from the tayellet (promenade) on top of Mount Carmel at night2. After a day off, we traveled north again heading further east towards the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). We spent the night at kibbutz Tel Katzir, a kibbutz with a rich history given its proximity to Syria prior to the war in 1967. I learned that eucalyptus trees, not native to Israel, were planted along the road to the kibbutz to prevent the Syrians from seeing military trucks heading north. Additionally, the kibbutz has bomb shelters throughout, with paths dug from places on the kibbutz such as the kindergarten to the shelters to protect members of the kibbutz from constant shelling by Syria. Apparently, members of the kibbutz could tell whether a rocket was coming from Syria to Israel or leaving Israel for Syria based on sound alone to determine whether they should take cover. The kibbutz also constructed a wall to prevent Syria from observing the daily workings at the kibbutz from the Golan Heights. However, following Israel's acquisition of the Golan at the conclusion of the war, members of the kibbutz recalled being able to see over the wall from the Golan. Oy...so much for preventing onlookers from abroad.
The return trip to Tel Aviv included stops in Zichron Yaakov and Caesaria. Since I'm returning to Zichron Yaakov in a few days as part of my official program to study the first significant waves of Jewish immigrants to this region, I'll skip the explanation for now. Caesaria offers everything one would expect of Israel's West Palm Beach. A golf course, a wealthy retirement community, fancy restaurants, a picturesque beach, and, um, ruins? Yes, Caesaria's rich history dating back to the Roman period allows one to walk through ancient ruins sitting along the Mediterranean Sea. Is there any wonder why Bibi likes to hang here?
Photos:
The return trip to Tel Aviv included stops in Zichron Yaakov and Caesaria. Since I'm returning to Zichron Yaakov in a few days as part of my official program to study the first significant waves of Jewish immigrants to this region, I'll skip the explanation for now. Caesaria offers everything one would expect of Israel's West Palm Beach. A golf course, a wealthy retirement community, fancy restaurants, a picturesque beach, and, um, ruins? Yes, Caesaria's rich history dating back to the Roman period allows one to walk through ancient ruins sitting along the Mediterranean Sea. Is there any wonder why Bibi likes to hang here?
Photos:
Sunset over the Kinneret from the kibbutz
Entrance to Zichron Ya'akov, established by Baron Edmond de Rothschild during the First Aliyah
Ruins and all along the Mediterranean, CaesariaZehu. That's it for pics from my Sukkot travels. Now to catch up with my move to Arad and some of the things that I've been doing here in the Negev...
Monday, October 8, 2007
The Jump to J-town
Sukkot has meaning for every Israeli. Contrary to the name "feast of booths," Sukkot looks nothing like your average eighth grade science fair or city international sampler food festival. Instead, both secular and religious Israelis get off their tahat and go eat outside in the sukkah. For many Israelis, "getting out" means even more: they get out of class (basically, a "fall break" for a week), get out of the city (travel north to go hiking or take part in one of many festivals occurring during the week), or get out of the country (what better way to spend a Jewish holiday than to sunbathe on the Black Sea with Romanians, Bulgarians, and Turks as part of your $400 Israir holiday vacation package?).
We chose something a bit different: we went east, well, to Jerusalem. Waking up in the wee hours of the morning (8 AM in Israel--I love this place!), one immediately notices a different demographic at the train station (pictured below).
Soldiers, who can be seen everywhere in the country since Israel has a mandatory service requirement for Jewish young adults, commonly use public transportation to get to work all expenses paid for by the government. In this picture, they await the northbound train in Herzylia to head to bases farther north. Note: in explaining the mandatory service requirement, in no way do I intend to minimize the contentious exemptions provided for yeshiva-bound religious Jews, who risk their lives to protect the state of Israel by studying Torah all day in a dark room, or conscientious objectors, who must object to the concept of a military and not just serving in the shtechim (territories) to be eligible for exemption without repercussion. Few things in this part of the world are without complexity and controversy.
The train ride to Jerusalem was scenic, clean, and quiet--a great way to travel in Israel compared to other forms of public transportation. The unique problem with taking the train to Jerusalem, compared to using it to get elsewhere in Israel, is that one must switch trains at Bet Shemesh and, thus, take more time to get to Jerusalem than using roadways. The train travels on historic old tracks that curve around both massive hills and avoid entering what was then Jordanian territory farther south. When someone first mentioned Bet Shemesh to me, I was quite confused and thought she said Bet Shemush, which translates literally to "house of use" and happens to be another term for bathroom. I thought it was a funny name for a town until I realized I was the only one laughing. Then again, I was the only one laughing during Superbad in the movie theater since none of the Israelis seemed to understand the ridiculously funny things the main high school protagonists would say throughout the film.
Jerusalem, always fascinating, did not disappoint during this visit during Sukkot. We coursed our way through a brand new outdoor shopping center outside of Jaffa Gate (Joan Rivers might as well be standing at the gate saying, Who are you wearing to the Western Wall, darling?) and into the shouk of the Old City. Tourists abound in the shouk ready to purchase touristy merchandise. Fascinatingly, politics plays more of a role for tourists than for sellers, who are merely looking to make a living for their families based on what people will buy; note that this shop offers everything from "Free Palestine" to "America: don't worry, Israel is behind you."
The Kotel (Western Wall) was packed full of people to celebrate Sukkot, including haredim, secular Jews, Modern Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews (at least 1), Reform Jews, Reconstructionist Jews, and a very large group of Beta Israel (Israelis of Ethiopian descent). Upon encountering such a spiritual center to one's religion, many describe a sensation of awe. We, too, felt a grand internal sensations but given the growling, it seemed to be emanating from our stomachs. We then left the Kotel and walked to the spiritual center of Israel's literary elite: Tmol Shilshom. Some of Israel's most famous authors have been known to frequent this historic site to sip coffee, nosh on a sandwich, and soak in some inspiration from the environment. Hey, they get hungry, too.
After lunch, we made our way through the scenic neighborhood of Yemin Moshe that overlooks the old city as well as the rolling hills of the West Bank beyond the (please choose term based on your stance) "security fence/separation wall" (pictured below) to Emek Refaim, where we sipped coffee among English-speaking American-Israelis discussing a progressive approach to contemporary Judaism (oddly enough, a rare find in Israel outside of this "Jewish hipster-intellectual" neighborhood).
We headed back to Kikar Tzion and Ben Yehuda to walk around as we awaited our dinner reservations at Darna. Darna likely represents the best kosher Moroccan restaurant in the world and comes complete with authentic ambiance and extraordinary cuisine. To walk off dinner, we made one last run through this holy city's surprisingly lively night scene and flagged down a sherut to return home to Tel Aviv. There, we celebrated the "festival of sleeping" (not a Jewish holiday but still a favorite of mine).
We chose something a bit different: we went east, well, to Jerusalem. Waking up in the wee hours of the morning (8 AM in Israel--I love this place!), one immediately notices a different demographic at the train station (pictured below).
Soldiers, who can be seen everywhere in the country since Israel has a mandatory service requirement for Jewish young adults, commonly use public transportation to get to work all expenses paid for by the government. In this picture, they await the northbound train in Herzylia to head to bases farther north. Note: in explaining the mandatory service requirement, in no way do I intend to minimize the contentious exemptions provided for yeshiva-bound religious Jews, who risk their lives to protect the state of Israel by studying Torah all day in a dark room, or conscientious objectors, who must object to the concept of a military and not just serving in the shtechim (territories) to be eligible for exemption without repercussion. Few things in this part of the world are without complexity and controversy.
The train ride to Jerusalem was scenic, clean, and quiet--a great way to travel in Israel compared to other forms of public transportation. The unique problem with taking the train to Jerusalem, compared to using it to get elsewhere in Israel, is that one must switch trains at Bet Shemesh and, thus, take more time to get to Jerusalem than using roadways. The train travels on historic old tracks that curve around both massive hills and avoid entering what was then Jordanian territory farther south. When someone first mentioned Bet Shemesh to me, I was quite confused and thought she said Bet Shemush, which translates literally to "house of use" and happens to be another term for bathroom. I thought it was a funny name for a town until I realized I was the only one laughing. Then again, I was the only one laughing during Superbad in the movie theater since none of the Israelis seemed to understand the ridiculously funny things the main high school protagonists would say throughout the film.
Jerusalem, always fascinating, did not disappoint during this visit during Sukkot. We coursed our way through a brand new outdoor shopping center outside of Jaffa Gate (Joan Rivers might as well be standing at the gate saying, Who are you wearing to the Western Wall, darling?) and into the shouk of the Old City. Tourists abound in the shouk ready to purchase touristy merchandise. Fascinatingly, politics plays more of a role for tourists than for sellers, who are merely looking to make a living for their families based on what people will buy; note that this shop offers everything from "Free Palestine" to "America: don't worry, Israel is behind you."
The Kotel (Western Wall) was packed full of people to celebrate Sukkot, including haredim, secular Jews, Modern Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews (at least 1), Reform Jews, Reconstructionist Jews, and a very large group of Beta Israel (Israelis of Ethiopian descent). Upon encountering such a spiritual center to one's religion, many describe a sensation of awe. We, too, felt a grand internal sensations but given the growling, it seemed to be emanating from our stomachs. We then left the Kotel and walked to the spiritual center of Israel's literary elite: Tmol Shilshom. Some of Israel's most famous authors have been known to frequent this historic site to sip coffee, nosh on a sandwich, and soak in some inspiration from the environment. Hey, they get hungry, too.
After lunch, we made our way through the scenic neighborhood of Yemin Moshe that overlooks the old city as well as the rolling hills of the West Bank beyond the (please choose term based on your stance) "security fence/separation wall" (pictured below) to Emek Refaim, where we sipped coffee among English-speaking American-Israelis discussing a progressive approach to contemporary Judaism (oddly enough, a rare find in Israel outside of this "Jewish hipster-intellectual" neighborhood).
We headed back to Kikar Tzion and Ben Yehuda to walk around as we awaited our dinner reservations at Darna. Darna likely represents the best kosher Moroccan restaurant in the world and comes complete with authentic ambiance and extraordinary cuisine. To walk off dinner, we made one last run through this holy city's surprisingly lively night scene and flagged down a sherut to return home to Tel Aviv. There, we celebrated the "festival of sleeping" (not a Jewish holiday but still a favorite of mine).
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