Infiltrating Settlements and Minds

For my final Shabbat before I start basic training, I chose to relax in the Gush Etzion town of Neve Daniel. Neve Daniel is your average Gush settlement, with 400 families in the main Yishuv, and another few caravans in the satellite outpost. After lunch on Shabbat, I took my host, and two other guests on a tour of Derech Ha'Avot, an ancient route from Chevron to Yerushalayim. That trail is most likely the route Avraham travelled with Yitzchak to the Akeidah, and there is archaeological evidence that the Olei Regel traveled on that road during the first and second Beit Hamikdash eras.We took the scenic road to Elazar, and leisurely strolled back towards Neve Daniel with enough time to rest before Mincha.

After we got through the gate at the entrance to Neve Daniel, and passed the giant flowers of the main Kikar, I noticed two girls photographing us. I pointed them out to the guys, and it struck us as particularly odd considering the fact that Neve Daniel is almost completely Orthodox. The girls in their mid-20's gave off the telltale look of left-wing "peace" activists. Yup, after closer inspection, they came from the direction of the half-built homes, so they were most like going to photograph some violations of the building freeze. Note: These homes were started before the freeze, so they are completely legal.

So with the permission of my host, I approached to pair and invited them for some refreshments in a settlement home. They were dumbfouned that we were offering our hospitality, but accepted our offer. On the way to his home, I found out that Charlotte from London working as a fundraising coordinator for Maan, a Palestinian news agency based in Bethlehem, and Rosy, also from London, was working with the disabled in Beit Sachour. 

Once we arrived at my host's home, we had a bit to eat and drink, and I immediately engaged them in a political debate. I extensively questioned their views for about 2 1/2 hours. They struggled with many of the questions. They really did not have a legitimate answer why the West Bank wouldn't turn into another Gaza if we would give it away. They didn't explain how why they expect us to remove checkpoints, when every time we remove them, people are killed like Rav Meir Chai and Yeshoshua Sofer. Anyways, without being too harsh,  we made them rethink their positions. But as with most peace activists, their political views are governed by their emotions and not their intellect.

But it was close to Mincha, and the conversation was dying out, so we escorted back to the Yishuv gate. So did we waste our time with these girls? There is no clear answer, but one thing is definite. On their first visit to a settlement, where they expected to be greeted with radical gun-totting religious extremists who breed hatred for Palestinians, they found out that were are just normal middle-class people trying to lead normal lives in which our buses don't explode and our cafes are not targets.

The GREAT Shabbat Meal

So I've been pretty busy for thee past week learning the ins and outs of of hi-tec irrigation, studying water consumption efficiency in agriculture, and planting around 175 olive trees. But I'll get to that in a later post. I want to write about the monthly lone soldiers dinner in the Great Synagogue. Pretty much, once I went to Bakum, earlier last week, I officially became a soldier, thereby being entitled to any benefits offered to us, even though my training has yet to start.

B'Kitzur I got to the Gigantic Synagogue about 20 minutes late and found that it was just beginning, right on (Jewish) time. I was a bit apprehensive about going to this dinner alone, but when I arrived, I immediately recognized a few of the attendees. I use the word attendees because about 25% of the people were former soldiers, 20% were randomers interested in a fun dinner, 10% older people running the event and donors, 15% guys who were interested in joining the army some time in the distant future, 15% were active-duty lone soldiers, and 15% were girls wanting to meet their superhot awesome young strapping Beshert.

I took a seat at a table with a  few of they guys I knew. There was a cute letter from some American kid thanking us for protecting Israel. By us I guess he was referring to me in a few weeks, and the one other active soldier at the table, Yisrael. Yisrael happened to be the only soldier who had brought his rifle to dinner with him, and he inconspicuously placed his magazine on the table. The other guys requested that he remove it, since it ruined the feeling of being at a Shabbat table, Yisrael refused, and a spat ensued. The Cantor interrupted the brewing fight for the traditional Friday night blessing of the children, and Kiddush. When he was finished, like good new Israelis, we picked up the fight right where we had left off. Yisrael agreed to cover his bullets with a napkin, which was  a tenable solution for us. We washed Netilat Yadayim and proceeded to the first course.

Then somebody dropped a bomb. I don't know who raised the issue, but Gilad Shalit was the topic, and the opinions on the trade of terrorists for his freedom was the issue. The number of opinions on the matter far surpassed the people at the table. Shmuel from Coppenhagen who sat towards my left, a former Nachal soldier, insisted that he must be freed at all costs to keep morale in the army high. Elan, the Bitish tanker chimed in and posed the question of whether we can endanger other lives to save Gilad. Yedidya, another Brit from Nachal as well gave credence to Elan. I gave my opinion. I personally think we should pull a Regev-Goldwasser ZT"L on Hamas, they set the price, we provide them with that exact number of terrorist-filled caskets. Andrew to my right, who is drafting in November asked why Israel doesn't have a capital punishment for terrorists, but agreed with my plan. The Israeli across the table stated the obvious, "Your plan is unrealistic." 

But this argument was just the appetizer along with the Musaka, eggplant stuffed with meat, provided on the house from the Tremendous Synagogue. Shmuel voiced an opinion on Hareidim which set me off. He spoke words of fire, and I wasn't going to tolerate that. NO WAY! So yes, me Mordechai , was sitting over his main course, letting it get cold, in a shouting match voicing the need to love all Jews. Just to set the record straight, I think the Israeli Hareidi society as a whole has it VERY wrong, but there are enough people in the world who hate Jews, I will not add myself to the list. Quite honestly I have no clue what the stuffed-capon main course tasted like because I was embroiled in a shouting match whilst I ate. The two American tourists sat and talked amongst themselves, marvelling at how we argued the meal away.

I decided to defuse the brewing fight by suggesting that Elan say a D'Var Torah. I knew ahead of time that he had one prepared, because he publishes one weekly on his blog, and he was quick to take me up on my offer. Bam, situation defused. Just like that! Maybe I should be a bomb technician in the army with skills like those, but I digress. I prompted everyone at the table to say a few words on the Parsha, and kept politics out of the talking points. What we say about the Torah is spot on:... דרכיה דרכי נועם the words of Torah kept a fragile peace at our meal.

Yisrael got up for a second, so of course we tipped his magazine off the table, onto Elan's chair. Elan sat on the bullets, and we replaced the bulge in the napkin with Benchers. We concluded our meal and dessert, but then all hell broke loose. Yisrael went around the table one by one accusing us of stealing his ammunition. I informed him that to us it was Muktsah, so we wouldn't touch it. Eventually Elan got up and showed him the now warm bullets. Yisrael put him in a friendly choke hold, and we all git a good laugh. That is until Yisrael got back to his seat.

While he was on his search for the ammunition, Yedidya stole his gun from under his seat. Here we go again...

From the soldier's dinner, we went to a small Oneg in Baka targeted at lone soldiers once again, and well attended by those most eligible bachlorettes. It was just a big social scene, so after half an hour, I took my leave of absence, and made my way back to the Old City, content, and argued out.

More Propaganda

And the same offender, Maan News, reported another unconfirmed story as fact. Here.

"Hebron – Ma'an – A Hebron-area family said their home was attacked by settlers on Sunday evening, when their blind grandfather was at home alone.

Hasan Al-Matour, 65, from Sa’ir village north of Hebron said he heard stones being thrown at his house, and "knew that settlers accompanied by troops were there."

The family said that when they returned home, several window panes were broken."

Honestly? The senile old pally clearly never saw the stone throwers. It's unheard of for Mitnachlim to enter Sa'ir, a 100% Arab village where the IDF rarely operates. 

The Big Day!

So yea, I am now a soldier in the IDF. The guys and I left on Monday to Tel HaShomer, where we went through the transformation from civilian to soldier war criminal. I won't bore you with the gory details of what we went through there, but B'Kitzur it was a bunch of low ranking officers screaming at us, some medical scans to help identify us G-d forbid, and a bit more paperwork. Here were a few things that stood out to me:

• We signed a contract that G-d forbid should one of us get kidnapped, we hold the army liable to make a reasonable effort to secure our freedom, but not to free us at all costs.
• It was not fun getting stabbed with 7 different medical needles for DNA sample collection, vaccinations, bone marrow donor database entry, etc.
• They forgot to inform the women operating the fingerprint scanner that it's hard to relax one's hand when your fingers are getting pulled and twisted all all different directions.
• And finally, getting on the bus home and paying the soldier's fare, and then cutting the line into Tachanah Merkazit without security checks gives you the feeling that you are now a ranking member of the elite!

And to all those drafting in the coming days, find out what the engine volume of your family car is, they wont let you become a soldier without that vital information. Seriously!

Afterschool Activities in Palestine

Here are 10 photos from the Palestinian press of how they educate their kids. Remember they are protesting the right of Jews to build homes in the Jewish homeland.