Monday, November 1, 2010
Update
Friday, September 17, 2010
New Shoes for the New Year?!?
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The Special Misdar
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Thanks for Your Support
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Mah Tovu Ohalecha Jacob
But the great part about it is waking up in a room full of people whom I've never met before, yet they are my greatest friends. To hear 15 guys learning at the end of an 18-hour day during their half-hour of free time. The tins of homemade cookies that get passed around every night from a different guy don't replace the fact that I don't have parents in Israel, bt they help brdige the gap. Knowing that if there's anything I need, 5 other guys who have that item will jump on me to try to give it to me. Life in a tent is great in that aspect. And it's just not the same in the dorms on the weekends, where you have to fend for yourself.
It's only in the Hesder unit where guys fight over who get's to schlep my dirty socks home for the weekend, to give them back to me washed. Hesder is the only place where our commander gives us an official order to say a D'var Torah at every meal. If I need a place for Shabbat, I have 34 standing invitations from the 34 guys in our 3 tents. They aren't tents, they are incubators. We came in from 8 diffenent Yeshivot, from Yerucham to Carmiel, and were turned over three weeks in a family of 35 brothers. Mah Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov!
The REAL Commanders
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Right @ Home
We spent a lot of time doing menial tasks to work on discipline and to get accustomed to the army way of life. After 8 days in the army I weigh 7 pounds less that when I came in! So yeah, you get the point. It's about 110 degrees midday where my base is, and there is no shortage of sweat. I am the only guy who puts on sunblock, but I am still turning crisp. Tough? Yeah. Fun? Oh Yeah. And I am in a Hesder unit with some of the greatest guys in the world. I wake up every morning in a room full of people whom I've never met before, yet the are my best friends.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Infiltrating Settlements and Minds
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The GREAT Shabbat Meal
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
More Propaganda
Monday, July 5, 2010
The Big Day!
- 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!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Afterschool Activities in Palestine
Friday, June 25, 2010
The Final Countdown! 10... 9... 8...
Monday, June 14, 2010
Grilling on the Gazan Border
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Michve Alon(e)?
So after speaking with a few friends, one who had served three months in Michve Alon I realized pretty quickly that it's most definitely not the place for me. With my hebrew proficiency the Ulpan is simply unnecesary, but what's the harm in going? Well, from a religious prespective Minyanim are hard to arrange there, and not just because you can't find 10 people who know how to Daven, but because it's difficult to find ten people there who know that they are actually Halachikly Jewish. And if I don't Daven with a Minyan because it's out out of my control, that's not the end of the world, but the lack of a Minyan isn't the worst part. My friend Michoel had swastikas drawn on his bed while he was there.
So after calling a Katzin (high officer) in Machal (the foreigner's army program) he told me that there is absolutely no reason for me to go to Michve Alon. Besides for the fact that I am fluent in Hebrew, after two years of immersion in the Israeli society, I am completely familiar with even the slightest nuances of Israeli society.
So for those who are counting, I am going to make my third trip down to Lishakt Hagius in the coming days to take care of this issue. I am not frustrated only because of my familiarity with Israeli society. Of all the mistakes (Fashlaot) that could have happened, this one isn't that bad.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
America VS. Israel-Choosing a University
Yeshiva University Bar Ilan University
Location Washington Heights Givat Shmuel
Tuition $34,540 NIS 12,500 or $3,247.18
Ranking 42nd in United States 43rd in Asia
Student Body 6,513 (incl. Post-Grads) 26,800
President's Salary $834,000 Undisclosed
Well, with the difference in price, at Bar Ilan, I could fly home and visit my parents for every weekend of the academic year! Also, If I make Aliyah, my tuition in Bar Ilan is free. The choice is clear to me.
Ehud Barak Nails it!
--Ehud Barak in a speech to the Knesset. I am not one to compliment left-wing MK's. but he got it right this time. Well put.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Erdogan and his Selective Memory
Seems that Erdogan is forgetting Turkey's massacring of over 1 Million Armenians in the past century. The only possible fault I could find with Israel in this instance is the fact that they supplied the Turkish murderers with 170 tanks.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Americans for Peace Now VS. Friends of the IDF
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Truth About the "Freedom Flotilla"
When I was ten years old, I remember walking into my parents bedroom one morning, and instead of being greeted with a hearty good morning, I was received with a gloomy nod. At the start of the second intifada, two middle aged reservist Israeli soldiers took a wrong turn and ended up in Ramallah. A mob of angry terrorists took the two young fathers, beat them to death with clubs, tied their bodies to cars, and dragged them through the city. They then took them to the second floor of a structure, dismembered their bodies, and threw each organ and limb out the second-story window individually. When they finished, they raised their bloody hands triumphantly in front of a cheering mob. I vividly remember the pictures on the front cover of the New York Times the next morning. I was ten years old at the time, but my eyes still well up when I am reminded of that atrocity.
In a short while I myself will be in the army. The only son of two wonderful parents, in a struggle where inevitably, the dove I shall send out with an olive branch, will inevitably come back in a coffin.
The lynching in Ramallah bears a stark resemblance to this week’s events.
The first soldier to board the ship was met with a beating administered by the attackers which clubs, bats, and metal rods. After a short but brutal beating, he was tossed 30 feet from the first deck, enduring a skull fracture. Then came the second soldiers. Shouts of “Don’t shoot, hold your fire” could be heard from his comrades still on the helicopter. He followed his commands, and in turn had a knife speared into his stomach, as he was being stabbed, a beating was administered by some more of the peace activists. A third soldier slid down the rope from the helicopter onto the top deck. Dragged down by yet another mob of peace loving humanitarian workers, he had his arm broken with a metal rod. One by one soldiers slid down the rope, and one by one they were cruelly pummeled. A soldier was thrown down a flight of stairs and kicked repeatedly while he was down. The passengers threw smoke grenades and Molotov cocktails. Meanwhile, the soldiers had not fired a single round.
And then the situation took a turn for the worse. Two pacifists disarmed two soldiers of their unused emergency pistols and began to fire. The order was then reluctantly passed down, authorizing soldiers to shoot back in self defense. But not before at least two soldiers were shot.
And the world condemned
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
SOS: Support our Soldiers!
Kiryat Shmona: Next to Egged Bus station
Teveriya: Lev HaGalil building
Hadia: Bat-Galim train station
Hadera: "kikar hadera" intersection
Afula: Next to Egged Bus station
Jordan Valley Highway 90: Hakibutzim intersection
Beit Shean: Binyamin Mall
Netanya: Coastal Road Netanya Interchange
Krayot: Tzabar intersection
Nahariya: Next to train station
Raanana: Tzomet Raanana, merkaz.
Bar Ilan University pedestrian bridge over highway 4.
Tel-Aviv'; Azreili Mall
Modi'in; Tzomet Shilat
Beit Shemesh: Tzomet "BIG"
Gush Etzion: Tzomet HaGush in the roundabout
Bat Yam: Next to Abarbanel Hospital
Ashdod: "Ad Halom" bridge
Ashkelon: Tzomet Ashkelon
Ariel: Next to the University
Ramat HaSharon: Kfar HaYarok intersection
Maalot: entrance to town
Jerusalem: Main entrance
Rishon LTzion: Rishon intersection
Sederot: Next to the shuk
Netivot: City Hall
Ofakim: Entrance to city
Kiryat Melachi: Kastina Interchange
Rechovot: Tzomet Bilu
Eilat: Next to shopping center.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tzav Sheini?
Let's see what tomorrow has in store...
Free Gaza? Free Gilad!
Meanwhile we haven't seen Gilad for 1436 days and counting.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Mosque Attacks!?!
More settler violence?
The attacks by suspected Islamist militants in Lahore city targeted the Ahmadi sect, which has experienced years of state-sanctioned discrimination and occasional attacks by radical Sunnis. It has never before been hit on such a large scale or coordinated fashion.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tzav Rishon
So I went in and followed the receptionist's instructions to go to office 5. The people there informed me that my authorization didn't come through, and that I would have to come back another day. As I was leaving the office, getting ready for a shouting match on the phone with the people at Machal, The girl at the desk called me back and said that my email had just come through. From there I was sent to the fourth floor to Amos to receive a temporary ID number.
Amos sent me back down to the receptionist's desk to get a scanable bar-code sticker that would act as my ID card for today. But before the receptionist had a chance to process my bar-code, the 11 AM emergency siren went off as part of a nationwide drill. The entire building crammed into the second-floor lobby for about 15 minutes. By time everybody got back to their respective desks, a half-hour had passed. After waiting another few minutes I was given my temporary ID, and was sent to the third floor.
At the third floor, I scanned my bar-code into the yellow computer and waited until I was called in to give over my contact information, and I was administered a Hebrew language proficiency test. I did relatively well, especially considering I am American, and as I expected was exempt from a pre-army Ulpan. I was then sent back into the third-floor lobby to wait for an interview.
A while after scanning my bar-code into the red computer, I was taken into an interview room, and I we discussed real-life dilemmas that I encountered in the past, and how I resolved them. The woman covered he pad as she wrote down notes on my responses. When we finished, I was sent down to the Second floor.
I scanned my bar-code into the purple computer, and was called in to a lab and given a cup. I was instructed to go up to the third floor bathrooms and to fill the cup. Weird, since there was a bathroom right there in the lab, presumably for this purpose. None the less, I went upstairs and filled the cup. My journey downstairs of course was probably one of the most awkward experiences that I have gone through, carrying around a cup of urine for everyone to see in a packed building. I stared at the floor and got through it. In the lab I was told to test my own urine, which I did, and proceeded to another room where my weight, height, and blood pressure were measured.
From there I was sent to scan in at the blue computer, and waited for a visit with the doctor. Overall, my day had been pretty stressful. As good as my Hebrew is, the people in the offices were under a lot of pressure, dealing with frustrated crowds, and their patience was low. It was relieving when I was handed over to an American doctor who administered a physical (I'll spare you the details, but I have no clue how the procedures were related to my army service.) He explained that although I was clean medically, on the Height-to-Weight chart I was two pounds over, so my score was an 82, the second highest, therefore making me eligible for any combat unit, (Golani please!) I was told that when I lose the weight, I can come in and have my profile adjusted. Meanwhile I can go to anywhere but the air force, so I'm happy with my score.
Back up to the third floor, the turquoise computer. There I was given a computerized intelligence test. Most of the questions involved identifying patters. I finished that and was sent home 7 hours after my arrival.
Overall, a pretty stressful day, but I'm happy to know that my Tzav Gius (When I find out my unit) should be on its way!
Monday, May 24, 2010
More Home Demolitions! UN Site Destroyed.
None other than Hamas.
Also, in an unrelated incident military forces destroyed an UNRWA center for summer programs for children in unprivileged areas of Gaza. This site was destroyed by none other than Gazan military forces. The United Nations promised to rebuild the camp speedily in time for summer activities.
Too bad the occupiers left Gaza! The citizens of Gaza were heard saying, "זָכַרְנוּ אֶת־הַדָּגָה אֲשֶׁר־נֹאכַל "בְּמִצְרַיִם חִנָּם אֵת הַקִּשֻּׁאִים וְאֵת הָאֲבַטִּחִים וְאֶת־הֶחָצִיר וְאֶת־הַבְּצָלִים וְאֶת־הַשּׁוּמִים׃
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Thanks Ofer!
So exactly one week later I called back, and the games began. Ofer told me he had not received my details and told me to fax them again. Ok, I faxed them again, and called once again to confirm he received them. I was once again told that in a week I would get my Tzav Rishon.
So I called back today. Ofer told me that I would have to wait yet another week for an unspecified reason. I called back the main office and got Ofer's boss's cell number. When I called him, he happened to be in a meeting at the time with Ofer. He placed Ofer on the line, and Ofer explained to me that the reason for the delay was the fact that I was missing a signed letter stating that I have not been in Israel for more that one year straight. Why couldn't he tell me that when I called him?
Sunday, May 16, 2010
More Arab Propoganda and Media Misrepresentation
Do People in Israel Work?
Discount Bank: Closed from 12:00 to 16:00, thus killing any opportunity for lunch break banking.
Misrad HaP'nim: Opened from 8:00-12:00 every day, that's a whopping 4-hour workday!
Machal (Chutznik Army Registration): 10:30-14:30, and even during those hours they are hard to reach. Furthermore, if you do reach them you have a 3 in 41 chance that they can actually help you.
Post Offices: 8:00-12:30, 15:30-16:30. Simply dreadful hours.
It's really surprising how this country gets along. Maybe one day I'll merit a nice job at one of the above offices, and work 4 days a week for 4 hours a day.
Reccomendation: Nefesh B'Nefesh should pitch, "Israel, home of the 16-Hour workweek."
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Rabbit Gives Birth to Elephant, Israeli Soldiers Beat Palestinian Children
A 19-year-old rabbit raiser in Jenin said he was "shocked and terrified" when his newest animal gave birth to what he described as a tiny baby elephant on Sunday.
“I was concerned when I saw a black baby elephant next to nine white baby rabbits," Alawna told Ma'an, adding that the creature died only five hours after it was born. He said he was baffled as to how the elephant was produced.
The mother rabbit, Alawna explained, is a Dutch breed which he bought six months ago from a farmer in the northern West Bank village of Jaba in Jenin district.
Muhammad Alawna raises rabbits as a hobby on his small farm north of Jenin, and works construction in Israel during the week.
Paying to Join the Army?
On Monday I made it out to the Misrad HaP'nim to obtain a visa to allow me to stay in Israel for the duration of my army service. Thankfully the staff of my Yeshiva provided me with the phone number of a contact in the office, and informed me of opening hours of the Misrad, 8 AM- 12PM.
Upon arrival to the run-down excuse for an office from which the Misrad HaP'nim operates, I was directed to room 204. After a bit of difficulty finding the unmarked room, I waited on line only to find out that the employee working in 204 (who happened to be the contact the Yeshiva provided me with) began her vacation today, and that no one else would be able to help me. I went back to the receptionist to find out where to go, and her only response was to the offices in Akko.
After leaving the building calling and few friends on the phone, they told me that only persistence would get me my visa, so I turned around and went back inside the building. This time the receptionist sent me to room 208. After waiting on line again, I was abruptly informed that I had to go to room 205. Thanks! BUT... after waiting in line yet again, the person from 204 who told me I couldn't get my visa until further notice was now sitting at the desk in 205. She told me the same story again, and said the person who I need to talk to would be out for a week or two. After putting up a fight she sent me to room 206, and told me that if the people there are in a good mood, maybe they'd be willing to help me. Right. Off to room 206.
After waiting on line (how may times was that?) I was let into room 206 and spoke to one the the three women sitting at desks in the room. She proceeded to yell at me, and demanded to know who sent me to her room. After my explanation, she told me that I would have to wait until of the the other women in the room was available.
And finally, after another 20 minutes waiting, the woman at desk number 3 in room 206 allowed me to enter. Reluctantly she scoured my papers, and told me that while some of my documentation said Marc, my legal name, others said Mordechai. I was told to get a legal name change and a new passpot, or I could not get a visa. But after 2.5 hours I was not going to take no for an answer, and she finally agreed to provide me with my visa. 165 Shekels late I was on my way. No, was not not a major fiscal setback for me, but the fee combined with the general lack of assistance given at the Misrad HaP'nim is very disappointing.
If you have had a good experience at the Misrad al-Hapanim, tell me, since until now all the people who I have spoken to share stories of similar miserable experiences with me.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Shivat Tzion
Friday, April 23, 2010
Crossing the Line
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Settlers Who Attack Soldiers ARE Scum, But...
Monday, April 19, 2010
Remembering our Heros
Sunday, April 18, 2010
In Defense of Military Aid
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Letter to Khaled Mashal from Noam Shalit
Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
May God's peace and mercy be upon you,
On the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners Day, 17 April 2010, and for the sake of hundreds or even thousands of Palestinian prisoners' families and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, I address you, on behalf of myself and my family, as the leader of the Hamas movement and one of the leaders of the Palestinian people.
A few months ago, German mediator Mr J. Conrad, who was selected by the German government and Her Excellency Chancellor Angela Merkel, presented a proposal for a prisoner exchange that would put an end to the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. This offer, approved by the government of Israel, would see the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 450 prisoners demanded by Hamas' leadership, released in exchange for my son, Gilad Shalit.
Additionally, it is clear to everyone that implementing the deal will lift restrictions imposed on the population of the Gaza Strip, and ease the suffering that they have been subjected to in the years since my son Gilad was captured some four years ago.
It should be noted that shutting the door to the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners within this generous deal arranged by the German mediator, in joint cooperation with the Israeli and Hamas-led Palestinian negotiating staff, would amount to an additional punishment for the prisoners and their families, rather than releasing them, considering that the first penalty was the sentence imposed by the Israeli judiciary.
I must remind you, Mr Mash'al, that the detention of Gilad as a bargaining chip, without human rights, and as a prisoner of war as stipulated by the Third Geneva Convention, is a flagrant violation of international law.
I should also note that the Goldstone commission, which you recognized and whose work you encouraged, unequivocally stated the need to release Gilad, or until that time he be afforded his human rights in full. Within this context, the European parliament, in its its session on 11 March 2010, unprecedentedly affirmed the necessity of releasing Gilad and giving him rights afforded under international conventions. I pray that you do not ignore the decision of the European parliament, which represents half a billion Europeans.
Based on the aforementioned, I appeal to you today, on the eve of Palestinian Prisoners Day, to rise above the political considerations of the Hamas movement for the good of the Palestinian prisoners, and in the interests of Palestinians in general, and demonstrate leadership by calling for consensus among Hamas' leaders to approve the German mediator's proposal.
God is the source of strength,
May the peace and mercy of God be upon you,
Noam Shalit
On behalf of the Shalit family