January 23-30

I can’t believe that I have hit the last month of my sojourn here. Check that, as of now I am here for three more weeks, three more Shabbatot, three more Tuesday night dinners with the Israel-dwelling kids….It is amazing how fast the time has gone. Barbara has been home for 3 weeks (and a great thanks to all who have hosted her for Shabbat and taken care of her) and Monty and Daniella have B’H settled in their new apartment (although I’m told they were very good company while on Sunrise); soon I will join them.

Meantime, I think the Jerusalem population is completely exhausted by politics and elections, not to mention the Gaza War. There was much more buzz for the mayor’s election in November, or even the Obama election, than there is here for the national vote. Most of the adds on buses, bus shelters and on the streets are for parties with little chance of forming the government, so the are scratching and clawing for what they can get…religious parties, Shas, a couple of Yisrael Beitenu ads for Leiberman… of course there are a few scattered Bibi posters (Likud: Strong on Security; Strong on the Economy) and I saw one new Barak poster (they pulled the (“Not a Wimp- a leader” campaign in favor of a picture of a snarling Ehud in front of a picture of Tzipi looking perplexed and a picture of Bibi looking lost). Conspicuosly absent are legions of Kadima posters. The polls as you probably know say we are going to have a right wing government, with Likud as the head, and Likud is on record as saying they want a national unity government, but we will see how it plays out…right? Meanwhile stay tuned.

I was in Modi-in last Shabbat to see Robert Goldberger prior to his return to Canada for another sojourn in to the wilds of family medicine in Ontario. It sounds like he is sorely needed and if there were another couple of dozen it would not hurt, either. He set a record for patients through his turnstile in the burbs outside of Toronto one day after Christmas; in the 120’s. I know its no better in Quebec. Meanwhile, when Shoshana had a cough, congestion and fever a few weeks ago and I suggested she see a doctor the following morning, by 10 AM they had been to the local pediatric clininc, examined diagnosed and antibiotics prescribed. Very efficient! (She got better very fast, in case you’re interested). Modi’in is always nice, in a large part due to the Karen and Robert’s hospitality. In addition, it is a nice ‘suburban’ type community. No reral industry, very residential; a nice mix of Israelis, North American’s, and others mixed in. Last week my old college friend Bruce Epstein and his family joined us for Shabbat lunch, which was fun. There are about 6 synagogues that are within walking distance of the Goldberger’s home, with great names: The Pizza Shul (2 wedge shaped buildings), the Bunker Shul (they ran out of money so the services are in the dug out basement, with nothing else around) and a new Yemenite synagogue that has been under construction for a year. The Goldbergers family go to a very friendly synagogue that was built this summer, but the group had been together for many years. The synagogue is lovely, with beautiful hardwood furniture and I hope it serves the community well for many years.

Speaking of Shoshana, she has some great new tricks! She crawls, does “push ups” and has been even more steady pulling herself up to stand and ‘walking’ assisted around the crib. Amazing since she is just a week over 6 months. Her day care ‘mitapelet’ says she crawls around the house all day when she is there. I think Elan and Nomi better start baby proofing the apartment!

I had a fascinating dinner with Ariel on Wednesday night. I told him that I wanted to make sure he has something to eat other than Yeshiva food a couple of nights a week (which he does not really eat), so along with our Tuesday dinner at Elan’s I’ve tried to take him out once a week. The only catch is that it has to be quick, so he can get back for night seder. The other two times were with Elan and Nomi, but this week we had a shawarma picnic and had a chance to talk. We always say that the year in Israel is one of tremendous growth and maturation for our children, but I must say how proud and impressed I was with where Ariel is at, his interests and his tireless work ethic. He thoroughly enjoys what he is doing, and really thrives in an environment where everyone is motivated and he feels that he is pushed a bit. I look forward to more of these talks.

This morning I am preparing for Shabbat, working on a grant proposal and organizing to go to Nevi Daniel, where our friends Reuven and Chani Or and family live. So, another Shabbat in Judean Hills. There is prediction for much needed rain over Shabbat, but this morning it was bright and sunny and very pleasant out. I am happy to share the warmth with all those (shivering) in North America.

Please wish my favorite sister Roanne a very Happy Birthday!
Also, I was remiss in not wishing Jeff Rein a very Happy Birthday earlier this month, so here it is now!!
Mazel Tov to the Pincus Family on the birth of a boy!

Please pray for Refuah Shlema for Gilad Hillel ben Brach Mirel, Naama Bracha bat Devorah and Tamar Dian bat Smadar.

Wishing you all a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat Shalom.

January 16-23

The official war is over, and thank G-d there were very few Israeli casualties. Things are getting a little more normal (people are talking about other things, for example) and I and most of my work colleagues are not checking news internet sites every 10 minutes. The Gilad Shalit booth in front of the Prime Minister’s residence, which was very subdued during the war (as part of the solidarity, which was amazing) held a big noisy protest to get Gilad (who we hope is still OK after the war) returned home. Most of all, the political life is returning to normal, with the usual sniping between the political players (Olmert: “Barak did an excellent job as defense minister in the war but Prime Minister? Let’s not exaggerate”) and street corners now have people passing out all kinds or propaganda to play up a candidate or party. I will try to give you some snippets of what this is like from inside, not stuff that you can read in the papers, but cool stuff on the street, as we come to the February election.

And now for some excitement that didn’t (or won't) reach the papers. I spent Shabbat last week in Talmon, a beautiful Yishuv in hills surrounding Ramallah. It is really idyllic; quiet, clean are, forested; a beautiful testimony to the industriousness of Israeli’s. Friday night, in the forest in the next yishuv over (Dolev) 6 Arab youths lit a can of gasoline and threw it in the forest. The good news is that IDF caught them and the volunteer fire departments of Talmon, Naaleh and Dolev and even Ofra 45 minutes away rescued most of the forest. How do I know this? Ronen Sela is a volunteer firefighter. He left the house for about 3 hours on Friday night (and wrecked his new New Balance running shoes!) To be honest, this may have made the jpost headlines reading something like “IDF captures 6 suspected west bank terrorists. 6 youths from Ein Arik were apprehended near Dolev last night for suspicious activity (film at 11).” So if you saw that headline, now you know the details!

One thing that anyone who visits the “occupied” West Bank can see is that is not really very occupied. Talmon is really pretty and looking over the hills at all the vast spaces that are unpopulated it is pretty clear that the Palestinians are very clever to portray their plight as a territorial one rather than a religious purge of the Jews (which certainly for Hamas and their ilk is the reality). If anyone would bother to look at the actual place, they would see plenty of room for everyone. Maybe it/s different in Gaza (but we're not there anymore) but the Yehuda V'shomron has lots of room for everyone...

Jerusalem is always an interesting place to live. As I was coming home on the bus Sunday, there was a huge traffic jam a block before one of the bus stops near our neighborhood. There was a road block was being by the police and the Army. Then we saw a group of large black Limos shoot by. The street remained cordoned off, and the bus had to turn down another street for a wide detour (fortunately I could get off before it got too far). What was going on, you ask? Ehud was having a little dinner party; Nick, Angela, Gordie, Juan, and a few others were invited. Since our apartment is 4 blocks east of the PMO, the neighborhood traffic was re-routed. I understand Ismael invited the group for desert, but there wasn’t a big enough tunnel left.

This week I wandered over to Elan’s house for dinner twice (take out once, my home cooking as usual Tuesday, thanks to Zeida for the recipe!). We got to watch as Shoshana performed her new tricks; pulling herself up to stand and walking across her crib. For a treat, check out the video on Facebook (although it is 3 minutes and usually only relatives have than much patience!!).

Between writing 2 grants, there was not much more time this week for evening activity. I am going to spend Shabbat in Modi-in with the Goldbergers, and Ariel will be in the same city but with other friends. The Yeshiva couple will be hosting boys for a meal. I went to pick up some Rogelach for Karen, Robert and family at Ariel’s favorite place (only 24 shekels/kg… Haval al hazman!) The next cheapest are 30+ and the big places (Ne-eman, Marzipan) are over 40 and I don’t think they are better. On the way I note that the Jerusalem light rail project, so far a disaster for Jaffa st. is starting to make progress. much of the track is now down in the downtown area near Kikar Tziyon. I also finally had a good cup of coffee. I have debated with many that Israelis don’t know the meaning of good coffee. We call this the land of milk and honey, but in most cafés it’s the land of milky (weak) coffee! It is the only place I have ever travelled where you need to order your coffee strong (chazak) because the regular is watered down on purpose (and some people specifically ask for Chalash or weak in the cafes!) Anyway, I stopped in at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on my way to the rogelach. This is an LA based chain, and although they don’t make American style coffee, they make a great Americano. Finally, B’H.

Please pray for refuah for Gilad Hillel ben Bracha Mirel, who underwent surgery this week, for Naama Bracha bat Devorah and Tamar Dina Bat Smadar.

And most important: Best wishes for the happiest of Birthdays to Barbara. There has never been a better partner, helpmate or friend ever created and I am eternally grateful that we have been blessed to be together.

Shabbat Shalom!

January 9-16

As of this writing we are finishing the third week of the Gaza war. It is has been a time of really crazy emotions here, with an unprecedented 90+% Israeli support for this effort. The Peace Now people and the like have been conspicuously quiet. I mean, who in their right mind could honestly say to an Israeli pollster that Hamas is not a deserving target for the reckless way they have endangered the Israeli population in the south, not to mention their long history of homicide bombings and their charter commitment to the destruction of the State of Israel. Even today, when a bizarre coalition of left wing organizations here applied to Attorney General Mazuz to investigate IDF ‘war crimes’ (which was rejected) they did not mention the incursion itself as a problem or an illegal war or any of the other names we hear in the liberal western media. At present, as you are aware I am sure, the Egyptian peace initiative is being finalized with the input of both major players plus the US, the Hamas absentee leadership is posturing (“Israel is desparate; they have endured more casualties than we have”) and the ante is being upped in Gaza as we speak. Hopefully by next week it will be quieter on all fronts, but especially in the cities of Sderot, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Be-er Sheva and all points in between.

I would like to share an essay I wrote with you, about the coverage of the situation. If you want to read it, you can find it here (paste into your browser or go t the blog home page):

http://mazers-in-jerusalem.blogspot.com/2009/01/war-under-microscope.html

Enough politics for now. There was lots of life in Jerusalem….

Talk about amazing. Ariel and I went to the great synagogue on Shabbat morning to hear our friend, Cantor Yaacov Motzen, daven with the great synagogue choir. For those who have never been to the great Synagogue in Jerusalem, it is very unique. It has a large, beautiful sanctuary with a high cavernous ceiling and excellent acoustics for a massive room. The services are very formal, characterized by elevated liturgical music and a very experienced professional choir. The music is beautiful, but for many, the mix of formality, choir and elevated cantorial chanting can give the services an almost performance-like aspect that at times can take the feeling out of the prayer. In contrast, those who know Yaacov know just how unique he is. A real scholar of Judaism who studied in excellent Yeshivot, he is blessed with a phenomenal voice and a very deep kavanah (hard to translate; probably “deep religious intensity” is the best). When he sings, you feel it. The congregation was spellbound and captured in his rendition of the prayers. Two highlights, very pertinent to the times in Israel; a beautiful spirited rendition of the prayer to watch over the soldiers of the IDF (I had never heard that one). The second was his moving Yizkerem (found in the prayer Av harachamim; for the text and translation see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Av_HaRachamim ). The centerpiece of this composition is a melody he composed when his brother was killed in the war in 1982. The stirring melody plus the emotional rendition of the words of the prayer had everyone deeply moved. When he ended with an upbeat Adon Olam full of great harmonies (note to Rabbi Ebbin: I hope the congregation has this one down pat by now!) everyone practically applauded (which isn’t really very cool in shul, except in Chomedey…).

Afterwards, Ariel and I polished off a cholent and appropriate beverages and talk over lunch. It was great to just chill and catch up on how much he has grown with the experience of this year in Israel. Since it was Ariel’s birthday this week (#18!) we did some celebrating, with a dinner at Sheyan Chinese restaurant including Elan and Nomi of course. Shoshana slept through the whole thing, to which I was very disappointed, but her parents greatly enjoyed having a great meal uninterrupted. At least on Tuesday I got to play with her, as we continued our Tuesday dinner and g’marrah sessions. To get to watch from week to week Shoshana’s growth and new tricks is tremendous. She is now pulling herself up to stand in her crib. This is accompanied by terrific smiles and games of peek-a-boo. You’ve seen her in her high chair (check out last week) and now she is enjoying more solid foods. Now an “only in Israel” moment. I went to the pharmacy with Elan to get some formula and baby cereal. Among the pure rice, pure wheat, pure barley and pure corn etc for 4-6 month olds, there was, for 9 month old babies, Chocolate baby cereal! Who would want to eat anything else?

In the lab, I continued to make good progress, plus we started a “spin-off” project based on our data, with our old neigbohr from Denver, Reuven Or. Reuven is head of bone marrow transplantation at Hadassah Medical center, and recently was awarded the Menachem Begin Prize for contribution to Israel’s society. He, along with Magen David Adom, established the first national cord blood bank for transplantation in Israel. That is quite an accomplishment anywhere, but especially in Israel, where everyone wants to be the head of everything and own their own fiefdom! To bring people together and cooperate is a real feat and Reuven definitely deserves the prize.

Part of this entry is being written at 2:47 AM on Thursday night. Why, you ask? Because, I just got back from Ariel’s yeshiva. The yeshiva has a Thursday night program for the first year guys, with a “Mussar Schmooze” (rough translation: Lecture on morals and attitudes, but it sounds better in Yiddish/Hebrew) and then a Kiddush (at 2 AM). There is a sponsor every week, and this week we sponsored in honor of Ariel’s birthday. Some may remember I sponsored in September in honor of Shoshana. It was pretty impressive how fast a bunch of guys can polish off plates of chicken nuggets and kugel, and of course there was a birthday cake. It was accompanied by great singing and happy birthday wishes and then the kids go off to learn some more Torah. Me? I went home, but it was fun and exciting so I am writing till I start to doze…zzzzzzz

This Shabbat we are all going to be in different places. Elan and Nomi in Moddiin with her parents, Ariel to friends in Moshav Nevei Aliza, and I am going to see Ronen and Michal Sela in Talmon.

Please have in your prayers Gilad Hillel ben Bracha Mirel, Naama Bracha bat Devorah, Tamar Dina bat Smadar and all the wounded members of T”ZHAL.

A very Happy Birthday to Sylvia Fruchter and to Zev Kessler! (and don't to forget Ariel Mazer!)

Have a Shabbat Shalom and keep warm!

A War Under a Microscope

We all do it. Since the war began in Gaza two weeks ago, we are glued to the computer, TV, radio, something to give us a glimpse of what is going on. We keep our browser on internet news websites, sometimes several at a time, and flip them compulsively. We get frustrated if there are no new updates even if the last viewing was 5 or 10 minutes before. Every movement, every blast, every quote is gobbled up. The news services know it. They armies know it. Mostly, the enemy knows it.

This is a war under a microscope. The public watches the war in real time and the broadcasts are instantaneous. The IDF even has a YouTube site to capture the public’s attention with footage. There is no room for error, no ability to just get on with the battle. Every witness with a cell phone/camera/recorder can portray what they wish of the proceedings.

This is a very difficult way to fight a war. In the two World Wars, in the days of mass communication being radio and well orchestrated newsreels of the war efforts, the governments provided the public with what they wished them to see. No more. Every casualty, no matter how peripheral, is immediately launched into the face of all who wish to see. The scrutiny creates two fronts; the battlefield itself and the war waged in the media, with the battlers defending every move that is made.

The problem with this is that, as any student of high school biology can tell you, a microscope is a great way to get close to the action, but is a lousy way to see the whole picture. As a scientist, someone who makes my living studying patterns of cells under microscopes, the message is very clear to me. To make a diagnosis, to understand the disease, or to comprehend the consequences of a particular inflammatory response, you need to look at multiple fields with your microscope. You need to get a complete picture, or else you miss the point. You could see healthy tissue and miss the disease, or you could see an aberration and miss the fact that the situation is not as alarming as you thought.

This war under a microscope can lead people to believe that the battle is a series of horrendous acts that have no point. Why would one not think that? A picture of a child lying on the street, a blown-up house, a doll lying on a passageway, a destroyed school…. This is what you see under the lens, looking at a narrow field that has been chosen for its effect, for its media punch, for its’ newsworthiness, or for its political message. But by viewing only a narrow field, you can clearly miss the point.

The big picture is one of a nation trying to protect itself in a fight against a terrorist entity. One of an army lifting up a doll on the ground and finding it attached to a land mine or leading into a subterranean catacomb storing arms and hiding fugitives. Of a war that pauses for 3 hours a day to allow for aid trucks to roll by, only to have the enemy hijack or “tax” the trucks and sell the goods to the suffering population. These things are not under the microscope, because they paint a picture that is totally different than the impression you can get from looking at a few select, ugly incidents.

The battle is one that we who have Western values should look at in the context of the global picture, rather than simply the microscope of Israelis and Palestinians. This is a war of a sovereign nation against a neighbor that professes a hatred of the very core values that we define as humanity. A foe that believes that a love of death supersedes love of life. Ironically, they focus on deaths and casualties publicly, while privately celebrating the “martyrdom” of the fallen. They utilize the civilians around as shields, then crow about the abhorrent behavior of the Israeli army when there is collateral damage. There is no need for them to consider a cease fire; every casualty that is accumulated just adds to the public relations ammunition that they have. They believe time is on their side, and they have honed and polished the lenses of the microscope to reflect what they wish the world to see. There is little difference between this approach and the explosive reaction to cartoons of Mohammed, and to other ‘justifications’ for terror. There is no real justification; it is simply the way they choose to focus the microscope.

We need to force the world to look at multiple fields, to scan the big picture, as it should. Then people will not just see unconnected scenes of damage and destruction. They will see a desperate struggle of a civilized nation who wishes to protect its citizens, who are fighting the battle that we hope does not spread all over the world. The battle for our fundamental freedom as civilized, democratic, G-d fearing nations. This is where the focus must be, as it is a goal that we cannot lose sight of.

January 2-9

Several Israelis said to me over the last few weeks, as we bemoaned the lack of rain and the fact that the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) has been at very low levels, “I guess we won’t get any rain this year; the winter is almost over”. What were they saying??! For a Canadian, the end of December and the beginning of January are just the BEGINNING of winter. Last week in Jerusalem was really chilly, with temperatures around 0º C and two or three days of much needed rain. This week, Monday morning came without much of a chill in the air, and the ski jackets that were prevalent on the buses and in the streets were much fewer and farer between. I guess winter really is that short here. Of course, we should all be reminded that the snow in Israel in 2008 hit in the last week of January, so you never know.

As would be expected, people are clearly preoccupied by what is going on in Gaza. Although the battle is clearly in Israel’s favor, and the shelling is less (but not stopped), this is not a nation of warriors, no matter how battle hardened the average Israeli is. At a Tehillin and Tefilla program I went to last night sponsored by Emunah, Young Israel and the OU, one of the speakers started by saying that you don’t ask someone how long he’s lived here, you ask how many wars he’s lived through. That’s another thing that really makes this country unique, although I think most people would trade that aspect in, thank you. Everyone knows someone who has a son in Gaza (a rabbi who spoke last night has 2 sons there) and even though thank G-d the number of casualties have been modest, this is such a small country that someone you know is related to or is neighbors with a wounded soldier. Please give Rabbi Mark and Joanne Freedman a hug for us, as Ezra is stationed in Gaza at present. One thing is clear though, at least in the circles that I travel; we are very proud of those that are trying to protect us from those who would (and do) harm innocent people trying to create a better and more productive world.

This week we sadly said good bye to friends who had visited and most of all to a chunk of the Mazer Family who went back. We had a marvelous Shabbat, including dinner at the Inbal )Mazer, Fiter and Wagner) and lunch on Saturday at our apartment.
Shabbat was amazing, but what was most beautiful was the thousands of people who decended on the old city to pray at the Western Wall Friday night. It was inspiring to see the large numbers and the spirit. Also note that the only protests in Israel have been to accelerate the end of fighting, with no "celebrations" of our victories or "Death to the Enemy"rallies, unlike elsewhere in the world. I am always amazed that in spite of this, this country gets such bad press. Mi Kamcha Yisrael!

Everyone had a great time on Shabbat, and it was amazing to be together in this setting, Monty and Daniella left on Sunday AM after we had a farewell dinner at Anna Ticho House, a beautiful restaurant and museum owned by Dr. and Mrs. Ticho from pre-48 days, Dr. Ticho was an ophthalmologist who ran a clinic in the large home, and Anna was an artist. She willed the mansion to the municipality of Jerusalem in the 60’s. The gardens are lovely (although hard to appreciate in the cold) and we have promised ourselves to eventually come back to see the collection of paintings and drawings. Sunday was Barbara’s last day, and we wandered around, picked up a few last minute things and joined our children in the old city in the evening for a quick dinner before packing up and trying to get a few minutes of sleep before the trip to the airport, Of course, travelling in the winter is nothing if not complex…Everything was fine till the transfer in Paris, when a snowstorm in a completely unprepared CGD airport cancelled multiple flights. Something about only one de-icer (an old guy with a hose, apparently). This lead to a 28 hour ordeal for Barbara overnight in a subzero airport (with all the planes cancelled, there were no hotel rooms and masses of people). Thank G-d for Ne-eman Rogelah and cookies and some dry fruit that we packed her. I think she was pretty happy to be home!

Back here in Jerusalem, I spent Monday evening on the computer and phone trying to track Barbara’s whereabouts, which spilled into Tuesday and our weekly family dinner. It was smaller than usual, even though it was right after the fast. Ariel went with the yeshiva to the funeral of one of the soldiers killed on Monday night. A sobering moment, but very important. Tuesday night I said goodbye to the Fiters (just how did you blow the power, Steve?) after what seemed like a really successful (re)-introduction to Israel. Come back soon! Of course the late night goodbye allowed me to call Montreal after Monty and Daniella were re-united with Barbara so I got to greet everyone at home.

Otherwise, it will be a lot of work for me as I now will be wrapping up the time here over the next few weeks. Of course, there will be time for some fun (we are going to hear Yaacov Motzen at the Great Synagogue tomorrow) and lots of Shoshanna stories (and a picture or two). In fact, this morning I met Ariel in Mea Shearim; I was looking for a particular set of books and he said he knew the best and cheapest place (he was right: I paid 10-30 shekels less than other stores). We also went to his favorite rogele store (bakery); there is now a competition between that place and Yitzhak Zocher’s favorite (Amichai); both are much cheaper than Marzipan and the pastries are much less gooey. Ariel introduced me to a chocolate fudge boureka (don’t ask, but it was very good). He is joining me at the Great Synagogue and for lunch tomorrow.

Let’s hope the music and spirit of Shabbat brings lasting peace to all.

Refuah Shlema to Gilad Hillel ben Bracha Mirel, Naama Bracha bat Devorah and Tamar Dina bat Smadar

Shabbat Shalom!