The Sea Dancer, The Forbidden Video, And You

As things are winding down, other things are winding up. View and I have only a few more days before we go to Thailand. We are trying to experience as much of Israel as we can before we leave. It may be a while before we return.

The operative words above are "experience Israel." There is no other place like it. What other country ever receives global condemnation for protecting its borders? There's a whole host of inconsistencies that the nations of the world have heaped on Israel. And then there are hosts of things the world often turns to Israel for.

By the way, the video down below was banned by You Tube. Allegedly You Tube banned it because of copyright infringements. There's plenty of evidence that that is a bogus issue. Anyway, take a look at the video, and have a laugh.

We went to the beach this afternoon. The highlight of our day was watching a man facing the sea. He danced a mean dance. It looked funny, but there is a lesson there somewhere.

I'm reminded of that part of the Torah where Balaam spells it out very clearly. "Praise Israel and you'll be praised. Curse Israel and you'll be cursed."

If that's true - and there are a lot of people in all corners of the world who believe it is - where does the international community stand today? What'll happen to everyone if the good old Messiah suddenly shows up. (If I was the Messiah's advisor, I'd tell him to wait a bit more. But that's another story.)

About this video: It's a parody of a song that was written for a different reason.

Sderot to Surat; A Sad Happy Story

In 2008 I gave up a pretty good job and nice place to live to come to Israel. Sderot was my choice because kassams were scaring people away. We can't all act scared. We do what we can to defy those who would tell us to leave our land.

I guess my determination to have some impact here didn't work out too well. For two years I looked for a way just to make a living. Still alive, so things didn't work out too badly.

This will be my last Shabbat in Sderot for a while. I finally found a job in a town called Surat. It's not in Israel. It's in Thailand.

It has been hard to reconcile this part of the journey. I got a post office box to retain some kind of presence in Israel. I'm leaving much of my belongings here. My sites are continuously on returning. I believe I will, before too long. What would I do with this website outside of Israel?

That's all I have to say for now. Will continue to post to this site from Thailand. Anyone that wants to come there, drop us a note.

Make this life an adventure.
Keep a smile on your face and dance in your feet.

Going Up To Jerusalem - We Are All Commando 13

We happened to go to Jerusalem yesterday. We began to wander toward the market. Suddenly we saw a mighty big procession, with singing, chanting, drum beating, and lots of flag waving. I found out that it was a yearly thing, Aliya le-Yerushalayim -- going up to Jerusalem.

Groups of youths paraded down the street in front of us. They were jubilant, waving flags and carrying signs. These were youths from the settlements. They were joined by tractors of more than 60 years ago. They all had a part in building up Israel as a Jewish state. They all see Jerusalem as the center of Israel life, the Jewish capital since the time of David.

The marchers all assembled in a huge park for an evening of music and fun. Some musicians were already playing music. There was a fast Chassidic piece -- klezmer music -- and then they went to more modern favorites.

This year Jerusalem Aliya carried an air of defiance. At a time when around the world there are rallies and protests against Israel . . . when there are new calls to boycottIsrael products, and condemn all of Israel in general, and its defense forces in particular . . . the settlement youth proclaimed solidarity with IDF. They carried signs saying "We are all Shayetet 13" (the commando unit that boarded the Gaza flotilla two days earlier.")

At the park, a woman explained to me the significance of going up to Jerusalem every year at about the time of Shavuot. Our holidays all carry messages of building up the land of Israel, and being a united people. The families of the settlements link their lives to the capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem. When I told her that we came from Sderot, her eyes widened and she welcomed us as part of the cause - uniting and protecting the land of Israel.

There may not be much to be proud of, living in the Negev. But to live where enemies shoot rockets because they don't want you there is an act of defiance. To live in the settlements, where so much of the world believes you don't belong, is an act of defiance. To do your duty as a soldier and protect the borders even while much of the world calls you a criminal, is an act of defiance. It was good -- no, it was fantastic -- to see youths of all ages, despite all that the world is saying about them, marching in solidarity and with pride