Shy Dogs of Sderot

by Jerry Waxman
Sderot Israel

A Best Friend Is Hard To Find:
Before Malka came to Israel, my social life was pretty nil. True, I was never much for going out, hanging out, or visiting people’s houses. Also true that before Malka came here, my appetite for socializing was hardly voracious. Nevertheless, I welcomed company if it came to me – in the form of a bird or a cat or a dog.

Of course, birds are really hard to get to know. They don’t hang around the same trees for too long. While they might be curious about humans who try to talk with them, they aren’t anxious to meet them.

Cats on the other hand relate to people a little differently. The ones in Sderot live side by side with humans, even while they follow a policy of separation. In Sderot, maybe throughout Israel, it is a rare cat that allows itself to be pet by a person. They may stare straight at you, and you might think it is an overture to friendliness. But don’t be surprised – or overwhelmed with grief – if every cat you ever see runs away the second you get close.

A true friend once lived next door. Think Rich – Get Rich Fast! A new website on taking charge of your life. Dogs of Sderot are different still. Not just different from cats. They’re different from dogs in other towns. It’s in their nature to be friendly with people, but some of their spirit has been taken away. They are shy. They keep their distance from people they don’t know. Someone once told me it’s post traumatic stress syndrome because of the rockets that have fallen in Sderot. Maybe there’s some truth to that. More likely, they have learned to distrust humans. The way many people treat dogs in Sderot, it is no wonder they don’t smile when people show up. There are exceptions: A few dogs around town let me past their anti-human prejudice. When I would approach them they would approach me, instead of run away. Within minutes they’d put their head conveniently under my palm to be pet, as if we were old acquaintences. While it’s comforting to be trusted by a dog here and there, these dogs never think of playing with a human. In fact, they hardly ever play with each other. In fact any suggestion of play gets greeted with a look that says, “When are you going to take life seriously?” The dogs of Sderot are different. Think Rich – Get Rich Fast! – A new website on “making money fast.” With all this going on, you can imagine my delight when I finally met a dog who was normal. A big white puppy who has not gotten to know the kassams or the warning signals. When I first met this dog – whose name I never learned – she was always with an older dog. I supposed they were related, and I supposed the older dog protected the younger one. So it could be that my friend never was too mistreated by humans. Of course she was constantly wary and suspicious of people. But she came to accept me as a friend. More than once, I would be walking merrily along, when all of a sudden I’d feel something attack my hand or my leg from behind. Just as I’d turn to see who it could possibly be, that white dog would jump in front of me, and then jump on me, grabbing my hand in mock battle. That white dog knew how to play like a dog. Well, I looked forward to introducing that dog to Malka when she came to Israel. But the dog must’ve moved. She’s never at the park, and she’s never out in her front yard. She must’ve moved to a different neighborhood. So my best friend isn’t around here any more. Yet, I’ll be thankful to her for waiting until Malka got here. Not an exact replacement, but Malka more than makes up for her canine deficiencies.

When Anger Doesn’t Work: Part 1

by Jerry Waxman

I have a right to be fed up. This is the third time I’ve had to go back to the beginning to re-write this post. And that’s just the frosting on the gigantic cake of things going the wrong way.

Then again maybe being fed up isn’t a right, but a privilege? I don’t know, but considering the way things have been going, if I found out we have no right to be angry, that would piss me off.

A bit of calm before the storm.

This afternoon, the white cat with the carefully placed random black patches stared up at me while I hung clothes on the line from the living room window. And stared and stared and stared. Maybe some other cats had told this one, “Watch that human when you get a chance. He’ll make you proud to be a cat.” Or maybe the cat was just wondering how I got up here.

Now I don’t know if the cat has anything to do with everything else that happened today. I suspect it did.

Happy things do not a great day predict.

I’m having a hard time keeping the angry tone that I started with when I think of what happened at the synagogue. After the morning services, as I was folding my tallit, the man who was sitting in front of me handed me a plastic holder for both tallit and tefillin. Just like that. Never saw him before, never talked with him before, and just like that he hands me something that will come in handy.

What a great way for a day to start! Makes a guy hopeful. Makes the morning cheerful – and I managed to hold that mood all the way home. And then I opened the door to my apartment.

Nothing was missing……. That’s the problem. My roommate was still there. I believe I’ve already mentioned in an earlier post that I never wanted a roommate. This one just got unloaded on me.

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There was nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing to startle me. It was just the fact of the roommate’s presence – along with his junk strewn all over the floor – that erased whatever smattering of elation I could feel – and sent me into a funk — a manifestation of days and weeks of pent-up frustration. I must’ve been subconsciously determined to let the anger out. It came out unpremeditatively a few times today. Unfortunately, releasing anger didn’t obtain any positive results.

To add to all and any stress, there has been a constant drone of construction happening all around. Banging, thumping, and an incessant drone of some machine. When I went outside, all dressed and ready to interview for jobs, I saw that a tractor was parked in the yard, and had a big shovel leveled at the window of a third story apartment.

Two men were sitting nearby, taking a break. I asked them in all sincerity if they were tearing down the building. “No,” they said. They were just destroying the top floor. I then told them that my friend was sleeping in the room, and would they mind destroying the first floor before he wakes up? They began laughing. Out of politeness, I laughed too and went to the nearby high school.

Something was very strange about the high school. There were no students to be seen. I asked Tzlava the security guard about this. He said the students were all inside in class. I’ve never seen a situation like this – ALL the students were in class? I still wonder what is wrong with them.

Tzlava told me the school director was also in class, and I should come back at 3:30. Considering I had gotten dressed up, with documents prepared, to come to the school in the early morning — I think I handled this pretty well. I walked away quietly, planning my next move.

End of Part One

Announcing: Project “770″ for 5770