Blog/February 2009/Feb 13th

February 13th (See this week's devar torah)
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Hi again!

Help feed the hungry in Israel!

As you're all aware by now, the Israeli elections came and went. The weather was very windy and rainy that day -- perhaps symbolic of the "winds of change" -- but it remains unclear what, if anything, changed. Just so you know, the terms "left" and "right" wing mean something completely different here in Israel than they do in the US (or other places). As generally used here, "right-wing" means "less willing to compromise with the Arabs", and the opposite for the left-wing. Some of the "right-wing" parties would be considered "left-wing" in the US, based on economic policies... so just be aware of what I mean by "right" and "left" here. Also, when I say "considered" here, I mean what most Israelis consider, not what I personally think.

The Likud (considered center-right) went from 12 to 27 seats - an impressive gain, though not nearly as impressive as the 36 or so it would have got had Netanyahu not played fast and loose with his "list" (forcing the actual right-wing down to unrealistic slots on the list). Kadima (considered center-left) went from 29 to 28 seats - also impressive, considering how many people were really dissatisfied with the policies (or lack thereof) of the Olmert government. The real winner was Yisrael Beiteinu (considered right-wing), which went from 11 to 15 seats and became the third largest party, displacing the Labor (left-wing) which went from 19 to 13.

The real issue is whether Israel can refrain from being a banana republic and caving in to every "request" of Uncle Sam. I'm not confident any of the "leaders" can resist the temptation to do anything possible to please the rich uncle from America. Already the signs of betrayal by the so-called "right" have begun, though it's still too early to know how things will play out. Of course, the current crop of leaders is only interested in the public good. Yeah. Nevertheless, it was exhilarating to take part in the wild-West democratic process here.

You in the US have your own problems, and I sincerely wish you well. However, forgive me for pointing out that those of you who like to complain about the Israeli system from afar, would be taken much more seriously if you would put your money where your mouth is, and move back home to Israel. The time when America was a safe-haven for Jews is coming to an end, and the choice in front of you is rather clear.

In the meantime, those peace-loving, law-abiding neighbors of ours have decided to embark upon unprovoked knife attacks, and anti-democratic rioting against a Jewish elections monitor. However, they were willing to emplace their own monitor in a Jewish town (without a corresponding Jewish riot). "Democracy -- you keep using that word; I don't think it means what you think it means".

Even UNRWA has given up, after Hamas stole supplies from them yet again. And guess what they use medical supplies for? There are some Arabs who understand just how much they have contributed to the "radicalization" of Israeli society. But not many, and too late.

On the work front, there was a time when I thought this was funny. Now that it reflects my reality (almost), it's lost its charm. I spent quite a bit of effort researching the possibility of opening my own business. It turns out that if I am self-employed, I have to pay the US Soc. Sec. administration 15.3% of my income, even though none of it was earned in the US. That sucks, so I looked into becoming a corporation; but that is quite expensive here, and not worthwhile unless you have contracts already. The best alternative for independent work is becoming an employee of Yeul Sachir, which takes a cut of your gross receipts but handles all the necessary government paperwork. Of course, the best possible outcome for me would be for my current company to get funding very soon...

Since I complained about Microsoft last time, I figured I should give equal time to Linux (but Microsoft is still evil). If you're familiar with the long-standing editor wars, you'll appreciate this bit of geek humor.

Sarah is fine. She got her report cards. Next week she's going on her school trip around the Land -- hopefully she'll agree to report on the experience in these pages. Daniela's fine. She's looking for work so she doesn't starve.

One of the things that fascinates me about living in the Land, is how different things can be. Often that causes frustration or irritation, because you think to yourself, it shouldn't be that way. But when you consider how we basically have people from 60 different countries, of all backgrounds and educational levels, living together in a pressure-cooker -- it's really pretty amazing. Amazing that it works at all, let alone as well as it does. But even more amazing is that it feels like home even though so much is different from wherever we came from. Most amazing of all is that despite it all, I love it here. You would too, if you gave it a try.

Until next week,
Shabbat shalom!

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