Opuscula Did US continence Reds in congress During “Cold War”?

WHEN THE US AND FORMER USSR were threatening each other — this dates back to the 1920s — no Communists were to be found in the U.S. congress.

Indeed, Sen. Joe McCarthy (R – Wisconsin) is known for his infamous witch hunt of Communists, particularly those in Hollywood.

Today, these people known as “progressives” and Socialists are entrenched in congress (viz: Bernie Sanders, Rashi­da Tlaib, Alexan­dria Oca­sio-Cortez, Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman) along with far left lawmakers.

HOWEVER, ISRAEL is expected to allow sworn enemies of the country to sit it its Knesset (congress/parliament).

This means members of the Muslim (Arab) political parties, specifically Ra’am, not Muslim and Druze members of the pro-Israel parties.

 

According to an opinion piece by Dan Schueftan heded: Arabs are not the problem, radicalism is (https://tinyurl.com/wwje4emc),

“In the past, these leaders voted against the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty and the Abraham Accords.” On both national and municipal levels, they present Israel as an illegitimate colonial project whose very existence is a sin. The "heroes" they look up to are PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and the Hamas terrorist organization.

“Time has shown that integrating Arab parties into the government did not mitigate their hate. When Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was supported by the Arab parties, Arab MK Ahmad Tibi openly pleaded Arafat's case even after it became known that he perpetrated several terrorist attacks against Israelis.

Arab MK Hashem Mahameed who served on Rabin’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, “called Arabs that support Israelis "traitors" and vowed that they would be eliminated. For him, Hezbollah was a ‘national liberation movement,’ and its terrorists ‘freedom fighters.’ He said that in all the years of Israel's existence, there was not a single military operation, not even Operation Entebbe, that was legitimate self-defense.”

Schueftan’s “bottom line” is that “integrating these parties into the government will only bring about more provocations, creating more obstacles for Arab Israelis to integrate into Israeli society.”

Ayman Odeh, head of Israel’s Arab-majority Joint List political body, has called for a Palestinian uprising and praised Arab youth for their active role in recent clashes with Israeli forces and Jewish residents in Jerusalem. (https://tinyurl.com/3twkyfta)

“This wonderful and honorable victory belongs to the youth of Jerusalem. These clashes are sometimes calm and sometimes erupt, and it will be so until the intifada comes and brings an end to the occupation and hoists the Palestinian flag over the Al-Aqsa Mosque, over the churches, and over the liberated gates of Jerusalem. We extend our greetings to the free people of Jerusalem.”

Losing support?

WHILE THE POLITICIANS are calling for provocations against Israel, the PEOPLE seemingly are more and more disenchanted with the rhetoric.

If Israel would provide better services to Muslim communities — specifically improved infrastructure and better police presence, items the Israeli Muslims are rightly demanding — the nation might put an end to much of the internal strife.

Muslims, like Jews, Druze, and others have all the rights and privileges, albeit the Muslims have fewer obligations. (They are not obliged to serve in the Israeli military or even do national service in their own communities.)

The Muslims of Jerusalem complain that their neighborhood’s infrastructure and services are not on a par with other neighborhoods. Blame can be laid, at least in part, on Muslim Members of Knesset (MKs) who would rather berate the state than work to improve fellow Muslims’ conditions.

There is a higher murder rate in the Muslim neighborhoods than in Israel in general.

Unfortunately, the neighborhoods’ residents must share some of the blame with the understaffed Israeli police. As in the U.S., it is considered traitorous to help the police catch one of your own. Until that changes, no one should expect positive change.

Some Muslim MKs forget they were elected to improve the situation of all Muslims in Israel.

Some openly support the PLO/PFLP, Hamas, and other Iran-supported anti-Israel movements and call for the destruction of the country. Were it not for the freedoms and financial success they enjoy in a state they hate, they could (should) move to PLO/PFLP or Hamas areas.

(Notice that they do not — like Hollywood progressives — rush to leave the country they hate.)

The Muslim voter migration away from the anti-Israel parties — that in reality do not work for the people — is hardly a “ground swell,” but by many accounts is growing.

Unfortunately, Israeli MKs (so far) are not required to live with their constituents, although there is a (weak) movement to change that. Change comes slowly to long-embedded habits.

 

 

 

 

 

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

 

 

Comment on Commies in Congress

Opuscula Gaza puts Israel Between a rock And a hard spot

WITH BIDEN, HARRIS-EMHOFF , and other “progressives” in control of the U.S., Hamas and its Iranian-backed crazies are again lobbing missiles at Israeli civilians.

Fortunately, Israel’s “Iron Dome” anti-missile defense prevents most of the “gifts from Gaza” from doing any physical damage to Israel. There IS psychological damage, especially to young children that the best defenses cannot prevent.

 

THERE IS NO QUESTION that Israel could reduce Gaza to ashes. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) has the capability, with enough resources left over to eliminate Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, or, for that matter, to send Iran back to the dark ages.

So why does it tolerate the renewed attacks from Gaza?

Several reasons.
1. Because, despite what anti-Semites claim, Israel makes every effort NOT to injure or kill civilians
2. Because if it DID eliminate Gaza’s tyrants, who would, could, step in to fill the vacuum?

During WW 2, with the nazis in charge of much of Europe, many occupied countries had “governments in exile.”

When the allies — primarily the U.S. and the (then) USSR — defeated the nazis and their collaborators, the “governments in exile” filled the vacuum left by the departing nazis and their sycophants.

Gaza lacks such a “government in exile.

When Japan surrendered, the U.S. military became the defacto government, but the mentalities of the Japanese and the Arabs of Gaza are vastly different.

The Gazans have been indoctrinated for generations to hate Israelis — Israeli Arabs, Israeli Jews, and Israeli Druze. While there are some Gazans who may feel otherwise, there probably are too few to influence the population to accept Israeli rule, even if only on a temporary basis.

The terrorist PLO/PFLP is not acceptable to either Israel or Gaza; Hamas pushed out the PLO/PFLP from Gaza apparently with little, if any objection by the residents.

Sponsor

Governments in exile need a sponsor, a nation that will
(a) Recognize their authority
(b) Provide sanctuary for the exiles
(c) Provide financial support
(d) Provide leadership and mentoring

Israel could provide all of the above, BUT it likely would be resented.

Iran supports Hamas (and Hezbollah), so it is not a contender.

The U.S. is not trusted anymore by anyone in the Middle East.

European powers? No better than the U.S.

Aside from China — already buying control of the world — only the Muslim states in the region are candidates to host a Gazan government in exile.

Egypt and Jordan might be good options. Most Gazans have an “Egyptian connection.”

Jordan is, at best, “shaky.” It has its own “Palestinian” problems and fears for its monarchy.

Egypt has a fairly strong military.

Egypt also has an official peace agreement with Israel (as does Jordan).

Egypt borders Gaza; at one point, Gaza was an Egyptian territory. (https://tinyurl.com/ej28hpcc)

Other Muslim countries in the region might be considered by the Gazans, but there are issues with the other countries’ governments and the distance from Gaza.

Morocco, for example, has a fairly stable government, but it is somewhat removed from Gaza. Likewise Bahrain and then UAE. They might be less initially acceptable to Gazans since they have “normalization” agreements with Israel. Lebanon and Syria are not good candidates due to their own internal conflicts. Qatar is in bed with Iran.

Gaza and surrounding states (Gaza too small to be seen).

Israel had experience with Gaza.

At one time, Israel controlled Gaza and Israelis developed a substantial hot house export business.

When Ariel Sharon expelled Israelis from Gaza, the locals quickly destroyed the hot houses and infrastructure, and with it a potential national income.

(Blogger’s opinion: Sharon made two major mistakes: invading Lebanon and expelling Israelis from Gaza.)

Gaza could be close to self-sufficient — it has access to the sea, it has an airport for Boeing 737-type aircraft — but its government’s belligerent behavior toward its neighbors — Egypt and Israel — prevent full commercial development.

It has the potential; all it needs is a good government.

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind. Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.  

Comment on Gaza: Rock & hard spot

Opuscula National bird: For Israel, Seldge of cranes

ALMOST ANYPLACE YOU TRAVEL IN ISRAEL you will see a multitude of cranes.

Not the feathered variety — although they also inhabit the country — but construction cranes (מנופים) that remind geezers of Alfred Carlton (A.C.) Gilbert Erector sets.

About the only thing more commonly seen in Israel are cell phones.

Land lines? Many Israelis have no concept of a phone with a cord.

Three construction cranes at work in small area of Yavne Israel. (Photo by author)

A LOT LIKE THE U.S., Israel has an open door for immigrants from all corners of the globe.

Unlike the U.S., Israel has absorption programs designed to help newcomers acquire basic Hebrew language skills, to absorb Israeli culture, and generally become established. There are schools in the U.S. to teach English as a Second Language, some free, but not on Israel’s scale. (To be fair the Israeli “ulpan” is an American idea perfected in Israel.)

As was the U.S. in the “old days,” before American’s allowed the government to do everything for them, immigrant groups help newcomers adjust.

For North American ex-pats, and just visitors, too, there is Americans And Canadians In Israel, a/k/a AACI.

Bureaucracy amok on a field of paper

Bureaucracy runs amok in Israel, BUT it was and has been my personal experience (in 1975 and again in 2021) that the people dealing with newcomers usually are helpful. That will surprise some who come to Israel from “big cities” were rudeness is the coin of the realm.

Since our arrival at Lod, Israel’s main international airport*, everyone, without exception, has been polite if not kind.

*Now renamed by political fiat to honor of the man who ordered Jews to kill other Jews bringing people and weapons to pre-statehood Israel.¹

On the other hand, new (or returning) immigrants/citizens are obliged to visit numerous government offices to accomplish basic tasks. Since exiting our 14 day isolation — despite being twice “Pfizerized” in the U.S. and having taken a pre-flight PCR test — we have been to three different government offices and still have more to do.

Even the bankers are helpful, although the banks still charge customers to use the customers’ money, something that disappeared in the U.S. decades past.

While it is not up-to-date, the following image from https://tinyurl.com/2wnf3mk7 gives an idea of the number of clerks in Israel.

Nation of clerks ( https://tinyurl.com/2wnf3mk7)

What is seen less and less these days are “du-day shemish” (דודי שמש — solar water heater tanks) dotting the roofs. Solar PANELS exist, often out of sight from street level, but the tanks are relocated to individual units.

This is especially true in a community called “Green Yavne” (יבני ירוקה). Other new communities are similar. Electric is underground; green space has a priority. A good compromise since most Israelis live in condos.

The balcony (מִרפֶּסֶת) of the apartment mortgaged to my Son-In-Law and family (my daughter, three pre-teens, and an American Stafforshire Terrier, a 75-pound lap dog) looks out onto condo buildings of 5 to 18 stories in all directions. The Spouse intends to buy close by.

The image above was taken from said balcony.

Solar heaters usually are backed up by electricity. Free solar vs. expensive electricity? No contest

Not TA or J’lem: Drivers are courteous

“Green Yavne” may have two or three traffic lights in the entire area. Most intersections are handled by circles, a/k/a round-abouts. (https://youtu.be/Z9fWJQJ6nX8)

I “scooter” around the neighborhood with my mobility scooter (קלנועית). I am amazed that drivers
✡ stop as soon as a pedestrian prepares to set foot (or in my case, wheel) in a crosswalk
✡ calmly wait to enter the round-about; no horns blowing (and no cops to enforce a quit zone)

I have seen nothing similar since I left Indianapolis a “few” years ago.

My travels have been limited, but they have taken me to Ashdod and to Rehovot, nearby cities hosting government offices.

The round-about culture prevails in those communities as well.

I am told I need (yet another) certificate (אשור) to get handicap benefits, including getting my scooter on public transportation. (One of the two local train depots is well within my scooter’s 8 mile/13 km range {https://tinyurl.com/47rjpj5z} so getting to the train is no problem.)

That means a doctor’s authorization and THAT means I either wait six (6) months from the date I got off the plane at Lod to see a doctor or I spend several thousand dollars — not shekels — to buy medical coverage for 6 months, after which I will join a health organization (קופת חולים).

The reason for the delay is that too many citizen non-residents have come home to Israel to receive medical treatment and then, when healthy, once again abandoned the country — leaving their medical bills to be paid by the Israeli taxpayer. At least that is what I have been told.

 

AN ASIDE: There is an Ashkenazi rabbi whom I consider a friend. The rabbi writes in English but insists on transliterating words from Ashkenazi Hebrew or Yiddish. (The only Yiddish I know is Hebrew.) Often I cannot decipher his transliterated word; my limited Hebrew is “Israeli” Hebrew. Rather than try to transliterate, I present the English words in Latin letters followed by the Hebrew words in Hebrew characters.

Sources

1. http://www.etzel.org.il/english/ac20.htm:
Also see:
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-altalena-affair and
https://tinyurl.com/36vb3d6m

 

 

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation.

Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory. Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size. 

 

 

Comment on National bird

Opuscula Separate PM, Knesset vote When convenient

THE HEADLINE READS

Netanyahu facing political headwinds, makes plea for direct prime ministerial elections
^{https://tinyurl.com/9y777s46}

Israel tried (in 1996, 1999, and 2001) to separate the election for prime minister (PM) and members of Knesset, but the politicians got scared and canceled the idea.

Let the people decide? That’s not a politician’s way.

The same politician who today seems to call to separate the voting also is the politician who, before becoming prime minister, promoted term limits for that post.

Flip and flop.

According to the World Israel News,

“Netanyahu called for direct elections for prime minister and blamed Naftali Bennett of the Yemina party for preventing it.”

Naftali Bennett (l) and Benjamin Netanyahu (r) (Credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Bennett is perhaps the Number One contender from the political right to be PM.

Netanyahu is facing a fifth plebiscite if he is once again unable to form a government.

In Israel, with more than 15 squabbling political parties, including far left, far right, religious, and anti-Israel (Ra’am, mostly), forming a coalition of 62 agreeing Knesset members is difficult; lately it has been impossible.

Electing a PM on his — or her — own would not quiet the political warfare, but it would mean the PM is secure — for the duration.

Currently, the PM usually is head of the political party garnering the most votes. For many years the leftist held control of the position, but since Menachem Begin, Israel's 6th PM, led the old Likud party to victory, the PM has been in right-wing hands. The Likud of Begin’s day is not the Likud of 2021. (Blogger’s opinion.)

England’s “gift”

Israel, fortunately or not, inherited many things from the English.

The political system of the tiny island off Europe’s coast is one of the legacies.

England, for all its problems, is not burdened by an over-abundance of political parties.

Plus it has a figurehead monarch that has more respect than Israel’s powerless president, usually a washed up politician with few political enemies.

The English PM almost always is from one of the two major parties on the island.

While if may be no better, the U.S. (usual) two-party system at least limits the number of candidates and members of each party sort out, via primary elections, who they want to represent them in the various levels of government. It does make voter fraud easier. This may change during the Harris administration when Washington intends to override state voting laws; a packed Supreme Court will uphold this attack on states rights. Again, blogger’s opinion.

Another U.S. idea that Israel could, but won’t, implement is a requirement that politicians reside in and represent a voting district. Again, this requirement is missing from the English model.

 

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on Voting

Opuscula You’re not in America anymore: Welcome to Israel

ISRAELIS ARE RUDE, self-centered and have no use for new immigrants.

Right? Everyone knows that.

“Everyone” is WRONG.

 

I first came to Israel on May 15, 1975. My Spouse came well before me with her family as an immigrant from Morocco. Things have changed greatly since the 1960s immigration of Jews from Muslim countries, not the least of which is the ruling political party.

I NEVER had a problem with any government agency then (1975), and, so far, ALL my interactions with government agencies today (2Q2021) have been excellent.

Even dealing with a bank (HaPoalim) clerk went well.

For an American who never paid a bank or credit card fee, it was an unhappy realization that the bank will charge ME to use MY money, never mind direct deposit. The bank also will graciously give us a credit card for only a few NIS a month — never mind if the charges are paid on time. We are accustomed to getting money BACK from Visa and Discover. The problem is that there is little bank competition in Israel. We may “shop around” once we are settled.

Everyone, without exception, has treated my Spouse and me professionally and kindly, from the ubiquitous guards at the entrances until the end of our business.

TO BE FAIR, our sabra Son-In-Law, or our Daughter with her 10 years’ Israel experience, have smoothed the way; my Hebrew is (anymore) barely survival level and my Spouse’s, while much better, is not “au currant.” It does help to have a local at your side.

It also helps if the people needing assistance are reasonable and friendly to the clerks.

(This also is true when dealing with personnel at an after-hours Urgent Care clinic.)

Finally, all of our dealings with government and bank clerks to date have been in Ashdod, Rehovot, or Yavne — we have been able to avoid Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

That does not mean everything has gone sans problem. We still are waiting for permanent ID cards that should have arrived days ago, but we have a temporary card that does the job for now.

Make way for the handicapped geezer

I get around either with a rollator (a four-wheel stand-up walker, a/k/a הֲלִיכוֹן or a mobility scooter a/k/a קלנועית)

Four-wheel stand-up walker (left), mobility scooter (right)

Since the scooter is a pain to disassemble/pack into a car/remove and reassemble, most of my out of area trips are with the fold-up rollator. Every building I needed or wanted to enter is “handicapped accessible.”

The scooter is for local trips — apartment hunting, jaunts to the nearby mini-mall, etc. I take the scooter to visit apartments since I need to know if will fit through doors. (So far, elevators are all OK.) I may use the walker or a cane inside my apartment, but I have visions of using the scooter as a desk chair for an office — one less piece of furniture to buy.

SHOCKING!

Americans are power mad.

Not mad FOR power, but we have so many appliances — cell phones, computers, printers, tvs; kitchens are cluttered with AC-powered toys. Outlets are every few feet (usually 10 feet).

I don’t know about any places except the U.S. and Israel, but in Israel outlets are single and distant from one another.

Which means that one-to-two, one-to-three, and one-to-four adapters are common. Power strips are less common, but they are an option.

For example, in the room I hope to make into an office, I need power for

• Computer
• Printer
• Scooter

and perhaps a desk lamp, although USB lamps are popular here and can be powered by my pc … as long as the pc is turned on and if I’m willing to sacrifice a USB port. A power strip would solve the problem, but . . .

The kitchen is another matter, but that’s The Spouse’s domain. Since we are “starting over” with 220 VAC appliances, it will be interesting.

Why the paucity of outlets is beyond my ken. It is not the voltage (230 ∓ 10%) or the amperage, typically half the amps of 120 VAC household current in the U.S. (~20A). This may be holdover from the Mandatory period.

Electrical Outlets Around the World (https://tinyurl.com/3vbvnunr)

Opuscula Government office Clerks helpful But they know all

MY SPOUSE, our Son-in-Law, and this scrivener spent some time in what is officially called the Population & Immigration Authority, a part of Israel’s Interior Ministry.

The last time I had dealings with this organization was c 1975.

Except that now everything is computerized, nothing has changed.

OK., the clerks seem to have gotten younger.

The treatment was strictly Bet Shamai — greeting with a pleasant disposition. Without exception: from the guardians at the entrance to the clerk that handed out numbers, to the clerk that completed our paperwork, Bet Shamai.

 

A clerk named Karen

We had a 9:10 a.m. appointment, but arrived a little early.

Son-in-Law found a parking spot immediately in front of the office. “Nes gadol !"

The appointment was useless; it was first come, first served. The operation was like a well-run drivers’ license office in the U.S.

In short order we were introduced to a young woman who volunteered that her name is Karen.

She guided my Spouse through the typical government ream of paperwork — so much for everything being computerized — and had her sign and sign, and sign again.

Hearing my Hebrew was barely survival level, she had my Spouse, an “almost native” Israeli, provide my information and proofread the documents before asking me to sign and sign again.

She took our pictures for a drivers’ license size document and said it would be in the mail “in about 10 days.”

Catch 22

Ten days isn’t a long time after having been sequestered for 14 days due to the Chinese virus.

Never mind that we had been “Pfizered” (vaccinated) twice and PCR tested once before being allowed to board the oft-canceled El AL flight. Our CDC document was insufficient for Israel. Perhaps if Trump had been re-elected …

We are burdening our daughter and her family — husband, pre-teen daughter, twin 6-year-old boys, and a gentle, albeit large, American Staffordshire Terrier (a/k/a pit bull). We need to find a place of our own — within walking distance for the grand children, of course.

There ARE accommodations for sale in the area, but in order to buy, we have to transfer funds from the States.

That means opening a bank account in Israel.

But in order to open a bank account in Israel, the potential customer needs Israeli identification, a teudat zehut (תעודת זחות), basically a national ID number similar to a U.S. Social Security number but UNLIKE the U.S. Social Security that never was intended as a national ID, the teudat zehut is just that.

I need to memorize it as I did with my Social Security number and my Air Force serial number (that I still can recite some 60 years later).

Temporary & permanent

Son-in-Law, being an Israeli, politely explained to Karen our situation and asked if there was anything that could be done to expedite the process.

Karen suggested he see her supervisor and see if there was something that could be arranged.

He did.

There was.

Within an hour of arriving at the office, we were leaving with temporary (3-month) documents.

To be clear, neither my Son-in-Law nor our Daughter are encouraging us to hasten our departure, but everyone wants to complete the relocation process (from the U.S. to Israel).

The government knows EVERYTHING

One thing that would make most Americans uncomfortable it the amount of information the government has on its citizens.

My spouse was asked about a sister: when she married, husband’s name, children’s names.

I was asked simple questions: my Father-in-Law,s name, when I came to Israel the first time, when my Spouse and I married. (I got two out of three right.)

Karen knew we had two sons, one a dual national, the other U.S. only (his choice).

No sexism (sweetie)

If I were to call a Sweet Young Thing “sweetie” in the U.S. I might find myself accused of any number of improprieties and things illegal.

Apparently that is not the case in Israel, at least for Israeli women of all ages. (I would NOT call a female from America “sweetie” on a bet. I see the “Americanization” of Israel and I don’t like it.)

I still don’t like Israeli politics; too many parties, too much internecine warfare, lack of term limits, and no requirement for Members of Knesset to live among the people they claim to govern. (There ARE exceptions, of course.) I have found no better system than that of the U.S., but as with all things, it can be manipulated to discount the voters’ preferences.

While non-observant Jews from the U.S. are pushing Israel to the left, the Chinese are buying Israel little-by-little. THAT is scary. China already owns much of the U.S. and, apparently, a number of its leading political figures as well.

But here we are and here will will stay, as they say “God willing and the creek don’t rise.”

Expensive

Honesty demands that I admit many things are expensive here.

Housing is, for an American, outrageous. A single-family 3/2 in a desirable gated neighborhood in Florida won’t buy a 3/2 condo in Israel. Worse, the condo rooms are too small for “American-size” furniture.

Anything imported — and many things ARE imported — are dear.

Still, there are trade offs as with everything every where.

Retiring to Mexico or Central America may be less expensive, but there are concerns there, too. (I know at least one U.S. family that “went South of the Border” and returned.)

I doubt I’ll ever own a car in Israel, but I’m 78 and there is good public transportation. Insurance is expensive, but even in the States it isn’t “cheap.”

Nothing is perfect except you and me, and I’m not sure about you. 😉

---

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on Embarrassed

Opuscula Brickbats And kudos

WE — MY SPOUSE AND I recently spent 11-plus hours in a Boeing 787-9 tube traveling between MIA and TLV. Due to the Chinese virus, the plane was about 1/3 empty.

We HAD been ticketed on five (!) earlier flights, all of which were canceled two days before the plane was to depart. Canceled by ? Not sure if El Al canceled the flights or the Israeli government.

 

AT MIA check-in, even with having to prove we underwent a Covid PCR test and had been fully vaccinated, , we quickly went through check-in.

Since I am handicapped and old (78), even the TSA check with efficient.

The first “snag” was when I arrived at the plane’s door on a mobility scooter.

The woman guarding the portal insisted that I take the scooter’s batteries on board. I explained that the scooter’s batteries were FAA-approved sealed lead acid and not the lithium batteries that the FAA won’t allow in the baggage holds.

My error: I should have brought the FAA statement that the scooter’s batteries were OK for the hold.

I had help getting to my seat and someone brought the batteries.

Fire the chef

All food on all El Al flights is kosher.

Unfortunately, “kosher” does not equate to “palatable.”

El Al’s food out of Miami was barely edible. (The key words, I think, are “out of Miami.” I HAVE had excellent kosher meals on flights from other airports.)

The flight was otherwise, thankfully, uneventful.

The cabin crew was efficient, albeit I think for the most part out of sight, out of mind.

When we arrived at TLV (Lod) several passengers with disabilities exited the plane onto an elevator platform. My scooter was waiting for me and the batteries were installed.

Express line

Because of my mobility issues, my Spouse and I were escorted through passport control, then to a post-flight virus test — never mind that we had been vaccinated with Pfizer’s best in the U.S. AND we submitted to expensive PCR tests just to board the plane. I guess Israel’s government suspects there is cheating — no surprise.

Our family — daughter, son-in-law, and three grands, waited more or less patiently while we were documented and tested (again). We finally were allowed to meet with our family, BUT we were ordered sequestered for 14 days. At least we were with family and not stuck in a “corona hotel.”

Greeting committee (*.mp4 format)

It’s the government

In the U.S. a Social Security number is key identifier. It was not supposed to be so (look at the original act) but it is so.

In Israel it’s a person’s national ID number, זחות; the drivers’ license size card is the תודעת (document).

Every Israeli has a number, and every Israeli must have an ID card — it replaced a small book some years ago.

My wife’s “small book” was unacceptable, so she must get a new one. Fair enough; she no longer looks like the girl I married three kids ago.

My booklet got lost over the course of numerous moves. My (Israeli) passport has the number, but that does not satisfy the government’s clerks. As with the tiny island off Europe’s coast, Israel is a nation of clerks. Right hand, left hand.

We need new ID cards, but since we are sequestered . . .

We also need to open bank accounts; impossible sans the ID number.

Likewise we need to sign up for national insurance; Israel is, after all a semi-socialist state, but then both the Spouse and I benefit from Medicare and Social Security.

Israel’s national insurance, as does Medicare in the U.S., comes with a price tag. Unlike Medicare, into which I’ve been contributing since LBJ introduced it — and still paying into it — I have not been contributing to a health care program in Israel since I left in 1979. I am not complaining, at least not yet.

Sans a bank account, we cannot buy a condo. OK, since we cannot legally leave our kid’s apartment, we cannot even legally shop for one except online.

Yet we need to establish a residence. Our “stuff” already is somewhere on the high seas.

And get phone service, Internet, etc. and et al, but again we’re “stuck” in quarantine.

To be fair,, all the clerks to whom we (OK, my Spouse and daughter) have spoken via phone have been helpful and personable. As a newcomer in 1975, I NEVER had a problem with government clerks, bank personnel, supermarket check-out ladies, or landlords, but the stories I heard about such people today . . .

Think small

We sold a 3/2 in a highly desirable area. The smallest bedroom, my “office,” was 9*10 feet. That is “large” by Israeli (and probably European) standards.

Note to North Americans planning a move to Israel: Abandon your furniture. It won’t fit in most Israeli residences.

The 3/2 we sold, with yard and two-car garage, won’t come close to paying for a 3/2 condo in Israel.

A modest 3/2 in a nice neighborhood will cost in excess of one million shekels. Check the exchange rate and “do the math.”

Most cars are compacts, but small “suv”s are popular. Problem is that gasoline, sold by the litre, is expensive.

There are 3.78541178 liters in a U.S. gallon. (There are 4.54609 liters in an “Imperial” gallon — and fifth pint.)

U.S. gas prices, even at their highest, are “cheap” in comparison. Since Israelis often are terrible drivers, insurance prices also are high. On the other hand, public transportation is affordable. Trains are comfortable and clean; inter-city buses are convenient, and there are ride services.

Sticker shock

Much of what Israels buy is imported. It’s not just snob appeal; it‘ s reality.

Home grown products generally are affordable, but ‘dollar stores” are few and far between. I miss them.

There is a secondhand market that can furnish the small rooms.

Buying a condo? It probably will have central A/C, but a cook top, an oven, and a fridge are up to the buyer.

A quick word about “rooms.”

Condos in Israel are not sold by number of bedrooms. A “5-room” apartment has four bedrooms, including the safety room (mak’mod), and a living room/dining nook/kitchen combo. “Open architecture.”

You do the math: NIS to your currency; measurements are in meters, not feet

What I miss are electrical outlets.

Electrical outlets in the U.S. are no more than 10 feet apart and come in pairs. Not so in Israel. Not only are the outlets fewer and farther between, but they are SINGLE outlets, so 1-to-2, 1 -to-3 converters, and power strips are almost a necessity. Israel, as so most nations, has 220 +/- 10% VAC, so a prized appliance from America either won’t work or will require a tran$former. (cq)

Minute clinic

I am about as graceful as a wounded bull elephant.

I managed to trip over my own feet and ended up with a swollen ankle.

Go to a minute clinic, I was told — again and again and …

We got to the clinic a little after 7 p.m. when (a) the membership health centers close and (b) the minute clinics open.

We got back shortly after 10 p.m. — “minute clinic” is a misnomer! — having had my vitals checked and my ankle x-rayed — and found whole.

Cost? A bit less than US$200, including tax.

(OK, I got a new “ace” bandage in the bargain.)

Will my Humana Gold Medicare reimburse me for all or some of the minute clinic charge?

I tried to contact Humana by internet. Can’t access the (Humana) server from Israel.

Tried to contact Humana by phone, but there is an eight (8) hour time difference between Israel and Humana’s HQ.

Humana is, IMO, famously UNresponsive, so I expect to absorb the bill. Compared to what a U.S. minute clinic would charge, I won't complain.

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on Kudos and