This blog has become something of a journal of thoughts and discoveries, most of them not of the happy kind. And my purpose in writing it has changed completely. Originally, the intention was to promote aliyah. Now, it's to record my own thoughts to help me to survive this place. They are for future use for if I become confused again. When you are surrounded by overbearing fools and liars, you tend to become confused.
So I have learned that Israel is not what it is advertised to be. Most things aren't no shock there. And I have learned that the aliyah society and the religious zionist world live in dreams and fantasies to a large extent.
Is it all a lie? I am still figuring that out. I recall the inspiration I felt at the Kenesset building. Was it all a dream?
Living in a weak democracy that sometimes resembles a military dictatorship is not pleasant, but living in a country where lying comes as easily as breathing is even worse. We now have a President and a Prime Minister in prison.
I suspect that one of the biggest problems is the man who is running the country. He needs to retire and leave us alone. He does not have the best interests of the country at heart. The best that I can say about him is that he is delusional and selfish. And I confess that I admired him for decades. I feel like a complete fool.
He likes war. He likes money. Everything else follows from there. He doesn't give a hoot for the Jewish people despite all his rhetoric. The Duma case tells you all you need to know about him.
He actually dislikes peace. He wouldn't know what to do with himself in a time of peace.
We need the State of Israel. It's no worse than many other countries. No worse than the USA in its war mongering. No worse than Russia. So our best bet is to try to fix it as best we can.
I am an Orthodox Jew so I go by a rule and a principle when examining my host country. The rule is to honor the laws of the land. The principle is that without the country men would eat each other alive. So if there is anybody out there who wants to demolish the state, I don't agree with them.
Also, when examining my host country I ask will they let me keep my religion? Can I get reasonable health care, safety, and food and shelter? The USA was much better in these areas than Israel and I will forever be grateful to America for allowing the Jewish people to rebuild and thrive. But Israel is passable, as long as one keeps far away from rude Israelis who can ruin your day with seeming ease.
On the larger scale of things for which I have zero influence, we need a two state solution. I believe this is a halachic requirement. The three oaths from mesechta Sanhedrin ban us from taking the land by force against the will of the gentiles. However, the UN, like it or not, gave a mandate in 1948, but not for what we now call the territories. Contrary to the logic of very scary people like Shai Ben Tekoa, the territories are not a winner's spoil because Israel won them from neighboring countries not from the Arab locals who were supposed to have their own country in 1948. That Jordan and Egypt attacked is not their fault. Ben Tekoa's logic is like saying that if Brazil attacked the USA via Mexico that the USA should get to keep Mexico via winner's spoils. Besides all that, you can't have 2 million people living without a country for 50 years. Gaza too needs to be its own state. And Israeli's crushing of Gaza also has to stop because that land has never been free despite the propaganda.
So I'm still holding out for a left wing leadership. It's Israel's only hope. As for my future here, I'll take it one day at a time, but I'm done with lies. And if that leaves me completely at odds with my community, then I'll walk alone.
So I have learned that Israel is not what it is advertised to be. Most things aren't no shock there. And I have learned that the aliyah society and the religious zionist world live in dreams and fantasies to a large extent.
Is it all a lie? I am still figuring that out. I recall the inspiration I felt at the Kenesset building. Was it all a dream?
Living in a weak democracy that sometimes resembles a military dictatorship is not pleasant, but living in a country where lying comes as easily as breathing is even worse. We now have a President and a Prime Minister in prison.
I suspect that one of the biggest problems is the man who is running the country. He needs to retire and leave us alone. He does not have the best interests of the country at heart. The best that I can say about him is that he is delusional and selfish. And I confess that I admired him for decades. I feel like a complete fool.
He likes war. He likes money. Everything else follows from there. He doesn't give a hoot for the Jewish people despite all his rhetoric. The Duma case tells you all you need to know about him.
He actually dislikes peace. He wouldn't know what to do with himself in a time of peace.
We need the State of Israel. It's no worse than many other countries. No worse than the USA in its war mongering. No worse than Russia. So our best bet is to try to fix it as best we can.
I am an Orthodox Jew so I go by a rule and a principle when examining my host country. The rule is to honor the laws of the land. The principle is that without the country men would eat each other alive. So if there is anybody out there who wants to demolish the state, I don't agree with them.
Also, when examining my host country I ask will they let me keep my religion? Can I get reasonable health care, safety, and food and shelter? The USA was much better in these areas than Israel and I will forever be grateful to America for allowing the Jewish people to rebuild and thrive. But Israel is passable, as long as one keeps far away from rude Israelis who can ruin your day with seeming ease.
On the larger scale of things for which I have zero influence, we need a two state solution. I believe this is a halachic requirement. The three oaths from mesechta Sanhedrin ban us from taking the land by force against the will of the gentiles. However, the UN, like it or not, gave a mandate in 1948, but not for what we now call the territories. Contrary to the logic of very scary people like Shai Ben Tekoa, the territories are not a winner's spoil because Israel won them from neighboring countries not from the Arab locals who were supposed to have their own country in 1948. That Jordan and Egypt attacked is not their fault. Ben Tekoa's logic is like saying that if Brazil attacked the USA via Mexico that the USA should get to keep Mexico via winner's spoils. Besides all that, you can't have 2 million people living without a country for 50 years. Gaza too needs to be its own state. And Israeli's crushing of Gaza also has to stop because that land has never been free despite the propaganda.
So I'm still holding out for a left wing leadership. It's Israel's only hope. As for my future here, I'll take it one day at a time, but I'm done with lies. And if that leaves me completely at odds with my community, then I'll walk alone.
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