JANUARY2007
Letters to the editor
***
Dear friends,
As far as I can
tell (in the limited time I can spend on the search), the
(Hebrew) review below, by Itzhal Laor, of Dalia Karpel's
new documentary "The Diaries of Yossef
Nachmani" has so far been printed only in the Hebrew
version of "Haaretz" (and reprinted in
Occupation Magazine). The same, I believe, same goes for
today's (Hebrew) review, by Uri Klein, of yesterday
night's (Jan 14) airing of the film on Israeli Channel 1
(http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/813557.html). In the
absence, so far, of any English reviews, I've included
below the public relations description of the film,
published by the Jewish Film Festival (ongoing now in NY
City; Jan. 11-26).
I cannot stress
enough the importance I attach to this film. Its
well-researched, carefully supported narrative makes a
huge contribution towards dismantling the popular
historical view that so many of us have been taught to
accept. Through the key case of Tiberias and the process
put in motion in the Galilee over the decade leading up
to the founding of
Rela
http://filmlinc.com/wrt/programs/nyjff06.htm
The Diaries of
Yossef Nachmani NY
Premiere
Dalia Karpel,
This
documentary explores the life and work of a Jewish
National Fund administrator who was responsible for
Jewish settlements in the
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=18582
Dear All,
I hadn’t listened to the news
after 3:00 PM, having been busy with other things, so it
was with some surprise to hear, when I phoned a friend in
Ramallah, her ask me if I was alright. She’d
mistakenly thought that I was also in Ramallah. Only
then did I learn about the IOF incursion in downtown
Ramallah today. Only then did I hear about how the
IOF shooting suddenly began and how she along with others
ran for their lives. I can imagine that the 4
civilians who lost their lives were also running away.
But this is typical IOF and
Israeli policy: keep the Palestinians running, keep
them scared to death, keep them so miserable that they
will all leave. Then we can have all for
ourselves—the Greater Israel.
What these leaders don’t
realize or care about is that not only are they evil,
that they are doing to human beings what Europeans did to
Jews==no not crematoriums and gas chambers, but like the
pogroms, only worse. The IOF has no respect for
human life, nor for property (the TV news showed how the
tanks shove cars out of the way, crumpling them like
paper), nor for anything Palestinian. No wonder
that violence is such a prominent element of Israeli
society! The army teaches it, the TV shows it, the
children lap it up with their mothers’ milk! Ugly.
And the result will be more violence, less Jewish
immigration, more Jewish emigration, and and and! May
we not see a blood bath finishing it all!
And after the incursion, PM Ehud
Olmert doing a Bush on Mubarak—expressing regret for
the loss of innocent life—as if his expression of
regret could bring back the lives—the human beings
who were fathers or brothers or husbands and certainly
sons and probably all—who belonged to a family that
loved the person murdered by the IOF, the way the Storm
Troopers used to murder Jews! And such Mendacity!
As if he really cared a hoot.
ENOUGH!
Oh, and I forgot, the IOF also
raided Bethlehem today. Where are the Churches?
Why aren’t they screaming, shouting that the birth
place and country of their Savior is fallen into the
hands of perverts!
Yes. I’m angry. I’m
angry that the leaders of this country (Israel) care
nothing for human life—Jewish or other. I am
angry that these leaders continuously do to others what
they would not want to have done unto themselves!
---
Following the report on the
incursion is a brief but perspicuous comment on
Tali—why she paid the price.
May we see better times . . . .
And Soon!
Dorothy
Dear friends,
I wanted to write this last night but was exhausted from
playing umpteen hands of the card
game UNO with my 6 year old daughter, Nadine (pic
attached). Why this card frenzy,
especially given I hate playing cards? Well, we were in
the center of Ramallah yesterday
afternoon, at 3:40pm when the almighty Israeli military
decided, again, that it was time to wreak havoc on our
city. I should not really complain since what
happened in Ramallah yesterday happens across the West
Bank and Gaza regularly. Nevertheless, I will make an
issue about it and urge every Palestinian, in every city,
to make an issue about every Israeli infraction on our
lives.
Yesterday I was extremely busy all day and had a dinner
appointment with a serious venture capitalist in
Jerusalem in the evening, so I agreed with my wife and
girls that since I would not be home all day and night,
that I'd pick them up at 3:30 sharp and we would go for a
late lunch. We haven't been out much given all of the
infighting lately so my girls were thrilled. I
rushed home at 3:30 to pick them up and found my
daughters dressed to kill. To them, this was a serious
outing after a long holiday break which was spent mostly
at home. The restaurant they had as first choice
was closed due to the holidays, so they reverted to their
favorite popular place, Angelo's Pizzeria, for those that
know it. Angelo's Pizzeria is on the main street in
Ramallah, a few hundred meters from Lion's Circle, the
smack middle of town where you saw on the the news
Israeli bulldozers destroying cars last night. I
parked on the Friends Girls School road which is behind
the restaurant. As soon as I exited the car I felt
something was wrong. As we walked into the
restaurant I looked up and could see an Israeli gunship
helicopter hoovering overhead firing at some unknown
target. We thought it would be safer to enter the
restaurant rather than return home.
The restaurant was full with most tables nervous at the
sound of gunfire from overhead. The waiters, who
have been through this dozens of times, visited the
tables and played and joked with the kids. They
knew that things were not right and went out of their way
to make life normal, at least while we were their
customers. The restaurant manager, a friend, came
to our table and asked me for my car keys. He
wanted to move my car because word came that the Israeli
jeeps and armored vehicles that were operating in town
were crushing cars parked on the side of the road.
He found my car already in a safe spot and reassured us
that this will pass soon. He knows, he has lived
this reality every day for 40 years now!
We ordered a pizza and salad and Nadine insisted that
Angelo's Pizzeria has the best hamburgers in town and
wanted one as well so she ordered one herself. As
we sat, things outside were clearly deteriorating.
I got a call on my cellular hone from my dad back in
Youngstown, Ohio. He asked where we are because no one
answered at home. He briefed me on the live reports he
was watching about what was happening outside the
restaurant door. After talking with my father, I
made frequent visits to the restaurant door to view
people rushing away from the city center. While I
was standing at the door, a friend of mine had finished
eating with his wife and 4 kids and stood at the door
contemplating to leave to cross the street to his
car. I kept a lookout and gave him the all clear as
he rushed his family across the street to his car and he
was off. At this stage, I knew it was not only
military activity overhead but something very close by.
The salad showed up in no time and we enjoyed it.
Then the famous hamburger followed and then our
pizza. All the time my wife was trying to make
phone contact with her sister who we invited to join us
but never showed up. She wanted to make sure she
was ok given all the shooting and commotion
outside. My older daughter, Areen, was a bit
nervous, wondering how we were going to get back
home. We reassured her that all would be
fine. In reality, we had no idea.
Forty minutes later, my wife, Abeer, Areen and I had
finished eating and were ready to go. Nadine, was
happily, and very slowly, enjoying her world-class
hamburger and fries while every so often reassuring us.
" They come, shoot, arrest, and leave...so what's
the problem? When they leave, we will go home, right
dad?"
"So what's the problem?"! The problem is
how can a 6 year old calmly sit through a mini-war
happening outside the restaurant while enthusiastically
devouring a hamburger without the slightest hint of being
disturbed?
Nadine finally finished and we headed home. Luckily
we were parked in the opposite direction of the shooting,
so we drove the wrong way down a one way street and
headed home. On the way, taxis were rushing about,
driving worse than usual, shuttling people away from the
center of Ramallah. When we got near our home we
had to cross the Jerusalem- Ramallah road. Looking left
about 200 meters away my girls yelled out that the IDF
was blocking the street. I glanced and it was a
mess. Jeeps all over, rocks filled the street,
behind the jeeps I could see the open market was full of
soldiers.
We finally got home. Turned on CNN, nothing!
Switched to Jazeerah and they had live pictures of what
was happening and the extent of it - another Israeli
invasion into Ramallah. An undercover Israeli hit team
tried to arrest someone and were exposed and came under
Palestinian fire. They called in reenforcements and
all the lone rangers came running (and shooting and
plowing).
I was contemplating with my wife if I should risk heading
to Jerusalem later in the evening. We agreed to wait and
see how it develops given the news reports started to say
the IDF was completing their operations and leaving the
city center (only to move back to their permanent
position of surrounding our city).
I went to check my email and cancel a radio interview
appointment with CBC that I missed because of this
mess. This is when Nadine came and asked if I could
accompany her to the bathroom. She never asks to be
accompanied. The bathroom in our small flat is
literally 1 meter from my computer and 3 meters from the
living room where Abeer was watching the news and Areen
was letting Grandma Sarah in Youngstown know we were all
home and ok.
I immediately understood and gladly accompanied Nadine
and even made it a fun trip. Then I cancelled all
my appointments that evening and spent the rest of the
night doing exactly what Nadine asked for - to play
UNO. We played alone, with Areen, as a family, and
then alone again, multiple times. When bedtime came
she kissed me good night and headed to her room along
with her sister as usual - no escort. I felt that
UNO therapy had worked. I may even claim for a new
deck of UNO on my health insurance policy.
My friends, I write this not to bore you with one
family's experience during 2 hours of occupation, but
rather to scream to the world that we need your help!
4 Palestinian civilians were killed last night in this
attack, 20 were injured, 5 of them seriously. I have no
statistics on the number of children, like Nadine, whose
skin become thicker during this latest Israeli adventure.
Israel has lost her way and the US is
Palestinian-blind. Israel is creating yet another
generation of Palestinians that are more numb to their
military occupation than any other. Likewise, it is
creating a generation of Israeli occupiers that see my
city as the wild, wild, west. It is stripping
children, Palestinian and Israeli, of their
childhood. It must stop and NOW. We need your
active support:
Organzine locally, at your church, community center,
union, etc.
Support Jimmy Carter's stance against Israeli Apartheid.
Read his book.
Write letters.
Visit and engage your representatives. Demand public
statements.
Sponsor a Palestinian student.
Invest in Palestine.
Request Angelo's Pizzeria start exporting hamburgers by
express mail.
and most importantly, play UNO with your kids.
Braced for the 4 funerals that will start in 3 hours,
Sam
