Israel's News & Views Blog » Side notes

Former Commandos Rescue American from Abusive Husband in PA

Editor — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:41:21 +0000

What do you do when your daughter is trapped in Tulkarm with an abusive Arab husband and the Palestinian Authority won’t do anything about it, much less the Israeli Army who won’t risk a diplomatic incident over some woman’s domestic abuse issues?

Simple. You call on some former commando badass Israelis to take care of the situation themselves. The woman in question, an American citizen, was being held captive by her husband, who refused to let her out of the house and threatened that if she left, she’d never see her two-year-old son again. So the woman’s parents called an Israeli who used to serve in an elite IDF commando unit, and explained the situation to him. He then took responsibility for solving the predicament, enlisted a few of his old buddies from back in the army days, and put a sort of vigilante mission together.

The team began gathering intelligence on the family’s routine, kept doing this for a period of a few weeks, and after enough had been gathered, they staged the rescue. This of course required infiltrating Palestinian Authority territory, something that can at any time result in another kidnapping. Fortunately, everything worked out, the woman and her son were rescued, and the US Consulate was notified.

The woman’s parents offered to give the rescuers a reward, but they refused, saying they did not embark on the mission for the money. Good work, men. Keep making us proud.

Sounds Of War – Alarm Announcement in Sderot on National Radio

Editor — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:56:50 +0000

You have to live here and be an Israeli I think to realize how (tragically some say) we quickly adapt to our tumultuous environment. There were several issued with the alarms (Red Alerts) in several cities. It was an intermittent issue and the local municipalities in the South really did their utmost to resolve these issues. But the fact remains that when you are in the South of Israel (an hour from Tel Aviv) you can be driving in your car and a Red Alert sounding will not be heard.

SO.. The national radio channels Galatz and Galgalatz both managed by the IDF are announcing the alerts in real time as they get them from the Army. Even if they are in the middle of a song or any broadcast they calmly announce the city and ask you to go to the shelters.

What is strange is the sometimes stark contrast between the music and the announcement as the announcer in this case mentions…. take a listen:

[audio:http://www.onejerusalem.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/sderot_alarm.mp3]

Black Friday’s Successor

Editor — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:24:17 +0000

The American people celebrated “Black Friday” 2 days ago with a shopping bonanza that hasn’t been seen for several years.

But when it comes to the Internet, the party goes on world-wide!

MostOriginal.com, a hub for original handmade jewelry, including many Judaica gifts, is holding a special “Cyber Monday” sale that lasts for 3 days! Today, tomorrow, and on Tuesday, you’re entitled to buy any item in Most Original using a 20% Off coupon, for orders $50 or above.

Hurry up, this offer ends December 2!

Crime is Contagious

Editor — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:42:59 +0000

A new research done in the Netherlands reconfirms a known social fact: Crime is contagious.

“But what do you do when the entire political system is corrupted and cynical? How can you avoid being infected?”

This is the sort of thoughts that go through my head, through many people’s heads. In February, we’ll arrive at the polling station with apathy.

So how can I avoid being infected with apathy?

In one word: Transportation

Editor — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:09:43 +0000

In my opinion, there is one issue which dominates the municipal elections in Tel Aviv. That issue is transportation.

Tel Aviv is a city with not enough parking space on the one hand, and too much smog and pollution on the other hand. Car owners have to deal with endless parking tickets, as well as daily spins around the block, desperately searching for parking.

In addition, the public transportation in Tel Aviv is lacking any innate rationale, making it extremely confusing for out-of-town visitors. The prospect of a subway or a light rail, which had been brought up many times in previous election campaigns, remains silent this time — since everyone now acknowledge that such an ambitious project would take a decade or two to fulfill.

What’s the solution? Well, each party claims it knows best. Some go out against the parking tickets’ vendetta, while others suggest to puff up the bus fleet.

In the last couple of weeks, the issue of road accidents in Tel Aviv has made some grave deadlines, after two friends were ran over in the middle of the city by a drunk driver. Tel Aviv has the highest rate of urban road accidents in Israel.

Bottom line, for the first time I can remember, particularly everyone agree that the state of the transportation in Tel Aviv is a disaster and that things have to change. I believe that this is the biggest issue which is tilting the balance of power in this election season.

Halloween in Israel

Editor — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:28:30 +0000

A Christian visiting Israel? A Jewish who enjoys dressing up in costumes? Halloween is here!

Is there anything to do in Israel for Halloween? Well, honestly, not much.

If you’re in the Tel-Aviv area, you can hop over to Tzimerman, a neighborhood bar at 2 Berner Street.

If you’re residing in Jerusalem, or just touring the holy city, you might want to try out the party at the Gotham club (which belongs to the lead singer of Ha’Dag Nahash), or another one at the Sira club.

A third option is simply to rent horror movies and have an all-nighter with friends, or simply get together and pass the night with scary stories. After all, Halloween falls on Friday this year and there’s no work tomorrow.

Who will blink first?

Editor — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:20:50 +0000

Livni had about a month to form a coalition ever since she was elected Kadima’s. But in the past 28 days she seemed to hurry nowhere, conducting the negotiations quite sluggishly.

Today her 90 minutes are up, and she only has a single round of overtime. (if you’d excuse my soccer metaphors). This morning, Mrs. Livni met with the president Shimon Peres and was granted 2 more weeks to try and form a government. If she fails, then the country is automatically thrown into an election period.

Until this moment the gap between her Kadima party and Shas is so wide, that it seems she has much work to do if she wants to bridge the differences. But I also think that Shas is just as eager to remain in the coalition, and as time progress, they will become more and more flexible in their demands.

And Tzipi Livni knows that. So perhaps that’s the game she’s playing. Is she a poker-face player (as evident by her past in the Mossad) or a weak politician (as her opponents claim)?

Reddit offers initial Hebrew UI

Editor — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:09:37 +0000

Reddit now offers preliminary Hebrew support in its User Interface.

Press for enlargement:

The Power of Green People

Editor — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:42:32 +0000

I’m always amazed at the power of Little Green Footballs. How come a blog that has almost no original content in its posts (as of August 2008), and is closed to new registration, gets hundreds and thousands of comments so quickly on each new post?

Do I find it extremely peculiar? Absolutely.

Am I envious? You betcha!

Johnson, what is your secret?

Rest in Peace

Editor — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:39:59 +0000

Israeli Knesset humbly decorates its entrance wall with Lord Acton quote

Editor — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:19:58 +0000

Sunday, July 13, Last Updated 12:00 GMT

JERUSALEM, Israel — In a rare move of self-awareness and humility, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, had been decorated this morning with a bold caption in white that reads “Ko’ach Mash’chit” — a translation of “Power Corrupts” to Hebrew. It is not clear yet whether this is a very elaborate prank or part of the entrance wall’s scheduled refurbishment, which has been in planning for several months now.

The Knesset Spokesman, Giora Pordes, was very decisive about the manner. “The white painting was certainly not approved by any official authority, and that section of the wall was quickly fixed within the hour.”

However, former Minister of Education, Yossi Sarid, expressed his disagreement with Mr. Pordes. “I did not expect this to happen, well, ever. But there was a very similar suggestion I submitted to the chairman in 1999 regarding the inscription of Lord Acton’s famous quote somewhere within the assembly hall itself. As you can imagine, there wasn’t much support among other Knesset members, and the suggestion was quickly forgotten.”

A Closer Look

Mr. Sarid has retired from the political life by now, although he remains influential via his weekly commentaries in various Israeli media. “I don’t know whose idea this was,” he continues, “but I think it comes at a very interesting time, and I hope it’ll be left up there, because, you know, it’s just true. At the end of day, power corrupts, and we lawmakers should have the minimal amount of humility to acknowledge that, to admit that we’re human. I don’t think it shows any disrespect — on the contrary, the public will only respect the legislative authority if it shows signs of ‘I’m willing to change; I’m willing to learn from my own mistakes’.”

John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (known commonly simply as Lord Acton) is believed to be the originator of the famous dictum in 1887: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.“

As indicated by Mr. Sarid, the mysterious white painting appears on the eve of Talansky’s cross examination, when PM Olmert is sunk up to his neck in corruption allegations. This weekend alone, another allegation surfaced in the media regarding his flight bills at the time when he was mayor of Jerusalem.

More answers are likely to clear up in the coming days, as government officials and Knesset bureaucrats will have to face with the aftermath of this successful prank and the implications it may have on the public atmosphere.

Getting to Know You

Editor — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:53:01 +0000

OK….that was way more fun than I thought it would be!

It seemed like as good a way as any to let you all know the latest news, and it was actually way more fun that I’d anticipated. Humor me, indulge me, and read it even if you don’t comment…

xxx
D

Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your friends. Change all the answers so they apply to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6 am. It was a mistake.

2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds. Yeah, baby.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Bee Movie, with the Trolls.

4. What is your favourite TV show? So many shows, so little space.
Currently making a point of catching up on the last series of Six Feet Under, and the as-yet-unreleased-in-Israel series of Dr Who.
Loves me some Torrentz.

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee, vegetables and 5% white cheese.

6. What is your middle name? Janis

7. What food do you dislike? Coconut. Ugh.

8. What is your favourite CD at the moment? One of my own compilation.

9. What kind of car do you drive? Ford Focus, but I want a Hummer.

10. Favourite sandwich? The Blooms chopped liver, sweet-and-sour sliced pickle on rye. Yum.

11. What characteristics do you despise? Thoughtlessness, cruelty, cowardice, and whatever characteristic it is that makes people apportion blame and avoid taking responsibility for their actions.

12. Favourite item of clothing? pyjamas

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Australia, New York or India. (Re: India — My newlywed friend just did a six-month trip through India with his wife, and he made it sound so amazingly fascinating that I’d now love to go, having never previously had any inclination.)

where did question 14 go? Damn good question..

15. Where would you retire to? A house overlooking the sea… there’s one on sidni ali beach that i crave, despite it being made out of bottles.

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? All birthdays are memorable — it’s an indication of the survival of this frail body against the elements for yet another year. (Says the woman speeding head-first towards 40, and only partially reconciled to the fact.)

18. Furthest place you are sending this? Dunno yet. Probably Kansas.

19. Person you expect to send it back first? Maybe Liza?

20. When is your birthday? 26 January

21. Morning person or a night person? Morning person

23. Pets? 2 children and a husband.

24. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share? I have a new job!

25. What did you want to be when you were little? A professional horsewoman.
(I know, go figure.) Or an actor.

26. Favourite fast food? Chips (fries).

27. What is most overrated? You’ve hit a soapbox nerve here:
(a) Issues surrounding Israel that happen in many countries all over the world, but are given extra-special radioactive focus when they happen concerning the Jewish State. Too many to name just one.
(b) Paris Hilton
(c) Cellular Internet access

28. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
September 1. The kids go back to school, and I start a new chapter in my life.

29. What are you listening to right now? Can’t hear anything over the sound of the fan next to me.

30. What was the last thing you ate? Cottage cheese with toast.

31. Do you wish on stars? Sometimes. Eyelashes too, often.

32. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? A deep, passionate red.

33. How is the weather right now? Hot, humid, sticky, sweaty.

34. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Lara (not counting a bazillion phone calls concerning the final arrangements for my son’s end of year class party, which was yesterday afternoon).

35. What was the last thing you read? Currently reading a back copy of Private Eye, “Lip Reading” by Maureen Lipman and a new (to me) book by Jodi Picoult, (i can’t remember the title).

36. Favourite restaurant? Carnivorous. Be it rare steak or raw sushi, I’m not fussy, bring it on. I think Carpaccio is probably one of my favourite dishes, especially when served with balsamic vinegar, because it combines the two food types…

37. Hair colour? Blonde.

38. What was your favourite toy as a child? Spoofer, my big red, furry dog, which (who?) has now been passed on to my daughter.

39. Summer or winter? Winter.

40. Worst place you’ve been on vacation? Lisbon. (The natives are, to a person, all barking mad.)

41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate. Or vanilla. Or chocolate. Or vanilla.
Can’t decide.

42. Coffee or tea? Both — but in a certain order. Tea first thing in the morning and (optional) last thing at night. Coffee during the day.

43. Do you want your friends to email you back? Yes, please!

44. When was the last time you cried?? Last Sunday.

45. What is under your bed? Dust bunnies, one or more shoes belonging to my children, and probably a small fortune in lost coins.

46. What did you do last night? Went to visit my father-in-law in the hospital, went to my son’s class party, came home and showered two very filthy but happy children and then collapsed in a semi-catatonic heap in front of a fan.

47. What are you afraid of? Cockroaches, mostly.

48. Salty or sweet? Salty. Mostly.

49. How many keys on your key ring? 2 – car and home.

50. How many years at your current job? 8 years — the new one starts soon!
Yay!

51. Favourite day of the week? Friday

52. Do you make friends easily? yes

53. How many people will you send this to? I just counted. It’s a quite a few people. Heh.

54. How many will respond? Not sure. I’d be happy to hear from anyone who wants to reply.

55. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? Yes, a lot.
As long as it’s no more than once a year.

Signs of Summer

Editor — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:33:34 +0000

Summer is the annual time of beach goers. Racquets, ice lollies, and bikinis — there’s plenty to look out for. But there are also several things to look out from.

Jelly fish is a known annoyance along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Those sting-inflicting cold-blooded animals migrate northward around this time of year, and according to recent reports, they’re well on their way at the moment.

Another menace that signals the onset of summer is the appearance of snakes. There has been news of numerous snake bites in recent weeks, which resulted in several people hospitalized in critical conditions, especially in the northern parts of Israel.

In case you get bitten by a snake, don’t panic and run. On the contrary, you’d want to slow down your blood circulation, so that the venom couldn’t spread too fast to vital organs. However don’t lie down flat, as you’d want the bitten area to be lower than the heart. Here are a few common tips about treating snake bites anyone should be familiarized with before going out on a field trip.

And if you do go out on a field trip in Israel, we’ll be glad to feature your travel story and your photos on our blog. You may contact us at editor@OneJerusalem.com for any contributions, comments, or questions.

Picture by NRG

From Behind

Editor — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:27:02 +0000

Yesterday I walked down the street and noticed someone walking a few meters before me. I could only see his back. But there was something about him — perhaps his walk, or his haircut — that intuitively made me think he’s Japanese. So I hastened my steps and walked passed him, turning my head to take a quick glimpse of the man… and yes, he was indeed Japanese.

This event made me think about my travels abroad. It’s a common joke among Israelis that we can easily spot each other overseas, even before the other opened his mouth. I assume it’s true for other cultures as well, and it makes me wonder “How this phenomenon works”. And it is just an illusion?

I wrote two weeks ago about Chinese stereotypes of Jews and raised the question whether it can be considered anti-semitism. Now I once again stir up the issue, from a different perspective. I don’t focus on Jews this time, but rather on the Israeli mainstream culture. Personally I do believe that a culture has the social power to greatly modify a person’s behavior and mentality, starting with the way people think and the associations they’re most likely to conjure, and up to the way they move their body and their patterns of personal grooming.

I want to emphasize that I’m alluding to the power of cultural socialization, and not to inborn motifs of race. I do not believe there are any innate differences between a Japanese baby and an Israeli baby. I do believe they grow up to conceive the world differently. In fact, it’s scientifically proven that language plays a pivotal role in this issue. There is also a debatable notion in linguistics, titled the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, which states pretty much what I had just said at the end of the previous paragraph.

Can we assume from this that cultural stereotypes (as opposed to racial stereotypes) have some basis? Are German people truly pedantic? French folks really impatient? And Israelis genuinely…

…What? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Israeli Export

Editor — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:47:05 +0000

King Solomon Legend exports Judaica items all over the world. Having more Jewish folks who live abroad than Jews in Israel, this business has a large potential of succeeding, while also strengthening foreigners’ affinity to the state of Israel. The web site announced its launch yesterday, and I wish it the best of luck.

Picture by ZIM

Israel's News & Views Blog » Side notes

Former Commandos Rescue American from Abusive Husband in PA

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