A Mutual Ceasefire

"Hamas did not fire rockets through the cease-fire. It's clear that the one who violated the cease-fire is the Israelis," says the senior Hamas spokesman. So where did these come from exactly?

I feel the need to write to let everyone know that Emily and I are safe. I also feel the need to vent my frustration with the lies that flood the news organizations and paint Israel as an aggressor.

I’ve been listening to Eyad Saraj, a Human Rights worker from Gaza, on CNN as he declares Israeli aggression in Gaza a massacre, that Israel is oppressing Palestinians as they always do, that this new holocaust will not be tolerated… I have to tell you, hearing things like this makes me absolutely nauseous. It’s a disgusting attempt at misdirection.

When I visited Sderot in November, we got a chance to look at all the rockets that have fallen on their city (above). The volunteer sheriff told us that twenty, thirty, forty or more missiles fall in the region each day. I held one of the Qassam rockets that had fallen less than 24 hours earlier. The man who sounds the Red Alert when a rocket is set to land told us that as a father, he’s afraid to take a shower longer than 10 seconds… that a woman with four small children has to choose, at the sound of the siren, which two of them to save.

And since there’s no way of knowing where the rockets will hit, they make this decision every single time. Can you imagine being the parent who decides which child they love the most, every week? The guilt that comes along with that?

There will always be collateral damage, in any military operation, and it is a tragedy in every armed conflict. But Israel has targeted Hamas militants, policemen, and strategic posts. And whether Hamas was frustrated with the status of the borders during the ceasefire, whether they feel cornered, whether they’re unsatisfied with the state of affairs, when is it ever right to target civilians?

The answer is never.

So take what you hear on CNN with a grain of salt. When they say Israeli aggression must cease, when they call it a holocaust, when they say Israel controls the PR and paints a negative picture of the Palestinian people… just remember that this is a David and Goliath story. And the Jews in Israel aren’t so big. 

It looks like there’s going to be a war here, and it’ll be soon. But until children don’t have to live in fear of having their classrooms, their playgrounds, and their daycare centers blown to pieces, war is what there should be. As long as hospitals are targeted by Hamas, I have absolutely no sympathy for the Palestinian cause. And while I feel sorry for those Palestinians in Gaza who wish only to live in quiet and peace, they will incur collateral damage as long as Israel is forced to defend itself against the selfish and foolish militants that continue to act against the best interests of their people.

End of the day, the message from me is this: I’m keeping my eyes and ears open, and my sister and I will stay safe and aware. Much love from Israel… -m

What’s Our Vector, Victor?

Funny in every language. It was on TV last night, I thought of Grandpa. Oh, and Nick: thanks for that comment. I knew CNN.com was an unreliable news source.

Couple quick notes:

1) No, I don’t have any new pictures. Sorry. I’m certain i’ll have more soon, but right now, it’s just not happening. My cousin Lauren’s Bat Mitzvah is happening at the Western Wall on Monday, so I’m sure I’ll have some from that, and then Tuesday Emily gets in, so don’t go away.

2) I really am about to come home. I’ve been thinking it, but the world didn’t really show me until yesterday when I left class. Teacher gave me a hug, everyone said bye bye Matthew… It’s not like finishing a semester at SC. This is the end of learning Hebrew for me, at least in Israel. Crazy.

3) I worked really, really hard in college. Three jobs every year… maximum (or more) number of credits each semester. It wasn’t uncommon for me to spend 6 days a week leaving the house at 830am and not coming home til 1030 at night. I hated being an RA, having to answer duty calls (even when I wasn’t on duty) at 3:15 in the morning the night before an exam. I remember days of 3 tours in a row when we were undermanned, or of running to fill in for someone, tying my tie as I jogged to the office. And USG beat me to a pulp for 4 years, and I took it up til the end.

But it seems it was all worth it. After going through my bank statements, it seems I can spend about $70 per day until I leave, and still have money left over in my bank account. I worked and I saved and I conquered, and I came to Israel and studied and lived in an apartment and only worked a job about 4 days. And I did it without favors, without help.

I feel this real sense of accomplishment, not just because I learned a language in half a year, but because I financed this adventure and in 19 days, I will win. Like… I’ll beat the fates.

More on my victory over the universe later.

4) I have to learn not to watch the spurs in the middle of the night. Cause when they lose, I get really pissed, and on no sleep, that’s just a nasty combo.

5) I have to do laundry. For real.

Talk to you later.

The End is Near

IN ENGLISH–I’ve wanted to write something in Hebrew on my blog since the start of my trip. I know that yall can’t read anything… but I needed to do this, and there’s a reason: tomorrow is my last day in Ulpan.

I predict that I’ll need to translate this entry to English soon, and my hebrew will probably be wrong and ungly. But I need to prove that I didn’t come to Israel for nothing. It’s important to show everyone that I didn’t leave my real life to relax and play… I didn’t do this to escape my girlfriend, family, and friends.

I came to Israel because of all of these things… but they were just pleasant byproducts, not reasons for coming. (kidding? still haven’t figured out funny in hebrew)

I worry about my return to American life. The truth is that I don’t know what to expect, in school, my apartment, my job (if I find one), and in my personal life. But I’m certain that things won’t be perfect, and that every day will be hard in different ways. Don’t get me wrong– I’m ready to return, and the Israeli Life wasn’t at all easy. There were many times that I thought I would lose the fight, that I wouldn’t be able to stay in Israel without my friends and family and all things familiar. There were times that I lost weight and wasn’t healthy. And if I hadn’t had people like Ayala and Hen and Hadas, if I hadn’t had those visits by my Mom and Dad and the one coming up with Emily… I don’t know that I would still be sitting here today.

But I don’t think of my flight to America as my “return.” Instead, it’s more like another trip for me, because it’s possible that there will be nothing familiar when I return. At the end of the day, I only hope that I’m happy, that I breathe peacefully every day, and that I concentrate on my studies and finish school with strength and pride.

I miss all of you, and I can’t wait to see you. See yall in 3 weeks, and we’ll talk soon.

הסוף הוא קרוב…

רציתי לכתוב משהו בעברית בבלוג שלי מהתחלה של טיול. אני יודע שאתם לא יכולים לקרוא כלום… אבל הייתי צריך לעשות את זה, ויש סיבה: מחר הוא יום האחרון שלי באולפן.

אני מנבא שאצטרך לתרגם את הרישום הזה לאנגליט בקרוב, וכנראה שהעברית שלי תהיה לא נכון ומכוערת. אבל אני צריך להוכיח שאני לא באתי לארץ בשביל שום דבר. חשוב להראות לכולם שלא עזבתי מהחיים האמיתי לנוח ולשחק… לא עשיתי את זה לברוח חברתי, משפחתי, וכול החברים שלי.

נסעתי לישראל בגלל הכול הזה… אבל הדברים האלא היו תוצאות נחמדות, לא סיבות לברוח.

אני דואג לחזרה שלי להחיים אמריכאיים. האמת היא שאני לא יודע מה לצפות, באוניברסיטה, בדירה, בעבודה (אם תהיה לי עבודה), ובחיים אישי. אבל אני בטוח שלא יהיו מושלמים, ושכול יום יהיה קשה בדרכים שונים. אל תבין שלא כהלכה– אני מוכן לחזור, והחיים ישראלים היו בכלל לא קל. היו הרבה פעמים שחשבתי שהייתי מפסיד, שלא יכולתי להישאר בארץ בלי חבריי ומשפחתי ודברים מוכרים. היו פעמים כשאבדתי משקל ולא הייתי בריא. ואם לא היו לי אנשים כאילו אילה וחן והדס, ואם לא היו לי הביקורים של אמי, אבי, ואחותי… לא יודע אם היה אפשר לשבת פה עכשיו.

אבל אני לא חושב על הטיסה לארה”ב כ-”חזרה”. במקום, זה יותר קרוב לעוד טיול בשבילי, כי אפשר שלא יהיה שום דבר רגיל כשאחזור. בסוף היום, אני רק מקווה שאני אסמח, שאני נושם בשלום כל יום, ואתרחז בליומדים ואסיים בבית ספר חזק וגאה.

אני מתגעגע לכולם מכם, ולא יכול לחכות לראות אותכם. להתראות בעוד שלושה שבועות, ונדבר בקרוב.

Papa’s in the House, Part 1

So we haven’t talked in a week. Let’s bring you up to speed!

I went to dinner up at the port with dad and leslie a week ago tonight. Food was good, but you know what was even better? Grandma sent me Valentine Cookies, her famous amazing Valentine Cookies, and let me tell you, the universe was beautiful. Wednesday I went to class while they saw some stuff around Tel-Aviv, grabbed lunch with them, and napped a bit before we had a nice dinner. Thursday was the same, and Ayala ate dinner with us that night.

And here begins the story of how Matthew almost couldn’t come back from Jordan.

Friday morning we took off at the crack of dawn to visit Eilat, on the southernmost tip of Israel. Eilat is a totally tourist town, though Tel Aviv’s rise to metropolitan status and the Sinai’s ascent to resort paradise has turned it into a poor city whose majority of tourists are young israelis looking to party for the week. It used to be Vegas, and now it’s South Padre Island… and it’s a four and a half hour drive from Tel Aviv, not close to anything, so they’re struggling.

One thing they do have, though, are open and passable borders with both Egypt and Jordan. A while back, Dad and Leslie mentioned to me that they were interested in seeing Jordan, and asked me if I was into that. Knowing that Israelis have a hard time touring around these neighboring countries, and that I would show on my passport that I was living in Israel, I was hesitant. But I learned that Jordan has the best relations with Israel out of all of them, and that it would be fine, and so I took them up on it. When we got into the Eilat airport, we dropped off our suitcases and made our way to the border for a tour of Petra.

Minor segue (necessary to understanding the story): a few months ago, I visited the Ministry of the Interior, which is located in the heart of downtown Tel Aviv, about a 25 minute walk from my apartment. This was before I lived in my apartment, to give you a frame of reference… Anyway, I went to get a work visa, and I waited in that office for over four hours before they finally helped me. What they told me was that I needed proof I was Jewish to get a Visa, and that unless I was planning on working regularly, it wasn’t a must. I left frustrated, and after a couple of construction jobs I realized I really didn’t need a Visa. So I never went back.

Continuing.

So I started speaking to the woman at the border, and as she looked through my passport, she began to slow down and contort her unhappy Israeli face. Our conversation in hebrew went like this:

Girl: “Why have you been here since August 11?”

Matthew: “I’ve been learning hebrew in an Ulpan in Tel Aviv.”

Girl: “But you have been in Israel for four months.”

Matthew: “Yes. And can you believe we’re speaking to each other in hebrew after only four months?! It’s been great.”

Girl: “Well that’s lovely, but your Passport serves as a 3 month visa. You can’t be here.”

Matthew: “Sorry what?”

So we argued for a few more minutes. I explained that the interior, who grants visas, told me I didn’t need a new visa when I visited a little over two months ago, and that I bought an airplane ticket in the summer to leave israel January 7th at 5:30 AM. She kept asking me why I couldn’t just learn Hebrew in America, and I said do you really think we’d be having this conversation after 4 months of learning if I wasn’t living here?

She was unhappy with me. Finally, she stamped my passport so I could leave Israel. But this worried me.

Matthew: “So, we’re only going to Jordan for the day. We’re coming back at 6 tonight. Will I be able to get back in?”

Girl (After silently looking at me for a good 15 seconds): “When you return, we’ll talk.”

When you return, we’ll talk. Believe it or not, that sounds even more uncertain in hebrew. I spent the whole day wondering if I was going to have to get my roommates to mail my stuff back to the states, or if I was going to have to start studying in Amman, or if I was going to have to kill my dad for taking me to Jordan.

We told the tour guide in Jordan about it, and he told us a story of a friend of his who lived in Israel, came over to jordan for a day, and was not allowed back into Israel. So that was reassuring. But when we got back, I talked to the girl, and her coworker, and her supervisor, and after a while, they agreed to grant me a one month visa. Which means my visa here will expire two days before I leave. Anyway, it was a scare.

We toured around Eilat that day and the next, and caught a flight up to Haifa, quickly driving up to Tiberius, which is in the far north of the country. When I get my camera out and upload the pictures, I’ll tell you all about it. For now, though, that’s what I got. I’m gonna grab a bite to eat and watch 30 Rock. I’m thankful to be in my apartment… which only three days ago, I wasn’t sure I’d see again

Development Arrested

Finished. So good. Bring it back!!

Papa Smurf gets in tonight with Leslie, so I’ve been finishing my laundry and getting prepared. Thought I’d just throw up one little post before they get here.

Thanksgiving was fine… but I missed being home. These people just do not know what they’re doing. I went to dinner and then grabbed a drink with Michelle before calling it a night, and then I spent the weekend studying and enjoying the relaxing beginning of Tel Aviv winter.

Also, this financial crisis rocks. I mean, it sucks, but it rocks for me right now. The dollars in my bank account that were once each 3.35 Shekels are now each worth roughly 4 shekels, which is enough of a difference that I’m not worried about going broke. It’s awesome. I’ve been eating well, not stressing about funds, just really feeling good.

Andy and Leslie are here from tonight until next sunday, and I’m spending a good deal of time with them. Highlights will include a trip down to Eilat and over to Petra (in Jordan), wine up in the north, and some good meals. I’m excited, yet again, to see another familiar pair of faces.

Speaking of familiar faces, I met up with Hen at the bingo bar on Sunday night. He got a good grade on the Psychometric, which is their college entry exam (like the SAT), and is still roughly the same. Hair got long, grew himself a beard… but pretty much the same dude. It was fun. We didn’t win. Next time.

So that’s that. I’ll try to keep the updates somewhat regular instead of the grand massive post at the end of their stay… especially since as soon as they leave, there’s only one week before emily comes and I’m traveling again! Thanks for reading… happy December… see everyone in five weeks…