Moved!
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I moved to WordPress, so check out www.kirabloom.wordpress.com
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@kirabloom
Moved!
Hey to everyone that’s following me here (Mom)!
I moved to WordPress, so check out www.kirabloom.wordpress.com
Lest we forget the power of a single candle…
Where are you going?
Traveling is a whole ordeal. Getting to the airport, going through security, reaching your gate in time, etc. Traveling to/from Israel means extra security and lots of questions.
Anyone who has been to Israel before knows to expect an interview with a security agent. When I had only American citizenship, these questions were rapid, random, and, for the most part, irrelevant to my life in anyway. (Let’s be honest here - no one remembers what their Bar Mitzvah Haftorah portion was.) Now that I also have an Israeli passport, this security interview is much faster and more straight to the point. The questions are still quick-fired, but more for the sake of efficiency than anything else. Having an Israeli passport means that even though I arrived 3 hours early for my flight, I only spent 5 minutes of that time waiting in line for that part of security.
The best part of this interview is that after it ends, a new one begins. I’m not talking about a security check anymore. This is more of an interrogation. Or, as some would call it, a normal interaction with Israelis. Airports are the best place to people watch: who is this person? is he going home? on vacation? alone? is someone waiting for him? These are all questions that, in Israel, are perfectly acceptable to ask complete strangers. Once this conversation begins, it’s hard to stop. The trick is to shut it down before the questions get past a certain point. If your relationship status is brought up, it’s game over and there’s no going back.
While waiting in line to check into my flight, an old Hassidic man was interrogating (whoops, I mean conversing with) an elderly Russian man. They were switching between Hebrew, Yiddish (people still speak Yiddish?) and a little Russian. While the languages were impressive, as soon as the Hassidic man turned and made eye contact with me, I knew I was next. 4:30 in the morning is not my optimal conversation time, so I successfully avoided him.
Another benefit of living in Israel: Not only is my security check quicker, but I have also learned the art of evading an inevitable inquisition from a stranger.
Why did the roosters cross the road?
What are you?
Identity is a fascinating thing. The most basic elements prove to shape you the most - your name, gender, skin color and nationality have a massive influence on who you are.
A friend of mine has a relatively common story for Israelis: He was born to Israeli parents but lived in America for 8 years in his early childhood. We have a running joke that he is 30% American. This conversation comes up frequently enough that there has been talk of creating a pie chart diagraming exactly how Israeli vs. how American he is.
But really, it’s pretty crazy how this one detail has such a huge impact on your own self-perception, as well as the way others view you. I can’t list all the ways that being an American has shaped and affected me, just as I can’t for certain tell you the ways that living in Israel has impacted me. But I can definitely say that just as his 30 and 70 equal 100, my unique fraction of nationalities equal the same.
Ugh...Americans
Americans in Israel seem to have this weird, paradoxical self-hatred for their fellow countrymen.
Last week, I was on the train when a girl sat down opposite me. We made eye contact - which somehow lead both of us to understand that the other is American. Instead of saying hi and being friendly, we went on ignoring each other.
After a few minutes, she got out her phone and began the loudest phone conversation that I've heard. In all honesty, I don't care what people on the train have to say so I generally just tune them out. But this girl was practically screaming, and in my native language, so I had no choice but to suffer through it.
After her third complaint that "everyone is staring," she made the astute observation that it was, indeed, because she was yelling...not because she was speaking English (as she speculated from the start). She lowered her voice for about 15 seconds and then forgot.
I felt myself making an internal eye roll. "Dumb Americans," I thought.
Just as I heard this thought go through my head, the girl, in an ironic twist, started recalling her tale of an "annoying American on the bus." After she finished complaining, she concluded (loudly, of course) that "this is why everyone hates Americans."
What a strange situation that we are all in. Instead of embracing our commonalities, we tend to find ourselves at odds with one another. Merely hearing the English language being spoken on the street can elicit a sigh and murmur of "tourists." I know that, just as this girl complained about her loud bus companion, and as I recount this story, people have criticized me and my friends.
Living in a foreign country is hard enough as it is. Attempting to do so, while rejecting the very society and people from which you come, makes it even harder. Hopefully one day, a girl will sit down across from me, we will exchange a smile, and it will not result in a blog post.
Am I in your way?
Last weekend, we made a routine grocery run. Since I was virtually out of food, some necessities (shoko) were required.
Running to any store in Israel means that not only will you spend at least 15 minutes waiting in the check out line, but also that you will argue at least 2 people about who was in line first. (I don't care what you think, but putting an item on the conveyor belt before you start shopping does NOT save you a place in line).
After I got through a relatively painless check out line, the lady in front of me realized that she forgot to buy cigarettes. She decided that the best course of action would be to stop packing up her groceries and to yell at the cashier. Seeing as it was my turn, the cashier couldn't just sell the lady her cigarettes. I'm more than accustomed to this behavior so I didn't really think much of it.
But. As this was happening, another lady joined the fray and demanded cigarettes as well. I paid, and as I reached for a grocery bag, I realized that these two nicotine-starved women had forced us back about 5 feet so that we can't reach our groceries or the bags. I tried to move around to get a bag and was given both a "don't you dare" stare while simultaneously being pushed back even further. I had to interrupt the screams about cigarettes and demand a bag.
Morals of the story: Stay far away from middle-aged women buying cigarettes, Never expect grocery shopping to be short or the process to anything less than difficult, and Be nice to your cashier. She is stuck at the grocery store all day long.
3 Little Birds Sat on a Window
3 little birds sat on a window. These 3 birds met in Haifa and decided to build a nest together, which they did a few months later in Tel Aviv.
After getting settled, the first little bird found her way. As a volunteer in the Israeli army, she got ready to spread her wings. The next day, the second little bird got offered a job in a high powered consultancy firm. She knew she would fly far.
The third little bird was starting to worry. Would she be all alone in her shared nest while the 2 other little birds were flying free? But within a week, this third little bird found her wings. Offered a job at a high tech company, this little bird knew that she would be able to soar.
How funny that in the space of one week, these 3 little birds were able to find their own songs.
Just a typical Tel Aviv day: a rollerblading Chassid and a father/son horse and buggy moving company
An ode to my father
My dad is an amazing man, which I've always known. But I've never fully appreciated how strong and persistent he is, until now.
Over 30 years ago, my dad moved from South Africa to America. He had no family, no money, and university loans awaiting him in Houston, Texas. But being the brave man he is, he flew around the world and started a life for himself.
Being so far away, and with international calls being so expensive, it was difficult for him to talk to his family more than once a month or so. I honestly can't even imagine going that long without talking to my family. Just the thought of it makes me sand and upset. But my father, being the persevering and determined man that he is didn't let that stop him from finishing optometry school and eventually settling into a new life that he alone established.
23 years later, I, like my father before me, moved halfway across the world. It's hard growing up, regardless of where in the world you are, but this transition seems especially hard for me since I'm so far from my loved ones. Thankfully for me, I am able to call, text, facebook, and blog to keep in touch with everyone that I left back in America. Even with all of this new technology available, I am still struggling to feel like I'm not missing out on things back home.
I can say with 100% certainty that should I not be able to talk to my family at least once a week, I would have moved back to America by now. I have no idea how my fearless father was able to be so independent, so tenacious, so courageous. I'm truly in awe of you, Dad.
Where is the "Real" Red Line?
The relentless massacre of innocent Syrian civilians has been going on for almost 2 years now. The fact that Syria's president has used chemical weapons (most likely more than once) on his own people is horrifying.
But the fact that the world has done very little to stop the situation from escalating is even more appalling.
The first (presumed) time that Bashar Assad unleashed chemical weapons on his own people, the Obama administration claimed that there was "inconclusive" evidence of said chemical weapons. So there was no intervention.
Two days ago, 1300 Syrian civilians were killed. In a matter of minutes, their lives were extinguished. I don't know about you, but that terrifies the hell out of me. Knowing that Assad is still in power and so obviously lacks a sense of morality and concern for human is unnerving, to say the very very least.
Given that I live in Israel, Syria's neighbor to the south, I can't help but be concerned about the aftermath that my country will experience as a result of this chemical warfare. But I'm more troubled by the world's apparent indifference to the so blatant massacre of up to 100,000 people.
Take a minute to think about that number. 100,000. That's more people than I have known, met, and seen in my 23 years of life. And they are all dead at the hands of one man.
אין לי כוח
Ayn li co'ach. Literally in English it means "I don't have the power" or "I don't have the energy." It can be expressed as a statement, an explanation, or (most often) as a whiny complaint.
Ran out of milk? I could go to the store...but it's a long walk (5 whole minutes!) Ooooooof, אין לי כוח.
What if I don't want to do my homework? Even though I have nothing better to do? אין לי כוח
A few days ago I had the definition of an אין לי כוח kind of day. It's a long and frustrating story, but suffice it to say that Israeli bureaucracy sucks a whole lot.
Needless to say, I chose to move to Israel and therefore was prepared to get the run-around from their inefficient systems. As annoying as things can be and as hard as it is to be so far from my family I take comfort in knowing that I am here on my own terms.
I am so incredibly lucky to have my friends who have become my second family and a home away from home in Netanya. Without them I would be completely lost.
So when I feel as though I have no more כוח, I just sit back, take a deep breath, and admire the breathtaking view from my window. A glimpse of the ocean and a good friend can work wonders. Sometimes all you can ask for is a moment of calm in this chaotic and unpredictable world.
good morning! בוקר טוב ושבת שלום!
Well guys, I'm back in the Holy Land! I am still trying to decide if I am going to continue maintaining this blog or not...Now it's more about daily life than about a 10 month adventure. Opinions?
Being an Israeli citizen doesn't feel like I was expecting. I was expecting this huge moment of realization and excitement and whatnot. But instead, I feel simultaneously as though I never left Israel yet have been gone forever. I guess in Israel, having expectations is a bad idea. I will say, that despite having to wait 2 weeks to get a phone plan, the paperwork has been relatively easy. Keeping my fingers crossed that it stays this way!
I miss my family and friends tons and it sucks feeling like I'm missing out on things back in America...but it's comforting to know that I'll be back for Thanksgiving.
The best part of being back in Israel is getting to see old friends and having huge Shabbat dinners filled with amazing people and delicious food. I've been spending a lot of time with my friend and his family - I don't know what I would do if I didn't have their support here. They're so welcoming and sweet to me. I'm so grateful for them.
So, being an Israeli (officially, now) I'll say Yalla bye.
My Israeli Identity card! Look out, Israel!
This past weekend, I used public transit for the first time since coming back from Israel. It was amazing! Everything was so efficient, people waited patiently in a real line, and had their tickets ready. The organization was welcome but weird. The weirdest part was the fact that no one pushed me out of the way in order to get on the bus first. People even smiled at total strangers. It's a whole other world over here.
Israel and Gaza...what's the deal?
This situation is incredibly complicated and there are some basic facts you should know.
1. Hamas, even though it is an "elected government" (an election in which citizens of Gaza had to choose between Hamas and Fatah - another terrorist organization) is predominantly a terrorist organization. Their charter expressly states that they are committed to the destruction of Israel, which they seem prepared to achieve at all costs. They have little concern for their own people, seeing as how they use children as human shields. Israel respects the sanctity of human lives but when Hamas stores their weapons in highly populated civilian areas, there is bound to be blowback. Hamas is determined to see their goal come to fruition and unfortunately, they make innocent civilians pay the price.
2. Hamas, as the government in the Gaza Strip, has complete control over the press. There is no free press in Gaza. The number of casualties that are released to the international community is unverifiable by anyone other than Hamas, who has obvious ulterior motives. Where Hamas states that 300 are dead, it's entirely possible that that is true. But equally as possible is that that number is completely arbitrary. Honestly, I hope that those numbers are false just for the sake of the people living in Gaza. But there's no way of knowing for certain. And not only that, but just because one side has more casualties doesn't mean that that that side is more justified in its cause.
3. Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is currently the governing power in Egypt. Egypt shares a border with Gaza and there are tunnels between the 2 borders which are used to smuggle weapons. Hamas has 5 different types of rockets that they have sent into Israel. Each missile has a different distance that it can cover - that's why Tel Aviv is being shot at. It's hard to know how many rockets are in Gaza since they are moved illegally. Additionally, Iran is one of the suppliers of these weapons, so it can be assumed that they are looking to get revenge on Israel for the sanctions that have been placed upon them. I will say that the weapons that Hamas uses are shot (not aimed) with the main intention to cause destruction, whereas Israel uses missiles, which can be aimed in order to prevent unnecessary casualties. Unfortunately nothing is foolproof and there have been civilian deaths. But of those killed in Gaza, a majority have been members of Hamas. Israel can be perceived as "perpetuating the violence against women and children", but it's Hamas that placed them in danger to begin with by launching these rockets.
4. Over a period of not days, not weeks, but months, Israel has taken rocket hits to the South on a daily basis, hitting a school and people's homes. Daily life is essentially impossible due to these attacks. How long do you think that the U.S. would stand rocket attacks from Canada or Mexico before they respond? I guarantee it would be a matter of hours, not months. I can't find an exact number, but I have found reports ranging from 600 up to 1,000 rockets being launched into Israel. And that's in the past 5 days alone. Israel waited to respond to these attacks until it became unbearable. Which it inevitably became.
5. Israeli Arabs get to vote, have representation in the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament), and have citizenship. Their women are allowed the exact same rights at their men, which is not true of Israel's neighbors, including Gaza. Not only that, but Israel supplies electricity, food, water, and medical supplies to the very organization that is intent upon it's destruction. Many of those wounded in Gaza have been sent to Israel by Israel in order to receive superior medical services than they would receive in Gaza.
I hope this was helpful - I'd love to answer any questions you may have.