New Website

My blog has moved here. Please update all links, RSS feeds, and bookmarks. The new site is still a work in progress, but it should be complete in a few days.

Administrative Update

I am migrating to samueljscott.com today and tomorrow, so readers might have a few technical difficulties. But the 2.0 version of this blog should be a vast improvement  since it will have additional features as well.

My Favorite Song of the Moment

This cover of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” from the film “Happy Feet” is by American actress Brittany Murphy, who passed away yesterday at the age of 32. My first memory of her is in “Clueless.”

Broken Heart

If any of my readers could offer any advice on getting over a broken heart, this now-lonely writer would appreciate it.

Israeli Press

My first quote in an Israeli newspaper is here.

My Favorite Song of the Moment

A beautiful song from the Israeli, cult musical “The Band” about a singing troupe in the military during the war with Egypt in the early 1970s. Here is the film’s theme song, and here is the most popular song.

Red Sox vs. Yankees

RISHON LEZION, Israel — The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees will play on Opening Day on April 4. I am eager for revenge because, after the World Series victory by the Evil Empire, I owe a friend a steak dinner at El Gaucho in Israel.

Blogging for Money

So, I’ve been doing some additional research into website advertising and online marketing. Since I started my career as a newspaper journalist and then went into Internet marketing, monetizing the blog might be a logical step.

Anyone have any advice or thoughts?

Outdated Checks

JERUSALEM — Great Britain might phase-out checks in the next several years:

The board of the UK Payments Council, which oversees payments strategy, is meeting to discuss whether the cheque clearing system could end by 2018.

Cheques, first written 350 years ago, are widely regarded by experts as being in terminal decline.

However, the failure to find a suitable replacement has meant no date has yet been set for the system to end.

Not only are checks in danger, printed money itself might become extinct. This worries me for two reasons: an increased cost to the consumer, and less anonymity in general.

When people pay with a credit or debit card, roughly three percent of the purchase price goes to the issuer of the piece of plastic. (Think of it as a “service” or “convenience” fee, but it’s really just an ingenious way for banks to generate a lot of profit because the cost to process the transaction is essentially zero.)

As a result, business frequently raise their prices to pass along that cost to the consumer. For example, I once bought a girlfriend here flowers at a small kiosk with my Bank Leumi debit card because I had forgotten to bring cash. The owner simply told me: “Five shekels (roughly one dollar) more.” Imagine this exchange occurring in every sale throughout the world. If checks no longer exist and a suitable alternative is not found, then a reliance on plastic would lead to a general increase in prices.

Still, as the article mentions, banks are looking at electronic means including mobile phones through which purchasing can occur. While the cost to perform the transaction would be next to nothing, private commerce would no longer be anonymous. There would always be a digital, paper trail.

Obviously, I do not depend on cash as a means to buy drugs, sell them, or engage in any nefarious activities like organized crime, but I do not like the idea of the possibility that someone, somewhere could theoretically see every item that I buy and sell as well as possibly have access to my private, financial data. Hackers will always find a way.

If Cellcom, for example, would own my Israeli cell phone, then Cellcom would be responsible for the security of my financial transactions processed through and stored on the device. And if the electronic safeguards prove costly to them, then I might have the cost passed along to me anyway.

Elsewhere: Many companies are fighting the credit-card fees. Good for them!

My Favorite Song of the Moment

Although, I must admit, I’m impressed by her voice, but I’m laughing at the cheesiness of the lyrics. Here’s a round-up of other holiday songs: Chinese Food on Christmas, Adam Sandler’s classic tribute to Chanukah, and Kyle’s always a lonely Jew on “South Park.”

Related: War on Christmas (in Israel). Hat tip: Jewlicious.

Newspaper Politics

JERUSALEM — So I was unfolding the weekend papers to read over Shabbat when the insert pictured above dropped out of the Jerusalem Post. It was a printed copy of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.

Now, the two English-language newspapers in Israel are the Post and the English version of Ha’aretz, which is one of the oldest publications in the country. But, unlike newspapers in the United States and like those in England, each one has a definite political and religious bent. Ha’aretz is for left-wing, usually-secular readers while the Post is for right-wingers who are often religious. The respective choices of op-ed columnists make these distinctions clear, but frequently the words and tone of articles — and even the news articles themselves that are chosen to be published — hint at the bias as well. If you want to attempt to reach a “fair and balanced” view of the complex issues in the Middle East, start by reading — or at least skimming — both. (In addition, there are dozens of religious, daily and weekly newspapers for nearly every preference a believer might have.)

Out of curiosity, I checked Ha’aretz to see if the U.N.’s advertisement was inserted there as well. Nope. Clearly, the United Nations wanted to send an obvious message to the conservatives readers of the Post. (Although it is possible that Ha’aretz wanted too much money for the insert.)

What I found interesting was the contact masthead at the bottom of the advertisement:

The author is the “Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” As I wrote recently, there is no such thing as “occupied Palestinian territory.” Moreover, the two UNHCR offices listed were in Ramallah in the West Bank and in the Nasser Area in the Gaza Strip. Perhaps if the United Nations had an office in Sderot, where families have been enduring incoming rockets from Hamas on almost a daily basis, then the organization would be less biased.

My Favorite Song of the Moment

“School” (1974) by Supertramp. I’ve always liked the record “Crime of the Century” because its dedication simply reads “To Sam.”

Encore: Here is “Asylum,” the best song on the album.

War on Christmas (in Israel)

RISHON LEZION, Israel — In the United States, the so-called “War on Christmas” is commonly known as a political movement by the Religious Right.

Well, the Jewish state is seeing the flip side of the religious coin — to keep Christmas “out”:

The “Lobby for Jewish values” this week began operating against restaurants and hotels that plan to put up Christmas trees and other Christian symbols ahead of Christmas and the civil New Year.

According to the lobby’s Chairman, Ofer Cohen, they have received backing by the rabbis, “and we are even considering publishing the names of the businesses that put up Christian symbols ahead of the Christian holiday and call for a boycott against them.”

Fliers and ads distributed among the public read, “The people of Israel have given their soul over the years in order to maintain the values of the Torah of Israel and the Jewish identity.

“You should also continue to follow this path of the Jewish people’s tradition and not give in to the clownish atmosphere of the end of the civil year. And certainly not help those businesses that sell or put up the foolish symbols of Christianity.”

The Jerusalem Rabbinate also works each year to ensure restaurants and hotels receiving kosher certification from the Jerusalem Religious Council do not put up Christian symbols.

According to a senior official in the kashrut department, this is done each year consensually, but that businesses which do not meet this requirement may find their kashrut certificate revoked.

I was on my way to a New Year’s Eve party in a local pub last year when I stopped in a kiosk. To my surprise, the convenience store was decked out in decorations that would normally be seen at Christmas in the United States. And then I remembered that the owners of the kiosk were Christians who had emigrated from the Soviet Union under Israel’s Law of Return, which allows anyone who has at least one Jewish grandparent to become an automatic, Israeli citizen even it that person is not Jewish himself. Since I had always been friendly with them when I lived in Rishon Lezion, I posed for a picture.

The Israeli city of Rishon Lezion is nicknamed “Russian Lezion” for a reason — sometimes you are more likely to hear Russian than Hebrew in the city center. As a result, there are more than a few shops with Christmas items.

That night, I went to the pub for the New Year’s Eve party, and Christmas was a theme, if understated enough in a way that the secular Israelis there might not have known the connotations that a native American would have seen.

The bar was decorated with red balloons and other items of a similar color. More than a few bartenders and guests wore Santa hats and similar items. After everyone fired flares at midnight, a regular patron dressed as Santa Claus sat on a chair behind the bar and threw gifts into the crowd (see the picture at the top of the post). I did not want to drag the party down, but I had wanted to ask my friends there if they knew that the color red in Christmas decorations, at least according to what I had heard, symbolizes the blood of Jesus, especially on candy canes.

Although there were a few grumblers in the bar who insisted that everyone should be honoring “Sylvester” with its negative connotations rather than the secular New Year, nearly everyone just wanted to have fun. American Jews grow up in an environment in which they feel alienated during Christmas (how far can one go in participating in holiday activities without appearing to endorse the theological theme?), but those born and raised in Israel never had to deal with the complicated feelings that arise since they grew up in a Jewish state. The clothes and decorations are merely yet another excuse for secular Israelis to throw a party, and they are sufficiently Westernized through television and films to be familiar with the standard holidays and associated themes.

And party they did. The bar was not kosher, so it was in no danger of losing a kashrut (kosher) certificate — especially since Rishon Lezion is relatively far from Jerusalem. But I left with lingering questions. The secular, Westernized celebration of the holiday season — and the rabbinical efforts to clamp down on the phenomenon — is yet another example of one of the central paradoxes facing Israel.

The Jewish state wants to be two things: a Jewish state and a free, democratic state. But what is the solution when these competing priorities conflict? If all Israelis start celebrating Christmas (either as Christians or as secularized revelers), then it will arguably no longer be a Jewish state. If the government bans everyone from having anything to do with the holiday, then it will no longer be a free state.

Elsewhere: A related post on this issue. Hat tip: Dov Bear. Brad Hirschfield writes that these Jews are doing to Christians what Christians did to them centuries ago.

Reading List

It seems that I have a lot of reading for the next few days. These articles look interesting:

From Foreign Policy:

Why is the United States letting jihadists have free reign online?

How Israelis see Barack Obama

How Osama bin Laden escaped Tora Bora while surrounded

From the Christian Science Monitor:

Are more Americans are joining jihad?

High-school civics courses are teaching nation-building — at home

More college students are dropping out because they need to work

Ayn Rand’s growing popularity among U.S. conservatives

The Muslim Public Affairs Council released recommendations on combating extremism among Muslim youth in the United States

From the Asia Times:

Spengler thinks the recent, positive economic statistics are a load of bunk

Other sources:

Michael J. Totten highlights a report that Hizbollah now has dangerous delusions of grandeur

Is the Internet destroying culture and interpersonal relations?

A friend forwarded an article on how twentysomething journalists in the United States are actually less eager to “rock the boat” in regards to new technologies

“The Day After Tomorrow” might be more likely than you would like to think

Why an 85-year-old, Israeli man avoided doctors for sixty-five years until he had a heart attack

Only in Israel

JERUSALEM — So I was walking to a book store at the local mall to buy the weekend papers before sundown. At the entrance, I passed through the metal detector and opened my backpack for the guard. Business as usual.

The man behind me was an Arab with a baby in a stroller. Out of laziness — I could tell by the shrug and the look on the his face — the guard told the man to use the other door that had neither a metal detector nor any other security. The guard obviously did not want to bother checking the stroller personally.

If I were in the United States, I would have thought the act was a nice one towards a father with a baby. In Israel, my reaction was: “That would be an easy way for someone to sneak a bomb into a mall!” Then I shrugged and went to buy my papers.

(For the record, I would have thought the same thing if the father had not been an Arab. I just don’t like people bypassing security as a result of laziness.)

Chanukah 2009/5770

JERUSALEM — The Jewish holiday of Chanukah begins at sundown today. Here are two past writings of mine on the topic: Is Chanukah a Right-Wing Holiday? and Chanukah and Christopher Hitchens.

I also wanted to post another original writing. This is a short paper I wrote while I was a master’s student in Jewish Studies at Hebrew College in Boston. Enjoy!

When Secular and Religious Sources Conflict: Jewish Assimilation and the Maccabees

The story of Chanukah, detailed in the non-canonical books of Maccabees as well as in the writings of various secular historians, is one example of how different accounts — religious and secular — can cloud the history and memory of what actually occurred. The story related in Maccabees is essentially one of Jewish civil war. One faction wanted to adopt various ancient Greek customs since that culture was the dominant force in the Middle East (particularly when King Antiochus gained control of Judea). The other side viewed those practices as assimilation and heresy.

The writers of 1 Maccabees, when introducing the story, side with the latter group, portraying those who chose to assimilate as “wicked men” (1 Macc. 1:12) who profane the Sabbath and allow Antiochus to defile the Temple. When the Maccabees won, the writers viewed the victory in hindsight as a triumph of the faithful over the wicked. Right at the beginning of this account of the conflict, the pro-assimilation Judeans actively chose to side with Greek culture without any specific prompting or coercion:

In those days certain renegades came out from Israel and misled many, saying, ‘Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles around us, for since we separated from them many disasters have come upon us.’ This proposal pleased them, and some of the people eagerly went to the king, who authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles. So they build a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to Gentile custom, and removed the marks of circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil. (1 Macc. 1:11-15)

1 Maccabees paints the conflict in stark, black-and-white, religious terms. The fact that the writers portray the pro-assimilation Judeans as wanting to form a new “covenant” with the Greeks is especially damning since, to the Maccabees, the only covenant Jews should have is the one with God that was formed at Sinai.

The ancient historian Josephus Flavius, however, portrayed the account differently. To him, Antiochus originally treated the Jews well because they sided with him during the king’s war against Ptolemy over who would control Judea. To thank the Jews, Antiochus gave them appropriate animals to sacrifice, along with wine, oil, frankincense, silver, flour, wheat, and salt. More significantly, he wrote to Ptolemy to command that “all of that nation live according to the laws of their own country” (Antiquities, Book XII, Chapter III, Part III).

However, Antiochus eventually decided to invade Jerusalem following a failed effort to take Egypt. Josephus writes that the king, in contrast to his earlier policy of toleration, now wanted to impose Greek culture upon the Jews:

[Antiochus] compelled them to forsake the worship which they paid their own God, and to adore those whom he took to be gods; and made them build temples, and raise idol altars in every city and village, and offer swine upon them every day. He also commanded them not to circumcise their sons, and threatened to punish any that should be found to have transgressed his injunction. He also appointed overseers, who should compel them to do what he commanded. (Antiquities, Book XII, Chapter V, Part IV).

According to Josephus, the punishments for violating Antiochus’ decrees were harsh: “they were whipped with rods, and their bodies were torn to pieces, and were crucified, while they were still alive, and breathed. They also strangled those women and their sons whom they had circumcised, as the king had appointed, hanging their sons about their necks as they were upon the crosses” (ibid).

One of the differences between the accounts in 1 Maccabees and Antiquties is in the motivations they attribute to the Jews who choose to adopt Greek culture. In 1 Maccabees, the Judeans assimilate — for seemingly no other reason than because they were wicked — before Antiochus imposes his harsh rule. In Antiquities, the king forces assimilation onto the Judeans under pain of death, and then some Jews assimilate to save their lives.

This difference is an example of the difficulty in surmising accurate social histories from religious texts. History is written by the victors, and 1 Maccabees is one such case. One of the authors’ purposes was to demonize those Jews who chose to assimilate into Greek culture by adopting some of its practices. Antiochus’ decrees in occupied Jerusalem were of secondary importance. If the writers of 1 Maccabees had stated that the Jews who had adopted Greek customs were coerced, then that statement would have hurt their argument that any Jews who assimilate are inherently wicked.

All writers of history naturally have their personal biases, but authors of religious texts are less interested in communicating objective accounts at all — they want to convince their readers of certain theological points. Persuasion is primary; accuracy is secondary.

Related: The White House’s Chanukah party was criticized politically as well. It seems that nothing can be taken lightly anymore.

My Favorite Song of the Moment

My Favorite Song of the Moment

FIFA World Cup Predictions

Here are the eight groups of four teams each that will play in the 2010 World Cup, and here is the match schedule. The top two teams in each group will make it to the Round of 16.

As I have always said, international soccer is war by other means. I cannot wait.

Here are my predictions (who will win, not whom I want to win):

• Group A — France and South Africa
• Group B — Argentina and Greece
• Group C — USA and England
• Group D — Germany and Australia
• Group E — Netherlands and Denmark
• Group F — Italy and Slovakia
• Group G — Brazil and Portugal
• Group H — Spain and Switzerland

Round of 16:

• France over Greece
• USA over Australia
• Netherlands over Slovakia
• Brazil over Switzerland
• Argentina over South Africa
• Germany over England
• Italy over Denmark
• Spain over Portugal

Quarterfinals:

• France over USA
• Brazil over Netherlands
• Argentina over Germany
• Italy over Spain

Semifinals:

• Brazil over France
• Italy over Argentina

Finals:

• Italy over Brazil

Since Israel did not make the cut and few Americans care about soccer, I will support my third-favorite country: England! As a alternate, I will also root for Argentina since I have a lot of friends from there whom have persuaded me to hate Brazil.

Online Advertising

I am now accepting various types of advertising on the blog. Have a partnership idea or something to pitch? Go here for more information.

On Sarah Palin

BELLEVILLE, Illinois — I know more than a few conservative, hard-right women here in the midwestern United States, and many of them dislike the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate as much as your typical Bostonian liberal.

I never understood why. But then I read this reader’s comment to Andrew Sullivan on why many women do not like Palin:

Sarah Palin is the peppy cheerleader in high school all the boys thought was so sweet but the girls knew was really a vicious shrew. She’s the new girl in the office who wears tight shirts and three-inch heels, is super-friendly to her male superiors, ignores the other women, and gets promoted sooner than her more capable and hard working peers. She’s the outgoing PTA mom all of the other women are scared to cross because they will find themselves put on the worst committees. Only a woman knows how to give another woman a sweet smile and at the same time cut her down to size with an artfully crafted “compliment” without male observers having a clue about what just happened. It’s like a dog whistle.

It sounds reasonable. Readers — especially those who are conservatives and/or women — what say you?

Revealing Clothing

JERUSALEM — British researchers have discovered what sensible men have always known:

Striking the right balance between revealing too much and being too conservative in how much skin is on show has long been a dilemma for women when choosing the right outfit for a night out.

However, a study by experts at the University of Leeds has come to the rescue by calculating the exact proportion of the body that should be exposed for optimum allure…

Women who revealed around 40 per cent of their skin attracted twice as many men as those who covered up.

However, those who exposed any more than this also fared worse. Experts believe that showing too much flesh puts men off because it suggests they might be unfaithful.

Psychologist Dr Colin Hendrie, who led the study, told the Daily Mail: “Any more than 40 per cent and the signal changes from ‘allure’ to one indicating general availability and future infidelity.” (emphasis added)

Although I agree with the findings of the study, there are a few issues with the methodology. Of course, it is impossible to control for the hundreds of variables that occur during interpersonal reactions in a club. There are potentially untold numbers of reasons why one woman would be approached more or less often than another. In addition, the intention of the men observed must be taken into account — were they looking for a one-night stand or something meaningful? It would have been impossible for the researchers to discern this. (More on this later.)

Still, the forest is correct even if they were some issues with the trees. Women who wear extremely-revealing clothing can always be categorized as one or more of the following:

• They have low self-esteem and want interest from men to make them feel better about themselves.
• They have low self-esteem and think their looks are the only positive quality they possess.
• They are — for lack of a better term — sluts who are looking for action.
• Service-sector employees like waitresses and bartenders who are looking for good tips.

As I noted in a prior post, women are much more attractive when they dress modestly and conservatively — what is unseen is always more sexy and alluring than what is seen. A sense of mystery creates desire. For example, I have always thought that women in Jerusalem — where I once lived and will shortly live again — are generally much more attractive than the libertine, scantily-clad girls in Tel Aviv. (The picture posted above is an example of the type of clothing that a modern Orthodox woman may wear.)

In addition, a conservatively-attired woman will attract a better class of men. The British researchers in the posted article noted that women in the club who covered up too much were approached less often. The reason is obvious: drunk guys in clubs are looking for one-night stands, and they know subconsciously that a modestly-dressed girl will likely not be interested in meaningless sex. (Not one of my married friends met his or her future spouse in a bar or club.) The researchers would have found that a conservative dress was more beneficial in a dating environment other than a bar or nightclub.

The cited study reports that women should leave forty percent of their skin uncovered if they want to attract attention in a club. I would posit that women should cover more if they want to attract a quality guy anywhere.

Related: The Battle of the Sexes, Fashionable Modesty, and The Return of Modesty.

(Hat tip: Vox Day)

Personal Update

BELLEVILLE, Illinois — Blogging might be light over the next several days since I’ll be traveling to Chicago for the Thanksgiving holiday. But I’ll be back in Israel on Monday — more updates then.

Antibacterial Soap

JERUSALEM — So I was eating dinner at my girlfriend’s family’s house one evening, and they were feeding her infant nephew. A piece of food fell on the floor, and my girlfriend’s mother picked it up and gave it to the boy. (The five-second rule, after all, is always in effect.)

My first reaction was to ask, “Are you sure it’s OK?” My girlfriend’s mother responded, rightfully, that children need to expose themselves to some bacteria to develop immunities. Children who are always in a completely-sterile environment tend to develop illness more often as adults because their bodies are not used to fighting germs.

I thought of this story as I read today that cases of a drug-resistant bacterium named MRSA have skyrocketed. I blame this occurrence — among other similar ones — partly on the overzealous desire among parents in recent years to use antibacterial products that call most, if not all, germs. For example, I was working as a reporter after college, and the editor’s wife — an older woman who had never had children — always stocked the bathroom full of antibacterial soap and always made sure to point out that fact.

Bacteria is not always bad! People need to develop immunities, and bacteria become resistant to drugs the more that they encounter them.

Letter from Israel: Me and the Israeli Arab

Sixteenth in an ongoing series

RISHON LEZION, Israel — “Why hire a non-Jew when you can hire a Jew?”

That was the response of a local bar owner when I asked him, out of curiosity, whether he would hire an Israeli Arab as a bartender or waitress if the person were attractive, friendly, and experienced. Earlier that day, I had asked the owner of a local kiosk — something like a convenience store — whom I know whether there were any local companies that provide cleaning services. For the equivalent of $12 for two hours of work, I could have my small apartment cleaned as often as I like.

The kiosk owner, to my surprise, called out to another shopper in the store and asked him in Hebrew whether he wanted a cleaning job. Evidently, they were friends. I spoke to the other person — a guy who was my age — and he agreed to come over the next evening after we haggled over the price. As I left the kiosk, the owner told me in English: “By the way, he is a very nice guy. A hard worker. But he is Arab.”

—
Arabs, Christians, and Jews

Thirty percent of Israelis are not Jews. Most of the minority are Arabs who are either Muslim or Christian. The remaining people are immigrants from the former Soviet Union — Christians and atheists — who fled the country in the early 1990s and were able to emigrate to Israel because they had at least one grandparent who was a Jew even though they themselves were not Jews. The latter group has become very successful in Israel because they were highly educated in fields like engineering and the high-tech industry. But the Arab community has always had higher levels of poverty, crime, and poor education. Nearly all of them work in blue-collar or service jobs — if they are
employed at all.

When the owner told me that they guy — a 30-year-old by the name of Faiez who works at a falafel stand during the day — was an Arab, I admit that I hesitated for a split second. The American and Israeli sides of my brain were battling each other. The American said not to be racist since the United States has usually been an idealistic, multi-ethnic society — at least in theory, if not always in practice. The realist Israeli in me said to forget about it. After all, I did not really know Faiez — although the kiosk owner said that he was a good guy, this might be a risky endeavor for all the obvious reasons.

Finally, the American in me won. I told the kiosk owner in Hebrew: “What do I care? A good guy is a good guy.”

—
The Israeli Reaction

I was still a little unsure after I had hired Faiez, so I went to ask some Israeli friends at a bar that night for their thoughts. The owner of the place told me that he always prefers to hire Jews. After all, when you want to build a Jewish country out of nothing but sand, it is important to make sure that all Jews are employed and able to survive. (Although, the owner’s statement was not entirely accurate. Some of the waitresses he had hired were non-Jews from the former Soviet Union, so perhaps he had truly meant that he would not hire any Arabs.) Others offered thoughts that were meant as jokes but offered insights into the Israeli mentality as well. “Don’t leave an Arab guy alone in your apartment; he might try to steal something.” “If anything happens to you, we’ll know what.”

Imagine this conversation occurring in the United States, and replace the word “Arab” with “black” or “Hispanic.” For all of the good things about Israeli society, the sad truth is that this country is incredibly racist as well. A recent wave of immigration brought black Jews from Ethiopia to Israel, but other Israeli Jews frequently refer to them with the Hebrew equivalent of the N-word. For people who were born and raised, for example, in the United States or Britain, these attitudes are always shocking because people in our native countries are less racist, and any racism is at least not spoken bluntly and outright in public.

Now, I am not excusing the racism; I merely intend to explain it. As most people know, Israel has been attacked by the surrounding Arab countries since its inception. Waves of Palestinian terrorism and suicide bombings swept through the country in the late 1980s and 1990s. In this small country — roughly the size of New Jersey — nearly everyone knows someone who died in a war or terrorist attack. For obvious reasons, this affects people mentally. Israelis my age were preteens and teenagers during the worst of the intifadas. The effects are two-fold: 1.) Many Israeli men have some level of
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of military service; and 2.) Israelis have a myopic view that the surrounding peoples — Jordanians, Lebanese, Egyptians, and Syrians — are not individual peoples but simply “Arabs” who want to push the Jews into the sea. The racism in Israeli society recently extended to the city of Petah Tikva, which wants to monitor and “help” Jewish, teenage girls who date older, Arab men. (Although, as I noted, there is also crime, poverty, and education involved in addition to racism.)

In just one example: One friend of mine was fired upon while fighting in Lebanon; a few of his friends died. A few years later, he saw a few other friends die when a Palestinian terrorist took control of a bus and plowed them down in the street. You can imagine what he thought when I told him that I had hired an Israeli Arab to clean my apartment.

—
Me and Faiez

So, Faiez came over. He was very friendly, and he did a wonderful job cleaning. I gave him the wage plus a good tip. While he cleaned, we would watch soccer and basketball on television, talk about girls, and he would ask me about my American DVD collection. (For example, how do you explain “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in basic Hebrew? I said, “A girl in high school kills…” and then held up two fingers to my mouth to imitate fangs. He understood and laughed.)

I do not speak Arabic, and he does not know English, so we compromised on Hebrew. But we started to teach each other a few phrases in our native languages. Faiez would see my neighbors — cute, Israeli girls in their twenties — walk by and then make the usual comments to me in typical guy-fashion. He asked one if she needed someone to clean her apartment; she declined curtly and walked away. That same night, he asked if my girlfriend — an Israeli Jew who was born and raised in Jerusalem — was Muslim. I responded, perhaps sheepishly because I did not want to risk offending him, that she was not.

Later, Faiez told me this past week that it is hard for him to meet girls. I was not surprised. Most Israeli Arabs live in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and in a few towns in the northern and southern parts of the country — not here in the central region. I said that there are some dating websites for Muslims — probably even for Arabs in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip — and that I would find one for him. But then Faiez said something that made me pause mentally for a moment: “I do not have a lot of friends either. Can I come just to hang out sometimes? You seem like a good guy.”

—
A New Friendship?

My mind did not know what to think. But out of my American politeness (as opposed to Israeli bluntness), I said: “Of course! You are a good guy too.”

After Faiez left, I went to talk to my friends again. First, I called my girlfriend. “Jews and Arabs just don’t become friends here; it just doesn’t happen,” she said. “You should screen his calls, and hire someone else.” Another friend who owns a bar in the city: “You know what I think. If you become friends, do NOT bring him here.” (“Not a problem,” I replied. “He is a Muslim and does not drink alcohol.”) But three other people responded: “A person is a person. Who cares what his religion is? If someone said these things about Jews, we would be angry!” The responses to my situation perfectly reflected the polarization in Israeli society and politics — there is hardly anything between the far left and the hard right.

Since I had originally hired Faiez to clean my apartment and he seemed like a nice guy, I no longer had any concerns about the fact that he was a Muslim Arab. I was more concerned about my personal motivations. Did I hire him and possibly want to become friends with him because he was a poor Arab who needed the money? That would be condescending. Was I considering becoming friends with him out of a desire, to help promote peace in some small way, to build a peaceful, Jewish-Arab connection between two people? That would reduce him to being simply “an Arab” and not a person in his own right. If I would become friends with Faiez, it would only have to be for the fact that he was a nice guy whom I liked.

So, after reflecting on this situation and writing this essay, that is what I decided to do. Now I’m just thinking about what I will tell my girlfriend.

Prior Letter: The Bright Side of Life