Ehud Olmert announced yesterday that he will release 250 Fatah terrorists, and make them sign a pledge that they will never ever again do terror.
Then he's going to make them write 500 times "Sitting in an Israeli jail is proof that Israel exists and I therefore recognize it" on a blackboard.
I mean, really, making them sign that thing? Will it change anything? Since when do terrorists care about not breaking promises to the infidel?
And they are Fatah terrorists. Gilad Shalit is being held by Hamas terrorists. There's an itty bitty civil war going on between them, maybe Hamas won't be too happy about Israel strengthening the "other side" (which is, I assume, one of the reasons that is actually pushing Olmert to do this).
It's not easy being Prime Minister, because statistically speaking, you're bound to make some bad decisions. But I know we ALL have a feeling that we could have somehow handled this better.
In honor of this feeling, I hereby present you with a childhood favorite of mine:
Adoni Rosh Ha-Ir - Mister Mayor.
Sung by Igal Bashan and written by Igal Bashan and Uzi Chitman (another Israeli musician gone too soon). It's a kiddie song asking the mayor to please step aside for one day, I'd like to try out the job, after all I love this city too. Cute way to start the day.
Showing posts with label Nostalgia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nostalgia. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Naomi Shemer
Israel is such a young country. You still have some people, some of the great people, who were there even before it was a country, who were there from the beginning. You have those artists who really created the Israel we now know from scratch, be it music or movies or books, even news anchors. Even if you don't share their political views, it's still them, you know. Those people you can't not admire, because they've been there forever. They're the real Israel. They're who you grew up with.
And, in a country as young as Israel, there comes a time when that generation of creators start to slowly fade away, and as nature takes its course, to die. We're not used to this. It's still a shock when one of the "great ones" die. We didn't think. We didn't tell you how much you meant to us. You all were supposed to stay forever, right? I'm thinking of people like Ehud Manor, Ofra Haza, Shoshana Damari, Uzi Chitman, Yossi Banai, and some others whose names don't come to mind right now.
But the one I miss most is Naomi Shemer.
Naomi Shemer wrote lyrics to music, composed music to lyrics, translated songs into Hebrew, invented new creations, and she did it with a kind of magic. She wrote of the beautiful Israel, of the Israel as I always imagine it, as I always remember it. She created for kids as well as adults. She would write a song about the Sinai desert, and you could feel the grains of sand between your toes (בהאחזות הנח"ל בסיני). She would write a song about a couple walking together under an umbrella, and you'd get shivers down your back because the raindrops were right there, falling on you (שנינו יחד תחת מטריה אחת). She had such a noble Hebrew vocabulary, so precise and so delicate and so strong.
So many of the songs everyone in Israel knows by heart were written by her in one way or another. People don't even realize how almost everything was touched by her in one way or another.
But it's not only her songs that I admire. It's her Israelity. She loved Israel, and you could feel it with every one of her notes. She wasn't religious but had a very deep respect for religion. There are some beautiful songs of hers that talk about passages from the bible. She had such an easy way of writing songs to children but without dumbing them down. Songs she translated from French are even more beautiful and poignant in Hebrew than the originals, but without changing the meaning at all, not even for one sentence. (I'm thinking in particular of the song "Ahava bat Esrim - אהבה בת עשרים" sung by the greatly missed Yossi Banai, which is a translation of Jacques Brel's "La Chanson des Vieux Amants"). She translated the Beatles' song "Let it Be" after the Yom Kippur War, a quiet song which echoed the heartfelt prayer that all Israelis were feeling at the time.
She wrote the first part of "Jerusalem of Gold" mere weeks before the Six Day War. She was asked to write a song about the city, so she wrote about the beautiful city, enclosed within her walls, all alone. She was criticized for that once, because in the song she says "The city marketplace is empty, no one is going down to the Dead Sea by the road of Jericho any more...". The criticism was because Jerusalem was not in fact empty. If it was emptied of Jews, it's because the Jordanian troops came in. Arabs lived in the Old City that once flourished with Jews.
Her answer fills me with pride. I can imagine her, very calm, very posed, yet very assertive in the words of her reply. Even for this reply, I can't translate the beauty of her words, but I will give you the general translation.
Here's the original in Hebrew, for those who understand and can appreciate.
She died three years ago, in the month of Tamuz. That's God's sarcasm for you. A few years before she wrote a song called "Sad to die in the middle of the month of Tamuz - עצוב למות באמצע התמוז", about the sadness of dying before one's time. It is a regular during Israeli Memorial Day, and it was used in the commemorative CD for Itzhak Rabin.
I could list so many of her songs which I love, which I would recommend for you to listen in order to fall in love not only with her, but with Israel, for she was and always will be the real, the beautiful Israel. There are so many that in fact I could just list her whole discography. I'm afraid that if I try to show here a video of one of my favorites, then it'll just diminish the ones I don't show.
So instead, the song of hers that I will present here will be a song sung by me, Moishe Oofnik. She wrote for everyone, and also for kid's shows. This song's lyrics were written by Omer Hillel, a children's author whose books I grew up on, and Naomi Shemer put the words to music. It's a sweet song about a child asking millions of questions, as all children do, such as "What do the trees do? And the houses? And the birds?".
If one day I have the time, I might write the words in all three "languages" (Hebrew, English, and Phonetic Hebrew, if you wish to sing along but can't read Hebrew letters).
Moishe asks Kippi all these questions, and the sweet hedgehog kindly answers. Then the grouch gets grouchy and complains that there are too many questions, so Kippi offers to both ask and answer. This is as nostalgia as it gets for me.
Naomi Shemer, al kol ele, for all of this and for all you stood for, you are greatly missed.
And, in a country as young as Israel, there comes a time when that generation of creators start to slowly fade away, and as nature takes its course, to die. We're not used to this. It's still a shock when one of the "great ones" die. We didn't think. We didn't tell you how much you meant to us. You all were supposed to stay forever, right? I'm thinking of people like Ehud Manor, Ofra Haza, Shoshana Damari, Uzi Chitman, Yossi Banai, and some others whose names don't come to mind right now.
But the one I miss most is Naomi Shemer.
Naomi Shemer wrote lyrics to music, composed music to lyrics, translated songs into Hebrew, invented new creations, and she did it with a kind of magic. She wrote of the beautiful Israel, of the Israel as I always imagine it, as I always remember it. She created for kids as well as adults. She would write a song about the Sinai desert, and you could feel the grains of sand between your toes (בהאחזות הנח"ל בסיני). She would write a song about a couple walking together under an umbrella, and you'd get shivers down your back because the raindrops were right there, falling on you (שנינו יחד תחת מטריה אחת). She had such a noble Hebrew vocabulary, so precise and so delicate and so strong.
So many of the songs everyone in Israel knows by heart were written by her in one way or another. People don't even realize how almost everything was touched by her in one way or another.
But it's not only her songs that I admire. It's her Israelity. She loved Israel, and you could feel it with every one of her notes. She wasn't religious but had a very deep respect for religion. There are some beautiful songs of hers that talk about passages from the bible. She had such an easy way of writing songs to children but without dumbing them down. Songs she translated from French are even more beautiful and poignant in Hebrew than the originals, but without changing the meaning at all, not even for one sentence. (I'm thinking in particular of the song "Ahava bat Esrim - אהבה בת עשרים" sung by the greatly missed Yossi Banai, which is a translation of Jacques Brel's "La Chanson des Vieux Amants"). She translated the Beatles' song "Let it Be" after the Yom Kippur War, a quiet song which echoed the heartfelt prayer that all Israelis were feeling at the time.
She wrote the first part of "Jerusalem of Gold" mere weeks before the Six Day War. She was asked to write a song about the city, so she wrote about the beautiful city, enclosed within her walls, all alone. She was criticized for that once, because in the song she says "The city marketplace is empty, no one is going down to the Dead Sea by the road of Jericho any more...". The criticism was because Jerusalem was not in fact empty. If it was emptied of Jews, it's because the Jordanian troops came in. Arabs lived in the Old City that once flourished with Jews.
Her answer fills me with pride. I can imagine her, very calm, very posed, yet very assertive in the words of her reply. Even for this reply, I can't translate the beauty of her words, but I will give you the general translation.
This criticism angers me very much. It's as if a man misses his loved one, and goes to his psychiatrist, Amos Oz (uh, ultra leftist is a kind description), and he tells him "Don't worry, she's not alone in bed"... A world that is empty of Jews is for me a dead planet, and an Eretz Israel who is empty of Jews is for me empty and deserted.
Here's the original in Hebrew, for those who understand and can appreciate.
זה מעורר בי זעם נורא, הטיעון הזה. זה כאילו בן אדם מתגעגע לאהובתו והוא בא אל הפסיכיאטר שלו, עמוס עוז, ואז הפסיכיאטר אומר לו 'אל תדאג, היא לא לבד במיטה'... עולם שהוא ריק מיהודים, הוא בשבילי כוכב מת וארץ ישראל שהיא ריקה מיהודים היא בשבילי שוממת וריקה
She died three years ago, in the month of Tamuz. That's God's sarcasm for you. A few years before she wrote a song called "Sad to die in the middle of the month of Tamuz - עצוב למות באמצע התמוז", about the sadness of dying before one's time. It is a regular during Israeli Memorial Day, and it was used in the commemorative CD for Itzhak Rabin.
I could list so many of her songs which I love, which I would recommend for you to listen in order to fall in love not only with her, but with Israel, for she was and always will be the real, the beautiful Israel. There are so many that in fact I could just list her whole discography. I'm afraid that if I try to show here a video of one of my favorites, then it'll just diminish the ones I don't show.
So instead, the song of hers that I will present here will be a song sung by me, Moishe Oofnik. She wrote for everyone, and also for kid's shows. This song's lyrics were written by Omer Hillel, a children's author whose books I grew up on, and Naomi Shemer put the words to music. It's a sweet song about a child asking millions of questions, as all children do, such as "What do the trees do? And the houses? And the birds?".
If one day I have the time, I might write the words in all three "languages" (Hebrew, English, and Phonetic Hebrew, if you wish to sing along but can't read Hebrew letters).
Moishe asks Kippi all these questions, and the sweet hedgehog kindly answers. Then the grouch gets grouchy and complains that there are too many questions, so Kippi offers to both ask and answer. This is as nostalgia as it gets for me.
Naomi Shemer, al kol ele, for all of this and for all you stood for, you are greatly missed.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Hey look!! I'm in the news!!
I know it's from over two months ago but hey I'm slow :)
Looklooklook I'm in the news and all!
Sesame Street returns to Israel, PA, after more than decade off the air
Looklooklook I'm in the news and all!
Sesame Street returns to Israel, PA, after more than decade off the air
The Israeli version of Oscar the Grouch, Moishe Oofnik, seen in a city trash can on Israel's Rechov Sumsum. (Haaretz)Isn't that a nice picture of me? I look like I'm in very deep thought...
Producers tailored the Middle Eastern casts and story lines to the fit the audiences. "Rehov Sumsum," the Israeli version of the show, for the first time includes a Muppet of Arab origin. Its Palestinian counterpart, "Shara'a Simsim," seeks to offer positive role models to boys in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Hmmmm... What do you think the Palestinian grouch looks like? They don't mention whether the Palestinian counterpart includes a Jewish or Israeli Muppet...
I wonder how many kids actually see this in the territories. Do they see this more than Farfur the Islamist Mickey Mouse? I would like to go see what the "Shara'a Simsim" episodes look like. Are they really promoting coexistence and dialogue and brushing teeth? I'd also like to see some of the new "Rehov Sumsum" episodes for that matter. I'm sure it's not at all like when I was a kid.
Ahhh, everything was better before :)
Here's a little bit of nostalgia... Arik and the Cookie Monster baking a cake...
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
TV for children
I have always been appalled by what Palestinian children get to watch on TV. Not only Farfur the Islamist Mickey Mouse clone, but everything those children have been subjected to for the past decade or so. Growing up in Israel I never heard a single call for violence or sacrifice for a greater cause. The songs I heard on the television never included the words "kalashnikov".
This is the TV I grew up with
They are singing their different fruit names in both Hebrew and Arabic. Wouldn't any normal parent want that their kid watch that rather than Farfur?
Sunday, May 27, 2007
First post
I know people can't always agree. I know most of the people around me don't agree with me. And this is a problem, because actually most of my best friends hate my political opinions. You see, I'm not a socialist, I'm not a leftist, I don't hate Bush, I have no sympathy for Islamists, I don't hate Sarkozy and I guess I am just generally considered as politically incorrect. I tire of arguing with my friends, especially since everything I say about the USA, Israel, the war on terror, Palestinians, the elections in France, Iran, the war in Iraq, 9-11, 7-7, the veil, anti-semitism etc, seems to them to be tainted because I happen to be Israeli.
Yes, I am Israeli. Oh yeah, and Jewish. And therefore people assume that my opinion on what happens in my country (though I haven't lived there since my teens) is biased. Never mind the fact that about 50% of Israelis don't agree with me either. My opinion is biased.
Though it's true, I love my country and no matter where I live in the world I will still consider it MY country, I am capable of criticizing her decisions and actions. I try to remain objective and try to think of things not in terms of "Israel and Palestine" or "Jews and Muslims" or "Jews and non-Jews", but rather people from category A and category B. Easier said than done, I know. But I try. Still, no matter how I turn things, most of the time there's an obvious double standard when it comes to judging Israel. I will talk more about that as this blog progresses (I hope).
Who I really am is not important, as this blog isn't about me. I love civilized discussions, so feel free to comment. But don't forget, this is still my world, and I get to write what I want. If you don't like it, make your own blog. A blog I read a lot is Meryl Yourish, and just like her blog, this is a No Israel-Bashing Zone. If you do not respect the rules of my world, your comments will not be tolerated. I could just quote what she says about it, but the basic idea is this: Whether you agree or not, Israel gets bashed quite a lot, too much. I will not create a platform for Israel to be bashed some more.
There, now that I've done my aggressive bit, I can say I've really written my first post.
I will post mostly in English, but since I am currently living in France, I will probably want to express myself about things happening here and to our neighbors in French. Though I am not very interested in my local politics, so those parts will be rather superficial. I might occasionally post in Hebrew, but this will be more nostalgia.
About nostalgia, I chose Moishe Oofnik to represent me because I feel this is how others see me. For those who aren't familiar with the stars of my childhood, Moishe is from Rehov Sumsum , which is the Israeli equivalent of Sesame Street, and Moishe is the Israeli Oscar the Grouch. When I talk politics with my friends, I feel they all see me as an extremist, though I just try to point out facts and reality and unfairnesses which I notice. So instead, I will vent here, or post things that I find are interesting and most people don't know.
One day I might look back on this post and think to myself that as far as first posts go, I really could have been wittier or at least more interesting. But for now, I guess it'll do.
Yes, I am Israeli. Oh yeah, and Jewish. And therefore people assume that my opinion on what happens in my country (though I haven't lived there since my teens) is biased. Never mind the fact that about 50% of Israelis don't agree with me either. My opinion is biased.
Though it's true, I love my country and no matter where I live in the world I will still consider it MY country, I am capable of criticizing her decisions and actions. I try to remain objective and try to think of things not in terms of "Israel and Palestine" or "Jews and Muslims" or "Jews and non-Jews", but rather people from category A and category B. Easier said than done, I know. But I try. Still, no matter how I turn things, most of the time there's an obvious double standard when it comes to judging Israel. I will talk more about that as this blog progresses (I hope).
Who I really am is not important, as this blog isn't about me. I love civilized discussions, so feel free to comment. But don't forget, this is still my world, and I get to write what I want. If you don't like it, make your own blog. A blog I read a lot is Meryl Yourish, and just like her blog, this is a No Israel-Bashing Zone. If you do not respect the rules of my world, your comments will not be tolerated. I could just quote what she says about it, but the basic idea is this: Whether you agree or not, Israel gets bashed quite a lot, too much. I will not create a platform for Israel to be bashed some more.
There, now that I've done my aggressive bit, I can say I've really written my first post.
I will post mostly in English, but since I am currently living in France, I will probably want to express myself about things happening here and to our neighbors in French. Though I am not very interested in my local politics, so those parts will be rather superficial. I might occasionally post in Hebrew, but this will be more nostalgia.
About nostalgia, I chose Moishe Oofnik to represent me because I feel this is how others see me. For those who aren't familiar with the stars of my childhood, Moishe is from Rehov Sumsum , which is the Israeli equivalent of Sesame Street, and Moishe is the Israeli Oscar the Grouch. When I talk politics with my friends, I feel they all see me as an extremist, though I just try to point out facts and reality and unfairnesses which I notice. So instead, I will vent here, or post things that I find are interesting and most people don't know.
One day I might look back on this post and think to myself that as far as first posts go, I really could have been wittier or at least more interesting. But for now, I guess it'll do.
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