Ari Bussel

Israel, A Nation Lost

A prospective juror who is a priori prejudiced will, as a matter of course, be dismissed from serving on a jury pool. Many use this knowledge to be excused from jury service. Israel finds herself in the most peculiar position of always being found guilty before deliberations even begin. The World, itself Judge and Jury, stands and applauds: the harsher the treatment, the stronger the clapping.

A Border Crossing

The Jordan River A family friend is a professor at the University of Oregon in Eugene. The city is located at the confluence of the McKenzie and the Willamette rivers. I vividly remember looking at awe at a river, thinking of God’s power, the enormity of nature and the fragility of man.

Israel, December 1, 2009

Israel’s Prime Minister has a viral flu, prompting his doctor to order cessation of activities for a second day in a row. The prevalent attitude is expressed in the following remark:

Introspection

“Israeli society, over all, is moderate centrist, value-driven (even if there are times of crises) and strong. For decades I hear cries from the Right (similar to your own) and the Left, and see what a wonder – not one of these comes into being.

Cry Palestine, Stand Proud Israel

Our last Postcard, sent just before the dawn of the Jewish year 5770, talks about healthcare in the USA, a system that is faulty and failing due to the burden of bureaucrats and less-than-capable workforce, enormous pressures of frivolous lawsuits and those who cannot afford to see a doctor but visit the emergency rooms instead and the boundless greed of pharmaceutical companies.

Prepare, Before it is Too Late

One often relies on government at all levels to protect one’s long-term interests, to be ready for unforeseen eventualities. In an emergency, all that needs to be done is open a manual and follow the instructions. Preparedness and training support this readiness assumption. Yet, real emergencies and disasters never resemble those we anticipate and for which we train. Thus, improvisation, flexibility and thinking outside the box must all be exercised for real-time events.

The Second Disengagement

"According to the Hebrew calendar, today is the fourth anniversary of the disengagement. Israel uprooted approximately 10,000 Israelis – men, women and children – from their homes. To our regret, Gaza has become a base for Hamas-led, Iranian-sponsored terrorism; thousands of rockets and missiles have been fired at us. Therefore, today, I would like to emphasize …

A Whisper of Love

A new boy was born early this morning to Israeli parents. Mother and son are doing well. The sister awaits the new “gift” to arrive, she is expecting to dress and bathe it. A young brother, a son, a grandson has arrived to the world, not knowing the maelstrom that will soon threaten to take us over.

Collaborators in the Pursuit of Freedom

I ask myself: Has Israel learned nothing during its 61 years as a modern state? In my previous Postcard, I recalled the 1974 Maalot Massacre in which 105 children were taken hostage in a school. A soldier, three members of one family and 22 boys and girls were murdered on that day, 35 years ago.

35 Years After

While in Israel, I was invited to visit the old cemetery of Tsfat. Major restoration work is taking place there, alongside a hillside spread with stones. Underneath are hundreds of graves. Over the centuries, their tombstones became rubble, washed away by rain, exposing some of the graves underneath. This was my opportunity to learn that all tombstones in a Jewish cemetery face East, thus all headrests are aligned, row after row, toward Jerusalem.

You Only Have to Look

One takes the same route day after day but never notices the full picture. He walks, runs, takes the bus or drives and is able to provide a very detailed description of the route. But there are holes in the picture, those things which are obvious but which he has not noticed before. If only he tried the other side of the street or the reverse course, he would find extraordinary things staring at him. Once noticed, they become newly acquired friends, their presence obvious from time immemorial.

A Rose to a World Gone By

A day following his Cairo Speech, US President Barack Hussein Obama toured Buchenwald Concentration Camp accompanied by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Holocaust survivors Elie Wiesel and Bertrand Herz.

Waking Up to a Nasty New Reality

Israel is waking up to a nasty new reality. In preparation to his Middle East trip, President Obama warned that partners and friends must be forthcoming among themselves. King Solomon’s proverb immediately comes to mind: “Better an uncovered rebuke than hidden love” Proverbs 27:5.

What Tomorrow May Bring

Once long ago, a future US President talked about hope, about home of the brave, the shield of democracy and the sword of freedom. He was the youngest President, soon thereof also the youngest to die. To this very day we think with reverence at JFK, our 35th President.

Shabbat candles

Two candles, starting at equal length. One candle is still alive, the other barely, almost extinct but not. It is the last spark that goes out, at times with a sliver of dusk and no more, that captures my imagination as much as the glory of the lights of two candles symbolizing Shabbat. The candles are like a married couple, a man and a woman, the essence of life.

Appeasement and Surrender

The United Kingdom is very conservative when it comes to defending the New Islam. It has zero tolerance to anyone else. Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders, Israeli politician Moshe Feiglin, Los Angeles radio personality Michael Savage and others are unwelcome guests. Their presence is not “conducive for the public good.” Israeli Major Generals and former Chiefs of Staff cannot deplane lest they be apprehended and charged.

Why Bother?

The Israel Defense Forces has fulfilled many objectives throughout Israel’s 61 years of existence. One of the most important is its role in education: helping those who did not complete high school, providing vocational training via military assignments, serving as a melting pot for Israel’s very diverse society.

Standing for Ourselves

Rob Eshman, editor-in-chief of the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, suggests in this week’s editorial that Israel should maintain the bedrock of shared values with the United States in order avoid “quickly put[ting] Israel at odds with the administration of Barack Obama.” He adds: “For 61 years, Israel’s sales pitch to American Jews, and, but extension, to all Americans, can be summed up in two words: We’re you. Israel stands for the American ideals of democracy, peace, coexistence and justice.”

A Valley of Dry Bones

While in Israel, I discovered the meaning of the Valley of Dry Bones, yet I did not realize it until Passover weekend. The Haftara segment read after the weekly Torah portion is from Ezekiel chapter 37. It starts by describing the prophet Ezekiel who was taken by the Spirit of God to a valley, “and it is full of bones.” God moves Ezekiel round and round over the bones, “and here they are very many on the face of the valley, and here they are very dry.”

There is a New Sheriff in Town

President Shimon Peres of Israel said yesterday:  “The people of Israel remember the words of God to Gideon: ‘Go with this, your strength, and you shall save Israel.’” And thus ended his remarks by saying “All of the people pray for the salvation of Israel.”