Israelis have a saying- the third time, ice cream. For a while, this went over my head since there were many expressions whose words I understood but not their meaning. Yet finally Id heard it enough and love ice cream enough to ask for an explanation. Heres an example- you go to the supermarket and try to navigate the aisles. Near the cucumbers you and another person reach for the same cucumber. Later, at the cheese counter when the worker finally decides to wait on you and asks whos next, you and that same person from the cucumbers say its your turn. Finally, when you turn the corner to the hummus aisle, you ram your cart into the same person- your third encounter. One of you says, third time, ice cream which means that one of you has to buy the other one ice cream since the same thing happened between you three times. Never has anyone actually bought me ice cream though Ive had plenty of promises. On Saturday night, for the third time I will try to fly from Israel to Florida. If we get there, I will drive directly to Big Olafs ice cream store, the best ice cream in Sarasota, Florida, and buy my daughter an ice cream cone. Third time, ice cream. The war in Israel and subsequent flight cancellations meant that my flight was cancelled twice. Each time the flight was cancelled I was secretly relieved rather than annoyed. Despite my desire to visit family in the States, I have been dreading leaving Israel at this sensitive time. This may sound strange to some people, since the tension here is thick and war is all anyone speaks of- at work, at home, on the street, out loud, silently. Yet with this situation comes unity and like- mindedness, for the most part, and even my most left-wing friends are supportive of this war. At the same time we are all horrified by the human loss of innocent citizens in Gaza, and what to do with that horror is a huge problem. We carry it around like an awkward package, its always there, in the way, and we put it aside while we weep for our and mourn our own soldiers and citizens. We know this is a problematic equation and that the numbers are not equal and we know that the world is behind us in theory but hating and criticizing us for the deaths of innocent Gazans. So, now that my plane is not cancelled (yet), I will have to leave this bubble and go out into the hard, cruel, angry world and be an Israeli. Some will admire me for my bravery, some will be amazed at what our every day life has been like for the past month, but others will be hating Israel and Israelis and I will have to constantly decide if I keep my Israeliness to myself. I am afraid. In Jewish history this Shabbat (Sabbath) is called Black Sabbath. Jewish tradition teaches that the three weeks before the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av are a period of mourning. The ninth of Av is considered to be a day in history on which numerous tragic events took place including the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem thousands of years ago. The Shabbat before the ninth of Av is considered the darkest Shabbat of the year. Many modern Jews do not observe this holiday, for ideological reasons and for lack of even knowing about it. For many, focusing on the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem that symbolize an ancient Judaism in which animal sacrifices were the means of worship has no reference point. Instead, we celebrate a Judaism in which the end of the Temples meant the beginning of a Judaism in which worship became what we know today. However, the convergence of this war with the traditional three weeks of mourning and its culmination on the ninth of Av cannot be ignored. This truly is a period of mourning, a tragic time in Jewish history, and this Shabbat will truly be a Black Sabbath as we have just learned about the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by Hamas during what was supposed to have been a cease fire. The soldier, 23 years old, is a resident of the city where I live. The cease fire was supposed to have lasted 72 hours. Instead, 15 rockets were already shot into Israel by 11:00 a.m. I cant get a song by Barry Sacharoff out of my head. Its an aggressive song, a poignant song, called Time of Numbers. (words at the end below in Hebrew and English) This has become the time of numbers: 63 Israeli soldiers have been killed. 1400 Gazans have been killed. 150,000 meals have been served to soldiers by just one of the many volunteers helping their morale. The war is in its 25th day. 72, 48, 10, 4, 2 hour ceasefires that never last 2 degrees of separation between you and the latest soldier killed 15 rockets shot over Ashkelon, 10 intercepted by the Iron Dome $50 million dollars for one Iron Dome battery $20,000 for each firing of the Iron Dome and on and on and on. Third time, ice cream. Time of Numbers, Barry Sacharoff you know, i no longer hear words now is the time of numbers how much does it cost to stay innocent and how hard is it to buy a bit of comfort? i cant keep wandering outside, only outside, everything always returns what did they do to our song? what ? what? ? How good and how pleasant the song of our life- what? what? how good and how pleasant you know, i no longer see faces now is the time of numbers so how simple it is to sit together with brothers around a long table no, i dont want to keep wandering outside, only outside, everything always returns... זמן של מספרים את יודעת אני לא שומע כבר מילים עכשיו זה זמן של מספרים אז כמה זה עולה להשאר תמים ואיך קשה לקנות קצת נחת לא אני לא יכול לנדוד יותר בחוץ רק בחוץ תמיד הכל חוזר מה עשו לשיר שלנו מה מה מה הטוב ומה נעים מה הטוב ומה נעים השיר של החיים שלנו מה מה מה הטוב ומה נעים מה הטוב ומה נעים את יודעת אני לא רואה יותר פנים עכשיו זה זמן של מספרים אז כמה זה פשוט לשבת עם אחים ליד שולחן ערוך ביחד לא אני לא יכול לנדוד יותר בחוץ רק בחוץ תמיד הכל חוזר מה עשו לשיר שלנו מה מה...
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 13:19:06 +0000
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