Golan Heights – Between Heaven and Hell

Last week I visited the Golan Heights twice. On Wednesday, I drove up to Mt. Hermon with a friend to do some skiing.  On Friday and Saturday I went up with a group of friends and we hiked two segments of the ‘Golan Trail’ (שביל הגולן). The winter storm that blew a week earlier covered the Golan Heights with fresh snow - the whole area turned into a “fantasy land”. The Israeli side of the border was filled with visitors who came up to play in the snow. But on the Syrian side, you could hear explosions and heavy machine guns, as the battles raged between pro and anti-government forces. It was a surreal experience.

Abolishing the [financial] Pyramids

For thousands of years Jews have been celebrating Passover. Celebrating the liberation of our forefathers from slavery in Egypt, where many broke their backs building the Pyramids.  While ancient pyramids serve as archeological artifacts now days, new types of pyramids are still being built. Over the past decade, several “financial pyramids” have been erected in Israel, exploiting the fruits of labor of common people.  But this past week, the process of abolishing these pyramids achieved a few important milestones.

Rediscovering Talmud

I consider myself reasonably well educated, with elementary school, high school, under-graduate school, and grad school under my belt.  I do read quite a bit – books, newspapers, magazines, websites and blogs.  But I have never opened a Talmud book.  That is until yesterday…

The Future of Israeli Debate

When I watched political debates in the US, I couldn't help being impressed. The participants (mostly) played by the rules: when one party spoke, the other listened; arguments made by one side, were carefully countered by the other. Not so in a typical “Israeli debate”: participants tend to speak over each other, there is very little listening, and the whole thing often turns into a “shouting match”. But before you shake your head in frustration, know that I have seen the future - and there is hope!

NetBus: the bus-goer “Waze”

Today I traveled to Tel Aviv on a public bus. “You rode on a bus???” you must be asking, “are you CRAZY?!” The answers are “yes”, and “no”. I did ride on a bus, and I am not crazy. True, most of the times I travel to Tel Aviv I use my own car. But the process has become quite unbearable, especially if I need to get somewhere during “rush hour”, which seems to be any time between 7:00am and 8:00pm. So rather than battle with other drivers on the road, hunt desperately for parking, and pay for expensive gasoline, I decided to take a bus.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Middle-East Peace

I just finished taking a class called “Selected problems in Ethics”. It was my third class in philosophy, and I am finally starting to get the hang of it. Frankly, after spending most of my earlier life studying topics such as computer engineering, finance and marketing, my brain synapses evolved in a very specific way. I used to regard philosophy as a pointless rambling, but I am beginning to realize it actually tackles some of our most existential questions. I actually find it quite relevant to daily existence here in the Middle East. 

Between Yom Kippur War and 9/11

This is a special memorial week: it marks the 40^th anniversary of Israel’s Yom Kippur War and the 12^th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack in the USA. These are major events that shaped the mindset and future of Israelis and Americans. I have lived through both events, and the impact has been profound.

Jerusalem: City of wonder or blunder?

A couple of weeks ago we joined our friends on a tour of Jerusalem. The tour guide took us to see buildings that were built by the “European powers” during the 19^th-20^th centuries.  The Germans, the Italians, the French, the Russians and other nations rushed to purchase land in the holy city and build a church, a hospital, a school or a monument. Each nation wanted to own its own piece of heaven.

For the Love of Dance

I used to love watching modern dance performances.  I saw most, if not all of Ohad Naharin earlier work, and there were hardly any new productions by the Bat Sheva Dance Company that I missed. Visiting the Susan Dellal center for modern dance in Tel Aviv was a treat. And the bonus was the opportunity to stroll through the beautiful nearby Neve Tzedek neighborhood. But that was then.

iTravel: Traveling in the Age of Internet

I have done a lot of foreign travel, both on business and for pleasure. Over the years I learned how to find my way and manage in just about any “civilized” foreign country.  Armed with a local map and a guide book my wife and I conquered many countries. We felt that a little bit of surprise and moderate adventure just adds spice to the trip. But these were the days before the iPhone.

President Obama Speech in Israel

“Peace is Necessary, Just and Possible”

Last week President Barack Obama visited Israel. I can’t help but admire the guy. He is charismatic, eloquent, attentive and smart. Just the kind of guy you’d like to see at the helm of a country. I didn't watch every single event, visit or conversation he was engaged in, but I saw enough to be impressed. I particularly liked his speech to young Israelis, which he delivered to a crowd of over 2500 students from all over Israel. The punch line was that Israelis need to strive for peace.

Yodfat – the lesser known Masada

Last week I was on a trip to the Galilee – an area located in the northern part of Israel. We toured a specific region called Misgav and visited some its villages and historic sites. The Galilee is blooming this time of the year, with green hills and flowers everywhere. But the highlight of the tour for me was a visit to the ancient town of Yodfat. It was the site of an epic battle during the Great Jewish Revolt against the Romans (67-73 AD).

Close Encounters of the Police kind

I have been a volunteer traffic police officer for almost 6 months now. I usually do my shifts on Thursday evening, roaming the streets of southern Tel-Aviv and Jaffa. I ride in a police car with a regular traffic officer, and together we try to bring some order to the chaotic traffic scene of southern Tel-Aviv. I have been involved in stopping and occasionally ticketing dozens of drivers so far, from all walks of life. Depending on your point of view, these “close encounters” can be either entertaining, or a sad view of society.

Steve Jobs - the Power of Passion

I just finished reading the biography of Steve Jobs. I happened to read the electronic version on my iPad, just as Steve would have liked it. I am not the type that gets easily impressed, but I found this book captivating. More often than not, I start reading a book only to set it aside one third into it. I have a pile of books which are marked “to be finished”...  But I kept reading Steve Jobs’ biography on a daily basis and finished it “cover to cover”.

No “Hug” button on Skype

I recently came back from a 3.5 weeks visit in the US. We spent about half the time in New York, and the other half in California - a coast-to-coast visit. It was quite a journey that blended sightseeing, entertainment,  restaurants, shopping, meeting friends, and most importantly: family reunion. With all the wonders of modern communication, it seems that "good old" air travel is not obsolete just yet.