Arab Apartheid Means Death To Jews!

First I’d like to publish a popular definition of the South African term ‘apartheid’.

“Apartheid was a system of legal racial segregation enforced by the National Party Government in South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority 'non-white' inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and minority rule by white people was maintained.”

“Racial segregation in South Africa began in colonial times, but apartheid as an official policy was introduced following the general election of 1948. New legislation classified inhabitants into racial groups ("black", "white", "coloured", and "Indian"), and residential areas were segregated, sometimes by means of forced removals. From 1958, black people were deprived of their citizenship, legally becoming citizens of one of ten tribally based self-governing homelands called ‘bantustans’, four of which became nominally independent states. The government segregated education, medical care, and other public services, and provided black people with services inferior to those of white people”

Well, this most definitely bears no resemblance to anything I’ve ever witnessed in Israel.

• I’ve no picture of the big smiley Arab lady who took up almost two seats on the bus from Karmiel to Acco when we travelled there last October.
• I can’t show you the smart Arab diners from local villages who frequent the local bars and restaurants in Karmiel.
• Nor do I have jolly snaps of Arab fellow customers at the local branches of the Supersol and Yaish supermarkets.
• Nor yet can I prove the truth of the kindly conversation I had with the woman in strict Moslem dress in the corridor of the trauma unit at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital.
• I am unable even to show you the group of Arab women enjoying yesterday’s sunshine in Karmiel’s Galilee Park.
• Nor even shots of our Arab neighbours going about their daily business in the apartments near mine.

But I can show you the following which I invite all the Israel haters to read, mark and digest:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All good wishes for Shabbat Shalom v’Purim Sameach to Jewish readers and a happy weekend to everyone else! There is no apartheid on this blog from Israel!

		Apartheid in Palestine - Not Israel! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Technorati Tags: Apartheid,Definition,Israel,Karmiel,Dead Sea,Palestinian Authority,Mahmoud Abbas,Walid Badir,William Safire,Mira Awad,Rana Raslan,Majalli Wahabi,Reda Mansour,Salim Joubran

msniw

Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made Of …

 

Not L.A., USA – but Nahariya, Israel!

‘All the leaves are green

And the sky is blue

Just strummin’ on the beach

On a late winter's day …’ 

Hands Up! Don’t hate me for bastardising universally loved lyrics, just read on and you’ll understand why.

 

On Tuesday we moseyed up to Nahariya, about 27 kilometres north-west of our home in Karmiel, Galilee to find a lone guitarist playing his heart out on a poetically deserted beach.

Loath to disturb his reverie, we did not intrude. ‘Who is he?’ we mused. ‘Where’s he from?’ ‘What is he playing so intensely?’

If anyone can name him  and celebrate the musical mystery I’d love to hear from you.

Meanwhile we saw relatively few people at this popular, 30s-built resort as March is the end of the closed season with many shore-front attractions still shuttered  and few hardy tourists bothering to brave the brisk winds.

Although aware of Nahariya’s more serious industries, the town reminded us  of British resorts like Southport and Brighton where many locals have little to do aside from shopping and sitting sipping coffee while life passes them by …

But Spring is about to burst in the Northern Galilee, with profusions of wild flowers starting to show their faces to  the sudden warmth of the renewing sun.

Even as winter ‘s end trails off in fits and starts,  Nahariya’s holiday-air continues year-round with pretty parks, swaying palms and white-clad buildings, even if many now show signs of sad neglect. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nahariya.March.2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Technorati Tags: Nahariya,Israel,Tourism,California Dreamin'

msniw

Natalie Portman’s $50M Donation To Hadassah Hospital

A White Swan? Go On …!

 
Israel’s Hadassah Hospital last week received a $50 million donation from actress Natalie Portman.

Portman, who recently won an Oscar for her performance in Black Swan, gave the money towards an improved and expanded emergency trauma centre at the celebrated Jerusalem medical centre.

Dr. Kobi Assaf, director of surgery and shock trauma, says the expansion will save many lives as it will allow three times as many victims to be treated at once.

Portman (29) and pregnant with her first child, is Jerusalem–born and holds dual Israel-US nationality.

Her father is a well-known medic who used to work in Jerusalem. Her mother is an artist.

A Harvard graduate, last year Portman returned ‘home’ to study Jewish History at the Hebrew University. 

While studying at Harvard, Portman wrote an open letter defending Israeli security policies after a pro-PLO student attacked Israel.

She has frequently paid visits to Israeli terrorist victims and more recently spoke out so harshly against the antisemitic comments made by Dior’s British-born fashion designer, John Galliano that his boss, Sidney Toledano was forced to dismiss him.

• Natalie Portman appears at the end of the above clip.

Technorati Tags: Natalie Portman,Hadassah Hospital,Israel,Donation,Antisemitism

msniw

Hairless In Gaza

I’m having a bad  hair day. I’m well overdue for my regular meeting with Karmiel’s own Warren Beatty and am beginning to look like Medusa’s maiden aunt.

So imagine my pain when I learned that the fashionistas from the Hamas terrorist organisation had decided that male hair stylists may no longer have women clients in Gaza City. Indeed, local guys in the trade  knew they were in danger of arrest for about a year.

Harriet Sherwood of The Guardian newspaper reports that five male hairdressers were told to visit their local police station as they had continued to work at women’s salons despite news of the ban.

She was told: “One by one the men were called into a room where an unrelated detainee was chained to a wall by his wrists, and told to sign a pledge to give up their profession or face arrest and a 20,000 NIS   (£3,400) fine.” Her informant’s salon had already been fire-bombed twice, each attack costing many thousands of shekels in repairs.

"I said I didn't want to sign. They said, okay but we will take you to the cells because what you do is against Sharia [Islamic law]. Then I realised I had no choice."

The same man was once stylist for Suha Arafat, widow of the late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. His salon is still open but clients are beginning to find other stylists. He believes the move is part of the Islamisation of Palestinian society and among measures to create a climate of  intimidation and fear. He would now like to leave Gaza and live in freedom in the West. But this would be difficult as departure needs permission from Hamas and either Israel or Egypt.

Another male  hairdresser told Sherwood: "I am not forcing women to come to me. What is the difference between a male hairdresser and a male doctor or dentist?”

Technorati Tags: Male Hairdressers,Gaza City,Harriet Sherwood,The Guardian

msniw

A History of ‘Fashionable’ Antisemitism at the House of Dior

This piece was first published as “A History of ‘Fashionable’ Antisemitism at the House of Dior” on Technorati.

What goes around, comes around.

As we learn that British–born fashion designer, John Galliano will be prosecuted for his recent antisemitic outbursts, it is time to recall that the eponymous Christian Dior dressed the wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators during World War II.

Galliano’s suspension and then dismissal as creative director by the fashion house’s  Jewish chief executive, Sidney Toledano fell on the first day of Paris Fashion Week and only three days before his own show which is due to run on Friday.

He has denied the claims  against him, renounced antisemitism and racism, and apologised unreservedly for any offence his behaviour has caused. He is thought to have left France for a rehabilitation programme in the United States.

The pressure on Dior to sack Galliano was intensified by Oscar winning actress, Natalie Portman, who has been signed to promote a Dior perfume.

Portman, a Jew with dual Israeli-US citizenship, said that “as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr Galliano in any way. I hope at the very least, these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these still-existing prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful."

Meanwhile Galliano will face trial over the incident at a Paris café in which he allegedly hurled antisemitic and racist abuse at Géraldine Bloch and Philippe Virgiti.

The proceedings are to take place between April and June and if convicted, Galliano could be sentenced up to six months in prison with a fine totalling  €22,500.

 

Technorati Tags: John Galliano,Christian Dior,Nazis,Collaborators,World War 2,Sidney Toledano,Natalie Portman

msniw

Hey, Hey ~ It’s A Monkey T-Shirt!

This great little t-shirt was made in Honduras and imported to the U.K. via Mexico. It then wended its way to me in Karmiel, Northern Israel  courtesy of  Sheffield-based Tshirt Printing.net (http://www.tshirtprinting.net/personalised-t-shirts/).

So who more appropriate as model than tourism professional Simcha Hoffman, as she ‘imported’ herself to Israel from Mexico City during December 2009!

Multi-lingual Simcha has also worked as a librarian, researcher, photographer, teacher, translator,  and even  in movie festival P.R. She now looks forward to wearing this zany, bright and serviceable tee when she returns to Mexico for a couple of months to catch up with old friends.

TShirtPrinting.net provides first class silk screen printing for personalised T shirts, hooded tops, sweatshirts and, workwear.

The company offers competitive pricing for quantities ranging from one dozen to 100,000 items in a wide selection of garments and colours with speedy completion and delivery.

• More details via a U.K. free-phone number: 0800 046 7633.

VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Technorati Tags: Tshirt Printing.net,Sheffield,Mexico,Honduras,Israel

msniw