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

Why Pro-Israel Lovebirds Fell Out On Valentine’s Day

Many of my Facebook contacts are hot with indignation about a planned change in  U.K. law allowing homosexual couples to marry in religious ceremonies. They are not angry about the plan. On the contrary, they welcome it warmly. But they are furious about the reaction of Daily Mail columnist, Melanie Phillips who fiercely opposes it.

Now Phillips is likely to lose support in the pro-Israel movement from many eminent gays.

Meanwhile, the gay newspaper, The Pink News, devoted much space to a spoof “Valentine’s Day Card”attacking her.

While I have often opined that Ms Phillip is far too strident in the expression of her views, this time  I agree with her in full.

Like me, she is Jewish and I believe that like me she belongs to a ‘Masorti’ - Conservative egalitarian synagogue. I am therefore wholly unsurprised that she says:

“… the Government’s position is anything but neutral. For it implicitly endorses the idea that there is nothing wrong with overturning centuries of Biblical understanding of the sacrament of marriage as the union of a man and a woman. As such, the Government will be cutting the ground from under the feet of religious traditionalists.

“And what if churches refuse to conduct such a travesty of a marriage ceremony? Presumably, they would then risk being sued for ‘discrimination’.

“Truly, we are fast reaching the stage where upholding Biblical sexual standards will become the morality that dare not speak its name.

“Once again, we have to wonder at the way in which a politically motivated faction within a tiny minority of the population — for many gay people do not approve of this ideological gay rights agenda — is now running public policy”.

It is understandable that some gays have counter-reacted violently. But I must explain the situation from another viewpoint.

In Britain I was the non-stipendiary registrar for marriages at the North Manchester Reform Synagogue. Occasionally I had to tackle serious personal issues to the point of angering those involved.

So it is with the matter of religious sacrament  for gay couples, no matter their faith. It is in complete contradistinction to thousands of years of (biblical) tradition where marriage has been the seal on a loving heterosexual  relationship in order for  a couple to  produce and rear children naturally in a secure, loving environment. It is only recent advances in bio-science, for example, that have allowed donor conception.

If I were still a synagogue marriage registrar I would point out bluntly that people should  not join a particular synagogue because of their sexual orientation. They should do so because of their Jewish faith and background. Although I am aware of ‘gay’ congregations, I would declare that gays would be no more welcomed to a synagogue than they would be barred due to their sexual proclivities. They would be greeted warmly simply because they are Jewish.

‘Sex’ simply should not be an issue concerning acts of religious sacrament as it is an element that would otherwise profane their holiness. I believe this is what Ms Phillips effected to state but her tone was far too shrill and she did not explain her views with enough cogency.

Many gay unions are  unstable and do not last long. There is documented evidence showing that the number of civil partnerships being dissolved has doubled over the past year. 

According to a report in The Daily Telegraph last summer, “fewer same-sex couples are having civil partnerships, and more are splitting up”. Further, the report claimed that fewer homosexuals were forming legal unions than at any point since their introduction in 2005.

It was then suggested that the decline in civil partnerships was because most of the men or women in long-term same-sex relationships and who had been awaiting official recognition had by then received it.

Homosexual equality campaigner, Peter Tatchell said: “If same-sex marriage was legalised, many more lesbian and gay couples would opt for it rather than civil partnerships. Most people see marriage as the gold standard and regard civil partnerships as second-best”.

• Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show that in 2006, the first full year after the law changed, there were 16,106 civil partnerships.
• The following year, after many of the couples who had been waiting to enjoy legal union took advantage of the new law, there were half as many – 8,728.
• The figures fell again in 2008 to 7,169 and last year’s results showed there were 6,281 civil partnerships last year.
• Moreover, there were 351 civil partnership dissolutions in 2009 – almost twice the previous year’s figure of 180. In 2007 there had been just 41. Of the most recent dissolutions, 63 per cent were among women, showing that  2.1 per cent of  British female civil partnerships had ended along with 0.9 per cent of male partnerships.

 

Technorati Tags: Melanie Phillips,Peter Tatchell,Daily Mail,Daily Telegraph,homosexuals,religious marriage ceremonies,Pink News

msniw

 

 

Nice Restaurant - Shame About The Food!

Last week I found a dead fly in a bag of loose pecan nuts.

A couple of months ago I threw out a tub of blanched almonds where a family of caterpillar chrysalises had set up home.

Before them came a mysterious colony of  ants in a sealed pack of pearl barley.

I could go on to write of the fresh items which  go rotten after a few days even when kept refrigerated and the transparently-thin white shelled eggs which rarely arrive home  from the supermarket without a crack.

This is Israel – the land where Kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) is king. This is Karmiel in the heart of the Galilee where before my arrival in March last year I was convinced that I’d find the land so full and fat that the food would fairly fall off the vine and plop itself juicily in my lap.

Thirty seconds after we landed in Karmiel, I woke up and smelt the coffee – the best and cheapest of which comes from Turkey.  

I keep moaning that Israelis can’t cook and most of which I see, hear and taste bears me out. Everything is produced on a massive scale – with one eye on large Orthodox families  - and the other on their rabbis.

Certainly  no one  argued with me at a recent meeting where we discussed  observance of the Jewish dietary laws  and  I suggested that Israeli supermarkets emphasise rabbinical approval rather than quality and taste.

The same applies to local eateries where we’ve had more fun noshing falafel and pitta  and oversized pizzas at casual bars than eating full dinners with waitress service at ‘proper’ restaurants.

Typical was my birthday treat last month when we visited what is considered one of the best places in town.

I understand that  Michal Lahav, the owner of The Art de Coco Restaurant is a chocolatier by background and first started her restaurant  in Rosh Pina 12 years ago before moving to Karmiel. Her premises are spacious and attractive and the ‘cocoa’ ambience is underscored by a fetching cream and brown decor. 

But Lahav needs to concentrate on  what she does best as I found the hot food to be unmemorable, even poor and her young, energetic staff pleasant and helpful but woefully out of their depth.

On the night of our visit there were menus available in Hebrew and English but their contents did not match. The English version had not been updated so bore lower prices for some dishes and a markedly different wine list. We began to feel uncomfortable well before the food was served.

The service was speedy – but one waitress had to show another how to open our bottle of wine.

A  jug of water was provided – with tumblers still warm from the dishwasher.

I ordered zucchini (courgette) quiche. It was unavailable so I   chose the spinach alternative but found it to be barely lukewarm and utterly tasteless. Local spinach is hard, gritty and needs to be treated with generous dollops of salt, black pepper and nutmeg.

My husband’s multi-layer cheese pastries looked pretty but again tasted of very little as did the accompanying salads whose dressings bore no resemblance to what the English menu had promised.

So on to the celebrated chocolate desserts - which looked enchanting and were big enough for two to share. But we were overcharged for the privilege and had the embarrassment of requesting a revised bill.

But the final disaster was the coffee – Rombout coffee filters – which  had been overfilled with water, causing that  famously rich, dark taste to trickle out in shame - watery, insipid – a waste of their time, our money and a damper on my birthday.

* The Art de Coco Restaurant at Hatzot Karmiel is kosher but does not have a rabbinical supervision certificate.

Tel: (04) 908-2002; www.artdecoco.co.il

Technorati Tags: Art de Coco Restaurant,Karmiel,Rosh Pina,Israel,Food,Rombout Coffee

msniw

This piece first appeared as “Nice Restaurant - Shame about the Food!” on Blogcritics

Full of Sound and Fury–Signifying Trouble

^{Article first published as Full of Sound and Fury - Signifying Trouble on Technorati.}

I am not surprised to learn that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration  is investigating the possible link between breast implants and cancer. Such research should have been made, no matter where and by whom, many years ago.

Foxnews.com reported this week that during a 13-year period the FDA has discovered 60 people suffering a “rare cancer known as anaplastic large cell lymphoma.” It attacks lymph nodes and has been found in the scar tissue that surrounds the breast implant.”

The report could well have referred to a beloved family friend who was so desperate to maintain her appearance and feeling of self-worth after a double mastectomy that she insisted on having breast implants.

Her original cancer had been cleared and was in remission but once she had the implants her problems returned with a vengeance.

Immediately after the initial treatment, she was unable to sleep and described pacing her upstairs landing trying to cope with the  intense ‘pressure’ inside her chest.

When I suggested that the treatment may not have agreed with her, she responded hotly that millions of other women had implants without side-effects. Why should she be different?

But then the cancer returned more fiercely than ever and my  final memory of her is seeing her at the  famous Christie Hospital in Manchester, U.K., - desperate for breath - being offered sips of water by her son.

The last vestige of the striking, strong, passionate woman we had known were her exquisitely manicured and polished finger nails, as she clung vainly on to life by her appearance even at the end.

I am convinced more than 10 years later that she would be living  now if she had not insisted on those darned implants.

As anywhere between five and 10 million women worldwide have breast implants, the FDA  now urges doctors to report all cases of the cancer so staff may better understand the association.

The FDA says: "Women should monitor their breast implants and contact their doctor if they notice any changes."

Technorati Tags: Breast Implants,Silicone,Saline,FDA,Lymphoma,Christie Hospital

msniw

Stuffed and Starved in the Age of Ambivalence

Article first published as Stuffed and Starved in the Age of Ambivalence on Technorati.

This week as I read of the deaths of French model, Isabelle Caro and her mother, Marie I recalled my own history of cyclical stuff-and-starve.

Yesterday I learned also of a startling new male model,  Andrej Pejic.  The Bosnian  blond 19-year-old, who has already been booked by  designer Jean Paul Gaultier and two editions of Vogue magazine, looks like an entrancing young woman.

Is this what the fashion industry wants? Not gracious girls, but skeletal androgynous men who won’t bother agency bosses with neuroses like nosh-and-puke diets or premenstrual tension? What a great symbol of our pre-pubescent 21st century as the age of ambivalence!

It was reported that Marie Caro committed suicide through remorse for her daughter’s death following a near life-long  battle with anorexia and the publicity surrounding it.

Further, her husband has claimed negligence by  the hospital where their daughter died from a respiratory infection and intends to sue. His case must be groundless as the hospital will surely argue that Isabelle – who  ironically looked like a Bosnian concentration camp survivor – died from years of self-imposed starvation.

I had a private war with Bulimia Nervosa during my late teens without realising what I suffered. It happened during the very early 70s when I had become enormously fat from using a contraceptive pill to regulate bad periods. The only effect was terrible weight-gain, both from the pill and over-eating, caused by crises at home and school.

Coincidentally, Anorexia Nervosa started to become hot news at that time. Indeed one of my friends – desperate to emulate her prettier, smarter and much thinner sister – enjoyed a few days in hospital after starving herself during a holiday in Israel .

Only much later did I realise that while she had the attention - I had the bulimia - along with the dreadful taunts about my gross appearance. I  won’t describe what I did on my self-destructive binges. Needless to say, I could not tell anyone and – if possible – was filled  more with self-disgust than food. Now I well believe Isabelle felt that a dominant, over-anxious, pushy mother would not allow her to grow up.

Somehow, after a disastrous and wasted few weeks at ‘Weightwatchers’ and about 18 months of ridiculous self-denial, I reduced my weight to normal. Other times of great unhappiness have caused me to feast and fast but I have never again been ‘bulimic’ as I understand the word. However, 40 years later I still eat hugely and  suffer from occasional stomach complaints – all of it the legacy of my secret bulimia.

But anorexics of all stripes inevitably see the fat person in the mirror, no matter their real size. It’s like being an alcoholic or a gambler – with one vital difference. One may vow never again to drink alcohol or place a bet, but one cannot refrain indefinitely  from food – without becoming another mortuary statistic.

I make no apologies for republishing ‘before-and-after’  pictures of Isabelle Caro. May her dreadful, harrowing story be a lesson to all us mere mortals. After all, the gods of the fashion industry are far too busy showing off to care.

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Isabelle Caro,Marie Caro,Andrej Pejic,Jean Paul Gaultier,Bosnia,Vogue Magazine.Anorexia,Bulimia

msniw

This Plastic Surgeon Is A Real Envoy For Her People

Dr Rania Elkhatib – the first Israeli Arab woman plastic surgeon

For Dr. Rania Elkhatib, her job at the Rambam Medical Centre, Haifa is a chance to be an emissary for her community. She also embodies the best sort of inter-community relations.

Dr Elkhatib (28), is the first Israeli Arab woman to become a plastic surgeon after studying medicine at the Haifa Technion. She explains she decided to focus on plastic surgery because "... in our community plastic surgery isn't very advanced and it's not well accepted so I feel a bit like an emissary for my community, to go into this field and take it forward.”

The Rambam’s plastic surgeons treat a number of conditions, ranging from burns, war injuries and cleft palates to breast and facial reconstruction for cancer patients.

Thirty per cent of doctors at Rambam are women, and the representation of Arab physicians is proportionate to the numbers in the population.

While the hospital is committed to providing equal opportunities, Prof. Yehuda Ullmann, head of the plastic surgery department, stresses that doctors are chosen purely on merit:

"Plastic surgery residency is the most wanted residency in medicine, not just in Israel but all over the world, and she was elected, not because she's Arab, not because she's a woman, but because she is Dr. Elkhatib and and she is a very good doctor so we are lucky to have her here," he said.

Technorati Tags: Dr Rania Elkhatib,Rambam Medical Centre,Haifa Technion,Haifa,Plastic Surgery,Professor Yehuda Ullmann

msniw

After This Blog–The Deluge!

Article first published as http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/after-this-blog-the-deluge/

 

Even as Sky News carries regular reports of a Middle East drought of “biblical proportions”, the much anticipated  downpour is lashing against my office window here in Karmiel, Galilee.

The 24-hours of intermittent rain “followed by showers” we enjoyed on Monday and Tuesday suddenly reappeared in vengeance  as the Sabbath began.

Whether the joint prayers of spiritual leaders from this area’s three major faiths have helped, I dare not opine. However, our personal pre-Sabbath preparations included storing fragile patio furniture and plant containers until spring.

The emergency service, Magen David Adom has gone on a higher alert and ordered ambulances to be deployed in every district of the country. This is due to an Israel Meteorological Service forecast of the first serious storms of the season to include hail, high winds and torrential rain.

MDA personnel may have to deal with hypothermia as the IMS warns temperatures will plunge with the possibility of snow on Mount Hermon and sleet in other mountainous areas.

There will be steady rain tomorrow with a chance of flooding in low areas of the North, some rain in the Centre and a chance of sandstorms in the South. There may also be winds of up to 100 k.p.h., with lightning and hail. Sunday is also expected to be stormy, cold and windy but the rain and winds will decrease gradually with a chance of flooding on Monday.

The Israel Electric Corporation has asked consumers to secure any light objects that could be borne aloft by high winds and damage electric lines. It warns that if a line is brought down in a storm it may take time to restore power.

The storms may also cause trees damaged by last week’s fire in the Carmel Forest Reserve to fall down while the rain may erode soil in places no longer secured by trees.The area has been closed to non-residents until 26 December and the Agriculture Ministry has asked the public to avoid going there.

Technorati Tags: Israel,Rainstorms,Magen David Adom,Israel Meteorological Service,Israel Electric Corporatiion,Carmel Forest Fires,Damaged Trees,Agriculture Ministry

msniw

‘The Rains Came’

So Far: Too Little–Too Late!

The irony won’t have escaped anyone:

If only the overnight and early morning rains had occurred five days ago, we would have been spared the almighty conflagration with its loss of life and property.

Further, it is my painful duty to pass on the news of the passing of Haifa Police Commander Ahuva Tomer, 52.

Ms Tomer, the first woman in Israel to head a police station, died this morning from the 90% burns  she suffered in the fire on Thursday.

She had caught the full blast of the blaze while driving behind the bus carrying Prison Service cadets that became an inferno and caused the majority of the 43 deaths.

Arutz Sheva reported: “ … though doctors fought valiantly to save her life, and even noted a slight improvement in her condition yesterday, the situation worsened over night and she succumbed this morning. She is the 43rd victim of the fire, which claimed 36 Prison Service cadets; two other cadets are alive but in serious condition”.

• The photographs show the mist and rain from our flat in Karmiel early this morning. Although it has become quite cool, we have had no more rain for some hours and unwanted “sunny intervals”!

Technorati Tags: Rain.Carmel Forest Fires,Police Commander Ahuva Tomer,Deaths,Arutz Sheva

msniw

Carmel Clean-Up Begins Even While Final Fires Rage

Article first published as http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/carmel-clean-up-begins-even-while/ on Technorati

The Israeli authorities may be feeling bloodied and bowed but the terrible task of cleaning up after the Carmel Forest fires has begun even before the final flames have been extinguished.

During an extraordinary 24 hours in which Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas has offered help and sincere condolences and several people have been arrested in connection with setting fires, the costs of the past three-and-a-half days’ inferno are thus:

• More than 40 dead
• Dozens of severe burn injuries

• Five million trees destroyed.

• More than 12,300 acres of land wiped out.

• Three communities ruined. 

• Seventy-four buildings burned on Kibbutz Beit Oren, the Ein Hod artists’ village, and the Yamon-Ord boarding school, and a further 173 buildings partially burned.

• Almost 17,000 people  evacuated from their homes, from Israel Prison Service facilities,  hospitals and military jails

• NIS 3 - 4 billion – the equivalent of $700M or £445M.

But the Israel Treasury says some of the money will be paid by insurance companies.

“The figure is the estimated payment to homeowners whose property has been damaged, cleaning up the damage to the Carmel National Park, and the increased funding that will be given to Israel's firefighting efforts as a result of the fire”, according to Israel National News – Arutz Sheva.

"It's true that there are a number of sites where the fire is still active and we are concentrating our efforts there, but generally speaking if you look at the whole area of operations, it's better, more optimistic," fire-fighters' spokesman Boaz Rakia said.

He added that while it would take days to extinguish the fire completely, he hoped it might be brought under control today.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld confirmed two teenage brothers have been arrested on suspicion of causing the fire through negligence. There are unconfirmed reports of other arrests.

While some Israelis are bitter and some Facebook users have described the catastrophe as “the new intifada”, many others are already starting the arduous job of cleaning up and re-building their lives, even before the final flames are doused.

Police have already authorised evacuated residents of Nir Etzion, Ein Hod and Ein Hawd to return home but those from  Beit Oren have been ordered to remain away.

 

• Shimon Dayan, who was among early victims of the fire, was buried at Karmiel Military Cemetery yesterday at 1.00 p.m.

 

Technorati Tags: Carmel Forest Fires,Israel Treasury,Palestine Authority,President Mahmoud Abbas,Israel Prison Service,Ein Hod,Nir Etzion,Ein Hawd,Beit Oren,Boaz Rakia,Micky Rosenfeld

msniw

Carmel Forest – Before and After The Fire

Sights and Sounds of Natural Israel

The tranquil Carmel Forest  before the fire…

 

 

 

Carmel Forest Fire

Joel Chapter One

(Verse Seven)

“He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.”

… and during the conflagration

Technorati Tags: Carmel Forest,Youtube Videos,Before and After The Fires,Sights and Sounds of Natural Israel,Fierce Fires

msniw

Did Terrorism And Arson Cause Northern Israel Blaze?

  Article first published as Did Terrorism And Arson Cause Northern Israel Blaze? on Technorati.

It is becoming clear that arson or even terrorism may have helped to fan, if not actually cause the fires which continue to engulf large areas of northern Israel.

Moreover, Israel's enemies like Hezbollah , who are "overjoyed" by the disaster, are taking the opportunity to celebrate it as a P.R. coup and to make the world perceive Israel as incompetent.

After an initial inspection, the authorities believed the conflagration in the Carmel Forest area included deliberate acts of arson as the fires broke out at several locations and may have included the regular but illegal burning-off of toxic substances in rubbish heaps at the Arab town of Ossafia.

However, Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen, who hopes the fires will be extinguished today (Saturday), now believes it started at one site. His investigation teams will also know later today whether the disaster began as a result of negligence or arson.

The fires leapt out of control in high winds, killing more than 50 people, including a fellow resident of Karmiel, Shimon Dayan (29). Many more were savagely burned and are now lying in Haifa hospitals in a critical condition.

The pretty Haifa suburb of Denia where my cousins live was among the danger areas but I was assured that although some nearby roads were closed and properties there evacuated they had not been personally affected.

  My British-born cousin echoed concerns expressed about official incompetence. “We are thankful for the help that is coming into Israel from all over the world as it is quite clear we do not have the resources here to fight a fire of this scale”, he said.

Israel has enjoyed a swell of unprecedented - and surprised - international concern and active help even from countries with which it customarily has strained relations like Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. Yesterday, Premier, Benjamin Netanyahu announced a National Day of Mourning to mark the catastrophe, possibly the worst blaze in Israeli history. 

 

Mourning for the losses of the fire

Despite all efforts, the sort of howling, withering winds redolent of England’s Yorkshire Moors have hindered rescue efforts. It appears from the view I have at Karmiel – about 18 miles north-east of Haifa - that the flames and smoke are being pushed out to sea. The sky here is still  cloudless blue but a pall of smoke lying over Haifa Harbour has obliterated what is usually a perfect view which allows us often to see ships in dock.

 

 

 

 

 

So those of us left with the leisure to contemplate, are asking if the blaze has indeed been caused by arson, terrorism or  plain stupidity.  Only time, patience and a formal enquiry will even begin to sift the truth from the ashes of despair.

What began as a delightful Chanucah week with local school kids enjoying a  musical parade along our street on Thursday has turned into the ugliest holiday in modern Israeli history showing what can happen when a blaze generates more heat than light.

Technorati Tags: Northern Israel,Carmel Forest,Fires,Haifa,Ossafia,International Help,Firefighters,Turkey,Jordan,U.K.,Arson,Terrorism

msniw

Chanucah Sameach!

 

With greetings from a still fantastically warm and sunny Israel to all family, friends, acquaintances and a growing band of readers stretching from Indonesia to Indianapolis, U.S.A.,  and Bolton, U.K. to Buenos Aires, South America.

Thanks for your support!

May you all have a week filled with light, love and as many doughnuts as you can reasonably eat!

“Baruch Atah Adashem, Eloheinu, Melekh Ha'olam Shehecheyanu V'kiyimanu V'higi'anu Laz'man hazeh. (Amein)

“Blessed are you, Lord, our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Amen”.

Shalom

Natalie Wood

Technorati Tags: Chanucah Sameach,Light,Love,Thanks,Doughnuts

msniw

‘The Most Kindest Cut Of All’?

This article first appeared as “Nothing To Be Cut Up About!” on Technorati

When Prince William and Catherine Middleton discuss starting a family, the possibility of  circumcising any boys may be  on their agenda. The British Royal Family has a long tradition requiring that all male children be circumcised.

However, I’ve also read that:

“Princess Diana for some reason best known to herself was opposed to circumcision and refused to allow either William or Harry to be done. There were reports at the time which suggested that both the Queen and Prince Philip were very annoyed at this”.

In the west there is a remarkably low incidence of injuries and deaths following male circumcision, be it purely surgical or for religious reasons, as performed by specially trained Jewish mohelim  or   Moslem ritual circumcisers.

But now  a group of American anti-circumcision activists is  petitioning for a ballot measure that would ban circumcision in San Francisco.  If the group acquires sufficient signatures, local voters would see an anti-circumcision bill on their ballots within 12 months.

If it became law, the measure would make circumcision procedures illegal within San Francisco city limits, except in the case of extreme medical emergencies. 

The protestors say the law would protect innocent, defenceless children from the abuses of their parents, like any other child welfare law.

Extremists may well view the surgery (or ceremony) as ritual abuse, even mutilation, or otherwise take the eminently sane view expressed by most Jewish and Moslem parents that when it is performed early enough (after eight days in Jewish tradition, unless the boy is ill) there is nothing to worry about and it is a simple way of marking the child’s entry into our respective traditions.

So let’s look at the pros and cons of male circumcision only, because I view so-called ‘female circumcision’ as so incomprehensibly awful as not to be worth debating in this context:

Against:

• Any surgery for any reason is potentially lethal.
• Circumcision for religious reasons may indeed be viewed as ritual ‘mutilation’
• Ritual circumcision is an antiquated tradition and it may be argued that it brings gratuitous suffering to a tiny infant as it is performed without medical anaesthetic.

In Favour:

• It is  a medically approved practice and has proven to be healthy, not only for men but also for women, as in the Jewish community (I am unable to write authoritatively about the Moslem community) there is very low rate of cervical cancer.
• The ceremony is neither ‘mutilation’ nor ‘abuse’ but  a tiny material sacrifice that the child makes marking his entry to his community.
• It is the child’s first proof of his covenant with God and he cannot be frightened in advance of the procedure as he is too young to understand what is happening to him.

I’ve heard said that the boys often appear fractious at the ceremony. But no baby likes to have their nappy (‘diaper’) removed and I understand that a Christian baby may seem unhappy at his christening – simply because he dislikes the feel of  water suddenly sprinkled on his head.

I charge that the entire process is far more of an ordeal for the adults than for the children – which is certainly why Jewish mothers are usually advised to absent themselves during the actual ‘cut’.

Which brings me to a personal story: The communal mohel at the synagogue to which I belonged in Manchester is a fine, well-known senior surgeon in his working life. He does not have a rabbinical diploma like his counterparts serving Orthodox Jewish communities in the U.K. Far from earning a personal income from this work, he encourages the families involved to make a donation to the synagogue.

I remember being present at several circumcisions he has performed. One was on the son of my close friends and another was when he supervised a fellow surgeon as he performed the operation on his own son. I thought both men were enormously brave for those few moments and can report that the ‘infant’ is now well into his teens, having celebrated his barmitzvah about 18 months ago.

So back to  ‘Frisco: I can’t see an anti-circumcision law being passed without a fight. There are very big Jewish and Moslem populations in the area. Both are highly politicised and wield a lot of clout. Like the lack of rain in Israel this summer and autumn, the row could be a way of bringing the two communities together. Let’s see!

… And who’s plated up, looking good enough to eat? None other than my great-nephew at his Pidyon Ha’Ben in  Jerusalem this summer. The ceremony’s title translates as “The Redemption of the First Born Son”. It takes place in Jewish tradition after the circumcision, when a baby is 31 days old and involves buying him back from a Priest for five silver coins. Now everything begins to gets complicated, so please don’t ask me to explain more!

 

Technorati Tags: Prince William,Catherine Middleton,Male Circumcision,Royal Family,The Queen,Prince Philip,Jews,Moslems,Mohelim,Ritual Circumcisors,San Francisco,Protests

 

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The Taking Of A Toast And Tea

My paternal grandfather, it is said, was in the kitchen at 6.30 sharp every morning ruling over his teapot like a despotic and jealous mandarin.

I am also famously addicted and am invariably portrayed in the family as a dozy dormouse curled up gently sozzled among the dregs of an over-sized tea cup.

 

 

The last time I was in my home-town, Birmingham, U.K., I demanded not one, but two cups of the old brew which has more resonance for me than any dozen of Proust’s madeleine biscuits.

No wonder then, when dear friends from Manchester visited us in Karmiel last month they brought with them an outsized box of tea bags which I keep firmly locked in the safe bearing my name.

It can only be because I am away in relentlessly warm and sunny Israel that I missed hearing the run-up to Britain's “International ‘A Nice Cup of Tea Day’” which took place yesterday.

In Britain they (the middle class ‘they’ anyway) still take their tea and tea-time very seriously and I have discovered that “each day  day we sink 165 million cups of it. It’s our national drink – classless, timeless and tasty”.

If it’s supposed to be a classless pastime, what sort of a peasant takes Earl Grey tea with milk? It should be drunk with deepest concentration, solely black with lemon – no children, no pets – and definitely no dunking of any sort of biscuit allowed!

The feature I read listed all sorts of grand hotels where one may sit in sumptuous surroundings, enjoying a full traditional English afternoon tea with everything from thin-cut crust-less sandwiches to crumpets. Certainly I remember doing that when Brian and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary amid the fading splendour of Brighton’s Grand Metropole Hotel.

Another fab watering hole has to be Bettys at Harrogate, Yorkshire (if you can get a table!) which was opened in 1919 by Swiss confectioner Frederick Belmont. Bettys has branches elsewhere, but so far as I know they all offer a range of about 50 different teas and as many sandwiches and sticky cakes as you can eat.

Now here’s a thought: If there’s a regular market and I could stay awake long enough to put the kettle on, I might be persuaded to open an English-style tea-shop here in Karmiel and call it … “The Dormouse”.

Technorati Tags: Tea,grandfather,Proust,Karmiel,Manchester,International A Nice Cup of Tea Day,Earl Grey,Brighton Grand Metropole Hotel,Bettys,Harrogate,Yorkshire,Frederick Belmont

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