Dropped off the hound at the Mother-in-law and headed up to Moshav Amirim on Sunday with Lynn Moshe and Natan (Daniel being in the army and Sara finishing off sherut leumi).
Booked in to one of "Dalia's Tzimmerim" and spent the rest of sunday by the pool, followed by dinner at "Stupps" (unfortunate name but good food), the only restaurant on the moshav with a kashrut certificate. Now this is a bit of a bugger, because the moshav is strictly vegetarian. Not even fish is allowed, and the only reason the other restaurants dont get certification is that they are open on shabbat and therefore issues like checking the veggies for worms and tithes become suspect. I did check with my Rabbi, who said that at the end of the day, even if one overcame the technical problems, there was still the educational aspect and totally sided with Moshe, who didnt want to go near the restaurants. Oh well, the Indian one looked really good too.
On Monday we did the Yehudiya hike and experienced one of those moments that really only happen in Israel. There is a section of the trail that involves climbing down a ladder, jumping into an icy pool then swimming to the next part of the trail. This usually causes a bottleneck but is a good opportunity to meet new people.
Anyway, there was this family group from Canada, one of who's kids had just had his bar mitzva at the Kotel. Another family next to them, these ones very ethnic Morrocans, heard this and started singing and ululating. Of course, everyone likes a good sing a long and before long, people down the line were singing as well, and they didnt even know what for....very cool!
That was the nice Israeli, because a few days later, we did the "Jillaboun" waterfall trail which ends at a beautiful pool fed from a waterfall in a really picturesque setting. We had just gotten used to the icy water and the few people who were there, when along came this family of low-lifes, (who stereotypically give all Sefardim a bad name) spread themselves out all over the place and basically trashed the whole area around the pool.
Of course, these days one has to be careful about making any comments as who knows when one of these people might pull out a knife.
Well, that raised the old blood-pressure a bit, but all in all, the week was brilliant. Missed anything interesting in Maale Adumim? Probably not.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Going to the dogs
What prompted that title was today's Maale Adumim "Dog Day" and although our Paddy really wanted to go, I had to drop him off at my mother-in-law's place where he will stay for the next week while we are off to Moshav Amirim. I did though. save some of Jacob Richman's photo's to show him.
I think he might get offended at the hot-dog stand though. I mean, what a terrible thought to put into a dog's head? What, are we in Thailand?
Paddy might want to quote from "A dog day afternoon" where Leon says " I couldn't explain why I did the things I did. So I went to this psychiatrist who explained to me I was a woman in a man's body. So Sonny right away wanted to get me money for a sex change operation: but where was he to get that? 2500 dollars! My God, he's in hock up to his ears already. " But poor old Paddy has already had the dastardly deed done and maybe going to this function might have caused him some aggravation.
Did they have doggy-loos? Was tznius observed, with separate ones for male and female dogs? Maybe the new lobbyists council would debate this. Also, unless Jacob didnt photograph the "arsim" there didnt seem to be any of the pit-bulls and rottweilers that certain elements of the Maale Adumimpopulation so love. Good thing too I guess
According to the Macmillan English Dictionary, if a place or an organization is going to the dogs, it is not as good as it was in the past. People often say things like “This country’s going to the dogs. Things aren’t like they were 30 years ago” or “This train service is going to the dogs. The trains are always late. The seats are uncomfortable and the fares are high”.
The origin of this expression is believed to be in ancient China where dogs, by tradition, were not permitted within the walls of cities. Consequently, stray dogs roamed the areas outside the city walls and lived off the rubbish thrown out of the city by its inhabitants. Criminals and social outcast were often expelled from cities and were sent to live among the rubbish – and the dogs. Such people were said to have “gone to the dogs”, both literally in that that was where they were now to be found, and metaphorically in the sense that their lives had taken a distinct turn for the worse.
Well I don't think that our town has got that far....not by a long shot but some of the headlines in our two local papers were a bit worrying
The first was an op-ed by the leader of the opposition, Raphy Ben-Hur, who very rightly voiced concern over the fact that the level of students passing their matriculation (Bagrut) has dropped to 60%.
Considering that Mayor Benny Cashriel's consistent mantra for Maale Adumim has been Education and Quality of Life, one might think that a statistic like this would have the corridors of power buzzing, and not a few people in danger of losing their jobs. BUT, nothing. No comments except for a few pithy excuses quoted in the pro-administration paper.
Coincidentally, there was an article this week in Yediot about a school in one of the Arab towns (Fur-e-Dis I think) which captured the interest of education ministry inspectors, because their Matriculation results were so high, that the Ministry thought the school was cheating.
Well surprise people! DUH! this is not rocket science. The educators in Fur-e-Dis have realised that smaller classes, selection of good teachers and not letting moronic "parents committees" run half the schools, is the pathway to good education.
Maybe some reallocation of budgets is called for here. And I definitely do not mean for Talmud Torah's, but for the hiring of teachers who have a good track record, firing teachers who dont, and cutting class sizes.
I would ask Raphy (and this is one reason that I didnt vote for him even though I do think that he's a terrific bloke) What exactly do you suggest doing about this?
All the times that you have stood for election, you have made relevant critiques on how the city is run, however (and maybe I am thick and just dont understand) what is it that you would do differently and why do you think things would work better? Specifics?
The second was an article about our finest "Boys in Blue" turning up en-masse, in court in order to support a mate who has been accused of sexually harassing a fellow police woman. SHAME
The third, was the closing of the Bnei-Akiva Maon by Mayor Benny Cashriel after touring the building with his lackey Mei Abudram) and seeing the extent of the vandalism carried out. Then putting the onus on the parents and Madrichim
From a first reading, one might think that in fact, all Bnei Akiva chanichim are little vandals and that their parents have no control.
Fortunately, even though Benny Cashriel might be influenced by some of the thugs he has as advisors (and Mr Abudram fits the bill nicely), most of us know better.
It is a fact that not a few people know who the vandals really are (and not just in Mitzpe Nevo but also next to Yitzchaki). The communarit has repeatedly called the Moked, Gabi Bar Zakai knows, but for reasons also known to them, no one has done anything about it.
By all means, use the police (when they are not busy defending accused rapists), get the local security to actually turn up, but dont blame the parents, and dont punish everyone by closing the Snif altogether.
In case you think that I might have been a bit harsh on Mr Abudram, well I have my own experience on how he handles issues. But all will be revealed when I tell you about the three plots of land on HaKatross.
Have a great week
Ches
I think he might get offended at the hot-dog stand though. I mean, what a terrible thought to put into a dog's head? What, are we in Thailand?
Paddy might want to quote from "A dog day afternoon" where Leon says " I couldn't explain why I did the things I did. So I went to this psychiatrist who explained to me I was a woman in a man's body. So Sonny right away wanted to get me money for a sex change operation: but where was he to get that? 2500 dollars! My God, he's in hock up to his ears already. " But poor old Paddy has already had the dastardly deed done and maybe going to this function might have caused him some aggravation.
Did they have doggy-loos? Was tznius observed, with separate ones for male and female dogs? Maybe the new lobbyists council would debate this. Also, unless Jacob didnt photograph the "arsim" there didnt seem to be any of the pit-bulls and rottweilers that certain elements of the Maale Adumimpopulation so love. Good thing too I guess
According to the Macmillan English Dictionary, if a place or an organization is going to the dogs, it is not as good as it was in the past. People often say things like “This country’s going to the dogs. Things aren’t like they were 30 years ago” or “This train service is going to the dogs. The trains are always late. The seats are uncomfortable and the fares are high”.
The origin of this expression is believed to be in ancient China where dogs, by tradition, were not permitted within the walls of cities. Consequently, stray dogs roamed the areas outside the city walls and lived off the rubbish thrown out of the city by its inhabitants. Criminals and social outcast were often expelled from cities and were sent to live among the rubbish – and the dogs. Such people were said to have “gone to the dogs”, both literally in that that was where they were now to be found, and metaphorically in the sense that their lives had taken a distinct turn for the worse.
Well I don't think that our town has got that far....not by a long shot but some of the headlines in our two local papers were a bit worrying
The first was an op-ed by the leader of the opposition, Raphy Ben-Hur, who very rightly voiced concern over the fact that the level of students passing their matriculation (Bagrut) has dropped to 60%.
Considering that Mayor Benny Cashriel's consistent mantra for Maale Adumim has been Education and Quality of Life, one might think that a statistic like this would have the corridors of power buzzing, and not a few people in danger of losing their jobs. BUT, nothing. No comments except for a few pithy excuses quoted in the pro-administration paper.
Coincidentally, there was an article this week in Yediot about a school in one of the Arab towns (Fur-e-Dis I think) which captured the interest of education ministry inspectors, because their Matriculation results were so high, that the Ministry thought the school was cheating.
Well surprise people! DUH! this is not rocket science. The educators in Fur-e-Dis have realised that smaller classes, selection of good teachers and not letting moronic "parents committees" run half the schools, is the pathway to good education.
Maybe some reallocation of budgets is called for here. And I definitely do not mean for Talmud Torah's, but for the hiring of teachers who have a good track record, firing teachers who dont, and cutting class sizes.
I would ask Raphy (and this is one reason that I didnt vote for him even though I do think that he's a terrific bloke) What exactly do you suggest doing about this?
All the times that you have stood for election, you have made relevant critiques on how the city is run, however (and maybe I am thick and just dont understand) what is it that you would do differently and why do you think things would work better? Specifics?
The second was an article about our finest "Boys in Blue" turning up en-masse, in court in order to support a mate who has been accused of sexually harassing a fellow police woman. SHAME
The third, was the closing of the Bnei-Akiva Maon by Mayor Benny Cashriel after touring the building with his lackey Mei Abudram) and seeing the extent of the vandalism carried out. Then putting the onus on the parents and Madrichim
From a first reading, one might think that in fact, all Bnei Akiva chanichim are little vandals and that their parents have no control.
Fortunately, even though Benny Cashriel might be influenced by some of the thugs he has as advisors (and Mr Abudram fits the bill nicely), most of us know better.
It is a fact that not a few people know who the vandals really are (and not just in Mitzpe Nevo but also next to Yitzchaki). The communarit has repeatedly called the Moked, Gabi Bar Zakai knows, but for reasons also known to them, no one has done anything about it.
By all means, use the police (when they are not busy defending accused rapists), get the local security to actually turn up, but dont blame the parents, and dont punish everyone by closing the Snif altogether.
In case you think that I might have been a bit harsh on Mr Abudram, well I have my own experience on how he handles issues. But all will be revealed when I tell you about the three plots of land on HaKatross.
Have a great week
Ches
Friday, August 7, 2009
Religious Council - Evil Intentions?
I was checking out the word "Moatzah" (as in council) in the Alkalai dictionary, and found out that a different spelling "Moetzah" means evil intentions.
I thought that was a bit of a laugh, because the local papers (Zman Maale and Maale Adumim) have been writing about the petty politicking and "Macherai" going on around the Religious Council.
Anyone who takes an interest, will know that the council has been chaired for the last five years, by an amazing person called David Tzarfaty, who does this thankless task on a purely volunteer basis.
Why thankless? Because given the requirements of a city of 39,000 inhabitants (maybe more) and the lack of funds (No help from the Ministry of Religion), the fact that there are Mikvaot, Kashrut supervisors etc is no mean feat.
Unfortunately, there are not a few people, who see this job as a meal ticket, and there has been a smear campaign against Tzarfaty, with all sorts of criticisms levelled. And this from people who have no organisational track record whatsoever, but do belong to the same parties that have so fucked up our national politics (like Shas for example).
The "Maale Adumim" paper this week, has an article about a bloke called Yitzchak Avidani, who has come up with a rehash of the function of a lobbyist.
He proposes setting up a parrallel group of people, from the City Council and from the private sector, who will meet on a regular basis, and propose all sorts of ideas and "solutions" to what he describes as the dismal state of the religious council. Then to "lobby" the City Council members so to get what they want.
As one who has had to deal with the Jerusalem Municipalty for the last few years and suffered (at least with the previous administration) the machinations of the "Machers" who wander the halls of Kikar Safra. I can only hope that this venture will fail.
I would not like to see Maale Adumim turning into what happened to Jerusalem. Maale Adumim is a pluralistic city, which has been and is a fabulous place to live.
Benny Cashriel has a choice over the next few months, to either disband the present religious council, or to delay this decision, keep David Tzarfaty (who is more than willing and able) in position, and help him with any number of projects that he is working on.
There are people on the City Council (like Nuriel Getz - I think) who support Tzarfaty. But where is the opposition? What about the Anglo-Forum and our keen community activists, or for that matter, our blogists that for the last however many years have been painting Maale Adumim as the most ideal place in the world.
I hope that the opposition will not, in the time honoured principal of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" (look at Neturei Karta/Satmar and how they suck up to Hamas), screw over Benny Cashriel and then stick us with a religious council that will make Maale Adumim look like Beit Shemesh. Not that I think that Benny has no faults. I did promise to tell you about my house (hopefully to be finished soon) on HaKatross and the MOST interesting history behind the three plots of land that were sold through the Israel Land Administration - and that might open some eyes on how things work here.
But I'm leaving that for a different occasion
As usual, these opinions, as badly written as they are, are my own
Shabbat Shalom
Ches
I thought that was a bit of a laugh, because the local papers (Zman Maale and Maale Adumim) have been writing about the petty politicking and "Macherai" going on around the Religious Council.
Anyone who takes an interest, will know that the council has been chaired for the last five years, by an amazing person called David Tzarfaty, who does this thankless task on a purely volunteer basis.
Why thankless? Because given the requirements of a city of 39,000 inhabitants (maybe more) and the lack of funds (No help from the Ministry of Religion), the fact that there are Mikvaot, Kashrut supervisors etc is no mean feat.
Unfortunately, there are not a few people, who see this job as a meal ticket, and there has been a smear campaign against Tzarfaty, with all sorts of criticisms levelled. And this from people who have no organisational track record whatsoever, but do belong to the same parties that have so fucked up our national politics (like Shas for example).
The "Maale Adumim" paper this week, has an article about a bloke called Yitzchak Avidani, who has come up with a rehash of the function of a lobbyist.
He proposes setting up a parrallel group of people, from the City Council and from the private sector, who will meet on a regular basis, and propose all sorts of ideas and "solutions" to what he describes as the dismal state of the religious council. Then to "lobby" the City Council members so to get what they want.
As one who has had to deal with the Jerusalem Municipalty for the last few years and suffered (at least with the previous administration) the machinations of the "Machers" who wander the halls of Kikar Safra. I can only hope that this venture will fail.
I would not like to see Maale Adumim turning into what happened to Jerusalem. Maale Adumim is a pluralistic city, which has been and is a fabulous place to live.
Benny Cashriel has a choice over the next few months, to either disband the present religious council, or to delay this decision, keep David Tzarfaty (who is more than willing and able) in position, and help him with any number of projects that he is working on.
There are people on the City Council (like Nuriel Getz - I think) who support Tzarfaty. But where is the opposition? What about the Anglo-Forum and our keen community activists, or for that matter, our blogists that for the last however many years have been painting Maale Adumim as the most ideal place in the world.
I hope that the opposition will not, in the time honoured principal of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" (look at Neturei Karta/Satmar and how they suck up to Hamas), screw over Benny Cashriel and then stick us with a religious council that will make Maale Adumim look like Beit Shemesh. Not that I think that Benny has no faults. I did promise to tell you about my house (hopefully to be finished soon) on HaKatross and the MOST interesting history behind the three plots of land that were sold through the Israel Land Administration - and that might open some eyes on how things work here.
But I'm leaving that for a different occasion
As usual, these opinions, as badly written as they are, are my own
Shabbat Shalom
Ches
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