Everything in this country is politics, even funerals

Yesterday I was at the funeral of an elderly relative of my husband's.   As with everything in Israel (like Daylight Saving's time - see previous post), it was a political statement in itself.

In Israel, burials are controlled by the religious authorities. So if you're Jewish (as around 75-80 of the citizens are), you have been pretty much forced to bury your dead in the municipal graveyards, controlled by religious authorities. The burial is strange for Americans to see. The ceremony is outside under a simple canopy at the entrance to the cemetary. Everyone stands; no seating is available. The men and women are usually separate.  No microphone. You can't hear if you're not close.  Then after the (usually simple and brief) ceremony, everyone goes on foot to the site of the burial.  The body isn't in a box, but wrapped in a white shroud.  At the gravesite, the attendants jump into the hole, and lay the shroud into the ground by hand; no electrically driven elevator silently lowering it down, but real men working hard to get an object wrestled into a deep hole in the ground. Its rather brutal and very very direct.  I was shocked the first few times I saw it. 
  Yesterday, the daughter of our relative chose an "alternative" cemetary, which is supposed to cater to the needs of those who oppose the religious authorities dicating to us, or also those who aren't Jewish, or who's jewish credentials aren't "kosher" enough for the authorities.   It was beautiful. Plants, green grass, trees,  chairs for the ceremony, bottled water on hand, and even a pine box with the elevator at the gravesite. Wow....      It felt like we were making a political statement just by attending the funeral; defying those who dctate how we bury our dead.
     

personal stuff out - blog postings are NOT sacred

Well, I just butchered this blog. I know, I know, somehow you're not supposed to touch previous blog postings. But I say,this is my blog and I can do what I want, right?    I decided to take personal stuff out.  I hardly post here, and think its partly because I was uncomfortable with the intimacy level. But on the other hand, sometimes I have things to say that are too lengthy or too political for Facebook.  So I'll try here for a change.  So if you didn't read the personal details. too late!

So as I did complain already on FB,  we here in Israel already had Daylight Savings Time finish yesterday. This happens EVERY YEAR before Yom Kippur so that the religious don't suffer too much fasting. We waste millions of shekels, waste tons of energy that could be saved if we just kept it going. In fact, we should have DST all year long, as far as I'm concerned. Even in the dead of winter, it's light by 6AM here.  When I travel to Europe in winter, I'm always shocked that its still dark at 8AM.  But its a political matter, pure and simple. Someday it may change, but when?  This year there was an internet petition protesting the early rollback, with 250 thousand signatures. Not enough yet.

The Nobel for Ada Yonath and other matters

I've been a research scientist for 25 years, and for most of them have known Ada Yonath, and have even worked with her occasionally.  So of course its very exciting to see her on theTV in Stockholm, on the brink of getting the Nobel Prize in Chemistry tomorrow.  I know her pretty well, and can see the strain of being constantly in the spotlight, constantly interviewed. But she's handling it with pretty good grace, and I was thrilled to see members of her lab, especially her long-time colleague Anat Bashan, in the background there. Apparently quite a crowd travelled over there!

  Here's to you, Ada, and your long-held vision of what could be possible. You've been a daring, hard working scientist. Creative, fearless and generous.  Tomorrow we'll be cheering you!  See you back at home!


Many other things have been adding up to a very calm state of mind,  one that is so surprising for me. To actually look at life and feel good and calm, and not want to change anything.  True grace (at least for now)...

Pelicans on the move

Today I drove with a colleague up the coast, towards Haifa.  Near the fish ponds of Ma'agan Michael, we saw hundreds and hundreds of pelicans flying in flocks, circling the ponds.  It was enchanting

With Udge in Ceaserea

I met Udge yesterday, at SavtaDotty's soup salon. He's on vacation here in Israel. Both Savta and Udge are people I knew exclusively from reading their blogs. First I got to know Savta through a mutual friend, and was invited to her soup salon (she makes soup on Friday afternoons and people drop by for a chat). Then I read on his blog that he's coming to Israel for vacation, so I checked in and found out he'd be at the salon, so I went yesterday and met him. He looks kinda like the picture, but of course different. But his gentle curiosity and intelligence were what I expected, and it was delightful.
I took Udge to Ceaserea, which was once the capital of the Roman Empire in the Eastern Meditteranean. The antiquities are wonderful, the view of the sea is stunning, but it was mostly fun just conversing with him, and hearing his wonderful knowledge and ideas in real time.

There are strange new worlds in cyberspace, and this blogging world is a wonderful one.

Sukkot 2009

Sukkot is a long holiday week for many in Israel. The roads are jammed - every venue you can think of is packed with people, especially religious families, because this week is a rare one when the families can go out all together.

So usually I STAY HOME or go to work. Especially now that the kids are big, and mostly not home, or busy with their own plans.

Today, however, I went with Husband to meet a new friend (thru Facebook) at a lovely restaurant on the Tel Aviv beach. Then we walked down to Jaffa, and what did we see? FLOATING TOURIST SUKKAHS... LOL!

Love it..........

Facebook is winning

I've pretty much abandoned trying to blog. For a number of years, I've read several select blogs intensively. All of them personal ones, not political or professional. Just people blogging about their lives. Then I stopped reading them a few months ago, and now only glance. Bored? Not really. But I do other stuff with my limited free time.

Also, blogging is difficult for me because I get too critical of the writing, and I usually try to start late at night when I'm sleepy. And I haven't really decided what I want to write about. Personal stuff too? Opinions of current affairs? Just to tap tap tap on the keyboard?

Still considering.

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Its the end of the summer...
In three days I'll be having abdominal surgery so I'm psyching up to get it over with and heal fast. 76-year old Mom is flying half-way around the world to nurse me in recovery, and "make chicken soup", as she says. The only problem is its still too bloody hot for chicken soup. But no mind..

See you after the surgery!