I Don’t Believe in Conspiracies

Today is Rabin Memorial Day. According to the Jewish Calendar he was assassinated today, 12 years ago. According to the Gregorian calendar it was November 4, 1995.

I think that every Israeli that was a grown-up at the time remembers exactly where he was and what he has done when the assassination was reported.

At the time I was a new student at the Hebrew university of Jerusalem. It was Saturday night (the equivalent of Sunday night in other places around the world) and I had to get back from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. My boyfriend at the time lived just nearby Malchei-Israel square, today called Rabin Square, as there Rabin was assassinated.

It was a time of controversy between those that supported peace with the Palestinians for almost any price, and those believed that Israel is making too many waivers in this peace process. Fed with assemblies for and against the peace process, and some un-related assemblies, each meant that our street is blocked again and thousands of people from all around Israel packing the area, we have decided to attend the assembly to show our support, but leave early, to make our way to Jerusalem before it ends and everyone is pouring to the streets again.

There were dozens if not hundreds of thousands of people. Everyone was in a lifted mood. We really thought, for the first time in many years, that peace can happen.

As planed, we left for Jerusalem and replaced the hectic atmosphere of the assembly with a movie in Jerusalem. Not long after the movie started someone came into the cinema and said, “Rabin was shot”. There was a hamming. People called their acquaintances to see if it is true and started leaving the theater. We were just sitting there, not really understanding what we’ve just been told. We stared at the screen, eventually we just left. Later, on the radio we heard that Rabin was dead.

The following day, I spent many hours standing with thousands of people out of the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) district, just to be able to walk across Rabin’s coffin, tell everyone that we still believe in peace and honor Rabin for all he had done for peace, including giving his own life. The policemen didn’t let us stop by the coffin, not even for a moment. You could just walk by, letting others do the same as you.

The conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of Rabin started not long after. Probably a year or two. Then, many years passed without them being in the headline, and they are here again. Same as was with assassinations of American presidents like JFK.

They claim that Igal Amir, the convicted assassin, was actually using empty cartridge, while the actual murderer was sitting in Rabin’s car. They claim that Rabin was actually brought healthy to his car. They have all their “proofs” for that, but I just don’t believe it. I don’t believe it for two main reasons:

1. Igal Amir never said that he hasn’t done it and never said he was sorry for what he has done.
2. I don’t believe in conspiracies.

I believe that Wag the Dog and JFK are just movies, and that what happened there, can only happen in movies.

In order to have this conspiracy true, we need at least ten of people involved and one person to take the blame of something he hasn’t done and pay for that in a life sentence. We also need all these people to remain silent for the rest of their lives. This is simply impossible. The officials are trying to keep quiet actions that are much less significant, and they simply can’t, because there always be someone that will speak at a certain point. I can’t believe that this could happen here either, in the most terrible action taken in Israel by an Israeli for political reason.

Tel Aviv, Israel

Costa Rica

In Costa Rica every day is a bad hair day. Could be part of the reason I look like a mess in all of the pictures we took there. But it is partially because my high expectations from this trip were not satisfied.

In my vision I saw myself wandering at the Costa Rican forest while dozens of colorful birds are circling above my head, cute forest mammals running across me and monkeys dangling on their tails from the tree canopies… anyone who have seen Disney’s Snow-White knows what I am talking about. Well… I may be exaggerating. But I did expect to see an unusual amount of wildlife. Unfortunately reality was different, considerably different. I have only seen a handful of animals. Not even really seen a few of them, more like been told that I have seen… I mean… the guide says: “see the third tree on the left? Go up with the trunk, between these two little branches you see something brown… well, that’s a sloth”. Gee thanks… from where I was standing I could not say the difference between a sloth and a coconut.

Tel Aviv, Israel

Anne Frank

I had four hours in Amsterdam today. I walked around the city center, visited the house of Anne Frank, the flower market and the red window district.

Amsterdam is much more beautiful in tourist guide pictures and tales than in real life. It is unique for all its tunnels and its packed buildings, however so much of this washed away with the dirty water and commercialized atmosphere.

One thing that made the trip to Amsterdam worthwhile was my visit to Anne Frank House museum. People that grow up in Israel are exposed to the Holocaust from a very young age. You learn about it at school since first grade, you get to know people that survived it -- if not a member of the family, then a neighbor or a friend’s grandparent. You could sit in a bus and see a number tattooed on ones arm. When I read Anne Frank’s diary I was about the age Anne was when she wrote it. I felt empathy for what she had to go through as a Jewish under a Nazi regime, but also identified with her as a teenage girl. Although I read the diary about 20 years ago, the tour in Anne Frank House brought back parts of the story to live. It was touching. Citations from the diary were printed on the house's walls. As an adult I was amazed to see how mature Anne Frank was. I guess that as a teenage I could not see it. Here is one: "The time will come when we will be people again and not just Jews! We can never be just Dutch, or just English, or whatever, we will always be Jews as well. But then, we'll want to be.” (April 11, 1944).

Anne Frank has also written about her ambition to become a journalist and a writer. She even edited her diary short before she was arrested, with the though of publishing it. It is encouraging to know that her wish came true, it is very sad to know she didn’t live to see it happen. Anne died only a month before the liberation of her camp. I wish she lived through.

Here is the site of Anne Frank House museum: http://www.annefrank.org/splashpage.asp

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Switching Lines

Everyone that grew up in Israel associates airports with security, long before 9/11 and long before airports in Europe and in the US became security freaks. No one really understands the dangerous effect of lip gloss and toothpaste but it is just another ritual one has to go on his (or mainly her) via dolorosa to window seat 22A. Long before it has all begun travelers to and from Israel had to go through what then considered rough security checks. As an Israeli I went through the “fast track” seeing foreigners being pulled out of the line for in-depth inspection. I felt pity for them, but at the same time was glad to know we’re traveling safely.

When I first traveled to the US after 9/11 I’ve been told that I was selected randomly for in-depth inspection. I though it makes sense. I was happy to know we’re traveling safely. The second time, the third time, the forth time and so made it sound less reliable. I became this foreigner that is being pulled out of the line.

On my way here from NY this week I think it was the worse I had. While I was asked to wait on a certain spot to be searched, I saw a security woman, standing probably 5m (16ft) from where I stood, opening my bags and pulling my personal stuff, all on the x-ray examination conveyer in front of many other people that by-pass her. I felt really bad. Every by-passer could look into my suitcase and see my personal staff while I wasn’t allowed to get closer and I practically couldn’t be sure she got everything back in place with so many people picking up their stuff from exactly the same spot. There I suddenly remembered those foreigners pulled out of the line in Israel. It is a good perspective of how we treat others and how we should treat them.

Redwood City, CA

The iPod Magic

You walk on a main street in New York. Taxis honk, buses rumble, people roar – the New York melody. You plug yourself to your iPod, climb with the volume control to the higher bars and press “play” for your favorite music, whatever it may be, pop, rock, world music… the magic begins. You no longer hear the street, but you still see it moves, and it seems that at once, everything and everyone around you is harmoniously keeping up with your rhythm.

In order to make it work you need a quality of sound that will take over any other sound around you. So far I have only seen it with iPod – apologies for commercializing.

I personally love the sound of New York, but I also like to see the music taking over sometime. Today, I walked with my music until I have reached a completely green spot at the Central Park, where I couldn't see any of the giant buildings of Manhattan. Then, I took off the earphones substituting the music with the tranquil sounds of the park. When I walked back to the surrounding streets I heard the gradually strengthening New York melody. This time I let myself enjoy it.

New York, NY

Being Ninet Tayeb

A couple of days ago, my friend Mayorca, her sister Pillar and I went to see a concert of Ninet Tayeb. Ninet Tayeb won the first season of the Israeli "Pop Idol" and practically became one. Since her win, four years ago, her popularity among diversify audience, including people of different ages, background and music taste, has not faded, not even slightly.

When the concert was over we headed our car. Still inspired by what we have just seen we sang the encore song to ourselves and started a chat about Ninet, providing our critique on the concert with the addition of a few personal notes. While talking we noticed that at the darkness of the car not far from us set Ninet, probably waiting for her crew to get done with the stage before they can move on. Although we did not say anything negative I felt slightly embarrassed.

I wonder how it feels to be exposed to the critique of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, feeling pretty comfortable to express their opinion on matters they really know nothing about (just like us on the personal life of Ninet). Don’t get me wrong here, I do believe that providing our critiques on the concert is fair, relevant and probably interesting for Ninet, however a comment about the personal life is another issue. Many people will say that when Ninet chosen to be popular she accepted the “side effect” of people browsing her life. I believe it is true to certain extend, but sometime I believe that “the public” abuse this excuse, allowing itself to cross the border between legitimate interest and shallow gossip. In our conversation after the concert I don’t think we crossed this border, but I wonder how Ninet felt when she heard us making comments on her personal life. If I were her I would not like it probably, to say the least.

Ninet’s site on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/tayebninet

Tel Aviv, Israel

Are you being frank or rude?

Sometimes I feel that we don't know the difference between being frank and being rude, and between being polite and being hypocrite. It is a fine line, but while I view frankness and politeness positively, I view rudeness and hypocrisy negatively.

You show up at office with the shirt you bought over the weekend. You obviously believe it is a nice shirt, otherwise you wouldn't buy it. For the purpose of this sample let's assume that your next desk colleague, Dan, doesn't like your shirt.

Option #1: Dan voluntarily says he doesn't like your shirt. Dan is being rude.
Option #2: You ask Dan if he likes your shirt, Dan says "no". Dan is being frank.
Option #3: You ask Dan if he likes your shirt, Dan says "yes". Dan is being hypocrite.
Option #4: You ask Dan if he likes your shirt, Dan says that it is not his style, but he sees why others could like it. Dan is being polite.

Here is a rule that may help: if you don't have anything good to say, better to shut up, unless you were asked for your opinion.

Tel Aviv, Israel