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