Israel--A Journey to Discovery

Brian Turner at FCC

2007-11-15T15:56:00.000-08:00

Today I had the privelege of getting to participate in an interview with Brian Turner, and then attend a meeting where he spoke on his book Here, Bullet.

In the interview, he shared some of the people who have influenced him as a poet. The first was his uncle, who taught high school english and made sure to challenge Turner to continue improving in his writing. Also, various teachers throughout high school and college taught him important keys to good writing.

Fortunately for us, Turner took their advice seriously, and applied the principles. Otherwise, his amazing poetry that was written while in Iraq as a soldier would have never helped readers to get a fresh look on what is happening in Iraq, free from a lot of political opinion. For him, the poets job is not to answer questions, but to clarify the questions that people need to ask.

The key poem that he wanted everyone to read was Eulogy, which I posted in the blog below. In the meeting, Turner shared background information about what inspired the words in this poem. Private Miller was in his unit, and as a 23 year old soldier, he committed suicide. Since this sort of death isn't considered a "soldier's death", his name was not even remembered among his peers. That broke Turner's heart, and caused him to write a poem in rememberance of this soldier who he spent time with and considered a friend. For Turner, the erasure of Miller's name seemed like a fundamental injustice of a soldier who raised his hand to do the bidding of the United States.

The whole hour he spent sharing about his experiences was very moving and thought provoking.

At his New York Times blog, Turner has posted a few poems that are not in his book.

http://homefires.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/verses-in-wartime-part-2-from-the-home-front/#more-48

Brian Turner: Soldier-Poet

2007-11-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

Brian Turner is coming to my school to share poems that he wrote while in Iraq as a soldier. He put the poems into a book titled, "Here, Bullet." The poems are very moving, cutting out extra fluff that is often common among writers, to get to the very heart of the war and of the people involved. In an interview with Alice James Books, Brian Turner shared, "As a writer, I have a tendency to be overly musical and layered. I deliberately forced myself to write Here, Bullet in a more stripped-down, direct style—a choice I hoped would be honest to the events I was witnessing."

As I read some of the poems that are included in the books, I easily felt transported into the emotions that Turner was feeling--and the emotions of the people he was writing about. One poem, Eulogy, was written after a fellow soldier committed suicide.

Eulogy
It happens on a Monday, at 11:20 A.M.,as tower guards eat sandwichesand seagulls drift by on the Tigris River.Prisoners tilt their heads to the westthough burlap sacks and duct tape blind them.The sound reverberates down concertina coilsthe way piano wire thrums when given slack.And it happens like this, on a blue day of sun,when Private Miller pulls the triggerto take brass and fire into his mouth:the sound lifts the birds up off the water,a mongoose pauses under the orange trees,and nothing can stop it now, no matter whatblur of motion surrounds him, no matter what voicescrackle over the radio in static confusion,because if only for this moment the earth is stilled,and Private Miller has found what low hush there isdown in the eucalyptus shade, there by the river. PFC B. Miller (1980-March 22, 2004)

To read more of his poems, here is a good website with a few samples of Brian Turner's work:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5126583

Famous People

2007-11-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

Every country has a history that includes stories of people they consider to be heroes or outstanding individuals. I found a list of people who are considered to be advocates for Israel at:

http://www.advocatesforisrael.org/Famous.html

One of the individuals included in the list was a woman named Rana Raslan. She was the first woman (and only) to be crowned Miss Israel. This accomplishment is a controversial one because Raslan is an Arab-Israeli, who identifies herself as a secular Muslim. Both Jews and Arab-Israelis expressed anger for her win. Yet, her receiving the crown was not just an accomplishment for her personally, but was also a message of peace from Israel to the Arab world. Still, many people considered this a "political" gesture.

Here are articles that present different perspectives on her win, as well as her "Cinderella Story."

http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/12410/edition_id/239/format/html/displaystory.html

http://www.bladi.net/forum/9374-rana-no-chance-for-arab-in/

Desert Fortress

2007-11-09T05:58:00.000-08:00

Masada is the Hebrew word for fortress. This desert fortress in Israel overlooks the Dead Sea, and is the second highest site, after Jerusalem, that Jewish tourists visit when in Israel. This site represents the strong resolve of the early Zealot leaders not to compromise on what they believed, resulted in a revolt against Rome that destroyed Jerusalem. When the Zealot leaders fled, they found refuge in Masada. Sadly, the Romans found a way to get through Masada's walls. The zealots, instead of allowing the Romans to take them captive and rape their wives and make slaves of their families, chose to commit suicide, first killing everyone left in the fortress. Elazar ben Yair was the leader of the Zealots, and in his final speech he told his followers,
"Since we long ago resolved never to be servants to the Romans, nor to any other than to God Himself, Who alone is the true and just Lord of mankind, the time is now come that obliges us to make that resolution true in practice.... We were the very first that revolted [against Rome], and we are the last that fight against them; and I cannot but esteem it as a favor that God has granted us, that it is still in our power to die bravely, and in a state of freedom."

Because of this event, the term "Masada Complex" was created, and is still used to describe people who believe it is better to fight to the end than surrender statehood.

For more info on this, read these historical facts about Masada:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/masada.html

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Masada1.html

And here is a You Tube that videotapes Masada, so you can watch it in real life.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sites+in+Israel

World Factbook

2007-11-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

I just found out that the CIA has a world factbook--and of course, Israel is one of the nations that you can look up. Since it's a government website, you can trust that the facts are accurate as far as the descriptions of the land, people, culture, etc. It's a little on the dry side because it's just hard facts, but if you want to learn more about Israel, it's a good place to go.
Here's the website:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/is.html

Also, I was looking on YouTube for someone talking on the Israel/US/Iran relationship. I found one titled, "Israel's influence of US policy and the Israeli lobby" with a former weapon inspector for the UN, Scott Ritter, talking on the subject.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O125hGt9qt4

Unfortunately, my speakers stopped working so I'm not sure what this guy was saying, but he seemed really energetic as he was interviewed on C-SPAN. I found another website that transcribed an interview he had.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/16/144204

Peace is a Dream

2007-11-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

"When we were small children our parents told us, 'when you grow up there will be no army and you will have to bear no weapons'...but it's a dream."

Those are the words of 17-year old Israeli soldier, Lior Haimovitch, who sees it as a duty to serve his country. For him, serving in the army is a normal part of life. "This country has fought from the day it was established, we grew up with it, I have no other reality," he said. He has never known what peace is, despite the hopeful wishes of generations of Israelis.

This is a normal part of every teenager's life in Israel. Both males and females are required to enlist in the army, the males for three years, the females for one year and nine months. The females do more specialty jobs, like intelligence, instead of actual combat.

Hadar Falach, a 17 year-old female who is wanting to do intelligence work told BBC news that, "It is very frightening, but we have to do this."

To read the whole story that was written by BBC, go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1947874.stm

The Lights...Went Out

2007-10-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

A memorable time period in Jewish history is when Moses, the adopted son of Pharoah's daughter, returned to Egypt to lead the Jewish people out of slavery. In the meantime, between Moses' arrival to set his people free and when they were actually released to go, various plagues hit the land of Egypt. Back then, the plagues were a wake-up call, sent from God, to get Pharoah's attention.

One of the plagues, darkness, is hitting the Middle-East again. However, this time around it's much easier to explain the cause because it's not supernatural. Israel is purposefully cutting the power that goes to Gaza, where 1.5 million people live. This strategy was ordered by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak in response to rockets that Islamic Jihad has been firing at Israel from Gaza.

Although the blackouts are an inconvenience, they aren't having the effect Barak was hoping would happen. Even some of Gaza's military commanders claim have the ability to stop the Islamic Jihad, but they don't. The reason for this, according to one commander, is that the Palestinians, "...offered the Israelis a truce, based on accepting a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, and they rejected that." This so-called punishment from Israel is just making the Palestinians even more stubborn in their resolve to oppose them. It could also negatively affect the U.S.'s attempts at a peace talk.

Many Israeli advisors believe it may be time to put the lights back on and try a new strategy to stop the rockets from flying--because right now they are still lighting up the darkness.

To read an article on this recent news, go to the following Time magazine link:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1676830,00.html

Very Little Time?

2007-10-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

Matt Drudge started the Drudge Report back in 1994, which is an online news site based in the U.S. Since its small beginnings, the site has earned itself quite a following. It is a very up to date site to read about recent news, and it has a reputation for reporting both accurately and truthfully.

Recently, a lot of articles have been written on both Iran and Israel. Tonight I was just browsing the main page of Drudge Report, when I saw a headline that said, "Israel...very little time." I don't know about you, but when I see words like that it makes me want to know more. So, I clicked on the link, and it brought me to an article written by the Jerusalem Post.

The picture of a big brother defending the little brother from a bully kept coming to mind as I read the article. The one who is being defended, Israel, is also facing much more danger than the surrogate protector, the United States, is at this moment. Iran is still the bully. For Israel, the 2008 Presidential elections will have much to determine how the United States' policy will be towards Iran, which is a critical factor in Israel's well-being and existence as a nation.

The article focused Meridor, who is theoU.S. ambassador to Israel. He said, "This will take a united United States on this matter, that they would not have the illusion today that come January '09, they [Teheran] have it their own way." This was in reference to whoever became the next President.

No matter how the United States became a nation that has a mission of spreading democracy and freedeom around the world, the fact that we have assumed that position means that the 2008 Presidentail elections may be just as important to nations like Israel as it will be for us as a nation.

To read the rest of this article and what Ambassador Meridor had to say, go to,
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1192380626865&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

"There is a Price to be Paid"

2007-10-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

Just a few days ago, on October 1, 2007, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tzipi Livni, addressed the 62nd General Assembly of the United Nations. They assembled in New York, and his speech was one full of many moving words.

In her speech, she made a point about the next generation that is growing up right now in the Middle East. This region is a territory where, "...we see children's television programs in which a Mickey Mouse puppet teaches the glory of being a suicide bomber and a seven year old girl sings of her dreams of blood and battle." What does this kind of attitude mean for the future of the Middle East? According to Livni, "There is no more accurate forecast for the future of a society than the lessons it teaches its children."

She went on to touch on the subjects of religion and how Iran is the leader of the terrorism that is victimizing nations. She ended her speech by saying, "At all levels of society, there is a price to be paid. But if we do not pay it today, we, and those who follow us, will face a far greater bill tomorrow." She is convinced that the future of nations depends on the choices that are made today.

To read the whole speech, go to,

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Speeches+by+Israeli+leaders/2007/Address+by+FM+Livni+to+the+UN+General+Assembly+1-Oct-2007.htm

It is really insightful!

Israel's Superman Again

2007-10-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

The Truman Doctrine was the foreign policy that started getting the United States involved with other nations on a serious level. As a superpower nation, the United States has a great level of influence in other governments. People differ on whether this is a good or a bad thing, yet the fact still remains that war is happening and we are in the thick of it. One ally relationship that has been both strong and consistent over many years of conflict in the Middle East is between Israel and the United States, with the United States often flying in to be Israel's Superhero Savior.

Recently, the president of Iran made a statement that he wouldn't mind if Israel was wiped off the face of the earth. According to a statement published in the Jerusalem Post , President Bush is quoted as saying, "In Iran, we're dealing with a country where the leader has said that he wants to destroy Israel...My belief is that the United States will defend our ally Israel. This is a leader who has made very provocative statements. And, we have made it clear, however, that in spite of that, we are willing to sit down with him, so long as he suspends his program." Bush says the ball is in Iran's court. But if anything happened, there is no doubt which side the United States would be supporting.

To read the whole article, go to the link below. It's interesting how Iran, Iraq, and Israel are presented as all being linked together.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1191257220810&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Immigration in Israel

2007-09-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Immigration has been a very relevant topic in recent political debates in the United States, with some Presidential nominees making that subject a key platform issue for their campaign. However, the United States isn't the only nation with a lot of immigration talk and disagreement on how to handle the influx of new people who are coming into our borders. The nation of Israel also has many immigrants, mostly from the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, most of the women who make Israel their home cannot find a job. Less than 20% of very educated individuals are ever able to work in the profession they have been trained in, and the really desperate end up stacking shelves the rest of their career. In an article I read on this subject, one person commented that, "...the mentality of veteran Israelis means that the new immigrants are not always accepted into society."

It's true that Jerusalem is no New York City, where just about every culture imaginable is represented, and that's exactly what people expect when they go there. And yes, the States are definitely larger and have a wider reputation for being a "melting pot" of different cultures and races. However, it would still be nice if foreigners could at least feel welcome in the land that they move to, whether it be here or abroad.

To read the whole story on the subject of immigration in Israel, go to:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411431438&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Prostelytizing Not Lawful

2007-09-27T13:05:00.001-07:00

On a website called the israelinsider, which covers all of the happenings in Israel, from politics to culture to travel, there was an interesting article posted from September 25, 2007. The article was titled, "Rabbis call on Jews to refrain from attending Christian pilgrimage events." I never knew Israel actually outlawed prostelytizing, and that rabbis discourage jews from attending Messianic Jewish and Christian services because they are "missionaries" seeking to convert them. This is a hot topic right now because of the many holidays taking place during this time of year.

Even in the midst of war, the Jewish holidays still go on. Last night the Jews observed Succoth. The upcoming Feast of Tabernacles is going to attract many Christians who want to see the Holy Land during the celebration. You would think that if the rabbis had such a problem with the gatherings, they would press for laws to restrict the activity, but the truth is that Israel's economy gets a huge boost from these foreigners. In fact, Succoth alone will bring in 15--18 million dollars. So, I guess the strict orthodox rabbis are willing to give a little slack to the visitors because the tourism greatly benefits their country.

Here is the article from israelinsider:http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12114.htm

Will They Ever Shake Hands?

2007-09-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

I just got home from watching a high school football game. It was cool to watch how two teams could oppose each other on the field, and then shake hands when the game was over, despite who won or who played better in the eyes of everyone watching.

Now, I know that a friendly atmosphere isn't always present after sports games (usually between the opposing fans even more than opposing players!), but in the Middle East, there are a lot of sides who have been unfriendly towards one another for a very long time. They never shake hands after doing battle. This animosity doesn't seem to be improving--at least not anytime in the near future. Unfortunately for Israel, she is one nation that is often a target of the conflict.

On Wednesday, September 19th, Jimmy Carter (the same one who was formerly the President of the United States), made some comments on the relationship between Israel and Iran. Here is the website so you can read for yourself some of the current tensions that are taking place between nations that are hot in the news right now:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8ROULU01&show_article=1

Terror Close to Home

2007-09-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Living in the United States, it's often hard to relate to the struggles of other nations, especially when we are separated from them by huge oceans and possibly even huger cultural differences. Still, it's good to step out of ourselves at least for a moment, remembering that no matter where someone lives, he or she is a person who may be facing even more uncertainty in life than us.

Israel is also fighting a very real and close to home war on terror. One young soldier, Staff Sergeant Ben-Zion Haim Henman, was killed just a few days ago as he and his team stopped a bomb from going off. However, his team knew they had to finish the mission and destory the plans of the enemy, which they did successfully. Their hearts were still sadened by the loss of a good friend. Here is a clip of a video recorded of Henman right before his team entered the danger zone:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3451849,00.html

Facts About Israel

2007-09-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that is a really boring title, but it describes the YouTube video I found on the web when I searching for new info on Israel. Here is the video to help the country become a little more familiar to you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5tDDkvXSI8

Rosh Hashana--Happy New Year!

2007-09-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

Apples and honey, anyone? Last night, those of the Jewish faith and also those who observe the holidays on the Jewish Calendar, ate a "snack" of apples dipped in honey in keeping with a very important tradition to signify the hope for a sweet new year. Rosh Hashana, this year lasting from sunset September 12, 2007 - nightfall September 14, 2007, marks the "first of the year" on the Jewish calendar. Check out more on this holiday that gets a lot of children out of school and gives some people an excuse to get off work:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/holiday2.html

And, if you have any friends who celebrate this holiday, you can check out the Rosh Hashana e-cards at: http://www.123greetings.com/events/rosh_hashanah/

2007-09-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! This blog is devoted to discovering more about the nation of Israel by researching its history, culture, lifestyle, language, current events, beautiful sites, and anything else that applies to this middle-eastern country. I hope you enjoy, and that you discover more about this beautiful land! Here is an awesome website that I found with lots of info on Israel:

http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist+Information/Discover+Israel/State+of+Israel.htm