...I will give them an everlasting name that shall never be effaced

Yad Vashem* ( Shoa memorial) has introduced an Arab version on their Web site. At the same time an opinion poll was published concerning Holocaust. The result shows that Arab-speaking Israeli citizens are 60 % to think that the Shoah should be taught in school. You may find shocking that 40% of the Arab immigrants in Israel don't think it's necessary but if you compare with the result of another poll that had been made where only 28 % of the inhabitants of Arab countries believes in the existence of the Shoah it's pretty encouraging.

Living with your enemy can sometimes provoke "the Stockholm syndrome"

I think it's a good idea adding Arab and Persian, Just imagine that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would visit and change his mind about Israel...

*The name Yad Vashem ("a monument and a name"), comes from Isaiah 56:5: "I will give them, in my house and in my walls, a monument and a name, better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall never be effaced."

3 positive things about yesterday

Some days everything goes wrong and some the world is smiling. Yesterday it was - smiling I mean.

Yesterday I got the appointments I wanted for the children's schools. I hope it will help us to choose where to live, we still hesitate.

I also had my mum on the phone and she said something very nice. We where talking about the boys and she wanted to say that it's proabably going to be tough in the beginning. She did it in a nice way starting with " I don't want you to think that I'm against you or negative, I'm just worred about...." I know it must be hard for her, even to tell her friends we're moving to the country the media shows as war-seeking and selfish. She's being so nice and understanding.

The third positive thing about yesterday was my up-comming job interview in Israel in a few weeks.

It's getting real now.

School, Hebrew and Gaza again...

I called Israel today and got more precise information about the children and school.

Every school offers minimum 6 hours of hebrew lessons per week for the immigrants. The woman I had on the phone said she was going to make appointments for us in 3 different schools in the areas we are interested about. Jewish Agency is great, I can't understand those who criticize, some peolpe never get enough...

My son feel much calmer now when I promised him hebrew lessons before leaving but unfortunately yesterday on the news they showed Palestinian screaming they wanted to bomb all Jews... Since they put French voices on films and reports instead of subtitles it was easy for him to understand.

I wonder why they show these kind of things on televison, there is nothing good comming out of it.

I truly hope that they will get their Palestinian state, build up their country, get wealthy and stop thinking about their neighbours. Why can't Egypt just take gaza back until they've sorted out democraty?

Sadat refused to take Gaza back in 1979, I bet you didn't know that?!

Another great idea would be to move Gaza to Europe. The Europeans wouldn't react if they received missiles daily, they would continue letting them inside their country even if there where a few suicide bombers exploding themselves at marketplaces or big malls . No walls, no id control at the border. European people are too civilized for that.

Good night or Good morning, where ever you are, who ever you are.

Bla, Bla, Bla

My oldest son ( 7 ) has been really difficult the last weeks. He's crying for nothing and follows me where ever I go. The other night I asked what was wrong and he told me that he's worried about his hebrew, I want to learn hebrew now mum...

Incredible but true I found a woman the next day. She lives close to where we live, she is the teacher of my cousins children and she actually gives hebrew lessons to children. My son is happy about that and me too. A sweet lady who seems to like children...

We're planning to return to Israel in a month or so, we feel we have to check a few more things before we decide where to live. I'd like to visit two more places and schools...

I can't beleive we're leaving in a few months ( July) there are moments when we feel as free and happy as the hippies must have felt during the 70's and other when close our eyes and ears praying that we have chosen the right direction. In my worst moments I always end up thinking that we're taking the memorable way and not the average. Average is not enough for me.

Peace and Love

Don't forget your key!

I read an old article today while I was waiting for my friend at the hospital.

A man called David Blair who got bumped off Titanic just a few days before it was leaving forgot to return the key to the binocular locker.

Without the key the nobody could get into the locker... no keys - no binoculars-no binoculars - no iceberg at least until it's very, very close...

A survivant later said that as they didn't have any binoculars onboard they couldn't see the iceberg in time ...

When he was asked how long before he would you have been able to see it with a pair of binoculars he answered; enough to get out of the way...

Mr Blair secretly kept the key and passed it on to his daughter.

It was sold at an auction i September last year.

I wonder if Mr Blair slept well at night...

I've thrown away 3 huge plastic bags with toys today, the worst is that I'm sure the boys won't even notice. When I grew up in the 70's I had a Barbie doll, a kitchen, dolls and a bed for my dolls. My brother had Lego. We had records with stories that we listened to and we paid attention to put the top on the pens so that they wouldn't dry out...

Mine will probably remeber their Lego, Kapla and Hot wheels and forget about all huge noisy toys I've thrown away today.

Anyway, it's great throwing things away I'm making space for my new life...

The sun is shining outside and I can feel the spring!

The lost tribe.

Did you know there are African Jews in Israel ?
They are sometimes called Falashas (outsiders) a name given by the non-Jewish Ethiopians. Their origin has been debated. One idea is that they are descendants of the lost tribe of Dan, another is that they are the result of a love-story between King Salomon and the Queen of Saba.
The Falashas lived in Ethiopia for thousands of years and managed, against all odds, to keep their traditions, respecting Shabbat and the kashrout.
The community remained fairly isolated until the 20th century when things started to get bad. The Ethiopian Jews where no longer allowed to own land and in the beginning of the 80’s the practice of Judaism became prohibited .
Schools and synagogues where closed and students put into prison. While the world mobilised for the hunger in Ethiopia (Band Aid, Live Aid etc) Israeli government put pressure on the Ethiopian government to release the Ethiopian Jews.
In a huge operation Israel, together with the CIA and the Sudanese state security forces secretly transported 14000 Jews directly to Israel from the Sudanese border in only 36 hours.
When the news leaked out in media, Arab countries put pressure on Sudan not to “give away” the Jews to Israel and 15000 got stuck in refugee camps or in Ethiopia. Years later these people were saved in the Joshua Operation and brought to Israel in a very bad shape.
Israel had now almost 1000 orphans with their parents still in Africa and a third Operation completed the Ethiopian immigration by bringing the parents of these children.
I’v seen a beautiful film about this called “ Go ,live and become” that I really recommend.

Today there are 70 000 Ethiopians living in Israel.

I found it hard to understand

why people think it's horrible that Israel has cut the electricity that they usually offer Gaza. The Palestinian Authority refuses to recognize Israel as a legitimate state and missiles are falling on Sderot like the rain in Dublin ( just back from Ireland) but the only thing i see on TV are people freezing in Gaza.

With all millions pumped into Gaza each year Europe didn't see that they installed electricity and hospitals on their side so they hadn't to pass the border to give birth or to go to the dentist. They let them buy weapons for the money and asked Israel to finance their electricity bill.

I wonder how many of us would accept to give money to a neighbour that tries to kill our children every day. 99% of us would probably not even lend him our car...

It's easier to be intelligent and generous in words than in action.

By the way, according to Haaretz 78 % of the arab population in Jerusalem is against a divison of the city, they want Jerusalem to remain Israeli.

Ireland is a fantastic country, please try to visit as soon as you can! It rains a lot but people have sunshine in their eyes and hearts!

A sabra

Today they called from the Jewish Agency saying they absolutely wanted me to meet someone from the jobcenter. It wasn't planned at all .

Arriving in front of the security:

-Hello, Who are you?!

I told him my name and he looked even more serious pointing at the clock asking why I was late.

-You were supposed to be here at 5 o'clock, you're 20 minutes late, why? We're closing in 45 minutes, you will not have enough time now!!

I explained I had been working until half past four and that the metro was really slow today.

-I want to see your passport!

- I'm really sorry but I don't walk around with my passport and since the meeting wasn't planned...

Now he looked almost angry telling me the rules of getting in.

Finally I asked him to call one of the girls I know.

-HOW do you now her?

- She's my hebrew teacher...

A little light in his eyes but still no smile.

When miss Y arrived he asked her who I was and how we knew eachother, satsified with her answers he turned to me with a warm smile...

- So you're making Aliyah this summer? That's marvellous! behat slaha! it means good luck in hebrew, do you speak a little hebrew already? What can you say?

A native Israeli is called a Sabra, from the word tzabar, the fruit on the picture. It's rough on the outside but inside it's sweet and smooth.

Living in the dark

My mother told me that they had only 20 minutes of sun in December. This is a perfect answer to the never-ending question why I left Sweden...I sincerely hope that 100% of the population was outside by then!

Today it's raining, but yesterady I saw the sun...

Chabat Shalom!

To night we have invited the son of;

-OOhhh what did you get for Hanukka?

-loooots of gifts!

- Really? well, when the baby mom has got in her belly will get out he'll pick them all!

or

-So you're going to Israel? You will never find friends, you'll be all alone and you will have to send your kids to war.

- Well, I actually know people there and there is no war, the children are still small.

-War will come and soon they're 18...

but her son is actually ok...

To ebay or not to ebeay - that's the question...

-Bringing a washing-machine or a tumble drier from France to Israel will take 6-8 weeks, said "Mr E" at DEMECO today.
My world collapsed...How do you survive without a washing-machine for more than 1 week when you have 3 kids?
I think we will end up selling everything and buy new machines in Israel.
Vive Ebay!

Back again!

Yes, still on the Highway to Israel.
So here we are, 2008. This will be a year of big changes and adventures.
I have made promises for 2008, here they are;

1. I will just smile and answer "Ah bon" the next time someone tells me living in Israel is not the same as going there on holidays in August. I'm blond and idiot and very greatful for this percious information, I thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives on the beach!
2. I will stop reading articles about French un-employed olim and tell my self it's because they don't speak Hebrew or English.
3. I will always remember that my parents and my parents in law are on "our side," that they support us.
4. I will stop buying chocolate bars at IKEA.
5. I will learn all my Hebrew vocabulary by heart.

I've started to learn the boys how to write and read Hebrew, The youngest will start "kita alef" which means that he is not supposed to read and write yet but my oldest son should be reading and writing ( kita guimel) ... I'm getting nervous to be honest, I try to tell myself they'll learn faster than me.