A few days ago I had a phone call from Abu Rami. He managed to get a 2 day permit to enter Israel and wanted to visit his 9 year old nephew who is receiving treatment for leukemia in Rambam hospital in Haifa. Nine year old Mohamed will have to stay in hospital for 8 months. His mother is by his bed side 24/7 but it's difficult for other family members to get permits to visit and help her care for him.
I arrived in Barta'a at 9 am to pick up Abu Rami and another relative, Farhan, and drive them to Haifa. I decided to take the scenic route. Looking out the window, fifty year old Farhan was like a little boy. The joy on his face as we were driving past vineyards and fields was unforgettable, eyes shining, skin glowing. When we got to the coastal highway and the sea was in view, both Abu Rami and Farhan were close to tears. Being cooped up in Barta'a for many years, makes you appreciate things that we take for granted.
Mohamed is a beautiful boy with smart smiling eyes. He was very happy with this rare visit. His mother was able to sit back and relax for a while. It must be difficult for her. Negotiating and communicating with the Hospital staff must be a constant challenge. She doesn't speak Hebrew and most staff don't speak Arabic.
After an hour in Rambam we set off. On the way back to Barta'a we stopped to buy fish and white bread (neither of which is available there). It was getting late but we still had enough time to stop at our place in Zichron for a coffee. Clare and I kept offering Farhan some food and drink but he was unable to touch anything. Still beaming he said: "just sitting here with you is all that I want".
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Remembrance Day
Exactly one week ago Israel marked Holocaust remembrance day. Clare and I were driving to Akko, when a siren marked the start of this remembrance day. Thousands of cars pulled over simultaneously, everyone standing outside their cars for the 2 minute silence. The whole country was standing still in memory of the six million Jewish victims.
Today is the annual remembrance day for Israel's dead soldiers and civilians killed in action and acts of terror. Memorial ceremonies throughout the country give a platform for communal grief. Tonight, at the end of Remembrance day, Israel will start celebrating 60 years of independence. But Israel's one million Palestinian Arab citizens will not be celebrating. They will be marking the 60th anniversary of Nakba day, their day of catastrophe representing defeat in the 1948 war and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
During last night's moving and emotional ceremony commemorating the fallen sons and daughters of Zichron Yaakov I realized something. We are a nation suffering from trauma. Two thousand years of collective memory of discrimination, abuse, murder and expulsion culminating in genocide - the Holocaust. And now, even with the establishment of a Jewish state, we experience wars and further loss. We are still traumatized. But the trauma has created an emotional blind spot. We are unable to see the suffering we have inflicted upon our enemy and feel their pain. We are unable to see that the world has changed. We are not a defenseless persecuted people anymore. Israel is a regional superpower, yet we still feel vulnerable.
The time has come to create a shared remembrance day in Israel. A day that commemorates the dead on both sides. A day when both communities acknowledge their pain and the others'. Maybe then we will be able to move forward and celebrate life in a shared society, a country where all its' citizens feel at home.
Today is the annual remembrance day for Israel's dead soldiers and civilians killed in action and acts of terror. Memorial ceremonies throughout the country give a platform for communal grief. Tonight, at the end of Remembrance day, Israel will start celebrating 60 years of independence. But Israel's one million Palestinian Arab citizens will not be celebrating. They will be marking the 60th anniversary of Nakba day, their day of catastrophe representing defeat in the 1948 war and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
During last night's moving and emotional ceremony commemorating the fallen sons and daughters of Zichron Yaakov I realized something. We are a nation suffering from trauma. Two thousand years of collective memory of discrimination, abuse, murder and expulsion culminating in genocide - the Holocaust. And now, even with the establishment of a Jewish state, we experience wars and further loss. We are still traumatized. But the trauma has created an emotional blind spot. We are unable to see the suffering we have inflicted upon our enemy and feel their pain. We are unable to see that the world has changed. We are not a defenseless persecuted people anymore. Israel is a regional superpower, yet we still feel vulnerable.
The time has come to create a shared remembrance day in Israel. A day that commemorates the dead on both sides. A day when both communities acknowledge their pain and the others'. Maybe then we will be able to move forward and celebrate life in a shared society, a country where all its' citizens feel at home.
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