Our BS, eh?

Cutting in Line

2010-06-13T14:23:00.001+03:00

It's nothing new that people always try to cut in line by making up some story about how they really were already there, they just left the line temporarily to do their laundry.

I'm not going to comment on the phenomenon overall, but what I witnessed the other day at the bank was a little different. To head off this problem, the bank placed a numbered ticket dispenser at the start of the line - like the ones you see at the bakery or the deli. It's supposed to remove doubt as to who was there first, and it also allows one to go sit down in the waiting area rather than stand guard for their precious spot in line.

I took my ticket, 203, but remained standing in the line anyway. (I tried to sell it to some people behind me, but that didn't work - a little Stephen Wright humour there.) Standing ahead of me was a woman who upon seeing me take a ticket, went over and also took one, 204, I presumed. She was certainly there before me, so I suggested we swap tickets, that way she'd have the lower number. She declined, and showed me she had already taken a number, which was in the 190s. 204 was the next number sticking out of the dispenser. (I guess when she just wanted to see what numbers the dispenser was up to, but she didn't actually take one.)

The she pointed to a man already standing at a teller and says loud enough for everyone to hear, "But that guy came in at least half an hour after me, and he cut the line and they don't even care." She turned to him and says, "Gezel (theft), that's what you did. You just don't care. Wherever there's charedim, this is what happens." The man meanwhile smiles and with a smug look and says, "Yes, you're right, we're all terrible...no, you're right, you're right..." This escalated into a heated exchange between the two of them, to the point where even the tellers told them both to knock it off.

Now I don't know why this woman chose to make this a charedi issue since plenty of charedim don't cut in line and plenty of DL's like her do. But I did resent the smugness of this guy, who appeared very satisfied to get away with cutting the line and getting her all bent out of shape. Whether its right or wrong to stereotype a whole group by the action of one, the reality is I felt that both his actions and his patronizing response was a chilul Hashem that does put charedim in a bad light.

And then the strangest thing happened. He pulls out his ticket, and it's a lower number than hers! He was there before her. He then gives her a look as if to say, "Eat _____, lady!" Never in my life have I seen a person transition from angry and accusatory to embarrassed and apologetic as this woman did then. She was wrong, and readily she admitted it. But this guy loved the moment, and kept his smug look the entire time. 5 points for Slytherin, -5 for Griffindor.

Now I'll leave aside the fact that he probably popped into the bank, saw how crowded it was, took a number, went out and did other errands in the area, then came back. Sort of like "I was already here, I just left the line temporarily to pick up my brother at the airport." But what I don't understand is, why did that guy wait so long to show his number, and prove he was first? He could have diffused the whole situation before it started simply by showing his number right away. Why did he let her carry on for so long? Was it in order for her to embarrass herself in public even more than she already had? Everyone knows it's wrong to embarrass someone else in public. He wasn't doing that. He was simply not stopping her from embarrassing herself.

If that's why he did it, smug look and all, then even though he was technically right by being first, he was wrong in my book, I would think in G d's book too.

-10 for Slytherin.

Valuable Lesson from a Special Bar Mitzvah

2010-05-30T04:29:00.000+03:00

Today I attended a bar mitzvah. I didn't know it until they called the boy up...for Chamishi. "Oh, it's his son," I think to myself. It's a family I know cordially. I already have my own opinion of who they are. A frum family, sure. But I see the way they dress, the way their kids dress, I know the schools they send their kids to, etc. Let's just say they made choices I wouldn't have made, but hey, to each their own.

In today's perek of Avos (2) we have the famous mishna, V'al tadun es chavercha ad sh'tagiyah limkomo.

But I think everyone in some fashion sums up another person in his own mind. It starts with the externals, since that's usually the first basis of information. As you gain more information, your opinion is either confirmed or changed. Am I wrong for doing this?

You never know about someone. And anyway, why is it my job to judge? But then there's a voice in your head that goes, "Yeah, yeah, but you can tell about them, you know what they're about." Of course I have never verbalized any of my opinions to anyone, nor have I allowed my preconceived notions to manifest themselves in any interactions I have had with them. At least I hope not. I always try to be friendly, and the father and I always have what to chat about. The only judging going on is in my head, and it goes no further. So it's a victimless crime.

So today they call the boy up. Funny, I have never seen this boy before. I've only some of this guy's older children. "Ah, so what," I think. "I hardly see the older son in shul, so why should I be surprised I've never seen this son in shul?" The kid goes up for his Aliyah and manages with obvious difficulty through the brachos. And I'm thinking, "Geez, this kid can hardly even read Birkas HaTorah! What is with these parents?!"

At the kiddush, no one from the family speaks. A family friend gets up instead. Choking back tears in every word, he says he's sure most of didn't realize the miracle we all witnessed today. He then goes on to explain that when this bar mitzvah boy was born, his parents were told he wouldn't live past the age of 5. He would never speak, he would never walk, he would never be able to do anything a normal child can do. He'd be a vegetable his entire short life. Today, he's 13, he walks, he speaks not one by 2 languages, English and Hebrew, and he just said Birkas HaTorah for his bar mitzvah.

He went on to say how befitting it was for the boy's bar mitzvah to be on Parshas BaHa'alosecha. The first Rashi tells us how Aharon felt bad he couldn't take part in the Chanukas HaNisi'im like all the other shevatim did. Hashem reassures him by telling him he'll get a better job, lighting the Menorah in the mishkan everyday! This bar mitzvah boy was not supposed to be able to do anything other children do. But today he did, and everyday he does something even better. Not only does he remind us what a blessing from Hashem it is to be able to do the most simple things we take for granted such as walking, speaking and reading, but moreover, he sets an example for all of us about striving to achieve one's potential. Hashem doesn't judge us only by where we ARE. It depends where we WERE and where we CAN BE. Hashem doesn't expect the same achievements from everyone. But He expects everyone's best.

So for all my information gathering, the conclusions I had drawn, and my overall impression of others, I saw today how I had it all wrong. My preconceived notions about the way these parents were raising their children made me think, "Geez, this kid can hardly even read." Had I known better, I'd have thought, "Holy cow, this kid can read!" Remember earlier how I said that the way I judged others only in my head was a victimless crime? I'm wrong. The victim is me. What if that friend hadn't made that speech? I'd have used today's event to further strengthen my misconception, and I'd have gone on thinking, well maybe not negatively, but maybe not so highly, of this family. Today I had my eyes opened in a big way.

But still, isn't it normal for a person to formulate opinions by what he sees and hears? In this example, I clearly had come to the wrong conclusions. But was it wrong in the first place to try to draw a conclusion from the information I had? What's the lesson of that mishna in Avos? Is it that you can never know the whole story, so be careful how you act toward others since your opinion might be incorrect? Or is it that we should not formulate opinions in the first place? Is that even possible? What's your opinion?

A V'nahafoch Hu Shacharis

2010-02-15T22:26:00.000+02:00

It's Rosh Chodesh Adar, and in these 2 days I experienced an interesting sort of v'nahafoch hu at Shacharis. At the local minyan factory, the gabbaus is unpredictable, which is to say non-existent until someone stands up and does something. I'll give you an example. Here in Israel, it's common for a minyan to have no shliach tzibur for p'skukei d'zimra, but for someone to step up for Yishtabach at a set time, in this case, 15 min. after the official start time of the minyan. When someone's a chiyuv, you can count on starting on time, because he's up there. Otherwise, it's a hem and haw game until someone finally gets tired of the finger pointing - No, you go. No, you do it - and goes up there. On a good day, someone will start the finger pointing a few minutes in advance so that it's been decided by the real start time.

Yesterday, someone was on the ball enough to tap me on the shoulder a minute early and point in the direction of the amud, indicating I should daven. I can't stand standing around doing nothing, so I went up. Of course this person who appointed me wasn't taking the entire role of gabbai that morning, so after Hallel and by the time I brought the Sefer Torah to the bimah, there was no one there to call up the aliyos. Except me, since the baal kriyah and I were the only ones up there. So not only did I lead Shacharis, I was the gabbai too.

Tangent: Being gabbai is the greatest power trip in the world. You get to decide who's important enough to get an aliyah, who's strong enough to do hagbah and who's too wimpy and can only get gelilah. You choose people you like, people you feel sorry for since they probably never get anything, etc. Such unilateral power to validate or invalidate a person first thing in the morning! It's better than being a customs officer at the Canada - US border.

OK, back to my story. By the time we finished Torah reading, I, now being the ever-powerful gabbai, had to find someone to daven Musaf. This is done simply by announcing, "Musaf! Musaf!" Of course, no one immediately stepped up. Finally the baal kriyah said he would do it. So that day's responsibilities were shared by the 2 of us. I did Shacharis and was the gabbai, he leined and davened Musaf.

Today I found ourselves at the very same minyan once again. (Which minyan I go to depends on many factors, and it's not always the same one.) Once again we found ourselves at Yishtabach time and no one stepped up to the plate. Finally, "they all" looked at me as if to say, "Nu, would you just go already?" Well I really didn't want to daven Shacharis and Hallel 2 days in a row, but it was now 3 minutes past the official Yishtabach time. I sort of grunted and started walking up to the amud. On the way, I passed my buddy, the baal kriyah from yesterday. I tried the same tactic on him - pointed. He shrugged and took the amud.

This gave me an idea. As he finished Hallel and carried the Sefer Torah to the bimah, I said to him, "Let's switch. This time you be gabbai and I'll lein." He said ok. After leining, I once again called out for a volunteer for Musaf. Of course, no one. So I did it.

And that's my v'nahafoch hu story.

Day 1:
Me - Shacharis, gabbi
The other guy - leining, Musaf

Day 2:
The other guy - Shacharis, gabbai
Me - leining, Musaf

Unapologetically Disturbing Davening

2010-01-31T13:06:00.007+02:00

I've had to come to terms with the fact that there will always be tzedakah collectors during davening - even though it comes to me as a contradiction since these mostly charedi looking people should understand and respect the fact that a person davening to Hashem should not be disturbed. Yeah, right. I guess they figure giving tzedakah is a great mitzvah opportunity and most people don't have kavanah anyway, so let's cut the frummie stuff about disturbing davening. I understand it's a captive audience and therefore more efficient than going door to door, although I wonder if the take is the same. Personally I give more to someone at my door than a collector in shul.

Now it's one thing if they walk around with their hand out or put a flyer in front of you, as long as they don't bother you. Or if it's during Chazaras HaShatz when a person isn't actually davening. It's when they start talking to you while you're actually davening that I get annoyed. I once told off a guy that did that to me. It was during Ashrei / Uva L'Tzion and I was very clearly looking into my siddur and saying the words when this guy started in with his story. I was so resentful of this invasion and of his chutzpah that I said aloud: HKB"H, tamtim rega, yesh ben adam sh'yoter chashuv mimcha! (G d, hang on a sec, there's someone here more important than You!) He walked away embarrassed and I sat there feeling terrible that I had embarrassed him in public. Luckily he was still there after davening so I went over to him to ask mechilla for embarassing him, but also to find out what would motivate him to start talking to me like that when it was clear I was davening. He said something like the poskim say it's muttar during Ashrei / Uva L'Tzion. I wonder which poskim. To me, "The poskim" is like saying, "Sfarim HaKedoshim teach us..." But I digress.

In chutz la'aretz, some shuls have rules about tzedakah collectors. Not during davening, but after, or you can walk around, but don't disturb people, Shliach Tzibur is off limits, go the the gabbai only and he'll give you from the shul's tzedakah fund, etc. I've never seen any shuls here in Eretz Yisroel with rules liek this, but most of the time, the collectors themselves have limits too. So far, I've never seen anyone walk around during shomeh esrai or kedusha, but today's collector came close.

I had on my Tefillin shel yad and was taking out my shel rosh. Unless you're about to keel over and die, this is a point where you're basically not allowed to talk or do anything unrelated to putting on your tefilliln. It's right at this moment that a guy slips a laminated letter of approbation for me to read, and then starts talking to me! I was livid. He walked away when I didn't answer him, but by the time I was finished putting on my tefillin, he was back again to collect his laminated letter - as if he had given me sufficient time to read it - and to take my money. Of course I had neither read the letter nor prepared any money for him. But now that I could talk, I asked him, and was very careful not to be antagonistic, just curious: Lo samta lev sh'hayiti bein ha'shel yad v'ha'shel rosh? (Didn't you notice I was between my shel yad and shel rosh?) - indicating the poor timing of his approaching me. He looked at me for a second, then said, "Rotzeh La'azor?" (Do you want to help?) I felt like taking his laminated letter and flinging it across the shul, but I knew I had a level to preserve too, so I bit my tongue. By then he had walked away anyway.

I'll admit I know nothing about this fellow or his situation, and that's what being dan l'kaf zechus is all about. Maybe his mind was preoccupied with his troubles. I would have found it easier to let it slide had he simply acknowledged, not even so much apologize for his poor timing. But that he was so indifferent, even after I pointed it out, that makes it hard to judge so favourably. I'm working on it.

An Open Letter to Senator Bob Menendez (D) NJ

2009-06-18T02:02:00.005+03:00

You've probably already seen this on Rafi G's Blog, but I really wanted to try embedding a video for the first time so here it is again, followed by my letter which I sent to the Senator. Cool, the video works!

June 17, 2009

Dear Mr. Senator,

There were so many times during your speech about Israel yesterday where I thought to myself, "Wow, he hit the nail on the head on that one!"

Decoupling the founding of Israel with the Holocaust, G d's Biblical promise of the Land of Israel to the Jewish People, the ties the Jewish people have had with Israel for thousands of years, the truth about the Arab refugees in 1948, the non-equivalency between Hamas and Israel, and the threat of Iran - you touched on so many important points and I wanted to thank you for getting it right and setting the record straight. But there are 2 items I wanted to add to this comprehensive list, please.

You mentioned that the US is not only an ally of Israel, but of its citizens. I am an American citizen living in Israel. I hope you know there are tens, maybe a hundred thousand Americans like me who have chosen to live with their families in their biblical homeland, at the same time continue to be patriotic Americans. For this reason, Iran's threat against Israel is also a threat to Americans living here. Of course it's much more than that. A nuclear Iran isn't only a threat to Israel, it is a threat to the entire free world, including the United States.

You also mentioned you have faith that through talks, agreements can be reached from all sides. While Israel has made peace treaties with more moderate regimes such as Egypt and Jordan, I feel this will not be possible with fundamentalist regimes such as Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas, not even Fatah. Most people still think the issue is about land and sovereignty and rally behind the two-state solution. But Israel's withdrawal from Gaza proves that for fundamentalist Moslems, it is about the destruction of Israel, which is rooted in their religious faith. There cannot be agreements because doing so would be a violation of their faith, as they interpret it. So they will continue towards their goal of Israel's destruction, either until they succeed, or until they are stopped.

Diplomacy, treaties and talks have their place. But as we learned from Neville Chamberlain's failed policy of appeasement towards Germany, they don't always work. It is a tough decision which sometimes must be made, that your enemy will stop only when stopped. If a Rottweiler comes charging at you with deep growling and teeth baring, you will not succeed in negotiating with him and reaching an agreement. You must either stop him or run away. Mr. Senaor, Israel will not run away. Its enemy must be stopped.

I thank you for your bold speech yesterday in defense of America's allies, its citizens and Americans living here. Please continue to do all you can to keep the United States in Israel's corner, supporting and joining in Israel's right to defend itself against its enemies when all other attempts fail.

Shabbos Crocs

2008-12-13T23:50:00.005+02:00

What has happened to dressing up for Shabbos Kodesh? Suit, tie, Shabbos shoes, etc. When I was growing up in the FFB world, everyone dressed nicely for Shabbos.

Over the years I've watched people (whom I would think know better) dressing more and more casually on Shabbos, both here in EY and in Chu"l. In EY, people are naturally more casual, particularly when it comes to ties. OK, I can deal with that, it's a cultural thing. And maybe so even in Chu"l people have started to dress casually, not just on Fridays but all the time. What I don't get is when someone who DOES wear a tie both Fri night and Shabbos morning, loses the tie at Mincha. Is it any less Shabbos by then?

But the most blatant example of dressing down for Shabbos that I've seen is when it comes to shoes. I bet if I think about it real hard I could remember my first pair of Shabbos shoes. When I was really little, my mother didn't want to have to keep up with 2 pairs of shoes as I (supposedly) grew. So I didn't have separate weekday shoes and Shabbos shoes, I had one pair of shoes, which had to be menschlich enough for Shabbos, so they couldn't be sneakers either. They were these leather soled lace up shoes. Ever hear the Bill Cosby routine on his shoes when the front of the sole separates and makes a flapping noise when you walk - and you can even pick up a penny without bending down! That's what I had. I think it was in 2nd grade that I finally got my first pair of sneakers and separate Shabbos shoes. I remember how proud I was that I finally had my own pair of shoes - just for Shabbos! That was part of Shabbos - wearing nice clothing, not doing things on Shabbos afternoon that would ruin your Shabbos clothes, but not changing into weekday clothes either. And Shabbos shoes.

What has happened to Shabbos shoes? I see men coming to shul in Neot with no socks, women in beach flip-flops. And of course, everyone's all time favourite - Crocs! And not conservative dark coloured ones either. One guy I know now comes to shul with no jacket or tie and aqua Crocs. But this Shabbos was a first for me. A guy came to shul - chassidishe dress all the way: No streimel, but the unkempt beard, bekishe, gartel were all there....=and Crocs. I'll give him credit, at least they were black. But I don't get how it has become acceptable to come to shul in shoes you'd go to the beach with. Would you attend a business meeting that way? OK, maybe this guy had some need to wear loose fitting shoes, and this is not his usual choice of Shabbos footwear. I'll grant him the kaf zechus. But overall, I don't get how people come dressed for shul. It has certainly become way less casual than the way I was taught. And I'm not from the shtetel in Europe or the 1930s either. I hope someone can explain this to me, because to me it's an affront to the kavod Shabbos should receive.

Sorry, Canada, about a Valid Homeland Security Measure

2007-11-19T16:28:00.000+02:00

Heart Attack Patient Held Up at Border
Canada calls for review of border security after incident
The Canadian Press

TORONTO - A report says Canada is calling for a review of border security after an ambulance transporting a heart attack patient from Windsor to a Detroit hospital was delayed.

Last Monday, Rick Laport, 46, was being rushed to Detroit for an emergency angioplasty. The ambulance was stopped by U.S. customs and the driver and Laport were required to identify themselves.

CTV News reports Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day has expressed concern and asked for a review of border procedures in a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. CTV says Day asked Chertoff that border procedures be reviewed.

Laport's wife, Kat Lauzon, says he could have died because of the five-minute delay. “We need something done about this,” Lauzon told CTV. “Not one person should die because of that type of miscommunication, or whatever you want to call it.”

New Democrat MP Brian Masse told CTV that “it's another sad chapter of what's happening at the border.” The ambulance incident was second such incident recently at a U.S. border crossing.

Last Sunday, volunteer firefighters rushing from Quebec to assist a small-town fire department in upper New York State were held up while being grilled about their identification. While they were delayed for up to 15 minutes, the landmark Anchorage Inn in Rouses Point, N.Y., burned to the ground.

11-19-07 07:02 EST

Now I'll be the first to point out some of the stupidities of Homeland Security, specifically some TSA behaviour at airports, about which I do not need to elaborate. However, I have to side with the US on this one.

The fact that the city of Windsor couldn't handle its own heart attack patient or angioplasty, such that they had to rush him to Detroit - now THAT is why this man might have died. While many US politicians marvel at Canada's "free" health system, here is an example of one its drawbacks. My "favourite" is about a man running in a fundraising race for a Toronto hospital. At the finish line right in front of the hospital, the runner had a asthma attack or something like that. But Toronto hospitals rotate their ER days and this hospital was not on duty that day. So they routed him to the nearest one that was 10 minutes away! He died en route. Some thanks he got for fundraising for that hospital, eh?

The US is not responsible for Canada's medical crisis and does not have to jeopardize its security by giving carte blanche entry to every ambulance that shows up at the border. How difficult would it be for terrorists or other criminals to steal one and use it to cross a border un-checked? Besides, a 5 min. delay ain't bad.

Sorry Canada, this one's your fault in my book.

Thing 4 is a hit!

2007-07-26T18:44:00.000+03:00

Once again, not generally my thing, but worthy of an exception - another kid story.

Thing 4 was in his crib last night singing a song, and I started singing the tune to different words, which I thought were funny. He didn't agree and after saying, "No, Abba, don't sing that!" he promptly whacked me on the chest.

Of course, that was not acceptable, so I told him I was leaving. So he started to cry. I said, "Thing 4, why are YOU crying? I'm the one that got hit!" After a few tries from me asking why he was crying, in between wails, he finally got out, "You...don't...have...to...know!"

Then he started calling "Eeeeemmaa!" "What, Thing 4?" "Abba doesn't let me hit him!"

Exactly what are you Suggesting by that Question?

2007-07-03T01:09:00.000+03:00

I was filling out a survey today. This was one of the questions:

What is your gender? (Select one response only)
Male
Female

It would have been just as bad if they had said: (Select all that apply)

Out of the Mouths of Things

2007-06-27T00:31:00.000+03:00

At Musings From Israel, my wife writes about our children, referring to them as Things 1-4. This story should go there, but since it happened to me, it's here.

This morning, Thing 3 asked if I could give her some cottage cheese. As I was spooning some into her bowl, she informed me that she knows how to make cottage cheese. "Really?" I asked. "We learned when our class took a trip to a farm."

"They take a goat and lock his head in one of these things," she says, wrapping one arm behind her head, "but it's not dangerous for them." (Whew!) "Then, they distract it by giving it lots of food. " Now her voice goes very quiet.

"Then they go behind it, and pull on those things and squeeze the milk into a pitcher." "Udders?" I ask. "I don't know what they're called, but cows have them too, and they have more of them, behind... over here," she says, pointing to her behind, "with a pink circle..." She's snickering at the fact that she's discussing a cow's privates.

Now pay attention, here's where it gets complicated:

"Then what?" "And then, blah blah blah blah. And blah blah blah blah blah." (Yes, she's saying the words blah blah blah.) "And blah blah blah blah...and that's it!"

"That's it? Where's the part about how they make cottage cheese?" I demanded. "That was part of the blah blah blah."

So there you have it, folks. Make your own today!

Inconsistencies

2007-06-21T21:48:00.000+03:00

Much as we wish that all Jews kept Torah and Mitzvos, we all know the reality is that some Jews are more observant, and some are less. I can deal with that, by which I do not mean it's ok with me. I mean I understand that this is the way it is, even if I wish it were different. But this is not an essay on kiruv, so I'm moving on.

What gets me is when I see inconsistencies in a person. I'm not even thinking about the cell phone guy I wrote about previously, who is a well known g'vir and osek b'tzibbur, yet doesn't care whose davening he disturbs.

I'm thinking about the guy sitting next to me on my return flight to Israel on Air Canada (the movies were not nearly as bad this time). He was a cool looking young adult, probably early 20s, longish dirty blond hair, possibly with a short pony-tail if I recall correctly. But he was wearing a kippah and he said Tefillas HaDerech as we were taxiing. No problem so far, I see lots of kippah + pony tail wearers. Just go to any Carlebach minyan.

But when he got back from a washroom visit, his kippah was gone and when they served the meals, he had the standard airline meal, not a kosher one. Remember, Air Canada, not El Al, where one can argue that all the meals are kosher.

So what do I make of this inconsistency?

A) Right then on that flight, ba'derech to Israel, is when he decided to go off the derech. Hmm, maybe that's what his Tefillas HaDerech was all about.

B) He's slowly coming onto the derech, but not all the way there yet. He forgot to order to a kosher meal and rather than starve, decided he would eat the regular meal. Not wanting to be seen eating a treif airline meal with his kippah on, he took it off.

C) I don't need to understand everything everyone does. That's why he didn't consult with me first.

D) Do you think you're consistent 100% of the time yourself, mister? We all have our quirks, don't be so judgemental.

I dunno, I guess C. And D. Maybe B.

Cell Phones During Davening

2007-06-18T21:28:00.000+03:00

Today I saw the worst display of cell phone ettiquette during davening.

It's bad enough when someone's phone rings during the silent Shmoneh Esrai. Most of us have been guilty of this at least once. But if does ring, we rush to silence it as soon as possible, trying our best to prevent it from ringing a second time.

The offender grabbed the phone from his hip holster, I assumed, to silence the ringer, but didn't make it before the 2nd ring. So he was a bit slow, cut the man some slack, I thought. He returned the phone to his hip, and I thought it was all over. But the phone kept on ringing, for a total of 10 times! That means he looked at his phone, and put it back, intentionally allowing it to continue ringing. Chutzpah!

I can understand why people don't keep their phones on vibrate only - in case you misplace it and want to call it from another phone in order to locate it. But most phones have a setting called Vibrate then Ring. To me, this is the ideal setting, at least for daveners.

As for this offender, I didn't have the guts to say anythinig to him. Maybe I should have, but he was the boss of the office which hosted the minyan. I was just an outsider, not looking to dis the achsanya. Maybe I should have...

An open letter to Air Canada

2007-06-14T05:51:00.001+03:00

June 13, 2007

Air Canada - Customer Relations
PO Box 64239
5512 4th Street, NW
Calgary, AB, T2K 6J0

To Whom This May Concern:

Re: June 10, 2007: AC # 085, Tel Aviv - Toronto

I am writing to express my utter shock and disappointment with the in-flight entertainment on my last flight 3 days ago. Since there were no individual seatback screens on this ancient 767, we were all subjected to viewing the movies chosen for this flight.

The first film was Music and Lyrics which featured a sexy young female pop star who grinds her hips and rubs against others on stage wearing practically nothing. The second film was Austin Powers – The Spy Who Shagged Me. In addition to being unbearably stupid, this movie also flaunted nakedness and frivolous sex. Both these films were rated PG -13.

The Motion Picture Association of America does not determine what is appropriate for my children’s viewing. But even if I followed their standards, PG -13 means that some material is not suitable for children under the age of 13. So how could you show these films on a big screen? It’s one thing if the aircraft had individual seatback screens where parents could control what their children watch. I think it was unconscionable for these films to be shown to all audiences on a big screen. Thankfully, my children were not with me on this flight.

But unless you either enter your fleet into the 21st century and provide individual seatback screens or change your policy on what films are shown on big screen flights, I will not fly Air Canada with my children.

Sincerely,

Wanna Saab

P.S. British Airways goes even further. In addition to individual seatback screens, the flight attendant came over to us and asked my wife which channels she would like to have blocked from our children’s screens. I was very impressed.

I Will not be Intimidated Anymore!

2007-05-21T13:09:00.000+03:00

There have been several occasions, either after something happened to me, or after something I read that happened to someone else, that felt I had something to say. But nothing substantial or insightful enough to create a whole formal post containing deep thoughts like my previous pearls. And so, this blog has been lying fallow for 6 months.

Finally, I decided "Who cares!" It's my blog and I'll say whatever, whenever and as much or as little as I want to. Isn't that the point? No one's forcing you to read this.

For whom exactly I am writing this, is another question. If I don't care about you, the reader, than I must be only writing it for myself. But since I already know what I think, what's the point of that? Maybe I'll win the coveted blogademy award in the Toronto-RBS-blogs-by-American-expatriates cateogry, and I'll generate substantial passive income from all the advertising traffic, allowing me to retire with income for life no matter what the markets are doing.

So you see, I really do care about my readers since you're the ones who will vote for me. There now, don't you feel as special as those companies who assure you your call is important to them while you wait on hold for 45 minutes make you feel?

So I will no longer be intimidated by having too little to say. I will speak. And you shall read!

Stay tuned.

Lay off the Holocaust Metaphors!

2006-11-08T18:04:00.000+02:00

"Police arrest Acco Arab Salameh Julam, 40, for distributing a pamphlet describing Ehud Olmert as the Hitler of the current area. " How original! Let's see now, Olmert joins the list of other modern day Hitlers like George W. Bush, Condoleeza Rice, Ariel Sharon, heck, I've even heard Shimon Peres called that before.

But wait, there's more - I forget which Senator compared the living conditions and treatment of terrorists at Gitmo to those of the concentration camps. And it goes without saying that all Republicans and Israelis are Nazis.

Nazi, Hitler, concentration camps - examples of the worst sort of human cruelty in modern time. Everyone knows there's nothing worse than being compared to these things, so people do exactly that when they don't like something.

I can understand it when you talk about recent characters such as Saddam, Arafat and the like, although even they don't come close. But lately these terms have been trivialized to the point where they are used to describe basically anyone whom someone dislikes. "He took my parking spot, that Nazi!"

Attention all you Holocaust metaphorists:

Do you know how dumb you sound when you use such extreme language for lesser things? It displays your ignorance and / or trivialization of what the Holocaust was. Do you know how disrespectful you are to those that suffered through the real thing when Froot Loops for breakfast at Gitmo is compared to Auschwitz? Has Rabbi Marvin Hier ever raised this as an issue?

I understand the value of hyperbole, but you're doing it with a real hot button and it's not funny.* Some comments are out of bounds, like how you'd feel if I told a dirty joke about your mother. I hope a survivor whacks you accross the face. Shut up, then read up!

Is it a coincidence that most of these comparisons are made by socialist-leaning lefties? Why don't you ever hear them use Stalin or Mao? Both were greater killers than Hitler.

Here's a brand new one from our friend Hugo Chavez of Venezuela on the Saddam conviction and sentencing:

"We oppose the death penalty in the first place. It's a matter of principles. But if it were a question of a sentence, the first who'd have to be condemmed to the greatest sentence established on this planet is the president of the United States...if it were a question of of those who perpetrated genocide."

Genocide! I forgot that one. Thanks Hugo.
Citgo - what to do when you get gas.

* Except for the Seinfeld with the Soup Nazi, because that was funny.

Better Late Than Never

2006-10-20T12:32:00.000+02:00

OK, well here is my foray into the blog world, which I seem to be the last person on Earth to join. I had intended this blog to document our decision process to move to Israel, the move itself and our initial experiences, acclimation, and other things about our new life in Israel. 2 years is a bit late to rehash all that. Sorry you all missed it. Some great stories along the way.

I should set the record straight about one thing right from the start. I was born an American, I BECAME a Canadian. My wife and I both have 1 Canadian parent, so we became Canadian citizens in 1995 so that I could pursue a career opportunity in Toronto that came my way. But in 2004 we decided to spend a year in Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph, or RBS-A. (there's a Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet or RBS-B, but not our type of neighbourhood) and then made the decision to stay permanently.

So why did I call this blog a Canadian's musings and not an American's? Mostly for the cute title which would not work using US slang. It's called RBS-A, not RBS-Huh.

At this stage, I can't commit to writing with any reliable frequency. I'll follow Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams' method which is to post approximately whenever I feel like it. I guess it'll happen mostly when I read something in the news that is so outrageous I have to vent, or when something happens to me that is worth sharing. I'll make up the rules as I go along.

Last point: One objective I have in sharing my experiences living in Israel is to encourage all you Jewish readers to at least consider doing the same. If you haven't been here in 10 years or more, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Some of you may recall your experience here, perhaps a year after high school, of power failures every other day, no AC, no hot water, and a general 3rd world feel, This country has come a long way. Our standard of living is not compromised the way living here might have meant in the past. But it has a long way to go. You're supposed to be here and we need you.