As Israel turns 60, do not forget this........

The Other Side of Israel’s Birth
by Alice Rothchild

Published on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 by The Baltimore Sun

This spring we are obsessed with anniversaries: the fifth year since the invasion of Iraq, the 40th since the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and, of course, the 60th anniversary of Israeli independence. Each such marker shapes our understanding of history, framing how a story is to be told and how it is to be remembered. I am struck by one conspicuous anniversary that is not making many headlines.

On tour recently in the U.S., Eitan Bronstein, director of the Israeli organization Zochrot, explained that “zochrot” is the Hebrew word for “remembering,” intentionally used in its feminine form to imply that this organization is not about the standard history of schoolbooks but about a memory grounded in compassion. Zochrot focuses on educating Israelis about the other side of the 1948 War of Liberation, the dispossession and expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians living in what was to become Israel. Through careful documentation of the locations of more than 450 destroyed Palestinian villages, by interviewing and photographing Palestinians living in Israel and surrounding refugee camps, Zochrot creates a living human memory that encompasses the other side of history.

Mr. Bronstein has been touring with Mohammad Jaradat, a Palestinian activist, negotiator at the Madrid peace talks and co-founder of Badil, Arabic for “alternative,” a foundation that researches and advocates for Palestinian residency and refugee rights. He is part of a vigorous Palestinian movement for civil society that is largely unknown in the U.S.

Listening to these two men, I was struck by how memory shapes our understanding of history and how dangerous it is to blind ourselves to the realities of the past. For decades, Jews have shaped the memory of the Holocaust, honoring its victims and justifying the behavior of its survivors, creating a story in which we Jews are all at some level survivors, claiming Israel’s victories as our own. The narrative of indigenous Arab resistance to a Jewish state and acknowledgment of the human suffering that was a consequence of Israeli military victory and political policy thus become a personal as well as a political threat.

Mr. Bronstein contends that Israel’s failure to recognize its responsibility for Palestinian dispossession is a critical though invisible part of Israeli history, that embracing this history is the first step toward acknowledging Palestinians as fellow human beings, and that this process can lead beyond peace to permanent reconciliation between the two peoples. While the Palestinians clearly “lost the war” in 1948, the decision to prevent them from returning to their ancestral homes was a political decision that has led to a constant state of friction and war between Israel and its neighbors.

At a time when Jews and Palestinians express little hope for a peaceful future, Mr. Bronstein offers us a path where Israelis acknowledge the price of their victory and take responsibility for their share of the Palestinian catastrophe. At the same time, Mr. Jaradat is working for the kinds of civil rights that are enshrined in international and human rights law, reminding us that Palestinians deserve nothing less than we would expect for ourselves. Both men share the conviction that acknowledging the Palestinian refugees’ internationally recognized right to return and developing creative solutions — from resettlement to financial compensation — is the foundation of a lasting resolution of the conflict.

As Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary today, I wonder what would happen if this tragedy, Al Nakba, were to be publicly recognized alongside the Israeli victory. Perhaps taking the risk of acknowledging the pain of the “other” and seeing “the enemy” as a real person is how peace is ultimately made.

The dispossession of two-thirds of the Palestinian population in 1948, and the consequences borne by generations of families living in Israel, the occupied territories, refugee camps and the diaspora, can no longer be hidden. It is time to acknowledge that other anniversary and to move forward with eyes and hearts open to the suffering of all the children of Abraham.

Alice Rothchild, a physician, is the author of “Broken Promises, Broken Dreams: Stories of Jewish and Palestinian Trauma and Resilience” and co-chairwoman of Jewish Voice for Peace, Boston.

Hope and Cynicism

Yesterday, a beautiful sunny day, my friend Julia and I went out to the International Crane Foundation, near Barraboo, WI. This organization works tirelessly and effectively to cross international borders and support the many different species of cranes around the world, many of which are endangered. It is powerful to me that caring for living things like cranes brings together people whose governments don't like each other.

The Whooping Crane, native to North America had almost vanished. There were about 48 left. The Crane Foundation undertook a breeding program to raise whooping cranes to an age where they could migrate to their nesting grounds in Florida. They are raised in a way that keeps them from imprinting on humans. The young birds make their first flight to Florida following an ultralight plane piloted by a person in a sort of bird suit, again to avoid them imprinting on humans. The birds then fly back north at the appropriate time of the year, on their own. That is a miracle to me, in and of itself.

I found myself moved to tears yesterday in the marsh ampitheater which "houses" a male and female Whooping Crane. You can see the birds up close and watch a short video on the breed and release program. I feel so very hopeful about this. I didn't realize how down and how cynical I'd been feeling of late about the world: politics, the war(s), the environment, etc. Yet this counterd the cynicism. It opened up the idea that if this migration work is possible, then so much is really possible. I noted that the marsh ampitheater where the birds live was paid for by AMOCO. Again, I felt the twinge of cynicism. "Ha," I thought, "a good PR stunt by AMOCO!") And maybe (almost certainly) it is. However, someone from the Crane Foundation went to them, persuaded AMOCO to part with some of it's ample billions. So, little by little, hope enters into the picture. Changes. Will enoughchanges happen before we destroy our planet and ourselves? I don't know, of course. I'm not a pollyanna, but am hopeful today.

Tom Hanks Pledges Support To Barack Obama

Actor Inspired By Senator's 'Character And Vision'



I'm not too big on celbrity endorsments, but found this amusing, and I do agree with him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEW YORK -- Tom Hanks is supporting presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama.

Hanks has taken to his MySpace.com page to pledge his support for Obama, who is competing to be the first black president. Obama, who faces rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination, has also been endorsed by Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Springsteen and Scarlett Johansson.

"As an official celebrity, I know my endorsement has just made your mind up for you," the 51-year-old actor said in a short video titled, "Beware: Celebrity Endorsement."

"History with a capital 'H' is going to be made this November, no matter who the president-elect is," Hanks said. "I want Barack Obama to be president of this country, a country that once said people with his skin color were only three-fifths of a human being."

Hanks, who won Oscars for his roles in "Forrest Gump" and "Philadelphia," explains his decision: "It's because of his character and vision, and the high road he has taken during this campaign. He has the integrity and the inspiration to unify us, as did FDR and Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy and even Ronald Reagan when they ran for the job."

The actor said that Obama and Clinton have each "pretended to eat cheese-steak sandwiches and go bowling," "committed gaffes" and distanced themselves from supporters who could damage their campaigns.
But Hanks thinks an Obama presidency could bring about a "seismic shift," and "live up to the great promise once shaped by our founding fathers."

Signing off, the star said, "I'm Tom Hanks, I wrote and approved this message, and I'm now going to turn off the camera."

The Growing of Poodledoc, Jr

Wow! Poodledoc, Jr has grown about 6 inches in the last year. (or was it the last month?). Went out to our favorite Chinese restaurant last night, Wong's, with Poodledoc, Jr and another 13 year old boy, we'll call Murphy. Anyway, the food came and I told them we were running a bit late for our next "engagement" and they'd have to eat "efficiently". So Murphy said, "Poodledoc, do you want us to 'Hoover' the food?" Foolishly, in the interest of time, I said yes. I barely got one piece of the chicken dish, a shrimp and a tired looking piece of broccoli. Well, it's one way to lose weight, I guess. Above, I'm sharing an adorable father and son photo taken two weeks ago. Poodledoc, jr has grown an inch or so since this was last taken. Really!

Black.Lake.Walking

Bare feet crunching in black sand.
Walking along the shores of darkness.
Maybe a lake.

Many miles pass.
Is it getting darker?
I thirst,
and bend down scooping up some water
Desire brings it to my lips.
No wetness.

Thirst goes on with no stopping.
Scanning the dark emptiness for what?
Is God out there?
Oh,
but I so much desire God to be out there.
Not knowing pierces.
Hurts somewhere I can’t reach.

Suddenly, I’m naked
and feel ashamed.
But no one’s here
Except
God.
I lose my shame
And drop it on the beach.
I leave the pain I’ve been carrying
on the beach.
I cover my wounds with moist, black sand.
They cool in the darkness.
And walk on,
scanning dark emptiness
Searching.
Always.

Arrrrrr! Why pirates wore eyepatches!

In the years before advanced medicine and surgery, eyepatches were common. They were particularly prevalent among members of dangerous occupations, such as pirates and blacksmiths. Today, with prosthetic eyes increasingly accessible, eyepatches are no longer common.

Pirates

A stereotypical pirate, sporting the requisite eyepatchEye patches may have had a more practical purpose for sailors and pilots. Sailors (stereotyped by the eye-patch-wearing pirate) who often went above and below deck, used eye patches to have one eye adjusted for the top deck and the other eye already adjusted for the darkness when suddenly going below deck. The strong sunlight while above deck on an oceangoing vessel could require minutes of adjustment to the dim lighting below deck. With virtually no light sources below deck, sailors would have to rely heavily upon their eyes to adjust. In the critical moments of modifying the rigging, navigating, and especially during battle, those minutes were too precious. A simple switch of the patch from one eye to the other saved time and was more convenient than being temporarily blinded when going between decks. This was deemed plausible on the January 17, 2007 episode of MythBusters.


Pilots

Similarly, pilots at one time would also do the same, when flying at night over brightly lit cities, so that one eye could look out, and the other would be adjusted for the dim lighting of the cockpit to read unlit instruments and maps. When flashlights with red bulbs, backlit instruments, and other modern instruments came along, that no longer was necessary, just as boats and ships evolving into being well lit made eye patches a thing of the past for most boating.

Quote of the Week

"If you want to start investigating from here, you are most welcome. Check our various offices. They can examine my pulse, my urine, my stool, everything."

- The Dalai Lama, reacting to accusations by Chinese officials that he has had a role in fomenting pro-independence riots in Tibet in which scores have died. He has said he may resign as the spiritual leader of Tibet if protests are not nonviolent, though many accuse the Chinese police of committing the worst atrocities.(Source: The Washington Post)