Windows broken at two Bay Area Jewish stores

Modern anti-semitism is often disguised as anti-Israel and sometimes its not. Take for example the recent vandalism of two jewish stores in Oakland. It saddens me to hear about hateful things like this especially in the Bay Area, one of the most accepting places in the world. This article was shown to me by a family member I visited yesterday, "I don't think I know anyone from Oakland, o wait, isn't this where your from?"

April 29, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) -- Two Jewish businesses in Oakland, Calif., were vandalized within two days of each other.

The front window of the Holy Land Restaurant was broken April 16, but nothing was stolen, according to oaklandlocal.com, a neighborhood blog.

Two days later, windows at the Jewish Grand Bakery also were broken, the Jweekly reported.

Police are investigating the incidents as vandalism, Lt. Kenneth Parris, the Jewish community liaison officer with the Oakland Police Department, told Jweekly last week.

There is no blatant evidence that the vandalisms are hate crimes, Parris told the newspaper, though he expressed concern about the timing of the incidents, just days before Israel Independence Day and the anniversary of Adolf Hitler's birthday.

There are three Jewish businesses in the area. The other, a kosher supermarket, was not vandalized, nor were any other stores in the area, according to Jweekly.

The Holy Land Restaurant, opened in 1989 by Israeli immigrants, has regularly received letters protesting Israeli policies, owner Mira Levy told the blog's writers. Levy said she and her family "are not involved in politics," and she doesn't understand why they should be targeted.

A second, non-kosher restaurant owned by the family in Berkeley, also called the Holy Land, has received similar threats in recent years, including a red swastika painted on its building with the word "blood" beneath it.

Levy told reporters that when her mother was deciding what to name the first restaurant, she chose Holy Land rather than a specifically Jewish name to indicate it was for all people, not just Jews.

Summer in the Distance

I got this basket small nectarines at the market. While eating the first one I realized this just might be the first nectarine I've had since the new year (Jan 1). I look forward to the full size summer fruit...white and yellow nectarine/peaches, watermelon and lemonade. Yes Summer is a wonderful season.

These flowers are called chinese firecrackers, bubbie told me.

The Holy Sepulchre

Today is Sunday and I went to Church. The holiest church in the holy land I'm told. I took as quick a walkthrough as I could without being disrespectful by running. I would have stayed longer to examine the details and go in all the different rooms but I was on a field trip and the teacher and group were waiting for me outside. I also touched the sacred rock were Jesus was put after he was taken down from the cross so I plan not to wash my hand for the remainder of my existence.

The Dead Sea is Dying

Due to large scale water diversion from the Jordan River, the Dead Sea has been shrinking by a meter each year. The ground water dissolves the salt and the ground collapses forming sink holes. This is a huge ecological problem and poses a threat to development in the region. That being said these sink holes look really cool.

Below: Dining area of abandoned/mostly destroyed Hotel Lido, 50 years ago the water came right up to the building.

Bats in Tel Aviv

I'm not used to seeing bats flying over head. It was funny to me because I've been in caves out here but only saw bats when I went to Israel's most modern city. I was told the bats are attracted to the cities fruit trees.

62 years

Today was Israel's Independence day, celebrating the states 62nd birthday. Yesterday was memorial day, the idea is putting a happy day after a sad one. I visited some extended family who were great and welcoming and showed me a little of Tel Aviv. We watched planes, fireworks and ate on the roof.

West Bank Checkpoint & Barrier

Some people invited me to accompany them to a restaurant in Ramallah. I like food and was curious to see the West Bank so I accepted.

I would describe the Palestinians at dinner as cynical and more hateful than there Israeli counterparts. For example, “I hurt my back, no it wasn’t the Israelis, I was drunk and fell down the stairs…. But the Israelis built the stairs”?

Going back through the checkpoint felt like leaving prison: fences, bars, florescent lights, cameras, metal detectors, 3 revolving bar entrances, guards behind thick windows. This gave a little context to the Palestinian’s anger… I can see how the walls and checkpoints don’t foster feelings of love.

Dialogue in the Dark

In the exhibition, blind guides lead visitors through a completely dark environment where one learns to interact by relying on other senses.

Words from the guide:

"You are all very brave... to be on a boat with a blind captain"

"It is pitch black, accept that none of you can see.... except me"

Toy Soldiers

Look at this picture of the kid with the M-16 on the bus... how old are you? shouldn't you be in school? You look like your still in the 9th grade. Was there a school play, is that why your in a uniform?

Out here I see armed soldiers on the street every day, where as back home they tend to stay on their bases, with an occasional visit to the airport when HomeLand Security alerts are high.

A big difference between Israel and the U.S.'s military is the U.S. army tends to attract patriotic citizens with few career options. The non-college bound, right wing, less cultured, Americans end up our representatives abroad and we have problems as seen in Iraq.

In Israel everyone is required to serve in the military when there 18 (ultra religious are exempt but thats another issue). So the army gets the smartest with the stupid people.

Risk is a fun board game but the armies should not dominate the world in real life.

As with the U.S. more resources should be spent on non military social services.

The Jerusalem Syndrome

Its a holy place with a lot of history. Some people come here and think that their the Messiah. They go to the Western Wall dressed in white preaching about salvation. This is a real diagnosed illness. Sometimes the people go back home and forget all about other times they don't. Its like the homeless people on Telegraph have finally been shown up by bigger crazies. I hadn't watched The Simpsons in years but I saw the Jerusalem episode they did and they cover the syndrome.

...And don't worry if I find myself talking to God I'll take anti-biotics and listen to the radio to make double sure I don't come home preaching the meaning of scripture and the universe.

Family

My aunt and uncle were in Israel and I spent most of the last 2 days with them. They had both lived in Israel for a few years and it was fun to walk with them on their memory lane. I hope to get the chance to do this with more of my family over the upcoming years.

Koshary

I felt the restaraunt white plate didn't really portray the real dish. The real thing is good but not quite as elegant as a nice plate implies. All the ingredients are separated in different bowls for fast production and then I mix it up further in the bowl.

The result of research....

Kushari, often transliterated as koshary, kosheri or koshari, is a popular traditional Egyptian national dish. It consists of a base of rice, brown lentils, chickpeas, macaroni, and a topping of Egyptian garlic and vinegar and spicy tomato sauce (salsa). Fried onions are commonly added as a garnish. Kushari is normally a vegetarian and usually a vegan dish, possibly reflecting the meatless diet of Coptic Christians during Lent and other fasts and/or the expensive cost of meat for the lower classes.

Egypt

I was in Egypt for the last 6 days. I've decided the best way to travel is when you have an outline but fill in the adventure as you go along. Traffic is crazy, sometimes theres lane lines mostly not, people cross the street through 4 lanes of traffic. Food is super cheap. Tombs, temples, museums impressive. I wish I knew what the hierogliphics meant. Not diverse, all arab, 80% muslim. Poor country but I wouldn't say impoverished. I've been to Africa. I probably got 30 mosquito bites. The Giza pyramids are exactly how you would imagine them, just closer to the city than expected.

Food-- Koshary-- mix of maccaroni noodles, spegetti noodles, rice pilof, tomato sauce, beans, fried onions. Usually comes in these plastic top roman looking bowls but the best pic i got of it was from a resteraunt

My favorite was this juice bar, fresh squeezed OJ, smoothie type drinks and sugarcane juice for 40 cents each.