It's hard to comprehend how quickly the time has gone by. We have 11 more days here, and still so much to do. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that there are people I'm not going to be able to see and things I'm not going to be able to do. That, I suppose, is why there's a next time.
Anyone who doesn't recognize what a fabulous city Jerusalem is either needs their head examined or they work for the mainstream media which has a policy of turning a blind eye at anything good that goes on in this country. Last week the city held a 4-night festival called Sounds of the Old City. Half a dozen stages were set up all over the Old City, and a variety of bands rotated from one to the other. The natural acoustics were incredible. It brought all kinds of people together, which is what goes on all over Israel on a daily basis. The music was great, and the atmosphere was wonderful.
This week's big news was the elections.The way it works here is each party can submit a list of up to 120 names, and you vote for the party, not the individual candidates. 26 parties ran. A lot of people, particularly from Western countries, feel the system should be replaced by a traditional western representational system. I happen to be one of those who disagree. The parties have platforms and represent constituents all over the country. It's cumbersome to have 26 parties, but not all of them get enough votes to matter, and it ensures that all viewpoints have a voice. This year there was even a Green Leaf party, whose raison d'etre is to make marijuana growers and recreational users happy. (Medical marijuana is legal and used in several treatment protocols.) The election was very controversial because of a US taxpayer subsidized and highly illegal attempt to elect the Herzog/Livni Party. No matter where you are on the political spectrum, this was seen as way out of bounds and the efforts backfired. Everyone who thought Bibi was done had a lot of egg on their faces. Sid and I were both very happy with the outcome, as were all our friends here.
The voting process itself is charming and antiquated. For a country that is so high tech, the voting is anything but. My polling place was in a nearby school. Several precincts voted in the various classrooms. There were ushers to direct people to the correct room, and 3 poll watchers in each. The procedure was to give one of them your identity card, they checked your name off a list, and you went behind a cardboard privacy barrier, selected one of the 26 ballots, placed it in an envelope, sealed it, and dropped it in the ballot box. My identity card is from 1969, which makes it an antique. When I gave it to the poll watcher, all 3 of them, and some of the people waiting in line behind me, made comments about not having seen such an old version in many years, if ever. One of them suggested that I replace it with a new one, but I said I was very attached to the original and besides I still look the same. One of the poll watchers said I actually look younger, and another one said the only difference is that I've cut my hair. This kind of banter is so common here, whether in a store, on a bus, or just waiting for an elevator. People connect with each other.
My schedule here has been anchored by my classes, which take up 3 days a week. Monday is the busy day - starting with the 3 hour lecture series (for women only), and from there I run to the 2 hour krav maga class. Wednesday is my ceramics class, which really isn't my sport but I do it anyway. And Thursday is another krav maga class. I even went thru the 4-hour yellow belt test, altho I wasn't qualified; the students who tested have been working up to this level for a couple of years.
The test went over the 4 hours. The final part was sparring, and it was already dark. It was hard to photograph using a cell camera, but that's me with the yellow handwraps.
The ceramics class is really occupational therapy, but I must say most of the students are quite talented ... and there's even a guy in the class.
That's it for this episode.
Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem.
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