יהיה בסדר

It means "it will be alright", but more than that as well. My friend Nimrod taught it to me a few days ago, over something that seemed important at the time and feels more superfluous now as I mourn Sparky's death. Even so, I am starting to make peace with it and move on a little bit. It comes and goes. Last night I couldn't fall asleep because I was focused on him, and I ended up sleeping through Hebrew this morning as a result. Still, the smiles are returning. It's been a little while so I'll get you up to speed on my life this past week.

This past Tuesday morning, Nimrod and I went jogging along this path that runs through the Carmel National Park, adjacent to the road that runs down the mountain from the University. The scenery is beautiful and the course is challenging, with hills and sharp curves as you wind around the upper Carmel. I always jog with my mp3 player in hand, and I slip my ID card and my bedroom key into the rubber case around my mp3 player. When we finished our jog, I glanced down and realized that my key was missing. It had fallen out somewhere along the road. I was ready to panic, but Nimrod mentioned that he had heard the sound of metal falling towards the beginning of our run but didn't think much of it. He assured me we would find the key, telling me "יהיה בסדר." As skeptical as I was, I will never doubt him again. He found it! It was laying in the middle of a parking lot. I was just stunned. I had a midterm exam at 3 that afternoon, and I didn't quite feel like going to my exam stinking and covered in dried sweat while I waited for my new key. I'm sure my classmates would have been just as appreciative if they had known.

The exam went alright. The structure of the test was a little loopy. I'm not sure how else to phrase it. A lot of my friends were upset with our professor over the test, although I didn't think it was terrible. Some of his questions were vague and some needed clarification, but overall I didn't think there was anything wrong with the test. I'll put up the results when I have them. My last midterm was a take home in Arab-Israeli relations, which I will hand in at 3 PM today.

Having supportive friends has definitely helped to soften the blow of losing my dog. Meredith has called me a few times, and I also spoke with Eli and Marc over the phone. Several other people have left me messages on facebook and on this page, and I thank you all for your well wishes and support. It's been important that I have that support network here in Haifa as well. I really started to feel a little bit better yesterday afternoon after Hebrew class. I went with a group of people to this week's featured Wednesday concert. "Monica Sex" were performing and they gave a nice show. The sun was shining, and everyone grabbed a glass of beer and just talked and listened to the music.

Culture Wednesday at the university: Things are improving.

My roommates have also been very supportive, especially Samer and Hamza. I don't know them very well, but I am going to make an effort to change that. They are both great guys who have made a point of talking to me and comforting me. I've been eating with them more and I hope to make this a habit from now on.

Last night at מועדון בישול, we made pasta bolognese. The club has really grown. We had about a dozen people last not, and that gave us logistical problems that we didn't have when there were only 4 or 5 people. Still, the meal turned out quite well. The meat was nicely seasoned and we made an interesting salad with fruit and pecans. Needless to say everyone went home as full and drowsy as usual. I felt like I usually feel after thanksgiving dinner last night.

This weekend I will be away from Haifa on tiyul. We are going to Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea, and finishing our weekend with a hike up Masada. By the time I get home on Sunday night, I expect to be exhausted and be badly in need of a shower. I'll put up lots of photos and stories when I get home. I love to see Israel on foot, so this weekend should be great for me. Shabbat shalom.

The Annapolis Conference

Annapolis has come and gone. I wanted to jot down a few of my thoughts and impressions regarding the conference. To begin, the fact that the Arab League was nearly entirely represented on the ministerial level already makes this a success for Israel, as it demonstrates that the Arab leaders have not bought into the fanatical rejectionism of Hamas, Hezbollah or their pimp Iran.

Next comes the hard part. Israel and the PA have agreed on a joint document and will immediately begin bilateral negotiations intended to create a Palestinian state and end the Israel - Palestinian conflict. This would in theory lead to negotiated treaties and a normalization of relations with all countries represented by the Arab League, as propsed in the Arab Peace Initiative.

It all sounds nice and pretty, but its totally contingent on the Israeli government and the PA reaching an agreeable compromise, something that has failed on several occasions in the past. There are a number of factors working against this potential outcome. The first is that both Ehud Olmert and Abu Mazen are weak, unpopular leaders who may lack the political clout to make such an agreement. Olmert is under indictment for fraud and lost the support of most of his constituency by failing to militarily defeat Hezbollah last summer during the Second Lebanon War. Abu Mazen's Fatah party was routed and thrown out of Gaza by Hamas, and there are questions about his legitimacy in regard to his decision to dissolve the Hamas parlimant after the civil war in Gaza.

Additionally, Olmert will face challenges to his government by members of his coalition in the knesset. (For those who don't understand the inner workings of a parliamentary democracy can read about them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_system) Essentially, Olmert's party "Kadima" cannot rule on their own because they lack a majority of the seats in Knesset, but are considered the dominant party because they have a plurality. In order to rule, they must form pacts with other less represented parties so that together they will form a majority. This is called a coalition. Olmert has several right wing parties in his coalition who are opposed to any land compromise, and may attempt to bring down the government by leaving the coalition. This would force new elections, and generally throw Israel's entire political reality into turmoil, thus postponing any peace agreement.

Finally both societies must deal with the extremists in their midsts, those who would choose violence and bloodshed over compromise. I can only hope that these people are neutralized to the greatest extent possible. We would do well not to forget that leaders on both sides have been murdered for pursuing a peace settlement. Anwar Sadat of Egypt was assassinated in 1979 by Islamic extremists, while Yitzhak Rabin was murdered in 1995 by a fascist Jewish settler.

With all that said, I am hopefull that an accord can be struck. Making peace with the Arabs is key to isolating Iran and limiting Iran's influence in the Levant. It could have a domino effect: Israel makes peace with the Palestinians, allowing her to then make peace with Syria. This would deprive Iran of it's steadiest Arab ally, while simultaneously choking off Iranian money and weapons from Hamas and Hezbollah.

Sparky

My family dog Sparky passed away last night at home in Chicago. We loved him dearly and he will be missed. My thoughts are only with him today. I will resume regular posts tomorrow.

Midterms

I'm in the teeth of midterm exams right now. All of the Hebrew Ulpan classes held exams this morning. I didn't find mine to be particularly difficult, but the 6th level (who I share a teacher with) almost unanimously found their exam to be brutal. I don't know if ours was just easier, or if I was better prepared, or if I should be worried that I bombed it. I don't think I will worry; its not really my nature to come unhinged over grades.

Posts will likely be few and far between for the rest of the week. My "Terrorism and Responses" exam is tomorrow afternoon, while my take home exam in "Arab-Israeli Relations" is due on Thursday. I really don't like take home exams. I feel like so much more is expected from me on every answer because I have no time limit and I can make use of all my papers and notes. I'd rather just take a standard test. Plus this means the class will be meeting regularly this Thursday, and I really can't stand "Arab-Israeli Relations." The professor is the worst lecturer I've ever listened to. No exam in Arabic (and I don't know if we will ever have one), and we only have a project and a final exam in Rabbinic Lit. I guess 3 exams in a week isn't terrible.