Last night was the purpose of my entire trip to Israel. My friend since 1995 got married.
Before the wedding, some historically monumental news must be announced.
I have found the location of the Zohan.
Within walking distance of my hotel is a small barbershop located all by itself. There was nothing else around it. While I did not see the Zohan specifically, that was only because the barbershop was closed. Also, because of the hectic pace of my trip, I did not have time to get a haircut at all. Oh well. I was gorgeous upon my arrival, and am equally handsome upon leaving.
While I did not see any Palestinian terrorists, I did experience life and death moments as a passenger in an Israeli cab. Actually, to be fair, the drivers were Israeli, not the cab itself.
I have watched a very small amount of Fox News, but I am so exhausted that for all I know, John Edwards has invaded Soviet Georgia. I will cover both of those stories badly and in an untimely manner when I get a chance.
I did see on Fox News that the son of a top Hamas leader moved to San Diego, converted to Christianity, and renounced Hamas for its violence. There is humanity in individuals everywhere, which I learned on this trip.
We visited the old city again.
I went back to the Western Wall again, and prayed some more.
The Chicago Cannonball and I went throughout all four quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. There is the Jewish Quarter, the Arab Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter. The last one might seem strange since the first three are religions and the last one is a nationality. However, the story behind the Armenian Quarter is a fascinating one, and their emotional connection to Jerusalem is every bit as strong as that of the other three quarters.
Both the Jewish and Muslim Quarters are directly within a few inches of the Western Wall. Yet all four quarters operate in peace. The merchants sell everything from fruits and vegetables to gallery paintings. One famous slogan of the Jews is “Next year, in Jerusalem.” I saw a hilarious golf painting that said, “Golf in Jerusalem. Next year, in Augusta.”
Yet one source of frustration bothered me in the old city, and it was not about religion. Something sacred to me was violated, and I was deeply offended, and incredily hurt. I got over it, but the humiliation will sting for some time.
Various shops in all of the quarters had t-shirts of various sports teams in English and Hebrew. I thought this was very cool. There were plenty of NFL shirts, with the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Jets displayed prominently in English and Hebrew. Yet I did not see the Oakland Raiders displayed.
I own a Raiders wallet, but when I showed the merchants the design, they stated that they did not have it. I thought maybe it was because it has beena few tough years, but they had merchandise of the Miami Dolphins, who won only one game last year. Heck, even the Raiders beat them.
One Israeli shopkeeper asked me who my team was. When I told him it was the Raiders, he replied, “They suck.” He suggested I switch to the San Francisco 49ers or another team. I explained that the Raiders were my team, and he again reminded me how terrible they were. In fact, he told the Chicago Cannonball how awful he felt for her, and offered her a free t-shirt to compensate for her being involved with a guy whose sports team, as he reminded me, “Sucks, sucks, sucks.” She was given a t-shirt that said, “Shalom, y’all.” She made it herself, by pressing the print machine that puts on the design.
So let the record show that the Old City is highly deficient from an NFL Football standpoint.
Then we visited the new city.
My journey proved successful. Although they did not have it on the wall (Not the Western Wall, the store wall), they did have the print in their book. Finally, my people, that being the Silver and Black, were given their due. The t-shirt was bought, and will be worn during the NFL season.
With my quest for my equivalent of the Holy Grail successful, we were on to the purpose of the entire trip.
We went to the wedding.
It was truly a beautiful ceremony for the ages. My friend Uri is a Turkish Jew that was raised in Italy, met me in Los Angeles, has family in San Diego, and met his new wife in Israel, where they now live.
I flew all the way to Israel for no other reason than his friendship. He is like a brother to me.
The wedding had Turkish, Hebrew, Italian, American, and other music.
The initial dancing was segregated. The men danced on one side of a divider and the women danced on the other side. The men lifted Uri up in his chair and hoisted him like a king. I appointed myself his hydrater, bringing him water when he needed it, since the religious Jewish dancing is intense.
The Chicago Cannonball and I stayed until the very end. We flew all the wa here for his wedding, so we were staying.
Just before the ceremony, Uri was in a private room signing the legal religious document that bound him towards his wife. My friend and I entered the room, and he, me and Uri had some serious “boardroom” photos taken of adults looking businesslike that would have made DOnald Trump of the Apprentice proud.
After Uri signed the document, he said, “Well, I just bought her.” I reminded him that there were “no exchanges or refunds,” and he was fine with that.
The entire ceremony was spectacular, and if it was not for Uri’s friendship, I might not have ever made it to Israel. I will be forever grateful to him for this.
Later on today the Chicago Cannonball and I have our final day of touring. We will visit some more holy sites, including the Israeli Knesset and at least one Holocaust museum. Then it is back to America. Israel is beautiful, but the USA is my home. I had a fabulous time here, but it is time to come home.
I learned a lot about people on this trip. For one thing, although I love Israel, I have had hostile relations with Israelis in America for reasons I will not go into. Yet the Israelis I met in Israel were not rude. They were very friendly. They confirmed what I suspected, that many Israelis that come to America do not represent the Israelis in Israel. If anything, some of them are the worst of the lot, scorned back home in Israel, and hiding their rejection behind bravado in America.
So yes, the Israelis still in Israel are quite friendly.
The non-Jewish merchants were also pleasant. Some were more aggressive thn others, but this was due to their being salespeople regardless of religion or ethnic background. I did not face one instance of anti-Semitism. The people in the Muslim and Christian Quarters showed genuine kindness.
I am not naive. I am aware that during tourist season, everybody is on their best behavior to maximize profits. Nevertheless, I can only judge what I see. What I saw was sheer beauty, people living in harmony.
My political views have not changed, but I have seen the best that society offers. I pray that the beauty that I saw in Israel is one day the norm throughout the Middle East, where commerce and handshakes replace blood and tears.
I pray that the land of Milk and Honey is as beautiful an experience for others as it was for me.
I pray that God looks after Uri and his wife forever, and that the next half of a century be sheer beauty for them.
I also pray for my grandparents in heaven, my parents in Florida, and the Chicago Cannonball and myself.
Tel Aviv was fun, Jerusalem was beautiful, and the wedding was amazing.
The Tygrrrr Express, with the Chicago Cannonball in tow, are America bound. America is my home, and I love being American.
On to the next adventure.
eric
“Mission Accomplished”
[…] Original post by blacktygrrrr […]
I didn’t know there were any Jews in Oakland! I thought they were all pirates, and from what I understand, high seas piracy was never a popular career choice for the Chosen People. After all, from what I also understand, Raiders fans are the only NFL fans who wear exactly what they normally always wear daily to go to the games ( http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/01vF7qy5xQ7jC/610x.jpg ). ;)
Glad you guys had fun. Have a safe trip back!
JMJ
Mikcy,
If it was “Mission Accomplished” they would have had to extend their trip an extra 5 years! LOL!
JMJ
Yes, Jersey, people will continue to visit Israel much with the same kind of inspiration that took Eric there.
And it will go much longer than 5 years.
I went to Jewish night at Shea and many of the folks were wearing these cool Met hats with Mets spelled in Yiddish … I was a jealous goy.
BTW, when will you freakin’ people get it though your thick skulls that it was the mission of the ship, not the end of the conflict.
Plus, the NY Times proved that if a full recount was done in Florida Bush would of still won. So get of the “appointed not elected” and “not my president” bandwagon while you’re at it.
And, “Earlier today, I ordered America’s armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors.” – Bill Clinton – so if Bush lied, then did Clinton too?
Jeesh.
Good luck tim
I’ve written a complete post explaining the banner and debated it a few times already.
Only the seriously mentally handicapped would think anyone could do everything that needed to be done in 3 weeks.
Here is one for you not only are there Jews in Oakland but I have actually eaten in a Kosher restaurant there.
But the vendor was correct the Raiders do Suck. :-)
Timbudd,
“BTW, when will you freakin’ people get it though your thick skulls that it was the mission of the ship, not the end of the conflict.”
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
You’ve got to be joking, right???
GWB on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln: “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended.”
The ship???
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
“Earlier today, I ordered America’s armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors.” – Bill Clinton – so if Bush lied, then did Clinton too?”
You’re comparing this to that???
Man, you guys will happliy jump through firey hoops, dressed in gasoline doused underwear to be apologetics for the gargantuan mistakes of your utterly failed “president.” Amazing.
Parrothead,
Kosher Pirates… I can see it now:
“A-goy there matey!”
LOL!
JMJ
http://www.jewishjournal.com/up_front/article/ahoy_mateys_thar_be_jewish_pirates_20060915/
Well slap me silly and and call me narisch!
JMJ
Actually, its you who is out of touch and sound very much like all you read is what the liberal MSM pumps into you.
The banner represents a mission that was accomplished by the crew on the boat who is actually responsible for putting up the banner in celebration of 290 days deployment.
From Dana Bash
CNN Washington Bureau
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1030-06.htm
“The banner was a Navy idea, the ship’s idea,” Chun said.“The banner signified the successful completion of the ship’s deployment,” he said, noting the Abraham Lincoln was deployed 290 days, longer than any other nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in history.”
Bushs speech on that day was to celebrate the completion of major combat operations in Baghdad and that the capitol and regime of Iraq had been toppled.
Of course only the idiots on the left would try to construe the whole thing as meaning the war was over. When it was plain as day even to that lonely housewife reading the enquirer that the war was not over.
Any idiot that thinks that any country can come in and tear down a regime and rebuild that country’s government needs to be certified and has no clue as to what any war in history has ever entailed.
You see, the battle with you has been won, you are just a small part of the war we cons have waged on the liberals.
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Accomplished
The White House claimed that the banner was requested by the crew of the ship, who did not have the facilities for producing such a banner. Afterwards, the administration and naval sources stated that the banner was the Navy’s idea, White House staff members made the banner, and it was hung by the U.S. Navy personnel. White House spokesman Scott McClellan told CNN “We took care of the production of it. We have people to do those things. But the Navy actually put it up.” According to John Dickerson of TIME magazine, the White House later conceded that they actually hung the banner but still insists it had been done at the request of the crew members.
Get over it jersey.
The more you guys try to use that banner as an example of something deceptive the dumber you guys look.
I’ve inestigated the “banner” trail exstensivly all the way down to Rumsfeld editing of the speech that day so that it would not appear to reflect on the message the banner was sending in regards to the crew.
Dont challenge me on this one. I’ve debated it extensively with far greater minds than yours and I will shame you if you persist.
You’re wrong.