Where are the Patriots?

I am in the midst of a career search and I am just now beginning to see what I have been warned of by so many Israelis: It is difficult to make a living here. Salaries are about 50% of what the same job in the USA would pay, taxes are much higher and goods are always more expensive to buy. Take for example the price of gasoline being already $8 per gallon here. If it is $4 in the USA and the standard of living is generally higher, there is still room to grow for the price of petroleum in the USA. It doesn’t help that the dollar is at an all-time low exchange rate. A beer here costs about $8, a decent lunch $14. I am eating at home as much as possible.

I have always said that I followed my heart and not my head to come here. I have fought the temptation to join some Israelis in their cynicism when they tell me that life is so much better in the USA. Most wonder why anyone would leave a country where you could have such a higher standard of living. I have not found a standard answer as of yet but I inform them that there are actually several unhappy people in the USA, a much higher crime rate, and life is not easy for all. Many of the wealthy have found that they cannot buy their way into happiness and fulfillment. I tell them that there will always be people with more money and toys than you have. I download many news programs and listen to politicians talk about all of the great problems of the States. I wonder if Americans know how Israelis and most of the world envy the current situation.

Israel is a developed country but it is still behind the level of sophistication and opportunities of the USA. They are right when they tell me that the culture of Israel is closer to American culture than any other country. It is a country largely run by recent immigrants from the Middle East and the former Soviet Union – drastically different cultures. There are loving passionate liberals and hardcore right wingers. The press is free to clobber any of them on their weaknesses. There are no countries around here that are close with the liberties and opportunities that exist here. Yet, Israelis pick the USA, the country with the per capita highest standard of living as their benchmark. I tell them to look to their neighbors and even Eastern Europe to compare. It is a little frustrating to me as I had hoped more people would feel that this is the best country in the world and that they could not understand why more people would not move here. When I studied in Spain in college, this is the level of nationalism there. When I lived in Brazil, they too loved their country and culture in spite of the grave corruption, crime, and economic crises.

I have not found the national pride that is shown when you tour the country on a bus. Perhaps that is because we are in a different era. I have written before that we are in an era of post-Zionism. The toll is being taken:

In the 1990’s the negotiations with the Palestinians looked like peace was a real likelihood. People were optimistic and happier. Palestinians did all of the construction in Israel and crossed the border daily to work. Israelis thought they were going to give up a lot for peace and were ready to do so. However, they felt that, as they had their hands out to give the keys to the Palestinians, they feel the Palestinians chose not to settle for less than all of Israel and commenced to support psychotic suicide terrorism in random city buses, cafes, and night clubs. Israelis’ hopes were knocked back and anger and fear took over for a while. They just could not seem to stop the terrorism while behaving in a humane manner. They saw the weapons that they gave to the Palestinian Authority turned against them. They started by quashing the violence with rubber bullets and saw their army turning to deadlier means and harsh tactics with the philosophy of “this is the only way the Palestinians can respect you. You have to be harsh for them to understand”.

The anger and daily terror has subsided somewhat as Israelis have seen their country go from negotiations and trading with the Palestinians to joining this violent culture that they believe Palestinians will respect. There is not a lot of hope here and Israelis continue to be very short-term oriented in every way. They don’t know if they will be alive or if their country will be here in the long-term and they usually don’t think about it. Some choose naively to believe that their military might will keep them safe. They don’t factor in the US dependency or the geographic puniness of the land.

Most of the people that I have met are liberals. They have a latent and often realized sense of guilt for kicking the Palestinians so hard. Yet, they know that the Security Barrier and the raids into Gaza are hurting people badly. They also have seen the terrorism grind nearly to a halt with the building of this barrier. After all, the first purpose of a government is to protect its citizens. They are usually ashamed that the right-wing Jews have so much power in the government that they are allowed to keep and expand the settlements that infuriate the Palestinians. It can’t be easy to see the world’s press hating you as is the norm. The UN and nearly all of the countries besides the USA scathe Israel and most international press is obsessed with the country. The UN Human Rights Council
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/ meetings are primary Israel bashing sessions by countries with far worse human rights records. Most of these countries are Muslim countries or pander to them. How often do you see news about the much worst human rights abusers such as Zimbabwe, Burma, North Korea, Sudan, Eritrea, Iran, and on and on?

So, I find that people are tired, many are cynical and some are resigned to what they see as an inevitable ugly ending. I am happy to bring my positive energy here, my drive to bring the country to have national pride, and to share the dream of a highly moral yet safe Jewish state that continues to respect other religions and ways of life. Usually, my optimism is appreciated but it is often seen as naïve. I don’t see that we have another choice. Who would have thought that 100 years ago, there would be the State of Israel in its historical homeland? I fight to avoid being cynical but I lack a support group and someone to restore my energy. Leaving a good support group across the ocean is hard.

Next on my plate for activism is to reach out to the Israeli Arabs. They are 20% of the population and there remains tension after the War of the 2nd Inifada. In the spirit of the American Jewish Committee, you need to already have the friends on the other side when there is a crisis. You don’t wait until there is a war before you try to make friends.

Tonight is Shavuot. Chag Sameach.