JUST CALL ME HESTER

Oh, me! Oh, my! I am soooo busted.

My darkest secrets are now known in the holy city Tzfat.

One of the city's keenest sleuths discovered (on Google) that I am an Anarchist and who knows what else.

See: http://tinyurl.com/yahhqp for the who knows what else.

I do hope they are discreet and don't let the other 5 E9 people on the planet who don't have access to internet know about this.

I'm a marked woman. I'm the Hester Prynne of Tzfat. I have been branded with a huge scarlet A inside a huge black O. Oh, no!

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

Response to

"אנחנו עדיין ממתינים להסברים על התנהלות העירייה במהלך המלחמה"

מיום 27.10.06, גליון 771 (1007).


When I saw a post on the English-speakers' Tzfat Yahoo! group that said that if Dr. Stern were to run for Mayor the poster would vote for him; I did not take the statement any more seriously than the offhanded comment of one person.

Having read the above-mentioned article; I see that Dr. Stern's group, תנועת המחאה נגד העירייה is claiming that they have had a number of people turn to them with the suggestion that they form a political party "שתנסה להשפיע בעיר
למען הצדק".

While they do not claim that they intend to do so in the immediate future, they do state that: "אך לא מן הנמנע כי הם יצטרכו לעשות זאת בעתיד".

That they will have to form a political party???

My first thought when I read this was (I will paraphrase and clean up the original version of the expression): Forming a political party to for the sake of increasing justice is like being promiscuous for the sake of increasing virginity.

Are they really so naïve?

Do they really believe that they can take part in the government and come out smelling like roses?

How is it that the corrupt politicians that we see at every level of the government got to be that way? They became politicians, that's how! Most young people who go into politics start out with altruistic intentions. They are also filled with the delusions of grandeur that accompany youth and they honestly think they can change the fabric of society. Something terrible happens to them once they are in the system. They either play according to the rules of the game, thus becoming corrupt, or they leave politics after a very short term in office, battered, bruised and disillusioned.

Dr. Stern is not a young man. He is a physician. He is familiar with the politics of the medical profession and the Ministry of Health. I am amazed that he would consider something so foolhardy.

There are two possible outcomes that I can foresee.

1) He and his party will get a mandate or two and sit helplessly in the opposition accomplishing nothing.
2) A miracle will occur and the honor of being Mayor of the august City of Tzfat will be bestowed upon him.

It is general knowledge that it is not the politicians in office that weild most of the power, but the jobniks who have been sitting in their offices for years and years.

On the Municipal l level he will be forced to tow the line of the Municipality as laid down by the old time jobniks – the people that no Mayor would dare fire.

Outside of the Municipality he will have to make the ugly deals like the one that brought about the crisis with Mamlakhti Aleph and Mamlakhti Gimmel.

As the Mayor of Tzfat, he will likewise have to play "scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" on the national level with the seasoned politicians in the Knesset and the high-ups in the Ministries if he would hope to see one single grush for this city.

He cannot hope to retain his integrity if he goes into politics. No one ever did. The best way to divest oneself of every last trace of honesty and character is to become a politician.

There is no such thing as a political party for the sake of justice. Government and justice are contradictions in terms. That is necessarily so. Just people do not wish to govern others. They wish for people to learn to govern themselves. They wish to increase independence and societal maturity. They advise people to wean themselves from the childish addiction and magical thinking of believing that the government will save them.

Could anything be more ridiculous than reporting the corruption of a city official to a state official? Once again cleaning up and paraphrasing an old expression: You don't scare a prostitute with a sexual organ. That is what this organization did. They sent copies of the reports they received from residents of Tzfat to Ehud Olmert even as protestors held daily and nightly vigil calling for the resignation of the national government.

They also sent copies of the reports to מבקר המדינה. Even the best of the מבקרי המדינה can do nothing more than produce an annual report. Typically no action is taken whatsoever on those reports. Looking at the internet site of the Office of the מבקר המדינה, we see so many reports, each containing so many reports of neglect, foul-ups and outright illegitimacy that it would be impossible for each matter to be treated, even if the good will to right the wrongs was present, which it is not. The current מבקר המדינה is not known for being among the best that ever occupied the position. If the most effective מבקרי המדינהeffected virtually nothing, we would not be well-advised to place our hopes in him.

חברי, משיח לא בא. משיח גם לא מטלפן – לפחות לא מן אף כנסת או עירייה.

שלמה דברת is right to tend to the matter of getting "תשובות לאירועים רבים חריגים שצצו בזמן המלחמה". In my opinion, getting involved in politics will restrict their ability to inform the public about what happened rather than enhance it.

The article also states that until recently מר דברת, was theמנהל הפרויקטים של שקום שכונות בעיר. I take note that there is no definite article before the word שכונות. Perhaps the עיריה never intended to rehabilitate all of the neighborhoods that need it, but only some hand-selected שכונות. I never so much as heard of מר דברת until I read this article, despite the fact that I live in שכונת עופר, the most problematic neighborhood in Tzfat and the one in the direst need of rehabilitation on so very many levels. There is no evidence of any rehabilitation of שכונת עופר. This being the case, מר דברת will forgive me if I am not entirely convinced that צדק is uppermost in his mind when he considers his political future.

Here's a challenge for you שלמה: Prove me wrong. Do something real, meaningful and lasting for שכונת עופר. Even though you are no longer the מנהל of הפרויקטים של שקופ שכונות בעיר I am sure that your word still carries weight in the department and a recommendation to take שכונת עופר under their wing coming from you will be taken seriously. I will cooperate with you in any way that I can that does not compromise my integrity.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan
E-mail: dandor@013.net

Translated by Daniel Dotan

When I consider the various schools of Judaism, such as they are nowadays; I feel like Goldilocks. One is too hard, a second too soft, yet a third too middling – and all entirely too Procrustean.

Shufersol is At it Again

No, no it's not the same dirty tricks they pulled on us in their last incarnation as Hyperneto.

In their new incarnation as "Shufersol deal" they've got a whole new bag of tricks!

They did away with the old membership cards.

Now, in order to get the benefit of their discounts (Doreen rolls her eyes at the irony of what she just typed) one must apply for a special credit card.

Listen up: The card is actually a Visa card that is issued by Bank Leumi but not in the framework of Bank Leumi itself.

They have contracted with some sort of an agent company that arranges the cards for them.

You must be a credit card holder in order to get this card. It is a card for transacting business only in Shekels. So, one must ask: If a person has a credit card, why get another one? Just to increase one's chances of a card being lost or stolen? If a person has a card that they can transact business in $s and Euros in, why get a card that is only good for Shekels?

The questions that are asked by this company are beyond an invasion of privacy. They ask:

Do you have children under the age of 18?

How many people are in your family?

How many rooms is your dwelling?

Is the property purchased or rented?

What is your profession?

Are you employed presently?

Are you a salaried employee or independent?

What is your income?

What is the total income of your family?

Only if you answer these questions to their satisfaction do they consider you worthy of their superfluous card that is limited to Shekels.

What is most ridiculous about this is that the Shufersol in Tzfat is located in the poorest section of the city.

How many folks around here are going to qualify?

I almost busted a gut laughing when I was told that the questions were being asked to determine whether I should get a gold or platinum card?

Me??? My neighbors??? ROFL

The questions are incredibly invasive - and stupid. They are based on stereotypical and shallow conceptions of who someone is and how much disposable income they have based on criteria that really say nothing. For instance: A person earning 25,000 NIS a month who is a gambler likely has less disposable income than a person who lives modestly and earns 5,000 NIS a month.

The bottom line is: There is no shortage of well-stocked, well-lit and pleasant supermarkets in Tzfat nowadays. Many of them cater to the Kasher L'Mehadrin set. They do not force people to become clients of any banks that they are in cahoots with.

Shefa Shuk, in particular, takes part in the MiCol HaLev program. In addition to their everyday low prices, the card gives the clients another 3% off the entire bill.

Super Story and the new Zol Po do not yet have mishlochim. That is their only drawback. Otherwise, they are lovely stores whose prices are very reasonable and whose wares are as kosher as kosher gets.

Please join me in requesting from Super Story and Zol Po that they get mishlochim. The infirm, the elderly and those without cars need that service.

Please join me in boycotting the Shufersol chain. I thought they had learned their lesson and improved when they became Shufersol deal here in Tzfat.

If they intend to become a fancy, epicurean chain that caters to people who qualify for Bank Leumi gold and platinum cards, then let them. But I can't think of a worse place for them to be situated that the southern part of Tzfat.

They are situation in a very desirable location. It is easily accessible by bus and there's plenty of parking in the Dubek Shopping Center. If they disdain the clientele that is typical of Tzfat, then by all means let them go where they will find the clientele they seek.

Let's do everything we can to "starve" them out of the highly desirable location they are in and let's make room for a more solicitous food chain that understands the economic needs of the average resident of Tzfat come in their stead. I'm sure that any number of food chains that already exist in Tzfat would be delighted to hear that that place was becoming vacant.

Don't let big business bully and abuse you. Increase justice and just plain sanity in our society!

G'mar Chatimah Tova,

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

Reasons Not to Live in Tzfat:

See my comments at the bottom of the post and the response to it on the following URl:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tzfat/message/2864

Please read the text of my post on the following URL:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tzfat/message/2866

A reason to live in Tzfat can be found in the response I received to the above post. Yes, Virginia, there are Jewish Souls looking for the Real Thing in Tzfat:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tzfat/message/2867

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

CHUTZPAH!

Tzfat has become increasingly Charedi over the years. With every political victory they become increasingly obstreperous. I say this as someone who is Shomeret Shabbat, Kashrut, etc. My husband has a long beard and peyot. (I know. I know. I am definitely not a typical Anarchist.)

I recently received an e-mail from a man who is soon making aliyah. He put an ad in the Tzfat and Tzfat environs electronic newsletter saying that he is coming on aliyah with his wife to Tzfat who is a concert pianist. He inquired about work for the two of them in Tzfat.

One day he wrote me saying that I seem like a moderate sort and telling me that he had received a number of nasty letters from people in Tzfat telling him that it is not modest for a woman to play piano in public and discouraging him from coming to Tzfat. HUH?!

He attached a photo of his wife playing the piano to the e-mail. She was very modestly, I was say extremely, modestly dressed - to the point of looking repressed and prissy. Most certainly, no one could accuse her of being flashy or theatrical in appearance.

I told him that there are many Russian olim in Tzfat, in addition to other culture vultures, and there is certainly a market here for piano teachers and those who perform recitals. A mostly Mozart series of concerts given here annually is so well-attended that one must procure tickets quite early. I urged him to add his open-mindedness to an increasingly benighted town, come here and add his efforts to fighting back the creeping darkness.

A few days later I received another e-mail from him saying that he and his wife had purchased an apartment in a community outside of Tzfat started by people from the B'nei Akiva Movement.

HOW DARE CHAREDIM SEND LETTERS TO PEOPLE CONSIDERING ALIYAH TELLING THEM THEY DO NOT BELONG IN THE CITY THEY ARE CONSIDERING MOVING TO?!

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

Reasons Not to Live in Tzfat: Widespread Cowardice and Denial

The following is an interchange that I had:

Interlocutor: --- In Tzfat@yahoogroups.com, "chslar" wrote:>> > That people took advantage of the situation in Tzfat for personal gain> during the war is not in dispute (yes, I read the local papers too). What I dispute is that one can wholesalely condem the administration of> the city because of the actions of some.

Me: So long as Yishai Maimon is Mayor of this City it is his responsiblity to reign in his underlings if need be, which should not need be.

Most importantly, and I see that I need to state this again: What happened in Tzfat during the war is not an isolated incident. If it were I would chalk it up to fear, confusion, ineptitude.

It is not, however, a fluke or a foible. It is the most extreme and outrageous example of the treatment of the poor in this town by the Municipality and the "connected" families on an everyday basis. That is why I have said and will reiterate: This must be a "root canal job". We have to clean out the rotted, infected root of the problem of corruption in this town.

17 out of 350 of the Municipal workers remained in Tzfat, necessitating a military take-over of this city during the war. I believe a situation like that is unprecedented in Israel. There should be no precedent like that in a democratically-run country, not even an ersatz democracy that is really a plutocracy like Israel.

Interlocutor: Regarding the school, the two schools were combined and given the old Mamlachti Aleph school because it is bigger,

Me: My understanding it that it is smaller.

Interlocutor: What would you have said if the schools were combined and given the Mamlachti Gimel school, which has more bomb shelters but less space for classrooms?
You would have complained about that!

Me: I do not presume to put words into your mouth and second guess you. Kindly pay me the same respect.

I know, living in this neighborhood, that the parents of the children who are being transferred from Mamlakhti Aleph to Mamlakhti Gimmel are very, very unhappy about the decision. The parents are my neighbors. They feel shafted. They feel ganged up against by the authorities. They feel helpless to come to champion their children's rights. They know their children are being used as pawns in a political game. Last year they held a strike against the transfer. This year the Municipality got the gov't to join forces with them and essentially bully the parents into submission. If the parents had any reason to believe that their children were being bettered would they be so against the situation?

What say you about the children at risk who were dispossessed of their specially-equipped, purposefully-dontated kindergarten so that Charedi children could get the coveted facility as part of a political deal?

Interlocutor: I might point out, as well, that the spaces where the kids were learning> before from the Haredi/Dati schools, before they were given proper school buildings, had no shelters at all.

Me: That may very well be illegal. If you believed that to be the case then why did you not report the situation to the proper authorities? It is your legal responsiblity to report any and all cases of children being put, even potentially, at risk. Do you not know that? Why did you not do everything in your power to protect those children if you felt they may be in danger?

In one of your recent posts you describe a situation in which people were lined up begging for free rooms in hotels. I submit that no one should be reduced to begging for that which is coming to them - particularly not when someone else has usurped that which is rightfully theirs. Evidently, your friend who volunteered was not privy to seeing what was going on behind the scenes or the reasons why those who were entitled to the free rooms did not get them.

Were you in Tzfat during the war, by the way?

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

Request for Back-Up

I cannot stress to the residents of Tzfat strongly enough how important it is to expose the goings on in this town to the absolute maximum extent.

We have seen that the Mayor of Tzfat is media-shy. He evades attempts on the part of the local media to interview and question him. This is most true of the local paper "Chasifah L'Tzafon", which is the most openly critical of his performance.

He upbraided the Speaker of the Municipality for not doing a better job of (mis)representing the Municipality during the war.

The fact that he is so afraid of the media tells us two things:

1) He probably has something to hide.

2) Exposure is his weak point.

We must "hit" him in his proverbial Achilles heel.

If he and his cronies evade the local media, how much more so will they be terrified of exposure in the major media - and how much more so is this exposure, therefore, essential.

Those who organized the recent meeting at the Hotel Mercazi meant well when they advised those who attended to contact politicians and the ombudsman.

But they were naive.

This ombudsman has "distinguished" himself as a virtual do-nothing. His predecessors , considered far more effective in their jobs than he, did little more more than write up the failings of government bodies in an annual report.

To paraphrase an old adage (cleaning it up a bit): You don't scare a prostitute with a sexual organ.

No politician is scared of "being told on" to bigger politicians. They know those above them in the hierarchy are even more corrupt with even more to hide and more to lose. There is a code of honor among thieves among politicians. They don't tattle-tale on one another.

Exposure to the light is the fear of the politician. (Rendering them useless is their ultimate terror, but that is matter to be discussed at another juncture). Exposing the excesses, abuses and ineptitude of the Municipality, which makes life so very difficult in Tzfat for so very many on an everyday basis, and which became a direct and indirect threat to life during the war is what we must do.

Do not allow cowardice to masquerade as ideology and loyalty as we have seen in some of the posts on this board. Speak out! If you relinquish control over your life and your fate to others you may be sure that you will be shafted and ultimately endangered.

When so many people are being hurt, when corruption has reached the level where people were left to die while others luxuriated in hotel rooms for free - we must do every legal thing we can to correct the wrongs.

Among other measures; I have written to the New York Times in English and to the "Kolbotek "and "Medubar B'Tofa'ah" programs on Channel 2 in Hebrew asking for in-depth investigations of the goings-on in Tzfat.

I ask you to support that effort by adding your own personal stories and observations. Every request for investigations increases our chances that Channel 2 and the New York Times will investigate this matter. They are flooded with requests for investigation. We have to flood their mailboxes with requests to be noticed.

Thank every intrepid and justice-loving one of you who is capable of thinking and operating out of the box for your cooperation in advance.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Ofer Neighborhood, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

Let It Be Known

Let it be known outside of Israel that:

1) 1000 of the 5000 meals that were donated by a charity went unaccounted for every day. The worker at the Municipality who was in charge of distribution told local reporters that he was told to put the 1000 meals aside daily and to leave no written record as to having received them.

2) A truck load full of air conditioners that were donated for the poorly-ventilated, sweltering bomb shelters vanished into, well, thin air.

3) Ditto for the TVs that were donated. In contradistinction, the workers of the Municipality (that is, the 17 out of 350 who didn't desert the city entirely) arranged deluxe, "VIP" shelters for themselves, replete with color TV, A/C and Internet.

4) The free days in hotels, including free meals, that were donated by the hotels themselves and were specifically designated for the infirm and elderly first and foremost were, instead, used by workers in the Municipality. As the result of not getting one of those rooms, one woman whose 8-year-old handicapped, wheelchair-bound daughter, who must be kept in sterile conditions, contracted an infection and had to be hospitalized. Some relative of some worker of the City got the room that little girl should have had. No matter, eventually she got a nice room - in the hospital.

5) A huge number of disposable diapers that was donated likewise disappeared. What the hell can someone do with tons of nappies??? As a result of most of the Municipality workers running for the own lives and leaving us here to die, the army sent in a regiment of reserve soldiers to run the city. They did an exemplary job of handling the exigencies, but the potential peril of the precedent of being deserted by the democratically-elected government of the city and being governed almost entirely by high-ranking officers in the army need not be elaborated upon.

Tzfat has been dubbed "The Ignominy of the Galilee" in the national press.

I am LIVID and despite the fact that I have been advised by frightened citizens that if I do not shut up; I run the risk of arrest and possibly being jailed, I will not shut up.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

New Invention in Honor of Tzfat (Safed)

Tzfat's (Safed's) having been dubbed "The Ignominy of the Galilee" in the national press, is the afflatus for a new gadget I've developed that will prove to be very useful for the residents of Tzfat.

A patent is already pending. So, no one better even think of stealing it.

It is called the Ignominometer.

It is a special cuff to measure the elevation of one's blood pressure in response to the anger as a result of, or the lowering of one's blood pressure in response to the shame of, the various degrees of ignominy which Tzfat is characterized by at any given moment.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

הממשלה הוכיחה כי היא מיותרת

http://www.geocities.com/dordot2001/MysticalAnarchyII.html

דורין אלן בל-דותן, צפת
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

The Government of Israel has Proven Itself to be Superfluous

The local government of the city of Tzfat and, to a far lesser extent, the national government collapsed during the war. The local government of the city of Tzfat was simply non-existent.

Here in Tzfat only 17 of the 350 workers in the Municipality remained in the city.

Reserve soldiers had to be brought in to see to it that the special needs of the city, during a time of war, were taken care of. Were this not a time of war there would be no extenuating circumstances for the army to have to step in and take care of.

That is to say that the supposedly democratic local government of the city of Tzfat deserted us and we were run militarily for a month. The precedent is so potentially dangerous that I need not elaborate.

In their absence the Municipality proved that they are superfluous. We simply do not need them. They are not even parasites. They are superfluous. The worst nightmare of a politician has been realized. They are not only not wanted, they are needed, not in the least.

There are many citizen-run organizations that can easily be modified slightly in order to become the bodies that take care of all of the functions of this city.

Milgam, Inc., the company that provides our water in Tzfat, is not a municipal agency. They are a private company. Our gas is provided by private companies. Although the electric company is a government company; it could be modified to be a worker-run collective with concerted effort.

Instead of the gemachim (charity organizations), of which we have a very respectable number here in Tzfat, being organized to pick up where the government leaves off and, in so doing, perpetuate, rather than alleviate, poverty; they can be modified to be the bodies that care for the various needs of the residents of Tzfat.

If the gemachim became the organizations and agencies that provide necessaries to all, not merely giving hand-outs to the needy, we would be able to eradicate indigence, as befits Jews. We would all have our needs provided for truly. Imagine no one having to beg for their subsistence. Imagine no one being punished with poverty for the "crime" of being aged, handicapped, widowed, orphaned or unemployable for whatever the reason. We can do better vastly better for ourselves and one another than Bituach Leumi (National Insurance) does for us!

Instead of turning to the city for every need and want big and small be must learn to rely upon ourselves and upon one another. The concept is called Mutual Aid. We trade that which we can provide for that which we need. We become as maximally self-reliant as possible and create a culture of cooperative sharing.

There is nothing that the Municipality is doing for us that we cannot do far more efficiently, promptly, cost-effectively, fairly, caringly and honestly ourselves – and in a far more personalized manner, providing the services such that they fit individual needs and not strapping every citizen to a procrustean bed.

It is high time that the Israeli public was weaned from the co-dependent addiction and sickness of turning to the government only to get nothing but a kick in the teeth and then turning to the government again for comfort because they have been kicked in the teeth....

Since the Municipality of Tzfat was the first in the country to collapse utterly, it devolves upon Tzfat to become the premier model city for self-government on the part of the residents.

We can supplant the Municipality and take over every one of their functions. All we have to do is believe in ourselves and in one another and ORGANIZE.

Let's send the workers of the Municipality of the City of Tzfat on a PERMANENT vacation to Eilat!

Both the Hebrew and the English versions of this essay can be found on the following site:

http://www.geocities.com/dordot2001/MysticalAnarchyII.html

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat,
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

An Encounter with Elliot Skiddel of JAZO

After reading the local Tzfat newspapers this weekend including excerpts from that which appeared about Tzfat in national and other regional newspapers during the war; I am abysmally, unspeakably saddened, but in no wise surprised, by the allegations of the "performance" of the Municipality of Tzfat during the war.

About five years ago, I contacted Project 2000 in Palm Beach, Florida and I told them that it was unwise to send donations to the City of Tzfat without them being carefully monitored.

I told them of the corruption in the Municipality.

I told them how the poor are ignored and downtrodden in this city.

I told them of the nepotism.

I told them about the poverty of the residents of the Ofer Neighborhoood in which eight people leapt to their deaths from the roofs in desperation that cannot be conceptualized by those who have not lived under these conditions.

Elliot Skiddel of JAZO was dispatched to my home. In my utter naivete, I thought that he would give me a fair hearing and would cooperate in my efforts to improve the way in which the City of Tzfat was run. I thought that Project 2000 had sent a sympathetic hear, kind heart and Jewish Soul to meet with me for the purpose of seeing the conditions in the Ofer Neighborhood.

Instead, he entered my very humble Amidar apartment in the notoriously poor Ofer Neighborhood of Tzfat, looked around at the apartment with disdain, apprised me with utter contempt and exaggerated loathing to make sure that I did not miss his opinion of me and proceeded to discount everything I said, all the while with a smug smirk of "I'll make short shrift of this nothing" look on his face.

More than the pain of being personally humiliated, I understood that a chance for improvement in Tzfat was entirely lost and I was crestfallen.

He evidently reported to Project 2000 that my contentions were not to be taken seriously in the least. Evidently, they were satisfied with "a soft answer that turneth away anxiety."

And so the trampling of the poor of Tzfat continued unabated and grew more and more brazen and outrageous.

The tragedy of the children at risk who were given a particularly well-appointed kindergarten, paid for by donations, so that they could be well cared for, well fed and even have a place to sleep at night if the conditions in their homes were not conducive to their well-being is well known to residents of Tzfat. For others, I will tell you that as part of a deal that Tzfat Mayor Yishai Maimon made with ultra-Orthodox elements in Tzfat for votes, the children in the kindergarten that was provided for with donations specifically for children at risk were thrown out into the streets and Charedi children, who were not at risk, were given the kindergarten instead. The children at risk had nowhere to go for quite some time – many weeks, if not months, I do not recall exactly how much time, but I do recall that the sad story was as protracted one. Finally, they were given a downscale kindergarten that could not provide the special services they needed.

Then we heard of a similar situation with the children of Public School Mamlakhti Gimmel, in the poor southern part of the city, being transferred to Mamlakhti Aleph so that Charedi children can get their school. Again, this is the result of one of Maimon's dirty political deals with the Charedim to get their votes.

Now we hear of the travesties that, allegedly, occurred during the war.

While I do not, nay cannot, blame Elliot Skiddel directly for what the Municipality has done since he reported to Project 2000 that that which I wrote them is of no moment; I do blame him indirectly.

Had he not made me out to be an inconsequential crank to Project 2000 five years ago; had they sent their own people here to inspect to see if my contentions were true - that which transpired in Tzfat thereafter would have been obviated.

Skiddel, by all means, regard me with contempt because I am poor and represent the truth I tell to Project 2000 as lies "because you can". I wouldn't want to have either your salary or your conscience, that is assuming that you are man enough to realize and admit that had you extended a hand of cooperation to me five years ago, there may have been far few less people who suffered horrifically in this town.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

The OTHER Aftermath of the War

With a heavy heart there are matters, which have come to light in the aftermath of the war, that I must share with the "outside world".

I feel it is incumbent upon me to share this information because there were donation drives for Israelis in a number of countries. The donors would probably be interested in knowing that it is becoming increasingly apparent that not all of their money got where it was intended to go, most likely.

If you or your colleagues are journalists and are willing to do honest investigative reporting and to write up the conclusions of whatever you/they might find up as an expose - please, be my guest.

I grew accustomed over the decades to being used, abused, cheated and shunted aside by the government, national and local, in Israel. Their treatment of the Palestinians is documented in the world press. Their matter-of-fact maltreatment of the citizenry is not known. It is assumed that we Israelis enjoy the benefits of living in a country that is considered relatively wealthy and technologically advanced. In fact, not much trickles down. The gap between the richest and the poorest here is second to NONE in the "Western" world. Yes, that includes the US.

I could live with it - until now. Now, when the smoke is clearing from the missiles, we are seeing increasingly clearly how our government betrayed us, probably diverted donations that were intended for the weakest and infirm among us that come from those who love and support Israel and used the situation to better themselves in all manners.

I have, then, no choice but to display some of our dirty laundry.

Please be so kind as to read what I wrote on the following link:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tzfat/message/2755

Having become convinced that we were in fact cheated of days of R&R, and I still know not what else, I wrote the following as a follow-up:

Let Your Familes and Friends Know About About the OTHER Aftermath of the War!

I'd like to make a couple of suggestions to those who feel that their needs were neglected by the Municipality during the war or that they did not get what was coming to them to increase their chances of surviving the war or simply making living on the direct line of fire, under siege, for 34 days more bearable.

First, Ilan Shohat, a member of the Tzfat Municipality who is in the opposition and vociferously opposed to Mayor Yishai Maimon, has published a request to receive any and all reports of neglect or incompetence. He assures your anonymity. You can reach him at: s_shohat@012.net.il or by calling Edva at
050-7193475 or Gili at 050-6579899.

However, I'd like to mention that Ilan is a seasoned politician and is no doubt making political capital on Maimon's failings. Were he Mayor, as he clearly would like to be as evinced from the fact that in his rather short career as a politician he has racked up quite a reputation for climbing over others whom he betrays and tramples under foot; I am sure that he would be no better than his predecessors.

I would, in addition to contacting him, do some things that will, no doubt, be vastly more effective:

Contact everyone you know in the United States and tell them about the problems, about the maltreatment on the part of the Municipality of Tzfat. We all have relatives who expressed their love and panic for us during the war. Let them know how we were being cheated and bamboozled, unbeknownst to us because the local papers in town weren't operating, except for a temporary one run by the Municipality that told us only what the Municipality wanted us to know.

Include the major national and regional Jewish newspapers in your contact list. Ask them to carry out investigations and write up exposes. The world needs to know about the suffering we endured at the hands of our Municipality, which has been praised for its actions by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Tell them about the questions that have arisen as to whether the food that was intended for residents who remained in Tzfat was distributed fairly, correctly and that we received all that was intended for us.

Tell them about the donated air conditioners that were intended for the bomb shelters that were stolen. I do not claim the Municipality did this certainly. But, I am compelled to ask: Did they do everything possible to ensure that it would not occur?

Tell them about the fact that there have been complaints by ordinary citizens who stayed in Tzfat during that they were never sent for days of R&R, while relatives, friends and supporters of members of the Municipality were sent for free vacations in hotels for 3 – 5 days.

Let them know that Tzfat has a long and ugly history of misappropriation of donations.

It is high time to tell them about the money that was donated for an especially well-appointed kindergarten specifically for children at risk, so that they could get all the care they needed day and night if need be, who were thrown out so that room could be made for the children of those that Yishai Maimon had promised the kindergarten to for votes. Tell them that after many long weeks without a kindergarten at all those children were given a downscale kindergarten that did not provide places for them to sleep when being at home presented a risk and a threat to them.

Tell them that the children from the poor neighborhoods in Tzfat are being thrown out of their lovely neighborhood school and into a far older, smaller, less well-equipped one so that Mayor Yishai Maimon can make good on the dirty deal he made with the ultra-Orthodox to get their votes by displacing children from needy homes from their school and replacing them with children from the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood. That public grade school is the only promise of a better future for the children of the poorest neighborhoods in Tzfat, which I know intimately because I live in the most notorious one of those neighborhoods. Oh, yes. They will go to school, but under cramped and disadvantaged conditions – as the Municipality thinks befits the poor of this town.

Let them know about the rampant nepotism in this town. Tell them it is no new phenomenon that those connected to the politicians in the Municipality get everything while the residents of this town get nothing. It has simply become unconscionable now that it has become clear that the politicians didn't miss a beat to better themselves even while some 600 rockets fell on Tzfat.

Ask your family and friends in your native countries to let everyone know who made donations that they intended for ordinary Israeli citizen under 34 days of siege that some of those donations seem to have been, um, diverted. Ask for investigations into this matter to be carried out by the donors themselves because, as the local Tzfat paper "Chadash B'Galil" says: "A Complaint Has Not Yet Been Lodged at the Police Station Concerning Irregularities in the Disbursement of Donations During the War" (issue 762 (1068) of 18/8/06, page 20). So, it devolves on the people who gave money to investigate where it went.

Let them know that it is not wise to put money and other donations in the hands of politicians. Tell them they must have agents here who see to it that the money and donations gets to where it should.

Let the Municipality know that you've contacted those who care about you in the US. Let them know you are not afraid.

Let them know that they cannot build their political careers and pad their nests by risking out lives!!!

Having made the above suggestions to the residents of Tzfat and the Upper Galilee on our Yahoo! groups, it behooves me to follow my own advice. Consider yourselves likewise informed.

A profoundly sad and betrayed Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

Edition No. 1068 of "Chadash B'Galil"

one of our local newspapers is chock-full of reasons not to live in Tzfat (Safed).

http://www.gnews.co.il/

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

Reactions to "Sun Worship Oblisk"

This is too much. Please see the message below on the Tzfat forum and the responses to it. I am dordot2001. See my responses too.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tzfat/message/2699

I can't believe anyone is so primitive as to get bent out of shape about a stone monument.

It's not even clear that it is a "sun worship oblisk".

And if it is: It's a cultural and historical curiosity. So WHAT???

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

Cease Fire?

This war was an horrendous experience, right up to the bitter end. At 6:45 this morning, just 1/4 hour before the cease fire was to go into effect, I smelled a waft of gas.

That happens for one of two reasons. Either one of the jets is slightly open on my stove, or, much more frequently, the gas truck has been sent and they are filling the gas tanks of the building.

I checked the gas jets on my stove. They were closed properly. So, I felt a moment's relief that the gas is just being refilled.

Then the siren went off.

The thought that a rocket might fall anywhere in our vicinity at that moment when the gas truck's hose was fitted into our building's main gas line sent me into another wave of shock/fear.

The only comfort was that I was alone in the house. If the building blew no one else in the family would be harmed.

Nothing happened. There was no barrage that I could hear, see, feel or smell. It was one of those sirens that go of "by mistake" that are at once so relieving and so infuriating because they scare the hell out of you for no reason.

I want this to be over desperately. I hope it is over. I've had as much as my nerves can take, but I know that so long as Hezbullah is not disarmed it's not over.

I hope that we can hunt down the heads of the organization and arrange their 72 virgins for them without another one of our soldiers or civilians being lost.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

I went out to the grocery store to buy a few items this morning. When I got to the curb I saw army van after army van interspersed with army police cars passing, one after the other. I had to wait quite a while for them all to pass. They were traveling in the direction of the main highway.

At first I was positive about seeing them. I thought that a "big fish" had been caught and that they were on their way to finish a mission.

When I got to the grocery store I asked the owner what the procession was. He saw that there was a note of positivity in my face. He looked at me squarely and said: "Coffins".

I somehow managed to buy what I had to, having gone into a state of shock. I returned home and I told my husband what I had experienced. For the first time since the beginning of the war; I broke down in hysterical tears. My husband came over to me to comfort me.

That picture doesn't leave me. I can't get it out of my mind. I've been sleeping a good part of the day and I had a rather long angina attack. The pain ran into my arm and my jaw even though I am now on medications to stave off a heart attack.

I can stand the danger that I'm in, but I can't stand to think about the boys and men that are dead, wounded and, especially, missing.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

The Miracles Keep on Happening

The other day there was (yet another) barrage of missiles in our immediate vicinity - by vicinity I mean within a range of 150-200feet.

Two of the rockets fell behind our building into the wadi behind our building. The missiles that fall into the wadis and in the surrounding forresthave caused an ecological disaster. The forestry in Tzfat has been set back 50 years. The fires they set pose a constant threat to the lives of fire fighters who rush from one blaze to another. But that was not the worst of it.

I heard that another missile fell somewhere on the other, front, side of the building complex. I live in the middle building of a three-building complex. One rocket has already fallen in front of one of the building next to mine. It fell in the middle of the road, exploded and caused a car that was parked next to it to explode sympathetically.

This time the rocket fell near the building on the other side of me. It fell near where the gas tanks that supply the building are situated - but it didn't blow up. It just fell.

Had it exploded and the ball bearings packed within it scattered there is every chance that the gas tanks would have blown up along with it and that the fireball would have traveled through the system of gas pipes leading into every apartment in that building. The building would have been gone - and perhaps ours too. The gas tanks in our building would have ignited and exploded in turn, taking the third of the buildings with it. Each of the buildings houses 90 families.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

I had been keeping a running record of some of what has been going in in Tzfat during this was on the following thread: http://tinyurl.com/l8o3d

However, the "contributors" to the ICQ forum are so peurile and obnoxious that I can no longer grace that forum with serious writing.

I will, henceforth, keep a blog of what goes down in Tzfat on this blog:

I have a neighbor who lives in the next building over in our building complex.

Whenever a bomb falls too close for comfort she calls me to make sure that nothing happened to my building.

Well, on Shabbat afternoon a bomb dropped right in front of her building. Another in the same barrage fell behind my building.

It's now awhile after the end of Shabbat Shabbat. My husband Dan and I just got back from going to see where it fell. It landed smack dab in the middle of the road that leads off the main highway. If it had been a weekday...

They removed the shell and plugged the huge hole it left, apparently temporarily with what looks like plain dirt, until proper materials are available. It happened, after all, on Shabbat when almost no one is working.

The rocket melted the asphalt upon impact and splatterings of molten asphalt are on the road and elsewhere.

It broke the sides of the concrete sidewalks on both sides of the street.

A car that was parked on the side of the road was ignited sympathetically and exploded. It's totally gutted.

Windows shattered in my friends' building, I am told.

A utility pole not more than 15 feet away was, miraculously, left untouched and intact.

We did not see ball bearings strewn around. Many rockets are packed with ball bearings.

Compared to what could have happened we got away very lucky - again.

It was awful, but miracles abound. Anyone experiences this and does not believe in miracles is wholly unrealistic and in denial.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

The Mayor of Tzfat, Yishai Maimon, Berates Those Who Remain as "The Poor and Unfortunate Who Have Nowhere to Go"

I just read in TzfatLine, the e-mail newsletter that is sent out to subscribers in Tzfat and the environs, that some 70% of Tzfat's residents have left the city. I do not know if the figure is accurate. I do know that many have left.

I certainly do not judge those people, but neither will I, who choses to remain out of conviction sit in silence while the mayor, Yishai Maimon, represents those who stay as "the poor and unfortunate who have nowhere to go".

Just for the record: Our daughter in Tel Aviv has a reinforced room and has urged us repeatedly to come stay with her, Dan's family is in Binyamina, we have friends in Kiryat Gat and Ra'anana who have extended open invitations and we have relatives in the States and England.

We ***choose*** to stay in Tzfat. We renew that choice every day.

We don't expect to be treated like heroes by the municipality for making that decision. We consider it just doing our bit for the sake of keeping Israel's northern area populated.
But we certainly do not wish to be insulted and misrepresented by our mayor either.

I realize that he said that to schnor, but let him make himself look pathetic in order to grub money from the government, not me and mine.

To heap calumny on the bravest and most loyal of Tzfat's residents, if I may be frank and tell it like it is, was really an all-time low, even for this mayor who had already racked up quite a track record of unwise pronouncements and decisions.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

This blurb was in our e-newsletter that I just received:

FREE FOOD:

As of 1:30 PM, today, Tuesday, free food is being distributed through the
efforts of the City of Tzfat. Vegetables, fruits, bread and other items are
available in front of the Municipal Building on Jerusalem Street. Bring your
shopping cart or shopping bags. It is not known how much is be given away or for how long.

That is sooooo Tzfat.

No one even knows who's organizing this. The donors maintain anonymity.

That's why I love this crazy country.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

Israel is a Mistake

Please see: http://tinyurl.com/fzam4

To contact the author of "Hunkering Down with History": cohenr@washpost.com
Thank you for this article, Mr. Cohen.

It is the best summation of the situation that I've seen written and articulates my every thought on the matter.

As I have said to my husband: Two outrages were perpetrated upon us during the 20th Century - first the Holocaust and then the establishment of the State of Israel.

We were between a rock and a hard place and we had no choice but to found a state, but it is a tragedy.

Once the State of Israel was established we were forced to engage in realpolitik and statecraft.

For the first time in 2000 years we were made into warriors. There is no estimating the moral and psychic damage that did to a people who were formerly scholars and peasants.

We should be working toward a condition in which there are no states and no need for states.
If the Jewish People are assured that we can be free to live as we choose, in all our diversity, in peace and undisturbed by any; there will be no need for a Jewish state. It is a far healthier and enriching experience that we should live among the other Peoples of the world.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
July 18, 2006

Tzfat, you may have figured out or read, is the Safed that has been in the news so much lately as we have suffered many missile attacks from Hizbullah.

The following link will lead you to an ongoing account I have been keeping as to what has been transpiring here since the first hit:

http://tinyurl.com/l8o3d

Recommendation: The Van Gogh Restaurant in Tzfat

It was Daniel's 66th birthday yesterday and he mentioned a couple of days ago that he'd like to go out to dinner. The new dairy restaurant in Tzfat, Van Gogh, has seemed very appealing since it opened. So, I jumped at the opportunity.It is a lovely restaurant that is an extension of Judith's Art Gallery in the Artist's Quarter and is very easily accessible by car or by foot. The gallery is not closed off from the restaurant, so those who eat there can enjoy a walk through the gallery either before or after eating. The back wall of the restaurant is decorated with an interesting piece of art. It is a combination of a reproduction of they sky as Van Gogh might paint it over Tzfat's landscape. It is done in stained glass, the buildings being outlined in a gold-like metal. The decor is lovely - pastoral and peaceful. The restaurant walls and furniture are wood and they impart a feeling of hominess and serenity. They have a bar and a nice selection of some of Israel's most popular red and white wines, which, incidentally, are becoming world-renowned. A very nice touch is the last page of the menu, whereupon there are photos of various self-portraits that Van Gogh did, some rarely seen. The self-portraits were done during different periods of his life and one can see who he was when he portrayed himself. They are quite remarkable.

The menu, incidentally, is both in Hebrew and English.Home-made olives in garlicky, herbed olive oil were brought to the table by our young, lovely, polite and very solicitous waitress while we waited for our meals to arrive. They were absolutely delicious. When I called to make the reservation I asked if there are pareve dishes, as Dan does not eat anything made from cow's milk. I was assured that there is a nice selection of pareve selections and we weren't disappointed.

Dan ordered fried trout with French fries and a lovely salad. I had to look the menu over a few times to decide which of the temping dishes to choose. I settled on the spinach and ricotta ravioli in alfredo sauce, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Dinner was accompanied by a warm loaf of ciabatta bread with butter and herbed butter on the side. I would have had their chocolate cake with ice cream and hot sauce for dessert had I had room after dinner. I couldn't. I was completely satisfied.

Dinner for the two of us, including a bottle of Goldstar for Dan and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot for me, came to a very reasonable 127 NIS.

Van Gogh is kosher and under the supervision of the Rabbinut of Tzfat.

The owner, Avi, is a lovely young man. When you call for reservations, mention that you saw this recommendation.Chances are I'll be going back for a slice of that cake and one of the many types of coffee that they offer. Hope to see you there.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com

Thai Bar Restaurant, Tzfat

We wanted to have something a bit different for Shabbat so I ordered food from Thai Bar.

I went for the "deal" that they offered – receiving a portion of noodles with vegetables for buying two main courses, at 42 NIS each, a la carte.

The entire bill, for the three of us, came to 168.70 NIS including the "deal" and side dishes that we ordered.

It was not until I had completed my order that the man who took my order told me that the 30% off that they give on Fridays was not effective because of the "deal".

As a result, I paid about 28 NIS more than had I not believed they were offering the public a "deal" and just went with the regular 30% off.

The "Pagoda" restaurant in Tiberius is kosher is a beautiful restaurant on the Sea of the Galilee. The food is absolutely delicious and artistically presented. I never thought twice about the price, because the food is so nicely prepared and presented in a lovely, relaxing ambience.

I am told that there is a very good, kosher, reasonably-priced Thai restaurant in the new mall in Carmiel as well, but I have never been there.

I would suggest that you go to either of those restaurants if you enjoy a good meal and like to feel that your money has been well-spent.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a meal that is a perfect balance of uninspired food, grit in unwashed vegetables, a 42 NIS a la carte portion of "lemon chicken" that turns out to be nothing more than schnitzel cut into strips with a side of sauce that doesn't resemble lemon and the feeling of having been totally ripped off, then there is a restaurant for you – Thai Bar in the She'arei HaIr Mall in Tzfat.

Before writing this notice to the public I called Thai Bar. I spoke to a waitress and told her why I was dissatisfied. She told me that one of the managers would be in touch with me. No one called. Their generalized disdain for the public is expressed in so-so food at exorbitant prices, "deals" that turn out to be rip-offs and a too-bad-if-you-don't-like-it attitude.

This restaurant deserves a moon – not a star.

Doreen Dotan, Tzfat

http://www.gnews.co.il/index.phtml?c=1

The link above will bring you to the e-version of one of our local weeklies, חדשות העיר.

Another Reason to Live in Tzfat

Tzfat is the home town of Supermodel Hava Mond.

If you come you may catch a glimpse of her on a visit home from Milan or Paris or New York or...

Hava was named one of Tzfat's Persons of the Year this year.

This is Hava Mond, Tzfat's claim to fame: http://tinyurl.com/bc6na

The Micol HaLev Charity

Reasons To Live In Tzfat? YAY! There are some!

This is the type of thing that will never be broadcast in the major world media, but I think it is of tremendous import.

A new charity program, called Micol HaLev (From the Whole Heart) was devised and launched in my home town, Tzfat, of which I am very proud.

It is a charity set up to help provide food and necessities for needy individuals and families. The fund is named after Rav Lev Bistritsky, who was the Chief Ashkanazi Rabbi of Tzfat until he passed away at a young age a few years ago.

The charity fund works by buying a membership for 18 shekels per month. That money goes directly to the charity. In return, the membership holder receives discounts at several dozen stores, restaraunts, optometrists, etc., in Tzfat that have voluntarily reduced their prices for card holders so that they can get goods they need at discount prices. They are doing this because the economy in Israel is very difficult now and almost everyone is having trouble making ends meet. The discounts range from 3% to 25% depending upon the business. Effectively, people are buying discounts for themselves from participating businesses in exchange for giving 18 NIS per month to needy families. We are all benefitting from one another's need and helping one another out mutually.

Further to this new Tzaeddakah:

They were on vacation during the High Holiday season. They are back now.

They've been calling people asking if they want to join.

You can reach them via www.chasdeilev.com

I received my card recently and took it to Cafe Bagdad. They were delighted to receive it and said that they'll be happy to give the 10% discount to anyone who presents the card.

The first card you receive is a temporary card. That's just until they verify that the bank order or credit card info you gave them is OK. Then they send the regular card in a short while. Most places accept the temporary card. Shefa Shuk accepts only the permanent card.

In addition to the businesses that are already on the list as participating in the program, three more have joined:

Super Birkat HaShem on Moshav Or HaGanuz - 3% discount.

Super Birkat HaShem in Chatzor HaGlilit - 3% discount.

The Shiv'at Deganim Bakery - 10% discount. On purchases of more than 100 NIS they'll give you Ugat Muffins for 3 NIS.

I think this is one of the nicest things that a community has undertaken to do.

Making it a success will be a boon to everyone - most especially to the needy in Tzfat and the environs.

Tzfat is a town of 30,000 people and most of the residents know one another. Many residents' families have lived here since the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal. The small size of the town and the intimacy is conducive to allowing programs like this to be launched. Actually, though, there is no reason why the program cannot be reproduced in the neighborhoods of large towns and cities.

Tzfat has a long and illustrious history of being a place in which the poor were well taken care of. Widows, orphans and others in need were aided in a way that not only gave them what they needed, but preserved their dignity. For instance, there was a large charity box that was sent up that a person put their hand directly into. No one knew if the person putting their hand into the box was depositing or withdrawing.

There are over 100 charity funds and programs in Tzfat today. There are free loan societies that lend money without interest and there are people who lend goods to people in need for no charge. Anything from baby pacifiers to drills to books on health can be borrowed for free from the people who operate the various programs during their free time and gratis. We have a special fund to make weddings for indigent brides they can be proud of. The woman who runs that program owns a second hand store. Part of the revenues from the store, which is a charity program in and of itself, go toward the Brides' Fund. A wealthy couple opened a home for unwed young women who are pregnant and wish to keep their babies. There they are housed, counseled and either placed in an appropriate educational setting or in a vocational training program so that they may be self-sufficient and can take care of their babies after they are born.

BIGOTRY :0(

I wrote the following post on the Tzfat Yahoo! group, entitled "Which Half of Me is the Real Ubermensch?":

Within just a few days I was directed by Irish extremists to the first site shown below and by Israeli extremists to the second site shown below. Note that they posit the identical theory and base it on the very same claims. The Jewish site claims that the Celts are descendants of one of the10 lost tribes.The Irish site claims that the Celts are the aboriginal settlers ofnot only Europe, but the Americas as well and are the true Aryans(Eireann).http://www.britam.org/http://www.galacforums.com/nafiannaeireann/viewforum.php?f=2Oh, deary me! I'm really in a quandary now. I don't know which half of me really is the Ubermensch and progenitor of Western Europe and the Americas. Imagine how I feel being told that on the one hand I hold the rightto Western Europe because I am the true Aryan, while on the other Iam told that the Celts (Eireann) are descendants of the Semitic Jews. Anyone else see the irony in this? To someone who is Jewish the claims on the first site might seem perfectly reasonable and natural. To someone who is Irish the claims on the second post might seem perfectly reasonable and natural. To me, being both, I see that the claim asserted by both is beyond ethnocentric and foolish. It is insane.

galilarat from the Tzfat yahoo group posted the following response:

Unless Doreen believes in the kabbalistic concept that she is a reincarnated male soul in a female body, she should really consider herself an "uberfrau" rather than an "ubermensch"! An examination of Yair Davidy's site (he himself is an Australian convert to Orthodox Judaism) www.britam.org shows that it's important to know if Doreen's goy father was an Eire Catholic or an Ulster Protestant*, as the two come from different "yichus" [meaning 'lineage', my insert] (the symbol of the latter is a red Star of David!). Davidy makes some daring claims, but he does seem to have some controversial historical evidence. Needless to say, contemporary sallow-skinned frum Semite Jews of today are none too plussed at the idea that your average uncircumcised, uncouth, none-too bright "Bog Irishman" red-nosed Guinness-downing Murphy is not a white Japhetite, but is from theLost Tribes of Israel!

*This point is utter nonsense. As is well known, the Bells were originally a Scottish clan. Most of those who migrated to ROI became Catholic.

To which I responded:

Decide which is funnier, galilrat's response to me, or that of an Irish parallel of galilrat's in response to a question I posed to him as to whether or not I'd be a welcome repatriate in Ireland if he had his druthers: "Now it is well recorded that the Eire ruled over its subject people all across the world, what is not greatly publicised is that nearly every ancient text that refers to our race records the origin legends of the Sacred Isle (Eire). It was the belief of our people that only those who were of the Noble and pure Celtic stock should ever reside in the motherland of the master race, and as Genetics has proven this was the case up untill the Norman invasions of our country. I would ask you, do you believe that you if you are only 50% or 75% of Celtic stock should you get preference to reside here over the people who are 100% Celtic stock. Would you accept that like the thorough breeding of animals you should set to breed out the bad blood from your genes and restore the virtue of your ancient origin.Would you accept that in a class system, you are below those of absolute purity, and that those above you should be cherished for being the centre of gravity for your nations. Also would you consider that as a Celt who has being tainted genetically (even if only very poorly maybe even 1% or less), that you should be to the forefront of building new Celtic colonies across the world and urging that your motherland be kept free andsacred from foreign migrants. Finally since our country is sadly run by the politics of democracy who would have veto over the supreme ruling and sovereignty of our country. The race mixers or the pure nobles of absolute Celtic stock."

If that isn't funny enough I read today that there is a book that is called WHIRLWIND that claims that the Iranians are the true Aryans. The contenders for True Aryan seem to be legion. Good thing I'm not part Iranian or I'd be totally confounded by now not knowing whichpart of me is the ultimately superior.I think my point has been amply demonstrated and with this I closethis rather stomach-upsetting topic on this board, thought thepresence of atitudes like this is cultural and spiritual rot nomatter where it is found, including Tzfat.

galilarat from the Tzfat Yahoo group again:

In comparing Judaic nationalism to Celtic supremacists, Doreen is hopefully not equating the two. Is she disavowing the Torah's message that "Hashem has chosen and elevated us from among the nations", something that not even the Irish claim?!"And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising...and the sons of strangers shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you...the sons of them that afflictedyou shall bending to you...and all they that despised you shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet" (Isaiah 60). We cannot be more "elitist" or "supremacist" than the Creator Himself! Many misguided Jews searching for universalism abandon the Jewishpeople completely. But True Universalism can only be found throughTorah.

metzuda from the Yahoo! group Tzfat:

And even Doreen's Irish father may have some Israelitish Simeonite (asopposed to Jewish ie from the tribe of Judah) blood in him!http://britam.org/simeon.html

I wrote on the Tzfat Yahoo! site:

It's a blessing to have a Gentile father. Not only do I have all of the rights and privileges of being a Jew, I am not subject to the misunderstandings about Gentiles and our relations to them that so many Jews who have two Jewish parents have. My children and I also have Irish citizenship, which allows us to live and work anywhere in EU if we wish too. That's a lot of haven if Israel falls apart and the US starts to draft people for their wars. Where will you go? And your kids? My father, BTW, was a post doc in theoretical math, complex analysis specifically. And your father?

xonter46 from the Yahoo! Tzfat group:

If it ever gets to the stage of Israel falling apart, no one gets out: not Jew or Gentile! In the Yom Kippur war, tourists were trapped in Israel for the 5 week duration of the hostilities.How many people a day could escape through Ben Gurion airport? As forgetting a yacht to sail the 200 miles to Cyprus: dream on. The Irish are unlikely to send one of their minesweepers to pick up Irish expats! Some say that the EU is "the 10 horned anti-Israeli beast" of Daniel's prophecy. Ireland was probably better off not being a member of the EU: "unity for the wicked is bad for them and bad for the world" (Talmud Kiddushin 72). More important than the "rights and privileges" of being a Jew, are the duties and obligations of being a Jew. Although she may not be aware of it, has Doreen a a bit of a chip on her shoulder, no doubt from one of her miscegenated ancestors?

Joseph Cleary wrote:

Dear Friend:
I know that this wasn't addressed to me but being as it's an Irish man talking about Jews and other Irishmen, I once defended a fellow I'd never met, a few years back a Mayor of Dublin was elected, he was said to have been one of the best that they'd ever had. He was born in Ireland, and he was a Jew. I realize that the girls father isn't. I too have a Irish last name, and yes I'm Jewish, and very proud of it too.
Friend if you're living there now be glad, know that I've plans to be there too, you're just there a few days before me that's all.
Shalom, Shalom, Yosef

I wrote the following on June 17th, 2005:

To All of the Members of the Yahoo! Group Tzfat:

I wrote the Owner/Moderator and told her that this group contains bigoted and defamatory content.

I gave her time to delete the posts and issue and apology.

She chose to ignore those two messages.

I told her that if my demand that the offending and illegal posts are not deleted and an apology from her for allowing those posts to go up is not met that I will issue a Complaint against this group because it is in violation of Yahoo! Terms of Service.

I interpret the fact that the Owner/Moderator allowed this to be posted as an agreement to bigotry and defamation because this is a moderated group and she moderates that which she finds offensive. Evidently she does not consider bigotry and defamation of Gentiles within the purview of slander. Yahoo. com and the law does. I will hold her personally responsible for the posts having gone up.

I intend to do so and will report this group to a number of both Jewish and non-Jewish bodies who are concerned about prejudice and bigotry in the world.

This is ugly.

I do not see any protest statements here except for the one from Joseph Cleary.

You should be ashamed of yourselves, and if you are not I will bring public attention to you.

All of the messages here have been copied and will be forwarded to any and all legitimate concerned parties that I see fit to send them too.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel

The fact that the Owner/Moderator of the Yahoo! Group "Tzfat" allowed these messages to go up is all the more ironic given the fact that the Group's description is:

Tzfat/Tsfat/Safed/Zfat/Zsfas/Tsfas/Tzfas/Safas......there are as many ways to pronouce the name of this mystical city in the North of Israel as there are types of people who live here.This forum is for residents of Tzfat and others who are interested in the city, its development, its character, and its future.This forum has been established for people who wish to exchange opinions, ideas, knowledge, and information about Tzfat. No posts will be allowed up which insult any individuals or groups of people. No Lashon Hara (Slander, my translation).

Evidently the Owner/Moderator of the Yahoo! Group "Tzfat" does not consider Gentiles people.

The Owner/Moderator of the Yahoo! Group Tzfat posted:

Doreen,

Several months ago, when I edited a message that I thought was offensive to YOU, you wrote back telling me that you had requested that the poster send the message to you so that you could see what had been deleted, and announced to the whole group that I was guilty of unnecessary censorship because you, in fact, did not find the message offensive. Now you do.

Frankly, I think that the person who wrote it was a jerk, and that the message says more about the writer than it doesabout either you or your father. But censoring messages is tricky, and I'm not prepared to go nuts about it.

Nor, by the way, am I prepared to feel guilty because I didn't have my computer on for several hours and see your earlier letters to me -- I have a life outside this computer, and don't feelparticularly guilty about it.

Feel free to complain to whichever authorities you wish. If they see fit to take down the group, I won't object. However, I will continueto do my best to moderate the group as carefully as I can as long asthe group is up, and as long as the other members wish.

Shabbat Shalom

I wrote:

I recall the incident, but frankly not the content of what I wrote in that particular message, as I typically write for anwhere between 8 - 18 hours a day.

I do recall too that I wrote to you and explained why I wrote what I wrote and justified it.

I have *NEVER* sent a post containing the kind of bigotry and racist description that is contained in the posts that anyone can find on this group simply by searching "Irish" or "goy".

You know there are people who are disturbed on this group and that is why you set this group up as moderated. That is why the Group's description reads as it does.

I'm gratified that you realize that those people are "jerks" (it's more than one), but don't even try to convince me that you found moderating in that case was "tricky". Had someone written something like that about Jews your judgement would have been right on target.

Those posts are in direct contradiction to Yahoo's TOSs and in direct contradiction to your stated description of this group.

They are also against Israeli law. The posters may be anonymous, but you, who allowed them to go through can be found easily enough.

You ignored the messages I sent you offline asking you to delete the posts and issue an apology so that I wouldn't have to take action.

One more time: Delete those posts from the message archives and issue a formal apology here or I take the matter further.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat

"רק בצפת" (Only In Tzfat)

B"H

On 20.05.05 "Chadash HaGalil's" correspondent, Me'ir Yanko, published an article entitled "רק בצפת" (Only In Tzfat), in which he lists a number of absurdities that can only happen in Tzfat. He then called for the public to add some absurdities of their own. So, here's mine:

Only in Tzfat can a man who is barely literate be fired from his former job for the reasons that were published in the local press and, through a personal favor of a friend, who was a fine journalist in Tzfat, who took pity on him, get a job as a correspondent for the local paper where that man used to work. Only in Tzfat, could the fine journalist be ousted from the journalistic community, precisely because he is an incisive thinker and fine journalist, while Yanko remained in his stead. Only in Tzfat could Yanko have the chutzpah after all that had transpired to write denigration after denigration about every sector of Tzfat society: the residents of the South, in toto, (from whence Yanko himself hails); the "Anglosaxim" who, Yanko claims, have "taken over" the Old City, the Ethiopians; actually, just about any sector you can think of. Finally, only in Tzfat could this same Yanko write an article about the absurdities that transpire in Tzfat in his usual barely literate, um, "style".

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B"H

Yanko responded to the letter that I sent him. The version that I sent him is in Hebrew and he responded in Hebrew.

I won't post his response here for a few reasons:

1) It's in Hebrew and not everyone will understand it.

2) I do not publish private mail that I receive unless I get express permission to even if "Personal and Confidential" isn't written on it.

From what I write you'll be able to get the gist of what he wrote to me.

For years I suffered this man's humiliations silently. I've had it with him!

Here's the English version of my response to him:

Let's go point-by-point, Yanko:

It is simply impossible that you and the journalist to whom I refer were of equal stature. You never had the respect as a journalist that he had in this town. I, for one, considered him a true intellectual and a person who genuinely cared about people as individuals and residents of Tzfat. In fact, if he wasn't the person he is, he'd still be here working in Tzfat

So, you're still in touch with said journalist? Am I to believe that that makes you equals? Your powers of reasoning are weak. Mine are not. You'll have to do better with me.

You use the term "democracy". I see you applied yourself with the same assiduousness when learning the principles of democracy that you did when learning the rudiments of spelling, grammar and syntax. Your understanding of democracy is shallow and primitive indeed if you think that democracy means denigrating people and misrepresenting them just because you can without being thrown in jail for it.

How *dare* you represent everyone in the South of Tzfat as unemployed, uneducated, unwashed miskeinim just because we don't have a lot of money?

Just in my building alone, there is my husband who is an expert in the Hebrew language, world history, machshevet Yisra'el, a published author, translator and librarian.

I accomplished an MA in Jewish Philosophy at age 20 and my field of expertise is mathematical linguistics. I have been published in every English-speaking country in the world, most recently two comedy pieces that I wrote were published in "The Journal of Irreproducible Results", a prestigious journal that is distributed to academics all over the world. (You might consider writing comedy too, Yanko. You're missing your true calling.)

Some of the other residents in the 214 building of Ofer, wherein we reside, include: a composer/conductor; a published poet; at least two specialist physicians that I know of (They are a couple. Their son, a neurologist, used to live in the building too.); an engineer whose husband practices alternative medicine; a sofer Sta"m; and a certified English teacher from the former SSSR - that I know of. I am not acquainted with everyone in the building.

You can't hold a candle to many of the residents of Ofer intellectually or experientially. How dare you denigrate us? How dare you make us all out to be of one (threadbare) cloth?

How *dare* you cast aspersions upon us - in Hebrew that a grade school child should be ashamed of no less?! My husband has stopped reading your articles altogether. He couldn't stand the level of Hebrew and got tired of getting annoyed. If I try to read some of your "stuff" to him for a laugh he tells me to spare him.

Thoroughly disgusted by the level of Hebrew of the paper, my husband once offered his services to "Chadash B'Galil" as an editor and proofreader some years ago. They were more than willing to accept him - on a volunteer basis. Chadash B'Galil wasn't willing to pay for a part-time proofreader? The paper isn't embarrassed to appear as it does? The level of Hebrew in "Chadash B'Galil" has deteriorated since the time my husband called to offer his help. We would not have believed that possible. Doesn't anyone proofread there? Doesn't anyone who works at the paper know Hebrew above grade school level?

The "Anglo-Saxim" have not "taken over" the Old City. First of all, the English-speakers in this town are effectively powerless. Second, what do you care if most of the English-speakers who come to this town resonate with the vibration of the Old City?

Your critique of City Hall is the same old same old. You merely parrot that which you've heard your intellectual betters say about the City and regurgitate it onto paper, looking like a wannanbe, pseudo-intellectual in the process.

You have the audacity to take personal credit for the Mamlakhti Gimmel grade school not being closed? Any journalist who would be working in your stead would have covered the story. It was the hottest item in Tzfat. How could that story not have been covered? What did you do that was above the minimum expected of a local journalist? Not only would any journalist have covered the story, any journalist covering the story would have written exactly what you wrote. What you wrote was the expected thing to write.

There are some very interesting, intelligent and productive people in the Southern neighborhoods of Tzfat, Yanko. Find them, first for your own edification. You might consider doing and expose on the topic of interesting people in the South as a public service to the city and to make amends for the hurt you've caused to our image.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Ofer Neighborhood, Tzfat