What is it like to live with a country that experience a war for 60 years. how hard it is to get used to a quiet place like France, and the current affairs in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
I am Israeli and proud of it, I simply cannot live there, but one way or the other 44 years in Israel leaves marks and one cannot ignore ones birth place. Living in France is a refreshing change for me, and surprisingly I learn how deep are my habits, habits i gathered the holy troubled land. I am expecting every security man to force me to open my bag, when i comes into a store rather then him searching me when i go out. Last Wednesday I experienced for the first time since I am in France the mid-day Fire department sirens, I was terrified as an up-down siren in Israel means attack (mostly a war), the first thought that came into my mind was were the hell are the shelters in Marseille ?
It will take me time to get used to the easy traveling inside Europe without the heavy security forcing you to arrive to Tel-Aviv airport 3 hours before the flight. To accept the facts that no coffee shop has an armed guard with a metal detector, in Israel all of them have it.
You have to understand what is it like to live in Israel, to be ready for a terror attack every minute (though there can me months without it, thanks to the security service and the army), to know people that died drinking their coffee, or riding a bus, having dinner in a restaurant, or celebrating a holiday, or simply walking down the streets of any city, not to mention those that are bombed daily in the little town of Sderot in the Negev desert. To forget that people die from heart attacks, cancer and car accidents and related every passing ambulance to a terror attack. To count the ambulances sirens, if its more then 3 in a row then we have had it again.
Its hard to live this way but not impossible, human being get used to everything: one minute the street is full of blood and body parts and an hour later only some debris are there to remind the horror. Tourist that will arrive to Israel will never understand what are we talking about. There were worst days, days when the center of Jerusalem was empty of people (can you imagine the Bastille in Paris without people), but this also passed even though not too long ago.
Israel is a country in a war, 60 years of war, yes we have a huge military force, but to we make real use of it ? Not really, we are stupidly trying to be human where its impossible. We left the Gaza strip completely and retreated to the international boarders. Nobody expected a peace because of it, but we did not expect a raid on missiles on daily base also. We are trying to be human and its stupid because here we have no chance as how can you hit terrorists that shoot missiles from a populated area without hitting 1 or 2 or even more civilians. Most Israeli doesn't care anymore because every Israeli is a target mostly civilians. Anyway, according to the international law these missiles means a declaration of full scale war and practically Israel could conquer or simply erase this hornet nest called the Gaza strip, however Israel isn't doing this. We stupidly believe in democracy but then came the Palestinian and democratically elected a group that intend to destroy the state of Israel, does it show something about the Palestinian ? I am not sure, I know they had their other reasons (corruption in the Fatah) but then this election brought upon them further fights not only with Israel but between themselves.
I pity the Palestinian people, but they should gather their asses and do something, starting with preventing different militias from shooting missiles from populated areas (it will save them plenty of coffins). But I am feeling much more sympathy to the people of Sderot which is one of the poorest towns in Israel without work without chance and with 10-20 missiles a day.
I wonder what would be the French government reaction for missiles being shot into populated area by anyone, I am positive they will react much harsher then the imbecile Israeli government. The Mayor of Sderot once said “The option is that people will die here or there, I certainly prefer them to die over there”. Only the Palestinian can prevent them to die in both places
You just think you’re safe!
As long as you don’t walk around with any sign that you are Jewish/Iraeli – kippah, magen david – you are safe. How does that feel – that you have to cover up the fact that you’re an Israeli Jew!?? Come back home!!
i am safe and always been
dear chaya
I am non religious so i will not wear any of these signs (kippah etc…) but neither me nor any other jew in Marseille at least are not afraid to wear Chai or Magen David. I never felt antisemiticm in France, not even from arabs. I am however afraid of coming back home because of the system, read another article I wrote you will recognize it. I had enough of being a citizen nobody care about and every system run him down, I had enough In france the citizens are respected and their human rights are kepts, not like in Israel where the common citizen is threated as a piece of shit and once in 4 years they give him a little respect
A shame
It’s a shame you feel that way. (This means ‘chaval’) I don’t know what to say to you. But one question: How come so many French Jews are leaving/thinking of leaving France and have bought apartmets in Israel?? Maybe your French isn’t good enough to really know what’s happening there?? Yes, things stink now – they also do in the U.S. where I’m originally from – but you don’t leave your family when it’s down. I just can’t imagine living anywhere else. But all the best to you!
its a long story and much more complicated then this
Dear chaya
i know exactly what you mean, i used to think the same way. I was born in Israel and lived there for 44 years. My story is much much longer to summerise in two words, but you will also understand it within few more years. Sorry but I really don’t feel antisemitism in France. I guess its mostely because the French doesn’t care what you religious is, because its part of their democracy, seperating the state from the religious. Most French I met where simply curious.
I don’t think we can say that french people are antisemitist or not. Some are, some aren’t. Racism is a shame but France is a free and democratic country where the state have nothing to do with religion, which is very good I think for people’s freedom. Unfortunately, this law is not always respected and some people think that France is a Catholic country where people who belong to another religion have nothing to do. I think this is really sad…
you are right
i think you are right however the majority of the French people are not really thinking about religion, yes of course there are fanatic catholic like there are fanatic jews in israel and fanatic muslims but the majority does not care, the seperation between the state and the religion is deep in the French people blood. and I like it.