Holy Exposures

It comes as no surprise to most Israelis that our Prime Minister is shrouded in yet another controversy, this time allegedly for taking a bribe from a prominent American working in Israel.  The media is still under a strict gag order, but those in the ‘know’ say that this time, Olmert will have to resign.

This is his 5th corruption investigation since taking office two years ago. The most recent one, last Fall, alleged Mr. Olmert received payment in consideration for decisions made in the privatization of Bank Leumi, when we was acting as Finance Minister. On the lighter side, Ehud Olmert, in 2002, then still Mayor of Jerusalem, was running in the 10KM race as part of the Jerusalem Half Marathon.  Olmert stepped up to the front of the line, mugging for the cameras.  Of course, to get to the front of the line, he had to physically move other runners to the side who had arrived before him.  One of these runners, a neighbor of mine, tells this story: I said to Olmert, “How come you get to go to the front of the line? We were here first!”  To which Olmert replied, “Because I am mayor. I am an important person”. Assuming this story is true,  it illustrates what type of world Mr. Olmert lives in.  In his mind, he is priveleged.  He is a son of the “kings” of Likud. He has been in politics his entire life. Everything has come to him from his political position. I won’t even bring up the “Divine Retribution” angle that has been posed by many in the National camp…  Ok, I’ll bring it up… There is a long string of politicians who have expressed acceptance in relinquishing land to Arabs – whether it be East Jerusalem, the Golan, Gaza, even Sinai.  Each politician at the helm during these watershed times who has capitulated to Arab, world, or US pressure, has been knocked down, each with a different ‘natural’ conclusion.  Is that “Divine” or just natural.  You can decide for yourself.

Top Israeli Films of All Time:

1. Sallah Shabbati (1964) – Directed by Ephraim Kishon, starring Topol. Notice the hillarious Mike Burstein in a cameo role. Arik Einstein is there too. This is the quintessential story of the young Israel set in the late 1950′s as Sephardic (Oriental) and Yemenite Jews were immigrating in waves due to changes in policy in the Arab countries. This man’s story, Sallah, is told to represent the light-hearted look at a heavy subject of the trials and tribulations of integration (or lack thereof) to an intrinsically Ashkenazic (European) society. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Not to be missed.

References: IMDB Movie Synopsis Wikipedia Listing

2. Givat Halfon (???? ????? – (1976 Directed by Assi Dayan, Starring Shayka Levi, Gavri Banai, and Yisrael Polikov (The stars of Hagashash Hahiver comedy troupe). This is probably the funniest movie ever made in Israel. Even 30 years later, lines from this film are used in everyday slang. “?? ?? ???? ???”. The plot and premise don’t really matter, other than to give devices for the Hagashash to have fun at the expense of everything. The scene where Shayka teaches the Egyptian Officer how to make good Turkish Coffee is truly inspired Israeli comedy at its finest. Watch also for the young Tuvya Tzapir as the zany Miluim Officer.

References: Wikipedia Listing Video Clip #1 Video Clip #2

3. Chagiga B’Snooker (????? ?????? (1975 – Starring Yehuda Barkan and Tuvya Tzapir. This film exposes the Israeli underside, the mob, as a bunch of nutsos in a madcap film. Yehuda Barkan gives his most hilarious and memorable performance as Snooker huksters try to outsmart the mob and all the craziness that ensues. Although admittedly cheesy humor, it is screened faithfully every year on Israeli TV usually around Yom Haatzmaut (Independence Day).

References: Video Clip Wikipedia Listing

4. Ricochets (1986) (Shtei Etzbaot MiTzidon) ??? ?????? ??????
This anti-war story is told thru the eyes of a young recruit joining his unit in the Lebanon War (??”?). The movie was also well-received by international critics. The plot and action is simple, but the message is clear – war is bad.
References: Video Clip Wikipedia Listing

5. Hashoter Azulai “The Policeman” (1971) – Directed by Ephraim Kishon – Starring Shaike Ophir as Officer Avraham Azoulay. Ophir is policeman in Yafo. He is bumbling and naive, but with more pride and inner-knowing than others in this genre (such as Inspector Clouseau). The music and themes in this film are tragic and uplifting all at once. The final scene of this film, has become one of the most memorable in Israeli cinema. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and won the Golden Globe in the same category.
References: Wikipedia Listing IMDB Listing Video Clip

Also See: Top 5 Modern Israeli Must-See Movies

I live about 1 Kilometer from the infamous Burka ladies cult who’s leader was taken into custody last month. Read the Jerusalem Post article for some background.

I have seen these women (well, not really them, but their burkas) walking in the shopping center in Ramat Bet Shemesh Bet near the post office. It never really sunk in what these ladies are trying to accomplish. I actually thought in my subconscious how ironic it was that nuns from the nearby monastery have to come to the ultra-orthodox neighborhoods to do their shopping (or to mail packages).

What’s hard to swallow is that this cult leader was systematically physically and mentally abusing her children, and allowing other unmentionable taboo acts to take place under her own roof. All the while, she’s dressed in a dozen robes for ‘extra’ modesty. Gimme a break!

A friend mentioned to me a couple weeks ago that a women from this cult had joined their synagogue for the Megilat Esther reading on Purim. No one had recognized her (sic). She said that the ladies all moved to the other side of the room from where she was sitting. If I had seen a woman come to my synagogue dressed like that, and i didn’t recognize her voice (!?), I would demand that she immediately remove her extra clothing so as to be sure it was not, G_d forbid, a suicide bomber.

Anyways, here’s a burka lady in her natural environment in Ramat Bet Shemesh. Let’s play Where’s Waldo… Israel style: “Where’s the Burka Lady” in this picture?

This story bears repeating… A health inspector visited Assaf Harofeh Hospital in the center of Israel (near Rehovot).

A Mezuza is a positive commandment in the Torah (Jewish Bible) to affix a portion of the Torah in a scroll to the doorpost of every room in a Jewish owned home or public facility. There is an additional custom to kiss a mezuza as you pass thru the doorway. Even some non-religious Jews in Israel are accustomed to kissing the mezuza as well.

The problem is, as infectious diseases go, passing by hand to mouth is the second most surefire way to infect. (The most surefire is intravenous, so they say). In walks the health inspector and checks 70 of these mezuzas at a hospital in Israel and found that every single one of them was infected with a disease of some type or another.

The story doesn’t end here… The Masorati movement in Israel (Conservative) under the leadership of Rabbi Simcha Rott, has issued a religious ruling that it is not permitted to kiss mezuzot for fear of being infected. No word yet from the Orthodox rabbinic leaders…

In the heart of Tel Aviv is the municipality building. There is a plaza right next to it. Today that plaza is known as ‘Kikar Rabin’ or Rabin Square (it used to be Kikar Malchei Yisrael).

There is a parking lot that separates the plaza and the municipality building. On the night of his murder in November 1995, Rabin was standing in the entrance to the parking lot after appearing before a Pro-Oslo-Peace rally.

Yitzhak Rabin was the only Prime Minister of Israel to be assassinated.

In 2001, Israeli Cabinet member and Minister of Tourism, Rehavam Ze’evi (Zeevi) was gunned down in front of his hotel room in Jerusalem by an Arab terrorist.

Here is the location of Rabin’s assassination.  It remains a silent memory of a place where history was changed.

The Spray painted slogan at the top says “Slicha” (Forgive Us”)

Sometimes guys in hats just want to have fun. This shot was taken at a Music festival near the Jaffa Gate of the Old City, Jerusalem. Then again, sometimes, hats just want to be alone. This shot was taken at a hat store catering to orthodox women near the Jerusalem City Center. Sometimes a hat can mean a world of difference. In this photo, a Chabad man is helping soldiers put on Tefilin (Prayer Phylacteries) at the Western Wall.

Jaffa Road (Yaffo)

Ehud Olmert’s bold promise at Annapolis last week was that Israel was, and is willing to make painful concessions.

The Arab World seems relatively confident that this means Israel will relinquish East Jerusalem. Here’s a photo of dusk at the Western Wall Promenade in the Old City of Jerusalem (aka East Jerusalem).

Imagine for a moment that all Jews in this photo would at best have to pass thru a Palestinian checkpoint to get to this part of the New Arab Capital. Keep in mind that all other areas “relinquished” to the Palestinians in the years since Oslo, including Jericho, Ramallah, Nablus, Gaza, and parts of Hebron, have all become “Juden Rein” – Jews are not permitted to access these areas. It is actually the Israeli government who forbids Jewish Israeli citizens from going to these territories.

I was walking around the Old City one day in 2003, near the Jaffa Gate, and literally 10 meters from me a nice Town Car pulls up. Someone jumps out of the front passenger seat and opens the back door for Mikahel Gorbachev (former President of the Soviet Union, now deceased). There he was, and there I was with my Nikon F80 camera. I was the only one there with a camera, so I got up nice and close and pretended that I was from the press.

Here are some images from that moment:

And here are some thumbnails for you to click on and see in full size.

As always, feel free to use these images as per the terms of this website. If you have any specific requests or ideas, contact us at contact@holyexposures.com

With a small country and a large history of wars, Israeli is filled with monuments to our fallen soldiers. Nearly every place you go there’s another “andarta” (monument in Hebrew). I was listening to Prime Minister Olmert’s speech at the Annapolis Conference yesterday, and it got me to thinking about the Israel psyche.

Engineering Corps Monument near Tzomet Hulda.

Notice that this monument has walls with plaques and names of fallen soldiers from the Engineering Corps. As part of the inevitability of the Israeli existence, this monument was built with room to grow. There is another empty wall silently waiting for more names and plaques.

When Mr. Olmert suggests that Israel is ready for a new existence. That we are ready to accept tough consequences, is he taking into account all the suffering and sacrifices that have been made to prevent some of these very consequences?

Israel is spread not sparingly with monuments on the scene of terrorist attacks and for fallen soldiers.

This monument sits just meters from the busy coastal road in Tel Aviv next to the Dolphinarium disco nightclub where on June 1, 2001, twenty one Israelis (mostly teenagers) were killed in a suicide bombing, and over 120 were wounded.

Tel Aviv Discotheque Monument