The Day I Joined the Underground

This is an excerpt from the book I am working on. Here the mother is telling her story to a group of kids sitting in the shelter.


“Soviet Union – yes … Egypt – no … Greece – no … United States – Yes … Grandpa, with a sheet of paper of all the countries in the UN assembly, was adding the numbers. On November 29th 1947 everyone was glued to the radio.

“As soon as the last vote was counted, we all rushed out, flooding the streets, heading for the city center, singing David Melech Israel Chai Vekaiam (David the king of Israel alive and living). Shops and restaurants opened their doors and handed out free food and drinks. Circles inside circles of hora dances erupted, and I, too, was singing and dancing, carried along by the crowd, unable to choose my way. After two thousand years, a dream was coming true; we were going to have a country again. The sight of the brightening eastern skyline startled me and brought me back to reality. Dreading punishment, I rushed back to the Old city. Grandpa was very strict.

“From the street below I could see that the light in the kitchen was on, and I knew that grandpa was awake, awaiting me. As soon as I put my key in, he opened the door. I froze. My throat was dry. I did not know what to expect. This was the first time I’d been out the whole night.

“Grandpa did not say a word. Slowly I looked up. ‘There is someone here to see you,’ he said, his face solemn, not angry. I followed him to the kitchen, my anxiety turning to curiosity. Who would visit so early in the morning? Two men were sitting at the table. Grandpa did not mention their names. Instead, he leaned forward and whispered, ‘These are members of the Haganah. They want to speak to you.’”

“What’s Haganah?” Tali interrupted.

“It’s a secret army when we were not allowed to have a real army,” I said.

“Let her tell the story,” someone hushed me. I looked around. Having pulled the mattresses closer, everyone was sitting in a circle around us.

“Boaz is right,” mom said. “The Haganah was an underground organization that defended us from the Arabs. They were our heroes. I remember one night when Grandpa entered my room with a bag in his hand. He thought I was asleep. From his bag he pulled a gun and tucked under a tile in the floor. That was when I learned that he, too, was with the Haganah.”

“Grandpa was in the Haganah?” I asked, loud enough to make sure that nobody had missed it.

Mom shot at me one of her warning glares, long enough to make me regret my comment. Then she continued. “I was disappointed. The men looked so ordinary, not like heroes at all. One was short and very thin. The other spoke in a secretive voice. He had a pointy mustache and looked like a kibbutznick. They invited me to sit with them, and told me how the Arab Higher Committee did not accept the UN resolution, and that the seven Arab states were planning a war.

“None of this was new to me. Arguing politics was our favorite pastime at school, in the youth movement, and at home. Everybody knew that the League of Arab Nations had promised 'to soak with blood every inch of Palestine' should the resolution pass. I still didn’t know why they came to speak politics with me, especially so early in the morning.

“‘We were hoping you’d help us,’ the short one said.


“I was tall and strong for my age, but could not imagine how a young girl like me could help. Still, I was excited. I didn’t think about danger or war, only that the Hagana was asking for my help. Of course I’d help. What child wouldn't?

“I jumped to my feet, stood upright and saluted. ‘At your command,’ I said

“Grandpa, who had joined us at the table with coffee and slices of cake, laughed.

“The short guy laughed, too. ‘At ease,’ he said. Then he turned serious again. ‘The Arabs do not agree to turn Jerusalem into an international city. They believe that destroying Jewish Jerusalem will break our spirit.’

“He took the last sip from the coffee and, turned the cup upside down, letting a few drops fall into the saucer. ‘You've always made the best coffee,’ he sighed looking at Sabba. Then he turned back to me. ‘The British will be leaving in six months. But they won’t let us prepare. They’ll search and arrest adults, but we believe they’ll let children pass. Your father says that you can find your way around in the Old City with your eyes shut. We need you to help us get ready.’”

Astrology and the New Planets

This is a continuation from Why astrology is not scientific, while astronomy is.

Using scientific theories to discover unknown planets, reinforced Newton’s theory of universal gravitation and proved its usability. But there is nothing sacred about Newton or his theories. Had astronomers not found the planets as expected, Newton's Theory of Gravitation would have been falsified, and would have to be replaced by a theory that could better explain the discrepancy in the orbit of Uranus.

Meanwhile, astrologers were enthusiastic about these discoveries, which increased the range of heavenly influences they could explain. They were quick to assign power and influence to the three planets, and associate the discovery of each of the planets with events characteristic of these powers. The discovery of Uranus, associated with human rights, rebellion and progress, was related to the American and the French revolutions of 1778 and 1789 respectively. The discovery of Neptune, the planet linked to both cults and the occult, was closely followed by the emergence of a Chinese clerk, Hung Hsiu-Ch'üan, who decided that he was the son of God, and in 1847 attempted to conquer China and establish his own dynasty. It is believed that more then 20 Million people were killed during his Taiping Rebellion. The discovery of Pluto, which rules atomic energy, is associated with Cockcroft and Walton splitting the atom in 1932.

Astrologers forecast; yet there are no known records of astrologers foretelling the discovery of the new planets. No mismatches between astrological observation and earthly events had ever been attributed to unknown heavenly bodies, nor is there any evidence whether adjusting the charts for the new planets has improved the accuracy of astrological predictions. Whatever the reason for the planets’ orbital mismatch might have proved to be, astrology would have remained unchallenged, irrefutable, and therefore, by definition, unscientific.

Social Media and the Dump

Finding value in social media is like going to the dump.

When you speak to a professional scavenger, she will tell you treasures can be found, if only you looked long and hard enough. She is right, there are treasures buried in the dump, yet most people would not spend their lives searching in piles of rubbish.

Social media is the same, but somehow, although the smell is not much better, millions happily assume the role of the professional scavenger, hoping to find the treasure

Attack on Israel and Calls for Peace, are they One and the Same?

The Syrian killing - the biggest civilian massacre in Middle-East's modern history - is of no interest for most peace movements around the world

The Israeli government has approved the construction of 3,000 new homes in the occupied West Bank. A famous Israeli Rabbi has issued new dressing guidelines for religious women, stating that not even girls as young as three should expose any part of their body or wear bright colors. New regulation undermining human-rights and democracy are commonly raised in the Israeli parliament these days. It is as though Israel is playing into the hands of the anti-Israeli campaigners, whoever they might be. And they love it, especially the government sponsored Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

“We told you that Israel is against peace,” reminded us a French NGO, after the announcement of the new construction.

“Israel prefers to keep entrenching its occupation, expanding its illegal settlements, and devouring Palestinian land, rather than pursue a genuine peace with the Palestinians on the basis of UN Resolutions and International Law.” Cries SABEEL – and NGO sponsored by the Swedish and Dutch governments – in their annual Christmas message.

“Bethlehem, a city of peace, has been disfigured by tanks and soldiers on its streets,” reads the back of a Christmas card issued by War on Want, which receives British government funding.

One might be forgiven to believe that it's values like peace, justice, and human rights that motivated these statements.

But if peace is their genuine goal, why don't they mention Hamas leader, Mr. Haniyeh, who reiterated in his speech a few weeks ago that Hamas will keep fighting Israel until it is annihilated. Isn't he an obstacle to the peace process?

If justice is the motivation, shouldn't they mention, at least in a side note, the number of 'City of Peace'-originated suicide bombers responsible for the killing of dozen Israel civilians.

And if human right is what they care about, aren't they missing the largest civilian massacre in the modern history of the middle east. A massacre of 45,000 Syrians that is still taking place at this very moment.

But it's not truth, peace and justice that they care about. Those are merely excuses for the relentless anti-Israeli attacks that have been going on since the inception of Israel, regardless of what the Israel's policy of the time might have been.

But it's high time to call these organizations to reconsider their position. After all, with the worrisome changes undergoing Israel, it's slipping down the slope of becoming less democratic, more politically extreme and more religious – the very values practiced by the countries these NGOs have been embracing when attacking Israel. If Israel became like Syria, for instance, would it free its attackers to focus on where they are needed the most, like Congo, where monthly 40,000 war-related deaths have already consumed more than 6 million lives?

Quotes from the Honest Guru: Religion

Religion is the only known invention that uses love to fuel murder

Can we Change the World?

This is a tile from the 12^th century, found in Toledo (Spain). It says

The rules of society:

1. The poor works
2. The rich exploits him
3. The soldier defends the two
4. The contributor pays for the three
5. The lazy rests for the four
6. The drunk drinks for the five
7. The bankers swindle the six
8. The lawyer deceives the seven
9. The doctor. kills the eight
10. The undertaker buries the nine
11. The politician lives off the ten

Israel, Egypt, War, and the Olympics

A single attack by Gazatians on Egypt, and the Egyptians, in retaliation, have closed the border with Gaza, and the world keeps quiet. When attacks on Israel had came from Gaza and Israel had closed the border, the world went wild. But then, when Israel was attacked,  there were no Olympics games.

And a related issue. The ambassador of Syria in Tehran declared today that his country is in war with Israel which, together with the USA, are responsible for the grave situation in Syria. And this post Olympic games.

I just can't seem to make sense of it all.