JERUSALEM—With about a week in Israel under my belt, and as the worst jet lag of my life slowly began to wear off, I found myself sitting in one of the few cafés open on a Saturday in Jerusalem’s city center. That’s because Saturday here is like Sunday used to be in the United States. Nearly all the stores and restaurants are closed. There aren’t many people on the streets or in parks. In Jerusalem, instead of Sunday church chimes like we have in the United States, there’s an alarm that goes off at sunset on Friday, the start of Shabbat, or the Sabbath.
I was warned ahead of time not to be scared, since it’s the same alarm that would be used for an attack. But I was sleeping in a car on my first Friday evening in Jerusalem, having succumbed temporarily to jet lag, and missed the drama. But I did see an orthodox Jewish man (identifiable by his conservative clothing) telling a man in jeans and t-shirt to stop using his cell phone. “Shabbas! (Sabbath)” he called to the man, saying he shouldn’t use electronics after sundown.
I couldn’t help but wonder if that had been me, would I have been scolded to mind the religious observances of others while unobtrusively talking on my cell phone on a nearly deserted street? The question of imposing religious beliefs on others is worth asking, especially in a country that claims the title of “the only democracy in the Middle East.”
As an American, I’m pretty adamant about personal freedom. Whether right or wrong, in the United States we’ve come to think of democracy as synonymous with individual liberty, so you’d be hard-pressed to find someone in my country telling someone else what to do with his cell phone. But then again, I’m not in Kansas anymore.
All my pondering about Israel’s version of democracy comes at a fitting time, as Tuesday marks 62 years of Israel’s independence. When I asked my Israeli husband, who is a fellow journalist, who exactly Israel got their independence from, he answered instantly, “The British!” Then he launched into an incredibly long explanation of about a dozen or so empires that the Israelis escaped from. Lesson number one: don’t ask an Israeli a question about why something is, unless you are looking for a history lesson.
After asking around about the upcoming holiday, and getting numerous equally long answers, I think I have the basic concept down. First of all, Israeli Independence Day falls on a Tuesday, and is preceded by an extraordinarily melancholy Memorial Day holiday on Monday. Sundown on Sunday, the attack alarm sounded in the streets of Jerusalem, and the radio started playing sad songs about death and war. On Tuesday, all-out partying in the streets, eating, and fireworks will ensue. Tuesday is a national barbecue love-fest. Everyone loves to cook meat outdoors, don’t they?
Israel celebrates its independence from various forces that throughout history tried to conquer, destroy, and marginalize the Jewish people. Americans celebrate our independence from forces that tried to control us, tax us, and dictate our beliefs. But one thing we seem to have in common is barbecuing.
But I still wonder about the man scolding a stranger on the street for using a cell phone because of his religious beliefs. To me, it’s evidence of Israel’s infant status as a democratic state. But the fact that they’ve grasped the important role barbecuing with friends and family plays in freedom is encouraging. So happy Independence Day, Israel!
I was warned ahead of time not to be scared, since it’s the same alarm that would be used for an attack. But I was sleeping in a car on my first Friday evening in Jerusalem, having succumbed temporarily to jet lag, and missed the drama. But I did see an orthodox Jewish man (identifiable by his conservative clothing) telling a man in jeans and t-shirt to stop using his cell phone. “Shabbas! (Sabbath)” he called to the man, saying he shouldn’t use electronics after sundown.
I couldn’t help but wonder if that had been me, would I have been scolded to mind the religious observances of others while unobtrusively talking on my cell phone on a nearly deserted street? The question of imposing religious beliefs on others is worth asking, especially in a country that claims the title of “the only democracy in the Middle East.”
As an American, I’m pretty adamant about personal freedom. Whether right or wrong, in the United States we’ve come to think of democracy as synonymous with individual liberty, so you’d be hard-pressed to find someone in my country telling someone else what to do with his cell phone. But then again, I’m not in Kansas anymore.
All my pondering about Israel’s version of democracy comes at a fitting time, as Tuesday marks 62 years of Israel’s independence. When I asked my Israeli husband, who is a fellow journalist, who exactly Israel got their independence from, he answered instantly, “The British!” Then he launched into an incredibly long explanation of about a dozen or so empires that the Israelis escaped from. Lesson number one: don’t ask an Israeli a question about why something is, unless you are looking for a history lesson.
After asking around about the upcoming holiday, and getting numerous equally long answers, I think I have the basic concept down. First of all, Israeli Independence Day falls on a Tuesday, and is preceded by an extraordinarily melancholy Memorial Day holiday on Monday. Sundown on Sunday, the attack alarm sounded in the streets of Jerusalem, and the radio started playing sad songs about death and war. On Tuesday, all-out partying in the streets, eating, and fireworks will ensue. Tuesday is a national barbecue love-fest. Everyone loves to cook meat outdoors, don’t they?
Israel celebrates its independence from various forces that throughout history tried to conquer, destroy, and marginalize the Jewish people. Americans celebrate our independence from forces that tried to control us, tax us, and dictate our beliefs. But one thing we seem to have in common is barbecuing.
But I still wonder about the man scolding a stranger on the street for using a cell phone because of his religious beliefs. To me, it’s evidence of Israel’s infant status as a democratic state. But the fact that they’ve grasped the important role barbecuing with friends and family plays in freedom is encouraging. So happy Independence Day, Israel!
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