translated from 29/Mar/99 Ma’ariv Dear Europe: I am happy about your decision to use power for the sake of peace inKosovo. You have learned your lesson. Sixty years ago, when the Nazis tormented German Jews and threatened toexterminate all of Europe’s Jewry, you just stood by. You said: “It is an internal matter.” You said: … Read more
unabridged translation of the article which appeared in 15/Mar/99 Ma’ariv He was like his name: Yehudi (a Jew in Hebrew). The kind of Jewalready extinct in Israel. A Jew in the best tradition ofpast generations: a humanitarian, an honest man who hated violence. LikeAlbert Einstein, like Sigmund Freud, like Martin Buber. A carrier of “theJewish … Read more
translated from the unabridged version of the article published 02/Mar/99 Ma’ariv There are plants that flower only in the dark. There are birds that hidein the day and come out only by night. And then there is Bibi. A man such as Bibi can flourish only in an atmosphere of fear. Fear thatgives birth to … Read more
Translated from unabridged version of article published 08/Feb/99 Ma’ariv “Do you want to understand Jordan?” I was asked by the senior official. “Iwill teach you all there is to know in five minutes!” And indeed, in thefollowing five minutes I learned more than from dozens of books andhundreds of articles, including articles by some of … Read more
Or: A love story. translated from unabridged original version of article 26/Jan/99 Ma’ariv Imagine this scenario: Yasser Arafat returns home after being treated foran illness. Approaching the coast, fighter planes of the Israeliairforce escort his plane as a honor guard. The control towerin Lod issues words of welcome. Arafat responds in kind. The mediagives enthusiastic … Read more
translated from unabridged version of article published in Ma’ariv 18/Jan/99 Bingo-king Irving Moscowitz has come to Israel for a brief visit, todetermine who will lead this state for the next four years. Moskowitz has declared that he is prepared to contribute a milliondollars to Benny Begin, on the condition that Begin succeeds inuniting the extreme … Read more
How much longer, for heaven’s sake, are we going to be preoccupied withthese trivialities? Who is a Jew? Are Reform conversions valid? Only abroad or in Israel too?What does it mean to be a Jew? Is it a religion or a nationality? Does aRomanian woman, whose father is a Jew and mother a Christian, become,upon … Read more
translated from 04/Jan/99 Ma’ariv I have an important personal statement to make: I do not want to be PrimeMinister! I will not announce my candidacy even under “specialcircumstances.” What special circumstances, you ask? It’s obvious. I am not mulling over forming a new party, despite the pressure applied tome. For example: The blue-eyed party. It … Read more
translated from 14/Dec/98 Ma’ariv Dear friends, have you gone mad? Have you lost your minds? Are youliving in another country? On another planet? Whoever’s bright idea it was to draft the haredim is going to bring down acalamity on the state of Israel. True, their draft-dodging is annoying. If you serve in the IDF, if … Read more
translated from 07/Dec/98 Ma’ariv Will he land at the Arafat Airport or not? Will he treat Arafat asa head of state? Will he demonstrate even-handedness between Israeland Palestine? All of this is unimportant. What is important is that President Clintonis even coming to Gaza, thus granting the Palestinian Authority astate-in-the-making status. For Netanyahu’s government this … Read more