Thursday, May 12, 2005
Sparks From Israel
Macabee did it again!
Tonight Macabee (Israel’s Basketball Team) won the European championship for the second year in a row. Within minutes Kikar Rabin (City Hall) was filled with thousands of people dancing wildly, beating drums, and singing into the midnight hour. The Breslov Trance-Music Vans were parked there and gave away their books and glow in the dark buttons. Vendors set up impromptu popcorn stands and candy floss machines. Everyone marveled at how little Israel once again conquered all of Europe.
Many say the victory was a direct result of the coach of the team who started to keep Shabbat a month before last years victory. This year he went to the Kotel and got a bracha from a Rebbe and gave away tzedaka before the final game. Only in Israel would you hear such a story and would the fans be cheering not only for victory of a basketball team but for our coach in Heaven who stands behind us.
Two days from now the Kikar again will be packed with thousands who will not dance but sit and mourn those who were sacrificed this year in battle or from terrorism. Yom Hazikaron is a solemn night where there are no vendors selling food, only videos on a large screen of parents and friends talking about loved ones who are no longer with us, mixed with live performing artists singing solemn ballads without applause at the end. It is a moment when the whole Nation cries together.
The next night, the square will again be overflowing with its citizens, this time dancing again and waving flags for Israel’s Independence Day. The greatest entertainers will fill the stage and perform in all their glory, one after another.
How can one describe this place called Israel that rejoices one day and mourns the next; that is constantly being destroyed and rebuilt? This tiny Nation that has such a vast history and such tremendous influence on the planet. In comparison the world seems to be hardly rotating. There is no moment wasted in Israel, nor day without meaning. It is an ancient country that grows younger each day as it continues to flower. I cannot describe the intensity of life here in Israel. All I can say is that whatever way you look at it, one cannot help but see the reflection of the Divine shining through it from every direction.
Israel - Fifty Seven but looks Twenty Five
Israel is not a Nation. It is a family that has become a Nation. In only 57 years there are huge metropolises exporting all the latest hi-tech inventions to the world and teaching other countries how to make deserts bloom and armies run more efficiently.
There is one area however, that although it has been exported over the years, will soon explode in a huge industry. Which industry do I speak of? The industry of light! The light of the Nation is growing and there is a growing thirst in the world to receive it. The light of the spirit, through words, dance, film, and especially through music is breaking into the world stage in a rapid pace.
Every year I go to Kikar Rabin to see the fireworks and hear some of Israel’s top performers. Every year I am more impressed than the year before. The world class bands are better than what I see on MTV with lyrics that are deep and come from Jewish souls dressed in many different colors. Israeli bands from Rap to Heavy Metal, to Reggae are touring the world and receiving standing ovations wherever they go.
Here in Rabin Square is the home they return to and the source of their inspiration. The music begins in the early evening with children running wild spraying their friends and the crowd with foam. There is so much foam that the streets are slippery to walk on and you see cute little kids that look like snowmen chasing after each other. The music is interspersed with sets of fireworks from the roof of City Hall. At midnight the mayor gives his blessing and the final round of fireworks goes on for at least 15 minutes.
This year the fireworks were set to Mizrachi/Ska music and Reggae Dub. When I lived abroad I used to see the world competition of fireworks each year, but I never saw fireworks orchestrated this well to music and with such spectacular design. Now I understand why the country is bankrupt. They spend all their money on fireworks.
The concert goes on far past the children’s bedtime as some of the top rock bands perform. I noticed in the crowd some people with orange shirts and orange kippas, a sign of those who support the people of Gush Katif. I also saw a chassid in a black hat dancing in the crowd. Although there are extreme divisions in our country, it doesn’t seem to stop us from dancing together.
Certainly there are deep divides within our Nation, and the next few months will be a big test for us. However, whatever side of the line one places himself, on the other side of that line facing us in a fur hat, an orange shirt, or dreadlocks - is a mirror. We are a Nation faced against each other and with each other and next to the window of Heaven this makes beautiful rainbows. Chag Somayach!
Macabee did it again!
Tonight Macabee (Israel’s Basketball Team) won the European championship for the second year in a row. Within minutes Kikar Rabin (City Hall) was filled with thousands of people dancing wildly, beating drums, and singing into the midnight hour. The Breslov Trance-Music Vans were parked there and gave away their books and glow in the dark buttons. Vendors set up impromptu popcorn stands and candy floss machines. Everyone marveled at how little Israel once again conquered all of Europe.
Many say the victory was a direct result of the coach of the team who started to keep Shabbat a month before last years victory. This year he went to the Kotel and got a bracha from a Rebbe and gave away tzedaka before the final game. Only in Israel would you hear such a story and would the fans be cheering not only for victory of a basketball team but for our coach in Heaven who stands behind us.
Two days from now the Kikar again will be packed with thousands who will not dance but sit and mourn those who were sacrificed this year in battle or from terrorism. Yom Hazikaron is a solemn night where there are no vendors selling food, only videos on a large screen of parents and friends talking about loved ones who are no longer with us, mixed with live performing artists singing solemn ballads without applause at the end. It is a moment when the whole Nation cries together.
The next night, the square will again be overflowing with its citizens, this time dancing again and waving flags for Israel’s Independence Day. The greatest entertainers will fill the stage and perform in all their glory, one after another.
How can one describe this place called Israel that rejoices one day and mourns the next; that is constantly being destroyed and rebuilt? This tiny Nation that has such a vast history and such tremendous influence on the planet. In comparison the world seems to be hardly rotating. There is no moment wasted in Israel, nor day without meaning. It is an ancient country that grows younger each day as it continues to flower. I cannot describe the intensity of life here in Israel. All I can say is that whatever way you look at it, one cannot help but see the reflection of the Divine shining through it from every direction.
Israel - Fifty Seven but looks Twenty Five
Israel is not a Nation. It is a family that has become a Nation. In only 57 years there are huge metropolises exporting all the latest hi-tech inventions to the world and teaching other countries how to make deserts bloom and armies run more efficiently.
There is one area however, that although it has been exported over the years, will soon explode in a huge industry. Which industry do I speak of? The industry of light! The light of the Nation is growing and there is a growing thirst in the world to receive it. The light of the spirit, through words, dance, film, and especially through music is breaking into the world stage in a rapid pace.
Every year I go to Kikar Rabin to see the fireworks and hear some of Israel’s top performers. Every year I am more impressed than the year before. The world class bands are better than what I see on MTV with lyrics that are deep and come from Jewish souls dressed in many different colors. Israeli bands from Rap to Heavy Metal, to Reggae are touring the world and receiving standing ovations wherever they go.
Here in Rabin Square is the home they return to and the source of their inspiration. The music begins in the early evening with children running wild spraying their friends and the crowd with foam. There is so much foam that the streets are slippery to walk on and you see cute little kids that look like snowmen chasing after each other. The music is interspersed with sets of fireworks from the roof of City Hall. At midnight the mayor gives his blessing and the final round of fireworks goes on for at least 15 minutes.
This year the fireworks were set to Mizrachi/Ska music and Reggae Dub. When I lived abroad I used to see the world competition of fireworks each year, but I never saw fireworks orchestrated this well to music and with such spectacular design. Now I understand why the country is bankrupt. They spend all their money on fireworks.
The concert goes on far past the children’s bedtime as some of the top rock bands perform. I noticed in the crowd some people with orange shirts and orange kippas, a sign of those who support the people of Gush Katif. I also saw a chassid in a black hat dancing in the crowd. Although there are extreme divisions in our country, it doesn’t seem to stop us from dancing together.
Certainly there are deep divides within our Nation, and the next few months will be a big test for us. However, whatever side of the line one places himself, on the other side of that line facing us in a fur hat, an orange shirt, or dreadlocks - is a mirror. We are a Nation faced against each other and with each other and next to the window of Heaven this makes beautiful rainbows. Chag Somayach!
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