SJL Deep South, January 2014

Page 38

The Beholder’s Eye by Doug Brook

Flecting again Home is where you hang your houndstooth hat. Great distances, One month later, on July 20, the U.N. Security Council demanded and even smaller ones, from home are often filled only by tiny mea cease-fire in the years-long Iran-Iraq War and, while they were at mentos, brief reflections, and old habits that die harder than drawlit, took the opportunity to condemn Israel again, this time for not ing an extra syllable into every word in the English language except resolving the conflict by then. “orange,” which is reduced to just one. That was just before the July 23 election of the Eleventh Knesset For example, to this day at any Saturday morning service, when in Israel, an event which showed that even though people don’t unthe rabbi announces the page for the full kaddish, the derstand how or why people get elected to Parliament, voice of Uncle Max Sarasohn channels through mine, somehow they still do. Many notable as if still in the row in front of us, muttering “kaddish A senior Israeli election official said, “at least it’s not shalem, not kaddish shalem.” Nobody knows why I do events happened the Electoral College.” The same official later admitted that he first became involved in Israeli government beit. That’s their loss. in years that cause he heard that they “have a lot more parties than As we begin a new year, and recover from the reqended with “4” the Americans.” uisite hangover, it’s time to reminisce on years past This election led to the formation of a National Unity with solemnity, humility, and perhaps a fleeting tinge government as quickly as possible, two months later. It of regret. was co-headed by Shimon Peres as the Vice Premier, But when you get sick of doing that, read these highYitzchak Shamir as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Jerry Mathers lights of recent years that also ended in four. For example… as The Beaver. On June 20, 1984, the United States and Israel held unprecedented After the success of June’s joint military exercises, on December 11 joint military exercises. This disturbed many of Israel’s neighbors, unthe U.S. and Israeli navies held joint exercises in the Eastern Meditil representatives of the eighty-fourth battalion, based in California, assured them that the joint exercises were purely medicinal.

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January 2014

Southern Jewish Life


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