Life in The Fast Lane, Pre-Shabbat Message

I must get off the computer quickly. Shabbat is soon, and I have lots to do.

Life is too short to put things off. Especially now that I'm now officially a senior citizen, retired and all, I try to take advantage of opportunities. When my friend and I suddenly discovered that we could just go on the new Jerusalem high speed train to the airport, not only for free, but immediately, we did it.

Everyday we're offered opportunities. We just must notice and take advantage. It's important to see family and friends as frequently as possible. There's no guarantee that there will be a tomorrow.

Let's enjoy the sunshine and the rain.

Sometimes it is hard to put that smile on your face, but since smiles can be contagious, they're worth the effort.

Blessings for a Joyful and Peaceful and Exciting Shabbat and Life

What Makes You Happy?

In the senior citizen program I attend on Thursdays we begin with group discussions. This past week, we were asked what we love and enjoy about children. All of us who attend are parents and grandparents, so we do get to see the younger generations.

One thing many of us mentioned was the fact that children are so accepting and how they are seeing things for the first time. That enthusiasm is lost too quickly once people grow up. We get too jaded and take much too much for granted. We also get disappointed, sometimes more quickly and more deeply than youngsters who have an innate optimism.

A grandchild of someone I know from somewhere else has recently been diagnosed with cancer, and I'm always amazed at the smiles that glow from the pictures they post. It's clear that the sick child doesn't really understand the serious ramifications and lack of grantees, but the parents and grandparents also show large optimistic smiles. I guess they are doing the right thing, since as long as there is life and a chance of a complete recovery, there is no need to allow fear and depression to reign.

That optimism is the secret ingredient that makes every second we live a true blessing and pleasure. May Gd give us the strength to always see the joy in life, to see what's in the cup and not what's missing.

רפואה שלימה

Refuah Shleimah

A Complete Recovery to All Those in Need, Gd Willing

A Couple of Things The USA Can Learn From Israel

The other day I wrote Aliyah: Not The "Ultimate Sacrifice," and this post will tell of a couple of things that we do much better in Israel than many other countries, especially the United States.

Since gun laws, the "right" or "privilege" to own a gun by private citizens has become a major issue in America, I must say that Israel's laws concerning private gun ownership are the most sensible and realistic. Nobody has the right to own a gun. There's an approval process that not everyone passes before being able to go through with a gun purchase. You need a gun licence. To get the license you have to show a security need for a gun, mental stability and knowledge of of how to use it. Only the licensed owner is permitted to use/carry the gun, and it must be locked up when not not with the licensed owner. In Israel, guns are not sport, nor are they used for hunting. Target shooting is only in special places where innocent bystanders can't be harmed.

All Israelis are covered by basic healthcare. GP and basic tests are included. Medications are relatively inexpensive. There are emergency clinics so one doesn't need to go to the more expensive and unpleasant emergency rooms. If one is sent to the emergency room by a doctor, then the charge is different. And one of my biggest surprises was since I worked past retirement age, I was exempt from paying the monthly healthcare fee.  In Israel you have a choice of "sick funds." It is generally recommended to choose one that gives good service where you live. Here in Shiloh there are two, and they are both very good. Besides GPs and pediatricians, the one we go to has a number of other specialists weekly or monthly. Those unemployed or on welfare are also covered. In recent years the sick funds have been opening dental clinics, so dental care is now more affordable. The branches of all the sick funds are national, all over the country, so if you're not home and need a doctor, you can make an appointment in a nearby clinic.

I thank Gd that I live in Israel. It was one of the best decisions, if not the best I made in my entire life.

Israel, As The World Sees It

U.S. News has published rankings of Sixty Best Countries, and Israel made it to #25. Even though there's a list, I'm not quite sure what the criteria really were, since the photos are extremely odd and political on the whole. It's all especially strange since we're ranked between Russia and Greece.

I'd think Israel should be well above those two countries. I've been living in Israel since 1970, after having been born and grown up in New York. When I first came to Israel, life here was so much more "old-fashioned" than what I had been used to. But now, there's no difference. If anything, Israel seems more advanced than many countries, and quality of life, including necessary things like affordable top notch healthcare and public transportation are far superior to most. There are also the things you can't measure, such as community and caring, which are based on Jewish values, traditions and law. For instance, what the pollsters called "Quality of Life" does not score Israel correctly.

OVERALL RANK #34 OVERALL SCORE 1.5 ATTRIBUTES SCORE Economically stable 2.9 A good job market 0.7 Affordable 0.1 Safe 0.2 Politically stable 0.8 Family friendly 1.2 Well-developed public education system 4.3 Well-developed public health system 3.4 Income equality 0.7

Israel is "politically stable." It has a very stable government system. Frequent elections are not the same as revolutions, so the 0.8 ranking/score misses the point completely. I remember in the 1970's reading a similar type of survey about various countries and their quality of government in which Israel did poorly, because the Labor party had been in power without stop for then about seventeen years. Labor wasn't voted out of office until 1977, nineteen years after Israel's Independence. As of late we've had "early elections" more than once, but the Likud has held power for most of them, which is a sign of stability. And the Israeli political system gives certain power and status to the opposition, unlike the American system which gives no official status to whomever loses Presidential Elections.

 To give an idea of how inaccurate the listing is, France is #8.