From 20 Floors Above

August 28, 2007 by 1 Comment

We laid sod in our yard on July 23, which means we have had grass for 37 days. In those 37 days, our upstairs neighbors have contributed a number of interesting and not-so-interesting things to the new look of our yard. Some of their contributions were intentionally thrown out their windows or balconies, while other things were simply blown from said windows or balconies.

Each morning is a new adventure, almost a treasure hunt, as I lay out the water hoses and see what kinds of things I’ll find. So, far, this is what I’ve found:
Apple: 1, half eaten;
Baby wipes: countless;
Balls: 3;
Burger and fries meal: 1, half eaten;
Cigarette butts: countless;
Coffee cups: 11, paper;
Coke bottles: 2, 1.5 liter plastic;
Cotton swabs: 7, used;
Disposable diapers: 2, used;
Dog food bowl: 1, steel;
Food container: 1, plastic (Tupperware-like);
Glass vase: 1, broken;
Gum: 2, chewed; 1, un-chewed;
Hair removal wax: 1 blob, hair included;
Latex glove: 1
Lollipops: 2, half eaten;
Peach: 1, half eaten;
Peach Pits: 2;
Plum: 1, half eaten;
Popsicle wrappers: 3;
Receipts: 2;
Rubber snake: 1, small;
Shekels: 100;
Toilet paper: used #2;
T-shirt: 1, mens;
Tuna cans: 2, empty;
Underwear: 1, boys;

Filed Under: Family Life, Life in Israel, Neighbors

A Great Compliment

August 15, 2007 by Leave a Comment

After we arrived from our recent trip to Italy for the European Baseball Championship, I received a great compliment. It is common for players or their families to say thanks for my efforts as a coach, but this one was different.

Unlike any other teams that travel to the European Championship tournament, Team Israel is required by the government to travel with a special security team. The guys that travel with us have always been very professional, which isn’t surprising since they are the Israeli equivalent of the US Secret Service. Rarely have they ever understood or been interested in baseball, but they did their job well all the same. And I appreciate that fact.

This year, after we had gathered our luggage at Ben Gurion Airport, one of our agents approached me and said, “Craig, I want to thank you for what you do, and I don’t mean the baseball. That was good, but I’m talking about preparing these guys for life. Thank you.”

That “thank you” meant more to me than many others that I have received over the years. Sometimes the “thank yous” are obviously heart felt and are greatly appreciated. Others, however, are clearly just the socially expected behavior.

What made this one different were two things: First, the source: Our security agents see a different side of life than most of us would be comfortable knowing about. They, for the most part, have dedicated their lives to insulating the rest of us from the nasty underside of the world. Second, the observation: This particular agent recognized that my baseball training program is geared toward making my players better baseball players and better people. Better students. Better soldiers. Better citizens. Better husbands.

Perhaps, I have accomplished more than I thought.

Filed Under: Baseball, Life in Israel, Security, Thanks

Guess Who Called Tonight

August 7, 2007 by Leave a Comment

In the unlikely event that you guessed former Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, you would be absolutely correct. As you might imagine, I was quite surprised to hear him say, “Bibi Netanyahu is speaking.” But when it sank in, I hung up on him like I do every telemarketer.

Yes, the political season is once again upon us and Bibi has a recorded message warning us of the terrible dangers of the left and the dramatic need to elect him. I know this because the second time he called (about 30 minutes after the first time), I listened a bit longer so that Colleen could hear him. She was a little skeptical when I told her Bibi had called, so it was good that he called back.

Lest you think I’m being too harsh on Bibi, you may be comforted to know that I’m an equal opportunity “hanger-upper” when it comes to telemarketers – ANY telemarketers. Recently, I was told to expect a test call for a telemarketing project that our church may undertake. My response: “If they call me, I’ll hang up on ’em.” So, it matters not if you are a former prime minister hustling votes, a church trying to recruit me, or you are selling the latest greatest whatever, I’ll hang up on you. So, don’t call – especially if you are a recording.

Filed Under: Family Life, Life in Israel

A Big Real Estate Developer Goes Under

August 5, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Last week, Heftsiba, one of the largest developers in Israel may have gone bankrupt. I say may have, because they haven’t officially filed for bankruptcy, but the signs seem to be very apparent.

As it turns out, our new apartment is part of one their development projects. So, although we (or, actually, our landlord) are much more fortunate than many of our would be neighbors, we will feel some of the effects of Heftsiba’s financial woes.

Our new apartment is one of 58 apartments in a 22 floor tower. And our tower is one building within a 6 building complex at the entrance of an area of Jerusalem between Ramat Rachel and Bethlehem, called Har Homa.

Our tower is about 60% occupied, and the other 5 buildings in our complex were 0% occupied. I say “were” because on Thursday morning before security arrived, people started taking up residence in apartments they had purchased from Heftsiba. (News of the potential collapse of Heftsiba started circulating late Wednesday PM and throughout the night.) Even without water and electricity, they were staking their claim, attempting to show residence, which means the developer has to go to court to get them out. From what I overheard down on the street, the “squatters” were trusting that their receipts of payment and technically residing in the building would save their large financial investment, which in some cases was more than $300,000.

It’s a complicated issue to understand, particularly for an outsider, but from what I understand, those who haven’t formally received the keys to their apartments, will most likely never get possession of those apartments even though they have paid for them. In Israel, receipt of the keys is the formal process of transferring ownership from the developer to the buyer.

In an effort to show sympathy for their plight and to find out more information, I have gone down and circulated among the most effected people on a number of occasions. I’ve been able to talk with a few of them and even meet some of the greatly relieved tenants of our building, all of whom have said with a sigh of relief, “Just last week we got our keys.”

As a result of this new development, some of the promised amenities for our building will apparently not be realized. We have three elevators in our building, but only one is open. I’ve been told that the other two will not be opened now. Apparently, the planned fitness center will not be completed either. Finally, the dues to a general building fund for upkeep of the building may increase since the original amount was based on a certain number of occupants, which apparently will not be realized now. That may mean an increase of about $75 per month for us, but that is yet to be determined.

I feel kind of weird even mentioning these things because they are, at most, mere inconveniences for us. And nothing compared to those who haven’t received their keys and may have lost everything.

You can read some of the local (English) press reports on this story at:
JPost
Ha’Aretz
Arutz7

UPDATE:
According to this JPost report, Bank HaPoalim (our bank) is going to ask the court to release all of Heftziba’s assets to the bank. Additionally, they may try to faciliate the completion of the various building projects, which may be good news for all parties concerned.

More from Ha’Aretz.

(08-06-07)UPDATE:
This JPost article gives a better explanation of the process, though, they mention a 15% deposit, which doesn’t match the numbers I’m getting from the would-be homeowners in our neighborhood.

(08-07-07)UPDATE:
This Ha’Aretz article offers some good news for those who haven’t yet received their keys.

Filed Under: Family Life, Life in Israel

Gone for a Moment, Gone Forever

June 11, 2007 by 1 Comment

This morning, I needed to move Grace’s car seat from my truck to Colleen’s car, but realized I didn’t have Colleen’s key only after I had the seat out of my truck. So, I sat the seat down on the driveway beside the car door and ran inside to get the key. On my way back out the door, the phone rang and I was detained about 5 minutes, which was plenty of time for someone to come by and take Grace’s car seat. I was gone for only a moment and Grace’s car seat is gone forever.

I’ve already had to wrestle with a lot of emotions. I felt violated on behalf of my daughter. I honestly think it would have been a softer blow had the thief taken something of mine and not Grace’s. Particularly, a safety device like her car seat.

It’s hard to estimate what a 3 year-old will perceive in situations like these. In this case, Grace thought she was somehow at fault and said, “Sorry, Papa, it’s my fault he took my seat.” I was really angry that he stole our stuff and forced us to change the plans of our day, but I was more angry that his actions gave Grace cause to feel guilty, in spite of the fact that she was the victim. I searched the neighborhood for a short while, but never saw any trace of the thief or the seat. In the big picture, it is probably better that I didn’t find him. Replacing the car seat was not cheap, but I have no doubt it was much cheaper in every way than a physical altercation with the thief would have been.

The response that worries me the most is the result of my neighbor identifying the thief as an Arab: racism. I use that word cautiously and in a very nuanced way. After all, I have some very good friends who are Arabs whom I trust without reservation. I don’t think all Arabs are thieves, but have struggled today, with thoughts of keeping an eye out for any Arabs in our neighborhood. Few areas in Jerusalem are integrated, and we live in a Jewish area. So, the default attitude in our neighborhood is that any Arabs in the area are suspect. Even though Arabs regularly work in the neighborhood, because they don’t live here, they are suspect? They are assumed either to be stealing stuff themselves, or casing the area for the benefit of their friends. My experience today, encouraged me to embrace such assumptions wholesale. That bothers me.

I’ve struggled with thoughts about an elderly Arab man, a day laborer that comes by every few weeks asking to work in the garden. His “sales pitch” is the same every time: “I need some work. I have 10 kids and no food in the house.” It’s a compelling story, particularly to those who really want helping others to be one of their core values. However, the first time he came by, I didn’t have any work for him, but I did give him some money for food. Enough money, in fact, to feed his family of “10 kids” for a couple of days. I explained to him that I was giving this to him because I love Jesus and I wanted to bless him. His response was stunning: He started cursing me, saying that what I gave him wasn’t enough. And this, in spite of the fact that it was more than he could earn in a day AND he was getting it without lifting a finger.

He has come to mind many times today, and I’ve wondered if he really is in need of work, or that’s just his “pass” to move through the neighborhood looking for things that can be lifted by his friends. There’s no direct connection between this man and what happened today. At least, not that I’m aware of. It’s not like I leave Grace’s car seat on the driveway next to the car on a regular basis, so he couldn’t report that to his friends. But still he has come to mind many times. That bothers me.

Finally, I’ve wrestled with the meaning of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:19-20: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (NKJV).” Do my reactions to this event indicate that Grace’s car seat was a treasure laid up here on earth? Obviously, I want to say “no.” But, I wonder. There seems to be a fine line between “laying up treasure here on earth” and being careful about the resources the Lord has given into our care. And I want to better understand the difference between the two.

Filed Under: Family Life, Gospels, Life in Israel, Racism
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