If you read the title, you're probably thinking that I'm going to write about the elections LAST Tuesday in the U.S., but I'm not!
NEXT Tuesday, we have elections here in Israel (all over the country, I believe) for local officials: mayor and city council members. Now this might seem like pretty small potatoes, but we have had huge billboards and many, MANY posters all of town now for MONTHS! Nearly alway, there is the face (usually NOT smiling) of a mayoral candidate or, somewhat more recently, a candidate for city council. There is also generally some kind of slogan. For example, יש תיקווה לצפת yesh tikvah liTsfat "There's hope for Tsfat", or צדק חברתי tzedek chevrati "social justice", or בשביל התושבים bishvil ha-toshavim "For the residents" (the latter being the incumbent mayor's slogan).
In recent days, the number of posters has intensified, naturally. And one can hardly park one's car in any parking lot in town (such as at any market or at the pharmacy) without getting campaign literature on the windshield. People are also handing out materials at the markets, along the streets, and at the Wednesday shuk. It's hard to believe that a mayoral race or a city council race could generate so much campaigning!
As I understand it, we vote directly for the mayor, but for the city council it's like the elections for the Knesset (the national parliament), where we vote for the party we want, and the parties are apportioned seats on the council according to the percentage of votes they get. Anyway, we plan to vote for the only mayoral candidate that I've actually met personally and for his party list, as well. The first person on that list is the builder of our house. On their brochure, which I have in front of me, it says (among other things): עדיין יש עתיד adayn yesh atid "There is still a future" (who knew?!), עיר בשקיעה או עיר בתנופה? ir bishki'a o ir bitnuvah? "A city on the decline or a city with momentum?", and אתה המחליט! atah ha-makhlit! "You (masculine singular!) are the one who decides!".
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Vignettes from the pharmacy waiting line
This evening, I went to the pharmacy to pick up a few prescriptions. Here are a few vignettes from my time standing in line:
Despite the take-a-number system that they have implemented, there is always someone who tries to argue why he or she should be served in spite of having neglected to take a number! This provokes a somewhat heated argument every time, but it always cools down before long.
Someone mentioned Obama's big win in the U.S., and a small political discussion ensued (all in Hebrew, of course!). Everyone seemed surprised when I told them that I had voted(also in Hebrew, although I later realized that I had said בחרתי bakharti, "I chose", instead of הצבעתי hitzba'ti, "I voted" -- the word בחירות b'khirot, "elections", does, however come from the same root as the verb "to choose"), since Israeli citizens who live abroad (or even who happen to be traveling abroad on election day!) cannot vote!
A man wearing a kippah (so he must be Jewish) went up and warmly embraced the head pharmacist, an Arab (most the pharmacists in our local pharmacy are Arabs), with kisses on both sides. Would that "Peace" could actually be that easy!
The same head pharmacist a little later was patiently serving a couple of Ethiopian women, one with a baby wrapped onto her back. He carefully explained to them how to take the medicines correctly. I think they were able to get the Hebrew well enough to understand what he had told them, too!
Another Ethiopian woman, also with a baby wrapped on her back, was still waiting in line while I was being served (by another Arab pharmacist). Her baby began to cry a bit, but when I looked at him and made faces, it distracted him, and he quit crying. I might add here that, although I don't think this woman even noticed much what I was doing, if women do notice that one is paying attention to their children here, they do NOT become paranoid and wonder if the person is some kind of weirdo. Instead, they smile and seem genuinely happy that someone cares about their children!
Despite the take-a-number system that they have implemented, there is always someone who tries to argue why he or she should be served in spite of having neglected to take a number! This provokes a somewhat heated argument every time, but it always cools down before long.
Someone mentioned Obama's big win in the U.S., and a small political discussion ensued (all in Hebrew, of course!). Everyone seemed surprised when I told them that I had voted(also in Hebrew, although I later realized that I had said בחרתי bakharti, "I chose", instead of הצבעתי hitzba'ti, "I voted" -- the word בחירות b'khirot, "elections", does, however come from the same root as the verb "to choose"), since Israeli citizens who live abroad (or even who happen to be traveling abroad on election day!) cannot vote!
A man wearing a kippah (so he must be Jewish) went up and warmly embraced the head pharmacist, an Arab (most the pharmacists in our local pharmacy are Arabs), with kisses on both sides. Would that "Peace" could actually be that easy!
The same head pharmacist a little later was patiently serving a couple of Ethiopian women, one with a baby wrapped onto her back. He carefully explained to them how to take the medicines correctly. I think they were able to get the Hebrew well enough to understand what he had told them, too!
Another Ethiopian woman, also with a baby wrapped on her back, was still waiting in line while I was being served (by another Arab pharmacist). Her baby began to cry a bit, but when I looked at him and made faces, it distracted him, and he quit crying. I might add here that, although I don't think this woman even noticed much what I was doing, if women do notice that one is paying attention to their children here, they do NOT become paranoid and wonder if the person is some kind of weirdo. Instead, they smile and seem genuinely happy that someone cares about their children!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)