The Curious Case of the Sadistic Bodyguard

French President Macron's permanent companion is his bodyguard Benallah, who (pic) was recorded volunteering to brutally beat young street demonstrators. Sadism is a desirable feature in a bodyguard, but this could never happen to the bodyguards of the American President. The worst they did was drunken partying with prostitutes, but that is only expectable from young fellows in a foreign country. But then, Macron exceeded himself in the defense of Benallah, taking all the presumed blame on himself and ... "then came that curious denial that he was not Benalla's lover. It was not the first time Macron, who is married to his former teacher, a woman 20 years his senior, has had to protest that he is not homosexual."

Of course he is, not that I care. Arafat's bodyguards also served as his harem. 

Shlomo Zand writes in HaAretz

History teacher Shlomo Zand examines the long term perspectives of Israel and finds that the relations with the natives (sic) will define the future. Israel's dilemma, Zand dixit, is between separation (he calls it in its Africaner name) so to avoid assimilation, or transfer, which is feasible only within the framework of war.

Zand prognosis lacks imagination. As a historian, he knows what happened in the past and in other places, and his thinking is limited by this framework. Moreover, his terms of reference are restricted to the history of the last hundred years, as is the other ten thousand years of history were irrelevant. When the Normans moved in mass to the British Isles, did they establish apartheid or native reserves? No. When the Arabs occupied Greek-speaking Sicily, or when the Vandals displaced the Arabs, or many other examples of one people settling in land that other people considers its own. Reality is not limited by the past hundred years, and I for one can imagine and describe several other scenarios. Of course they are implausible for limited historians and journalists, but they are always surprised by the events.

Not all my impressions of Zand are negative. He is objective, considers only facts and not some marginal leader's declarations or bombastic articles in Yiddish papers of the last century (circulation: one hundred fifty) like the despicable Ilan Pappe.  I also understand the circumspection of Zand when analyzing the future: he wants to be considered a serious historian with plausible outcomes. Certainly, to consider historical processes before the invention of journalism or to imagine events for which there are no recent precedents, would be almost science fiction. Yet, in my humble opinion, history is bunk and any future will certainly be different from the past, very different. 

The Weekly Portion

וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָֽבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ

This week's chapter contains the command to love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your resources". 

Now what is the meaning of love with all your resources, or more obscenely, all your money? Rabbi Eliahu Shedmy of Raanana (pic) explains: A Jew, walking in a dark alley, was being held up: "Your money or your life!" No answer. The robber insists: "Your money or your life!!". The Jew: Wait a minute, I have to think!  The idea is to love God more than money. Which is not so obvious at all.

Senator Joe Liberman's Daughter Makes Aliya

The Father was a credible candidate to the US Presidency. If the elite of American Jewry is starting to move to Israel, thousands will follow. Hope so. Pity Bernie Sanders has no Jewish children.


Pic. Addressing new immigrants from the USA at the Ben Gurion Airport.

"We have a strong sense of being a link in the chain of Jewish history, and we feel so privileged to live in a time when we can live in Israel.”

TONY GELBART, chairman and co-founder 

Saudia suspends oil exports

Saudi tankers were attacked as they sailed out of the Gulf, causing Saudia to suspend exports. The price of oil may lift. There is a small scale war going on all over the Middle East, in fact yesterday two missiles fell in the Galil and Israel down one Syrian Sukhoi fighter jet (pic). A soldier was killed by a Gazan sharpshooter, penetrating his ceramic vest. We live in a permanent state of war and we call it peace.

PS 15.30 Kever Benjamin Hour: First thing at the opening of the bourse bought a stock linked to oil. Naphta. At this hour it gained 5%. Foresight. Speculation. 

War Robots in Ariel University

 

The Mechanical Engineering Students's work. Robots. This one below can serve also as a  jack to lift the car. Double useful and practical. 

Too hot

I woke up at 5.00 AM hit by a wave of hot air. We are having a sharav (hamsin, in Arabic) day here in Israel, today it is prognosticated to reach over 40 Centigrades in Kever Benjamin. I am travelling to Ariel University to take an exam.

Back from the Shomron. Temperature 45 Celsius in the shade. Bought 4 kg figs from a Palestinian roadside stall for 40 shekels. Sweet native figs,  not the ameliorated type sold in Kever Benjamin. Pic. Roman fresco of a basket of  figs.