Kategori: Israel

”So many stories about Scandinavian girls falling for Israelis…”

Hi Kim,

My name is Tomer and I am an Israeli.
I am neither a peace activist nor a religious settler.
I am just like you, a tax payer.

Being the fact that I love Sweden and I have read your article that was published in Ynet, I just wanted to share some more light on the relationship between Swedes and Israelis and how Israelis are foreseen in Sweden.

I used to have a friend whom I met via couch surfing, she is Swedish and she was, at that time living in Biet-Lehem.

When she was coming to visit me in Tel Aviv, almost no conversation went without me being accused of being the occupier and the root of all evil. Of course it was related to the Palestinians.

And this is not only her – this is every single tourist that I meet in Israel or abroad.

Having this been said – when they come (everyone – especially women) to Israel, they love it here! They enjoy hanging out, going to bars, clubs, travelling across the country, eating delicious food and what not!
Don’t even get me started on the “love” part.
So many stories about Scandinavian girls falling for Israelis…

I am saying this from experience, being a host for a number of such people.

All of these people have one thing In common – they love Israel when they are here!
They love Israelis for what we represent and on the other hand it is so comfortable for them to criticize us about out “actions” because they know that we won’t react with drastic measures, why? Because we understand right from wrong!
I want to see those people say something nice about their Israeli friends when they encounter an Arab in or outside of the Middle East.

I think these people are fake.

I know the situation in Sweden. I have many Swedish friends, real friends, who tell me that there are certain streets that you don’t want to visit.
That you are afraid to say what’s on your mind about certain people, in a fear that you’ll get beaten up or whatever and that you always see the Israelis as the bad people although in your heart you love us and stand behind us.

I don’t know if it falls on deaf ears or not but if there’s something that I can do to help the brand of “Israel” and “Israelis” to flourish in your beautiful country, let me know.

Cheers
Tomer

”They tried to kill us, they failed, let’s eat”

The obsession with Israel is something I’ve really struggled… I honestly don’t get it why people obsess over us this much when there are places who need the world’s attention much more than those ”Palestinians”. For example, the Tibetan people… China has been occupying their lands for a long long time… and no one (well, except maybe Richard Gere) is doing anything. But maybe that’s because it’s China doing the occupation.

Besides, I’m not sure how the conflict between us and the Arabs is portrayed in the Swedish media, but I guess since people don’t know the history and origins of this conflict, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the ”visual”.

I guess that if you ask me how I view things, well, we have this saying about Jewish holidays: ”They tried to kill us, they failed, let’s eat”. I guess that sums up the Jewish ”experience”.

I guess the best way to describe the way I feel when I see what is written about Israel is first frustration, then anger, and sometimes even amusement (at the ignorance of people). I think that most of the time those of us who support our country (even though we don’t agree with everything it does), feel just alone.

Take the recent ”round” of violence that was in Gaza a couple of weeks ago. Luckily for us there were no fatalities on Israel’s side, and the Arabs had around 20 dead, the overwhelming majority of them were people who actively fired rockets. How was it portrayed? That Israel attacked and ”Palestinians” were killed. No mention of the fact that these were surgical strikes against people aiming at cities, towns and specifically civilians. No mention that Israel takes the most care (out of any country in the world, including all European countries) to avoid hitting civilians.

But I guess that in order to change the minds of people, they first have to be educated about history. I guess you could put a poll up on your blog with a question asking something like this:

”When did Jews come to what is known today as Israel?” and give the following options to answer:

1. Jews have always lived there
2. The middle-ages
3. The 18 hundreds
4. After the second world war.

I guess that based on how many people answer either 3 and 4 you’ll know how much ignorance there is. The correct answer is 1. 🙂

”A dude”

”For some reason the Israeli people are always referred to as one; as the government”

Dear Swedes,

Four months ago I finally made the decision to move to Israel. I was born here, but have been living in Denmark with my Danish mother since the age of two. I was raised as a Christian, with Danish values and with a “Robin Hood-idealism” that always told me, that I should always cheer for the weak and suppressed.

When I decided to move here, quite a lot of people asked me how I could support the Israeli government and its policies towards the Palestinians. I never quite understood this question.

Israel is so much more than war and politics. A huge amount of the Swedes must also live in a country without supporting the government! In Scandinavia many of us are raised with the idea that generalization is bad. It’s not correct to say that all Muslims are criminals or that all blondes are stupid. But for some reason the Israeli people are always referred to as one; as the government.

I honestly don’t know much about Israeli politics, and I don’t know much about the Jewish-Palestinian conflict, but I do know one thing: the Scandinavian media should NOT be the people’s source of reality! It has happened a thousand times that my Danish friends expected me to explain the actions of “the Israeli monster”. They’d heard a new story about a missile attack from Israel, and many times they actually almost convinced me that my country of birth was like the new Hitler; torturing the poor Palestinians that were unable to fight back. That was until I visited Israeli news sites and read the articles about the reasons for the attacks.

For some reason the Scandinavian media has decided to make the people hate Israel. I don’t know why, and I’m not saying that Israel is a saint in this conflict. I’m just saying that there are always two sides of the story, but in Scandinavia you only hear one of them!

Another important information, that may surprise a few Swedes is, that Israel never aims to hurt any civilians! There is always a reason for the act – then the individual can decide for itself whether it thinks it’s a good one. Israel doesn’t wish to hurt the Palestinians. The government is simply trying to defend the country and protect its people!

People forget (or don’t know) that Israel is a country just like any other. We go out, we laugh, and we travel and have family dinners. When I say that I think the Scandinavians could learn a lot from the Israelis, people look at me like I’m crazy! But I do think that Israelis are some of the kindest, most open and warm-hearted people I’ve ever met. The mentality is not aggressive or war-minded. People don’t believe me when I say so, but the few that take the chance and come to see the country with their own eyes, they always come back.

We have SO much to show you; we are SO much more than war and politics; we are tired of being misunderstood!

Maja Olsen

”We love living, and we’ll do everything in our power to safeguard life”

Dear Kim,

You asked for letters from Israelis so here is my two-cents-worth.
I actually don’t want to write about conflicts. I don’t want to write about Gaza or the Palestinians.
What I always wanted is for people around the world to understand what we are really like, and not what is shown on television.
So what are we like? I guess the best way is to describe what I like best about Israel.
First and foremost I love the food! Almost any restaurant you walk into in Israel you are sure to get freshly made excellent food. Since there are both eastern and western influences, the fusion here is fantastic.
We are a free spirited nation, full of ambition, color, diversity, creativity and spirituality. This is why we are so successful in information technologies. We can improvise and innovate better than any other nation.
We love living, and we’ll do everything in our power to safeguard life. That is why we have so many medical instrument companies and start-ups. Medical care is one of the top priorities in the country.
I guess I will stop here and continue this another day because it is getting late.

Best regards,

Yishai

Swedish-American: Looking at Israel in a Different Way

Well, there are so many things I would like to say, and write down in this letter, but I will probably miss out a lot that has faded away from my thoughts throughout the 18 years I’ve been in Israel. It’s been a long roller-coaster ride, through good and bad experiences which have become bitter-sweet memories.

For starters, I am a young Swedish-American living in Israel since 1994. My Christian – Zionist parents brought me here at a young age, against my will I must say. But as time passed, I learned to love Jerusalem and it became my home. After reading Yossi’s letter, I’m reminded of how getting on a bus on a daily basis to public school was nerve wrecking. The endless bus bombings and the terror in the air made it difficult to concentrate on the small and happy things kids should grow up on.

Exactly ten years ago, on Friday, March 29, 2002 I was in my room in Kiryat Yovel neighborhood in Jerusalem and I remember hearing a loud sound coming from a distance. Minutes later we could hear the sirens and the helicopters flooding the area. And then the phone calls began – the routine of calling your family members, your friends, or anyone in the area, hoping it’s not another bomb, and praying your loved ones are safe. But tragically, 17 year-old Rachel Levy, a dear classmate was killed on that day by a teenage Palestinian female suicide bomber. At the time, being 17, I didn’t really grasp how such a young girl could kill herself and others for an idea or belief. Just thinking about it makes me cry. But I am writing this letter, since the world needs to know our stories as well. And this is just one of so many! I have no doubt the Palestinians have their own tragic stories and losses, but it’s crucial to understand each side, and not justify just one.

”Swedish-American”