Getting high in the land of the Most High

Without Israel there would be no THC

Dr. Raphael Mechoulam is an 80 year old chemistry professor at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University. Dr. Mechoulam is also the world’s leading researcher on the chemical known as THC (or tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the active ingredient in cannabis/marijuana. It was Dr. Mechoulam who, with his partner Yehiel Gaoni, first discovered THC while working at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Before then scientists did not know why marijuana made people “high”. Since THC’s discovery, it has been used for a vast array of medical purposes.

Dr. Raphael Mechoulam

The Mechoulam family fled the Nazis and immigrated to Israel from Sofia, Bulgaria in 1949. Raphael Mechoulam joined the IDF for whom he worked for as a chemist studying insecticides. After his discharge and a few more years of studying Dr. Mechoulam began his work at the Weizmann Institute of Science where, intrigued by the drug culture of the 1960’s, he began his research on cannabis/marijuana. “By the 1960s, it was the only one of the three major illicit drugs; the others being opium and coca whose chemical structures remained a mystery. The other two had been ‘solved’ many decades before.” says Dr. Mechoulam. “You couldn’t buy marijuana or hashish in the store, of course, so the only way I could think of getting it was from the police. I asked the administrative head at Weizmann if he knew anybody in the police department, and he called the head of the investigative branch, who he’d served with in the army. I went to the police headquarters in Tel Aviv and walked out with a five-kilo bloc of hashish, smuggled from Lebanon, that they’d confiscated in an arrest. I carried it back with me on the bus to Rehovot, and I remember some of the passengers near me sniffing the air, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves.”

Since Dr. Mechoulam’s initial discovery, THC has been used to treat a multitude of illnesses and their symptoms including AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, Alzheimer’s, and PTSD (Rosenthal. 382). Many countries have implemented the use of THC to treat its ailing citizens including Spain, Israel, The United States, and Canada. “I give THC to the cancer department (at Hadassah Medical Center, which is connected to Hebrew University’s medical school),” Dr. Mechoulam says. “Patients undergoing bone marrow transplants receive 5 mg under their tongue. When they get to that stage, they’re really depressed, anxious and in pain. They don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. The dose of THC lifts their mood, they sleep better and all of a sudden life is not so awful.”

Many sick and not so sick people around the world have Dr. Raphael Mechoulam to thank for the relief they receive by the power of THC.

The information used for this post came from a Jewish Journal web article. The article really took no obvious stance on the topic, though by the playful tone set by the author, I would guess that he doesn’t believe marijuana use to be very detrimental. A large portion of the article was quotes by Dr. Mechoulam, whom since I have seen him intervieved before on the National Geographic channel, I know is exactly as well respected as the article makes him out to be.





Below is the National Geographic piece I saw on Dr. Mechoulam earlier this year.

A Christian in the IDF

Corporal Eleanor Joseph

Corporal Eleanor Joseph, a female, Arab, Christian, Israeli has become the first female Arab-Israeli paratrooper in the history of the nation. Born in Gush Halav, the Joseph family moved to the city of Haifa and settled in an Arab neighborhood where Eleanor was raised. Growing up with a IDF paratrooper for a father, Eleanor Joseph always had a strong sense of national pride and honor. During high school Eleanor served as a volunteer in Haifa's Rambam hospital. When she became old enough, Eleanor volunteered for IDF service. She dreamed of becoming the first female Arab combat soldier, and passed through basic training at the head of her class. Eleanor insisted that her commanding officers allow her to serve Israel as a member of elite Karakal fighting unit. After excelling through her training Corporal Joseph was accepted into Karakal's ranks, becoming the first female Arab ever to do so.

The Female Warrior

Corporal Eleanor Joseph is a true Israeli patriot. When confronted by those who imply that she is in some way betraying her Arab identity by serving in the IDF, Eleanor thinks back to a time where Hezbollah rockets killed many of her Arab neighbors in Haifa. Eleanor says “if someone tells me that the service in the IDF is just killing Arabs, I remind them that Arabs are killing Arabs.”

In her wallet she carries a green note with a drawing of a Star of David on which it says: "I have no other country, even if my land is burning." The line is from the popular Israeli poet Ehud Manor, it is also Eleanor's personal motto. "It's a sentence that strengthens me" says Corporal Joseph. "Every time it's hard for me, I read it. Because I was born here. The people I love live here. My parents, my friends. It's a Jewish state? True. But it's also my country. I do not imagine myself living anywhere else. I think every person should enlist. You live here, reside here? Go defend your country. So what if I'm an Arab? " During Israels national anthem Corporal Joseph says that she loves to see Israels flag fluttering in the wind, "it's always windy during military ceremonies." she tells reporters.

Corporal Joseph earning her place

The Israel Politik blog used Corporal Joseph to launch their new “Faces of the IDF” series, in which they will show the diversity of the IDF through it's accomplished, multicultural members. Corporal Joseph serves as an excellent example of Israel's multicultural atmosphere. Her fame and status in Israel come as a big hit to those who would title Israel an “apartheid-state”, referring to its treatment of Palestinian refugees. It is true that Christians have been absorbed into Israeli Jewish society to a greater extent than Muslims, (Rosenthal. 309) and so the acceptance of Corporal Joseph can be seen as the next logical step in creating a lasting peace between Arabs and Jews in the middle-east.

The sources for my information on Corporal Eleanor Joseph came from three different web-sites. The first was the Israel Politik blog. It was on this blog that Corporal Eleanor Joseph was first given special coverage in the kick-off post for the “Faces of the IDF”. The information presented on this page gave the same opinionated information on the Corporal as I did, by leaning toward the idea that stories such has hers are good for the Jewish states reputation. Israel Politik's last line in the English language post on the Corporal was a quote by her speaking about her belief that peace can be established in the region- obviously a promotion of the idea of multiculturalism and Arab/Israeli peace.

The second source I used was Israel Matzav blog. This website give the same type of support for the Corporals promotion as the first sight. The last line in the blog post is “No, she's not Muslim - she's Christian.” I am not exactly sure how to take this statement. In the greater context of the story it could either show a prejudice to the Israeli-Muslim community or it simply be for the purpose of informing the reader. Since it comes at the end of the article, I think that it is probably a show of disdain for the Muslims, as its placement seems a little underhanded.

The last source I used for my entry was the Eyes 2 Israel blog. It again presented the Corporal as a “a true Israeli Patriot”, and gave the idea that her promotion was great for Israel's identity. The blogs article ends with “Eleanor doesn't have any other country; she is a true and a proud Arab Christian Israeli.” I feel like this line is also a slant at the Israeli/Muslim community, and as in the second article, I believe this may increase the level of enthusiasm that author may have for the Arab/Christian, IDF serving, woman.

God's Chosen Girls

When you think of the Israeli Defense Force what comes to mind? Maybe you think of Uzi sub-machine guns, or possibly the mighty Israeli Air Force. You might even envision the tactical brilliance of the Six-Day War. But do you think about sexy swimsuits models?

Thank you MAXIM

Well if you do think swimsuits then chances are you might have seen the “Girls of the Israeli Defense Forces” issue of MAXIM magazine from this last July. The girls, all former IDF soldiers, appeared in the sexy spread as part of a Ministry of Tourism initiative to give Israel a more sex-charged appeal. The sex appeal tactic attracts the attention of many but, of course, not everyone is as enthusiastic about the bikini clad Jews as the targeted demographic of men age 18-38. “It’s unfortunate that the Israeli consulate chose to emphasize Israel’s relevance with a portrait of a half-naked woman, instead of one of women of substance and accomplishments.” Said MK Zahava Gal-On, chairwoman of Meretz.

Thank you Israeli  Ministry of Tourism

Whether or not the MAXIM issue helps or hurts Israel's image abroad, at home the female Israeli's image is shifting, sexy bikini body or not. An article from JewishPost.com reports that last September marked a big change for female Israelis. A special committee was put together to redefine the role of the woman in Israel’s armed forces. The committee announced that “no units would be barred from women serving in the IDF—including combat duty.” The committee wants to create “a greater armed force based on individual capabilities, rather than gender.” The plan will be implemented over the next five years.

This change may come as a shock to some, but indeed women have been serving in Israel’s military since the very beginning. During the 1948 War of Independence women engaged in full combat. Since then; “Lt. Roni Zuckerman became the first woman to reach the status of fighter pilot in 2001”, “ Ornah Barbiai became the first female head of an IDF Corps, and was granted rank of Brigadier General in 2005, and “since the second intifada 70 percent of new female recruits say they wan to  serve in combat units.”(Rosenthal. 62)

These changes, like the sex-fueled MAXIM spread, have stirred up much passion on both sides.

The main opposition of the new laws are Israel's Orthodox Jewish population, a group that makes up roughly 50 percent of Israelis military. “MK Rabbi Yitzchak Levy, of the National Union party, has petitioned that the IDF reject such recommendations of integration “enabling observant soldiers to serve in the army without violating their religious principles.”

What the future holds for Israel can only be speculated, the present, on the other hand, can been seen now through the lens of a camera belonging to Rachel Papo of Serial No. 3817131. Rachel served the IDF form age 18 as a camerawoman, and now that her service is finished she has taken it upon herself to document the transition of the Israeli girls transition “from girl to woman, teenager to adult” amongst “a complexity of emotions”.  The depiction of the Israeli girl as sexy is true. The depiction of the Israeli girl as a fighter is true. But most importantly, the depiction of the Israeli girl as human, with strengths, weaknesses, and emotions like any girl any where in the world is most true of all.

A Serial No. 3817131 girl

The article from JewishPost.com was written by Julie A. Sergel. In the article, Sergel does a good job of relaying many facts to give a well rounded account of the issues affecting the image of women in Israel. After giving strong arguments on both sides, in the last paragraph does she subtly slips her agenda into the article. Sergel's calls the beauty of the truthful, personal reality of the Serial No. 3817131 project “incongruent with the tourism campaign offered by the men’s magazine.”

However she may disagree, Sergel does an excellent job of producing an eye-catching, interesting, and educating article that leaves me feeling satisfied and well informed. 





Below is a CNN report on the IDF Girls MAXIM issue. 

Seder on "Top of the World"

Backpackers in Nepal

When Israel's young people are released form their IDF service a great many of hit the road for Asia.(Rosenthal. 236) These young Israelis are not just searching for fun and excitement, many of them are looking for meaning in their lives, many of them are looking to discover their own spiritual path.
In Nepal, you would expect to find the "top of the world", better known as the worlds tallest mountain, Everest. You may also expect to find many traveling Israeli youth, seeking adventure while searching for their own spiritual awakening. In Nepal, which was until only four years ago a Hindu kingdom and is the birthplace of The Buddha, you would expect to find many Hindus and Buddhists, what you might not expect, however, would be to find the world's largest Passover Seder celebration. Well, whether or not you expect it, that's exactly where it is.

Hebrew in Kathmandu

Each year since 1986, Kathmandu has hosted Passover services for hundreds upon hundreds of traveling Israelis.
The feast was first hosted by the Israeli embassy in Kathmandu, it was provided as a place for Jews to celebrate in a relatively Jew-less country. In 1999, Lubavitch's Chabad origination took over the celebration. Since then, Chabad rabbis have trekked hundreds of pounds of matzah, kosher fish, meat, wine and Haggadahs up to the city for each year for the celebration.

Imported Passover supplies

The spiritual religious experience, provided by the Passover celebration at the Chabad House comes as a new and exciting experience for many Jewish youth. In an article by the Times of India, one young Israeli speaks out about his exciting passover experience. "I come from a religious family," says Srul Rota, who too has finished four years in the army and lives in Jerusalem with his parents. "Back home, Passover Seder was a family matter. This time in Kathmandu, it is a big thing and I am meeting Jews from so many places. It is wonderful."
The official Chabad website has a statement from another young Israeli, Irit Goren, a 23 year old girl from Tel Aviv. Irit had come to the Nepal to study Eastern religions, but to her surprise she had found connections to Judaism as well. She told Chabad, "Pesach in Katmandu Lubavitch-style was a real eye-opener for me. This [was] the first time Judaism had any meaning for me... I never knew that Judaism was really so meaningful and spiritual."
This type of Jewish spiritual experience is exactly what Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky of the Lubavitch World Headquarters is hoping his Passover dinners will inspire. His following statement is quoted form the official Chabad website; "We hope that this positive Jewish experience and observance will help them find their true spiritual heritage in their own vineyard of Judaism."

Chabad Passover, Kathmandu, 2009

My web sources for this information came from a Times of India article as well as off of the official Chabad website. Since both sights gave simple factual accounts of the Chabad Passover in Kathmandu and were not written with a apparently bias opinion I have chosen to review their credibility as news sources.
The Times of India, according to Wikipedia, “has the largest circulation among all English-language newspapers in the world, across all formats (broadsheet, tabloid, compact, Berliner and online)” and is “owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. which is owned by the Sahu Jain family.” Wikipedia also says that “India's highest literary honor, Jnanpith Awards, are given by the Bharatiya Jnanpith organization founded by the family. The group has also founded a few other awards that are coveted honors in the fields of fashion, movies and business in India - namely the Miss India title, Filmfare Awards (movies) and the Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence.”
All of the attributes mentioned above led me to believe that the Times of India is a very credible news source. For a company to be so large and so successful, its business practices must be in the right shape, and thus I doubt that they would let something like false reporting, especially on a subject that is seemingly minor, to interfere with there sterling reputation.
The Chabad organization was founded in the late 18th century. Wikipedia reports that the organization “maintains institutions in around 950 cities around the world, and in the early 21st century there were an estimated 3,300 Chabad institutions around the world in 75 countries,providing outreach and educational activities for Jews through Jewish community centers, synagogues, schools and camps. 1,350 institutions were listed in the Chabad directory as of 2007.”
While looking for this information I found no real controversies concerning the organization, other than the usual disagreements from other rabbis with opposing viewpoints. So, when all is said and done, I believe Chabad to be a great an Godly organization, that is doing a lot of good for many Jewish people all over the world. And thus, I take the information on the Passover in Kathmandu and the posted comments of youth and the organizations rabbis as factual statements.

Avoiding Past Mistakes

Last May, the Israeli Navy boarded the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara, as it was attempting to run the Gaza blockade. Initial attempts to board the vessel using small navy ships ware blocked by the activists on board the Mavi Marmara, who successfully pushed the boats away. IDF commandos then boarded the vessel by traveling one-by-one down a helicopter drop rope. Due to the slow rate at which the IDF commandos descended on board, the first few commandos who landed faced overwhelming odds against threatening violent Turkish activists. The activist threat overwhelmed the commandos, who armed with rifles and handguns, opened fire killing nine of the activists on board. 

           

An online article from Haaretz.com reports that Israel’s navy has drawn operational conclusions for the events of that deadly flotilla raid. The conclusion states that “the navy must find a way to assemble a critical mass of soldiers on the deck of the boat as quickly as possible.” This realization has caused Israel’s navy to explore the use of larger boarding ships that are equipped with ramps that will allow commandos to get onto ships at a much quicker rate. The article also reports that the navy who has been “criticized for equipping its commandos exclusively with [lethal arms]” is “contemplating the purchase of non-lethal crowd dispersal equipment.”

The search for nonlethal means has the navy exploring the ideas of using high pressure water hoses (a technology that is currently used by the IDF and Israeli police for crowd dispersal on land) and possibly attack dogs.

            Haaretz reports that following the incident aboard the Mavi Marmara, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi “suggested that a national panel be established to deal with sea-borne attempts to run blockades.” However, since no such panel has yet to be established, “Military coordination against new Gaza-bound ships remains with navy chief Admiral Eliezer Marom.”   

            In recent months, reports of new Arab state-born flotillas have surfaced, although none have yet attempted to run the Gaza blockade.

My own investigation of the flotilla concerned has let me to read the Wikipedia entry for the event. Wikipedia reports that “a BBC documentary concluded that Israeli forces had acted in self-defense against extreme, premeditated violence perpetrated by a group of hard core IHH activists”. The article continues to go on to report that “At first, the soldiers attempted to stop the violence with stun grenades; however, after a soldier was reported injured, the troops asked for permission to use their firearms, which they received.” These statements, epically the account of the BBC report (a news source I trust more than most) lead me to believe that the Haaretz.com article is wrong to report that the IDF is “equipping its commandos exclusively with [lethal arms]”. Though this statement may work well with the overall theme and tone of the article I do not believe that it has any baring in truth, and therefore causes me to doubt the rest of the information presented.

According to his bio on Haaretz.com, author “Amos Harel is one of Israel's leading media experts on military and defense issues.” I find this hard to swallow. In this article (on arguably the most popular conflict to happen in Israel in the last year) he has stated facts that are at odds with the BBC and many other news sources. Though I believe that article in question to be well written and to report seemingly accurate information concerning the feature steps the IDF will take to avoid such incidences, I do not feel that the all the information presented draws an accurate description of the actual events that initially occurred.

Espionage in Israel

          

As Arab/Israeli hostilities continue to plague the Middle-East, Arab-Israeli members of Israel's own Golan Heights community cause a breakdown of trust in Israel herself.  

On Tuesday, the Israeli government released information that it had arrested two Israelis-Arabs after months of suspicion that they were spying for the Syrian intelligence agents.  

Charges were filed in a Nazareth court against Fars Shaar, 40, and Said Abu Zid, 57. Both men are residents of Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the northern Golan Heights. The two men were arrested on suspicion of aiding Madhat Salah, a Syrian government official and intelligence officer who is in charge of the Golan Heights region.

Salah, who was formerly a member of the Majdal Shams area, had previously spent time in Israeli prison for offences relating to security. In 1998 Salah successfully snuck through Israel’s border with Syria where he has remained ever since.

Fars Shaar met Salah in prison. While inside, Salah offered Shaar money to kidnap an IDF soldier, an offer Shaar clams to have refused. Shaar was however used by Salah to transfer monetary funds, from Syria, to prisoners, residents of Golan Heights, and their families.   

Shaar’s sister is believed to have served for a time as a contact between her brother and Salah as well as another man, Said Abu Zid. Zid worked as a contact between Salah and Shaar, transferring a letter between them during a trip to Syria.

Last May, two Israeli-Arabs, Amir Makhoul and Omar Radwan Said were arrested for allegedly spying for Hizbullah. Said, who admitted to “working for an illegal organization”, spent seven month in prison.

In August of 2009, another Israeli-Arab, Rawi Sultani, was indicted for conspiring to murder senior Israeli officials. Among the planned victims was IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. Sultani, who admitted to working for Hizbullah, “was indicted on a number of charges, including contact with foreign agents, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting enemies of the state.”

This information, reported by the Israel National News, seems to be a bit bias in my opinion. I am not sure of the Israeli laws concerning the case, or if Israel shares the American “innocent till proven guilty” principal, but I did notice that though the two men arrested had not yet been convicted, the author speaks of their supposed guilty actions as a matter-of-fact. At a few points in the article the author uses words like “suspicion”, “suspected” and “allegedly”. However, in other parts of the article, when referring to the same “suspected” action, the author presents the material as if it were absolutely true. This causes me to strongly question his bias, and subsequently the factuality of the contents of the article. The article also seems to be focusing on the Arab-Israeli spy community alone. This causes me to also question weather the information in the article is presented in a balanced manor.

Elad Benari is an author I have reviewed before. Previously I found his work to be quite cut-and-dry, with down-the-center, objective reporting and with no apparent bias to the story presented. However, the way he fashioned this article; with its lingering contradictions between alleged actions and seemingly confirmed facts causes me to question his journalistic integrity. I am however open to the idea that there is some process of the Israeli Justice system that I am ignorant to, in which the style of reporting, as displayed in this article, is in accordance with. Although, read by someone such as myself, American with a Western perspective, I am off set by his blurring the lines of supposed and definite guilt.

Israeli Manners

Yom Kippur, (the day of atonement in which Jews around the world will ask their friends and family members for forgiveness for trespasses they have committed in the past year) will take on special meaning this year for Israelis, who will have statistics reinforcing their need for forgiveness.

For the first time ever, the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies (JIMS) conducted a survey to find out which groups among Israelis are the most polite. 992 adult Israelis were interviewed, and asked an array of questions concerning cell phone usage, profane language usage, as well as treatment of senior citizens. Respondents were asked to record their behavior and were ranked on a scale form 0-4 based upon their answers. The average score was 2.94.

The survey found that Men are less polite than women. New immigrants were found to be more polite than native born Israelis. The most polite group was the Ultra-Orthodox with an average score of 3.16. No correlation was found tying politeness to education, marriage, or number of children.

According to Professor Robert Sauer, President of JIMS “The results of the survey are important because it suggests that the public education system in Israel is making a series of disastrous mistakes. The survey shows that there is no correlation between education and politeness, indicating that focusing almost exclusively on improving grades and cognitive skills, does not at the same time succeed in improving non-cognitive skills such as manners, self-control, and persistence. And since the survey shows that income substantially increases with politeness, Israeli employers highly value these non-cognitive skills. In other words, the Israeli education system would do well to switch tracks and devote much more attention to fostering politeness and other non-cognitive skills among the student population.”

JIMS also asked respondents where they encountered impolite behavior the most. JIMS compared the results to a similar survey that had been conducted in the United States. The survey reported that most people encountered rude behavior in shopping centers with a 31 percentile. Second most rude were people at airports and at work with 13 percentile. Lastly, 9 percent encountered rude behavior in their own close environment. Though the percentages were either the same or lower than the US statistics, when it came to rudeness encountered when interacting with government agencies only 19 percent of Americans reported negative encounters compared to 28 percent of Israelis.

The two most common forms of indecency occurred by 78 percent of Israelis experiencing loud talking on cell or public phones and 71 percent experiencing aggressive or inconsiderate drivers while on road.

The research found by Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies as reported by the Israel National News seems on the level as a legitimate and unbiased source. After a brief period of research I found that the University of Pennsylvania awarded JIMS placement in a 2009 study naming the world’s most influential think tanks.  Though the article does not address who exactly was polled I cannot imagine that JIMS would sample anything but a fair portion of the Israeli populous.

Author, Elad Benari, shows a neat discipline in reporting the straight facts of the survey without twisting the poll’s statistics to meet any personal agenda. I found that his article was fair and balanced throughout it’s entirety. At no point in the article did I find any excess information or tangents unrelated to the main point of the article. His treatment of the information in relation to information collected in the US was interesting and kept on an even keel by displaying that both Israeli and US residents had differing strong points of polite behavior in their respective cultures.