Tel Aviv, translated into Hebrew as- Spring Hill - sprung up as a Jewish settlement north of the Arab city of Jafo in 1909 on the top of a sort of sand dune - as it's name implies. Jews came to escape persecution and violence leveled at them at the hands of the Arabs who, at the turn of the 20th century, were beginning to have a widespread intolerance for a growing Jewish community. The settlers who moved to the north, first to Neve Tzedek, and then on to Tel Aviv, layed the bricks for what would become the commercial capital of Israel only a few decades later. The city was founded and developed under the same frontier approach that I alluded to in a previous post - Rugged collectivism.
It seems to me that this approach to life and to development of the country dissappeared from Tel Aviv over the ensuing decades. The focus is not on Israel itself and it's crucial development as a state, but rather on being something that is largely foreign to Israel. What is commonplace here is life lived vichariously through The West. Tel Avivians' eyes light up when the topic of Europe or American lifestyles come up. Although for Tel Avivians, the latter is synonomous with obesity, stupidity, and superficiality, it is also synonomous with opportunity and excess, two important things that I feel are wanted here. The former is like the latter, only that it carries less of an x-factor, that I would say is the American Dream. In a country where the median salary is 96,000 shekels (roughly $26,000 per year), it is no surprise that when Tel Avivians, already star stuck with the American Dream that they have seen on TV and in Movies, hear that American salaries are so high and that America is not like this developing country, they switch into "escape mode" and dream of Times Square, Hollywood and big bucks. The same is also true with Europe. It is also no surprise that Tel Avivians are trying desperately to obtain passports of European Union countries by tracing back their closest relatives and scouring through European countries' laws to see if they are admissable. This "escape mode" is also the "escape" from how the country used to be. For this reason, there is a pallatable difference outside of the Tel Aviv bubble in which one can feel the nationalism, the collectivism and the altruism, even if it's thinly veiled by the typical Israeli brashness.
That's not to say that it has dissappeared completely in Tel Aviv. It's still here, only buried under the ubiquitous "banana" porn mags littered over the streets and sidewalks, the gays discos, the miles (or kilometers I should say) of strip malls full of European and American stores, and of course the also ubiquitous dog shit all over the place. It's there, in it's own special way; it's just that the pull of the developed "Western dream" that American and European influence has infused in it has trumped almost everything that once was. The "Mediterranean Capital of Cool" has no tolerance for all things non-superficial. So one can fully understand why Tel Aviv is known as "the Miami Beach of the Mediterreanan".
Is this my sanctimony seeping out? Is it getting the better of me? Not sure. I think it's just a generalization partly from the reactions that are illicited when I explain to people that I hope to live on a kibbutz in the north and that I'll be in the army.
"The army? What the fuck man? I don't understand. Why the fuck would you not try to escape that shit? You made aliyah knowing that you'd serve in the army and you still did it?"
Maybe the most Tel Avivi comment known to man. On the other hand, a comment from my friend in Jerusalem:
"That's really cool man. This is what Israel needs, more people like you who want to contribute."
Night and day. I guess it's safe to say that, although I enjoy living in this city, I need something a little more suiting.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Fulbright
In an effort to add to my ridiculousness of my scattered, peicemeal life these days, I've decided to apply for a Fulbright research grant in Peru. This has been something that I've wanted to do ever since my junior year of college. And I feel that I'm pretty qualified right now and am in a good position to apply for this particular grant doing this particular research in this particular field. So why not?
Without writing out the entire proposal here, I'll just give you the start of my proposal:
Title: BoP Approaches in Peru: Inclusive Capitalism as Poverty Alleviation
The term "Base of the Pyramid" (BoP) is used for two interrelated concepts:
1. A socio-economic designation for the 4-5 billion individuals that live primarily in developing countries and whose annual per capita incomes fall below $1,500 per year (in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms); and
2. An emerging field of business strategy that focuses on products and services to serve people throughout the base of the world's income pyramid.
Proposal Summary
Recently, in the wake of the waning welfare state, many private sector initiatives have begun to pull the world's poorest people – The BoP – from the fringes of globalization and out of poverty through an unlikely means: profits. By intimately understanding the consumer needs of BoP populations, private sector firms have been tailoring the packaging, unit size and supply chains of products and services to efficiently provide equitable and viable solutions that allow the poor to enjoy the products and services that the developed world enjoys. These equitable solutions mitigate the "poverty penalty" – the premium put on basic goods due to BoP consumers' lack of credit, inability to buy goods in bulk, and distance from product origination and distribution channels. The lowering of this premium by these innovative approaches frees up disposable income, increases quality of life and is executed in an environmentally sound manner.
I propose to study current and historical private sector initiatives aimed at alleviating poverty in Peru's BoP populations through inclusive capitalism. By studying these initiatives in Peru, I will gain an understanding of the extent of this paradigm in Peru and will be able to benchmark my findings to analogous BoP research in other Latin American countries, thereby contributing to a much needed consensus on fundamental characteristics of successful BoP initiatives. It is my hope that this consensus will help guide future BoP efforts to alleviate poverty successfully.
This proposed project has a lot to do with my current position at Ashoka, the non-profit for which I work. On top of that, since I majored essentially in Spanish business, it makes a lot of sense that my major and post graduate plans would be a leveraging factor.
The grant is for an academic year starting in August of 2011, although many Israelis here tell me that I'll never come back. It's tough to hear that since my heart tells me that I will - that I'll still have this special place and special feeling for Israel after so much time. I simply feel that I have to live and to see things, and to progress professionally at the same time. A Fulbright is exactly the vehicle through which I can accomplish all of these things at once.
I just submitted the application that took up a month of my life writing to all sorts of organizations in Peru, professors from Boulder, social sector workers in Israel and many many people that corrected, critiqued and really improved my essays.
I'm terribly happy that this is behind me, but am very excited of the prospect of getting this coveted award. Wish me luck with this endeavor as well. I'll need it, as Fulbright scholarships are about as competitive as they come. And of course, I'll keep you updated.
Without writing out the entire proposal here, I'll just give you the start of my proposal:
Title: BoP Approaches in Peru: Inclusive Capitalism as Poverty Alleviation
The term "Base of the Pyramid" (BoP) is used for two interrelated concepts:
1. A socio-economic designation for the 4-5 billion individuals that live primarily in developing countries and whose annual per capita incomes fall below $1,500 per year (in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms); and
2. An emerging field of business strategy that focuses on products and services to serve people throughout the base of the world's income pyramid.
Proposal Summary
Recently, in the wake of the waning welfare state, many private sector initiatives have begun to pull the world's poorest people – The BoP – from the fringes of globalization and out of poverty through an unlikely means: profits. By intimately understanding the consumer needs of BoP populations, private sector firms have been tailoring the packaging, unit size and supply chains of products and services to efficiently provide equitable and viable solutions that allow the poor to enjoy the products and services that the developed world enjoys. These equitable solutions mitigate the "poverty penalty" – the premium put on basic goods due to BoP consumers' lack of credit, inability to buy goods in bulk, and distance from product origination and distribution channels. The lowering of this premium by these innovative approaches frees up disposable income, increases quality of life and is executed in an environmentally sound manner.
I propose to study current and historical private sector initiatives aimed at alleviating poverty in Peru's BoP populations through inclusive capitalism. By studying these initiatives in Peru, I will gain an understanding of the extent of this paradigm in Peru and will be able to benchmark my findings to analogous BoP research in other Latin American countries, thereby contributing to a much needed consensus on fundamental characteristics of successful BoP initiatives. It is my hope that this consensus will help guide future BoP efforts to alleviate poverty successfully.
This proposed project has a lot to do with my current position at Ashoka, the non-profit for which I work. On top of that, since I majored essentially in Spanish business, it makes a lot of sense that my major and post graduate plans would be a leveraging factor.
The grant is for an academic year starting in August of 2011, although many Israelis here tell me that I'll never come back. It's tough to hear that since my heart tells me that I will - that I'll still have this special place and special feeling for Israel after so much time. I simply feel that I have to live and to see things, and to progress professionally at the same time. A Fulbright is exactly the vehicle through which I can accomplish all of these things at once.
I just submitted the application that took up a month of my life writing to all sorts of organizations in Peru, professors from Boulder, social sector workers in Israel and many many people that corrected, critiqued and really improved my essays.
I'm terribly happy that this is behind me, but am very excited of the prospect of getting this coveted award. Wish me luck with this endeavor as well. I'll need it, as Fulbright scholarships are about as competitive as they come. And of course, I'll keep you updated.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
I Scrubbed the Shit Out of That Thing
So here's another little cultural note for you:
A while ago my roommates and I organized a system in which we could maintain the cleanliness of our apartment. And It works well. One of us cleans the bathroom, another cleans the kitchen and then another cleans the living room.
Whenever it's my turn to clean the bathroom, I clean it as I've always cleaned bathrooms: with bleach, a sponge, a mop and some elbow grease... I feel that I've always gotten by with this system fairly well; however, this is apparently not enough in Israel. It has occurred to me that there is a national obsession in Israel with pointing out the littlest blemish in any sort of bathroom cleaning job, even if it looks immaculate afterwards.
A couple of weeks ago, my roommate Ofer got home from work, smelled the smell of bleach and soap in the air, and quickly inspected the bathroom. I saw him go into the bathroom and thought that he'd come out and give me a compliment on my great job. But no.
"Josh, man, there's a spot in the toilet bowl that you didn't get to".
"Umm really? I scrubbed the shit out of that thing (pun intended)".
"Ya look, man. It's right here. What were you thinking, man?"
Looking in the bowl there was a milimeter wide stain that looked like it had been there for years.
"Josh, man, you will suffer in the army, man" he said nodding with a wide grin, his eyes wide with delight. "But don't worry, man, you will learn how to clean like me".
I guess after the mental damage of scrubbing toilets that basic training incurs on young recruits (or draftees I should say), it must be like seventh fucking heaven to see another, silly younger guy, not making the "immaculate" grade with bathroom cleaning. Perhaps it a little sadism at work after having had commanders do the same to them.
The same thing happened a week later with my other roommate. I spent like an hour cleaning the kitchen one day trying to prove these goddamn roommates of mine wrong that I can clean well. Just as Ofer had done, Ayala, came home and looked at my "immaculate" job.
"Jooohsh"
"Ya"
"You didn't clean the inside of the trash".
"The inside of the trash??"
"Yes loook at this spot on the inside of the trash", she said referring to the trash can and pointing at a tiny spot of pasta sauce.
So this is what I will have to look forward to. One of the skills I'll pick up in the army will be not a skill, but an emotion. Sadism will run through my veins and will force me to quantitatively and qualitatively assess bathroom and kitchen cleanliness like some sort of OCD maniac. I'll be a head case like these guys. Great.
On a side note, yet related to this post. I found out that for my 6 months in the army, I'll most likely serve on a base in the north of Israel, near the sea of Galillee - which is one of my favorite places in Israel. I've been trying to set up a living situation on a kibbutz in the Golan Heights (closeby) for during my service. So, I'm excited about that and about the possible roles available to me. I'll keep everyone updated.
But, for now. I actually have to clean the bathroom again. It's my turn this week. Wish me luck.
A while ago my roommates and I organized a system in which we could maintain the cleanliness of our apartment. And It works well. One of us cleans the bathroom, another cleans the kitchen and then another cleans the living room.
Whenever it's my turn to clean the bathroom, I clean it as I've always cleaned bathrooms: with bleach, a sponge, a mop and some elbow grease... I feel that I've always gotten by with this system fairly well; however, this is apparently not enough in Israel. It has occurred to me that there is a national obsession in Israel with pointing out the littlest blemish in any sort of bathroom cleaning job, even if it looks immaculate afterwards.
A couple of weeks ago, my roommate Ofer got home from work, smelled the smell of bleach and soap in the air, and quickly inspected the bathroom. I saw him go into the bathroom and thought that he'd come out and give me a compliment on my great job. But no.
"Josh, man, there's a spot in the toilet bowl that you didn't get to".
"Umm really? I scrubbed the shit out of that thing (pun intended)".
"Ya look, man. It's right here. What were you thinking, man?"
Looking in the bowl there was a milimeter wide stain that looked like it had been there for years.
"Josh, man, you will suffer in the army, man" he said nodding with a wide grin, his eyes wide with delight. "But don't worry, man, you will learn how to clean like me".
I guess after the mental damage of scrubbing toilets that basic training incurs on young recruits (or draftees I should say), it must be like seventh fucking heaven to see another, silly younger guy, not making the "immaculate" grade with bathroom cleaning. Perhaps it a little sadism at work after having had commanders do the same to them.
The same thing happened a week later with my other roommate. I spent like an hour cleaning the kitchen one day trying to prove these goddamn roommates of mine wrong that I can clean well. Just as Ofer had done, Ayala, came home and looked at my "immaculate" job.
"Jooohsh"
"Ya"
"You didn't clean the inside of the trash".
"The inside of the trash??"
"Yes loook at this spot on the inside of the trash", she said referring to the trash can and pointing at a tiny spot of pasta sauce.
So this is what I will have to look forward to. One of the skills I'll pick up in the army will be not a skill, but an emotion. Sadism will run through my veins and will force me to quantitatively and qualitatively assess bathroom and kitchen cleanliness like some sort of OCD maniac. I'll be a head case like these guys. Great.
On a side note, yet related to this post. I found out that for my 6 months in the army, I'll most likely serve on a base in the north of Israel, near the sea of Galillee - which is one of my favorite places in Israel. I've been trying to set up a living situation on a kibbutz in the Golan Heights (closeby) for during my service. So, I'm excited about that and about the possible roles available to me. I'll keep everyone updated.
But, for now. I actually have to clean the bathroom again. It's my turn this week. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Israeli/Syrian Music in the Golan
About a week ago, I was lucky enough to have had my dad and my older brother visit me in Israel. They were here for about a week or so and we really squeezed just about everything we could in Israel in such a short amount of time. Some highlights were:
1.) Discovering great neighborhoods in Jerusalem just walking around on the way to the old city.
2.) Going into the "western wall tunnels" that go underground tangent to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. On this tour, we were able to see essentially the entire Western Wall as it was before the second temple was destroyed. Incredible.
3.) Staying in a great hotel overlooking all of the Sea of Galilee (again, one of my favorite spots in Israel).
4.) Having an amazing lunch in a druze town in the Golan.
5.) Arriving in Eilat only to find that our reservations were somehow not made. Subsequently, we found a very expensive hotel room at the Hilton (the best hotel in Eilat) that overlooked the entire gulf of Eilat (gulf of Acaba). It was on the top floor looking south out over the gulf and we could see Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt from the window.
But, I think one of the best experiences on this particular trip was when we were decending from the Golan heights down to the Sea of Galillee around sunset in our car. We tuned into a radio station (103 FM) that had great 60's and 70's Israeli music. The juxtapositon of these great songs and the timeless feeling that they exuded and the image of the peaciful Israeli frontier land, was really euphoric. What was especially interesting and amazingly metaphoric was how every now and then, a Syrian radio station on the same frequency, most likely from close-by Damascus would push the Israeli station out of the frequency, before the Israeli station would take over once again. I just sat there amazed at what I was hearing and how representative it was of the recent history of this land. But, back to the the euphoric feeling that this juxtaposition gave me - I often tell friends out here that sometimes I live vichariously through the feeling of how Israel was in its pioneer days, back when this special rugged collectivism was the central tenet of how Israel overcame the seemingly insurmountable odds of merely existing. I truly cherish that feeling and lament that this feeling has been swallowed up the folds of time, and slowly eaten up by the urban decay and selfish individualism I often find in Tel Aviv. I guess this is the main reason I want to move to the Golan. As well as as I can articulate it, I want to experience that feeling first hand "in the field". Imagine how living on a kibbutz in the northern Golan and serving in the military will instill this feeling in me. Let's hope this becomes a reality.
1.) Discovering great neighborhoods in Jerusalem just walking around on the way to the old city.
2.) Going into the "western wall tunnels" that go underground tangent to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. On this tour, we were able to see essentially the entire Western Wall as it was before the second temple was destroyed. Incredible.
3.) Staying in a great hotel overlooking all of the Sea of Galilee (again, one of my favorite spots in Israel).
4.) Having an amazing lunch in a druze town in the Golan.
5.) Arriving in Eilat only to find that our reservations were somehow not made. Subsequently, we found a very expensive hotel room at the Hilton (the best hotel in Eilat) that overlooked the entire gulf of Eilat (gulf of Acaba). It was on the top floor looking south out over the gulf and we could see Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt from the window.
But, I think one of the best experiences on this particular trip was when we were decending from the Golan heights down to the Sea of Galillee around sunset in our car. We tuned into a radio station (103 FM) that had great 60's and 70's Israeli music. The juxtapositon of these great songs and the timeless feeling that they exuded and the image of the peaciful Israeli frontier land, was really euphoric. What was especially interesting and amazingly metaphoric was how every now and then, a Syrian radio station on the same frequency, most likely from close-by Damascus would push the Israeli station out of the frequency, before the Israeli station would take over once again. I just sat there amazed at what I was hearing and how representative it was of the recent history of this land. But, back to the the euphoric feeling that this juxtaposition gave me - I often tell friends out here that sometimes I live vichariously through the feeling of how Israel was in its pioneer days, back when this special rugged collectivism was the central tenet of how Israel overcame the seemingly insurmountable odds of merely existing. I truly cherish that feeling and lament that this feeling has been swallowed up the folds of time, and slowly eaten up by the urban decay and selfish individualism I often find in Tel Aviv. I guess this is the main reason I want to move to the Golan. As well as as I can articulate it, I want to experience that feeling first hand "in the field". Imagine how living on a kibbutz in the northern Golan and serving in the military will instill this feeling in me. Let's hope this becomes a reality.
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