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January 29, 2003

Gan Shula Newsletter, Extended Special Edition

Again, I urge you, if you do not like me annoying you with very long letters in foreign languages, please do not read this and just say no!

"Everybody knows that the dice are loaded;
everybody rolls with their fingers crossed;
everybody knows that the war is over;
everybody know the good guys lost;
everybody knows the fight was fixed;
the poor stay poor, the rich get rich;
that's how it goes - and everybody knows"
(Leonard Cohen)

Well, we lost today, but fear not, i did not take this personally since i am only partly responsible. bear in mind that i am writing this letter after being deprived of sleep for more than 50 hours, and after counting votes, putting up signs and baby-sitting many many youngsters who decided to support meretz by volunteering.....

First things first
------------------
Well, after doing everything but swallow in the last few days in the meretz branch, i've decided the following decision for this upcoming year. I understood how much money is being spent poorly on stupid things and i shall elaborate and see whether you can help me.

Woke up (after 1 hour of sleep 0500-0600) and went to the shower, then to vote and to the branch. i started by sticking posters and etc. all around town (after yesterday i attached the sheep to the electricity poles) so i was quite tired. then came the good stuff. around five o'clock in the afternoon i had to stand in position in morsha, ramat hasharon and see that all is going well, i stood outside the school with a few 14 year old shas supporters. i decided i have to do stuff that matter and not just hand out leaflets. i started to talk with the darn kids and asked about their life and stuff. after an hour or so we started to talk about the army, and all of them said that they will not enlist. i myself asked them why, and they gave me the obvious answer that by praying (or is it preying, i don't really remember what is it that ultra-orthodox people do....) they shall save our sacred country. so then came my obvious next question, if i would have been as ultra-orthodox as they are, and prayed, and so will all of the other people, like they want to - what would happen to the country, who will guard it, the again obvious answer arose, that the almighty god (in which i have no faith nor belief) shall save us. after a few more minutes of discussion, i got to the important part. i persuaded one of them to think about (and he looked like he is really going to) joining the army. moreover, the real important part was that we continued to discuss issues and i understood the real problem (IMHO)

after looking at the results of the poles tonight, i decided that the only way to really change stuff is by really doing, meaning draft more people in to doing what i believe in, which is social and political justice. so i decided that if i would get the proper assistance, i will be starting a summer camp for the kids of morasha, it is currently under an accelerated orthodoxation stage (i think that i had just invented a new word); this had happened due to several factors, which are irrelevant to my issue here. the socio-economic state of the people there is terrible and most kids are highly influenced by either religion or shas. i am looking for people who would be able to assist me with anything (educational programme, guidance, donations, and/or anything else) the whole idea is to show the people in the neighborhood that Shas is not the only way, not by blocking shas, but by providing a new alternative that could lead the way for a major change. i think that we need to start where we have much information about (out of 406 voters that i counted today, 143 voted for Shas and 146 for the Likud in morasha) and since it is close but still in need for help.
I think that this pilot project could be a new beginning for many people and even contribute to the look of the neighborhood (which currently looks like a "Maabara" in some parts) and if we can do what we did in Dor-Shalom (go in houses and renovate and stuff) we can even make the place better.
Please help me with whatever you can, please?

Besides that,
(1) Shinuy deserves my respeck (not a typo) for what they achieved (even though i don't agree with what they say)
(2) People - My birthday is coming up (next monday) and i have yet to receive my presents (a tall, skinny, smart vegan with small breasts and w/o a gaze of a calf would do - i also wish for world peace)
(3) Love you all.
--
Jonathan J. Klinger

נכתב על ידי jk ביום\שעה January 29, 2003 12:06 PM