Global Voices Online » 2008 » March

Stories

Israel: A Joyous Celebration of Purim

Maya Norton · 22:28

lingua → mg

The holiday of Purim celebrates the triumph of the Jewish people over those who seek and sought their destruction. Purim is a joyful holiday celebrated with costumes, festivities, good food, and much drinking.

Purim Gift Baskets (Image)
Photo sourced from Wikipedia.

Having Fun at Purim–

Hannah of Israelity writes:

I grew up loving Purim. It’s probably my favorite holiday. Not only do I get to dress up, eat thousands of cookies, shout and yell in synagogue, but it is kind of required to drink oneself silly (really, it is written that on Purim one should get so drunk you can’t tell the difference between Haman (the bad guy) and Mordachi (the good guy)…

Living in Jerusalem, I’m going to see people dancing in the streets, songs will be sung everywhere and groggers [noise makers] will be handed out at every corner.

If you live in Israel and are still looking for a party, Israelity has a city-by-city list of activities.

Sending Purim Gift Baskets–

One holiday tradition is to send friends and families baskets of gifts and cookies called mishloach manot. Months before the holiday, preparations begin for the festivities. This year in particular, a nationwide effort was made to honor the brave people of Sderot, who are at the battle lines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Josh of Blogs of Zion recounts a heartwarming tale of Purim generosity.

This morning on Israeli radio, I heard an interview with a number of residents of Sderot and the surrounding areas, who are under an almost daily bombardment. One person interviewed was kindergarten teacher Daphna Solomon, who described how the city has been inundated with Mishloach Manot. Packages have been arriving from all over the country and from around the world. Her genuine happiness at this was heartwarming. She explained that each of her kindergarteners is going home with two or three packages. As a class, they open each package, look on a map of Israel to see where it is from, and then write a thank you letter. Daphna said that it was like getting a big hug from the entire country.

Afterward, the mayor was interviewed. He said, “This nation is the best nation in the world. There is no house that has not received twice or three times.”

Let’s hope that on this Purim we can all find a way to spread as much joy. Happy Purim.

The ever-conscious Green Prophet blog encourages us to think ecologically this Purim, with Jack Reichert offering the following suggestions:

- Think reusable with the Mishloach Manot. Baskets look nice, but they usually go straight to the garbage.
- Save those bottles, some places even give you money for them… (usually supermarkets)
- Do you need to buy a costume? Be creative, see what you can find around the house.
- Think eco when filling those baskets!

Ra'anana Ramblings, a self-professed “busy mom” has a different perspective on mishloach manot, wondering why they can't be healthier. (If you've ever experienced an American Halloween, you may have asked yourself the same question.)

And the junk food frenzy - otherwise known as the Purim holiday - has begun. The kids and the husband all came home from school/work bearing mishloach manot. Aside from the odd bag of raisins, it was all JUNK, giving new meaning to the words ad nauseum. Chocolates, chips, oznei haman, etc. I've already overindulged and we're still at the beginning of our haul- Friday is the big day for exchanging goodie baskets and it won't be easy keeping everyone from pigging out during Shabbat.

I would love to get a mishloach manot like this one… Instead of the usual bisli, bamba, wafers, etc., why not deliver the classic Israeli breakfast? [How about] salad, the eggs (hardboiled, not my first choice, but I guess an omelette wouldn't survive the trip all that well), bread, jam, small packages of tea and coffee.

Purim Costumes: Dress Up Can Be Fun for Everyone (Even the Mildly Resistant)–

Advice from another mother could come in handy with the little ones this holiday. Mia the Ima has some great suggestions for children who don't like getting dressed in costumes.

I have found that the kids who don't like to dress up are more willing to dress up in something that actual people may wear, as opposed to an animal, or something that has to do with their everyday. It seems to be less traumatizing to wear clothes the child is used to wearing but put them together differently. That way you don't have to buy stuff the child will never wear.

Another idea is to have them hold as part of their costume something that will comfort and security… Here are some ideas:
- Dress up like a favorite toy.
- Dress up as a favorite person (dress up like mom or dad)
- Dress up like the profession of someone the child likes. (like uncle Jonathan the basketball player)
- Have a favorite toy as an accessory.
- Dress up together with a friend (get together to dress up or wear matching costumes). This doesn't really work with siblings only with friends.
- Wear regular clothes put together differently.
- Just add fun accessories.

Baking Holiday Treats–

For more news from the home front, Chanit of My Mother's Recipes and More features a No-Bake Date Pistachio Cheesecake for Purim. Check out her website for recipes and photos of this delicious treat.

Enjoying Jewish Humor–

And let's not forget YouTube, a great source for Jewish humor.

The prolific Jacob Richman, author of the Good News from Israel blog presents us with a list of 56 Purim videos accessible via YouTube.

A standout amongst the group is Hypersemitic's “Haman Song: A Purim Rap” by Jewish educator cum lyricist, Matt Bar, creator of The Bible Raps Project.

Nations Destroyed (Image)
Photo by Sarah Schlesinger

Supporting Israel Virtually: Join the Worldwide Rally–

If you're reading this on Purim, click on Together4Israel to join the worldwide virtual rally to support Israel hosted tonight in Sderot featuring Jewish communities around the world– an impressive technological endeavor. (Videos will likely be available after the real time showing.)

Wishing a Hag Purim Sameach (happy Purim holiday) to all!

1 comment · »»

Korea: Independence Movements in Tibet and in Korea

Hyejin Kim · 16:07

lingua → jp · zht · zhs

As groups in other countries support Tibetans’ rage and criticize the violence of the Chinese government, Korean netizens are also busy making signature-seeking-campaigns or boycotting the Beijing Olympics. The participants who express their opinions on the internet and put their names on the campaigns are more and more.

The reasons why Koreans should understand Tibetans’ anger and support them seem to be related to the colonization times that they went through and the current situation, including historical conflicts between Korea and China, and North Korean defectors who are forcefully sent back to North Korea by the Chinese police.

Here is a post about why a netizen insists on the boycott against the Beijing Olympics.

최근 중국이 티벳 대규모 유혈 시위 진압 사태로 물의를 빚고 있습니다. 무려 100명 이상이 죽었다는 주장도 나오고 있습니다.한쪽에서는 티벳독립운동으로 죽어가고 한쪽에서는 올림픽한다며 흥겨워하는 것이 정말 아이러니한 모습입니다. 그러나 그뿐만이 아니라 지금도 중국은 북한에서 탈북한 탈북자들을 사형당하는줄 뻔히 알면서도 북한으로 돌려보내고 있습니다.

개인적으로 중국은 올림픽 개최할 자격이 없다고 생각합니다. 인권이 뭔지에 대한 개념이 없고 사람이 너무 많아서 그런지 사람 목숨 알기를 우습게 아는 것 같기도 합니다. 이번 티벳사태로 그 사실을 다시한번 확인한 것 같습니다. (그럼에도 중국정부는 ‘티벳사태가 올림픽에 아무런 악영향을 끼치지 못한다'고 말하고 있습니다.)

중국에게 올림픽은 단지 경제성장 과시하고픈 이벤트에 지나지 않으며 올림픽의 정신이 뭔지 개념도 없습니다. 그 뿐만이아니라 중국의 농 수산물, 중국산 음식물들은 이미 전세계에 신뢰를 잃어버린지 오래입니다. 최근의 일본 농약만두 사건때에도 중국은 자기들은 잘못이 없다면서 발뺌만 하더군요. 주변국강제합병, 역사왜곡, 동북공정/ 미성년자의 성매매와 아동학대등(청소년도 처형) 장기매매 인신매매문제 등 그 외에도 열거하자면 많지만 중략하고 중요한 것은 잘못된 것이 무엇인지 알고 고치려고 노력하는 자세를 보여주는 것이 아니라 중국은 무조건 덮고 진압하고 발뺌하는 후진스러운 마인드를 보여주고 있다는 것입니다.

할리우드 스타 리처드 기어는 “중국이 티베트 내 소요 사태들을 평화적으로 해결하지 않을 경우 베이징 올림픽 참가를 거부해야 한다”고 말했으며 유럽의 일부 정치인들은 이미 중국 올림픽 보이콧에 나선바 있습니다. 이번 보이콧 움직임으로 최소한 중국이 무력진압을 자제하고 자국의 약자 문제에 대해서 적극적인 대처를 보여줬으면 하는 바램입니다. 중국이 노력하는 모습을 보여준다면 즐겁게 올림픽을 볼 수 있겠지만 과연 그 근본적인 마인드가 변할지는 의문입니다…

Recently, deadly clashes of China against Tibetan protesters have given rise to public criticism. It’s assumed that more than 100 people were killed. On the one side, people die for the independence of Tibet and on the other side, people are excited about the Olympics. It’s ironical. In addition, China knows North Korean defectors will be executed when they go back to North Korea, but sends them to North Korea.

In my own opinion, China doesn’t have the qualification to hold Olympics. They don’t have any concept for human rights. Maybe they think that they have so many people and look down on a human’s life. We could see this again through this Tibet Protest. (But the Chinese government insists that ‘The Tibet Incident will not have a bad influence on the Olympics.’)

To China, the Olympics is an event to show off their economic growth. They don’t have any understanding of the spirit of the Olympics. In addition, agricultural and marine products from China, and food from China have lost the trust in the world. Recently, in the scandal of agrichemical dumplings that were exported to Japan, China rejected it as their fault. Forceful annexation of neighbors’ lands, distortion of history, China’s Northeastern project/sex trade of teenagers and child abuse (execution of teenagers), human organ sales… there are so many problems to list. But the most important thing is that they don’t show the attitude and efforts to recognize what they do wrong and try to correct, but they show the backward mind that tries to hide and suppress.

Richard Gere, Hollywood star, said, “In this situation, if the Chinese do not act in the proper way, change their ways, acknowledge what is going on, allow free access to communication, then I think that absolutely we have to boycott” and some European politicians also boycott against the Olympics. I hope that this movement will make China restrain the suppression by force and concern about the weak in their country. If they show these kinds of efforts, we can enjoy the Olympics. But I doubt whether their fundamental mind can be changed…

Interesting comments are below.

Bluesky is concerned about next steps from China.

티벳은 시작에 불과하다!!!

Tibet is just a beginning!!

Some netizens try to react more rationally. Realism in politics?

너무 감정적으로 대응하는 것은 아니라봅니다. 물론 중국이 올림픽을 개최할 자격이나, 자질이 있는 나라는 절대 아닙니다. IOC가 미친거죠. 하지만 보이콧이라뇨. 그것도 우리나라만… 차라리 IOC에 탄원서를 내는 쪽이… 그것은 개인이 할수 있는 문제가 아니지만.. 전 단지 티벳의 민족들이 불쌍할 뿐입니다. 그것을 보고만 있는 세계의 눈들을 뽑고 싶은 심정입니다. 올림픽의 모토는 세계의 평화인데, 중국은 평화를 모르는 나라입니다. 암튼 각설하고.. 보이콧이라는 극단적인 방법보다는 다른 평화적인 방법을 찾아야 한다고 봅니다. 보이콧도 하나의 일방적 폭력이라는 것을 왜 모르십니까?

I think that our reaction is way too emotional. Of course, China doesn’t have a qualification to hold the Olympics. The IOC was crazy. But boycott… and just our country… We’d rather send an appeal to the IOC… that should not be by individuals either… I just feel so sorry for Tibetans. I would like to pull eyes from all over the world that are just overlooking the incident. The motto for the Olympics is world peace. China is the country that doesn’t know what peace is. Anyway… rather than choosing the boycott, we should find other peaceful methods. Don’t you know that the boycott is also a kind of violence?

Historical ties between Korea and Tibet are mentioned a lot.

티베트 독립 지지 서명에 참여해주세요. 그리고 구체적으로 독립자금을 모아 전달 합시다. 티벳의 독립운동은 남의 일이 아닙니다.일제시대때 우리 한민족의 독립운동과 같은것입니다.

Please join a signature-seeking campaign to support the independence of Tibet. Let’s send funds for their independence. This independence movement is not just others’ business. It’s equal to independence movements that we had during the Japanese colonization period.

힘없이 36년간 일본의 식민지배를 받아온 우리대한민국은 뼈아픈 역사가 있는나라다 그런데 어찌 티벳민중들의 독립호소에 침묵하는가 중국의 눈치를살피며 살아야하는 비겁한나라인가 티벳이여 함께 통곡하노라.

Without power, we are a country with a painful history, having been colonized by Japan for 36 years. But how come we are silent toward Tibetans’ crying for independence? Are we such a cowardly country to study China? I cry for Tibet.

How about the security?

저렇게 위험천만한 곳에서 어떻게 올림픽을 해요.

Why do we have to have the Olympics in such a dangerous place?

What is the spirit of the Olympics?

올림픽의 개최의미가 점점 희박해져가는 것 같네요.개최국의 힘자랑하는 이벤트로 변해버린 것 같네요.

It seems that the meaning of the Olympics is getting weak. It’s like an event to show off how powerful the host country is.

올림픽 정신에 반하는 사고를 가진 나라에서 올림픽을 개최하는것은 절대 반대합니다.

I am absolutely against having the Olympics in a place that has a mind against the spirit of the Olympics.

But how about the national interest?

서명은 합니다만, 현실이…중국이 너무 커져 버렸지요. 중국이 우리나라를 왕따를 시키면 아니 전세계를 다 왕따를 시켜버리면 세계경제가 다 마비되죠…미국에선 메이드인차이나가 아닌 물건을 구하기란 보통 일이 아니라고 하죠…그렇지만 서명은 확실히 합니다.

I will join the campaign. But in reality… China is already way too powerful. If China will isolate Korea or exclude all other countries, the world economy will be frozen… In America, it is hard to find a product that is not made by China… But I participate in the campaign.

서명합니다…근데 이게 무슨 도움이 될까 의문스럽긴 하네요ㅜㅜ

I join it… but I doubt how much this will helpㅜㅜ

How about Korea, which had a successful Olympics at the time of continuous demonstrations and suppressions?

저기…우리나라 80년대 때 엄청난 사건이 많이 터졌져..대략 민주화 운동이라고나 할까..그때 우리나라 보면 지금 중국보다 심해여…시민한테 총이나 쏘는 우리나라는 올림픽 개최 가능하고..중국은 안된다?좀 어이없네여.

Hm… We also had so many bad incidents in the 1980s… protests for democracy.. at that time, we might have been worse than China. Korea was fine to hold the Olympics, but China is no way? It doesn’t make sense.

29 comments · »»

Kazakhstan: Oddities of the Digital Present

Adil Nurmakov · 07:05

lingua → es

In the most recent counple of weeks the Kazakhstani blogosphere - usually heavily politicized - was focused more on the developments in telecoms sector and Internet-related novelties in Kazakhstan. The country's authorities are still aiming to enter top 50 of the most competitive countries, although the Economist's index of “e-readiness” still puts Kazakhstan on 64th place among 69 countries between Pakistan and Vietnam. World Economic Forum ranked Kazakhstan 73rd among 122 countries in 2007 - 13 lines lower than in the previous year.

Nevertheless, enthusiasts don't lose hope and try to come up with new projects, while the officials try to get use of them for promotion of Kazakhstan's international image. Thus, for example, neweurasia's Lena B-va reports that an ambitious project - Second Astana - can be a step towards promotion of the brand called “Republic of Kazakhstan” in the world:

Social service Second Astana is something more than Google Maps (city hall of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan is already finishing creation of the city's 3D map). The first spots of the Kazakh land in popular virtual world of Second Life. Developers say it was their own project - not the official one - and plan to expand the SL area to Almaty, Turkestan and Borovoe - the major tourist destinations in Kazakhstan.

(more…)

1 comment · »»

Jordan: Five Jordanian Journalists Jailed

Amira Al Hussaini · 00:28

lingua → mk · pt · mg · ar · sq · zht · zhs · es

Five Jordanian journalists have been sentenced to three months in prison each, in two separate cases, for breaking the law in their country. Jordan's bloggers speak up against this latest crackdown on freedom of expression.

According to the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, “two of Jordan's main daily newspapers, “Ad-Dustour” and “Al Arab Al Yawm”, were found in contempt of the judiciary for publishing a news item about a lawsuit filed by a Jordanian against a judges' decision to deprive him of his citizenship” in the first case. In the second, a satirical writer's article about the Higher Media Council was considered slanderous by the court.

Writing at the Black Iris of Jordan, Naseem Tarawnah asks:

When HM King Abdullah said some time ago that “the sky is the limit” when it comes to press freedoms, I don’t think this is what he had in mind.
What more can I say?
Nothing.

Mental Mayhem is outraged with the situation and writes:

I lost hope in freedom of the press in Jordan a long time ago. I can't remember exactly when but I think it goes back to my early twenties when I first joined the ranks of repressed Jordanian journalists. I have written about violations of press freedom on this blog many times, then I got tired of it. Until when, really? Things seem to be going from bad to worse.

She further adds:

Since when is reporting on a court case a crime in Jordan? I'm baffled.

Lina Ejeilat asks the following questions too:

So it's against the law for the press to debate court rulings. But I'm a bit confused as to what this exactly entails. Don’t we criticize reduced sentences in so-called honor crimes all the time? Is that against the law?

Of course, we all want to be living in a country where no one is above the law, but that doesn’t mean the law is perfect the way it is and cannot be scrutinized. Commenting on the law or criticizing it, and abiding by it are not mutually exclusive.

2 comments · »»