B-10197

I could not believe my eyes when some days ago I saw a familiar face on TV. It was about a half a decade ago when I came across in my back-then neighborhood with an old man who had a story to tell. B-10197 was tattooed on his arm. He was an Auschwitz survivor.

Screen shot of the documentary. Courtesy of YLE.

Recently, Mayer Franck (1928-2012) crossed my mind quite often. I was wondering if his story had properly been documented in Finland, and whether he was still alive or not. The documentary movie on TV answered my first question, and Google the second.

What happened to Mayer is pretty unbelievable. Was it luck, persistence, God's will or what, but he survived and pulled through every twist and turn in the plot. Mayer was 11 years old when he was forced with his family to the Lodz ghetto in Poland. His father died (doctor refused to mend him if there was no pay in food - the family had none to give) and mother and two sisters were put on the first train to Auschwitz. Mayer escaped this scenario, hiding in a sewer. He never believed the stories that those who got on the train, were given a sack of potatoes and were headed for better conditions.

The ghetto was being emptied in quite a hurry, and at some point Mayer and a couple of his friends built a secret annex (much like the Frank family in Amsterdam). At daytime, they were hiding in the annex and at night searched the streets for food and cooked whatever they found on a small stove. One day when the Germans were searching their hiding place, one of the officers noticed the stove was warm. He noticed a hutch attached to the wall and pushed it aside, revealing the boys' hiding place. They were put on a train and sent to the place where "you must say goodbye to your wife and kids, everyone goes to heaven". It was summer of 1944.

Upon arriving at Auschwitz, Mayer was put in the line on the right. He was inspected, and sent to work. Every day at roll call, Mayer pinched his cheeks and stood on his toes, in order to appear healthy and sturdy. One day he was picked to go work for a German company to shovel sand. A hopeless task, especially when winter came and the ground froze.

In 1945, there came an order to evacuate the camp. Germans marched the prisoners, walking and walking for hours that felt like eternity. One morning, after the group spending the night in a barn, Mayer hid in the hays. There was a search and a poker brushed his back, but he dug his way deeper in the hays. Those who were found hiding in the barn, around 12 of them, were shot dead on the spot.

Mayer waited the whole day in the hay, and at night continued the journey on his own. A friendly old couple at a homestead accommodated him. The Totenkopf visited the house, but didn't capture him.

The war came to an end, and Mayer went to one of the Red Cross's camps. He had no ID, no photos, nothing. His whole family was dead. He returned back to the ghetto. A place that was buzzing with 250.000 people was now empty. Mayer went to live at an apartment that used to belong to a friend's family.

The family's late mother's brother, who lived in Helsinki, came to the ghetto looking for relatives. He found Mayer and took him to Finland. Mayer was 18 years old. In Finland, he kept working in fur business, a business he had learnt when working in the ghetto.

You would have never believed that this man had been through hell and lived to tell about it. He had a certain glimmer in his eyes, a smile, a positive attitude and always up for a chat. Sometimes he would offer sweets or chocolates, just out of kindness.

Mayer died on the 13th of May, 2012 in Finland. On that day, I was in Israel, preparing to go to Jerusalem. May he rest in peace.

Thou shall not always expect the worst

I think last Sunday I experienced a brief moment where I noticed how I have lost my innocence - towards Israel. At breakfast table, I was glancing through a Finnish newspaper and noticed in the travel section an article on Eilat with a huge headline exclaiming:

Two weeks, one moment of fear

F**k, I thought to myself. Whereas I try to advocate the positive sides and attributes that Israel has, this woman goes and ruins the reputation of a nice country by writing some article on her terror moments when vacationing in Eilat for two weeks with her husband and three kids. What had happened to them? What went wrong? I almost didn't want to keep reading, as I myself had a very pleasant vacation in Eilat as I wrote earlier. At minimum, I was expecting rockets, suicide bombs, inappropriate treatment at the airport and what not.

So what frightened this family while in Eilat? [Insert drum roll].... They were on the beach one day. The youngest child of the family skipped the parents' watchful eye for a nanosecond and crawled to the other tourist family next to them. This was it. Sure, every parent's worst nightmare is to not to know for a brief moment where your child is, but to title a newspaper article - on Israel - after it... Do you find it provoking?

For the record, the family had a great time in Eilat and enjoyed their visit a lot - except they were disappointed with the Biblical theme park called King's City.

Casting votes, light, shadows?

Finland has carefully tuned into the election day of Israel this Tuesday. I only had to open the TV in the morning when preparing to go to work, and Hebrew letters and Israeli flags were all over the screen. Speculations about the results were exchanged: if Netanyahu wins is peace in the region more unlikely? And what about other topics, such as cost of living expenses in Israel which cause debates among the citizens of the country?

Following the day and news, Israelis seem to have been very active in voting this time and while this might be of benefit for the opposition, Netanyahu is still expected to take home the prize. Final results of the elections will be released tomorrow. Let's hope that casting all the votes will create a government that will cast light on a stable, peaceful Israel.

Back to basics

After Xmas and New Year's comes January which means that reality calls... Work starts again, and this time school, too (גם). Or, my Hebrew (עברית) classes. Another 12 x 1,5hrs of learning this mystical language waits ahead.

Things have been a bit (OK, a lot!) stressful at work recently, and I (אני) have been a sleepless nerve wreck ever since the holidays ended. I don't have a family & kids (ילדים), pets, hobbies or anything similar to keep me regularly distracted from the place where I bring home (בית) the bread (לחם). Therefore I have a bad habit of dwelling on things. Uh, this sounds sad, sad, sad.

But I guess diving in to the world of Hebrew makes a tiny exception to this. The first class of this year started with (עם) revising last autumn's things (and no, I hadn't done my homework or practiced over the holidays) and I got furious how I still can't remember all the alphabet. Hebrew is distracting!

And (ו), I'm still a little (קצת) disappointed that I haven't learnt any proper small talk. We go through a lot of the same things and words that you can't really build a sentence with. Also this spring, the classes very often clash with other engagements I have, so this will furthermore diminish my chances to learn and absorb. But let's see if I get anything right. The following sentence should have something to do with the picture below:

...אני רוצה קצת עוגה בבקשה

www.shavkin.com

PS. After writing this post I read it through and picked out and marked in bold all the words I also know in Hebrew. See what I mean? Just nine words. No (לא) ingredients for chitchat. Well, now 10. :)

If you are bored...

...do not watch the video behind this link. The anonymous Bar Refaeli reporter fan at IltaSanomat (a Finnish daily newspaper) is back again with pointless news on the supermodel, this time publishing a candid video of the Israeli girl practicing snowboarding. And of course mentioning how many people would probably love to switch places with Bar's teacher. Awww. :)

Eilat, Eilat

Eila is a Finnish female name. That's why the Israeli town ”Eilat” sounds like two Eilas in our language. So, what about visiting these two lovely ladies – if you get my joke? :)

It all started with my cousin actually. It was a painfully long Finnish winter. Dark, cold and snowy – the usual stuff. A break in a warm, sunny destination sounded like a great idea. As Spain, Italy or Greece aren't too warm in March/April, we looked for a destination more in the South, but close enough for the trip to be reasonably priced and worth going for one week. Eilat fit our criteria. But, between my work projects and her thesis pains, we weren't able to find a time slot that would fit both of our schedules.

I told my mother about this who then suddenly jumped at the chance: I want to visit Israel! It didn't take long until we booked the holiday in Eilat in January, and my long, dark winter started looking much better as I had something to look forward to in early March. From then on, it was counting the days till we leave.

And finally the 8^th of March came. The charter flight took something between four and five hours, and when landing at Ovda airport my tired, blinded-by-the-winter-darkness eyes saw palm trees, desert and the so bright sunlight. It was like landing in a bliss of my own making, guarded by an armed man when stepping out of the airplane.

The formalities entering Israel did take a while. The border control people were very keen on our holiday plans, and probably found it interesting that we had different last names – yet were family. Never mind, after the 24 questions we were greeted by smiling Israeli men at the airport, welcoming us to the country.

There was an hour drive from the airport to the town of Eilat, and the scenery was nothing but desert on the way. Those kibbutzim build in the area seemed like an utmost miracle, how anyone could cultivate anything in this dry land. The tall palm trees standing in orderly rows in the desert, pushing out delicious dates for us to enjoy, reminded me of persistent soldiers – standing there straight, diligently, and loyally persisting the heat and sun.

We stayed at Hotel Astral Coral which definitely was worth its price tag. It was centrally located, and the proximity to the Eilat Airport (located right downtown) did not bother us at all. When arriving at the hotel, the reception desk was congested with Israeli tourists all shouting and yelling very loud, and the hotel poor staff trying to meet their demands. Typical Mediterranean mess where no one seemed to get nowhere. It looked like it might take a while until we get a room, so I dug out my Greek attitude and elbowed my way rudely through the masses of these loud, short, dark-haired pensioners and handed over my passport to get a room. It paid off, as the guy at the reception gave us a very, very spacious room with a view to the pool. Toda!

Just looooved waking up to this every morning!

The first thing we did was to head for some food. And something local, please. We headed for a street side restaurant serving falafels, Jerusalem mix, shwarma and my personal favorite – hummus. After the confusion on how to order (sit down and wait, go to the desk, pick it up yourself, what about tipping, how much is this in euros) we got huge plates of fresh stuff in front of us – and couldn't even finish the half of it. Delicious! Then we visited a supermarket to pick up some water, local snacks and dates.

Eilat isn't a very big place, so we decided to check out whatever the tour guide had recommended. Right the next day, we took a taxi to a nearby kibbutz where shabbat buffet dinner was served. Never mind the humble surroundings, the buffet table was something I had never seen before. There were... So. Many. Different. Dishes. Everything fresh, everything local. It does not get any better than this! By the time I had sampled through the delicious salads and veggie stuff, I barely had room for the meat - let alone dessert. Israelis know how to eat, and they do it well! The people enjoying this massive feast were mixed: tourists like us, young teenagers working at the kibbutz and local Jews. They recited their shabbat prayers and blessings without anyone interfering or getting annoyed. Only my mother and I shyly spied on them and wondered what they were saying in Hebrew, as we had never seen or heard something like this in Finland.

Unfortunately I didn't take photos at the kibbutz, but this was just the salad section of the dinner at our hotel. One night, the hotel treated us for the dinner for free. Toda again!

A couple of other things I enjoyed in Eilat was, ehm, the Mall by the Sea. It doesn't take much to please me, but visiting the Gap, Gant, shoe shops etc. keep me happy no matter where I am. When entering the mall, handbags where screened for weapons or bombs - but that's just how things work in Israel. At least you know you're safe inside. Another sight is the local Aquarium and underwater observatory. Getting there by local bus was cheap and relatively easy. It was fun, and the perfect way for us non-divers to see the underwater wonders of the Red Sea without getting our feet wet.

Here you can get familiar with the wonderful fauna and flora of the Red Sea.

A souvenir I picked up at the Aquarium.

There is also a quite nice beach promenade in Eilat, packed with little shops selling souvenirs and whatnot. I stocked up on affordable but good Dead Sea cosmetics as they were a steal at €2/tube or jar. A special offer at the sunglass hut prompted my mother and I to buy sunglasses: Marc Jacobs for her, Dior pour moi. My vacation also included a day trip to Petra in Jordan (be prepared for some border control formalities) and a day visit to Jerusalem.

A holiday in Eilat offers two birds with one stone: catch the ancient city of Petra in Jordan while you're in Israel.

Eilat is a nice destination for a vacation, if you're looking for a quiet place to spend a relaxing week at. Compared to the other Mediterranean countries, here you won't be bothered by pushy (door)men at restaurants, nightclubs or souvenir shop but may stroll around in peace. I saw only one stray cat during my visit, and no one got food poisoning (hooray kosher?:). For beginners, it might take some time getting used to armed soldiers, kosher hotels (e.g. automated elevators and coffee machines on shabbat, no meat at breakfast) and Israel is not a country of low prices compared to Finland - price levels are more or less the same except for the cheap cosmetics and falafel joints. I would go to Eilat again, and then seize the opportunity to swim with the dolphins and buy the Mulberry Alexa bag tax free at the Helsinki Airport upon departure!

I just wanted to grab a small bite. Not chicken wraps the size of my arms and a whole loaf of bread...!

HEL-TLV-HEL!

Yes! Our ah-so-Finnish airline Finnair has announced that Tel Aviv will be a new summer destination in the airline's schedule. Starting early June, you Finns or you Israelis who are reading this have the possibility to fly directly from Helsinki-Vantaa airport to Ben Gurion - or vice versa. There are flights on Mondays and Fridays. Hope the one on Friday leaves Israel before sunset!

But trust me, this Finnair route is a very convenient one, compared to the uncomfortable journeys I have made (one via Riga, one via Warsaw, one via Kiev...) with crazy early wake-ups and long transits.

There is no Helsinki post on my blog, but you can read what I think about Tel Aviv here. The latest nickname I heard for the city is "The Miami of Europe". Not too far fetched, I'd say. :)

Picture courtesy of goisrael.about.com

 Source for the flight news in Finnish.

JHM

Nestled in the center of the beautiful city by or rather among water, namely Amsterdam, you can find the local Jewish Cultural Quarters. The Quarters consist of the Jewish Historical Museum, JHM Children's Museum, the Portuguese Synagogue (see earlier post) and the Hollandsche Schouwburg, a Dutch theater. Nearby, you can also a monument for the Jewish Resistance.

It was a while ago I visit the the Jewish Historical Museum there but somehow I was more taken by the visit in the synagogue, so I never got around to reporting about the museum itself. Until now, of course.

Like many other Jewish museums, this one showcases the basics of the religion, history of the local Jewish culture, WWII events and Judaism in the modern day. Downstairs the museum, you can read all about the religion, its habits and holidays. Spiced up with videos and a portable private audio phone, if you have time, you can learn everything. Since I'm already more or less familiar with the basics, I tried to tune in for information I didn't know. A tidbit like this I found and share with you now: it is common among Jews to engrave ”mazal tov” inside wedding rings.

Moving upstairs, you will learn about how the Jewish community formed in the Netherlands. Sephardi Jewish merchants fled from the Iberian peninsula to the more free-thinking Northern Europe, and due to their language and business skills were a welcome addition to the already trade & shipping driven Holland in the 1600s. The Ashkenazim Jews from Germany and Poland were less-welcomed, as they usually came from more humble conditions.

The last room upstairs concentrates on 1900s-2000s, what happened to the Dutch Jews under the German rule and how the Jewish culture is nowadays live and well in the Netherlands.

The infamous yellow star badges, mass-produced in Dutch language.

Note in the middle in red text Maoz. A nice falafel place in Amsterdam (but not nearly as good as Fafa's!).

The museum ends in, this material girl's favorite, a gift shop of course! I didn't leave empty-handed this time but picked up a dreidel for myself (which turned out to be much fun), an Einstein energy bar for the diligent student (still not eaten – check the expiry date!), some Hebrew postcards (to learn words) and a Jerusalem card game for my cousin (turned out to be too advanced even for the likes of her).

A lamb cuddled up in the hug of a lion can only mean one thing: shalom - peace!

With the same entrance fee (€12), you may visit all the sights in the Jewish Quarter. For those interested, the shiksa recommends! Wonder how the kids' section is, though?

Two of a kind

Finland and Israel are geographically and culturally quite distant from each other. So what could these two countries possibly have in common? I have listed some (fun) observations below – real similarities or not...

1. Blue & White

In Finland the colors blue and white have a significant meaning to the people. Our flag bearing a blue cross against the white background is said to symbolize the skies, lakes and snow. The Israeli flag features the Star of David, and the stripes and colors, again blue and white, come from the Jewish tallit (prayer shawl).

tundratabloits.com

2. Roar like the lion
In addition to the colors of the flag, you can notice from the picture above the use of the lion. When visiting Jerusalem, I couldn't help noticing how the city's crest resembled a lion we in Finland see on our passports, national ice hockey team jerseys...

3. Right on time

For the most part, the time in Finland is the same as in Israel. Only for short periods when turning the clocks for summer or winter, there is an hour of time difference. As mentioned before, some Finnish phones accidentally followed the Israeli time.

4. Poverty deep within

Neither of the countries is rich in natural resources. While both are trying to make the best out of Mother Nature's scarce blessings, both countries could regard the people & high level of education as their best asset.

5. Petite is beautiful

Israel's total km2 area is tiny compared to Finland, but both countries are relatively small when looking at the big global picture. The amount of inhabitants is roughly the same, although the Israelis outnumber the Finns and continue to do so.

6. Citius, altius, fortius

Alas, it will never be. Both Israel and Finland strive to succeed in international sports competitions, but to their country men's disappointment fail many times. Not that there's a lack of talent or potential – both just seem to choke up during an important event. Intriguing who will win the next football match: KuPS or Maccabi Netanya?

Mind you, though, there is a Finnish-Jewish athlete, Elias Katz, who won Olympic gold and silver for us in Paris in 1924. :)

jewishsports.net

7. Fight for the limelight
Both Finland and Israel seem to have a strange kind of longing to be acknowledged by the rest of the world. If it's not sports that will break the news, then something else: a local actor/actress making it to a Hollywood movie or topping the ranking in an international research on education level. These seemingly small things are big news back home in Israel or Finland. I'm guilty as charged, too: I was delighted that Etgar Keret mentioned Finland in his book - we're famous!

8. Food for thought

It is very challenging to define the Finnish cuisine. We seem to serve Swedish meatballs and Norwegian salmon. Israel's situation isn't any better – nearly each country in the Middle East claims ownership for falafel and hummus.

9. Pa-russki

During the 1970s, over 160 000 former USSR people immigrated to Israel due to their Jewish background and today Russians are one of the biggest minorities in the country. Finland, thanks to immediate proximity to Russia, has received a fair share of the Russian immigrants, too. So much even that some suggest making Russian an official language in Finland.

10. Very FIT

Israel is famous for many innovative IT company start-ups. Finland tries to keep up, although we haven't produced anything exciting since Linux and Angry Birds, and there seems to be no end for Nokia's downturn. In 2004, FIT (Finland-Israel Technology) was established to fund projects in the ICT field.