Fleeting visit

It always fascinated me that in Israel, where kosher food is abundant, Jews will still seek out and eat at the non-kosher joints, wherever they may be.

Herzliya is a trendy, expensive city 10 km North of Tel Aviv. It's home to most of the world's Ambassadors to Israel, who live in swanky houses with high metal gates and CCTV. But unless you eat in a hotel, you'll struggle to find somewhere kosher near the waterside.

Meeting up with an eclectic mixture of friends, we settled down in a typical Israeli bar; outside, dimly lit, with US and UK music, every alcohol imaginable to mankind, (including methanol if the aftermath was anything to go by), while people sit on low chairs with cushions and tables to match.

While people were still sober, the topic of keeping kosher was mentioned. An Israeli in the group said that 'Eating treif (non-kosher food) is fashionable now'. I thought that this was a really interesting statement, which sadly sums up a significant bulk of Israel's identity. Keeping kosher really is a cultural thing. Just like on the flight out here, where I sat next to Israelis who chose the non-kosher meal, despite the kosher option being available at no extra hassle or charge, it simply isn't a lifestyle people opt for a lot of the time.

Marwahn Barghouti is a former leader of the Palestinian terrorist infrastructure. He was tried and imprisoned by Israel in the 90s (I think), and to this day remains in prison. In his memoirs, he wrote something that seems very relevant. I don't have the exact quote, but it's along the lines of the following.

"In March of my first year of Prison, in the middle of Passover, when the Jews commemorate their exodus from slavery, I remember seeing a Jewish prison guard walk past me, eating a sandwich. I asked him why he was eating bread at a time when it was forbidden. The guard smirked, shrugged and said, 'so what? I don't care about that stuff.' That was when I first realised how weak these people were. The Jews can be beaten, because they don't care who they are."

It saddens me that people have lost that link to Judaism. It seems that as a people, we are polarising between those who become so absorbed in their faith that they lose some of the integration that has made Judaism what it is today; or they renounce their faith as a religion, and are happy in the knowledge that way back when, in the past, one of their ancestors left Egypt... not that it makes much difference today.