Israeli Summer Provides Contrast of Emotions

Page 4 The Mac Weekly Friday, September 29, 1967 Evelyn Early- Israeli Summer Provides Contrast of Emotions "At gara po?" ("You live here?") Yonar, the young ice flats, pose problems for the town's development. For- the women in their homes. I watched Orna in her pressed, cream shop owner, was incredulous. I nodded and smiled. tunately, Or Yehuda is building attractive dwelling khaki uniform patiently correcting mispronunciations as There was a slight pause in conversation while the meagre units to entice young western intellectuals — a neces- the mother — in a sagging, brightly-flowered dress, and Hebrew gleaned from my Saturday morning pilgrimages sary element of diversity if the town is to participate oblivious of the children underfoot — read haltingly. I saw to the University of Minnesota assembled itself in my mind. in the Israeli ideal of social and cultural integration. the same self-confidence in Orna that I noticed in the boys I formed another "Dick and Jane" sentence telling him who drove the kibbutz tractors through mined areas — a that I lived with a family in one of the ubiquitous white My SPAN project this summer was concerned with the self-sufficiency characterizing many of Israel's sabra (na- apartment buildings up the street. relation of the Eastern and Western cultures in Israel tive-born). today. "My approach was from an anthropological viewpoint, Yonar himself did not live here in Or Yehuda — a small and my methodology depended heavily on informal obser- The elation of the people when I arrived in Israel town near Tel Aviv whose population is predominately vation. After living in Or Yehuda, I went to Kiryat Gat — this June merely intensified their already-fierce na- Israelis of Iraqi background. He had just treated me to a a regional development town in the northern Negev. With tionalism. In my more indulgent moments — usually huge bowl of homemade apricot ice cream. As I listened almost half of its settlers veteran Israelis, or Israelis with when under the influence of the hospitality Israel has to the constant scattering of dice by men playing with a western background, Kiryat Gat is one of the most ethni- learned from the Middle East — I viewed the people black and red chips at the near-by tables, I knew that I cally balanced towns in Israel. The city is proud of the as delightfully chauvinistic. But in a situation where was the only woman in the shop. I never saw any women Glickson Quarters. These buildings — especially designed neither side has a monopoly on that illusive "moral or girls at a cafe during my entire stay in Or Yehuda. The by a French architect to promote ethnic mixing — contain right/' and where both have a long, proud history, teachers from the army were about the only other (western) several income level dwellings and ingenious staircases and deeply felt personal grievances, I could not fling women of my age in the town. and pedestrian pathways which force people into the gar- my support to either side. My family in Or Yehuda came to Israel from Iraq in den meeting areas. 1951, when the town was a huge transient camp where After the initial flush of victory, the feelings of the everyone lived in tents. They were part of the post-1948 I missed Or Yehuda — the pieta bread stuffed with fried Israelis themselves were not in concord; one would not influx of North African and Middle-Eastern immigrants — egg plant, parsley, and eggs which we ate every Sabbath; expect an Arabic Jew and a European Jew to view the sit- the movement which changed the face of the land once the man at the market who fixed my sandals; but most of uation in the same light. But perhaps I, as a foreigner, dominated by Polish and Russian pioneers. all, the many nights on the balcony when my family and noticed more than they that all the millions of dollars, and Mr. Mualem works for the city council as director of I talked about topics ranging from the value of the kibbutz thousands of volunteers from the West which came after education; many of the other intellectuals who came system, to frozen food in America. But Kiryat Gat soon the war, were coming to the country with the highest lit- from Baghdad have left Or Yehuda. This fact, and the won my heart — especially on a moonlit, desert night. eracy rate and standard of living in the Middle East, and eight-children families which bulge out of four-room I shared a flat with the army girls who teach Hebrew to not to Jordan, or Egypt, or Morocco, or ... NOEXIT Philosophy Discussed; Prestige and Honor Greater Involvement Planned by Andy Sarvis Prestige is having a big important down the street, and to go A word has come into great position of responsibility. about one's business honestly, by Dave Wille Tuesday evening program began Prestige is being rich and not humbly, without violating the NOEXIT is not a place, it's an when the panel discussion broke vogue in America. This rising and increasingly affluent society seems paying your debts, because people rights of others. Honor is idea, or at least a place trying to up, and immediately groups of five should be glad to serve you. Pres- rather the defence of those become an idea. The idea is dis- or six began their own exchange strangely compelled to create sym- bols for itself. The word, of course, tige is having intercourse with whose rights have been vio- cussion, participation, and involve- of ideas. Several good uses for NO- numerous women often, and regu- lated, and the ability to rec- ment, for anyone and for any pur- EXIT were brought up, such as an is "prestige." Americans at home and abroad strive to create prestige larly, and keeping all of them ognize one's errors and inade- pose. outlet for student paintings, a happy, because, they . submit- quacies. It is the strength not place for criticism of creative for themselves: prestige homes, The idea now is so general prestige automobiles, prestige ted to you. Prestige is sending the to submit to anyone in any- and so all-inclusive that it writing, a platform for club-spon- marines in and getting away with thing, but to respect each in sored speakers, and a place for clubs, prestige policies. really doesn't mean anything, In the current debate on Viet- it. Oh yes, prestige exists. all things. but it has possibilities of bring- professors to talk with their fans and their foes. nam this strange word has come to But then there is another Yes, there is prestige, and then ing about a dynamic program. word, usua My ca I led honor. there is honor. They are not usual- A weekly schedule is starting to dominate all thought, all debate. Tuesday night featured a work- Where is American prestige? What Honor- is being able to walk ly the same. shop, set up to pin down this idea form; with something of interest on the nights with no scheduled do the polls say? How are we going and to decide what NOEXIT is to get more prestige? How much really all about. Approximately 25 entertainment. Next week there Open Houses Necessitate Modesty will be a workshop for a possible prestige value does this or that people assembled in the dimly lit have? basement and talked about the theater group, a discussion with Or Exhibitionism; Sex Cycle Created question "What can be done with some of the foreign students on What is prestige, then? It a coffee house?" campus, and a Latin American seems to me that prestige is a by Shakib A. Otaqui the twice-weekly procession of dancing session. combination of a few indica- hot-and-bothered couples sure- The NOEXIT bartenders led the Other areas of interest in tions of what others think There is one main sexual char- ly makes this position unten- discussion. Their comments were which NOEXIT could do some- about us which we then fit acteritic which differentiates us able; and the fact remains general, and not related to specific thing are confidential counsel- into our own self-conceptions. humans from most of the lower that the men's dormitories are issues, but they got across the open ing, publicizing of birth con- It is not surprising that our members of the animal kingdom— transformed every weekend attitude of NOEXIT. There is no trol information, and bringing own egos dominate this com- the lack of a definite sexual cycle into a greater or lesser orgy. clique that runs it, and no "in to tampus internationally bination. Each of us twists the in regulating the times that sexual The Open House system takes group" with which a person must known artists and thinkers indicators into his precon- activity may be indulged in. its toll of another characteristic gain favor to participate. through a special anonymous ceived pattern of himself and After three weeks at Mac, how- which had been almost confined to The coffee house is meant to fund. finds himself at some level on ever, I am beginning to doubt humans in the past—sexual mod- be an open, free-form medium The participants in NOEXIT are his own "prestige chart," whether the particular section of esty. The open-door rule makes available to any programs thinking big, and are full of en- which he, somehow, thinks humanity represented by the stu- essential either complete absti- which need a place to be thusiasm for their idea of involve- everyone else follows too.

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