Sidon’s Jewish Cemetary

Sidon's Jewish Cemetary

Originally posted on thejewsoflebanon.org on November 25, 2007 @ 9:26 pm ·

Filed under Projects

A few kilometers south of An-Nijmeh Square/Place d'étoile , Downtown Sidon, lies the Jewish cemetery, on a small hill supposedly overlooking the ever blue Mediterranean. On the western side, the cemetery is in very bad shape, the hill is sinking, and some of the graves have actually tilted.
Unfortunately, the cemetery is right next to the biggest dump in south Lebanon. A 100-feet high mountain of garbage on the southern coast of Sidon - by all means an environmental catastrophe. The Sidon Municipality has had enough pressure and scandals from the media I presume, so they have guards there preventing anyone from taking photos. They stopped me from taking the photos of the tilting side of the cemetery, or from entering it from that side. I tried to explain I was after the cemetery and had no interest in the dump, to no avail.

Eventually, I had to sneak from the other side of the cemetery, and climb the dusty hill, in broad daylight, which seems the best time to sneak anywhere without raising suspicion! There is no "entrance" per se for the cemetery. I recall there used to be a sign with Hebrew letters marking the cemetery, but that was removed. I think this is some sort of "hiding" the place to protect it from vandals.

Many of the inscriptions that only have Hebrew letters are broken, but those that have Arabic writing and Hebrew letters are left intact! I believe that there is more than a coincidence to this. I got to know that last year the place was cleaned by the municipality, the weeds, trees, etc, seem reasonably within control for a deserted graveyard.

I will try to go in without a very obvious camera next time, or use my cell-phone camera. I am not sure what can be done to preserve that cemetery, but my heart broke to think that these were someone's parents or grandparents, lying there; they died in their country, certain that they will rest in peace forever in their homeland. Look what happened! Nobody, dead or alive, should be desecrated or forgotten in their own country.

I was not sure what to say when I walked there, so I prayed in Arabic, a verse from the Qu'ran that the angels repeat to the souls in Heaven: Salamon Kawlin min Rabb Rahim – "Peace! A word from the Merciful God". Our God, their God, everyone's God. Peace!

A Dusty Comeback

A Dusty Comeback

Yes, it’s true I have not been blogging for over a year, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been kept quiet at all. Blogging in times of war is easy, and since everyone seems to be foretelling another war between “Israel” – (so called), and Hezbollah (henceforth HA) – I thought I might as well get a head start, and a include a brief update of what I have been doing from time to time.

Well, one day the dialogue with Ephraim will become a book, to explain how two minds on opposite sides of the border, and who call each other enemies, thought and attempted a dialogue. Needless to say, it failed, and I don’t have his email, otherwise we could have been email pals exchanging historic facts when we were not “enemies.” No hurry there, when it’s time to fight, HA will get to it, but until then, there is no reason why I cannot behave like a civilized non-violent person.

On the other hand, as if God was testing my, I stumbled upon an article in a Lebanese Daily on a certain website by Lebanese Jews. Turns out the website was constructed by “Aaron” – aka Haron- a Lebanese Muslim Expat from southern Lebanon - about Lebanese Jews. Religious affiliation is not the intention here, it is the concept I’m trying to relay, got it? I became a fan of the site. http://www.thejewsoflebanon.org/

I live in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon – and I decided I should do my part in relaying and documenting the heritage of the Jewish Lebanese compatriots, and exercise to myself more than anyone else that religion – or lack of it , ethnicity, is not what brings me and “Ephraim” apart, it is political conviction: He is a Zionist, I am not, he is racist, I am not, he is bloodthirsty and a war monger, and I am not. So, until he resolves his differences, I decided I should celeberate mine! I should make peace with yet another part of my Lebanese Identity, the wandering Jewish community that had to leave Lebanon during the 1975-1990 war. The house with many mansions that is Lebanon would serve as a model for humankind, differences should be what brings us together.

For more information on the history and heritage of the Lebanese Jewish community, please visit this page http://www.thejewsoflebanon.org/

For avoidance of any doubt, I just wish to clarify that I am involved in this beautiful project out of love and respect for our country, and our Jewish compatriots, the least we can do to preserve our country’s true spirit and identity. By compatriots I mean the Lebanese Jews who were forced into Diaspora. These are our brothers and sisters, and our society owes them an apology (God knows our society owes an apology to all of us). The minute they wish to return home, they will certainly NOT be coming back as tourists. The second objective is, I need to break the taboo inside me, and to finally put into action what I have been brought up to believe, our fight is not with the Jews, it is with the Zionists. Thirdly, to excercise my refounded conviction that peace is the best way to win a war.

How did it start, hmmm...? Yes, I snuck into the Jewish Cemetery in Sidon. It got a bit more complicated. I wrote an article and posted it and then I got a comment that Isaac recognized the grave of his father...

I intentionally want to repost the story in sequence on my blog; the intention is to shed more light on the fight for the plurality of Lebanon. We Lebanese do not forget our brothers and sisters, we might from time to time suffer a relapse, but what ties us together is blood and heritage, blood in our veins, not spilled blood on the streets.

Our country has been harsh on us, it has pushed us away, every morning it puts us to trial, but it is love that keeps us going, who can NOT love this place?

Who needs a President?

Call me a fool (not in my face), but I have this strange "free" feeling ever since the Presidential Post moved under the "Help Wanted" section. When Emile Lahoud left the Presidential Palace last Friday, I felt relieved that I lived to see him depart, and proud that regardless of all the traumas and scandals we Lebanese manage to bring on ourselves, and all the dependency and immaturity our political class never fails to display, that while we cannot as a people run our own affairs without hailing the whole world paratroopers and maniacs in, I was proud that we manage to get rid of those in authority eventually, peacefully, but not quietly. What is a 9-year term when it comes to a lifetime president, or to hereditary rule? I even felt a tiny shred of respect for the ex-President. He overstayed his welcome, but at least he walked out, and unlike other Arab rulers, was not hoarded out by an ambulance, a mob, or a funeral procession. I do not want to act as a judge, so I will not comment if Lahoud has blood on his hands, in his veins, or elsewhere. Eventually, long as it may be, Justice shall prevail to either indict the criminals or to acquit the innocent.

Maybe it is that I am the only person in the country thinking -- drum roll -- do we really need a president? It's time to spurt out the suppressed feelings on authority, and a religiously branded officials in specific. Let me go through some arguments on the media on why we need a Maronite President - hopefully I'll run the same comparison one day when the House Speaker retires and no replacement is found:

1- Symbol of the country: Yeah sure, we have been the butt of half the world political jokes lately, and this is only the beginning. Sudan (home of Darfur, Halayeb, and Southern Sudan crisis) sent a peace envoy. Get it?

2- Preserving the Post for Christians: Huh? Demographically speaking, the Christians should press on a secular state – the sooner the better, and drop the religious confessional thing forever, and that goes to the rest of the Lebanese if they knew what's good for them. The Christians do not need a post to keep them or to preserve them, and if they JUST cannot live without that representation, they should realistically seek the Prime Minister's Post or the Parliament Speaker post. In reverse, the Druze go unrepresented in the top three posts, but Weam Wahab is the shining star and spokesperson of the opposition, comprising Maronites, Shiias, and Druze. MP Jumblat is one of the most influential figures in the Majority Party.

3- Protect the Christians: Let's quickly run through who invited the Syrians to protect the "Christians?" – Answer: a president. Who appealed for them to stay – Answer: another "two presidents" – Who ran civil conflict in the so called "East Beirut" – Answer: A presidential candidate assigned by another President at the end of his term. The result: half the Christians immigrated. So much for protection, representation, and preserving the symbol of the Republic.

The so called "Christian politics" have done more harm to the christian presence in the last 50 years than 2000 years of Christian presence in this land.Again and again we fall for the political lies, for the sectarian "bo3bo3" (monster), again and again we stand for our Feudal Masters in power - they manipulate us.

Having said that, enough with the religious labeling rubbish, it's time we think of ourselves as citizens, not tribesmen, or else – there won't be anyone of us left to tell where we went wrong – Christian, Muslim, or Monkey worshippers for all I care.

جزيرة الحلوم

هي المرة الرابعة التي أملئ فيها طلب الهجرة، وأحزم أمري، ثم أرمي بالأوراق في سلة المهملات. هي المرة الرابعة بعد المئة التي أسأل فيها نفسي إن كان البقاء خيار أم فرض، وإن كان في البقاء صموداً أم أن في الهروب صمود، والسؤال يبقى، إلى أين؟

لقد زرت البلاد كلها، ولم أجد منزلاً غير منزلي، فما الحل؟ كندا، جميلة وهادئة، باردة، خضراء ومثلجة، ولكنها بعيدة عن لبنان. أميركا، صاخبة وغنية، وفيها كل أصدقائي، ولكنها.. بعيدة عن لبنان.. أوستراليا.. جنة الشمس والمحيط والطبيعة العذراء المترامية.. ولكنها بعيدة عن لبنان.. البرازيل.. بعيدة بعيدة بعيدة.. ولكن.. أليس لبنان بعيد عن لبنان؟ أما من حجة إلا البعد؟

الرومانسية داء لا دواء له.. الرومانسية كجرح الحديد الصدئ لا تزول.. أما الغد فضباب.. أخاف الأمل خشية أن أصاب بخيبة الأمل! ما أصعب الإنتظار.. ما أصعب القرار، والأصعب منه، اللا قرار. وما الأصعب، الألم أم الندم؟

قبرص.. نعم قبرص.. جزيرة الحلوم والشطآن والحمير البيضاء.. لأن قمرها قمرنا، ولأن بحرها بحرنا، ولأن شتاءها مطرنا! إن تضيعوني تجدوني على الشاطئ في لارنكا أرنو نحو الشرق

أن تغادر الوطن لا يعني أنه سيغادرك..فربما أصنع من طلبات الهجرة مركباً من ورق ومن نسغ أحلام ذائبة، وأخاف من الغد لأنه قد يكون اليوم الآخير

A Northern Tail

I am fed up! Surrounded by an enemy for a southern neighbor, and a pest of brotherhood on our northern and eastern border, we just needed creepy guests in the Palestinian Camps to make our life perfect! Fat7 El-Islam my foot. A collection of moron sociopaths - nothing less; a collection bank looters and highway robbers, Thelma and Louise were better gangsters!!

Have they run out of enemies in the IDF so that they start killing the Lebanese Army personnel? I heard on Jazeera there spokesman (sic) claiming he wants to defend the “Ahl el Sunna” in Lebanon. More self-appointed saviors for those who do not need saving. Who’s next? The Simpsons?

Bearded Ma Bakers! Islam does not need you. Sunnis do not need you, and God knows, God does not need you. Palestine is Southward, Nahr El Barid is 150KM far off your destination. March away, and watch that you do not trip with your tails.

Divine Discourse: God

I have developed this great fascination with "Hinduism" and Buddhism. A Hindu friend of mine has pledged to send articles relating to the "Hindu" views of the divine, which is more or less the same as everyone else's view of the divine.

In Lebanon, for some reason, we grow to believe that the world ends near the Euphrates. It's quite a shame, considering that interaction between India/China/Persia and the Arab countries persisted for centuries.

I will do my best to post all the articles I get, and later on, perhaps my experience with Hinduism and Buddhism. One thing I can say with confidence, I am a Buddhist in the making, and I need to learn more.. more.. and more..

Thank you Radha for the article.

----------------

A great sage once fell in with a gang on non-believers in an atheist settlement. They crowded around him and plied him with impertinent queries and insisted that he must show them the God in whom he believed. The sage promised to do so, but, asked for some milk, before he could demonstrate God. The vessel of milk was brought; he sat silent for a long while, stirring the milk with his finger. The crowd got exasperated at the delay and at his silence. They asked him what he was
at; he replied that he was only trying to spot out where the butter was, top, middle or bottom? The crowd shouted that it was everywhere, in every drop of milk and that he could see it only when the preliminary process of churning was done. Then, the sage answered, "Well, the Lord too is immanent in every atom of this universe. He can be perceived and experienced only when the preliminary spiritual exercises of Saadhana are done. There is a definite well-known process for God-realisation also, just as there is a definite well-known process for butter realisation.

- From Bhagawan's Divine Discourse in Prashanthi Nilayam, December 1963

Running out of Passwords...

For as long as I could remember over the last decade, my pet's name, Fluffy, was my favorite password, and pastime. There is a strange ambiance pets create in our lives, whether a cat, a dog, a parrot, a hamster, or even a turtle.

Fluffy, a Chinchilla Persian white feline – with charms and manners that get the better of anybody - has been central in my family's life for the last 11 years. She passed away Friday, age 11.

It is surprising that with all the death and pain around us, one is able to shed so many tears over an animal. One cannot control his emotions though. Sadness and Happiness are not mutually exclusive.

For such a long time, our life at home revolved around Fluffy: From very early morning wake up visits to morning grooming sessions. Fluffy determined our family vacations and our travel schedules – we could not all travel together, there had always to be a cat-sitter. Fluffy had to be kept out of my suitcase every time I pack, and her long white hair was a long time trademark on my dark suits and corduroy pants.

Fluffy were the first thing that greets me when I returned home, and the last thing that chased me out of it. Fluffy was my laptop arm-rest, my wake up alarm, my hot water bottle, and my reading companion.

Most of all, Fluffy was the password I used as part of my password combinations.. I spent last weekend changing those – just to avoid the sinking heart feeling when I type in my password on my computer or phone every morning.

A friend of mine who lost his cat "Lenin" last year wrote: Shakespeare compared life to a stage on which every person acts his part effectively and then leaves. I know that cats are one of the best stage actors, because they profoundly affect your life in all aspects… Sleep well buddy for she watches you back stage.

Fluffy, lovingly called "Beeti" - now rests in peace at a beautiful spot under an old tree near a water spring. Having lived for 11 years, but kept the manners of a queen and the character of a kitten, she's not an easy thing to forget.

If cats go to heaven, Fluffy would already be as I shall always remember her, sitting in the cool shade of the large Jasmine tree like the one in our garden in regal poise.