Hand Washing
I think BA knows just how big a jerk they've been, and realize the mistakes they've made. It's the only explanation I can come up with, short of downright evil behavior. Satan and Beelzebub, pardon me, Oded and Michal hesitantly made the journey to the West Bank, and called us with an impromptu meeting.
"It has come to our attention that you all have been taking tramps. (Hitchhiking) If you continue to do this, we will write a letter to BA back to England, and to your parents, (Only American, remember?) telling them we absolve our responsability of you." Actually, those weren't the exact words. He was some how able to tell us that with the monosyllabic prose of his. Apparently, they had discovered that I had taken a tramp with an Arab a few weeks before, and started using that as a trump card. Look, I took one ride. It was my only chance to make it in time, and what, I figured, on Earth would they do with a long haired unarmed American tourist, clearly broke, civilian? Nothing. "Is that clear?"
"What? That we can't hitchhike? No, that's not clear. How are we supposed to get out of here?"
"There are other ways to get out of here." I am really surprised that I was not at this point able to remember that a few days ago I had been mugged by a hooker do to the bus. But that gets filed away with all the things we all SHOULD have said.
"There is a grand total of ONE bus that says it leaves here at seven AM, that coms at any time but."
"So, take that."
"It puts us in one of the worst neighborhoods in Tel Aviv."
"There are other ways of getting there if you want."
"What? A cab? It costs 100 shekels just to get to Petah Tikva, and drivers aren't exactly thrilled to come to the West Bank in the first place. Are you going to pay for them?" Petah Tikva isn't exactly the greatest city, but it's the closest.
"Look, I don't care. Then stay here if you have to. But no tramps."
"But they don't serve food on the free weekends. There's literally nowhere to buy food around here."
"Well, what do the yeshiva kids do?"
"THEY HITCHHIKE!"
"Well, you can't. Is that understood?"
"Frankly, no."
"OK, so, I am faxing a letter to each of your parents, and to the head of BA in England, telling them - and the head of BA in America," he adds as an afterthought, "telling them that we do not have responsibility for you if you hitch hike."
"You put us here!"
"We are looking out for your well being. No hitchhiking."
"Our well being? Can you say 'gas masks?'" Almost all of the quotes previously were a consensus of the group, but even some of the kids groaned when I brought this up. I don't quite remember who said the previous ones, but the last two were mine.
"Oh, not this again. We've been through this thing with the gas masks a thousand times. You have a gasmask in your name in a warehouse. If it's deemed an emergency, you can go out and get it."
Commercial break:
Dramatic pause.
"But we can't leave this place to get them..."
"^Yes Michael, that's it, we want you to die.^" It was said sarcastically, but a legitamite answer wasn't given, which makes the sarcasm sound real. "OK, we're leaving now, and I guess I fax it out when I get back."
So, I got the E-mail address of BA in England, already having it to the US, and sent out an E-mail that night, also sending it to the head of BA International.
To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
From: "michael (Badguy4) kadish" < [email protected]>
Subject: Re: Oded's Fax
>To the Shlichim of B'nei Akiva for North America and Great Britain:
>
>If Oded has kept his word, you have received a fax to the effect that B'nei Akiva absolves all responsibility for us in Hachshara, due to the fact that we have hitchhiked as a means of travel in Israel. He told us that it was his intention to tell you, and have the two of you inform our parents.
>
>Without pointing out the childishness in that action, I would appreciate the chance to point out the compromised position that B'nei Akiva has put us in. They have, without warning us previously, put us into the West Bank. The most common form of transportation here is through tramping. Since we make use of this form of transportation, Oded will have nothing to do with us, because "Your lives are the most important things."
>
>There is good reason that tramping is most often used. The closest "city," Petach Tikva, costs a cool hundred shekels to travel by taxi, each way. The prices to one of the four main cities is naturally much higher. There are no stores, no markolet, no food to buy, nor books, nor any other of the simplest luxuries available in Peduel, and need to be obtained in other cities. Every free Shabbas, that Oded told us would have been best for us to have stayed here for, "for our safety," would have left us stranded without a minyon, but more importantly, without food, or supervision. We are by no means capable of spending such money every time we need toiletries or any other item that we would need. If B'nei Akiva would have agreed to reimburse us for taxis from the beginning, they should have said so.
>
>The only other way to leave Peduel is the 577 bus that leaves here at 7:00 AM, to the Old Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv, and returns at 4:00 PM, for 16.30 NIS. That would be the only viable alternative to tramping and taxis, but for Oded to tell us to take this, "for our safety," is to be cruelly oblivious. The Old Central Bus Station is in the worst of neighborhoods.
>
>I was mugged there two days ago.
>
Commercial break:
>I have reason to believe that this notion of "not letting us tramp for our own safety," is an attempt to force us into a Catch 22. Baruch Hashem, in the eleventh hour, Saddam backed down, and war did not break out. Though the tension was as strong as it was, B'nei Akiva, who is holding our passports, would not shell out one hundred shekels for a gas mask deposit for us. There reasoning is that we have gas masks stored away, in our names, in boxes, in a warehouse.
>
>It's not so reassuring to know that if, God forbid, war breaks out, at least our boxes will survive.
>
>Assuming that we were to have heard that the state of emergency had been declare after 7 AM, which seems the only feasible way the events could transpire, we would not be able to leave Peduel, and wind up in the red light district of Tel Aviv till seven the next morning.
>
>When we pointed out the situation to Oded, and asked what he proposed, he said, "I don't care. Learn to fly."
>
>This is only the latest of the cruel jokes he has delivered to us. His trump card in arguments is that we CHOSE to stay at Peduel, he gave us the alternative of leaving to another Yeshiva. He said that it was a difficult yeshiva, and those who could not hack it, were to be forced back to the kibbutz.
>
>I can not think of a euphemism to describe this action, except to say that I doubt even an Amelekite would have the audacity to do this. He offered us an all or nothing chance. If those of is who wanted to go to Yeshiva went, everybody would go, but those who couldn't keep up would have there Jewish studies, that they paid for, reneged from them. To do this to a group of nine, three of whom had never studied Gemorah before, and one of which has Cerebral Palsy and severe learning disabilities, shows nothing but pure audacity on the behalf of Oded, and had killed any respect we might have had for him.
>
>I implore you, that if Oded has kept his word, and told you to tell our parents, that you not only tell them his message, but show them this as well. If this was nothing but another empty threat by the B'nei Akiva here, then I ask you not only to send this to our parents, but challenge Oded as to why these are not legitimate claims, and then ask above why we do not have a person in charge who is legitimately looking out for our needs.
>
>I eagerly await a response.
>
>
> Michael Kadish, American Hachshara
> With the support of all of the British in the group.
>
I talked to Danny, through IM, after sending it. He told me he'd look into it. I have heard nothing from anybody since. It's like talking to a wall. Maybe I should do the American thing.
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Michael Kadish
