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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Jan. 14, 2005
/ 4 Shevat, 5765
Poor Palestinians? Poor New Yorkers!
By
Julia Gorin
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
As the world hopes that the outcome of last Sunday's Palestinian elections will finally put the Palestinians on a path toward ending their decades-old suffering and desperation, it occurs to me why, as a New Yorker, my sympathy for their "plight" has always been at a callous minimum.
I recall watching a TV interview with a Palestinian woman complaining of the "cramped" refugee camp conditions, but all I could focus on was the size of her living room. There I was, holed up in an Upper East Side studio with a husband and a pit bull, envying the Palestinian woman's space.
Because let's be honest: New Yorkers are glorified rodents — living on top of one another and scurrying around one another on the sidewalks. Essentially, we're an ant colony for the rest of the country's amusement.
I've heard that on the mainland they have these things called houses. (I saw one once, so I know it's true.) And just about every one of them comes with what's known as a backyard. Apparently, this is the American dream that people come here to acquire. Why didn't we get that memo? I'm in this country over 25 years and still living like a refugee!
That's why every time another score of Israelis gets bombed and I hear the Palestinian "desperation" justification, I think, "Something's not right." Because I lived in the East Village for seven years, and I didn't blow anybody up.
The world blames the Jews for the Palestinian "plight," meanwhile look at how Jews live in New York: It's more than 60 years since we got out of the ghetto, and still the Jews are piling on top of each other into three square feet on the Upper West Side.
I'm not trying to make light of whatever legitimate grievances the Palestinians may have, but when this New York sardine is subjected to reports of their crowded conditions, I just can't feel sorry. Just like when I see Palestinian children playing with munitions for the cameras instead of toys or swings (apparently, even after the billions the West poured into Palestinian aid, the PA never built so much as a playground). Besides, New Yorkers can one-up playing with shell casings outdoors: the toddlers in my building, bereft of a backyard and living in spaces without space, resort to rolling around in the hallways on over-trod, toxic, allergen-infested carpet. I can hear them outside the door even now, squealing gleefully as if they're living a normal life.
Most recently, I'm hearing screams of injustice that in its final conceptualization, the Palestinian state will be somewhat disjointed rather than a contiguous body, forcing people to use underground tunnels to get around. It makes a New Yorker want to scream, "Hello?! — do the words 'five boroughs' mean anything to anyone?" To get anywhere in New York, you either have to go over bridges and through tunnels or spend half your life underground commuting by subway. If until now, Palestinians have managed to stay above ground a full day, already their quality of life is better than in the Big Apple. (I guarantee a Palestinian's Vitamin D count is higher than a New Yorker's.)
When politicians and press were treated to a tour by Yassir Arafat of the "devastation" to the Jenin "refugee" camp during the 2002 Israeli raid on terrorists, Arafat pointed to a car that had been flattened when a tank rolled over it. I looked closer, and saw that it was an expensive make — either an Audi or BMW, I don't recall now — but the point is, New Yorkers don't even have cars! Most New Yorkers, when there is no time for a public bus or subway, grudgingly take a yellow taxi — the new "stretch" model of which means that instead of sitting pigeon-toed or with feet in ballet First Position, a New Yorker can now sit with his feet facing forward in a natural position. This is "stretching" in New York.
If you think genocide bombers are "desperate", try spending an evening with a single woman over the age of 35 in the city. That's desperation! And yet these yentas don't pack their bodies with nails and explosives and go to a club full of 20-something hotties to make a statement.
Furthermore, it has been my observation that people who stay in New York past the age of 40 go insane (here it's called "eccentric" or "neurotic") — a result consistent with crowding experiments done on mice. Daftness has come prematurely for me; after 14 years in Manhattan, I've started to catch myself talking to myself (my best friend, who lives alone, started even before I did). All of which proves that "suffering" and "desperation" can be a lifestyle choice — and it has been for New Yorkers and Palestinians alike: Just as some choose New York misery, Palestinians have chosen misery by rejecting a state every time it's been offered, by rejecting jobs programs the Israelis have created for them, and by destroying housing developments the Israelis have built for them — with the rest of the Arab world doing nothing to help, save for Saddam Hussein awarding them $25,000 to kill and be killed.
So let's not over-dramatize.
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JWR contributor Julia Gorin tours with Right Stuff Comedy and performs in the monthly New York-based show Republican Riot. Send your comments by clicking here.
Julia Gorin Archives
© 2005, Julia Gorin
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