Sharing the Cost, Sharing the Burden

Inasmuch as we need to keep our options for the next few years open, my wife and I are no longer homeowners, at least for the moment.  Our son lined us up a rental apartment prior to our arrival in Israel, and a friend of ours recommended his lawyer to us; it has proven to be a very good recommendation. Our landlord is a American whose plans to have his son live in the apartment went bust when the son's wife got indicted for some undisclosed offense (I get the sense that it involved drugs), the marriage began to fall apart, and the child custody and visitation arrangements effectively preclude the landlord's son from leaving the area of his residence, much less the United States.

The landlord wants what the lease agreement refers to as "commercial silence," in return for which the monthly rental is reduced by 300 shekel per month as long as we do not contact the landlord and our postdated "head checks" clear when the landlord's attorney deposits them every month.  As is standard for Israel apartment rentals, the tenant is required to pay, in addition to rent and utilities, the common building charges assessed to the landlord.

Our apartment building had a major elevator failure, necessitating costly repairs which, in turn, necessitated a supposed one-time call of 725 shekel (this is in addition to the 275 shekel per month we pay as ordinary building maintenance fee).

To be sure, we do get what we pay for.  The building is well maintained, including outside landscaping. 

Before we first came here, more than one friend/relative asked us why we didn't buy or rent a single family house.  Had we done so, we would not have the advantage of 31 additional contributors to bear the financial load of our general building repairs (not that too many single family homes here have elevators, but they all have roofs, etc.).

Last evening, I learned that the building superintendent has engaged counsel (who lives in the building down the street) to try to recover what is now being spent to fix the elevator.  Whatever is recovered will be returned to the tenants, whether in cash or as a credit against future monthly maintenance fees.  The new counsel informs me that our chances of some sort of recovery look quite promising.

Terror Sprouting in Belgium

I write this post as the story from Belgium is still unfolding.  It will not have anything resembling a happy ending.  There are all types of paybacks involved here, not the least of which is that to the excesses of King Leopold, but neither is the Europeans' welcome of the "refugee" jihadist invaders.

The events in Belgium, and what is now happening in Europe, are the natural and logical result of Europe's own follies.  The Europeans still can't directly acknowledge what is happening, and cannot learn from their past mistakes.  They have persisted in condemning and denigrating Israel in order to curry favor with the Muslim invaders.  This tactic has long been counterproductive.

The Jewish people are the canaries in the mineshaft.  The world should have listened to Israel years ago, instead of directing its energies towards Israel-bashing.  There now is hell to be paid for the past inattention and scoffing.

Where has Everyone Gone?

I've been doing more than my normal amount of travel within Israel during the past 3 weeks, and within a broader geographical area than usual (including but hardly limited to an overnight in the Holy City of Jerusalem).  These are difficult times in Israel.  There is a wave of terror that impacts not only Israelis, but also American visitors who are not even Jewish.  Falling into that category is Taylor Force, a West Point grad who was one of America's best and brightest.  [RIP, Taylor.].

These Muslim attacks hit very closely and intimately.  Just a few days before one of the Jerusalem attacks I had passed by the very spot where it occurred.  A neighbor of mine had passed very close to the situs of another one of the attacks less than 24 hour before the event occurred.  The situation is worrying my friends and relatives back in the States.

Note that life continues here in a normal fashion, including the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem (and, for that matter, the town where I live).  Note also that most of the organized tours obtain armed military protection for visits to the critical areas.

On the positive side, I have been pleased and privileged to meet many Americans and people from other nations who have come in friendship to visit Israel.  To them, I give my thanks; your support means much to me (and many other Israelis no doubt agree with me 100%).

Many of the foreign visitors I have met (and will no doubt continue to meet) are not Jewish.  Of this I am most appreciative, while, at the same time, more than a little bit disgusted that so many American Jews are hesitant to come and visit Israel.  The liberal-leaning upbringing of so many Jewish baby-boomers has morphed into a disconnect from their Jewish heritage, and from the land G-d gave them.

Worse yet are the American Jews who have replaced their Jewish faith with a worship of the leftist political agenda, and who proactively oppose Israel.

When there are more American Christian groups at the hotel than American Jewish groups, it is a cause for at least a mild degree of concern; the Jewish groups should be flocking here in droves.

Something is definitely amiss when so many of our non-Jewish friends are more supportive of us than so many of our Jewish brethren.

So if you have traveled to visit us here in Israel, we I thank you.  And if you have not, then come visit us already!

[My travels have ended, but something big may well be in the works; if so, then it will likely inhibit postings to this Blog.]