Well ...so...I decided to take my daughter to the swimming pool . The reason : Like your average Jewish mother , I wanted to teach her to dive , at the age of three . I bought a punch-ticket (Is that how you call it ?) with 12 entries at the local pool. The pool was run by two strange looking guys -one extremely tall , with tatoos and long curly hair tied in a ponytail , and the other one extremely short , also with a ponytail . Two other guys , who happened to be Arab were the life guard ,and the keeper-a young guy with a sad look in his eyes .By the end of August I had used all the tickets and we really had a lot of fun ,but summer holiday was over ,and my girl hasn't learn to dive . More than that , while my daughter really enjoyed herself - I wasn't fully happy . This summer was a war summer ,and I found myself holding back the tears because all the young lives of our soldiers who died in this war . I should have told you my heart aches for the people of Gaza - but I would be lying . As I had mentioned before -it's not like I gloat over their suffering - but the Jewish people is like a family - and I lost my brothers -and it was ,and still is painful to a point where words are too little . They were all so young ,and so beautiful -inward and outward . I can go to the swimming pool thanks to their love and devotion to this country .
So anyway I bought another punch ticket with 6 entries ...
School year has begun ,and this afternoon we went to the swimming pool , only to find out it was closed. we came a 2 killometers way on my old bicycle ,and it was pretty hot , and I yelled through the gate HALLOW , HA-LL-OW anybody here? There came along the keeper ,the young Arab guy with a sad look in his eyes ,and said - "the pool is closed "
"But they said it would be open until the High Holidays !!!! " said I (The high holidays are all through September )
and he said - well it's open now from 6 Am till 9 in the morning ,and on Saturdays .
"How about if you let us in anyway ? " I asked - now this is an Israeli thing ,and I don't think it would have upset me -if he said he couldn't , but it's a cultural thing here to try what looks impossible - what have I got to lose ?and indeed he answered "How long do you plan to stay?"
I looked at my watch , it was four o'clock so I said "...err ..6 o'clock ?" and guess what , he let us in .
There was no one around , so for a moment ,the Jewish paranoid in me was afraid -but just for a moment . There was no life guard too. G-d in heaven how will we get along without the life guard??? pretty well apparently :-) we were in the shallow water anyway ,which reached up to her neck ,so I held her most of the time or I walked with my daughter . or she stood at the edge of the pool and jumped to my arms . I thank the lord in heaven for these precious moments of joy .
After a while the guy came over and set next to us on one of those plastic chairs , and I asked him what was his name .He hasitated and said "Shallom" in the heaviest Arab accent possible. "where are you from?" I asked, and expected him to name one of the many Arab villages surrounding my town , and he said -I am Jewish . I am from here . I said - "I thought you were Arab" ,and he said "I was born here". , It's quite obvious he wasn't telling the truth - whatever his reasons may be - I didn't push . He seemed lonely and there was a kitten there , which he patted ,and so he immediately became an ally of mine , as I too am part of the unwritten covenant of people who appreciate cats , especially if they are talented enough to make you feed them and scretch them behind the ear - and while they truely use you for their little egotistical needs , you are fully convinced they are gracefully doing you a favour .
So there we were in our own privet swimming pool with "Shallom" keeping us company . The pool is usually crowded with children , and sometimes moms and dads and teenagers ,but for two hours I felt like I rented myself a swimming pool . Later on came the short guy with the ponytail ,and I wasn't surprised he wasn't upset ,but rather offered my girl water wings that someone had left behind . She enjoyed them for a while and then the two of them watched over her while I went to the "Deep water" and swam for a few minutes . At 10 minutes before six o'clock we were ready to go , not before the short guy gallantly brought us my baby's towel -as it was already a bit windy .
I myself use a black T-shirt and shorts whenever I go swimming ,and I don't really dry myself ,just squeeze the water out of my shirt , put my girl on her seat behind me ,and pedal home. Autumn is here . No doubt about it.
P.S "Shallom" , I later learned is an illigal-resident from Hebron. I think apart from being a bit lonely he had a good time here .
So anyway I bought another punch ticket with 6 entries ...
School year has begun ,and this afternoon we went to the swimming pool , only to find out it was closed. we came a 2 killometers way on my old bicycle ,and it was pretty hot , and I yelled through the gate HALLOW , HA-LL-OW anybody here? There came along the keeper ,the young Arab guy with a sad look in his eyes ,and said - "the pool is closed "
"But they said it would be open until the High Holidays !!!! " said I (The high holidays are all through September )
and he said - well it's open now from 6 Am till 9 in the morning ,and on Saturdays .
"How about if you let us in anyway ? " I asked - now this is an Israeli thing ,and I don't think it would have upset me -if he said he couldn't , but it's a cultural thing here to try what looks impossible - what have I got to lose ?and indeed he answered "How long do you plan to stay?"
I looked at my watch , it was four o'clock so I said "...err ..6 o'clock ?" and guess what , he let us in .
There was no one around , so for a moment ,the Jewish paranoid in me was afraid -but just for a moment . There was no life guard too. G-d in heaven how will we get along without the life guard??? pretty well apparently :-) we were in the shallow water anyway ,which reached up to her neck ,so I held her most of the time or I walked with my daughter . or she stood at the edge of the pool and jumped to my arms . I thank the lord in heaven for these precious moments of joy .
After a while the guy came over and set next to us on one of those plastic chairs , and I asked him what was his name .He hasitated and said "Shallom" in the heaviest Arab accent possible. "where are you from?" I asked, and expected him to name one of the many Arab villages surrounding my town , and he said -I am Jewish . I am from here . I said - "I thought you were Arab" ,and he said "I was born here". , It's quite obvious he wasn't telling the truth - whatever his reasons may be - I didn't push . He seemed lonely and there was a kitten there , which he patted ,and so he immediately became an ally of mine , as I too am part of the unwritten covenant of people who appreciate cats , especially if they are talented enough to make you feed them and scretch them behind the ear - and while they truely use you for their little egotistical needs , you are fully convinced they are gracefully doing you a favour .
So there we were in our own privet swimming pool with "Shallom" keeping us company . The pool is usually crowded with children , and sometimes moms and dads and teenagers ,but for two hours I felt like I rented myself a swimming pool . Later on came the short guy with the ponytail ,and I wasn't surprised he wasn't upset ,but rather offered my girl water wings that someone had left behind . She enjoyed them for a while and then the two of them watched over her while I went to the "Deep water" and swam for a few minutes . At 10 minutes before six o'clock we were ready to go , not before the short guy gallantly brought us my baby's towel -as it was already a bit windy .
I myself use a black T-shirt and shorts whenever I go swimming ,and I don't really dry myself ,just squeeze the water out of my shirt , put my girl on her seat behind me ,and pedal home. Autumn is here . No doubt about it.
P.S "Shallom" , I later learned is an illigal-resident from Hebron. I think apart from being a bit lonely he had a good time here .
