False Dichotomies

An email I received; it provides a nice follow on from Israeli Apathy (1), where I referred to the immense popularity of Big Brother. Yossi Bulbil is one of the most popular members of the Big Brother house. Gilad Shalit should need no introduction.  

Shalom Friends,

Maybe some of you will read this and think that I’ve got a distorted mind, and why am I comparing between the two, but sometimes it seems to me that Yossi Bublil receives more daily publicity, love and public interest than the 848 days of Gilad.

I look at this and I say – we are talking about two people – one a big brother, the other a little brother – and everything is in disarray. One has been sealed off in Gaza for 848 days, and the other has been sealed off with difficulty for 70 days in a villa. 

One is dying to return to his parents, to his family, to his friends, to civilian life like the rest of his friends, and is surely praying that all of us will take him out of the terrible dark place where is at the moment. His father and mother are supporting him by travelling the length and breadth of the land.

The second brother has already graduated from this half of his life, and is currently closed up in a villa, also “some place”. He has a swimming pool, food, cigarettes, a doctor, and friends. Even his daughter is with him.

Despite the little brother, the big brother wants only to remain sealed in the villa for 100 days. We are nicknaming the big brother the porcupine [Durban]; the little brother the sacrifice [kurban].

They are reminding us about Yossi Bublil 24 hours a day, through every possible means, and we even send texts once a week so that he’ll stay, because that’s how we’re “with love”.

A few days ago I saw the program, and there was a removal. And so Erez Tal said that a load of crazy texts had been sent. I imagine to myself that it’s hundreds of thousands, and I think how many hundreds of thousands can send an SMS, but half of those people can’t come to Kikar Rabin…

It’s true – Gilad has become a matter of routine, while Yossi has become the topic of Friday evening living-room conversations, to chats on the bus, to little musings in the newspaper. But I almost forgot: Yossi doesn’t just want to stam remain in the house. He’s earn from it a million shekels…

And so maybe it will sound strange to you Gilad, but it seems that freedom has a price. For a hundred days you get a million shekels, while you – Gilad – are edging closer to 900 days, and I guess that there isn’t a price in the world that you wouldn’t give up for even one day of freedom, after all that you’ve been through. Oh, and let’s be realistic – that you will continue to go through…

So I ask myself, and I ask God – who will be freed first? Yossi or Gilad? The one that wants to remain, or the one that wants to leave? The small difference…It seems that up there in the Knesset they don’t understand that your life isn’t a reality show. It’s sad Gilad, because right now the government’s about to change.

After all of the above, maybe we’ll succeed in freeing Gilad Shalit with the help of a “bombardment” of text messages to the manager of the program (Mr Olmert).

I still don’t know, but I’m starting to distribute what’s been sitting in my head and my heart for some time. Maybe this is how big revolutions begin. With a personal request to everyone who’s received this, to send it to everyone in your address book.

Somehow, maybe it will help someone to free Gilad Shalit.

Maybe.