Comments on: Shady oligarchs and the politics of pork

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 23:59:59 +0000

I rarely shop at Tiv Tam as I have to go out of my way to get there (I frequent that Other 24/7 Chain) and I eat pork every leap year, but the news made me want to drop everything and curl up under my desk in the fetal position and possibly cry.
This guy is Creepy McCreep from Creepville and it doesn't help that I feel he's spiting us mainstream Israelis living in sin to win the votes of, well, those who've never even seen the interior of a Tiv Tam shop.
It's like a very expensive experiment in appealing to voters who might harbour resentment towards those of us who are a little better off, a little more secular, a little more interested in our selfish desire to lead a comfortable life.
It's like he's saying , “Your lives suck, yes, I know, but look! I've just made *them* suffer too!” Not surprising given the guy's social agenda which I believe can be summed up as “Here's your bread, you starving assholes.”
Comment brought to you by a stressful workweek, a strong dislike of Communist populism and a pronounced fondness for cheese.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 23:59:59 +0000

Too many secular Israelis forget that there are actually a lot of people in the country who WANT to outlaw the sale of pork. For them, it's not about spiting the Tel Avivim but about doing what's right with the Big Man upstairs. The same goes for Shabbat. Their goal is not to make sure that you can't have fun; their goal is to protect the sanctity of this day.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 23:59:59 +0000

Amos, I don't know how many Israelis want to actually outlaw the sale of pork but I suspect they are in a distinct minority. Tiv Tam did not set the precedent for Saturday shopping; the kibbutz shopping centres have been packing them in for years, so obviously there is customer demand. Also, this is definitely not a Tel Aviv v.The Rest of Israel issue. The first branches of Tiv Tam (the megastores) were established outside of Tel Aviv - in places like Netanya and Rishon leTzion. The smaller branches (Tiv Tam in the City) came to Tel Aviv more than two years later; before that, I used to drive out to Rishon with friends to shop at Tiv Tam. Also, as you can see from the full list of Tiv Tam locations, there are branches all over Israel - from Nazareth to Beer Sheva.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 23:59:59 +0000

By “a lot” I meant the haredim. They're a small minority overall in the country; they are still many people.
I checked the list of locations while researching my own, very brief post on the matter, and the first time I encountered the store was actually in Be'er Sheva, not in Tel Aviv. But yes, you're right, it's misleading and demagogical to make it into a T.A. vs. periphery issue. I do think that the people to whom Gaydamak is appealing with this stunt are more likely to live in Jerusalem and in the periphery than in Tel Aviv. Just as it is no accident that he bought Beitar and not Maccabi Haifa.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 23:59:59 +0000

Yup, the haredim would totally love to see pork outlawed. Let's see 'em try, though. There would probably be a massive protest demo at Rabin Square.
Anyway, I think Gaydamak may have reached too far this time. Mwahaha.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 23:59:59 +0000

Brilliantly told tale of a rogue and a people whose basic needs (food, shelter) and short-term happiness* he continually seeks to impact. I add to your smartly drawn portrait of Tiv Tam a feature for which I can usually rationalize paying the extra shekels ( a surcharge?) for most items: (relative) cleanliness.
* “… they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (the USA Declaration of Independence)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 23:59:59 +0000

Hey Tamar -
Yup, Tiv Tam is also a pleasant place to shop. I'm really glad you brought that point up: it's (relatively) clean, has warm lighting instead of fluorescents, and the displays are appealing.
Maybe someone should send Gaydamak (and the Knesset members) a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 23:59:59 +0000

I don't know if it was just me, but the hebrew version killed my computer stone dead, even in IE. I had to reboot after a blue screen – twice! you can see how much I wanted to see the clip.
Yeah I hope he loses a lot of money – though as you say it probably won't hurt him. Oh he annoys me – I don't really eat pork but I want the right to do so dammit! I will defend to the death your right to do so too! well maybe I wont but I should

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 23:59:59 +0000

Hey Katherine -
Wow. You got the Blue Screen of Death? The streaming video is definitely problematic, but it didn't make my computer shut down – it just took ages to, um, stream. I'm going to see if I can get a separate clip and upload it to Youtube.
Re. Gaydamak annoying you: Me too – and lots of others, too. And yet, he seems to know exactly who will not find him annoying. Which is even more annoying.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 23:59:59 +0000

I know he just seems really really slippery. I think that man could slide out of anything – any sort of political or financial scandal. lets hope something sticks to him at some point.
it would be great if you managed to put it on youtube – slimeball that he is it's somehow oddly fascinating to see him close up.