Beirut, one year after the war: my article for Time Out Tel Aviv

The Second Lebanon War ended one year ago this week. In the capital of Lebanon they have started to lick their wounds and to restore their wounded and bombarded city for the umpteenth time. During and after the war, Tel Aviv blogger Lisa Goldman connected online with Lebanese friends. This summer she decided to take a risk and visit them, in order to see for herself the truth behind the rumors of the striking similarities between Tel Aviv and Beirut.

The above is the lead-in to my article for this week's Time Out Tel Aviv. I have an English version ready for publication - it will be online by the end of today or tomorrow morning. The cover of the current TOTA refers to the cover of the issue that was published at the beginning of the fourth week of the war:

Time Out Tel Aviv, August 10-17, 2006.

The words mean, “Perhaps it's enough?” It's a common Hebrew phrase that expresses irritation and / or frustration. The idiomatic equivalent in English is “enough already!” The tone of the featured articles, by TOTA editor Amir Ben-David, columnist/film producer Gal Uchovsky, former Haaretz editor Hanoch Marmari and several other contributors, is one of frustration and sadness at the unending, destructive and pointless conflicts in our region. Amir describes his symbolic wartime visit to Haifa and its suburbs, where he grew up; Marmari points out that both Beirut and Tel Aviv have branches of McDonald's, so there goes Thomas Friedman's famous Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention. Gal Skulnik, a 29 year-old translator and editor, responds to an article by Ramsay Short, the former editor of Time Out Beirut, with an open letter that she addresses to her “brothers and sisters in Beirut.” In it she describes her horror, frustration and sense of impotence in the face of the war, and she wonders rhetorically how the individual can influence government decisions.

Re-reading those articles, one year after the war, I can feel once again all those strong emotions that bubbled away inside me last year at this time. One year is not very long, after all.

The article can be downloaded from the Time Out Tel Aviv site. It is also reproduced in .jpg format below (click the photos to enlarge). Check back a bit later for the English version.

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29 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

Awaiting the English translation with bated breath.

1. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
BV – We're almost there – I don't want you turning blue in the face.

2. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Marmari points out that both Beirut and Tel Aviv have branches of McDonald's, so there goes Thomas Friedman's famous Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention.
My understanding was the NATO-Serbia war was the first failure of that theory.
Anyway, Lisa, I'd gently suggest that the “TEL AVIVIAN IN BEIRUT” headline and some of the other elements of that piece are at odds with the “just a journalist going wherever and how could anyone object?” attitude you want the Lebanese to take towards you. I understand that your editors want to crow a bit, but that crowing has to create antagonism elsewhere.

3. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Hi J Singer -
I'm not sure how far along you got in reading the article, but it sounds as though you didn't get far past the headline. The point is most definitely not to crow, but rather to specify that this is an article about the similarities (and differences) between TA and Beirut – as seen through the eyes of a Tel Avivian.

4. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
The point is most definitely not to crow…
I didn't mean to suggest that at all, just that the framing of both this article and your TV appearance do strike me as having some elements of Outsmarting The Lebanese that I can see rubbing them the wrong way. I know it's not your intention, which is precisely why I mention it.

5. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
I honestly did not get that impression at all from Lisa's previous reports (and TV appearance). Haven't read the TOTA piece yet, but I can't imagine it's much different from the previous dispatches we've read.
There is absolutely nothing in the tone that indicates “outsmarting the Lebanese”. So far, I've seen an honest depiction of what Lisa saw in Lebanon.
Sure, being an Israeli, and never having seen Lebanon through her own eyes, there is bound to be a skewing of what one sees colored to a degree by what one might have expected. A lot of westerners come to Lebanon thinking it's going to look like a war-scarred shithole and make comments like “Wow. It's not at all what I expected. I didn't see a lot of bearded men screaming 'Death to America'. ” or similar comments. And I can see how some might find that kind of comment somewhat offensive, but that's about it.
What's a lot more maddening to me, is having read/seen the Hezbollah/Al Manar/Al Jazeera depiction of Lisa's visit, with all the lies and fabrications that entailed.

6. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
OK, good! It's not my place to decide what Lebanese should take offense at — I'd just perceived something in the way this “scoop” was being presented (again, not their content, just the framing of them) that I could see rubbing people the wrong way. If you don't see it, all the better. I'd like to see fewer grievances in the world, not more.

7. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
And of course Mossad spies ALWAYS publish their intelligence reports in “Time Out Tel Aviv”, telling Headquarters about the strategically vital night life in Beirut and taking photos of hush-hush billboards beside super-secret public highways in top-secret major cities.
*laughing*
Thank you, Lisa.
-Zvi

8. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Zvi -
What – you didn't know that TOTA is part of a Mossad-CIA conspiracy to improve Israel's image at the expense of the Palestinians?

9. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Of course

10. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Reading all that Hebrew makes my head hurt. I will wait on the translation, too. BTW, that is a long-ass piece of writing, sister!

11. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Fascinating article, Lisa. Bought it straight
after Friday Soup! You bring Beirut and your time there to life through your writing.

12. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
well done darling. can't wait to read it. all those ginsburg coffees must have done the trick x

13. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
“Perhaps it's enough” versus “enough already.” What a marvelous linguistic juxtaposition. There is a book in there somewhere, or at least an essay (or incisive blog post) on cultural comparisons and contrasts.
Lisa, you are sooo good. I am anxious to read the English translation.

14. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Lisa, is the Hebrew original or a translation from English?

15. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Zenith – It's a secret.

16. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
From my reading of the hebrew article, it is very obviously translated from the English version ). Anyway, the article is excellent. Bravo Lisa, you are now a celebrity (rotsa-o-lo)

17. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
(Zenith here) – Alice, not necessarily, I was thinking maybe Lisa wrote it in Hebrew but still thinks in English-language sentence structures.

18. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
I wasn't able to post a comment on the English version of the story, which i just read (Comments disabled?). So I am posting it here:
Wow! What a great piece! This was well worth the wait!!!!
It's a shame you don't want to publish this more openly. I personally believe it's worth being out there, but you have your reasons, I expect.
One “correction” I feel compelled to make: Bashir Gemayel was never PM. He was elected President of Lebanon in 1982 and was assassinated before he could take office.
There are countless small nuggets I could comment about in this story, but really, they all stand very well on their own.
The one bit that I found interesting, because I think you hit on a particularly overlooked aspect of Lebanese politics is the observation you made about the feeling that there was a bit of class-struggle in the whole Hezbollah tent city vs. Middle Class Beirutis.
That is a very insighful observation that often gets lost in all the political rhetoric in Lebanon. But the shia sect (which is mostly based in South Lebanon) sees themselves as having been persecuted and oppressed by the more wealthy Sunnis and Christians in the big cities, and having been tormented and neglected both by the government and by various foreign occupations (The PLO, then the Israelis) over the decades.
There is a very strong current of mistrust towards the government, towards the Sunni and the Christians and towards the West (which Hezbollah piggybacks on) that has been there for decades and which makes for a lot of their current mentality and paranoia about the legimitate government, the power struggles, the “American and Zionist project” and so on.
I point this out because a LOT of people (and a lot of media story) tend to focus on the current stance of the Shia and Hezbollah, without really bothering to delve deeper into what has made your average Ali Shia what he is today.

19. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Really, really really good.

20. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
you were indeed crazy to go to those places…
anyway, great job! I really liked the tv report especially.
I was in Beirut in May: but unfortunately only for two days (all the reporting I've done was on the border… hosted by cute Unifil soldiers!) , but I got exactly the same impression: Beirut and Tel Aviv have many things in common.

21. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Crap! I read this post too late and now they updated with a different issue on TimeOut's website. Any chance you can enlarge the Flickr images so I can read your article in Hebrew? (I can't make it out because I'm an elderly 23-year old)
Thanks Lisa.

22. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Hi Daniel -
I'm going to see if I can get a permalink to the online version, but meanwhile you should be able to enlarge the images enough for your ancient 23 year-old eyes by clicking on them.

23. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
here's the link to the hebrew version – http://digital.timeout.co.il/activemagazine/welcome/timeout_249.asp

24. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Lisa,
Do you know how long the issue of Time Out will be in news stands? I want to ask a friend of mine visiting Israel to buy me a copy and bring to the States. I started reading the English version but I am holding off on finishing it until I get my hands on the Hebrew.
You truly are fantastic and an inspiration!!
DL

25. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Hi DL -
Fantastic *and* an inspiration? You are very sweet.
The issue is off the newsstands now, but your friend can probably pick up a copy from the TOTA office at Ahad Ha'am 35. You can email them at sherut@timeout.co.il, or call them at (03) 71111000.

26. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Yes Lisa, I do mean what I say. I have been reading for a while!
Thanks for that suggestion. I have been corresponding with TOTA.
Will you make it to New York on your upcoming trip to Canada?

27. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
I won't make it to New York this time, but I am hoping to take advantage of cheap post-Christmas flights and hop over for a mid-January visit. In that case, I'd love to meet up. Send me your email!

28. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Hi, Lisa
An excellent article. I found it via Laury Haytayan's blog.
I'm sure, that after the peace is established, Beirut will be our favorite destination.

29. Anonymous
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am