The siren at 8 o'clock last night caught me at the traffic lights at Givat Hazarfartit, waiting to turn onto the Ramot road. As we stood by the side of the car, I was at once distressed but not surprised to note several cars ignoring the siren. This is part of the price of living in a democracy where a problematic relationship exists between the minorities and the majority Jewish population. How does the Arab population of Israel see Yom Hazikaron (Remembrance Day) and Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day)? Just as we go from mourning to celebration, surely there must be sectors of the Israeli population who do precisely the opposite: celebrating the sacrifices made by our soldiers and mourning the declaration of our State? It is an idea which although horrifically offensive to me also provides a bizarre comfort; we are quite simply, better than 'them' because we have a free press; because criticism of the status quo is allowed; because we extend the franchise to those citizens who would rather we weren't here, however damaging that might be to our interests.

After watching the stories of several fallen soldiers last night, I had an emotional argument with a distressed friend who, once again, challenged me to think about what it is that I am doing in Israel; why I believe that this is the place for Jews to live; why I want to bring up a family here. Living in Jerusalem, both during and prior to, the Intifada, has been exceptionally trying. My first entry on this blog concerned the Rechov Aza bombing, literally 75 yards from where I'm currently sitting and I'm painfully aware that at any moment I could be added to the list of terror victims.

The development of coping strategies is sadly, an essential part of the process of being absorbed into Israeli society; to avoid being reduced to quivering wrecks, afraid to step outside out front doors, we have to be able to justify why we are safe. A friend who lives in a yishuv in the middle of the West Bank and travels on the notoriously dangerous Ramallah Bypass Road daily, is quick to inform me that statistically I'm more likely to be killed in an attack on Rechov Yafo than he is on his drive to work. My mother continues to visit on the basis that she is more likely to be knocked down by a bus in London than by a terrorist in Israel. I personally, look around the world and see trains blowing up in North Korea and Madrid, towers toppling in New York and a mega attack in the UK, so we are told, is only a matter of time. It is easy to take false comfort but how safe are we anywhere in today's world?

In Israel, when we come under attack because we are Jewish, there is an army to defend us and to take the fight to the terrorists. When the Park Hotel was bombed during Pesach 2002, I was one of the reservists called up to that army to take a role in defending my friends and family. At the time, I asked myself what I would have done had I not been called up. I believe that I would have felt emasculated and would have tried to volunteer, to do something - anything rather than to sit on my backside whilst others were in the line of fire.

This tiny country, despite all the trials it has undergone, has developed a strong economy including a technology sector which leads the world in many spheres, is a nuclear power and has put satellites into space, has a vibrant cultural life and educational institutions which turn out world class scholars. Israel has absorbed millions of refugees and has attracted thousands of immigrants from Western countries, who add their splash of colour to the palette of a young, flourishing society. We are a lone beacon of democracy, in a part of the world where dictators and despots are the norm. Israel has much to be proud of. It is not a "normal" country to live in - but that's precisely why I have chosen to live here.

Gilly

It's simply unpardonable! In the 7 years that I have lived in Jerusalem I have unwittingly walked past a tiny gastronomic jewel sitting boldly in the centre of town in clear and plain sight on hundreds if not thousands of occasions without even thinking to cross the threshold. Now having finally ventured through the doorway to a small slice of culinary heaven, I am, as always, in two minds as to whether or not I should keep it to myself or spread the gospel.

Given that the number of people currently reading this Blog is not going to be enough to fill the very limited available seating, I think that it's probably safe to spill the beans! Walking down Rechov Shammai (the parallel street between Ben Yehuda and Hillel), in the last parade of shops on your right hand side just before you hit the Yoel Salomon pedestrian section, there is a sign bearing the legend "Babette's Gaufres et Chocolat Chaud". Those of you who failed French would have good reason to walk on by - I simply have no excuse to offer however; gaufres are waffles and chocolat chaud is hot chocolate - and how could a place with such a narrow menu survive were its products not nectar and ambrosia?

Babette's barely has room for more than half a dozen patrons but this is part of its funky charm. It is not a place to linger but the perfect stop on the way home when craving sustenance that is both sweet and sinfully calorific. We wavered over the menu, trying to decide which temptation to give into. The vanilla cream and chocolate waffle, served freshly pressed just a few minutes later was simply superb and we polished it off with appropriate appreciative sounds. Not yet sated, we opted for a dulce de leche topping which was also divine and consumed in double quick time. I can only eat so much sweet stuff in one sitting so decided to call a halt to proceedings but will most certainly return to try the other toppings on offer, one after another.....

Whenever I pass Babette's, it always seems to be busy. It is not an everyday treat, particularly not for disciples of the no-carb philosophy which is swiftly becoming the religion of choice for the 21st century. For those of you who believe that everything is okay in moderation however, pop in the next time that you deserve to pamper yourself, need something sweet after a few bevvies or require comfort food fast!

Gilly

Since 1967, Israel has come under both verbal and physical attack around the world for "occupying" the Gaza Strip. Now that Israel has presented a concrete plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank, we are now being condemned by the Islamic Conference for that as well!. A case of damned if you do and damned if you don't if ever I saw one....

The Governator has announced that his first official visit outside of the US will be to Israel to attend the ground breaking ceremony for the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem. Ok - I know I shouldn't be excited but as celebrities come, Arnie's pretty high up the list and it's good PR for Israel. With Israel more used to being portrayed as a war zone, to have a huge A-lister visit for a ceremony of this kind can't fail to have a positive spin.

Gilly

This morning, I drove down to the Talpiot Industrial Zone to drop my car off for its annual service. We've been together for 4 1/2 years and a few blocks over 50,000 km, and I've grown quite attached to my little Coupe which, to be fair, hasn't given me too much trouble mechanically. Nonetheless, even this one annual trip to the car doctor represents a fairly significant hole in my pocket; not to the extent that I'll be considering trading in for a tandem anytime soon though!

As I walked into the office, I reflected on how lucky I've been not to be involved in a smash during my time on the roads. Israel has, for many years been fighting a battle to reduce the number of road deaths, which have well surpassed the number of soldiers killed in all of its wars. In an average year, roughly 450 people will be killed in traffic accidents of some sort. Figures on the site of Anashim Be'Adom, one of many grass roots organisations dedicated to fighting road accidents, suggest that in 2002, one out of every 172 Israeli residents was involved in a car smash of some sort.

Given the way in which many people drive here, these statistics are perhaps unsurprising. It is a mentality that is often traced back to soldiers, on leave for the weekend who need to get everything done as quickly as possible; living for the moment. The army now takes particular responsibility to stress the importance of resting before going out "in Daddy's car" when sent home. When I was serving, this consisted of screening some particularly graphic films to drive the point home. The radio is constantly blaring car safety ads and the fact that deaths were down last year suggests that maybe the message is starting to sink in. Too slowly for 2 kids who stopped on the hard shoulder after running out of petrol who were mowed down by a lorry this week.....

Both in England, where I drove for 5 years before my Aliyah and in Israel since purchasing my car, I've been lucky enough to steer clear of trouble. I say "lucky" for a reason: although I consider myself to be a pretty good driver, its always the other moron who you need to look out for. This was easier to do in the UK where drivers are more predictable; undertaking and overtly aggressive driving are the exception; not the rule. In Israel, the only thing that is predictable about other drivers is that they will be unpredictable. Somehow however, other than an extremely annoying dent in my door that was the result of someone managing to hit me despite my being one of only 7 cars in a 200 space car park, I have not yet had to make the acquaintance of my insurance assessor.

I just picked my baby up complete with shiny new brake discs, various exchanged fluids and filters and a windscreen spray that actually works. The exhaust is no longer making disconcerting noises and hopefully that will be all I'll have to see of my mechanics 'til this time next year. The service was superb by the way - I even received 3 calls during the day from the receptionist to get my permission to carry out additional work and to tell me that the car was ready. The bottom line was at the same time far too much and exactly what I had expected it to be.

Drive safely, be considerate of other drivers and if you see a silver Megane Coupe waiting patiently at a junction - be kind and let me into the line of traffic!

Gilly

Shortly after Sheikh Yassin was assassinated, his replacement as Hamas leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi avowed that he would rather be killed by an Apache (helicopter) than by a heart attack. News editors around the world ran to their archives yesterday evening to dig out that clip, after the Israeli Air Force provided an excellent example of why you should be careful what you wish for in ridding the world of another arch-terrorist with the blood of innocents on his hands.

Israeli news commentators made the impressive claim that Israeli helicopters are constantly in the air, with permission to kill certain targets the moment that they slip up and emerge from their cover. The idea, that one phone call from a well placed informant, letting the relevant people know that Rantisi had left a safe haven, accompanied only by two bodyguards in a car of a certain type, led to a missile destroying that car literally seconds later, inspires me with an amazing degree of confidence in the security services. That it was done with pinpoint accuracy with no-one other than the targets being taken out, demonstrates the skill of the pilots and the importance that Israel attaches to the sensitive issue of non-combatant casualties.

Rantisi, like Yassin before him, was the leader of a terrorist organisation which has been proudly responsible for the murder of thousands of Israelis. The message has been sent out loud and clear once again, that Israel will strike at all levels of terrorist organisations whenever the opportunity presents itself. Hamas has allegedly appointed a new leader but is keeping his identity under wraps. I doubt that he will be able to escape the notice of Israel's intelligence community for very long...

Gilly

In today's Jerusalem Post, David Graniewitz mourns the demise of Miluim. Under proposals made by a committee headed by Defense Minister and former Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz, the discharge date from combat units would be lowered and the miluim required of these units would only involve training as opposed to active duty.

Amongst the arguments that Graniewitz puts forward against the change are: the need to build cohesive fighting units; the change in the image of the people's army, particularly as portrayed in the media; and the use of miluim as a reality check, particularly with reference to our relationship with the Palestinians.

I received a brown envelope from the army with dread this week. Usually the envelope heralds something unpleasant - being away from home for an extended period. I do miluim with a great bunch of guys and actually quite enjoy being away from the office and in the open air but there are significant problems associated. As it happens, this particular missive informed me that my services won't be required this year (which I'll believe when we get to December 31st) and that they are cutting the amount of time we'll be serving - I breathed a sigh of relief.

As a single man, working for a miluim friendly organisation, I don't significantly suffer when I'm away from home and work; someone covers in the office and my flat mate feeds the fish and waters the plants whilst I work on my suntan from the back of a jeep and catch up on some reading. For a lot of the guys with whom I serve however, it is a good deal more problematic. For them, miluim means leaving their wives to look after the children for an extended period; it means missing out on vital study time and exams at University; it means businesses going to the wall for the self employed. In that miluim is a burden being shouldered by a shrinking minority of the population, it also serves to build an unhealthy resentment against those who don't serve, who often view those who do as freierim (suckers).

From the point of view of the country, my understanding is that the original vision of miluim was that there should be a large, well trained force which could be be called on in times of emergency only; not used on a year by year basis to fill the gaps left by the regular army. The use of miluim units as it stands today, costs the State a huge amount of money in salaries and lost productivity. From an economic viewpoint it is logical to try to reduce the burden on reserve units and it seems that the bottom line has finally proved to be the important factor.

It is important to put a stress on keeping the reserves trained to a high standard and I fully support the idea of call ups for training on a regular basis. I and those with whom I serve, will for the most part continue to turn up, kit bags in hand whenever and wherever we are called. We will however, be more than happy if our services are not required and we can put our uniforms in mothballs.

Gilly

My girlfriend took me to a Moshav Band gig the other night. Their music is a mix of English and Hebrew, sacred texts and modern lyrics and carries the influences of Carlebach, Grateful Dead, rock, blues and folk; it is a funky and extremely potent cocktail. We saw them at Club Tzora down by Beit Shemesh with a packed, eclectic crowd which included babes in arms, white haired grandparents and a good dose of yeshiva students; I was about the only non-American in the room but made it safely through the evening! Saturday night they played again at The Yellow Submarine in Talpiot which I gave a miss to but my girlfriend thoroughly enjoyed.

Based in the US, these guys tour extensively and clearly enjoy their music. They engage the crowd, have an extensive following and appear to be having a lot of fun when they're on stage. Tour dates are on the calendar on their website: check them out if you have the opportunity.

Chag Sameach

Gilly

During Chol Hamoed Pesach, it is traditional to load up the family and head off on tiyul. Part of this must surely be a sub-conscious re-enactment of the departure from Egypt; part from the necessity to walk off the extra pounds gained on seder night (and believe me there were plenty!) Given yesterday's evidence however, the average tiyul now consists of driving to a clear spot of grass, parking in a way that will inconvenience as many people as possible, throwing down a picnic blanket and stoking up the barbecue.

Nearly a decade ago, when I was a good deal fitter and more stupid than I am today, I spent a pleasant few hours assisting my younger brother to cycle around the Kinneret on a torturous August day. When my girlfriend suggested recreating the feat, I agreed - what could be better than seeing a beautiful part of the country, with my best gal by my side? Memories of my previous trip did leave me with a few reservations but the weather has not yet reached the insufferable stage and the object of my desires works out at the gym pretty much daily and so surely wouldn't encounter the same problems as my younger sibling had so why not?

We set out early in the morning from Jerusalem heading up the Jordan Valley Road (which is pretty at this time of year). Two hours driving at moderate speed found us entering the Aviv Hotel at the southern entrance to Tiberias. The Aviv, situated opposite the Galei Kinneret Hotel, rents bikes out and we had reserved a couple of their finest machines for the day. A day's hire will set you back NIS 40 for the basic model or NIS 50 for a better quality bike - we chose to pay the extra NIS 10 and were pleased to be handed modern mountain bikes with 21 gears, in decent condition. Although they are provided, we had brought our own helmets so all that remained was a brief stop to fill our rucksacks with tiyul food and off we headed.

If you choose to try the route yourself, my tip is to do it clockwise (heading North out of Tiberias) as this means that you'll encounter the hilliest bits early on in your odyssey when your legs are relatively fresh. It's a pretty long ride at just over 60 km so you won't want to be tackling steep gradients at the end of your ride. Perhaps it's obvious to point out that if you're at the high points you'll also have the best views of the trip and you'll be more likely to appreciate these when you're not concentrating on your aching limbs.

The first place of note to pass is Kibbutz Ginossar: in 1986 when the water level of the Kinneret was paritcularly low, locals discovered a boat from the 1st century - the time when Jesus was roaming the Galil. Today the boat is housed in a special museum at the Kibbutz.

Continuing around the sea, one encounters several sites of biblical note including Tabgha, Capernaum (Kfar Nahum), Bethsaida, Chorazin and Susita. All are worth a visit but probably not on a bike. This is the heartland of the New Testament where Jesus once walked and you'll find constant reminders of this fact. On his visit in 2000, the Pope visited the area and performed Mass on a hill overlooking the Kinneret - a view which I still find awe inspiring. There are also plenty of Jewish sites in the area - Tiberias is one of the four cities which have had a continuous Jewish presence and this is reflected in the archaeological richness of the area.

Back to our tiyul however, and my beautiful better half was quickly finding herself in some discomfort - modern bicycle seats are a lot more painful than I remember and we were stopping frequently to nurse our painful posteriors. She was also finding the pedalling more taxing than expected and it was only a lot of pluck and natural stubbornness that got her up the steepest of the hills that marked our route.

It soon became abundantly clear that we weren't going to finish the entire route together. Having covered approximately 30 km she was simply in too much pain to continue. We reached a sensible compromise and found her a women only beach at Kinar on the North East shore whilst I continued in double quick time to pick up the car in Tiberias and came back to collect her. The first 30 km had taken us the best part of 6 hours. I raced around the remaining 31.7 km in 1 3/4 hours, arriving exhausted and stinking in Tiberias.

As I raced to the rescue after 8 hours in the saddle, the car's seats were possibly the most comfortable that I had ever sat on. Fortunately I was able to figure out how to remove the bike's wheel so as to fit it into the back of my sporty little number and we finally made it back to Tiberias a little after eight.

The ride is pretty tough physically and you should prepare yourself with appropriate amounts of water and food. It is best attempted with people in a similar condition physically to yourself - I found it frustrating to continually have to stop; at some points every 3 minutes and were I not a patient person, our relationship would have found itself tested with several blazing rows! There are plenty of places to stop off for a swim so take your cozzie and a towel. It should go without saying but you'll certainly need to use a decent amount of sunscreen, drink plenty of water and have some sort of head covering. A camera is also essential equipment. Our experience suggests that some sort of pit team to come to the rescue would also be a pretty good plan!

Wishing you a Chag Sameach!

Gilly