Ehud Olmert is known as a man who loves to fly. Many stories
are told about his travels around the globe. In some
instances only a few days or hours had passed since landing
in Eretz Yisroel and he was already boarding another
plane to conquer his next destination. One Jerusalem weekly
even published a table comparing how many days he spent in
Israel compared to how many days he spent abroad when he was
in the Knesset, "Where's Olmert?" was a running joke among
the MKs. Some say Olmert simply feels invigorated when he
breathes the air of chutz la'aretz.
But the moment Sharon suffered his major stroke and Olmert
stepped into his shoes, the former Jerusalem mayor's
globetrotting days came to an abrupt end. Suddenly he found
himself spending weeks and months on end here in Eretz
Yisroel. Are we seeing a new Ehud Olmert? Has he lost his
appetite for travel? Did the heavy burden of responsibility
that fell on his shoulders dampen his love of jet planes and
faraway places?
Olmert imposed the travel ban on himself. And everyone
watched and waited to see how long it would last. Would the
old Olmert be back with a revived yearning to sail the Seven
Seas?
Olmert took Sharon's place for several months, during which
he went through a taxing election campaign. Later he spent
his time building a coalition and only then did he start
making plans to lift the travel ban.
Olmert's first destination was the US. Several weeks ago he
headed a sizable entourage, paying a state visit to President
Bush. That trip broke the dry spell. Political figures
predicted that Olmert had further journeys in mind, but did
not foresee just how tight his travel plans would be.
Just days after returning from the US Olmert took a quick
jaunt to Egypt to meet with President Hosni Mubarak. Fine,
that was certainly a pressing diplomatic mission. How could
an Israeli prime minister not pay a visit to the president of
the large neighboring country next door?
But then, apparently fearing a diplomatic incident should the
Hashemite Kingdom feel slighted, Olmert was "compelled" to
travel to Jordan to chat with King Abdullah.
Upon returning to Israel it seemed this time the Prime
Minister's entourage was back for more than just a quick
stopover, when along came the trip to London and Paris.
Following were a blast on a Gaza beach that left seven
Palestinians dead, and the Hamas and other organizations
ended their cease-fire launching a massive volley of missiles
on Southern Israel. Sderot began to resemble a war zone. The
conflict between Israel and the Palestinians continued for
days.
But if somebody thought these incidents would be enough to
ground the Prime Minister, he was sorely mistaken. Not even
the harsh criticism lodged by the opposition was enough to
induce him to alter his travel plans and away he went on his
five-day mission in London and Paris.
Did this bring Olmert's series of trips to a close? Not for
long. In less than three weeks Olmert is scheduled to set out
for Germany. After all, following his visits in France and
England, isn't it only natural that he make Germany his next
destination?
The Wise Men of Chelm
This week a meeting of the Knesset Internal Affairs Committee
to discuss the issue of youth violence brought to mind the
story of the Wise Men of Chelm, who decided to confront the
problem of a dangerous bridge by building a hospital in the
gulch below rather than repairing the bridge.
During the first four months of 2006 the police opened 45
juvenile case files following acts of physical violence at
youth entertainment spots, compared to 29 files during the
same period last year. Committee members unabashedly said
that parents are simply afraid to send let their children
leave the house.
And what did the police have to say? The solution, they held,
is to post more policemen at these locations, to restrict the
hours of operation, to check those who come and go —
and several other proposals of this sort. Not a single word
about the total failure of the education system or the
boredom among youth.
The MKs invariably displayed great creativity in the
proposals they raised. But will anyone bring to the attention
of the elected officials the simple fact the main problem
lies in the way of life of today's youth? The contents
introduced into their lives? The emptiness and lack of
values? The loss of even fundamental Jewish values?
Unfortunately, until the State of Israel wakes up to the need
for traditional Jewish education and addresses the root of
the problem, we fear that these stories of teen violence and
crime are here to stay.
