# 333 – Ori Ansbacher RIP

Ori Ansbacher, RIP.

For the first time ever, I’m writing this from my hospital bed. Let’s see how my style changes. (And now we’ll see how many of you read more than the first line…).

Israel’s announced early elections again. Which means that our opera that late April evening starts 2 hours earlier.

Went to seen a ‘Q&E evening with Yair Lapid’ 2 weeks ago. He was a popular TV journalist, has Clooney-ish looks – and speaks well – also in English. He’s been Finance Minister – heads the Yesh Atid party – ’There’s a Future’.

The expected 250 Anglo-Saxon audience was at least 500. He spoke 30 mins – and took questions for nearly 90 mins, Very impressive, My left wing colleague decided there and then that Lapid had his vote.

One thing that Lapid wants is a max-2 term leadership. Me? I’m not sure it works well in USA (when the last 2 years become ‘lame duck’). And I’m in favour of leaving it up to the electorate to decide who’s next. What’s wrong with success and popularity, as long as you always have some democratic system to put that question to the test? You want change? Vote them out! Majority wants to keep them? Is be it. (Of course, trouble is that the electorate has gone mad, but there’s no clear solution for that).

10 days later….

I’m home and recuperating. All OK. But was not in the mood for writing.

Now I am.

But now I’m becoming fed up with the need to write.

Antisemitism – I’m no longer needling for an answer, for a definition etc. I’ve become very aware of life without antisemitism. How come Israel and the Far East have such good relations: tourism (in both directions), trade (hi-tech, water, security etc. etc.).

Because there IS now antisemitism in that part of the World. Some idiots may want to actively introduce it there, perhaps via such antisemitic forums as the UN or NGOs such as HRW and Amnesty, but when a Chinese meets a Jew, that’s it. It’s perhaps another’s religion, it’s perhaps synonymous with the guy’s nationality – Israeli. But it does not raise immediate questions or prejudices.

This weekend Ori Ansbacher was murdered by a Palestinian. His intention, having left home in Hebron with a large knife, was to kill someone. If lives can be quantified, he chose the # 1 – 19, beautiful, artistic, nature-lover, one of 4 siblings who appeared to be ‘best friends’.

Social media is joining the clamour for justice. Even one of the PM’s sons stupidly used Fb or whatever to demand the most drastic penalty/ies.

Me? What the terrorist’s family want is to make him a martyr. It guarantees their 15 mins of fame, perhaps a street named after him in Ramallah, and a pension for this family for the rest of their lives.

I want to receive what he does not want. He does not want to live – so let him live. He wants to grab headlines. Make him almost disappear. Put him in a room at the back of a factory building or storage area. Drop old food into his room at unpredictable moments, and let drinking water trickle down one of the walls. Perhaps give him a little pebble, with which to scratch the days on the walls, or images of what he misses in life.

And make sure he sees the name of the room: In memory of lovely Ori Ansbacher – RIP.

Stephen.