JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

The singles arrive

By Ben Harris · January 5, 2010

During one of my years living in Israel, I spent some time working at a popular Jerusalem steakhouse. It was a typical Jerusalem affair: the owners were Canadian, the waitstaff was Israeli (except for me), the cooks were Arab, and the clientele American. Once a week, we had to work the lunch shift. It was normally pretty slow, so I would spend a lot of the time bantering with the kitchen guys through a little hole in the wall.

One day, Ibrahim, an Arab-Israeli who lived in East Jerusalem, turned to me and asked, "What's your connection to this country?" The Hebrew word he used was "shayach," and he spat out the question so it was more of an accusation. 

I suppose it's a reasonable thing for a man to wonder and he spends his days grilling up enormous hamburgers for an endless parade of American Jewish tourists. And though it's been more than ten years, probably the best answer I can give him is this video. 

As you watch it, ask yourself this: Does this resemble any colonial enterprise with which you're familiar?