In a few hours, it will be the 24th anniversary of the September 11 tragedy in which about 3000 innocent people lost their lives, mostly in New York, but also in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon (https://tinyurl.com/37wf9brc). Of note, about a month ago, three more victims were identified in New York City, including a young man and two women (https://tinyurl.com/y3w22ndv). All the terrorists (19) also died (https://tinyurl.com/37wf9brc).
This horrific and unforgettable day took place over two decades ago. Sadly, our world is still filled with stories of terror and suffering, in addition to unsolved conflicts here and there, and ongoing senseless wars.
Talking about wars, after checking on her dear cousin and his family in Doha, Qatar, yesterday (https://tinyurl.com/3umyckmr), Bambi decided to listen to the news of the region from out of her birth country, Lebanon. The radio station she found online happened to be talking about a port being renovated 35 years after the end of the Lebanese civil war. Bravo for the positive news.
Of note, this port is located in a city called Jounieh, North of Beirut. Bambi’s family escaped Beirut to this port from which they took a small boat to Cyprus. That was in 1989, a year before they migrated to Canada.
At the moment Bambi turned this Internet radio station on, one of the speakers celebrating the inauguration was mentioning a tragedy that happened at the port in 1989 (a year before the end of war). At the time, civilians were rushing to the boat in almost total darkness, without much sound, for safety reasons. Despite this, the shelling began suddenly. Missiles hit the water surrounding the boat and the small harbour quay. A horror story occurred to one of the escaping families, as mentioned on the radio.
Ironically, as mentioned on the radio, this family was also called Azar, like Bambi’s family name. These parents lost their two daughters on the spot. Can you imagine? Listening to the story made Bambi immediately have goose bumps while shedding a couple of tears. Indeed, this war memory is even more meaningful to her for the following reasons: although the radio speaker did not mention the names of the siblings who died, Bambi will always remember that one of them was called Roula, like her own sister (the other kid was Maia). For some reason, her dad either got stuck in Lebanon or maybe had to return there before Bambi’s mom and sisters. Whatever the precise context of the story, Bambi may have forgotten some details. She only recalls that both her dad and mom used to listen to a radio station on which they provided the names of the injured or dead people. This is how her dad heard about the deeply sad tragedy of the two Azar daughters, one of them was called exactly like his own daughter. He got worried, especially that they did not mention their age on the radio. Indeed, they were younger than his daughters.
Wars are ugly. Violence is senseless. And what to say about terrorist attacks? They are unacceptable, even after two decades or more. May the memory of all the victims be eternal. Much love and continuous healing to the surviving families. Same for all those affected by the 9/11 tragedy, back then or across generations.
To encourage her brain to keep waking up early this morning, Bambi read the latest news on her phone while still lying in bed.
She was deeply sad to learn about the six innocent people who were cruelly killed at a bus station in Jerusalem when two attackers opened fire on them and on a bus. There were also several injured people; perhaps twenty, many of whom in critical condition (https://tinyurl.com/ymuux9au).
Bambi immediately reached out to a dear friend in humanity and faithful reader of this blog. Thank Goodness, she and her loved ones are safe and sound. As for the victims of this tragic shooting, whomever they are, may their souls rest in peace and may their memory be eternal. May all those who were injured survive and heal.
When will the latest cycle of senseless violence end in the bloody Middle East? When it is not innocent civilians dying on this side of the conflict, it is innocent civilians dying on the other side of this endless conflict. Enough absurd violence, fear, bloodshed, and tears of grief.
Beirut-based Yuri Mrakadi is highly creative and filled with talent.
This being said, our world is sometimes too small. Indeed, Mr. Mrakadi happens to have gone to the same school as Bambi (he was a classmate of one of her sisters). Regardless, he has a very beautiful voice. Many of his songs are deep. Others can be quite funny or even sarcastic. He seems to love to sing in the Standard Arabic language, even if some of his songs are also expressed in the Levantine, or Lebanese-Arabic, dialect.
Mr. Mrakadi’s song, which is featured in this post, was composed in 2024. Bambi just came across it on YouTube. Yes, she is just one year behind Mr. Mrakadi’s fans. Not too bad for the dinosaur that she is sometimes :). Although this song’s lyrics are in Arabic, they include the English word “toxic” (for toxic love). Since Bambi had no clue how to say “toxic” in her mother tongue, she asked her clever online friend Mr. Google Translate. He taught her, or rather reminded her, that this term could be “Samma (female version) or “Sam” (male version). The latter literally means “poisonous”, just like in English.
As a reminder, a toxin is a substance (by extension, a communication pattern or a relationship) that can be harmful. In extreme cases, a toxin can lead to not just illness, but also to death.
Of note, a “toxic” relationship (e.g., love, friendship, family, professional, etc.) may have key unhealthy ingredients related to conflict management, competition, and most likely also a need to control or to manipulate. These ingredients, or signs, typically take time to show, which may be months or even years (https://tinyurl.com/2u8wejzu). This is why it would be wise to take our time to get to know someone, or to observe patterns of toxic behaviour or communication, before getting intimate or committing too fast.
Last but not least, before sharing Mr. Mrakadi’ “Toxic” song, Bambi will leave you with a quick translation of its lyrics, thanks to Mr. Google Translate: “Toxic, your love is toxic. Poison runs through my veins. Toxic, even you are toxic. But with you I live my life., Every time you sting me, I bleed in the dark. And from death you revive me. Toxic, your love is toxic. A rose in the desert is calling. What kind of poison are you? It seems love isn’t enough. I became toxic. Poison runs through my veins“.
To conclude this post, may Mr. Yuri Mrakadi as well as you, dear readers, be enjoying healthy and uplifting relationships. May you be happy and peaceful.
Following Algeria’s old ban, now it is Turkey that is cancelling Mr. Enrico Macias’ concert (https://tinyurl.com/pzpf2r27; https://tinyurl.com/5rdcvpm). This country is claiming that it is to prevent anti-Israel’s demonstrations near his concert. In reality, it could be because he denounced the Hamas’ attacks for having triggered the last cruel Israel-Hamas war. Or was it also because of Israel’s recent public recognition of the Armenian Genocide?
Of note, Mr. Macias has always sang for universal topics like love, friendship, joy, beautiful cities like Beirut, and most significantly for peace. Whether he personally likes Israel or not is irrelevant here. What is more important is his music, which moves the hearts of his numerous fans in Istanbul, in the Middle East, in France, and around the entire world.
It is Mr. Macias’ right to be Arab, Jewish, and Zionist all at once. Why does Turkey seem to be using him to punish its neighbour? Instead of scapegoating him, Mr. Enrico Macias should be honoured worldwide for his incredible legacy to both the world of music and to Goodness in our deeply troubled world. As his beautiful song goes, children from all countries deserve peace, love, and music. All countries include Israel as well as Palestine, along with all nations.
“Chorus: Children from all countries Hold out your bruised hands Sow love And then give life Children from all countries And of all colours You have in your hearts Our happiness It’s in your hands that tomorrow our earth Is going to be entrusted to go out from the night And our hope to see the light again Is in your eyes which awaken to life Dry your tears, throw out your guns Make of this world a paradise Chorus You have to think of our fathers’ past And of promises which they never have kept The truth is to love without any borders And give every day a bit more For wisdom and wealth Have just one address: paradise Chorus And on the day when love on the Earth Becomes king, you can rest When our prayers are covered in joy You can have your eternity And every laughs of your kingdom Will make a paradise Chorus”.
Bambi stands in solidarity with Mr. Evan Solomon and with B’nai Brith Canada, which “condemns vandalism targeting Jewish MP’s office” (https://tinyurl.com/5n7szrhr). Enough criminal offence in Canada. Enough intimidation. Enough violence.
As reported in the Journal de Québec (https://tinyurl.com/rtwb26bj), Québec seems to be getting ready to table a bill banning public prayers. Indeed, in a recent statement, Mr. Legault expressed the following thoughts: “The increase in street prayers is a serious and sensitive issue in Québec. Last December, our government expressed its unease with this increasingly prevalent phenomenon, especially in Montreal… This fall, we will therefore introduce a bill to strengthen secularism in Québec, notably by banning street prayers” (https://tinyurl.com/rtwb26bj). Will this forthcoming bill resemble what France resorted to in 2011, Bambi wonders (https://shorturl.at/Mg7G8)?
Instead of a potentially controversial new bill, why doesn’t the Government of Québec ban blocking streets, or public intimidation, whether done while praying, dancing/singing, or even silently? Without being a legal expert of Québec civil code, municipal by-laws, and/or federal criminal law, regardless of the protection of freedom of assembly or right to pray, there must be an existing legal framework to work with. Why isn’t being used now in Montreal to prevent some citizens from physically blocking streets, sidewalks, or disrupting traffic. Why isn’t this legal framework enough?
This being said, of course observant people, including Islamists—yes the latter as well, not just Muslims, or other types of believers—are theoretically free to pray anytime or anywhere they wish to. However, why don’t they choose to pray in places of worship, in private homes, or in their hearts?
In other terms, why should a deeply private act of connection with one’s God be exposed to, and even imposed on, the entire world? Despite any passionate drive to pray, whether truly spontaneous or pre-planned, like in a political demonstration, one must not be too self-centred to the extent of disturbing other fellow citizens with one’s own religious behaviour.
A couple of days ago, Bambi was deeply saddened when she learned about the stabbing of a 70-year-old Canadian Jewish woman, in front of a kosher section of a grocery story, in the Canadian capital (https://tinyurl.com/5zaptdt6).
Her very first thoughts went to this critically injured innocent lady (may she be healing well now), her family/friends, customers/staff of the grocery store, and by extension her community of fellow Canadian Jews, Ottawans, and all Canadians.
Of course, Bambi also thought of all her Ottawa-based Jewish friends who may be going through fear now because of this story.
Later when she read more details related the story, she also thought of the 71-year old man who committed this crime (https://tinyurl.com/2e2ct29d). How odd, DEEPLY disturbing, and sad to learn that the stabber is of the same old age range of his target. You must be really unwell, into the business of blind hate or serious mental illness, to stab someone you do not know at a public place simply because of being associated with a group you dislike.
Bearing the above in mind, Bambi approached her friend and blog reader, Fred Klein, and invited him to an interview related to this tragedy. Mr. Klein (or Fred) happens to have regularly shopped his groceries at the same place where the stabbing occurred. He also happens to be of Jewish ancestry, like the lady. Because of the latter, she believes he can contribute to this post. Thanks to him for his time on this long Labour day weekend.
In the interview shared below, Bambi’s questions are in Italic and Fred’s answers in bold. As usual, this post will end with music. The chosen song is called “L’Envie d’aimer” [The Desire To Love]. The highly talented singer is Mr. Ko Eun Sung. The piece was originally performed by the late and beloved French artist, Mr. Daniel Lévi in the musical comedy by Mr. Élie Chouraqui and Mr. Pascal Obispo, “Les Dix Commandements” [The Ten Commandments]. May love prevail in Canada and everywhere.
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INTERVIEW CHAT
Hello Fred. Bambi would like to extend her heart to the senior lady who was stabbed, to her family, community and to you especially, her dear friend as well as all our other friends in the beautiful Ottawa. As you can guess, she is very troubled and concerned by what is happening in Canada in terms of criminal behaviour or unkind antisemitic behaviour. What are your own thoughts about the following:
1. What comes to your mind following this tragic event at the grocery store when a 70-year old lady was stabbed by a 71-year old man in front of the kosher food section?
“What came to mind was the 2015 attack on a kosher food market in Paris. There, it was reported that the attacker chose a kosher food market as it would be an easy target for finding Jews. Last week’s attack in Ottawa was very similar in my mind because I know that Loblaws location has a well-stocked kosher section. So far as I know, it has the largest kosher section of any supermarket in Ottawa and was my regular grocery when I first moved to Ottawa. The same shopping centre has a bagel bakery that rivals the quality of Montreal’s, so it’s usually a great spot for Ottawa’s Jews and I have indeed bumped into people I know there more than once.
The local reporting was disappointing because they would not make the link between the kosher offerings and the victim’s Jewish status. They did report she was Jewish but wouldn’t say how they knew that or how it could be otherwise different from an attack on any other 70-year old woman“.
2. Are you concerned about either your own safety or the safety of your/our fellow Canadian Jewish citizens?
“I’ve been in the region twenty years now and yes, I routinely evaluate locations and events for their potential as a “terrorist draw” due to the call for global intifada and the naive left-wing values that are used to indoctrinate young people. I sometimes avoid Parliament Hill and am suspicious of the U. Ottawa campus. One needs to check not just the weather but the news also to see where the hot spots might be. I’ve been harassed in Hull and Montreal but don’t have much faith in the police nor justice system, who have themselves harassed me“.
3. Given your professional expertise (Librarian), how can we define semitism and antisemitism? Zionism and Anti-Zionism to the readers who may not be familiar with all these terms historically or socially or practically?
“In my professional experience, I have written about been harassed in Quebec, Ontario and New York. I’m not an expert on Zionism, however, I was taught Zionism can trace its origins back to the Jews who were already living in Israel as of the 1800s or earlier, having made an informal return to the Holy Land following the Roman Empire’s expulsion of the Jews in the year 70 C.E. when the Romans salted the soil and made it unusable for agriculture. The Jews left Israel and settled nearly every other country since.
Significantly, Theodor Herzl crystallized the mounting feeling of nascent Zionism in his 1902 book Altneuland, which in German means “the old new land”. The fundamental concept in Zionism as I understand it is that Jews have wandered all over the world since their year 70 expulsion and should stop wandering and return to the one land where they belong, the land of their ancestors.
The Anti-Defamation League defines antisemitism as
“The belief or behavior hostile toward Jews just because they are Jewish. It may take the form of religious teachings that proclaim the inferiority of Jews, for instance, or political efforts to isolate, oppress, or otherwise injure them. It may also include prejudiced or stereotyped views about Jews”.
Perhaps more information about Herzl and Zionism could be found in the links below”.
4. What could be some solutions to prevent intolerance or to foster a welcoming and truly inclusive sense of society for all?
“Canada’s patchwork system of indifferent jurisdictions and competing interests does not foster much positive. Inclusivity and tolerance testing/training could be made a requirement for employment. People in public employment who fail the test must follow training. Canada could also become a safe haven for Jews, like Israel. These and other measures would require amendments to existing laws making Canada a “Judeo-Christian” country where Jews and Christians together will form the new majority and with the Charter existing to protect minorities. Personally, I would also reduce immigration in Quebec to zero for a hundred years and allow that province to resolve its identity problems while its component ingredients “cook” a while longer.
By comparison to Ontario where the police are quicker to prosecute hate crimes, a Jewish man in Montreal was attacked earlier in August but the judge has already suggested the accused may have had mental problems, i.e. the obvious hate issues are circumvented. Such “soft” positions can only lead to a lack of consequences for hate crimes. In Canada, the lack of federal involvement in policing is keenly felt. Think of other countries where one crime can incur both local and federal charges. Federal civil rights are one area where the United States does it better than Canada and is an area for vast improvement”.
Geographically speaking, Gaza is located about 5, 800 miles—about 9,300 km—away from Montreal, Canada. It would likely take two, or even three, airplane flights to get there. Yet, a 39-year-old Québecker got too passionate about the Israel-Hamas conflict that he torched an Israeli flag in front of Hampstead town hall, twice not just once. He even bragged about it on social media (https://tinyurl.com/5n72ynfc; https://tinyurl.com/58y6v5zk).
But, to begin with, why does the city of Hampstead still have the Israeli flag outside of town hall, one may wonder? It seems that this was the choice made by the Mayor et al. on October 7, 2023.
As a reminder, on the tragic 7th of October, 2023, a large number of innocent Israeli civilians were the victims of a horrible massacre: deaths (about 1200!), rapes, injuries, kidnapping from out homes or from a musical festival, and acts of indignity to dead bodies. The rest of the story is part of the current tragic history of a cruel ongoing war against Hamas taking place in Gaza, which has lead to: (1) surreal proportions of mass destruction, a shocking number of deaths (over 60,000!), awful injuries, suffering beyond words, famine, etc.; and (2) it is estimated that about 20 Israeli hostages remain alive in captivity (https://tinyurl.com/kkjdhecx).
To come back to Hampstead, its mayor claims that his administration did not receive any complaint. However, like anything else in this world, the gesture of raising the flag of Israel outside town hall is probably welcomed by some and unwanted by others. Indeed, it seems that there is a petition that has circulated among some residents, demanding the removal of the Israeli flag (https://tinyurl.com/bdhrd73r). Bambi is unsure of the precise number of those who dislike the display of this flag. Who knows? Perhaps there are residents who do not care, especially that we are used to seeing many flags displayed in Canada. From the media mentioned in this post, the (Jewish) young man who is behind the petition seems to be an articulate and peaceful fellow.
The question that Bambi cannot help not to wonder now is the following: why would a 39-year-old man who lives miles away from Gaza be passionate about the Israel-Hamas war to the point of resorting to criminal behaviour to make the Israeli flag disappear. Why can’t he be wiser, especially at his age? Why doesn’t he tolerate seeing—even if he dislikes it—this foreign flag? If Bambi understood well, this citizen does not seem to be a resident of Hampstead. Why couldn’t he ignore the Israeli flag when he walked in this neighbourhood? More significantly, why can’t he use, or keep using, democratic means to publicly express his anti-Israel opinion (e.g., writing, walking in demonstrations, or signing the petition)? What made him dive into maladaptive behaviour?
To conclude this post with additional questions, how does burning a flag in Canada support innocent Gazans? And how could the torching acts allow this man to keep supporting his cause, which seems to mean a lot to him? Last but not least, are the Middle East troubles worth having a criminal case with a long legal, financial, and psychological journey to defend oneself?
It is hard for Bambi to find words, in either French or English, to wish you Claire a Wonderful 96th Birthday! Thank you for existing in her and our lives. Thank you for the incredible inspiration, at so many levels, for your big heart, along with your sharp mind, for having enriched this blog with your sweet comments, and supported it when it was in danger. Bambi loves you so much and sends you her best wishes across the miles ❤️!!!
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a catch 22 is “a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule”. In other terms, it is “an illogical situation, or a problem in which the solution is denied by the problem itself” (https://tinyurl.com/2542ske2).
To give an example of Catch 22, newcomers to Canada often hear the following statement while looking for a job: “oh sorry, you do not have the Canadian experience to have this job“. However, you need a (first) job to get the “Canadian experience“. Like many other folks, Bambi heard this statement upon her arrival to Montreal in 1990 several times. She tried to solve this catch 22 dilemma by naming it during a job interview with her prospective employer, manager of a maternity store at a mall. She did it as an answer to the question about her former sales experience and ended it by asking how to solve this? Would you dare take the risk of hiring me so I can begin to have the “Canadian experience” and grow through it? If you say yes, I am fully ready for the job. She immediately replied: “you are hired! When can you start. Is tomorrow morning, OK?”
Tragically, Lebanon’s issues are much bigger than a job offer to a 17-year old permanent resident. Indeed, this tiny yet resilient Mediterranean country is now facing the question of disarming the Hezbollah (in addition to other illegal groups). Hezbollah is strongly opposing disarmament claiming that Israel needs to leave Lebanon first since it is still occupying five hills in the southern part of the country (https://tinyurl.com/595utv74). At the same time, Israel is stating that it needs Hezbollah to disarm before leaving Lebanon: “If the Lebanese Armed Forces “take the necessary steps to implement the disarmament of Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including a phased reduction of IDF presence in coordination with the US-led security mechanism” (https://tinyurl.com/fw36p9h7), Bambi just read in the Times of Israel.
What a complicated and touchy catch 22 dilemma, isn’t it? It would be a bit easier had life been simple in the Middle East. But how could it be simple with the following conclusion of Mr. Naim Qassem, head of the Hezbollah: “We have many supporters who represent more than half of the Lebanese people, as well as influential political forces. All are united to protect the weapons and the Lebanese resistance. Anyone who wants to disarm us would be tearing out our soul” (https://tinyurl.com/595utv74).
So, what is next for Lebanon under the current circumstances, one may wonder? How could this dignified, and now hopeful, country achieve the goal of its overdue disarmament plan in a timely manner? Is it truly at risk of strife, as Hezbollah has claimed a few days ago (https://tinyurl.com/362u2rvr), or is it just a political game of bluff?
Many pending questions. Only time will tell what will happen in the Land of the Cedars, both in the short and longer term. Bambi is neither a military nor a political expert. She just knows that her troubled birth country deserves safety, peace, and prosperity. No more wars and violence. No more bloodshed and tears. Enough. Just enough.
