My bad. I did not check in earlier to alert you to the upcoming break here on the newsletter. I have been travelling in Europe, attending and celebrating my mom’s ninetieth birthday among other things, and just landed on my favourite island in Greece. So less news analysis this month, some recharging and thinking about how to approach things, business and writing, after the summer. So do stay tuned.
The clock is on island time now. The last time I was here was eight years ago. The beauty of the place and its people remain unchanged. It starts on arrival where the ferry’s foot passengers and vehicle traffic load and unload simultaneously, no rules, no overzealous employees regulating your movement: get on the boat or off the boat as you like. It feels chaotic but it is not: it works.
And once here not much has changed. No major real estate development or new fancy resorts, no, a few places got a new deck of paint, one or two new restaurants have opened, but the drill remains the same. On one of the most private and unique beaches on the far side of the island, a forty minute scooter ride, the routine is unchanged too: grandma cooks the menu for lunch early in the morning, a slow reggae beat accompanies you swimming and napping and at the end of an (in my case) eight hour day you have to press the staff to pay for the food and drinks you consumed. Pay cash based on the handwritten ledger they keep during the day. Tips optional. And: no one bothers you, other than to thank you profusely for dropping by. A timeless place. I treasure it as there are less and less around the world as the global money machine devours paradise almost everywhere. Not here on these smaller islands that border the Turkish coast.
Greece has the same vibes as Israel, which is why I like both places so much. The moment you cross into Greece you have left Europe, you are effectively in ‘the East’ and the same applies to Israel despite what many commentators would have us believe these days. Hot, messy, not overly organized but there is a system that keeps these places running despite the many storms of history that have come to visit, often violently. Hebrew is thousands of years old, and so is Greek. Their blue-white national flags signal deep religious roots and both of these eastern cultures are foundational to our west. Small nations, tough people, anchored in history and they just keep going. For a fleeting moment you cannot help but think that they may actually survive the West at some point in the future.
Yet, the war in Gaza has also penetrated these pristine islands. Earlier in the week I walked past my favourite honey and herb store only to be notified by a big sign in both English and Greek that the store was supporting Palestine. Not sure what its impact was on visitors, but it felt out of place and it was definitely uninviting. And as I mentioned, Israel and Greece have so much in common and that needs to be celebrated. There is for instance an incredible amount of cultural collaboration between these two peoples and in particular on the musical side. There are many examples of this – just check YouTube – but the easiest entry point is this beautiful and gripping Greek-Hebrew ballad by Nikos Vertis and Sarit Hadad, enjoy:
Many thanks for sharing this great Greek-Hebrew ballad! Also an interesting comparison between Israel and Greece and an important reference to the cultural
cooperation between the blue-white nations. All in all again excellent reading stuff!
And yes, that biased, stupid shop lost, I assume, a good customer.
Those store owners are idiots. Hopefully there's a competitor that doesn't engage in overt hostility to Jews and supporters of Israel, that will become your few favorite store.