In life, everything is about ‘perspective’. Out of all of the places in the world, this powerful cliche is especially true in Israel. This past week, one of my friends posted a ‘fire and brimstone’ monologue of an incident that had occurred to him earlier in the week.
In order to get a passport for his minor son, he took the day off work and arranged to meet his ex-wife at the Ministry of the Interior to sign the relevant paperwork. Although this government bureau was supposed to have been open until 5PM, he, along with several others, arrived at 4:30 to a closed gate. The security guard refused to let anyone in, claiming that he had been given orders by his superiors to not admit anyone else. After the unhappy crowd gathered outside demanded an explanation, the office manager made a brief appearance and claimed that she had gotten orders from her superiors on the national level to close early.
My friend was understandably furious, and labeled the government workers ‘parasites’. Whereas he and the rest of the crowd had no choice but to miss work in order to get their passports or to change their civil status, this particular government office had failed to render the services under their jurisdiction. Whereas in the private sector disgruntled customers vote with their feet, this is simply not possible when dealing with the government bureaucracy since there’s only one place to go for a passport.
On a philosophical level, I understand my friend’s outcry. But since this incident involves the ISRAELI government, there’s something about his strongly anti-government rhetoric that strikes an especially sensitive chord. For me, the State of Israel is holy. It’s also the ‘first flowering of our redemption’, as we religious Zionists say as part of the heart-wrenching prayer for the welfare of the State. This does not mean that the State of Israel or its various branches are beyond critique. But to only focus on the imperfections is a serious mistake. This flawed approach is void of perspective. I don’t know the reason why our city’s Interior Ministry office decided to close a half hour early, leaving a couple dozen law-abiding citizens ‘high and dry’. Perhaps the reason was classified and legitimate or perhaps it was based on a spontaneous whim. We will probably never know the answer.
A couple months ago, I found myself in the same local branch of the Interior Ministry where my friend was locked out after I had lost my identity card. After taking a number and waiting with my restless toddler in the crowded office, a representative told me that since I was with a baby, I didn’t have to wait. This is also the policy of all pharmicies in Israel. Babies or children are automatically moved to the front of the line. What a wonderful societal norm!
Although my friend had several responses to his post joining the band wagon of ‘how terrible the Israeli bureaucrcy is’, I responded that during the 13 years that I have been privlidged to live in Israel, I have not had even a single negative experience in a government office. As a matter of fact, almost all of my experiences have been positive and were added to my long list of ‘only in Israel’ occasions. Once again, in Israel, everything is about perspective!
