Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., July 25, 2008 Tamuz 22, 5768 | | Israel Time: 12:07 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Last update - 05:49 24/07/2008 Sakhnin's only Jewish resident sees Arab town as home By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Israel, Sakhnin  Over the past few months, the Sakhnin municipality has found itself in such serious trouble that it has no more room to maneuver. Garbage is collected on a random basis, the education department is desperately seeking donations and the employees have not been paid for several months. But perhaps the worst thing of all is that it is possible to wake up in the morning, turn on the faucet and have only air come out. Teddy Fassberg, who has lived in Sakhnin for about a year now, has already become accustomed to this. So much so that he even forgets to mention it: The subject came up at the end of our meeting about two weeks ago only by chance. At first, it was difficult for him to wake up to this unpleasant surprise, which afflicts all the town's inhabitants. Now, he always keeps some bottles of water in his one-room apartment, in preparation for hard times. If there is no water in the tap, at least there is bottled water for brushing his teeth. Fassberg, a young Jew from Jerusalem, decided that after his army service he would devote a year to living in this Galilean town. At first, his friends did not believe him. They thought he would never carry out his plan. But indeed he has. His original idea was to write a book about the local soccer team, Bnei Sakhnin, which is making the town a brand name. And also to learn Arabic. Advertisement Summing up the year, it can be said that he has learned a lot about soccer and about the team, but he has not really learned Arabic. No one here has time to invest in his Arabic, and conversations very quickly slip into Hebrew. And he has no real contact with the people who are not fluent in Hebrew - the women and children. So how do you find an apartment in Sakhnin? Here, as in all Arab locales, there are no listings of apartments to rent - not in the newspaper and not on the Internet. Either you walk along a street and see a sign or you find a place through rumors or word of mouth. And how do you get to Sakhnin when you do not have a car? Only anyone who has tried the area's public transportation system knows just how hard things are here. Sometimes a trip that should take just a few minutes takes hours, because public transportation to Arab locales is inadequate, if it exists at all. Moreover, it does not adhere to timetables. Then, once you are already living here, you discover that there are red lines you really should not cross. Once, related Fassberg, the proprietor of the local grocery store where he shops saw him buying some canned food at the small supermarket, which also has a bakery, rather than at his grocery. This cost him a two-day snit and a huge fuss. Today, he takes care not to buy groceries when he visits the bakery. Why does he need trouble with shopkeepers who stake out their territories? The local inhabitants treated Fassberg very well. There were some who joked and said that they did not want Jewish settlers from the territories coming to Sakhnin, but apparently one fellow on his own does not constitute a threat. "I didn't have any negative experiences. There are people who are not as nice to me, but no one was disgusting," he said. "People were always saying that they want peace, with utter sincerity," he continued. "And this does not mean that they concealed their great distrust of the state and the establishment, or how affronted they feel. Hugely affronted." We held our conversation at Abu Abdu's cafe on Sakhnin's main street. At 10 A.M., the cafe is already serving narghiles to those who want them. But the traffic is still thin. As at many cafes in Arab locales, the heavy business occurs mainly on days when sports events are broadcast on television. Then the place is packed, with men only. Except for when a Jewish girl turns up, like a friend of Fassberg's who has come to visit him. Then they bend the rules for her. Fassberg said this has been a good year for him. He has not yet written the book, but he does keep a blog. Some of his columns have been published in Hebrew on the Walla! site and in English in The Jerusalem Post. For friends who came to visit him here, it was like a trip abroad. He related that one friend of his who tried to compare Sakhnin with Jewish locales kept saying that "in Israel, it's different." Others said they saw a resemblance to India. The Bnei Sakhnin soccer team, however, is in Israel, not India. Not only that, it also has a Jewish coach, team members and fans. Teddy knows them. He mentions a fan from one nearby community who makes a point of coming to every game and takes his place on the bleachers close the fans of the rival team in order to make peace between the camps if tempers get heated. Another fan, who is also a 71- year-old grandmother, comes to every game from Hod Hasharon. Among the Arab public, Sakhnin is a winning brand. Fans will travel long distances to come to games in the center of the country. This year, the pride of the community finished fourth in the Premier League - one of its good years. But while from the outside, everything looks good, there are surprises from the inside. In fact, the local population did not attend the home games that much. "From the outside, it looks as though everyone is united and the season is fantastic," Fassberg said. "Nevertheless, Jewish players, for example, couldn't understand why the fans weren't coming. It took me a while to see that there is a division here." Bookmark to del.icio.us   The bigger apple Study shows Tel Aviv is more expensive to live in than New York. When bedbugs bite After 40 years' absence, Israel braces for return of the bedbug.   1.   "The only Jewish resident." 06:22  |  Maureen Ann 24/07/08   2.   Israeli Arabs 08:19  |  StEVE SCHLESINGER 24/07/08   3.   Its a start I guess 08:23  |  Michael 24/07/08   4.   A Jew amongst the Arabs 08:38  |  Joe 24/07/08   5.   JEWS WELCOME IN ARAB TOWN, BUT NOT OPPOSITE: HAARETZ PROPAGANDA! 09:32  |  stephane 24/07/08   6.   # 1 to maureen ann re: "the power of one" 09:32  |  eric 24/07/08   7.   No recent blog to be found 10:16  |  Miriam 24/07/08   8.   Arab Towns...Sakhnin 11:58  |  Maerton 24/07/08   9.   Only Jewish resident in Sakhnin? 12:33  |  Ben Alofs 24/07/08   10.   Maerton all orderly towns you mention are not majority Muslim 14:31  |  Genuine Tosefta 24/07/08   11.   Nice story 23:30  |  Arab Dude 24/07/08   12.   You know the old Arab expression..... 00:57  |  Sherman 25/07/08   13.   # Eric. Teddy Fassberg is a "gem." 03:53  |  Maureen Ann 25/07/08   14.   # 13 to maureen ann re: it spreading 08:50  |  eric 25/07/08   15.   To Genuine Tosefta 09:36  |  Adam 25/07/08   16.   the question not asked 10:32  |  raymond deane 25/07/08   17.   Hi Eric and Joe. The first recorded Palestinian immigration... 11:23  |  Maureen Ann 25/07/08   18.   sakhnin 11:27  |  Terese 25/07/08

Read & React Obama to PM: Iran action legitimate only if talks fail Responses: 56 Shmuel Rosner: The U.S. is not the president of Israel Responses: 25 Shin Bet head Diskin: Truce with Hamas unlikely to hold Responses: 25 Tali Fahima: Zakariya Zubeidi is the Shin Bet's whore Responses: 30 More Headlines 12:02 Report: Iran convoy attacked while taking arms to Hezbollah 09:40 Obama to PM: Iran action legitimate only if talks fail 07:24 Matters of Deterrence / Shin Bet head Diskin: Cease-fire with Hamas unlikely to hold 10:38 Rice: Peace deal possible by 2009, but talks should be covert 10:56 IDF commander: We must deal with settler 'provocateurs' 11:12 FAA finds serious flaws in flight safety at Israeli airports 02:31 When it comes to psychometric exam, Haredi Jews do it better 08:01 U.S. protests eviction of Arab family from East Jerusalem home 00:47 Tali Fahima: Zakariya Zubeidi is Israeli security service's whore 10:08 Palestinian killed as bomb explodes outside Christian cafe in Gaza 05:49 Scientist tells Israelis: Hang up your cell phones already 08:10 AG Mazuz: Olmert obstructing graft probes against him 22:27 Settler holds knife to IDF soldier's throat in West Bank riot 11:03 Defense officials: Crackdown on Hamas civilian projects unjustified Previous Editions Select Day 24 jul 23 jul 22 jul 21 jul 20 jul 18 jul 17 jul 16 jul 15 jul 14 jul 13 jul 11 jul

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Dan Hotels Israel Live the Legend & experience an Unforgettable Summer Vacation Yossi Avrahami Presents: New Luxurious Projects in North Tel Aviv & Eilat Holyland Park Jerusalem Apartment Tower World Class Luxury Your vacation starts here Israel Travel Center Guaranteed Lowest Rates Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved