The Chutzpa Challenge

Longtime friend JoeSettler posted here a few days ago about "The Brandeis Challenge" --

“The Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University announces a competition, open to creative thinkers of every kind, to produce a major work in the English language that aims to change the way Jews think about themselves and their community.”

That's a rather lofty challenge.

However, as we say here in Israel -- "we need tachlis" -- give me something usable today, not after the chagim, but now.

Reading Treppenwitz's account of local Israeli Chuztpa almost boggles the mind.

Directly in front of me in line I noticed two women with a shopping cart that was 2/3 full. I politely pointed out that they were in the express line and that they had too many items. But instead of begging my forgiveness and going to another line, one of the women gave me a mirthless grin and said, "We're together... we each have ten items". The two of them stood with arms folded across ample bosoms, daring me to challenge their clever ploy.

I took another look at their shopping cart and my blood pressure started to climb as I noticed that just the items on top approached the stated number... there must have been two or three times that number of things buried underneath.

This is the moment of truth that most immigrants are intimately familiar with. Do you marshal your limited Hebrew and make a fuss... risking having unhelpful idiots around you jump in with "What's the big deal... just let them go... it isn't worth all the yelling"? Or do you sit quietly and feel like the biggest frayer in the world because somebody is flouting the rules and wasting your valuable time in the process?
(read how Trep cleverly dealt with the situation here)

Granted, I see this all the time...but kudos to Trep for dealing with it.

Therefore, I'd like to draw your attention (and Trep's) to something really important. Finally, someone is willing to put up -- The Chuptza Challenge! Forget prolific position papers about the Jewish Community at large -- there's barely any common denominator to even start with. This guy is offering SIXY THOUSAND dollars to provide the best solution to teach Israelis some politeness and manners.

A wealthy Israeli businessman is offering a cash prize for initiatives that instill manners in his native land.

Ronny Maman, who recently returned to Israel after 18 prosperous years in San Diego, announced this week that he will give $60,000 to anyone who comes up with a way to make the Jewish state more considerate.

"We should all be helping each other," Maman, 55, told Yediot Achronot, deploring what he described as the spread of chutzpah in Israel in recent years.

Maman invited contestants to send their proposals to his Web site, www.derech-eretz.org. The winner will be selected next year, and Maman said he may also publish a book with the best 100 ideas.

"The intention is to create awareness, which in turn will create action, and then everything will change," he said. (JTA)

I'll get right to work on this challenge, as who can't use an extra $60K? Granted, Israeli child care and school tuition rates haven't spiked to US levels, but I assume it's not too long till US Jews start doing this to their kids, and sending them off to Israel.


Report: Many U.S. Parents Outsourcing Child Care Overseas

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael