After 11 months and 27 days of relentless struggle in a very difficult language, an even more challenging culture, a bureaucratic system that makes little sense even to those born here - all in the most expensive country on the planet - a young guy who lives in my building decided not to charge me the 150 shekels ($50) we'd agreed on to go and get me a clothes dryer from across town and carry it into my apartment.

Actions speak louder than words is the theme of this post, both in our personal lives as well as in war and politics, as sadly what Israel has had to learn from decades of "negotiating" with terrorists only to then be fooled is that one cannot trust a partner who does not operate in good faith, as our enemy does not empathize with our situation the way many of us did with the plight of the Palestinians.