Surfing in Haifa

Over the last several weeks, I have been travelling about Israel, mainly at night, taking pictures of different urbanscapes for a photography course I take in northern Israel. After one such shot, I found myself on the sea coast, south of Haifa, at dawn, watching the seals cavort in the surf as the sun rose over Mount Carmel behind me.

Except, there are no seals on the Israeli coast. They were young surfer dudes bobbing up and down in the water waiting for the waves. I set up my cameras and telescope to watch.

The beach is anything but deserted at six in the morning. IDF soldiers posted in the nearby Crusader castle jog to and from, retired couples come to exercise their dogs. The young surfers get out of the surf, change, and head to school while the older guys, in their thirties, show up to surf until they have to go to work.

One of the older surfers came up to watch me take shots through the telescope.

"You taking pictures of the young guys surfing? Wait here for a minute and I give you some lessons in Israeli surfing." He ran off, changed into his wetsuit, and dashed to the shore to warm up.

Now, around here, surfing is more than just a sport or a cult. It is tied mystically into all that is MALE in Israel. Like being bald or shaving ones head, surfing is everywhere and real guys (in Israel) all surf. They surf the net, they surf the clutch (in driving school, the instructor insists you have to "surf the clutch"--I just remember my old man threatening to make another Daniel Jackson "if you EVER ride that #$@^ clutch again!"), they surf the stations, and they surf the clubs.


So, I watched Boss Surfer warm up and then, manly, paddle out to the point where all surfer dudes and dudettes go to "catch a wave and sit on top of the world".

While I was waiting for Boss Surfer to catch his wave, one of the young guys came up to watch me watch the surfers--it gave him a chance to practice his English. He asked to look through the telescope.


"Hey, man," he exclaimed with awe. "That's Uri! He's the Ehud Olmert of the coast, man! He's one of the best in Israel."

He called to his buddies, who all looked up with adulation, and all of them grabbed their boards and ran back to the surf.

Forget school, dude; the Ehud Olmert of surfing is showing y'all how it's done.



So, I watched the Ehud Olmert of surfing show his stuff. Suddenly, the entire political process fell into place. The Olmert in Jerusalem MUST have taken his lessons in political science right here with Uri, Boss Surfer, the Ehud Olmert of Surfing.



Boss Surfer shows how it's done. However, it is clear that the other Olmert did not pay attention to the entire process. He has the first part down but not the end.

You get yourself abreast of the times. Move out ahead of the wave but always looking for your slot. Ride that sucker as long as you can.



And, ALWAYS end with a flourish.

It's far more elegant than the current "Come and Get Me, Copper" approach to Israeli civic leadership currently riding the wave.