One of the unfortunate character traits you encounter in Israel is the "magiya li" syndrome, "It's coming to me, and I deserve it". Not responsibility for one's actions, but rather, the exact opposite!
This could include:
I deserve a management job, regardless of my qualifications.
I deserve my driver's license, despite having failed my drivers test 5 times.
I deserve to take off "sick days" from work, even if I'm not sick, because I "work hard"
There are literally thousands of examples like this that I see all the time (feel free to provide your own)
The latest one that smacked us all in the face is the story of 2 Israelis who were caught, convicted of drug smuggling in Thailand, and were sentenced to death.
Why do they not deserve the death penalty? "Magiya Lahem Yoter?" -- the drug dealers deserve better and NOT the death penalty? They deserve that the State of Israel go to bat for them, and Israel's foreign minister, Tzippi Livni personally intervene on their behalf?
"Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has become personally involved in the case of the two Israelis who were convicted of drug trafficking in Thailand and sentenced to death.The 2 poster boys, Vladimir Akronik, 34, and Alon Mahluf, 37, were arrested one year ago for possession of 23,000 ecstasy pills.
Her office said Tuesday that "Livni will act on all levels and if necessary she will even speak to the king to clarify our stance to the Thais."
Livni has announced that she plans to speak to her Thai counterpart after he returns from a visit to Peru. Her office said there was time to appeal the sentence, though no progress had been made yet." (YNET)
The Mahluf family turned to Livni for help. "We'll turn this country upside down to get him out of there as soon as possible. He is an Israeli, a Jew, born here. The State has to take care of him. When I visited him in prison it was filthy. He has a room but he told me the food is horrible, there is no shower and no hot water,"
At what point do you say, "these are Jews and they don't deserve the death penalty" and when do you say, "these are drug dealer -- the vermin of the earth, let them rot. Why do they deserve any special treatment?"
When I visited Thailand for business a decade ago, there was a very clear bold statement on the landing card I had to fill out: "Drug Traffickers will be Executed" (same as in Manila)
You can't miss it on the landing card so what were these people thinking? (I know, drug dealers don't think that much to begin with)
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד