And they will record your calls and play them backwards in search for hidden messages!

I hope you will meet Martin van Creveld too.

jan t

I always listen to my one phone calls backwards, for the hidden messages and for esthetic pleasure.

In case they know about this site, they can read a more plain message.
There is more than Anne Frank in the Netherlands:
http://www.ehoc.ugent.be/en

45 minutes of questioning is still reasonable. I was questioned for over two hours the last time I was in Israel.

Arnon
Aren't you afraid to become paranoid?

Mieke

What kind of stamps did you have in your passport?

@ Arnon

Jordenian and Egyptian stamps. But I am not sure it was due to the stamps.

Mieke

So what was it?

Maybe the fact that Mieke's father was in the SS?

When I worked in Turkey, I had to leave the country one day to renew my thingy. I went to Greece for one day. It was quite interesting.
Upon reentry in Turkey, I realised that my stamp had worn off so the date was unreadable. They didn't stop me or anything. But I surely made up a whole exciting story.

I visited Israel some 30 years ago. Although there was an Egyptian stamp in my passport I didn't experience a long questioning, until I said to the police man that he had beautiful eyes. Then, I got an additional round of questioning.

For one,the fact that I traveled alone, made them questioning me. I had been warned about that previously.
Second, it might sound funny, but my occupation rose their interest. Apparantly a restaurant is a perfect cover if you have some suspicious actions going on.
So these two ellements in addition to me travelling through the neighbouring countries , was in my opinion the reason why they questioned me so for over two hours.
@ Joep
Believing that would be really paranoid. Untill now all the jewish people I have met were very capable of making the distinction between me and my father. And remember my father payed his debt to society and eventually altered his ideas. By the end of his life he considered antisemitism to be completely wrong.

payed should be paid.

Mieke

It sounds paranoid indeed. But it makes you wonder. A simple name scan in a name-database would give a hit. Supposing they have databases with suspicious names, i guess they add family-names of former nazi's too.

@Jos Wuijts
And I thought you were a serious person like most of us … at least like Arnon.

@ Joep

Possible, but I think highly unlikely. The SS was defeated a long time ago. Nowadays the danger comes from another direction.
Maybe Ilanit can enlighten us about this.

Jan T.

Of course I am always serious, as I was when I said to the security officer that he had beautiful eyes. Unfortunately, he was serious too. His eyes were green. Perhaps it was an omen that I would encounter much more green (gruen) in my life. People should have 2 lifes.

@Jos Wuijts
Again your remark, at least those two last sentences, could provoke an additional round of questioning. But I am afraid I am not up to that task.

Jan T.

Come on Jan, You can do it, don't be so modest. But I am afraid the blog isn't the propriate medium.