Years ago, our car was stolen while parked in central Petach Tikvah. Within a short while, it became evident that we weren't going to get it back...today's "This is Israel" story starts the same way...a vehicle stolen from a central location in broad daylight.
But this one ends differently because this time, it was a military vehicle...and this time, it was "found." According to recent news reports, the military vehicle of IDF's Ground Forces Commander, Maj.-Gen. Benny Ganz, was stolen in Rosh Ha'ayin early Sunday morning. Police and intelligence intelligence efforts were initiated quickly in and around Rosh Ha'ayin and within a short while, the stolen vehicle was located near Kafr Kasem, not far from Rosh Ha'ayin.
A similar case happened years ago when the car of a famous rabbi was stolen. In this case, Knesset members got involved and within a short while, that car, too, was found and returned. Another funny story happened years ago when the mayor of Kalkilya wanted to show his good will. He ordered several cars driven back to Israel and returned and let Israelis know that if they had a car stolen, they should contact him for assistance. One can only wonder how he ever found the time to do anything else. According to some reports, more than 20,000 cars were stolen in Israel during the year 2006 (more than 4500 of them in Jerusalem).
At one point, a friend commented that car theft was actually a good thing, as it caused cars to be recyled more and older cars to be retired sooner. Whatever social benefits might result, the personal anguish cannot be ignored or minimized and every once in a while, police do manage to catch or thwart car thieves.
This is a "This is Israel" story because today our forces kicked into high gear...leaving the rest of us to wish it would happen a little more often.
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