“I made the Arab an offer he couldn’t refuse,” the former American answered, using a line from a popular Mafia movie.
“What kind of offer?” Meir was curious to know.
“I showed him my M-16 and told him that either his head or the head of the jackass was going to be in the wheelbarrow. So he picked up his skirt, ran to the shed, and dug the beast up. You have to know how to talk to these people, that’s all.”
Out of embarrassment, and out of a fear for his life, the Arab ran away from the city of Hevron. Years later, Meir moved to Gush Katif to build hothouses for his roses. Meir’s innovations in horticulture won him worldwide success. His roses were exported all over the globe. And as fortune would have it, the down-and-out owner of the jackass showed up one day looking for work. Meir was never one to hold grudges. He was happy to give the Arab a job. Johnny was right – you just had to know how to talk to them.
Shabbat shalom!