Israel that you don't know

Single For Years? It’s Not Necessarily You…

2011-10-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

Single For Years? It’s Not Necessarily You…

An Extraordinary Performance

2008-12-14T04:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I spoke with a guy whose name is Erez. He fell in love with Bolivian music years ago and plays with his children in a band called 'Tzlileley Ha'inca'.
A year ago he travelled to Bolivia with his eldest son for the first time. They began to play for fun in the hotel where they stayed and the manager of the hotel who noticed it asked them to play in front of the guests. So these Israeli guys who play Bolivian music performed in front of … Japanese guests who stayed at the hotel. They thought that they are Bolivians but when they found out that they are Israelis they began to take many pictures of them. Think about it: Israelis playing Bolivian music in Bolivia for Japanese guests.

Enjoy some beautiful Bolivian music. Kalamarka

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6klsZAiRK4w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqJBRa1HN5E

A Very Special Dinner

2008-12-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

Something that made me really happy and also surprised me was about a couple (neighbors) who are ultra-orthodox and are my friends too. I met the woman who waited for the bus. I told her that I loved being with them at the Kabalat shabat so much that I want to write this story in my blog in English. She didn't know what a blog is, so I explained her. She loved the idea but she was surprised that I enjoyed myself so much. She told me that they thought it was too long for me or that I didn't like it which was the reason for not inviting me again. I said that I loved it and I could have told her if she asked me. She asked me to print it out after I publish it so her husband could translate it for her, as well as other stories from this blog. She was curious. I couldn't believe it.

They invited me once for a Saturday evening or Kabalat Shabat which was a very special event for me. It was the first time in my life that I had Kabalat Shabat with an ultra-orthodox family. I was surprised to find out how unruly the children were (5) (as in our family…) when the father said the prayer over the bread/hala… The mother begged them to listen but they were more interested in me who smiled all the time. They have beautiful kids. After we finished eating dinner, I was their entertainer and told them stories about Africa. They intently listened to me and loved it. They almost jumped on me giving me a necklace, asking me questions. It was a wonderful experience with much laughter and joy around the table…

You know, the funny thing is that they felt that I didn't like it while at the same time I thought that they didn't want to invite me again because I said something wrong. So we both felt rejected while being totally unaware of that we both enjoyed each other's company. I was so happy to find out that everything was just fine.

Recently the father of the family was strolling with his baby, while Google Maps drove by and took pictures of the street. He was so happy to see them that he posed with a broad smile on his face to the camera while holding the baby carriage. We know that Google Maps blurs the people (great, BTW). But in this case, please leave this picture as is; don't blur his face.

Be Careful with the Food You Order

2008-10-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

I've been to McDonalds awhile ago and ordered a vegetable burger (burger with vegetables, not a veggie one). I took my burger and took a bite. I began to feel my fever rising very quickly. It was a spicy burger. My friend, who saw my face changing colors, was chuckling… I went down to the counter and kind of begged the manager with few tears coming into my eyes and laughing at the same time of my reaction to this food 'It's very spicy'. The guy next to me laughed (the staff giggled too) 'I see steam coming out of your head'. Now that was it and I burst with laughter when I heard this and by seeing people's looks at me in the restaurant.

This Israeli Man Knows how to Dance Life

2008-10-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=5PBFWxDB_WA

His name is Lenny Ravich from Dance Life Show. He wrote a wonderful book called 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Enlightenment' which I have read a few times and highly recommend it. Enjoy

Israel builds its first 'eco-friendly' town

2008-10-08T06:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you an article which was published on ISRAEL21c site. I hope that you'll enjoy it as much as I did (I'm a 'green' person, as you've already guessed :-))

http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Articles%5El2297&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Culture

The Ruling Class in Tel Aviv

2008-09-29T03:55:00.001-07:00

Dogs rule everywhere in Tel Aviv whether you sit at a coffee shop or walk on the street, leashed or unleashed, running around, it's obvious… One day I enjoyed a nice cappuccino while I noticed two pair of doggy eyes staring at me beneath a table next to me. He protected his 'master' there with his food plate at his lap, while a business meeting was taking place on a glass of white wine.

Dancing life

2008-09-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the market and on the way there was a suspicious object on the main road. So the police stopped all traffic, including the people who walked on pavements. In a different country people would be scared… but here, I met my neighbors-friends and we began to chat and laugh. I appreciated my neighbor's fake Prada and her mother's skirt so she showed something else she had in her bag (tried to sell it to me) and we all laughed… don't you think that this is dancing life?

City Life in Israel

2008-09-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

Photo by: Maya Bandersky

I live in a quiet and picturesque neighborhood in Haifa which is the 3rd major city in Israel. One night I was awakened by strange noises 'me, me, me'. I thought that I was dreaming. However, my eyes were wide open. So I went to the window and looked outside. I couldn't believe my eyes… A shepherd walked down the street with a herd of sheep. That is not the end of the story. One morning I went near the park in front of my house and was surprised to hear 'muuu, muu'. I looked and saw giant black cows with white markings…

A friend of mine also told me that one night her husband looked outside the window and he saw several wild pigs roaming our neighbor's manicured garden… It's not a kosher garden anymore

There was much rain today here. I heard a loud noise. I looked to see if it was still heavily raining, but no. To my surprise, what I heard was a waterfall streaming down from the forest to our street. (January 31st, 2009).

Shopping in a Supermarket in Israel

2008-09-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

People feel everywhere at home in Israel, including at the supermarket. They consume products and then bring the empty wrapping to the cashier to pay for it.
I stood in line when a man came to the cashier to pay. He had a box of candies half eaten. Of course, he began to chat with the cashier woman and also offered her a candy. She took one, ate it, and scanned the box for the code to pay. It's something so natural here that no one even noticed that something was unusual. Just an average shopping experience in Israel.

Amazing Climate

2008-09-01T12:08:00.003-07:00

Israel is a tiny country: the country is about 290 miles (470 km) in length and 85 miles (135 km) in width at its widest point (extract from www.mfa.gov.il - Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs). However, the climate greatly varies between the regions. I especially felt the difference when one day in the winter I returned from Eilat (most southern city in Israel) where it was warm and pleasant to Haifa where it was rainy and quite cold.
I also studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem where it snows every year. Of course, there are more 'snowy' years than others. One day I got ready to leave Jerusalem to Haifa. I went to the bus station and approached the salesperson to buy a ticket to Haifa with a big smile on my face. It had already begun to snow heavily in Jerusalem. He asked me why are you smiling so broadly and I replied 'I going to warm up in the north, in Haifa'.
When I arrived to Haifa to my home on the Carmel (mountain) I noticed that it also began to snow in this place which is very rare… No warm weather for me in Haifa on this occasion.

Bus drivers in Israel

2008-09-01T12:08:00.001-07:00

They are a real phenomenon. I had some experiences on buses that I've never encountered anywhere else. Bus drivers are very friendly to each other and they must talk, exchange views about local affairs and politics. So they stop the bus, open the doors and begin to shout to each other.

There are some nice bus drivers who they tell passengers 'come inside the living room' when they go on the bus. Some have few plants and flags next to them. One driver even had all the walls of the bus covered with his grandchildren's drawings. You have to see it to believe it.

Coping with Fear, Israeli style

2008-08-31T10:46:00.001-07:00

Photo by: Maya Bandersky

During Second Lebanon War Hezbollah bombarded Northern Israel with hundreds, if not more, of missiles. When it happened, the sirens went on and everyone descended to the shelter below the building.
One Shabbat morning (Saturday, weekend in Israel) the sirens 'yelled' before 8 a.m. in the morning.
In the shelter, my neighbor told me that his wife can speak with Nasralah in his language (she's originally from Syria).
So I told him: 'I think that they went too far to wake us up before 8 a.m. on Shabbat'.
He looked at me and asked: 'Shoshi, when would it be ok?' I immediately replied: 'Well, 9:30 or 10 am would be fine'.

The People in Israel, a Day at the Market

2008-08-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

As a resident of Haifa, I enjoy the close proximity to such an abundant market as Shuk Talpiyot (Hebrew: Talpiyot market). This market offers a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and various spice herbs. The prices of the goods are so tempting. Just to give you an idea, one day I filled a whole bag with fruits, vegetables and herbs and had cost me about $11.
Apart from the abundance evident in this place, I enjoy the experience of being in this place, including the variety of music that you can hear; for example, at one counter I heard oriental-Arab music, while in others I heard Julio, Greek music, Hip Hop, and even French music. The salespersons are very interesting, too. You can find Arab salespersons who speak Russian, while everyone, both Jews and Arabs, shout and swear in Arabic. It is amazing to listen and look at this sight. A real show free of charge.

Israel that you don't know

2008-08-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I would like to welcome you to my blog 'Israel that you don't know'.
First, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Shoshi, a woman, 40, from Haifa, in northern Israel.
I have lived in Israel most of my life, for 29 years.
Israel is usually portrayed in a negative manner in the media. However, it never talks about the other things, entertaining and fun that exist in this country, too.
So my aim in this blog is to present a different kind of Israel than the one that you know.
In this blog I'll tell you about my own experiences and other people's experiences.

I hope that you enjoy reading my stories.

Best wishes to all,

Shoshi H.