Month: August 2007

  • Changing and staying the same.

    I came across an old article written up for the Jewish Press, for which I was interviewed. It ran 9 months after I made aliyah, and reading it just now freaks me out a bit. Why? I supposed because of the time that has passed, what has happened since that article was published, and also…

  • The Rich Little American game.

    Sometimes I long to play the Rich Little American game. Basically, it’s a game that plays on the fact that I can pass for a tourist with loads of money to spend and respect to demand. I can go on a weekend holiday somewhere in Israel, give my passport number, pay in dollars and get…

  • Israeli ping pong.

    It’s amazing how quickly intolerance, distrust and disgust ping pong in this complicated Israeli society. I find myself going back and forth between seething at the secular and religious; at least it’s equal, right? Example #1 Last Friday I bought a copy of Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper with a left-secular orientation. On the front page…

  • Nu, how much money?

    Mazal tov! Here is a genius website I have to share, for Israeli celebration-goers in doubt of how much of a gift to give (Hebrew-only): KamaKesef? My favorite part is that the ‘submit’ button says, “Nu, kama kesef?’ —————— Brought to you by… Do you work closely with money? Do you need new Credit card…

  • Zara gets classy at Malkha Mall.

    As zealous Malkha shoppers may know, Zara shut down a few months ago for renovations. The trendy, classy, expensive store has reopened, even trendier and more expensive than before. And with its new store come new store windows, decked out with the classiest mannequins. And I mean, classy mannequins: So classy. So very, very classy;…

  • A view of yet another Israeli first.

    I love going to the eye doctor. Is that weird? I just love the clicking sound the lenses make when your face is in that huge thing and you have to say which was clearer, one? Or two? One? Or two? This one? Or this one? Today I went to pick out new glasses and…

  • Simchat Torah come early… in Katamonim.

    Katamonim never ceases to surprise or amaze. Tonight – despite a major Beitar game just a few kilometers away – my neighbors celebrated the reopening of a beit knesset the only way it knows how: Music, lights, dancing, bullhorn, clapping and a whole lot of M’pei El… The party started at the beginning of our…

  • The truth about milk and honey.

    Fear not; I will be the first to admit my last post was utter and total crap. Milk and honey? It sounded nice but I don’t feel it. Here’s the truth: Israel has made me a crappy Jew and an even crappier Zionist. I don’t really have those initial oleh-chadash-feel-good-moments anymore. I don’t even miss…

  • The sweetness of milk and honey.

    Like a good American, I love cereal. Itty bits of stuff you can pick at in milk and eat with a spoon? Awesome. I bought Honey Nut Cheerios in Israel for the first time, and when I took my first crunch of the stuff this morning, you know what I got a mouthful of? Milk…

  • Ode to the Hebrew-English dictionary.

    If you are an oleh in university, feel free to identify with me right now. Today I took (what was hopefully) my very last final ever. It was arbitration law, it was in Hebrew legalese, it was painful, and now, barring any failure, I can look back and say thank you to my closest academic…

  • The parrot's back.

    The crazy, stoned, alcoholic, balding Bezeq parrot is back and bringing its habit of bad marketing with it. It reads: Who will try to liquidate the parrot? Finally! Bezeq is coming to its senses. I wonder what will destroy this creature… Will he succumb to the alcohol? The crystal meth? Look in the mirror and…