Lizrael Update

Tag: israel

  • Leaving New York City.

    I returned on Tuesday from a trip to New York. It was a family visit with some work mixed in, and it came at a time when I was starting to feel a bit… hungry for New York. Not homesick, per say, but just in the mood. I don’t know if it happens to all…

  • Israel’s real World Cup woes.

    I know this is ancient history already, but a friend sent me this video last week and the song was stuck in my head all weekend. It’s an Israeli parody of the unofficial World Cup song, Wavin’ Flag, by Somalian-born Canadian-rasied hip-hop artist K’naan. The Israeli version laments Israel’s failure to get into the World Cup, for…

  • Graduation.

    On the day of my ‘graduation ceremony’ from Bar Ilan’s Conflict Management and Negotiation program, I must note that five years ago,when I started, I wasn’t planning to still be at the job that was supposed to pay my way through university. Yet here I am. So, the degree was a bit of a disappointment.…

  • Bad cops. #fail

    Can you call the cops… on the cops? The Israeli Po Po need a lesson in legality, or at least car-packing safety. This issue in general pisses me off, above and beyond. Israeli traffic cops don’t enforce the law enough. Sure, once in a blue moon you’ll see a guy pulled over or you’ll see…

  • Once in a lifetime.

    It’s not every day – nay, every month – wait, every year?  – that you see something like this on an Israeli construction site: Amazing, isn’t it? סיימנו. It’s just a word, but it’s a whole lot more, too. ‘We completed it.’ What a feeling! What a way to be! On top of that, the…

  • Happy Israel Independence Day.

    62-years-old and it’s starting to show. Here’s to keeping the smoke out of our eyes and the meat industry in business. Chag sameach, happy Yom Haatzmaut!

  • Yom Haatzmaut this year.

    My flight is on erev Yom Haatmzaut – the eve of Independence Day here in Israel. That is THE day of the year: everyone takes off work, everyone goes to parks, everyone barbecues as much meat as they can, and everyone coughs a lot and experiences stinging eyeballs as the other entire country is crammed…

  • Car seat FAIL.

    Aright, I know in Israel they are really into putting car seats in the front, but c’mon… #FAIL.

  • Must be dreamin'.

    There was ridiculous traffic on the dirt road leading up the hill towards Arafat’s compound. We each supposedly had meeting times but were all very late for them in any case. To the right was the beginning of the dusty compound and to the left was the beginning of the dusty hills. To get into…

  • Love/hate.

    The thing about love/hate relationships is that eventually you come back to the hate. It’s triggered by anything. Items on the news. The news reporters themselves. People on the street. Commercials on the radio. Things your friends say. Things your neighbors do. So, if you haven’t guessed, I’m in the hate phase. Which is ok,…

  • Camels and TV channels? Hasbara misses the point.

    Israel’s new Ministry of Hasbara and Diaspora is not a shocking development, though probably ten years late. The thing is, it seems it’s completely missing the point. The heart is in the right place, but the message is… a bit off. The videos on the homepage: Do British people honestly think we ride camels? Who…

  • Teaching tech, by Israelis.

    Came across this post from TechCrunch and thought it was only fair to share, considering my thoughts on Israeli education a few days ago: Israel’s Time To Know Aims To Revolutionize The Classroom This is the story of Time To Know, an enigmatic Israeli startup that has somehow managed to remain under the radar of Israel’s…