Time keeps on tickin', tickin' tickin'...

  Jerusalem, Israel
Monday, November 12, 2007

The Post Office

Ah, the post office in Israel, my favorite place to be....NOT!!!  At any given time, there could be like 20 people in line, each one thinking their reason for being there is more important than everyone else in front of them.    People push & yell at the clerks who then yell right back.  And there is no avoiding the post office either.  In the US, if you are expecting a package, you come home from work & voila, there it is in your mailbox or on your front step.  Here, for even something as small as a book, you have to go to the post office.  Oh, & not just for packages, you have to pay your utility bills there as well.  What I really love is getting a notice for a package, and then I wait a day or 2 to see if anything else comes.  So then I go stand in line, get the package & then guess what comes in the mail??? The electric bill.  OY!!

October 19, 2007   

In case you did not guess, Evette & I gave up on the idea of building a loft bed.  Finding wood that was not very expensive was a hassle.  Then you have to factor in the cost of having the wood delivered, the limited building space, the cost purchasing or renting tools & then the time to do it.  With Evette being the main builder of the family, we decided school was a priority & we gave up the idea.  So instead, we decided to buy a futon chair or small couch.  This was no easy task.  We shopped all over Jerusalem & found nothing that wasn't hundreds of dollars.   Well, remember a few weeks ago when we went to IKEA?  We had seen the perfect futon couch.  The size was perfect as was the price.  Unfortunately, they were out of stock, but said they would get it in a few weeks.  We continued to shop in Jerusalem in EVERY furniture store in existence, with no luck.  This morning, we called IKEA & they said they had it in stock.  So, we rented a car, took Rascal & went on a road trip to IKEA.  We stopped in Raanana to pick up our friend Ruti & headed to Natanya to IKEA.  I sat outside with Rascal while they went in to get the futon.  Well, a little while later, they come out empty handed...& pissed off.  They sold out just since the morning.  They went to customer service, but they were no help.  It apparently is not possible to order an item, reserve an item, order on-line nor by telephone.  The only option is to drive 2 hours to the store where they may or may not have what you want.  UGH!!  So, we say "feh" to Israeli IKEA!

October 20, 2007 

Well, so now we have this car until tomorrow because car rental places are closed on Saturdays.  We decided to not make the rental a total waste; we should go on some sort of adventure.  We packed up the lad (as we sometimes call Rascal), some cold drinks & some snacks & left around 4am & headed north towards Mount Carmel.  According to the Wikipedia website, Mount Carmel is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel and the West Bank, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Its name literally means plantation of high quality trees.  On the way, we stopped for gasoline & we asked if we were near a beach.  Since it was so early, we thought it might be nice to sit on the beach with Rascal.  So, we drove a short distance to Atlit Beach, a few kilometers south of Haifa.  We hung out there for awhile.  Rascal LOVED the ocean!  He ran right into the waves.  I sat on the sand while Evette was in the water with him.  He just raced back & forth to each of us.  It was the cutest thing ever!!!  Evette would give him a seashell & tell him to bring it to "the other mommy" & he would run right to me & give me the shell.  Then he would run back to Evette, splashing into the waves.  It was as if we could hear him say "Wheee!!" 

After a while, we got back in the car & continued driving to Mt. Carmel to Daliyat El Karmel.  Daliyat El Karmel is a Druze village near the top of Mount Carmel.  The main street is lined with shops filled with lots of items hand made by the Druze. 

The following information is from www.Jewishvirtuallibrary.org.  The Druze community in Israel is officially recognized as a separate religious entity with its own courts (with jurisdiction in matters of personal status - marriage, divorce, maintenance and adoption) and spiritual leadership. Their culture is Arab and their language Arabic but they opted against mainstream Arab nationalism in 1948 and have since served (first as volunteers, later within the draft system) in the Israel Defense Forces and the Border Police.  Worldwide there are probably about one million Druze living mainly in Syria and Lebanon, with 104,000 in Israel, including about 18,000 in the Golan (which came under Israeli rule in 1967) and several thousands who emigrated to Europe and North and South America.  The Druze consider their faith to be a new interpretation of the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. For them, the traditional story of the Creation is a parable, which describes Adam not as the first human being, but as the first person to believe in one god.  The Druze religion has no ceremonies or rituals, and no obligation to perform precepts in public. 

Speaking the truth (instead of prayer)
Supporting your brethren (instead of charity)
Abandoning the old creeds (instead of fasting)
Purification from heresy (instead of pilgrimage)
Accepting the unity of God
Submitting to the will of God (instead of holy war)

The Druze are forbidden to eat pork, smoke, or drink alcohol.

So, we walked up & down the street, going in & out all of the stores.  Of course, in every store they tell you "I'll give you a special price, just for you."  We bought a scarf, cool chimes to hang from our window & a beautiful woven carry bag (no, it's not a purse, really, it's not!!)  Between the stores are many restaurants serving genuine Druze ethnic foods.  The parking lot where we parked was run by a Druze family.  Their family owned the small restaurant behind the lot.  We told them we wanted to order a very traditional Druze meal.  It was ground beef, hummus, rice & other stuff.  It was yummy.   Walking along the street, as well as along the highway, there were groups of Druze selling this special Druze bread (sort of like pita).  It was really cool watching them make it.  They pat the dough against a pillow & then throw it in the oven.  They also sold it right there, hot & fresh.  They cooked it in what looked like an inside out wok.  They would spread this yummy chocolate spread on it & roll it up like a crepe.  Mmmm Mmmm!  They also sold olive oil that they pressed. 

On the ride back home, we stopped at another beach near Haifa so Rascal could play.  I've never had a dog that loved the water so much.  It's pretty cool.  We can't wait to take him to the ocean again.   Then, we drove to Netanya & stopped in for a short visit with Evette's cousin.  Rascal seemed get along okay with her 3 dogs, except they kept taking turns pinning him down & humping him.  Anyway, this whole day was an incredibly fun, interesting experience.  We can't wait to go back & maybe stay in a Druze Bed & Breakfast.    

October 23, 2007 

Every month, Evette's group from school here, have some sort of programming.  Partners are always welcome to attend.  Today the program was a tour of neighborhoods on the Tel Aviv-Yafo border. This was in remembrance of Yitzhak Rabin.  Rabin was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel.  He served two terms; 1972-1977 and 1992 until November 4, 1995, when he was assassinated by Yigal Amir, a right-wing Israeli radical.  Amir is currently serving a life sentence for murder plus 14 years for conspiracy to murder Rabin on different occasions and for injuring Rabin's bodyguard.  According to Wikipedia, while in prison, Amir became engaged to Larisa Trembovler. Amir had met her years ago, when he was a teacher of Judaism sent by Israel to educate Russian Jews. Trembovler first started to visit Amir in jail with her husband. Amir and Trembovler began exchanging letters and speaking on the phone, after she expressed ideological support for him. She left her husband and academic career because of her public personal ties with Amir.  After her divorce, Amir requested to marry Larisa Trembovler and to receive the privilege to conjugally unite with his intended wife. In January 2004, the Israel Prison service announced that it would prohibit Amir from marrying in jail and in April 2004, and the Tel Aviv District Court upheld the decision. However, in August 2004 Amir and Trembovler married outside Israeli official channels according to Jewish law, by giving his father "power of attorney" to transfer a wedding ring to his bride.  In late August 2005 Amir applied to the prison authorities to allow him and his new wife to conceive a child through in vitro fertilization. In March 2006 the Israeli Prison Service allowed Amir by his petition to have a child with Trembovler through artificial insemination.  On October 28, 2007, she gave birth to a son: Yinon Elia Shalom. The brit milah took place in Rimonim prison on November 4, 2007 after Amir's appeal to the district court to be present at his son's brit was accepted.  The public commemoration of the anniversary of the death of Yitzhak Rabin came out this year on the same day as the circumcision ceremony of Amir's newborn son.  

This program was sponsored by Alma Hebrew College in Tel-Aviv.  Unfortunately, the tour guide only spoke Hebrew, so I did not understand what was said.  Evette tried to translate key points for me.  I could not really even take pictures, because it was nighttime.  I did take this one picture at the Etzel Museum; the first stop on the tour.  As it was late, the museum was closed.

October 25, 2007  

So, I'm walking home from Ulpan & I come across a crowd of people on the sidewalk on both sides.  I see that no cars are passing & there are several police cars.  This was just a few blocks from our apartment.  I assumed there was a car accident.  I continue to walk towards home & a police officer jumps in front of me & tells me that no one can walk down this street as it is blocked off for 3 blocks & that I must wait a few minutes.  Of course, she tells me this in Hebrew & I do not understand all the words.  A man in the crowd told me that they found a suspicious, unattended package in the road.  The bomb squad was there & a guy in full protective gear & a mask took the package to the middle of the 3 blocks & detonated it.  The sound was like that of a gun going off.  I don't know if it was in fact a bomb or not.  After detonating it, the guy jumped in their armored car & sped off with it. Then they let us pass.  I never found out anything else.  It was not in the news or in the paper.

October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween!!  For those of you who know me well, this  is what I missed the most as it is not possible to find candy corn in Israel.  Boo-hoo!!

November 2-12, 2007

Well, nothing much happened during this time.  Evette started out on the 2nd with a bad flu-like cold.  I made her homemade chicken soup & was proud I was staying healthy.  Just as she got better, *BAM*...I got hit.  I still have sniffles.  I found a great recipe for vegetarian hot & sour soup.  It's supposed to be great to cure a cold.  There is a real Oriental market down the street from the shuk, so I was able to get really great ingredients.  I must say, it was REALLY good soup.  If you'd like the recipe, email me, I'd be happy to send it to you. 

Rascal continues to bring us smiles & joy every day.  Sometimes, we just cannot stand how cute he is! 
 
Hebrew word of the week:  Beri'ut = healthy