Posted on 07/11/2010 11:51:20 PM PDT by Ari Bussel
Come Visit Israel by Ari Bussel
I like to fly light, but it never seems to work. The one exception is when I return from Israel to the United States. Everything here is cheaper, so I really do not buy things in Israel, other than recently published books in Hebrew. In Israel, magazines and books in duty free are exempt from VAT, a substantial savings when the price of a book is close to $20.
On the way to Israel, however, the situation is quite different. I take everything, from grocery bags (the paper type because they are bigger here) to paper towels (also bigger and better). Truth be told, one can buy everything in Israel, American made, but the cost is often prohibitive.
During a recent visit I had a cold, but the price of Vitamin C frightened me so much I decided not to buy any. Somehow, Israelis manage. I could not. My American dollars disappear quickly, their buying power sadly insufficient.
Time and again I am amazed at how many people have not been to Israel. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism dedicates a substantial budget to promote Israel, and indeed Europeans are coming to Eilat, where it is summer year round (they all return home burned red from too much sun), Christians are coming to the holy places, from Bethlehem to Nazareth to Jerusalem. Israelis arrive in droves to visit their families and, in recent years, young Jews are treated to “Birthright Taglit (Discovery),” a free trip to explore their Jewish roots.
Yet, there are so many who are afraid to go. I cannot blame them since Israel is in the news daily, usually portrayed as an evil occupier, an Apartheid state, a dangerous place altogether. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Israel is modern and ancient, magical from within and like no other place on earth. It does not simply possess history; Israel is history. Its shopping centers bustle with people, its streets are full of pedestrians. Traffic is a mess, but still people communicate with one another. Some shout, others curse, still others just use their hands for obscene gestures. It is all done in a way you can understand, even if you do not speak Hebrew.
One dares not cross the street in a cross walk, since hardly anyone will stop. Although, the situation is not much different here in Beverly Hills, where a new operation will soon be on the way to enforce the law. The markets are a “must” place to visit, for the colors and smells and abundance is like nowhere else. At entrances to all public places, one needs to open one’s bags for inspection, a constant reminder of the Palestinian’s aspirations for 72 virgins and penchant for homicide bombings.
Tel Aviv is a microcosm of New York and Europe combined; a city that neither stops nor sleeps. There are nightlife and cafes on the major streets. There is a beach with warm Mediterranean water, museums, more per capita than elsewhere in the world, and history in every building. There are also sectors where foreign, illegal workers congregate and others where it is too sleazy and too dangerous for respectable people to even visit.
The very best breakfasts are served at Israeli hotels, included in the price of the stay. These are buffets filled with foods as far as the eye can see, an amazing feast to the eyes and taste buds. Be warned, though, as prices for overnight stays are very expensive. It is exactly for that reason that Israeli tourists prefer Cyprus, Turkey (yes, Israelis are forgiving and quite forgetful), Greece and the former Soviet Union countries. A weekend excursion, including airfare, is cheaper than a one-night stay at an Israeli hotel. Then again, there is that breakfast like no other.
I would highly suggest not to drive but to use public transport instead. Israel is so tiny that the sense of distance is distorted. A wrong turn, a few more miles (kilometers in Israel), and you are at a border crossing. Zoom, where did Israel go? Better safe than sorry – do not drive!
When using public transportation, if you do get lost, it will be part of the adventure, and you will still be safe. People will be eager to help as everyone speaks English. You will find that many other languages are spoken, a mixture of Jews who came to their homeland and yet carry their former lives, accents and modes of behavior. Taking a bus or the train between cities is a true experience since you will hear people conducting their lives on the phone, all in public. Anyone can listen, and often people will provide an opinion.
Israelis are very warm people. They not only communicate while driving and express what they think to others but will be eager to invite you for Shabbat dinner or just to a visit. Do that for it is always safe. Part of the Middle Eastern mentality dictates that a guest is a king. This is also true in regard to enemies. Once invited, they are sacred. Possibly this is the reason Palestinians, Hamas members, Gazans and other terrorists seek medical treatment in Israeli hospitals. They receive the very best medical care, even when the reason for their arrival is an injury suffered during a terrorist attack they carried out.
Amazing when you hear of instances where patients returned strapped with explosives to repay those who saved their lives and rehabilitated them. Some things in the Middle East never change.
You will see many soldiers, young men and women of 18 or 19, in uniform and carrying handguns or M16s. They are part and parcel of the country’s very being, of Israel’s future. They, representing all walks of life, are in a melting pot that matures and molds them into productive members of society.
You need only see the smile on a young woman fighter pilot to understand there is no differentiation between men and women. The magnificent smiles on the faces of Ethiopian children will assure you Israelis also do not differentiate based on skin color. Even before its formation as a modern state, Israel openly absorbed immigration. The process is never easy, but the harvest is the children born in Israel. They know nothing else, and are like fruits of a cactus, spiked on the outside, juicy and full of life within.
Israel is wondrous and miraculous. Make sure to visit her capital, the heart of Jews for thousands of years. Jerusalem is the most unique place in the world, for there one feels closest with the Creator. Breathing the air, walking in the streets of Jerusalem is a fulfilling experience that begs for more. Go visit the Western Wall, the archeological excavations and just wander the streets. You will witness for yourself the miracle of a united city, the capital of the Jewish State.
Nestled on a mountain among trees is Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial. There, on the Avenue of the Righteous, we stop to remember those who, despite great personal danger, risked everything to help others. Forever they will remind us there remains a grain of goodness in humanity, a flame that cannot be doused despite the darkness that seeks to engulf us.
Israel is a unique country, safe and inviting, welcoming and enticing. You are filled with a sense of wanting “more.” Thus, while my suitcases are always empty on the return, I am filled with memories and experiences that have energized me, feelings that keep me charged until the next visit.
I am surprised I have never been charged for overweight luggage when returning to the United States. I know the spiritual, emotional and precious gifts I receive while in Israel place me way over the limit.
Come visit Israel, it never disappoints and always delivers the experience of a lifetime.
### In the series “Postcards from Israel—Postcards from America,” Ari Bussel and Norma Zager invite readers to view and experience an Israel and her politics through their eyes, an Israel visitors rarely discover.
This point—and often—counter-point presentation is sprinkled with humor and sadness and attempts to tackle serious and relevant issues of the day. The series began in 2008, appears both in print in the USA and on numerous websites and is followed regularly by readership from around the world.
© “Postcards from Israel—Postcards from America,” July, 2010 Contact: aribussel@gmail.com
Israel is one of my goals but expect it will not be met until that day....it is one goal that if I don’t meet here on earth it will not go unmet later on....sweet!
Sounds magnificent...What an experience to go to the very soul of the earth..because that is what Israel is..truly.
Sorry, sounds like an advertisement! Would love to visit Israel, but under the current climate - too dangerous...
You still up? Ha! Hoo Hoo says the owl!
LOL Yeah...I caught my second wind and have been all over the forum..I think I’ve clicked every thread lol. And you? what are You still doing up?? :)
Wasn’t this a great read btw? Sounds expensive but sure would love to go there one day.
Ok this is it... lol I’m packing it in. (you probably have already) but just in case..good night. Enjoy your time off!
here’s a fun on-topic video
for those who don’t get Spanish, it’s from some of the top stars in Peru and talks about singing and dancing in Israel. Hey a million hits, not bad. Need all the friends we can get as Israel supporters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ktc-8zagd0&feature=player_embedded
Nonsense. My first visit was in the summer of 2001 inbetween the Dolphinarium bombing and the Sbarro bombing. I was there for 17 days and drove all over the place. (It's really not difficult except in central Jerusalem and less so in Tel Aviv.) During the time I was there, there was some incident once about ten miles away from me. Stay at the Pierre in NYC (or really anyplace where there are a million or more people) for 17 days and you can be sure there will quite a few "incidents" within ten miles.
(On that visit, BTW, as I drove around I picked up hitchhikers with BIG guns as I drove. The only place in the United States where I have routinely picked up hitchhikers is Nantucket. That's how safe one feels in Israel.)
ML/NJ
It really isn't, except for getting there. On my most recent visit two summers ago, I paid $125/night in center city Jerusalem for a small apartment. Food costs pretty much what you want it to cost. The street food is fun and cheap; and there are plenty of restaurants and cafes where you can have dinner for $15/person. (And when you stay with family, it's even cheaper!) I'll be back in October.
ML/NJ
Israel is an outstanding vacation trip!
In every way
Oh that’s surprising. He seemed to indicate it was high. The only way I could go now though is if it were free! lol
Everything said here is absolutely true. I love visiting Israel.
When you consider all the "tourist" sites, and the atmosphere and the entire experience of the visit(s), it may be strange that this one sentence just stuck out for me, but it is so true.
The breakfasts at Israeli hotels are really unbelievable. Some hotels better then others I imagine, but really fantastic. When anticipating a trip to Israel we really do look forward to the Breakfasts, all you can eat of pretty much everything suitable for breakfast. Sorry no bacon, ;-). I wake up mornings at home sometime and wish I could be in Israel just to have breakfast at one of the Renaissance Hotels (my favorite but To anyone wondering, no I have no personal or financial interest in this recommendation).
Could a bomb go off, sure, same as in Times Square. Likely? No.
Visit Israel, stay out of the territories, if you wish, I guarantee you that in retrospect you will never repeat this myth.
My favorite breakfasts were at the kibbutzim, we stayed at guests houses on kibbutzim throughout the country!
What an excellent experience and a good way to talk to real people.
On kibbutzim, isn't it more likely that the "real" people you are talking to are of the Left?
On that same trip, I was also able to go to Petra in Jordan which is a very remarkable place and where many Jews will flee to during the Great Tribulation. When we entered Jordan, we had to get off our Israeli tour bus and leave both the bus and our Israeli guide behind. We had to wait at the terminal for quite some time before the new bus, driver, and guide showed up.
We then got on a Jordanian bus with a Jordanian tour guide for the trip to Petra. The Arab Jordanian tour guide was adamantly anti Jew and spent most of that part of the tour blaming Israel for every problem in the world. During our stay in Petra, we were free to walk around without the guide which made it much more enjoyable. After leaving Petra and Jordan and on our return to Israel, it felt like we were returning home from prison.
While it s possible to get on Israeli tours at almost any time, it is harder to find a tour which includes Petra due to the Jordanian policy of replacing all Israeli buses and tour guides with their own.
While I have wanted to go to Israel for many years, the opportunity to also go see Petra at the same time made me decide to go when my wife and I did.
the farmer I talked to over breakfast at Hatzor, still in fatigues, carrying his gun, and coming off night patrol duty near the Lebanon border, was not a leftist :-)
The old man with death camp tattoos on his inner arm, who I met at Ein Gedi, was not a leftist
the residents and entrepreneurs of Nof Ginnosaur, veterans of living across the Golan Heights and with fresh information about the range of Hizbollah artillery and Iraqi SCUDs into the Galilee- not leftists
“leftists” I met at kibbutzim were usually euro tourists - husky women with hairy armpits, students, and metrosexual men who preferred each other
I obviously don’t know who you spoke to, but a Kibbutz (and its residents), by the very nature, is Leftists.
That someone is in the IDF doesn’t mean they are not Leftists. Same for Holocaust survivors.
Just saying. Next time balance out the Kibbutz political views with those of Jerusalem cab drivers ;-) or the merchants at the market in Machane Yehuda. (notice I’m not even recommending anyone called a “settler”)
If this is the Kibbutz you visited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatzor
“The kibbutz community was established in 1936 by a group of Hashomer Hatzair members”.
Hashomer Hatzair were pretty much Communists, their decedent followers are among the most hard core Left.
LOL! You think kibbutzim are still communist now because they were in 1936? Like Israel’s history since 1936 didnt change the generations now living there?
Visit Israel, stay at some, then get back to me
Let me ask you this, are you familiar with the Israeli paper Haaretz? Do you consider their views mainstream or hard core Left?
Here is an easy way to see if you are taking to a Leftist in Israel. Mention the “settlers” to them, if they spit back the word with contempt, you may be, ...hell you are, speaking with a Leftist.
I didn’t say Kibbutzim today are Communists. But more likely then not, their residents are of the Leftist persuasion. They vote almost entirely for Leftist parties.
I told you
“Next time balance out the Kibbutz political views with those of Jerusalem cab drivers ;-) or the merchants at the market in”
Oh we didn't take cabs around Jerusalem- we stayed at the YMCA and walked, for 5 days. Even the arab merchants and tour guides we met weren't “leftists” but there were some neighborhoods and towns we avoided due to the intifada. Some of them recommended where we go and what to see - like Acre/ “Horns of Hittite”, Bet Shean and Hatzor which were add-ons. The Machane Yehuda was fun, like most ethnic tourist traps. We maxed out the credit cards.
We drove most of the central and northern country, stayed out of territories except for highway to Dead Sea since we had Israeli license plates
Next trip we skip Tel Aviv, start at Jerusalem, hit Masada region, then go south.
I don't go to Israel to talk politics, per se, I do that enough at home. My view of street “politics” in any foreign country is the treatment my American family gets. Israel was among the best, across all ethnics. The “settlers” - many spoke English with NY and NJ accents
“On kibbutzim, isn’t it more likely that the “real” people you are talking to are of the Left?”
Different Left. Tough, hard-working, machine-gun toting, no-nonsense, personal Left.
They don’t seek to impose their communalism on others.
It’s a subtle distinction, but hugely important.
The kind of Left we have here are in the suburbs of Tel-Aviv — or NYC where they also live.
I am more fmailier with the New York Times and Washington Post- do they make Americans “leftists”?
Two ways I know if someone is leftist
How they treat Americans
How they answer “Do you take American Express”?
Hell, I couldn’t even find a “leftist” in Russia during 3 weeks of time we spent there. There are more “leftists” in San Fran, Cambridge, Amherst or Ithaca NY
IF you find yourself in Tel Aviv.
The most delicious crepes you have ever tasted.
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/telaviv/D38866.html
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