Things I've learned in Israel

Next week, I'm going home to the states. That is an amazing feeling. I love it here, but Dorothy put it best: there's no place like home. I've been living in Israel now for the past 8 months, but unlike my previous stay here of about 7 months from 2011-2012, I'm leaving with a much deeper understanding of this nation and its people. I feel like I know the real Israel now, and not just the well-to-do of Ramat Aviv. And it's really all thanks to YEDID.

An American style shooting?

This week Israelis bore witness to a brand of violence not usually seen in this country. An armed man walked into a bank and killed 4 people, before taking a hostage (she survived the ordeal) and killing himself with his own personal weapon. Admittedly, I was taken aback at the first headline I saw regarding the incident, "American style 'lone gunman' shooting stuns Israelis." "What the hell is an American style shooting?," I thought to myself. After reading the article I learned that what we have become accustomed to at home; the Aurora, Colorado's, the Newtown Connecticut's, the Virginia Tech's and so on, are viewed as uniquely American phenomena. Only in America can people become so desperate, so unhinged, and so well-armed, as to enter a place of business, recreation, or education and take the lives of innocent strangers. That is how many Israelis felt until Monday. And when this happens, there always follows a discussion about the exhaustive list of symptoms that afflicted the gunman, and the questions about why no one noticed sooner. He was a loner. He was mentally unstable. He owned weapons that should have been illegal. The list goes on. But add to this particular tragedy yet another symptom, and the only one I'm interested in talking about for the purposes of this post: He was broke.

Center visit: Petach Tikvah

This week I was fortunate enough once again to visit another one of the wonderful YEDID Citizen Rights Centers, this time in the nearby city of Petach Tikvah. My immediate impression was that it was much like the center in Tel Aviv, just on a smaller scale for a smaller city. What's unique about the Petach Tikvah center however, is that it has a really awesome roommate. We'll get to that in a minute.

Polite Society: Israel vs. the U.S.

I'm in a lighthearted mood right now so let's open this post with a joke, and one that I've conveniently lifted in it's entirety from a recent BBC article discussing the same topic as this post. A reporter walks up to an Israeli, a Russian and an American and says "Excuse me, what's your opinion on the food shortage in Africa?" The Russian asks "what's an opinion?" The American asks "what's a shortage?" And the the Israeli asks "what's excuse me?" (Zing!!!) Believe me, if you've ever been a foreigner living in Israel, not only do you get this joke, but it's hilarious. Native Israelis will tell you that they are frank, direct, to the point, brisk, etc., etc., but never rude. As much as I like living here, I'm sorry, but I just have to call a spade a spade.

Ask an Immigrant: Eddie

Israel's immigrant population added 16,500 people to its ranks in 2012. As a foreigner, sometimes it feels as if I have a connection to the immigrant population here not only because for the time being I'm making a home here, but because I am so often mistaken as a member of the immigrant community. But despite how things may look to some on the outside, I have very little in common with this group. I live in an upscale neighborhood with access to any and all goods and services I need. I have a community of people in the exact same situation as me that I can commiserate with. A short chat with my friend Eddie quickly informed me that sadly that's not the case for everyone here from another country. In fact, some of the things Eddie told me about his life here were so surprising (and disturbing), that the level of nonchalance with which he conveyed them gave me pause. Many of the tough situations that Eddie currently faces make him a candidate for help from YEDID, where I promptly referred him after this interview. I very much hope that he takes advantage of the assistance YEDID can offer him. So here is a little taste of what life is like for Eddie from Nigeria, the good, the bad and the ugly.
**(please note these are solely the opinions of the interviewee and do not reflect my own personal opinions)**

The Daily Israeli: A Light among us

Today I'm so excited to introduce my good friend Staci Light as The Daily Israeli. Staci is one of the first people I met in Israel and she wasted no time making me feel at home, showing me the best tour guides, beaches, restaurants, you name it. It wasn't until I learned of Staci's background in philanthropic work that I began to fully appreciate what an awesome woman she really is. Before permanently relocating to Tel Aviv from New York City, Staci headed up her own company, Philanthropic Alternatives, where she played matchmaker between organizations and independent philanthropists, and the non-profits that they'd choose to support. During her time with Philanthropic Alternatives Staci also developed a close relationship with YEDID, and she was the voice that suggested I start volunteering with them when I was bored and looking for something meaningful to do. We sat down to chat for a few minutes about both YEDID and life in Israel in general.

Who says it better: Israeli vs. U.S. politicians

These two have frighteningly similar and out of touch perceptions of what constitutes the middle class.

Monday was a banner day in Israel for mind-numbingly and inexplicably stupid things said by politicians. It's Wednesday, and the hangover has yet to subside from reaction to a Facebook post by the newly elected Finance Minister, Yair Lapid. Mr. Lapid went on at length Monday about how the job of he and his colleagues is not to focus on the calculators and Excel spreadsheets before them, but instead individual cases, such as that of one Mrs. Ricki Cohen. The hypothetical Mrs. Cohen and her husband represent the ideal middle class workers to Mr. Lapid's mind, hard-working taxpayers making just over $5500 a month with 3 kids to support. On that meager sum, the Cohens can hardly afford the trappings of a comfortable lifestyle, such as overseas vacations or the purchase of apartments for their children when they become adults. It's cases like Mrs. Cohen's which should guide the ministry's thinking on how to balance the budget and relieve the burden on middle class families.

The Daily Israeli: Ran Melamed, "Ladies' Man"

So today brings the introduction of a new feature that I'll run periodically on the blog, "The Daily Israeli," in which I'll chat with some of the interesting folks I've encountered here in Israel. First up is Ran Melamed, Deputy Director for Communication and Social Policy at YEDID. Suffice it say that Ran has made a career out of advocating for social change, and you can check out a brief bio of him here. On a more personal note, Ran is an all around awesome guy who has been instrumental to me in my quest to learn more about this fascinating country and its people. Ran was also the person who suggested that I start this blog, when I had absolutely zero intention of doing so. So he is someone who I owe a great deal of thanks.

When I approached Ran about an interview for the blog last week, he volunteered himself, and proposed that we talk about what it's like for him working in a female dominated environment. That angle surprised me somewhat, as I hadn't really considered the range of issues he might face in such a position. But what I quickly found out, much to my delight, is that Mr. Melamed loves the ladies. Our interview after the jump...

YEDID center visit in Tel Aviv Part 2

You've already heard me go on about the fantastic job being done by the employees and volunteers at the YEDID citizen rights center in Tel Aviv, so this week I wanted to share a couple stories of the clients they serve.

YEDID center visit in Tel Aviv Part 1

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of spending a few hours at the YEDID citizen rights center in Tel Aviv. In short, this is a place whose doors are open to any Israeli seeking help with a broad array of financial, legal, and other social problems who have been unsuccessful solving their issue through the regular bureaucratic channels. YEDID translates to 'friend' in English, and that's precisely what people find here; someone to listen and care enough to work until there is a resolution, not just until the clock hits 5 and it's time to go home for the day. Needless to say, it's super busy. Maya and Sarah were my very gracious hosts, and I had a great time talking with them about their roles, and also chatting with a couple clients who were nice enough to share their stories with me. I knew immediately after leaving the center that I would need to write two installments on this visit, because I saw and learned way too much to pack into one post. Furthermore, I experienced both sides of the aisle at the center, first talking to Maya and Sarah who work there, and then meeting with some of the clients who they work for. So today I'll talk about the work that these ladies and the others put into the center.

Diamonds and Pearls

Melissa, Kiarra and myself with some of the amazing pieces from Megemeria.

I have a confession. It's Wednesday and I'm still hung over from Monday. Pretty incredible, considering I didn't have a drop of alcohol. What's been lingering with me this week, is not a pounding headache or bad case of the bubble guts (thankfully), but a very different sensation inside. It's an extended feeling of the warm and fuzzies after visiting what is one of the nicest places I've seen in Israel, Megemeria. This was my second visit there, and for the second time, I left with a renewed perspective and sense of purpose about the world around me. I'll explain.

Shekels vs. Dollars: Comparing groceries

How far do these 20's go?

One of the perks of living America is that stuff is fairly cheap. Taxes are pretty low, there's a lot of brands in any given market promoting competition, and big-box retailers like Walmart and Target offer deep discounts on just about everything, because in a country of 300 million people, big chains can afford to do that. What's a shame however, is how little most Americans appreciate this. In fact, Americans love to complain about how expensive things are, while anyone who is well-traveled outside the U.S knows that we have it wayyyy better than most places. I spent 3 years cursing the Euro before I moved to Israel and met the shekel. The sticker shock I've encountered in Israel is unlike anything else I've seen, and I find myself going out of my way to find things cheaper, especially groceries. Then again, maybe it's all in my head? I figured I'd do a side by side comparison on some of the groceries I purchase the most to find out for sure.

I don't speak Amharic

At left, me. At right, Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kebede. See the resemblance??!!! Remember sometimes it's okay to lie if it makes someone feel better :)

In Tel Aviv there is a fairly sizable population of Ethiopian Jews. Like many immigrant communities, a lot of them work jobs that don't require advanced education, such as security, construction, childcare or janitorial work. This is of course not the case for every Ethiopian in Israel, but this is where I tend to see them the most - pushing strollers, sweeping and mopping floors,  bagging groceries, and checking cars at the mall entrance. All of these are perfectly decent ways to earn a living, particularly for a population that came to Israel a few generations ago from an underdeveloped country. What I've encountered as a non-Ethiopian, is an automatic assumption on the part of some Israelis that I am here doing one of those same things, naturally, because of the color of my skin.

Southern Israel Tour

Having lived among the well heeled of Tel Aviv for over a year, I wasn’t sure what to expect when YEDID invited me to tour southern Israel. I braced myself for an experience unlike any I’d seen before, and that’s exactly what I got.

First up was the Bedouin community of Rahat. Honestly, and probably ignorantly, I expected a lot of tents. There were some tents, but mostly run-down housing units lining barely paved, unnamed streets. Ran, my guide, pointed out some recent advances the city had secured from the government, things as basic as proper bus shelters, where before were just metal poles. On a late Monday morning, I was struck by the number of kids out and about – playing soccer in a dusty abandoned lot, or tagging along with their mothers en route to a cramped market. For sure I thought most of these kids should be in a classroom somewhere, but this is not a town that places a premium on education, despite over half of its residents aged 18 and under.