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.