The Blog

Hello! Welcome to Oy! The Places You'll Go. 
This blog will be my outlet for the next two months to document my travels around Israel, specifically Tel-Aviv. So let me give you some background about myself. I'm a college student studying English and Studio Art at a liberal arts college near Boston. I just finished studying abroad in Bologna, Italy and I'm ready for a new adventure. I am currently interning at a news organization in Tel-Aviv and in my free time travel the city. I was born and raised in the United States, however, my parents are Israeli so I know Hebrew. Yet,this is my first time actually living in Israel. Keep track of the adventures, trials and wanderings of an American-Israeli in the city by the sea.

Stay tuned as I find my way through this New York City of the Middle East!

20Things I'll Miss About Israel

1) Asking for water at a restaurant or cafe and waiting until they siphon it from the Dead Sea. The water supply in Israel is low, so unlike in the West (namely the U.S.) you almost always have to ask for it. Water conservation in action!

2) The lax culture - you can sit at a place for hours and nobody rushes you out or places the bill on your table, until you request it.

3) Everyone's confusion with the bus system. People will offer advice, when they themselves have no idea of the bus lines or directions.

4) Cab drivers who are insistent I find a man here and make Aliyah.

5) Me practicing my Hebrew, the other person detecting my accent and responding in English.

6) I have yet to experience bad food and coffee here. The coffee shop scene here is incredible! There are about 3 to a block and it is always hip to go grab coffee with someone at anytime day or night.

7) The laughable, yet very endearing attempts at spelling things in English and Italian. Dolce, which means "sweet" in Italian has become Dolche or Bacio = "kiss" is now Bacho. The Israelis don't seem to comprehend the different sounds and spellings of the language, which is especially humorous when there is a store in Dizengoff plastered in bold face with the incorrect spelling.

8) The fashion sense of the young people today. Everyone has apparently been reading their

H & M catalogue- or rather the Israeli equivalent Castro - and keeping tabs on NY fashion. Jean shorts and a nice tucked in shirt, camisole or tank top are all the rage, as are short summer dresses and the Parisian striped shirts. It is a festivity of color and patterns as you walk the streets.

(downside: older people also try to emulate this style and lets just say it doesn't quite suit them)

9) The crazies flock to me. I must have good crazedar or something. Either the super political or just batty characters somehow always end up sitting near me.

10) The Invisible barrier between those who serve in the army and those who don't. There is a certain camaraderie developed in these formative years from the transition from a certain type of juvenile adolescence to adulthood. One that separates the former soldiers from the rest of society and unites and bonds them. They seemingly deem those who haven't served - to a certain extent - as still in the juvenile phase of life.

11) Dogs "freely" wandering on a leash, of course, in a shopping mall. Cats roaming the street - in search of their next milk fix.

12) The normalcy of men walking the streets shirtless - women don't have this luxury.

13) Holey in the Holy Land - Clogs are all the rage here. The versatile - hole shoe, is both house-ware and street-ware. The extinct brand just about everywhere in the U.S. couldn't be more popular here.

14) Israeli T.V. is my new addiction. Since arriving here 2 1/2 short months ago I have developed a somewhat severe obsession with Israeli pseudo "reality" T.V. I've been closely following Kochav Nolad (Israel's American Idol). I'm currently rooting for both Ehud and Diana but this is bound to change.

Adi Ashkenazy, a female comedian that performs stand-up, as part of the show, paired with her documented experiences. In one episode, she decides to "do Vegas," while there she does the standard gambling, visiting a strip club (where she meets and befriends an Israeli woman) and gets a quickie marriage through a drive-thru. I haven't fully grasped Israeli Survivor. I started watching it, then fell asleep and when I woke up 5 hours later it was still on T.V. It's a show that NEVER Ends!

15) The beach scene both humorous and relaxing (as I've already noted in previous blog posts).

16) Cultural Faux Pas are nonexistent. Express what you feel, say what you want - there are no misgivings or hurt feelings.

17) No tipping on your credit card. You can pay your bill/check with the card, but think again if you're going to tip your waiter/ess with it. Tips are paid in money- coin or bills.

18) Intermission in the middle of movies at certain theaters. Right at the climax of the film, suddenly the film stops and people will go to the restroom or grab something to eat and drink from the concession stand. 15 minutes later the film will start up again. Ridiculous and funny.

19) Raindrops keep falling on my head - just kidding it Never ever (or once in a blue moon) rains here. But, as you walk the sidewalk you will feel the soft pit a pat from the air conditioning units hanging out of the windows above.

20) The level of trust and belief in your fellow human. In the U.S. to enter certain events someone will ask for identification to verify that you are indeed the person they are expecting. In Israel, I have found that just saying my name is enough. There is not that extra level of disbelief or distrust that often goes with the American mentality.

Though this is worth mentioning, it is not in fact the 20th thing I will miss about Israel. The final and perhaps most important element of Israeli society I will miss has nothing to do with the people, but has everything to do with the climate....and that is the sweltering heat and humidity that unites us all. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard someone ask someone "How they are?" and gotten some form of the following response: "Hot," "dripping with sweat," "What's with this heat/humidity?" I've seen people enter museums just for the air condition.

In brief, as the saying goes "If you can't stand the heat," well, then you are just like every Israeli.

Tattoo Craze in Israel

A tattoo parlor named "Tattoo Planet" in the Dizengoff mall. The decor, plastered on the wall in the back room rests a flying demonic goblin, while goblin statue clad in polished armor sits in the reception. Above this statue, the head of an opened mouthed white tiger in the midst of an uproarious growl or roar propped on the wall.

I sat in the mall and watched as young person after young person entered this tattoo parlor. Only to come out with some ridiculously juvenile tattoo of a butterfly - or one guy walked out proudly bearing a pixie on his leg. I was almost tempted to go in myself and ask the tattoo artists to give me the stupidest tattoo someone ever requested. But, I resisted the urge.

Maybe I am just influenced by American cultural norms, but tattoos are expensive and not a decision generally taken lightly (it's not something someone gets everyday). You would think that people would put some thought into the meaning of their tattoo. Tattoos in the United States often tell a story - a loved one lost and forever memorialized on your skin. Or a way of exposing your political and religious beliefs to the world.

Granted, people in the U.S. do get severely misguided tattoos and yes, exceptionally stupid ones as well. But, Israelis who are seemingly new to the tattoo culture seem to get them at an exponentially higher rate (ill-advised tattoos, that is). Common locations for tattoos seem to be the ever-popular tramp stamp - on the lower back, the leg - where ankle meets calf, and the back of the neck/upper back.

According to a passage from the Torah tattooing is prohibited in Judaism, "You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:28) This passage has been contested and debated on its merits ever since. The one question that always remained in my mind was, can a Jew with a tattoo be buried in a Jewish cemetery?
The answer is yes. Though, every Jewish burial society has the right to decide whether or not they will place a person with a tattoo in their cemetery. Still, certain burial societies will not bury Jews who voluntarily got tattoos on their burial grounds.

Seriously, if Israel upheld the biblical passage and applied it in prohibiting Jewish burial - most of the people in Israel wouldn't be buried in this land. On one hand the tattoo craze seems to be more of a statement here. To say, see I'm hip, I fit in. Perhaps, even a post-military rite of passage.

In short, if you're going to permanently brandecate ( a fusion of brand and decorate) yourself, please resist the dragon and the butterfly and do it in good taste. If I see one more butterfly or pixie like mythical character, the crocodile tears will start flowing -- and I probably just gave some dolt an idea for a "rad" tattoo. Shutter.

Reflections on the Litvak Gallery

For a fixed price of 48 shekels, visitors are granted full access to the gallery space at Galleria Litvak. A constantly changing exhibition space of predominantly glass works - the current featured artist on display is Czech artist, Vaclav Ciglar.

Ciglar known as the "Father of Contemporary Slovak Glass Art" has described his personal objective as such, " I use glass as a mediator for observation and meditation." Ultimately though, Ciglar hopes that his work will aid people to live in harmony with their surroundings and utilizes the reflective nature of glass to shed light on this concept.

Some of Ciglar's pieces that stuck out in my mind were "Convex and Concave." Like much of the exhibition, this work drew attention to reflection and distortion. It also requires viewers to slow down and question sight and perception as they become incorporated in the piece (via reflection). His work,"Flower," is a straightforward geometrical form, defined by reflective sheet metal petals and a yellow cylindrical center. Though simple, it is still an illuminating and whimsical sculpture.

In a set of water pieces,"Rippled Surface," water corresponds with an electric mechanism creating soft rippling waves. The waves are reflected in the sheet glass directly above. According to the artist's statement, this effect demonstrates the temporary condition of everything in the world, including us.

I particularly enjoyed "Jacob's Ladder," composed of optic glass and cables. The work is representative of the masterful biblical narrative in which G-d show's Jacob the path to heaven.

The outside exhibition shows reflections of the outdoor scenery - primarily the cityscape of high risers. Additionally, circular fragmented segments of glass breakdown the mechanics of sight for the viewer - offering assorted perspectives. These environmental sculptures capture light and the immediate surroundings of the viewer. Placing the viewer in the cityscape.

The standout piece of the exhibit is certainly Ciglar's "Star of David." The Star commissioned by the gallery owner specifically for this show is presented in the front window of the gallery - facing out towards the street. The pure glass without any imperfections (i.e. bubbles) takes 6 weeks to make. Disjointed geometric forms are sparsely arranged on the glass surface of the window creating a superimposed reflective optical glass illusion.

Beyond Ciglar's glass exhibition, there are also the works of Richard Jolly, Dale Chihuly, Peter Bremers and Davide Salvadore in the adjoining room. A dynamic sculptural medley of carved and blown glass. Chihuly, the glass blowing legend had some of his vases on view, (among other pieces)"Cerulian Blue Venetian #173" and "Silver Blue Venetian."

Also, lesser known artist, Peter Bremers' "Iceberg and Paraphernalia," an icy blue transparent sculpture served as a sample of his glass style.

David Salvadore, a Venetian artist from Murano - the glass blowing capital of Italy (and the World)- displayed remarkable glass instruments at the exhibit. "Tiraboson 2" and "Tiraboson 3" are two African tribal string instruments made from blown and carved glass. I was in awe of the craftsmanship and attention to detail with Salvadore's work and a bit disappointed and chagrined that there weren't more of his pieces in the space.

My favorite aspect of the Litvak Gallery does not actually lie within the Gallery space walls. In fact, before entering the gallery on the bottom entrance level of the tower (the Gallery is on the second floor) on Berkovich St. there is another open display space. On this ground level, Naama Aharonson's sensational papier mache creations are on view. Aharonson created several human sculptures of varying ages and in different settings. The exhibition is titled, "Speaking of People" (rough translation from the Hebrew,"Madoobar BaAnashim"). These life sized statues are sprawled across the ground level. It is an interactive exhibition space of sorts. The guard on duty recommended we strike a pose with the papier mache sculptures and become part of the display. Obviously, I couldn't disappoint this guard.

Afternoon in Florentin, Night for the Book(ing)s

Florentin -the artsy bohemian neighborhood of Tel-Aviv - has a slumish facade that endears its residential clientele. Once you delve into the heart of the neighborhood, you find some hip restaurants, nice original designer clothing stores and a few clubs/music venues scattered around. Wandering the rambling dirty streets - I finally found the 'charm' of Florentin that I had been told about. In a crevice near the center of the area you will find Florentin and Vital St. There are restaurants/bars on each corner of this street intersection and a little clothing boutique called "Old News" down the street.

"Florentin 10," a restaurant on the aforementioned street corner seemed bustling with customers. Always a good sign of a successful eatery; I entered. A 24/7 Cafe/Restaurant/Bar, I sat outside and did some people watching. I wasn't really sure what to order and the waitress seemed to sense it. As I opened my mouth to ask her for a salad suggestion. She smiled and said I should check out the business menu - common at restaurants in Israel. The business menu offers a first course (usually soup or salad) and a main course and drink for a reduced price (between $10-$15). Equivalent to a lunch menu in certain restaurants in the U.S., yet with healthier options and fresh ingredients here (also includes a drink). I ordered a warm and hearty bowl of vegetable soup - that came recommended - and a Greek salad. Both delicious. A refreshing glass of apple juice was a perfect topper to my meal

After roaming the area a little bit and not finding a lot more to do, beyond eat and drink I left Florentin for an event in Jerusalem. I get the sense that Florentin is more of a vibrant night scene than afternoon. For example, the clothing store -"Old News"- didn't open until 5 p.m. The event in Jerusalem was a social entrepreneur launch of 16 non profit organizations. The NGO's introduced their work to a room full of supporters. After spending a few hours there and getting my story I returned to Tel-Aviv. This is where the real story begins...

From Jerusalem to Tel-Aviv I embarked on my journey home- taking the Sherut (taxi service). I ask the driver if he can take me to another stop other than the Central Bus Station by Levinsky St. He says, "No, I don't stop anywhere else. Don't worry about it you can take a bus or taxi from there." I ask him again, politely explaining that Levinsky's not the nicest area to go at night. He ignores this comment and starts driving. Peeved and nursing a migraine, I sat in my seat and held my head. The Sherut arrived at Levinsky at around 10:30 p.m. As I walked to my bus stop (#5), the street was well lit and a bunch of people were loitering in the nearby park and street. Since, there were so many people on the street I felt fairly comfortable. Now, I only dreamed of an Asprin and resting my head on my pillow. If only this is where the story ended.

I get to the bus stop to find two men waiting there. One is an Israeli man and the other is Ethiopian. The Ethiopian man asks me for the time in English, I respond in Hebrew - to his confusion - and then in English. He goes and sits on a bench. Also waiting beside me, sitting on another bench was a Filipino woman. The woman flags down the Sherut service and gets in - as she enters, a woman wearing short shorts and a zip up shirt drunkenly waddles over to the Sherut cab and jumps in after her. The driver recognizes that there is something wrong with this woman as she maniacally laughs and shouts profanities among other things. He somehow manages to eject her from the vehicle. The Ethiopian guy and I are fully entranced watching this woman stroll/stumble down the street towards us. At this point I notice the severe gashes all over her legs, arms and on her face and realize that she is completely drugged up.

Unfortunately for me, I am fascinated by this and keep watching her. She notices. She locks eyes with me and walks over in my direction. I look down and firmly clasp my purse. When I look up again, she's standing in front of me yelling something about Satan and G-d and something about my future with one or the other. It's all very hazy what she was actually saying and can mostly be described as crazy dribble. Nonetheless, she decides to grab my hair and pull at it and then proceeded to grab my wrists and twist them (at least she tried - I resisted). At this point I get up , which moves her off me for a bit. She continues following me and yelling something while laughing. I tell her I'm with the Israeli and Ethiopian men and to please leave me alone. I promptly go over and sit by the Ethiopian man on the adjacent bench. The woman detects the undercurrent of my American accent in Hebrew and begins harassing me in English. At least her limited grasp of the language, "Oh you're American," [insert incoherent English here] and then a countdown from the number 6 to 0 in English.

At this point, I am sitting on the bench next to the Ethiopian man, who couldn't have been more than 25 years old, the crazy woman sits beside me on the opposite side. She then puts her arm over my shoulder and grabs on to the strap of my purse and the bench. Pinning me down to the bench so that I can't get up and escape. The tears are streaming down my face and I am signaling at the standing Israeli man and asking for help. He walks away. The Ethiopian man beside me tells her to leave me alone. She lets go of my purse strap and moves down the bench a bit and proceeds to unzip her shirt and expose her breasts - to our disgust. She then fondles herself and I edge further away.

At some point before this happened, she took my sunglasses off of my head and started wearing them and prancing around. My glasses may say "Prada" on the side, but I assure you they are the biggest knock offs in the world. In fact on the lenses it used to say 'Prada', but my friend and I scratched it out so that it now only says "ra" - to further emphasize their illegitimacy. Basically, I didn't care enough for the shades to fight her over them. I see a taxi peel around the corner leap up and flag him down. Distressed - mind you my migraine is throbbing - profusely crying, angry and a bit frightened, I explain the whole story to the cab driver before entering the car.

He looks at me in utter shock and says, "Wait, she stole your glasses." I respond, "Don't worry about it they're not worth it, please drive me home." He doesn't stand for this behavior though, and exits the cab, goes up to the woman and tries to retrieve them for me. While he futilely attempts this, I look up at the Israeli man and ask him "Why didn't you help me?" He responds, "I thought you were associated with the woman." I roll my tear filled eyes at him, scoff and enter the cab. The driver now safely back in his cab - sans shades - says, "She's crazy, we need to find the police." Right there at the traffic light stands a police car, waiting for the light to turn. My altruistic driver or as I'd prefer to refer to him, my savior, gets out of the car again and the next thing I know the police are talking to me about the incident. The taxi driver volunteers to take me to the station to offer my accuser/witness statement.The police tell the driver that is not necessary and that they will take me to the station in their car.

Next thing I know, I'm in the front of a police car. The cops arrested the woman and asked me to I.D. her on the street. I affirmed that that was in fact the woman who attacked me. Evidently, she was actually Russian as a policewoman began conversing with her (and detected HER accent). The crazy woman began crying a bit and pleaded with me to not give a statement. I responded, well, you should have thought about that before attacking and stealing from me.

I chatted with the very friendly policeman about the situation and my background. He smiled and said jokingly something to the effect, "so are you considering making Aliyah (immigrating to Israel) now." This back and forth rapport of joking and laughing continued for a bit, until we were joined by the two policeman who squished in the backseat with an Eritrean young woman (who sat there when I entered the car).

The Eritrean (as I found out later) woman sat there in silence. I was pondering the entire time whether she was the attacker or the victim. Sadly, I would come to find out it was the later. The drive was fairly quiet - beyond the obnoxious police receiver calling for dispatches. My head was pounding now and to my dismay the police didn't have aspirin readily available. We arrived at the station and the policewoman led us into the hallway, where we sat on chairs awaiting the investigator.

While waiting for the investigator (for 30-40 minutes) in this cold stark white hallway with bright overly luminous lights beaming down on us, the young woman and I struck a non-verbal line of communication. Evidently, she moved with her husband of 3 years from Eritrea to Israel only 30 days ago. Neither she or her husband speak any Hebrew and little to no English. She explained with a lot of hand gestures and a few blurbs of English that her husband had tried to kill her. He put a knife to her neck and threatened her. A few days later I saw the story on the news. A neighbor had apparently called the police after hearing a lot of screaming.

This is just an incident but it is symptomatic of a larger issue that has taken precedence in Israel (and not only Israel, but everywhere in the world) - and that is apathy. And honestly, a plain disconnect for your fellow human. One would think that the Jewish people of all people would see random acts of violence and injustices and stand up against them. Unfortunately, rarely have I seen this be the case. A few days later, I watched a video on the news that confirmed these beliefs. When a man randomly attacked one of the peaceful homeless men that sits on Allenby St, right outside Tel-Aviv's Carmel Market.

Article and Video of the attack:

http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3926871,00.html

Perhaps I'm asking the wrong question. Instead, of asking why don't people stand up for each other? Maybe, I should be asking what is wrong with the health care system, after all, we have a drug addict and seemingly a maniac attacking civilians? They need treatment, right? I hope you're sensing my tongue and cheek sarcastic rhetoric here.

Then on Israeli T.V. channel 10 last night I watched "Pay it Forward." One of the most idealistic movies of recent memory. The film starts out with teacher - Kevin Spacey - posing the question, "What does the world mean to you?" and "What does the world expect of you?" Haley Joel Osmond's character, Trevor responds "Nothing." After all, Spacey is addressing a room full of 7th grade students - 11 year olds. Osmond's character takes Spacey's class assignment of taking action in the community to mean that he must make a big difference. Trevor comes up with the idea of "Pay it Forward." One person does something good for three people and they pass it on to three more people - creating a chain reaction. Sustaining the philosophy that by impacting each other and helping each other out, we are changing the world.

In the film, the characters are initially dominated by their fears. Kevin Spacey fears an intimate relationship with Trevor's mother and is content with his manageable routine life - fearing change. Trevor is unable to defend his friend Adam from the bullies who beat him up -fearing they will turn on him. In sum, everyone is to some extent ruled by a fear that prevents them from fully "paying it forward." But, they in turn face these fears. Sadly, Trevor pays the ultimate price when he finally finds the courage to defend Adam.

Sometimes making a difference starts at home. If we changed the mentality of letting things go "unnoticed" or passively ignoring what we see happen on the streets - maybe, just maybe we could change the society in which we live. The taxi driver. The neighbor. Those are the people we must emulate. They are the heroes of this story.

I never got the name of the cab driver so I never had the chance to thank him for all he did for me. If hes reading, I would like to say Thank You from the bottom of my heart. Also a big thank you to the police and my relative who drove me home at 1 a.m. (you know who you are).

Comparative Politics - Football Style: Messied Up, and Adventures in Cairo

Argentinean soccer superstar Lionel Messi is apparently no stranger in the Middle East. Sporting his jersey in both Cairo and Tel-Aviv now has made me fully aware of his following. From chanting in the bazaar to offers of courtship (a bit confusing and disconcerting) to elongated walks with men down the street confessing their love of the Argentinean footballer (again confusing); Messi just might be the missing piece in the Middle East. A bit floored at first by the reception the Jersey got in Cairo, fans reactions eventually grew on me and with their immeasurable enthusiasm came my own. Revving up for the World Cup Final that night, the average pedestrian's response could not have been greater; short of Messi actually showing up and strolling the streets. Bright wide smiles lit up the unpaved roads and no one could turn a deaf ear to the chants and shouts.

Evidently, a female soccer fan was a rarity in the area. That is until I reached the airport and was greeted by the shining smiling faces of the El Al flight crew. As I arrived more than fashionably late to my flight, (on account of the game and the requisite post-game celebration – I mean coffee of course, I was in Egypt after all); two female security workers were elated to see the Jersey (3 a.m. flight - they were probably in reality very tired and were lured by the colors) and chanted "Messi" as I walked past for the questioning portion of pre-departure. With Spain clinching the title with a score of 1-0 against the Netherlands; they were enshrined in the World Cup hall of fame.
*Side note for non-soccer fans: Messi plays for Barcelona during the regular season. He played for his native Argentina for the World Cup*

This is a bit of a departure from the focus of my blog, which is Tel–Aviv. However, I found that many people that come to Israel often have an interest in visiting Egypt as well (if only to see the Pyramids at Giza). So this is what I would recommend for those interested. I took an early morning flight from Ben-Gurion (via El Al); I thought it was more time and cost effective (vs. a delay in Jordan). I also felt more comfortable in terms of security flying El Al over Royal Jordanian. Once I arrived (again in the wee hours of the early morning) my friends picked me up from the airport and from there we took a taxi to my friends' apartment. For traveling around Egypt it is best to take a taxi, just make sure that when you get in the cab the driver turns the meter on. Also for this reason take yellow or white cabs. The black cabs are generally taken by Egyptians because you haggle for the price of the ride (perhaps not the best idea for a tourist). Taxis are generally dirt cheap in Egypt and seem to be the most popular form of public transportation, at least in Cairo.

The Citadel

The Sites:

The Saladin Citadel of Cairo: A fortification commissioned by ruler Salah- Al Din during the Crusades, to protect and defend the city of Cairo and Fustat from the Crusaders. The Citadel offers a beautiful view of the city. The site closes at around 4 p.m. everyday.

The Pyramids at Giza: It's worth haggling for a camel ride around the pyramids. Unfortunately, when I went we couldn't enter the Great Pyramid because it was closed. I almost threw a "my ancestors built that pyramid, what do you mean it's closed" comment – but alas resisted.

The Nile: I recommend taking a night sail on a ship on the Nile. The ship we took (named Memphis) offered a buffet dinner and entertainment for its two hour voyage. Entertainment included belly dancing (which was not the best), singers (singing perhaps the most comical rendition of Lionel Richie's "Hello" I've ever heard) and a Whirling Dervish (Amazing!).

Sequoia Restaurant: A posh restaurant on the Nile. Stunning view and wonderfully set up; this restaurant offers everything from traditional Egyptian dishes (such as Molokheyah and for dessert Knafeh) to Sushi. Of course what's an Egyptian restaurant without Hookah/ Nargilah/ Sheesha (whatever you call it)? Recommended flavors: apple and honey, watermelon, and peach.

Bazaar (how bizarre) - Salesmanship at its finest? Bargaining is the game here. The prices are raised for tourists so in order to buy anything for a reasonable price you must haggle.

Pyramids at Giza /Sequoia Restaurant

Here's a list of Tips for Cairo:

1. Don't drink the water, unless it has a sealed top (buy water bottles - no tap water). With beverages in cans, make sure you wipe off the top of the can before drinking.

2. Generally avoid the vegetables unless they come from a reputable restaurant or are cooked. Fresh vegetables are often not washed properly and carry bacteria that may affect travelers who are unaccustomed to it. This may lead to a bad case of Pharoah's Revenge (I speak from experience).

3. Take Yellow or White Cabs - Yellow are a bit more expensive.

4. Don't ask anyone for anything - If you are at a popular tourist destination and someone comes up to you and asks you if you would like to see something special or offers information about the location, avoid them like the plague! I cannot stress this enough, seriously, all of these people earn pittance for salaries (probably equal to around $15 a month or so) and they will hound you until you tip them.

5. Women - cover your shoulders and knees. People will recognize you are a foreigner no matter what you do, but if you don't want the unwelcome attention from men it's best to cover up. They will most likely cat call you regardless, but perhaps less so if you respect this tip. This doesn't mean you should wear heavy clothing as it is an extremely hot and humid climate. Linen pants and a t-shirt or light long sleeved shirt should suffice.

6. Arrive early - many museums close around 2 p.m., so plan your trip accordingly.

A Little Oasis: Neve Tzedek - Shabazi

Architecture of Neve Tzedek

One of the hip hangouts of Tel-Aviv - young families and tourists alike wander the streets of Neve Tzedek milling through stylish cafes and chic stores. Neve Tzedek, which means "Abode or Oasis of justice" in Hebrew, is the first Jewish Neighborhood in Tel-Aviv. Established in 1887 (22 years before Tel-Aviv's establishment in 1909), by Aharon Shlush, who purchased the land to build a Jewish community outside the overpopulated Jaffa port. The residential neighborhood became a popular destination for artists and writers. It was home to future Noble Prize Laureate Shmuel Yosef Agnon and artist Nachum Gutman. Unfortunately, as time passed people began pulling out of the area and moving to the developing Northern Tel-Aviv. By the 1960s, Neve Tzedek was left in the dust - leaving behind dilapidated buildings, deeming it a slum. The 1980's brought about the revival of the area as efforts were made to renovate it. Ultimately, like many blighted and neglected spaces in major cities, gentrification saved the day - reviving the once vibrant community and creating a prosperous and expensive oasis for those who can afford its luxuries.

A quaint street in the heart of Neve Tzedek, Shabazi offers charming clothing and jewelry boutiques, an Italian gelataria and a neat bookstore. The vibe of the neighborhood of Neve Tzedek can best be described as the meeting place of hipster and yuppie. That pivotal turning point from being hip, trendy and young to being hip, trendy, young and professional – essentially you're gainfully employed now – Mazal Tov! As a result, in this neighborhood you'll see a lot of young couples and budding families with strollers in tow. Surprisingly, the area, only blocks away from the bustling Allenby, is quiet and calm - a slice of relaxation in the city.

In need of some new books, I entered Sipur Pashut (31 Shabazi) – a well designed two story bookstore, featuring titles in both Hebrew and English. There is a fairly comprehensive collection of English books ranging from classics to bestsellers to new arrivals. The staff is friendly and extremely helpful in both suggestions and assistance. Also a well ventilated space, which never hurts.

The heat was stifling outside that day so I stepped into the busy Anita Café "La Mamma del Gelato." I was welcomed by the warm smiles of toddlers sprawled on the steps, and their mothers coolly lounging at one of the circular tables discussing their children, husbands and the trivial chores and tasks of the day. Looking at the unique gelato options, I finally settled on banana with dates and grapefruit with campari. The grapefruit was mediocre, but the banana with dates was divine. The gelataria also offers such flavors as halva, limoncello and fruity flavors such as melon, watermelon, pear with wine, and fig. This gelateria has a variety of yogurt flavors, ice cream without sugar and ice cream with a goat milk base. Their gelato isn't quite as light as the Italian stuff, but given that it's a gelataria in Tel-Aviv it's pretty darn good and was winner of a 2008 Time Out award for Best Restaurant/Food in Israel.

Just a jete or foxtrot away is the "Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre," which is worth checking out. As is the restaurant/coffee shop in front of it - feel free to recline on their large white sofa couches and enjoy the summer breeze. Best to visit at night when lit by street lamps; relax and enjoy the soft strumming of the guitar from a street performer.

Shmuel Yosef Agnon's House

On Top of Rokach House

Saturday on the Beach

If you slightly adjust the lyrics to Chicago's "Saturday in the Park" to Saturday on the beach, then you have a fairly perfect description of the atmosphere in Tel-Aviv. I wasn't sure what to expect on a Saturday in the city, I'd heard that Tel-Aviv is different from most other cities in Israel in that there is a lot that stays open on this Sabbath day. However, I'd also heard that people mostly go to the beach on Saturday to either be seen or nurse their hangover from the night before. So I walked to the beach - just so you know there are no buses on Saturday until the evening after the Sabbath gets out [there are, however, taxis and Sherut (I believe)]. On my walk I noticed that mostly restaurants and Quick (Kwik)-E-Marts were open; all of the stores I passed were closed and there was some sort of plaster statue gallery open. Once I got to the walkway of the beach I was promptly asked if I had a cigarette. I've also heard cigarettes aren't sold on the Sabbath, not a 100% sure if this is true, but needless to say the man went on to ask others for a smoke.

"Saturday in the Park (on the Beach)

I think it was the Fourth of July (Third)

People talking, people laughing

A man selling ice cream."

My first destination was a refreshing drink at Yotvata, which is known for its dairy products. So I ordered a Strawberry Banana Milkshake (1/2 liter = 25 NIS). It did not disappoint. I then decided to hop over to Mike's Place to check out the soccer game of Argentina vs. Germany. I am personally a huge Messi fan and supported Argentina as a whole. So donning my Messi Barcelona jersey I walked down the street into the overly crowded tourist destination. I had heard of Mike's Place, but I had never entered it before.

Two years ago, I saw the film "Blues by the Beach" at my college presented by the film's producer Jack Baxter. An American, Baxter, was at Mike's Place when a homicide bomber entered the bar/restaurant on April 30,2003 (during the second Intifada) and blew himself up killing himself and 3 others and injuring around 50 people (including Baxter).

It has been several years since this tragic event and Mike's Place is still going strong. Today for instance, there had to have been about 200 people there, if not more. There were television screens everywhere and a huge projected screen. I was amazed at how many Germany supporters were in the crowd. Luckily, my jersey seemed to draw the Argentinian supporters around me, including the loudest and most obnoxious of the Argentinian fans who seemed to enjoy consistently yelling in my ear whenever Argentina messed up, which if you watched the game was a lot! With an end score of 4-0, unfortunately, in favor of Germany. I left in disappointment - to say the least.



























Somehow forgetting I was wearing my Messi jersey; I got approached by soccer enthusiasts on my walk back either asking me what the score was or discussing their own disheartened feelings on Argentina's incredible loss. Or my favorite the German fans, who I believe were actually German, coming up behind me and saying something to the effect of "Hey Messi, don't cry." Receiving my fair share of taunting at this point, I slipped in my Ipod headphones and ignored the nutty soccer fans. Until, I heard the soothing yet bizarre musical stylings of Hare Krishna. Alert again to my surroundings, I walked over to this hippie dippy going on, on the opposite side of the street. Like any person with a camera in hand I began filming the performance.
For your viewing pleasure, I give you the Hare Krishna band: (Video to be posted later)

"People dancing, really smiling

A man playing guitar (or in this case the accordion)

Singing for us all

Will you help him change the world..."

As I said it truly was a Saturday at the beach.

Sandemans Tour of Tel-Aviv

I finally went on an official tour of Tel-Aviv. Now I've been on a Sandeman's tour before in Prague and found it very educational and informative there. I decided the other day that I would give it a shot here. At 3:30 p.m. on Wed. I took the tour around the city. With an Australian guide, a group of German tourists, two women from the Netherlands (who ducked out after 30 min.) and a Canadian originally from the Philippines we took off on this 3 hour journey. The tour - in English - starts off at the fountain in front of the Opera Tower and then weaves from the beach, to Bialik's house, to Bauhaus sites, to various other locations and ends in Neve Tzedek.

Opera Tower

The tour is great for learning historical information about Tel-Aviv and its founding.
One story I was particularly fond of was of Chaim Nachman Bialik's (Israel's national poet) initial arrival in his home in Tel-Aviv in 1924. Bialik was a household name at this point and the community was so eager to have him stay in Tel-Aviv and make him comfortable that they went to comical extremes. The neighborhood was very interested in keeping him writing that when he would take afternoon naps the area went silent (essentially all the neighborhood was warned and told the poet needs his rest).

Bialik's House

Some of the stories I found the most intriguing on the tour were the personal ones about the tour guides. Our guide, the Australian came here a year ago on a trip and has stayed ever since because he fell in love with an Israeli - who he met on the beach. He intends to return to Australia (with his mate) soon to begin graduate school in Middle Eastern politics and Medicine (which is apparently a shorter program down under).

Another story our guide told us, was about an American who came to Israel on birthright and went to the Billiard bar in Tel-Aviv - she got fairly drunk and had little to no recollection of the night before. However, the next morning a guy called her, who she remembered she exchanged numbers with and asked her out. She said why not and went out with him. As they say the rest is history, after 6 weeks of dating they got engaged and are now happily married for over 2 years. So birthright success - matching Jews up for years (JDate take note).

Ok enough of the asides back to the tour. Another tid bit of history I found particularly interesting came at the end of the tour and has to do with the proclamation ceremony of the founding of the State of Israel. After long fierce debates on what to name the to be announced state that evening, a committee of prominent figures including Ben-Gurion finally agreed on the name Israel. They all went home to get ready for the event that was just an hour or so away. Meanwhile, Ze'ev Sharef, the man who had volunteered to type up the agreed upon proclamation on his typewriter had finished with just enough time to spare to dress up and go to the ceremony. One thing he forgot to take into account was transportation. He goes outside to flag a taxi down and sees that the streets are deserted everyone is indoors listening to the radio awaiting the momentous declaration of the state of Israel. So Sharef begins to run, he sees a car whirling around the corner and jumps out in front of it. He explains to the driver the situation shows him the document and the driver agrees to take him to the Tel Aviv Museum (now Independence Hall) for the ceremony. After driving for a little while the British police stop the car for speeding. At this point the driver shares with Sharef that the car he is driving is borrowed and that he does not have a license. Slightly panicked and with the clock ticking Sharef explains the situation to the British police. Either they were Zionist policeman or they knew that in a couple of hours they would be leaving the country, either way they let Sharef and the driver go. Sharef arrived at the museum a minute before Ben Gurion opened the ceremony. With the reading of that document the State of Israel was declared on May 14, 1948.

The tour proved to be informative and I met some friendly interesting people along the way. I would recommend this tour to people who are new to the Tel-Aviv area and would like to learn a little about the history of the city.

Jaffa HaYafa: Jaffa Art Galleries

Word to the wise, if you decide to take a day trip to Jaffa (or Yafo) to go gallery crawling make sure you go early. The galleries, as I found out, tend to close at 4 or 5 p.m. some even earlier. Most of them open at 10 a.m. Also be aware that some are only open certain days of the week. One gallery I passed was open three days a week. In short, check before going.

Once I arrived, the first gallery I checked out was a gallery that sold vintage Israeli posters, featuring old ads for Israeli products, movie posters - including James Dean's "Rebel Without A Cause" (Hebrew edition) and Hashoter Azulai (Ephraim Kishon's "The Policeman") - and scenes from yesteryear Israel. The Farkash Gallery, is definitely for the college aged crowd with posters moderately priced at 75 shekels, not to mention the postcards at 3 shekels a piece. These posters would make great additions to a dorm room. In fact, as I walked in a mother and her high school/college aged daughter from the UK were leaving with a tidy sum of posters and postcards from the gallery. As I bought my postcards, I asked the gallery owners more about their gallery and apparently they have owned the gallery in Jaffa for about 30 years. However, the gallery itself was originally founded in 1948, and has been exhibiting Israeli art, including photography and paintings as well as posters ever since. Also good news, they ship!

The next gallery, was the Rachel Gera gallery, which specialized in jewelry with some small sculptures of Jewish figures and smaller ceramic works. The Jewelry - largely vintage silver pieces - seemed fairly heavy, with breast plate necklaces and a Gagaesque (Lady Gaga) head/face piece of jewelry. Very ornamental jewelry, much of it is not particularly functional for casual or formal events - unless you desire to be seen; spotlight seekers this may be your jewelry haven.

I walked into the Gabrieli Gallery afterward. There I found a collection of painted objects displaying female figures, scenes of Israeli landscapes and the seven species of Israel. Also in the back room were nice hand woven kippot and tallitot (prayer shawls).

The next site was a bit too modern for my likings with the exception of a few pieces. Art Nova has some beautiful woven paintings. My favorite was of a group of dancers in movement in a wide array of bright colors. It was hit or miss otherwise for me with these paintings.
Mansohn House, next door to Art Nova, has an exhibition of painted works. A lot of the pieces have a stucco appearance to them - the paint is so heavily layered and gives off a splendid textured effect of largely Israeli sites.

Last but not least, I visited the Frank Meisler gallery a unique display of caricature sculptures. The material the artist uses is Pewter metal and his subject matter tends to consist of comical portraits of professions from lawyers and doctors to gamblers (some would say these are synonymous). Meisler also created a dedication statue/ award for Shimon Peres, who is pictured accepting the award in the entrance to the gallery.

Side Note: While in Jaffa you will notice a lot of blushing brides passing through and taking wedding photographs, which makes complete sense given the ancient port-city's charm with the sand colored stone walls, cobblestone roads and who could forget the view of the coastline. Yet, something I have yet to understand in Israel is the wedding dresses. I mean what woman thought it was a good idea to design a dress that is skin tight and then becomes fluffy and dare I say ridiculous from the waist down? The brides I have seen so far (which have been a lot), wear too much make up, too much glitter -it's as if Tinkerbell lost control of her wand and it malfunctioned all over these women, and have no concept of what best suits their bodies. Nobody wants to see lingerie tops teemed with a hoop shaped synthetic material circus style bottom. Vera Wang would cry at the sight of some of these dresses.


















Brides aside, Jaffa (or Yafo) is truly a wonderfully preserved ancient city and one that deserves to be visited, if not to see the galleries then to take in the sea air and walk the streets.

Hatachana - The Old Tel-Aviv Train Station

A few nights ago I went to the Tel-Aviv old train station, a renovated historical site on the border of Jaffa and Tel-Aviv. A location that has become the site of nice restaurants and upscale boutiques and clothing stores. This area remains preserved as it once was, some train tracks remain intact as do two box cars. It was nice to wander around this area on a calm summer night. The restaurants were seemingly trendy with some 20 and 30 somethings sipping cocktails at the bar, couples wining and dining and store keepers furtively stealing glances out the window awaiting the next customer to enter their designer high end stores. Almost immediately outside of this area sits a quaint park and a basketball court. On the way in we watched as these Arab and Israeli men played basketball, which soon after turned into soccer. Hatachana, as it is called in Hebrew, was first opened in September 1892. During the time of renovation the site hosted several cultural events. The site remains an active cultural center to this day.

For more information and a map, visit: www.hatachana.co.il

Bus it or Bust

Alright, so the public transportation system not the easiest to maneuver. I've been moving around Israel quite a bit since arriving here two weeks ago. I started out in Ra'anana then journeyed over to Ramat Gan and now I'm somewhere in Northern Tel-Aviv. As a result, I have had to use quite a bit of public transit and have come to realize that the buses are not my friends, though the drivers might be ;)

So from Ra'anana I took the 501/502 bus to Azraeli. I ask the driver kindly if he can tell me where my stop is when it comes. He's like fine, fine and waves me off. I lose faith in him when a woman stands up and says "hey, you were supposed to tell me my stop, wasn't that it." I turn to the female soldier sitting next to me and ask her. She was nice and told me to get off 2 stops before I was supposed to. Fine, what's a little walking and asking directions ever hurt.

My next adventure on the buses was substantially better getting to Azraeli was the easy part. However, getting back was another story all together. I was heading to Ramat Gan. This time I opted out of asking the driver at first and decided I would recognize the stop when I saw it. Bad idea (I'm sure you already sensed it). I make it to the main street I need, but then there are about 3 or 4 bus stops on that street, which work in conjunction with that main street. Now of course I don't know the cross street's name ( I only know the name of the street I need, which is parallel to the main street). So I do it, I ask the driver if he knows the stop to the street I need. After a lot of him grinning, he says, "No Hamudah (equivalent to cutie or sweetie)." Now I have a new friend, only problem is neither of us know where I'm going. On a whim I get off at the next stop. The driver, my new friend, and I both decide that is the best idea and I can call my roommate. Irony of ironies the bus stop is called "Hatikvah," which means hope. I take this as a sign. I look around and just start walking - a block later I arrived at the street I needed. Miracle or Luck.

Fortunately, I have way more opportunities to get lost on buses. Today for instance, I got on a bus and asked for a stop and the bus driver told me a different bus was better. But not before a woman interjected and told the bus driver I was French. I guess my bizarre American accent comes off as French to some - go figure.

Dear Dan bus lines,
It would help if you a) either announced your bus stops or b) made the signs larger/clearer and more evident to bus riders passing by. Or even c) fixed your website so that it had all the stops listed for your routes. This would make bus travel a lot easier for just about everybody.

Best travels and happy trails,
Tamar

Walk it Out: Pop Art, Voyeurism and Go Getters

Today I decided to walk to the the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art. Boy, was that a sticky situation. The heat and humidity here is unfathomable, especially considering it was only about a 30 minute walk. In the end, I found myself in front of the sculptures of Moore, Picasso and some other noteworthy artists and I was only in the outer courtyard. I went in and in the central exhibition space there was a display of 20th century car design. Front and center stood a white BMW painted by Roy Lichtenstein in 1977 with his signature pop art design - which was Awesome! This goes without mentioning the huge Lichtenstein mural on the wall behind this exhibition. It was most endearing to watch a 60 or so year old man say to his wife "look at this car, do you remember this...take a picture of me with it." The wife smiled politely and obliged (to her husband's request), about 6 pictures later of this man striking the same pose - grinning widely throwing the thumbs up, while a guard watched on with amusement; I decided to move on.

Evidently, entering the next exhibition from the wrong side. I worked my way backwards piecing together information about the artist, Robert Baser. As I learned when I finally reached the end (or rather the beginning) of the exhibition, Baser was born in Athens, Greece in 1908 and immigrated to Palestine in 1934. His work is abstract in nature and largely represents war scenes. I much preferred his sculptures over his paintings. One sculpture in particular remains in my mind. Entitled "Unknown Soldier," the piece consists of a mirror (that serves as the face)-reflecting the viewer's visage, attached to a mixture of polyester and weapon parts that form the intestinal body of a human being. The sculpture is a good marriage of concept and material and strikes a particular chord in Israel. The sculpture is from the 1960s - perhaps made during the time of the six day war. Baser also has another series entitled "The Lebanon War, 1980s" depicting people, weapons and geometric shapes that appear as shattered glass. The artist certainly doesn't shy away from the conflict. In a quote in the exhibition, Baser says

"Nature is where I escape to. With the watercolors I go out to the landscape like a bird. These are my moments of rest and liberation from stresses.. Sculpting is my other side, in which I express the human landscape, put in my world view, my criticism of the society in which I live."

Though I didn't always appreciate the aesthetic of Baser's paintings. I really liked the message of his work and how he utilized his mixed media material.
I continued on to "The Sculptures of Edgar Degas" exhibit, which displayed a substantial collection of his dancer sculptures. Also included were his horses - which focus on the horses movements. Perhaps the most voyeuristic, a collection of the bathers - also my favorite sculptures. "The tub" and "The Masseuse" are both interesting in composition and completely catch the subject matter off guard. "The tub" depicts the intimate setting of a woman bathing. While "The Masseuse", as one museum goer noted "looks like the most painful massage ever - that's not the way I get them."
The exhibition of Degas' sculptures was well done and had a nice 60 minute video at the end that explained his inspiration.

I then checked out the Tamar Getter : G0 2 exhibition, which I honestly wasn't overly impressed by. It is definitely very politically charged - but in an almost overwhelming way. The canvases are enormous and are all side by side, image after image of at times seemingly disconnected paintings. Don't forget to pick up a packet with an explanation of the artwork, otherwise the exhibition will seem completely disjointed. I wish they had some more writing on the wall for viewers to follow. The packet serves only as a partially helpful guide.

A unique artist that I discovered today is the winner of "The 2009 Rappaport Prize for an Established Israeli Painter," Tal Mazliach. Tal paints very vibrant paintings that often largely appear like design patterns. The paintings utilize image and text to offer political and social statements (a prominent one was about gender and uses phallic imagery). Her political paintings mostly address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Tal finds inspiration from the respective peoples flags and uses their colors together in her compositions.

Overall, the museum was fantastic and I learned a lot about artists I had never known about before. Although, I must admit I didn't make it all the way thorough the museum. After about 4 hours of walking and gawking I called it quits and walked back in the still humid air.

I guess i'll just have to go back ;)

*Stars: 5 of 5 - Highly recommended. Permanent collection is also wonderful. For art lovers, enthusiasts and curious wanderers.