Should We Be Stocking Up? Life in Israel

People are talking about a war with Iran. Just today, when I went to the laundry, a man wearing a kippah or skull cap stopped me on the street. He asked me something in Hebrew and I said, "English." He switched to English and asked me where I was from and wanted to start a conversation. I wanted to share a conversation also. Unfortunately, his English was very bad and I could only understand a word or two that he was saying.

He seemed to be proselytizing about Hebron being the burial place of our fathers. He also seemed to be talking about war, but I couldn't make the connection between war and a burial place. So I excused myself and continued on with the chore of taking laundry to the Laundromat person. It is common in Israel to leave clothes at a Laundromat rather than doing our own cleaning. The cost is about the same and I prefer to pay the extra few shekels for the convenience.
It is indeed a chore. It is a very long walk, which I enjoy. However, the suitcase that I'm dragging which is full of dirty clothes is heavy. Hot weather makes the suitcase seems even heavier. When I get home, I have to pull the suitcase full of clean clothes up three flights of stairs. Once in the apartment, all I can do is lay listlessly on the floor for about an hour. This is for those of you planning to visit Israel, come in October or have plenty of air conditioned transportation.

I have read that people are readying bomb shelters, and maybe that's true, although I have no idea how one readies a bomb shelter. I took a walk the other evening and saw that in a nearby apartment building that the lights were on in the basement which I presumed to be the bomb shelter. As far as the bomb shelter goes in our building, it is locked and the entrance is blocked by scrap wood and furniture. The old couple in Unit 4 safeguards the key.
In response to a potential threat from Syria, the article also stated that gas mask sales are going through the roof. Even though the other day I saw a man carrying half a dozen boxes of gas masks; I doubt the veracity of the report. Israeli citizens don't have to purchase a gas mask, they can pick one up for free at the post office. So why would anyone buy a gas mask that they can pick up for nothing? 

Another time, I saw a man bring home a grocery cart full of bottled water. It took me a few moment to process that he was probably stocking up on water...just in case. Not a bad idea. David and I talk about stocking up on food and water, but haven't done it. I am keeping a large toilet paper supply handy...just in case.

For most Israelis, impending doom is business as usual, and they are cavalier about the whole thing. The guy who owns the shwarma place where we go for lunch all the time was talking about war.
“It's going to start after the New Year,” he said as casually as talking about the start of football season.

"Israel is going to attack Iran?"

He seemed absolutely certain it would happen, and didn't have too many concerns about the whole thing.

"What if the United States doesn't want or can't help Israel?"

"We can do this without the US."

"What if Russia and China get involved?"

"They won't, they have their own problems. Syria and Iran mean nothing to them except to buy their weapons, so they welcome war."

Then he stared at me, "But you, you've never been through this before. You should go back to America for a month or two."

I know an Israeli woman who invites me over for a coffee every once in awhile. She is very old and shriveled and has completely lost her shape. Just by looking at her, l would guess that she is about ninety. She, like many Israelis, is multi-lingual. She speaks Arabic, Hebrew, German, Yiddish, English and a teeny bit of French. I actually may speak more French than she does, but that's not saying much. Her family came to Israel in the 1930s from Germany as part of a Zionist group.

Her husband was in the Israeli navy and died about 20 years ago. He was in a shipwreck in the Bermuda triangle. I couldn't exactly understand what he was doing in Bermuda rather than the Mediterranean; but according to the woman a huge storm literally tore his ship in half.

I asked her about upcoming war. She sized me up as a spoiled American who has never seen adversity. In response to my question, she shrugged.

What could she say? You live in Israel, this is what it is..

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Rosh Hanikra ("Head of the Grottoes")

Rosh HaNikra ( "head of the grottoes") is a geologic formation in Israel, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Western Galilee. It is a white chalk cliff face which opens up into spectacular grottoes. It is located on the Lebanese border. The view is beautiful. The grottoes and cable car are located at the top of a hill overlooking the sea in a fairly isolated part of Israel. There is a small tourist area with a gift shop and one or two restaurants. The restaurants have changed in the five years that I have been visiting the area. The beauty of the grottoes and glorious view are marred by the Lebanon - Israel security checkpoint; Rosh HaNikra is located on the border between the two nations. There are constant Israeli naval patrols and occasionally we discover live ammunition. Sadly, this is one of the most heavily guarded areas in the world.

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Ten minutes to the south, is where the city of Nahariya is located. For many Israelis, Nahariya means rest and recreation, a place where one can enjoy an active vacation amidst an atmosphere of serenity. Something about Nahariya catches one’s eye from the first instant. With the city’s center always bustling, its cafes never empty, its beaches full of activities, Nahariya captivates you with its lingering charm. I love to stop for lunch in Nahariya on the way to our destination. The trip from my home in Haifa to the grottoes is about two hours using public transportation. I also have a friend in Nahariya. We love to walk on the tayelet or boardwalk. This is August and yet our walks on week day mornings are quiet and free from the noise and mayhem at other boardwalks in Israel. 

I love to visit the area and have wonderful memories of my trips to Rosh HaNikrah and the surrounding communities. I love the outdoors, and hiking is my favorite sport. The terrain is an elevated area and desolate. My buddy Tim and I spent many hours a day wandering around the hills and along the beautiful coast. Many times we were the only visitors to the area on weekday mornings. Originating from Colorado, I still enjoy the thrill and joy that comes from enjoying nature. Tim was the Southern Baptist envoy to northern Israel. He was also a lover of the outdoors. Tim spent two years in Israel and often commented that only Jerusalem was more inspiring than Rosh HaNikra.




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Visiting the Sea of Galilee

The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias, is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately 53 km in circumference, about 21 km long, and 13 km wide. Yes, the Sea of Galilee isn’t really a sea; it’s a fresh water lake. The Red Sea was actually the Reed Sea in the ancient world. The lake has a total area of 166 km and a maximum depth of approximately At 211.315 meters below sea level. It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth and the second-lowest lake overall (after the Dead Sea, a saltwater lake). 

The lake is fed partly by underground springs although its main source is the Jordan River which flows through it from north to south. Israel's National Water Carrier, built in 1964, transports water from the lake to the population centers of Israel/Palestine, It is the source of much of the country's drinking water. 

The fact that the Sea of Galilee is actually a freshwater lake surprises many visitors and newcomers. I was one of those surprised. It is full of fish but fishing has been banned since 2010 due to fear of exhausting the population of marine life.
It is also a beautiful moderately populated part of Northeast Israel that I love to visit. 

The area is wonderful for hiking, swimming and other outdoor activities.The Sea of Galilee is not only Israel’s main water source but it has a huge religious significance and a major touristic value for Israel. It is an area of mountains and beaches and terrific wildlife. I spent much of my life in Colorado and derive great joy from the area. My visits include both hiking, visiting holy sites, and dining in Tiberius. 

One of the most marvelous aspects of my life in as a new Israeli citizen is that I can visit religious and historical sites that I only read about in The United States. The bus trip from my home in Haifa is two hours. I can route my trip to include a short stop in Nazareth and Acre and return home on the same day!

Judaism and Christianity trace much of their roots back to this region. I practice Judaism but like many Jewish Israelis thrill to visit the holy sites of other faiths. Many Israelis share my desire to study and understand the faiths of our neighbors. Twenty per cent of Israelis are Christians, Muslims, Druzes and others within the borders that existed prior to the 1967 war. Only Jerusalem is holier to the followers of Judaism and Christians flock to this region to walk the paths taken by Jesus of Nazareth. The fact that many Jews, Christians, and Muslims live together in Harmony in Israel amazes me. I came to this country five years ago unaware of the amazing blends of faiths and cultures that Israel is made of!

The Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) is situated in northeast Israel, near the Golan Heights, in the Jordan Rift Valley.  The valley caused by the separation of the African and Arabian Plates. Consequently, the area is subject to earthquakes and, in the past, volcanic activity. The area is also subject to violent storms and torrid summer heat. 

I learned the hard way during my first summer trips to always wear a hat and carry a large bottle of water. Public transportation in the area is limited. Therefore, I and my friends hire a private cab for our tours. The costs of such cab rentals are usually negotiable and the driver is often versed in knowledge about the region.

The modern name, Kinneret, comes from the Old Testament or Hebrew Tanakh "sea of Chinnereth".The name Kinneret may originate from the Hebrew word kinnor ("harp" or "lyre")), in view of the shape of the lake.


There are 35 species of fish in the Sea of Galilee today, including sardines and St. Peter’s fish, which I like to eat while we’ are there. Perhaps the “two small fish” Jesus turned into a feast for the 5,000 in John 6 were actually sardines from the lake.!


Much of the ministry of Jesus occurred on the shores of Lake Galilee. In those days, there was a continuous development of settlements and villages around the lake and plenty of trade and ferrying by boat. Fishing was a huge industry. One of Jesus' famous teaching episodes, the Sermon on the Mount, is supposed to have been given on a hill overlooking the lake. Many of his miracles are also said to have occurred here including his walking on water, calming the storm, the disciples and the boatload of fish, and his feeding five thousand people in Tabatha.


In 135 CE the second Jewish revolt against the Romans was put down. The Romans responded by banning all Jews from Jerusalem. The center of Jewish culture and learning shifted to the region of the Kinneret, particularly the city of Tiberias. It was in this region that the the so-called "Jerusalem Talmud" is thought to have been compiled. It became a great center of study and Jewish legal capital of the time.

Tiberias is the main city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (in Israel called the Kinneret), Established in 20 CE, it was named in honour of the emperor Tiberius. Tiberias is one of the four Jewish holy cities mentioned in the Talmud along with Jerusalem, Tzfat and Hebron.

The city of Tiberias became almost entirely Jewish since 1948. Many Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews settled in the city, following the Jewish exodus from Arab countries in late 1940s and the early 1950s. Over time, government housing was built to accommodate much of the new population, like in many other developing towns. Over time, the city came to rely on tourism, becoming a major Galilean center for Christian pilgrims and internal Israeli tourism. The ancient cemetery of Tiberias and its old synagogues are also drawing religious Jewish pilgrims during religious holidays. The city was built by Herod Antipas, the son of King Herod, around 20 CE in honor of the Roman emperor, Tiberius. At first, Jews wouldn't live here because the city was built on an ancient burial ground, making it "unclean" according to Jewish religious laws. At the beginning of the 2nd century, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai came here for the healing waters of the hot springs. He performed a purification ceremony to sanctify the city, and it became the centre for Jewish learning and spirituality in Eretz Israel. The Mishnah was completed here and it is traditionally believed that in later years, the Jerusalem Talmud - despite its name - was compiled and edited in Tiberias.

Many Jewish rabbis and tzaddikim (sages) requested to be buried in this holy city. One of them was the great Torah scholar Rabbi Akiva, who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE and taught thousand of students. He was imprisoned and tortured by the Romans for supporting the Bar Kochba rebellion in 132-135 CE and was eventually killed. Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon (the "Rambam") has his tomb here. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Jews make the pilgrimage to their tombs. The tombs and adjoining sites strikingly simple to me as does the tomb of Elijah the Prophet in Haifa. Perhaps the greatest tribute that we can pay these great scholars is to pay homage to their deeds and acts rather than to the sophisticated surroundings.

Tiberias consists of a small port on the shores of the Galilee lake for both fishing and tourist activities. Since 1990s, the importance of the port for fishing was gradually decreasing, with the decline of the Tiberias lake level, due to continuing droughts and increased pumping of fresh water from the lake. It is expected that the lake of Tiberias will regain its original level (almost 6 meters higher than today), with the full operational capacity of Israeli desalination facilities since 2014. The city has lots of cafes, shops, and of course religious shrines. My friends and I enjoy wandering around the city and "kibbutzim" with the local residents. The city offers some nice hotels and guest houses.

In addition, the Speedo Sea of Galilee Swim, now in its 59th year, is a well-established tradition. The largest amateur sports event in Israel is held in the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret).

Flat on My Back in Israel: Part 1 (by Jonah and Earl)

My massage therapist and I are both new immigrants to Haifa Israel. We both trace our roots back to Colorado in The United States. This story is both about Jonah's experiences and about the cultural challenges faced by immigrants to Israel.




 Haifa, Israel from my window

When I was in the United States explains Jonah, I studied massage and reflexology at the Colorado School of Reflexology in Denver, and at Harbin in California. Although I had the training, I never worked professionally as a massage therapist because I wanted to do something more important with my life, but it looked like that’s never going to happen. Moving to Israel and not speaking the language, has me doing massage therapy. It would seem to be a perfect way to make an income especially until my husband David finds a job.

Also, since I’m older now, and my youthful beauty has been replaced by a big fat stomach the likelihood of getting hired for a “real” job is greatly diminished. Sadly, many of our friends and neighbors have experienced age and gender issues in seeking employment in Israel. Human behavior is the same everywhere.


We chose a two bedroom/1 bath apartment, which in Israel is called a three room apartment. The three rooms are the living room and two bedrooms: the kitchen and bathroom are assumed. The building is on what deceitfully appears to be a quiet street. It is quiet in the evenings — after say midnight — and all day on Shabbat. The rest of the time it is pretty noisy with cars, buses and people. What’s weird is the street really isn’t that busy, but it is still loud here nonetheless. Israelis are not quiet people. They love the "brogus" which is a mild dispute accompanied by lots of loud yelling and animated body language. The brogus is a public display most often found in grocery stores, the post office and in any situation involving motor vehicles. Driving is a night mare in this country. I and many of my friends will not buy cars or even drive in this place. 

We wanted a place with an extra bedroom so that I can do massage. It is a good room for massage in being away from the street and having a tremendous view of the Mediterranean Sea and the Haifa port.


Purchasing a massage table was another story. One woman wanted to sell me a table that she used for facials. It was a fine table but not a real massage table. I wisely decided to keep looking and found a massage table dealer in Tel Aviv. He made it sound like he had a warehouse full of massage tables and we schlepped to Tel Aviv to purchase to look at it. His warehouse was a small one-room apartment with about five boxes of new tables. He demonstrated the table and promised it was sturdy and came with a year guarantee. The table was made in China so I had my doubts, but we couldn’t find a table anywhere else so we bought it. I’ve done enough massages to pay for things and now I am in the process of buying sheets and sheets and sheets just in case I actually get busy. Unfortunately, it creaks and squeaks and gives me concerns about breaking and I really doubt the table has a warranty.

What’s more, the dealer said the table was very light-weight and transportable. He carried it for me to the bus stop, and then it was my turn. What was he talking about? That thing weighs a ton. I almost fell over getting on and off the train with that thing. Anyway, it’s home now and business is coming in drubs and drabs.

The good thing about having clients come to the apartment is you have to keep it clean. The bad thing about having clients come to the apartment is you have to keep it clean all the time. Let’s face it, I’m not busy enough to schedule clients at my convenience so I have to give massages at their convenience. In Israel it is a habit to call and want to show up in the next hour or so. If the place is dirty, David and I have to scramble to get the room ready and make the place presentable. I have this toilet thing and won’t do bathrooms. Ick. So that’s David’s job.

Well anyway David’s nephew, Zack, called and wanted to know what we were doing. We knew that meant he was coming for a few days. David asked me if I wanted him, and I said okay. Two hours later Zack arrived. In spite of Zack’s good upbringing, he has turned Orthodox. Israel is a very non- sectarian society in day to day life. Sixty per cent of Israelis refer to themselves as "Hilonim" or not observant. Ten per cent of Israelis are orthodox or "Haredim".  That being the case, Zack can’t eat our food or even use our kitchen supplies. Actually, this is good because I don’t have to cook for him. We have a couch that folds out into a bed, and we were somewhat set for company.

In repayment for our hospitality Zack made a massage flyer for me to post at different areas in town. I did, and received two phone calls. When it comes to advertising, there’s one little problem. I don’t speak Hebrew well enough to understand what someone is saying. The first call was blown. The second call, however, was from a guy who spoke broken English. With my broken Hebrew and his English we managed to make an appointment. It was one of those things where he would be there in an hour.

We hadn’t really cleaned the place up since Zack left and scurried to make the place presentable and the client was here before I could put sheets on the massage table. He looked around and said he would call again in an hour and seemed more curious about the bedroom than the massage room.

Uh-oh. It’s a good thing David was home and he said, “That guy wasn't interested in a therapeutic massage, he wanted the other kind.”

Oh boy, I’m a " professional" now. Well, not really but apparently some people who are reading my sign think so.
jona@greenwolfconsulting.com

Are We Afraid to Live in Israel?

The question that I get asked the most often from friends, family, and visitors is "Are We Afraid to Live in Israel!"

Today is Thursday and therefore massage day. My massage therapist, Jonah Taylor and her husband are also immigrants to Israel from Colorado.  It is July 25, 2012 and once again the region is "heating up." Jonah and I discussed our respective views about living under the constant threat of war and terrorism. This is Jonah's perspective on the emotions associated with this life in a war engulfed region:

All of you keeping up with the news are aware of what’s going on in Syria - of the instability there. When I lived in Colorado, I was a member of the Multi-Lingual International Club. I knew a woman named Strasia. She was from Syria. She seemed rather friendly until I mentioned my love for Israel. She distanced herself from me after that. She is now back in Syria. I sincerely hope that all is well. The conflicts in this region are felt all around the world.

Since the recent terrorist bombing in Bulgaria and the turmoil in Syria things seems to be falling apart in Haifa. You can feel a constant sense of fear and foreboding. Little things are happening that prompt concern. Yesterday the Israeli government tested the air raid system. The alarm went off for a minute. The siren sounded different than the Shabbat and Memorial Day sirens which are long wails Yrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-for a whole minute-rrrrrrmmm. The air raid siren that sounded yesterday was more like a wave or echo YRrrrYRrrrYRrrrYRrrr.

Please watch this video:

Maybe they test sirens once a year one way or the other. According to my husband David, for many years in Chicago the city tested the air raid sirens every Tuesday at noon. No one paid attention. The USSR needed to be sure to attack Chicago on a Tuesday at noon. In Atlanta they test tornado sirens on a weekly basis. Since we’ve been here, the first test of the air raid siren was yesterday.

Other little things are happening. Like there were no furloughs for Israeli soldiers this weekend. Usually, they get to go home for the Shabbat.  In addition, El Al the Israeli national airline has tightened their already tight security. The guard at the grocery store is now holding a holstered gun. Little differences or perhaps not so little.

Our view of the Mediterranean allows us to see northward toward Syria and Lebanon. A lot of times we hear fighter planes zooming overhead, but can rarely see the planes. We concluded that most of the planes we hear are patrolling the gas reserves under the sea belonging to Israel and Cyprus. Today, I saw a low flying plane heading north, in the direction of Syria. Probably just doing normal reconnaissance…right?

We try to listen to both the English and Hebrew news. There has been nothing in the English edition of the Jerusalem Post or other English news outlets about a potential attack. There is at least nothing different than the normal and ongoing news about this frightening region. It’s just a sense that something different and more serious is occurring today. The citizens of Israel have lived under constant threat of conflict and destruction since the rebirth of the nation in 1948.

Anyway, my husband David told me to always be aware. Israel is officially in a heightened state of alert. David managed to frighten the devil out of me. Obviously, I knew that something like this could happen even before we moved to Israel. It is one thing to understand something in the abstract and another to experience it first hand. David said whatever Syria or Lebanon or Hezbollah does to Israel, that they will suffer worse damage. It is a small comfort indeed!

I, and most Israelis, feel the same way as Jonah. The constant threat of annihilation has most people in this small and brave nation in a constant state of tension and readiness.

Am I (Earl) and others afraid to live in Israel? Yes, of course the constant fear of destruction is always there and a part of life in this beleaguered nation. Yet, the joys of building this renewed Jewish homeland is of worth it to many of us and life does indeed go on.

Seeking Love on Tu B'Av

My seamstress Haddas is a pleasant looking and rather charming woman of fifty. She was born and raised in Haifa. She comes from a family of ten siblings of Morrocan origin. She insists that her mission in life is to find me a wife. She is divorced but seems happy with her work, friends, hobbies, and most importantly her grandchildren. Emily is two years old today and Daniela is a young lady of four. I enjoy their monthly visits to Haifa. They live in Tel Aviv. Daniela refers to me as the Dod. The Hebrew word for uncle is dod דוד (aunt is doda דודה). In modern Israel, the word Dod is a term used by Israeli children to refer to all male adults whose name they can not pronounce or simply do not know. The name Earl is generally a challenge to pronounce for Israeli children and many adults. I often use my middle name of Joseph to communicate with my Israeli neighbors. 

First, I will tell you about Tu B'Av our version of Valentine's Day and then share my latest quest for true love.

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According to the Talmud, Tu B'Av was a joyous holiday in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, marking the beginning of the grape harvest . Yom Kippur marked the end of the grape harvest.. On those dates, the unmarried girls of Jerusalem would dress in white garments and go out to dance in the vineyards in the hope of being spotted by an eligible suitor. Tu B'Av was never a holiday of great religious significance and during centuries of Jewish exile was rarely celebrated. In recent decades Israeli civil culture promoted festivals of singing and dancing on the night of Tu B'Av. The entertainment and beauty industries work overtime on this date. It has no formal legal status as a holiday-- it is a regular workday--nor has the Israeli rabbinate initiated any addition to the liturgy or called for the introduction of any ancient religious practices. The cultural gap between Israeli secular society and the Orthodox rabbinate makes it unlikely that these two will find a common denominator in the celebration of this ancient/modern holiday in the foreseeable future.
I did agree to meet a rather attractive female friend of Haddas, named Lena. We celebrated Israeli Valentine's Day together. Lena (not real name) is a tall dark skinned and dark haired Israeli who was born and raised in Haifa. She appears to be in my age range. Lena is retired and enjoys her three children and six grandchildren. I now appreciate the meaning of the term "comedy of errors." Yesterday was Tu B'av and my third date with Lena. Our first two encounters were at the local Japanese restaurant. We ate dinner and each of us drank one Japanese beer and chatted. Lena is a retired pharmacist but shares my two great passions. The efforts to promote peace through interfaith activities in Israel-Palestine. The second is the study of Judaism. The Jewish faith is a knowledge based way of life. Judaism puts a great deal of emphasis on the study of The Torah and Talmud. There have been great debates for three thousand years as to whether knowledge is more important or spiritual fulfillment in the Jewish faith. Both are important of course but I believe that how we practice Jewish values is far more important than the formal study. Lena and I agreed on this very important topic in Israel.

Sadly, our third encounter was not a good one. We added two more potent Japanese ales each to this dining occasion. Lena proceeded to tell me that she felt somewhat deceived by my behavior. I had told her during our first phone conversation that my grasp of Hebrew was solid. She then proceeded to critique my vocabulary, grammar, and Hebrew sentence structure at great length. "you have been here for five years and can't do better than that' Ouch!!!! I calmly thanked her for concerns and suggested a quiet walk at our local park. She agreed and grudgingly admitted that she may have been a bit harsh about my lingual progress. 

Like most Israelis, Lena carries her cell phone with her everywhere and always. Her cell phone rang; she answered it and gasped, as the person calling was trying to reach Lena's mother. "I was visiting my mom this afternoon and we must have switched phones by mistake".  She pleaded with me to make the forty minute trip to her mom's home to switch phones. We took the bus to her mom's home, I was asked to wait outside as "It will just take a minute" It took thirty minutes in the 95 degree and 90 percent humidity summer evening. Moms still come first; therefore, I just smiled and we boarded the return bus to our own neighborhood. Lena surprised me by taking me and kissing me with some degree of passion while we walked to our seats. Yes, the bus lurched and we fell on our tachats (tucheses). Every body on the bus laughed including me with the exception of Lena. We arrived at our stop and as we walked away from the bus stop, Lena quickly and sternly bid farewell with a terse "don't call me, I will call you" ouch again!
I stopped by the next morning to say hello to Hadas, She looked at me and sternly told me that there is no hope for my romantic future. There is a happy ending to the story. Emily and Daniela were visiting the store at the time. Yes they love "The Dod" What greater joy is there in life than sharing precious moments with youngsters. I walked home passing by the Japanese restaurant and stopped to say hello to their greeter, Natasha. She is a twenty five year old immigrant from Russia and my buddy. I told her about my experience with Lena. "I didn't like her anyway" added Natasha. She did have a nice Jewish woman for me named Natalie. Natalie is a different story and for another time.