Yay for Helpful websites
I like finding helpful websites, especially in such a balagan (crazy, chaos) of a country. And, when I learn about these websites I just want to share them with my friends and people that I never met but read this blog for some strange reason.
Kehillaton.com is awesome. It is user-friendly and is more organized than the thoughts in my mind. The home page allows you to choose from several different countries and I of course chose Israel. Without even being a member of the site I was able to search through every kind of topic that matters to me. This included jobs, housing, sales, events, lectures and the best part: Movie listings in English.
For the more Religious crowd they have Continue reading this entry »
Jerusalem Rocks
Jerusalem Rocks! International Music Festival to bring The Black Eyed Peas, Arrested Development, The Commitments and more to Israel
Ashdod: A vacation spot without leaving Israel
I always thought Ashdod, Ashkelon, same thing, whatever. So I was surprised, on my recent trip to the beach, to discover what a truly beautiful place Ashdod is. The streets are lined with palm trees, artsy buildings, and modern sculptures. And the mall even has a Mango store.
Warning: This may not be the beach to ogle at the bikini-clad women that were on the cover of Maxim.
When we got to the beach, we saw many religious women fully clad in bathing dresses and their hair covered. In fact, we saw all types of women, but not one man. Or boy. Or male of any age. But we figured, hey, maybe guys just don’t like coming to the ocean anymore. So, as we were unpacking, we got a plethora of dirty looks and the crowd started approaching fast, telling us this beach is for women only and to move on down to the next section.
Woops!
So, we went over to the mixed beach and started swimming away. I couldn’t get over how clean the beach was, how quiet, not crowded, and best yet, no jellyfish. For those who have been to the Tel Aviv beach, just imagine the complete opposite. So instead of spending tons of money to see beautiful beaches elsewhere in the world, first check out Ashdod.
Sunday Withdrawal
Three years after I moved to Israel I am still having Sunday withdrawal problems. There is no Sunday in Israel. No brunches or reading the thick Sunday paper until the newsprint is all over you and you are half-asleep on the couch by noon. I am beginning to think this is something you don’t get over. My Sunday may have left me but I am not ready to leave it.
Continue reading this entry »
israelplug is my source of Israel’s latest and greatest
israelplug is a great news site/blog for the latest coming out of Israel. It covers technology, business, science, arts and culture, social, environment, and more. I may be a little biased since I write a post for israelplug every now and again.
Here are some posts I’ve written for israelplug:
- Genealogy startups share Jewish roots?
- Israeli theater 2.0
- Israelis launch new music genre – Yiddish Rap
- New time travel theory – pretty freaky (This one made me famous.. in the world of time travel)
- A piece for the daily show
- Schizophrenia or just daily life in Israel?
- 30 minutes at airport = $50
- Would you pay $264,000 for a photograph?
Misrad HaPnim – Interior Ministry Hours
If you are fortunate enough to be able to go to the Misrad Hapnim in Jerusalem, sometimes referred to as the Misrad HaPanim, ‘the face office’ to get your passport renewed or other fun activities, here’s a timetable of when they’re open:
- Sunday to Thursday: 8-12:3o*
- Monday and Wednesday: 2:30-5:30* – Recommended as the workers are less cranky.
Feel free to express your frustrations or any new changes to the schedule. Located on Shlomzion Hamalka in Jerusalem off of Yaffo St. As far as a phone number goes, don’t bother. I asked them once, and they laughed at me.
See comments below for info on the less crowded Gilo Branch. Thanks, Yael.
*These times are subject to change for the following reasons, so good luck.
- cigarette breaks
- early lunch breaks
- because they feel like it
- phone calls to friends or family
- sodoku
GeNana
I could feel the music’s beat. I mean I could literally feel it as the notes pounded the ground. And I liked it. GeNana. (Pronounced: Janana) I was in GeNana which of course means total craziness. It was an open mic concert randomly set up at Independence Park in the Middle of Jerusalem. Continue reading this entry »
How to convert your American driver’s license in Israel
A bunch of people have recently asked me how to get a license in Israel if they already have one from America. It’s hard to answer that question because as soon as you’ve finished the ridiculous process you want to forget it immediately. However, I looked through my emails and found that I had written about my experience. Following the email are steps to converting your license.
(August 8, 2006) Now for the big news, I am getting…. my license! well, not yet – i still have to take my driving lesson and test, but if I told you all the steps I’ve already completed, you would think I already got it. I won’t mention that first you have to go to a special photography store to get a special document, then you have to go to a special eyeplace and a special eyetest where they smush your forehead into a machine and call you a wussy when you complain.
Then off to your doctor to get a stamp after you perform a litany of stupid tasks – you can try this one at home: move your finger from your nose to someone else’s finger, and back and forth, now faster until you feel utterly stupid. Will i have to do this while driving? If so, I’m gonna need more practice. Oh, I wasn’t done.
Then, you have to take the special paper with the 2 doctor stamps and wait in line at what seems to be a hotspot for men whose head automatically looks every girl up and down back up again, and finally down again. Later you find out that that place is not just a haven of non-deodorized men, but actually serves as the licensing bureau. Well you think I’d be done at this point.
But alas, I actually must do some driving. so, i will find out a mafia man, or a driving instructor, although here they are one in the same, take a driving lesson with him, then if he’s kind and doesn’t want to charge me for more lessons, he will test me and then… i will have a license.
I guess this is not the right time to bring up the fact that im not sure why i’m getting a license in the first place. it just feels like something i should get done since you have to take 28 lessons (read: 2800NIS) if you convert your license after that magical 3rd year of Aliyah. I don’t ever ever ever want to drive here if i can avoid it because only here will cars honk their horns at your while the light is still red.
Steps to Getting/Converting your license in Israel: Think of it as an expensive scavenger hunt.
1. Go to the eyeglass store Moskovitz, in the Malha Mall, 2nd floor(?) and they will take your picture, give you an eyetest, and give you a green document. Pay them 40 shekels.
3. Go to your doctor with the document and have him/her sign it. This was free for me but a friend paid for it.
4. Go to Misrad HaRishui in Talpiot, licesning bureau, on top of the Police Station (Rehov Ta’asuka I believe) and bring your green document, teudat zehut, teudat oleh, american license. They will give you a ‘hafnaya’ (another document) to give to the driving instructor.
5. Call a driving instructor. I recommend the guy I used, Motti: 052 267-4932 who is nice and patient. Schedule a time to do 45 minutes of driving with Motti. He speaks Hebrew but there aren’t many words you need to know. Bring Motti the documents from the Misrad HaRishui and the green document. Pay Motti 100 shekels.
5. Motti will tell you when to meet him at the driving test in Talpiot. Pay 57 shekels at the post office + 300 shekels cash to Motti for the driving test. The post office is right next to the driving test in Talpiot. Motti will tell you the exact address and details.
6. Take your test. Motti will call you to tell you what the result is. When you pass, bring your Teudat Zehut, American license, Teudat Oleh, passport photo (?) to the licensing bureau above the police station in Talpiot. They will give you a paper/temporary license.
7. Go to the Post Office across the street at the Achim Yisrael mall in Talpiot, pay ~360 shekels so they can send you the real license.
7. They should send you the license within 2 months.
8. Mazal Tov.
*I can’t promise the information is still accurate since it has already been a year.
52 States or 50?
I am currently enrolled in a graphic design course in Jerusalem, John Bryce, and while the name of the school may sound very American, don’t be fooled. We are currently learning Adobe Illustrator and had to create the American Flag.
Someone in the class raised their hand and asked, “but how many stars does it have?” and the teacher answered “52” with a smile of satisfaction. There I was, the only American in the class, wanting to burst out with the right answer. But the crazy thing was that I didn’t because for a split-second I doubted myself and had to check online!
Now, I know the answer is 50 but when everyone around me was fixed on 52, I had to think twice. This might seem like a one-time occurrence but I started having flashbacks of having the same debate with at least a few other Israelis. Oh Alaska and Hawaii, you are so tricky.
Israelis aren’t alone; check out this search on Google for 52 states.
Maybe one day America will capture 2 more states and maybe Israel is hoping to be one of them. But, until that day, let’s stick with 50.
Shalit’s Birthday
When you turn 21 years old in America it is always a cause for celebration. The 21st birthday equals freedom. You are finally an adult. Sure you were driving by 16, watching rated R movies by 17 and serving your country by 18, but 21 is the real moment when you can say give me a beer and mean it.
When you turn 21 years old and you are a kidnapped solider there really isn’t much to celebrate. You don’t care about beer and freedom means more than going to a bar and not worrying about your fake id.
It is a very un-happy birthday for Gilad Shalit who remains a prisoner held captive by the terrorist organization Hamas. His birthday wish is living and one day seeing his family again. In the meantime Israelis will gather at Rabin square in Tel Aviv to have a fake party; trying to show their support and faith, or just keeping the birthday wish alive- keeping Shalit alive.
On the same day that Shalit remains a hostage, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Abu Mazen sit for tea and peace in Jerusalem. The thought is almost as revolting as the reality. I wonder if Olmert is wearing a birthday hat and giving Abu Mazen another goody bag of guns for the terrorists. Continue reading this entry »
The Big Felafel 