Baboo: new apartment search website simplifies apt hunt in Israel
For all of you searching 8+ apartment websites in Israel every day to make sure you score the best deal in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, or anywhere else in Israel before the next guy, check out Baboo. Baboo (Hebrew only but worth the effort) collects information from a bunch of apartment websites including yad2, Madas, WinWin, and others and puts it all in one place to make your search less stressful.
Jerusalem Seminars in June: using blogging and social media (Facebook, Digg, Friendfeed, etc.) for marketing
I’ve never really written about things related to my work here on the big felafel – but this seemed too important to pass up. I think there are a bunch of small businesses in Israel, especially in Jerusalem that are only slowly starting to realize, hey, why isn’t Janglo bringing in enough business? Make no mistake, I am no Janlgo critic, in fact, I’m as big an addict as they come in this part of the country. However, I’ve noticed that as I blog and become active in a whole slew of social networks, I’m finding out about opportunities, networking events, and connections that I probably wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise.
In short, I think plenty of Israeli co.s and non-profits could benefit from this upcoming 3-day seminar. If you think you know someone who would be interested, feel free to send them the info. To Register, click here.
Here is the agenda which I may or may not have helped out with: Continue reading this entry »
The Next Holiday: Sex and the City Premiere May 29 Mark Your Calendars for this Holy of Holy Days
With all the Jewish holidays that seem to appear on a weekly basis, I can’t help but wonder…do people know about the Sex and the City movie opening next week in Israel. It’s true… Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda will invade Israel next Thursday, May 29, 2008. While, I have had the date circled for the past six months, I’m not sure that the citizens of Israel are aware of this significant event about to take place.
Truth be told I originally wanted to plan my trip to America around the premiere in New York, but after realizing that was one expensive movie ticket, I opted for Tel Aviv-a close second to New York (yeah right).
Ok, so I will have to watch the movie with subtitles and intermission, but it is coming out here before America, so take that! We will get to see Carrie in all her fashion glory, Samantha in full glory, Charlotte and her Chinese daughter and Miranda hopefully still with Steve (check out preview below to see why I say that).
The movie is set to take place in the present which means the ladies are four years older and in their forties. In fact after reading a few gossip magazines via the internet, I have learned that the filmmakers used a special lens on the camera to hide the ladies’ wrinkles. Nevertheless, from the pictures I have seen, the women are still bringing it. And they will be bringing it for the next several years, since it looks like this movie is the first part of a trilogy. That’s right, we will literally be watching Sex and the City until it is Sex and the Retirement Home. Samantha will have the hottest adult diapers in town (can they make diaper thongs)!
Until then, check out the full length preview below. And also make note, the movie is coming out in about a week-but I wouldn’t wait until Thursday to purchase your tickets. The movie will premiere in Rav Chen theaters. To find out more check out Seret.co.il theater listings.
Going Green and Recycling in Israel Part 3: What and where to recycle(online and real life)
Recycling in Israel often seems to lag behind recycling in America. For example, where can I recycle my yogurt containers? Cardboard? Glass olive oil bottles? I’m hoping people reading this will respond to these questions. In the meantime, I’ve collected some info about recycling that I’ve collected, which I’ve divided into online recycling and real life recycling.
Where to Recycle – Online
Image from Avi Rubin's blog
Thanks to the Green Prophet, here’s a list of websites to help you get rid of your stuff or find someone else’s for free. Who said going green had to be expensive? If you like digging for treasures, these sites are a definite find.
English sites
Hebrew sites
English and Hebrew site
Where to Recycle – Real Life
Check out this Janglo post, where someone compiled a post on what people found out about recycling in Israel. One person even went to the recycling plant and discovered which bottles the plants prefer to get (answer: clear bottles), which bottles are not really wanted (colored bottles), and what some of the plastic is used for (furniture).
Pikadon – Pikadon is the money you’ll receive for deposting certain bottles or cans. Check your bottle or can for the label. It’s important that you leave this label intact – some supermarkets can be really strict! For wine and alcohol, you’ll usually get 25 agurot, and for beer, you’ll get 25 agurot for the small bottles, and 1 shekel for the big ones.
Plastic Bottles (Soda, Water) – The big green grates located on practically every street in Jerusalem.
Paper – In Jerusalem, these are the the green bins with pretty painted pictures. Make sure to bring your camera – some of these bins are really creative.
Glass – you can take glass bottles to certain supermarkets. In Jerusalem, you can go to Mister Zol under the Mashbir, Mega and SuperSol Deal in Talpiot – I find Mega in Talpiot the easiest to deal with for this kind of thing.
Batteries – Bring to Merkaz Hamagshimim Hadassah, Dor Dor V’Dorshav 7A in the German Colony in Jerusalem. Tel: 02 561 9168
Old appliances and electronic devices – Drop it off at the Science Museum in Givat Ram, Jerusalem. As you enter the car entrance to the Museum, turn left. Visit Snunit Recycling for more info.
Jerusalem Municipality Recycling Center in Givat Shaul (on Givat Shaul Road opposite Herzog hospital) accepts clothing (torn and stained too) for recycling, as well as glass, electrical items, plastic bottles and bags, metal, glass, used cooking oil, etc.
Open Sun-Thu 10 am to 4 pm; Fri: 10 am to 2 pm
Phone: 02-6535944
If you have more info to contribute, please don’t hold back…
Watch the president’s conference online – great quality
Check it out! You can watch a ‘live’ streaming of the President’s Conference: Facing Tomorrow happening in the International Convention Center in Jerusalem. It’s not exactly real time but I feel like I’m in the front row. Come watch: http://presidentconf.themarker.com
Everything I’ve learned about recycling and trying to go green in Israel. Part 2: Local Organic Produce and The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Sorry for the long delay in posting.. I’ve been growing increasingly addicted to twitter where I can post quick thoughts and because I’ve been reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma actually really ties into my whole attempt to be a bit greener. This is possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read and I’ve been recommending and talking about it to anyone who comes within shouting distance. Pollan discusses 4 types of meals you can eat: industrial, industrial organic, organic/grass-fed farms, and hunting/gathering. It opened my eyes as to what I put in my body and brings a whole new meaning to “you are what you eat”.
And, like most things that you become aware of, you start seeing related information everywhere. I was checking Janglo last week and noticed that someone wanted to share the delivery cost from an local organic farm. I wrote to her and asked about 1,303 questions – what kind of food can you get? how much does it cost? when do they deliver? etc. She directed me toward Teva Habsor (1800- 25- 90- 90) which is an organic farm in the Negev. When I asked where exactly they were located, she said ‘in the Kassam region’. She said that usually explained it best to people. Pretty sad. But I guess life goes on. The farm sends out an Excel pricing sheet on Sundays and delivers to Jerusalem on Tuesdays; to Tel Aviv on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; Negev area on Thursdays [from honey]. The best ‘deal’ from the farm seems to be a box of seasonal vegetables for 110 shekels which includes delivery. This seems a little steep, especially compared to the prices at the shuk. I guess a better comparison would be with the supermarkets, where the produce is unbelievably overpriced.
However, The Omnivore’s Dilemma talks about the bigger idea of cost, meaning that the prices at the shuk may seem cheaper but we end up paying for it indirectly. We pay for cheap produce through higher taxes for healthcare because of new food-related diseases, polluted water from insecticides and synthetic fertilizers, and fossil fuels used in the transportation of our food. Currently, I’m not sure that buying only organic is financially possible on an Israeli salary, but I’m excited to try it hopefully once a month and come home to a box of seasonal and locally made produce. Did I mention that this book was awesome?
Here’s a list of Organic Farms that deliver in Israel, thanks to Crunchy Greenola
3 websites to find out what’s going on in Jerusalem
Bored? Out of the loop? Hate when people ask questions when they can’t hear the answer? Here are 3 websites that should keep you filled in on the latest events, plays, festivals, comedy nights, and everything else that is happening in J-town.
1. 
– The Jerusalem Blueprint takes after the New York version – NYBluePrint, a Jewish newspaper focusing on events happening in the Jewish community. It is the most comprehensive listing of Jerusalem events that I’ve come across and severely underpublicized. The secret is out.
2. 
– Oh Janglo, where would I be today without you? The addictive Jerusalem message board has its own calendar for events happening all over Israel, not just Jerusalem.
3. 
– Go Jerusalem, which I covered earlier, is Nir Barkat’s baby, and is a good reference for events happening in Jerusalem and also features lists of bars, restaurants, and other touristy stuff. This is where I found out about the soup festival. As Danny pointed out in the comments, good call on the dome of the rock – subliminal messages, Nir?
Who said 3? I’ll find you.. I meant 5. So here’s a bonus:
4. 
Jerusalemite is the new kid in town and is still in Beta. It is a cultural guide to Jerusalem and so far it looks like a really fun and energetic site, making me want to run out and find new places to explore. It will take a lot of effort to keep it updated and fresh, but I for one will appreciate it.
5.
Jerusalem Municipality – If you can navigate your way through this site in English or Hebrew and find all the details about an event happening in Jerusalem, you get a big high five. I was hesitant about listing this site because I find it confusing and try to use it as little as possible. But, I gueeesss it’s the official site of Jerusalem, so I should really include it.
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The 74? That seems logical
When it’s all color coded and has diamonds behind it, I could almost get excited about the new Egged bus lines. New bus lines? Well, Jerusalem has been planning a light rail for many years now, but only now are they actually dealing with the traffic nightmares it could possibly cause. It’s not that I’m disrespecting their efforts, I can’t wait to get from one end of Herzl street to the other, it’s just that I get a little confused when I see the 74 bus stop show up. Sorry to readers not living in Jerusalem, this may not be all that riveting…
Here’s what I find funny. The 14 bus has turned into the 21(more or less) and the 21 turned into the 74 (more or less)… so the real question is… why not keep the original bus numbers and just have a slight change of route!
Brian from This Normal Life quotes the Jerusalem Post article which really demonstrates the lack of communication among the city’s transportation units.
7 months of funny search terms
Some people check their blog stats for duration of visit, referring sites, or most popular content. I prefer to check mine for search terms of how people findthe big felafel. Some are the usual like “misrad hapnim Jerusalem” or “book stores Jerusalem” but some are pretty hilarious and fall into the following categories.
Seeking Philosophical answers I really wonder if anybody can ever explain these wonders of the world
- Is ahmadedejad evil
- Assigned seats in movie theater
- Are there 50 or 52 states
- Are there movie theaters in Israel
Religiouis oh Jews… always looking to make fun of themselves
- Shemittah jokes
- yom kippur funny
Weird um
- And a pile of bandaids, thank you
- Make friends with salad
- Poo fight faceback
Random things I would never, ever, ever think of looking up but maybe now I will
- Tushy police
- How to dump your facebook friends
- My tushy is too large
- 3 things that happened during the invention chocolate
Vague Even if these people found the answers they were looking for, I still don’t think they’d be happy with the answer. I recommend these people use Google’s advanced search feature.
- Make falafel game
- Why do you know that they are boys
- Location or place where the book sells
- How big is a parking spot
- The cost of stuff in Israel
- How much do groceries cost in Israel
- calories in falafel
- How many shekels is food in Israel
- how much do things cost in israeli shekels
Cut the crap – give me the low down
- How much is a falafel in Israel
- Price of chicken in Israel
- how do people make a living in israel
Don’t Listen to Beilin’s Broken Record
This is an Opinion Piece in response to Beilin’s Ynet Article, Don’t repeat mistake of 2000, on March 8, 2008.
Mr.Beilin it is hard to take you seriously when your advice seems to end with a punch line rather than a message. It is you, and your past that has brought the Israeli people to the current situation, and not, as you claimed, “The IDF’s harsh response to Palestinian violence in 2000.”
In your article, you had the audacity to ask that we do not “repeat mistakes” again. Your request is a joke because it is the mistakes we made during Oslo that we are now repeating. During the Oslo Accords our country was made to believe that shootings were not “real terrorist attacks.” Shootings became like roadblocks; somehow it was believed that we needed them in order to obtain peace. According to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the signing of the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the PLO (the Oslo Accords) on September 13, 1993, until September 2000, 256 civilians and soldiers were killed in terrorist attacks in Israel.
The quiet that you spoke of in 2007, was nothing more than a waiting period until the next uprising, war, or whatever term fits the crime. It was not as though in 2007, Fatah, Hamas and other terrorist groups thought to themselves, “You know the Jews aren’t that bad. This living side-by-side thing seems like a great idea. Let’s give peace a chance.” In fact, it is embracing the quiet of 2007, rather than interpreting its silence that has brought the days of relentless rocket fire to the South, and the Yeshiva shooting to Jerusalem (not to mention the other terrorist attacks that have happened in the past few years). Continue reading this entry »
The Big Felafel 