End of August 2026 - Getting to Israel, Some Wineries and Some Politics

We have about 12 days to go until Rosh Hashanah - and we also have about 9 days to go until the Israeli candidate lists for the upcoming election are closed.  So what better time to write a blog? 

This will not be a heavily election focused blog - since we do not have enough information yet to start making serious predictions.  Some of the parties are still in a state of flux - negotiating to amalgamate, settling their candidate lists and trying to decide whether to continue.  I will include some comments - but more detailed Israeli election blogs will follow as we get closer to the election (which is taking place on October 27, 2026).

Getting to Israel - Via Lisbon, Portugal

Getting to and from Israel for Canadians is still quite a challenge.  As you know, El Al stopped its direct service to Toronto and Montreal before Covid and Air Canada's service to and from Tel-Aviv is currently suspended. Air Canada currently advises that it is scheduled to resume service between Tel-Aviv and  Toronto on January 17, 2027 but I don't think anyone should bank on that.  They have cancelled and postponed numerous times and it is probably unlikely that they will resume that date - unless there are some drastic changes to the situation in the Middle East.

We have tried flying through many different European cities, often with Air Canada from Toronto to Europe and then El Al from the European city to Israel.  This is not that easy for several reasons - you have to buy two separate tickets - and if one or the other is delayed or cancelled - you have a problem.  Secondly, you have to collect your bags (if you have checked bags) and then re-check in, often with lengthy line ups at immigration and security. Thirdly, it is very hard to find reasonably priced El  Al tickets through some of these European cities.  You could fly Arkia, Israir, Blue Bird or some other budget airlines - but that depends on your tolerance level for traveling low cost airlines.

We have found that Rome, Athens and Zurich are probably the most convenient, though the immigration line-ups at the Athens airport can be extremely lengthy, both for arriving and for departing. 

This time we tried flying through Lisbon.  The Air Canada prices to Lisbon were quite good - cheaper than most other European cities.  We were planning to spend a few days in Lisbon - but we wound up having to delay our flight - and we could not change the El Al leg from Lisbon to Tel-Aviv so we had only one day in Lisbon.

The Air Canada flight was delayed (what else is new) but ultimately we arrived only about 40 minutes late.  The Lisbon airport uses buses for a large number of its flights - so the airplane parks in the middle of nowhere and then you get on a bus to the terminal.  Much like Israel's airport was about 30 years ago.  It is especially enjoyable when it is raining heavily. 

We locked up our luggage (they have some self-service luggage storage facilities  at the Lisbon Airport that are reasonably convenient) and grabbed a cab to the centre of the city.  I had researched the cost in advance and expected to pay about 15-20 Euros for the cab ride.  The first driver refused to turn on the meter and told us it was a fixed rate of 35 Euros.  After arguing with him for a bit, we got out. The next driver had no problem putting on the meter and the cost was as expected.  Interestingly, we used Bolt on the way back (Bolt is a competitor of Uber and Lyft).  That ride on Bolt cost us 6 Euros from a similar downtown location back to the airport.  You need to  download the app - so make sure you have data on your phone.  But they are happy to use a Whatsapp number so you do  not need to have an e-sim with a European phone number. 

We wandered around different parts of Lisbon - including the old Jewish Quarter, which was interesting.  We tried some  fish at the Time Out market - but it was on pricey side and not particularly memorable.  I think we would have been better off eating at one of the outdoor cafes in the centre of the city. We took a nice walking route through several areas - and spent some time along the water.  I would happily go back to Lisbon even though the air connection is not super convenient (between Toronto and Tel-Aviv).  El Al only has one flight a day and only certain days of the week - so if your flight gets delayed or cancelled  -  you might be enjoying Lisbon  for several more days.

For Americans, life is a bit easier. El Al offers many flights through New York and a few other cities and Delta and United  have both announced that they are restarting their service to Tel- Aviv. So there are many options.  El Al's pricing through the US has been super high but it may come down with some increased competition. Personally, I would rather connect through Europe than one of the New York area airports - generally less chaotic - especially at security - and immigration (even though immigration is fairly easy for me - just long line-ups at some airports).  

I still have good benefits with Star Alliance airlines including Air Canada, Lufthansa, Aegean (through Greece) etc., and no good benefits with the other alliances.  So that makes it more worthwhile to fly through somewhere in Europe. I hope that we will soon see direct flights between Toronto and Tel-Aviv but I am not holding my breath, especially with the current political climate.  The current Canadian government  does not have a warm and fuzzy relationship with Israel - and I am sure that is playing a role in Air Canada's interest or ability to restart flights.

Wineries - Netofa and Bat Shlomo

We have visited a few wineries recently and I sometimes include some comments about some of these wineries.  As you might know - there are somewhere in the range of 300-400 wineries in Israel with the current Israeli business database listing 341 operating wineries.  Of  those, approximately 180 are Kosher, though most of the larger wineries in Israel are certified as Kosher.  In case you are wondering, approximately 25-20 of those wineries produce "mevushal" wine but it is generally the winery's lower end wine - and mostly for export to North America.  Israeli restaurants, even those under the highest levels of Kashruth supervision, do not generally serve mevushal wines - but this is all a topic for another day.

Bat Shlomo

Bat Shlomo is a boutique winery with an in-house chef not too far from Zichron Yaakov.   The winery has a  beautiful courtyard area for wine tasting and provides a plate of delicious fresh breads, spreads, jams fruit and other items, mostly grown on location or nearby.  We tasted a variety of wines and really enjoyed the wines as well as the hospitality.  The winery offers a high-end bed and breakfast experience which includes posh amenities, chef created food and prices to match. The winery and restaurant are strictly Kosher - with only dairy and fish served. We enjoyed the wines quite a bit and wound up buying a few extra bottles.  I would highly recommend a visit.

Netofa

More recently we visited Netofa Winery, which produces wines based on the French-Mediterranean style of wine making. The winery does not produce any Cabernet Sauvignon. Rather there is an emphasis on Syrah, Mourvedre and Semillon grapes as well as a few others. 

The visitor's centre has some tasty food offerings including a very nice cheese and fruit plate, with free refills of certain items. The bread was warm and fresh and the cheeses were tasty. Everything is strictly Kosher - and the host was quite friendly. But overall, we didn't love the wine. We enjoyed one of the white wines, from the higher-end Tel Qasser range - which was made from Roussanne grapes and aged for 10 months in oak barrels.  We also enjoyed the pure Syrah varietal. Overall, it was a nice place to visit but let's just say...we didn't actually buy any wine.  Of course these things are very taste specific and some people may enjoy these wines more than others since the grapes are quite different from those used by many Israeli wineries.   

Some Election News

As I mentioned earlier, I have to say something about the upcoming elections but I will keep it relatively short for. I will write more extensively between September 9 and October 27th.

First of all, things are still in a state of flux right now.  Israel uses a proportionate representation system exclusively with a cut-off of about 3.25%.  So if you put together a party and you run and get less than 3.25% of the vote - all of your votes are wasted and redistributed proportionately among the other parties.

Right now, there are about 15 different parties running in the upcoming elections that have a realistic chance of getting into the Knesset. Based on current polling, 3 of those parties are polling below the threshold and would not make it. They have a deadline of September 9th, by which time they must finalize their slates. Apparently there are all kinds of discussions taking place, especially among these smaller parties, to consider combining, amalgamating or running together.  Once the lists are finalized by September 9th, we will have a better picture of who is actually running.

Most current polls are putting the relatively new "Yashar" (Straightforward) party led by Gadi Eisenkot in the lead with between 22 and 26 seats.  Prime Minister Netanyahu's Likud party is polling at between 19 and 22 seats. Both numbers are probably subject to dramatic fluctuation between now and October 27, 2026. One set of polls, put out by channel 14 News in Israel (think Fox  News) is giving Netanyahu 31 seats.  Interestingly, they release less information about their polling methodology.  But most other polls including those conducted by independent pollsters, and polls run by channels 11, 12 and 13, all have similar numbers.

Of course, as you may know, just winning a plurality in Israel does not entitle you to form a government. To form a government, a party needs to cobble together a coalition with at least 61 seats (out of the 120 seat Knesset).  These coalitions are formed with formal coalition agreements - which include provisions for providing cabinet seats to coalition partners. 

Based on current polls, no party is predicted to be able to form a coalition - yet.  Eisenkot and his political allies (referred to as the "Opposition") have been polling at anywhere from 55 to 60 seats.  They are getting close but still short of the required majority to form a government.

Netanyahu and his partners - i.e. the current government - are polling at between 49 and 54 seats.  Right now, the math does not look good for Netanyahu but he probably has all kinds of strategies, tricks and events up his sleeve to implement between now and October 27, 2026.  It is anyone's guess as to whether any of this will work.

My overall comment is that most of the parties are right-leaning and so, whatever happens, it is unlikely that there will be a seismic shift in policy from any elected government.  The tone might change and some policies are likely to change, especially domestically, if there is a change in government.  But after October 7, 2023, it is highly unlikely that we will see major changes vis a vis the Palestinians or Israel's immediate neighbours.

Eisenkot is viewed as somewhat of a centrist - perhaps centre right. The only coalition partners that he would have that would be on his left would be the Democratic party run by Yair Golan and, perhaps, Lapid's half of the Yachad party (Lapid merged his party with Bennett's early this year). If Eisenkot is able to form a government without any of the ultra religious parties - we could see some major domestic policy changes - which could include laws affecting marriage in Israel (currently controlled by religious authorities), demonopolization of Kashrut laws, reduced funding for Yeshiva students, and strengthened recruitment laws for the ultra-religious and other policies that affect the power of religious institutions in Israel. We may also see increased outreach efforts to countries in Europe and other parts of the world - but I am just not  sure that this will be accompanied by any significant policy shifts.

On the other hand, I don't think that anyone can rule out Netanyahu at this point.  If he is able to win and forms another narrow right wing government - like Israel's current government - he would be likely to double down on some of the policies that his government has been implementing over the past four years.  Increased funding and authority for the ultra-religious and their monopoly over religious institutions in Israel, dismantling of the power of the Israeli Supreme Court, increasing the power and the immunity of the executive branch of government and continued movement towards eventual annexation over  most of Judea and Samaria (often  called the "West Bank"). All of this would be likely to cause long-term increased international isolation for  Israel and significant economic challenges.  At the same time, the events of October 7, 2023 have made it clear that  Israel can only rely on  itself for its own security and defence  in the long run.

Meanwhile, Bibi's criminal trial is still continuing and it is likely that it would come to an end over the course of a four year mandate. I have written about this on several occasions and continue to maintain that there will never be an actual verdict.  Netanyahu will either reach a deal for a plea bargain or a pardon at some point, or, if he gains significant political strength, he will find a way to legislate away his legal problems.  I think that this third option is the least likely - but that remains to be seen.

There is much more to write about but I will leave it at this for now and I will try to squeeze in another blog, more election focused on September 10th or 11th - as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah.   In the meantime, I wish everyone a happy last day of August - which seems to mark the unofficial end of summer in Toronto in most years.  Here in Israel, it will be quite warm for at least two more months, usually, so lots of opportunity to go for a swim at the nearby Herzliah beach.

I am looking forward to the start of NFL season, the start of the NHL season and maybe a strong last minute push by the Blue Jays to get themselves into the playoffs (they are just 1.5 games out from a wild card spot as of the time of writing of this blog).  

More Downgrades at Aeroplan: Mileage Accumulation is Tougher and Tougher

I saw another one of those dreaded "announcements" from Aeroplan announcing mileage accumulation changes, this time for flights on United Airlines.  Aeroplan card holders will now find it even more difficult to achieve the various "Altitude" status levels when collecting Aeroplan miles from some key partners. 

I suppose it was only a matter of time.  Last year, Aeroplan introduced "Tango" flights for the Israel route and other international destinations.  With these tickets, passengers only accumulate 50% of the Aeroplan miles.  Plus, these fares are not eligible for free upgrades to first class.  It would take 20 round trip flights in a year between Toronto and Tel-Aviv on these fares to be eligible for "super elite" status (now called s100k).

Until now, there was at least one way around this problem.  Passengers could fly United from Toronto to Tel-Aviv (through Newark Airport) and still collect 100% of the air miles, even at the cheapest air fares.  Now this latest announcement from Aeroplan indicates that most of the cheapest air fares on United will only provide accumulation of 50% mileage, effective March 31, 2014.  This was already the case with Swiss, Lufthansa, Austrian, Turkish and other partner airlines.  The long and the short of it is that if you are flying with the least expensive air fares, it is getting harder and harder to accumulate Aeroplan points.  It is also worth pointing out that US Air is leaving the Star Alliance effective March 31, 2014 - so perhaps it is no coincidence that United made the change once it realized it had no Star Alliance competition between the U.S. and Israel.

This is not the only negative change that Aeroplan has introduced.  Over the past few years, the "tax and fuel surcharge" has skyrocketed on Aeroplan tickets.  So, let's say you want to use 80,000 points to get a "free" ticket on Air Canada.  It will cost you $680-$800 in "fuel surcharges."  Aeroplan calls these charges "tax and fuel surcharges."  But they aren't really fooling consumers.  These "fuel surcharges" allow for significant profit for Aeroplan on "free" tickets.  They aren't really "fuel surcharges."  They are simply ticket charges.  Paying $800 in surcharges to go to Israel in the winter, for example, is absurd.  You could probably find a ticket on another airline, taxes in, for close to $900, without wasting 80,000 points.

In fact, I looked into taking a trip to Montreal two weeks ago from Toronto.  The "surcharge" was $170.  A ticket with Porter would only cost $199, taxes in, if you could find a deal.  So what kind of "free" ticket is that.when you have to pay $170 AND 15,000 points?

This year, Aeroplan introduced "e-upgrade charges."  If  you are not Super Elite and you want to upgrade your seat on a transatlantic flight into the first class cabin, it will now cost $500, if there happens to be room.  Up until this year, there was no charge. That was one of the incredible benefits of flying Air Canada regularly - the ability to upgrade for free when there was space available.  I guess these changers are all intended to ensure that only the customers paying the much higher fares, on a regular basis, will get the benefits (that they probably won't need as much anyways).

Overall, it seems unlikely that I will come close to making Superelite status this year and it sounds like it will be less and less worthwhile to even try.  Mileage accumulation has become harder and harder, benefits have been reduced significantly and some of the better benefits have been eliminated.

To really try to fool everyone, Aeroplan rolled out its "Distinction" program to run parallel to its Aeroplan program.  Nobody that I have spoken to has been able to determine that there any benefits whatsoever of this program.  At first, the program made it sound like customers could, by achieving "Distinction" status, get discounted rates on Aeroplan tickets.  The advertised discount was as high as 35%.  But, on close reflection, people realized that Aeroplan is only offering the discount on "market rate" fares.  So in other words, let's say that an Aeroplan ticket to Israel would go for 80,000 points.  Aeroplan might say they are "sold out" and the market rate is now 130,000 or even 200,000.  (Or some other ridiculous, inflated, arbitrary number).  "Distinction" status holders will get their percentage discount on that number.  So instead of being able to pay $750 for a "free" ticket along with 80,000 points, you can now pay about 84,500 and $750, when the "market rate" is 130,000 points.  If the "market rate" is 200,000....well, you follow?

For someone flying back and forth on a long haul flight - like the Toronto-Tel-Aviv route, seven or eight times a year, this was enough, up until last year, to earn Super-Elite status and get some great benefits like free upgrades, double Aeroplan miles, wider available for "free" tickets and other perqs.  You could do this, even while buying the cheapest fares.  But now, it looks like you would have to pay an average of at least $300 to $500 more per ticket, which adds up considerably.

The difficulty is that there are very few options for Canada-Israel "commuters."  El Al still lacks the same in-flight amenities and has a horrible mileage accumulation program.  If an El Al ticket would get passengers full mileage accumulation on another system's program, that might start to make the decision a bit more complicated.

Ultimately, for a direct flight between Toronto and Tel-Aviv, Air Canada still offers the most convenient flight from Toronto and significantly better service.  The flight leaves at 5:30 p.m. and flies overnight, arriving in Israel at about 11:00 a.m. This is a great schedule, although it would probably be better if it were to leave around 8:00  or even 9:00 p.m.

The flight back on Air Canada, which is a 13 hour day time flight, is atrocious.  It leaves at 12:30 p.m. Israel time and arrives at 6:30 p.m. in Toronto.  The flight goes on forever.  For flights from Israel to Toronto, in my view, it is better to fly El Al or take United through New Jersey on its overnight flight.  At least that way, you can get some sleep.

Overall, the cumulative effect of all of these changes at Aeroplan is that the program seems to become worse and worse each year, while the benefits seem to be fewer and fewer.  Its quite unfortunate.  Maybe one day, some other airline, like Westjet, will start offering flights back and forth to Israel at a reasonable price with decent amenities.  For now, there are even fewer good choices.