Municipal Elections in Israel 2013: Some Interesting Tidbits...

Municipal elections, no matter where they are held, in my experience, tend to attract more apathy than interest.  Some suggest that is part of a trend of more generalized voter disaffection.  But, it just may be that people simply don't feel it makes a difference who the mayor happens to be, much less the local councilors.  In any case, Israel is no exception from other democracies in this regard.  Voter turnout in Israel's municipal elections on October 22, 2013, according to Haaretz, hit a national average of 32.7%.  The turnout in Tel-Aviv was only 21%.  Contrast that with the 2013 Israeli national elections in which the voter turn out was close to 68%.  Still not a sparkling number, but not nearly as pathetic as the municipal numbers.

As much voter indifference as there may be, municipal elections are probably even less interesting to outsiders.  So to a non-Israeli, in this case, whether a Labour candidate or a Likud candidate happened to be elected in a particular city to oversee garbage collection and local education just does not seem too riveting.  After all, someone's arnona (Israeli property tax) might increase dramatically but as long as it does not affect your property taxes, do you really care?

Nevertheless, since there were municipal elections all across Israel, there had to be some interesting stories.  I thought you would enjoy a few interesting tidbits that emerged from Tuesday's election, some of which are rather amusing, in my view anyways.

1.  Jerusalem

This was probably the most interesting mayoral race.  Moshe Leon was the candidate favoured by the religious parties, backed by Avigdor Lieberman (leader of Yisrael Beitenu) (who is currently awaiting the verdict in a corruption trial) and by Aryeh Deri (a political leader of the ultra-orthodox Shas party, who was actually convicted of corruption and served his time).  Leon, who is not even a Jerusalem resident, was parachuted into the race to run against secular candidate and incumbent mayor Nir Barkat.  Well, don't we have to say "Thank G-d!" that Barkat won?   For many Jerusalem residents, it must have been a reverse endorsement for Moshe Leon to be backed by such esteemed public officials as Lieberman and Deri.  The race was not a landslide but Barkat managed to win, much to the chagrin of many of the ultra-orthodox.

2.  Ra'anana

Zeev Bielski

Of course I have to write about Ra'anana.  In Ra'anana, Mayor Nahum Hofri was one of the few incumbent mayors, across Israel, to lose an election.  But unlike some other mayors and mayoral candidates (many of whom were facing corruption charges or embroiled in different scandals), nothing of the sort was levelled against Hofri.  Rather, he found himself running against Ze'ev Bielski who had previously been a popular four-term mayor in Ra'anana.  Bielski had left to try his hand, unsuccessfully, in national politics.  Now he returned to Ra'anana politics and picked up 73% of the vote, a ringing endorsement for a returning former mayor.

3.  Beersheva

Ruvik Danilovich

I couldn't help but notice that the incumbent mayor Ruvik Danilovich won 92% of the vote.  Wow!  Either the candidate was immensely popular - or there was some funny water in the well somewhere....This is an incredible margin of victory in a contemporary democracy.  Okay, I guess it helped that he presented voters with a popular 10 year plan to turn Beersheva into a major Israeli metropolis...It is currently Israel's seventh largest city, with a population of just over 200,000.


4.  Kiryat Eqron

I have to mention the mayoral race in Kiryat Eqron, the small town located just outside of Rehovot (population 9,800).  Here, no one won.  That's right, there was no winner.  The incumbent, Arik Hadad, garnered just over 25% of the vote.  But there were a number of other other candidates with more than 10% each.  Sounds like there were almost as many candidates as voters!  So there will be a run-off election in Kiryat Eqron.  This is not surprising given that Kiryat Eqron, a small town, has more than 48 separate synagogues.  In some cases, there are two such shuls, right next to each other, on the same street, with different members of the same family attending different shuls.  With that type of community structure in place, it is not surprising that there would be large number of candidates.  We will eagerly await the results...

5.  Messy Bet Shemesh

Oops, I almost forgot Bet Shemesh.  How could I?  Incumbent ultra-orthodox mayor Moshe Abutbul apparently won the election in Bet Shemesh by less than 1,000 votes.  The problem is that, according to the Jerusalem Post, more than 800 ballots were declared "invalid."  As well, on election day, police raided two apartments owned by ultra-orthodox residents and confiscated more than 200 I.D. cards.  Let's see...800 plus 200...

Challenger Eli Cohen has indicated that he is considering a legal challenge to the results based on reports of possible electoral fraud and "irregularities."  According to the Post, more than 4,000 Bet Shemesh residents have signed a petition demanding that the results be suspended until a proper investigation is conducted.

6.   Corruption? Pshaw.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that corruption charges were no barrier to re-election in Israel.  This is illustrated by the results in Bat-Yam, Ramat Hasharon and Upper Nazareth all of which re-elected mayors facing corruption allegations or charges.  Only in the city of Hadera, voters ousted a candidate who had been accused of taking bribes.  In other jurisdictions these types of allegations seem to have enhanced electability or at least not impeded it.

None of the candidates, to my knowledge, were photographed smoking crack, talking on their cell phones while driving or accused of pinching other candidates in the buttocks at public events.  These are all accusations that have been leveled against the current incumbent mayor of Toronto, Canada - Rob Ford.  However, some of the allegations facing the Israeli mayoral candidates, some of whom were elected, - included bribery, corruption and racism.  These charges were on par with the Toronto municipal scene and were no impediment to re-election in Israel. 

Sukkoth 2013 - 5774

Spending Sukkoth in Israel is really a great privilege.  It is probably the best time to be in Israel.  The weather is still great, there are festivals all over the country and many people are off work.  Unlike Passover, there are no onerous food restrictions.  So during the intermediate days (Hol Hamoed), many Israelis are travelling, hosting each other (often in Sukkoth) and enjoying festivals, outdoor concerts and other events.

Panorama View of Our Family Sukkah

We enjoyed a large family dinner on the first night of Sukkoth and hosted friends in our sukkah the next day.  Great start to the holiday though it seems to get more and more difficult each year to find the time right after Yom Kippur ends to put up the sukkah in timely fashion.  Especially since we are usually putting up two - one at my in-laws - a huge 4x5 metre sukkah and one at our place.  We have customarily put up the large sukkah right after Yom Kippur ends.  But this year, Yom Kippur was in mid- September and Israel did not change its clocks for the first time in quite a number of years.  Very hard to put up a big sukkah starting only at 9:30/10:00 p.m. after a day of fasting. 

View of a Tzolk'in Board at Games Day

Sunday Sep 22, we attended the annual Jerusalem board games festival.  You might think that sounds rather boring.  Okay, for some it might be.  But for those who enjoy challenging board games, especially "Euro-games" that have been growing in popularity since 1995 or so (with the emergence of Settlers of Catan), this kind of festival is lots of fun.  We had the chance to play Puerto Rico and Tzolk`in, two terrific games.  At its peak, there were about 40 people attending, playing a wide range of board games with breaks for eating lunch and dinner in the sukkah.

Our festive day was cut short with news of the tragic death of a cousin in an early morning car accident. We left Jerusalem and attended the funeral in B'nai Ayish.  The funeral of our 27 year old cousin was only days after Yom Kippur.  I couldn't help but think of the High Holy Day liturgy that we had been reading, from the famous prayer Unetaneh Tokef - ..כְּצֵל עוֹבֵר וּכְעָנָן כָּלָה וּכְרוּחַ נוֹשָׁבֶת וּכְאָבָק פּוֹרֵחַ וְכַחֲלוֹם יָעוּף  Man is likened to a "broken shard, withering grass, a fading flower, a passing shade, a dissipating cloud, a blowing wind, flying dust, and a fleeting dream."  The words felt so real in the face of this type of horrible loss, of a cousin whose wedding we had attended so recently.  To hear the whole version of Unetaneh Tokef, try this link to an IDF version or this version, written by Yair Rosenblum. 

Despite the sombre mood, we still had to commemorate the holiday.  Simchat Torah, as usual, was a holiday highlight at Hod ve'Hadar.  This year, one Hakafah really stuck out for me.  ("Hakafoth" are rounds of singing and dancing in celebration of completing the annual cyle of reading the Torah.  Often accompanied by alcohol...).  For the third Hakafah, the congregation invited all those present who could not dance for physical reasons to come to the centre of the shul and sit in a circle.  Some were given Torahs to hold.  The congregants danced in a circle around this group of, mainly, elderly and disabled congregants.  It was such a beautiful, inclusive Hakafah, and the type of activity that captures the spirit and heart of Hod vHadar.  As I participated, I thought to myself that every shul should do this.   Yet in all of my years of celebrating Simchat Torah, I do not remember seeing it.   Once again, I thought of a verse from the High Holy Day liturgy, this time אל תשליכני לעת זקנה- "Do not cast me way in my old age - when my strength fails me."  For a moving musical version, try this link to Michel Cohen or this version by Avihu Medina.  This special Hakafah was an example of our shul taking this verse to heart and honouring its elderly.

I had to leave Israel after Simchat Torah to head back to Toronto, after a month or so in Israel.  I took a late night flight on United Airlines through Newark, since Air Canada only flies during the day and the prices sky rocket for a few days after the holidays end. 

I arrived in Toronto at about 8:30 a.m. on Friday September 27, 2013.  For me, the holiday had officially ended but for the Jewish community outside of Israel, it was still Simchat Torah.  So I decided to celebrate Simchat Torah twice, as I have done two or three times in the past.  I showed up at shul in time to share a Torah reading table and join the Hazzan for Musaf.  We finished the service with a version of Adon Olam sang to "Rock Around the Clock" which was quite fun.  Of course, it was simply not the same as being able to celebrate with my family the previous day but it just did not seem right to go to the office, even though the holy day had officially ended for Israelis.

In Israel, there are many songs and colloquialisms that refer to "Acharei HaHagim" - "after the holidays."  Everything will be done "after the holidays."  In fact, one person at shul in K'far Saba said to us on Thursday - "do you know what day it is tomorrow? - it's after the holidays..."  So now it is after the holidays for another year.  It is time to complete this period of reflection, introspection and celebration and get back to work.  It would probably also be a good idea to try losing some weight after all of those festive holiday meals.

Shana Tova and Shavua Tov.  Here's hoping for a peaceful, fulfilling and joyous year.

Davidson Center Bar/Bat Mitzvah Jerusalem - Changes to the Area

Earlier this year, in August 2013, the Israeli government made changes to the Davidson Center at the Kotel in Jerusalem.  For those unfamiliar with the Center, I wrote a blog article about hosting a bar or bat-mitzvah here.  It has been one of the most widely read articles on this site.  I felt reasonably qualified to write it, as a veteran planner and parent of two b'nai mitzvot at the Center.

There has been a great deal of controversy over access to the Kotel itself over the past few years.  It is widely known that the Western Wall itself, the Kotel, is treated as an Orthodox synagogue.  This means that there is a big wall running down the middle, a Mechitza, separating the mens' side from the womens' side of the wall.  Morever, the Orthodox rabbis running the site, with the force of Israeli law behind them for the most part, have prohibited women from praying out loud, reading from a Torah, wearing a Tallith or wearing Tefillin on the women's side of the Kotel.  There has been a push for reform of this state of affairs to improve equality of access for everyone to the site, even to those who might not wish to conform to Orthodox prayer standards.

This past year, Natan Sharansky led a commission to try to find a solution to this challenge.  His proposal, apparently, was a significant improvement to the Davidson Center in a way that would make it appear to be an extension (at the same level) of the Kotel.  Sharansky's plan would have created, effectively, three sections at the Kotel - men, women and mixed.  However, due to some Archaeological resistance and some resistance by Orthodox rabbis, the plan was put on indefinite hold, even though, as a compromise plan, it was approved by a number of different stakeholders.

Davidson Center - New Platform with Tables

After icing Sharansky's plan, powerful cabinet minister Naftali Bennett implemented an alternate solution.  A platform was built at the Southern Wall ( the Davidson Center) and a number of tables were set up.  The Israeli government indicated that the site would now be open 24/7 and would be free and accessible to all for non-Orthodox prayer.  This was Bennett's effort to thwart Sharansky's plan.  The plan, which was implemented on August 27, 2013, is described in the Jewish Week.

This did not solve the problem for some groups.  For example, Women of the Wall, a group which has been denied the ability to pray on the women's side of the Kotel out loud and with a Torah scroll.  Morever, the site is still difficult to access, out of the way and with limited ability for participants to actually touch the wall itself (unlike at the main Kotel).

Nevertheless, for those interested in conducting a religious service at the Kotel for a bar or bat mitzvah that is egalitarian and not separated, the Davidson Center is really the only alternative.  It is now somewhat more accessible than it was previously.  Certainly the hours are much better - and admission is free.  Although it is something of an improvement over the previous state of affairs, I can't help but think that this is a stepping stone towards a much more egalitarian, accessible solution even though that type of dramatic change may take some time to implement.

Toronto-Tel-Aviv Via Warsaw (Part 2)

I flew back to Tel-Aviv from Toronto via Warsaw on Lot Polish Airlines.  I wrote a review of the first leg of my flight a few weeks ago here.  I thought I would add some comments, since this time I stopped in Poland for a longer time.

The connection, travelling from Toronto to Tel-Aviv, is less than ideal.  You leave Toronto at 8:30 p.m. (we were delayed about an hour, but that could happen on any airline...) and you arrive in Warsaw at 10:30 a.m.  The flight from Warsaw to Tel-Aviv leaves Warsaw at 10:55 p.m.  There are no earlier connecting flights.

So if you take this route, you have to make a decision.  Either you leave the airport and spend the 10 hours or so that you have free in Warsaw - or you sit in the airport for about 12 hours.  You have to decide when you first arrive since  you are either sent to a "connecting flights area" or the passport control/ arrivals area.  If you first go to the connecting flights area and then change your mind and decide to go and see Warsaw (that's what I did), it is a bit complicated to get out of the airport.

The flight itself, from Toronto to Warsaw was fine.  Lot uses the new Dreamliner 787s for this route.  The planes are very quiet and very smooth.  You barely feel that you are taking off.  This time I was seated in economy class.  Lot has personal screens but many of the movies, TV shows and music require payment of an additional fee.  The free selection is very limited.  Even the paid selection did not look very enticing.  The flight is just over 8 1/2 hours and it was quite uneventful.  I watched a movie that I had on my own device ("Sarah's Key" which was quite a suitable selection for this trip).

When I arrived in Warsaw, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to travel to the city or stay in the airport.

I stopped off at the lounge (which is available for Star Alliance members).  It is a decent lounge with clean washrooms, showers, drinks, coffee (including a funky cappuccino machine) and some other light food offerings.  The lounge also has Kosher sandwiches which are under the supervision of the local Polish Kashrut council.

Right across from the lounge, there was a duty free shop with terrific prices.  The interesting thing is that the Chopin Airport in Warsaw has several duty free shops, all with varying prices.  The main shops, upstairs, are quite pricey.  The duty free shop downstairs (across from the lounge) was about 20-30% cheaper than upstairs.  So I managed to pick up a bottle of Scotch whiskey to contribute to our upcoming Simchat Torah festivities at our shul...(a Jura 16 year, in case you are wondering...at less than $35 - about 40% of the price at the LCBO in Ontario).

Nożyk Synagogue

I decided to head out and see a bit of Warsaw.  I had looked up some sites of Jewish interest and decided I would start with those.  I took a cab from the airport to the only operating Orthodox synagogue in Warsaw, the Nozyk Synagogue.  This beautiful shul was built in approximately 1900.  It was apparently the only synagogue in Warsaw to survive the war and it is now the only active Orthodox shul in Warsaw.  I wandered around and had a look.  Just outside the shul, there was a small, Kosher falafel shop, run by an Israeli.  I decided to patronize it, even though I wasn't too crazy about having a falafel.  It certainly wasn't the freshest or the best tasting falafel I have had but it was worth the experience.  The cab ride from the airport to the synagogue was about 45 Zloty - or about $13 (Cdn).  I had taken some money out of an ATM in the Polish airport.  Considering that this was about a 20 minute ride, the cab fare seemed quite reasonable.  I think a similar distance in Israel would easily cost  5 or 6 times that amount.

Museum of Jewish History- Warsaw

From the synagogue, I grabbed another cab and went over to the site of the new Polish Museum of Jewish History.  The museum is not open yet and will only open in early to mid-2014.  It promises to include an enormous collection of information and exhibits relating to the history of the Jewish community in Poland.  For now - you can see the building and the monument that has been erected but you cannot go into the building for a tour. 

From the Museum, I decided to walk over to the Old City - the historic parts of Warsaw - which feature cobblestone streets and old buildings, many of which have been renovated after being destroyed during the war.  I walked for about 20 minutes using my phone GPS (I had pre-loaded a full map of Warsaw from Google onto my phone) over to the old section of Warsaw and wandered around in that area for a while.

Old Warsaw

There were many historical sites and it was an interesting area to visit.  I couldn't help but wondering how the city must have looked in the 1930s or earlier.  After all, pre-war Warsaw had a Jewish population of close to 400,000.  It rivalled New York at the time, as one of the cities with the largest Jewish populations in the world.  The Jewish community comprised close to 1/3 of the entire population of Warsaw.  Now, wandering around Warsaw, a handful of Jews live in the city.  Most of the population was, of  course, murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust.  There is a little evidence that this was once a vibrant, thriving Jewish community with hundreds of synagogues, Jewish schools, shops, theatres and other important community landmarks.  While there are certainly some remaining sites of Jewish interest in Warsaw, the overwhelming feeling is one of amazement and sadness at the annihilation and disappearance of an entire community.

Nevertheless, I stopped for a latte and then continued wandering through old Warsaw before taking a cab back to the airport.

I took a panorama shot but this blog has only saved it as a jpg file - for some reason, so you have to imagine that this is one continuous photo...

I had thought of trying to make it to some more important Polish historical sites, but the camps were more of a distance and would have required a longer time period.  It would probably also be more suitable to get to those sites with a group.

Nevertheless, if you are travelling to Tel-Aviv through Warsaw (which could be hundreds of dollars cheaper than some other flights), you may want to try to see some of the city.  It is inexpensive, interesting and it seemed to be reasonably safe. 

Shirat Machar - Latest Video - Akum L'Shorer

Shirat Machar - Israeli show choir

 Shirat Machar released a new video yesterday and it is really outstanding!  Here is the link to it:  Akum L'Shorer - Video.  I think it is one of the best songs that the group has released.  Of course, I'm biased...

Shirat Machar has also included a link where you can support the group by purchasing a download of the song (a digital version in mp3 or flac) of this latest offering.  The link Akum L'Shoer also includes information about the song itself and the complete lyrics in Hebrew and English.

I won't repeat all of what is one the site, but  the timing is particularly relevant.  Released just days before Rosh Hashana, which is next week, the piyut, translated as "I will rise to write poetry" is a 16th century piyut that appears in the High Holyday Machzor.   The theme is especially poignant and connected to the ימים נוראים themes of repentence and justice.  Here is the translation of the last few lines - taken from the Shirat Machar site:

Take mercy with your grace, turn to your servant,
and grant him pity
God, for your sake, I will stand innocent in your court,
and you will forgive the guilty.
When I call, "Answer me, God of justice, Hear my prayer"

To top it all off, the music is quite well done - and very catchy.  I hope you enjoy it!

Shana Tova!

Air Canada "E-Upgrades"...More Costs For Non-Super Elite Travellers

Well the "free ride" is just about over...or at least the free upgrade ride.  In a warm and fuzzy email earlier this week - Air Canada announced that starting on March 1, 2014, it will charge "e-upgrade add-ons" for passengers looking to upgrade into the executive cabin from economy class on all flights other than those within North America.  For this year, at least, Super Elite members (now called "Altitude 100k") will be exempt from these charges.  But for all other travellers, it will cost $500 plus a pile of e-upgrade points to move up into the executive cabin.

The deterioration of benefits for non-super elite passengers over the past couple of years has been significant.  Last year, Air Canada introduced its "Altitude" program and effectively reduced the status of benefits for most Aeroplan members, other than previously named "Super Elite."  These changes made it much more difficult, if not impossible, for non-super elite passengers to be upgraded into executive first.

Now with the latest change, passengers hoping to upgrade from a cheap fare into executive first will have to pay $500 unless they are Superelite 100K.  That's $500 in addition to the exorbitant number of e-upgrade points that they will need- which have become harder and harder to collect.

There is now a greater and greater discrepancy between the value of Air Canada's highest level status, Altitude 100K and all other levels.

For those travelling back and forth between Israel and Canada, this will reduce the benefit of flying Air Canada for anyone travelling less than 8 1/2 times a year. Air Canada still offers a direct flight, with AC power outlets, personal entertainment screens and complementary alcohol (to name a few of the benefits).  But the loss of the ability to get a free upgrade, even once in a while, is a major change and it is certainly not a positive one.

The flip side is that anyone who is close to Altitude 100K status by the end of December will need to consider the value of taking an extra flight just to meet the required threshold.  The value of having 100K status will now include free upgrades (with e-upgrade points), double Aeroplan miles on Air Canada and United flights, and the ability to use Aeroplan points for priority bookings, even when most reward seats are no longer available.

For passengers on the Tel-Aviv-Toronto route, this will affect, most significantly, those passengers who might be flying 4 to 7 times a year.  Only two or three years ago, passengers in that category would have enjoyed regular upgrades to executive first at no additional charge.  Now they will be lucky to be eligible and when they are, it may cost more than half of the price of the ticket (during low season).

So if you are an Altitude member, but not 100K, the time to enjoy the free upgrades is now - or between now and March 1, 2014.  After that, well, luxury will have its price...

Here is the link to the Air Canada announcement:  Air Canada Add Ons

Lot Polish Airlines Review - Tel-Aviv - Toronto

I was expecting  that this would be one of my harshest reviews of airline service.  Given the high season airfares between Israel and North America in the summer, I booked my August trip from Tel Aviv to Toronto on Lot Polish Airlines. ("Lot")  The fare was close to $1,000 less than the available Air Canada fare and I could still get full Aeroplan points.  I could also get the other benefits of flying on a Star Alliance partner - including lounge access, extra baggage allowance and priority boarding.  Of course, it would also mean several hours of layover time in Warsaw which was less than enticing.  Nevertheless I decided to try it, despite the many stories that I had heard about Lot. 

Like the other Star Alliance flights out of Tel Aviv, Lot leaves Israel at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m.  This means check- in at 3 a.m. and of course no sleep.  Check-in at Ben Gurion Airport was a zoo, though I suppose that is always the case leaving Israel unless you are flying Air Canada which seems to have the 1 p.m. time slot all to itself.

The plane itself, for this first leg of the trip, was a base version of a Boeing 737.  The seats looked like they were the original seats. There were no TV screens or music devices - no entertainment of any kind.  As we were making our way towards the runway, the plane was making some awfully peculiar noises.  For the first time in quite a number of flights, I began to appreciate the need that some feel to recite "tefillat haderech" the traveller's prayer... This was reinforced for me by the high level of exuberence shown by the cabin crew as they demonstrated the safety equipment and procedures.  Perhaps this all explained why the passengers clapped so enthusiastically when we eventually arrived in Warsaw.

I did not have to worry about Kosher food as there was no meal service at all.  At one point, the flight attendants distributed chocolate bars...and they came a few times with water.  But no other beverages, were served on this flight.  They did not even serve coffee.  Although the flight was just under 4 hours, there was no meal service at all.  That was surprising.  Even Austrian Airlines serves food, however disgusting it might be.

On arrival in Warsaw, we had to take a bus to the terminal.  At the terminal, we were required to pass through full personal security, even though the bus stayed behind security at all times.  There was one security station for the whole plane.  It was tediously slow and poorly organized, especially compared to arrival in other European cities.  I was in that line for close to an hour and I was only somewhere in the middle.

To this point in my trip, it would be fair to say that Lot had met my original expectations. 

Chopin Airport in Warsaw is a modest airport.  There were  a couple of duty free stores and the prices were reasonable (if you know the exchange rates for a zloty..).  The Star Alliance lounge was quite decent.  It had coffee, alcoholic beverages, fresh juices and even stale kosher sandwhiches (dairy and meat versions, separately packaged of course.). The staff members were friendly and there was free unlimited WiFi.   They even lent me an adaptor plug piece.  The lounge had some nice showers as well, though I did not use these facilities.  Nevertheless, I had more than five hours to check out the lounge and the airport before my connecting flight.

Then it came time to check in to Toronto.  Check-in was a zoo, just like israel, although although unlike El-Al, there was still some semblance of boarding order.  

But here is where it gets unfair...I was pulled aside and upgraded to business "premium" class.  Was it because they knew my grandfather z"l had faced horrible anti-semitism in Poland and had been forced to flee the Polish army in 1917?  Or in consideration of my many family members killed in Poland during the Holocaust?  I don't think so.  I was simply the nearest Star Alliance Gold member...so I suppose that counts for something sometimes.

So I found myself placed in 6f, a window seat, in a new 787 Dreamliner.  I"ll have to review economy on my way back.   I was seated in the "Premium Business Class" section, which is one step below the business first section.  I can only really compare this to Air Canada's business class service, since I don't generally fly business class.

On this Lot plane, in the premium business section, the seats were nice and wide but did not have cubicles like Air Canada.  There were USB plugs, dual europe-north america outlets and personal screens. at every seat.

But unlike many other airlines, even at the economy class level, the Lot screens were showing a choice of about 12 movies (not hundreds like on United or US Air economy service).  For music, there were also a very small number of choices.

As well, as far as business seats go, these were quite crowded.  You cannot easily get out the seat if you are seated in the window seat.  You have to ask the other person to get up and move aside. And even then, you actually have to climb over the seat.

Also, suprisingly, there are no washrooms in the premium business class section so you have to leave the "protected area" and venture back to the middle if the plane...

Overall, I'm not complaining too much.  I"m thankful to have been upgraded.  I"ll have to add a note about economy on my way back.  However, they did announce at the beginning of the flight that for economy class, personal entertainment systems were available for rent.  So that didn't sound good.

The meals were fairly small.  The first meal was served an hour or so after the flight.  My vegetarian "meal" looked like about 4 or 5 fettuccini noodles cut in half and served with three mushrooms....needless to say, I was still hungry.  

Nevertheless, if Lot was hoping that I would say better things about this airline if it upgraded me, it worked...

Even for economy, these 787s seemed to be much better than the planes used by Austrian, or El Al...but I will have to reserve some of my assessment and add more after my return leg.  This may work out well for myself and for Lot ...maybe they"ll even upgrade me again to ensure a positive review...

But I also wanted to add a word or two, in general, about the 787 Dreamliner.

This huge new plane is impressive, despite the well-publicized difficulties in getting it off the ground (or back onto the ground).  It was very quiet and remarkably smooth.  The windows are described as one of the special new features.  They do not have pull down plastic shades. Instead there are five shading controls that work like increasingly strong sunglasses. 

But for all of the planning that must have gone into these planes, the plane does not have enough washrooms, causing congestion in the middle and at the back.  Most planes have a set of washrooms at the front of the business section and a set just after the business section.  This one does not.

I was in "premium" class which was not full-scale first class.  But "dinner" was a few pieces of lox, some kiwi, orange and cheese slices.  Like the lunch, it was minimalist.  And this was the enhanced meal..!  So i was fairly hungry on this 8 hour plus flight, even after being upgraded. 

Overall, this whole trip turned out much better than I had feared.  Flying in a Dreamliner (787) between Warsaw and Toronto was a neat experience.  This type of itinerary (Tel-Aviv to Toronto on Lot), in my view, would be at least as good as flying on Austrian, Lufthansa, Brussels Air or El Al.   Still not nearly as good as flying Air Canada direct, United or US Air (with a stopover).  But overall, if the price is right, I might even try this again, especially when compared to other options.

Lost and Found in Israel

I was having one of those unlucky days yesterday where was starting to worry about my short term memory.   We took a cab from the Kotel to downtown Jerusalem.  A few minutes later I realized that I had lost my cell phone (and older model blackberry that I use in Israel).  I started wondering where I could have left it.  We dialed the number and the cab driver answered.  He said that he was on his way from Jerusalem to Bethlehem but that he would return to Jerusalem and meet up with us to give us back the phone.  I felt quite lucky and of course tipped him appropriately.  A cousin who was with me told me that if this had happened in Brooklyn, there was no chance I would ever see the phone again

Within the same hour or so, I realized I didn't have my sunglasses.  I started to think about it and decided that there was a chance I had left them at a fast food Shawarma place where we had eaten lunch.  Everyone figured that there was no chance they would still be there.  We had tickets to something in Jerusalem that would take about 45 minutes so I couldn't go back until after that.  I decided it was worth taking the chance and wandering back to Moshiko (one of my favourite Shawarma place in Israel) and having a look.  I asked the staff and sure enough, they handed me back my sunglasses.  Two for two - that was quite something.  My cousins were shocked again.

So was I just having a lucky day? Or are you more likely to recover a lost object in Israel?  Interesting question.

On the one hand, when we first arrived in Israel four years ago, our daugher left her camera on a park bench at a Tali event.  She was extremely upset, not so much with the loss of the camera, but with the loss of all of the pictures that she had taken.  We sent around an email to the Tali families and within a few hours someone called and returned the camera.  So even four years ago, we were pleasantly suprised that some people would go out of their way to help return a lost object.  And we have had other similar experiences since that time.

On the other hand, Israel certainly has its share of car thefts, house break-ins and other types of crime, just as you might find anywhere and sometimes more so.  I have to admit that I was quite surprised a few years ago when someone stole my dock shoes (of all the things to steal - and they weren't even new - they were fairly run down) at the Netanya beach - picked them up and ran off while I was rinsing myself off after a swim in the sea.   I had to make my way up the huge number of stone steps from the beach with no footwear in extremely hot temperatures.  It was a painful experience.

A cousin of ours shared a more shocking story with us.  He was in a store in Rehovot and some guy asked him if he could borrow his cell phone to call his wife.  He said his battery died.  He made a call and stood there talking (or pretending to talk).  Then suddenly, he ran out of the store with the phone (an iphone) - in the middle of the day.  My cousin ran after him but it was too late - he was gone.  

Just last week, another friend of ours had her cell phone removed from her pocket while she was on a bus.  And there are many similar stories of smart phone theft.

So I have no way of suggesting that cell phones or any other possessions are safer or less subject to theft in Israel.  Perhaps the opposite is the case.  And Israeli thieves might be even more chutzpadik than you might expect in their modus operendi.

But we have had at least three postive experiences where we have lost items that we did not expect to get back and all three have been returned.  

The statistical sample is probably too small to be able to draw any conclusions.  But three for three is a fairly good track record.  For what it's worth, I do have a sense, for reasons that I cannot necessarily pinpoint, that the average Israeli, individual or family, is somewhat more likely to return something that they find (or try to help find the owners) than the average person or family in many other countries.  My personal experience with lost and found has been relatively limited (a handful of occurences) but to this point, it has supported, quite pleasantly, my optimistic and hopeful assessment of expectations.

Israel Elects Two New Chief Rabbis - More of the Same

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."

Rabbi David Lau and RabbiYitzhak Yosef

After a hotly contested election, 150 electors in Israel chose two new Chief Rabbis yesterday, one Ashkenazi and one Sephardi, both Ultra-Orthodox ("Haredim"). During the course of the campaign, leading up to this vote, some Israelis had been optimistic that Israel might elect more moderate, Zionist, Chief Rabbis, like Rabbi David Stav. Rabbi Stav was supported by the Yeish Atid and Bayit Yehudi parties and promised a variety of institutional and substantive changes.

However, when the dust cleared and the results were announced, it became clear that this was a significant defeat for the forces of change in Israel's Chief Rabbinate. The elected Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, David Lau, is the son of former Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau (the subject of my recent book review). Newly elected Rabbi Lau is an ultra-religious Rabbi who was serving in Modin. The elected Sephardic Chief Rabbi, ultra-religious Yitzhak Yosef, is the son of powerful, well known Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Neither rabbi can be considered a progressive force in any significant way.

Over the course of the campaign, the outgoing Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger was placed under house arrest on suspicion of bribery. Another candidate dropped out of the race on suspicion of fraud. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, father of the winning Sephardi candidate, made several outrageous statements over the course of the campaign, questioning the Jewishness of some of the more Zionist candidates. The strategy may have paid off as Rabbi Yosef's son wound up winning the Sephardi race, proving that even in a race for a religious office, mudslinging can be an effective political strategy.

The two chief rabbis were elected for a combined 10 year term during which they will hold one of two offices for five years each. They will have a major say and significant control over many personal status matters in Israel including marriage, divorce, conversions, kosher food in Israel, and other religious issues. These two winners are unlikely to bring about any major reforms or changes to these isues in Israel according to several commentators.

For some, Rabbi David Stav, a challenger for the Ashkenazi position, a more moderate candidate, and one who was supported by two of Israel's centrist political parties, seemed to provide some hope that Israel would begin to take a different approach to some religious issues. However, his defeat shattered any ideas that the office of the Chief Rabbinate would be ready for significant internal reform.

But perhaps this may have been a blessing in disguise. Since a clear message was delivered that no internal reform is likely to occur anytime soon, there may be increased support for a political approach to the problem of unchecked, abused power exercised by the office of the Chief Rabbinate. Commentators and newspapers in Israel, as well as various advocacy organizations, have called for a move towards the separation of shul and state - or at least towards a significant reduction in the powers of the chief rabbis. The election of a moderate Chief Rabbi might have diffused some of these calls. But instead, with the election of two Haredi rabbis, Israelis may become increasingly vociferous in their calls for a new approach to the issue of religion and the state.

Naftali Bennett, a cabinet minister and the head of the Bayit Hayehudi party has already stated that it is the political parties who can determine the need for change to the office of the Chief Rabbinate and not only the elected rabbis. He can certainly find support for these views from Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party.

|So it may well turn out the by electing two very conservative chief rabbis, the delegate group may have accelerated the demand for changes to the Chief Rabbi's office, to be carried out by Israel's political parties rather than the rabbis themselves. Given the alternatives, this could only be a tremendous step in the right direction for Israel for those who favour a more progressive approach to Judaism. But it will be a tough battle to try to move this type of change forward, even for those who currently hold significant political power in the Israeli parliament - the Knesset.

 

El Al Review

El Al is Israel's national airline.  It's motto for the past few years in Hebrew has been "הכי בבית בעולם" which translates, approximately to "the most at-home-in the world."  It is a great slogan that evokes a certain feeling of  loyalty, family and nostalgia, which resonates with many Israelis.  Certainly El Al creates the feeling of entering Israel as soon as you reach the check-in counter from wherever in the world you might be flying.

For the Toronto-Tel-Aviv route, El Al and Air Canada are the only two airlines that fly direct, non-stop.  So for those looking for the most direct, easiest way to get to Israel from Toronto, there are only two choices.  With respect to pricing, El Al is competitive and can often be significantly cheaper than Air Canada.  It also seems to me that there are still more "deals" to be had with El Al by negotiating with agents and other non-web ticket sellers.  With Air Canada, agents will often sell the tickets at a higher price than the price available on various web sites.

El Al is a member of the One World alliance which includes American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and WestJet to name a few.  El Al's own mileage program is called the Matmid program.  It allows you to collect points for flights and save up for bonus flights, upgrades and other benefits.  I am not going to get into the details of it but, overall, it is geared towards Israelis who are travelling frequently to a variety of destinations.  For a North American or someone travelling back and forth between Israel and North America, the benefits are not at all comparable to something like the Aeroplan program (now renamed Altitude) or the programs of many other airlines.  Some people might prefer to join the British Airways or American Airlines program and collect the points for an El Al flight through one of those other programs.

I have flown El Al quite a number of times over the past 30 years and it is fair to say that it has improved greatly.  One of the improvements is the check-in process.  There is available web check-in, which is highly recommended, especially when-leaving Israel.  This can save quite a bit of time.  The in-flight service has also improved significantly. The flight attendants are now generally polite, friendly and helpful.

However, some aspects of El Al service have remained quite outdated and are in great need of an update.  On the Toronto-Tel-Aviv route, there are no personal entertainment systems.  There are a few main screens for all the passengers.  There are a limited number of personal entertainment devices that can be rented but these are in short supply.  Whether using one of these devices or relying on the main screen the entertainment selection is fairly limited.  For the audio selection, there are about 10 different channels, of which two are reserved for the main screen.  You can catch up on some of the latest Israeli pop music on one of the stations, some Israeli "mizrahi" music (Mediterranean influenced music) on another channel or you can listen to a religious channel.  This is a unique aspect of flying El Al since none of the other airlines offer Hebrew entertainment on their routes to Israel. 

The El Al audio can be interesting for an hour or two, but overall, the best advice when flying El Al is to bring your own entertainment - books, audio devices, tablets or whatever else you might need.  This is a long flight - almost 11 hours on the way to Israel and sometimes, close to 13 hours on the way back to Toronto.   The lack of a reasonable entertainment system contrasts greatly with airlines like Air Canada, United, Lufthansa and others that can feature hundreds of movies and audio selections.

The food on El Al is all Kosher, so it is nice not to have to order a special meal on a flight.  But even though it may be Kosher, that does not mean it is tasty...On a recent flight from Tel-Aviv to Toronto the first meal was a choice of three options - beef, chicken or fried fish.  I went with the chicken and it was extremely dry and for the most part inedible.  The second meal on the flight (a flight of more than 12 hours) was a choice of an omelet or a salad...I took the omelet and it was quite brutal.  I guess I`ll try different options the next time and maybe I`ll have better luck.

Passengers on El-Al feel free to wander around the plane and chat with their fellow passengers.  There are often many groups travelling and there are many Israelis on the flights so there is a certain homey feeling to an El Al flight.  It also might be the only plane with a regular minyan (Jewish prayer quorum) at the back of the plane.  Many of the rules that some of the other airlines might try to follow - including orderly embarkment and disembarkment from the plane are dispensed with on El Al to help create that Israeli cultural milieu - or simply as a result of it.  

On the plus side, El Al has a second-to-none track record in areas of safety and security.  Flying El Al is, in some respects, reassuring, knowing that every possible step is being taken to ensure the safety of the passengers.  This is apparently very costly for the airline and helps explain why El Al has had to cut corners on other aspects of its operations.

For those who are flying regularly between Tel-Aviv and Toronto, it would be hard to justify flying El Al over Air Canada in light of the many benefits of the Aeroplan Altitude program, if the price is remotely similar.  But for people flying less frequently and looking for a direct flight at a reasonable price, El Al can often be significantly cheaper than Air Canada and that alone may make an El Al flight worthwhile.

I hope that in the coming years El Al will look at some of these issues and try to address them.  Maybe it could offer worldwide wi-fi access at a reasonable price.  If passengers pay to use it, it may not be such a huge cost for the airline.  This is something that some other airlines have been discussing though I am not sure that it is currently being offered by anyone other than Lufthansa.  This would help offset the deficiencies of El Al's current entertainment system.  Or perhaps it could revamp its Matmid program entirely and make it more like the programs offered by some of the world`s better airlines.  Ideally, of course, it would completely revamp its in-flight entertainment system and give each passenger a personal screen and an electricity outlet.  However, it is probably too much to expect wholesale changes to the interior of the planes, due to the costs involved.  But El Al should be able to find some ways to move its passenger experience from the 1980s to the present day, especially since the flights are so long.

Out of the Depths: Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau - a Review

On my lengthy flight back to Toronto, I had the chance to read Out of the Depths, as it is named in its English version, the memoirs of Israel's former chief rabbi, Israel Meir Lau.  Rabbi Lau's life story includes his harrowing, heart wrenching and, at times, miraculous survival from the Buchenwald concentration camp and his liberation from that camp at the age of 8 years old.  Rabbi Lau recounts stories of the murder of his family members and the way in which his heroic brother saved his life and watched over him until the Nazis were finally defeated.  He managed to survive Buchenwald as one of its youngest survivors.  This section of the book is compelling and challenging, like many of the stories of other Holocaust survivors. 

The book then shifts over to Rabbi Lau's  yeshiva upbringing and his encounters with many of Israel's great rabbis as he grew up in the nascent State of Israel during a time in which the newly established country was struggling for its existence.  He provides various glimpses into the world of yeshiva learning and the mindset of many of the yeshiva students and teachers.  As the book wends its way through Rabbi Lau's ascent to the highest rabbinic position in Israel, it covers a number of different talmudic commentaries, midrash stories and siddur quotes that are interwoven into the Rabbi's life story, just as his historical background is woven into the very fabric of his everyday life.  Along the way, Rabbi Lau discusses the influence of and interaction he had with many different rabbis, ranging from his own teachers and mentors to other world-famous rabbis including the Rebbe of Gur and the Lubavitch Rebbe. 

The later parts of the book begin to discuss various encounters that Rabbi Lau had with Israeli and world leaders including Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Elie Wiesel, Pope John Paul II, Fidel Castro, King Hussein, Karim Abdul-Jabbar and others. Some of the meetings and dicussions that are recounted are fascinating though this part of the book has less of flow to it and is somewhat disjointed.

The book generates some very difficult questions, theological, historical and existential, which continue to bubble after one finishes the book.  How does someone grapple with the theological questions posed by the Holocaust and the murder of six million of our people?  What motivated Rabbi Lau to maintain his belief system and commit himself to a life of "God-fearing" observance and practice after living through the horror of the Nazi period and seeing so many people, so many good people, murdered?  His parents, uncles, aunts and so many other family members were all destroyed along with the Jewish community in Piotrkow, Poland.

One part of the answer that emerges is Rabbi Lau's desire the fulfill his mission and continue an unbroken historical chain.  As the 38th generation of a chain of rabbis going back to year 1000 C.E., Rabbi Lau sees himself as destined to play a role in Jewish continuity.  His father urged his older brother to do all that he could to protect him and Rabbi Lau's brother, Naphtali, followed his father's wishes in awe-inspiring fashion. Rabbi Lau's miraculous survival must have been providently ordained, the book seems to suggest.

Another answer that emerges, the justification of many observant Jews, is the steadfast commitment to continue Jewish observance, custom and heritage in the face of such a large scale destruction of the Jewish community.  In other words, the refusal to grant the Nazis a posthumous victory by allowing the observant Jewish community to vanish.

But I have to confess that I was left with more questions than answers in reconciling some of these aspects of Rabbi Lau's book and his story.  As Rabbi Lau arrived in Israel, as a young boy, the other immigrants to Israel, all around him were caught in an existential struggle.  They served in Israel's armed forces, built Israel's infrastructure and developed so much of the basis for Israel's economy and other systems that were so crucial at this time period.  It is unclear what involvement he had with this whole struggle that Israel faced (and continues to face) though Rabbi Lau does include stories of pastoral visits to soldiers during times of war.  Rabbi Lau recounts some of his special victories during this time period, including his successful fight to prevent public transportation in certain areas of Haifa on Shabbat (the Sabbath) and to ban the importation of non-kosher meat to Israel.  Later in the book, he cites his success in consolidating some of the powers of the Israeli chief rabbinate and centralizing much of its authority.  Throughout the book, he makes it clear that he was always a staunch Zionist and that he would not leave Israel to accept a posting in another country, even temporarily.  

While shaping and developing the Israeli chief rabbinate and working to further the development of yeshivas and orthodox Judaism throughout Israel are certainly a laudable legacy,  they do bring to the fore one of the central political issues that the Israeli government is wrestling with today.  The world Rabbi Lau describes of 24-6 yeshiva study and stringent observance of halacha is devoid of any discussion of how any of the people Rabbi Lau enountered earned a living or contributed to the material side of Israeli society, other than through teaching Torah.  As this army of yeshiva-educated students swelled in Israel, the state became increasingly challenged by the question of how to ensure that these students could provide for themselves and contribute to Israeli society with their total lack of exposure to non-religious educational pursuits.  This question emerged in Israel's most recent election as one of the more pressing questions that Israel faces.

Another issue that I should point out (given the content and types of articles that I have regularly included here) is Rabbi Lau's attitude towards women.  Of course, there is little written about this topic in this work but that in itself speaks volumes.  Very few women are mentioned in this book and even fewer are discussed in any detail.  Certainly Rabbi Lau's mother played an enormous role in his life and made decisions that likely saved his life.  But Rabbi Lau seems much more dedicated to preserving the rabbinical legacy of his father, whose works are mentioned and discussed repeatedly throughout the book.  Later, Rabbi Lau's journey to find a spouse seems much more of an effort to find the appropriate rabbinical family with whom he could build an alliance rather than any focus on the character, personality or qualities of his future wife.  Indeed, Rabbi Lau's father-in-law, Rabbi Yitzhak Yedidya Frankel, seems to play the role of the father figure that Rabbi Lau lost so early on in his life.  There is far more discussion of Rabbi Frankel and the role he played in Rabbi Lau's life than of Rabbi Lau's wife or any role she may have played.

In a sense, it is difficult to criticize Rabbi Lau for this since this is the lifestyle, culture and tradition in the very observant Orthodox community.  But in Israel, a society in which so many women (including many observant women) were playing active roles as politicians, professionals, activists and army personnel in other communities, Rabbi Lau's world, viewed through the lens of his book, seems to be one in which the only role women play is the role of arranged spouse and mother.  While I do not doubt the contribution so many of these women have made to Jewish continuity and to their families, I could not help but consider whether this model of society, if had been dominant, would have even permitted Israel to become established, let alone to flourish.  Is a pre-medieval social structure really a viable and  appropriate way to structure a 21st century society?  Even with Rabbi Lau's great success in becoming Israel's chief rabbi, I was left with many difficult questions after reading this memoir of his life. 

Rabbi Lau's life is an incredible story of the unlikely journey from Holocaust survivor to Chief Rabbi.  This book provides great insights into the world of yeshiva learning in Israel and the world views of Israel's very observant and ultra-orthodox communities.  It also leaves the reader with a great number of thought provoking questions and challenges, many of which are probably unanswerable.

 

Punctured Tire? Moshe Lis Tire Repair at Tzomet Ra'anana

We realized that we had a punctured tire this morning though the tire was only partially deflated.  Of course this ruined our mid-day plans.  But more importantly, we started worrying about the potential costs of replacing the tire or getting it repaired.  This was not the first time this has happened to us so we had a rapair shop in mind.

We drove over to Moshe Lis tires, located at the southeast corner of Tsommet Ra'anana (the Ra'anana-K'far Saba junction (09)7431395).  We were met quite promptly by one of the staff.  With a quick glance at the tire, he let us know that we had a nail in the tire and that he could fix it in no time.

He pulled the tire off, pulled out the nail, fixed the tire and filled the air in all four tires - in less than 10 minutes, which included, of course, a mandatory water immersion diagnostic test to ensure that the tire had been properly repaired.

The bill?  45 N.I.S. or about $12.50 including the tax.  I'm not sure I could have even bought a coffee at a Toronto area tire repair shop while waiting to have a tire repaired - at that price.  The service was quick, efficient and, most importantly, accurate.   This was really, probably, the least painful car repair I can remember going through in many years.

I am told by a very close personal source (who has used Moshe Lis several times) that they will come within 10 minutes to just about any location in the Hasharon region of Israel and fix a tire at the same price.

I have no relationship with these folks - other than as an arm's length customer - but I have to say I was quite impressed with the service, the process and the value.  In fact, we even felt that we had to provide a tip to the guy who did all the work.  I'm not totally sure whether this was appropriate or not but he didn't seem to mind.

Unfortunately, if you are stuck with a flat tire elsewhere in the country, the general expectation is that you will change the tire and get it repaired yourself, even if you are driving a vehicle that you have rented from one of Israel's major rental companies.  If you are here as a tourist, you certainly would not expect to dail a 1-800 number and have a CAA equivalent show up within 15 minutes.

But that is all a digression for visitors.  Moshe Lis is really for those who live in or are staying in the Ra'anana-Herzliah-Hod Hasharon area and find themselves needing a quick tire repair.  Based on the few times that we have used their services, it is difficult to see how another shop would do a better job.

Ice Skating at "Ice Peaks" in Holon, Israel

Ice Peaks, Holon Israel

It was a reasonably hot day today in Israel - high 80s F (about 31-32 C) - typical of summer weather.  What can you do to cool off?  Most Israelis (if they are not at work) might head to the beach, a water park, or just stay put in an air conditioned place.  For Canadian-Israelis - the best way to cool off is to head over to the...ice rink.

Up until recently, that would have involved a trip up to Metullah - which is about 185 km from Ra'anana.  With traffic, that can be a drive of between 2 hours (in late night, clear driving conditions) or as many as 3 1/2 hours in less optimum conditions.

But recently, a new ice arena opened in Holon, which is central Israel.  The rink is called Ice Peaks.  It is located right off of Highway 4 at the entrance to Holon.  While it is not an Olympic-sized ice rink (far from it), it is nevertheless a sheet of real ice, which is scarce in Israel.  Whether as a result of short-sightedness, budgetary constraints or other reasons, the builders of this ice palace (the literal translation of its Hebrew name) failed to make the arena hockey friendly.  It is not equipped with proper dressing rooms and it is only large enough to accommodate 4-on-4 ice hockey.  Nevertheless, it is only the third real sheet of ice in Israel (aside from Metullah, there is also a rink in Eilat, of all places - which is at least four hours away from central Israel).

Skaters at ice Peaks in Holon

We dropped in this afternoon for some free skating.  The rink charges 55 N.I.S. per person (about $15) for an hour's worth of skating.  There is a sliding rate for a longer time period.  The price includes "skate" (ski-boot style) rental though there is no discounted rate if you show up with your own skates.  Not many Israelis have skates, so that is not surprising.

The rink has a snack kiosk - not kosher - which sells a range of food items from nachos and cheese, hot dogs and melted cheese bagels ("toastim") to middle eastern specialties - Malawach and Jichnun (Yemenite delicacies).  I'm not sure there are too many other places in the world where you can ice skate and then eat Malawach...The snack bar also sells some fairly decent Illy coffee - espresso and other espresso based drinks.  There is some further information about the arena here.  The rink is open 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday to Thursday.  It is also stated as being open 9 a.m. to midnight on "Fridays, Saturdays, holidays and vacations."  I'm not sure whether that includes holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur so you may want to check in advance if you intend to turn your Days of Awe into days of awesome skating moves.

We skated around for about an hour.  Of course no one was wearing any kind of head protection...well... maybe we saw one or two bicycle helmets.  Most people were in shorts and t-shirts though some were wearing sweaters and gloves.  For many people at the arena, this was their first time.  So there were people holding on to the boards all around the rink.  There were also some very good figure skaters skating around the arena - some performing spins and twirls as if no one else were on the ice.  Seemed a bit dangerous to me but I suppose it would have been the job of the ice marshals to maintain some order.

There are now various groups using this ice surface for ice hockey practices, scrimmages and games.  The Israel Recreational Hockey Association has been holding some of its weekly games in Holon.  As well, a number of Israeli amateur teams have been practising here.  Despite the shortcomings of this facility, it is a giant step forward for ice hockey in Israel.  Given that the Israeli national ice hockey team recently won its division at the 2013 World Ice Hockey Championships and has moved up a division for 2014, this arena will undoubtedly assist the team as it strives to became Israel's best international ice hockey team ever.

Hopefully, in the coming years, additional full-sized ice hockey arenas will open up in Israel so that the sport can continue to grow, for amateurs and for more serious competitors.  Ice hockey seems ideally suited to the stereotypical Israeli personality - it is a quick, fast paced, exciting sport - that can be a bit rough at times.  But it involves high levels of skill, agility and quick thinking and it is rarely boring.  While it may never surpass soccer (football) or basketball in popularity here, it seems to me that in the long run, it is likely to fare far better than baseball despite the valiant efforts of expatriate Americans. 


For now, if you miss the ice and need to spend some time enjoying a very mild taste of a great winter activity, ice skating in Holon might be a welcome change of pace.  I am not suggesting that this is better than Israel's wonderful beaches, water parks, archaeological, historical and religious sites and its beautiful national parks, all of which are outstanding places to visit in the summer.  But every now and then (or maybe more often that if you are Canadian or Russian), especially when it is really hot outside, some ice can be very, very nice.

Middle School Graduation in Ra'anana

Hativat Hasharon Graduation - First Part

I wrote last week about an important high school graduation that I attended in Israel.  Many people sent me notes indicating that they found it quite interesting to read about the differences between this type of Israeli graduation and one that might take place in many places in North America - or certainly, at least, in Toronto.  So I thought I would add a blog article about another graduation that I attended yesterday - a middle school graduation.  It was actually quite similar to the high school graduation and as a parent, I was, of course, equally proud!

This middle school graduation was for Hativat HaSharon, a junior high school that runs from grade 7 to grade 9. (7th to 9th grade, if you prefer...).  Like the high school graduation that we attended earlier in the month, the evening began in an outdoor setting with individual areas set up for each classroom.  The setting was the school field and the weather was simply perfect for it.  We started somewhere around 6:30 p.m.  We had a few speeches - the home room teacher, the student class representative  and the parent representative (someone many of you know quite well).  The teachers then presented the students with gifts - a wonderful book about famous historic sites in Israel and some portable speakers.  After that it was time for some food.  The parents had all prepared some food items in advance and this was all set up on a table.  It was a chance for the students, parents and teachers to mill around and speak about the three years that the students had spent in middle school.  As with the high school graduation, it was an intimate gathering with the feeling of a family event.  All of the students were there with parents or other family members.

Once the first part of the evening was over, we made our way over the school auditorium/gym for the main event of the evening.  Like with the high school graduation - this was divided into two parts.  First the speeches and awards.  Then the student "show" - the main event of the evening.

The first part of the evening featured speeches presented by the school principal, the "coordinator" (something similar to a head guidance counselor role), the mayor of Ra'anana and the head of the Parent Teacher Association (here called "Va'ad Hahorim" - the parent association).  I have to say that this was quite long.  Many  school staff were recognized and provided with flowers or other tokens of appreciation.  While it is wonderful to see that the teachers and support staff were so appreciated, it was a lengthy process. 

Magen Manof Award

The principal and the mayor of Ra'anana also presented a number of awards to the students.  There were the acadamic awards for excellence - presented to students with averages above 93% - about 10-15 of them in a graduating class of approximately 240 and an award for the student with the highest overall average (she clocked in at just over 97%).  There were also some other really nice awards.  The school provided "certificates of appreciation for volunteerism and leadership" to students who had made special contributions in these areas.  Perhaps 20 or 25 students received these awards.  As well, the school selected 7 or 8 students for a special award of "excellence in volunteerism and leadership" ("Magen Manof Award").  I am proud to say that many of you know one of the winners of this award quite well.

Hativat Hasharon Graduation - Main Event

Once the formal part of the ceremony was completed, the show began.  The students had worked very had on this part of the evening for many months.  It featured singing, dancing, short skits and pre-taped video shorts and ran for about an hour and a half.   The school had retained a production company to work with the students.  The students took many well known songs (mostly english/american pop songs) and rewrote the lyrics.  They worked with a choreographer to come up with appropriate dances.  Among the music selections were numbers from Grease, a song by Abba, Gangnam Style (with a large group of male students trying to pull off the famous dance) and quite a number of others.  There was very little in the way of Israeli music - though there was a "Mizrachi Medley" of songs by Israeli singer Moshe Peretz. Overall, the event was fun and entertaining and very colourful, at times.

The evening also featured a number of skits that were pre-taped and shown on large screens.  Some included the teachers who were happy to make fun of themselves.  Some of the skits were quite funny.  The principal mentioned after the show that she had asked the production crew to make every effort to ensure that each and every student was somehow involved in the production and this came through. 

Couples Dance Number

One of my favourite pieces was the second last number, featuring couples of students dancing together.  The boys lifted the girls into the air - some with acrobatic flair - and put together some really fancy moves.  It had obviously taken a great deal of rehearsal time but many of the students seemed quite proud, and deservedly so, of the final product.

Hativat Hasharon is a secular Israeli middle school.  There was almost nothing included in the evening that could be described as "yiddishkeit."  But the prinicipal's message to the students and parents lauded the importance of teaching the kids values of volunteerism, dedication to community, kindness and tolerance towards others as well as striving for academic excellence.  The message was heartfelt and sincere.  Judging from the students' obvious dedication and effort in putting together this show, it was a message that had been received.

Guest Blog - On Gay Pride and Visiting Jericho

My friend and colleague, Arnie Zweig, was in Israel last week.  He has contributed a guest blog...thought some of you might enjoy it:

So besides the usual unusual encounters in Israel, two events that Sherry and I attended may be worth your read. 

On Friday morning we made our way down Ben Yehuda Street to join together with about 100,000 others from Tel Aviv to celebrate Ga'ava;   gay pride parade in Israel;  in a county where some believe  to have been founded on the Torah and where the Torah forbids homosexuality, it is especially worth noting the outwardness of this  parade and the intensity that it is celebrated by those in Tel Aviv.

I say Tel Avivians since the rest of the country seemed not to have cared less.   When we spoke to others in Jerusalem or from other cities in Israel, they dismissed the parade as something that was foreign to them and not part of "true" Israel;   Of course, each Israeli has their own version anyway of what is true Israel;

It was virtually impossible to distinguish the gays from the non- especially in the parade-(on the gyrating beach on Hof Gordon-it was not so difficult to distinguish)-but the marching of the parade seemed to be for everyone;  anyone that wanted to walk was able to walk and join in with the heat, with the water spraying guns and with the dancing;

There were some major "floats" in which the obvious talented gay dancers displayed their acumen; however after 20 minutes of heavy techno music with no variation in the songs nor in the rhythm, the parade became a bit on the boring side;  there was no creativity in  the floats or the costumes or in its presentation;

The message of celebration of the manner of living gay was pretty evident;  it would have been a lot more fun if the celebration was thought through and presented with some clever costuming, themes or even outlandish dress;  Not even a gay Homer Simpson?  boring.......

After a restful Shabbat , we headed off for a bit of a desert adventure in the Negev;  since we have been to the Dead Sea before we decided to do the north part and headed to a resort called "Bianquini."  Good thing we didn't read the Trip Advisor before, otherwise we would never have spent a second there.  Trip Advisor gave it 9 out of 100.   The food and accommodation, lack of cleanliness, lack of service all added up to a failing grade.  However the two macho guys who had rented their tsimmer (room  for rent) beside us with their quite voluptuous blond busty prostitute didn't seem to be quite as picky as us. (Not sure if that would have increased the rating or decreased it - I will leave that one to the reader. )  

However we made up for the experience by going to the oldest city in the world-Jericho- for dinner.

When we entered there is a big red sign "NO ISRAELI CITIZENS PERMITTED TO ENTER".  so we kept our Canadian passports close to us and entered Palestinian Authority territory. 

We were told about a restaurant called "Limona" as the best in town; the town by the way is quite small being only a population of 18,000; very poor, no alcohol that we saw; no movie theatre that we saw.

Limona however turned out to be a great restaurant and the food was plentiful and excellent from the great grilled fish to the roasted potatoes and rice and baskets of wonderfully tasting pita as well as the 12 salads they brought out as an appetizer and ending with a huge bowl of fruit as part of the meal included.  You couldn't eat everything.  There was no rush to leave as eating a large meal and sticking around for a couple of hours is part of the culture and there is nothing else to do anyway.   So we hung out and watched a large screen television of "Arab Idol" until we headed back to our one star accommodation at Bianquini before heading out the next day for a hike in Wadi Qelt in 33 degree weather.  

As always-many different worlds live in a small country.  

Arnold Zweig