Dateline Jerusalem – Israel is a service-oriented country.  Sherut means service. Sherutim is the plural of sherut, but that actually is the word for bathroom. 

A monit sherut is a service taxi or minivan that follows bus routes from city to city or within a city. It is on no particular time schedule at all hours of day and night.  Unlike a bus where a passenger must pay a fare as he boards, a monit sherut passenger boards the van and sits before he passes his fare forward, from person to person, until it reaches the driver. That is what I call trust.  Sherut Leumi is a national service program for those who do not serve in the Israeli Defense Forces but want to serve their country in an alternative manner. They do their national service in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, health clinics, helping out the elderly or young parents.

This week I received wonderful service.  Needing a pair of shoes, I walked up and down the main street in my town where almost every other shop is a shoe store.  Most were closed. Shop owners take a siesta in the afternoon.  This is Israel, not Spain.  A friend and I sat outside a bakery, enjoying the scenery and our orders.  Rehovot is a city of 70 nationalities, and the dress code reflects the various religious sects and the ethnic attire of residents. It is definitely a place to be a people watcher. My friend and I entered the store next door, one of the many electric and small appliance shops on this street. I bought a crock pot and coffee urn. They were too heavy and cumbersome to carry home without taking a taxi.  But the owner called his wife to come to the shop so she could drive me home.  That is service.

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The following day I went to the market.  Usually I request mishloach, a delivery service.  I shop at the market and my groceries are delivered later to my home.  The cashiers recognize me. Often they start to fill out the form that accompanies my groceries with my name, address and phone number. This time the delivery guy was at the store, and he started loading my groceries into bags and crates. He promised to deliver them immediately. When I told him it takes me time to walk home, he told me that he would deliver both me and my groceries in his van.  Now that is service.

Once I bought a television at the pharmacy. The pharmacist delivered it to my apartment during his lunch hour.  Another time I bought several products there, and one of the clerks would not allow me to walk home with the heavy packages.  She left the cash register and drove me home.  Even the florist leaves his shop unattended to carry my plants to my apartment a few blocks away.  Other than Israel, where can someone get such service?

The people in Israel really are special. 

L'hitraot.  Shachar