[img]96|left|Shachar||no_popup[/img]Dateline Jerusalem — As I stepped outside the bank onto a bustling sidewalk of pedestrians shopping from store to store (doesn't anyone have a job anymore?), I was greeted by the sounds of a violin. The violinist was standing in the shade of the bank's facade playing his violin like a virtuoso. There were no jars or dishes laid out to collect tips as he played. He was immersed in his music, playing for pure pleasure, both his own and ours. It is not unusual to find street musicians in my town. I have enjoyed guitars, flutes, accordions, trumpets, even an instrument I never had seen before moving to Israel, the melodica/melodion. It is a combination keyboard and wind instrument all in one. A person plays the keyboard while blowing into a mouthpiece on top of it.

A few blocks away, hidden on one of the side streets, is the used book store, specializing in books written in English. The clerk in the store has introduced me to novelists who are now my passion to read. The shop has all my favorite authors, but I have read so many of their books already. I am a multi-tasker known to read 5 or 6 books at one time. Although these are used paperbacks, they cost what a new book would in the U.S. Many of my friends and I share books, from one house to another. I no longer have filled bookcases. Most of my books are on loan. As soon as one is returned, it goes to a pile for another friend. Israel is the only country in the world that has a National Book Week during which almost everyone attends a book fair and buys books.

There are price wars in my town. Who can offer the best deal on schnitzel and falafel? Schnitzel are lightly battered chicken breasts no thicker than ¼-inch, deep fried to perfection, usually served on a long french roll or baguette, or in a pita or laffa. Falafel are deep fried spicy balls of a batter of ground chick peas or garbanzo beans, usually served in a pita sandwich smothered with humus (a smooth mayo-textured paste also made from garbanzo beans) and tehina (a thin sesame seed sauce). Both schnitzel and falafel are Israel's version of fast food. The kiosks and shops have a variety of eggplant dishes, Israeli salad (finely chopped cucumbers and tomatoes with lemon juice and parsley), pickles, thick french fries called “chips,” and a choice of other salads and spicy mixtures ( like harissa, a hot pepper condiment) to fill the pita, laffa, or baquette until it is overflowing. It is fun to choose your own fillings. A great meal for those on the go, or if inclined, you can sit outside the shop or kiosk under colorful umbrellas or awnings people watching as you enjoy your snack. It is like dining in outdoor European cafes.

The most prevalent sights on the street are the lotto kiosks and the shoe stores. Although most people tend to walk everywhere, there are buses and taxis. Perhaps all the walking wears down the soles of the shoes, but I think the real reason behind the all the shoe stores is the fact that the quality of workmanship is poor and shoes do not last very long. Also, often you think you are buying a new pair of shoes only to learn that someone returned it to the store in exchange for another pair. Now I make a point of looking at the soles of the shoes before I buy. Most shoes and clothing are imported from the far east and eastern Europe, which means quality is less than desirable.

I still have not adjusted to the time change from the States to Israel. This week we set the clocks ahead one hour, although most of you have done that in the States already. Every year the date to change the clocks is unpredictable. Last year we set the clocks ahead the Thursday before Passover. This year the Knesset (Israeli legislature) met and decided to switch them this week. Everything goes to debate here, even something like time. So, as of Thursday night (1 a.m. my time on Friday), Israel will be 10 hours ahead of California and 7 hours ahead of New York. I wonder when we will set the clocks back in the fall.

L'hitraot. Shachar