Dateline Jerusalem – Instead of sleeping the way normal people do at midnight, I am sitting at my computer trying to think of a topic to write about for this week's article. Writer's block has fogged my brain. I made aliyah almost six years ago. I have been writing weekly emails and articles about my experiences in Israel ever since, as well as observations and sometimes political commentary. I initially wrote to family and close friends. Often they would forward my essays to their family and friends. It has snowballed, and now my personal email list has expanded tenfold. I have no idea how many readers I have with my news column, “Our Eyes in Israel.” The most wonderful outcome is that some readers have become new friends. Thank you for your support.
I want to write about the various companies that do business in Israel. An American tourist can feel at home visiting malls (called canyons in Hebrew), fast-food establishments, and buying recognizable brand names. McDonald's hamburgers are throughout Israel. Some are kosher, not all. Argentina is the only other country where there is a kosher McDonald's. Just don't order a cheeseburger. Keeping kosher includes no mixing of milk and meat products. Once a friend of one of my children claimed he kept kosher for Passover. In his mind, and no one else’s, that meant eating a non-kosher Burger King hamburger with matzoh instead of bread. Not kosher! It is so important to know the person or place you are eating to be able to trust their kashrut (keeping kosher). Pizza Hut has kosher establishments in Israel. Pepperoni and sausage pizza are not on the menu. Pork is forbidden for Jews. Domino’s Pizza is a familiar name here.
Tuna, Anyone?
Products at the supermarket include as Kellogg's cereals, Star-Kist tuna (light, not white/albacore), Hellman's salad dressings, Best Foods Mayonnaise, Lipton teas, Kikkoman soy sauce, Taster's Choice and Nescafe coffees, Heinz ketchup, Skippy peanut butter, Dole pineapple, and a myriad of products found on American supermarket shelves. They have labels in English and in Hebrew. Some have info in Arabic. I brought my Swiffer wet mop from the States because I never have mastered using an Israeli mop. Now all Swiffer products are available in Israel. One of the few things I cannot find here, and tend to bring or have sent to me ,is McCormick's poultry seasoning. Otherwise, I can do with Israeli brands.
Payless Shoes opened in my local mall, but it does not seem able to compete with the Israeli shoe stores in price or quality. I do not know how shoe stores remain in business in Israel when every other shop seems to be a shoe store. You have to check out the soles of the shoes because often people buy shoes, wear them for a day or two, and then return them to the store for a complete refund. The returned shoes are placed back on the shelf for a new buyer. Another department store known in the States is H&M. It, too, is at my local mall. Ace Hardware and Home Center stores are nearby. Ikea does business a couple of cities away from me. They serve great glatt kosher food in their cafeteria. Ikea products tend to be more expensive here than they are in the States.
Why Bother?
I know several people who filled their shipping containers with American ovens, washers, dryers, paper products and housewares when they made aliyah. What it cost to ship probably was more than if they just had started buying things once here. Since the electric current/voltage is different in the States, it did not make sense to me to send lamps and household appliances here. Of course, they could run if there are adapters. I had two china cabinets with built-in lights. They were the only pieces of furniture I sent here that needed an adjustment. I hired a local electrician who re-wired them. Somehow the adapter did not work well enough.
New paperback books are a twice what I pay in the States. I tend to stock up on them when I return for a visit to family and friends. There are English used paperback book stores in town, but these used books cost me what new ones would cost in the States. Many friends and I trade books. Once a month, a charity I am affiliated with has a book sale as a fundraising activity. Those used paperbacks are only 5 shekels apiece about $1 U.S. Regular book stores have the latest bestsellers and almost every well-known author. Books tend to be an obsession with Israelis. I am always going to the mall where dozens of tables displaying books are on sale. Because English is spoken by many, it is easy to find books written in English.
After almost six years, I can understand why Israelis were not sympathetic my craving for American products. Israel either invents or manufactures everything necessary to live a comfortable life here. Many products we think of as American are made by Israeli companies, but packaged in English. Israeli pharmaceutical companies produce most generic drugs used throughout the world. When it comes to computers and other technical products, most operating systems were invented or developed in Israel. Of course, we pay more for them here than elsewhere. I haven't figured out why.
Those of you who want to travel but feel at home, come to Israel.
L'hitraot. Shachar