[img]96|left|Shachar||no_popup[/img]Dateline Jerusalem — I always loved to travel, not just for the scenery, but I am fascinated by different cultures and customs. Living in Israel has been like taking a world tour.

The city in which I live boasts over 70 different nationalities for its residents. Every time I go to a person's home, I learn of their family customs, history, and enjoy their distinctive native food. Traditional “secret” family recipes are shared with pride.

When I was a cop, I once belonged to the International Police Assn. Cops from throughout the world could travel and visit with others cops, staying in their homes, exchanging patches, taking tours. I used to walk into a foreign police station, badge the personnel, and often a police officer would be assigned to me to take me around their city, island or country.

Even as an attorney, I have gone to foreign courts and had interesting conversations with their attorneys and judges. Although language can sometimes be a problem, I found that most people know English. They actually want to speak it in order to improve their grasp. The case is no different here in Israel.

I have been attempting to learn Hebrew, usually speak English, but lately I get by with Spanish and German, or a combination of all four languages and a smattering of Russian. No one really understands me because I use all those languages to say just one sentence.

Today I went to the market. When I asked the butcher if he spoke English, he told me in Hebrew that he spoke Spanish. In Spanish I asked what type of meat I needed to make “ropa vieja,” a delicious Latin meat dish I have been wanting to cook. But I did not know how to explain it in English, let alone Hebrew. He was surprised that I spoke to him in Spanish, more surprised I was asking about “ropa vieja,” which means “old clothes” in Spanish. A shredded beef dish, it is the national dish of Cuba. Although the butcher was from Argentina, he was quite familiar with it. When I asked him about another cut of meat, he leaned over and whispered in Spanish that it was “caro,” which means “expensive.” He suggested I try something else.

I greeted the Russian girl at the checkout stand with a “preevyet,” which means “hi” in Russian. She started to speak to me in Russian. The only other words I know are “nyet” and “da,” which mean “no” and “yes.” In Hebrew, I told her I did not understand Russian or Hebrew. Did she speak English. The rest of the time we spoke in English. She said her parents spent a lot of money sending her for English lessons. It was worth the investment because her English was outstanding.

The Russian man who delivers the groceries to my home does not speak English. He mentioned that he speaks “Deutsch,” or German, as well as Russian and Hebrew. We communicated in German. He learned German serving in the Russian army while stationed in Germany for five years. He had lived in both East and West Germany. I told him I had been in Israel three years but had not learned Hebrew yet. He told me it takes time but I will eventually learn it. He suggested that I watch soap operas and children's TV shows, explaining that was the way in which the Russian immigrants here learned Hebrew.

Speaking of Tongues

Because Israel is the melting pot for Jews from nations all over the world, it is not unusual to hear Arabic (with dialects from Morocco, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq), Ladino (a sort of Judeo-Spanish spoken by Sephardi Jews from Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece), Yiddish (a sort of combination of German, Russian, Polish, and Hebrew spoken by Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern and Central Europe), Amharic (spoken by Ethiopian Jews), Persian, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, English, Spanish, and German in addition to Hebrew. Even the Jews from India have their own native tongue distinctive to the area they are from in India.

Now that Israel has taken in refugees from war-torn Darfur and other African nations, the list gets longer. Since there are so many foreign workers from the Philippines employed as caretakers for the elderly, Tagalog is often heard as well.

I know someone who is fluent in several languages and, whenever he sees a tourist, he greets them in their native tongue, even if it is in Japanese or Korean, Hindi or Gujarati, and welcomes them to Israel. He tells them where they can find restaurants and gardens or interesting sites related to their country of origin.

People of many religions and ethnic backgrounds love visiting Israel, not just Jews. They are comforted by the fact that under Israeli control, they are once again able to worship as they please in churches, temples and synagogues of their choice throughout the country.

L'hitraot. Shachar