Dateline Jerusalem – Someone asked me why my weekly essays always are about Israel.  But the title of my column is Our Eyes in Israel by Shachar.  Naturally, that means the topics of my articles must relate to Israel. Although I try not to be political or too biased, it is often difficult for me to write without expressing my opinion. Just as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, everything in life is seen from the differing views of its spectators.  Therefore, weekly, you see Israel through my perspective.

This week I visited the local fruit and vegetable store, the corner market or makolet, the bakery, and the butcher.  Sure it is easy to shop at the supermarkets, some so large my legs tire after going up and down the aisles.  There is something quaint about going into a small family-owned business to do my shopping.  I must admit, I like the personalized attention I receive.  For example, at the fruit and vegetable store, I can choose “fresh from the farm” produce delivered by the stock boy in a shopping cart as he accompanies me down the streets of my town to my apartment. When I had a craving for good old-fashioned corned beef, the butcher called his distributor in Jerusalem. In less than two hours, packages of American-style corned beef were delivered to Rehovot, personally brought to my apartment by the owner of the butcher shop. Israel often does not have a good reputation for service, but I have no complaints when shopping locally.

Weather Thou Goest

I do have a complaint about the weather.  August is approaching and the comfortable Israeli weather of the last couple of months almost is a fading memory.  Lately it has been hotter than normal, reminding me of the hot, dry Antelope Valley, where no longer do antelope roam freely through that section of the Mojave Desert.  Perhaps Be'er Sheva in southern Israel has similar weather to California's deserts, but cities such as Rehovot and Tel Aviv, within Israel's coastal plain along the Mediterranean Sea, become a sticky, humid steambath in summer, August being the worst month of the year.  I dread my electric bill for all the air conditioning I have been using 24/7.

Utility bills come every two months. That would be great if they did not all arrive on the same day. It is especially a problem when going to the post office.  Not many people pay their bills by mail, but directly at the post office. The post office also serves as a bank and the first stop in acquiring health insurance, meaning long lines. Although I have had a mail forwarding service since moving from my old apartment, it does not include most mail. In Israel, some mail is delivered directly to my mailbox via company  couriers, thus bypassing the post office.

I wanted to write more about everyday life in Israel.  Unfortunately, it is almost 5 a.m. on the day this is to be published. My eyes keep closing while my fingers do a dance across the computer keyboard. It would not be the first time my sleepy hands erased my article.

L'hitraot.  Shachar