Further Adventures

So much to tell, so little time. Lew and I are “sharing” internet access and need to switch the modem cable from one computer to the other when we want to work on our individual laptops (oy!). Also our connection is somewhat less than high speed (another oy!). Both Lew and our landlady have spent hours on the phone with the internet and phone company trying to get the services installed and the billing switched to our credit card. At one point the landlady spent so much time on hold with the phone company that the battery on her cell phone began to die. She redialed on our cell phone and was sitting at our dining table with a cell phone at each ear, one ear on hold waiting to complete the transaction that she had spent a half hour negotiating and the other ear on hold to restart the whole process! I learned a lot of Hebrew during this hour and a half marathon because she repeated her story at least a dozen times. The best part was listening to her spell “Lewis Margolis” in English letters because there is no “w” sound in Hebrew (his name comes out sounding more like Louise). When the technician came to adjust the internet connection a few days late he said that the account was still in her name—the whole attempt to change it had been in vain. Just like home.

Despite the minor practical glitches, we are having a fantastic time so far. It's hard to believe we have been here a week. Lew has already established connection with Sheatufim, The Israel Center for Civil Society, with which he will intern a few days a week working on a project related to the development of philanthropy in Israel. The offices are in a brand new gorgeous building a short train ride from Tel Aviv in Beit Yehoshua, a small “rural” community between Herzylia and Netanya. We visited last Monday and Atar, the director of philanthropy, gave us a tour and explained how the organization works. In a nutshell, Sheatufim was established to promote and support the development of non-governmental civic organizations in Israel. They mentor non-profits, voluntary organizations, and other independent and community groups, giving them the training and other tools to become more effective and professional— for example, through promoting knowledge and research, teaching measurement and evaluation skills, leadership and staff development, public relations and lobbying, internet database and technical expertise. They also bring together businesses, nonprofits, and the government to encourage dialogue and cooperation. Israel has been a welfare state since its inception with the government controlling most of the social institutions. This has been changing in the last several years but the infrastructure of non-governmental society is still much less developed than in the U.S. The philanthropy program at Sheatufim encourages newly affluent Israelis to become social investors (again, the tradition is not well developed here) and also promotes collaboration with donors outside Israel. Atar offered us the opportunity to join her the following day at the annual Conference on Civic Leadership taking place in Tel Aviv. This conference brings together those working in the nonprofit sector (including New Israel Fund, Jewish Federation, Sheatufim), academics, businesses (i.e. Microsoft is a sponsor) and government representatives (the prime minister’s chief of staff) to network and discuss new developments (hot topics included the current economic situation and the impact of the Madoff scandal on philanthropy). We sat through about 10 presentations (in Hebrew!!!!) in the morning before throwing in the towel. With a little help from Atar and a few slides in English we got the gist of things but it was a bit limited (I figure I got about 10% and Lew about 5%). It was very interesting to see this large diverse group of people from all over Israel who are working for social change.

The conference was held in a rebuilt auditorium (partly destroyed in a previous conflict) in HaTikva neighborhood. This is a poorer, immigrant neighborhood in the southern part of Tel Aviv that is home to Yemenites, Filipinos, Africans and others. In a symbolic gesture, the Labor Party recently relocated its headquarters here from northern Tel Aviv near our neighborhood. After we left the conference we walked through HaTikva neighborhood and its market and saw men grilling meat on small grills in the street. We also explored the Levinsky spice market near the new central bus station—beautiful displays of fruits and vegetables, nuts, spices, all types of meat, chicken, fish, vats of what looked liked curries or stews, interspersed with stalls selling household goods, toys, clothing—literally everything from soup to nuts. We came away with a tea strainer and a small waste basket and a mat for the bathroom. We hope to do more shopping there when we figure out how to haul it back to our apartment on the other end of the city.

With Shabbat coming up yesterday we were determined to get into the groove earlier and avoid the supermarket crunch. A friend advised us to go to the outdoor shuk (market Ha-Carmel which is supposed to be the happening place on Fridays. I am happy to report that we completed a successful expedition by bus to Shuk Ha-Carmel market in the southwest part of Tel Aviv from our neighborhood in the northeast. We are gradually mastering the bus routes--- to Tel Aviv university and Ramat Aviv, the wealthy area surrounding it. Unfortunately, we sometimes aren’t able to retrace our route in the opposite direction! Yesterday, coming home from the market we couldn’t find the same bus. Also, Shabbat was coming up fast and when we finally located another good route, the buses were less frequent and the sheruts—shared van taxis that follow the bus routes- were full. Finally we hopped on a sherut that took us all the way back home, just before everything shut down (whew!). The market was colorful and crowded. At the entrance on Nahalat Benyamin there were street performers in the plaza. Walking through the market we were tempted by the many delicious looking foods and chatchkas for sale. We successfully negotiated the purchase of: dates, dried cherries, almonds, fresh coconut, mozzarella, rye bread, Jordan almonds, olives and rubber sandals for Lew. We also enjoyed small pitas topped with zatar spices, a jelly doughnut and we shared a pita stuffed with lamb patties, veggies, hummus, tahini, hot sauce, etc. (yummy!!!!!). We will definitely be returning to this place. We also bought some more household items at a small store near by and experienced what’s becoming a familiar exchange with a helpful local. Seeing us comparing prices and debating which packet of clothespins to buy, she informed us in limited English that “This one is better. I just bought.” People here are definitely not hesitant to decide what is the best thing for you. Also, frequently when people on the street overhear our confusion about directions or how to do something, they don’t hesitate to explain or point out the best way without being asked. Generally we find people very friendly and tolerant of our ignorance.

Last night we attended services at Beit Daniel, a reform synagogue that is part of the Daniel Centers for Progressive Judaism. The service was very lively with lots of wonderful music and singing. It happened that they were welcoming a new Torah that had survived the Holocaust and that a local family donated. I hope to get more of the story because I could only understand a small bit of the speeches. The evening began in the lobby with singing and dancing with the Torah under a chuppa, accompanied by musicians playing the accordian and sax. We then made a procession upstairs into the sanctuary for more singing and dancing and finally the evening service. The music was great, many of the tunes familiar, and the cantor had a wonderful voice as well as a very engaging personality. He basically kept things moving right along at a lively pace. The crowd of about two hundred was very mixed with older folks and many young families. There also seemed to be people from many different countries/backgrounds. The little kids were running up and down the aisles and up to the bima and it felt a lot like the Kehillah. Afterwards there was hummus and pita, wine, challah, cake and juices in the social hall. Lew went back for a Bar Mitzvah this morning and the crowd was smaller, mostly family. The Daniel Center has a guest house in Jaffa and is building another synagogue there. They do a lot of education around tolerance and diversity. Unbelievably, and continuing the uncanny parallels with L.A., they have a relationship with Stephen S. Wise congregation—the synagogue my parents helped found in L.A. They also have a relationship with Temple Israel in Hollywood. The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles supports their school and schul program which brings Judaic education programs to secular Tel Aviv public schools.

Continuing the coincidences—don’t you think that our neighborhood name, Bavli, sounds like Beverly, as in Beverly Hills? Weird. Actually a closer parallel in status and lifestyle is the upscale area of Ramat Aviv where the very posh Ramat Aviv Mall is located---beautiful mega mall with high fashion clothes and shoes, gourmet foods, cosmetics (MAC!), Pilates studio,etc. Ramat Aviv and other new northwestern suburbs near the sea are fancier versions of Bavli. Our friend Udi explained the genesis of these neighborhoods. (He and his wife are from Tel Aviv but now living in Chapel Hill; he was here last week visiting family and gave us a tour). Bavli was the first new neighborhood built to the north of the city center with the concept of a self-contained urban village, much like Southern Village or Meadowmont. Bavli, built in the 60’s, has a supermarket; mini shopping mall with banks, dry cleaners, andcafes; parks and playgrounds; a community center and kindergarten; neighborhood scouting groups (very big here) as well as schools, health clinic, and “country club” (health club/pool). Nearby Yehuda Hamaccabi street has more shops and restaurants (including a good felafel place). The idea is that you have everything close to where you live. The newer areas further north are similar but more upscale and the high rises (mostly everyone lives in apartments—some very large with great terraces and views) look out on the nearby Mediterranean. There is also easy access to the beaches. A nice life! These areas are very family oriented. We have many children in our building, including the newborn upstairs. Atar, Lew's colleague at Sheatufim, told us that Bavli used to be the place where all the Labor Party bigwigs lived. Her grandmother was the secretary to Shimon Peres. She said that when she was growing (she is in her late thirties) she remembers going to a café in the neighborhood and listening to the Labor Party oldsters, no longer in charge but still active, talking politics and debating how the country should be run. Also, the former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Frenkel, presumably lives in our building but we haven’t met him.

A few more random observations before I close this episode:

The university campus is beautiful with interesting architecture and sculpture, many green spaces, and lots of cats. More on this after I take the art and architecture walking tour. However, if I can get my photos uploaded you will be a picture of the building housing the “Faculty of the Exact Sciences” (whatever they are).

Atar told me that the alternative to the word for husband in Hebrew (ba’al which is master) is ben zug (ben is son and zug is couple I think). I like this better. She also told us that when a pregnant woman requires amniocentisis the doctor recommends TWO DAYS of rest afterwards.

I just finished a wonderful novel called Fault Lines by Nancy Huston with themes similar to the book our chavurah read last year about the impact of WWII on succeeding generations (the title escapes me at the moment). This book is told through the eyes and voices of four children from successive generations of a family moving backwards in time to Germany and the theft and forced adoption of Ukrainian and Polish babies and young children into German homes. Excellent.

I am startled overhearing Filipinos and Africans speaking Hebrew. The Filipino embassy is in our neighborhood.

I read in the newspaper the other day that in contrast to the last Lebanon War, the army took the soldiers' cell phones away so that they are not distracted or confused by different messages.