Funky Tel Aviv

Given that she has lived here for over 1/3 of her life, I thought it rather odd that my wife has never really spent any time at all in Tel Aviv. After I completed Ulpan, I lived there nominally for a year, but as the majority of my time was spent in the army, I didn't get to know the place to well but enough to figure that I'd be visiting and not living there. It had been a while since I'd wandered the places I got to know and, given the lovely weather and time off work for good behaviour, I thought it a good opportunity to introduce my better half to the fleshpots of the big city.

Given that parking on the street in Tel Aviv is nigh on impossible I headed for a familiar car park next to the HaBima theatre and from there we set out on foot. Rothschild is a great example of the broad boulevards which proliferate in Tel Aviv but which Jerusalem lacks; lined with tall trees and with plenty of space to sit, run and walk the dog, I have always felt that they provide an oasis amidst the chaos.

Turning into Rechov Shenkin, my wife's eyes lit up. Shenkin has become a byword for everything that is hip and funky; it is lined by shoe shops and clothing boutiques; trendy restaraunts, stores selling candles and soaps, interesting furniture and other kitsch. It is thronged with the dyed, the pierced and the tattooed, all ages, shapes and sizes - projecting or trying to project a certain fabulous cool. We wove our way down, stopping to look in windows and try on various items, soaking up the atmosphere of the place. We stopped in on Ozen Hashlishi, an old fashioned music store, light years away from the sanitary order of Tower Records and bought a couple of new CDs. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) I'm not a great shopping partner - my wife will have to find an accomodating friend to accompany her for a return trip which won't take long given her enthusiasm - she even went so far as to compare it to The Village - rare praise indeed.


A view of Shenkin

From Shenkin we crossed King George into the artists' fair in Nachalat Binyamin. The fair runs throughout the summer on Fridays as far as I remember but was especially busy during Pesach. Jewellery, blown glass, toys and original items for the house were all carefully laid out on tables for the buying public to check out. The area is full of character with buildings and businesses that must have been amongst Tel Aviv's earliest, including many fabric cloths which my wife really appreciated.


Artists' Fair in Nachalat Binyamin

Tel Aviv was a real success - there are so many funky places and we were only skimming the surface for a couple of hours - I suspect it may become a regular stopping point now that it's been dicovered. We even managed to catch up with some friends from the UK who were staying nearby. Jerusalem's great but it has a downside - Tel Aviv is a very different City with a different sort of person and is far more lively - lots of fun in short.

Gilly

Oh my Darling........?

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! (If you understand, fine - if not don't waste your time trying to puzzle it out)

White Elephant departing from platform 1

The Jerusalem train link was reopened with a certain amount of fanfare at the beginning of April - the first train link from the capital in some 7 years. This is itself says something about the way in which Jerusalem has been neglected and underdeveloped by successive administrations.

The debate over whether to build a new line or to renovate the old line was decided by fudging the issue. The compromise; the old line would be rebuilt, linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv via Beit Shemesh whilst a new high speed line would also be built. It is the first of these lines which has just opened; the high speed line is scheduled to be completed around 2008 - 2009.

The station, next to Kanyon Malcha shopping centre and Malcha technology park is not well signposted but fairly easy to find in any case. There is plenty of parking and the station itself is modern and well appointed. The trains are comfortable and clean, like all of the trains on the network here; a pleasant contrast to the familiar London Underground which I grew up with. They arrive and depart on time and the chances of there being snow on the lines is minimal. I found myself a table, took out a book and settled in for a comfortable journey without the hassle of honking in traffic.

Despite the good work however, once the high speed link opens, this line will prove to be a costly white elephant:

1) Trains are scheduled once an hour - not frequent enough.
2) Journey time to Tel Aviv Hashalom (Azrieli Centre) is 1 hour 20 minutes - about as long as it takes to drive in traffic - considerably longer than on a quiet road and almost 3 times as long as the high speed link will take.
3) Journey time to Beit Shemesh - 38 minutes - longer than it takes to drive.
4) Cost to Tel Aviv or Beit Shemesh is more than the equivalent bus or sherut journey.

Once the high speed train is opened the new/old line will cease to be used as it will be possible to do the same journey much faster.

Jerusalemites will already now not use the train to get to Beit Shemesh nor vice versa as it is slower, less convenient and more expensive than the alternative.

In the meantime, the train is more comfortable than the bus and the additional space allows me to save time by saying morning prayers whilst travelling so I will pay the extra couple of shekels. Once the high speed link comes into play however, there is simply no reason for any rational person to use this line. The Beit Shemesh - Tel Aviv section will continue to make sense but the link to Jerusalem will be empty apart from the guy wheeling round the cart with crisps and soft drinks.

It seems a preposterous waste of tax payers money to have built a short term fix rather than going full speed on the long term solution. With the growth of the Jerusalem road network and the (eventual) success of the impressive Terminal 3, I had thought that poor planning might be a thing of the past - wishful thinking.....

English language Israel Railways site.

Gilly

President Weitzman dies

Ezer Weitzman, Israel's 7th President passed away this evening. Commander of the IAF and Deputy Chief of Staff during the 6 day war, he will be remembered as a larger than life character who always spoke his mind - not always appropriately.

Ynet
Jpost
Ha'aretz
CNN

Chag Kasher VeSameach

I have found myself being a little careful about how I have wished people a Happy Passover this week - the traditional greeting (in the title) is not relevant to those who choose not to keep Kosher but statistically, the vast majority of Israelis, of all levels of observance, will be sitting down to the traditional Seder in some sort of family setting.

So - Chag Sameach / Chag Kasher VeSameach - you pick!

.....and don't overdo the Matzah!

Gilly

On the size of the world.....

Everyone has a "what a small world!" story - here's a pretty good one that happened about 1/2 hour ago which I thought good enough to share.

I was standing in the street vacuuming my car - an activity that I hadn't done for a while - last Pesach would probably be a good guess. As I'm stood there a girl comes walking across the street looking pretty lost. "Excuse me, I have a request which is going to sound really weird" (in unaccented Hebrew) - from experience that's generally a bad start to a question. "I've just moved in here and I've completely forgotten where the apartment is - do you have a phone that I could call someone with?"

As questions go that's amongst the weirdest I've had (and I meet some interesting people). I smiled and passed her my cellphone. She started talking to someone in perfect American English and from what she was saying it was clear that she was not totally in the wrong part of town. "What address do you need to get to?" I asked (in English). When she told me I was able to point to a block literally across the road and off she headed. That would have been the end of it had two things not happened at the same time; my wife came out of the garden and the girl looked back as she reached the corner 7 metres away. "(My wife's maiden name)?" called the girl. We looked up in surprise as she identified herself.

It turns out that not only did she know my wife but that she was at our wedding. Her parents, good friends of my in-laws, have rented a place across the road from us for Pesach. "I have to go say hi - nothings burning inside" yelledd my wife and off she went to pay her respects.

We live a little off the beaten track - yes it's Jerusalem, but we're not in the middle of Rechov HaPalmach or anything. I figure the world doesn't get much smaller then that.....

Gilly

A favourite spot in Rechavia

These are 3 shots taken in one of my favourite Jerusalem streets, Rechov Abarbanel in Rechavia. I lived in the neighbourhood for 4 years and every time I headed up to town I passed between the two very unusual houses in the first two photos.

Rechavia is one of Jerusalem's older garden neighbourhoods and has plenty of character properties and greenery. Abarbanel (nearly all Rechavia Streets are named after notable Sephardim) is a quiet one way street abutting Yad Ben Tzvi, the museum / research institute which was formerly the home of Israel's second President.

I happened to pass by on a sunny day and snapped some pictures to share.

Gilly



1 - Unusual Architecture and plenty of colour


2 - Jerusalem stone - check out the cactus!


3 - A view down Rechov Abarbanel

Tooled up

After coming home from work I spent an hour or so this evening armed with a drill putting stuff up around the flat. It's amazing how manly I felt with a powertool in hand, making holes in the various walls. When we did the assignation of gender roles in my family it was definitely done the old fashioned way and my wife is quite happy to let me get on with it.

For the record, we now have towel racks, toilet paper holder, a notice board and a little key cupboard up - next I reckon I'll get round to some pictures.

No unhappy incidents to report - the electrics are unharmed, bathroom tiles still whole and no pipes were burst in fulfilling my exploits. My wall bent a drill bit into an oddly satisfying contortion - good to know the place is solid!

I doubt that you're reading but thanks for the tool kit boys - a wedding present which I'll get plenty of use out of!

Must get myself a big saw or something next - cool.....

Gilly

As I was going to pick up a video......

My video store is on Kikar Tzarfat, (France Square) where King George becomes Keren Hayesod and Ramban leads to the road to Tel Aviv which is often the site of demonstrations. As I pulled up to the store, about 30 people were standing about with signs asking to let Vanunu go. I seem to recall that we already did so - personally I reckon we should have let him rot. Presumably they want him to have his restrictions lifted - what he could possibly know after all those years inside and not be able to surreptitiously tell the world whilst the restrictions are in place I can't begin to think.

The cameras were there, it'll make the press and appear to be a much bigger deal than it actually was - such seems to be the way - where else in the world would a demonstration that small draw any worthwhile attention? Still - interesting to see these things going on whilst going about the daily routine.

They didn't have the Incredibles so I got Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Gilly

A glimpse of things to come....

My wife has been babysitting for a wonderful family for some time now - they have 4 girls aged 3 - 12 1/2 and although I know that they're all delightful, I was a little apprehensive when I agreed that as their parents would not be getting back from a wedding until 3 a.m. that they should stay by us rather than my wife going to them.

In the end we ended up looking after the 3 youngest. The little one took a shine to me straight away and spent much of her time checking up on me. The older two (7 and 8) were happy with a decent choice of video.

At bed time they all went to sleep without complaint, the littlest ending up with her head at the bottom end of the mattress - very cute. Despite our worries about them being in a strange place they all slept through the night, and woke us the next morning by jumping on the bed and demanding morning hugs.

In order for us to get to the same stage, we'll have to brave sleepless nights, nappy changes, dashes to the doctor and hospital, countless emergencies and all manner of other hassles. If we have kids who turn out half as well behaved and anywhere near as cute as our guests for the night I'll consider ourselves to be extremely lucky!

Gilly

Do we look stupid Mr Lupolianski?

Can anyone explain the following?

The Jpost carried an article regarding the imposition by the Mayor of Jerusalem of a "tax which the municipalities own legal experts say is likely against the law".

The proposed tax is for the upkeep of Jerusalem's roads. The problem with this however is that all Jerusalem residents already pay a tax, the Arnona, which is intended amongst other things to pay for the upkeep of Jerusalem's roads. Double taxation - wonderful!!

Did I say all Jerusalem Residents - slip of the tongue there I'm afraid. Approximately 60% of Jerusalem Residents pay full Arnona - the rest get reductions of up to 80% due to their low incomes - not the elderly mind you - their reduction is no longer automatic but is means tested. The population we're talking about is mainly able bodied Lupolianski voters who would certainly not be living in the 100 square metre apartments which would require payment of the tax.

Jerusalem has suffered a net loss of over 60,000 people in the last decade, the most commonly cited reason being the high cost of housing - so why not make living in Jerusalem even more expensive - good call Mr. Mayor.

For the proposal to have made it far enough to be publicised in the press however, it must be the case that not only did Lupolianski not spot the obvious fact that what he was proposing was a double tax (or not care) but that he doesn't surround himself with advisers who are bright enough to stop it.

And yet we are stupid. The reason why we, the Arnona paying public is stupid is because we sat on our arses whilst the Haredi public went out and voted for Uri Lupolianski in June 2003. Nir Barkat, his challenger and now the leader of the opposition, a man who seems to genuinely care about where Jerusalem is going and certainly in my mind a worthy candidate for Mayor, didn't get the job because people couldn't be bothered to go to the polls.

Come the next set of elections, the main challenge facing Barkat will be how to get a public, disillusioned by more wasted years under Lupolianski to get up of their arses. If the incumbent gets in again, we'll only have ourselves to blame.

Gilly

The thespian in me.....

With all the excitement over learning how to post pictures I almost forgot to write about the main thing that has been occupying me for the last month. Last year I was persuaded to tread the boards at Merkaz Hamagshimim's Centre Stage Theatre in a production of Romeo and Juliet - I had fun but didn't intend to do another show and initially resisted when approached this year to do As you like it.

In the end I gave in and am thoroughly glad that I did so. Playing two very different parts within an excellent cast and to excellent audiences, I had a real blast. An excellent review of it can be found on Mike's blog. The reference to a change of character in full sight was me.

I have never considered myself to be a stage person - I used to be painfully shy and wouldn't have considered putting myself out there. Since having made the commitment however, I have quickly learned to enjoy the triple adrenaline rush of going out under the lights, really nailing a scene and being applauded at the end of the night. I have made friends with people with whom I otherwise have little in common and have finally got my head round the Shakespeare that I avoided like the plague at school.

I debated whether to post before or during the show but decided against, so as to give myself more of a chance of maintaining my semi-anonymity on the blog. There will be a next show however and I have decided that I will be a little more open at that point.

Gilly

....and now for my latest trick.....

Very excited to see if this works! And it appears to be doing so - with my digital camera in hand, I'm going to post a few images of places that I love in Jerusalem - some instantly recognisable but mainly (hopefully) a little off the beaten track.

These first three images are from the Goldman Promenade in Talpiot. Many people are familiar with the Sherover Promenade overlooking the Old City - Goldman is the continuation, along past Government House and looks North to the Old City (picture 2) instead of North East. It also has views to the Forest of Peace (picture 3).

We visited the Goldman Promenade when I was spending my gap year in Israel and then didn't make it down there again until last week - I won't be waiting another decade before my next trip.

Gilly



4x4 Ancient and Modern, Goldman Promenade


Looking North to the Old City


View to the Peace Forest, Abu Tor to the right, Crane over "Young Arnona" dead ahead 

Weird neighbours

Honking your horn at hours when people are likely to be asleep is a habit which I consider to be particularly obnoxious, particularly as it could be avoided by using a phone or the old fashioned method of parking and politely knocking at the door. Although I was up (too) early on Friday morning, the constant honking from outside my window annoyed me enough to go and take a look at the cause. I met my nice neighbour going to check it out as I stepped into the street.

I live in a corner property in an area where parking is usually plentiful other than when parents are picking up their kids from the school opposite. This made the cause of the racket all the more objectionable; a car had parked on the pavement around the front of the property where there is ample room. It had been parked in front of my obnoxious neighbours gate - a spot that he considers to be his own private space with little or no justification - it is certainly not marked as such. Obnoxious neighbour had deliberately parked in front of the other car, thus blocking it in and the other driver, not knowing who had done this frankly quite nasty thing, was honking in order to hopefully rouse the offender.

My nice neighbour pointed the driver in the direction of the obnoxious neighbour's front door and I left them to it. They were both gone by the time I returned so I presume they sorted things out.

I am thoroughly bemused at the level to which obnoxious neighbour stooped - when I did renovations last year, rather than having a chat when we did something (trivial) that he disagreed with, he handed me a letter of protest and stalked off. When I encounter him in the street he hardly acknoledges my cheery "Boker Tov!" Clearly he's not blessed with much in the way of social graces.

What struck me as particularly stupid however was that in parking in front of someone who ultimately left at 7:15 a.m, he ended up being woken up on the one day that he gets a chance at a sleep in (along with the rest of our street) - now is that not biting off your nose to spite your face?

In Yorkshire they say "There's nowt as queer as folk" - I'd say that it holds true for Bak'a too.

Gilly

The Dream lives on....

Bring on Chelsea.......

updated

But not Spurs...... :-(

Glorious Red

A friend (big respect Yellow Boy!) sent me an email this afternoon; if I don't post it now, it may will become redundant!

Why Liverpool will win the Champions League this season.

Some facts:

1978
Welsh Rugby Grand Slam
The Pope Dies
Liverpool lose League Cup Final to eventual League Champions (Nottingham Forest)
Liverpool win European Cup

2005
Welsh Rugby Grand Slam
The Pope Dies
Liverpool lose League Cup Final to eventual League Champions (Chelsea)
Are we seeing a pattern?

1981
Prince Charles marries
Ken and Deirdre marry on the Street
A new Dr. Who is appointed
Liverpool win European Cup

2005
Prince Charles marries
Ken and Deirdre marry on the Street
A new Dr. Who is appointed
???????????

Mere coincidence? Probably yes, especially with Stevie G injured but it's nice to dream for at least the next few hours.

According to the Post (can't find on line - sorry) one of the Papal candidates, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone occasionally provides radio commentary for Juventus, his favourite team (Liverpool's opponents tonight) - clearly he's fallible therefore and not suited to the job - wonder if he'll be sneaking a mini tv into conclave under his robes?!

Come on you reds!!!

Gilly

Hamas promotes Islamic values

The front page of today's Jerusalem Post highlights the way in which Hamas "enforces Islamic values". A young woman, out for a walk with her fiance and chaperoned by her sister, was gunned down in broad daylight, her body dragged from her fiances car and then set about with "clubs and iron bars" by members of a Hamas Anti-Corruption Unit.

Hamas has apparently admitted that the perpetrators were from its membership and that they were tasked with "cracking down on men and women who defy Islamic teachings by appearing in public together".

To their credit, other Palestinian factions, including Fatah have condemned the murder.

The implications of this attack and its background are simply astounding. How can it possibly be that under any belief system, no matter how crazy, it is seen as immoral for a couple to take a chaperoned walk together, but completely acceptable to shoot an "offender" and to barbarically dismember the body?

Then again, given the actions that Hamas generally takes in Islam's name, maybe we shouldn't be surprised.

Gilly

More Taxes......

Corinne Sauer pushes the argument for a flat rate income tax in the Jerusalem Post. The news that we are working longer this year to pay our taxes before we can even start to think about saving is certainly most shocking but I find myself rather cynical about how this conclusion has been arrived at.

"What is the main cause of our tax situation becoming worse this year?" she asks.

"Although income taxes were reduced slightly, new taxes were introduced on
income earned abroad by Israeli residents and income earned domestically by
Israelis living abroad. The definition of residency was expanded to increase the
potential tax base, and a new tax on real income from foreign and Israel stock
exchange gains came into effect".

I'm going to break that down a little for you.

"Income taxes were reduced"

"New taxes were introduced on income earned abroad by Israeli residents"

"Income earned domestically by Israelis living abroad"

"a new tax on real income from foreign and Israel stock exchange gains"

According to Sauer "it is only during the remaining 40% of the year (i.e. after "tax freedom day" - August 3) that the average citizen has the option of spending as she herself sees fit". Clearly this should be worrying us.

Even totally ignoring the context of each of these measures - effectively closing off loopholes; to argue that the average citizen is paying more tax because of taxes on her income from abroad and stock exchange gains is to trample roughshod over the fact that the average citizen has a mortgage and an overdraft. The middle class salaried classes who are neither working for the Ports Authority nor have friends in the political echelon are not able to salt away large amounts in the stock exchange or buy up properties overseas.

The 2003 Tax Reform sought to remove part of the tax burden from the income earning, Miluim serving, uncomplaining (?) middle class by redressing serious discrepancies in the way in which those with capital i.e. the wealthy, are taxed. If no other changes have been made which would have an effect, I would suggest that the average Israeli is paying less tax whilst the wealthy Israeli is paying more. Whether or not this is a good thing is a whole different argument and must be presented as such, but the fact that the gap between rich and poor is fast increasing suggests that it is a correct step to be taking.

Sauer goes on to argue for a flat-rate income tax citing such economic powerhouses as Latvia and Estonia inter alia as examples of places where this works "with great success". I would cite slightly more respectable economies such as the United States and the United Kingdom amongst others as examples of the fact that not all economists "deny the efficiency of a flat- rate income tax". Clearly it is not unacceptable to tax differentially - in fact, it is the norm in the World's developed economies.

Our tax system is far from perfect and clearly it is the case that everyone would prefer to be paying less in tax and that the system should be less wasteful with what we do pay. If however the argument boils down to the dual claims that using a differential income tax system (in common with many other major western economies) and closing off tax loopholes which benefitted the wealthy, thus increasing tax collection are bad, then I think that our energies could better be invested in other directions.

Gilly

At home alone at last......

Since the middle of January I have spent Shabbatot in:

Beit Shemesh
Army base next to Ramallah x2
Philadelphia x2
Cedarhurst, NY
Hashmonaim
London
Hashmonaim
In Jerusalem with wife's little sister immediately after Zeidy's death
Hashmonaim x2

It has been a long, long time, since my wife and I have enjoyed a Shabbat together in our home with just each other for company. Finally this weekend we're going to be able to sit down, just the two of us with a bottle of wine and a home cooked meal. I enjoy my friends and family immensely but some down time spent together is going to be most welcome after a long and busy week, which we topped of last night at the opening of "As you like it" at Merkaz Hamagshimim - highly recommended.

I have to this end, spent most the morning slaving over a stove and nibbling on the results; experimenting with new recipes, my wife popping down occasionally to give her verdicts. It's been a chilled day, despite being on my feet for most of it. I'm just looking forward to good food, conversation and company - my perfect Shabbat.

Wishing you all a similarly pleasant Shabbat.

Gilly

Israeli travel guide

Ynet focuses on the Israeli internal tourist in this article which I think is absolutely wonderful - an entertaining read which spears the stereotypes really well.

Shabbat Shalom

Gilly

On Conversion and the Law of Return

The argument about last week's ruling by the Supreme Court regarding conversions carried out overseas after undergoing a conversion process within Israel seems to me to have reached hysterical proportions.

That "Former, current chief rabbis dismiss conversion ruling" was surely only to be expected. The Orthodox dismiss any conversion that is not carried out under Orthodox auspices, either in Israel or overseas - so the fact that a process can be carried out partly in Israel and partly overseas is certainly not going to win them over.

The significance of the ruling relates, purely and simply to the application of the Law of Return, section 4B of which defines a Jew as being "a person who was born of a Jewish mother or has become converted to Judaism and who is not a member of another religion." (my emphasis)

The Interior Ministry has, until the ruling was made, considered this definition to apply to people who have converted outside of Israel via any stream of Judaism. Due to the Orthodox stream's control of the religious lifecycle inside of Israel however, only conversions performed according to Orthodox rules in Israel have been accepted. Thus the odd situation was that the Law of Return was applied to non-orthodox converts on the basis of where they converted.

Further to this, the Interior Ministry made the demand that a person who converted overseas must live within a community there for a year before being eligible for Aliyah. This meant that people could not go overseas for a short period of time to convert so as to be eligible for the Law of Return. It is this restriction that has been removed.

Non-othodox converts who converted overseas have always been allowed to make Aliyah; so too have huge numbers of non-Jews who have Jewish ancestory or who are married to Jews. The Law of Return has case the net wide in providing an answer to the question "Who is a Jew?" and has never claimed that it is a Halachic definition. A person for whom the matter is important will generally be aware that they have to check the credentials of a potential spouse before becoming involved; the High Court ruling doesn't really change this but rather provides a way around an irregularity in the system.

It is surely a matter of time before the Supreme Court levels the playing field and rules that a conversion performed in Israel via any stream is acceptable for the Law of Return, thus obviating the need for people to look for some way of circumventing the law. There will doubtless be a hysterical outcry, when that happens too.

Gilly

Shock, horror! "Senior PA official suspected of embezzlement".

This is not a story! Whether dipping into the public purse when no-ones looking or the officially sanctioned robbing the people blind , it will take a long fight to rid the PA of the assumption that it is corrupt to its very core.

"Senior PA official suspected of not being on the take" - now there's a headline that I'd like to see!

Gilly

LeShana Haba? I should Coco....

This evening as I left a friends wedding where the Chupa had been held outside, within spitting distance of the Old City of Jerusalem, I decided to walk along past the walls on my way home. Along I wandered, past thousands of years of history; a symbol towards which we have directed our prayers and hoped to one day returned to.

I walked along - because I can. Pretty sweet huh?

Gilly

Starbucks 'hurt' by Israel's rejection

I have never been charmed by the World's most ubiquitous coffee chain; overpriced and not better than average quality was the impression that I walked away with when I popped my Starbucks cherry and, although I must admit to being impressed by the orgasmic Chantico Hot Chocolate whilst in NY recently, I would rate my local Cafe Hillel at least as highly.

I was thus amused at Globes' report that

"Starbucks' Howard Schultz feels hurt that Israel is the only market he ever had
to abandon."

Schultz is Jewish and, assuming that he feels some sort of connection, I suppose it's natural that he should feel upset that Sabras turned up their noses at the joys of Skinny Lattes, Frappacinos and the like.

Knowing how my American friends talk about Starbucks, I would be surprised if, given the right location, Starbucks didn't take off. And that is the real key of course - location, location and location.

The spot that best suggests itself in Jerusalem is Emek Refaim which has a massive surfeit of excellent coffee places; Caffit, Hillel, Pituim, Aroma,Tachanat HaCafe and more - many more - is their really room for another? Schultz appears to have concluded that there is not - rather, he is looking at the possibility of buying up an exisiting chain, which, working on the assumption that they have enough clientele to keep them going, would seem like a smart idea; the Starbucks name, coupled with a proven location seems like a winner to me.

Anyone who wants to invest in Israel has my blessing - I just hope that this move is not to the detriment of local Israeli businesses and will resign myself to having to go to Starbucks every time the wife fancies a coffee - always, but always decaffeinated and 0% milk - which I guess explains why she has no objection to substandard coffee.....

Gilly

Little Differences

Keren Hayesod St. in Jerusalem now has two lanes running in each direction along its entire length for the first time in months. One of the main arteries leading from the south to the centre and exit from the city, cutting it down to one lane each way whilst major roadworks were carried out backed up traffic for a considerable distance and led to delays and the fraying of tempers for all those who had no feasible alternative route.

Having watched developments on almost a daily basis as the heavy machinery and men went about their work, it was clear well before I reached the bottom of the street that we were back to business as usual; no traffic backed up to Derech Beit Lechem; nothing at the junction with Derech Hevron; even the lights where King David branches off had no more than a couple of cars; indeed, the only traffic encountered was at the junction with Ramban / Agron where there has always been a tail back.

Having become a virtual non-driver, it will make very little difference to my life. My morning walk to work will be punctuated by fewer irritated drivers leaning on their horns and my wife will be able to start her day 10 minutes later. It just put a smile on my face to see other people having an easier time of it - little things can mean a big deal.

Shavua Tov,

Gilly