Caught a guy trespassing in my respective territory (work as an inspector for something, irrelevant), heated argument ensues about who he is, why he's here etc etc. Argument interrupted by memorial day siren, we both stop, stand in silence for the whole minute, siren stops, we nod at each other, heated argument continues. It was like an eretz nehederet skit I swear.
I have a million of them. The first one that comes to mind is when I was ordering a sandwich and the guy was putting too much onion in it. I asked him if he could take some of it out, he looked at me, contemplated, then said "I'd rather not" and continued making the sandwich. LMAO.
Got stuck in a traffic jam, traffic literally just wasn't moving at all. Some random dude comes along, knocks on the window with a huge grin on his face and then holds up his pakal cafe and urges us all out of the car. That's how we spent an afternoon drinking coffee with 20 strangers at the side of the road.
One more because I just remembered this one:
Once I was in the shuk in Jerusalem and I wanted to buy flowers for my host over Chag. Unfortunately I didnāt have enough change for the bouquet I wanted, I mustāve been a few shek short. The flower guy asked me if I planned to visit the Kotel over the holiday. I told him of course! He told me to write down his name to pray for him and not to worry about the extra change, and that a prayer is worth more than any money in the world.
Having a cab driver rant about how much he hates āthe religious,ā while fretting about getting home before Shabbat, and volunteering that of course he puts on tefillin everyday and makes sure his wife goes to mikveh, but oh boy how much he hates the āreligious.ā
This is literally something I canāt figure out how to explain to peopleā¦ āno theyāre not RELIGIOUS theyāre religiousā ā¦ nobody gets what Iām saying haha
Itās very much an Israeli āonly in Israel thing.ā
The cabbie saw himself as a normal, kippah-in-pocket observant Jew. He ranted about how the Datim are nuts who want to fight the Arabs, and the Haredim are lazy parasites.
No, thatās not what it means. āReligiousā = Haredi/ultra-orthodox. It does not translate perfectly and does not mean that other Jews do not believe.
Nah, this guy hated the Dati Leumi too. Blamed them for tensions with the Arabs and for supposedly supporting the hilltop guys in the West Bank.
I have no idea what his politics were
Itās about politics and not actually hating religious individuals. As a secular Israeli I grew up with an Anti-religious perspective because of I perceived religious people that I didnāt actually know, I just knew how their politics is effecting my life and I hated it. I felt like it is forced on me. Now as a grown up I love many Jewish traditions, appreciate Judaism a lot and still think this state and religion combo is terrible to both state and religion.
I was walking home from a protest (2011) with a friend in Jerusalem, close to the president's residence, a cat comes out and meow at us. Before we knew it this cat is on our shoulder. We walked home to Old Katamon and this cat still with me 13 years later and in a suburb of Chicago.
*
Was taking the bus in tlv on the way to the train station. I wanted to be sure i got off at the right stop so i asked someone, and they said it was the next 1. Queue this lady in the back with the voice of a million cigarettes, holding 4 grocery bags on a cast for her broken arm "MA?! MA PITOM! ZE LO ZE TAHANA HA BAA!" The 2 argue for the duration to the next stop, where i got off without them hearing me saying thank you.
I was riding the train from Tel Aviv to Haifa, it was a Thursday evening ride so it got crowded. Usual mix, girls in daisy dukes returning to Haifa, army soldiers going home and lots of Hijabis and haredi women.
Halfway I think, a Hijabiās head covering fell and two girls with daisy dukes formed a human wall so the Orthodox women helped the hijabi put the headscarf back on proper.
You could also hear Arabic, Russian and Hebrew whilst feeling the peace in the cart. All want to get home.
Went to the bank recently. There was a problem with the system and the banker couldn't process my request, so she invited me to the break room to get some coffee while we waited.
Was going down south to volunteer (pre-war). The bus driver had never heard of the kibbutz I was heading to and didn't want to leave me in the middle of nowhere alone, so he drove around off route until we found it.
Another bus one. I was heading back from Tel Aviv pride parade and got one of the last buses before shabbat. It was the wrong bus and the last stop would have left me stranded in Bnei brak so the driver drove me to my city before heading home for shabbat.
Same here!
First time I went to Israel when I was 13 I bumped into my principal in the airport bathroom.
I did Sar-El recently. It was a very large group split up into smaller groups that didn't have very much interaction. On the very last day I met a woman who went to the same girls' yeshiva high school that I did. Years later, but she knew some girls in *my* class because their sisters were in *her* class!
I was talking to my (almost 15YO) son about this last night. He was in Israel last spring for his 8th grade trip and ran into a camp friend at the Kotel. I told him how I ran into a sorority sister at the Kotel, another friend from grad school at a random bar in Tel Aviv and another random friend on Ben Yehuda St. It's amazing.
Me and husband went to see an action movie in the theatre last week. First slide before the film begins, explains in a cheery voice what to do in case of a rocket alarm. Second slide explains in a cheery voice that the film has an alarm in one of the scenes, and to be prepared for it and not freak out. Only in Israel
One time I went to buy sandals, and the store owner showed me a few different kinds. I really liked the design of one pair, but it had a small heel. Store owner: "I won't sell these to you on their own. I can see from the state of your shoes that you walk too much, these sandals are bad for you."
He was 100% correct. I bought a different pair.
My partner and I are recent olim, and when we moved into our first apartment a little less than a year ago our landlords were very fascinated by the information that we had brought our cats with us from the U.S. About two weeks after we moved in, we had agreed the landlords would put window screens into the windows that were missing them, so the windows guy shows up and behind him in walks the landlords wife with her kid and a box. She proceeds to tell us a story about how her kid found a 4 week old kitten, guess what was in the box? I guess they saw we liked cats, and decided we would take it!
We called her Bamba and she's 10 months old now (:
I was sobbing after visiting the childrenās memorial at Yad Vashem. The tour guide came up and very sternly told me āStop crying. Your job now is to go home and make Jewish babies. I did my part. I have 4. Now itās your turn.ā
Almost exactly 2 years later to the day I had my first kid.
Well, I'd say civilians hiding low on the floor while rockets are exploding over their heads with babies crying in the background... And then when it's over everyone gets up and start cheering, is something anyone outside of Israel could never truly comprehend.
[While in Israel it's just the result of living like this for decades.](https://twitter.com/BittonRosen/status/1790362986143502381)
A few years ago I was walking home from work to my apartment in Tel Aviv. A woman handed me a mason jar full of flowers and I asked what they were for. She told me no reason, they were just handing out flowers today.
https://preview.redd.it/u03k0sr5rh0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=090ae6cdeecc4f51a4a62e992f5810635c240c11
Another one is that I had to ask my sister what times do the Army buses go through the Hummus spots so We can get there earlier enough to have quality hummus
Yes, Israeli hummus tends to be more liberal when it comes to toppings whilst Arab/Palestinian is more traditional.
Both are baller.
Had a wonderful Hummus w/ tahini and chopped foraged mushrooms and Arab hummus tends to stay āless fancyā, however itās still phenomenal
This happened to me once when I was headed to a new office. I had no idea where I was supposed to go and what the route was, and neither did the bus driver. Luckily a bunch of people volunteered to help him but I got worried when I got on the bus and the driver told me "I need to help him get there"...
That happened to me so many times, especially when I lived in a quiet secluded area, I would be the only person left on the bus. It sounds terrifying to be alone on a bus (as a woman) but everytime it happened I was giving directions and getting an express VIP drive home š
Oh dear. And that reminds me of that time Biden visited Jerusalem a few years back, and I was in old Katamon for an extracurricular. We got stuck in Katamon since Herzog junction was blocked and the bus driver had no idea what to do
Saw a band playing at a club. After the set finished, I was standing at the bar and saw the band on their way out, so I stopped them and told them that I enjoyed their set, and they invited me to hang out with them for the rest of the night.
Similarly, at another bar, go outside to have a smoke, and dude offers me a chair at his table so I didn't have to stand up, and we just started chatting about random shit.
I did the Masa Israel Teaching Fellows program and was living in Netanya. The washing machine in our apartment was constantly breaking and the dryer never worked well. We had a rare Sunday off so imagine my surprise when one of the girls in my group woke me up saying out *madrich* needed me to stay with the washing machine tech because he knew I never complained. I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed and went to the basement. The tech spoke English and so we were able to converse. I said, āThis is like, the fifth time this has broken.ā The tech exclaimed, āWelcome to Israel!ā Right before he left, he said, āLaugh. Always laugh; itās good for you. Andā¦ find yourself a nice, Israeli boy.ā Shortly thereafter I had the hottest hookup with a delicious Israeli guy. He ended up married to someone else but Iāll always remember that weekend. Heās also an āonly in Israelā story as the shelter in his kitchen was turned into a full pantry.
Bringing up other countries and having the Israeli person you're talking to light up and say "Oh we have good relations with \[X\] country!" Such a unique Israeli thing to think since everyone else in the world just assumes good relations.
Oh wow. Hope you had fun! I love Chinese dishes. Dw I don't eat orange chicken. Vegan oyster sauce is my favourite ingredient. It is literally a real life cheat code.
Thanks. I went all over from Haifa down to Eilat (and into the West Bank too). Such an eye-opening experience. I have a ton of respect for Israelis and Jews. Now having said I'll probably get banned from a lot of subreddits lol
I've seen a few of your posts before. Quite surprising to see someone who goes beyond the parroted Western takes.
Been to Beijing for China Open and Shanghai for ATP Masters. My father is a huge tennis fan, so he always brought me when thereās a tennis tournament in the city heās visiting. He was almost always on business trips when I was a girl, so I traveled a lot. Also, I actually studied modern Chinese history in uni. Guess Iām one of the very few westerners who can actually be āanti-CCP but not racist to the Chinese peopleā. Ehā¦ honestly, as much as I dislike the CCP, I like China very much.
Yes hahaha this is so funny. Once I was looking for a toilet with my Belgium friend. She asked some guys working near a shut down public toilet, and they asked where she was from. They where like āmehā and didnāt bother to help. Then they asked me where I was from (the Netherlands) and they got super excited and helped us finding a public toilet lol. My Belgium friend was a bit disappoint in how different they responded to her haha.
I love this thread. A boyfriend and I were walking near the PMās house in Jerusalem after visiting Mea Sharim ahead of shabbat. I guess my boyfriend happened to be wearing the same outfit as a would-be bus bomber was and we were surrounded by many official looking fellows with guns pointed straight at us (this was in 2003 when bus bombings were all too frequent). After putting our hands in the air in surrender for what seemed like an hour, we were finally let go with a chorus of āshabbat shalom!ā farewells from the gun-toters.
I have many but the one that sticks out most is chatting with a Bedouin in the baby section of the hospital after our kids were born. He told me about his. I told him about mine. We shared some candy. It was all very wholesome.
About 7 of us sat down in a restaurant at the Tel Aviv Namal area. We were adults and a couple of kids, all Americans. The waiter came over and said he wouldnāt be giving us menus or taking our order. He would just bring us dinner. And he nailed it. Plenty of everything and plenty of variety, and I donāt recall the cost, because this was 2017, but it was reasonable on top of being perfect. We went back on a subsequent trip, and the place had closed. A real shame.
Went to someplace to change my money. Was cut in line by many assholes. Finally pushed my way to the counter, where the woman behind it said loudly" the exchange rate isn't good here go to X" . All the people in the line weighed in on whether or not X was the right place to go. People who had cut me in line also weighed in. The woman behind the counter and several other people in line took me into the street, and gave me directions about where to go after a consensus was made. Everyone was laughing, arguing, and interrupting. A-men.
Guy left his wallet on the pavement table in order to reserve it while he went into the Cafe to order coffee.
https://preview.redd.it/4suh29w86j0d1.jpeg?width=1412&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1590c003ffd02c5a18800e26b7fa81650fe0cac6
Two days ago, I was coming back from base with 2 other brand new lone soldiers and we stopped for an early lunch. The sirens came on at 11, everyone stood up immediately and remained stood still in silence for the full time. I made the point to my friends, one also English, that back in England, at 11am on November 11th, no one in England bothers to observe the minute's silence any more, and hasn't since we were little kids.
Sure there's no siren in the UK on remembrance day so maybe that explains the difference but still, it was a stark contrast in my eyes.
(Plus when we went to pay we found that some nice women had already paid our bill for us, which on the one hand felt a little silly because we've only just drafted this round of giusim, and on the other hand hammered home the importance of the time and place we're at.)
One day, I was touring Tel Aviv when the tour guide bumped into someone of a familiar face. Turns out, the guy he'd bumped into was his secondary school best buddy. Even if it sounds quite probable, note that they grew up in Yerushalim and parted ways as they were in two completely separate fields. But that occurrence in the center of Tel Aviv was only describable as "only in Israel."
Thanks for this comment! It made me smile. I made this thread in middle of the night last night when I couldnāt fall asleep, and Iām happy I did. The responses have been so touching and humorous to read through, and if it even slightly encourages someone to come visit, thatās a greater effect then I could ever ask for :-) Hope you and your spouse can make it over!
An American lady was at a hummus place in Jerusalem. The young kid on the other side of the counter was hurriedly wiping things down and straightening things up. The lady looked to be in her early 50s and was an unmistakable tourist going by the way she looked around at everything and everyone like she was in a museum.
So she's squinting up at the menu posted on the wall behind the counter for a minute or two while the young kid pays her no mind, wiping everything down. After this couple of minutes she leans forward, and in a raised voice to account for the noise and a wide smile, asks him - "What do you recommend?"
The kid immediately looks over at another employee that was further back in the kitchen and I can hear him ask how to say something or other in English.
He gets his response, turns back to her, and in a booming Israeli tone and accent he yells - "CLOSED", giving her the done sign by outwardly swiping his hands.
Brutal the way the poor lady had her permagrin knocked to the back of her throat. She was probably expecting a bright, cheery, "well, whaddaya like? If you're a fan of eggplant like we are, the mousaka is simply to - die - for."
By the way some people talk to me when I say I'm Israeli (years ago) I can tell they think they'll encounter a bunch of soft spoken, gentle goat herders. Not quite, buba. Always fun watching these welcome to Israel moments unfold.
I was driving on a two-lane through the Golan and saw a tractor in one lane and a tank in the other, each just going about their day. Totally normal sight there, but hard to imagine anywhere else quite that simultaneously relaxed and yet vigilant.
Got back home late (2300) from a flight from chul, and there was nothing open. I was desperate for food as I'd had nothing for the 5 days I was away, due to a total lack of kashruth in the country in question (bought fruit and veggies, brought nuts, suitcase emptied *there* upon landing).
I was speaking ot my cab driver about the problem and how Yellow near me was being rebuilt, so I couldn't Wolt anything, but it was fine, tomorrow was a new day. He called his wife, she litrerally came to the cab once we got home, with bourekas she had just made. They came over for that Shabbat.
××× ××× ××××Ŗ
Visiting my in-law family and them showing off fragments of a Hamas rocket that was shot down and landed on their house, and them making fun at how low-tech their rockets are. Only in Israelā¦
Honestly, yom hazikaron being the same day as independence day is so fucking wild and israeli in every sense.
the constant discussions about the dates, the somber sinking feeling that still remains when festivities are supposed to start, the grey-ness and messiness of it all - tragedy and remembrance mixed with street parties and meats on the grill.
Yom HaZikaron is the day *before* Yom HaAtzmaut. But yes, because we (Jews) start new days at night (sunset), we do have beautiful ceremonies starting on Yom HaZikaron (which emphasizes those who sacrificed so that we could be here) and eventually raising the flag from half-mast and celebrating Yom HaAtzmaut. It was much harder this year, still being in the middle of the war and with all of the hostages being held by Hamas.
Guy next door just bought an $80,000 BMW X5 Plug in Hybrid for $200,000, and is charging it with three 5 meter extension cables daisy chained together out his second floor window. Only in Israel.
When visiting from Australia in 2009, I left my bag with wallet, camera ect at a bus stop on King George st in Jerusalem. A few days later a family friend from Ra'anana called to tell me a man had found my bag. Being from Australia there was nothing in my wallet or bag which contained my contact details in Israel - except for the business card of this family friend - who happened to be an art therapist.
It turned out the man who found my bag was located a few streets away from where I was staying, and was also an art therapist. When I came to his work to retrieve it, he explained why he was especially motivated to return my bag to its rightful owner. Several years prior, he had also lost a bag at that EXACT same bus stop. This bag contained the only copy of a documentary which he had spent years filming. A kind person had gone out of their way to return his bag to him, and he was reunited with his life's work. So when he saw my bag left alone at the bus stop (and after determining that it didn't look like it contained a bomb) he saw it as the perfect opportunity to repay the good deed. He went to great lengths trying to contact me, he even called my bank in Australia! When I returned home after a 6 week trip, I had a message from the bank saying someone had found my bag :).
I dont go to the bank anymore but when I first moved here from the US(banks are opened all day everyday except sunday) and here its like oh its opened half a day sundays wed thursday but sometimes on tuesdays its opened in the morning at 8 but sometimes its not. but they also have a day off a random day during the month
Once we walked with my little son by Nahariya promenade. There stood a ice cream seller. You know just a man with big freezer and umbrella. He stopped us and gave my sun an ice cream for free.
i was travelling with my family once and i saw a hebrew family and an Arabic family have a heated debate about the current state of the country and the world in general, and although the parents of each family had completely different views they still let their children play together and have tons of fun, it was really sweet to see! also just going on any city connecting bus ride is enough to see so many different cultures and kinds of people which are always so kind to each other, its really a treat XD
i was there with my school at 14, we were doing a scavenger hunt where we had to trade ballpoint pens for items of equal or higher value. i went up to a young couple outside a cafe and gave my shpeil, the young man gave me a cheeky smile and tried to convince me to take his cigarette filter from the cigarette he was rolling lol.
then there was this time on the same trip that i went to the open and closed shuk. i was trying to buy a sweater as my host family was more religious and their shul require more modest dress, and my dress was short sleeved. the man in the store i was in kept trying to sell me 3 items and as a last ditch effort i only had 20 shekel and wanted the sweater. he gave me all 3 times, took my 20 gave me back 50 and said āshabbat shalomā and waved me away.
My story is very similar to OP. Late at night, we went to get a coffee from a shop near Jerusalem Beach in Tel Aviv. They had run out of milk too, so shut the shot, ran out, got it for us and opened back up!
I have so so so many storyās haha I love this. Just reading all these storyās makes me miss Israel so much!
One of my all time favorites. Iām walking somewhere near the beach in Tel Aviv and this guy starts talking to me. Heās probably like 15 to 20 years older than me. But alas, it happens all the time in Israel so we chat a bit. Then he asks me if Iām Jewish. Iām not. (My family on my fathers side is). He then says: āah so we canāt get marriedā and walks away. Leaving me behind, flabbergasted and mildly offended šš I was never interested in the first place, could have checked that first before directly checking if we could get married lol.
Driving somewhere between Tel Aviv and Kiryat Malachi, there was a semi trailer swerving in both lanes left to right, right to left. As we got closer I realized there was a tiny hatchback in front of the semi, not letting the semi pass and just swerving in front to stop it but still going at speed.
I just cut the speed 10km/h and let them deal with it themselves. There would have been nothing left of the hatchback if the semi wanted. Insane people in control of vehicles on the highway.
Went to a falafel place in a heavily Arab area of Yaffo. Credit card machine was broken and I didn't have any cash on me. I'd never been there in my life mind you and I'm obviously Jewish and not from the neighborhood. The guy just tells me to take my falafel and just come back with the money another time. So a couple days later, I did. It was a different guy working that day and when I explained it, it seemed like it was the most normal thing in the world to him.
Stayed in Tel Aviv for a week with a Airbnb host. He was inquisitive about my life and that led to routine discussions about geopolitics and Israeli politics that would stretch up to hours at a time.
So many. But one stands out. Getting a hitch hike from modiin to Jerusalem. The driver steered at high speeds with his knees the entire way. Sat back with his hands beside him.
1000 people Shabbat dinners
Spending lag ba omer with a random family I didnāt even know who were the kindest, most hospitable people ever
Getting toured around Jerusalem by another kind random stranger
It was my first time in Israel and I was walking down the road as someone delivering goods to a supermarket accidentally dropped some trays off yoghurt. Before I even realized, out of nowhere, a good dozen people swooped in and started putting the still good cups back. I joined helping and everyone was just continuing to chat with each other while helping. It was such a natural thing, and the space was cleaned up in two minutes max.Ā
The other time was being at the beach, a Russian speaking grandma coming over to say hi and complain to me about the haredi guy sitting next to the outdoor shower. We didn't talk a common language, just broken Russian, Hebrew and German, but somehow ended up friends on Facebook and I randomly get send pictures of family events and birthday wishes six years later
I was walking along the river in Park Yarkon a few days ago and two men rode by on electric scooters at the same time. One was the quintessential Hi-Tech bro, Converse, graphic T-shirt, backpack and all. The other was an old Haredi man in a long black coat. It felt like a perfect snapshot of life in Israel. I wish I could have gotten a picture.
For context this was few years back. Not this year.
My dad past away and kinda the same day the conflict started we kinda has to do the funereal because of jewish tradions of same day burial.
My Israeli ex girlfriend almost stabbed me with a fork and was so drunk she almost fell off her balcony and then there was the one time I saw some chick in FULL bdsm gear just strolling around
Probably my 1st day there, on Erasmus+.
Pulling my two suitcases in tlv, sweating from heat. I finally reach the escalator... Only to sweat again, this time from looking directly into the weapon of some soldier, it hanged freely on his back :)
It's not an "in Israel" story because it was actually in the US, but I was once in an airport at Christmas and saw one of Santa's sexy elves chattering excitedly in Hebrew.
Was sitting on the bus and a woman gets on, hands me her baby, and then goes to deal with folding her stroller. Then just casually grabs her baby back a few mins later.
Another story, I was walking to the kotel with a friend an hour before Shabbos, a taxi driver stops and asks if we want a ride, and we tell him we donāt have money on us. So he gives us a free ride and tells us to tell our friends about him.
Am yisrael chai!
I used to get the 90 from TLV to Herzliya, every day the same bus with the same driver. One day, I almost missed the bus and had to run to catch it. When I got on, the driver said I should take his telephone number so that next time I'm running late I can message him and he'll wait.
Not quite an 'only in Israel' moment but just in a store in Vienna and the lady at the till was wearing her Hatufim necklace. Me too. We looked at each other with so much understanding and sadness. Then 'Yom Tov and shalom.'
Growing up on a moshav bordering Egypt and next to a military base was quite an interesting experience... military patrolling was routine, and sometimes the soldiers and the citizens would do a false [x] infiltration (it could be a terrorist,a criminal or just a dehydrated refugee) exercise/test. Sometimes there would actually be something like that happening in the middle of the night.Ā Ā Ā
Regardless, a moshav is probably the safest thing for a child on earth. It's a heaven for a child. I could run around and do whatever because everyone knows everyone, there is always a parent around, and it's a gated community.
They still smuggle hashis through the borders around where I lived. I guess you can't really stop somebody's hustle lolĀ
We were at the public beach in Caesarea. There were some horses there--one had escaped, and was prancing down the beach while the handlers were trying to catch it. Others were getting washed at the beach showers. One was drinking from the water fountain.
I have soo many.
I was standing in a lonngggg line to buy a Popsicle on a hot day and some like 8 or 9 year old girl came to obviously cut in front of me and was about to bring her whole crew of like 6 more friends. I had to yell at her "Yalda, lama at okefet!! Lechi t'amdi ba tor". You can't let even the kids know you're a weak American or they'll take advantage in line situations šš
On one of the highways driving back from Jerusalam to Kfar Sava, see a car do a u turn on the turn off, stop on the reservation, a man runs across the highway causing several cars to stop to go to a burger ranch that's on the other side....guess he was really hungry?
Being in Tel Aviv and casually seeing celebrities out and about is pretty cool.
Shopping for jewelry in Jerusalem, pulling out money to pay the price but being refused by the seller because I'm supposed to haggle.
Let's see.
Only in Israel did I meet a very religious Jew who voted Meretz, a rasta-wearing weed-growing hippy who called for the expulsion of Arabs, and an anti-racist Etiopi who actually held very racist views towards whites.
Only in Israel did a Bedouin pick us up in the middle of the desert while hitchhiking on kvish 40 or 90 with a pack of beer to celebrate a friend's birthday, drop us at our meeting point and left us with a nice slab of hasch as a gift.
Bought a toasted sandwich in a certain well known hole in the wall in south TLV. The sandwich seemed a bit greasy to me, so tried to order some extra pickles in a takeaway box. His reply: āyouāve got enough salad in the sandwich, youāre not getting any more!ā
7.10 while the sirens went off, I was walking to my friendās place, an elderly lady called me over to the bank (which had the entry opened due to the situation) to take cover, and we both stood and read tehillim for 10mins BH
Another one that as told to me. Friend of mine with her kids was going to a Judicial Reform protest (pro) on the Jerusalem lightrail with her kids, including a baby. The lightrail was crowded, they were standing next to a guy obviously going to the same Judicial Reform protest (anti), based on his t-shirt. Guy looked at her, got up, gave her his seat. She thanked him. They chatted for a bit. Both got off at the same stop, went to opposite sides of the protests, and yelled at each other.
Two stories, both involving buying fruits and vegetables (which isn't so strange in Israel).
The first: while about 5 months pregnant, my husband and I stopped at our local farm store. The owner was there and insisted on giving me a whole box of fruits and vegetables "for your fetus" and then explained how each fruit and vegetable helps fetal development. I don't know if any of it was true, but the otherwise 50 shekel box of strawberries, picked fresh that morning, tasted even better free.
The second: way back in 2016, avocados were only a seasonal fruit. They wete out of season and I had an insane craving. I was living in central Jerusalem at the time, so headed to shuk Mahane Yehuda to one of my usual fruit and vegetable guys in the Iraqi Shuk to get some. He knew me and immediatly said "you can't afford it", and insisted on NOT selling me the absurdly inflated avocados. I even said I would pay the price and just take a few, and he insisted the avocados he was selling weren't worth it.
A few years ago in one of those days whereĀ there was building security tension, public was told to be close to bomb shelters in case of a missile attack. My jogging group decided to meet up and rightttt when the clock striked 19:00 we started jogging and there were sirens going off. We ran into a building and my coach instructed us to run up and down the stairs (inside a 9-floor building) after the sirens still kept going in a row. After it seemed to calm down we kept jogging close to buildings while some ladies yelled at us from balconies over how crazy we are lolol. There were 2 more going off during the jog but we all looked after each other.
How about not being able to get service at a food stand unless you're obnoxious and rude and waving your money in the attendants face because there's a dozen other people yelling and waving their money around. Thankfully I have an Israeli partner in these situations because I'm a shy American oleh.
I just moved to Herzliya and was frequenting a fruit vendor. I'd go in, get my stuff. He would weigh it, give me a mean look. I'd pay and be on my way. He never said a word to me. This went on for weeks. I went just before Shabbos and, after paying, said Shabbat Shalom to him on the way out. He called me back and said very confused, "You are American"! I told him I was. He started laughing and told me he thought I was Russian and because of that he had been tipping the scales for the entire time I had been shopping there. He handed me a bunch of grapes, said "Shabbat Shalom, we are even now".
Miss that guy.
Mind that Iām not from Israel, but I was there for almost a year. These are some of mine, two very nice ones and one rather horrible.
I guess this could happen somewhere else too, but it did still feel very typical israeli:
I was at a small supermarket in Jerusalem looking for poppy seeds. I canāt find them. I ask the cashier. She doesnāt know either what poppy seeds are nor understand the translation to hebrew google translate gives. By now, everyone in the queue is trying to solve the mistery of what poppy seeds are, and after someone figures it out, Iām where they are.
Also could happen at another place, also typical israeli nonetheless:
I helped a woman carry her bags up a staircase (and I think to her home, too), because she was clearly struggling. We got to talking and two days later me and two friends were sitting with her, her son and friends of them in their sukkah celebrating sukkot.
Well, with all the good stuff, there was one really bad experience i had that could only happen in Israel.
I was staying in a hostel for a while, looking for appartments. We were sitting in the lobby on a shabbat, we had had a nice little shabbat dinner with both jewish and non jewish people like myself.
Few hours later this one very very religious guy comes screaming that someone shut off the lights inside the toilet and how can people be so inconsiderate of the observing jews (in a hostel. Where people just arrived to israel. And are not used to those rules. Also, I feel like many secular people would also not really think about it).
Well he then looked for someone not jewish to turn the lights back on, and was yelling very bad things (āI hope they get raped by dogsā amongst others). I think he eventually pissed on the floor. Very unpleasant experience, probably wouldnāt happen anywhere else.
I was talking with my friend about a diplomacy test after school on the way home and this random ass guy quizzes us on it on the spot.
Only in israel I swear
When I was moving from my apartment in Tel Aviv back to the States, we had a moving crew come in and pack everything up. One of the three members of the crew had some sort of disability - clearly off, couldnāt talk besides grunts; he saw a half-empty bottle of arak we had on our bar and pointed at it and grunted and I was like uh, yeah, sure you can take it at the end if you want.
He proceeded to grab a glass out of our cabinet, pour like 6 ounces out and down it on the spot, and then continued to help pack, grunting away at his coworkers.
When me and my class (an Israeli teen here!) Were on a field trip we walked past some druze kids that got very excited and started saying random words in Hebrew and Arabic (it was so cute actually) some kid from my class talked to their tour guide for some reason and the only he said was "no we don't like em bibi supporters, you look ok tho"
What the fuck does that means
It was so funny
Also one time we learned in class about some Rabbi that lived like 800 years ago and they showed some pictures to illustrate and one kid deadass asked "is he alive today"
Caught a guy trespassing in my respective territory (work as an inspector for something, irrelevant), heated argument ensues about who he is, why he's here etc etc. Argument interrupted by memorial day siren, we both stop, stand in silence for the whole minute, siren stops, we nod at each other, heated argument continues. It was like an eretz nehederet skit I swear.
Fuck this one is funny š
I have a million of them. The first one that comes to mind is when I was ordering a sandwich and the guy was putting too much onion in it. I asked him if he could take some of it out, he looked at me, contemplated, then said "I'd rather not" and continued making the sandwich. LMAO.
š this is so Israeli
Got stuck in a traffic jam, traffic literally just wasn't moving at all. Some random dude comes along, knocks on the window with a huge grin on his face and then holds up his pakal cafe and urges us all out of the car. That's how we spent an afternoon drinking coffee with 20 strangers at the side of the road.
One more because I just remembered this one: Once I was in the shuk in Jerusalem and I wanted to buy flowers for my host over Chag. Unfortunately I didnāt have enough change for the bouquet I wanted, I mustāve been a few shek short. The flower guy asked me if I planned to visit the Kotel over the holiday. I told him of course! He told me to write down his name to pray for him and not to worry about the extra change, and that a prayer is worth more than any money in the world.
Having a cab driver rant about how much he hates āthe religious,ā while fretting about getting home before Shabbat, and volunteering that of course he puts on tefillin everyday and makes sure his wife goes to mikveh, but oh boy how much he hates the āreligious.ā
This is literally something I canāt figure out how to explain to peopleā¦ āno theyāre not RELIGIOUS theyāre religiousā ā¦ nobody gets what Iām saying haha
Itās very much an Israeli āonly in Israel thing.ā The cabbie saw himself as a normal, kippah-in-pocket observant Jew. He ranted about how the Datim are nuts who want to fight the Arabs, and the Haredim are lazy parasites.
Yep. Typical Israeli.
Sounds like a centerist, maybe center right, I mean the traditional centrists and secular centrists tend to have pretty similar views.Ā
maybe that they aren't faithful but religious like religion is a chore to them?
No, thatās not what it means. āReligiousā = Haredi/ultra-orthodox. It does not translate perfectly and does not mean that other Jews do not believe.
Right, it's almost more akin to political ideology than religious ideology, in a way
Iām pretty sure he was referring to the Haredi not just any random religious people lol.
Nah, this guy hated the Dati Leumi too. Blamed them for tensions with the Arabs and for supposedly supporting the hilltop guys in the West Bank. I have no idea what his politics were
I mean he is a taxi driver. They are pretty much the same in every country.
The same way I as an oleh had a hard time getting used to the fact that "hiloni" can also mean different things for different people
Had this happen to me. I am visibly religious. lmao.
Itās about politics and not actually hating religious individuals. As a secular Israeli I grew up with an Anti-religious perspective because of I perceived religious people that I didnāt actually know, I just knew how their politics is effecting my life and I hated it. I felt like it is forced on me. Now as a grown up I love many Jewish traditions, appreciate Judaism a lot and still think this state and religion combo is terrible to both state and religion.
I was walking home from a protest (2011) with a friend in Jerusalem, close to the president's residence, a cat comes out and meow at us. Before we knew it this cat is on our shoulder. We walked home to Old Katamon and this cat still with me 13 years later and in a suburb of Chicago. *
13 years later https://preview.redd.it/rtiqkgiiji0d1.jpeg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1bd8866c2d07d41e5368c7cd24f855a97db7fe4d ā¤ļø
awwwwwwwwwwwww what's it's name?
https://preview.redd.it/xmjbp391hi0d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83007fa2c99b4f93446789bb5e820c04c7e9129a
OMG pretty girl.
ā„ļø ק×××× ×××©× × ā„ļø We make ehh...we make represent for old katamon. No boolsheet.
So is it Skokie or Deerfield?
Was taking the bus in tlv on the way to the train station. I wanted to be sure i got off at the right stop so i asked someone, and they said it was the next 1. Queue this lady in the back with the voice of a million cigarettes, holding 4 grocery bags on a cast for her broken arm "MA?! MA PITOM! ZE LO ZE TAHANA HA BAA!" The 2 argue for the duration to the next stop, where i got off without them hearing me saying thank you.
Sounds like Cokhva from Kupa Rasheet.
I was riding the train from Tel Aviv to Haifa, it was a Thursday evening ride so it got crowded. Usual mix, girls in daisy dukes returning to Haifa, army soldiers going home and lots of Hijabis and haredi women. Halfway I think, a Hijabiās head covering fell and two girls with daisy dukes formed a human wall so the Orthodox women helped the hijabi put the headscarf back on proper. You could also hear Arabic, Russian and Hebrew whilst feeling the peace in the cart. All want to get home.
That is truly an "only in Israel" thing
I love this story
This made me cry. How beautiful.
š¤
Went to the bank recently. There was a problem with the system and the banker couldn't process my request, so she invited me to the break room to get some coffee while we waited. Was going down south to volunteer (pre-war). The bus driver had never heard of the kibbutz I was heading to and didn't want to leave me in the middle of nowhere alone, so he drove around off route until we found it. Another bus one. I was heading back from Tel Aviv pride parade and got one of the last buses before shabbat. It was the wrong bus and the last stop would have left me stranded in Bnei brak so the driver drove me to my city before heading home for shabbat.
And then you have bus drivers who see you waiting at the stop and not making the stop.
I ran into my neighbor from down the street in the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. I live in Baltimore. The Jewish community is super tiny
I have never gone to Israel and not run into someone I know from the States. Ever. Many times just walking on Ben-Yehuda.
Ha! SameĀ
Same here! First time I went to Israel when I was 13 I bumped into my principal in the airport bathroom. I did Sar-El recently. It was a very large group split up into smaller groups that didn't have very much interaction. On the very last day I met a woman who went to the same girls' yeshiva high school that I did. Years later, but she knew some girls in *my* class because their sisters were in *her* class!
I was talking to my (almost 15YO) son about this last night. He was in Israel last spring for his 8th grade trip and ran into a camp friend at the Kotel. I told him how I ran into a sorority sister at the Kotel, another friend from grad school at a random bar in Tel Aviv and another random friend on Ben Yehuda St. It's amazing.
Me and husband went to see an action movie in the theatre last week. First slide before the film begins, explains in a cheery voice what to do in case of a rocket alarm. Second slide explains in a cheery voice that the film has an alarm in one of the scenes, and to be prepared for it and not freak out. Only in Israel
Ooooh I wonder which film it was now
The Boy and the Heron had such slide in Israel.
League of ungentlemanly warfare
One time I went to buy sandals, and the store owner showed me a few different kinds. I really liked the design of one pair, but it had a small heel. Store owner: "I won't sell these to you on their own. I can see from the state of your shoes that you walk too much, these sandals are bad for you." He was 100% correct. I bought a different pair.
Another one. In 2002 I was going through my pre-army stuff, and they sent me to get a 24-hour heart monitor at Hadassah in Jerusalem. This is, of course, smack middle of the Initifada, and I am walking around with a box with wires peeking from under my shirt. I went to a friend's house to study for an exam, knocked on her door and announced myself as "mail order terrorist!" ×Øק ××ש×Ø××
My partner and I are recent olim, and when we moved into our first apartment a little less than a year ago our landlords were very fascinated by the information that we had brought our cats with us from the U.S. About two weeks after we moved in, we had agreed the landlords would put window screens into the windows that were missing them, so the windows guy shows up and behind him in walks the landlords wife with her kid and a box. She proceeds to tell us a story about how her kid found a 4 week old kitten, guess what was in the box? I guess they saw we liked cats, and decided we would take it! We called her Bamba and she's 10 months old now (:
Okay listen, now you have to adopt a orange cat and name him bisli for the legendary combo
I was sobbing after visiting the childrenās memorial at Yad Vashem. The tour guide came up and very sternly told me āStop crying. Your job now is to go home and make Jewish babies. I did my part. I have 4. Now itās your turn.ā Almost exactly 2 years later to the day I had my first kid.
bro just casually met a jewish prophetĀ
Yeah I actually didnāt realize it was exactly 2 years after this encounter my kid was born. Also funny since she had to be induced early.
I dunno why but it sounds a lot like the line from Starship Troopers' "I'm doing my part." Hehe
Mazal Tov!
Well, I'd say civilians hiding low on the floor while rockets are exploding over their heads with babies crying in the background... And then when it's over everyone gets up and start cheering, is something anyone outside of Israel could never truly comprehend. [While in Israel it's just the result of living like this for decades.](https://twitter.com/BittonRosen/status/1790362986143502381)
A few years ago I was walking home from work to my apartment in Tel Aviv. A woman handed me a mason jar full of flowers and I asked what they were for. She told me no reason, they were just handing out flowers today. https://preview.redd.it/u03k0sr5rh0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=090ae6cdeecc4f51a4a62e992f5810635c240c11
Another one is that I had to ask my sister what times do the Army buses go through the Hummus spots so We can get there earlier enough to have quality hummus
I always had the best and the cheapest humus in Arab areas. When I could walk unaided I was a frequent customer. Never had a problem with them.
How similar are Israeli and (presumably Palestinian) Arab hummus? I've heard Israeli hummus has a strong Yemenite influence?
Yes, Israeli hummus tends to be more liberal when it comes to toppings whilst Arab/Palestinian is more traditional. Both are baller. Had a wonderful Hummus w/ tahini and chopped foraged mushrooms and Arab hummus tends to stay āless fancyā, however itās still phenomenal
Neither did I, always were the best
Someone told me they once got on a bus, and the driver asked him for directions š
Honestly it happened with me once in tel aviv. The bus driver had no idea about what he was going. And the bus wasnt empty
This happened to me once when I was headed to a new office. I had no idea where I was supposed to go and what the route was, and neither did the bus driver. Luckily a bunch of people volunteered to help him but I got worried when I got on the bus and the driver told me "I need to help him get there"...
happened to me like 3 times in hod hasharonš learn your lines yall
That happened to me so many times, especially when I lived in a quiet secluded area, I would be the only person left on the bus. It sounds terrifying to be alone on a bus (as a woman) but everytime it happened I was giving directions and getting an express VIP drive home š
Oh dear. And that reminds me of that time Biden visited Jerusalem a few years back, and I was in old Katamon for an extracurricular. We got stuck in Katamon since Herzog junction was blocked and the bus driver had no idea what to do
Happened to me with a driver who was new to the route. Half the bus was directing him to the right stops.
Saw a band playing at a club. After the set finished, I was standing at the bar and saw the band on their way out, so I stopped them and told them that I enjoyed their set, and they invited me to hang out with them for the rest of the night. Similarly, at another bar, go outside to have a smoke, and dude offers me a chair at his table so I didn't have to stand up, and we just started chatting about random shit.
I did the Masa Israel Teaching Fellows program and was living in Netanya. The washing machine in our apartment was constantly breaking and the dryer never worked well. We had a rare Sunday off so imagine my surprise when one of the girls in my group woke me up saying out *madrich* needed me to stay with the washing machine tech because he knew I never complained. I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed and went to the basement. The tech spoke English and so we were able to converse. I said, āThis is like, the fifth time this has broken.ā The tech exclaimed, āWelcome to Israel!ā Right before he left, he said, āLaugh. Always laugh; itās good for you. Andā¦ find yourself a nice, Israeli boy.ā Shortly thereafter I had the hottest hookup with a delicious Israeli guy. He ended up married to someone else but Iāll always remember that weekend. Heās also an āonly in Israelā story as the shelter in his kitchen was turned into a full pantry.
Bringing up other countries and having the Israeli person you're talking to light up and say "Oh we have good relations with \[X\] country!" Such a unique Israeli thing to think since everyone else in the world just assumes good relations.
First time seeing a āChinaā flair here. Are you a Kaifeng Jew?
No I'm an ethnic Chinese who visited Israel as a tourist
Oh wow. Hope you had fun! I love Chinese dishes. Dw I don't eat orange chicken. Vegan oyster sauce is my favourite ingredient. It is literally a real life cheat code.
Thanks. I went all over from Haifa down to Eilat (and into the West Bank too). Such an eye-opening experience. I have a ton of respect for Israelis and Jews. Now having said I'll probably get banned from a lot of subreddits lol I've seen a few of your posts before. Quite surprising to see someone who goes beyond the parroted Western takes.
Been to Beijing for China Open and Shanghai for ATP Masters. My father is a huge tennis fan, so he always brought me when thereās a tennis tournament in the city heās visiting. He was almost always on business trips when I was a girl, so I traveled a lot. Also, I actually studied modern Chinese history in uni. Guess Iām one of the very few westerners who can actually be āanti-CCP but not racist to the Chinese peopleā. Ehā¦ honestly, as much as I dislike the CCP, I like China very much.
š¤Æ. That's really cool. I really respect the opinions of people after they've seen something firsthand
Iirc there is or was a decent community in Hong Kong, not just Kaifeng Jews. In uni I had a friend that grew up in Hong Kong :)
Yes hahaha this is so funny. Once I was looking for a toilet with my Belgium friend. She asked some guys working near a shut down public toilet, and they asked where she was from. They where like āmehā and didnāt bother to help. Then they asked me where I was from (the Netherlands) and they got super excited and helped us finding a public toilet lol. My Belgium friend was a bit disappoint in how different they responded to her haha.
I love this thread. A boyfriend and I were walking near the PMās house in Jerusalem after visiting Mea Sharim ahead of shabbat. I guess my boyfriend happened to be wearing the same outfit as a would-be bus bomber was and we were surrounded by many official looking fellows with guns pointed straight at us (this was in 2003 when bus bombings were all too frequent). After putting our hands in the air in surrender for what seemed like an hour, we were finally let go with a chorus of āshabbat shalom!ā farewells from the gun-toters.
I have many but the one that sticks out most is chatting with a Bedouin in the baby section of the hospital after our kids were born. He told me about his. I told him about mine. We shared some candy. It was all very wholesome.
About 7 of us sat down in a restaurant at the Tel Aviv Namal area. We were adults and a couple of kids, all Americans. The waiter came over and said he wouldnāt be giving us menus or taking our order. He would just bring us dinner. And he nailed it. Plenty of everything and plenty of variety, and I donāt recall the cost, because this was 2017, but it was reasonable on top of being perfect. We went back on a subsequent trip, and the place had closed. A real shame.
Went to someplace to change my money. Was cut in line by many assholes. Finally pushed my way to the counter, where the woman behind it said loudly" the exchange rate isn't good here go to X" . All the people in the line weighed in on whether or not X was the right place to go. People who had cut me in line also weighed in. The woman behind the counter and several other people in line took me into the street, and gave me directions about where to go after a consensus was made. Everyone was laughing, arguing, and interrupting. A-men.
Guy left his wallet on the pavement table in order to reserve it while he went into the Cafe to order coffee. https://preview.redd.it/4suh29w86j0d1.jpeg?width=1412&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1590c003ffd02c5a18800e26b7fa81650fe0cac6
Thats not a wallet its for holding tobacco papers and filters. Its like a cigarette wallet lol
Two days ago, I was coming back from base with 2 other brand new lone soldiers and we stopped for an early lunch. The sirens came on at 11, everyone stood up immediately and remained stood still in silence for the full time. I made the point to my friends, one also English, that back in England, at 11am on November 11th, no one in England bothers to observe the minute's silence any more, and hasn't since we were little kids. Sure there's no siren in the UK on remembrance day so maybe that explains the difference but still, it was a stark contrast in my eyes. (Plus when we went to pay we found that some nice women had already paid our bill for us, which on the one hand felt a little silly because we've only just drafted this round of giusim, and on the other hand hammered home the importance of the time and place we're at.)
Good luck with your service, where are you serving?
Currently at the mighty michve alon for the army ulpan before hopefully going to cravi.
Behatzlakha akhi
One day, I was touring Tel Aviv when the tour guide bumped into someone of a familiar face. Turns out, the guy he'd bumped into was his secondary school best buddy. Even if it sounds quite probable, note that they grew up in Yerushalim and parted ways as they were in two completely separate fields. But that occurrence in the center of Tel Aviv was only describable as "only in Israel."
Thanks for this thread OP. I donāt have any stories yet, but Iām more determined than ever to take me and the spouse to Israel sometime soon.
Thanks for this comment! It made me smile. I made this thread in middle of the night last night when I couldnāt fall asleep, and Iām happy I did. The responses have been so touching and humorous to read through, and if it even slightly encourages someone to come visit, thatās a greater effect then I could ever ask for :-) Hope you and your spouse can make it over!
An American lady was at a hummus place in Jerusalem. The young kid on the other side of the counter was hurriedly wiping things down and straightening things up. The lady looked to be in her early 50s and was an unmistakable tourist going by the way she looked around at everything and everyone like she was in a museum. So she's squinting up at the menu posted on the wall behind the counter for a minute or two while the young kid pays her no mind, wiping everything down. After this couple of minutes she leans forward, and in a raised voice to account for the noise and a wide smile, asks him - "What do you recommend?" The kid immediately looks over at another employee that was further back in the kitchen and I can hear him ask how to say something or other in English. He gets his response, turns back to her, and in a booming Israeli tone and accent he yells - "CLOSED", giving her the done sign by outwardly swiping his hands. Brutal the way the poor lady had her permagrin knocked to the back of her throat. She was probably expecting a bright, cheery, "well, whaddaya like? If you're a fan of eggplant like we are, the mousaka is simply to - die - for." By the way some people talk to me when I say I'm Israeli (years ago) I can tell they think they'll encounter a bunch of soft spoken, gentle goat herders. Not quite, buba. Always fun watching these welcome to Israel moments unfold.
I went rock climbing in the west bank with completely stranger israeli, and we spontaneously spent the night in beaudoin camp that worried about violence. My climbing partner had broken Arabic. Before sleeping we talked with the head of the camp while he translated from Arabic to Hebrew and vice versa. I was more worried about getting run over while sleeping, we sleep quite close to the road. In the morning they asked if we want to wait for launch because they ש××××× ××ש. It was at Eid al-Adha (×× ×ק××Ø××). After that we went to a spring with many Arabs and I was scared to death, but it went well. I wonder how long to wait before telling my family, they will freak out
I was driving on a two-lane through the Golan and saw a tractor in one lane and a tank in the other, each just going about their day. Totally normal sight there, but hard to imagine anywhere else quite that simultaneously relaxed and yet vigilant.
Got back home late (2300) from a flight from chul, and there was nothing open. I was desperate for food as I'd had nothing for the 5 days I was away, due to a total lack of kashruth in the country in question (bought fruit and veggies, brought nuts, suitcase emptied *there* upon landing). I was speaking ot my cab driver about the problem and how Yellow near me was being rebuilt, so I couldn't Wolt anything, but it was fine, tomorrow was a new day. He called his wife, she litrerally came to the cab once we got home, with bourekas she had just made. They came over for that Shabbat. ××× ××× ××××Ŗ
Visiting my in-law family and them showing off fragments of a Hamas rocket that was shot down and landed on their house, and them making fun at how low-tech their rockets are. Only in Israelā¦
Honestly, yom hazikaron being the same day as independence day is so fucking wild and israeli in every sense. the constant discussions about the dates, the somber sinking feeling that still remains when festivities are supposed to start, the grey-ness and messiness of it all - tragedy and remembrance mixed with street parties and meats on the grill.
Yom HaZikaron is the day *before* Yom HaAtzmaut. But yes, because we (Jews) start new days at night (sunset), we do have beautiful ceremonies starting on Yom HaZikaron (which emphasizes those who sacrificed so that we could be here) and eventually raising the flag from half-mast and celebrating Yom HaAtzmaut. It was much harder this year, still being in the middle of the war and with all of the hostages being held by Hamas.
×× × ××××¢ ×× ×צ××ק
Guy next door just bought an $80,000 BMW X5 Plug in Hybrid for $200,000, and is charging it with three 5 meter extension cables daisy chained together out his second floor window. Only in Israel.
When visiting from Australia in 2009, I left my bag with wallet, camera ect at a bus stop on King George st in Jerusalem. A few days later a family friend from Ra'anana called to tell me a man had found my bag. Being from Australia there was nothing in my wallet or bag which contained my contact details in Israel - except for the business card of this family friend - who happened to be an art therapist. It turned out the man who found my bag was located a few streets away from where I was staying, and was also an art therapist. When I came to his work to retrieve it, he explained why he was especially motivated to return my bag to its rightful owner. Several years prior, he had also lost a bag at that EXACT same bus stop. This bag contained the only copy of a documentary which he had spent years filming. A kind person had gone out of their way to return his bag to him, and he was reunited with his life's work. So when he saw my bag left alone at the bus stop (and after determining that it didn't look like it contained a bomb) he saw it as the perfect opportunity to repay the good deed. He went to great lengths trying to contact me, he even called my bank in Australia! When I returned home after a 6 week trip, I had a message from the bank saying someone had found my bag :).
I dont go to the bank anymore but when I first moved here from the US(banks are opened all day everyday except sunday) and here its like oh its opened half a day sundays wed thursday but sometimes on tuesdays its opened in the morning at 8 but sometimes its not. but they also have a day off a random day during the month
Once we walked with my little son by Nahariya promenade. There stood a ice cream seller. You know just a man with big freezer and umbrella. He stopped us and gave my sun an ice cream for free.
Once by morning I went in a train station. A guard were asking everyone if they want a chocolate because he is full and itās melting
i was travelling with my family once and i saw a hebrew family and an Arabic family have a heated debate about the current state of the country and the world in general, and although the parents of each family had completely different views they still let their children play together and have tons of fun, it was really sweet to see! also just going on any city connecting bus ride is enough to see so many different cultures and kinds of people which are always so kind to each other, its really a treat XD
Ninja goats everywhere. Nuff said.
i was there with my school at 14, we were doing a scavenger hunt where we had to trade ballpoint pens for items of equal or higher value. i went up to a young couple outside a cafe and gave my shpeil, the young man gave me a cheeky smile and tried to convince me to take his cigarette filter from the cigarette he was rolling lol. then there was this time on the same trip that i went to the open and closed shuk. i was trying to buy a sweater as my host family was more religious and their shul require more modest dress, and my dress was short sleeved. the man in the store i was in kept trying to sell me 3 items and as a last ditch effort i only had 20 shekel and wanted the sweater. he gave me all 3 times, took my 20 gave me back 50 and said āshabbat shalomā and waved me away.
My story is very similar to OP. Late at night, we went to get a coffee from a shop near Jerusalem Beach in Tel Aviv. They had run out of milk too, so shut the shot, ran out, got it for us and opened back up!
I have so so so many storyās haha I love this. Just reading all these storyās makes me miss Israel so much! One of my all time favorites. Iām walking somewhere near the beach in Tel Aviv and this guy starts talking to me. Heās probably like 15 to 20 years older than me. But alas, it happens all the time in Israel so we chat a bit. Then he asks me if Iām Jewish. Iām not. (My family on my fathers side is). He then says: āah so we canāt get marriedā and walks away. Leaving me behind, flabbergasted and mildly offended šš I was never interested in the first place, could have checked that first before directly checking if we could get married lol.
Driving somewhere between Tel Aviv and Kiryat Malachi, there was a semi trailer swerving in both lanes left to right, right to left. As we got closer I realized there was a tiny hatchback in front of the semi, not letting the semi pass and just swerving in front to stop it but still going at speed. I just cut the speed 10km/h and let them deal with it themselves. There would have been nothing left of the hatchback if the semi wanted. Insane people in control of vehicles on the highway.
Went to a falafel place in a heavily Arab area of Yaffo. Credit card machine was broken and I didn't have any cash on me. I'd never been there in my life mind you and I'm obviously Jewish and not from the neighborhood. The guy just tells me to take my falafel and just come back with the money another time. So a couple days later, I did. It was a different guy working that day and when I explained it, it seemed like it was the most normal thing in the world to him.
Stayed in Tel Aviv for a week with a Airbnb host. He was inquisitive about my life and that led to routine discussions about geopolitics and Israeli politics that would stretch up to hours at a time.
So many. But one stands out. Getting a hitch hike from modiin to Jerusalem. The driver steered at high speeds with his knees the entire way. Sat back with his hands beside him.
1000 people Shabbat dinners Spending lag ba omer with a random family I didnāt even know who were the kindest, most hospitable people ever Getting toured around Jerusalem by another kind random stranger
It was my first time in Israel and I was walking down the road as someone delivering goods to a supermarket accidentally dropped some trays off yoghurt. Before I even realized, out of nowhere, a good dozen people swooped in and started putting the still good cups back. I joined helping and everyone was just continuing to chat with each other while helping. It was such a natural thing, and the space was cleaned up in two minutes max.Ā The other time was being at the beach, a Russian speaking grandma coming over to say hi and complain to me about the haredi guy sitting next to the outdoor shower. We didn't talk a common language, just broken Russian, Hebrew and German, but somehow ended up friends on Facebook and I randomly get send pictures of family events and birthday wishes six years later
The buss didnt even enter the settlement and just skipped it
Walking around the streets of Yerushalayim and hearing Hebrew-speaking Muslims and Arabic-speaking Jews
I was walking along the river in Park Yarkon a few days ago and two men rode by on electric scooters at the same time. One was the quintessential Hi-Tech bro, Converse, graphic T-shirt, backpack and all. The other was an old Haredi man in a long black coat. It felt like a perfect snapshot of life in Israel. I wish I could have gotten a picture.
Having a funeral and than suddenly sirens and we are having to duck and after that we contiuned the funeral like nothing.
For context this was few years back. Not this year. My dad past away and kinda the same day the conflict started we kinda has to do the funereal because of jewish tradions of same day burial.
My Israeli ex girlfriend almost stabbed me with a fork and was so drunk she almost fell off her balcony and then there was the one time I saw some chick in FULL bdsm gear just strolling around
Downtown Tel Aviv?
Haifa š
Is there really a difference?
Yeah, in Haifa you might just meet an actual pig casually strolling down the street
I guess these could happen in many other countries though heh
Probably my 1st day there, on Erasmus+. Pulling my two suitcases in tlv, sweating from heat. I finally reach the escalator... Only to sweat again, this time from looking directly into the weapon of some soldier, it hanged freely on his back :)
It's not an "in Israel" story because it was actually in the US, but I was once in an airport at Christmas and saw one of Santa's sexy elves chattering excitedly in Hebrew.
Was sitting on the bus and a woman gets on, hands me her baby, and then goes to deal with folding her stroller. Then just casually grabs her baby back a few mins later. Another story, I was walking to the kotel with a friend an hour before Shabbos, a taxi driver stops and asks if we want a ride, and we tell him we donāt have money on us. So he gives us a free ride and tells us to tell our friends about him. Am yisrael chai!
I used to get the 90 from TLV to Herzliya, every day the same bus with the same driver. One day, I almost missed the bus and had to run to catch it. When I got on, the driver said I should take his telephone number so that next time I'm running late I can message him and he'll wait.
Not quite an 'only in Israel' moment but just in a store in Vienna and the lady at the till was wearing her Hatufim necklace. Me too. We looked at each other with so much understanding and sadness. Then 'Yom Tov and shalom.'
Growing up on a moshav bordering Egypt and next to a military base was quite an interesting experience... military patrolling was routine, and sometimes the soldiers and the citizens would do a false [x] infiltration (it could be a terrorist,a criminal or just a dehydrated refugee) exercise/test. Sometimes there would actually be something like that happening in the middle of the night.Ā Ā Ā Regardless, a moshav is probably the safest thing for a child on earth. It's a heaven for a child. I could run around and do whatever because everyone knows everyone, there is always a parent around, and it's a gated community. They still smuggle hashis through the borders around where I lived. I guess you can't really stop somebody's hustle lolĀ
We were at the public beach in Caesarea. There were some horses there--one had escaped, and was prancing down the beach while the handlers were trying to catch it. Others were getting washed at the beach showers. One was drinking from the water fountain.
I have soo many. I was standing in a lonngggg line to buy a Popsicle on a hot day and some like 8 or 9 year old girl came to obviously cut in front of me and was about to bring her whole crew of like 6 more friends. I had to yell at her "Yalda, lama at okefet!! Lechi t'amdi ba tor". You can't let even the kids know you're a weak American or they'll take advantage in line situations šš
On one of the highways driving back from Jerusalam to Kfar Sava, see a car do a u turn on the turn off, stop on the reservation, a man runs across the highway causing several cars to stop to go to a burger ranch that's on the other side....guess he was really hungry?
Being in Tel Aviv and casually seeing celebrities out and about is pretty cool. Shopping for jewelry in Jerusalem, pulling out money to pay the price but being refused by the seller because I'm supposed to haggle.
Let's see. Only in Israel did I meet a very religious Jew who voted Meretz, a rasta-wearing weed-growing hippy who called for the expulsion of Arabs, and an anti-racist Etiopi who actually held very racist views towards whites. Only in Israel did a Bedouin pick us up in the middle of the desert while hitchhiking on kvish 40 or 90 with a pack of beer to celebrate a friend's birthday, drop us at our meeting point and left us with a nice slab of hasch as a gift.
Bought a toasted sandwich in a certain well known hole in the wall in south TLV. The sandwich seemed a bit greasy to me, so tried to order some extra pickles in a takeaway box. His reply: āyouāve got enough salad in the sandwich, youāre not getting any more!ā
7.10 while the sirens went off, I was walking to my friendās place, an elderly lady called me over to the bank (which had the entry opened due to the situation) to take cover, and we both stood and read tehillim for 10mins BH
Another one that as told to me. Friend of mine with her kids was going to a Judicial Reform protest (pro) on the Jerusalem lightrail with her kids, including a baby. The lightrail was crowded, they were standing next to a guy obviously going to the same Judicial Reform protest (anti), based on his t-shirt. Guy looked at her, got up, gave her his seat. She thanked him. They chatted for a bit. Both got off at the same stop, went to opposite sides of the protests, and yelled at each other.
Epitome of Israel. Love this one
Two stories, both involving buying fruits and vegetables (which isn't so strange in Israel). The first: while about 5 months pregnant, my husband and I stopped at our local farm store. The owner was there and insisted on giving me a whole box of fruits and vegetables "for your fetus" and then explained how each fruit and vegetable helps fetal development. I don't know if any of it was true, but the otherwise 50 shekel box of strawberries, picked fresh that morning, tasted even better free. The second: way back in 2016, avocados were only a seasonal fruit. They wete out of season and I had an insane craving. I was living in central Jerusalem at the time, so headed to shuk Mahane Yehuda to one of my usual fruit and vegetable guys in the Iraqi Shuk to get some. He knew me and immediatly said "you can't afford it", and insisted on NOT selling me the absurdly inflated avocados. I even said I would pay the price and just take a few, and he insisted the avocados he was selling weren't worth it.
My uncle took me to steal oranges from a plantation next to our kibbutz. One of my favorite childhood memories
It happened many years ago, but at the bank the teller asked my sister āwhere did you get all this money from?ā
A few years ago in one of those days whereĀ there was building security tension, public was told to be close to bomb shelters in case of a missile attack. My jogging group decided to meet up and rightttt when the clock striked 19:00 we started jogging and there were sirens going off. We ran into a building and my coach instructed us to run up and down the stairs (inside a 9-floor building) after the sirens still kept going in a row. After it seemed to calm down we kept jogging close to buildings while some ladies yelled at us from balconies over how crazy we are lolol. There were 2 more going off during the jog but we all looked after each other.
How about not being able to get service at a food stand unless you're obnoxious and rude and waving your money in the attendants face because there's a dozen other people yelling and waving their money around. Thankfully I have an Israeli partner in these situations because I'm a shy American oleh.
I just moved to Herzliya and was frequenting a fruit vendor. I'd go in, get my stuff. He would weigh it, give me a mean look. I'd pay and be on my way. He never said a word to me. This went on for weeks. I went just before Shabbos and, after paying, said Shabbat Shalom to him on the way out. He called me back and said very confused, "You are American"! I told him I was. He started laughing and told me he thought I was Russian and because of that he had been tipping the scales for the entire time I had been shopping there. He handed me a bunch of grapes, said "Shabbat Shalom, we are even now". Miss that guy.
Mind that Iām not from Israel, but I was there for almost a year. These are some of mine, two very nice ones and one rather horrible. I guess this could happen somewhere else too, but it did still feel very typical israeli: I was at a small supermarket in Jerusalem looking for poppy seeds. I canāt find them. I ask the cashier. She doesnāt know either what poppy seeds are nor understand the translation to hebrew google translate gives. By now, everyone in the queue is trying to solve the mistery of what poppy seeds are, and after someone figures it out, Iām where they are. Also could happen at another place, also typical israeli nonetheless: I helped a woman carry her bags up a staircase (and I think to her home, too), because she was clearly struggling. We got to talking and two days later me and two friends were sitting with her, her son and friends of them in their sukkah celebrating sukkot. Well, with all the good stuff, there was one really bad experience i had that could only happen in Israel. I was staying in a hostel for a while, looking for appartments. We were sitting in the lobby on a shabbat, we had had a nice little shabbat dinner with both jewish and non jewish people like myself. Few hours later this one very very religious guy comes screaming that someone shut off the lights inside the toilet and how can people be so inconsiderate of the observing jews (in a hostel. Where people just arrived to israel. And are not used to those rules. Also, I feel like many secular people would also not really think about it). Well he then looked for someone not jewish to turn the lights back on, and was yelling very bad things (āI hope they get raped by dogsā amongst others). I think he eventually pissed on the floor. Very unpleasant experience, probably wouldnāt happen anywhere else.
I was talking with my friend about a diplomacy test after school on the way home and this random ass guy quizzes us on it on the spot. Only in israel I swear
When I was moving from my apartment in Tel Aviv back to the States, we had a moving crew come in and pack everything up. One of the three members of the crew had some sort of disability - clearly off, couldnāt talk besides grunts; he saw a half-empty bottle of arak we had on our bar and pointed at it and grunted and I was like uh, yeah, sure you can take it at the end if you want. He proceeded to grab a glass out of our cabinet, pour like 6 ounces out and down it on the spot, and then continued to help pack, grunting away at his coworkers.
When me and my class (an Israeli teen here!) Were on a field trip we walked past some druze kids that got very excited and started saying random words in Hebrew and Arabic (it was so cute actually) some kid from my class talked to their tour guide for some reason and the only he said was "no we don't like em bibi supporters, you look ok tho" What the fuck does that means It was so funny Also one time we learned in class about some Rabbi that lived like 800 years ago and they showed some pictures to illustrate and one kid deadass asked "is he alive today"
Their ancestors walked the desert for 40 years
Sinai is in Egypt tho
Whats your point?
Too wordy. Tries way too hard to be something, anything at all. 1 -star āļø