Alternative lifestyles
Most of us live within our little boxes of preferences, styles and habits. But that can get a little boring, seeing those same faces, doing those same things, and visiting those same places. When was the last time you did something you never did before?
I’ll bet with the confidence of Minnesota Fats that there wasn’t another Israeli who spent the weekend like I did. Did anyone else do all of the following in an 18-hour period?:
- Attended services for the bat mitzah of one of our favorite families which took place in an Orthodox synagogue. The Torah reading was a women-run event with men sequestered behind the mechitza (separation line) in two cramped rows and forbidden to participate. Talk about role reversal. Every man should be forces to sit behind a mechitza one time, and you’d see those walls come tumbling down.
Sub-culture 1 – Orthodox men getting in touch with their feminine side
- Played touch rugby in the weekly neighborhood Anglo family event. Even though I strained my Achilles tendon, I scored the first ‘try’ in my two-month old career, and was penalized for throwing forward passes only a few times. Bring on the Super Bowl!
Sub-culture 2 – Immigrants to Israel who refuse to give up on their home sports.
- Attended with two adventurous friends a concert in Tel Aviv by heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio. I think we were the only English speakers in the predominantly Russian-speaking crowd. I never knew how many pony- tails, goatees and Iron Maiden t-shirts existed in such a small country, not to mention the plethora of fishnet stockings and black leather mini-skirts. Despite the potentially threatening appearances, the crowd was polite, nobody was noticeably drunk or stoned, and the band rocked!
Sub-culture 3 – Middle class metalheads unite.
So, next weekend, don’t do what you usually do – step out of the box and try something different. And don’t forget the fishnets…
Simple Pleasures
For several years, I have made friends on the Internet, then travelled thousands of miles to be able to meet them in person. Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting a cyber-friend who lives in the same time zone as I do. Not only that, the distance from her home to mine can measured in minutes, not hours.
Savtadotty is a wonderful lady. Of course, I knew that before we met in Real Life; I’ve been reading her blog for months. Still, there’s always that element of the unknown, the first time you sit together with someone you feel you know, but don’t – not really.
We sat and shared stories about our lives and our aliyahs over coffee, homemade marmalade (hers) and fresh-baked muffins (mine). We talked about our families and our interests while working on our knitting. I take it as a sign of how well we got along that we both needed to go back and fix mistakes we’d made in our work. We’d been too busy enjoying one another’s company to pay attention to stitch count, increases, and cable rows.
A few quiet hours on a sunny day in autumn with a friend. We should all enjoy such simple pleasures in life.
Celebrity sightings
What do Bill Gates, Willem Dafoe, Phil Collins and Ronnie James Dio have in common?
They’re not afraid to come to Israel.
These days, celebrities from the US and Europe are beginning to trickle in, with the hopes of reaching pre-Intifada days when folks like Bono, Madonna, Elton and Sting would show up with alarming regularity.
Microsoft founder Gates only arrived for 24 hours, but had plenty of praise for Israeli high tech. Dafoe and his Italian bride attended the Haifa Film Festival last week, and he had plenty of praise for the Israeli film industry.
Heavy metal icon Dio plays here this weekend in Tel Aviv, and just wait for all the black t-shirts and tatoos to come out and play.
And middle of the road crooner/ former rock star Phil Collins is expected to fill the 30,000 or seats of Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium next week. You can’t listen to the radio without hearing him in phonetic Hebrew urging Israelis to come to the show or listen to the concert on the live radio broadcast.
I guess all those old rumors about his alleged anti-Israel slant are either false, or, like Sting and Peter Gabriel before him, he feels that he’s enlightening the population by coming to perform. And I’m sure the paycheck isn’t too bad either.
Whatever the reasons, welcome, o famous ones. And please tell Mick and Keith that they should make up their minds already and book a date.
Arik, maybe there’s still hope…
You really have to look for these gems while scanning the usual, depressing headlines. This one really made my day.
British Soldier Graffiti Found in Jaffa
POSTED by KARIN!
Amazing things happen in Israel everyday. A few months ago I was walking my dog (in the same place I walk her everyday–at the end of a valley in Jaffa where the old Jerusalem Jaffa line train once ran) and as she rooted around for a suitable spot, she led me to an unusual find: 60 year old graffiti left by British troops. As she started doing her business I noticed some penciled scribble and peered in closer to decipher the message.
It read as follows:
This is Not a Pissole!
Here is some fine work left by the likes of Curly Python and Broonie Demob found on the wall…and my pooch Tasha found some of her own poetic justice.
Subscribe
Subscribe to Israelity via email:
Social Media
Categories
- A New Reality
- Art
- Blogging
- Business
- coexistence
- Crime
- design
- education
- Entertainment
- Environment
- Food
- Foto Friday
- General
- health
- History and Culture
- Holidays
- Immigrant Moments
- Israeliness
- Life
- Medical Breakthroughs
- Movies
- Music
- News
- Nostalgia Sunday
- Picture of the Week
- Politics
- Pop Culture
- Profiles
- Religion
- Science
- Social Justice
- Sports
- Technology
- Travel
- tv
- War
The Face of Israel Today
-
About Israelity
Free newsletter
Stories from ISRAEL21c.orgPopular Posts