A Brand New Look
Coming to visit Israel this summer? Planning a trip to the Israel Museum? Better call ahead, as the museum has just begun to undergo renovations, which will take an estimated two-and-a-half years to complete. According to this Ynet article, approximately eighty percent of the museum will be closed to the public, with some exhibits being shipped abroad and others moved to either open spaces within the museum or to other locations around Jerusalem.
According to museum director James Snyder, “the open space of the campus will be exploited in a new way, and all means will be taken to present the collections in the most effective way, including lending collections to museums abroad. At the moment there is an exhibit about the cradle of Christianity being shown in Atlanta, and we intend to move additional exhibits abroad.”
Costs for the renovation are estimated at 80 million dollars, with the sum being covered by various donors, as well as 10 million dollars from the government. I’ve always enjoyed the Israel Museum, and look forward to seeing its new and improved look.
No Satisfaction this Year
It looks like Rolling Stones fans in Israel won’t be gettin’ no satisfaction any time soon. The highly anticipated summer visit by these aging rock superstars has been cancelled, reportedly due to astronomically high insurance costs resulting from various security-related issues.
I must admit that I’m rather disappointed, though not at all surprised. In an interview that veteran concert producer Shuki Weiss gave to Ynet, “the truth is, that during the past ten years, bringing performers to Israel has been like a kind of mission. There’s no economic justification, absolutely none.”
Despite this cancellation though, you can still get your fix of foreign artists this summer, with performances by the likes of Tori Amos, Evanescence, Blonde Redhead and Nine Inch Nails, to name a few. For those of you who prefer classic rock by the Stones, though, all I can say is, well, you can’t always get what you want.
Foto Friday #11
Hey again. Welcome. Enjoy.
Ramallah Shopping….Ola Hadasha
Death Song…OCCUPIED
Just Beachy….anglosaxy
Doggone it!
According to this article on Ynet, a convict placed under house arrest was able to run away prior to sentencing by attaching his electronic monitoring tag to the family dog. The tag is designed to give off a signal when opened, and authorities have yet to uncover how the convict succeeded in transferring the device without being discovered.
“Policemen arrived at his house and didn’t find him. We then consulted the security company who said that he was at home and the tag was working,” said Chief Superintendent Yoram Daniel.
“We started searching and found that the detainee had somehow managed to remove the cuffs from his feet. To conceal his trick he tied the handcuffs around his dog’s neck,” said Daniel.
The convict still hasn’t been recaptured, and rumor has it that the dog is being brought in for questioning.
Plea Bargain for a President
Given the way that political games are played here, I think that most Israelis have reached a point where nothing really surprises them anymore. Nothing until today, that is. Apparently, Suspended President Moshe Katzav has signed a plea bargain, clearing him of rape charges, and instead, an indictment including seven counts of committing an indecent act using force, sexual harassment and harassing a witness will be filed. Katzav will not serve any jail time and nor will he be performing any community service. In exchange, Katzav will receive a suspended sentence, will resign from his presidential post and will pay compensation to original complainant A.
Katzav allegedly told his associates, “I am tired, my family is wrecked, I do not have the stamina for a battle in court, so I admitted to hugging and kissing out of affection.”
Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has said, “There was also the consideration of the public interest in reducing the harm caused to the presidency, and not to President Moshe Katsav, and to the State of Israel’s image due to a trial which would have been held for a long period of time with unflattering headlines to the presidency in Israel and in the world.”
Frankly, I’m thinking that the presidency can’t really be harmed anymore than it already has been, and the message this agreement sends out is that once again, Israeli politicians are above the law. And what kind of message does this send out to victims of sexual violence, especially those who have the misfortune of being assaulted by public figures?
Bloggers from the Anglo-Israeli blogosphere have been strangely silent on the issue. Perhaps they, like many others, simply can’t be bothered to summon the energy to deal with yet another chapter in this saga.
Come on, leaders – take responsibility for your actions!
White Nights in Tel Aviv
Filed under: Art, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Pop Culture
Tonight, Israel’s self-proclaimed “city without a break” will be letting loose with even more excitement than usual as Tel Aviv celebrates its second “White Night” festival, inspired by the
Fashioned after a similar event held in Paris (though admittedly on a much lower budget), a variety of events will be taking place across the city, with everything from beach-side dance parties to theater performances, from museums and other sites staying open until the wee hours to guided tours of different parts of the city, from lectures to a city-wide late night mini-marathon, and more. Free shuttle buses will run every hour from 9pm to 2am, transporting festival goers to the various sites across Tel Aviv. We’re definitely in favor of free shuttle buses, given how difficult it can be to find parking in Tel Aviv on a normal evening (or during the day, or during the morning hours, for that matter…). Don’t even get me started in the city drivers…
It sure sounds like a great way to spend a warm (and unfortunately rather humid) summer evening in the big city, doesn’t it? Information about White Night events can be found in Hebrew on the official website, and scattered information in English can be found here, here, and here.
Have fun, folks!
Summertime, and nothing’s easy
Here in Israel, the school year is drawing to a close, which means that many parents have spent the past few weeks scrambling to figure out how to keep their children busy during the summer (or at least for the month of July, as most of these frameworks inexplicably run for only one month out of the two-month-long summer). We’re very lucky in our household, as our son’s nursery school program runs for the duration of the summer, with us having to entertain him only during the last week in August.
Some of our local bloggers haven’t been so lucky. Over at My Home in Israel, Safranit writes, “You would think that by the 24th of June I would know my big girl’s plans for July 1st. But no…things keep changing. Her kindergarten has a summer program until 1:30 which I decided to do because I wanted her to be with her friends for three extra weeks. But what happens from 1:30 until 4:00 (when I get out of work)…oh no problem the after-school program said they would also do a summer program IF 10 people signed up. So, 10 people signed up and the idiot in charge changed her mind and decided we needed 12. BUT now she has changed her mind and we only need 9!!!!! Of course other parents have sought other arrangements. (but not me of course—)”. Read the rest of it here…
Anglosaxy, on the other hand, is having a different problem. His son’s nursery school informed them that they were closing down the facility – at the end of the week. Now he and the Mrs. are scrambling to find a new place just as the summer begins. Certainly not the challenge that I’d want in my life right now, but given that our resident Brit will soon have a lot more time on his hands, perhaps he won’t mind quite so much.
Good luck, guys!
Ideal Beauty
Wanna know what Israeli women idealize when it comes to beauty? Take a look: There’s your answer.
An Israeli poll shows that one out of every five Israeli women views actress/icon of sweetness Yael Abekasis as the country’s most beautiful female.
Global supermodel Bar Refaeli comes in 2nd. 
According to the poll, Israeli women think beauty and success go hand in hand – 48%.
In the secular versus religious circles, 82% of non-religious women indicated beauty is important compared with 62% of orthodox women holding the same belief.
More than a third of women are comfortable with their images – 37% wouldn’t change a thing about themselves.
82% of divorced women claimed beauty is important for success compared with 72% of single non-married women…
Catch a Flight to the Show
Filed under: A New Reality, Israeliness, Life, Pop Culture
A trend of late among the concert-going crowds is choosing summer travel destinations based upon who’s playing where. Black Eyed Peas in Manchester in August? Book it. In Israel, travel companies are cashing in on the wunderlust by offering concert/travel/hotel packages to music lovers. 
Thousands of Israelis are expected to travel to Europe this summer more for music than for shopping, scenery or historical tours because summer is typically “it” for concerts and festivals and the popular wisdom goes: If it doesn’t come to you, then you go there. “Just Do It”…
What are the going travel package rates out there?
- 800 Euros for Avril Lavigne’s Rome concert
- 855 Euros for Justin Timberlake in Amsterdam
- 670 Euros to see the Rolling Stones in Budapest
- 950 Pounds Sterling for Barbara Streisand in London
Packages typically include flight, concert & 3-5 nights hotel stay (breakfast included).
What are this summer’s most popular picks? Prince (symbol), 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, Metallica and Elton John, to name only a few.
Felafel Capers
Some say Felafel is Israel’s national food although I beg to differ. Has anyone seen the line outside the Sushi Express lately?
Regardless. Too much of anything is not good. Just ask police assigned to a felafel stake-out that meant their morning, afternoon and evening diet consisted of…you guessed it. Ewww!
The scoop: The police were trying to sting the stand owners; it was being used as a front for cocaine running.
The background: Port authority agents in Germany noticed a suspicious looking package addressed to a Netanya felafel stand. They checked it out and discovered cocaine inside. The Germans notified Israel’s port authority and Israeli police.
The drama: An Israeli agent brought the package to Israel and an undercover agent disguised himself as a postal employee and hand delivered the parcel. Because police figured the goods were going to a 3rd party, mucho officers were enlisted to hang out and eat felafel so as to keep track of the drug whereabouts.
The sting: After a few days on the case of “Operation White Felafel” (i swear that’s what it was called), a 40-year-old perp known to police showed up to claim the goods. Detectives were all over him and he was taken away as was the felafel stand owner who, of course, said he had no idea what was inside the box.
The morale: A crash diet for all. No drugs for criminals. Mwahahahahaaaaa.
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