Nostalgia Sunday – Heaters

October 12, 2008 - 5:05 PM by Rachel Neiman

Heaters! Kerosene, electric coil, space heater, oil radiator, electric blankets – I’ve had every single kind of heating device you can get in this country and I’m still cold when the chill wind blows in. Here are some pictures of some of the ridiculous contraptions I’ve had to put up with in my never-ending quest to stay warm in the Israeli winter.

Kerosene heater
Kerosene heater

Radiant coil heater
Coil heater

Many of the above two were manufactured by a company called Friedman, which also made those squat little fridges so popular with the hipster retro crowd today because they never had to actually use one.

Just for laffs, here’s a picture of the natural gas heater I could never afford to own: glowing ceramic plates heated by pricey blue and orange flames. Ahhh…

Gas heater
Gas heater

They haven’t yet been able to make a heater that can warm an apartment built from porous sandy bricks (1920s to 1930s) or holey cinderblock (1940s to 1960s), not to mention moisture-absorbing Jerusalem stone (a favorite building material from time immemorial). Certainly this kind was tried and found wanting.

Radiator

I’ve never yet had the pleasure of living in an home built from Ytong, the insulating cinderblock, but I’m doubtful it works. Because people here don’t really believe its cold. Basically, Israelis refuse to accept the reality that it is not really a hot country. Israel is a cold country with a very long hot season.

Over the years, my wintertime philosphy has become: seal up the windows, move into the bedroom, get under the covers, crank up the heat and hang the expense — sort of. I cannot still, in good faith, run the A/C on heat continually for 3-4 months, so the best solutions I’ve found, to date:

Space heater
Space heater

Combination coil/space heater with thermostat
Combination space heater

Comments and tales of woe from fellow sufferers of the cold are welcome.

Links to previous posts:
Nostalgia Sunday – Heaters
Nostalgia Sunday – Yom Kippur
Nostalgia Sunday – Rosh HaShana
Nostalgia Sunday – Old Coins
Nostalgia Sunday – Historic Homepages
Nostalgia Sunday – Tango
Nostalgia Sunday – Tel Aviv Night Run
Nostalgia Sunday – Missing Dad
Nostalgia Sunday – Clique HaClick
Nostalgia Sunday – Tel Aviv 100
Nostalgia Sunday – Eurovision
Nostalgia Sunday – Old Israeliana
Nostalgia Sunday – Classic Movie: The Blaumilch Canal
Nostalgia Sunday – Plaid Bedroom Slippers
Nostalgia Sunday – Historic Photo Shop Shuts Its Doors
Nostalgia Sunday – New Israeliana
Nostalgia Sunday – High Windows

Tags: , , , , , , , , , • Category: General, Israeliness, Life 

Comments

6 Comments on Nostalgia Sunday – Heaters

  1. David-Joe on Tue, Oct 14th 2008 1:20 AM

    2. As a kid on the kibbutz I remember the kerosene heaters :-]

  2. varda on Tue, Oct 14th 2008 7:45 AM

    3. nothin like the smell of a kerosene heater with an orange peel toasting on it.
    oh, so THAT’S how i lost those brain cells.

  3. Esther on Sun, Oct 19th 2008 2:13 PM

    4. I don’t know about Ytong but prefab concrete blocks work. Everyone was rather dismissive of the way our apartment was built but even though we live on a hill in the North we don’t even use a heater.
    The heat function of our ac is never used, the space heater we bought for after the children’s baths now lays abandoned at the bottom of a cupboard and the oil radiator from our old place is catching dust in some corner.
    I don’t even bother to put up heavy winter curtains though we do have a crocheted blanket for dosing on the sofa.

  4. Israelity » Nostalgia Sunday - Simchat Torah flags on Sun, Oct 19th 2008 10:49 PM

    5. [...] Nostalgia Sunday – Heaters Nostalgia Sunday – Yom Kippur Nostalgia Sunday – Rosh HaShana Nostalgia Sunday – Old Coins Nostalgia Sunday – Historic Homepages Nostalgia Sunday – Tango Nostalgia Sunday – Tel Aviv Night Run Nostalgia Sunday – Missing Dad Nostalgia Sunday – Clique HaClick Nostalgia Sunday – Tel Aviv 100 Nostalgia Sunday – Eurovision Nostalgia Sunday – Old Israeliana Nostalgia Sunday – Classic Movie: The Blaumilch Canal Nostalgia Sunday – Plaid Bedroom Slippers Nostalgia Sunday – Historic Photo Shop Shuts Its Doors Nostalgia Sunday – New Israeliana Nostalgia Sunday – High Windows [...]

  5. Israelity » Nostalgia Sunday - 1967 on Mon, Oct 27th 2008 1:16 AM

    6. [...] Links to previous posts Nostalgia Sunday -Simchat Torah flags Nostalgia Sunday – Heaters Nostalgia Sunday – Yom Kippur Nostalgia Sunday – Rosh HaShana Nostalgia Sunday – Old Coins Nostalgia Sunday – Historic Homepages Nostalgia Sunday – Tango Nostalgia Sunday – Tel Aviv Night Run Nostalgia Sunday – Missing Dad Nostalgia Sunday – Clique HaClick Nostalgia Sunday – Tel Aviv 100 Nostalgia Sunday – Eurovision Nostalgia Sunday – Old Israeliana Nostalgia Sunday – Classic Movie: The Blaumilch Canal Nostalgia Sunday – Plaid Bedroom Slippers Nostalgia Sunday – Historic Photo Shop Shuts Its Doors Nostalgia Sunday – “new” Israeliana Nostalgia Sunday – High Windows [...]

  6. Israelity » Nostalgia Sunday - Mommy’s trip to Sinai on Sun, Nov 9th 2008 10:42 PM

    7. [...] Nostalgia Sunday – Mommy’s trip to Sinai Nostalgia Sunday – Powdered instant coffee Nostalgia Sunday – 1967 Nostalgia Sunday -Simchat Torah flags Nostalgia Sunday – Heaters Nostalgia Sunday – Yom Kippur Nostalgia Sunday – Rosh HaShana Nostalgia Sunday – Old Coins Nostalgia Sunday – Historic Homepages Nostalgia Sunday – Tango Nostalgia Sunday – Tel Aviv Night Run Nostalgia Sunday – Missing Dad Nostalgia Sunday – Clique HaClick Nostalgia Sunday – Tel Aviv 100 Nostalgia Sunday – Eurovision Nostalgia Sunday – Old Israeliana Nostalgia Sunday – Classic Movie: The Blaumilch Canal Nostalgia Sunday – Plaid Bedroom Slippers Nostalgia Sunday – Historic Photo Shop Shuts Its Doors Nostalgia Sunday – “new” Israeliana Nostalgia Sunday – High Windows [...]

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