The GA Comes to Town

November 16, 2008 - 11:54 AM by DavidS · 1 Comment
Filed under: General 

The “Feds” are in town this week, and they’re holding a conference. Not the FBI, of course, but the Jewish Federation folk, meeting at the  United Jewish Community General Assembly, being held in Jerusalem this week. A combination tour/ networking/ policy-setting convocation, the GA is the premier annual event for the organized Jewish community in the U.S., with every Israeli politician worth his or her salt speaking there about their vision of the future, hoping to impress visitors, Israelis (and themselves) with ideas, thoughts and plans they would implement in Israel, if only given the chance.

For Israelis – especially olim from the U.S. – the GA means a chance to hook up with folks from the old country, a little more of a wait at local restaurants, and a chance to test the English language skills of potential Prime and other ministers in gaposter1116.jpgfuture governments, since they all speak before the GA. The program consists of sessions and discussions on issues important to the country and the Jewish world, with experts sorting out security, social, and economic issues. And, of course, there are the cultural events, such as Israeli dance performances, an Israeli food fair, etc. I’ve never been to a GA myself, but the program looks enough like those sponsored by the local Jewish federations that I used to attend back in the States.

The obvious question comes to mind here. GA: Good thing or no big deal? I say, good thing. For our North American guests, the GA is a great way to get an inside view on what is really going on in Israeli society, if you attend all the sessions and listen to all the speeches. In my travels back to the U.S., I find that the large majority of American Jews really don’t “get” a lot of the issues we face here.

As Americans, they can’t really be blamed for looking at things from an American perspective, but Israel really is a separate, independent entity with a destiny of its own. And while the solutions for those problems that appear valid from “over there” sometimes are, they often aren’t – and unless you get a chance to walk a mile (or a kilometer!) in Israel’s shoes, you might not realize that. Not that a week in Israel will necessarily bring that perspective to GA visitors – but if they make sure to attend the session with Bank of Israel Chairman Stanley Fischer, for example, they might just learn something. And all the money they spent on getting to and attending the GA will have been well invested.

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Banking woes

June 29, 2008 - 2:25 PM by Jessica · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, General, Israeliness 

There is supposedly a ‘revolution’ taking place in Israeli banks. The Bank of Israel, Israel’s central bank, announced recently that amalot, the banking fees and commissions charged by the banks, will be cheaper for customers who use direct-banking services, such as the ATM and Internet banking, but more expensive for those who still go to the teller.

It’s all part of a series of bank fees reform going into effect as of July 1, reducing the number of transaction fees charged by the banks by about two-thirds: from 198 to 72. Roni Hizkiyahu, the Supervisor of Banks, says it’s the first time there is a law improving the terms of customers opposite the banks.

What I want to know is whether Rena, the manager at my local bank branch that I’ve been frequenting for 14 years, is aware of these reforms. In one of our infrequent but aggravating run-ins of late — I only hear from her when my account is in overdraft — I was charged for signing a check with a signature that my bank didn’t recognize. I was writing a check to my husband’s account, instead of transferring the money over the Internt, because the bank’s Internet transfer option expires every six months.

Not having the time or desire to shlep over to the bank, I wrote a check instead, using my signature, which has changed since I first made aliyah. When my bank branch didn’t ‘recognize’ the signature, instead of calling me, as they do whenever they want to share bad news, they simply refused the check, charging NIS 18 to each of our accounts. This happened twice, because the teller at my husband’s bank told us to redeposit the check, and my branch — same bank, different branches — would honor it.

And so, despite our desire to avoid walking into the bank and deal with actual human beings, we did just that in order to engage in the rigorous but necessary argument with Rena, to let her know just how upset we were at this treatment.

What’s crazy is that it worked because it’s nearly impossible in the Israeli banking society to completely avoid dealing with people. They expect it; they want you to come in and have a cup of ‘Nes’ with them when you first open an account. They need to know what you look like. And they want to hear you yell and scream when you’re not satisfied.

We patched things up with Rena, and she got rid of the fees. But I’m sure it won’t be the last time that we lay eyes on each other, or the last time that I’m aggravated by the system.

?

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