Eilat – not just a third-rate Las Vegas

September 1, 2010 - 5:31 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, Environment, General, Holidays, Israeliness, Life, Travel 

Eilat – can there be anyplace more kitschy? A little tacky Las Vegas sans the gambling right within our friendly country confines.

But after spending a couple end of summer 100 degree days there, for maybe the 10th time, I can loudly proclaim that Eilat is a whole lot more than one gaudy hotel after another, a boardwalk that rivals any US beach front for mass culture tackiness, and a huge neon advertisement for conspicuous consumption.

Eilat is simply one of the nicest spots in Israel. The Undersea Observatory is a world-class delight, the Coral Beach one of the most magnetic, alluring sites in the country, the Dolphin Beach is incredible, the Bird Observatory is an international attraction for fans of the two-winged creatures, and the list goes on and on.

You don’t need to wallow in decadence in Eilat – you can use it as a jumping off point for some of the most amazing natural wonders Israel – or any country – has to offer. So next time you guffaw at someone for saying they’re headed to Eilat, just remember the blue water, the tropical fish of every color, and the tranquility of sitting and staring out on to a smooth-as-glass Red Sea.

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Happy Birthday

January 22, 2010 - 8:39 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, Food, General, Israeliness, Life 

I remember when we first moved to Israel 25 years ago, as young nearly penniless college grads, my wife’s birthday came around and we deliberated whether we could ‘splurge’ and go out to celebrate at a restaurant – meaning a place where there’s a staff that comes to take your order at your table rather than going up to a counter and ordering and getting a number.

There weren’t that many options in those days – a ‘steakiya’ on Jerusalem’s Aggripas Street near Mahane Yehuda, one of the hotels that catered to American tourists, a few Chinese and Italian places that paled in comparison to their Western counterparts.

I recall we did decide to go for one of the options, and I’m sure we enjoyed it immensely.

I had to laugh yesterday, because, as my wife’s birthday rolled around, we found ourselves in the same quandry. Can we ‘splurge’ and go out for dinner?

While we’ve raised four kids, bought a home, own a car, and both earn salaries, we’re still basically in the same sitatuation in our lives in regards to money (which is probably why I still think I’m 25).

The point was even sharpened by an email birthday greeting from one of my wife’s college friends in the US – with whom coincidentally, she shares a birthday.

She and her husband were headed to Las Vegas for five day for her big day. We felt happy for them, and laughed to each other about the differences in our lives with some of those who made their lives in the US. What are the possibilities of us flying to Naples or Barcelona for five days, when we couldn’t even decide whether to spring for a $50 meal?

Luckily, we could laugh at it, and we did decide to go out – to a nice Italian restaurant. Twenty five years later, there are many more choices in Jerusalem and quality of food is excellent. And we enjoyed it immensely.

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Send the hummous to Sacremento

July 19, 2009 - 9:52 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Food, General, Pop Culture, Sports, Travel 

Omri Casspi playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv last year. (AP)

Omri Casspi playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv last year. (AP)

While thousands of Jewish athletes are currently in Israel competing in the Maccabia games, there’s one Jewish athlete who’s in Las Vegas making Israelis proud – our first NBA player Omri Casspi of the Sacremento Kings.

The New York Times ran a weekend piece on Casspi as he plays in the NBA summer league and adjusts to life without a local cell phone and without the creamy hummous which Americans still don’t seem to know how to make.

He just received a $4,500 bill for about two weeks of calls, which is expensive even by N.B.A. standards. He needs new chargers for all his gadgets. But he is struggling most to find comfort food.
“Hummus,” Casspi said, with a hard h and a long u, stressing the first syllable in a way that conveyed utter seriousness. “You don’t have that here, though.”
A reporter insisted that the chickpea spread is widely available in grocery stores in the United States, but Casspi — who was drafted last month by the Sacramento Kings — smiled dismissively.
“Man, I tried it; that’s all I can say,” he said last week during a break in the Kings’ summer league schedule. “I will bring some from Israel, maybe. I’ll let you taste it and you tell me.”

No Israeli has ever played in the NBA, and until last month, none had ever been drafted in the first round. When the Kings took Casspi with the 23rd pick, he became the first Israeli to secure a guaranteed contract, which will almost assuredly make him the first to play in an NBA game.

According to the Times’ story, Casspi is ready to take on the mantel of the great Israeli hope – both for Israelis, and American Jews proud to see an Israeli in the NBA and already sporting NBA jerseys with Casspi’s name written in Hebrew.

“I think all the eyes and ears in Israel, in basketball in Israel, are focused on me now,” he said, sitting behind a desk in his hotel room in Las Vegas. “There is big expectations, and all the Jewish community in the States is really excited about it. So I think there’s a big responsibility with it.”

Once the NBA season starts, there will likely be alot of 4 am wakeup calls in Israel, in order to get up and watch the Kings games, who have quickly turned into the country’s most popular basketball team next to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

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