Dude, we’re talking hot water

May 16, 2010 - 8:19 AM by · 2 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Life, Technology 

Piping hot water for showers and dish washing is the constitutionally given right of every Israeli (and if we ever had a constitution, it would surely be one of the amendments).

We put up with enough hardships living here, but it’s all made up for thanks to our dude shemesh (solar heater). They’re the most ubiquitous sight on our urban landscape, lined up like synchronized robots on the roofs of every house and apartment building. Taking advantage of our almost year-round sunshine, they provide free hot water on demand.

For the last few years, though, our dude shemesh has been working less than optimally. After a nice, sunny day, we’d be lucky to get a couple hot showers out it before the cold water took over, requiring the switching on of our electric boiler which artificially (and monetarily) heated up the dude. Raising four kids, this meant that our boiler was turned on a lot, resulting in high electric bills.

Suggestions for the lack of hot water ranged from dirty reflectors, which I then cleaned on a regular basis, to the fact that we’re on the first floor and the dude is up a couple floors on the roof resulting in the loss of hot water on the way down (a theory I eventually discounted).

Fate took hold, however, last week when the reflector – the flat, glass square resting next to the water tank – sprung a leak. Our friendly plumber who goes by the moniker of Haim Mayim told us we had to switch the reflector and one morning, he and a bunch of workmen hoisted the new one up and the old down off the roof.

“Just wait, you’re going to have such good hot water. This is the same reflector I have at my house,” said Haim.

Sure enough, since that day, it’s hot water anytime, all the time at our household. No more planning an hour ahead of time to take a shower and turning on the boiler. No more staggered showers, two one night and two the next. It’s like having a hot water tap on demand – sort of like it was supposed to be all along. But since we didn’t have it for so long, we’re now appreciating it even more.

So come on over for some coffee – the water’s so hot, we don’t even need to boil water in the coffee pot.

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The Hilton lottery

February 22, 2010 - 1:03 PM by · 4 Comments
Filed under: Blogging, Business, General, Israeliness, Life, Pop Culture 

It seems that the Israeli Lottery thinks people will buy more lottery tickets if they will get to go on a shopping spree with socialite Paris Hilton.

A number of celebrity blogs are talking about Hilton’s latest celebrity turn, as she was spotted filming a commercial on the streets of New York City for Mifal Hapayis, also known as ‘Lotto’ or Israel Lottery.

Wearing a leopard print coat and carrying many bags, the sense is that the winner will get to shop on Madison Avenue, although that is completely unconfirmed. They might just be heading to Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff, Kikar HaMedina, Sheinkin and Gan Hachashmal for some Sabra duds.

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Nostalgia Sunday – July 4th 1976

July 5, 2009 - 9:06 PM by · 4 Comments
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Nostalgia Sunday, Pop Culture, War 

The Bicentennial Celebration of 1976 was a very big event and the entire USA was decked out in red, white and blue. We — my father sisters and I — instead got a plane on July 3rd and flew to Israel. It had been a rough year, with my mother’s death in early November, and somehow coming to Israel to be with family and friends was a comfort. Israel being Israel, we arrived to the latest national crisis: the hostage situation in Entebbe.

The next morning, we were awakened to the news that the hostages had been rescued. Israel’s reaction was euphoric — not since 1967 had there been so stunning a win! — although everyone knew that the victory was bittersweet. Four hostages and IDF Commander Yonatan Netanyahu were killed. Nonetheless, the raid was a tour de force of Israeli think-on-your-feet strategy and bravado in the face of the cartoonishly evil dictator Idi Amin Dada.

That same morning, I went down to Jerusalem’s Ben-Yehuda Street with my dad and he bought this T-shirt for me.
idi_amin_t-shirt
The text balloon says, “Kol ha-kavod le-Zahal” or “All respect due to the IDF” — probably the last thing Amin was thinking of saying at that moment. The shirt was doubly humorous for having made new use of the most hackneyed of Israeli cliches about the military. As far as we were concerned, it was “Kol ha-Kavod to Lord Kitsch” which had somehow managed to speedily produce the T-shirts in a matter of hours.

And then, the next day, Miss Israel, Rina (Messinger) Mor, was crowned Miss Universe!

rina-mor1

It was a double-coup for the Jewish State and its people were ecstatic. We were riding a wave of popularity on the international scene, it was felt. This was only reinforced by Israel’s Eurovision wins in 1977 and 1978. Surely we were becoming a nation like all others, with beauty queens and pop stars, a nation able to vanquish its enemies to the approval of the international community and, like anybody else, glorify those victories in made-for-TV movies. It seemed possible. But those were more innocent times.

entebbe_movies

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The mockingbird takes flight

December 15, 2008 - 1:55 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Crime, General, Movies 

Cecilia Peck

It was a strange case, even by Israeli standards. The country was full of pride at one of their own – Linor Abergil – winning the Miss Universe contest in 1998. But less than a year later, Abergil was in court, testifying that soon before the contest, she had been raped by one Shlomo Nur in Italy.

Nur was eventually convicted of raping the beauty queen and sentenced to 16 years in prison, and Abergil has gone on to a successful modeling and acting career as well as a constant icon in the local gossip columns (she was briefly married to former Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball star Sarunas Jasikevicius, and has since been linked with mewly single singer Rami Kleinstein.
However, now Abergil, 28, is joining forces with another woman – Dutch actress-director Cecelia Peck, who happens to be the daughter of famed actor Gregory Peck. The two announced last week in Tel Aviv that they’re making a documentary on rape and women’s fear of reporting the crime or testifying against their assailants.

Linor Abergil - to tell her story According to Ha’aretz, Abergil told reporters that after her case was publicized, women from around the world e-mailed her with their own stories, and she understood it would be her life’s task to encourage other rape victims to break their silence.

Peck is no stranger to controversy. Her 2006 documentary on the Dixie Chicks – Shut Up and Sing - about their criticism of President George W. Bush was nominated for a Golden Globe award.

The duo announced that filming of the documentary, being produced by Motti Reif, would begin next summer in Israel and will continue for a year in various countries.

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