shana'a tova!

Last night we celebrated the Jewish New Year with dinner at Uncle Igor's house in Nes Ziona, about a 40 minute drive from our place in Tel Aviv, going southeast.  Everyone had a half day of work yesterday (like Friday's, when they're getting ready for shabbat), and today is a holiday. Rosh HaShana'a (which literally means "head of the year" in hebrew) lasts 48 hours, so with the way the holiday falls this year, it ends when shabbat begins, which means another day and a half of closed stores and empty roads afterwards. 

I went to the Shuk HaKarmel (the big street market in Tel Aviv) yesterday and came home with a backpack full of fruits and veggies for 140 shekels ($37).  Then we took a cooler with us on our way to Igor's so we could stop at the Tiv Tom near his house and buy some meat and dairy.  We try to go out there because the city only has smaller, more expensive grocery stores.  Tiv Tom is a big chain here, opened by russian immigrants.  It is not kosher, so you can buy shrimp and pork there, and they stay open a few hours later.  It is on the higher end, so it looks a lot like a large Whole Foods.  Hope this food will last, because everything is shut down now until Sunday.

There were about 20 people at Igor's.  Aunt Nechama cooked a traditional meal.  It starts with a series of appetizers that are the same every year, as each item represents something.  A prayer is read before each item is passed.  (Although there was discussion that Nechama's brother, who was trying to get through the readings over the chatter at the table, wasn't even reading the correct blessings).  The most well known of the foods passed around is the combination of apples and honey.  This is a wish for a "sweet" new year.  They also pass some foods that are savory (or sour) like zuccini to which you are also supposed to add honey to make the new year sweet.  There were also pomegranite seeds and fresh dates (not dried).  Then came a first course of more traditional foods - fish cakes (gefiltefish), liver pate, boiled eggs, roasted veggies and garlic (yum!), potato salad, and lettuce and tomato salad.  Soup came next, and this of course was matza ball soup.  When you didn't think you could fit any more food in, out came the mains - beef stew, chicken over potatoes, and several rice dishes.  It's a good thing they took an hour break before bringing out the honey cake and ice cream cake!

As you have just read, it sounds a lot like an American Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Get the family together, eat until you pass out, then eat leftovers for a week. 

The one difference I noticed was that while family travels to be together (the road traffic is WORSE than the day before Thanksgiving in the U.S.), people don't stay over.  We left at 11:30pm, and got caught in the traffic jam of a lifetime on the highway.  Except instead of sitting in it like we would have in the U.S., we joined dozens of other vehicles that pulled into the breakdown lane and then backed up about half a mile to the last turn off.  Can you IMAGINE?!?!? 

We're in!

We move in last Sunday with the help of 5 Russion guys from Ocean Moving.  They arrived around 11am; couldn't get the truck on our street, so started the process by carting everything from about 100 meters (yards?) up the street and around the corner. 

Remember, it was still August - the sun was beating down on them, tshirts soaked in the first 5 minutes.  Once in the building, they had to bring everything up to the 6th or 5th floors in 2 tiny elevators (they fit about 4 people, 6 uncomfortably) without A/C.

Dan took the ground floor location to direct them to the correct floor and check off each box as it went in from our list of 250 items.  I took the apartment level position, directed the movers to specific rooms, and spent the first 4 hours ripping protective packing off items with the box cutter.  There was a mountain of paper wrapping in the entry (this pic only shows about half of it).  You never know how respectful movers are going to be with your property, but these guys were great about taking down the paper as I unwrapped it, moving things from one floor to another without complaining, and keeping a pleasant attitude (except for one guy, but there's always one bad apple). 

Mid afternoon a lift arrived in the back parking lot.  They loaded our king mattress on it and mechanically elevated it to the 5th floor balcony where they took it in through the sliding glass doors.  They also brought up one set of shelves this way.  But that's it.  Two items!  All the rest came by cart, elevator, and heavy lifting.

They got it all in before 4pm, then spent an additional hour re-building our beds, dining room table, coffee table, and desks.

Burekas, Meze, and more (hungry yet?)

Foods (like languages and cultural traditions) are often more similar to their neighboring countries than they are different.  Even (and most often) between countries that fight like brothers.  I just read a great blog post by good friends Tracie and Wayne http://www.surleevoyage.com/ - "A Turkish Food Primer:  Borek and Beyond," about a common food found during their visit to Turkey.

Israeli's have their own version - burekas.  But it's basically the same idea.  Filo puff pastry stuffed with various cheeses, potatoes, mushrooms, etc.   We've had them several times these past 2 months, and they are tasty, but you better live in a walking city if you're going to partake in this calorie packed breakfast often.

If you read a few posts earlier on their blog, you'll also see a great photo of meze, or a HUGE tray of small plates of various salads.  This is a common approach at fish restaurants here.  You have to order a few less fish than people, as you'll all likely fill up on the salads before the fish (or mix grill meats if you prefer) even get there!  This experience has made our greatest hits list for any and all visitors who choose to make the trek across the Atlantic to see us while here in Tel Aviv. 

So, when are you coming to visit?

Left behind in Tel Aviv

On our walk back from dinner last week, we saw a little fuzzy lump on the sidewalk smaller than a softball.  Our first instinct was, "go around, it's a rat,"  but as we moved closer, it didn't move at all.    It was under a tree, so I wondered if it could be a baby possum.  But there was no tail.  Up close I could see a tiny pointy snout.  He was just curled into a little ball, and he'd move only slightly at the loud tap of a shoe, like he was startled.  But he wasn't otherwise going anywhere.  In case you're wondering, it was a baby porcupine.

Poor thing.  This isn't much of a picture, but it's all my phone could do in the dark, and I didn't want to keep traumatizing the little guy with the flash.

Moving time!

Yesterday was our first day in our new apartment (for the second time).  We met for the key exchange at 10am.  They did a good job of emptying it, and it's relatively clean, but the fridge needed a scrub down, as do many of the walls and switches, and the floors will probably need another round once we've tromped around in there with our cleaning rags, ikea boxes, etc.  After some kitchen scrubbing, we spend the afternoon building new Ikea furniture. 

Today we'll continue.  And I'll try to get some pics to load for you.  Tomorrow the movers bring our stuff (Sunday is the first day of the work week here, remember?) 

Yafo flee market

Last Thursday evening after sunset we went for a nice long walk down the boardwalk by the sea, into Yafo, the town directly south of Tel Aviv.  They hold a flea market in the central streets every Thursday evening.  While it is called a flea marketi, it has a mix of used and new goods and art for sale.  There's also food and music.

The passion that Israel draws out

When we learned we were getting reloed, word spread like wildfire through our Israeli network.  If I had a dollar for every time I heard from someone about how much I'd love it here, I'd be able to work for free for the rest of my life.

It wasn't just Israeli's spreading the love.  The two outgoing Ford guys were genuinely torn up about having to leave. 

Tonight at happy hour in the hotel we met a US Air pilot who does the Philly-Israel run 3 times a month.  He's been doing it since they started the route, and he has built local contacts where he is getting involved in local projects during his off hours.  Stories like this are a dime a dozen here.  There's something about Israel that brings out people's passion - strong opinions, desire to come here, or to get involved in something. 

Do you have a story?  I'd like to hear.  Share it here via comment.