Brian's Brain

Warning: Semi-Serious.

I've had a number of thoughts rolling around in my head about the place I'm visiting (Tel Aviv). I've learned tons about myself, the U.S., and the world in general in just the few days I've been here and this is the perfect forum for posting those thoughts.

First, the drivers. Before I came, I inquired of Eran (a traveling companion, and an Israeli who's lived in the U.S. for over a year now) if I needed to rent a car while I was here. He responded that I didn't want to drive in Israel and that I'd see what he meant when I got here. Not being one to question the locals, I trusted him. And I'm glad I did. These people are NUTS. 4-way stops are nothing more than a competition to see who can get through the quickest. They actually have a yellow light to warn you that the light is about to turn GREEN. (I think it means 'start going, because it's going to be legal to go in a second'). I've seen people LITERALLY invent lanes in order to pass cars (yes, they just zip right between you). The accident rate here is very high, and I've not seen any vehicles that don't have dents in them.

I've also learned that the taxes are crazy here. The income tax is set (deductions are not an option, you simply pay what the government says you'll pay). Consequently, they don't have a 'tax day'. The deductions from their check are always accurate. The problem is that the deductions are in the 60% range. On top of that, the sales tax here is 18%. That means by the time you've spent your money, the government has taken close to 80% of it. The use of that money is no secret. Tanks and F-16's cost a lot of money -- and for a country with a population of about half that of New York City, it's very expensive to maintain a world-power militia. There's no question they need it, however. A country of 6 million people surrounded by over a billion people who don't want them here.... let's just say the locals consider it 'money well spent'. Additionally, to further aid in the defense of the country, all Israeli's are required to serve 3 years in the military. It's simply how it is.

The culture here is fascinating. More than 80% of the population here is Jewish, but less than half of them seem to actually participate in their religion. Those that have moved here recently claim that in their previous countries, they did all of the normal 'jewish things' (going to church, shopping in 'jewish places', the usual rituals involved with the religion, etc.) yet they stopped when they came to Israel. It's almost as through they no longer need actions to convince themselves that they're Jewish. The mere reality of being here is 'enough'.

Those who do practice their religion seem to be divided as well. There are a small number of the Jews here considered 'extreme orthodox'. (they're the ones who dress like they're from the set of Fiddler on the Roof). They've also managed to be exempt from military service, many are on welfare, and they're very outspoken about the direction they want Israel to go in. There's a tremendous feeling of resentment from the non-practicing Jews toward this culture. They're viewed as 'freeloaders' in the society and it's difficult to find people outside this culture who have very many nice things to say about them.

This group (the ultra-orthodox) also has extreme political and cultural views. They don't read newspapers, watch TV, etc. And there are rumors that people who have tried to set up newspaper stands in their neighborhoods are harassed and even bombed until they leave. These are most the Jews willing to live in the West Bank. They feel the religious rewards are worth the risk -- that God will protect them. It also helps that the government subsidizes the housing. This makes a double-incentive for those groups to live in the dangerous areas.

The food here is amazing. I was told that there were a number of things here that were simply not available in the U.S. -- I was told correctly. There's a huge amount of unique food here -- I'm hoping to find recipes when I get home. The vegetables here are incredible. Delicious. Like nothing I've ever tasted in the U.S. Salads are very popular with every meal (including breakfast). It seems strange, but then... why not? It makes a lot more sense than a chunk of meat.

People here are very friendly toward Americans -- it's obvious why the Jews would like Americans.. But even the Arabs seem nice. It's as though they dislike American foreign policy, but also recognize that I'm just a person -- and it's not my fault (which I'm grateful for, because I dislike our foreign policy, too).

Eran took us around the city last night. It was fascinating as he pointed out all of the places that had been hit by suicide bombers in the last 10 years. No part of the city had been unaffected. People still frequented the night clubs and restaurants that were hit, and life goes on. One of the night-clubs that was hit 2 years ago is about 200 yards from the hotel I'm staying in -- and another is just 2 miles away. It's all very surreal, but as I mentioned, there's nowhere to go in Tel Aviv that hasn't been hit at least once.

Eran pointed out that there didn't used to be suicide bombers in Israel. The palestinians would go into a crowded area and open-fire with a machine gun, hand-gun, knife.. whatever they could get their hands on. This worked for a while until the residents of Tel Aviv started carrying concealed weapons. The palestinians discovered that they could barely get off one shot before getting shot themselves. They've moved on to bigger and better things, realizing that if they want to kill someone, a gun is just one of many possible tools. Many years ago, the israeli's learned lessons that America would do well to learn for itself. 1> If someone wants to kill, not having a gun won't stop them and 2> The fastest way to stop gun violence is to arm the public.

There are security cameras and guards everywhere. Americans frown on surveillance, Israeli's wouldn't live without it. Security is tight no matter where you go. Bags are checked on the way into stores (as opposed to America, where they check them on the way out). Trunks are checked when you drive into parking lots. People boarding airplanes to Israel are triple-checked by security. And yet life goes on.