Last Weekend in Israel

Today is Tisha b'Av, or what I like to call "Super Shabbat" because just as most stores are closed on the Sabbath practically everything is closed here on Tisha b'Av. Like any Israeli holiday, it began the day before at sunset. As though we were preparing for the end of the world and were stocking our bunkers with canned goods, all of us summer students made sure that we ate dinner before dusk and had purchased groceries from the local convenience stores. Tisha b'Av commemorates the destruction of the first and second temples and is a day of mourning where devout Jews fast, abstain from drinking water (even to the point of refusing to brush their teeth--yuck!), and refrain from doing anything entertaining at all. Interestingly enough, it's a law throughout Israel that all stores be closed the night before Tisha b'Av to prevent anyone from having a fun time—a bit odd if you ask me. It's strange how the minority orthodox opinion seems to dominate the country's laws even though the majority of people here call themselves secular Jews. I also find it strange that laws have to be made to (1) eliminate fun and (2) help religious people keep from being tempted.

Although I didn't go on any particularly exciting travels this weekend, I had a noteworthy last Friday and Saturday in Israel. Just as I went to Tel Aviv my first weekend here, I decided to go there again for my last. I was moderately disappointed (well actually quite devastated) that I didn't run into my topless bus girl, who I encountered on my first trip to Tel Aviv. Nonetheless, this feeling of remorse was overcome with my general enthusiasm at how proud I was at being able to successfully navigate the convoluted city streets. After taking a sherut to the central bus station, I meandered through the craft fair at Nahalat Binyamin, passed by the Carmel Market, and headed up to the mall at Dizengoff Street. The mall was similar to those in America except that, because it was Friday, there were all sorts of kiosks lined up selling mysterious-looking food products: vats of hummus, pots filled with goopy beans, meat drenched in fat. It was all a bit unusual to see these local people selling their homemade pot-luck dishes in the middle of the mall. It seemed that the business was fairly good and though I didn't buy anything myself, I contemplated what I would sell if I had my very own food cart parked inside Dillard's at Chandler Fashion Square Mall back in Arizona. How about corn-dogs dipped in hummus or olives rolled in pig fat? Those would sell like hotcakes!

After the mall, I walked along the beach-front promenade down to Old Jaffa. There, I went to a few art galleries and then caught a bus back to Rehovot before the public transportation closed down for the Sabbath around 2:30pm. Back at the Weizmann Institute, I dilly-dallied at the computer and then went with Tanmay to Hummus Weizmann for dinner where I had my usual grilled lamb and onions with pita. Afterwards, we ran into Zvonimir and Lisa and decided that we'd like to see a film. Unfortunately, our only options were The Mummy 3 and Mamma Mia. Since the Mummy 3 had gotten terrible reviews, we puffed out our chests, convinced ourselves of our masculinity, and headed to the theaters to see Mamma Mia. (We'd later tell people that we had wholeheartedly intended to watch the action-packed sword-fighting film "The Mummy," but the ticket seller couldn't understand our English and accidentally sold us tickets to Mamma Mia … which we couldn't return. Shoot!). Although we all found the movie a bit cheesy at parts, I've got to admit we all rather enjoyed it—even going so far as to sing the title track and Dancing Queen as we strutted down to Herzl bar to get a drink before frolicking back to Clore House.

Yesterday morning I slept in till noon. When I finally got up, Iris, Tanmay, and I went down to Herzl for a cappuccino and a sandwich. Afterwards, Tanmay headed off to work while Iris and I decided to go to Bilu Center, an outlet mall just outside of Rehovot. Though I didn't find anything, I did get my photo taken in front of an ice-cream stand called "American Ice-cream." After the mall, I went to the Rec Center with Tanmay where we weight-lifted and watched the Olympics being presented with Hebrew coverage. For dinner, we went to Hummus Weizmann again (and probably for my last time). I had my usual lamb and onion. Mmmm… mmmm… good.

American Icecream