Only in Israel

10 Reasons I Still Love Jerusalem

December 6, 2005

Israelis love to get down on Jerusalem. Every time new statistics are published, pundits bemoan the steady decline of the city and how much better other cities in the country are – particularly those in the Greater Tel Aviv area.   The latest depressing numbers come from the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (JIIS) in […]

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A Little More “Nuditity” Please

November 28, 2005

Archie Bunker, the protagonist of the massively popular 1970s TV sitcom “All in the Family“ used to decry the increasing amounts of “nuditity” in the world that always seemed out of synch with his less than open-minded views.   I kept thinking about this classic malapropism as Jody and I attended a performance of the […]

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Parking Problems

November 7, 2005

When family comes to town, I tend to find myself  in the car, driving, more than usual: to and from various restaurants for meals, off for tiyulim, shopping downtown. That was certainly the case in the last two weeks as twelve-year-old Merav celebrated her bat mitzvah. Now, with family safely back in North America and […]

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Yom Kippur Groupies

October 7, 2005

(This article first appeared on the This Normal Life website in 2003 and has been a reader favorite. I’m re-posting it now as we head towards Yom Kippur 2005. May you be inscribed in the Book of Life.) When we moved to Israel eleven years ago, we were met with all kinds of changes – […]

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Customer Service

September 30, 2005

When it comes to buying shoes, I am not an easy customer to please. My feet have very high arches; most shoes do not give me enough support. All the more so with sandals. As a result, the last pair of sandals I bought has lasted me an impressive eight years…in large part because they […]

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Mouse Massage

August 5, 2005

  My wife Jody and I try to get away for a night without the kids every so often. It’s not so easy when you don’t have grandparents living nearby, so it had been several years since our last romantic getaway and we aimed to make the most of it. Our destination: the Mitzpe HaYamim […]

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This Normal Poetry

June 2, 2005

I was recently interviewed by a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle. He was in town for a few months to try to get the “real story” behind the headlines. He’s been a regular reader of this column and figured I might be able to share some insights. Besides which, he offered to take me […]

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Rice Milk Crisis

March 10, 2005

“What, no rice milk?” I asked Jody as I helped her unload the groceries after a recent trip to the supermarket. I had immediately noticed the bags seemed lighter than usual. “They were all out,” Jody said, almost apologetically. “Harumph,” I muttered, trying to be flip about the matter but barely concealing my disappointment. Rice […]

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Why Aren’t You a Winner?

March 3, 2005

Steve, an entrepreneur friend of mine in Jerusalem, met recently with an Israeli venture capitalist concerning funding for Steve’s new company. The two discussed the market, the company’s technology and promise. Eventually, they got down to Steve’s work history which included several startups that had trudged along but never really hit the big time. The […]

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Three Falafels and a Mortgage

February 17, 2005

We’ve got some good news: we bought a house. Yes, after 10 years of renting in Israel and seven before that in California, Jody and I have finally joined the ranks of the home owners. There’s only one thing still in the way: Getting a mortgage. Since we never had to apply for a home […]

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