One great thing about the Holiday Season in America is that it comes in full force. The Season begins showing its face with Thanksgiving in late November and then there is a gradual increase in Holiday "spirit" up until Christmas. Because all things in America must come in abundance (or over-abundance) we follow Christmas with another week of relative "down-time" until New Year's Day. During this week, students enjoy winter break from classes, sports fans indulge in endless college football games and the beginning of professional football playoffs, and nearly everyone participates in some type of gathering to usher in the new year.
This year as my family recovers from our holiday "hangover" that included two weeks of visitors from America (which went by far too quickly) we find the culture of Israel only adds to this post-Christmas headache. First of all, for obvious reasons the country does not do much to acknlowedge Christmas day. (I actually had to skip classes to celebrate Christmas with my family.) Except for the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, the only areas in Israel acknowledging the season are found in some of the Arab neighborhoods. This came with a benefit of causing our family to purposely seek out the meaning of the Season and the joy of the season instead of taking it for granted but we will enjoy returning to a place that is a bit more "Christmas(y)".
The second thing adding to the headache is my inability to simply waste time watching college football. Granted, I usually don't care to watch Eastern Carolina play Billy Bob's University in the "'Preperation H' Medicated Cream Bowl" but not even having the choice is disapointing. Instead I tried to re-create the feeling by turning on the TV and watching Haifa Soccer Club play Negev-United in a much anticipated match. Unfortunately the match ended in a tie when the police fired tear gas into the crowd after the fans began throwing rocks at the referees. There was no reason for the outbreak of violence but in a post-game interview one fan explained that "this is the Middle East, that should be reason enough for violence". (The previous statement is not true- please disregard.)
If the lack of Christmas spirit and college football isn't enough, Israel provides the final "holiday buzz kill" by not even acknowledging New Year's Day. They are currently in the 3rd month of year 5969 so they have no need to celebrate the beginning of the "pagan" year. Yes, I have class on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Yeah!
So, this year while many of my American readers gather with friends on this New Year's Day watching football and eating meat and cheese mixtures spread on Ritz crackers, I will be sitting in class longing for my two day break from studies that comes in March in celebration of Purim (the events of the Book of Esther). So please enjoy the day and don't worry about us. The tomatoes and humus packed into Pita bread and the cricket match on the TV is a worthy consolation for missing New Year's Celebrations... it is also the source of the saying, "Next Year in America" !
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
God with us
I have litterally written and deleted and then rewritten this blog at least three or four times in the last hour. There is something so holy, and so profound about Christmas that I cannot find the words to express it. I cannot find the "angle" to approach it. There are just a few things that I need to say. Immanuel, means God with us. I will never experience that name for Christ in the same way again after this year in Israel. I have now seen the fish swimming in the sea of Galillee, walked up on the hills where he preached. I have been to Gethsemane where he prayed and cried out to God, I have sat in a 2000 year old dungeon like the one he sat in on the night of his arrest. I have walked on the Mt. of Olives, I have brushed my fingers over the Jordan, where he was baptized. In all the glitz and glam that surrounds Christ in this city, with the churches and the souvenir shops, this is the place where he lived and breathed. There is no getting around that. There are many "supposed" sites for his life and ministry but the point remains that He was WITH US. He is more real to me than he has ever been. Some days this is almost too much to bear. That God did indeed live among us and then die, for us.
Tonight on Christmas Eve, my family did not go to Bethlehem. We drove through Bethlehem, though crowded and noisy streets, resembling Times Square on New Years Eve, or the French Quarter for Mardi Gras. And we went to Beit Sahour, to a quiet field overlooking Bethlehem. A field that may well have been where the "shepherds were watching their flocks by night." And we sang with a small group of Palestinian Christians and their friends and family. We sang songs about those shepherds, and the angels who appeared to them. We sang songs about the baby born, and about the hopes and fears of all the world being met in Him, in Bethlehem. We sang about the Immanuel, the God who is with us.
We stood around a fire pit, with the stars appearing one by one as the sky got darker. The moon was full tonight and cast a bright light on the city. To be honest I didn't sing much, for the lump that was in my throat. But as we left that place I had a song stuck in my head. "Rejoice, rejoice! Immanuel has come to thee oh Israel!" I wish I could come up with more to say, that I could be more profound. But I can barely get out words - Christ has been given flesh and blood for me here in Israel. When I say "rejoice...he has come!" I believe it with a depth that I never did before. I rejoice and yet I weep - the God of the Universe becoming Immanuel is almost too much to get my mind and my heart around. I finish this with a line from my favorite Christmas song... "fall on your knees, and hear the angel voices. Oh night divine! Oh night divine!"
Checkout more thoughts on this night from Ryan at What's Wrong With the World.
Tonight on Christmas Eve, my family did not go to Bethlehem. We drove through Bethlehem, though crowded and noisy streets, resembling Times Square on New Years Eve, or the French Quarter for Mardi Gras. And we went to Beit Sahour, to a quiet field overlooking Bethlehem. A field that may well have been where the "shepherds were watching their flocks by night." And we sang with a small group of Palestinian Christians and their friends and family. We sang songs about those shepherds, and the angels who appeared to them. We sang songs about the baby born, and about the hopes and fears of all the world being met in Him, in Bethlehem. We sang about the Immanuel, the God who is with us.
We stood around a fire pit, with the stars appearing one by one as the sky got darker. The moon was full tonight and cast a bright light on the city. To be honest I didn't sing much, for the lump that was in my throat. But as we left that place I had a song stuck in my head. "Rejoice, rejoice! Immanuel has come to thee oh Israel!" I wish I could come up with more to say, that I could be more profound. But I can barely get out words - Christ has been given flesh and blood for me here in Israel. When I say "rejoice...he has come!" I believe it with a depth that I never did before. I rejoice and yet I weep - the God of the Universe becoming Immanuel is almost too much to get my mind and my heart around. I finish this with a line from my favorite Christmas song... "fall on your knees, and hear the angel voices. Oh night divine! Oh night divine!"
Checkout more thoughts on this night from Ryan at What's Wrong With the World.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
My Favorite Shrines
Living in the Holy Land brings a lot of excitements and disappointments. The excitement comes from throwing rocks at military vehicles and then running... (This is a joke; please do not try this on your trip here). What I meant to say was there is excitement from being in the place where so much incredible history took place. There are "holy sites” for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. If you prefer "unholy" sites there are plenty of ancient ruins from pagan temples, Roman cities, and U.N. installations.
What some may find disappointing however, is the fact that at the location where these events took place, people have erected churches, mosques, and museums over the sites. Even if there is no historical validity to the claims at a certain location, the followers of that faith (especially the Christians I am sorry to say) designate a location as the actual place of its occurrence and they make the "Church of Something Happened Here". Pilgrims come from around the world to see these sites and if you take the time you can ignore the spectacle that is built all around the site and actually have a meaningful experience. But if you just come to see the landscape as it existed in ancient days you will be disappointed.
Some of the sites seem to me that they might be a bit over-spiritualized but who am I to judge? I am just here to give you my Top Ten List of most creative "holy sites".
10. The Church of the Multiplication of the Fish and the Loaves (This is actually an amazing building with mosaics on the floor that are worth a visit. It even is in the approximate region of this miracle, but the rock that marks the exact location where Jesus set the loaves of bread might be a bit speculative).
9. Masada- This is a fortress built high upon a cliff and served as a location for Hasmonean occupation, Herod's vacation palace, and later in history, Crusader and Roman fortresses. The location is most famous for the Jewish Essenes who held out there during the revolt around 70 AD. It now commemorates the strength of the people there who all killed their families before killing themselves so that the Romans would not get the pleasure of doing so.
8. The Dome of the Rock. This is the Muslim shrine built on the "rock" where Mohammed is said to have ascended. It just happens to also be placed on the Jewish temple mount and on the site where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac.
7. The Dormitian Abbey. This is the German church that marks the place where Mary fell asleep (okay... where she died). The crypt is worth a visit so don't pass this by.
6. The church of the Flagellation (not flatulation). This is the location where Jesus is said to be handed over and scourged. This marks the beginning of the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem (The "way of sorrows" that Jesus walked on the way to the cross. Recent archaeology unfortunately places this site on the opposite end of the city, which would completely re-draw the entire Via Dolorosa.
5. The Upper Room- this is the place where the disciples had the last supper with Jesus. If you ignore the fact that the building was built in the 11th century by the Crusaders you can really see why this site is so popular. If you prefer a more accurate location, go to the outdoor market called Mahane Yehuda and look for the man with a jar on his head. For five shekels he will take you to his version of the last supper room. Unfortunately it turns out that his room is the location where Jesus (a tour guide from Mexico) dined with his friends before heading back to Mexico.
4. The Church of the ascension.
It is not the fact that they believe that Jesus ascended here, it is the fact that 300 years later they discovered Jesus' actual footprint in the dirt and then made it into a concrete cast. (What luck!)
3. This is a tie. The chapel in the Armenian church containing the head of James the brother of Jesus and the chapel in the Church of the ascension containing the head of John the Baptist. If I ever lose my head I kindly request that someone build the "Church Where Ryan Lost His Head" in my honor... thanks.
2. The Church of the Kathisma (This is the church of the rock that Mary sat on when she rested on her way to Bethlehem. I guess she wasn't riding a donkey).
1. The Milk Grotto- this is by far the most creative holy site. It is here where there are two spots on a rock that is believed to be milk from the mother Mary that spilled while feeding Jesus.
Now that I have offended people from the world's three major religions I must also say that all of these places are worth visiting. Sometimes negative publicity is the best form of promotion!
What some may find disappointing however, is the fact that at the location where these events took place, people have erected churches, mosques, and museums over the sites. Even if there is no historical validity to the claims at a certain location, the followers of that faith (especially the Christians I am sorry to say) designate a location as the actual place of its occurrence and they make the "Church of Something Happened Here". Pilgrims come from around the world to see these sites and if you take the time you can ignore the spectacle that is built all around the site and actually have a meaningful experience. But if you just come to see the landscape as it existed in ancient days you will be disappointed.
Some of the sites seem to me that they might be a bit over-spiritualized but who am I to judge? I am just here to give you my Top Ten List of most creative "holy sites".
10. The Church of the Multiplication of the Fish and the Loaves (This is actually an amazing building with mosaics on the floor that are worth a visit. It even is in the approximate region of this miracle, but the rock that marks the exact location where Jesus set the loaves of bread might be a bit speculative).
9. Masada- This is a fortress built high upon a cliff and served as a location for Hasmonean occupation, Herod's vacation palace, and later in history, Crusader and Roman fortresses. The location is most famous for the Jewish Essenes who held out there during the revolt around 70 AD. It now commemorates the strength of the people there who all killed their families before killing themselves so that the Romans would not get the pleasure of doing so.
8. The Dome of the Rock. This is the Muslim shrine built on the "rock" where Mohammed is said to have ascended. It just happens to also be placed on the Jewish temple mount and on the site where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac.
7. The Dormitian Abbey. This is the German church that marks the place where Mary fell asleep (okay... where she died). The crypt is worth a visit so don't pass this by.
6. The church of the Flagellation (not flatulation). This is the location where Jesus is said to be handed over and scourged. This marks the beginning of the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem (The "way of sorrows" that Jesus walked on the way to the cross. Recent archaeology unfortunately places this site on the opposite end of the city, which would completely re-draw the entire Via Dolorosa.
5. The Upper Room- this is the place where the disciples had the last supper with Jesus. If you ignore the fact that the building was built in the 11th century by the Crusaders you can really see why this site is so popular. If you prefer a more accurate location, go to the outdoor market called Mahane Yehuda and look for the man with a jar on his head. For five shekels he will take you to his version of the last supper room. Unfortunately it turns out that his room is the location where Jesus (a tour guide from Mexico) dined with his friends before heading back to Mexico.
4. The Church of the ascension.
It is not the fact that they believe that Jesus ascended here, it is the fact that 300 years later they discovered Jesus' actual footprint in the dirt and then made it into a concrete cast. (What luck!)
3. This is a tie. The chapel in the Armenian church containing the head of James the brother of Jesus and the chapel in the Church of the ascension containing the head of John the Baptist. If I ever lose my head I kindly request that someone build the "Church Where Ryan Lost His Head" in my honor... thanks.
2. The Church of the Kathisma (This is the church of the rock that Mary sat on when she rested on her way to Bethlehem. I guess she wasn't riding a donkey).
1. The Milk Grotto- this is by far the most creative holy site. It is here where there are two spots on a rock that is believed to be milk from the mother Mary that spilled while feeding Jesus.
Now that I have offended people from the world's three major religions I must also say that all of these places are worth visiting. Sometimes negative publicity is the best form of promotion!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Week in Photos
Hebrew University is a huge campus with over 20,000 students so these photos do not give a comprehensive view of the campus, just the path I walk each day.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Israeli salad
Right now we have guests in the house visiting us from California. Because of this, and because it is nearing the end of the semester for Ryan, things around here have been incredibly busy. Our blog entries (especially by Ryan) are coming at a slower pace at the moment. We are busy being tourists and showing our friends this beautiful country, and also are trying to introduce them to the foods and culture. I have been feeding them pita, tahina, hummos and Israeli salad every night since they came (per their request!). I thought that for those of you who would also like to walk on this journey with us, a recipe for Israeli salad would be a good way to help you to do just that. Go ahead and make up a batch, set it on the table with some pita and hummos, and enjoy your taste of Israel!
Israeli salad
3 small persian cucumbers diced in small cubes (do not peel)
3 tomatoes diced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped (1/3 cup)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 lemon, squeezed over the top, and
a drizzle of olive oil or vegetable oil
Make sure the vegies are a very small dice. Toss together and serve - it will last several days in the fridge.
Israeli salad
3 small persian cucumbers diced in small cubes (do not peel)
3 tomatoes diced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped (1/3 cup)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 lemon, squeezed over the top, and
a drizzle of olive oil or vegetable oil
Make sure the vegies are a very small dice. Toss together and serve - it will last several days in the fridge.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Week in Photos
We had a long weekend due to Chanukhah so we packed up and left the country and headed for Jordan for a few days. So, the photos for this week are from our time in Jordan, in particular, in Petra. We will talk more about this trip later this week. For now, enjoy the following photos.
Entering Petra you must walk down a mile long stretch called the Siq. It is a narrow passage that winds down hill until the end when you see the Treasury peeking through the rocks. These structures are all carved into the rocks by the Nabateans thousands of years ago. During the Roman Empire's dominance in the 1st Century, they conqured the Nabateans and made Petra into a Roman City.
This is a view of the Treasury which was carved by Stephen Spielberg for a scene in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".
This is a view of the scenery surrounding Petra.
After the Roman occupation and later, Crusader occupation, Petra was forgotten by all except the Bedouin people who moved into all the caves and lived there for hundreds of years before being relocated in 1985. Now the Bedouins thrive from the tourist industry in Petra.
Camels are everywhere in Petra and only the most shameless and cliche' tourists give in and pay to ride on these beasts of the desert.
This is the sunset over the mountains from the patio at our hotel. We were pleasantly surprised to find Christmas trees in our lobby and to find that Jordanian hospitality is the best we have seen in any country in the entire world.
This is a photo of some shameless tourists riding camels... oh wait, that is my family.
This is Daisy. She was my wife's smelly beast of the desert. She may be smelly, but she is an obedient and kind beast... I'm talking about the camel, not my wife.
Entering Petra you must walk down a mile long stretch called the Siq. It is a narrow passage that winds down hill until the end when you see the Treasury peeking through the rocks. These structures are all carved into the rocks by the Nabateans thousands of years ago. During the Roman Empire's dominance in the 1st Century, they conqured the Nabateans and made Petra into a Roman City. 
This is a view of the Treasury which was carved by Stephen Spielberg for a scene in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". 
This is a view of the scenery surrounding Petra. 
After the Roman occupation and later, Crusader occupation, Petra was forgotten by all except the Bedouin people who moved into all the caves and lived there for hundreds of years before being relocated in 1985. Now the Bedouins thrive from the tourist industry in Petra. 
Camels are everywhere in Petra and only the most shameless and cliche' tourists give in and pay to ride on these beasts of the desert. 
This is the sunset over the mountains from the patio at our hotel. We were pleasantly surprised to find Christmas trees in our lobby and to find that Jordanian hospitality is the best we have seen in any country in the entire world. 
This is a photo of some shameless tourists riding camels... oh wait, that is my family. 
This is Daisy. She was my wife's smelly beast of the desert. She may be smelly, but she is an obedient and kind beast... I'm talking about the camel, not my wife.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Light of the World
Tonight my boys and I lit our first ever "Hanukia" (hanukah menorah) and took part in day two of the eight day Hanukkah celebration going on here in the Holy Land. No, we have not converted. But there is a chance that we will celebrate next year as well. Yesterday (Tuesday night) was the first night of Hanukkah. We were able to join a family at their home for the lighting of the first candle and the traditional celebrating that takes place. Actually many families do a full on party every single night of Hanukkah! Hanukkah is the celebration of several things. One, the defeat by the Jews of the Greek Leader Anticochus Epiphanes who defiled the temple and commanded the Jewish people to stop observing their faith. Two, it celebrates the rededication of the temple after that defilement. And three, it celebrates the miracle that took place for the rededication - where one days worth of oil burned for eight days - the time it took to prepare more "pure" oil.
So, in order to best understand this holiday, we walked over to our friend's house last night. Foods for Hanukkah are fried doughnuts and fried latkes (potato pancakes) in honor of the oil that kept the temple menorah burning. So we ate doughnuts and had tea. We sang songs and lit the candle in the window. The boys made their own dreidels, a toy that looks like a spinning top, and has four Hebrew letters on it, representing the sentence "A Great Miracle Happed Here." In every other part of the world other than Jerusalem, the sentence goes "A Great Miracle Happened There." Apparently the dreidel is a gambling game but the boys ran out of energy before they could teach us how to play. :) We laughed and debated (as good Israelis like to do) and of course I fed baby Ben.
As a believer, I found Hanukah to be incredibly illuminating (that is a bad pun). For starters, Hanukkah is a celebration of the light of Gods word and faith in the one true God overcoming darkness (the Greek emphasis on humanism). The Hanukia is to be set in the window so that all can see that light had overcome, and to remind everyone of God's intervention in the temple rededication. There are nine candle holders on the Hanukia. Eight for each of the eight days the fire burned. And one more, called the "Shamash..(or Servant)" candle, which is used to light the others.
We also were reminded of the time that Jesus was in Jerusalem during Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication) as recounted in John 10. Our friends believe that the time frame encompasses two chapters earlier, where Jesus declared "I am the Light of the World: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life." If the Jewish people were in the midst of celebrating the defeat of darkness by light, of Gods intervention into their lives by providing light for them, then this claim makes even more sense to me. It is amazing how much more I learn from Christ when I can learn from Him with Jewish ears.
I walked home into the dark moonless night with the boys. Candles burning in windows and doorways. I pondered the concept that Jesus, the Servant of all, is the light that touches each of our lives, and creates light for all the world to see. That He is the light that overcomes all darkness. And then tonight, we did our own celebration with a homemade hanukia in our window. We recited one of the three blessings spoken on Hanukah (we did English not Hebrew!). "Blessed are you, Lord our G-D, King of the Universe, who has given us life, and sustained us, and brought us to this day and Who is the Light of the World. "
Right now as I write the boys are getting on their pajamas. The candles are flickering in the window. And somehow December holds more meaning to me than it has in a long time, as we celebrate the Light of the World coming down among us. Happy Hanukkah!!
So, in order to best understand this holiday, we walked over to our friend's house last night. Foods for Hanukkah are fried doughnuts and fried latkes (potato pancakes) in honor of the oil that kept the temple menorah burning. So we ate doughnuts and had tea. We sang songs and lit the candle in the window. The boys made their own dreidels, a toy that looks like a spinning top, and has four Hebrew letters on it, representing the sentence "A Great Miracle Happed Here." In every other part of the world other than Jerusalem, the sentence goes "A Great Miracle Happened There." Apparently the dreidel is a gambling game but the boys ran out of energy before they could teach us how to play. :) We laughed and debated (as good Israelis like to do) and of course I fed baby Ben.
As a believer, I found Hanukah to be incredibly illuminating (that is a bad pun). For starters, Hanukkah is a celebration of the light of Gods word and faith in the one true God overcoming darkness (the Greek emphasis on humanism). The Hanukia is to be set in the window so that all can see that light had overcome, and to remind everyone of God's intervention in the temple rededication. There are nine candle holders on the Hanukia. Eight for each of the eight days the fire burned. And one more, called the "Shamash..(or Servant)" candle, which is used to light the others.
We also were reminded of the time that Jesus was in Jerusalem during Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication) as recounted in John 10. Our friends believe that the time frame encompasses two chapters earlier, where Jesus declared "I am the Light of the World: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life." If the Jewish people were in the midst of celebrating the defeat of darkness by light, of Gods intervention into their lives by providing light for them, then this claim makes even more sense to me. It is amazing how much more I learn from Christ when I can learn from Him with Jewish ears.
I walked home into the dark moonless night with the boys. Candles burning in windows and doorways. I pondered the concept that Jesus, the Servant of all, is the light that touches each of our lives, and creates light for all the world to see. That He is the light that overcomes all darkness. And then tonight, we did our own celebration with a homemade hanukia in our window. We recited one of the three blessings spoken on Hanukah (we did English not Hebrew!). "Blessed are you, Lord our G-D, King of the Universe, who has given us life, and sustained us, and brought us to this day and Who is the Light of the World. "
Right now as I write the boys are getting on their pajamas. The candles are flickering in the window. And somehow December holds more meaning to me than it has in a long time, as we celebrate the Light of the World coming down among us. Happy Hanukkah!!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The Week in Photos
Before looking at the photos for this week look at 1 Samuel 23:29, 1 Samuel 24:1-2, Song of Solomon 1:14 which all refer to this location and then read Psalm 57 which was written here and possibly Psalm 42.
The strongholds of En Gedi.
A view of the Salt Sea (Dead Sea) from the waterfall in En Gedi. Across the sea you can vaguely see the Trans-Jordan Mountains (in Jordan).
One of many waterfalls along the "Road to Hana"... oh sorry, wrong trip, this is on the hike through the En Gedi National Park.
Another view looking back towards the Sea. Notice the contrast of barren landscape next to life. The words En-Gedi basically mean "water from the rock".
After hiking En Gedi, you can't miss a trip to the Dead Sea where you float without any effort. Don't forget your water shoes or else you will definitely not enjoy your time in the water because the salty beaches are hard and sharp.
After floating, rinse the salt off your bady with a shower from the hot sulphur springs. It feels good until you get the water in your eyes or mouth... and you will smell like eggs for a few days but that is not a problem, everyone likes eggs.
The strongholds of En Gedi. 
A view of the Salt Sea (Dead Sea) from the waterfall in En Gedi. Across the sea you can vaguely see the Trans-Jordan Mountains (in Jordan). 
One of many waterfalls along the "Road to Hana"... oh sorry, wrong trip, this is on the hike through the En Gedi National Park. 
Another view looking back towards the Sea. Notice the contrast of barren landscape next to life. The words En-Gedi basically mean "water from the rock". 
After hiking En Gedi, you can't miss a trip to the Dead Sea where you float without any effort. Don't forget your water shoes or else you will definitely not enjoy your time in the water because the salty beaches are hard and sharp. 
After floating, rinse the salt off your bady with a shower from the hot sulphur springs. It feels good until you get the water in your eyes or mouth... and you will smell like eggs for a few days but that is not a problem, everyone likes eggs.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Let's Make a Deal
One thing you should know about Israel is that very few things are absolute and very few things are the same way twice. You may see a fully stocked item at a store one day and return to the same store never to see the item again. You may get on the bus at 9:00 AM everyday for a week and then never see the bus at 9:00 AM again. You may go to a museum at 1:00 PM one day and go inside and then return the next day at the same time only to be told that the museum is closed. I actually had an argument (in Hebrew) about the closing time at the ancient ruins in Caesarea. I was holding the map and our tickets that said the exhibit is open until 4:00 on Fridays in November. The workers closed the gates at 3:00 PM and told me they close early on Fridays. I informed them that their own literature says they are open on this day until 4:00 PM and showed them the tickets. Because they know more Hebrew than I, they won the arguement and we had to leave that exhibit. Talk to anyone in Israel and they will tell you that it is difficult to know what you are going to get from one day to the next but if you are forceful enough you usually get your way.
It is this attitude that fuels the Israeli's love for haggling. At every outdoor market or small neighborhood shop, you are welcome to argue over the price. In the Old City, it is a basic requirement to haggle. The following is the dialogue you can expect when shopping in the Old City:
Storekeeper: You want to buy this hat? How much do you want to pay?
You: I'm not sure I want it....
Storekeeper: It is 50 shekels and that is a good price.
You: 50 shekels? Well, I guess that sounds fair.
Storekeeper: What? You think I am giving you a bad deal? Fine. 40 Shekels.
You: I didn't say you are ripping me off but 40 shekels does seem more reasonable.
Storekeeper: You still think I cheat you? Okay. 30 shekels and that is my final offer. This is how much I pay for it so I cannot possibly go lower.
You: I think you are giving a great deal but I am not even sure I want the hat. I will come back a little later.
Storekeeper: Fine. Give me 15 shekels and the hat is yours. You are a very difficult person. I do not know how I will feed my family with people like you.
At this point. Just pay the money, take the hat, and walk away guilt free. This is Israel and this is how you get a low price even if you never say a word. (It is worth noting that good looking woman like my wife get much better deals so guys should just stay out of the way). It is also worth noting that you may never get that same price again.
It is this attitude that fuels the Israeli's love for haggling. At every outdoor market or small neighborhood shop, you are welcome to argue over the price. In the Old City, it is a basic requirement to haggle. The following is the dialogue you can expect when shopping in the Old City:
Storekeeper: You want to buy this hat? How much do you want to pay?
You: I'm not sure I want it....
Storekeeper: It is 50 shekels and that is a good price.
You: 50 shekels? Well, I guess that sounds fair.
Storekeeper: What? You think I am giving you a bad deal? Fine. 40 Shekels.
You: I didn't say you are ripping me off but 40 shekels does seem more reasonable.
Storekeeper: You still think I cheat you? Okay. 30 shekels and that is my final offer. This is how much I pay for it so I cannot possibly go lower.
You: I think you are giving a great deal but I am not even sure I want the hat. I will come back a little later.
Storekeeper: Fine. Give me 15 shekels and the hat is yours. You are a very difficult person. I do not know how I will feed my family with people like you.
At this point. Just pay the money, take the hat, and walk away guilt free. This is Israel and this is how you get a low price even if you never say a word. (It is worth noting that good looking woman like my wife get much better deals so guys should just stay out of the way). It is also worth noting that you may never get that same price again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)