Starbucks in Israel

Israeli’s like their coffee strong. The ubiquitous drink of choice is Turkish coffee, a muddy black pungent liquid that requires patience or will result in a mouthful of coffee grounds. If you are not a fan of this deeply rooted Middle Eastern tradition than you can order an Americano or grab some Nescafe. The Americano may not be filtered the filtered coffee some are used to, but it’s a nice pick me up on your way to work. If it’s summer time, and you are looking for a cooler way to relax in a café, than an ice-café is the way to go. Not to be confused with a “coffee with ice” an ice-café is a slushy blend that resembles a Starbucks frappuccino. Whatever your tastes and no matter what time of year, Israel will have the coffee you’re looking for…at least as long as you’re not looking for Starbucks.

Hatachana

Ever been to Tel Aviv’s old train station? What was once an important commercial hub has revitalized itself and now hosts annual exhibitions, shows, and gallery openings. With spectacular food and interesting venues, this is a place to be on summer nights. Their website says “This was the first railway line between Little Asia and Egypt and the first means of transportation to replace the camel as the mode of transport for heavy loads taken over long distances.” Having closed it’s gates over 50 years ago, this is still a thriving entry point for those looking to explore all Tel Aviv has to offer.

http://www.hatachana.co.il/home

Winter Weather

Winter in Israel means rain, lots of rain. This year is no exception. Generally Israel’s warm, arid climate makes its southern regions immune to snow days. There have been the occasional patches of snow in Jerusalem, but today Tel Aviv is experiencing a liquid “Snow day”. Students and employees across central Israel are working from home today after cancellations and delays were announced following record rains. The Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel’s largest body of fresh water, will soon reach levels high enough to allow water to flow into the Jordan River, and eventually into the Dead Sea. For those of you who have plans to come to Israel in the near future, fear not. Israel’s rain comes in bursts, allowing you time to pop into a local coffee shop for your favorite hot beverage and be on your way. If you’re looking to learn more about the Kinneret or water conservation in Israel, click this link http://ow.ly/gCZ24

For more, check out my posts on http://www.absolutelyisrael.com/blog

Chipotle in Tel Aviv!

Okay, so it's not the real Chipotle, but Donkey burrito bar is the closest thing I have found in Israel.

For 34-38 nis you can get a foot long burrito that comes packed with an Ameri-Mexican assortment of toppings. They even have American style shredded chedder cheese.






For the vegetarians out there they have a *new* tofu-ground beef and a veg mix. This non-kosher restaurant also serves pulled pork.

The drinks were a bit pricey, but the food was spot on. For 36nis you can get a delicious chicken burrito all to yourself, or go halfsies with a friend. While it may not be exactly like they have at home this is the first burrito bar I've seen in Tel Aviv.

The wall menu is only in Hebrew, but they have bilingual menu's by the register.

At a 5 minute walk from Rothschild, this place is definitively worth a visit.

Donkey Fresh Mexican

HaHashmona'im 91, Tel Aviv

Sunday - Saturday 11:30 - 23:30

03-5465295

How the times have changed, or not....mostly not

When I read about the tragic factory fire in Bangladesh I immediately felt I had heard the story before. The story I had heard before was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York. The Triangle fire happened in 1911 when 146 women and children died in a fire. Over 100 years later the factory fire in Bangladesh killed 112 (and counting). This was not the first fire that happened in either factory and it also wasn’t the first catastrophic factory fire in either area. The Triangle factory had exits to the street, but they were all locked. The Bangladesh factory had exits to the lobby, but none to the outside.

Days after the fire family members were still frantically trying to identify the charred remains of the victims. So many of the deceased were burned beyond recognition that the only hope the family members had was identifying a small scrap of clothing or shoe. Some considered themselves lucky to find the broken, unburned remains of their daughters who chose to leap from the window in order to avoid the flames. Newspapers in 1911 were filled with stories of these unlucky women, who were unfortunate enough to work in a society that did not value their lives enough to protect them.

Both fires were called one of the worst/most tragic/devastating fires in their area. What makes it the most devastating? Neither incident was the first fire, leading to death, the area had had. Are they ranking fires by death toll? Every death should be tragic/devastating/ the worst. These fires could have been easily avoided. Both factory owners knew the risks. They had seen firsthand what could have happened, but they made their avarice more important than human lives.

At the time of the Triangle fires the leading political party ignored requests to reform the system. Women were not allowed to vote, and because the garment industry mostly employed women, it was seen as a women’s issue. What’s Bangladesh’s excuse? One hundred years later and the world is repeating itself.

Tweeting about the Holocaust

Eighth International Conference on Holocaust Education at Yad Vashem did not sound like anything I would want to go to. What the name lacks in creativity is, well, everything. Yet, I found myself awake at 7:30 am, on my way to Israel’s most well known Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Despite the less than engaging title the topics being discussed had some real value.

The lectures and speeches were less than thrilling, but what was interesting was the constant debate about what should be taught. As one of the youngest people in the room it seemed that the focus was good but the methods of communicating their ideas were lacking. The speeches were burdened by their obvious distance from the target group they were trying to reach. While this was an academic conference, and they were speaking to educators, I felt a general sense that they were out of touch with young people these days.

Speakers referenced “twits on tweeter” and teens preoccupation with ipods and imacs. These attempts at addressing modern technology were good, and should be encouraged, but why not run these speeches by their children first?

I do not assume to understand what everyone in their teens and 20’s are interested in, but technology has a proven appeal. In Yad Vashem there was a poster with a photo of a family from the early 1930’s. The families’ faces were replaced by QR codes, inviting anyone with a smart phone to snap a picture and learn more. Why are there not more technologically interactive approaches in Holocaust education? Thirteen year olds now have smart phones, ipads, laptops and gaming systems. Let’s tap into that. It is difficult to get youth engaged in books, and few are able to do what Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling, and Stephenie Meyer accomplished. Instead of fighting to get Middle School students reading hardcopies of textbooks, let’s turn them digital and make them interactive.

These three authors inspired millions of young readers, while I was anything but inspired by the six middle aged white men who were trying to explain how memory and preservation should play a vital role in Holocaust education. It is difficult to strip away our biases around the sophistication, or lack of, in youth. Who cares if they are sophisticated? Let’s first work on educating them and then get to the task of their social refinement.

Oktoberfest Tel Aviv

Last night I went to Tel Aviv's first Octoberfest at Hatachana (the old train station). This is a two day event ends tonight at 23:00 and is worth a visit.

I'm still not quite sure anyone outside Israel would count this event as part of Oktoberfest. Taking up only a fraction of the Hatachana compound it it seemed more like a Paulaner expo than a German beer festival.

With free entry, great music, lots of beer, and food  stands it's a solid choice for your Thursday night. The live band played familiar songs at a volume that still allowed you to have a conversation. And I'm pretty sure we were always within an arms distance from beer. The deal of the night is a 36nis 1/2 liter with a complementary glass. The glass only says Paulaner, not Oktoberfest. 

Foodies, if you're a fan of German Bratwurst then this is the closest you'll find in Israel outside shtern1.co.il/. Located next to Neve Tzedek and Yafo, Hatachana is a great place to explore with it's late night galleries and high end restaurants. Go for Oktoberfest, stay for the atmosphere.

Photo from bit.ly/PzmUXk