August Observations

Welcome to September, everybody. Welcome to a new month that means a few things for me:

1. Upcoming are 20 days in Europe!
2. Hook'Em Horns! Make 'em Eat Shit on that football field!
3. 1/5 of my time abroad has passed.

With the ending of that first month, I find an ample opportunity to report some observations that failed to make their own posts on this blog.

• Every time I enter the land of Israel, security becomes easier. It is one of the oddest feelings, too. When I arrived August 1 to Tel Aviv, security was an easy breeze. Perhaps every Israeli government stamp that appears in my passport adds significant credibility to my visit.
• Good Public Transportation is Awesome. We seem to have a problem with this idea in America. We like our cars A LOT. But I can get from place to place pretty darn easily in Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem without a car. Trains and busses provide easy transport between these cities, too. On longer distances, I can whip out my book and read instead of focusing on the road. The shorter bus rides cost me 5-6 shekels (about a dollar-fifty, I believe), but I don't have to worry about gas expenses or car maintenance. True, cars can be great, but they are better when coupled with other modes of transit.
• They Don't Like Paper Money As Much as Us. The smallest paper bill in Israel is worth 20 shekels, or a bit more than 5 dollars. Meanwhile, some cashiers dislike customers using the 100-shekel bill (one worth a bit more than $26), even though that is the bill the ATM spits out every time. Coins are much more popular here than in the United States, with the 10-shekel piece popping up everywhere. Essentially, if my change falls out of my pocket, it's a matter of dollars that I would likely lose; not a matter of cents.
• Oh, the Solar Panels: Some of you may have heard me talk about this before, but it is entirely incredible to see so many buildings with solar panels placed upon the roofs. I am envious, and I am glad that the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1937 this past session. Texas cities should make like Berkely pronto.
• Beaching in Haifa is Nice and Easy. The Galveston beach was always within an hour or hour and a half drive of my Houston home, but I think we always thought that an hour was too much for an afternoon of sand and sea that can be described as "average" at best. By bus in Haifa, though, I can get to the beach within 30 minutes, and the beach (or ḥof in Hebrew) is nicer. The water is clear and wavy. The sand is soft. Chairs are free to use. Moreover, Israelis have a wonderful beach game called Matkot that has made beach time evermore enticing -- I love the game so much, I might dedicate an entire post to it later.
• There were Honored Seats on the Bimah in the 300s! In modern Jewish synagogues, the bimah (the elevated platform from where prayers are led) has seats to the side for honored persons. One would think this to be an entirely present-day invention. When we visited the ruins of an ancient synagogue in Ein Gedi, however, there was a seat to the side for an honored member of the congregation! Who would have thought they had the such ingenious displays of vanity back then, too!
• Why Do Israelis So Dislike President Obama? Last I heard, only 4% of Israelis think Obama is pro-Israel, according to a recent Jerusalem Post Poll. That fact alone does not bother me, because an American President should be neutral. Somehow, though, a majority seem to believe Obama is more pro-Palestinian. I have seen this sentiment in a few people here, too. There was a lecture here at the University that was advertised to teach about Obama's Middle East policy, but I just heard a rant, and the lecturer failed to show the slightest bit of academic prowess that I expected. Later, an Israeli asked me at a party how I could have supported a Muslim for President. Really? I thought under-educated American Rednecks were the only ones still ignorant about Barack Obama's faith -- NOT intelligent and educated Israelis. I imagine anti-Obama propaganda finds itself in Israel just as easily as it does in the United States, and I also imagine that the Israeli public was simply shocked that Obama started his presidency with a stiff in-the-middle stance instead of the "I like Israel just oh so very very much" stance that they are used to receiving from the United States. Hopefully, President Obama will make successful strides towards a real peace and Israelis will recognize that real peace, even by means of tough compromise, is pro-Israeli.