Saturday, March 23, 2013

Tourism to Israel - a cultural experience through urinals

I
A post discussing men’s urinals ?
An educational ?
A cultural exposure?
Are you pulling our leg, or what ?!

Watch this photo:



Can you read clearly what the blue sign says, once a man stands in front of one of these urinals, ready to unzip?

I'll make your life easier. 

Here is a photo of the sigh itself:



In other words:

Once you step off - the automatic flushing would take place.

GOD FORBID !!!!

Activating an electric device on the Saturday is interpreted as work. 3,300 years ago - Moses executed those who worked on Saturday. 

So what if one really has to go ?

Look (as fast as you can) for a place which does not flush automatically, in order not to violate the Jewish laws of the Sabbath.

The toilets and the sign were photographed in a hotel in the city of Netanya, a beach town north of Tel Aviv.

In many of the Israeli hotels there is a manual (older style) faucet, next to the infra red operated faucets - for religious guests.

There are rooms with old key opening systems - bypassing the need to release the latch of the hotel room door by a magnetic card. The use of a magnetic card on Saturday is an abuse of the mosaic law.

Need less to say - the majority of the hotel guests do not need these tricks to go around the Mosaic law, they couldn't care less. but why lose those religious clients who do care?

I thought you would be amused to see what a difference in culture / liberalism is between Israel and the Netherlands.

As I was waiting for the train to Paris in the main railroad station of Rotterdam - still having few minutes tor the arrival of the train - we went into the nearby cafe.

In the lower level of the cafe one could get rid of the cafe overflow, which had been the case with me.

Here is a souvenir of my visit to the Rotterdam cafe toilette

    

Some difference....

I mean... not between the middle position and the two side positions...

Between Israel and the Netherlands....

Traveling is a never ending learning experience. You can learn something even from a hotel toilette in Israel.

Don't miss.

(I mean - a visit to Israel... Toilette you wouldn't miss anyway once nature calls...)


Ze'ev Back

Quality Private tours

zeevback@gmail.com


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Visiting Israel by motorcycles

Israel's climate is ideal for motorcycling: 300 days of sun per year.

Even the less sunny days: December - February have little rain or non.

The average yearly precipitation in most regions is 500 mm (20") per annum.

Yet - motorcycles touring in Israel presents several difficulties:

Motorcycles rental

Motorcycles rental is almost non existent, to my best knowledge at the time of this publication. (March, 2013) Limited number of vehicles, non uniform models, limited availability - in many cases these are not new motorcycles of rental companies but trade-in motorcycles, 5-10 years old, available at random, at a given point, waiting for their next buyer.

Mopeds are not motorcycles

Rental of mopeds is common in the Tel Aviv region - The local youngsters relate to these as "motorcycles", a question of ego and status, but far from being a "real vehicle" . Quality heavy motorcycles are terribly expensive in Israel, and are owned predominantly by riders in their late 30's to their 60's. Students are happy to own a 10 years old Suzuki GS 500.

Thus - The only good way is to arrive to the country with your own motorcycle.

Group visits - group size

Economically speaking - a group of motorcyclists could reduce the shipment costs significantly by coming with several motorcycles, even few tens of motorcycles. An ideal size group for traveling would be 5-15 motorcycles. 5 - 30 participants.

Most models used worldwide have dealerships and service in Israel, yet - a well maintained motorcycle would not fail along 8-12 days of touring, some 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles)


A large group of motorcyclists, during a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. In the background : The Western Wall , the Dome of the Rock, and the Mosque of El Aqsa on Temple Mount.


Luggage

A  8-12 days visit would use 3-4 hotels along the way. 
Luggage could be easily shipped by a taxi when concluding the touring day in a different hotel than the one left in the morning, or by a small truck, in case of a larger group.

Road guidance / Tour Guiding

The ideal method to reach easily every destination along the way and be guided in the visited sites would be a professional licensed guide driving a leading motorcycle, equipped with a helmet integrated radio system. Comments and guidance could be provided all along the way, as well as in the historical / archeological sites.

Independent visitors could manage by preparing "homework".


A close up photo of the south western corner of the western wall, seen in the previous photo in the background of the parked motorcycles  - a monumental structure build 2,000 years ago, as a platform to the Jewish temple up above. The stones are 7-8 meters long (21-24 feet). 


Lunch stops

Unlike conventional touring - picnic lunch stops could be planned in parks and nature sites along the way. 

Israeli driving mentality

Is extremely different than the rest of the western world. Motorcycles insurance in Israel is sky high, due to the amount of motorcycles and mopeds accidents. A semi joking semi serious statement is that the traffic laws in Israel are merely a suggestion. 
Car drivers may keep using the passing lane for kilometers, being passed on the right lanes. Missing a highway exit and backing up the highway is not extremely rare.

An experienced motorcyclist would know how to cope with irresponsible behavior of the local drivers, yet - unfortunately, it is an element of the visit to be kept mind all along.


Motorcycles are safe in their parked areas, in the absolute majority of places. Curious passers by would not damage the motorcycles and stare,  just to satisfy their own curiosity. (Note the Jewish religious school boys, wearing skull caps, among the parked motorcycles, exposed to the wonders of a world  they are usually never exposed to).


Motorcyclists who had carried out such a visit, either in Israel, or to other countries around the world, are invited to ask questions or contribute of their own experience.

Ze'ev Back  

Quality Private Tours 

zeevback@gmail.com

http://www.tours-to-israel.com





Sunday, March 3, 2013

Can we attribute racism to Jewish orthodoxy in Israel ?


When Christmas is in the air in the entire western world – even the slightest expression of the holiday is banned in Israeli hotels, under threats of devastating economic sanctions!

These threats are presented by the Jewish orthodoxy establishment - the rabbinical authorities - an official Israeli governmental appointment.

All western cities around the world would wear their festive outfit, starting already in November – waiting for the Christmas season.

Shops, city streets. Hotels, restaurants, airports – all are decorated with colorful lights and Christmas trees.


Getting ready for Chistmas - never in the Israeli hotels


Not in the Israeli hotels.

These hotels in Jerusalem, by the Sea of Galilee, accommodate tens of thousands of Christian visitors, who had fulfilled their wishes to celebrate Christmas in the very country of Jesus, by the Sea of Galilee, the region of his ministry, and in Jerusalem – Jesus death and resurrection place.

Sun rise on the Sea of Galilee - view from the Scots hotel in Tiberias.

The travel industry gets out of the way to accommodate these visitors: Travel agents, tour guides, bus companies, restaurants – The hotels would NOT place a Christmas tree in the lobby.

Why? Why not make these important guests of the country feel at home on the occasion of the holiday?

The answer is: Threats of the narrow minded fanatic Jews of the country – who have their say.

How do the threats work? Simple.

A hotel management is threatened by the kosher supervisors:
If you place a Christmas tree in the lobby – you would lose your kosher certificate.

It goes beyond that:
If you rent out a ballroom on the night of December 31 for a New Year party – you would lose your kosher certificate.

What is a kosher certificate?

Why losing this certificate is such a threat?

The kosher laws are Jewish religious dietary laws authorizing the consumption of certain foods and prohibiting others. The origin is predominantly in the book of Leviticus, chapter 11, listing the animals, birds, fish which are allowed to be consumed as opposed to those which are not allowed. Other laws had been added in time: separate sets of dishes for dairy products and meat products – never to be served together, and more.

Do Jewish people really observe these ancients biblical laws?

The majority do not. Majority among Jewish hotel guests.


So why bother?

For those who do observe.  
A non observant Jew or a non Jew could live without bacon and eggs for breakfast. An observant Jew would avoid such a hotel.

So why lose business? A hotel addresses the rabbinate, applies for supervision, pays through the nose, and keeps the observant Jews as clients. A kosher certificate is a business investment. Merely a business investment. It does not testify at all to a Jewish observance of the hotel's owner.

In Jewish history – there had been many Jews who were inn keepers, along the European caravan roads. They offered a warm stable for the horses and a room and a hot meal for the carriage drivers. Their cuisine was kosher Bona Fide – no one looked for a certificate obtained by some supervisors.

The modern supervision is blackmail, backed up by Israeli parliamentary legislation: A law was past by the Israeli parliament in December 1983, not allowing anyone to introduce his restaurant / hotel as observing kosher – unless a certificate had been granted  from religious officials. It was a political money gift to the religious authorities which had built up in no time an empire of supervisors with revenues  flowing in – holy business.  Since the Jewish law does not authorize an orthodox Jew to drive a car on Saturday, and the kosher supervision should not be interrupted – hotels are obliged to host the supervisors with their wife and many children in the nicer hotel suites, which can't be sold to commercial paying guests.


Hotels and restaurants are forced to pay significant sums for supervision they could do very well without.

Article 11 in the 1983 law is very specific: When granting a kosher certificate – the Rabbi would consider exclusively kosher rules.

In other words:
The Kosher supervisors are stepping all over Israeli parliamentary law by conditioning the certificate: No Christmas tree in the lobby, or else – no certificate.

Or

No New Year parties on hotel property, or else – no certificate.

Violation of the law in Israel in the name of religious principles is very common, and remains without response.

No hotel would dare filing a complaint against the supervising body, and lose their kosher certificate.

In 1999 – a fundamentalist Jewish organization had threatened "Vita" a food company: We found out that your human resource manager – Eduardo Campus – was a Jehovah Witness. Either you fire him or you'd lose you kosher certificate. For Vita – a loss of their kosher certificate would have been suicidal: They fired Mr. Campus, who had been awarded the previous year as an excelling worker in a ceremony in the president's residence.

Why? Why would the kosher supervisors be so reluctant, so resentful to a Christmas tree or a New Year party?

It's "theirs" ( = the gentiles' ) in the most negative way "theirs" – an abomination. 

Goyeem, gentiles, in Hebrew, is a non complimenting term, to say the least, looking down at Goyeem.  It should be added here, that this approach is exclusively an orthodox one, among the highly religious Jews, not shared by the general Israeli society)

These highly religious Jews, in many cases - are people who had never acquired any education but religious "education" / indoctrination. They had never socialized with a non Jew, they had never read the New Testament, and they would not set a foot in a church – not even as a museum. They call the Gregorian calendar "according to their count".  It's a non legitimate calendar – originating by the initiative of a pope.  (Gregory XIII, most of the highly orthodox Jews in Israel would have no knowledge of the historical background of this calendar, except that it is "their" calendar).

Celebrating a new year according to this calendar is a "resentful non Jewish act".  Moreover: New Year's party is called in Israel, like in Germany: Silvester Party, named after Silvester I – a pope from the 4th century who died  December 31 335 AD.
The orthodox Jews attribute to him forced conversions of Jews, torture… There is no historical evidence or document to back up this myth, but the hatred to pope Silvester I is widespread in orthodox circles. This pope has a place of honor among the historical enemies of the Jewish people.

It is certain form racism, practiced among the extreme religious Jews of Israel. It is not the case among orthodox Jews in the US or Europe – who are in daily contact with non Jews.

Such form of racism is not an official one, yet a Jew in the US or Europe who marries a non Jew is regarded by the Israeli orthodox Jews as a traitor, stabbing a knife in the back of the nation.

I still invite every reader of this post to visit Israel, which has cultural treasures to reveal to the visitors. Even witnessing these racist phenomena is a certain learning experience.

An amusing experiment could be run: If you are a travel agent – book 250 rooms in a Jerusalem hotel in the end of November – a low season with poor occupancy. Condition the booking by placing Christmas trees and ornaments in the lobby and put it to test: Would the hotel manage to convince the kosher supervisors to look the other way? May be for some kind of a nice contribution to their community synagogue? Even without receipts?

Ze'ev Back
Quality Private Tours
zeevback@gmail.com
http://www.tours-to-israel.com






Saturday, September 17, 2011

Israeli efforts to prevent a recognition of a Palestinian entity in the UN

Israel is currently engaged (September 2011) in a major political / diplomatic effort to prevent a demand of an international recognition of the Palestinians as a political entity in the UN.

What for ?

To postpone an inevitable development ?

According to polls – two thirds of the Israelis support a solution of  “2 states for 2 people”.

A Palestinian entity would not be a viable one anyway without having a minimal economic infrastructure.

Israel could have contributed to such a development, and would have gained an overwhelming support of the world to such a move.

So why would the Israeli government act against its own interests, as it seems to be ?

I can only offer my personal evaluation:

Benjamin Netanayahu, Israel's P.M. bases his majority on hawkish parties lead by Messianic rather than pragmatic ideologies: Jewish presence in Judea & Samaria (West Bank) is a fulfillment of god's intentions (and where is god's role in preventing violence and suffering...)

A solution for a future fate of 2.5 million Palestinian inhabitants residing Judea & Samaria is not suggested by these hawkish parties.

Benjamin Netanayahu knows, in my humble opinion, that sooner or later Israel would withdraw from Judea & Samaria (West Bank) and the Palestinians would ultimately establish an independent political entity. By supporting the idea he would lose his majority, his power, his good life, his central position.

There could be a worse possibility:
Mrs. Sarah Netanayahu does not allow him....

Ze'ev Back
Quality Private Tours
zeevback@gmail.com
http://www.tours-to-israel.com