Place: Dancing in TlV and Back to USA
Date: Dec. 4th /2020
Israeli Dancing
During the last week of 2019, on the last day of Hanukkah, and just few days prior to my departure back to the California, for the annual "Palm Springs International Film Festival" which takes place at beginning of each January, and which I have been"religiously" attending for the past 10 consecutive years, I had witnessed a surreal reality "show", like I have never seen before,
Right in the central hub of Tel-Aviv, the area between the Habima main cultural square, and Ben Zion Blv, (leading to Dizingoff center) got closed off to traffic, during the early evening rush hour.
That closure was not due to: terrorism suspected event, nor because of unexpected accident, or due to any demonstration - the 3 main Israeli life's disturbances..
Instead, this incident brought down Hundreds dressed in black orthodox Hasidim into the streets, ecstatically celebrating a big event in public.The adult men,only, were frantically jumping up and down, with their long hairy beards and peies flying high in the air. They were happily dancing in honor of a new Tora Scroll, which few others were hugging and circling with. Hasidic music blasted out of loudspeakers, attached to a car's roof top, decorated with also blinking psychedelic lights. The noisy music had kept energizing the procession of dancers, and the following youngsters, who created a moving human chain, struggling to hold to each other. The women and tender children were trailing behind.
The noisy jumpy black human caravan, was slowly swiveling toward the neighborhood's "Nachalat Avot" synagogue - the new home for the Tora Scroll, which was about to be admitted, right after the street havoc, only a block away from our apartment,
A large posters advertising this simcaha event were posted all over the neighborhood, as well as on our building's entrance, as I noticed later.
Apparently, an admission of a donated Torah Scroll on the 8th day of Hanukkah, is an honorable Jewish tradition justifying a festive public havoc....
The entire neighborhood - a beacon of secular life, was shaken off a tranquil early family night, to be educated or reminded of this Jewish tradition. Like us, many came down to the street, passively observing the surreal loud commotion, with bewilderment.
That "show" was quite a "grand finale" to our prolonged visit.
During the past 5 months, we casted our vote twice out of the 3 election's rounds, had celebrated my mom’s 98 birthday, that of our darling grandson who turned 4, and rejoiced at the birth of our grand-daughter Alex , now 4 months.
Frequent outings to Israeli cultural events, a longer stay in Paris, and a short visit to the Jordanian neighbours, were wonderful breaks in between the joyful, however demanding, babysitting assignments.
Unexpectedly we realized that though we liked very much the "City of Lights", we thoroughly have grown to dislike its French nasty Parisians
While in Jordan, we truly liked and were liked by all we had encounters with, thus we were disappointment to learn from the news piece below, that the liking is unfortunately far from being wide spread
Two electrical transformers servicing a gas transfer station for a new pipeline from Israel were torched in Irbid in northern Jordan on Saturday. Gas flow through the station was expected to start in the next few days. In March, the Jordanian House of Representatives requested that Jordan's purchase of natural gas from Israel be "canceled at any cost." In July, Jordanian parliamentarian Tariq Khoury called on Jordanians "to blow up the gas pipeline from Israel." (Jerusalem Post)
The special excellent concert arranged on new Year Eve by the "Katedra" - an Israeli learning house, which offers cultural and educational events to the "Third or Golden Age" population - was preformed, at Museum TLV, by a lively Israeli popular band named "The Sixties".
The age of each of the 4 group's super talented players, who specializes in playing/singing the rhythmic music from of 60th, perfectly, also, matched the band's own name, as it clearly was in alliance, with the withering age of the thrilled nostalgic audience, that filled the large auditorium to full capacity.
This enthusiastic in spirit "Golden Youth" had vigorously clapped their hands, sang along all the lyrics and tunes to most the songs performed, were also uninhibited of getting up, and down by the stage, to dance the Shake, Twist and Rock-an Roll. That was quite a sight...and a cause to worry about induced age related heart attack invoked by excessive effort...
And my favorite beyond the ages..
Heaven - Dancing Cheek to Cheek - Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald
Israeli Taxi Drivers are not known to be, in general, of a nice breed. However in the past few weeks they have become real nasty.
Since most of them are hard core Likud party supporters, they have been feeling really cheated by their beloved “Bibi” king, who dared to pass a new law, imposed since January of this new year, and which had worsen their regulated earning chances.
The cost of the shorter inter-city taxi ride was increased, while the outer city rides' rate was reduced. Furthermore, drivers were obliged to purchase a quite costly new adjusted rate calculating monitor, and have wasted much time waiting in line to have it installed.
Thus all this anger has been channeled toward passengers manifested by a nastier attitude from also the Taxi driver who took us to the airport this early morning, as well as toward Bibi. The drivers have been threatening to get back at him, by voting for another party, which will be a true Hanukkah miracle, should they keep their word.
My tendency to arrive at airports, much earlier, usually collides with that one of David's, who usually strategies spending a minimal airport waiting time prior to flying. However today we were
saved by my insistence on some extra earlier arrival.
We almost got a heart attack, at the airport which seemed so much calmer and relaxed, at this wintry part of the year,
Although we had confirmed e-booking and sitting assignments for our flights, on our e-devices, the BA indifferent clerk, at the checking-in counter failed to find our E-ticketing record. Neither did he bother to explain us what the issue was. After a required muscling up with BA airport Ticketing, apparently we found, that a mistake was made by BA UK.- one of this unexpected expediencies. It took few calls to London and much nerve racking, before we were issued the rightfully due boarding cards and had manged to get on the flight to London at the last minute. .
Thanks G-d that after the contentious early morning's taxi ride and the airport unpleasant "surprise", flying back was very uneventful.
Watching movies during the lengthy flight, was a great "preparation" for the Palm Springs Fest's Marathon film screenings.
Arriving safely late sunny afternoon at SFO, but with-out my 2 pieces of luggage, which got left behind in London, had concluded this latest private adventures. In concurrence with the other world's messes happening at the opening of this new year, like the long over due, assassination, only a day before our flying, of top archi-terrorist- Iranian commander Ge. Qasem Soleimani, and the forecast on additional revenge cycles, I felt compelled to sweeten the culminating blows, with this appropriate once, and always, big hit :
“This World Today Is A Mess” Song by- Donna Hightower
Wishing us all a much calmer new Year
THE END