When I told my parents that I was taking a course titled “Developing Technology Partnerships between Entrepreneurial Firms in India and Israel” (DTPEII), they were happy. But when they found out I would be travelling to Israel, their tone changed from encouragement to concern for my safety. This was perhaps not a surprising reaction, considering it is a politically troubled region.
My first perception of Israel took shape when I came across the word “Mossad” in a spy-thriller novel several years ago. I looked it up on the Internet and was impressed by this elite, top secret national intelligence agency. Since then, and especially after reading about its meticulously planned rescue mission, Operation Entebbe, I have wanted to visit the country.
From the way the operation had been planned, I figured that Israelis were all about precision and detail.
In addition to what we were told in our orientation sessions, I learnt a lot from Sandeman’s walking tours that we took in old Jerusalem. We visited Temple Mount, Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and several other places of religious significance. We also took a guided tour to Jericho, the oldest biblical city, and Bethlehem.
Persecution of the Jews
Being a crucible of three prominent world religions, the region is characterised by complex geopolitical equations.
When I visited Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, I was overwhelmed reading about some of the most inhuman acts committed in the history of mankind. I learnt about how the Jews were singled out, stripped of their dignity and then mercilessly murdered. I was extremely moved as I read letters and pages out of the diaries of Holocaust victims and saw interviews with survivors.
As we waited to get inside the Temple Mount compound, we saw a Jewish lady distributing flyers saying that the Arabs were out to kill them, while inside the compound, free booklets were being distributed on what Islam is all about. In contrast, when we visited the wall that separates Israel from Palestine in Bethlehem, we saw several letters, accounts and graffiti on the Palestinian side which called for peace and for the wall to come down.
Israeli food and culture
Israeli culture is a unique combination of two extremes — modern and traditional. There is a bustling and happening night life in Jerusalem but, at the same time, restaurants strictly follow kosher practices. Our travel plans tended to change a lot because we had to take into account Shabbat; we were concerned about what would happen if we got stuck while travelling on Shabbat or if any shops would be open in case we got hungry.
I found Israeli cities like Jerusalam, Tel Aviv and Haifa very cosmopolitan. There seemed to be a confluence of elements from different cultures across the world. For example, there were hardly any restaurants that served local Israeli cuisine other than dishes like shakshuka . There were mostly Mediterranean, Italian, Mexican, Continental and American fast-food restaurants. I practically lived on falafel and hummus throughout the trip, for two reasons — I loved the combination and it was the cheapest fulfilling meal.
However, I made it a point to try different restaurants and cuisines with my friends and thus, tasted Turkish food in addition to the usual Italian and Continental cuisines. We also had what the Israelis believe to the best hummus in the world at a place called Abu Hassan in Jaffa city. What was unexpected and pleasantly surprising was that there were quite a few vegan restaurants wherever we went, quite contrary to my perception.
Urban city life
There is a stark contrast between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with respect to their construction styles. All buildings in Jerusalem are constructed using pale limestone or Jerusalem yellow stone. I got a very European feel in Jerusalem because of its narrow cobbled streets, roadside cafes, the tram line, and musicians playing on the roadside.
Tel Aviv, on the other hand, has two distinct construction styles. Jaffa, known for its oranges, is the older part of the city, where buildings are made of sandstone. Our tour guide explained that Jaffa was one of the oldest ports in Israel and the gateway to the Holy Land. With its narrow walkways, small art galleries and cafes, it exudes a quaint and charming feel.
However, other parts of Tel Aviv are modern and urban, with skyscrapers, high-rise apartments, and shopping malls that bustle with people even late at night. It lives up to its reputation of a city that never sleeps. There are a large number of roadside cafes on Dizengoff Street, where we stayed at the Cinema Hotel. It used to be a cinema hall that was converted to a hotel, and there are several film posters, old video cameras and other film-making equipment displayed in the corridors.
Fashionable and friendly
Israelis are very fashionable; everyone is well-dressed. I saw a middle-aged woman in torn leather pants, and many students at Tel Aviv University sported boots, scarves and leather jackets or torn jeans and fancy bags.
They are also very punctual. Even public transport arrives on the minute as shown by Google Maps! Israelis are also fitness freaks, and are either jogging, cycling or walking their dogs at any time of the day. Interestingly, pets are allowed in shopping malls and street cafes.
I found Israel to be very tourist-friendly despite the extensive security procedures one must go through to enter the country. We were told that language would be a problem while navigating as most sign boards are in Hebrew or Arabic. But we found all road signs in English too! It was easy to navigate and we even rented a car to go to the Ramon Crater.
Public transport announcements are made in English and ticket vending machines have an English language option. Shopkeepers, taxi and bus drivers, hotel staff, and a good proportion of the general public speak at least broken English, if not fluently. The only time we faced a problem was when we wanted to fill fuel at a self-service gas station. But we got help from someone who was filling fuel. That’s another thing about the Israelis, they’re very helpful.
One would be surprised at their knowledge of Bollywood. Strangers would randomly start singing Hindi songs or shout out names of Indian actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan when they saw us on the road. We even found a South Indian restaurant run by Israelis! They love Indians, just as we were told in our orientation sessions.
Cost of living
The country is expensive in terms of cost of living. As one New Israeli Shekel (NIS) is equal to around ₹18, it’s even more expensive for Indians. The cost of a cup of tea or coffee (not the Starbucks kind) is about ₹180! A vegetarian meal easily costs between ₹700 to ₹1,000. Public transport costs a minimum of ₹100 to ₹120, even for a small distance. After a point, I stopped converting to rupees while making purchases!
West Bank
Despite the conflict in the West Bank area, economic activity has not slowed down and several tours operate from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and Jericho. We even drove through the West Bank to get to Masada, a Herodian palace-fortress, and the Dead Sea.
We visited the Ramon Crater (Makhtesh Ramon). At the visitors centre, a museum explains the formation of the crater. There are also documentaries on Ilan Ramon and his son Assaf Ramon. Ilan was a fighter pilot and the first Israeli astronaut for NASA as part of the Columbia space flight who died in the re-entry accident. However, the reason these documentaries are shown is that Assaf, also a fighter pilot, died in a training accident near the crater.
We visited several other museums in Jerusalem and Acco, and all of them proudly present their historical significance. There is also a strong sense of national pride, evident from the display of the Israeli flag outside apartment windows, in taxis and buses, and at other public places.
Taking security seriously
Israel’s national carrier El Al Israel Airlines is probably the only commercial airline to equip its fleet with sophisticated anti-missile countermeasures. It employs air marshals dressed in plainclothes, seated among passengers in the aircraft. Its security check begins before a passenger reaches the airline counter. Our entire group was questioned individually by El Al security officers at Mumbai Airport. The flight time from Mumbai to Tel Aviv took eight hours because the airline flew around the Arabian Peninsula and up the Red Sea to avoid flying over hostile regions.
Summarising my observations and insights on Israel, I would say that it is a country of paradoxes. Tradition co-exists with modernity, and democracy is balanced with national security. It is a nation whose existence depends on its state of readiness to ward off external threats. Yet, it’s a safe place in the centre of geopolitical tensions.