Tiberias, Israel — After officially residing in Israel for three weeks I can safely say that Israeli people are some of the warmest, strangest and most passionate people that I have ever met.
I had only been in Israel once previously on a birthright israel trip. The birthright program is amazing and showed us participants the beautiful, interesting and historical sites in the country.
But we never got a true depiction of the Israeli people. The few Israelis we did meet had been in some way approved by the birthright organization, and they were all happy and enthusiastic about meeting Americans.
Because this was my only experience with Israelis, I assumed that all Israelis were inquisitive, friendly, patient, etc. The second that I, and I alone, got off the plane at Ben Gurion Airport to start my five-month volunteer excursion in Israel, I realized my assumptions were wrong.
At first glance, I thought Israelis were intimidating. They shout, they push, they’re impatient. They are nothing like the courteous and polite Midwestern people that I know and love.
Take driving for example. I would never do it in Israel. People speed, pass you on the right, honk at everyone and tailgate. It seems that everyone is in a hurry.
The bus drivers are probably the scariest. They make and pour their coffee, print out bus tickets and count change, all while driving 80 miles per hour on the highway.
I also had trouble in the grocery store. I waited in line for 30 minutes to buy sliced turkey breast while at least 10 Israelis pushed in front of me and ordered before me. The concept of waiting in a line seems not to exist in the mind of an Israeli.
Sincere invitations
These are probably some of the stranger qualities of Israelis, and at first glance, this may be all that you see. However, I have realized that there is another, surprisingly beautiful side to Israelis.
The Israelis that I have met are so inviting and sincere, it is refreshing. For example, my friends and I were lost at a bus stop when a young Israeli man approached us and asked us if he could help us find our way.
We ended up taking the same bus he did to Haifa. After the hour-long bus ride we had exchanged numbers, he had invited us to his house for Shabbat dinner, and we had plans to meet him and his friends in Haifa the next weekend.
I could not believe how welcoming and genuine this man was. He is now one of our closest friends here in Israel.
After this and many more encounters with friendly and welcoming Israelis, I have realized that Israelis as a people are much more trusting, hospitable and sincere than the common American.
I have found that in America, when some people say, “Oh yes, you must come to my house for dinner,” they don’t mean it. They say it to be polite or courteous, not because they actually believe that you must come to dinner.
Israelis are not like that. When they say, “Please come to my house for dinner,” they mean it. Israelis do not put up a front of courtesy and affability; they have no hidden agendas; they are real.
Since I arrived here, I and my friends have adopted perfect strangers as friends, eaten dinner at houses of families we didn’t know and cherished the sincerely inquisitive and welcoming nature of the Israelis in the community.
I believe these are some of the qualities that unite the country. Judaism, as a culture and a religion, unites the Israeli people. The Jews in Israel all share a history filled with exile, oppression and genocide, and they are proud of how their people endured and survived.
Most of all, I believe that Israelis are proud of their country. The passion and respect Israelis have for their country is unlike I anything I have ever seen before.
Because Israel is united in this way, its people are trusting and supportive of each other. Israelis hitchhike, help out perfect strangers and support each other.
One day I decided to go for a run at three in the afternoon. After 20 minutes, I realized I had made a huge mistake. The scorching heat and the lack of shade or wind took a huge toll. I became short of breath and light-headed.
I was standing under the only bit of shade I could find when an Israeli woman, probably in her 20s, rushed up to me, took a water bottle out of her purse and said, “Drink!”
I could not believe how generous and friendly this woman was. She did not know me, did not know if I had a communicable disease, yet she shared her drink with me.
During three weeks in Israel, I have seen impatience, aggression, kindness, passion, trust, generosity and much more. I now understand the common comparison of how Israelis resemble the sabra cactus; prickly and intimidating on the outside, but sweet and tender on the inside.
Milwaukeean Julie Beth Waisbren, 20, is taking break from her education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to volunteer with the Israel Service Corps.
Loading ...