Why I Love Living in Israel

Why I Love Living in Israel By Bernie Wolff

Israel is like no other country on earth when it comes to its people and doing business.

How do I know? Well, for a start I have lived in 6 different countries, and visited more than 35 countries during my working life. So, I have some knowledge of how people think and do business.

So, what’s different about Israel and Israelis?

1. Israel is not a country but a large village: About fifteen years ago we traveled north to Haifa to visit a friend whom we hadn’t seen in more than 30 years. Although we had the address in Kiryat Ata, these were the days long before WAZE and GOOGLE. Consequently, we drove with our trusty printed map. As we approached the outskirts of Haifa, we stopped alongside a pedestrian in the street, and asked if he could point the way to the suburb of Kiryat Ata.

“What address are you looking for?” he asked. “Oh it’s in this neighborhood”, said Susan, pointing it out on the map. “I know the area well”, he responded. “Great”, we replied, “just tell us the direction we need to go in“.

“Who are you visiting?” he again asked. “Oh, you wouldn’t know them, they haven’t lived there long”. “What’s the family name?” he continued. “Well, you couldn’t possibly know them, but here it is”.

Whereupon, he opened the rear door, jumped in the back of the car, and said “No problem, I know them and I’ll take you right there”.

“By the way thanks for the ride”.

2. Israelis know best what’s good for you: Just after we purchased our apartment, we decided to buy garden furniture for our balcony. We shopped around and finally decided to choose a table and four chairs from a garden furniture store in the old industrial area. They had quite a large selection, and we were served by a very attentive young salesman who could sense that we were new to the country, with money to spend, and who would be less likely to haggle over price.

“We have a fairly large balcony with a corner area where a nice large oval table with five chairs would fit nicely”, we explained. “No problem at all, we have several models and colors for you to choose”, he replied. “Follow me to the back of the store, and I will show you exactly what you are looking for”.

“We have a very stylish set, and it’s very new to Israel”, he announced with much enthusiasm. “You won’t find

another one like this anywhere else”. Susan and I were certainly impressed, and after mulling it over and doing some bargaining, we made our decision. “OK, we are sold – we will take the oval glasstop table and five chairs”. “What color would you prefer?” he asked as he started writing out the order. “We will take the white color”. “The only problem with white is that we will have to order it, and may take six weeks to deliver”. “That’s fine”, we replied, “We are in no rush”. We paid the deposit and left the store, with a very happy salesman who we anticipated was already spending his commission.

Six weeks later, the store called and informed us that our order had arrived and would be delivered the same week. As our elevator was too small to fit the large table, we had already arranged with the store for a crane to be on hand to hoist the table and chairs from the street directly onto our balcony.

Two days later, the truck arrived together with the crane. It took an hour to hoist all the furniture onto the balcony, but we stood there in modest triumph. We were soon to be very disillusioned. On unpacking the box with the table, the expected White table was Green.

“That’s not what we ordered”, I argued over the phone to the store manager. “White, green, what’s the difference? It’s still a table” was the response. “We ordered white, and we’ve waited six weeks to get it”. “Well, you can ship it back to us, and we will order you a white one if that’s what you prefer, but it will take another six weeks”.

Needless to say, we kept the green table.

The moral – never argue with an Israeli – he knows what’s best for you!!

3. El Al – where the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing: Twelve years ago in 2008, we decided to make a trip to the US in November to visit our grandchildren. Three months prior to our planned dates, I called El Al to make reservations, and requested economy seats on a day flight, as I don’t sleep well on overnight flights. El Al placed the reservations and sent a

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confirmation by email.

One week before the outbound flight El Al called to say that unfortunately the 747 we had been booked on, had been dispatched to Mumbai in an emergency to evacuate the survivors of a terrorist attack. Instead, they had to switch to a smaller plane to New York, and as a consequence, they had to move a number of passengers to the night flight. I objected strongly to this on two accounts – firstly, that I had booked three months in advance and only late bookings should be moved, and secondly, that I was a Platinum Card holder, and should be given priority over other passengers. They said this was not possible and no matter how much I argued, they were not swayed.

Two days before the flight, I received another call from El Al (different person) who asked me if we would be prepared to switch to the day flight as the night flight was overbooked. I could not help chuckling to myself, and replied “absolutely yes”. We were now back on the original flight “Mr. Wolff, would you be OK if we upgraded you and your wife to Business Class as we are overbooked in Economy?”

Katie Woolf Physiotherapy BSc (Hons), MSc The Netanya Home Physio

Physiotherapy can help: • Prevent orthopedic surgeries • Post-surgical recovery and rehabilitation • Reduce joint and muscle pain • Reduce recurrent falls and the fear of falling • Improve balance and stability • Improve fitness and exercise tolerance

“I have more than ten years experience in both London and Israel, specialising in physiotherapy and home rehabilitation. I would love to help you improve your quality of life in the comfort and convenience of your own home.”

Call for a free over-the-phone consultation 0543096671 katie1physio@gmail.com @NetanyaPhysiotherapy katie_the_physio