My Israeli Education, Day 1
last night, my plane landed in tev aviv, and passengers erupted into applause. the Israeli-born guy sitting next to me said, "Bet you haven't been to many places where they clap when the plane lands." i'd been in Israel about 30 seconds, and it was already clear this was a very different place.
we exited into a almost-totally empty airport, thanks to Shabbat. at the hotel, i couldn't order most of the room service menu, again Shabbat. and just a few moments ago, i returned to my room hoping for a diet coke and some nuts from the mini bar. it's been cleaned out for Passover. never mind that my room hasn't been made up and my tray from last night is still here.
in less than 24 hours here, i'm continually struck by how many cultural things are exactly the same in Israel (down to the american tv on nearly every station!) and how many things are deeply different. it can be disarming and frustrating all at once. it's in many ways exactly how i expected Israel to be, and also very different.
i'm honored to be here for a week as part of a group of Silicon Valley bloggers and techies exploring Israel's culture and technology scene. we're guests of the Israeli consulate, and our blog posts will all be collected here. aside from our own impressions we'll take from this culture, it'll be fascinating to see how each blogger processes the things we see and do differently.
i am one of the few in the group who has never been to Israel before, although i've frequently interviewed Israeli venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. i am also one of the non-Jews on the trip. as a result i'm not exactly clear on why i can't have a mini-bar at passover, even as i could order any of the exact same items to be brought to me via room service. so i apologize in advance if anything i write is offensive, naive or just drenched in wide-eyed enthusiasm. it's going to be an exciting and perplexing week for me, and you'll just have to bear with me! hopefully, i'll leave with a much greater appreciation and understanding of this culture and its entrepreneurs.
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This is exactly what I love most about the internet, blogs, Twitter, etc. I may never get to Israel, but through people like you I can learn much about so many interesting and intriguing places. Thank you so much for not only sharing what you see and hear, but what you experience and feel on your journeys.
Posted by: adventureran | April 12, 2008 at 08:57 AM
I made my first trip to Israel last year and it was an awesome experience. The contrast of old and new is very interesting and memorable. Have a blast and see as much as you can. The departure experience is rather frustrating.
Posted by: Fred Neil | April 12, 2008 at 09:02 AM
Ahh the mini-bar issue. It is the Chametz problem. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chametz
To Sum the article :
Chametz is the Hebrew term for "leavened bread".
One cannot possess Chametz in one's domain (i.e. home, office, car, etc.) during Passover.
And cannot eat Chametz, or mixtures containing Chametz, during Passover
Now since not everyone is religious they cannot be sure everyone follows these rules which might cause people to put Chametz in the mini-bar, which will then not get cleaned and someone else will have an unclean mini-bar I know it's completely insane but its hard to beat 5000 years of tradition. Anyway...all the stuff you can buy is probably Kosher for Pesach by now.
If you have any other questions on Israel or Jewish tradition feel free to just drop me a line.
Shmuel
Posted by: Shmuel | April 12, 2008 at 11:19 AM
ah! thanks shmuel. although i don't know why i couldn't have it back since i'm not jewish!!
and @adventureran: your comment made me very happy! i'll try to do israel justice just for you!!
Posted by: sarah lacy | April 13, 2008 at 05:39 AM
Sarah,
There are two things at work here. Bringing chametz into your hotel room at any point once it has been made kosher for passover would then undo the whole process. So, my guess would be, the hotel avoids this problem in deference to those who will be in the room after you. In particular, lots of Jews from around the world will spend Pesach in Israel. So it's not just the food, being truly kosher for Passover involves the environment--chametz is avoided entirely.
The more political reason..though Israel does have seperation of religion and state, it does also--much like the States--have politically powerful religious types who do things like ensure that chametz is not sold in Jerusalem during the holiday (is an issue that has been debated in the gov't as of late). More than anything I would be the first reason is more pertinent here. But certainly the political reason is somewhat tied to the issue here.
Posted by: Adam | April 15, 2008 at 11:49 AM