Tel Aviv Diary - June 19-23, 2007

June 19, 2007

So there was this guy in the street in front of my house asking people for money because he lost his wallet and needed to get back to Haifa. He was clearly an Indian and spoke in English, and was having very little luck stopping the cars and getting attention, much less money. Now this is not the first time I have heard this story, but the last time it was in Arabic and the man not only didn't get his money but he also got stopped and checked out by the police. And I didn't feel very good about it. So I went down and gave him 20 shekel. Do you think he duped me? It doesn't matter. I did what I had to do.

The same is true for Gaza. As soon as we find a way to get supplies to them and to let the injured come to get treatment, we must. No matter what the danger.

"Where's your husband tonight?" I ask her, wondering why she's pregnant and alone. "Operating on a Palestinian from Gaza," she answers.

Turns out they let the wounded in for treatment.

June 20, 2007

Amazing how many people are trying to get here. Darfur is here. Refugees from Gaza. And all I want to do is get away. This weekend - Eilat.

What happened to the guy from Gaza? It is hoped his other leg will be saved, but his knees had been riddled with bullets.

June 22, 2007

Like I said, I went to Eilat. Five hours driving in the desert as the setting sun changes the palette of the rocks and vadis, then under the magnificent stars. No wonder the desert breeds monotheists. Of course it didn't convert me. I stick with my entire pantheon.

June 22, 2007

In the morning the hotel didn't look half as bad as it did in the evening. Baby Vegas without the gambling where they get you on the plastic food instead.

We also had a little fashla with the hotel and are crowded into a tiny space. But the heat is wonderful, and the beach is great, and as long as you ignore the hotel shtik, you can really love it. We even had a great lunch at the Boston Grill, and look forward to Josephine's tonight and La Cucchina tomorrow.

Yes, all I want to do is bathe and eat.

June 23, 2007

Josephine's is a really elegant experience for Eilat. Eilat is full of people wandering around the shops and the beach, but Josephine's is a white, quiet place. And the food, we all agreed, was the best we'd eaten in Eilat, and maybe elsewhere. And even though we were a rowdy, children-ridden bunch, they managed to keep the atmosphere civilized and elegant.

That night we went for a swim in the red sea. It was actually too cold for me, but my companions dove in and rejoiced in the privateness of it.

I pay internet by the minute so i get off.

If you live in Tel Aviv, look in Ha'ir for a 4 page spread on my son, Oren. We haven't seen it yet and would appreciate information. It isn't on line, and of course he hasn't seen it but his friends report that it is good.

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