“Israel invests in growth, not hate.” | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

“Israel invests in growth, not hate.”

Howdy, all; Jeff Weisz blogging live from Israel, saying Shalom! I apologize for any spelling mistakes, as I’m at a disadvantage having to type with my hands. I usually toe-type, like any sensible blogger does, but my legs are pretty exhausted from today’s hike up the Jillaboon trail. Mostly uphill, and covered in rather rocky terrain, we were all pretty worn out from the 3 hour trek, but the scenery at Jillaboon was absolutely phenomenal; you could see for miles in all directions at the highest points. Once the last of us finally limped back onto the bus, we were off for yet another provincial Israeli village to get some nosh. Now, I happen to feel quite strongly about the evils of false advertising, so I am pleased to report that the small falafel stand in the food court really did have “The Best Falafel In The World,” as their banner proclaimed. The service was fantastic as well; you haven’t seen real falafel being made until you’ve seen it thrown together at lightning speed by the closest approximation to Adam Sandler’s Zohan I’ve yet to see here in the Promised Land, Israeli salad bits and pieces being flung left and right, globs of Tehina sauce spurting every which way. It’s quite the sight to see, not to mention well worth the 25 shekel I paid for it. After lunch, we piled back onto the bus, now beginning to reek slightly of dried sweat and mildew, and puffed and grunted along to the premier olive oil factory in Israel, owned and run single-handedly by a man we’ve come to affectionately know as The Olive Oil Man. He regaled us with riveting tales of corporate corruption and sticker stigma, at the very end leaving us with the very deep parting words: “Israel invests in growth, not hate.” His progressive thoughts on the tolerance of all people, even Israel’s antagonizers, spurred an impassioned conversation at the Kibbutz later that night. The last stop on our journey was a short visit to a prominent cemetery in Israel, where we visited the graves of several people who made significant impact on Israel’s culture and development. Once we finished honoring the departed, we once again piled into our mobile sweat-lodge, traveled to our Kibbutz for the night, and promptly collapsed into bed. I am about to follow suit, and have just barely managed to type this blog entry out, before I too lose consciousness from sheer exhaustion. Laila tov!