This place cracks me up...

Photographed: (For those who read Hebrew) A shwarma-stand sign. How do they not get this??? Dudu HaGadol? With the symbol above the name? Wow.

Photographed: Israel introduced a 2-shekel coin. In Hebrew, one would refer to it as 'shney shekel'. Hence, it has become the shnekel. Priceless.

The Streets of Israel

One thing I have rediscovered in my time so far here in Israel, which I find absolutely tantalizing: the fact that there is no 125th Street here. Nearly each and every street is named for someone significant...a prophet from the Torah...a tragic event...a national hero, or concept. You can get a great education here just by walking around.

To get to my apartment from Emek Refaim, make a right on Our Mother Rachel Street, up to The Conquerors of Katamon Street (make sure not to make a right on (Convoy of) 35 Street). Continue straight up to Palmach Street.

Other streets in my neighborhood: Trumpeldor Street (no, he's not the head wizard in Harry Potter), November 29 Street, The Memorial of Mordechai Street (named after Warsaw Ghetto Fighter Mordechai Anielewicz), Bilu Street, and so on.

One of the small ironies of life here is when streets/highways intersect...wouldn't you know it: Golda Meir runs smack into Menachem Begin!

Another irony is when you hear the traffic report: "'The Ingathering of the Exiles' is moving slowly..."

Here in Jerusalem, I used to live on Joshua Son of Nun Street, and "Those Who Went Down with the Ship Street" (23 Palmach fighters lost on a mission to Lebanon in 1941). And back in Miami, I lived on 34th Street.