Israel. America. They both have such strong ties to each other, yet both are thousands of miles apart from the other. Growing up in Boston, and now living in America puts the way I love my daily life into perspective.

First of all, the way people interact with you is very different. While walking down a street in Boston, if a stranger stopped to have a conversation with me, I would feel awkward and afraid. People walk through the streets with their heads down, staring at their phones. In Israel, people stop and talk with you. It doesn’t matter if you know them or not, if they’re old or young, people stop in the streets and ask how your day is. This is one of my favorite parts of Israel. It’s so interesting to meet so many different kind of people through the day.

Secondly, and probably one of the most obvious differences, Israel is a Jewish state. In America, everything shuts down on Sunday. People talk about their communions and confirmations. People say “merry Christmas” and “happy Easter”. The general public is Christian. In Israel, everything shuts down for Shabbat. People walk through the streets and say “shabbat shalom” or “shanah tova”. Being in a country where I am a part of the majority makes it feel more normal for me to talk about Judaism in public.

Lastly, where I live in Hod Hasharon generally, everything is SO MUCH CHEAPER. Yes, for electronics and more high end products, the tax can be quite heavy here, but for everyday products that I buy, I have saved so much money. Near my dorm, there’s a cute coffee chain called “Cofix”. Cofix is known for selling 5 shekel coffee. To give you some perspective, that’s about $1.38. For someone who drinks $4.95 coffee from Starbucks on the daily, it’s a great change. You can also go to the shuk (the outdoor market) and bargain a high end sterling silver ring down to 30 shekels ($8.30). I have a bit of an addiction to the flowey cloth pants here, so I’ve been stocking up on cheap ones from the shuk recently. 

Overall, there are so many differences between the countries that I haven’t even touched on, but these three are three prominent factors that affect my everyday life in Israel.

Signing off from Hod,

Ari Weiner