In the
beginning of July the temperatures were mild for the time of year. Almost worryingly mild. “It’s too mild for an Israeli summer,” people
said, seemingly concerned that evil was lurking behind the momentary enjoyment.
These mild temperatures contrasted
starkly with the heatwave in Europe at the same time. 96 degrees in Berlin. 104 in Barcelona. 95 in Paris.
The contrast led to that very human emotion: schadenfreude. Schadenfreude towards Europeans, whom we
always envy, and towards our Israeli neighbors who flew there anticipating a
refreshing vacation but instead struggled with unprecedented heat.
But by the
end of July we Israelis had lost our schadenfreude and gained our own heatwave. Albeit a fairly typical war-free Israeli
summer (not wishing to tempt fate), yet the entire country was appalled by two brutal
terror attacks committed by Jews: the attack on marchers in the Jerusalem Gay
Pride Parade, and the arson at the home of an innocent family in the Palestinian
village of Duma.
So what
typifies an Israeli summer?
First,
nature. If Israel in spring is like a
bride—fresh, charming, decorative and colorful—in summer Israel seems like the
same bride, but thirty years on after an exhausting life: gray, dusty, sweaty
and spent. Israel in August waits
impatiently for autumn rains to wash away the summer sweat and restore luster
to its cheeks.
Israelis’
patience—not high at the best of times—is at its nadir during summer. Heat, dust and sweat exacerbate the average
Israeli’s already-short temper. The
innocent Western tourist stuck in a traffic jam in Tel Aviv in August, who sees
the locals shouting and gesticulating vehemently at each other, quickly forgets
the myth of cultured Jews.
Israel’s vacation
culture lags significantly behind the European vacances. But when the children’s summer
camps and grandparents are exhausted, the only alternative is to take them on a
family vacation. But where and for how
much? Israel is small and cramped. The population grows, but the borders
threaten to shrink. And anyway, those
who decide to vacation within Israel, face high prices that bear no relation to
our tough economic situation.
Friends of
ours took their six children to a modest kibbutz hotel. Accommodation alone—3 rooms for 2 nights—cost
nearly $2,000! For the same money, they
could have spent a whole week on a lakeshore in Europe, with money left over
for ice cream.
Yet most
hotels in Israel are full over the summer and everyone takes vacation. Why?
Because there is no alternative.
And maybe because no one knows what tomorrow will bring. This time last year we were at war… and Iran
is on the road to nukes… so let’s live it up while we can…
So what is
good in our country in the summer? Plenty. I will mention three things:
One: Summer
fruits. If you haven’t tasted our cool
red watermelon, sweet lychees, juicy golden mangoes, or figs dripping with
honey, hurry up and do so before the season ends. There’s nothing like Israel’s summer fruits!
Two: You
might have noticed that despite the Sea of Galilee drying up, we no longer are being
driven crazy with threats to save water.
We still did not get much rain this winter, but Israel, despite all its
battles on other fronts, has managed to find solutions to one of its biggest
problems since its establishment: enough water.
Thanks to desalination, improved
water transportation system and water purification, Israel in 2015 no longer
has a water shortage!
And last but
not least: In the Canary Islands the weather is always mild. But after a while that gets boring. What do you have to look forward to? What can you complain about?
In closing,
and apropos schadenfreude: Despite everything, an Israeli summer is preferable
to the interminable frozen winters of countries such as Sweden or Canada. After all, everything in life is relative,
isn’t it?
