More than 60 years ago, the first time an American female tourist came to Israel, she was surprised to see that the lights on each floor automatically turned on and off when someone came or went.
Miriam Edelstein, an American of Polish descent in her 80s, has visited Israel seven times. Each trip has been a memorable one. The first time Edelstein visited Israel was in 1966. She entered a high-rise building. Each floor had lights on. But when the elevator took Edelstein to a floor, the lights on that floor automatically turned off to save electricity. The same thing happened when she went up or down the stairs.
Camel riding tour in Israel. Photo: Miriam Edelstein/Times of Israel
The appearance of neatness is also important to locals. Every apartment in the building where Edelstein’s cousin, Benjamin Siegel, lives has a balcony for drying clothes. But from the street, you can’t see the clothes hanging out. Inside, the kitchen counters are marble, with a small groove in the inside so that spilled water flows down the groove into the drain, rather than dripping straight onto the floor. “After 60 years, we still don’t have anything like this in America,” the tourist said.
Local life begins early, sometimes before 7am. Lunch is often a few hours long to avoid the midday heat. The workday ends later as well. As air conditioning became more widespread around the world and came to Israel, locals began to adopt working hours that were more in line with the rest of the world. Working hours are no longer as long as they used to be.
On another trip to Israel, Edelstein’s cousin took her scuba diving, something he did every day. Her cousin lived in Bat Yam, a city on the Mediterranean coast. The beach was a short walk from their home. While scuba diving, Edelstein saw a shipwreck lying on the ocean floor that looked like it had been there for thousands of years.
Israelis visit Ramat David Air Base near Haifa on Independence Day before the pandemic. Photo: JTA
In Israel, Benjamin Siegel was a prosecutor with a wide network of acquaintances, so the American tourist also enjoyed some "privileges" from him. When taking the female tourist to the airport to return to the US, Siegel even took Edelstein to her seat on the plane, fastened her seat belt, said goodbye to the captain of the flight, and then left.
Siegel also treated Edelstein's parents well when they bought a cruise from the United States to Israel. He took them camping in the Galilee region in the north of the country. The natural scenery delighted American tourists. Edelstein's mother was "very impressed" when Siegel left the tent and picked oranges from a nearby tree for the family to eat for breakfast.
On another trip to Israel, Edelstein went to Tel Aviv and was taken by a friend to Jerusalem. Considered a holy land, Jerusalem had witnessed sacred events: King David founded the capital, Jesus was crucified and Mohammed stopped by during his journey of the Mysterious Nights.
In the spring of 2021, Edelstein’s grandson visited Israel. For her, this is one of the best memories related to this country. She is very happy that her grandson chose Israel, a destination she also loves, and because of the positive impact the trip brought.
A local market in Israel bustles with shoppers before the Hamas attack. Photo: Nedida
The nephew visited many famous destinations such as the Golan Heights, (located between Syria, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan), the Negev city (joined a camel tour), Tsfat. Tsfat, also known as Safed, is a city in the north of the country famous for its mysterious alleys and art galleries. Nestled in the Galilee Mountains, Safed was once considered a paradise for tourists and believers. Wandering on the cobblestones, touching the stone walls and climbing to the top of the Citadel to see the whole city is something that local tour companies often guide their guests to experience.
“He came back and said he was proud to be Jewish,” Edelstein said. That was worth a lot more to her than the “I had a great trip” that young people often say today.
Anh Minh (According to Times of Israel )
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