Dating and Mating in the Holy Land

In Israel, the dating scene is different than most would expect from the “Jewish State”. Over two thirds of the Jewish population in Israel is secular. That being said, the Jewish stereotype of the ‘matchmaker’ being the only way that Jewish singles find each other and get married right away is mostly exaggerated. Now, this is still true to a certain degree in the orthodox Jewish world, but definitely not in the secular Israeli world. The attitude of most Israelis is an open mentality in regards to dating and sexuality. To quote Family Therapist Rachel Biale (found in The Israelis, by Donna Rosenthal):

“Israelis tend to have a macho bravado in dating and everyday life and reassure themselves that everything will be fine even if it won’t. This denial may also be a response to the uncertainty of life here. On a deeper level, it may be a response to our parents’ or grandparents’ helplessness in face of the Holocaust.”

There are many contributing factors as to why the Israeli outlook on dating and sexuality is so open and loose. One major contributor is the military; every male and female Israeli citizen, with the exception of the ultra-orthodox, is drafted into the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) at the age of 18 for a two to three year service term. Therefore the popular mentality is to try to experience as much as possible before getting drafted because there are no guarantees for what could happen to one. In addition, the result for those who have already served in the military is that they typically don’t like to be told what to do or how to live their lives, since they got enough of that in the service. A second contributor would be the threat of suicide bombings or any other terrorist attacks that could happen at any given time. This is a certain outlook on life that those of us who live in the United States or other Western European countries cannot understand. The amazing thing about it is that Israelis are not fazed by this; they understand their daily risk, respect it, and make sure as to not let themselves live in fear. Now, this knowledge results in the mindset that one should eat their desert first because they don’t know if they’ll get to finish their meal.

The average age for Israelis to get married is 27 for men and 25 for women, as found in an LA Times Blog from December 2007 about Israeli marriage. With this being the average, and keeping in mind that the ultra-orthodox age is closer to 20, the average age of marriage for secular Israeli Jews is actually slightly higher. This goes to show that most of these young adults are not in any rush to get married even after having served in the military. They want to be able to enjoy life and for the most part do not even consider their dating habits as a means leading to marriage until they are actually ready for marriage. To quote Vered, a young Israeli woman, when speaking about her boyfriend, “He’ll make a very wonderful husband-for some other woman.” Vered is realistic and didn’t mind that her boyfriend at the time was not the man she was going to marry.

Israeli orthodox Jews, however, are much different in their dating habits. Most of them do not engage in premarital-sex or even come in any physical contact prior to marriage. This is known as being shomer negiah. Besides no physical contact, the main idea behind the dating in the first place is strictly to find a spouse; the complete opposite for most secular Israelis in their early twenties. When meeting each other, they would typically go out on a few dates as a way to make sure if they are compatible or not. Within less than a dozen dates they will know if this is somebody that they will marry or not. It seems odd from a secular perspective to get married to somebody within only a couple months of meeting them, but when considering that there is no premarital physical contact and the sole purpose for dating is to get married, it actually makes sense.


Despite these two very different methods to dating and marriage, Jewish Israelis from one extreme to the other, and everything in between, coexist in the same cities and towns and have a mutual respect for their differences

Israel's Early Missile Warning System Via Text Messaging

It should not be news to anybody that Israel gets bombarded by missiles and rockets on a regular basis, particularly in the north. Whenever this does happen, the Israeli government issues warning for the areas that are at risk, just like a hurricane warning in the US. However, even through television and internet, it is not possible to ensure that every person receives the warning. So, what is the next step in making sure that more people receive the warnings? Text messages. In today’s day and age, it is safe to assume that virtually every adult owns and carries with them a cell phone and can therefore receive text messages. This can especially be assumed in Israel since the cellular phone was invented in Israel by Motorola. On October 6^th, Nixle, the leader in secure text messaging platforms, announced that they have been hired by the Israeli government to set up an early missile alert system that would be sent to Israeli citizens via text message in such an event. The deal was approved by Safe City Solutions Israel, which specializes in security design and is used for planning with governments, cities, and police departments around the world. Nixle currently works with over 3,000 companies and this agreement is the first step for Nixle to expand its network overseas. With this system in place, Israeli citizens will be texted as an early warning with a description to the area that is under attack. I believe this to be an incredible idea and if it can even save a single life, it is definitely worth it. The source for this was found here at the Arutz Sheva website under the article titled Israel to Employ Early Warning Texting System (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/172212). It was then verified at the HPC Market Watch website where Nixle announced the contract on the page labeled Nixle Joins With Safe City Israel to Provide Early Warning Missile Alerts to Citizens via Text Message (http://markets.hpcwire.com/taborcomm.hpcwire/?GUID=10306469&Page=MediaViewer&ChannelID=3198 ).

The "Hall of Ages"

In the Old City of Jerusalem an underground tunnel that has been named the "Hall of Ages" has been discovered. Now this Underground tunnel was actually discovered decades ago but it wasn't until recently that the technique is available to be able to support the tunnel and prevent any cave-ins. The excavation was made possible by a wealthy Ukrainian's donation. A new concrete roof was installed as well as iron supports to keep the tunnel safe, although it has not been opened for the public yet. Six months after excavation began, artifacts were discovered that date back to first and second temple periods, thus the tunnel being named "Hall of Ages". One individual who took part in the excavation process told news networks that as soon as anybody steps foot within this tunnel, they "suddenly comprehend the dimensions of Second Temple-era Jerusalem." In order to resolve the inevitable questions and concerns about this excavation, the Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz made a clear statement that this excavation is not beneath the temple mount, nor are any other excavations, as in accordance that it is against Jewish law for an individual to enter this area at any given time. The tunnel is expected to be opened to the public within the next few months. This excavation, as well as others in the Old City, are always exciting for secular and orthodox Jews alike, as it is proof and history of the Jewish culture that dates back thousands of years in the Land of Israel.



The information stated in the above article can be sited at the following URL:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1254756248116&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Would Syriah ever acept Israel's help?

As there is currently talk of Syriah possibly leaving it's ties to Iran to join the allies, the country itself is falling apart economically and is slowly becoming a wasteland. One of the biggest issues in Syriah is the lack of water, as is the issue in many parts of the middle east. However Israel is leading the world with desalination technology and recycling of water and currently has the world's largest desalination plant. Israel could very well help Syriah with there water issues by turning the salt water they have into drinking water, same way they do it themselves. However, Syriah would never accept such help from the enemy. Rather, Syriah is still set on the idea of acquiring the Golan and getting a hold of Israel's fresh water supply that way. Since that is not going to happen, Syriah will eventually have to figure out an alternative before it becomes entirely uninhabitable.

The source for the preceding is "Column One: America's exceptional ally" by Caroline Glick and can be found at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251804542810&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull