tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033033427317369122023-11-25T12:39:04.265+02:00Israel Decoded: Culture, CommunityUnderstanding Israeli life, culture, community, climate & people's habitssamdmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11878175477038125495noreply@blogger.comBlogger451125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-89636436169547111472023-03-29T13:41:00.007+03:002023-03-29T13:46:31.817+03:00Startup nation: Semiconductors<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfRoXd07w7s3_1mqTdgN4uE5qnGLNDyHlhNpnLDOkMhTFYg_Pjp7CVUcBW4il6uQRdrjRN_goIOfFAhZRYYSuuz7fbdQ95d7DJu9rqUlnEeQ8coYooC8MzWNqKq9lBKIsFZmFvEaq67UQgpMmGVm9PYscz1tsMtRWIL-P5myK7-qs74e4E2ubjT0YCg/s800/%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99_%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%A0%D7%A7_yarsdj.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Uri Frank, Google Semiconductor manager" border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="800" height="196" padding="55" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfRoXd07w7s3_1mqTdgN4uE5qnGLNDyHlhNpnLDOkMhTFYg_Pjp7CVUcBW4il6uQRdrjRN_goIOfFAhZRYYSuuz7fbdQ95d7DJu9rqUlnEeQ8coYooC8MzWNqKq9lBKIsFZmFvEaq67UQgpMmGVm9PYscz1tsMtRWIL-P5myK7-qs74e4E2ubjT0YCg/w400-h196/%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99_%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%A0%D7%A7_yarsdj.jpg" title="Uri Frank" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uri Frank an Intel Israel veteran is leading Google's IC design</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Israel's technology companies are infamous for cyber security, both defense and attack (NSO). There is global awareness for AI, cloud computing and mobile gaming. But in the hardware area there is less press and even less financial investing awareness. Yet, the country boasts two known semiconductor fabs (<a href="https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/jobs/locations/israel/sites.html">Intel Israel</a> and <a href="https://towersemi.com/">Tower Semiconductor</a>). </div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Many Israeli semiconductor companies are not immediately visible. These include ASIC designs inside system boards and large system designs. Companies like <a href="https://www.satixfy.com">SatixFy </a>designs modem and antenna devices. These go into their boards and modules. Companies like <a href="https://hailo.ai/">Hailo</a> designs AI devices, these require a whole software system. Today's popular IC applications like cloud, AI and 5G plug into the ecosystems they serve. In the case of SatixFy, satellite communication is serving remote areas like oceans and remote locations (deserts, forests) and undeveloped locations. Hailo and <a href="https://habana.ai/">Intel's Habana Labs</a> plug into the exploding AI ecosystems. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Intel's fab in Qiryat Gat is the largest fab in Israel. The second largest fab is Tower Semiconductor which Intel also acquired in 2022. The two give Israel a strong semiconductor fabrication position. While European and Asian countries finance fab investments with large system or consumer electronic companies, Israel's investment came from Intel which started with design centers. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Semiconductor">Tower semiconductor</a> was originally built by National Semiconductor. Through the years, the company acquired fabs in <span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Nishiwaki </span>Japan (Panasonic), San Antonio TX (Maxim, Analog), and Newport Beach California (Rockwell, SiGe, BiCMOS, MEMS). The company gathered a mix of technologies outside the mainstream processes. With strong business connections, Tower has weathered the ups and downs of a volatile industry. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-75331420240345163212023-02-14T11:40:00.002+02:002023-02-14T11:44:04.909+02:00Why are Israelis demonstrating for "Democracy"?<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39wK_wuTHOJUYbijfMl6a2sTwbv5cmj_ZcEmzHzbvKJG7MtW4xvznK1og8ZsZxVQnvWccwJg4AAO17LC8R72bvLdztoyb_PbvM3Fx5UZAkjOQpRfPa2i2J5KTnth_ulIuys48gGQRorINEtwMli3e9ZRj-i2zhjrQ0W_iRYO72j5KCue9yIj1EnY9Og/s2871/givatayimprotest1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2871" data-original-width="1920" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39wK_wuTHOJUYbijfMl6a2sTwbv5cmj_ZcEmzHzbvKJG7MtW4xvznK1og8ZsZxVQnvWccwJg4AAO17LC8R72bvLdztoyb_PbvM3Fx5UZAkjOQpRfPa2i2J5KTnth_ulIuys48gGQRorINEtwMli3e9ZRj-i2zhjrQ0W_iRYO72j5KCue9yIj1EnY9Og/w268-h400/givatayimprotest1.png" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Israelis demonstrate with flags on bridges</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <br>Israelis are starting to regret the last elections. Much like when Trump took over in the US. The last elections Netanyahu (Bibi) won a small majority with a right-wing coalition. The conservatives and religious parties want their say. Taking a page from Trump's playbook, the religious are moving fast with new laws and actions. One of the laws in play is the supreme court's ability to reverse laws as "unconstitutional". But Israel does not have a constitution. There are "foundation" laws which define basic rights which the courts use to decide if a new law is "constitutional". The new coalition wants to limit the supreme court's power. Most liberal citizens see a dangerous change in how government will pass laws and even enforce them. </div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The pink elephant in the room is a few top politicians' ability to govern. The supreme court already blocked Ariye Derry's ministerial appointment. A twice convicted felon, he signed an agreement not to run or take office as a parliament member or appointed official. Liberal writers assumed he would ignore the court's decision and thought Bibi would keep Derry in office. Bibi and Derry did not ignore the court. Derry did not take the minister's office. But if new laws give the government a way to ignore the court, this will change. The other issue is Bibi's ongoing legal battles. He is accused in three cases of taking bribes and not acting in the state's best interest. If it was up to the courts, Bibi could not take the prime minister's office while the cases are undecided. The right-wind supporters he is still innocent (not proven guilty yet). The liberals are crying foul. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The issue of who decides what the government can do is hot right now. The country will go ultra right-wing or middle of the road. Only time will tell. But don't expect riots and flames on Tel Aviv streets. Issues with the security and the Palestinians are also part of this debate. This is a sad point and shows how extreme government positions are getting Israel into a place they do not like to be. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-46562412353189041882021-03-08T13:46:00.001+02:002021-03-08T13:52:58.070+02:00Waking up Tel Aviv from COVID-19 <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div>Tel Aviv businesses are waking up from a long sleep. Benyamin Netanyahu's push for COVID-19 vaccinations to every citizen together with closure of air travel to foreigners are giving us a feel we are leading globally in how to handle the medical side. <div><br><div>The state also issued a Green Passport. A verified vaccination proof you can present to your work place or any public location (restaurants, shops, entertainment venues). </div><div><br><div>Restaurants are allowed to serve full menus with social distancing. <br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-12716772129285993082019-12-15T08:08:00.001+02:002019-12-15T08:10:59.534+02:00Do you run a startup? Need Twitter Exposure?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91MIoiinWLgkTH3rPyvWUut4v7CNXcdM4DARCIUo5QJQ9ugU2sSBVODUIsgrxIrRk1EgHgVRcV0UIa-2s1NQ-c2bYODbtdNPy-WjFg2A4Ngwjkou0cmNmPVGrWqYs18gQO9TCLQhiCmGi/s1600/twitter-amiv2-19dec14a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="800" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91MIoiinWLgkTH3rPyvWUut4v7CNXcdM4DARCIUo5QJQ9ugU2sSBVODUIsgrxIrRk1EgHgVRcV0UIa-2s1NQ-c2bYODbtdNPy-WjFg2A4Ngwjkou0cmNmPVGrWqYs18gQO9TCLQhiCmGi/s640/twitter-amiv2-19dec14a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">1/4 Tel Aviv startup: how is your Twitter activity these days? Are your prospects seeing your product & technology enough? If you want to talk about B2B social, please DM, twitter is active with AI, Cloud, Robotics and IoT are all strong products to promote on Twitter…</span><br />
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I am an experienced content marketer (writer, publisher & promoter) and digital biz-dev manager. With knowledge of analytics and digital marketing tools & skills. I am looking for a company with a product ready to sell. To use today’s marketing in influencing and selling. Technical & Business market knowledge and experience.. Market sectors/technology products: Telephony / VOIP, Microsoft Azure, financial trading, communication. [ami.vider@gmail.com / +972-50-6072980] </span></span><br />
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<a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/israel/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#Israel</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/telaviv/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#TelAviv</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/ai/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#AI</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/iot/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#IoT</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/robotics/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#Robotics</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/cloudcomputing/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#CloudComputing</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/cybersecurity/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#CyberSecurity</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/jobsearch/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#JobSearch</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/career/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#Career</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/socialmedia/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#SocialMedia</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/startups/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#Startups</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/promotion/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#Promotion</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel32.0852999 34.78176759999996631.977676400000004 34.620406099999968 32.192923400000005 34.943129099999965tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-54537672329386197512019-12-04T09:29:00.000+02:002019-12-06T10:14:26.199+02:00Netanyahu's Case 3000 revealed in the press<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; 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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH1N1OHm2p-nyqfWOKWKSzJYL7TsnHVsXwZ855SzO9HJifiqPIcbhl7mgfKsW_Fa5MIOvFEuYAJ7dueMeDqY0NS8aJmGjyaH76fYviaWzvyeY6vXBVhfvh8b69NsktmKlv1U1vQOOzfin/s1600/israel-hayom-bibi-19dec4b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="500" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH1N1OHm2p-nyqfWOKWKSzJYL7TsnHVsXwZ855SzO9HJifiqPIcbhl7mgfKsW_Fa5MIOvFEuYAJ7dueMeDqY0NS8aJmGjyaH76fYviaWzvyeY6vXBVhfvh8b69NsktmKlv1U1vQOOzfin/s640/israel-hayom-bibi-19dec4b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Israel Ha'yom (Israel Today) December 4th, 2019 // Benyamin Netanyahu's first big indictment, "case 3000" ordering and purchase of 2 - 4 submarines from Germany, this could be the case which brings down Netanyahu's dynasty. </td></tr>
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As saying goes <b><i>“it’s complicated”</i></b>… What is Benyamin Netanyahu's accusations about? We are just now starting to see real stories about the three criminal indictments. Today Israel Ha'yom (<a href="https://twitter.com/IsraelHayomEng">@israelhayom</a>) gives an overview of how Bibi sought to influence the media and corporate managers in return for government benefits. The Israeli prosecutor is not clear about indictments on the “other side”, the companies and management which made the deals with Netanyahu. The political saga is going to be interesting as ever…</div>
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#Israel #Politics #benyaminnetanyahu #Crime #Law #Bezek #Walla #YediotAchronot #NoniMoses #Alovich (at Jerusalem, Israel)<br />
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5o715WnzDg/?igshid=1lkcnwm8gtrih<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com1Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel32.0852999 34.78176759999996631.977676400000004 34.620406099999968 32.192923400000005 34.943129099999965tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-81211076484669340602018-09-08T17:23:00.001+03:002019-12-05T13:47:31.168+02:00Entrepreneur at an Alenbi Street Bar<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK70n1VtYT63iDteGPeGqZytspqQeJRAwy5pNyDZnoMZ1J2bYbnSQt0HxMWX9M8Uq39Wd_dHFXqjAPXClcnMnspGko-ixFX5y2jeURebk1X0BA5rPF3wKvb7I6a2ncyS2QGiNU5PeKujh0/s1600/IMG_20180827_202928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK70n1VtYT63iDteGPeGqZytspqQeJRAwy5pNyDZnoMZ1J2bYbnSQt0HxMWX9M8Uq39Wd_dHFXqjAPXClcnMnspGko-ixFX5y2jeURebk1X0BA5rPF3wKvb7I6a2ncyS2QGiNU5PeKujh0/s640/IMG_20180827_202928.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some excited and some bored, the Tel Aviv startup scene is going at hyper speed © 2018 D-A Vider</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align: justify;">The startup scene in Tel Aviv is running at hyper speed. Seems as if anyone who has an idea can get a startup going. This craze is not new. When networking was new 25 years ago engineers were hyped on all kind of new product ideas. The dot-com bubble hit Tel Aviv much like Wall Street and silicon valley. But the memories of highs and then lows cycles are not enough for the older entrepreneurs. The young ones have never seen the boom and bust cycles, so they can't even imagine what happens when trends run their way down. </div></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">This brings us to nightly meet-up gatherings at hi-tech offices and even bars. On workdays, Sundays to Thursdays almost every technology sector can get people to come out. Take a look at the MeetUp.com portal under Tel Aviv and surrounding areas. The crowd is mostly young and looking for a connection with investors or a co-founder. If you have a free evening in Tel Aviv check out the <a href="http://www.meetup.com/">meetups</a> for a new and different experience. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-25697502382778893152018-08-17T10:24:00.001+03:002018-08-17T18:01:58.861+03:00Afternoon at the Beach<div dir="ltr">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tzuk beach between Tel Aviv and Hertzeliya is a beautiful place without the crowds. © D-A Vider 2018</td></tr>
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Israelis are somewhat ambivalent about the beach. Few die hards, a percent or two, call the sea their passion. Summer brings a big crowd to the beache: families and teen agers on vacation mostly. Popular urban beaches are full on weekends (Tel Aviv, Haifa). Yet there are still plenty of beaches with room to stretch and plenty of swimming and running space.<br />
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This Thursday we headed to Tzuk Beach between Tel Aviv and Hertzeliya. Packed tight around the entrance (by the food concession) were families. A few hundred feet away the beaches were practically empty (see picture). The waves were strong at half a meter. Giving teenage kids from the surf school a good day to get a start at the new sport. Here you can bring a dog and play with a frisby or "matkot" - an Israeli game with two wooden paddles and a hard rubber ball. You can also play your favorite musical selection on a boom box and not get strange looks or request for something else.</div>
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If you are coming for vacation, add a few hours at the beach. July and August are good months to enjoy the sand and surf.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0Israel National Trail, Herzliya, Israel32.1402756 34.79023686.6182411000000023 -6.518357199999997 57.6623101 76.0988308tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-88075488392610460072018-08-13T09:06:00.000+03:002018-08-13T09:19:26.491+03:00News Buzzing, People Working, Cranes Lifting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late rush hour at the Tel Aviv Ha'shalom stations. People are still hustling to their destinations despite the political news and security tension in Gaza &copy; 2018 D-A Vider </td></tr>
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Talk about a war in Gaza is buzzing in the news. Lots of news on business and corruption, this week the Arrison organization and family is under investigation. Startups are closing and opening. People are moving and looking to move up, sideways or out. With summer comes the construction push. Workers putting in twelve hour days to get as much done as possible. Tel Aviv and surrounding suburbs are building a subway - light rail system. A big construction project planned for years and delayed for some reason. Politicians spend money when they have it, and the strong economy is generating tax revenues we have never seen before. Have a great summer, stay cool. Drop us a line if you like the pictures and stories. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel32.0852999 34.78176759999996631.977676400000004 34.620406099999968 32.192923400000005 34.943129099999965tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-15540930107851200542018-07-04T09:20:00.001+03:002018-07-04T17:51:34.086+03:00Table Service Getting Better (despite history)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIA4mQSpb71efOWBp1mlFmQJZ5DQzxQhbO2YDphNypJn7CBWbAsi_EVoccK-tJlw68ICY3dPDAkMwEn0nAh3-qQuvPYKZXQYhT-fhD6pHfkEK3c57HmostPREa6AFPt83TpQ86L1YxWKm/s1600/TLV_arcafe_18jul5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIA4mQSpb71efOWBp1mlFmQJZ5DQzxQhbO2YDphNypJn7CBWbAsi_EVoccK-tJlw68ICY3dPDAkMwEn0nAh3-qQuvPYKZXQYhT-fhD6pHfkEK3c57HmostPREa6AFPt83TpQ86L1YxWKm/s640/TLV_arcafe_18jul5.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table service at Tel Aviv area cafes and restaurants is improving. Don't expect European top restaurant service, but for a country which came from history of socialism and kibbutz dining rooms. Pun fully intended, © 2018 D-A Vider</td></tr>
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Israelis and foreigners still complain about bad service at shops and restaurants. Simply put, Israelis have no experience with good service. Partly the historical legacy of socialism (no wo/man should serve another) and partly the limited food and leisure history are probably a good first guess. There is also the blunt, straight in your face: "<i><b>just get it done and be done with it</b></i>" culture which translate into rushed service. Israelis are simply more hyper and less attentive by nature than most Europeans. This means waitresses are going to hop to a table, take the order, and quickly buzz away to the kitchen. Yet there is steady pressure from foreigners to deliver better service. Happily this market demand is met by a few cafes and restaurants. </div>
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My personal experience is mostly with cafe-restaurants. Ones that dot the urban landscape throughout the central region. The few big chains, <a href="https://www.arcaffe.co.il/">Arcafe [HE]</a>, <a href="https://en.aroma.co.il/">Aroma</a> and <a href="http://www.cafecafe.co.il/he/home/a/main/">Cafe Cafe</a> [HE], have improved their service the past few years. Some with table service (i.e. Givatay'im Mall Arcafe), which is a big change. The more established Traditional Israelis started out with a bit of discomfort when Arcafe first offered table service. Then full table service was discontinued, with waiters delivering orders placed at the counter. Israelis are going to continue improving their service in hotels, restaurants and shops. But with a history quite differently than Europeans, Americans and Asians, the journey is going to take a few more turns and twists.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-3058081248795073732018-03-28T14:30:00.000+03:002018-08-20T12:43:45.532+03:00Spring in Tel Aviv: Slow, Quiet & Flowery<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3lVcvZ-0NtJHRghg9IIeqtASQX1JDexXMnlGVICHKatQItVJt8b3wRyylElKC3Z8Sqie6kEX74OUEVX9lpRldhaJ7JBlu3diHkihhwZcFiG1yzQDg-7o___P4NSMxRuiMzUohH2ph3Kx/s1600/tlvblog_flowers_spring_18marj.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3lVcvZ-0NtJHRghg9IIeqtASQX1JDexXMnlGVICHKatQItVJt8b3wRyylElKC3Z8Sqie6kEX74OUEVX9lpRldhaJ7JBlu3diHkihhwZcFiG1yzQDg-7o___P4NSMxRuiMzUohH2ph3Kx/s640/tlvblog_flowers_spring_18marj.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter 2018 is over, spring is here without a roar &copy; D-A Vider 2018</td></tr>
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Winter 2018 was dry and quiet. I remember only one weak storm without flooding or power outages. So chalk it off to another drought year here in Israel. Spring is not waiting for the last rains to fall. The dry climate here pretty much requires watering all year long. This is especially true this year. There are a few green thumbs with flowering pots in the windows. But in general Israeli apartment buildings are drab with very few flowering pots popping new flowers in the spring. My pots are not the greatest by any standard, but this one pot with bulbs in the spring is incredible for two to four weeks. This year flowering started a little early. Probably the few hot days, with temperatures above 25°C (77°F) are fooling mother nature. For my small contribution, at least for the next two weeks, there is a bit of color with the morning kitchen routine. Enjoy!</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-38482580557550001562018-03-27T11:32:00.002+03:002018-03-27T15:30:31.306+03:00Cryptocurrency platforms, marketing and technology - Blockchain is live<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crypto-currency marketing talk in Tel Aviv Bitcoin Change, blockchain and ICO is hot topic © D-A Vider 2018</td></tr>
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A few years ago the Bitcoin technology business was the future of Israeli FinTech. But the business side of mining, trading and managing Bitcoins has not turned out as expected. Today the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain">Blockchain technology</a> companies are hot again as platforms for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initial_coin_offering">ICOs</a> (Initial Coin Offering), which according to marketing specialists are being announced at the rate of 1,300 per month (estimated global rate, comment from talk). Tel Aviv's <a href="https://www.meetup.com/cities/il/tel_aviv-yafo/">ICO meetup night</a>, hosted by Nir Hazzout from the <a href="http://www.hello-group.live/">Hello Group</a> covered the marketing aspects of cryptocurrency business. More specifically how to market an ICO once the idea is well defined. Take into account a big assumption about how to get the seed capital and initial product definition on the technical and business side. This apparently is fairly easy to do in Tel Aviv with all the past experience in Bitcoin. </div>
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One representative from a P/R marketing, a social media marketing and a white paper creation firm took turns speaking on how to run an initial campaign. Costs of anywhere from US$100,000 to $250,000 to raise initial ICO investment seems to be the minimum required. ICOs are now raising US$30 million on average. Even with an initial investment of a million dollars, we have a crazy temptation for easy money. Essentially put in one million dollars, raise 30 million dollars. We are having another gold rush. Wwweeellllll - maybe! Israelis are not the only ones into ICOs. This is a world wide phenomena. Thirty million dollars is a huge amount of money and seems like nobody knows what to do with this amount, in the business or the technology side. Regardless of the investment amount for the initial ICO launch, there seems to be smart and energetic people working in the sector. For now this technology sub-sector is cautious with their own P/R, they are not looking for press coverage. These are not the days of Binary Options or even Bitcoin (of ten years ago). These are quiet hard working groups of people building knowledge and skills slowly and methodically. Sometimes they follow standard accepted templates in their work (all ICO web sites look the same), but all are looking for innovation and creativity. Stay tuned, cryptocurrency technology is here (in Tel Aviv) to stay. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-52187350250556515602018-03-25T10:06:00.002+03:002018-03-25T10:06:48.508+03:00Morning Commute by Train: the People's Choice<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0fc_IUaozxNTGQxHiB2p0hCT64hxL9CcG4RX5C7dy5C3vnMXeTCyU-xIylQ5HUw-xdk9aQxlfLq610hbO0X0Va7cuEl-ijh6ZlDMGfu9v1yoMoVwUh5m4yJlYEg6jzVQ4usgnHrOhW87/s1600/train_blog_morng_mar18f.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0fc_IUaozxNTGQxHiB2p0hCT64hxL9CcG4RX5C7dy5C3vnMXeTCyU-xIylQ5HUw-xdk9aQxlfLq610hbO0X0Va7cuEl-ijh6ZlDMGfu9v1yoMoVwUh5m4yJlYEg6jzVQ4usgnHrOhW87/s640/train_blog_morng_mar18f.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical morning commute by train is effieicnt once you get over the crowded escalators</td></tr>
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The last post <a href="http://israeltomorrow.blogspot.co.il/2018/03/conspicuous-consumption-luxury.html">"the rich people's Masserati"</a> (as I was told) -- got me a few negative comments. It's nice to see luxury cars and talk about celebrities and the once in a while startup millionaire. But what about real daily life? What about public transportation? The buses in Israel are notoriously inefficient. The train system is clogged on rush hour commute and seems to be always stopping for repair or improvement. Car commute can hardly be described better. With clogged arteries resembling an old man's cholesterol ultrasound just before a stent transplant (less then 10% traffic flow). Essentially Israel is always on the move. The last few years, trains started to become a preferable form of transportation. </div>
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Yet with all the complaining from train commuters, the flow of people is usually smooth. On Sunday mornings, when soldiers return to their base, the trains are almost standing-room-only. The last few years, trains are also a good choice to people who combine bicycling in their commute. Except for peak commute hours, electric and folding bicycles are allowed on special cars. This makes commuting by train into the city a nice way to go. Overall the train system is a nice addition to public transport. The train's popularity is pushing capacity to the limit, especially in stations which were not built to handle morning commute volume. As with every success here, this is a good problem to have.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel32.0852999 34.78176759999996631.977676400000004 34.620406099999968 32.192923400000005 34.943129099999965tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-58004791438691369722018-03-17T13:32:00.004+02:002018-03-17T13:32:23.907+02:00Conspicuous Consumption: Luxury Lifestyle in Israel<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Sz8uv-86ul0D93ScKzhkX5RrNUjZbm6whbRTagp16li9AN8R3F6gOSEqSC9LhNId70yrTDhJaKSoa1Yx0SfFM7Ky3Whvy3FzAP0aB2DzNBunXvgJ-RwQJ4kEOX7z-fNjxP7PdEQfi0XK/s1600/maserati_blog_ibngvr_mar18d.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="800" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Sz8uv-86ul0D93ScKzhkX5RrNUjZbm6whbRTagp16li9AN8R3F6gOSEqSC9LhNId70yrTDhJaKSoa1Yx0SfFM7Ky3Whvy3FzAP0aB2DzNBunXvgJ-RwQJ4kEOX7z-fNjxP7PdEQfi0XK/s640/maserati_blog_ibngvr_mar18d.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Certainly uncommon but not rare: luxury cars like this Maserati are showing up on Tel Aviv streets</td></tr>
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Israelis are not big on showing off their wealth. There is still a pioneering socialist attitude from over a century of lifestyle based on socialist values. Israel started shifting from state sponsored socialism in the 1970s, yet signs of the shift are not completely clear from a street view. Luxury items are plentiful in shops, but when it comes to cars, it's a different story. The love affair with cars and driving started here in the 1980s. It started with demand from average Israelis for the first family cars. Subaru from Japan turned out to be the popular brand Israelis could afford. At first Japanese manufacturers (Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda) did not sell due to the Arab boycott. But for the first time family cars were affordable and started the love affair in cars. </div>
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Fast forward thirty five years, and you can still see old Subaru jalopies on Tel Aviv streets. But a new red <a href="http://www.telaviv.ferraridealers.com/en_gb/cars/488-gtb">Ferrari 488 GTB</a> will get more attention. Conspicuous consumption comes with economic growth. It comes with the hundreds of new millionaires from hi-tech startup exits and consumer sector business leaders. There are just as many tourism and retail success stories as there are programmers and computer chip moguls. There seem to be more large late model Mercedes, Lexus and Jaguars than Ferraris and Corvettes. But the luxury car craze is certainly here. The personal luxury goods like <a href="https://www.euro-asia.co.il/">Rolex watches</a> is also growing with a new showroom on Ibn Gvirol. Luxury apartments from new high rise towers to renovated penthouses is a steadily growing and is considered a real estate sub-sector. (interesting building at <a href="http://www.17arlozorov.com/">17 Arlozorov</a>) Our economic miracle was considered a way to bring the lower and middle classes to western world living standards. But that era seemed to have ended with the trend to show more wealth and not to be fearful of showing off the new bling. More on this to come soon.... come back...</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-17714905074307774272018-03-14T13:42:00.003+02:002018-03-14T13:42:56.229+02:00Building for Foreign Investment: Israel's Globalization Card<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSiY-oKvciG3NkG-qjICJzTCU949-sBt4zkRmOzFO1CfFQdXR1-mkYSXqE3guu29fu8OK7fdGpamCoOt5fT3yCmUobYlDhWMguJzkT8jaT-FBPPuLnpMqMsX0PLuhea1bw75OTzfYA3yy/s1600/hirise_blog_govmt_mar18e.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSiY-oKvciG3NkG-qjICJzTCU949-sBt4zkRmOzFO1CfFQdXR1-mkYSXqE3guu29fu8OK7fdGpamCoOt5fT3yCmUobYlDhWMguJzkT8jaT-FBPPuLnpMqMsX0PLuhea1bw75OTzfYA3yy/s640/hirise_blog_govmt_mar18e.png" width="570" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prime locations in Tel Aviv are developed with an eye at foreign investors and companies </td></tr>
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Globalization has not played a wide ranging role in Israeli business until recently (the last fifteen years). While entrepreneurs were happy to work with foreign investors, and American companies were happy to design and manufacture products here, for the most part, business management was done somewhere else. But the last decade this has changed dramatically. Many foreigners and companies are happy to work, live and collaborate with Israelis. Foreign investment and business collaboration is growing steadily. This is pushing the luxury apartment and office building boom even more than local growth. Israel's government is not tracking and publishing foreign investment in specific sector such as construction. But it is safe to say, there is a sizable contribution from global investors. </div>
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Israel is in a unique position of cooperating in business and engineering for over fifty years. At first French and other European countries brought industrial technology to Israel. In the 1960s and 70s American companies came with Israelis returning from academic training. Then came Israelis with backing from American companies (most notably Dov Frohman from Intel, see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dov_Frohman">Wikipedia</a>) to start R&D centers. IBM Haifa research center (see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Haifa_Research_Laboratory">Wikipedia</a>) is also a notable early American expansion into the Israeli technology space. Today the trend to open R&D centers in Israel is continuing with Asian companies. While the technology sector is the most known and traditionally look at as the best fit, biotechnology, finance and recently robotics and machine automation are also seen as a good fit for foreign investors. This is an interesting and evolving story, keep coming back for more details. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-90494189221609106832018-03-12T16:55:00.001+02:002018-03-12T16:55:19.482+02:00Unequal Wealth: Building Boom is One Consistent Factor<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIf2urTQ6jr3G47o0mUhtfMviJbglyueyESAf9PmPD_wUyqJqQNiwwNnsuePAbU7c1M2WG9gjEYhSNE0iVeAo5b33fWH2HIk-wTKTkGqIQ64Pz2pjShW6j2ubQ-c_TXmEfw-MyrYBMEge/s1600/building_blog_azrieli_mar18b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="800" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIf2urTQ6jr3G47o0mUhtfMviJbglyueyESAf9PmPD_wUyqJqQNiwwNnsuePAbU7c1M2WG9gjEYhSNE0iVeAo5b33fWH2HIk-wTKTkGqIQ64Pz2pjShW6j2ubQ-c_TXmEfw-MyrYBMEge/s640/building_blog_azrieli_mar18b.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New construction near the central train station, Tel Aviv is filling every nook and cranny with new construction © D-A Vider</td></tr>
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Israel's economy has been on an economic growth spurt for over fifteen years. The GDP statistics somehow are not reflecting the reality on the street. The first obvious sign of prosperity is steady building trend, especially in high rise apartments and office buildings. In the central region, there is actually less building than in locations at the edge of Gush Dan (Dan, the central region of Israel). The real estate inflation, especially the residential apartment costs, which were going up at 5% to 8% annually for over a decade. Many visitors to Tel Aviv are surprised by the change in the city in the last five years. Foreign drivers find themselves at a lost when trying to retrace old routes but confused by new construction. In the section of Tel Aviv near Azrielli towers (left white and gray buildings in the photograph) and the central train station, construction is now at a strong growth. A new light rail project with under and above ground tracks is also now in works. So why it seems as if Israel is on an economic growth spurt on the ground but the economists are reporting average of 4% the last 15 years? (see chart below)<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://d3fy651gv2fhd3.cloudfront.net/embed/?s=isgdpnyy&v=201802191154v&d1=19180101&d2=20181231&h=300&w=600" width="600"></iframe><br />
source: <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/israel/gdp-growth-annual">tradingeconomics.com</a><br />
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There are a few theories in this area. The most controversial one is the "start-up colonialism". You will have to dig deep to find Israelis talking about "colonialism" in a country which prides itself on independence, democracy and amazing economic success. But the theory basically looks at Israel's technology start-up economy as an "economic colony" of foreign investors. While Israelis are great at innovation and product development, they are still most likely to seek foreign investors. When start-ups use foreign money, their profits at the exit (when they go public or sell out) also go to foreign investors. Some of the profits stay in Israel, but the majority of the profits goes to the foreign investors. This explains how very few entrepreneurs profit and the state receives a share from taxation. But as a whole the large profits go back out of Israel.<br />
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The other theory simply explains the uneven distribution due to fast growth. In any fast growing economy there are winners and losers. The winners in some cases are very few. The number is related to the overall business ownership. In Israel medium and large businesses is proportionately owned by a very small class at the top. The reasons for this are mostly historical and complex. Historically very few people were able to create wealth. Even fewer brought wealth with them from their country of origin. Add to this the socialist origin of Israel's economy starting with eastern European immigration in the 1880s all the way to the founding of the state in 1948. Most foreigners are surprised to learn of Israel's socialist roots. But that's another story to be told. </div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://d3fy651gv2fhd3.cloudfront.net/embed/?s=israelhouind&v=201802171011v&d1=19180101&d2=20181231&h=300&w=600" width="600"></iframe><br />
source: <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/israel/housing-index">tradingeconomics.com</a><br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-7278917725303652502018-03-11T16:14:00.002+02:002018-03-11T16:14:55.866+02:00Religion: Guiding the Next Generation's Seculars<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIEtA4aclHq8AK6dT6KO90XyL-FsfJDixMjVlXxB53a2zsCWzxabsDTCUjVzcnDTtnNlWEjnk3jStEWtvwaz54Yf7DbZg0GbR1qO2WdnRYwDoezjZ-wRn5WhrAvnipjPZEXRme_Targzo/s1600/eylon_barmtzv_read_mar18c.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="800" height="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIEtA4aclHq8AK6dT6KO90XyL-FsfJDixMjVlXxB53a2zsCWzxabsDTCUjVzcnDTtnNlWEjnk3jStEWtvwaz54Yf7DbZg0GbR1qO2WdnRYwDoezjZ-wRn5WhrAvnipjPZEXRme_Targzo/s640/eylon_barmtzv_read_mar18c.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rite of passage: a secular boy's bar mizvah at the wailing wall - a boy is welcomed to the congregation © D-A Vider 2017</td></tr>
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Israel's Jewish orthodoxy and secularism differences is hard to understand from the outside. Israeli supporters sometimes assume people's culture and lifestyle to be mostly governed by religious principles. Israeli detractors see most secular Israelis as non-believing heathens (or at least atheist). Somewhere in between lies real life here. The Jewish orthodoxy in Israel is governed by traditional rituals practiced over two millennium. Some believe these are practices formed over the last four hundred years in the eastern European diaspora. Some practices also come from Arab and near-east countries also formulated over the last five hundred years. On the other hand, secular Judaism is a mix of beliefs and practices which are both derived from orthodox ones and newly invented ones. Some go back only to the early Jewish settlers in Israel a little over a hundred years ago.</div>
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Arguably, a bar mizvah is one of a man's most important rite of passage. The ritual entails reading from the Torah scroll. The "portion" read is the one which corresponds to the synagogue reading on the boy's birthday. The tradition of reading a portion of the Torah each week has been followed for as long as we can remember. The ritual essentially gives a thirteen year old boy the permission to read from the Torah in front of the congregation. This ritual is by far the most common and agreed to among all Israeli Jews: from the orthodox to the secular. While other rituals may be practiced differently in each religious stream, this one is followed strictly by most Israelis. Most Israelis have their own opinion why certain rituals, beliefs and values are common among us. We are not sure why certain values and rituals are practiced by each religious stream, but we are certain how Judaism, regardless of how it is practiced, is a common thread. The challenges we face between us is how to keep our core rituals while keeping the wide gap in everyday life practices. Some of us are more undecided than others on how strict we are going to follow the ritual practices. Some of us are more worried about the seculars losing millennia old traditions. But as a whole, we try to keep our values and respect another's ritual practices. It's hard to tell this story in a short blog post, so ask questions and make comments to get a better feel of religious ritual practices in Israel. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-7889270633683490552018-03-08T16:44:00.002+02:002018-03-11T10:45:48.041+02:00Chan Chan in Yaffo Port<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8CXG3gcl9FAR8WsKW4kEdW9oHbePsHCzX5h4uTSsRpr5LUmgKMzp7DjD8Q2Emd93kc-OHdWFQw4Q4kYPKSCv9JJ_WyqMmJNtNlG-oAb2mRU7Xj5M7z2b9eQdkKpFVRs9-CTPHxxGUhQO/s1600/IMG_20170729_134338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8CXG3gcl9FAR8WsKW4kEdW9oHbePsHCzX5h4uTSsRpr5LUmgKMzp7DjD8Q2Emd93kc-OHdWFQw4Q4kYPKSCv9JJ_WyqMmJNtNlG-oAb2mRU7Xj5M7z2b9eQdkKpFVRs9-CTPHxxGUhQO/s640/IMG_20170729_134338.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Israel attracts artists from around the globe. In real terms this means European performers. The big acts, pop artists from the 60s to 90s, also come from the US (and perform in big events.) But Latin, Asian and African music is not as popular. There is no shortage of music here, famous and less known. But seeing a good band playing at an out of the way location is rare. Even more rare is a good street performance. That's the case with a Cuban trio at the Jaffa port on a July morning, a pleasant surprise. The port was empty, too early for most tourists. The local crowd was thin and not in dancing mood. Visitors hardly noticed and were unenthusiastic. But for Latin music fans, especially Cuban son or salsa, this was a treat. The trio came with two salsa dancers who tried to get the crowd started, to no avail, this morning the crowd was just watching. </div>
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It's a bit tricky to compare Israeli and Cuban music culture. Apparently in Havana there are roving musicians popping on street corners at every hour of the day. At least this is the impression Israelis come from visiting there. This is not the case on Tel Aviv streets. Once in a while on the tayelet (beach front promenade, ha'yarkon street) you will find a lone performer accompanied by a smart phone on a portable amplifier. On summer evenings you have a better chance to see a guitarist or a pop singer, sometimes singing local Mediterranean style Hebrew songs, sometimes classic English pop tunes. On Fridays (our Saturday equivalent to Christian countries) there may be a street performer in front of a mall or in a crowded street corner (i.e. Dizengoff and Ben Gurion streets). The middle of the summer may bring a few street musicians to the beach front in the early evenings. If you are a local music fan, check out the listings on the big event sites or ask someone in the know. Below, a street musician, Hertzeliya city park, Friday morning:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkQfQ2QSqVnkKEr8yS_hky3NMwqta0cI4fVYtthBRMa0GmRyxr6Zku4TR3EEwi-9axFL5_dMah1WFA7-qvCv0y26a_xa0yS569Ntngk_1Ept8N1aqO5YlqUt1SIJsX2b6KYs5kZ9ULJyQ/s1600/IMG_20170923_182057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkQfQ2QSqVnkKEr8yS_hky3NMwqta0cI4fVYtthBRMa0GmRyxr6Zku4TR3EEwi-9axFL5_dMah1WFA7-qvCv0y26a_xa0yS569Ntngk_1Ept8N1aqO5YlqUt1SIJsX2b6KYs5kZ9ULJyQ/s640/IMG_20170923_182057.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-73567278207212451232017-05-05T13:16:00.003+03:002017-05-05T13:19:13.476+03:00Spring Once Again, Catching Up<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYKcH6Js_9kZ9xYURuC-fAYGzK2xkUgtX0aSbmf0u0qyk2QqeWiex_xp4GwTo5Ukg3JvbiTf5c3Wn61UiTTazPu5-ZW98UTpNo8ofxjuGzw1gtGMTTmtEjy2PP9pEZzuZRwEZ17mZ-CY6/s1600/Givt-flower-17Aprl02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYKcH6Js_9kZ9xYURuC-fAYGzK2xkUgtX0aSbmf0u0qyk2QqeWiex_xp4GwTo5Ukg3JvbiTf5c3Wn61UiTTazPu5-ZW98UTpNo8ofxjuGzw1gtGMTTmtEjy2PP9pEZzuZRwEZ17mZ-CY6/s640/Givt-flower-17Aprl02.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring flowers from a small succulent in my window, cool wet weather makes for a colorful spring / </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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It has been a long time since my last post. Personal and work changes kept me away from the blog. Yet the seasons keep on going and we are at spring time suddenly. This year winter was warm and the rains did not make up for the long drought. Spring came slowly but it certainly here. Passover came and went, for me quietly. Somehow with less political noise (Trump election in the US, no political change in Israel) there seem to be a quiet in the land. The media is just as noisy and controversial, but otherwise things are quieter. There is also a sense of less drastic change, no wars, even small ones. </div>
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But the quiet also brings more energy spent on personal and community life. There are less government programs with foreign organizations. There is more focus on internal Israeli life and issues. There is a start-up boom going through the economy, now at about two years into the cycle. Some start-ups have closed. The hiring frenzy is gone, so is the fast investment buzz. But this also shows how the boom-bust cycle of business in the start-up sector is now more acceptable here. People know some technology trends (mobile apps, cloud enterprise tools, medical devices) bring a short boom, usually two to three years. Then comes a bust of three to five years. The cycle in tourism is also tied to politics and the security situation. After a war, there is a year of slow tourism. The difference now is growth of Chinese and Indian tourists which seem to ignore the mainstream media news outlets from Europe and America. We are starting to see direct flights from China, a sign of the demand from Chinese tourists. This is a quick re-start, come for more pictures and stories...</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-22853857217563968362017-02-23T12:22:00.000+02:002017-02-23T12:22:58.132+02:00Sarona Market: Struggling to Survive<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbQeJtUMLknlzNTvyiena7dEFVE6WPbOrc6_IuIEqIKicIzrRyVqmEYkzEGo0Ax5gcFSqzWXGUIg_9yVai7m3EFkS5mrz_Vm6ZF0-cx2-TBDuJHBdZQ1zSoUj_kP81VGBJUjsu5fR4RWx/s1600/TLV-Sarona-RedBand-17Feb04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbQeJtUMLknlzNTvyiena7dEFVE6WPbOrc6_IuIEqIKicIzrRyVqmEYkzEGo0Ax5gcFSqzWXGUIg_9yVai7m3EFkS5mrz_Vm6ZF0-cx2-TBDuJHBdZQ1zSoUj_kP81VGBJUjsu5fR4RWx/s640/TLV-Sarona-RedBand-17Feb04.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Band, a rock puppet act, at Sarona Market Tuesday night show / © 2017 D-A Vider</td></tr>
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It may seem a bit strange: a high end boutique shops and cafes, at the edge of Tel Aviv, with half a dozen hot chefs's promotion, struggling to survive? The newest dining and shopping center in Tel Aviv is not getting the foot traffic, it is situated at the edge of Tel Aviv's commercial center. It competes with and established shopping at Azrieli. The shops and restaurants are at the high end of the shopping scale. These are the challenges facing a new shopping center. The opportunity to build and establish an up market shopping center in a great open location in Tel Aviv is also interesting.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Yet Sarona has not been able to attract enough customers. Some smaller shops already closed. Some are clearly struggling. The Market itself is just now attracting shoppers with free performances and reduced price offers. That may not be enough. The shopping and dining area, outside the "Market", has tried with free concerts and events during the summer. Yet the shops are still empty and have not changed their boutique high ticket item strategy.<br />
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Is Tel Aviv Overdoing It?</h3>
We see more expensive shops, restaurants and boutique hotels. There is a sense of Israel getting richer and growth of the upper class. Some see this as a positive trend. Essentially if there is an upper class, the state is getting richer. But from different perspectives (seen by a few different classes) this is not a positive trend. The Israeli middle and lower classes are not feeling the increase in economic growth. Some say the elderly and poor are actually in a worst position ever. This discussion is not going to be resolved with a blog post. Yet Israeli businesses are clearly eager to grow and push the upper edge in lifestyle. Let me know what you think and how you see things. Thanks for reading.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-43508287909019812532017-02-20T10:24:00.000+02:002017-02-20T10:24:06.378+02:00Politics and Business: Oil and Vinager<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUZypu4dXLS-iooVfuEs2IJSlugQyNQs_njY60Ap81IWifqpaPUAqHCO0Y2H1nCA0Ga0OnYOczcd9_LNK3Mqnbrm5xAhhPb1M_5SUC5AAjRuGTrubv2U3AZyfKorjqEhGq17u9pcNnu4o/s1600/Gvtm-Sufgn-Hank-17Feb04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUZypu4dXLS-iooVfuEs2IJSlugQyNQs_njY60Ap81IWifqpaPUAqHCO0Y2H1nCA0Ga0OnYOczcd9_LNK3Mqnbrm5xAhhPb1M_5SUC5AAjRuGTrubv2U3AZyfKorjqEhGq17u9pcNnu4o/s640/Gvtm-Sufgn-Hank-17Feb04.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food is a fast growth sector in Israel, here government and business differ in opinion: imports are important</td></tr>
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Local economic and global trade trends are changing enough to tear traditional government to business relationships. Israeli businesses relied on government to support and promote local industries around the world. So business and government worked together in making contacts around the world. Yet some changes are pushing the two apart. The changes are fast and slow, slow in the construction and banking sectors, but fast in technology and security sectors. Israeli government wants to promote local business, a balance between manufacturing, service and public workforce. Yet business and industry wants flexibility and the ability to move quickly as opportunities appear. This usually translate into moving jobs from manufacturing to service sectors. Today it also means moving workers or jobs from here to a foreign country. The movement of people out of Israel and even worst into Israel is not welcomed.<br />
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Israel exports most of what it produces (from technology products to call center services.) To investors and management interests selling a software products or a providing service calls is completely interchangeable. With technology and market consumer preference change, producers want to shift workers from one field to another. Recently they also want to move workers across state borders by both exporting and importing complete products divisions. But shifting from service to manufacturing or technology development has not been attractive to government. Here government places higher value over stability than flexibility. Usually the two don't mix well: <i><b>oil and vinegar</b></i>.<br />
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More on the changes in how business is changing here in Israel in future posts. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-57213638349073588762017-02-12T16:37:00.005+02:002017-02-12T16:37:41.189+02:00Getting the Most of Tel Aviv in a Short Visit<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMZyB8qc2qKlHM6VBqCzyONebkNmIm-sq9-Ymf8Z80PxU_lCVtn5d2phrrbThnpQCpkMsodbr8MXC6WmJQW_PcuQ43qDJKtCLbZoLz6ofFrxFXjJWbu0RRR-et-yeQWgWwtLjY757I-X-/s1600/TLV-Winter-Sunset-17Feb03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMZyB8qc2qKlHM6VBqCzyONebkNmIm-sq9-Ymf8Z80PxU_lCVtn5d2phrrbThnpQCpkMsodbr8MXC6WmJQW_PcuQ43qDJKtCLbZoLz6ofFrxFXjJWbu0RRR-et-yeQWgWwtLjY757I-X-/s640/TLV-Winter-Sunset-17Feb03.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter (January) sunset on the Tel Aviv promonade (walk along the Medeterennian) - © 2017 D-A Vider</td></tr>
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When coming to Tel Aviv on a business or family visit, take an extra day to experience something special. Israel is one of the most misunderstood place on earth. I remember an American Ivy League professor visiting Tel Aviv. She was so afraid to leave the hotel for security reasons. Told of horrific violent acts by Israeli Defense Forces soldiers (IDF) and the Apartheid treatment of Israeli Arabs, she chose to avoid street life and stay in her hotel. A friend asked me to simply take her on a walk along the beach so she can see the city. After an hour of seeing bathers, from bikinis to burkas, she wondered what the city really felt like. In two hours her preconceived notion of the horrific stories told in the US diapered (some was obviously mass media impressions). A friend (Sam the man, from previous blog posts) just reminded me of a very similar story. One of his old friends came to see why Sam was living here after having a perfectly great upper-middle class life in Ohio. My advice? If you are in Tel Aviv and can add a day to your trip, see the city for yourself. If you have seen Jerusalem or came for business outside the city, don't let this opportunity pass you by. </div>
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No matter how many people tell you this is a wonderful city. Regardless of the other places you see in Israel. Tel Aviv is different. It's the cultural and secular center of Israel. Unlike other central cities, Tel Aviv is unique. Jerusalem and Haifa are not "smaller, older" versions. To some Israelis the central region is the only one which truly represents our modern lifestyle. My recommendation is to see something you like (shopping, dining, culture, business) and something else that you just want to see for yourself. If you are interested in your profession, contact someone on Linked-In or an organization. A lawyer and a physician visited the local court house and hospital and both had a change of mind. Neither thought Israel was not a modern society, but both gained meaningful understanding of what Israelis have done in the last few years. If you want to see how the commercial sector here compares to your home town, get in touch with a local businessman. Two realtors one from the US and another from France made such contacts and learned about the opportunities and working life here. Simply seeing the city life from shops to buildings to museums to restaurants will also give you an idea how Israel lives and works. Most of all, have fun!</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-2474395384651252012017-02-09T10:43:00.003+02:002017-02-09T10:43:43.817+02:00Quiet Asian Connections<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25elTKhCMdNinLulwCxwU_azfyLo6PUIDNznM0OFMxxvJbpibXJ73bn59GRSdZmeWze8knpqEg53KD7IfEb_b_V3aaZJ6srLA92rTTOJPzKRVgzyl4sOeI4Rn0VMkn_plFeaCK_H63PJl/s1600/Haif-Japn-Doll-16Dec01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25elTKhCMdNinLulwCxwU_azfyLo6PUIDNznM0OFMxxvJbpibXJ73bn59GRSdZmeWze8knpqEg53KD7IfEb_b_V3aaZJ6srLA92rTTOJPzKRVgzyl4sOeI4Rn0VMkn_plFeaCK_H63PJl/s640/Haif-Japn-Doll-16Dec01.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese doll in the Haifa Japan museum / </td></tr>
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If you shut your eyes and use hearing and smell, a few places here will not seem like Israel. Sometimes Tel Aviv streets can be mistaken with another European city. London and Moscow come to mind first. But Paris, Berlin, Rome or Amsterdam would also be good guess. The languages you hear mix with the local Hebrew, Arabic and Russian in a symphony of voices. More Russian and English is heard in cafes and shops at popular spots than the local Hebrew. Shops and cafes are (unfortunately) styled in <b><i>"western generic"</i></b> format carrying internationally branded products. This acceptance of Israel as an appendage to western Europe is old news. But recently we see small groups of Chinese and South Korean joining the mix. There are also a few Thai and Singaporeans and the tilt toward the east becomes a real tourist trend. Unlike westerners the few Asian tourists and business visitors are quiet in their manners. Some seem to wonder what has happened in Israel the last few decades. Some are focused on their pilgrimage or technology tasks. Here to see ancient sites or the latest high technology products. Maybe even steal a peek at the incredible start-up machine. </div>
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Israel has suffered from the steady relentless Palestinian international negative P/R. In Europe this is an old story. But now it started in North America. For Asian countries, the Israeli - Palestinian situation is almost non-existent. This situation seems to reflect the complex history of European countries with the middle east and the Jews. Anyway, the simpler, less aggravating political factor is just one element which bring Asians to Israel. The attraction also comes from Israel's success. Israel has succeeded in the last century more than any other country in Asia. While South Korea, Singapore and China developed quickly the last few decades, Israel started developing into a modern state in the late 1800s. This continued growth is fascinating to any developing country industrialist and bureaucrat. In practical terms, Israel is a nice place to visit. Not rich with culture as Europe, yet safe and quiet. All together, Israel is becoming a vacation and business destination to Asians. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-53510852695479797062016-12-05T16:30:00.000+02:002016-12-06T11:02:36.332+02:00Crane Migration Through Israel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFaTUc2bknPxzK6PBz0Bp27XQtR39BS_dNJS1TjWGTyqlUAta1muM9QlHqiXZ-9SQMaReIbpJVbgEmT32qm3WUnIf0c__9gocelq0d5OAwIh4CV5oyM9EJtXllbT7JkTrfpq0kNjpSdNH/s1600/HUL-Crane-Fly-16Nov09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFaTUc2bknPxzK6PBz0Bp27XQtR39BS_dNJS1TjWGTyqlUAta1muM9QlHqiXZ-9SQMaReIbpJVbgEmT32qm3WUnIf0c__9gocelq0d5OAwIh4CV5oyM9EJtXllbT7JkTrfpq0kNjpSdNH/s640/HUL-Crane-Fly-16Nov09.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Crane migration through Israel is somewhat of a hidden secret. A few tourists or business travelers make it to this biannual bird ritual. Yet Israelis flock to see the migration in spring and fall. To some this is an annual family event. This is as close as you are going to come to seeing animal migration in nature. If you ever wanted to see a massive migration, from rain deer in the arctic circle to elephants and buffalo in Africa, this is a sure way to get a taste of nature's fierce power. Seeing thousands of birds at one place taking off all at once is simply amazing.<br />
<a name='more'></a>During the migration seasons the Hula bird sanctuary is a packed with visitors to the gills. Yet all the people hubbub does not affect the birds. They make their own noise seem unaffected by anything except getting to their final destination. Their migration behavior goes back centuries or millennia and our bit of noise from intrusive gawkers is not going to stop the trek. Israel is located in an opportune spot. Some migratory birds can cross the Mediterranean straight from Europe to Africa, but that long flight without a stop is long.<br />
The biannual migration also keeps local birds of pray fed and happy. Seeing a hawk for the first time diving with folded wings aiming at a tiny gray crane is amazing. To the faint of heart, especially kids, watching a hunt live could be difficult. If you don't like to see true nature in it's raw cruelty, just go somewhere lese. But in Hula bird preserve you can see amazing natural bird behavior, the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. Go see nature, it will amaze you. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0Qiryat Shemona, Israel33.207933 35.57024633.154793 35.489565 33.261072999999996 35.650926999999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-84651422104830059482016-11-29T12:55:00.001+02:002016-11-30T16:13:15.625+02:00Winter Cranes in Hula Bird Sanctuary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnN70QWRPy2r-h-UjFZ187OO0WDzRDnGkczsPARvUf4XlwWQHr9ajuWjg79siTdhW-Vii9lkrk8KFjzX4YIjFhe5aV8NfHFfnpVPg1puMuJ1WW_StDBkXZ-ksRUCv_woKex3x1Owx_pCG/s1600/HUL-Crane-Land-16Nov08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnN70QWRPy2r-h-UjFZ187OO0WDzRDnGkczsPARvUf4XlwWQHr9ajuWjg79siTdhW-Vii9lkrk8KFjzX4YIjFhe5aV8NfHFfnpVPg1puMuJ1WW_StDBkXZ-ksRUCv_woKex3x1Owx_pCG/s640/HUL-Crane-Land-16Nov08.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Israel is a stopping station for migrating birds. Large cranes and pelicans from Europe migrate to Africa in the spring and fall. The <a href="http://www.agamon-hula.co.il/?lang=en_US">Hula bird sanctuary</a> is Israel's largest park to see this amazing natural phenomena. This time a year there are thousands of cranes at the sanctuary. In a field next to the ponds, we say thousands of cranes eating and quacking. The noise seems like a crazy conversation between a pair of birds, only multiplied by a thousand. </div>
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On a late November Friday we headed to see <i><b>"the birds"</b></i>. Early this morning the cranes were fed, a mix of peanuts and corn, so the pecking was at it's peak. Once in a while a few birds take off or land. It's a mystery why a group of two to twenty suddenly decided to take to the wing. If the birds feel comfortable, they stay in their place among the thousands of other birds. If somehow scared or suddenly surprise them they will take off like a cloud darkening the sky. Local guides will show you how a pair protects a small section of the rookery and how they keep an eye on their chicks (cranes with soft plumage are gray up to two years of age). In the wild cranes live to about seven years of age. In captivity they live to seventeen years of age. Apparently their grace and healthy appearance belie the harsh reality of migration thousands of miles every year. A few cranes who are injured live in Hula year around. Summer here can be difficult on large birds. Yet the migration north to Europe is also a difficult journey. Come to see the bird migration here, nature will amaze you...</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203303342731736912.post-7413364575020836792016-11-28T18:12:00.002+02:002016-11-30T11:05:23.717+02:00Hula Bird Sanctuary: in for the winter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojfUHEKaDL4EzyurGDhnhUS_rO31rpO-JAvjbDux1HKNMQ2oV8GnmQoA8TN_HBO6fyEnOqRtRkq6N_0QtZiF2ijALr8sdA80hC-cGkhX29ZQ0AFgRvm9GUrpemytIMvguaQVhW-L5zNE8/s1600/HUL-Pelican-Sit-16Nov07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojfUHEKaDL4EzyurGDhnhUS_rO31rpO-JAvjbDux1HKNMQ2oV8GnmQoA8TN_HBO6fyEnOqRtRkq6N_0QtZiF2ijALr8sdA80hC-cGkhX29ZQ0AFgRvm9GUrpemytIMvguaQVhW-L5zNE8/s640/HUL-Pelican-Sit-16Nov07.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Pelicans migrate through Israel in the early fall and spring. By September and October they are usually settled here or gone to the Nile delta in Egypt or further south in Ethiopia and eastern Africa. Israeli wildlife authorities and the state's agriculture department manage the <a href="http://www.agamon-hula.co.il/?lang=en_US">Hula bird sanctuary</a>. Actually the direct management is done by the Keran Kayement Le'Israel (<a href="http://www.kkl-jnf.org/">KKL - JNF</a>) who owns the land proper. <br />
<a name='more'></a>With other organizations they feed and care for migrating birds. This assures the birds stay in a few protected locations. It also assures the birds are attracted to managed feeding locations and are not going to eat seeds and budding plants in surrounding farms. The Hula bird sanctuary is Israel's biggest bird sanctuary. It is known for the migrating cranes and pelicans. During migration seasons (fall and spring) cranes and pelicans stop here in the tens of thousands. The sky around Hula fills with sedges of cranes and squadrons of pelicans, quacking is heard for miles away. In winter months a few thousand cranes also make their home here. During the winter months less visitors come to Hula. This makes for a wonderful quiet place to come and see these amazing cranes. There are small ponds with ducks. The few birds of pray circle around looking for small cranes and ducks to catch. The bird sanctuary has three covered observation huts maned with guides to explain and point out the birds' activities. Come to see the beautiful nature and be amazed by the birds.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Israeltomorrow.blogspot is a life in Tel Aviv account...</div>Ami Viderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163533618479680436noreply@blogger.com0