Archive for January, 2009
Oscar glory for Waltz with Bashir?
It’s not often that I rave about an Israeli movie, but Waltz with Bashir is a classic “animated documentary”, a movie that sets it apart from other recent Israeli movies. It has now been nominated for an Oscar, which it may just win. It has already scooped the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.
Waltz with Bashir describes director Ari Folman’s service in Lebanon as a 19 year old soldier at the same time as the Sabra and Shatila massacres.
Surreal war scenes aplenty, accompanied by a haunting soundtrack and some great 80’s pop tunes turn Waltz with Bashir into an animation movie unlike any animation movie you’ve ever seen. I won’t tell you anymore so as not to spoil it for you.
Clip below. Go see!
3 Things for 2009
As tourism to Israel slowly rebuilds following the Gaza war, we’d highly recommend any of the regular attractions you’d expect to come and see in the Holy Land. And once the Gaza hangover is shaken off, it could be yet another record breaking year for Israeli tourism. Let’s hope so.
Apart from the regular tourist attractions, we’re particularly looking forward to the following three scheduled events in 2009:
Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit in May. This should keep Israel in the news headlines, and for the right reasons…- Tel Aviv celebrates its centenary. The City That Never Sleeps is 100 and is set to party throughout the year. We’ll keep you updated with the best of the events.
- Depeche Mode are scheduled to perform in May. After their last minute cancellation in 2006, thanks to the Second Lebanon War, the lads from Basildon are set to compensate their long suffering Israeli fans by opening their world tour in the Holy Land. My tickets are purchased.
We will, of course, keep you updated with any other biggie events that crop up in 2009. Let’s hope there’s many of them, and that you get to enjoy some of them yourself, over here in the Holy Land!
There’s a war going on don’t you know
War? What, war here in Israel? You’re kidding right?
So OK, living in Tel Aviv it’s easy to understand why things don’t look so bad. We aren’t constantly interrupted by the sounds of sirens wailing through the air, rushing to shelters or taping up windows. We haven’t stopped going to work, sending our kids to school and kindergarten, or going out for a beer.
We might be watching more news, thanks to the blanket coverage, but are we really aware that less than an hour’s drive away, people are practically living in shelters, school is cancelled, and 18-19 year old boys are preparing to combat a rather nasty bunch of Hamas militants.
Just yesterday, driving home after doing some shopping, I turned to the wife and said “Hard to believe there’s a war going on just an hour’s drive from here…” But she had fallen asleep, so my two littluns in the back seat giggled as I made a face. The streets were full of traffic, while people strolled down the street, laughing at private conversations on their mobile phones while tucking their chins in from the cold breeze whipping through Tel Aviv (yes, it does even sometimes get cold here in Tel Aviv!).
But with the war in Gaza continuing and Tel Aviv a possible target for longer range missiles, I’m not going to tell you that this is the perfect time for a visit to Israel. The bubble that is Tel Aviv is still a safe place to be in (as I sit typing and watching the froth settle on my beer), as is much of Israel. It’s just that I know what the BBC and CNN are showing and you’re probably convinced that the whole country has donned combat pants and jackets with M16s slung over shoulders…
If you’re coming for a trip to Israel, and staying in the centre of the country or even Jerusalem, you’ll be fine. It’s still safe in Israel, especially in the centre of the country. You probably won’t even notice anything out of the ordinary, except for the obsession with watching the latest TV news updates. Tourism to Israel is undoubtedly taking a hit right now, but I think the Israel tourism ministry sums it up nicely:
“Representatives of the Tourism Ministry are in direct and continuous contact with all tourism industry elements in Israel and abroad, through the managers of the tourism bureaus located in different countries, and are holding daily evaluations of the situation.
“The ministry would like to clarify that the military operation is taking place in the Gaza Strip and the western Negev, which are far from Israel’s tour and vacation sites, and thus there is no reason for people not to continue their visit to Israel.”
And you can always check out your government’s travel advisory. For example, both the US and UK are warning against certain areas, specifically Gaza, but don’t advise against travelling to Israel in general. See the following two links:
I say come on over, see the Old City in Jerusalem, dip your toes in the Med, have a beer or glass of wine, and watch that sun set from your beach chair. By the time you’ve come and gone, all this will be over anyway. I hope.
