If you haven’t heard of this MOT, who has made living and loving the homeland his hysterical past-time, it’s worth checking out this post,.

This week marked the 61st anniversary of the establishment of the modern country of Israel. Inspired by his innovative 2008 list entitled, “Sixty Things I Love About Israel,” one American immigrant revisited his musings on the Jewish homeland.

Sixty-one More Things I Love About Israel
By Benji Lovitt

1. I love that even though I may not have spoken with someone since the Ben-Gurion Administration, he will call me to check that I have somewhere to go for Passover Seder.
2. I love how you can bring your dog into any café to walk around and no one bats an eyelash.
3. I love the social norm that allows us to double-dip in peace without neurotic fear of contracting the West Nile virus. Take your Purel bottle and stick it somewhere.
4. I love that you could take a homeless person with no marketable skills, put them behind the counter of Aroma, and they’d immediately be qualified to make a little foam heart in your cafe hafuch (aka cappuccino).
5. Mirpeseot. [Israeli balconies.] They’re cool.
6. I love that I visited Dracula’s castle in Transylvania, ran into an Israeli, and within two minutes realized we know someone in common. That could only be cooler if she were in fact a vampire and her name was Count Shawarmula.
7. I love tsofim, the Israeli scouts. I swear, these little MacGyvers can take wheat, some duct tape, and a falafel ball and make a nuclear reactor.
8. I love the magical phrase “yiyeh b’seder,” the Economica [bleach] of the Hebrew language. What can’t it handle? Flat tire? Failed test? Take two “yiyeh b’seder’s” and call me in the morning.
9. I love the peacefulness of Shabbat in Jerusalem. So quiet and relaxing. I can sit on my tuchus all day and not feel guilty.
10. I love how the smallest, least professional-looking chumusiot (hummus restaurants) serve the best tasting stuff. Within 7.2 seconds of your placing an order, they’ve scooped, spread, sprinkled and created what I like to call “beautiful goodness.”


Does it get better than this? Don’t worry, I already know the answer.

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Lisa Klug

Wordie. Foodie. Jewie. Nerdie. Ashkefardic keyboard addict. Visit me at lisaklug.com, on my travels and in the pages of my books, "Hot Mamalah: The Ultimate Guide for Every Woman of the Tribe," and "Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe."

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