How can you "guesstimate" the age of a building in Israel?
Look at the roof.
If you see a "dood shemesh" - solar water system - then the building probably is an older structure. If it lacks a tank and solar collector, it’s a newer structure.
View through an Israel Rail coach window north of Tel Aviv (click on picture to enlarge)}
The height of the building, especially away from Tel Aviv, is another clue.
Duplex c 1972 in Bet Shean
Dishes for tv and internet can be found anywhere and everywhere, old buildings and new.
UNLIKE FLORIDA, Israel has NOT abandoned solar water heating.
When I arrived in south Florida c 1953, many residences sported solar water systems on the roof. Not so today; all the "tanks on the roof" are gone and the majority of water heaters in south Florida either are electric or gas.
In Israel, most hot water systems are solar with electric (or gas) back-up. Even the multi-story structures have solar; the tanks, however, are hidden.
Before whole-building solar systems were developed, Amcor, an Israeli company, developed a "hang-on-the-wall" unit for individual apartments.
What , Israel has is air conditioning - on the buses, on the trains, in almost all offices and residences regardless of age. Older places have room air conditioners; newer buildings have central A/C.
My Mother-In-Law just replaced a room unit with a new one from Tadiran, an Israeli company.
Israeli name
China product
Close inspection of the box in which the unit arrived had, in very small print, Made in China. (The unit was sold under the name of three companies: Amcor, Tadiran, and Toshiba.)
Tadiran, when I worked for the Electronics Division what seems like 100 years ago, was taken to task for putting its name on batteries made in Korea. When tested, the batteries were as good as any other, but that was Korea. Truth in blogging: We own two (2) Hyundai Elantras with which we are most satisfied.. Israel is more and more making cooperative arrangements with China (Sin) and India (Hodu). Having used products from the "Far East" for more than a few decades I hope Israeli importers assume responsibility for QA/QC on the imported products.
UNOFFICIAL LANGUAGE
There are two (2) official languages in Israel, alphabetically:
Arabic
Hebrew
HOWEVER, anyone with survival-level English can "get by" in Israel since almost all signs - at least those transportation related - are in Arabic, Hebrew, and English.
Station sign with inset (click on photo to enlarge)
I have never met an Israeli in a "public" position, e.g., passport control, information kiosk, who lacked at least a basic command of English. English is taught in Israeli schools from 5th grade, but as with students around the world, some learn and others don't. (I tried - and failed to teach English to some 7th graders who were could not be convinced of the value of an "international" language. Still, someone always is available to translate.)
