THE HEADLINE IN THE TIMES OF ISRAEL reads:
Court denies legal counsel for Jewish suspects in case under gag order
Muslim terrorists from Occupied Israel get representation - and early releases.
Muslim terrorists from Occupied Israel somehow manage to acquire weapons used to maim and murder Israelis, usually civilians and often the very old or the very young. Until recently, the only Israeli civilians allowed to possess firearms after active duty service were IDF officers. The restriction has been very slightly reduced in light of attacks by Muslims from Occupied Israel and, in some cases, Israeli Muslims.
By contrast, an American Jew may own long guns and side arms without restriction (assuming the Jew is not a felon); in most states the American Jew can be licensed to carry a side arm for self defense.
The Israeli rabbinute has a strangle hold on everything that even indirectly touches it - kashrut, birth, marriage, divorce, burial. Even Jews who are heloni (non-observant) are under the oft-times heavy thumb of the rabbinute.
MANY AMERICAN JEWS stay "home" because the Israeli life style can be difficult. It takes some adjusting to go from a spacious home to a postage stamp apartment. (On the other hand, it's possible to buy nice, albeit large, furniture abandoned by new immigrants from North America - the furniture simply can't be squeezed into to an Israeli apartment.)
Israeli politics boggle the mind of anyone accustomed to a two party system with a three-division government in which, at least in theory, all three branches are equal. In Israel, there are more than THIRTY (30) different political parties.
In the U.S., candidates are elected as individuals (most "Party Levers" have disappeared from voting machines.). In Israel people vote by party and don't know until Knesset seats are assigned who will fill them. In theory, the person at the top of a party's "list" may be bumped to the bottom of the list between the time ballots are cast and the final votes tallied. At best, Israel has a pseudo-democracy. (Still, it's better than any of its regional neighbors.)
Want to buy a car in Israel? Jerusalem Institute of Market Studies (JIMS) researcher Keren Harel-Hariri says, "Israel's purchase tax is one of the highest in the world - 83% plus VAT (now 17%). The tax on spare parts is effectively over 100%." She adds that the discounts given to leasing companies and car fleets, compared with ordinary citizens, further distorts pricing, because the Ministry of Finance favors companies with big car fleets.
If you want to DRIVE that vehicle, Bloomberg reports that With Israel's average price for gas at $8.28 per gallon ($2.12/liter), it constitutes 8% of the average Israeli's daily income to buy a gallon of fuel. It could be worse; Israel's prices are LOWER than 10 other countries. (Norway is #1at $9.79/gallon.)
No car? There are taxis for local trips and sherutes (jitneys) for inter-city trips. Inter-city buses are comfortable and trains are great, but just before and just after Shabat, they often are SRO - Standing Room Only.
There ARE some companies in Israel that have a 5-day work week, but schools, government, and many businesses have a 5 1/2 day work week: Sunday through Friday afternoon. In the U.S., if a barber wants to cut hair 7 days a week, the barber is free to do so; the barber's competition might not like it, but it's the barber's choice. Likewise grocers. Most Israeli communities force barbers and grocers to close on Shabat; but they ALSO force closure mid-week. Sell a tomato on Wednesday afternoon in Haifa and face a stiff fine.
Need a Social Security card or passport. Make an appointment with the consulate in the capital; the embassy in Tel Aviv might not accommodate your requirement. It's easier to make an appointment at an Israeli consulate in the U.S.
If you are of military age you will need a permit from the IDF to travel outside the country. It's usually granted, but it's more paperwork for the traveler. Your children will need their own Israeli passports to exit the country. Contrary to popular opinion, going through Lod (a/k/a Ben Gurion) International Airport is no different than any other international airport through which I've passed, both in the U.S. and Europe.
How do I know all this?
I lived, studied, and worked in Israel for four years; my daughter and grandchildren live there now.
Given the way the Israeli government operates - denying Jews their rights under the law, limiting a citizen's right of self defense - I think I'm better off politically and legally in the U.S.; at least here I can defend my rights.
America's not perfect, but it suits me better,
