Israel from the perspective of a tourist who has visited 7 times

More than 60 years ago, the first time she came to Israel, an American tourist was surprised when the lights on each floor automatically turned on and off when someone came or left.

Miriam Edelstein, in her 80s and Polish-American, has been to Israel seven times. Every trip leaves her with memorable memories. The first time Edelstein came to Israel was in 1966. She went into a high-rise building. Each floor has lights. But when the elevator takes Edelstein through a floor, the lights on that floor automatically turn off to save electricity. The same thing happens when female tourists go up or down stairs.

Camel riding tour in Israel. Photo: Miriam Edelstein/Times of Israel

External appearance to local people is also very important. Every apartment in the building where Edelstein's cousin, Benjamin Siegel, lived had a balcony to dry clothes. But if you look from the street, you won't see clothes being dried. In the house, the kitchen counter is covered with marble, with a small groove inside so that when water overflows, it will flow down the drain, instead of dripping straight to the floor. "After 60 years, we still don't have anything like that in America," the female tourist said.

The lives of local people start early, sometimes before 7am. Their lunches usually last several hours to avoid the afternoon heat. The working day therefore ends later. As air conditioning became popular around the world and appeared in Israel, locals began switching their working hours to be similar to most of the rest of the world. Working hours are no longer as long as before.

On another trip to Israel, Edelstein's cousin took her scuba diving, something he did every day. Her cousin lives in Bat Yam, a city on the Mediterranean coast. From home to the beach is a walking distance. While scuba diving, Edelstein saw a shipwreck lying in the ocean, as if it had been there for thousands of years.

Israelis visit Ramat David air base near Haifa on independence day before the epidemic. Photo: JTA

In Israel, Benjamin Siegel is a prosecutor and has a wide acquaintance, so the American female tourist also enjoys some "privileges" from him. When taking the female tourist to the airport to return to the US, Siegel even took Edelstein to the plane's seat, fastened her seat belt, greeted the flight captain before leaving.

Siegel also treated Edelstein's parents thoughtfully when they bought a boat tour from the US to travel to Israel. He took them camping in the Galilee region in the north of the country. The natural scenery makes American tourists excited. Edelstein's mother was "extremely impressed" when she saw Siegel leave the tent and pick oranges growing on a nearby tree for the family to eat for breakfast.

On another trip to Israel, Edelstein went to Tel Aviv and a friend drove him to Jerusalem to visit. Considered a holy land, Jerusalem has witnessed sacred events: King David built the capital, Jesus was crucified and Mohammed stopped on the Mysterious Night journey.

In spring 2021, Edelstein's nephew visited Israel. For her, this is one of the most beautiful memories related to this country. She was very happy that her grandson chose Israel, a destination she also loved, and because of the positive impacts the trip brought.

A local market in Israel was bustling with buyers and sellers before the attack by Hamas soldiers. Photo: Nedida

The nephew visited many famous destinations such as the Golan Heights, (located between Syria, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan), the city of Negev (participating in a camel riding tour), Tsfat. Tsfat, also known as Safed, is a city in the north of the country famous for its mysterious alleys and art galleries. Nestled in the Galilee Mountains, Safed was once considered a paradise for tourists and believers. Wandering on the cobblestones, touching the stone walls and then climbing to the top of the Citadel to see the whole city is something that local tour companies often guide visitors to experience.

"The boy came back and said he was very proud to be Jewish," Edelstein said. To her, this is much more valuable than saying "you had a very fun trip" as young people often say today.