The Israeli and the Foreigner... a love story.
What possesses someone to move their entire life for another person?
(The hope of love? Their future beautiful family, waiting to be made?)
Women from all over the world move to Israel.
What brings most of them here? A love of Judaism? Zionism? Freedom?
A love of everything Shh-khuu-nah (neighborhood)?
Possibly, but the most common reason seems to be, L-O-V-E.
This is a phenomenon in Israel- The female "other" moving to THE ERETZ ISRAEL, for their one of a kind Israeli man.
There must be foreign men doing this for Israeli men and women too, right? Or women moving for Israeli women?
I just happen to be more familiar with the group to which I belong, the woman sacrificing everything she knows for the hope of a love that is beyond her wildest dreams. It sounds so exciting!
The first time I landed in Israel was four years ago. I was temporarily heart broken, after being faded out by my old, kind-of sort-of boss.
I was taking in my surroundings at the baggage claim in Ben Gurion Airport, when my gaze came to a screeching halt. I saw a group of richooooo caliente backpackers, who had just arrived from Thailand. They did not seem Thai or European, so I knew they must be Israeli. At this moment I decided Israeli men are the sexiest men on the planet.
Living in Tel Aviv this past year, I have learned that I am definitely not the only one who feels this way. I have met women from all over- France, Austria, Scotland, New York, etc., all moved here for their Israeli boyfriends or husbands.
So what is so great about these men?!
Stereotypically, Israeli men are known to be rude and outspoken, with a slightly over-inflated sense of self. I didn't have the pleasure of really getting to know these parts of my Israeli boyfriend until we moved to his homeland a year ago. We met on my turf, Los Angeles, while he was traveling on the West Coast. Since living in Israel, I have gotten to know my boyfriend/ex-fiancé much better, and I've realized that many of his lovely qualities have to do with the fact that he is Israeli.
Here are some of my ideas about THE MYSTIQUE OF THE ISRAELI MAN...
#1 TDH- TALL DARK & HANDSOME.
Is this not most heterosexual women's ideal mate?
#2 Full of SHTUYOT
They have a sharp sense of humor, are full of shtuyot (nonsense), andddd... they have values! They are more than a beautiful face and the occasional Dad joke.
#3 Values
Family and community reign supreme to the Israeli man. Try not seeing his family once (for some more) a week or not hanging out with some of his 20 close friends.
#4 ZOREM
While Israelis can be tightly wound, they are also all about Zorem- going with the flow.
#5 They are comfortable with BALAGAN
Most likely, they've seen it before. My man has loved me, flaws and all from the very start. The first time we met was nothing short of Balagan (chaos).
I pushed our first meeting back 30 minutes and I was still late. We met at the Silverlake Reservoir to take my foster dog, Luna, to the dog park for her first time. The other dogs were picking on my sweet Luna, so I was chasing after her to protect her. Jonathan, my boyfriend, then stranger, was so patient. He just watched me as I ran all over. We ended up leaving the dog park shortly after and instead walked around the reservoir. Our "date" ended at my apartment, which was a complete mess. We were both hungry, it was close-by and the cheapest, most comfortable place to eat. Typically my apartment would be tidy, before I invited someone new in, but life was a little rocky at that time. Jonathan had the delight of seeing a 5ft. pile of laundry in my room, an unmade bed, underwear hanging off the bathroom door handle, Luna's pee pads, and my cat, Lily, with her new Lion cut. (If you have no idea what a lion cut is, don't worry I've included a pic of Lily and her hip do below.) I'm pretty sure most men would have run by this point, but Jonathan saw all this and still wanted to see me again!
#6 Self Secure
After hanging out a few times Jonathan told me that he didn't see any reason in seeing other girls.
Mind you at the time, he is basically a backpacking gypsy.
I was shocked and not on the same page, so I responded by explaining that I didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket. He was completely cool and understanding. He let me do what I needed to do, even when I thought I needed to be more explicit about what I meant, he said, "It's fine, you'll see what we have is special."
NOW THAT IS ONE SECURE MAN! He scored major points with this.
#7 World Travelers
Most likely, they have traveled extensively and for long stretches of time. Think month + excursions. Who isn't attracted to the curious adventurous type?
This is the first post of hopefully, many to come. Did you move to Israel for love like me? If so, I want to know your story. I want to share it here, good and bad. It's important that us ladies know we are not alone and also we can draw the line anywhere we want.
Next up, I will talk about the strange beginnings of my relationship with Jonathan, my gypsy love.