Rent-A-Car – 11.2.10

We've been renting a 7-seater Kia Carnival minivan for the past two months. Buying a car is definitely on the "To-Do List", but until we actually make the purchase, renting is really the only viable option. The Kia Carnival is designed to hold seven passengers who do not travel with any bags, packages, suitcases, etc. Being of family of six, we've been able to get by, using the "extra space" to transport our "stuff" as needed.

Grandma and Grandpa's visit would necessitate a vehicle change. How difficult could that be?

• Oct. 18 (Mon.) - I contact the rental company and inform them that I would need to exchange the Kia Carnival for a Hyundai H1 – a 9-seater vehicle. I tell them that ideally I would like to make this exchange on Thursday, Oct. 28. They would have to get back to me about the availability.
  
  
• Oct. 21 (Thu.) – I learn that the Hyundai H1 will only be available on Monday, Nov. 1. I agree to exchange the vehicles on Monday, Nov. 1 at about 5pm.
  
• Oct. 27 (Wed.) – I receive a call from someone at the rental agency confirming that I will be coming in to exchange the vehicle tomorrow (Thu., Oct. 28). I tell her that I was informed that the Hyundai H1 would not be available until Monday. She says that she will look into it and get back to me. I never hear from her again.
  
• Oct. 28 (Thu.) – I contact the rental company to confirm that the Hyundai H1 will, in fact, be available for pickup on Monday afternoon. I am told that everything should be all set, but he will call back after he confirms the arrangements. I never hear back from him.
  
• Oct. 31 (Sun.) – I receive a message late in the day from the rental company to contact them.
  
• Nov. 1 (Mon.), 8am – I receive a call in the morning from the rental agency. The representative informs me that I need to be in Haifa to exchange the car by 11am. I tell him (not using my indoor voice) that this was unacceptable and that it was impossible for me to exchange the vehicle before 5pm. He told me that if I could not come before 11am, then I would have to wait until tomorrow (Tue., Nov. 2).
  
• Nov. 1 (Mon.), 10am – I contact the central office and speak with the woman who made the original arrangement for me. She blames the Haifa branch and tells me that the manager of the Haifa branch won't be available until after 12pm. I tell her (still not using my indoor voice) that I need this resolved now. She tells me that she will try to get him a message to contact me immediately. I don't hear back from her or from the manager of the Haifa branch.
  
• Nov. 1 (Mon.), 1pm – I contact the manager of the Haifa branch. He accepts that this has been a "Balagan". He also tells me the story behind this "Balagan":
  
  Ø It seems that when I made the arrangements to pick up the Hyundai H1 on "Yom Sheini" = Monday, someone at the rental agency understood that to mean "Yom Sheini" of November =
  Nov. 2 (Tue.)
  
  Ø The rental agency booked a reservation for another customer for a 7-seater minivan (like "my" Kia Carnival) for a one-day rental, from Monday, Nov. 1(11am) – Tuesday, Nov. 2. Thus, I could either return the Kia by 11am on Monday and take the Hyundai H1, or wait until the other customer returned the Hyundai H1 on Tuesday.
  
  I tell the manager that his explanation does not excuse their incompetence and unprofessionalism. I told him that I expect the company to compensate me for their "Balagan". He tells me that he will contact "the boss" and they'll see what they can do… In the meantime, the Hyundai H1 will be available for pickup after 12pm on Tuesday, Nov. 2
  
  
• Nov. 2 (Tue.), 2pm – I contact the branch manager and confirm that he has the Hyundai H1 and that it is ready for pickup. He also tells me that they have agreed to provide me with additional mileage on the vehicle. I tell him that I don't need extra mileage and that they should try again. He agrees to contact "the boss" again…
  
• Nov. 2 (Tue.), 5pm – I arrive at the rental car place and return the Kia Carnival. The manager informs me that "the boss" has agreed to deduct 100 shekel from the rental cost. That's a little better.
  
• Nov. 2 (Tue.), 6pm – One of the headlight bulbs on the Hyundai H1 has been successfully replaced and we are ready to return to Teverya.

See? Simple.

Avot U’Banim – 10.30.10

When I worked as the Youth Director at the Young Israel of Hollywood – Ft. Lauderdale, one of the most successful programs that we ran was V'Shinantam L'Vanecha, a parent-child learning program. We ran the program during the winter months, approximately twice a month on Motzaei Shabbat.

I was very pleased to discover that a similar program exists here in Teverya – and I don't have to run it!

Avot U'Banim takes place every Motzaei Shabbat (also during the "winter" months) at the Maimonides Heritage Center, from 6:30-7:30pm.

The learning handouts that are distributed each week are very well organized, each one composed of a variety of sources on a particular topic (Zerizut, Chesed, etc.) The handouts are colorful, they contain a few graphics, as well as some questions to help review the material.

Following the learning session, which lasts about 40 minutes, Yehuda Israel, the Program Director, asks the children a few questions about the material that they have just learned. These questions are followed by the AT-BASH Parsha Questions – a series of questions on the parsha, whose answers follow the order of the Aleph-Bet. Yehuda, also a charismatic storyteller, concludes the learning program with a meaningful and inspiring story for the children (and parents).

There is always a treat of some sort for the children at the conclusion of the program and points for attendance are tallied. Points can be redeemed for prizes at a future date.

Be sure to join us next Motzaei Shabbat at 6:30pm (or 18:30 as they say here) for the next installment of Avot U'Banim!

Maimonides Heritage Center – 10.27.10

So this is where I spend several hours each week, playing host to the visitors at the Center. It's truly amazing how this building that was full of garbage, adjacent to the kever of the Rambam has been turned into a beautiful museum and a center of Torah learning here in Teverya. Kol Hakavod to Rav Yamin Levy and everyone else behind this amazing project. Lots more information available on the MHC Website: http://www.mhcny.org/ and MHC Facebook Page.

Two interesting things I've noticed here at the Center:

1. There is a discrepancy in the dates of birth and death of the Rambam. The Rambam's date of birth is listed as the 14^th day in Nissan. However in some places the year is recorded as 1135 and in other places, it is listed as 1138. I suspect that this discrepancy stems from the fact that in Hebrew the last number would be either a "ה" or a "ח". These letters are easily interchangeable. The Rambam's date of death is the 20^th day in Tevet. But the year in which he died is recorded as either 1202, 1204, or 1205. How is it that we know the month and day, but not the year?
   
2. This is probably one of the most famous portrayals of the Rambam. Who decided that the Rambam did not have pe'ot?
   
   

The Center is open from 10am – 3pm, Sunday – Thursday. It's free to the public. If you'd like to schedule a visit for a group, we are happy to host you. You can reach the Center at 04-6790632.

Customer Service – 10.26.10

Many businesses and organizations in America pride themselves on their high levels of customer service. It's not at all unusual to find 100% satisfaction guarantees.

Over the past few weeks, it has become clear to me that there are major – let's call them – "cultural differences" in the realm of customer service between America and Israel.

• Ester and I decided to open a new bank account with Bank Yahav. Rafi (our helpful landlord) had told us that he uses them and they don't have a lot of the fees that most of the other banks do. We did not have to wait long to meet with Mali, the woman at the bank who would open the account for us. Mali was very friendly and walked us through the process of opening the account, instructing us where to sign on each of the dozens of forms she printed. (Why so much paper?) But throughout the process, Mali kept answering her cell phone – personal and work related.
  
• The other day, we stopped off at "Kim'at Chinam", your average supermarket. We picked up a bunch of items and headed to the checkout. For some reason, a ten shekel grocery item rang up as a 100 shekel alarm clock. No problem – we just need to void the item. (Even in the States, I was always amazed that cashiers can ring up hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise all on their own. But, to void a single item that might be worth a dollar, a special key – usually in the possession of the supervisor or manager – must be used.) Well, in this case the manager/supervisor was working one of the checkout lanes, so it took 15 minutes for her to finally come over to void the alarm clock. I'm glad I wasn't behind us in line.
  
• Have you ever gone into an electronics store where all of the employees are sitting together and no one asks you if you need help? I have.
  
• Misrad Haklita here in Teverya – It turns out the person with all of the information in the office, only comes in once a week. Unfortunately, we did not go on "her day". Still, we were able to get some of the information we needed. Of course, any info we got, was received between the numerous cell phone calls that the woman answered as Ester and I sat there feeling bad for the people whose difficult personal situations were being discussed as we waited.
  

On the positive side, Mali gave us her cell phone number, so that in the future we can interrupt other people that are sitting with her. Cultural Differences.

Magic Water

I spent 12 years working in various day schools in the States. During that time I had many opportunities to "check up" on what was going on in the boys' bathrooms. The bathrooms in day schools are filled with all sorts of interesting extra-curricular activities. But I digress. Inevitably, my visits to the students' bathrooms always included the message, "You need to wash your hands – with soap!"

All sorts of surveys and studies have been done about hand washing. Personally, I don't care how high the percentages get in these surveys – I simply find anything less than 100% sickening.

We've all been in restrooms at the airport, at sporting events, etc., where throngs of people (I can only speak firsthand about the men's room) take care of their business and exit the restroom without ever stopping at the sink; some do the ceremonial wave of the hands under the water for a brief moment. Uggghhhhh…

Jewish tradition has always considered handwashing to be of extreme importance. It is one of the first simanim in the Shulchan Aruch and the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. The laws are numerous, but not really all that complex.

I can't say that I really understand the concept of "Ruach Ra'ah". I accept that there are spiritual matters that I cannot fully comprehend; Ruach Ra'ah is one of them. Washing our hands with the use of a cup three times, alternating between our hands, removes this Ruach Ra'ah. How? I don't know. But I accept that it does.

What I do know is that washing one's hands with the use of a cup three times, alternating between our hands, DOES NOT REMOVE THE GERMS. There really can't be any debate about the importance of washing one's hands with soap – especially after using the bathroom.

It's bad enough that many people choose not to wash their hands with soap when leaving the bathroom in public places such as airports, sporting events, restaurants (who's preparing your food?) and the like. But what I don't understand is, why are there so many places – including in shuls – where there is no soap even available? Why do people that are intelligent Shomrei Torah & Mitzvot rely on the "Magic Water", splashed upon their hands three times, to remove the germs and dirt that are most certainly present upon their exit from the bathroom? Please – let's not confuse the process of Netilat Yadayim with the process of hand washing/cleaning. Please.

The Way to Bike – 10.22.10

The kids' bikes had been tucked away on the multi-purpose balcony – until yesterday. Before leaving the states, we had purchased three new bikes. The boys' bikes were pre-assembled, but the new Princess Bike for my older daughter was not. Having already constructed several futons and aronot, I was confident in my ability to put together the princess bike – after all, I'm pretty good at following the instructions.

Unfortunately, the instructions that came with the new princess bike were not for the princess bike. Fortunately, though, everything is available on YouTube, including step-by-step instructions on how to install hand brakes.

We made our way down the street and then up the stairs, to an area that had once been a playground. Although the play structures were no longer there, the surrounding path could certainly serve as a bike path. The kids struggled a bit with the "missing piece of the path" and it seems that the tires on the boys' bikes couldn't quite handle some of the thorny shrubbery on the ground. But there's just something to be said for biking way up on a mountain with the Kinneret in the background. Now, for those punctured tires…

Here & There – 10.20.10

There are many similarities between life in Hollywood, Florida and life in Teverya:

• It's hot most of the time
• The beach is only minutes away
  
• The most common spoken language is Hebrew
  
• There are some dangerous drivers on the road
  
• It's hard to find good tasting, affordable pizza
  
• They are both popular tourist destinations
  
• You can find several nice playgrounds
  

 
Of course the big difference is that when you go on a swing at the playground in Hollywood, you aren't taking in the most awesome view overlooking the Kinneret.