{"id":3089,"date":"2018-07-17T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-07-17T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-09-12T14:39:51","modified_gmt":"2020-09-12T18:39:51","slug":"so-your-character-is-from-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/victoriagracehowell.com\/staging\/6258\/so-your-character-is-from-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"So Your Character is From Israel … Featuring Zoey @ Magiverse"},"content":{"rendered":"


<\/span>
<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span> It’s time for this week’s So Your Character is … Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I’m hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven’t checked out last week’s So Your Character is from Mozambique … be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!<\/span>
\n
<\/span> Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts is as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.<\/span>
\n
<\/span> (None of the Images are Mine)<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n
\nHi everyone (: My name is Zoey, I\u2019m 20 years old, and I live in Israel.<\/span>
\nIsrael, you see, is a very small place (you can cross it in a few hours!) and it\u2019s divided into three regions – the north (where Haifa is at), the south (where Eilat is at), and the middle (where Tel Aviv is at). If you\u2019re wondering, I live in a small community about half an hour drive from Tel Aviv. I love reading books, especially fantasy. I love music. I love writing adventure stories (: And I also love watching TV shows, movies, and anime. I\u2019m currently working on writing my book, as well as studying Creative Writing.<\/span>
\nBlog<\/a>\/\/Twitter<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\nWhat do you feel is unique to your country? Landmarks? Celebrations?<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\nIsrael is a very diverse place, and it is heavily centered around its religions. The majority of the population is Jewish Israelis. I am one, myself. It\u2019s impossible not to focus about the religions when it comes to Israel, considering this is what it was built upon, so I just want to say that there are of course Muslims and Christians and other religions here that have their own way of life and beliefs.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
River Jordan<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sea of Galillee<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

So while I may be focusing more around the Jewish religions because\u2026 well, that\u2019s what I grew up on, and that\u2019s who I am, just know that it\u2019s only the tip of the iceberg (: My favorite holiday is called Hanukkah, and it\u2019s celebrated around the time of Christmas. Hanukkah is the most favorite of mine not only because it takes place in winter (and I love winter), but because it celebrates the rising of the light that fights against the darkness. Long story short: around the time of the Second Holy Temple, there was a Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire, sparked by a Seleucid Empire decree banning the practice of the Jewish religion. (More about that here<\/a>.)<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
For celebrating the miracle of light that happened, when a single portion of untainted oil that couldn\u2019t possibly last 8 days did, we commemorate by lighting a candle each day for eight days in the Hanukiah, as well as eating all sorts of oily foods (such as Sufganiyot (a type of Jewish-Israeli Doughnut) and Levivot (a type of Jewish potato pancake). <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sufganuit and Hanukiah with lit candles<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nTell me about your country’s environment. What are some of your favorite places? <\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\nIndeed, even I, a certified bookworm, sometimes deigns to leave her house to explore the world (for maybe 1 hour a week). Living in such a small country has it perks, considering I got to see a lot of places around here \ud83d\ude09<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nMy favorite thing about Tel Aviv is that it is open 24\/7 and there are lots of things to do and see. From unique shops to foods from all over the world, to the sea, to the beautiful sunsets and the excitement all around, it\u2019s a very adrenaline-pumping kind of place. There is something for everyone there. It really makes you feel like you\u2019re not alone in the world. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tel Aviv at Sunset<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Mediterranean Sea in Tel Aviv<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n<\/a>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sarona Market, a famous food market in Tel Aviv – where you can literally find anything you want to eat from all over the world<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nMy favorite thing about Jerusalem is it\u2019s ancient and spiritual feel. You walk around you see sacred places of 3 different religions, all crowding together from all over the world.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThe Western Wall, the most sacred place in the Jewish religion, has once been part of the Holy Temple, and has been standing there for over 2000 years! Inside the cracks of The Western Wall, people put notes filled with hopes and wishes. As someone who put a note there herself, I can tell you it\u2019s a such a wonderful experience. (\u2018:<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jerusalem from a distance<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The notes people put into the cracks of the wall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Western Wall in Jerusalem<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nTell me about your country’s food. What are some of your favorite dishes? <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nHamantash is a type of cookie, usually filled with chocolate or poppy seeds we eat in Purim (a holiday much like Halloween where everyone put on their costumes and exchange candies, celebrating Ester and Mordechai saving the Jews from annihilation \u2013 the victory over the evil Hamman!).<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nBamba is my favorite snack! So, what is it exactly? It\u2019s a peanuts snack and it\u2019s\u2026 well, it\u2019s\u2026 it\u2019s really good, okay? I wish I could let everybody try it out because I love it so much.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nSufganiyah is a type of Israeli Jelly Doughnut we eat in Hanukkah. So yes, my love for Hanukah is partly due to the fact that it\u2019s the only time in the year when you can eat this super tasty Sufganiya (we honestly don\u2019t eat it at any other time of the year, which is what makes it so special ^_ ^, much like Hamantash). It is usually filled with strawberry sauce with lots of sugar powder on top.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n <\/span>Jachnun is my favorite thing to eat on the weekend (: How can you not enjoy a pastry that is made from dough with a side sauce of fresh graded tomatoes? It\u2019s really good!<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAnd of course, there is the Falafel and Humus. While not invented in Israel (They are actually originated from our neighbors in Egypt \u2013 thanks, Egypt!) we adopted it \u2013 along with the rest of the middle east \u2013 into our culture (: When it comes to street food, that\u2019s what we eat.  <\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nTell me about any different speech patterns in your country. Slang? Idioms? Words for things such as \u201cbiscuits\u201d instead of \u201ccookies\u201d? <\/span><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\nHebrew is the official language in my country. Arabic is the second most spoken language in Israel. Russian and other languages are also spoken here by those who migrate from other countries. On most signs, you\u2019ll usually see Hebrew, Arabic and English languages telling you where you are and where to go<\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nHebrew \u2013 my native language \u2013 is a language that\u2019s considered rather difficult to learn (especially for English speakers), and as a lover of languages, I can actually see why.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nArabic is also considered a rather difficult language to learn.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAnd while those two languages can resemble one another (as well as use certain similar words), they\u2019re still very much\u2026 well, different. Much like Japanese and Chinese. And not like UK English and US English.<\/span>Basically, someone who speaks Arabic won\u2019t understand Hebrew unless they learn it. And someone who speaks Hebrew won\u2019t understand Arabic unless they learn it.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nTo this day, every Jew can migrate to Israel and make it their home, so it is bound to be diverse in terms of culture and language.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nSo walking around, you won\u2019t only see people of color and culture, you\u2019ll also hear languages varying from Hebrew, English, Arabic, Russian, and such (:  <\/span>Hebrew, while being a very ancient language, dating back thousands of years, was only modernized somewhere between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, led by Eliezer Ben Yehuda. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n