Back to talking about Tel Aviv.... Yesterday Municipal elections were held all over the country and in an impressive bit of administrative magic I was actually eligible to vote in Tel Aviv, being that I am now officially a Tel-Avivian. Now of course this is a dangerous thing since I don;t know the first thing about any of the issues. But off I went to vote on a whim, a hunch and the advice of friends, rather than any real understanding of reality.
Yes, I felt like part of the Republican Base.
I Keed, I keed, of course!
Anyway, my candidate lost, which I am not too broken up about. For city council I voted for the party that promotes animal rights and the environment, cuz I figure people can speak out for themselves but our 4-legged friends need all the help they can get.
But that's not the topic of today's post.
Today I want to introduce you to another (I think) decidedly anachronistic Israeli institution, that of the AlteZahen.
"AlteZahen" is a Yiddish phrase which means, if I am correct, "to carry old things".
Imagine in the olden days of the country, the glory years of old, when a horse and buggy would roam the streets and collect old things that people did not need. It could be clothes, an old stove, books, whatever you wanted to give away. Twice a week or so a man riding this horse and buggy would stroll by, shouting "AlteZahen" at the top of his lungs, and you would know that he is near, drop your bucket that you were milking the goat with (no, not camels even though this is the Middle East), and run over to flag him down and hand over your trash... er, I mean vintage ware.
Well, now close your eyes and imagine in the hustle and bustle of the Tel Aviv morning, that this horse and buggy still exists....
ok, open your eyes. Did your mental image look anything like this??
Yes, the horse and buggy are alive and kicking in Tel Aviv 2008! So this guy strolls down the street shouting "Altezahen" at the top of his lungs. If you flag him down he will stop and pick up whatever stuff you have to give, then take it and try to sell it in the market, I think.
I realize this makes Israel look like a horse-and-buggy sort of place, but well... you can;t argue with the facts :)
On a side note, this is a picture of my street, which you can see is very narrow (one-way). Parking absolutely sucks here.
Anyhoo, that's what I wanted to share. Altezahen. A Yiddish institution for centuries now. One more thought: Wouldn't it be embarrassing if he looked at your crap and refused to take it?
5 comments:
I remember them also ever since I was a kid (it actually just means "old stuff"). Since nowdays most of the Alte Zahens are Arab, I was so surprised when my mom told me that the're shouting in Yiddish.
BTW, the most embarrassing thing is actually when they agree to take your stuff, if you pay THEM 50 shekel. And I counted 2 parking places...For TLV, that's ample :)
haha true, I think I knew that you have to pay them too...
As for the parking spaces - photo was taken at 9 am or so, so there are plenty of spaces but it's not indicative :)
I wonder what my street looks like at 9AM. Maybe I should quit my job so I can find a place to park :)
In Tel Aviv, I hear that's not an unheard-of way to find parking...
Like the joke that when you move to Tel Aviv you first find a parking space and then look for a close-by apartment to rent...
So true :) At one point, I considered just renting a parking space and living in my car. But that would keep me from picking up flowers for my "I'll park her, I'll park her not" daily ritual :)
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