Ramla's Market

Markets and bazaars are not what they used to be, and yet, they attract lots of people through their variety of items, good deals, colorful atmosphere, and fun.

The market of Ramla town is considered one of the oldest, most authentic, and cheapest markets in Israel. 

the place hasn't always been sheltered

Ramla, a central little town near Tel-Aviv, characterized by a mixed population of jews, arabs, christians, karaites - has quite a few historical and religious sites (see my post on the White Tower, for instance). It also has a museum with a hoard of real gold coins, attractions such as the Pool of Arches (where one can sail in a little boat below ground), and a grave of a british soldier ,named...Harry Potter.

Yet, the fame of Ramla comes from its market-  located in the town's Old City, in the area between  the central bus station ,the big Mosque, the museum, and the President's garden.

                                      the Great Mosque

the President's garden

If you're looking for some fine spices, ethnic food, hummus eateries, fresh fruit and vegetables, dried fruit,  nuts, household items, clothing, arab style antiques  - this market is the place.

apples, lemons, onions, potatoes, tomatoes

ripe bannanas

avocado, tomatoes, potatoes

herbs

olives

dried fruit, nuts, almonds, spices

clothing

shoes'  shop

household items

Many come here for a culinary experience to sample some turkish bourekas, tunisian sandwich, or "wipe" some hummus off the plate in a 'hole in the wall' type of eatery ('hole in the wall' - not my original expression , I borrowed it from somewhere, but I like it; it's almost accurate). Several bakeries provide bread, pita, rolls, and pastry to those many customers who're shopping around .

"hole in the wall" eatery of tunisian sandwiches

eatery providing various ethnic dishes

bakery

What caught my eye, even more than the displayed merchandise, were people standing in line, reading  texts, talking on the phone, or having a friendly chat in the middle of the main market street. See photos below:

reading (?) while in line to buy products

on the phone, what else

muslim girls  chatting near a juice selling stall

I went there on Wednesday. It was a very sunny, warm day. In fact, the sun was beating mercilessly (the nights are still freezing). The sun's hitting combined with the vendors' shoutings made me feel dizzy at times.

strong sun

On Wednesdays there are actually two markets - the usual, daily market along Jabotinsky street , and in addition, at a short distance,  an open market which is a mixture of cheap clothing/ household items, and a flea market. The latter, a sort of enclave, is not easy" to navigate"; the surface is not flat, and one walks up and down on earth, sand and pebbles.

cheap clothing

household items on the ground

muslim women with shopping bags

flea market       (I like  the woman's braid)

shoes

It was a tiring day, but nevertheless one of good experience in shopping and social diversity. Markets are still an important meeting point of the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the religios and the secular ,the natives and the newcomers - all looking for a bargain.

From Chechnya with ..Soccer

Chechnya, a small country in the Caucasus area of the Russian Federation, has been in the news lately;  the two bombers in the Boston marathon tragedy are originally from that part of the world.

In Israel, two chechen football players (Dzhabrail Kadaiyev and Zaur Sadayev) were the passive protagonists of a big drama at the beginning of this year. And this is the story:

The owner of a major football club in Jerusalem (Beitar club), a russian-israeli oligarch, decided to hire two muslim football players from Chechnya despite the strong objection of the team' s supporters.. Motive: the team needed reinforcement, and the two players , he believed, will do a good job.

 Beitar fans, anti-arab oriented, stated they would not have a muslim player wear the club's uniform. The arrival of the two chechen players (see the above photo with the two in Beitar uniform) sparked a series of provocative actions by the Beitar  hardcore fans:  harassment of the chechens, protests (including racist banners), cursing, and even torching of the club's offices.

The atmosphere became so "hot" that the PM, the President, the Mayor of Jerusalem, and other political and cultural personalities  in the country stood up to condemn the highly provocative attitude displayed by Beitar supporters  towards the two football players from Chechnya.There were also some arrests  carried out among those fans.

I don't know much about sports, but it seems football can bring out the worst in people.

Behind The Black Veil

No, these are not Taliban women in Afganistan, Pakistan, Iran or any other muslim country. The above picture with the women and girls in black was taken in Israel, in the city of Beit Shemesh , near Jerusalem.

'Beit Shemesh' ('House of the Sun' or 'Temple of the Sun' in Hebrew) , named after the sun-goddess Shemesh worshipped here in antiquity, was founded in 1950 near the ruins of the ancient biblical town with the same name.

This city has besides secular residents, a large orthodox population which includes many streams of religious practice , and an ultra-orthodox sector (haredim), It also has... an impressive number of immigrants from english-speaking countries (USA, Great Britain, South Africa, Australia etc..).

The phenomenon of women and girls completely covered up in layers of cloth (with only a few unseen holes in the eye area) is called the Shalim Movement - 'shalim' meaning shawls, veils, cloak. It's strange, as it is not based on the bible, on tradition, or on some religious law; it is more likely a trend acquired from our muslim neighboring countries. The leader of this sect, Malka Benizri, comes indeed from a jewish family that has its origin in a muslim country, and so, I suppose, are most of the women that belong to it.

This sect is still a minority but it's spreading fast among neighborhoods.

The key word with these women is 'tzniut'(modesty). They meet once a week and talk about it. Well, they do take modesty to a level unknown to Judaism, perhaps known only to Islam. Some of them may even do it against their husbands' will. There were reports of girls being beaten up because they refused to wear shalim (the former leader of this movement, a mother of ten, is in prison on charges of child abuse).

I don't live in that area and don't have to stumble upon them, but it's worrying. I think this phenomenon should not be encouraged (to say the least) for several reasons: It's against Nature, it's exaggerated and extreme (extremity could lead to other forms of extremity), the shawls that also cover the whole face including eyes and ears create social barriers , may damage the eyes and physically endanger the wearer (especially the small girls).