Once Upon A Time In Tel Aviv

I stepped out of the car, slammed the driver side door shut and briskly walked towards the bank. The metallic click of the door closing started a mental countdown in my head. Not unlike a lit fuse of fireworks on the Fourth of July. I couldn’t wait to get this over with and I couldn’t wait to get this started all at the same time. The pertinence of the moment was all that mattered. You felt it in your bones. There was no telling what was going to happen at the next tick of the clock. Getting the money was the easy part. Anybody could do that. It was getting away clean that was a bit trickier. That’s when the adrenaline would really kick in. Everything turned sharper and brighter as you burned rubber and drove off into the proverbial sunset. Home free. You had beat the system while all these other shmucks were busy being beaten by it. Rules of society need not apply. This was a different frequency of living...

Founded in 1909 as a "garden suburb" of the Mediterranean port of Jaffa, Tel Aviv soon became a model of Jewish self-rule and was celebrated as a jewel in the crown of Hebrew revival. Over time the city has transformed into a lively metropolis, renowned for its architecture and culture, openness and vitality. A young city, Tel Aviv continues to represent a fundamental idea that transcends the physical texture of the city and the everyday experiences of its residents. Combining historical research and cultural analysis, Maoz Azaryahu explores the different myths that have been part of the vernacular and perception of the city. He relates Tel Aviv’s mythology to its physicality through buildings, streets, personal experiences, and municipal policies. With critical insight, he evaluates specific myths and their propagation in the spheres of both official and popular culture. Azaryahu explores three distinct stages in the history of the mythic Tel Aviv: "The First Hebrew City" assesses Tel Aviv as Zionist vision and seed of the actual city; "Non-Stop City" depicts trendy, global post-Zionist Tel Aviv; and "The White City" describes Tel Aviv’s architectural landscape, created in the 1930s and imbued with nostalgia and local prestige. Tel Aviv: Mythography of a City will appeal to urban geographers, cultural historians, scholars of myth, and students of Israeli society and culture.

This multicultural reference work on Jewish folklore, legends, customs, and other elements of folklife is the first of its kind.

Fond remembrances of Italy by an American journalist who spent seven years in Rome.

A comprehensive look at the history of the Israel Navy, from its inception in the early 1930’s through its 60th anniversary in 2008. Organized chronologically, the book covers all aspects of the Israel Navy’s history, including equipment, peacetime and wartime operations, organizational and conceptual development, changing roles and missions, as well as distinguished personnel. Going far beyond mere naval or maritime aspects, the author also sketches the historical development of Israel’s ongoing conflict with both the Palestinians and its neighbouring Arab states.

Catie stood in front of the full length mirror. It was Friday night. The one night a month that she could dress up and go out dancing but, nothing was going right. Catie sighed and began to fiddle with the new Karen Millen, black and white geometric patterned dress. Catie reached down and smoothed her stockings, and checked the mirror one final time. The reflection indifferently shrugged in reluctant acceptance. Was that a smudge of mascara? Catie reached for a tissue and wiped the corner of her eye. She cursed. How do other women manage to achieve long curly perfect eye lashes when she could only ever manage to surround her eyes in a black gooey mess. She took out the dark cherry red lipstick and freshened her lips, pouting, to dab away any excess lipstick with the tissue. Her silvery blonde hair hung limply around her face. She thought maybe it was time for a new hairstyle? Catie shuffled her feet. Would she be able to dance or even walk with the four inch black high heels she had chosen for the evening. Catie stood in front of the full length mirror and smiled. The transformation from a man to a woman was complete, at least for one night.

Uri Bialer lays a foundation for understanding the principal aspects of Israeli foreign policy from the early days of the state's existence to the Oslo Accords. He presents a synthetic reading of sources, many of which are recently declassified official documents, to cover Israeli foreign policy over a broad chronological expanse. Bialer focuses on the objectives of Israel's foreign policy and its actualization, especially as it concerned immigration policy, oil resources, and the procurement of armaments. In addition to identifying important state actors, Bialer highlights the many figures who had no defined diplomatic roles but were influential in establishing foreign policy goals. He shows how foreign policy was essential to the political, economic, and social well-being of the state and how it helped to deal with Israel's most intractable problem, the resolution of the conflict with Arab states and the Palestinians.