My experiences in Israel.

**Hax** · 07-22-2012, 15:28

Well, we slept mostly in hostels visited by other Israelis, so there was quite a bit of conversation. I even managed to start something of a conversation with some Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem. Generally, we spoke to relatively well-educated young Israelis (we spent a day at Tel Aviv University), shopkeepers, people working at NGO's and stuff like that.

**Hooahguy** · 07-22-2012, 19:10

More about the conversation with the orthodox Jews please!

**Fragony** · 07-23-2012, 06:10

Originally Posted by Hooahguy

More about the conversation with the orthodox Jews please!

Heh that's a chat I'd rather avoid personally, Israeli's aren't short on their own nutjobs

**Kralizec** · 07-23-2012, 09:33

To be honest, while the security things sucks (especially for you), none of that really surprises me. What did you expect?

Originally Posted by Fragony

Heh that's a chat I'd rather avoid personally, Israeli's aren't short on their own nutjobs

I would. If only for the reason that I'd be curious how they, face to face, would justify dodging all sorts of obligations (military service) that their compatriots have to put up with and deliberately being a drain on the country's social services. But maybe I'm just a bigot.

**Fragony** · 07-23-2012, 10:44

Originally Posted by Kralizec

To be honest, while the security things sucks (especially for you), none of that really surprises me. What did you expect?

I would. If only for the reason that I'd be curious how they, face to face, would justify dodging all sorts of obligations (military service) that their compatriots have to put up with and deliberately being a drain on the country's social services. But maybe I'm just a bigot.

Kinda confident I know their answer, these hardcore orthodox jews don't recognise Israel's existance just like Hamas doesn't, they are pretty cosy really. They aren't very popular there.

**Hax** · 07-23-2012, 17:17

To be honest, while the security things sucks (especially for you), none of that really surprises me. What did you expect?

The post is not necessarily directed against the Israeli internal security apparatus or the border control per se, rather, it's directed towards the way they tend to deal with these situations. Two months before travelling, my passport was sent to the Israeli embassy in The Hague and we all underwent screenings. The Israeli consul responsible for tourism even reassured us (and me personally) that we would all be able to enter Israel without any trouble.

My own theory on why they did this is because they like to intimidate people. It's got nothing to do with who I am, because they'd known long before I even boarded the airplane to Tel Aviv who I was, who my family is and why I was coming. I simply cannot believe that they'd be so shoddy about these kind of things that there had been no forward planning at all.

**HoreTore** · 07-23-2012, 17:35

Originally Posted by Hax

The post is not necessarily directed against the Israeli internal security apparatus or the border control per se, rather, it's directed towards the way they tend to deal with these situations. Two months before travelling, my passport was sent to the Israeli embassy in The Hague and we all underwent screenings. The Israeli consul responsible for tourism even reassured us (and me personally) that we would all be able to enter Israel without any trouble.

My own theory on why they did this is because they like to intimidate people. It's got nothing to do with who I am, because they'd known long before I even boarded the airplane to Tel Aviv who I was, who my family is and why I was coming. I simply cannot believe that they'd be so shoddy about these kind of things that there had been no forward planning at all.

I wouldn't rule out "bad IT systems" coupled with "uncaring/overworked staff"...

**Fragony** · 07-23-2012, 18:41

Originally Posted by Hax

The post is not necessarily directed against the Israeli internal security apparatus or the border control per se, rather, it's directed towards the way they tend to deal with these situations. Two months before travelling, my passport was sent to the Israeli embassy in The Hague and we all underwent screenings. The Israeli consul responsible for tourism even reassured us (and me personally) that we would all be able to enter Israel without any trouble.

My own theory on why they did this is because they like to intimidate people. It's got nothing to do with who I am, because they'd known long before I even boarded the airplane to Tel Aviv who I was, who my family is and why I was coming. I simply cannot believe that they'd be so shoddy about these kind of things that there had been no forward planning at all.

I don't like them either but you can't blame them for disliking leftist europeans. Of course they want some information on your wherabouts, you could be into hurting them. That might not make sense to you but it really does.