contradictions of life

People don't so much push and shove in this country, as simply set their visual focus on a target and just MOVE, whether by car or by foot, without apparent concern for who they might bash on the way.

Whereas drivers (and pedestrians) in Toronto are characteristically careful to maintain their personal space bubble without running into others -- even a slight brush has both parties blurting "sorry!" -- in Israel, broadsides don't even merit a glance. That is, as long as the bumpers are strangers to each other. They are, paradoxically, more polite to people they know. Or perhaps more accurately, people who know them. The point being that nasty things might be said about them to others who know them, thus building a bad name for them, and Israelis are more concerned with the level of respect they command than about the nonsense of manners.

Drivers in Israel frequently pay no attention to the rules of the road. They cut you off making right turns from left-hand lanes, they never stop at stop signs, and they back into fast-moving traffic with less than a car's length of space to spare. The unspoken attitude seems to be, "Keep moving, as fast as possible and as close to the bumper ahead as possible, so no one else can merge into the flow". On the other hand, if you can just get their attention, give a little gesture and placating raise of the eyebrows, they'll never refuse to let you in ... the sea parts and you just drive through.

And the absolutely best part of the Israeli character: If anyone is in any distress, friend or foe, relative or stranger, there is an immediate rush to help that person. Instantly, spontaneously, the person in need is surrounded by people anxious to comfort, give a jacket, staunch a bleeding wound, call an ambulance or even drive them to hospital in their private car.

In the superficial everyday harried rush of situation normal, Israelis can be dauntingly aggressive, and often seem not to care about each other. But when push comes to shove, they really do.