Of Beaches And Ballot Boxes

Election day here feels like a national holiday. Schools are
out, offices are closed and many stores are shut. People are out on the town,
tanning on the beaches, and playing in the parks. For me, it felt like one of
those Sundays I so relished when I lived in Canada.

So what do Israelis do when they have a completely free day,
especially when it is warm and sunny? Firstly, they vote. Yesterday, some 67%
of the population came out to the polls and for Israel, this is a very high
number.

Israelis turn voting into a festivity of sorts.  They stroll to the polls with the whole family,
chat with their friends, and when they wait in line to cast their ballot, they
are not uptight or pushy. Everyone we saw was friendly and hopeful. Is it
because they did not have to rush off somewhere? Were they excited about the
prospect of a new, improved Israel? In fact, there was such a sense of ease and
happiness, it felt like a holiday and we wanted to wish each other “chag
sameach.” 

We voted and headed out to the fields on our bikes. There,
crowding our normally empty dirt path, were cars. And ahead, our usually tranquil,
quiet fields were teeming with people, babies and toddlers. What were they
doing? Where were they going?

Everyone was out on election day…even the poppies.

We cycled on and realized they were looking at flowers! Wild
red poppies, the calaniot, were in bloom, tingeing the green fields with
pockets of red. These cars had actually gone off road across bumpy paths and
muddied potholes just to get a glimpse of wild flowers.

We came home and were so excited by the warmth of the spring
day, we hopped into the car with kids and dog and headed to the beach in Tel
Aviv. We envisioned a leisurely walk along the boardwalk beside the sparkling
Mediterranean Sea, the soft  salty breeze
on our faces.

Arriving in the port area of Tel Aviv, we tried to park. There were no free spots, nor would
there be a spot. Ever. In fact, cars had parked where there were no spots, so
we found nothing but
aggravation. We searched every lot from north Tel Aviv southbound, crawling along the coast until we finally ended up in south Tel Aviv.

When we finally walked onto the beach, it was just an hour before
sunset. I immediately realized that all the parking lots were filled with cars
because all the people were at the beach. It looked like the entire country was
here as there was barely a free speck of sand. All we could hear was
the click-clack of those maktot balls against paddles as people jumped and flew
across the sand. Other beach goers were swimming, surfing, paddling, sunbathing,
picnicking. Teens sat in circles playing guitars and singing. We saw a
tightrope walker who was balancing on a rope and juggling balls. Babies crawled
on blankets and dogs ran in circles.

The sun set, slowly dipping into the sea. We returned to our
cars, as did every Israeli in
the country who was also at the beach. We sat in
traffic and then our car crawled home.

Despite the crowds, it was a fun, free day and a time for
Israelis to put their “worries on
their doorstep” and simply be.