Beshert | Inside Our Gates

Josh and I met in Jerusalem, just outside the Jaffa Gate. He was a tour guide before COVID-19 brought the tourist trade shuddering to a halt, but he still made some money giving tours to locals. I knew him remotely through a friend and saw a Facebook post offering a tour of the Old City, my favorite part of Jerusalem.  At 40, I had never been married and was no longer looking for love. “That ship has sailed,” I told myself. I also told myself, “I don’t mind.”  Of course I did mind, but what can you do? On my 40th birthday, I resolved to put all that behind me and to focus instead on enjoying my life. I was happy to take a day off work to learn more about my magnificent city. And there at...

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As Chinese Come to Israel, Recalling One Israeli in China

We've come a long way since 1985, when Israeli travelers I met in China had to hide their "real" passports from local authorities and most Chinese I met had never left their home province, let alone crossed a national border. The China Daily recently reported that, on September 25, Chinese tourists will visit Israel for the first time without special business visas. I hope Israel's new guests find friends around Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, which top their itinerary. I know I was never lonely during the year I spent roaming the People's Republic with a manual typewriter and three changes of clothing. Besides billions of Chinese for company, I encountered a small army of other "foreign ghosts" traveling, like me, without tour guides or coach buses. In our dorm-style accommodations and in the streets, train...

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