It seems like every time we read the news LGBTQ+ rights are under attack someplace. Yet, we always hear wonderful stories from queer people about how amazing the country, state, city, town, neighborhood, or cabin in the woods where they live really is.
This year’s IHS reading challenge will focus on books set in different parts of the world. We think it’s vital to show that sapphic people not only exist but are everywhere.
We also want to hear from authors and readers about where they live. If you’d like to share your experiences, click here for the interview form.
Today, Shani is here to tell us about Israel.
Where in the world will you be taking us today?
Israel
Tell us in one sentence what’s so special about living in this place.
A small country with 7 different climate zones, lots of conflicts throughout history, and struggling to maintain a semblance of democracy under increasingly corrupt regime.
How long have you lived there? Or, if you no longer live in this place, how long were you there and when did you leave?
I was born and raised there, escaped abroad after 2.5 years of mandatory army service, came back 5 years later and has been coming and going ever since. I have a love-hate relationship with this country but at the end of the day, my parents are getting older and I need to care for them so I have stayed there for the last 2 years.
What is/was it like being a sapphic (or LGBTQ+) person living in this place?
In the 1980 I did not even know what sapphic or lesbian was. I grew up in a religious community and did not understand why I feel so different. It took me years and a mention of a lesbian side character in a book to understand what I am (that was in the mid 1990s). I had to stay in the closet until I gained financial independence, just to be on the safe side. Nowadays, there is much more openness and acceptance among the secular public. The religious communities are still struggling with gay and lesbian couples but there are already some religious leaders who call for tolerance and acceptance. The government, however, is trying to turn back the wheels of time and reverse some laws. I hope they fail.
What about living in this place gives you hope?
The younger generation is so open and accepting and sees queerness as a given, normal existence. I believe that when they get to vote, they will support our struggles against the current regime.
Are there any challenges to living in this place, either as a queer person or more generally?
I no longer live in the religious community where I grew up. I wouldn’t be accepted there because of my sexuality and my being secular. However, out of respect for my parents (who still live there), I am allowed to visit often and am treated with kindness and genuine hospitality.
As for challenges, the main ones are lack of equal rights, much bureaucracy when it comes to establishing the registration of a queer family (such as 2 moms or 2 dads, adoption, surrogate, etc.); Muslim queers who live among the Muslim population cannot come out of the closet and even when they go live elsewhere they have to be careful. Queer girls and boys who come from devout Muslim families are still getting murdered by close relative “to protect family honor” and the police is doing nothing to uphold the law and does not investigate such cases.
For someone who has never been there, what’s the one thing that they must see or do if visiting your area?
Israel is a country with a variety of sight-seeing opportunites when it comes to landscape, historic monuments, and cultural events. I could tailor a visit to each differnt person that will match their interests and background. But if I need to point out one place to visit I would say the city of Haifa. That is a city where US marines mingle with Israeli soldiers, the residents of the city consist of Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Druze. The city has beautiful beaches and wooded mountains. The houses were built on the sides of the mountain that overlooks the bay and the forest invades every empty plot between the houses. You could see wildlife at night, when you walk down the street (mainly wild boars but the occasional jackal shows up as well). The view is phenomenal and unlike other cities in Israel, the layered and varied population lives peacefully among its different parts. The markets are brimming with fresh produce and cooked delicacies and Arabic and Hebrew sound in the public sphere at the same time and it doesn’t bother anyone. Co-existence is a concept that lives and thrives in this city.
What’s the one type of regional food and/or drink they absolutely must try?
Falafel. But a good one. Not from a tourist’s place 🙂
Do you have a favorite local restaurant? What makes it special?
I have several! But I will name 2 that are unique in their own way.
Tzlal – an Ethiopian restaurant near the old city of Beer-Sheva (the south of Israel, 4th largest city and home to a rather heterogenic population, surrounded by Bedouin and Jewish villages). The restaurant is owned, managed and operated by an Ethiopian mama who makes the best Ethiopian food I ever tasted (and there are many such restaurants around the country). Her daughter is queer and a talented poet and for a while, she helped her run the place. That’s how I learned of the place. I try to visit whenever I am in the area. The serving is simple – you get the Ethiopian flat bread (injira) and it has lots of different dishes on it (cooked veggies, lentils stew, etc.). There are vegan or meat options but that’s the only choice you need to make. And everything is delicious!
Savtush – authentic Arabic cuisine in a tiny street in the middle of Vadi Nisnas market in Haifa. 2 sisters who work together to bring delicious food from their grandmother’s recipes. Almost all the food is vegan (one of the sisters is vegan) and only a few dishes contain meat. You can sit right there in the street, near a tiny side table and eat whatever you want (getting charged by the size of your plate) or you can take away in boxes and warm it up at home. Their food is full of soul and love and this place is a culinary revelation.
Meet Shani
A digital nomad, I go between houses of people who go on vacation and care for their pets at their familiar teritory. I have been doing that for almost 7 years now and am always in demand. My regular clients buy their flight tickets only after coordinating with me. During the last few years I’ve been doing this exclusively in Israel due to my parents’ failing health.
