What it's like here

 Let me try again to give you a sense of what life in Israel is like. 

This photo shows two apartment buildings that can be reached by car only via this parking lot. The building closer to us has an overhang that prevents delivery trucks from driving to the second building. For a truck to get to the second building, it must drive around the overhang through the parking spaces. Obviously, you must first beg the neighbors not to park their cars there. That is not a fun task. But that's all history for one of the lovely residents built a permanent shed in their parking spot. You see that white shed to the left of the overhang? That blocks moving trucks. So movers and delivery people have to park right where I was standing when I took this picture and carry everything to the second building.

So what do we have here? We have stupid design and selfish people as well as tiny apartments that cost $800,000. They are so tiny that there's little room for guests or simchas so people basically ignore one another. 

Why am I talking about this today? It's because I await delivery of my third refrigerator in 10 years. The first two broke. For a year now, we have been freezing bottles of water in the freezer and moving them to the fridge to cool it. 3x a day we must do this. Water leaks all over.

 

So delivery is today. Yesterday we received a call from the delivery man who demanded an extra 60 NIS on top of the 250 that we paid at the store so that he'll bring the fridge upstairs. He won't bring it inside to the kitchen. We have to do that. We also have to push our old fridge to the hallway for him to take it. I tried to explain to him that we paid for delivery and that we are not young and healthy and that the kitchen is 5 meters from the front door, but he only shouted so loudly that I had to hold the phone away from my head. He spoke zero English so I did my best in the Hebrew that they didn't teach us in yeshiva.

So I don't know what's going to be with the delivery, if we'll get manipulated into forking over even more money. 

As for the fridge? Will it work? We'll see. Our second washing machine just stopped working. We are on our second drier. As for the oven/stove we bought, half the burners don't work and neither does the timer. Every single major appliance we bought here has failed us and dozens upon dozens of minor appliances have failed us. 

But Hershel Schachter, HaRav HaGaon of Yeshiva University, claims that Israel is "a wonderful place to live" and has "all the modern inventions". He doesn't live here so how would he know? He thinks he knows. He's delusional. So are all aliyah pushers.

So, I waited three hours for the delivery guy. He arrived at the end of the time slot of course. He was alone with no help to carry the fridge. The truck didn't have a hydro lift so he dropped it from the truck to the concrete. Thud! went the appliance. Then he carried it on his back, on its side, under the under hang. Then by himself he carried it up the stairs but with the fridge turned upside down. On the side of the box it says not to do that. 

Actually it says not to put it on its side. Upside down is far worse as we see. Here's what the Internet says about carrying a fridge upside down:

Yes, carrying or transporting a refrigerator upside down is highly likely to cause damage and is strongly advised against by manufacturers and repair technicians. While a refrigerator can be laid on its side in an emergency (if handled carefully), placing it completely upside down, on its back, or on its front can cause severe, sometimes permanent, issues to the cooling system. Here is why it is dangerous and what happens:

-   Compressor Oil Misplacement: The compressor contains oil designed to keep it lubricated. Turning the fridge upside down allows this oil to flow out of the compressor and into the refrigerant cooling lines.

-   System Blockage: When you turn the fridge upright and turn it on, the oil in the lines can cause a blockage, preventing the refrigerant from circulating properly, resulting in poor cooling or a dead compressor.

-   Structural Damage: The weight of the refrigerator can bend or damage the sensitive components on the back, such as the compressor mounting, the tubing, or the condenser coils.

-   Damaged Seals/Components: The internal parts may shift, and the doors or hinges can be warped or damaged if they take the weight of the unit. 

What to do if you must move it:

Laying a refrigerator down can potentially harm it, but it is generally safe if done correctly and if the unit is allowed to rest upright for 8 to 24 hours before powering it on. The primary risk is oil from the compressor flowing into the cooling lines, which can cause blockages, damage, or cooling failures.

The brand new fridge also arrived with two dents, probably because of the way he carried it.

It's very degrading to work and try to buy an expensive appliance for your family and have no idea if it's going to work, not to mention  having to cover up dents.

Oh, and he asked for another 60 shekels, total delivery was 250 plus 60 plus 60, that's 370 NIS. If it didn't arrived damaged, I wouldn't mind as much.

And what do I do about that? Do I go to the store and attempt to explain to the Hebrew only speakers there? What, the ad said English is spoken? Well it wasn't spoken.

So you see it's frustration every step of the way here, in everything you do.  The anxiety goes through the top of your head and out your fingers.  

It's a crude society. Nothing sophisticated is made here. Your car, your fridge, your alarm clock. None of that is made here. But not only that, these apes bash in whatever you buy.

Here's the proper way to deliver a fridge:

This photo is from the good old USA, not Israel.

It's shameful when spoiled Americans get so spoiled that they start pretending that geulah has come, without Moshiach, and push others to move to Israel. In their dementia, they imagine the whole world to be like America. But Israel isn't even close. It's a dump. You can't even buy a fridge from a normal country and have it delivered to you properly. And you can't expect the business owners whose greed allows this to be to compensate you. 

Update: We spoke to the store manager. In typical Israeli fashion, he says it's not his fault, not his problem. The distribution company chooses the delivery company. He has no control over it so he doesn't own us a return. That's what he says. He ignores that he chooses the distribution company, but that's the way brains operate in Israel. These are allegedly religious people by the way, not Charedim, but they wear kippas. 

One of the problems with this country is that you have to be always on your guard. That's why Israelis don't smile, aren't friendly. You can't be nice because the guy you are dealing with is trying to rip you off. You can't even go to a meeting with a social worker and let down your guard. If you live here you might have to become an Israeli, which is the last thing any person should ever be. No smiles, no handshake, no how are you because you are dealing with a thoroughly rotten society.

Why would you want to live in a place like that? Why would you want your children growing up in place like that?