The Cell Phone That Observes The Sabbath

One of the great benefits of becoming an Israeli citizen is qualifying to get a real Israeli cell phone, as opposed to the rental i was using that was costing a small fortune. In order to get a cell phone here you have to have a bank account and in order to have a bank account you have to a Teudat Zehut (Israeli ID card). Fortunately, i was able to take the morning off of work last week to get my TZ, so now all i needed to do was get an hour off another morning to go open my bank account.

Why would one need to take off work to go to the bank you may ask... well, like many institutions here, the banks run however they please and many of them close at 1:00 on work days, and surprisingly on Fridays, the only day that most people in this country have off that isn't during Shabbat, the Sabbath, many of these banks have the nerve to be closed. Not only is this inconveinent but in my mind it goes against all logic. So much so that this past Friday morning I was at the gym talking with some friends about plans later that day and i casually mentioned that i was going to the bank when i was done. The 2 friends i was talking to, and the woman lifting weights next to us, laughed, "The bank will be closed by the time you are done here, and thats if it was even open at all today." My plan to get something accomplished that day was clearly shot and the more i talked to different people about banking in Israel the more discouraged i became.

Something important to note about Israeli banks is that while chain banks, like Wells Fargo or B of A in America, do exist they are completely unrelated to one another in this country. So, the bank you open your account in is the bank at which you must make all your transactions. Another thing in my mind that goes against all logic. Internet banking exists, and so does direct deposit, but it is HIGHLY recommended. by every Israeli, that you open your account at a bank near your home. This is a great idea, if your a family and don't plan on moving for a long time. I on the other hand only plan on living in my current apartment for a year at the longest, and who knows where i will go after that. Thus, i chose to open my account in the city center, AKA town.

So Monday morning i got someone to cover for me at work and i headed to the bank. I arrived and felt like i walked into the year 2040. There were bright lights, flat screens on any and every flat surface, a touch screen ATM type thing that's sole purpose was to dispense numbers for waiting in line, a woman's recorded voice announcing which number was being helped at which of 25 plus windows and EVERYTHING was a bright, shiny, headache inducing white.

Since i wasn't sure which side of the bank i was supposed to be on, i opted not to take a number. It was a risky choice, cause Israelis, if they are actually choosing to follow the rules, will get in your face if you even think about cutting the line. In the end it worked out since i am female and i played the dumb, American, damsel in distress card.

A very nice woman, who spoke maybe two words of English, helped me open my account. We did the ENTIRE transaction in Hebrew. The documents they had me sign were also in Hebrew so i could have very well signed my life away but, anytime i signed near a number with a $ next to it i made sure to ask, "Ani lo tzricha leshalem et zeh, nachon?" (which roughly means, "I don't need to pay this, right?, and would be totally acceptable Hebrew if i was 4 years-old). About an hour after i walked in, i walked out of the bank with my very own Israeli bank account number and the promise that i would return in 4 days to receive my ATM card, the ATM code of their choice, and the ability to deposit money into the account.

After work that day, with the number to an empty bank account in hand I ventured into the cell phone store. If i thought i was in 2040 in the bank, i entered the year 2070 when i set foot in the Cellcom store. It was more futuristic, with more flat screens, with bubble graphics, white lacquer furniture and the same woman's recorded voice announcing numbers and windows.

I waited patiently and was helped by the nicest girls, who fortunately spoke perfect English, but for the life of her could not understand why i would leave America for "this". The first question she asked me when i sat down was, "Do you keep Shabbat?" I was stunned. I didn't know the answer. She was asking me a personal question and i was racking my brain. I must have looked perplexed because after 10 or so seconds of no response from me she explained that she was asking because they have really great phone plans for people that "keep Shabbat" or in other words, don't use the phone on Shabbat.

I have to admit, lately I've been experimenting with my religiosity. For the first time in my life I am observing the laws of Kashrut, and i have been playing around with my ideas of what i want to do on Shabbat and what I want to refrain from. Choosing to tell her that I was in fact "Shomer Shabat", or observant of the Sabbath, seemed like a perfect way for me to explore these internal issues some more.

So, YOU are now reading about the life of a proud owner of a cell phone that is Shomer Sabbat. The phone still works during Shabbat but from 8:00 pm on Friday until 4:00 pm on Saturday it is 10 shekels, roughly $2.80, a minute to use. However, incoming calls are still free. So i guess the phone is only partially "Shomer Shabbat", but either way i think it is hilarious, amazing and totally unique to this incredible country and i FREAKING LOVE IT!

Much love from the Holy Land!