Tel Aviv Yourself Ep 3: some truths about dating Israeli men

Welcome to the series about my life in Tel Aviv. Every once in a while, I will be posting short stories about my life in the city I now call home.

Now, this series is very raw and unedited.Ā As this is my story, as I have full ownership of this blog as my creative space, you are going to getĀ my versionĀ if you choose to continue reading. Thanks, and enjoy!

Warning: If you are still in level 1 of dating Israeli men, do not read this. I repeat. Do not read this.

Level 1: The days where all the Israeli men look like rainbows and unicorns. No flaws, highly democratic, liberated sort of fabulous level like all dating stages, Israeli or not.

This level entails the hardship of looking away while walking atĀ AllenbyĀ and the rude practice of staring. Women donā€™t want to be cat-called but seriously, when flocked together, we are the worst in talking about men, most especially if you are single and foreign in a country where men are extremely physically attractive.

As a human being who finds it very easy to adjust to major cultural differences, I wasnā€™t surprised that in just a matter of weeks, I was able to unlock level 2.

It wasnā€™t difficult because Israeli men are usually straightforward and spontaneous. This seemed to be one of the best features ofĀ my life in Tel Aviv. I found it so easy to be here not because of the men but the people of Israel in general.

I am a woman who is not expecting anything when it comes to set up dates. When a girl friendĀ tells me,Ā ā€œI want you to meet someone! You are going to like him,ā€Ā 

I simply say OK because I know Iā€™ve got nothing to lose. To be honest, all the long-time friends I have now are from failed Tinder dates.

I find it amazing how I was able to build platonic relationships through a dating app whichĀ is like a fairy Godmother to theĀ miserable singles.

Aside from making friends in a foreign city, I also use it to market my blog/business which is, in turn, 100% effective all the time ā€” to the point thatĀ Israeli menĀ recognised me in the streets of Tel Aviv. That was a sensational return of investment for me.

Let me tell you more about my newfound wisdom about dating Israeli men. 100% loyal readers of this blog are very open-minded but at the same time, 100% of passers-by will choose to find the way I write my experiences a grave stereotype to mankind.

I respect how we all, men and women alike, opt to see things differently and youā€™re welcome to do so!

THE EXTREMES

I have arrived at a conclusion that nobody is in the middle ground here. Every Israeli manĀ is on the opposite side of the meter. In general, when you are dating an Israeli man, they keep the tradition of charm, allure, and passion that will make you fall head over feet.

Itā€™s a default feature. Sure, they might be the most chill people Iā€™ve ever met but not when it comes to relationships or dating. They are freaked. They canā€™t keep still.

To make it more clear, letā€™s visualise the lowest and the highest measurements of a meter:

Low aka swipe-right-letā€™s-have-sex

Liz Gilbert said that every city has a word: Vatican is ā€œpowerā€, New York is ā€œachieveā€, Los Angeles is ā€œsucceedā€ and Rome is ā€œsex.ā€Ā I differed when I got to know Israel.

Romeā€™s word is not sex. Itā€™s Tel Avivā€™s. Itā€™s a municipal pastime here and everyone have joined the bandwagon.

The ā€œcoolestā€ kids on the block enjoy this type of ā€œdating.ā€ (That was a lot of quote and quote in one sentence, but anyway, welcome to Israel!)Ā 

Being in dates multiple times is inevitable but when the bond is building deeply to the direction of eventually being in a relationship (aka going to the normal parameter), they tend to walk away even if nothing is wrong.

They just donā€™t want to engage nor participate in a deeper level of intimacy because of a myriad of reasons.

They wanted to be in control, unfortunately. I didnā€™t understand why at first. But you know, different humans, different life dynamics.

I am a pure believer of the going with the flow adage. If it happens, it happens. If not, then IĀ move on.

Not that there are many fishes in the Mediterranean sea but thatā€™s what IĀ do. IĀ move on. IĀ keep the faith. IĀ understand that some things donā€™t work out and itā€™s okay!

But to control the situation is a total turn-off for me. If it happens to you, donā€™t be confused if one day, they want to stop seeing you and couldnā€™t explain why.

They are afraid of a deeper engagement. It seems like itā€™s a responsibility for them when in fact, we can all just chill and avoid ruining something beautiful.

High aka ā€œletā€™s get married and live happily ever afterā€

While Tel Aviv is composed of outrageously drunk, broke and happy young adults, other youngsters of Israel are curating a different story.

Mostly from Jewish Orthodox communities, some are married and with children as young as 22. Iā€™ve never encountered an Israeli who is religiously following Judaism but someone I used to see invited me to a Shabbat dinner with his family.

For the women of Israel, Shabbat dinners are freakishly freaky. This is a sign that youā€™ve upped a level:Ā ā€œDamn! I am going to be introduced to the family!ā€Ā 

As for normal people like me, Shabbat is a way of knowing oneā€™s culture and an exchange of ideals. For me, to say yes to an invitation is a way of paying my respect to the people who have been kind and generous to me by offering their homes.

I am seriously not expecting to be introduced as a girlfriend most especially if Iā€™ve only been to a date with this man twice.

Twice. Yes. Twice. Two dates and in the middle of the dinner, the momĀ already gave a very witty remark:Ā 

ā€œSo, you are not Jewish? Did you know that if you are not Jewish, your children will not be Jewish?ā€

I wanted to choke.Ā Did she just indirectly implied that I will be married to his son? What was I getting into?

Apparently, the traditional Orthodox view says that ā€˜Jewishnessā€™ is passed down through the mother. So even if I get married to a Jewish, my children will not be Jewish until I decide to convert. Too much religion. It was very heavy, I couldnā€™tā€¦

I wanted to excuse myself from the dinner table. I respect the religious views but seriously donā€™t want to be involved. Did he tell his mother that we were getting married?

Was it why I was invited to Shabbat dinner? These questions were popping as I indulged into a tub of hummus.

After all,Ā even if we think that Jewish moms are crazy (they believe that too, btw), they make the best food. I will say no to marrying your son, but yes to food.

I have encountered this twice. In both situations, the lads were in their mid-30ā€™s and really looking for someone to take home toĀ crazy Jewish mommaĀ to.

This time, I was the one who got freaked. How can you marry someone like me whom youā€™ve only known for a week? Why are we jumping this fast? Why canā€™t we all chill the feck out?

THE CHILDREN

Nope. We are not going to talk about kids ages 0-12. I am going to tell you how 30-somethings act like children in Israel.

Aside from taking their laundry to their motherā€™s homes every Shabbat, there is a profound justification on how the Israeli men act like children.

I am no stranger to the party scene, whatsoever. In fact, I enjoy it. But I donā€™t always have the energy to do it because Iā€™m not a robot on meth ā€” I need to calm down and be surrounded by peace and quiet.

Just to try, Iā€™ve gone a 2-week all night party with feckloads of alcohol surviving with 3 hours of sleep per day. I was prepared to go that length because the guy was like me in all ways: an artist.

To be ferociously creative and to understand the nature of work that I do seems to be a rare find for me. I was willing to cross the line of the capabilities of the human body because I really liked him.

It was just too much. It all became clear when the drugs got involved. Again, it was too much. I might look like a hipster junkie to you but I have never taken any form of chemical drugs because I am a writer.

I donā€™t want my brain to be harmed. I already have problems with smoking cigarettes and I donā€™t want to add more chaos.

Although I read somewhere that cocaine can help in my writing, I cannot imagine myself sniffing that element nor envision it crawling straight to my brain.

Despite the mutual creative energy we shared, I couldnā€™t do that kind of lifestyle. I had to cut the bond. And come on, we are in our 30ā€™s and still growing backward?

I will never find any growth to that even if a man label it as ā€œjust for fun.ā€ I am too old for this substance shit. Maybe if you are 18, I can understand. But 30? Come on.

THE PRAGMATIC

Iā€™ve recently discussed on Facebook that girls (foreign or not) always get things for free in Israel. You will always get invited because the default setting of the Israeli men is to pay for everything.Ā 

In the comment box section of this article, an Israeli reader bashed me and wrote exactly this:

ā€œOhĀ yesĀ Iā€™m sure you love it when you can go out every night for free. Iā€™m sure you love having a free place to stay whenever you do whatever you feel like that night. And Iā€™m sure you love having a personal butler that morning. Men being nice is a great thing. I have no problem with buying drinks because Iā€™m enjoying someoneā€™s company. I have no problem opening up my home to a guest in need. I have no problem being a great host. But my god you sound so entitled. You make it sound like men should be at your service and do whatever you want. But where in the article did you do anything nice in return? When did you buy a drink? When did you return the favor of their hosting (and Iā€™m not talking about some sort of sex obligation)? I know itā€™s not the point of the article but I hope you can set an example of how these wonderful Israeli men deserve to be treated in return.ā€

Obviously, this bloke doesnā€™t have any idea who I am. Or strong women in general, Israeli or not. I have a fecking job and living on my own. I donā€™t need for you to pay for me. If you do, well, thank you.

I return the favour by buying the next round of drinks or anything that you deem equal. To be honest, Iā€™ve offered to pay many dates but then they always insist.

I am a grown woman and wouldnā€™t play the guessing game. I hate being caught up in a situation that people have to argue who will pay.

For me, if a guy insists and rejects my offer, it means he really wants to do it. But can you not complain after doing so? That was what the Israeli reader comment was implying.

He was freaking complaining. I donā€™t have any problems that Israeli men are paying. My only concern is that they feel like they have to do it by default because of their gender.

Sharing a bill with a woman will not make you two balls less. Youā€™d still have both, I promise you. The obvious sight of men being emasculated is 100% turn-off.

In further studies and real life interactions, I found out that some are obliging themselves to pay because they wanted to get something in return from the girls. You see, it all boils down to Tel Avivā€™s word: SEX.

There is a big tendency that Israeli men will swipe left when they come across my profile because most of them think they are under a human relationship study.

That paranoia is coming from their prolific experiences in the Army.Ā My writing has become a ā€˜threatā€™ to them but know that even if the texts of this article are from real life situations, I will never disclose any identity to respect the privacy of these men.

I honestly donā€™t know how to end this article. Bye.

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27 Comments

  1. Its been so long since i dated but i once met a guy who brought me to see parents, siblings, nephews, nieces, cousins on a first date. Needless to say that was the last i went out with him, but i met his mum few weeks ago (cant believe she remembers me) and she still insist that i call her Mama. ???

  2. Interesting look at dating and lifestyle in Tel Aviv. I have been out of the game for a long time, so it’s interesting to read about other cultures.

  3. I was just sitting here at a McDonald’s reading your post when I got to the part where you wrote “I will say no to marrying your son, but yes to food”. That got me bursting to laugh. Thank goodness it didn’t create any mess! šŸ˜€

  4. Very interesting article and I love your honesty in it! I wonder why is that the women is always considered wrong? pertaining to your fb message part, If a man wants to pay or if a culture is that way inclined and they refuse why would someone ask what have you done for them? In many cultures it would be rude or a status thing to let the woman pay. I have heard that Italy is the same with men in a sense that they don’t have long term relationships and run from marriage or something deeper. Strange, It seems to be becoming popular as women are standing up to mens double standards of dating. I hope you find what you are looking for. So happy to be out of the dating scene, I hated it so much šŸ™‚

  5. Sounds like a rollercoaster of a dating adventure as well as a unique insight into Tel Aviv culture. The family dinners in particular must have been an experience!

  6. It’s great that you are so candid in your writing, really helps us get to know you. Your dating adventure are surely very interesting, best wishes for more fun and adventures for you in Tel Aviv.

  7. You seem to fully immerse yourself in a culture. Understanding the dating culture in another country must give you keen insight into how things “tick”.

  8. I’ve been married for nearly 15 years, so dating has long been the furthest thing from my mind. But I don’t think that I could deal with the nuances of dating someone from another country. Relationships are hard enough without adding cultural differences in to the mix.

  9. It does sound entitled, albeit entertaining to read!

    BTW, do you have a problem swearing in your posts or is it against the community blog rules? You are only off by one letter so might as well go all the way lol

  10. In further studies and real life interactions, I found out that some are obliging themselves to pay because they wanted to get something in return from the girls. You see, it all boils down to Tel Avivā€™s word: SEX.

    oh boy, you know nothing.

    Sagi,
    Based in Tel aviv (but now traveling the world)

  11. Hey congrats on your engagement! I’m assuming your fiance is an Israeli. I’m wondering what type he is when you were starting out? Can’t agree more also that Israelis are uber sexual people! Do you think an ldr is even possible with them?

  12. This is awesome. I met a guy also since October2017 hanggang ngayon. At yun nga wala pa ding label. Haha.

  13. I agree with you. I want to go through college first before finding a husband, but even here in the U.S. the guys have warped priorities and seem to be shallow. I do hope that when you want to find a hubby, you will find a righteous and compatible one, the one of your dreams. As salaamu alayki sister, and I’m glad I found your channel.ļ»æ
    Regards

  14. An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a coworker who had been doing a little homework on this. And he actually ordered me dinner simply because I found it for himā€¦ lol. So allow me to reword thisā€¦. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to discuss this topic here on your blog.

    Regards
    rose martine

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