It did not intimidate me that the country has a long history of conflicts (in fact, they were, at that moment, in the middle of one). First, I live in a much more dangerous place, Brazil. Second, every teenager in Israel seems ready to take down any threat in the streets and the Iron Dome, their mobile air defense system, is able to destroy about 80%, they say, of missiles sent by enemies. I do not plan to comment on the merits of the conflicts, but the point is that, in my opinion, no visit should be frustrated unless you have realistically assessed the security situation in the country.
Maybe the major security issue you may encounter in Tel Aviv is in its many clubs. I mean, they are great and, in many ways, ressemble the clubs that we have in Brazil, with good music and a stay-up-until-dawn culture. But bare in mind that, every teenager in Israel is also a trained soldier (men are required to serve in the military for 3 years and women for 2), which means they were also trained in the deadly art of Krav Magá, the most effective martial system ever invented. Therefore, I do not recommend you to use the Brazilian flirting style in Israel, they may find it too agressive.
But the truth is that, apart from having to wait for a while at the airport to be interrogated by security officials (be ready for that. Do you have a Lebanon stamp on your passport? Bring a pillow and a blanket, they will make you wait), my visit to Israel was smooth. Maybe the only issue I had was in Jerusalem, when a guy at the muslim quarter sold me a cold boureka (pastries), when it was apparently smoking hot (he produced smoke below the table with the bourekas, which gave this false impression). I asked for my money back right after noticing the scheme, he denied. But by no means I let this experience affect my inspiring visit to Jerusalem.
It is amazing everything that happened in such a small place and how important it is for the biggest religions in the world. From a walking distance, there's the Western Wall (the most sacred site for the Jewish faith), on the other side of it there's the Dome of the Rock (sacred for the Muslims) and from there you can start the "Via Dolorosa" ("Way of Sorrows"), ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulcre (the holiest place for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and Resurrection). The Mount of Olives, where you can visit Mary's tomb, is also from a walking distance, unless you are obese, of course (in that case, you can find plenty of taxis around the area).
My visit to Jerusalem was also magical in the sense that I was enamored of hummus. Like someone in love, I became obsessed for this mashed chickpeas based dip. I had it for every meal, as well as after the club or at any time of the day, as I always took some of it with me in case I had any immediate need. Like Zohan, I considered brushing my teeth with it. Actually, everything in Israel tastes unbelievable. How come a desertic place can produce some better tasting fruits than a tropical country like Brazil? Yes, I know they are pretty good at irrigation, but still.
If you are religious, spiritual or at least have any feelings, you will feel an unique energy in Israel, specially in Jerusalem, which is by itself worth the visit. It is a dream for most people to visit those sacred places, so what you will see and feel is very strong, sometimes frighteningly strong. It is very hard to describe it, so go and experience it for yourself. But if I were you I would also spare some time to visit Tel Aviv or do other special things, like tasting its amazing hummus.
Oh, its hummus S2
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