Shiksas keep out

It was Friday afternoon, I had worked until 6pm again and felt really bored with all that... Playing around with my mobile phone on the subway before hitting the bar to have a drink with friends, I tuned in for the daily Times of Israel newsletter and noticed this ad:

Exactly what was needed to catch my attention. My imagination started galloping... why not enter this contest - what's the worst thing that could happen? One year in Israel, working for one of these companies, learning the language, getting a real taste of the culture (so I'd actually know what I'm talking about here), and a perfect getaway and wake-up call from the ever-so-dull routine I have developed back home. I could rent out my apartment for one year, no biggie, and IBM, KPMG or the likes of them would not look bad on my resumé either.

Before I texted "let's try this out!!!" to my Finnish friend who is an Israel fan, I started reading the details of the contest. My enthusiasm took a nose-dive from 100 to 0, when the rules for the contestants were:

• Must be Jewish or of Jewish descent.
• Must be a citizen of the US or Canada.

My first reaction was that this is discrimination - something I'm not really used when living in Finland and belonging to the boring majority of people here. "This is my Israel"? More like that is their Israel, shiksas from the 236th tribe keep out. Landing a dream job in Israel is not for you.

Then I started thinking that the newspaper and newsletter are probably not really targeted to the likes of me to begin with. That ad was never meant for my eyes to be seen and to be misunderstood that it is not for everybody but concerns North American Jews who are thinking of aliyah.

Well, never mind, it was not meant to be. After a mojito and catching up with friends, things didn't seem so grim after all. There are other dreams and jobs out there.

(View the contest here.)