Northern Star #3

Not only in random buildings in Helsinki, the familiar Magen David can be found in an old Finnish bank's savings box. Länsi-Suomen Osake-Pankki was established in 1912 and merged into other banks in 1929. This means the savings box was made some time between 1912-1929.

Sure, spotting this star in Finland might not have any deeper meaning than just being a star - but I find it funny anyway :-).

Your coins are safe here!

Klezmofobia

Not too long ago, I was visiting a store with my boyfriend that sells all sorts of (unnecessary) low-priced knickknacks for home, parties and what not. I went in to buy a card for a wedding but saw at the cashier a bargain for a CD. Klezmofobia - Kartushnik, it said on the album cover.

Klezmer music, I exclaimed my eyes beaming and quickly picked up a copy to have a closer look. My boyfriend was rolling his eyes and said it wasn't klezmer. "What about these songs then?", I continued insistently, "Verdamte oy vei, Schlomo Ben Avram, Yiddishe Mame... Sounds pretty klezmerish to me!".

And I was right (as usual,you know). After purchasing the CD, at home I finally got - or should I say heard - a glimpse of klezmer music for mere 4,00 EUR. Klezmofobia is a band originating from Denmark, and the group has been together since 2004. They have won various awards in the local country, and Kartushnik is their 3rd album.

I've been meaning to go to a klezmer music jamming session at a cafe in Helsinki for a long time now but something always got in the way. Now, there's a summer break but hopefully they will start up again in autumn.

A little is known about the history of klezmer music. It originates from the Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews, and has taken influence from e.g. Romanian folk music. In late 1800s and early 1900s, a lot of the Jewish immigrants in the US caused klezmer music to form a fusion with jazz.

To me personally, the clarinet is a typical cue that you're tuning into klezmer music. I like how catchy the music is - without knowing it, your tapping to the rhythm with your foot or fingers.

Tune in for Klezmofobia, the band here!

Photo borrowed from klezmofobia.dk

The gay "Marry Me"

It was not a long time ago I wrote here about the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest and Finland's poor success in this merry musical event. But now out of the blue, a parody video of her song has been made - also to reflect a very hot topic currently in Europe related to the title of the song: yes, it's a gay version of Krista's "Marry me"!

Awesome, but what makes it even more awesome, the video was made by an Israeli and a Swiss guy. This is not their first time when using Finland's ESC participants as a source of inspiration - they did a similar video in 2010.

Check out the latest made by the Parody Guys Dekel Ben Avi and Bastien Venturi's and look for glimpses of Helsinki and Tel Aviv! There's no such thing as bad publicity and since 150 volunteers participated in making this video, let's hope this video boosts Krista's success in the upcoming contest! Love is in the air :-)...

PS. Is the onion ring a common joke in Israel? I think I heard it before!

Got to appreciate stereotypes!

Have you ever come across the little book series called Xenophobe's guides? I have, and have two editions - guess which ones? ;-)

The Israeli version I have read through twice, first time last summer. The Finn version I read yesterday for the first time and actually laughed out loud. People on the same airplane turned around to see why I was so noisy (like typical Finns would do).

Usually I am not a big fan of stereotypes, probably because I like to consider myself as a non-typical Finn: I don't like the sauna or summer cottages. I don't go silent in all five languages, I do master smalltalk and use body language and facial expressions when communicating. Even though the Xenophobe's guide to the Finns touches upon these features I don't recognize in myself, the book offered me moments where I had to be honest to myself: alas, this is so true, this is how I am. How spot on.

What about the Israeli one? The great thing about the book is that it actually talks about Israelis - not necessarily pin-pointing Jews. It manages to go where I have not been able to go yet: define what is Israel, who is an Israeli and who is a Jew. Because an Israeli doesn't always equal Jew or Jew an Israeli.

These books are highly recommended reading if you're interested to know about the people in a country. Not where to get good lunch or what are the most important sights, but who make up the country to what is is!

My Seder style dinner

This past week has been important for both Jews and Christians. Passover and Easter coincide this year (again) and Israel has probably been buzzing with tourists, Jerusalem in particular with Christians.

My boyfriend and I were also supposed to go celebrate Passover in Israel this year. But alas, an exam week ruined the plans, so we settled for spending Easter in Helsinki... The grey views, dirty snow, everything closed, much fun.

But then I got this idea, just for the sake of my boyfriend, that since he wasn't able to do the Seder dinner with his family, maybe I could give it a go here in Helsinki.

This all actually started in New York City last June when I bought the below books while visiting the Jewish museum. I don't know why I did it, probably because of pain of a solely Hebrew Haggadah-book was fresh in mind from that year. To take corrective measures, I decided to buy the Hebrew & English version for next time and the museum gift shop keeper was such a good salesman that he sold me the Passover cookbook while at it. He warned me, though, that the recipes are only kosher style. So I guess the whole Seder now in 2013 was doomed to be a bit of kosher style; passover style; Jewish style. Not quite the real thing but something mimicking it, anyway.

Once my boyfriend finally (took a while!) booked his flights here, the real planning started. What do you need to arrange a tiny Passover dinner for two? I started making a to-do list in my mind and some I could cross out immediately...

• Great, the Haggadah I have from New York.
• There's got to be a Seder plate. Without it, it just won't work. Where to get one of those?
• Did the matza have a special plate, too?
• Does Prophet Elijah need a special cup or would a normal one do?
• How in the world do I make my home "kosher for passover"?
• And of course, where to buy the food? 

I decided that Prophet Elijah needs to settle for one of my Iittala Essence wine glasses. I wouldn't be able to arrange the Seder on the right night anyway, and he is probably busy visiting real Jewish homes. So that's going to have to do. What about removing all the leavened food from my home? Please forgive me, but I saw no point of selling all my pots and pans to a goy (ehm, I'm a goy myself). The kitchen I cleaned, I'll give you that, but I won't go on all my fours with a magnifying glass to look for a bread crumb that might or might not be there. I don't keep bread at home anyway.

(Mind you, upon arriving in Helsinki my boyfriend announced he took a loaf of bread from home and brought it here as it would have expired otherwise. So much for the great efforts of getting rid of all the chametz...)

So, let's move on to the plates. A brief thought of stocking up on tiny Iittala Teema plates crossed my mind, but then I thought that would look too hastily put together. I wanted the real thing. There aren't any Judaica stores or museums in Finland, so my best bet was to surf then net. I remembered seeing lots of online store selling anything Jewish, anything from a small star to a massive Menorah. No problem!

But no, wait. All these stores are American web shops. Any purchase above 25€ and I would have to pay customs and VAT and while at it, an arm and a leg. Same goes for all the Israel web shops as it is outside EU purchases.

Plan B then. Google for Jewish online stores in Europe. Thanks to that blessed European Union, I wouldn't have to worry about any customs formalities and paperwork. I found a nice British online store offering all items Jewish, including beautiful Seder plates of glass. A bit pricey, but hey, at least they deliver to EU countries. Just when I was about to place my order, I noticed a warning text in red: glass items won't be shipped outside the UK. And all the Seder plates in their selection were of glass...

Plan C then. Activating the 4th best language I can speak and write, I googled auf Deutsch for jüdisches online Laden. And there was a hit, and boy was it a good one! Judaica4all offered a great selection of products, including Seder plates and this time there were no red warning texts. I found a tray for the matza and some other small items, too, so problem solved. A week later when the items I had purchased arrived in Finland, I had two days of terror with the local post office, as they had handed my parcel to someone totally else! Eize mazal, this person was honest and returned it (unopened) back to the post office, so I could go retrieve it.

So what was left on my list now? Of course, the holy of the holiest in any Jewish holiday... the food. This is touchy, this is the zone and area where shiksas will be beaten to pulp by all the bubbes and Jewish mamas out there. Nothing tastes as good as your mama's cooking - especially if your mama is Jewish! Flashing images of ruining this Jewish holiday for my boyfriend passed before my eyes: mushy matza ball stew instead of a soup and what not...

But there was no other choice but to work with what I've got. A visit to the only Kosher store in Finland, Zaafranco, provided me with a 1kg box of Aviv Matzot, an Osem Matza Ball mix and Israeli honey for the charoset. Bothering relatives, friends of my friends', and lots of googling for easy Passover recipes, I settled for the following dinner menu:

Seder Plate

**

Matza ball soup

**

Oven-baked chicken breast with crunchy Matza meal and almond coating
Oven-baked garlic and onion potatoes

**

Matza brittle
Almond biscuits

Topping this up with five bottles of wine (all of them Kosher for Passover), everything was set for my boyfriend on Friday night. The charoset, Matza brittle, almond biscuits and soup stock I prepared the day before, maror and all the rest on the same day.

And you know what? It all turned out great! I was able to participate by reading some Hebrew parts of the Haggadah. The charoset and maror were tasty, my boyfriend wanted a second round of both the soup and the chicken. The only part we didn't do so well with was the wine - just finished one bottle...

All in all, we had a nice, secluded dinner in great company, blending Jewish tradition in a little bit off-environment. I'm proud of myself that the food turned out to be a success. However, we both agreed that leshana haba'a be Israel because with more people and his mother's unbelievable food (I especially miss the liver), Passover tastes even better! :-)

PS. The next morning, my boyfriend indulged me with Matza brei, an omelet that will keep you feeling full until the evening!

Matza brei, topped with charoset and maror. Great combo, believe it or not!

Goldie Locks' secret

Well, not such a secret any longer. The famous Moroccanoil products have finally taken off in Finland as well, and you can spot them being sold at many hairdressers' and beauty salons. I was introduced to Moroccanoil some time ago when the long, cruel winter had made my locks look dull, dead and dry. To defy these three D's, my hairdresser introduced my hair to Moroccanoil - and it came back alive!

This winter has been extraordinarily long and cruel. It's mid-March, and we still got freezing temperatures and new snow coming in. I decided to opt for Moroccanoil to battle the syndrome of dry hair, and naturally am happy to support these miracle Israeli products meanwhile. The shampoo and conditioner were expensive, but hey, but you get what you pay for. The flagship product, the treatment oil itself, is something even Madonna would take with her to a deserted island!

Find your favorite product at the official website. For where to buy Moroccanoil in Finland, check this page.

Greetings from Israel! We are here to save you from dull & dead hair!

Want more?

Here is a couple of my favorite websites. Topics and news on Israel and Judaism. Just sharing them with you, in case my blog isn't enough, ha ha!

The Times of Israel - my all-you-need-to-know what is going on in Israel. The daily e-mail newsletter keeps me updated. News and mostly other formal stuff. But check out blogger Sarah Tuttle-Singer: she is hilarious but with a point!

Jewcy.com - what ever is going on in the Jewish world, celebs and all, check out this website. Drew Barrymore's life as a shiksa. Jewish celebrities high school yearbook photos ranked. Not your bubbe's recipes section. Subscribe!

Bubala Please - already mentioned this last December. So far four episodes featuring an ethnic variety presenting Jewish stuff. Hell yeah, putos. The latest episode is on Purim - a Jewish holiday that was celebrated this week!

Tundra Tabloits - proud Finnish supporters of Israel and the US. From a political point of view.

Jerusalem Post - catch up on on-going stuff in Israel. Here you also have a possibility to practice your Hebrew reading skills (if you need any).

Judaism 101 - all you could ever need to know about Judaism is crunched into this website. A comprehensive guide for beginners and for the more experienced ones.

The Shiksa Blog - warning, browsing this blog may wake up your kosher appetite! Delicious recipes I intend to try out... one day...!

Divas, monsters and music!

The time of the year is getting closer... Yeah, yeah, yeah! All the countries in Europe are digging into their national talents to find the perfect, unheard, cheesiest euro-trashpop song to bring home gold in the annual Eurovision Song Contest!

Finland has made its choice and goes to Malmö, Sweden this year equipped with Krista Siegfrids, who is desperate for you to marry her. Check out the video below... Can you spot influence from Katy Perry, 80's Madonna, maybe a dash of Carly Rae Jepsen? I actually quite like it!

Finland has won the Eurovision Song Contest just once since joining in 1961. It happened in 2006 in Athens, when don't-ask-me-where-they-came-from Lordi won the contest with back then records points. Hard Rock Hallelujah rocked Europe and found its way to my iPod, too. I remember that night well when I was in a nightclub and towards the end of the contest, the DJ stopped playing, people stopped dancing, someone turned up the TVs, people gathered around the screens to stare in awe and amazement - is this really happening? It did - and needless to say Hard Rock Hallelujah was played non-stop for the remainder of the night. Never ever had Finland received douze points from so many countries!

Israel has been a bit more successful that Finland in this musical battlefield. They joined the contest in 1973, and have won a total of three times. The most memorable one of the winners is by far Dana International with his her Diva performance in 1998. The 70's were Israel's golden era though when they won twice in a row.

Finland has many years been very confident about succeeding in the contest, but more often than that we've come in last place, sometimes missing qualification and next year's contest even. Those with the money are always in (the UK, Spain, Germany and France) and those with good neighbors are guaranteed with success. Yes, certain blocks for voting have been formed - and Finland is highly discriminated in its own block. The other Nordic countries rarely vote for us, even though we quite diligently always remember to grant at least Sweden some points. For example, Greece and Cyprus can rely on each other, Ireland and the UK favor one another and the Warsaw pact (Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia) always pull through for each other.

Despite the contest being called Eurovision, many non-European countries participate. Israel is a good example of this. I have not noticed Israel belonging to any voting block, so, maybe Israel and Finland should establish one? The Edge Countries Axis? :-)

If you are bored...

...do not watch the video behind this link. The anonymous Bar Refaeli reporter fan at IltaSanomat (a Finnish daily newspaper) is back again with pointless news on the supermodel, this time publishing a candid video of the Israeli girl practicing snowboarding. And of course mentioning how many people would probably love to switch places with Bar's teacher. Awww. :)

Watch this space...

Hilarious! Bubala bubbling under... the next big comedy hit?

  Bubala Please!

Spinning and winning!

Anyone who has watched the TV series Sex and the City too many times, might remember a song that went like this...

...Oh dreidel dreidel dreidel

I made it out of clay

Oh dreidel dreidel dreidel

The dreidel shall I play...

Taking a little jump start to Chanukah, a while ago I played with the dreidel for the first time ever. I was playing against a very experienced opponent - someone who has celebrated Chanukah every year of his life. And me? Never.

Neither of us (!!), however, knew the rules to this game. Thanks to my Dreidel App, it didn't take much time to figure out how the game works. Dreidel is a spinning top with rectangular edges. Each side of the four sides is equipped with letters (gimel, hei, shin and nun) belonging to the Hebrew alphabet. The words they mean come from Yiddish.

all = ganz = ג 

half = halb = ה

put in = shtel arayn = ש

nothing = nisht = נ

  

Each player gets a certain amount of game tokens, which can be e.g. coins or raisins. We used jellybeans. A game pot is created by each player putting a token in the middle of the table - and then the spinning begins... Depending on the letter you end up with on your turn, you either get all that is in the pot, half of it, add one token to the pot or get nothing.

Trust me, the game can go on for a while. But it was fun! Who could have believed that two nearly 30-year-olds would spend a Monday evening playing with this little simple toy. My wooden dreidel was in heavy use to find who's the winner - and it was me who lost both rounds. Next time around, now that I have learnt professional techniques like spinning the dreidel upside down, my goal is to clean the pot.

Mobile phone gone meshuga!

Whoops, where did the time go? We are nearly in the middle of November already and the Gregorian calendar year is reaching its end sooner than you would think.

I was in Holland last weekend, meeting up with my sweetheart once again. While he was busy working on some essays to write, I took the time to explore my outdated and much mocked Nokia Lumia 710 with the Windows 7 operating system.

It hadn't occurred to me before that "Marketplace" is equal to "AppStore" on the Windows phone. And behold - what a new world of applications opened in front of my eyes! Some people have taken the time and effort to create even Jewish apps. Talking about creating marginal products to a marginal phone :).

It was only a matter of minutes until my phone was all jewed-up:

• I can now revise the Hebrew alphabet with the help of this smart phone.
• Check which date and month it is in the Jewish calendar.
• There's also an app to support Hebrew vocabulary learning.
• A Hebrew keyboard to enhance my typing skills - although the sms-function flips the letters then to go from left to right...
• A Shofar app (and I know just the person who I could annoy the crap out of by playing the sound non-stop...).
• Kosher or Not app whenever I wonder if e.g. elk meat is good to go for Jews.
• A Hanukkiah app that kindly reminds of an exact date when candles can be started to lit - in the smart phone.
• And last but least - the Dreidel Premium! Just tap the screen and find out if you get everything or nothing...

All these apps for instance were totally free, and there's more, like Jerusalem or Tel Aviv city guides. If you're willing to chip in a euro or two, the variety to choose from is even bigger. Suddenly, my phone is like all new and exciting again, and I only dare to imagine the selection for this kind of apps for the masses on iTunes!

(www.windowsphone.com)

Is it time for a break...

...when your tortilla chips start looking like this?

And this WAS by accident.

Don't be so Finnish!

I nearly rolled on the floor laughing when reading this status update posted on the FB site of the Israeli falafel place Fafa's in Helsinki. This is so true:

"Fafa's People, I heard that sometimes when you ask for chili the stuff at Fafa's forget to put or put too little. Please please..Dont be so Finnish. go back and ask them to add or add more or even ask for it on the side. The pita's should be done and taste just as you want it. and then you people go to facebook or emailing me about it. If it happens to you again I think that this is the best solution. I cant change my stuff brains : ) ASK FOR CHILI IF YOU LIKE CHILI AND MAKE SURE YOU GET CHILI!"

Damn right! If you need or want something, open your mouth and ask (or demand!) for it. It's rarely someone can read your mind.

Tradition, religion, love

Tipped the all-time favorite musical in Finland, this weekend I went to see ”Fiddler on the Roof”. Since the musical hasn't been performed on a big stage for a while, the shows have been mostly sold out since the premiere in August this year.

I had not seen it before and didn't actually know much about the story, but the main themes are surprisingly enough tradition, religion and love. Placed in a small village in the Ukraine in early 1900s, the musical gives you a window to the life and days of a Jewish community. Tevye is a poor milkman with wife and five daughters, out of which three are approaching the age to get married. The musical starts off with a song called ”Tradition” - the father's plans are to find husbands to the girls through the village's matchmaker. Needless to say, not everything goes according to his plans or tradition. Instead of finding a wealthy, nice Jewish boy, the hubbies turn out to be poor, revolutionary or... goy.

Act I is wonderful fireworks of witty comedic dialogue/monologue and interesting portraits of Jewish traditions and habits. Preparing for shabbat, references to the Holy Book, kippahs, tzitzit, tallit and of course a very fun Jewish wedding full of dance and happiness. The wedding party, though, is bluntly interrupted and ruined by Russian officials making a demonstration.

Act II then continues with the gloominess of how the wedding party ended. New loves are found and traditions are being challenged again. But sadly, the expelling of Jews from villages in Ukraine continues and even the people you have got to know through this story need to leave Anatevka, the village they for such a long time have called home. Some head for America, some for Poland. The widowed matchmaker does what is said every year during Pesach - next year in Jerusalem – and sets her course towards Israel. The lively, lovely village seen in act I is now empty. To emphasize this, the director had added his own touch to the ending scene: Tevye sings in three languages Eli, Eli lomo azavtoni (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me).

I naturally then started thinking what happens to everyone. The story has kind of a sequel called "Rags" (1986), but it never became as popular as its predecessor. And why is the story called ”Fiddler on the Roof”? As misleading the title could be, the fiddler isn't in any particular role but used as a metaphor how life in the village is as challenging as playing a violin while balancing on a roof.

This musical has been popular throughout the years, and I think not only it is because of its timeless sarcasm and humor, the topic still applies to date. Even if the problems dealt with in the musical aren't exactly the same anymore, the underlying factors remain similar: our world keeps changing, and we, as parents, daughters, Jews or Christians, eventually need to change and adapt to it.

In addition to that, it was interesting to see a Finnish intrepetation of Jewish culture, holidays and traditions instead of only always seeing them in Hollywood movies. Who would have thought that l'chaim and mazel tov would so cheerfully echo in a dimming autumn evening in Finland :).

And now a little word from my sponsor...

Cartoons and 110 magnet letters - isn't it fun and easy learning a new language and culture? :)

It's Jerusalem time

A small, funny tidbit from today...

Numerous Finnish Nokia Lumia mobile phones automatically migrated to the Jerusalem timezone this weekend as Israel turned clocks. The phones displayed the time one hour behind real Finnish time, and claimed to be in the UTC+02 Jerusalem timezone.

Up until this evening, the phenomenon has only occurred in Finland and the reason for the automated update has not been figured out.

Maybe all roads lead to Zion and not Rome - after all? :)

Read the original article (in Finnish): Lumiat lähtivät Jerusalemin aikavyöhykkeelle.

High five!

For those unfamiliar with the Israeli culture, you might be wondering what the heck is that weird hand necklace doing as the welcoming image of this blog. No, it is not there to stop you. And no, I don't want you to talk to the hand.

But it didn't get there by accident, though. The hand (hamsa) and I (shiksa) have one thing in common: we have absolutely nothing to do with Judaism. However, the common things stop there: the hand is a righty, I am a lefty.

Hamsa is derived from the word meaning five in Arabic (and also in Hebrew: hamesh, no?). Very logical, since a hand usually has five fingers. It can also be referred to as the hand of Miriam (Moses' sister), Mary (the virgin) or Fatima (Muhammad's daughter) - depending on whom you ask. Seems like everybody wants to hold that hand close to their beliefs.

The symbol of the hand is believed to protect its bearer from the evil eye and generally bring you good luck and give power. So it may come very handy during times of despair. In Israel you can see it everywhere, everything from jewellery to car air fresheners. And even though it has nothing official to do with Judaism, it has become very popular among the people.

I have three hamsas in my possession: one you see on top of this page and this is the one I hold most dear to me. The other two are below and are more common hands-on examples of the use of the hamsa.

A keyring from Eilat. On the backside, it has the prayer for travelers.

A poster I bought online in 2010. When I purchased my own place, I got a strange urge - if not an obsession - to get myself a hamsa poster to keep my home safe. Later I came to realize also the other symbolism the poster features.

The Hollywood Stars (of David)

I share a passion for movies. I used to work at a video rental store during my college years (and a little after that) and developed quite an addiction to watching plenty of movie weekly.

One day I started wondering what would the American movie or TV industry be without Jews. And well quite frankly, the answer is it wouldn't be much! Without the Jewish pioneers who knows what Hollywood would be like today. All major movie studios were founded by Jews (Warner, Universal, Paramount...) and they are the corner stone of Tinsel Town.

This is probably why there are often many Jewish references in the American movies or TV shows and well, they have teached me a thing or two. Movie weddings often are Jewish (that's where I learnt mazel tov and Hava Nagila!). In The O.C., the Cohens celebrated Christmukkah. Ross from Friends explains his son Ben about the Maccabis. And who could forget about the endlessly endearing Charlotte York from Sex and the City? She went through a lot of trouble to make three perfect matzoballs (and then some) and convert to Judaism so she could marry the man of her dreams.

Woody Allen has given the artsy movie lovers a lot to see. Steven Spielberg is behind of many famous movie titles. Sarah Jessica Parker has practically defined a whole generation of single women around the world. And let's not forget about the truly funny ones: Adam Sandler, Fran "The Nanny" Drescher, Seth Rogen, Ben Stiller, Rob Schneider... the list just goes on. 

So withouth me mentioning every name here, check out this website for Jewish actors. Your favorite one may very well be mentioned there.

(topnews.in)

Dear Mr. Sandler, 

if you're reading this please recruit me as an extra in your next flick!

Always on a Finn's mind: Bar

I often like to amuse myself by reading news that do not contribute to the world in any significant way. Did Jennifer Aniston go under the plastic surgeon's knife? Who is Katie Holmes' new mystery man? This knowledge does not make me any wiser but it surely is a nice way to unwind after work. And so every now and then, I also run into a bar after work - Bar Refaeli that is.

She is Israel's gift to the catwalk and fashion maganize covers. Even though she's blonde with blue eyes (and Finland is full of these), there is an exotic look to her. She is completely au naturel, if you don't count in the history of using braces. Even I must admit she is breathtakingly gorgeous, beating any of your shiksa goddesses hamsas down. Her first name causes some slight amusement, though - does she by any chance have a little sister called Pub?

Bar Refaeli is not up to anything scandalious lately, yet a local daily newspaper quite often writes about her. ”People with heart condition watch out – Bar Refaeli does hot bikini pics” or ”Bar Refaeli playing tennis in underwear”. As these news articles are more about pictures than actual text, I am beginning to believe we have a Bar fan at the newsroom of Ilta-Sanomat.

In Israel there seems to be somewhat mixed feelings towards Bar but here in the North she's seen for exactly what she is: a gorgeous looking girl.

(askmen.com)

Bars in Israel look far better than in Finland!

(iguana.fi)