![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.reunion68.com\/Biuletyn\/img\/jns-1.png\")
<\/a>Jewish strangers on a train<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nRuthie Blum<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n . The train from Jerusalem to Herzliya hums steadily along the tracks. It\u2019s full, as usual, for this time of day in the middle of the week.<\/span><\/p>\n Voices mingle with the whir of the wheels. A mixture of languages\u2014Hebrew, English, Russian\u2014meld with universal sighs of weary commuters wishing to reach their destination before sundown.<\/span><\/p>\n Suddenly, a minyan<\/em> (public prayer quorum) of 10 men rises, almost simultaneously. One stands, calling out the afternoon prayer, his Yemenite accent ringing clear above the din. The others follow his lead.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a tall, blond tourist with a thick beard who boarded at Ben-Gurion International Airport, luggage in tow. His faded jeans hang as loosely as his tzitzit<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n Beside him is a clean-shaven local with olive skin in a crisp white shirt and black pants, wearing a dark velvet kippah<\/em>. He\u2019s holding a siddur<\/em>. The rest read the text on their electronic devices.<\/span><\/p>\n The words of Mincha, the afternoon prayer, followed by Selichot\u2014the penitential prayers recited ahead of the High Holidays\u2014fill the car, soft yet commanding. Strangers mumbling in chaotic unison. <\/span><\/p>\n When they finish, they nod, smile and shake hands. The leader sits down again and phones his office. Holy duty behind him, he tends to his real-estate business without skipping a beat \u2026 or minding that his conversation\u2019s being heard by eavesdroppers.<\/span><\/p>\n Across the aisle, a young female Israel Defense Forces officer with a rifle nestled between her shoulder and lap barely notices. She takes Jews for granted.<\/span><\/p>\n Anyway, she\u2019s busy texting her boyfriend to find out if he\u2019s been called up yet again to fight in Gaza. Her long pink nails\u2014the hue of her furry cellphone cover\u2014click furiously on the screen.<\/span><\/p>\n A mother nearby leans close to her son. The 9-year-old (she mentioned his age) was fidgeting about his audition for a TV show that evening. She glances nervously at her watch; they\u2019re running late. She calls his agent to announce the delay, then asks a passenger for directions to a certain address in Tel Aviv.<\/span><\/p>\n He looks it up for her on the Moovit app, adding a few tips of his own. She responds by declaring that she can\u2019t stand Tel Aviv.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s too noisy and dirty,\u201d she says, revealing that she lives in Haifa.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt least Tel Aviv doesn\u2019t have all those oppressive hills,\u201d he retorts. They laugh and shrug, agreeing that traffic is terrible everywhere today, in any case. Anti-government protesters are blocking the highways again.<\/span><\/p>\n By the doors, a young couple stands guard over their electric bikes. They\u2019re arguing about Egypt. And Washington. And whether the demonstrations are helping or harming the hostages. Their tones rise and fall, frustration infused with flirty familiarity.<\/span><\/p>\n Three boomers with gray braids pass the pair, their Israeli flags sticking awkwardly out of backpacks and under arms. They\u2019re heading to Hostages Square outside of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.<\/span><\/p>\n The train halts between stations. The conductor apologizes over the loudspeaker for the mishap.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIs this because of the protests?\u201d an elderly man inquires of nobody in particular.<\/span><\/p>\n A woman with a small dog on a leash shakes her head. \u201cNo, no,\u201d she answers. \u201cIt\u2019s probably due to the electrical failure last week.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou mean because of the heat wave or the Houthi missile attack?\u201d he wonders aloud.<\/span><\/p>\n The train resumes moving. Relief, like camaraderie, is palpable.<\/span><\/p>\n Nothing remarkable. And everything. A snapshot of the Israel I love.<\/span><\/p>\n Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion’68,<\/em> Jewish strangers on a train Ruthie Blum A snapshot of the Israel I love. . Passengers at the Israel Railways station in Tel Aviv, Aug. 25, 2025. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni\/Flash90. The train from Jerusalem to Herzliya hums steadily along the tracks. It\u2019s full, as usual, for this time of day in the middle of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[33,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123922"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=123922"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123944,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123922\/revisions\/123944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=123922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=123922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=123922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nA snapshot of the Israel I love.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n![](\"https:\/\/me.jnsi.org\/uploads\/2025\/08\/F250825AVS017-1320x880.jpg\")
Passengers at the Israel Railways station in Tel Aviv, Aug. 25, 2025. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni\/Flash90.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
\n![](\"https:\/\/me.jnsi.org\/uploads\/2024\/12\/RuthieJNS-123-of-191-scaled-e1733158536541-480x480.jpg\")
<\/span>Ruthie Blum<\/strong>, a former adviser at the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is an award-winning columnist and a senior contributing editor at JNS. Co-host with Ambassador Mark Regev of the JNS-TV podcast \u201cIsrael Undiplomatic,\u201d she writes on Israeli politics and U.S.-Israel relations. Originally from New York, she moved to Israel in 1977. She is a regular guest on national and international media outlets, including Fox, Sky News, i24News, Scripps, ILTV, WION and Newsmax.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion’68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.
\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:
\n<\/em>webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"