TIMES OF ISRAEL
by Debra Kamin
July 10, 2014
When the first sirens of the day wailed through Tel Aviv Thursday morning a few minutes before 8 a.m., a number of Tel Avivians were still in bed. This is, after all, the city of bohemians – the laid-back enclave of waiters, actors and start-up dreamers – and for many, the days start late.
After they had scurried into their bomb shelters and counted four very loud booms from Iron Dome interceptions, however, Tel Aviv’s denizens returned to doing what they do best. Within minutes, the sidewalk cafes were full of diners ordering Israeli breakfast, the buses were chugging down the boulevards and the city’s coffee kiosks had lines of bleary-eyed patrons waiting patiently for their lattes and croissants.
Here in Tel Aviv, the city often referred to as “The Bubble” because of its insulation from so much of the ugliness of Israel, the atmosphere is deflated but not popped.
“The mood in Tel Aviv is great,” says Riki Shemesh, an Israeli expat currently living in Hong Kong who arrived in Israel for a visit on Monday. “I can’t say it couldn’t be better, because of course it could be. But we are looking for peace, we are very confident to be in our land, and we are very sorry for how Hamas is reacting.” Shemesh was enjoying lunch with her two daughters at Café Xoho, a sweet establishment popular with expats that is tucked onto a side street between the city’s upscale shopping boulevards of Dizengoff Street and Ben Yehuda. On most days during the lunch rush, Xoho is packed to capacity, with diners spilling out of its shabby-chic storefront onto the shady covered patio. This week, however, while business has been steady, owner Xoli Ormut-Durbin says she has definitely felt a slowdown.
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