Main page | December 15, 2006 »

I'm granted citizenship

"Are you a new immigrant?" the librarian asks, noting my American accent and tentative Hebrew. "There's a lower fee if you are."

" No," I answer. "I only here will live nine months…."

"Ok, Ok." The librarian flaps her left hand to shush me as she writes olah chadasha (new immigrant) on my library card application form.

After this interview, I pay the lower fee at the post office (where else?), and return the receipt to the librarian who enters my information into the computer.

"Have you received your Israeli ID number yet?" she asks.

"I no have number. I only here will live nine months…." I explain again.

She flaps her hand again, thus granting me the privilege of citizenship in this small, Jerusalem community library.

My local library.

My street with a view.

Posted by Ilene Weismehl  at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments 0