It's been 30 years since my first visit to Israel. This is my 8th trip here.
On my first visit, Israel was a rough place. Basic amenities were clearly 2nd class.
No longer.
Anyone who has seen the new Tel Aviv airport knows that.
But, even that is old news.
Where I have noticed a bigger than expected change is in customer service.
Yes, customer service.
For those of you unfamiliar with Israel, let's just say this...Israel and customer service have, historically, complemented each other as well as peanut butter and anchovies.
You're with me, right?
Well, and I realize it's still early in the trip (and yes, maybe I am in more 'tourist-y' places), but I have to say, I am impressed.
- I am seeing smiles.
- Unsolicited offers of help.
- Patience (ok, some)
I don't know how widespread this is yet (will certainly investigate), but it did catch me off guard.
Update: had another moment in a less 'touristy' place. We had used our credit card to enter a parking garage at a mall and when we left, the machine wasn't working. After waiting for 8-10 minutes for them to reboot the computer or whatever, I finally said to the attendant, "hey, I've got 3 kids in the car here. We've been waiting for a while, can you just let me out?"
And he did.