"Achla Jude!"

On Thursday evening in Tel Aviv, Paul McCartney delivered a message that this part of the world sorely needs: “Give Peace A Chance.” Forty-three year after the Beatles were banned from performing in Israel, I was lucky to be amongst the 50,000 fans in HaYarkon Park who witnessed Sir Paul’s debut in the Holy Land. It was amazing to be part of such an historical event, and, as you’ll see below, there’s nothing like watching such a huge crowd of people repeat one simple line of lyrics that holds a world of significance (please note that this is my first attempt at video blogging, so feel free to let me know if you have trouble seeing any of the footage):

Paul made his own attempt to "Give Peace a Chance" by diplomatically wishing the audience both a “Shana Tovah” ("Happy New Year" in Hebrew) and a “Ramadan Kareem” (Arabic for "A Generous Ramadan"). This was despite death threats from Muslim extremists, who were angered that Paul’s appearance in Israel suggested that he supported Israel’s status as a Jewish state. The fact that Paul was determined to play the concert made a huge statement in itself, and he even made a sizable attempt to speak in Hebrew – for example, “Hey Jude” became “Achla Jude.” I joked that his Hebrew was better than mine, although Frani, my partner-in-crime for the evening, disagreed. And while we were very happy that "Yesterday" was included amongst the encores, we were slightly disappointed that he didn't translate that into Hebrew as well -- although we realize that "Ehtmol" doesn't have quite as nice a melodic ring to it....

The crowd was extremely diverse – teenagers, senior citizens, families, religious people, Israelis, Americans, Brits, and many, many more. Frani and I were amongst the last fans to actually get seats with a view of the stage, thanks to a lovely miscommunication from Israel’s equivalent of Ticketmaster. The ticketing agent specifically told us that we needed to pick up the tickets in downtown Tel Aviv’s Diezengoff Square before heading over to the park. After waiting on a long line over there, we were told that the tickets had actually been brought over to the park earlier that afternoon – so typical! Because of this, we had to cut short the time we had planned to spend on the beach -- although we did manage to take a quick dip in the warm Mediterranean waters, which was absolutely delightful! And although we feared that the scene at the concert would be extremely chaotic, the Israelis actually had things reasonably under control, in a low-tech sort of way. They sorted the tickets in order of the credit card numbers with which they were purchased without using a single computer -- and despite the obvious heightened security, the entry process here was a million times easier than it was when Bon Jovi played in Central Park this past summer.

The Israelis saved their high-tech prowess for Paul's rendition of "Live and Let Die," which was accompanied by the unbelievable pyrotechnic display you see below:

Not only was the concert completely and totally exhilarating, but it was nice to be able to take a little break from Jerusalem. As my trusty Frommer's guidebook says, "Tel Aviv is everything Jerusalem is not... To an idealistic kibbutznik, an Arab Israeli from Nazareth, or an observant Jew from Jerusalem's Mea Sherim District, the mere mention of Tel Aviv can conjur up an image of Gomorrah in its worst depravity." To me, this sentiment was a welcome relief. In Jerusalem, I get yelled at if I wear shorts during my five minute walk to the gym. In Tel Aviv, Frani and I happily walked the streets in our beachwear and even made a brief stop in a grocery store without anyone saying a word. Tel Aviv is definitely my kind of city, and I look forward to coming back many more times this year -- especially since it's just a quick bus ride away!

That's right -- I almost forgot to mention that I finally got over my "fear" of the buses here -- or at least the intercity routes. The amount of security you need to go through to get into the Jerusalem bus station is equivalent to the screening process in most major US airports, so I feel pretty safe. I can't wait to explore more of this fascinating country, and am eagerly contemplating daytrips to many other Israeli cities!