Nationally, this is probably the strangest week in the year, squeezing in both Memorial Day and Independence Day.
For the benefit of non-Israelis living here, here’s a recap of the next 48 hours in Israel:
Today (Sunday), we begin the saddest day of the year, Memorial Day. Nothing like the American version, this one is even sadder than Holocaust Day. Expect Israelis to be moody this evening and through out the day tomorrow. Be prepared for the air raid sirens to go twice: once in about three hours (8 PM, Sunday evening) and then again tomorrow, for two minutes, at 11 AM. Also, nothing open tonight – no movies, restaurants, or any kind of “fun” things open. Tomorrow morning – same deal – with about a million and a half Israelis expected to visit the military cemeteries.
Monday Evening – after a long day of mourning, Independence Day begins. It’s party time! Pretty much every town and city has several “stages” where you get free music, dancing, shows and of course, fireworks! Tuesday is a national holiday, but since it’s not a religious holiday, you get public transportation for a change, and things are open, except for some businesses shutting down, so that people can go celebrate with their families. The national Independence Day pastime is BBQ, or “Mangal”, so expect to smell lots of burning meat.
After that it’s back to normal. For the country that is. For me, personally, it’s the final countdown till our big US road trip, which begins next Monday!
Liam Raz – the last one to enter the villa, Liam opens my list. She’s 27, from Haifa, and is both beautiful and apparently very intelligent (any 
Sivan Avrahami – another bright student, this one was nicknamed “The Brain” by the show hosts. At the age of 26, she is a third-year student (and lab worker) of neuroscience in Bar-Ilan university. She served in several roles in the IDF, the last one being a computers officer. While she’s definitely brainy, she claims her main asset is her good looks (I won’t translate the word she actually used – keeping this blog family-friendly). To me, she seems way too thin, and I know I’m not the only one to suspect an eating disorder there. She has set a new Israeli record, having kissed both a woman and a man on the show, all in the first 48 hours in the show. And, no, these were not “friendly” kisses.
Sivan Dror – the other Sivan on the show has an interesting life story. She started life in a religious family and was married to a religious man right after her military service. A month later she was pregnant. She then decided she wants to experience more of life, got divorced before having the baby, and set out on her own. She raises her girl as a single Mom and in the past few years has finished her degree in English Literature, with some Gender Studies thrown in. She now works as a copywriter in Haifa, where she lives with her kid. Quite a lot for a 28 years old woman. She’s also beautiful with amazing green eyes, and I suspect her romantic scope in the villa (and out of it) isn’t limited to the men of the house.
Dana Ron – A 38 years old mother of two boys (both around 20 years of age themselves) from Tel Aviv. She is confident, somewhat aggressive and works as a wedding producer. She looks great, with a figure younger women can only envy, and from what I’m reading, that is silicone there (I’m not younger than her, but envious, obviously!) To me she looks just like Judy-Nir Moses with black hair (possibly the same nosejob?) While she has her fans, I have a feeling she’s too “cold” to win a lot of public support in Israel.
Lihi Griner – I think this is what you call a JAP? She’s from Los Angeles, born to Israeli parents, so she does speak Hebrew (necessary on Israeli Big Brother), but often throws in words in English. She seems a bit obsessed about getting married, and she kept talking about her engagement as her life achievement. I was more impressed with her being a business owner, dealing with bail bonds of all things.
Noffar Mor – One of the younger participants, at 22 years old, she’s a fairly assertive and opinionated. Proud of her Iranian heritage, she’s from Tel Aviv and works as a doorwoman/selector/hostess in various Tel Aviv clubs. Her military service was away from home, in the Air Force base in Mitzpe Ramon. She’s proving to be quite popular on the show, making friends among the tenants, and winning hearts outside the house.
Frieda Hecht – my favorite tenant so far, Frieda is one of the older ones in the villa and comes with a fascinating life story. At this phase of her life, she’s a restaurant owner and a cook, living with her wife (yes, her wife) and their dog. She’s also the mother of an older kid. In her past, she’s worked as a truck driver, a builder, a building contractor and a variety of other “manly” jobs across the globe. Twelve years ago, she became a heroine addict, and to finance her addiction, she became a drug dealer as well. She recovered and has been clean for almost a decade. Quite the character, no doubt. So far, she appears to be one of the kindest, most compassionate and easy-going tenants.
Rinat and Shiran Guitar – they entered the villa together, and they are virtually indistinguishable, so these identical twins get one entry in my blog post. They’re young, pretty, energetic and, well… young? One of them served in the military in the homefront command, while the other one was told the IDF has enough women soldiers for the year, so she’s discharged. At the age of 21, it seems like what they like most is music, clothes, giggles and each other.
