By Mark Mietkiewicz, JTNews Columnist
Hanukkah is less than a week away, but you can still shop for the best that Israel has to offer while helping the Israeli economy at the same time. The Internet is like having an Israeli mall at your fingertips. And like any first trip to a massive mall, the experience can be a bit overwhelming. Today, a guide to shopping Israel on the Web.
Please note that shopping via the Internet can be quick, easy and enjoyable. But you should always take a few precautions. Any page asking for credit card or other private information should be “secure” — that is, it should have a web address that begins with https://. And if you are still nervous about ordering through the Internet, you can always try shopping by fax, phone or mail. Always note duty and shipping costs and the Web site’s privacy and return policies.
If you still have any doubts, ask the business for references. And don’t be afraid to comparison shop. That same book or coin or CD may be offered by several online retailers at different prices. You can read more tips for safe shopping online in one of my previous columns [tinyurl.com/2b94vg].
I have not had commercial dealings with the sites mentioned in this column, so my mention of a site should not be interpreted as an endorsement.
Where to start? Several Web sites have done the work for you and scoured the Web to identify Israeli sites that ship abroad. These virtual malls are actually huge sites that carry many products from several retailers. At Israeli Wishes, you’ll find an assortment of Elite Chocolate, kosher spices and children’s videos. And if you have someone special in Israel, you can send them flowers or a blueberry cheesecake [israeliwishes.com].
While over at the Judaica web store, you can purchase etrog boxes, computer software, and, for a relaxing bath, AHAVA Dead Sea products [judaicawebstore.com]. Over at Shop in Israel, you’ll find links to dozens of sites that sell food, wine, honey and non-edible treats, too [shopinisrael.com].
When you’re done with the malls, don’t forget to visit some of the smaller sites run by local businesses. The Farkash Gallery, for example, is a lovely art gallery located in the old city of Jaffa. In addition to works by Israeli artists, Farkash carries rare Judaica and wonderful old photographs of Israel. If you’re not planning a trip to Jaffa in the near future, you can still marvel at their online exhibit of historic Israeli political, military and tourism posters. They give a taste of Israel’s early years that you’ll never see in any history textbook [farkash-gallery.com].
Visitors to Tel Aviv will be familiar with Sheinkin Street, a vibrant area bursting with shops and galleries. The Sheinkin Street Web site tries to duplicate that experience by creating a community of online shops for the dozens of merchants who make their home on the real Sheinkin Street. Even if you just prefer to virtual window shop, the site has plenty of information about this neighborhood and biographies about the people behind the historic street names you’ll find in this community. [tinyurl.com/2zvbmd].
No online shopping spree would be complete without a visit to eBay. Did you know that you can configure eBay to only display products that come from Israel? When I took a look, there were almost 120,000 items from Israel on sale or auction. And there’s quite a range: from an autograph of the late Shmuel Tamir, member of the Irgun and then Minister of Justice under Menachem Begin ($12.24 bid when I last checked) to a massive sterling silver synagogue model crafted by the “hands of five masters” — which took more than seven months to complete. ($38,828.40 bid).
(Note: While many of the eBay items from Israel have Jewish and Israeli historical significance, others are just run-of-the-mill items you could find anywhere on eBay.)
Do you have a friend or relative celebrating a simcha in Israel, or maybe someone who just needs cheering up? You can send them a lovely floral arrangement. Compare what
Israel-Flowers [tinyurl.com/2wffmb],
Israel Flowers [israelflowers.co.il] or the 30 other florists listed on the Maven Web site can arrange for you [tinyurl.com/27o7xp]. And here’s a gift idea for someone in Israel whom you don’t know. Through the DashCham (“warm regards”) site, you can send a soldiers a “sweet and savory nosh plus a Cup-A-Soup and fruit juice” to tell them you are thinking of them [tinyurl.com/yvo4ar].
For more large and small retailers, check out the links at Maven Shopping section [mavensearch.com/shopping] and Jacob Richman’s Buy Blue and White site [tinyurl.com/2s6f6r].
No Israeli shopping trip is complete without a visit to the shouk… and try as you might, we’ve found you just can’t simulate the market experience online. So we’ll have to finish our Web-based spree with a vicarious visit to Tel Aviv’s Shouk HaCarmel, where we can watch one visitor try to outsmart the experts on how to bargain for a T-shirt [tinyurl.com/3yogwl]. Or just sit back and enjoy the sights, sounds and maybe even the smells of Jerusalem’s marvelous Machaneh Yehuda [tinyurl.com/2ojsvp].
Happy shopping!
Mark Mietkiewicz is a Toronto-based Internet producer who writes, lectures and teaches about the Jewish Internet. He can be reached at highway@rogers.com.