In Arad It's Columbo the Hummus Guy

The food truck is huge. It's in the parking lot across from Arad's central town mikve (a pool used for Jewish ritual purity) and it stands in a spot where you have no choice but to either cut a wide swathe to avoid it, or step right up and say hello. 

But it's only there on Friday mornings and Itzhak, the "Hummus Guy" extraordinaire, only accepts petitioners for his fare from 10 am to 1 pm sharp. At 1:01 pm he closes up shop and whisks his truck away in order to reach his home in time to complete his own preparations for the holy Sabbath.

I've never figured out why he calls this thing "Colombo" and I've never quite dared to ask.

There isn't one guy in the religious community who doesn't know about this truck and every single one sings his praises. It's not hard to see why. 

First, there's the food, dished up just at the right temperature with huge portions, made there fresh on the spot, and of outstanding quality.  A Yemenite mother would smile with joy to see a son cook like that. In fact, I bet she does. I think Itzhak is probably Yemenite.

But the guy also knows things. 

"Hey -- I went to the doctor but that medicine he gave me was worthless. What did you tell me to do with that rash?"  A man behind me was asking Itzhak about the herbs he had told him to get last Friday, but he had dallied and deferred to allopathic methods. Now he was back to ask The Wise Man. 

Itzhak was patient. He went over the advice again, sketching out what the man had to do, how he had to boil the herbs, the kind of  poultice to prepare, and what he was to drink as well. He also gave him his phone number in case there was questions. No fee. 

It took a few minutes to prepare my hummus because he had to take the cooked chickpeas warm from the oven and grind them fresh there on the spot. I didn't mind waiting. 

He also gave me a free container of 'ful, because it was leftover and "it's a sin to waste." It's a Middle Eastern concoction of beans that is ladeled on to warm hummus with lemon and garlic. If you have never tried it, you do not know what true life is all about. Eat it with warm pita. Slowly.  

Was I sure I had enough money with me?  If not, he would wait till next week.  And in case I was too busy with my other cooking to get there in time, I could always call and he would send it to me by delivery. He gave me a little flyer with his number and the offerings.

This week, in fact, that is exactly what happened.  With only an hour to go till Itzhak would close up shop, I knew I would never make it.

I called him.  "Sure, sure. No problem. But can you call me back in a few minutes?  No wait -- what did you need?"

I told him. 

"Okay great. Give me your address.  I don't have time to take the card info now. There are people here. They need to eat. I'll take it next week. Don't worry. I'll just send the food. You'll give it to me next week or next time. It's fine. Shabbat shalom!"

He hung up. Politely.

The food arrived in record time.

Can you imagine anyone sending food without making sure you paid them in New York?

Welcome to Israel.

Assassination Attempt Fails to Kill Israeli Ambassador to Jordan

Terrorists failed in their attempt Thursday afternoon to assassinate Israel's ambassador to Jordan, Danny Nevo when they targeted an Israeli diplomatic convoy heading for the Allenby crossing. The ambassador was not in his car at the time of the bombing, nor was anyone else injured in the attack, according to a statement by Israel's foreign ministry.

IDF Army Radio reported the convoy was approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the crossing when the roadside bombs were detonated, both by remote control, as the cars passed. The timing was apparently just slightly off, enough to have missed seriously damaging the vehicles.

The convoy headed for a Jordanian army base following the attack. Authorities blocked roads and threw a dragnet around the area while soldiers conducted an intensive search for the perpetrators. Firefighters, police officers and a number of ambulances were also sent to the scene.

Both Jordanian and Israeli security personnel are investigating the incident. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Jordan is home to a large Palestinian population, most of whom vehemently oppose the Hashemite Kingdom's peaceful relations with its Jewish neighbor, despite the formal peace accord signed between the two countries in 1994. Egypt, the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel, preceded Jordan by venturing into the diplomatic arena some 20 years earlier.

According to an Israeli official who spoke with the AFP news agency in Amman by telephone, "The embassy convoy left Amman and was heading for the Hussein Bridge when the blast occurred." The diplomat was referring to the Allenby Bridge crossing that links Israel with Jordan, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Amman.

Jordanian officials issued a similar statement to Fox TV News. "An explosive device exploded on the side of the road leading to the Jordan Valley," said Jordanian Information Minister Nabil Sharif. "This happened as some civilian vehicles were passing by, including two Israeli diplomatic cars. There were no injuries, and authorities have launched an investigation."

It is not uncommon for Israeli personnel to head back across the border for the weekend, which in Jordan begins on Thursday evenings, (Friday is the Islamic Sabbath day), with the work week resuming on Sunday morning. The schedule is somewhat similar to that in Israel, where the weekend starts Friday afternoon -- the Jewish Sabbath begins Friday evening and ends Saturday after sunset. Israel's work week also resumes on Sunday.