Due to the high standard of living, there are practically no thrift stores in Israel.
In wealthy neighborhoods of the city, for example in Ramot, people do not throw things away but instead wash and iron them, put them in bags by the bins, or simply leave them on the street. Here you can often find things that you wouldn't find in stores. Because of the high standard of living, there are practically no thrift stores in Israel. So if a person buys something and it doesn't suit them, they just throw it away. In the trash you can find paintings by unknown geniuses, ivory figurines, records and floppy disks. Every trash bin holds surprises. You never know what you'll find. In short, as the trash bin is, so is life.
In a country where it is impossible not only to starve to death but even to get hungry, begging is just a profession that a person consciously chooses. Not everyone can be a professional beggar – it requires special talents. The main thing in the work is the artistic image. Here everyone is their own actor, director, and makeup and costume artist.
Ovadya has been standing at the old bus station for many years. He works in a black religious uniform and is surprisingly similar to Leo Tolstoy. He has such a sense of self-worth that it is clear to everyone – he is not collecting for himself, but for a charitable organization.
Nehama works at the new bus station. She sits on a blanket, and around her are brochures with images of tzadikim. She does not sell them – they are just props for the job.
Now a new generation of workers has appeared, using aggressive marketing. One such person – small and scrawny – sells donation receipts on Jaffa Street. Anyone can order such receipts from a printer, but not everyone dares to sell them on the street.
Another representative of aggressive marketing works at the Central Bus Station. He limps along the bus queue, shaking his can and looking into everyone's eyes. One day I almost gave this hypnotist 10 agorot.
Yohanan at the Mahane Yehuda market works in the guise of a blind man. He wears a long light Arab shirt that is strikingly fresh. To maintain this, he must change it every few hours. One day I met him in Beersheba driving a car... Apparently, he drives to Jerusalem for work, and it pays off.
I have stood near beggars several times and counted their earnings. A professional earns 30-40 shekels per hour. Few people toss 10 agorot; some give 5 and 10 shekels. Among those who give are mostly religious people.
Arab women in the Old City beg in a different way: plump two- and five-year-old children brazenly tug at tourists' sleeves, pointing at their mouths as if hungry. However, they do not take offered food, only cash. Such a child will never become a scientist or an artist.
Sometimes the "workers" leave only a donation can at their workplace and go about their business. Passersby throw money, and I have never seen a can disappear. Professionals sit in the same spot for years and have a regular clientele. They often sleep right on the sidewalk, which does not prevent the cans from filling up.
Maryan Belenky,
Jerusalem, Israel.
Specially for "Zagranitsa".