January 10th, 2010
Best Israel Gift from the Homeland
I first went to Israel on a Birthright trip, which is an organization that provides nearly-free trips to Israel for young Jewish people all over the world. There were forty other young adults on my trip and, together, we must have thousands of dollars on Israel gifts. Please consider that these are gift ideas from a group of 19 – 24 year old’s.
Israel Gift Ideas for Friends and Family
- Hookah- yes, a hookah. As weird as it sounds, it is completely legal to bring a clean hookah in your suitcase on the way back to America. So I did it and gave it to a good friend of ours who is 29, male and lives alone. HE LOVED IT. It’s pretty, unique and it always makes for a great social circle gathering or party activity. Make sure you consider the demographic of the giftee with this particular Israel gift. I doubt mom or grandpa would like this. (Well… maybe Zadie would.)
- Jams and Jellies- while on my trip, my group visited a Kibbutz, which is a small farm-community that works for the common good of everyone. They are spread throughout Israel, growing fruits like olives, dates, lemons, grapes and much more. The Kibbutz, of course, had a store where it sold all of its fresh produce and preserved products. I bought delicious jams and date syrup to take back home. My mom and grandmother loved it.
- Hebrew T-Shirts- in Tel Aviv’s market place I found a booth that pressed images onto a T-shirt. Sounds simple, but these actually made awesome gifts for friends and relatives. For my dad, I chose a cut-off T-shirt in black and had the nice lady steam press a Harley Davidson eagle on the back. It read “Harley Davidson Tel Aviv”. And my little brother got a kick out of a Beatles sweatshirt that said “Beatles” in Hebrew.
- Mezuzah- they were all over, sold everywhere and for every price. I got an inexpensive and great looking one at the gift shop near Mount Masada. It was small and clear glass, so the scroll on the inside was visible. It looked cool. At the market place in Jerusalem, I found both basic and pretty mezuzahs for decent prices. Finally, in the market place in Sfat is where I saw gorgeous mezuzahs for sale, and much more. Many wonderful artists rent out space near the and sell lots of jewelry and mezuzahs that look like art on a wall. It made a sentimental and tasteful gift.