"Small Country, Big Dreams"

I find this "space selfie", taken just 22 km (i.e. only a half-marathon!) from the moon's surface breathtaking.  That and the motto of "Small Country, Big Dreams" which made me a little teary the first time I saw it (which was, admittedly, right after Beresheet crashed while trying to land on the moon's surface....)

Hats off to President Rivlin for leading the crowd, that had hoped to watch the landing, in instead singing Hatikva, the national anthem.  I am sure I'm not the only one who stopped my Pesach cleaning, stood and sang along.

Thanks to 89-year-old SpaceIL President (and "serial entrepreneur and serial philanthropist") Morris Kahn, there will hopefully be another attempt.  For now, kudos to SpaceIL and Israel, which became only the seventh country to achieve lunar orbit.  Hopefully in a few more years, we will become the 4th country to land on the moon because, indeed, this is a small country with very big dreams!

Props to Israel Airports Authority for having a sense of humor and putting the lunar landing on its arrival timetable that day.  Too bad they couldn't change that to "final" later ;(

Fun Facts About Israeli Elections (Happening Tuesday!)

1) It's a national holiday--the majority of schools and businesses are closed. and businesses that are open have to pay their employees double salary.

2) The country is about to spend an estimated 3 million nis (over $800,000) offering free public transportation tomorrow so no one can say they didn't vote because it cost too much to get to their voting station

3) Here, voters choose a party, not a candidate.  The parties make lists of the people they will put into the Knesset based on how many seats they earn in the election.  So no one votes for, say, Nehanyahu.  They vote for the Likud party, knowing that he is the top of that party.

4) Driving through our town, there are lots of political signs up. Driving through the extremely religious section of town a few kilometers away, there are also plenty of signs up, but these are discouraging people from voting (don't get me started!)

5) Election season here is TOO SHORT (in my opinion)!  It's just a few months of active campaigning and there are no debates between party leaders. 

6) My call is that Likud will win again.  I think too many people here can't imagine anyone but Bibi doing this job.  But we'll see!