Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., November 14, 2008 Cheshvan 16, 5769 | | Israel Time: 01:54 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate U.S. election Travel Week's End Anglo File

Bourekas, booze and dressed in blue: Israel's Americans get set for election By Raphael Ahren Tags: Barack Obama, John McCain  Many of the more than 200,000 Americans living in Israel will be glued to their TV sets late Tuesday night to follow coverage of the U.S. presidential election, while others will be going out to election-night parties. The networks' first real projections will not be available before 4:00 A.M. because of the time difference, and a winner will not be declared before Wednesday morning Israel time, when polls in California close. Interviews with some 40 American-Israelis showed that interest varies with age, work status and previous involvement in the campaigns. Even party affiliation seems to influence enthusiasm about staying up late, as Democrats have more motivation to watch the results given Obama's lead in the polls. Virginia native Rebecca Linden, who worked at the Overseas Vote Foundation this summer, will attend two election parties in the capital. The first one, starting around midnight, is organized by Tachlis Two Point Oh!, an Anglo-dominated organization focusing on fostering communication in the Jewish community. "While following the news, we will be blogging about the elections," said Akiva Fuld, a 34-year-old native New Yorker and co-founder of Tachlis. "But we'll will be serving bourekas and booze," he added. "It's not meant to be work, it's meant to be a party." Advertisement Linden is planning at 7 A.M. election night to join some of her friends from the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, where she is currently helping to develop a Torah/social justice professional development track. "We'll just meet in an apartment and watch CNN and then go to daven [pray]," the 24-year-old said. "And if we don't already know the results by then, we'll daven for the right results." Voting for the first time has 18-year-old Charly Jaffe curious enough to burn the midnight candle. "We are three-quarters Americans in our dorm, so we are going to hijack the TV room and stay up all night," said Jaffe, a student from San Diego, who is currently studying on the Young Judaea Year Course program in Jerusalem. "We'll get pizza, snacks and lots of coffee, and we're not going to sleep before it's done. We'll probably fall asleep in class, but that's okay. This is our first election [in which we voted], so it's really exciting for us." Jaffe's classmate Karen Silbert, said she and some other girls in her dorm will dress up in blue, the color of the Democrats, to show support for the party's candidate, Barack Obama. "We'll make some funny signs with [political] slogans, such as 'GObama!'" she said, adding that she and a few friends were particularly fond of a play on words they thought of for one of their posters. It shows Sarah Palin, the Republicans' candidate for vice president, next to Barack Obama, and the words "Palin comparison." Evan Wertheim is used to getting up in the middle of the night to follow American politics. The 26-year old watched all three live broadcasts of the presidential debates, and he also intends to stay up all night on November 4. Wertheim, who moved from Atlanta to Israel last year, will follow the final hours of the presidential race with a number of friends in Tel Aviv. "I am very keen on seeing who becomes the next president of the United States," he said. "This is the most important position in the world, and it holds tremendous implications for all of us." Mike's Place, a chain of bars popular among many Anglos, is hosting the election night get-together of Democrats Abroad-Israel. Chairwoman Joanne Yaron invited party members and friends to gather at 3:30 A.M. in one of the bar's locations in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv to watch the election coverage together. However, Joey Kraminer, the bar's general manager, said he hasn't gotten "frantic calls" by potential customers. "I really hope that [Democrats Abroad-Israel] draw a crowd," he said, "but I am not so sure about it." Another meeting for Obama supporters is being organized by Lauren Stern Kedem at the Irish Pub in Zichron Yaakov. She doesn't expect a large crowd but said she would be "pleasantly surprised by additional participants." 'It's not the Superbowl' The Israeli branch of the Republican party is not holding any special events on election night. "It's not the Superbowl," said chairman Kory Bardash, referring to the final match of the American Football season, for which many Americans - even in Israel - get together for parties. "It's the Superbowl of politics, and obviously it's important, but people have to work the next morning." Bardash told Anglo File he would spend the night giving several interviews to Israeli news outlets and watching the coverage on TV with a friend at home. He says he has an invitation from the American ambassador to an early morning reception in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, which will be attended by representatives of both parties, former and current diplomats and dignitaries, as well as David London and Debby Millgram, the respective president and executives director of the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel. Most older Americans in Israel said they would go to sleep at the usual time and find out who won the election the next morning. "If the polls [suggesting a solid lead for Obama] are right, the race might be decided very early, so the suspense might be gone soon," said William Mehlman, Israel representative for Americans for a Safe Israel, a right-wing advocacy group. Still, he is not planning to stay up to see the first results, he said. Some late-night TV watchers have other priorities. "I stayed up especially for the World Series to watch my hometown Philadelphia Phillies win game 4, by a score of 10-2," said Jerusalem resident Natan Ophir. "Now that was worth being up the night for, not to watch the elections." Bookmark to del.icio.us   A ringing endorsement Jimmy Carter says Obama will waste no time in pursuing Middle East peace. Peres' olive branch Israel's president says the Arab peace plan is an opening for progress.

Read & React Carter: Obama will waste no time pursuing Middle East peace Responses: 127 Peres: Arab peace plan - an opening for real progress Responses: 90 IDF soldier jailed for yawning during Rabin memorial service Responses: 116 Ari Shavit: Israel needs a successor to Rabin Responses: 21 More Headlines 22:47 Israel to Hamas: We don't want escalation in Gaza 00:17 IDF to court-martial soldiers filmed humiliating bound Palestinian 23:47 Saudi King meets with group of prominent U.S. Jews in New York 00:57 UN: Israel's border closures leave us with no food for Gaza 01:47 Rahm Emanuel apologizes for father's disparaging remarks about Arabs 23:03 Palestinian suspected in 1980 Paris synagogue bombing arrested in Canada 00:32 TASE falls to lowest level since 2005; U.S. dollar soars 20:15 Livni: Israel not counting on Obama in peace talks 20:03 Qassams strike near southern towns of Ashkelon and Netivot 23:21 Labor MK Pines-Paz to remain in Labor; Ex-police chief joins Likud 18:30 Antiquities official: 8th century church discovered in Syria 20:33 Switzerland: Israel breaking int'l law by razing Palestinian homes Previous Editions Select Day 13 nov 12 nov 11 nov 10 nov 09 nov 07 nov 06 nov 05 nov 04 nov 03 nov 02 nov 31 oct

Special Offers Advertisement Living in Israel Studying in English Click & Meet our students from all around the world Dan Boutique Jerusalem New Dan Hotel in Jerusalem Young, Fun & Distinctively Dan Book Now Online! Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Car rental in Israel Shlomo Sixt Receive $15.00 from our low rates. Dial 013 for your long-distance calls and get all your money back US CITIZENS Vote for real change. Request your ballot today! Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved