![\"Matkot-Players-on-TelAviv-Beach\"](\"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Matkot.jpg\")
<\/a>Matkot-Players-on-TelAviv-Beach<\/p><\/div>
\nDespite the current conflict with Hamas in Gaza, summer beach culture in Israel remains in full swing. After all, if Israelis waited for peace and calm on all fronts before allowing themselves to partake in the good things in life they would lead a very miserable existence. Life goes on, even in war time, and beach fun isn\u2019t to be missed in this seaside country. <\/p>\n
Although technically part of the Middle East, Israel is a Mediterranean country with crystal clear blue waters (ok, not the Caribbean but think south of France) and sandy white beaches. Beach culture in Israel is strong and beaches up and down the country\u2019s coastline (except in the south thanks to this current round of hostilities) are packed each evening and all day on Saturdays, the nation\u2019s official day off. Israelis know how to make the most of their summer resources and when the quitting bell rings at five (maybe six), people head to the beach for an evening of swimming, sport and relaxation. Summers in Israel will make you sweat and it is often unpleasant to sit out in the sun at the beach during the daytime. Evenings on the beach are perfect\u2014the water is still warm enough for swimming and a cool breeze from the west will provide relief from the sultry hot day. Daylight lasts until eight and Israel\u2019s coast is fortunate enough to face westward, making it the ideal location to watch the sunset along the watery horizon. <\/p>\n
During an afternoon on the beach you will hear the call of \u201cArtik, Artik.\u201d This is your invitation to look up from your book and wave down the man trudging through the sand with a Styrofoam cooler. He is selling popsicles, and what better way to enjoy 95 degree weather at the beach than with a cold sugary treat. <\/p>\n
A few words of warning though. Despite the paradise to be found on Israel\u2019s beaches, there is some danger. My first warning, and my more serious piece of advice, pertains to the sea\u2019s sometimes strong undercurrent. Each summer dozens of Israelis including grown men and strong swimmers succumb to the Mediterranean Sea\u2019s undercurrent. Watch the flags above the lifeguard stations to know the condition of the sea before swimming. A white flag means no undercurrent. A red flag advises you to be careful; there is a strong undercurrent but you can still enter the water. Black flags are a warning not to enter the water; dangerous conditions. Also, if you follow the local rule about keeping your feet grounded, meaning do not venture out into the sea further than you can safely stand, you should be ok.<\/p>\n
My second warning I provide in jest but it just may help some of you avoid a smack to the head, arm, leg, back, etc\u2026 Before going to the beach you must become well-informed on the rules of Matkot. This paddle ball game is an Israeli favorite and people love to play it at the beach. The game consists of a small plastic ping pong ball and two paddles, similar to ping pong paddles. A net is not needed to play. Unlike playing ping pong, the key to Matkot is to keep the ball in play in the air, hitting the ball back and forth between partners. Many Israelis are obsessed with this game. Others, like me, hate it more than anything. Why? Players, especially along Tel Aviv beaches, line up along the water\u2019s edge creating an obstacle, not unlike those found in the game show Knockout, where you find yourself needing to run from your towel to the sea between the paddle players and the flying ball, hoping that you have timed your maneuver just right so that you don\u2019t accidently get smacked by the ball. And let me say that while you will not suffer a serious injury from getting hit, it hurts. Imagine an adult powered slap from a baby\u2019s hand. Owee! I would love to see the beach authorities regulate the game to specific sections of the beach, and away from the water\u2019s edge, but I\u2019ve been preaching this to deaf ears for over a decade. <\/p>\n
Beach season in Israel runs from June through October, and the water is even warm enough for daytime swimming in November. If you find yourself in Israel during this season do not forget to plan a late day or early evening at the beach. Just watch out for Matkot players.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/div><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Nicole Sivan Despite the current conflict with Hamas in Gaza, summer beach culture in Israel remains in full swing. After all, if Israelis waited for peace and calm on all fronts before allowing themselves to partake in the good things in life they would lead a very miserable existence. Life goes on, even in more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[136,28],"tags":[360,75,625,359,631,125],"class_list":{"0":"post-2025","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israeli-culture","8":"category-israeli-life-culture","9":"tag-beach-culture","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-israeli-news","12":"tag-israeli-beaches","13":"tag-israeli-life","14":"tag-news-from-jerusalem","15":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2025"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2027,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025\/revisions\/2027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}