The Israeli in Berlin

This is the story of my two weeks visit and impressions of Berlin.  I had the opportunity to visit with my old time friend from high school and I was curious how I would feel there.
I had no preconceived notions of this city.  Among my Israeli and Jewish friends there are those who absolutely love Berlin.  And there are those who get completely upset about the very idea of going there.  "Just the sound of the German language makes me shudder!"  

Many Israelis made their home in Berlin, which seems to be some kind of irony.  They like it because of the low cost of living, the atmosphere of art and culture, the relaxed way of life.  I'd like to mention the one thing that is common to EVERY Israeli, it is the Hebrew language.  Hebrew as Ivrit עברית from the root word of crossing over.  Many confuse Hebrew with Jewish or Israeli language.  Other than this language Israelis are all so different: They can be from the east or the west. They can have faith in the Torah and the word god or they can be completely secular.  Yes, it is possible to be a Jewish Israeli and have no faith.  They can be on the right or the left of the political spectrum.  They can be academic or working folks.  If you come to Berlin in the summer they say the second most spoken language here is Hebrew.  And you will find Israelis who come to shop at the all new Berlin Mall.  You may meet Israelis who take a boat ride on the river or go on one of the many guided tours in Hebrew.

Israelis can spot each other just by the sound of one word like shalom.  Five minutes later they will know the family history, what made them come to Berlin, how long they are staying, how many grandkids they have and how much they paid for the shoes for those grandkids.
Nadav was the tour guide on the day trip I took to Dresden.  He came to Berlin to do his PhD on "How democracies deal with terrorism."  He never completed his dissertation, but he now runs the "Insider Tours Berlin" with over 40 Israeli employees and guided tours in Hebrew as well as English.  They all made their home in Berlin and speak fluent German as well.  They have the knowledge and the passion for telling the history of this city: From the atrocities and terror of war to the decades of a city divided by a wall.
http://www.insidertour.com/
My seat mate on the bus to Dresden was Rakefet.  She is spending a year in Berlin with her husband who is working on his Post Doc in history.  They are "modern orthodox" observe the Sabbath and keep kosher.  Their two teenage boys go to a "yeshiva" with only 60 kids in the whole school.  Rakefet is very pleased with the general curriculum of the yeshiva with excellent teachers in all disciplines.  She is also taking lessons in German and can live with the idea that they may stay in Berlin.
The most colorful Israeli I met in Berlin was Haim with the elaborate beard.  He greeted us at the Museum Blinderkerstatt Otto Weidt.  I had to ask him about the meaning of his beard and he happily posed for a photo and told me the whole tale.

Leaving Berlin I had a better understanding of the city.  But I am still not sure if these people are unique in their behavior or we could all follow a similar fate.