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The Schmooze

Sh-t Westerners in Israel Say

The latest group to feature in the “sh-t” meme may be familiar to you. Since Sh-t Girls Say went viral in December, there has been a steady stream of videos caricaturing the conversation of different groups around the world. Now, the new focus is Israel’s English-speaking community.

The video went online on Monday, and has almost 40,000 views already. It captures frustrations felt by immigrants from Western countries due to a clash of social norms, such as when somebody came too close for comfort when one of the characters used an ATM and when somebody pushed in front of a character on the way on to a bus. “Seriously!” said the immigrants repeatedly.

Other phrases quoted as “Sh-t Anglos in Israel Say” reference the obsession of immigrants with discussing their immigration process (“Did you come on Nefesh,” referring to the aliyah organization Nefesh B’Nefesh), procuring services abroad (a woman says she will wait to have her hair cut in the US) and items the miss from back home (excitement at the prospect of borrowing a year-old Cosmopolitan).

The video also caricatures the time that basic tasks can take in Israel — one man says he will be out for hours as he is going to the post office, and a woman is frustrated at being constantly put on hold when seeking telephone service from a company.

If you enjoy this and have a smattering of Hebrew, check out Sh-t Tel Avivians Say.

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