The Road to Amman
A FEW MONTHS AGO, WHEN I was driving from Tel Aviv, via Highway 6, to visit my sister, who lives in the Negev, instead of arriving at Beer Sheva, I found myself in Altoona, Pennsylvania. I became aware of my location only after I had passed the exit for Kyrat Gat.
On the one hand, Altoona is a city in south central Pennsylvania that I had transversed on route to a Penn State football game, thirty years ago. On the other hand, Altoona is in America, roughly 5,900 miles from Beer Sheva.
Initially, I appreciated finding myself in a locale where my first language is spoken and where I understand the workings of the local marketplace. In Pennsylvania, protexia is limited to: organized crime family members, tenured professors (and their designated protégés), and PTA committe
