2.11.09

You are TALL

In the US, I was considered a normal height. At five feet five inches (1.67 meters), about half the women I knew were taller than me, half shorter.

Here in Israel, this is me:


I cannot tell you how many times I have been called "gavoha" (tall) here. Sales people hear my shoe size and think I must be joking. (True, I have especially big feet, but size 9 1/2 shoes-- 41 European-- are at least usually available in the US!) When I'm with a crowd of Israeli women, I feel like that one tall girl in middle school... and I was really short at age 12.

Of course, it's not just me. In the US, my husband was on the shorter side of average, but now he is more often than not one of the taller people in a room. One of my olah friends is my height and bemoans the fact that it's hard to find guys who are taller than her. When the Israeli national soccer team plays, say, the Austrians, they can pretty much forfeit any head-butting duel.

To be fair, there are tall Israelis. I attended a bar mitzvah recently for a boy who had to be over 6'2". (His mother's speech consisted primarily of references to his height... in a loving way, of course!) If I hear about my height this often, I can only imagine what it feels like to be truly tall here. Does anyone have experiences to share?

So if you want to be Israeli, remember: you are probably taller than you think!

P.S. It's STILL raining. 

15 comments:

  1. I am a proud 5'4". In the states I was always short. Here I am taller than not only my husband, but his entire family besides his dad. There are many Israelis here though that are VERY tall. It always seems as if Israelis are very short or very tall...

    and to your friend- tell her short guys arent that bad! I love my shorter husband. If not, Ill set her up if she lives (or travels) in the south :)

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  2. Oh dear. I'm 6'4", and now I just have one more reason for people to gawk at me when I travel abroad (I'm also a fine example of what some call "ginger kids.").

    And in the States, I'm not considered freakishly tall, merely "tall."

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  3. As someone who is considered tall here in the US (5'10") I can heartily empathize with your sentiments....gosh, I'd be a true giant in Israel! What you experience there, I experience here...even the long jeans are sometimes too short after a few washings, and let's not talk about shoe sizes!

    I am really enjoying your blog and your sense of humor.

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  4. One of my olah friends is my height and bemoans the fact that it's hard to find guys who are taller than her.

    Then she should look for guys who are her height or shorter. Is a short guy really that bad?

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  5. Hmm, wow! I'm 5 feet 2 inches. Would I fit in better? Oh, and my feet are very small. :)

    Good luck with that rain. Wow!

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  6. Lady Glamis, you would be average here! Seriously. But I do second the thing about Israelis being either very short or very tall... I do see quite a few tall Israelis. So Sara and Bryan, you might fit in after all.

    And I agree, my olah friend should find a hot short guy!

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  7. I'm laughing my tush off! I'm the same height as you, and I dread going shoe shopping. I went to buy a pair of Naot when it started to be summer time in the Merkaz (about March), and all of the sample shoes I liked were sold out in my size (also 9.5/41). I think they stock like two pairs in our size. Definitely sympathetic to your plight :) Just discovered your blog, and I relate to it all in a big way. It's great to know I'm not alone!

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  8. I'm laughing my tush off! I'm the same height as you, and I dread going shoe shopping. I went to buy a pair of Naot when it started to be summer time in the Merkaz (about March), and all of the sample shoes I liked were sold out in my size (also 9.5/41). I think they stock like two pairs in our size. Definitely sympathetic to your plight :) Just discovered your blog, and I relate to it all in a big way. It's great to know I'm not alone!

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  9. Rachel, I'm so glad to meet someone else my height with my size feet! Even in the US that's pretty unusual. Um... it makes us better at sports?

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  10. move to netanya
    around the russians 5'5" would be tiny

    I'm a 6'2" male and around most of the country I'm at least a head taller than everyone but around the russians I just feel normal

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  11. I am a 5,9 Ukrainian/Russian descended Jewish man in heavily nordic populated area of NW USA and I can tell you I am a midget here. Its hard enough to find a woman who is my height, much less a man. Most men here are 6,3 + and women are 5,10+. Its interesting being so short, yet bulkier than most people. Russian Jews are hefty and short, Russian goyim are very tall or very short, due to slavic genes, which are a mix bag.

    Most Israeli female models are 5,9+ .. Strange, isn't it?

    Anyhow, I don't midn being around bunch of shorter people for a change, especially my own people.

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  12. Older blog entry, I know, but I wanted to comment anyway... (love your blog in general, by the way)

    Reading this actually makes me want to cheer. I'm 4'11" and it's exceedingly rare for me to even meet anyone (who isn't a child) who is the same height as me. I've always been the "Mini" one. So wow, to be in a country with a lot of shorter people would just be wonderful.

    Out of curiosity... If people tend to be shorter... are things built more towards shorter people? Like in my apartment here in the US I have to climb on stools to reach my cupboards, shelves, to even see myself in the bathroom mirror, etc. It would be really great to be soemwhere where homes weren't made for people much taller than me. ANd how about clothes? ha ha. I can never get a pair of pants short enough. I'm guessing that would be a lot easier in Israel?

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  13. Blogwalking.... I'm a girl, 170cm, 41 (sometimes 42. My converse shoes size is 43! So it depends on the brand!=D), Asian, living in Asia (particularly South East part). When I was in the US, my clothes wasn't more than M size. But here in my country, all I can find fits me is L+ size! Don't worry, I'm over here facing heavier sentiments and more difficult times =P but one good thing of being taller in average is that you will always be 'down to earth' (for real!). Plus, NO neck problem. Guaranteed! ;) btw, me in Indonesia likey your blog, Maya! Esp. its inter-cultural communication aspects. You are a talented blogger and writer =) Have a nice Sabbath. Salam Shalom!

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  14. I got here by coincidence looking for something else regarding height. no offense but it's been a while since i read such amount of exaggerations. I'm Israeli, the average height for men in Israel is 177cm, measured, statistically, check the net. that's 1cm less than average American white male, 1cm more than Italians and French. With my 180cm (5'11) i feel quite normal, just as i did in USA when i lived there for a while. A woman of 165 (5'5) or 167cm should not be considered tall here unless her slim figure makes her look this way (unfortunately many Israeli women tend to be overweight). It's also possible that you live in some rural area with many old people of mid-eastern origins, anyway it's weird.
    Now about your friend who is at your height and has hard time finding men who are taller than her - come on... This is really in the verge of defamation... :-) we are not giants, and indeed the Austrians are taller than us (and taller than the Americans, mind you), but we are not such midgets either :-)

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  15. That isn't true, avarege Israeli height is more or less the American avarege height. the thing that is making a diffrence is the Sepharadic immigrants in Israel, which because of their poverty condition had no meat to eat in Arabic countries, which has a huge impact on height. this condition has changed in the current generation as Israel consist today as much as food as in the USA (though I guess Israeli still eat less), so the current Mizrahi generation (not that they can be called like that anymore, since everyone is mixing today in Israel and there's no cultural or any diffrence at all between Ashkenazis and Mizrahis) is as tall as the American current generation.

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