It was yet another oppressively hot summer day when Okay, hold on, let’s just get something out of the way. In the summer, temperatures in Israel range from Regular Hades to Super Hades to Super Bonus Hades. Summer starts in May and ends in September. So mostly, it’s hot. Very, very hot. Israel is divided laterally, with the coastal side being very Mediterranean, natch, resembling many parts of Southern California. It is scrubby and dusty and green, with olive trees, palm trees, orange orchards and brilliantly colored red, purple and peach bougainvillea clambering over it all. The other side of Israel is what you probably already imagined; hilly and rocky, with date orchards and shimmering heat reflecting off of a vast, scrubby landscape in waves. At least the desert has dry heat. The coastal plain of Israel is so humid in the summertime that you have to shower twice a day or just hose off and carry around handkerchiefs that you cleverly ordered from Amazon and then tie-dyed.