There was a time when you didn't have much choice in Israeli shoes, and that includes sandals. Every company made a version of this very sandal, the Sandal Tanachi, Biblical Sandal. One strap across the ankle and another just over the toes to keep them on your feet wherever you went. They were 100% leather, plus metal buckle. All shoes were leather. Even when we made aliyah in 1970, besides fabric na'alei Yom Kippur, Yom Kippur shoes or bedroom slippers, you couldn't find anything else.
Keds sneakers, and the cheaper versions, were on many "bring me lists." My daughters had sturdy tie shoes in the winter and sandals in the summer, just like everyone else. Kids hiked, played and partied in their seasonal footwear. Baby's first walkers were white. After that children's shoes came in three colors, red, blue and brown.
One summer we went to the states and put the girls, then six and eight, in a local day camp of the Great Neck School District. The first day there they were sent back with instructions to get sneakers. It was against regulations to play sports in sandals!
Today, Israeli shoes, of all sizes, are a big export business. You can buy Nayot all over the world. One of my favorite, most comfortable pairs is... a modern version of that Sandal Tanachi.
Wonderful! This IS what I'm talking about. These are little tidbits newcomers to Israel don't know... and they're "too small" to be written up in the history books. But they add to the flavor of the earlier days. Thank you so much for indulging me. Keep at it! :-)
ReplyDeleteFabulous! I am here 17 1/2 years and it still amazes me when I see men from Kibbutzim and Moshavim wearing sandals with socks on the coldest winter days.
ReplyDeleteI once asked someone "aren't your feet cold wearing sandals and not shoes?" he said,"why should they be cold,I'm wearing socks."
Ruti is right...Israeli tidbits from the early days make great blogs. More please....
Miriam
Shalom!
ReplyDeleteA few years ago a sandal more than a thousand years old was found (I'll look for a link.) I saw the photograph and thought to myself, "How do they know that it wasn't thrown away last month?"
It may have been this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biblelandpictures.com/gallery/gallery.asp?action=viewimage&categoryid=117&text=&imageid=6480&box=&shownew=
ruti, thanks, it's funny how my memories are "history" for many. It wassn't all that long ago, but things have changed so much.
ReplyDeleteMiriam thanks, styles here vary so much.
Hadassa, thanks for the factual tidbit.