Know what's cheap here???

Almost nothing...well, fruits and vegetables. And Judaica. Most of you will be nodding, like, duh, but believe me, it pops up in surprising places, like Kiddush cups in the grocery store, where they also had a special on white tablecloths this week, or even the tacky nameless little 2-shekel shop which we have dubbed "sheklorama," where this decent-looking (though plasticky-krinkly on the underside) cost 18nis (shekels), maybe around $6 Canadian. 

I am growing less afraid of the tiny neighbourhood store shopping experience here... Ironically, just as we're discovering some decent big-box stores right around the corner, like Mega, a nice big grocery store, and Shazar, a decent big "hardware" store, not quite as wonderful as HomSenter, a truly immersive and practically North American shopping experience for any sort of thing a person could want. 

No matter where you shop here, it's nice knowing you never need a special "Judaica" store... because every store, pretty much, is a Judaica store. 

(Okay, okay, before anyone leaves an anxious comment, desperate to prove me wrong,  I know there are lots and lots of actual  Judaica stores here, that carry both a better variety and a better quality of items, along with sifrei kodesh (holy books) that Steimatzky (the ubiquitous main bookseller here) is unlikely to stock.  Also, these specialized shops are more likely, I would think, to be owned by holy people who are completely Shomer Mitzvos.  Maybe I will venture into one someday, when we're in the market for that sort of thing... for now, all I wanted was a cheapo challah cover.)

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Sent on the go in the Holy Land - please excuse my typos!!