Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly collection through which NPR’s worldwide staff shares moments from their lives and work world wide.
Many individuals might even see international reporting as glamorous, however a whole lot of the time it is fairly lonely. So I used to be fortunate to seek out Salon Jaffa within the Jaffa flea market whereas on project in Israel.
Inbal Blech, an Israeli Jew, owns the salon on this historic port city with a combined inhabitants that is a part of better Tel Aviv. A 48-year-old girl with darkish hair and a raucous snort, she holds court docket on a bench simply outdoors her salon, rolling cigarettes, consuming espresso and welcoming a gentle rotation of individuals — primarily girls — who sit and have a chat. Generally they go in for a manicure or a wax, typically they simply come to go to.
I turned a type of folks. After I wanted a break from the heaviness of masking the information, I would go and sit by her and the opposite technicians. On a current day, I joined Inbal sitting with nail technician Mayan Shany and snapped this photograph.
Tensions between Palestinians and Jews after Oct. 7, 2023, reached an all-time excessive in Israel, however at Salon Jaffa, folks from each communities really feel protected and guarded by Inbal. Palestinian and Jewish girls come to alternate tales and gossip, and for just some hours a day, you may see what this place might actually be.
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