Why I’m exiling myself to Berlin

When I tell people I'm moving to Berlin for the summer, I usually get one of two reactions:

1. Berlin! Such a cool city. I'm jealous!
2. Why? I would never step foot in Germany.

Berlin made headlines among Israelis when the “Milky controversy” broke out in 2014. An Israeli Berliner bragged how cheap the cost of living is in Berlin compared to Israel, if grocery receipts are the judge. According to the chocolate pudding index (the Israeli brand being “Milky), the difference is 300 percent.

My calculations are not necessarily financial, although I don’t think I could afford living in any other Western European city (and how can anyone afford living in London?). It also doesn't hurt that I was shocked to look at my produce bill recently to find that I had paid $10 for a kilo of grapes at my local produce shop. Plus, I can't stand the Tel Aviv heat and humidity.

When I first visited Berlin in April 2014 on a “>on my album with talented producers based in Berlin. No museums for me this time (just a Jewish cemetery I happened to pass by). I enjoyed nightlife and restaurants, experiencing Berlin as a vibrant city filled with people who were similar to me: creative, intellectual, curious.

My “journalistic” trip to Berlin came this past January when I went to cover the Muslim refugee crisis for