The place I live is something of a contradiction. I live in a quiet corner of one of the most bustling parts of Jerusalem. Machane Yehuda is the central market in Jerusalem, the place you go to for good deals on fruits and vegetables and where you can see live chickens sitting in crates at the back of a market stall, just waiting for the knife to descend. It’s noisy, busy crowded and cheap. Great fun if you’re a people person, and you really can get some terrific bargains there.

I live close by to Machane Yehuda in a neighbourhood called Nachlaot. The buildings there are old, and many of the apartments are very small, and have very small rooms. In recent years many of the apartments have been renovated and it is now considered something of an up-and-coming area. Lots of young people live in this part of Jerusalem, and there’s something of a religious revival, with a brand of orthodox Judaism known as Breslav chasidism as one of the most noticeable manifestations. It’s not my thing, but on the whole the Breslavers are happy and nice, generally a lot of fun. They’re not the kind of dark brooding, terribly serious crowd that you sometimes associate with orthodox Judaism.

I’m religious myself, but in a fairly quiet, laid-back way. I observe the sabbath, I keep kosher, I pray each day, but I dress pretty much like any other guy other than the small kipah on the back of my head. The kipah used to make me feel a little out of place when I lived in Boston, but here in Israel, they are a very common sight.