What do you do about being in the red, how much do you pay for your apartment, and what dream did you fulfill during the war? People from across the country speak candidly about everyday life, before and during the war. This time, meet Pooja, 36, and Meskin Moses, 39, of Petah Tikva.
The apartment? A four-room rental. They pay 5,000 shekels. Meskin: “We moved around a lot — places like Eilat and Pardes Katz — before settling here. In Eilat we lived like retirees. We’re young and wanted a big city. We feel at home with noise and traffic. We wanted Tel Aviv, but in the end we gave up because the prices are crazy and there are no safe rooms.”
What kind of name is Meskin? “It’s basically the surname of a rabbi my father admired and decided to name me after. We’re from India, from Mumbai. My family has been there for nine generations, and we were both born there. I’m Jewish, and Pooja’s family is Hindu.”
Israel? Meskin: “I grew up in a Jewish home. There used to be a large community in India, but now there are about 2,000 Jews left. We kept Shabbat, went to synagogue, had circumcisions, bar mitzvahs. I never felt any problem until I immigrated. Specifically here people keep asking me if I’m Jewish, and how I’m Jewish — and that’s annoying. It’s hard for Pooja too.”
Immigration? Meskin: “We immigrated when I was 24. I have cousins in Israel who used to visit us, and it was always fun with them. I also visited Israel a few times and decided to try.” Pooja: “We met in school and were already together when he wanted to immigrate. I supported it. If I were living in India now, I wouldn’t be learning as much as I do here. There are different cultures here, and you grow. In India, even at 50 you live near your parents. I came with an open mind like a sponge and just absorbed everything, but everything still feels new to me.”
The war? Pooja: “We have a safe room, so that’s a blessing. Of course it’s stressful — every alert on your phone feels like it’s going to fall on you. My parents are worried, because in India they see the news, but we believe that if it’s your fate, it will happen.”
The difference from India? Pooja: “In India there are many people and everything is cheap. We lived like spoiled people, with a cleaner every day. There was also someone who cooked and someone who did the laundry, and someone who brought fresh milk every day. It’s not that we were very rich — if you’re middle class in India, you can live comfortably. Here you have to do everything yourself. And I also miss the food.”
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Pooja used to sell Indian street food in a box on weekends, then she decided to open a restaurant
(Photo: Assi Haim)
Food? Pooja: “We love Indian street food from Mumbai, and a few months ago we decided to open a restaurant in Florentin — Cafe Bollywood. It’s stressful because it’s not the best time to open a business, but we didn’t know this would happen. Before that I worked at the Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan, and Meskin was a manager at a motorcycle and equipment shop in Tel Aviv.”
The restaurant? Pooja: “I love cooking, and when I worked at the Diamond Exchange I would bring food for friends and they really liked it. About seven or eight years ago I started selling food in boxes on Fridays from home — naan, samosas, dal. It spread by word of mouth and through Facebook. I would come home from work on Thursday, prepare the food, do the same on Friday, then we’d deliver it and afterward clean a kitchen that wasn’t really suited for food for 70 or 80 people. The goal was to bring tasty food to people, but I realized it was too hard that way. I always had a dream to start a business — everyone in my family is in business — so I decided to take the food I make and open a restaurant.”
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Pooja and Meskin Moses opened Cafe Bollywood in Tel Aviv's Florentin neighborhood
(Photo: Courtesy of Moses family)
Business? Pooja: “I wanted to bring something unique and original — the real taste of Mumbai street food.” Meskin: “I supported it. At first I thought she’d manage on her own and I’d stay with motorcycles, but I realized I had to help, so I quit and joined her.” Pooja: “We decided to open only six hours a day. We’re checking off the dream, because I don’t want to suffer and only work — I don’t want to kill myself.” Meskin: “She handles the food and I deal with customers and paperwork. I turned 40 and felt I wanted to try something new. I’ve worked with horses, in a hotel, in dance — it all makes you learn.”
Dancing? Meskin: “I was a Bollywood dancer in films, but not in a prominent role. There are 300 to 400 dancers in each scene, and I was one of them. That’s also where the restaurant name comes from. Today I dance at weddings.”
Financial situation? Pooja: “There are concerns. Before we opened, we planned months ahead and came with savings, but we didn’t think there would be a war and no income at all while expenses continue. It set us back, but I believe it will be okay. The people of Israel have strong morale.”
Leisure? Meskin: “We sometimes go on motorcycle trips.” Pooja: “I make art in concrete. If I’m not cooking or on my phone, I create. We try to push each other to fulfill dreams, not hold each other back — because we don’t want to leave this world without achieving them. If you don’t succeed, that’s okay, but at least you tried and did it.”
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Pooja does not believe in religion, but celebrates the Hindu festival Diwali
(Photo: Assi Haim)
Children? Pooja: “In the next life. I’m not sure there’s any reason to bring a child into this world.”
Faith? Pooja: “I don’t believe in religion, but in being a good person. The holiday I celebrate is Diwali — the Hindu festival of lights and fireworks. The whole house is filled with lights, and we invite friends who come dressed in Indian clothes for food, joy, Indian songs and fireworks.”