Outside of professional life, for example on vacation, episodes still happen that do not completely fall out of the channel of the main activity. And when you are both a scientist and a journalist at the same time, the result is obvious. Having gained impressions, you sit down at the keyboard and write the material. "How I spent summer." Of course, not all summer, but only two weeks, but what two weeks!

The method of immersion

The scene is Israel. A country, for which Russians do not need visas, which in itself is both a rarity and great relief. Even the flight back and forth, if you competently approach the purchase of tickets, costs only a quarter more than 1 than, say, in mineral waters (located almost in the middle of the journey from Moscow to Tel Aviv).

The main idea of ​​my publication is not at all an advertisement for Israel as one of the best places for tourism in the world. Although, one way or another, this cannot be avoided. I happened - voluntarily or involuntarily, planned and not - slightly plunge into the life of people who are directly related to science, and high -tech business, and to scientific technology. I lazily thought to write something after returning from vacation, but the publication in the previous issue of the TRV-hobby resolutely pressed the trigger of my creative thought. The Fund of Infrastructure and Educational Programs, which is part of the Rusnano group of companies, announced the beginning of the selection of Russian-Israeli projects in the field of industrial research and development work (R&D).

It's funny, but what I do in my free time from the main work, 100% meets the requirements of this selection. Of course, I am not going to use a newspaper area to promote projects in which I participate, but it will not work without their mention. And I want to start with another. Usually, during visits to Israel, I stayed with my father, and the feeling that you were in another country almost did not arise. At home, a purely Russian atmosphere is observed (from tongue and food to the repertoire of the TV), and the town in which the father lives is so Russian -language that only completely green youth speaks in Hebrew. When I turned to the young man of the very Israeli look in English at the gas station, he, measuring me with a slightly arrogant look, said that we would better understand each other in Russian ...

This time I decided to plunge into the authentic life of the natives and with the help of a tourist site shot "Penthouse on a villa near the sea." As for the authenticity, doubts immediately arose, since the mistress of the villa, with whom I agreed, was called Svetlana. Reality turned out to be much more intricate, but more on that below. In general, I really liked it. People who are forty or more will understand me. Something this resembled a Soviet vacation by savages somewhere in Gelendzhik, Gagra or Alupka. Only in conditions, completely adequate modernity (convenience is personal, hot water, air conditioning, telly in the entire wall, wi-fi, and so on). And bright southern stars on an open veranda with a hammock.

The owners were not only obligatory and hospitable, but also just cool guys (if I may say so about enough adults) - sociable, benevolent, interesting. They, of course, are one hundred percent Israelis (unlike my father and his family), but it is just as characteristic of this amazing country - "came up here." Sveta, mistress, from Orekhov-Zuev. In the early 1990s, a very young girl accepted her husband’s offer and moved ... I want to say, to his homeland, but this does not correspond to reality. Ariya Koltun, like me, was born in Astrakhan, but 12 years earlier, in 1950. He got into Israel as a child, transit through Poland, from where his family came from. Having lived for so many years in Israel, Ariya, of course, reads only in Hebrew, although he retained a good and lively Russian, largely thanks to his wife, which he is 22 years old. Yes, their difference is noticeable, but ... people, let’s say, “in age” look ten in Israel ten years younger, or even more and, apparently, feel the same. Mr. Koltun is not a bit like a pensioner, which is in status. He could work fine now, but preferred a pension and ... freedom. Fortunately, the size of the pension of freedom contributes in every possible way. Israel knows how to thank his citizens for fruitful cooperation.

Job

It has long been noticed that pensioners in civilized countries are almost the happiest people who live for their pleasure and practically do not refuse anything. Maybe not everywhere and not all, but such as Ariya, a lot, well and correctly working, - absolutely for sure. “Correctly” - this means the mechanic of the highest qualification at the largest Rafael military plant in Israel. He also had a salary there at the level, and the pension is one of the highest in the country (and in the world, by the way, too!). Rafael, according to eyewitnesses, is super -high -tech and high -tech production. The territory of the plant adjoins the town in which we lived, and occupies the area comparable to it. At the same time, on the civilian life of Kiryat-yam, this neighborhood does not affect the worse. And no one makes the secret of what Raphael is. Israel is rightly proud of its army and its military production, not hiding that the country is largely thanks to the military - that’s a paradox! - flourishes. The secrets of Rafael are behind a high and reliable (which is, that is) fence and underground. The territory of the plant is perfectly visible from the upper floors of neighboring houses and does not give its specialization in any way. Alas, the enemies of Israel are well aware of it, and at moments of crises, Arab missiles fly towards the plant. The company is protected correctly, it is extremely problematic to inflict any significant damage to it.

In addition, Arab missiles have accuracy and reliability by an order of magnitude less even Russian and because of this regularly get there. In Kiryat-Yam, there are still traces of the last such conflict, a decade ago, despite the fact that the country is trying to protect its civilian population at the level of strategic objects. But not only Raphael provides the work of the surroundings. Israel is also famous for its food industry. At one of the enterprises of this industry, Svetlana Koltun works. She is a microbiologist and tests the quality of food. Its laboratory "Meluda" is equipped with the latest science and technology, and special boxes in which tests are carried out are sterile and completely isolated from the outside world. (Due to such specifics, Svetlana sometimes fell out of Internet communication during our preliminary negotiations on housing.) Another feature of her work (however, this is not uncommon for Israel) is a very early beginning and, accordingly, the end of the working day. Often the regime-from five to six in the morning to two or three in the afternoon.

Ariya does not need to get up in a dark, but he does not sit idle. With his own hands (it seems, he knows everything!) The owner increased the area of ​​the villa once every two times. The family has four children from the first marriages of the spouses. They built for them, but at least two eldest sons of Ariya are not very eager to live with the "ancestors", also preferring freedom. So it arose on the villa of the excess living area, which the owners surrender to tourists from almost the world, since the Russian and Hebrew, almost everyone dangling in English. Well, the open and good -natured character of family members (including exclusively cute dogs) contributes to constant informal contacts. Evening gatherings of the owners with guests at a common table are a pleasant bonus for the standard pastime of the tourist.

Hobby

The level of the welfare of the family, consisting of a pensioner and a microbiologist, is evidenced by a very recent story. A few months ago, the couple walked along the sea in the next town (two or three kilometers) and saw an announcement about the sale of the apartment. The usual "treshka" in a high -rise building, but 20 meters from the beach 2 . The view from the window is at sea, the city of Haifa on the mountain is awesome ...

After a couple of days, the hut I liked was purchased for 660 thousand shekels (about 10 million rubles), and in the summer the repair in it was in full swing. Again, Ariya did everything himself and threatened to offer another option for the guests of the promised land for the velvet season.

But this is not the most interesting. In addition to “business entertainments” for the hands and family economy, Ariya has a wonderful hobby. As he himself expresses: "I collect everything." In fact, Ariya collects material evidence related to the more or less modern history of Israel. But not all there are trinkets-pegs, but documents. Books, maps, newspapers, photos, postcards. His collection, which occupies a whole specially equipped office, has truly unique exhibits. And almost every week, amateur historian goes to large markets in the country, where he is primarily interested in the collapse of the flea market and the rarities hiding there.

Probably, Ariya can hardly be called a professional historian, but thanks to the hobby of his knowledge, they are very extensive and, I would say, are encycloped. Among other books, he is happy to study the Bible, but not as a believer (Ariya is a typical agnostic and he breathes all religions evenly), but as a historian.

If you approach this point of view, the Bible is a really interesting document. The main thing is to correctly understand and interpret it.

Cooperation

Another Israeli pensioner - my dad - prefers a modern life, in many ways directed into the future. As far as I remember, the main thing, or maybe his only hobby, has always been work. But the work is creative-scientific. Being at a very solid age (the trip was timed to the celebration of his 80th anniversary), Professor Naum Mirmov heads several serious scientific and technological projects. Any of them can be safely called innovative. Projects are based on developments with a high degree of novelty and imply wide international cooperation. That is, the team, led by the father, albeit mainly Israeli, but over the past several years, have grown from colleagues from Lithuania, Latvia, the USA, Russia ... Why is it not an example of fruitful cooperation without borders and (we omit foul detention) sanctions restrictions? The main reason for pride is the fact that the main language of this collaboration is Russian.

I will not delve into the details of the company's technological developments (this requires a separate article on the newspaper lane), I will only mention several main directions: a new generation for power plants; installation and technology for the production of fuel from biological raw materials; The air conditioning and heating systems using solar energy and secondary heat sources ... The project of the new generation cascaded refrigerator has already received a grant of the Israeli Ministry of Energy, and the project for processing the used car tires with the receipt of high-quality rubber (from it can be made again) very interested Russian investors and manufacturers-up to the construction plans of two to three full-scale production of this profile. So it turned out that on vacation, in addition to marine and sunbathing, as well as familiarization with the historical treasury of mankind, which is Israel, I happened to spend several days in the laboratory of our collaboration - and in negotiations with possible investors, and directly in the workshop, where testing innovative refrigeration machines are held. And this did not overshadow the rest at all. On the contrary, it made it more saturated and diverse. Full -fledged.

Ilya Mirmov

Photo by the author and from the archive

1 cost then - now it has become much worse. Oil, you know, has fallen in price, and the currency ruined.

2 beaches on the Mediterranean coast of the country have nothing to do with any Anapa or Sochi. Clean, small, annually sifted sand; warm, affectionate, although not without waves, and also a clean sea; No less clean toilets and locker rooms; Mandatory souls with fresh water and drinkers; Mandatory canopies, under which even at the peak you can find free space, in the sun is generally empty ... Most of these beaches are free.