“During the Gulf War, when we were sitting with another family again in a taped-off room with gas masks on, my mother realised that her parents had fled to Israel for World War II. And she didn’t want our generation to grow up in war too,” Danielle says. So her parents moved to the Netherlands with her at the age of 2.5. ‘My mother is Dutch herself though and emigrated to Israel, so the Netherlands was a logical choice.”
Acting normal
The family arrived in Capelle aan de Ijssel, where Danielle’s grandmother lived. She ended up at a white school. “I feel white because I grew up in a white bubble, but I was one of the most coloured people there. So people often don’t see me as white. People often talk English to me, at a front desk for example.” She continued her high school with a master’s degree at Erasmus University. “So it made sense to live in Rotterdam. And I think it’s super nice that Rotterdam is multicultural. That’s why Rotterdam feels like home to me. It’s raw, mellow, laid-back. I don’t feel like I have to tiptoe, that I have to be seen. Here there is the vibe of “just act normal, then act crazy enough,” I like that.” That’s a bit like the Israeli culture. “There it doesn’t have to be so perfect either, it can be raw, that’s OK. That’s why I like Rotterdam’s down-to-earthness. Even the fanciest and richest Rotterdammers are very down-to-earth. That’s a big difference from other cities in the Netherlands.”
Everything is possible
As a city guide, she knows the most special and fun spots in Rotterdam. “There you literally see the motto that says everything is possible. People have the creativity to discover and improve things. I read about a slide from a museum, how fantastic is that? That’s only possible here! Or the city initiative, surfing… yes, leave it to the people of Rotterdam. That things like that are possible, that’s fantastic.”
She therefore advises other newcomers to go out. “Explore the city. Take a tour!” she laughs. “Try to connect with people, they can tell you where to go and where not to go. There is SO much to see and experience… don’t sit at home in your own bubble, then you won’t get to experience anything of the beauty of this city.”
Food culture
Danielle still visits Israel regularly and sees some differences compared to Rotterdam. “Because of the good weather, people live more outside. But when the weather is nice here, people go straight to the terrace. In Israel, people seek out the shade. Israel also has a real food culture; there are so many restaurants and bars. You have that in Rotterdam too, but many Dutch people have more of a drinking than eating culture. In Israel, we really use food to connect. Everyone can always eat. We don’t send people away because it’s six o’clock. Although people in Rotterdam are more open. If you’re on a terrace, you can often just join people. That’s just like in Israel; everyone can join you for dinner. But on the other hand, Israelis don’t eat as neatly and refinedly as the Dutch. They eat half on their laps, sometimes without cutlery, sometimes a bit like hornets, haha.”
Spontaneity
She also sees a big difference in how we agree to meet. “There, because of the war, people really live in the now. In the Netherlands, everything is well organised, but that’s because we plan. I notice, when I’m over there, that I do that more than they do over there anyway. For instance, I have an agenda. But in the Netherlands I miss the spontaneity; here you have to plan something three weeks in advance. The only friends with whom I can also be spontaneous here are my Israeli friends.” And with that, she does not feel 100% at home in any country. “I think everyone with a migration background knows that.”’
Her Israeli culture and religion she visibly carries forward. “The culture is hard to separate from religion. For example, I now wear a necklace with a symbol from Judaism. That is a chai, which represents life, and symbolises the number 18, which is a lucky number.”