the squeegee.

The squeegee (see left) is a staple of Israeli housekeeping. Seemingly, the mop does not exist in the Land of Milk and Honey. There is only the squeegee and the broom. Sometimes the broom doubles as a scrub brush but ALWAYS the squeegee reigns supreme.

The squeegee serves multiple functions.

1) When water is not used, the squeegee can be used in place of a broom. For example, if there are matzah crumbs on the floor, and you are an Ulpanist, you can use the squeegee to gather and push the matzah crumbs out of the room.

2)When used with water (as it is intended), the squeegee pushes the water around and ultimately down the drain. All Israeli bathrooms are equipped with a drain in the middle of the floor. This way the water can be removed easily. This is very necessary because, on the Kibbutz, the entire bathroom is your shower. There is NO shower curtain OR tub. Thus, after a shower, the entire bathroom is wet. So, then you take the squeegee and push all the water down the drain.

(quick tangent: before you take a shower, you also have to move your toilet paper to a high shelf AND lift the toilet seat to avoid getting it wet. )

3)I have also seen the squeegee be used to remove the water from a tabletop after a spill AND to clean the windshield of a van. Mind you...this would be the same squeegee that is used to clean the bathroom floor.

As I see it, the squeegee would not serve much purpose for an American household because, unlike in Israel, American architecture does not revolve around the squeegee. It is rare to have a drain in the floor...which entirely eliminates the usefulness of a squeegee. This is unfortunate because I am growing quite fond of squeegeeing.

With Undying Love for Squeegees...

I Respectfully Remain,

J. Michael Hess Webber