I would argue that New York and Tel Aviv are quite similar with regards to public spaces, and that the difference is mostly aesthetic. After all, NY has its Privately Owned Public Spaces, and while they are certainly not warm and inviting, I don't know anyone who feels particularly inclined to hang out in Tel Aviv office building lobbies either, unless they have business in that building. Much like in NY, you spend time with people at home or in commercial spaces (and there's nothing wrong with that! Food and drink have been facilitating human interaction for millennia).
I think the loneliness has a lot more to do with the enormous distances between places, insanely long working days (which Israel suffers from too) and that terrible "let's get coffee sometimes!" mentality. The lack of social safety nets probably also plays a huge role in creating a utilitarian view of relationships. That it makes you vulnerable to predators I absolutely agree with.
I would argue that New York and Tel Aviv are quite similar with regards to public spaces, and that the difference is mostly aesthetic. After all, NY has its Privately Owned Public Spaces, and while they are certainly not warm and inviting, I don't know anyone who feels particularly inclined to hang out in Tel Aviv office building lobbies either, unless they have business in that building. Much like in NY, you spend time with people at home or in commercial spaces (and there's nothing wrong with that! Food and drink have been facilitating human interaction for millennia).
I think the loneliness has a lot more to do with the enormous distances between places, insanely long working days (which Israel suffers from too) and that terrible "let's get coffee sometimes!" mentality. The lack of social safety nets probably also plays a huge role in creating a utilitarian view of relationships. That it makes you vulnerable to predators I absolutely agree with.