Israel has suffered from some of the highest temperatures on record for the month of August. Readings have exceeded 40 degrees regularly. And if you ‘join the dots’, it almost seems as if this heat wave has brought out some of the craziest stories going – the type that ought to be reported in the international media, but never make it there.

Here’s what I mean

1) Heinz is not Ketchup!

Can you believe it? On a technicality, Israel’s Ministry of Health has ruled that Heinz Ketchup is …..well, it is NOT ketchup. One of the world’s best known brands is declared a “non” by a set of bureaucrats in Jerusalem.

So, I have bad news for these civil servants. I, and many others, will continue to buy from Heinz, whether it has ketchup or not on the label, because their competitors make an inferior product, which just ain’t ketchup. And you cannot regulate that!

2) Whisky, which is bad for your religion?

It turns out that there are at least two importers of Black Label whisky in Israel. Only one is in the good books of the rabbinate. Thus, products from the other agent have been deemed not kosher, even though they originate from the same factory! Go fathom it.

The way around this ‘spiritual’ issue? Stick to malt whiskies. They are just so much better!

3) An improved transport system for Tel Aviv, that clogs up the city

Finally, after a decade of debate, Tel Aviv has started to prepare itself for a new light railway system. Sounds good. Unfortunately, this is going to cause living hell for those people working and residing in the metropolis. The authorities have tried to play down the issue, yet their words are simply pathetic.

My son has to leave north Tel Aviv daily, around 9pm. He has declared that ever since the road works etc have begun, over an hour has been added on to his homeward journey. Imagine sitting out those traffic jams during the summer heat!

4) A one billion shekel swimming pool?

This item really caught my eye. A small kibbutz, Yizre’el, owns a company called Maytronics Ltd. This developed a very clever robot for cleaning pools – useful if we are talking about summer heat etc. The firm’s revenues jumped 26% in the second quarter, while share values have risen 100s of percentage points through the past three years.

Bottom line: Maytronics is now valued at over one billion shekels, a rough equivalent of US$280 million. Not bad for a set of farmers in the middle of nowhere.

They say that Israel is a place for miracles. I wonder what the next surge in temperatures will bring forth.