ISRAEL: The rich, the wasteful and the distasteful

OK, what do you get if you cross an alligator with a chinchilla?

A $242,424 coat.

And four of these mustn't-have, uh, things, have actually been sold by a Tel Aviv boutique named "Philosophy."

According to the owner of the boutique, its clientele of hundreds consists of Russian oligarchs and other high-flying foreigners -- and one former minister, said to be among the country's leading fashion mavens. "If you knew anything about fashion, you'd know right away who I'm talking about," he told a business reporter.

Seventy percent of their customers are not Israeli, says the owner. Duh. Globes, a leading Israeli business newspaper, calculated the cost of that, uh, thing to be worth 17 years of work at minimum wage. Two had been bought by a wealthy Moscow client, it was said.

Poverty rates in Israel are high. Four hundred twenty thousand families live below the poverty line, one in every three children in Israel is poor.

For others, a $242 pair of underwear awaits in that Tel Aviv boutique. It's the cheapest item. And they might still have one of those reptile on the outside, rodent on the inside, uh, things.

-- Batsheva Sobelman in Jerusalem.

Photos: chinchilla and alligator, Wikipedia.