Perhaps you’ve been checked on your way out of a Westgate Mall department store by some guy looking for a receipt to prove you bought the merchandise you’re carrying with you.

In Israel, though, mall security takes on a different meaning.

We went to the mall Tuesday night in Haifa for a quick bite to eat. My host, a Rotarian who came to Israel from South Africa nearly 50 years ago, parked his car underground and we walked to the mall entrance.

We were met by a security guard standing next to a metal detector. I emptied my pockets and walked through.

OK, no problem. I was told about this in advance. Terrorists have blown up shopping malls in Israel. So, the Israelis take no chances. The guard even had one of those wands they use — just in case they sense something suspicious. What if I were carrying a gun? My host said I’d better produce a license to prove I was allowed to be packing heat — or else. He didn’t say what the “or else” would entail.

I don’t think I want to know.