From the hills of Jerusalem

The Gates of Jerusalem

2011-10-24T22:27:00.003+02:00

I have to admit, I am rather captivated by doors and gates. I find them
artistically beautiful, architecturally intriguing.....and I am certain that if they could speak, they would have fascinating stories to tell.

Jerusalem is full of enchanting doors and gates. One of my dreams of owning my own home here in Jerusalem is to have a bright blue fence and gate or door ..somewhere at the edge of town but not too far out..a little garden. In my dreams for sure.

Most stories about the Gates of Jerusalem are about the Old City Gates (e.g.. Jaffa Gate) or about historical gates of Jerusalem. Some are about the artistic gates of places like beautiful Ein Karem.

This story is about everyday gates in my neck of the woods..an older untouched part of the City..(although that is changing a little...the neighborhood is slowly becoming "gentrified" and soon some of the interesting charm of yesteryear may disappear.)

The area is not economically poor but it is not upscale or well to do either..just common everyday homes and streets of Jerusalem - mostly a community of Jewish immigrants who fled neighboring Arab countries such as Iraq. There once was a train running just at the edge of the apartment buildings...the tracks and emek (valley) still there. Often on a Shabbat afternoon, I walk the length of it. On Lag B'omer, it is alight with bonfires and at other times, simply a gathering place for fun. In the next neighborhood those tracks and grasses have given way to beautification; it does look very nice and modern, and I think we are next for the development - one reason I wanted to capture some of the common but charming pictures of my streets before they disappear.

Many of these gates are afterthoughts. In the earlier days it seems there was only a low stone wall at the edge of a property. When it became necessary to gate the property, the arch to hold the gate, the gate itself, and the subsequent fencing on top of the stone wall were all added later and of different materials.

Some gates and walls have been remodeled and are stylish but some are very makeshift - funny and funky. Additionally, there are those that are thought out and symmetrical with the whole landscape and those that are innovative and modern. Each is unique - almost no two alike and all are interesting. Each innovative creation (or lack thereof) gives a snaphot of the various owners (though not necessarily the current one). As I walk though my area, I often wonder what the story was for this one or that one. I surely wish these gates and walls could talk. oy voy voy...what would we hear??

I have included a few here on the blog main page, but please go to my picasa website for a slideshow and/or album of many more. Enjoy !

Gilad Gilad - ברוך שובך - Welcome Back !

2011-10-19T01:47:00.009+02:00

We are rung dry again as a nation. Torn between moments, torn between emotions. Hetze Hetze - Half Half. Elated that our son and brother Gilad has come home to us at last; distraught that the price paid was the release of terrorists with blood on their hands.

There have been so many articles written, so much debate. But as always, I will write my piece from the inside out. I am sitting at my computer feeling the palpable relief and joy from a day of watching Gilad come home at the same moment as I am hearing the celebratory fireworks of the arab villages around me - those who are delighted in the release of the terrorists. I cannot easily describe what that feels like. Each explosion of their celebration cuts into my heart. The moment feels like an oxymoron.

I am one of those people who believe this was the right thing to do...hands down. It was an enormously tough decision for Bibi Netanyahu. He was surely between the proverbial rock and a hard place, but in my opinion, he showed extraordinary leadership to do what he did. At the same time I understand the grief and feelings of betrayal families whose loved ones have been murdered must be feeling at this moment. Their pain must be terrible, reopening wounds that never heal anyway. There were 2 terrorists he allowed released that horrified me and I found their freedom to be completely inexcusable. I don't understand his reasoning,, but I am not the PM (thank God) and perhaps there are things I don't know about it. I most certainly don't agree with everything Bibi does; nonetheless, today I am proud of Israel.

It was, I believe, a window of opportunity that presented itself and had to be acted upon quickly. Hamas was humiliated by the apparent success of Abbas in the UN - they had to do something to bring credibility to their "organization." Even though they appear not to want to be in the "game", nothing could be further from the truth. If they were going to remain one of the players, they would have to capitulate on some of their demands. At the same time, Egypt's military, trying desperately to hold on to power before the Muslim Brotherhood gains a bigger piece of the pie, and before Hamas relocates from Syria to Egypt, had another window opened. Israel HAD to act. We held firm on the big guns that Hamas wanted, and they had to give in. Hamas never gives in. They were desperate...and we had to move in at that moment.

The political right is considerably upset about a perceived victory for Hamas, even Fatah, and terrorism in general. They are certain this will result in more terrorism, emboldened by the release of the murderers, these terrorists, they are certain, will not hesitate to return to their vile deeds. I am neither stupid nor naive. I live here. I have been shot at by Palestinian terrorists, their bullets shattering glass at my feet, pushed off the road by arab terrorists wanting me dead in the ravine; and without going into detail I have been in the hands of Hezbollah in Lebanon. I realize the potential as well as the next person.

But we cannot live on feared future scenarios, nor the exaggerated bravado of terrorists and their leaders. Our strength is in the fact that today we cared enough about one soldier's life to risk. That's it. Today we should be proud. When the Israeli officer goes to battle he does not send his men to fight, he goes first and says "follow me." Don't be fooled by the loud voices that want to distract. Today Israel said "follow me" and whether they voice it or not, the world, even our enemies took notice.

Miki Goldwasser, whose son was murdered by Hezbollah terrorists, said this: "Today is our victory day. The day where we decided that our values and our confidence in the righteousness of our way shall guide us. ..they did not win, and they know it."

In fact, Hamas itself, and Islamists throughout the Arab countries, recognized the strength that Israel displayed, the morality of the value placed on human life, and were envious. Two of many statements issued by our enemy were these: "This is a pillar of Israel's strength - to wage a war to free one man, to free a thousand prisoners for him." and "I wish I were Gilad Shalit; I wish my country cared so much about me"

One could argue about all the fine points. The critics have screamed to high heaven about how terrible this "deal" was...how could Israel this, and how could Israel that? ....telescoping in on only one segment of the unfolding drama. Tunnel vision. They are so caught up in their despair and criticism that they fail to see that Israel did a good thing.

But even worse...they are so caught up with their future prognostications of doom that they failed to see the face of one of our sons. Though etched in signs of an awful reality that we will never know...there was an unmistakeable look of wonder on Gilad's face. There was that smile that must have felt like a dream. Physically weak and exhausted, emotionally struggling to maintain, Gilad's courageous and explicit answers to the cruel and heartless interview forced upon him by Egyptian journalists was the real picture of what happened today.

We can argue all the fine points tomorrow. But today Gilad was kulanu כולנו - all of us..Am Yisrael - the people of Israel ..full of wonder and as if in a dream. We are proud of you Gilad and so happy and relieved to see you home safely.

And I am proud of Israel. Am Yisrael chai - עם ישראל חי - the people of Israel lives !

The Kikars of Jerusalem

2011-07-24T02:25:00.001+03:00

They are called "round-abouts" in Britain, "traffic circles" in the USA, but here in Israel it is a "kikar" (plural is probably kikarot).

Technically kikar means "square" as in Safra Square near City Hall Jerusalem. But ..the traffic circle is well..i guess - silly me...a circle is not a square is it? ... UNLESS, of course, it's in Israel.

Ok, here's the logic...i think!. A public square is where people gather, nachon? so...a traffic circle is really a square for automobiles and autobuses to gather..for a brief moment anyway..... except...well, in the this case it's not a square but a circle... i guess it is easier for the autos to manuever. ....Simple isn't it?

Kikar Safra Jerusalem (Wikipedia)

We have some famous ones...Kikar Zion at the bottom of Ben Yehuda midrahov (pedestrian mall), and as I mentioned, Safra Square at the Iryia (City Hall) Jerusalem. Neither of these is a "traffic circle" but are popular large or elaborate squares where events are held.

Kikar Rabin in Tel Aviv (Wikipedia)

In Tel Aviv, there is Kikar Rabin, also a very large public square for events, and with a long history.

However, Tel Aviv's Kikar HaMedina IS an actual traffic circle, an enormous one, lined with upscale boutique stores and restaurants. And the center of the circle, which could be beautiful, has a few trees but mostly unattractive parched dirt..not even grass. There are walkways through it; I think it's a location for homeless to congregate and sleep. Really, Tel Aviv you could do better than that at the most famous shopping kikar in the country !!

Kikar HaMedina (Visual Travel)

But really, what I wanted to write about were just the everyday traffic kikars of Jerusalem..scattered as they are throughout the City, in every neighborhood, on every street. Most of them are good directors of traffic, some have interesting side shows like the one in Giva HaTzarfatit, (French Hill). Right along side the circle, at the edge of the stone sidewalk one can find an industrial scale..which is working. People stop by and weigh themselves, their children, pets, packages and you name it. What a riot

Directions are given in Jerusalem by landmarks more than by street names, and kikars play a big role in directions. "Go to the kikar at the bottom of the hill and take a right." Almost all of them are maintained with flowers and trees, are frequently updated with seasonal changes. Some are very beautiful. I have included a few photos of the kikars of Jerusalem, here and on this picasa link because I enjoy them, and want you to enjoy them too !!

I have featured only a few, some of them to also showcase.the surrounding neighborhood - the street itself, the walls, the apartments with Jerusalem stone as our primary and required building material. Beautiful Jerusalem. From time to time I may snap some more pics of other kikars and post a notice on the blog.

Obviously the next best thing would be to come to Jerusalem and see for yourself!

Another Israeli Bus Story

2011-06-14T22:23:00.009+03:00

I love Israeli bus stories....i've shared some over the years..... the taxi driver who cut off the bus to deliver a passenger the bus driver had left standing in the dust, the woman who handed her baby to an old man on the sidewalk while she loaded the stroller, and the bus driver slammed shut the doors and took off, leaving a bewildered old man with a baby on the sidewalk and a hysterical mother (and passengers) on the bus. I even had to direct a bus driver one time, one who didn't know the route. Then there are those I haven't mentioned like the bus driver who stopped the bus outside the Merkaz HaRav Yeshivot, asking the passengers if they minded that he talked for a minute about his nephew who was one of the tragic victims of the terrible pigua at the yeshiva the night before.

Most of the time the buses in Jerusalem drive me mad. They are always late, very very late, they run 2 or 3 buses together instead of spacing them out, the passengers are, ummm, not always on their best social behavior to put it mildly - talking loudly on their cell phones, blocking the aisles with enormous agalot, eating, glaring, shouting, etc.. Tonight however, it was all redeemed (at least until tomorrow. :)

I boarded my #18 bus and walked to the back where often an empty seat or two get overlooked. Standing at the back door was a young secular man, playing his heart out on the guitar, and singing. Now this wasn't any just-horsing-around, this guy was GOOD, and he was having a GOOD time. The song was a really familiar popular song that i couldn't quite place, and i actually don't remember if it was an american or israeli song (i know i know !), but as he entered into a familiar chorus, the whole bus load of people belted it out with him...not just joined in... belted it out at the top of their lungs.

We quickly arrived at the next bus stop and he moved - i thought to let someone out - but instead, he and a few of his friends bounded off the bus. Amazingly, he was still playing the guitar as he leapt to the sidewalk. I was really disappointed I had missed the concert !! Just then the entire bus load of passengers burst into applause. As the driver slammed shut the doors i noticed the very orthodox, perhaps hasidic rabbi, who had departed at the same stop, walked over to the guitarist/singer, back slapping him and grinning. (See, we do get along sometimes...:)

Only in Israel. Made up for all the rotten bus rides i've had. That's what Israel does to you...those precious "Only in Israel Moments" make it all worthwhile.

An Afternoon in the Judean Hills

2011-06-10T18:46:00.007+03:00

Looking over the Judean Hills from HS Winery

Recently i spent some time in the Judean Hills with some friends, visiting Tavlin, an amazing spice store in the Eshtaol Forest (tavlin is the hebrew word for spice) and the Hans Sternbach winery in Givat Yishayahu, where we had a delicious lunch. I must say, i think i was too relaxed, too in awe of the beauty of the hills, too lost amongst the fragrances of the spices, and .. too much enjoying the wine and lunch to take good pictures for a story.

Which means of course that i have to take a second trip with pictures and story in mind. Here are 2-3 photos to tease you. In addition to the tavlin and the wines, we made a stop in Har Adar, where a craft and clothing fair was held in individual homes rather than under one common roof. What an idea ! It was fun to drive through the lovely mountain town of Adar and enter various homes to enjoy them. No pics at all from there though.

By that time, the wine...had settled in.. :)

Wine tasting with Adam, who teaches us about the various wines of HSW

Tavlin Spice Store in the Eshtaol Forest

Photo from israelreservation.com

Sefer Torah Dedication in Katamonim

2011-05-30T11:21:00.002+03:00

I promised i would write about the events of Katamonin, specifically the Sefer Torah procession of last week. In Jewish tradition, when a new Sefer Torah (Torah Scroll) is dedicated to a synagogue, before it is placed in the Ark of that beit knesset (synagogue), there is a procession down the streets - escorting the Sefer Torah to it's home. It's a lovely tradition, colorful, meaningful, and fun. The Sefer Torah is carried by various honored individuals and under a canopy. It is escorted by songs, dance, brachot (blessings) and usually the young boys carry torches. Here in Jerusalem, at least the procession last week, the real fire torches were replaced with torch like lights.

I don't know what beit knesset was receiving this new Scroll, although by the sign on the side of the van with the loudspeakers apparently this and other beit knesset are assisted by an organization which provides the equipment and coordination for the procession.

Actually I was in my apartment at my computer and heard the music and the loudspeakers. Of course, I had to investigate, and when i ran up the terrace to the street where the music was coming from, I discovered the parade. People filled the street and sidewalk, walking along with the procession. Twice the van broke down, the loudspeakers stopped functioning, the lights were out...and people waited. Most importantly, cars and buses also waited, as this is a busy but very narrow thoroughfare and bus route. At one point I counted 8 buses lined up waiting for the procession to pass so they could get through. All I could think was how glad i was that i wasn't ON one of those buses in a hurry to get somewhere !! It was however, coordinated with the police as there were police vehicles at the front and back of the parade.

I've been to many Sefer Torah dedications and each one is special for its own reasons. This one was special because it was in my neighborhood, an unexpected simcha (happy event) to enjoy and join in.

For a few more pictures of the procession on Rh.Yosef ben Yozer click here

The Shesek

2011-05-26T12:20:00.006+03:00

I've always said my Jerusalem neighborhood is colorful - full of rich mizrachi tradition and wonderful neighbors. This afternoon as i came home, one of my neighbors called me over and presented me with a sakit (bag) of shesek (loquat) from his tree. As i thanked him i realized the tree in my own yard was brimming with ripe and unpicked fruit. It got me thinking about the fruit of this Land.

Not long after my neighbor's gift i heard a great commotion on the street above me, with brachot and singing emanating from the loudspeakers, blanketing the neighborhood. A Torah scroll dedication was in progress. I ran up and took several pictures as the Torah was being escorted to it's home in some nearby beit knesset (synagogue). I will share about THAT and the pictures in another post.

..but first the shesek.

The Shesek tree bears it's fruit in late spring and the little oval orange shesekim are sweet and juicy and a favorite amongst Israelis. (both people and birds !! ). Shesek trees are all over Israel, in yards and home gardens and have deep green large broad leaves that protect the clusters of fruit. When you pick the shesek you have to clip the stem above, otherwise the inner fruit is already exposed ready to peel the skin (if you wish) or eat !! Inside are 3 shiny large seeds..(which..of no importance - float ! when dropped in water)

Here are a few shesek recipes from Liz Steinberg from her Tel Aviv based food blog Cafe Liz . Note: Even though some shesek can be slightly tart (depending on the variety), they can usually be substituted for apricot or peach in recipes.

Liz's recipes include among others:
Loquat Peach Waffles
Creamy fruit dessert with loquat and strawberries
Savory roasted loquat and plum

These pictures here on the blog are mine, but because others must agree it is such a pretty fruit i have also included a rather fun Flicker Photo link celebrating the shesek !

Lag B'Omer 2011

2011-05-23T00:00:00.003+03:00

Motzei Shabbat began the semi holiday of Lag B'Omer in Israel (and elsewhere too for that matter). It is the 33rd day of Counting the Omer from Pesach to Shavuot... (intended to link Pesach - remembering the Exodus from Egypt to Shavuot - the Giving of the Torah). During the first 32 days of Counting the Omer, some prohibitions are in place and a semi-mourning period exists due to a plague that occurred during the Rav. Akiva's lifetime.

At any rate, on the 33rd Day, the semi-mourning period ends and observant Jews throughout the world celebrate by lighting bonfires, singing and dancing throughout the night. In Israel, non-religious Jews don't usually participate, but all over Israel, bonfires light the night, smoke fills the air, and partying, singing and dancing continues until the wee hours of the morning, as thousands of traditionally and religiously observant Jews delight in the lifting of restrictions and the end of the mourning period.

My neighborhood, a richly traditional mizrachi community, was no exception.

Coming home late from coffee with a friend, I discovered the Party a few meters from my front door...so...like any good neighbor, i went out and joined the merrymaking about 2am...it lasted til 4am...

.......

Mmmmm - Israeli Fresh Garlic

2011-04-30T15:33:00.003+03:00

Some things are almost too pretty to use, but...how else can i make my shakshuka?

Spring in Israel means many things of course, but one of them is the delightful, delectable, gorgeous (and did i say fragrant?) purple w/green and white stalks fresh! garlic.

I almost missed them this year...not that i wasn't aware they were on the scene and in the markets, it's just...well, i had a lot on my mind and many things to do, and simply mused over the idea that maybe i would skip them this year.

Thank God i woke up in the nick of time to rush to the shuk (yes even though they are available in the supers, one does NOT buy fresh garlic anywhere else but the shuk. For pete's sake. No way.) It was the end of the season, but LOOK! how beautiful they still are. I even went back the next day and bought some for a "present" for a friend who was traveling outside the country and knew she would be sad to think she missed them.

I only hang a few to dry but one can buy fresh bulbs without the stalks for a while yet....beats the chemically dried white variety imported from China...

The taste of the fresh garlic is similar and used in all recipes that call for garlic, but..it is delicate, slightly sweet and more mild. It also stays sweet and doesn't become bitter when sauteing it. I like to use cloves of fresh garlic when pan frying or poaching salmon. Very nice.

To honor the fresh garlic i've included a couple of recipes. One, fresh garlic confit, from a wonderful blog called Israeli Kitchen, and a video for a simple chicken/fresh garlic dish from Ynet Foods (Phyllis Glazer.) My friend Micha Finkelstein sent me this video and while I haven't made it yet, he said it was wonderful and i trust his culinary opinion! Enjoy!

The Confit:
http://www.israelikitchen.com/everyday-cooking/recipe-fresh-garlic-confit/

The Video:(Video is in Hebrew but there is an English writeup if you click on this hyperlink -it will remove you from the blog to the webpage)
Chicken/Fresh Garlic

The Package

2011-03-20T01:32:00.029+02:00

Earlier i wrote about the adventures and challenges of finding addresses, people and places in Jerusalem (Hidden in Jerusalem). One might think it is simply a frustration we could do without.

The truth of the matter lies deeper.

Jerusalem - Israel itself - is a place where one comes, not necessarily to enjoy the finer things of life - though they do exist here - but rather to be challenged to deal with the complexities of it.

I would go even further. If you are a Jew who has made aliyah like myself, you are here for one reason... and that is to come face to face with the issues for which you were brought to earth. Ha! You thought it was simply that one loves and longs for Israel, and that Israel is the only place on earth where you feel at home.

The reality is that the complexity of finding addresses and people and places is a tiny reflection of the REAL life here in Yerushalayim, and the REAL life here in Yerushalayim (and all of Israel) is a TEST. It is frustrating, challenging, confusing, maddening, difficult, mishugana... and deep, sweet, meaningful, warm, rewarding, comforting and brings shalom.

When "the search" occurs it is only about this question: ..will you persevere until you overcome and find the treasure, or will you give up halfway through? This is why one must have the proper attitude towards it....it speeds the goal of learning to overcome.

Sigh.........so in light of the above, i share the following story.

The Package

It doesn't matter that there was a 5 month balygan in the US before the package ever hit the tarmac at Ben Gurion, or that during those 5 months I kept bugging Avi, the postmaster at my neighborhood doar (post office) to look in the back and under the table for my missing package. Here, if the personnel is in a good mood, they will let you come into the package area behind the locked doors, and look for yourself. For 5 months I looked - no package, until I finally wore out my welcome...and so i waited and waited for the "slip" at my mailbox inviting me to pick up my package.

When the slip finally came, it wasn't a slip at all, but a letter, in Hebrew, addressed to me in Hebrew, even though the package was written entirely in English. It was delivered "next door" not to my mailbox and I discovered it by accident...and that's another story. Hmmm......immediately i knew this would not be routine..

The letter told me to come to a "special" Post Office in another neighborhood, 2 buses away....because i owed customs on the package. Now, I knew that i didn't owe customs on the package, or more correctly should NOT owe customs on the package, so I called the telephone number listed and they explained to me I had to come there to pay the customs, to come to the G'vat Shaul Post Office and gave me directions... Ha - I wish!!

Luckily a friend gave me a lift to the Post Office, I saw a door marked "customs" but as I approached the door I found it locked. Nevertheless, I spotted a guard and another entrance nearby and went over there. As I entered I asked the guard how to get to the "customs" and was greeted with a sweet Israeli shrug. It only took asking two people "eifo customs?" before i found my way down a hallway and through a door where i could see a counter clearly dealing with such matters.

Finally, I thought, as I waited my turn. When at last I approached the counter with my letter, the woman took it, looked up and began screaming at me - in Hebrew of course. Not knowing exactly what she was saying, I was taken by surprise, and asked Ma? Lama? (what? why?)??? Waving the letter and motioning first out the door and then the opposite direction, out the window, I gathered that the package wasn't here, in this office. Eventually another worker who knew English came over and read the letter and told me no, the package wasn't here but he could tell me sort of how to get there, and proceeded with very long complicated directions...to some other building not on this block. (#$%^#) When I questioned the customs (after all I was STANDING IN THE CUSTOMS OFFICE), he also shrugged, and laughed and said...you must understand that everything in Israel costs money... (..and yes..it does)

So...i toddled off out the door, down the sidewalk, through the parking lot, and...w**...there was nothing at all looking anything like a post office building ANYWHERE IN SIGHT.

Spotting a restaurant in the bottom of the Post Office and just off the parking lot, I decided to inquire within. I'm telling you if it hadn't been for these guys, I would still be looking. I entered, asking, with my letter if they could tell me where this Post Office address was. The first 2 men took me back to one of the chefs, who pointed with equally long directions ...to the left. I know i looked frustrated, so one of them took me outside, pointed to a building quite a ways away, asked me if i saw this tiny barred window towards the back.. "Yes", I said "I see the window." "Well", he said "if you go around some stairs that are nearby, up into the building from the back...down a hallway, and down some steps, you will be close." OMG, you've got to be kidding.

But I did. I followed his directions to the T. When i finally got INTO the building, there was only one unlit, very dark stairwell leading to a basement. Hmmm...not sure i wanted to go down there....and I heard workers at the bottom...was it safe? A little nervously i descended the stairs, stepping over the torn up concrete, and almost tripping over some pipes..and found myself in another hallway, with some open docks.

Stopping at the first door on the right, again with my letter in hand, I was waved further down the now open series of docks. Finally I found a large receiving area, and a desk of sorts with a man behind it, looking very bored. Handing him my letter, he nodded, and began the search for my package. Except he couldn't find it. After several long minutes he remembered there were some in a pile on the floor ..and ahhh, there it was!

After 5-1/2 months, omg, there was my package.....I could finally have it. ...but...not yet. My customs he said was 200 nis. MAAAAAAAA? (WHAAAAT?) More than - or about equal to - the worth of the package itself. I didn't have 200 nis...how could that be when i was quite sure i didn't really owe anything?

What he said next caused me to lose it entirely.... moving the package away from me he declared you will have to go to Tel Aviv to pay the customs and you can't have the package until the customs are paid. In my mind i grabbed him by the collar, shoved my face into his face, and screamed I am not leaving here without this package, and I am NOT GOING TO TEL AVIV TO PAY THE CUSTOMS. But...in reality i didn't grab him by the collar, only screaming that i am NOT going to Tel Aviv to the pay the customs... and i burst into tears.

I guess he had never seen anyone do that before....so he did the only thing a certain type of Israeli would do....he looked totally disinterested and...shrugged, turning to the next customer in line.

I tried to explain my frustration to him and finally decided I would take my never-to-be- used, for emergencies only, credit card....(it turned out the Tel Aviv trip was only if I wanted to CONTEST THE CUSTOMS), except....he would only take cash. I had no cash. Sitting in front of me was this package I waited for so long, I could touch it, but I couldn't have it. He was going to save it only 2 days before returning it, but after I pleaded with him, he agreed to hold it a week so I could return with the cash, and then he tossed it on the heap on the floor again...turning finally to the next in line.

Defeated, I left the dock and returned to the street above, tears of frustration rolling down my face. It was then that I decided I could NOT leave G'vat Shaul (the neighborhood) WITHOUT THAT PACKAGE. If I had to rob a bank, I was going home with that package....so I did just that...I robbed my own bank account, where my rent money was gathering, and withdrew the 200 shekels, marched back to the surprised dock worker, shoved the 200 nis in his face, told him someone came and loaned it to me, and left with my package...when he finally found it again......

It's not that I cry that often....but maybe it was good for me...tears are sometimes necessary when it gets too frustrating, challenging, confusing, maddening, difficult, mishugana..........

....and yes, the package was worth it...it was something my daughter sent me. :)

oh..btw...Avi told me later I should never had had to pay anything...that the whole thing was wrong. I knew that. Guess maybe I failed that part of the test. :) Still a friar after all these years. !

HOLY PEOPLE

2011-03-18T16:30:00.000+02:00

For those who didn't know..the Fogel Family, so brutally murdered last Shabat, were expelled from Netzarim Gush Katif in 2005.

Shkedia Gives Way to Spring

2011-03-05T13:27:00.000+02:00

It's been one of those weeks from hell and i thought i might share a story or two..but they are too numerous and too sad/unhappy....so instead will try to cheer us all up (me included) with a few pictures of the shkedia in my back yards...and the lovely branch my neighbor (you know the one who says I am the flower) cut for me so i could have the fragrant blossom and beauty in my dira..

Tu B'Shevat 2011

2011-01-21T01:03:00.004+02:00

Tu B'Shevat - a time to remember our connection to the Land of Israel, planting vineyards and gardens, making the desert bloom, partaking of the fruit of Eretz Yisrael.. This holiday is also referred to as the New Year of the Trees.

The day is marked by planting trees throughout the Land, particularly important this year with the forest fires in the Carmel Mountains. Many Sephardi families mark the day with a seder much like the Pesach seder, with brachot over the fruits and the wine.

I had the privilege once again of attending the seder of some dear friends who live in the center of Israel. It is always a special and sweet time.

"and I will restore my people Israel and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine, they shall also make gardens and eat the fruit." (Amos 9:14)

shabbat shalom

2011-01-14T15:50:00.002+02:00

10 Reasons why i live in Yerushalayim

2010-11-07T00:12:00.014+02:00

10 of the million or two reasons why i live in Yerushalayim

When....

1.I didn't have a refrigerator at least 20 people, even strangers, offered me help, and one of them found me one, bought and delivered it.
2. Some neighbors have a megaphone party in the middle of the night and no one complains.... since i wake up a lot during the night anyway, it's nice to hear the music.
3. We are having a butter shortage because of complications of the overly HOT summer and neither i nor the store workers knew about it when i inquired about the butter.
4. The waiter at the cafe i seldom visit, remembers me, where i sat and what i ordered a few weeks ago (just coffee and some cookies)
5. The same waiter absent-mindly takes the cos mayim (glass of water) i asked for to the table next to me, and then smiles sweetly as if i was his life long friend and he knows of course it is ok and he will bring me another one
6. The arab chef who is now my friend waves to me from the kitchen and sends out special treats for me when i go to that cafe.
7. The flower garden owner tells me i can take whatever flowers i need, he will deliver them and i can pay him whenever i have the money...
8. I recognize the autobus passengers as belonging to my neighborhood even though i don't know any of them and I feel comforted and at home
9. My neighbor, when i tell him i forgot to get my shabbat flowers and am running to get them, tells me that I am the flower.
10. I look around me and am surrounded by Israeli faces and sounds and smells and i know then that everything is ok

Hidden in Jerusalem

2010-10-17T13:40:00.002+02:00

Jerusalem is known for hiding it's most amazing places down little alleys ways and behind obscure and hidden doorways.

Every Jerusalemite has been given an address, only to arrive at the building and find no trace of the supposed business or office...UNTIL, after circling the building several times, one spies an unused looking unmarked door in the back corner, behind some bushes, and gingerly pushes it open. Inside he will probably be met with a nondescript stairwell, seemingly leading to nowhere. No signs or names anywhere in sight. If he is uninitiated to the ways of Yerushalayim he might just give up and leave, but for the rest, well, they know the adventure of discovery is only beginning. Some unmarked door off this stairwell will produce the treasures sought: enormous state of the art business offices, sports centers, government offices , art studios, all bustling hubs of people and enterprise.

Lama, lama you ask (why, why?) ... but then you smile and realize that you wouldn't want it any other way. This is Israel, this is Yerushalayim.

I suppose to the person born in Jerusalem, what I am about to say will sound really silly, but I found what I felt was the greatest treasure of all a few weeks ago...and it's one that every kid and his parent knows about - like you know where to find the corner grocery store in your neighborhood. Except I didn't know about it.

Directions here are given not by street addresses but by landmarks. Many times over the last few years, in trying to describe a location in the moshava hagermanit, (German Colony) people would say to me, you know, it's by the swimming pool...or say matter-of-factly "you know where the swimming pool is, right?"

Nooo! I had no idea where this swimming pool was!!.. until that is about a month ago. I stumbled across it by accident. Waiting for something or someone near the big super(market) on Emek Refaim, I decided to walk down a little dark corridor between the super and the change store & coffee shop. The hallway went into the building that housed a few shops... and i had never looked to see what else was inside the building. I knew there was a gym inside somewhere, but as i walked around the corner...i saw a man sitting in a chair as if to take tickets or money...and i thought...you don't suppose........

OMG.... i peeked in and i could see just the beginnings of what i realized was not just any pool....it looked huge!! When I asked to go in and look I found behind this doorway a beautiful outdoor pool with slides, patios lined by a lawn with tables and umbrellas, and an enclosed olympic size pool that is absolutely gorgeous.

I was stunned. Down this dark little funny shaped hallway, there was a treasure of treasures. Right after my discovery, someone told me the pool was closing for good at the end of October, a Jerusalem rumor that, thank God, turned out to be false....but it sent me running with camera in hand and intention to plead for mercy for the pool.

The pool is open May - October for public swimming, swimming classes, exercise classes, and even sports a swimming team. What makes this treasure even more special is that originally, in the 50's before the moshava was built up, before there was a super or an Aroma coffee shop, even before there was a building with a funky little hallway to go down, there was this wonderful swimming pool....out in the open...in the field. Perhaps not the enclosed olympic pool yet, but...a lovely pool that I am sure was the summer hot spot this edge of town.

I was told that I could take pictures but not show the faces of the people swimming....for privacy and religious reasons....and since it is already mid October, the pool was accommodating... it was relatively empty, but lovely on a sunny autumn afternoon.

Forever the teacher, Jerusalem reminds us that the hidden things are worth the search, treasures to be cherished.

.... sometimes, the hidden treasures are people.

See more pool pictures here

Simcha on Rashbag

2010-10-01T16:50:00.033+02:00

The long fall holidays in Israel are now drawing to a close......from the apples and honey of our New Year - Rosh haShana - to the deeper nature of Yom Kippur - either somber or joyful depending on one's tradition; continuing into the sukkot of Sukkot, and ending with a tradition of rejoicing and dancing with the Torah (Simchat Torah) - a practice kept by religious Jews, but the spillover of which is enjoyed by all ...

....if you live in my neighborhood anyway.

I returned home from work last night around 10:30 - 11pm...and the street was bursting with sounds of music, laughter, dancing....coming from all different directions and emphasized by techno-music equipment at its best. It was a block party of sorts, not limited to my block only - except that the dancing takes place, not on the street, but in the various synagogues or beit knesset throughout the neighborhood..or in their parking lots!

After a brief moment of resting and recuping from work, and resisting giving in to the back injury i sustained that day on my job, i grabbed my camera and headed for the source of the loudest sound system ! (what amazed me was that you might expect competing music from so many sources, but it seemed to all blend together!). I found the action I was looking for...t was at the very far end of Rh. Rashbag at the Edmond Safra Beit Knesset...in their parking lot and side yard.

As I walked down Rh. Rashbag I could hear the music coming down the terrace from the shuls on Rh. ben Yoetzer...and I was tempted to divert from Rashbag to take a peek there. But.....truthfully, Rashbag is my street, and we are still courting. Any side glance or trip, no matter how innocent or curious, might be misunderstood, and i didn't want to take that chance.... so.... in the end, my loyalty to Rashbag won over any desire to go up the terrace :)

Actually, the walk down Rashbag gave me opportunity to reflect and remember my own deep thoughts of late...and to ponder the personality of the neighborhood.

Just a few days ago, the sukkot (succas) were being frantically constructed - hammering and the sounds of building were filling the air... neighbors were sneaking off with the fronds of my favorite palm trees for the tops of their sukkot, and fall was being delayed with more heat waves.

After a week of the nighttime street being lit up with the colors of the succa and the smells and sounds of the meals and parties going on in them, there was now the sound of the succot coming down..for the most part a quiet and relaxed disassembling. Children could be seen dragging the now dried out fronds to the trash bins while parents packed away the tents and the poles of the succa.

For all practical purposes the chag was over, except for that wildly happy music blaring from the synagogues, and all people dotting the mirpasot (balconies) up and down the block as families stepped out in the night air to listen and enjoy. (Technically in Israel the Chag was over, but in an effort to identify with Jews in the Diaspora for whom Simchat Torah is an extra day, this second night of hakafot or Hakafot Shniyot is always observed. (Hakafot basically means "dancing in circles with the Torah"). Because it is not an official chag, it is relaxed from all or most of the regulations of the Yom Tov.

The yard itself was filled with men and boys dancing with the Torah, with each other, clapping and singing and reciting blessings in between. Women and children, old men and women, looked on, also clapping and singing. Candy and treats were thrown over the crowd several times, sending children scampering to find the treasures now scattering across the floor. Refreshments were available for those who wanted and neighbors, like myself, were totally and happily welcomed.

It was enough to ease the pain from my day's back injury at my job, and lift my spirits...

..As i returned home the melodies of one of my favorites, Anachnu ma'aminim, filled the nighttime skies and the holiday of Sukkot / Simchat Torah 5771 was now history......tonight when i walked down Rashbag..it seemed too quiet and rather dark and dull.

View more pictures of Simcha on Rashbag

Reflections on Yom Kippur

2010-09-18T22:50:00.010+02:00

I found my own Yom Kippur message right in my back yard..well, front yard. The rosebushes belonging to the owners looked pretty dead but suddenly this one had the courage to bloom a beautiful rose in spite of the dead branches. So..... if the rose can do it, so, i guess, can we.

Yom Kippur is really nice in a lot of ways...it's sooo quiet...no traffic, kids on bikes and scooters. Erev Yom Kippur, after the meal before the Fast, the City becomes still. Really still. It's quite amazing the difference. Many people go to the synagogue where the Kol Nidre and other traditional liturgy is sung. The tradition for those who observe is to dress in white (symbolizing purity and forgiveness (cleansed white as snow). With no autos or buses, the streets fill with people, many whom are dressed in white.

Last night I walked through my neighborhood and over to Rh.Yochanan ben Zakai where the street was filled with people, strolling in the quiet evening - children on bikes and scooters zipping between individuals, just missing the baby carriages. It was almost midnight and the atmosphere was peaceful and happy and full of community. And that what Yom Kippur should be - a happy day...after all, we are forgiven and given another chance, nachon? !!

I don't attend the services, but walking through the neighborhood, which is filled with many many beit knesset, one can hear the liturgy...and everyone in the neighborhood, whether you have gone to the services or not, drops by the beit knesset at the end of the day - to hear the blowing of the shofar. The shofar mystically signifies that the Divine Presence, which has been near during the 10 days between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, is now leaving. Practically speaking, the shofar signifies the end of the Fast, the end of the 10 days and Yom Kippur, and the Book of Life is now sealed for another year.

Kind of nice..... and now we could go eat!!

Before the evening finished, the sounds and sights of succah building (for upcoming Sukkot) were echoing through the streets...even, to my great dismay, someone cutting all the fronds of a beautiful palm tree near my terrace steps...for their succa of course.

Ah, yes, Yom Kippur barely closed it's door and we are back to this, huh? ....taking liberty with the law...

Back to reality.....and traffic.

Who's On First ?????

2010-09-06T00:26:00.011+03:00

Now this is a perfect example of what i was writing about in my previous post "It isn't legal is it?"...

Return to Standard Time Causes Uproar
by Maayana Miskin

While Israel switches to Daylight Savings Time at the same time as much of the Western world, the return to Standard Time in winter is timed to occur before the holiday of Yom Kippur, no matter when the holiday falls on the secular calendar. This year, the holidays are earlier than usual, meaning Israelis are planning to “fall back” to Standard Time in early September – several weeks before most of the world.

......By Sunday evening, nearly 115,000 people had signed an online petition created by high-tech professional Shimon Eckhaus calling to simply ignore the switch back to Standard Time. “Schools, businesses, public institutions, families, everyone – please just keep acting as if the clock didn't move,” the petition read.
Read more at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/139510

Really, if this isn't hilarious, well, i don't know what is then....

Let's see, in addition to being asked if I keep kosher, or am shomer shabas, i will be asked if i observe standard time or daylight time. 115,000 people said they would just ignore the law of falling back to standard time...leaving part of the country on one time schedule and others on another...except these aren't time zones, and you don't know who's on what!!..

Ammm, that doctor's appointment I made for late September - will my doctor's office be on my time or their time? I'm in a coffee shop and I look up at the clock...is it my time or their time? Will Bezek lower the evening calling rates on my time schedule or theirs? Will the autobus stop running now? or an hour from now?

Look, you wanna live in a country where everyone like a bunch of lemmings, just follows the same clocks within each time zone? Come on... boorrring.....:)

It isn't legal, is it?

2010-08-15T14:06:00.027+03:00

Recently I posted on my Facebook page that of all the things that keep me awake during the night or awaken me in the early morning, i preferred the wonderful smell of challah on boker yom shishi (friday morning) over the sound of pounding and hammering (in this case breaking up a sidewalk) that started at 5:45 am that morning ...right outside my window!

A friend wrote and asked..."...it isn't even legal to pound and hammer at 5:45, is it?"

..ehhh.. legal?...

My first thought was she was trying to be funny (we have a joke about missing each other's jokes)...and i laughed, cause it was indeed funny...but then i realized......omg...i've come a long way, baby, because legal never entered my mind. i vaguely remember asking that question about something once in the early years of living here, but ..... to be honest, it never occurred to me to ask that question now...nor does it to most Israelis.

It's not that we are lawless!! Far from it...and yes, one could make a lot of jokes about Israeli culture and society but the truth is that our neck of the woods is in the Middle East... nuuu?...... so, we have different ways of looking at things...and our own rules..which by the way, are very strictly followed... sort of.

...let me explain.

You see, there is a huge difference between "legal" and practical reality...or between "legal" and cultural expectation. For example, it is probably not legal to make a u-turn in the middle of a busy street in the middle of busy traffic, but the cultural expectation is that if you have to turn around and go the other direction, you just do it. Lama lo? (why not?). It is simply expected and the cultural expectation becomes the practical reality (at least for the u-turner). If you SEE the driver turning around it almost never elicits honking...other drivers simply wait. HOWEVER, if you are down the line and can't SEE why traffic is held up, well, that's a different story.

And the pounding and hammering at 5:45 am.? Ya, i suppose it is illegal, but the practical reality is: 1) it was erev Shabbat morning, and my neighbors had to finish as much as possible before Shabbat came in and 2) it is so @#$%^ hot here right now, that 5:45 am was possibly the only time to do the work without heat stroke. so...that was it!...a bit annoying, but...totally understandable. Practical Reality.

It goes deeper than that. These examples might be unpleasant or irritating..and for two different reasons, but let me give you some other examples...of a happy sort.

It's probably illegal for a taxi driver to grab a passenger from the street, race through traffic at high speed and purposely cut off or block the bus that is a few blocks down the road so that the passenger in the taxi could board the bus. But the sweet Israeli reality is that the taxi driver probably couldn't handle one more rude bus driver leaving a passenger in the dust at the curb, so he took matters into his own hands, and assisted a frustrated bus rider to get to his destination.

Or...it must be illegal for the Breslov boys to stop their van in the middle of traffic and with music blaring, jump out of the van dancing with hasidic joy...But the practical reality is that whenever and wherever the Breslov boys dance with their music, the energy of the street where they are dancing becomes positively charged and hearts become lighter (and more holy they would probably say)....and there's no way to define this in legal vs. illegal terms.

On the other side of the coin, it is perfectly LEGAL to drive on Yom Kipper, the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar...but almost no one does. Jewish expectations!

Sometimes this practical reality is difficult...especially at the national level. For instance, it is perfectly LEGAL for us to defend ourselves against hostile aggression, (e.g. Cast Lead war in Gaza, or more recently the flotilla attempt to break our LEGAL defensive blockade) but the reality is that for some reason our leaders think they must bow to (mistaken) world opinion, and do all kinds of things which actually endanger us, and certainly endanger our soldiers.

Or even more tragically, was it legal or illegal or simply immoral to encourage our People to settle the areas of Gaza (Gush Katif) and make the desert bloom, and then destroy all the homes, farms and communities they built, along with their livelihoods and lives, and then give the Land to terrorists who want to destroy us? [which btw, caused the necessity for the Cast Lead war, and allowed the flotilla aggression!] While they may have passed a "law" saying it could be done, the not-so-practical reality (in this case) was that our government wasn't strong enough to stand for morality and wisdom, let alone compassion. But that's the government and that's another story.

At the personal level, life on the street, this adherence to Rules of Reality, and Cultural Expectation as opposed to legal or illegal can be frustrating or rewarding...annoying or charming...funny or maddening...or all of the above.

One thing is certain. Once you've lived this way.....it's mamash difficult to think of living any other way. It just wouldn't make sense.

Purim 2010

2010-03-01T15:00:00.000+02:00

The only Purim thing I did this year was to snap a couple of pictures of my neighbor and her baby...Minnie Mouse and her cuddly little (עלי ) lion . So cute..it was enough though, nachon?

Chag Sameach

THE REGA STORY

2010-02-16T00:09:00.006+02:00

In my last post I mentioned the word "rega" in regards to the bus driver who drove off leaving the baby with the old man on the sidewalk. When I was thinking of how to explain "rega" I ran across this hilarious description of the word and it's usage. Maybe you have to live here to fully appreciate this story but ...I think those who don't will laugh too....... My thanks to Shay P. who wrote it a couple of years ago on Yahoo! Answers.

This was his response to the Question. "In Hebrew, whats the difference between savlanut & rega?"

"One of the first Hebrew words to enter the traveller's vocabulary was savlanut.

It means "patience", but it reflects a lifestyle. Its message was: 'You do things your way in your country, but here, we have our own way of doing things, at our own tempo, in our own time. You are here now, respect what you see before you.

This is a good one explaining REGA !!

WAIT, DID YOU JUST REGA ME?

You ordered coffee twenty minutes ago.

There is a break in your conversation, and you realize that it just doesn't take that long to make a cup of coffee, and you begin to wonder if perhaps your waiter has forgotten your order.

"I'll go check on things," you tell the other people at the table.

You walk over towards the counter, and see that your waiter is speaking on his cell phone. Normally, this disrespectful lack of customer service would irritate you. But today you are in a good mood, and in no rush, and so you give a friendly smile, to make sure that it is clear you need attention, and begin to wait patiently for your waiter to get off the phone.

You expected that this would happen quickly, imagining that your waiter, feeling embarrassed, would tell the person on the other end of the line, "I have to go, I am at work", and then promptly apologise, and see what he could do to be of service.

Instead he turns his back, and continues his conversation, about something that really doesn't sound urgent. Now you start to get annoyed. This is rude.

"Excuse me!" you say loudly.

And then it happens. Time slows down.

The waiter curls his right hand, so that the tips of each finger are brought together with the tip of his thumb, raises his hand into the air, and with an out stretched arm, shakes the gesture a couple of times, clearly bothered that you have disturbed him.

You my friend have been given the REGA.

What does it mean? Literally, the word "rega" translates into "moment", but a more accurate translation, in this context, is "wait", as in "wait a moment".

Israelis use this hand gesture quite a bit. It isn't always rude, although it is never quite polite. And it can be done with a full range of nuanced meaning and individual style.

The Angry Rega- Thrown up quickly in the face of another, and shook violently.
The Feminine Rega- Done using only the index finger, middle finger, and thumb.
The Apologetic Rega- In which the hand is shaken quickly, as if to say, "Hold on, I will be ready for you in one second."
The F-You Rega- The arm is out right and stiff, and the hand is raised quickly in the air, and then abruptly halted, while the person giving it looks away, in the classic, "talk to the hand" pose.

An Israeli space shuttle is getting ready to launch. A booming deep voice, amplified loudly through the speakers, prepares the large crowd, who are waiting silently filled with anticipation.

COUNT DOWN IN.... TEN MINUS... NINE...EIGHT...SEVEN...SIX...FIVE...FOUR… REGA, REGA...."

ONLY IN ISRAEL STORIES

2010-02-04T23:56:00.045+02:00

www.fromthehillsofjerusalem.blogspot.com
Every day occurrences in Israel can be either frustrating or endearing - or both - depending on your mood or how many such "occurrences" you have endured in any given day. On a sweet day, one smiles, shakes his head and mutters "...only in Israel".

However much communication in Israel is done without words - a look, a shrug, a gesture, (yes that one too), so when things are over the top maddening and totally inexplicable, we say nothing, but with a half amused, half resigned look on our faces, we simply shrug that characteristically Israeli shrug accompanied by a palm up wave of the hand. The message ? "Hey, i can't explain it either, but this is Israel...get used to it!!" Even then, the prickliest sabra (a tenacious cactus that is tough on the outside but soft on the inside and a commonly used word for those born here) will still have a "but I love it anyway" look on his face.

Thousands of books and blogs have been written about "only in - or hey, this is - Israel", mine numbered among them. But today, to lighten your heart a bit, here are a couple of recent endearing stories that I experienced ...of the "only in Israel" variety.

STORY #1 JERUSALEM AUTOBUS #22

Israeli bus stories are some of the most hilarious of Israeli stories. I wrote about one awhile back where some woman in the seat across from me kept screaming that I looked like a comedienne (Nov 25, 2008).

My favorite, though, of my own personal autobus experiences remains the one where a young mother handed her baby to an old man on the sidewalk while she loaded the stroller onto the bus. This is common practice here, we are all mishpacha (family) and both men and women often give their babies to someone to hold while they pay the fare, position the stroller, seat the older children.

In this case it was to someone on the sidewalk BEFORE boarding the bus. Unfortunately, once the woman was on the bus with the stroller, the bus driver slammed the back door shut, and took off - leaving the old man on the sidewalk with the baby. Needless to say the entire busload of people became hysterical, screaming, REGA NAHAG, REGA NAHAG !!! (WAIT DRIVER!!!) It was a couple of blocks before mother and baby were reunited, amidst the cheering and laughing of a very nervous group of passengers. In fact, we all broke into applause at the happy ending, much like we do when the airplane sets down in Israel.

But I digress. My recent "this is Israel" experience happened as I was coming home from work the other night. I was waiting for my 2nd bus in the midst of freezing cold and dumps of rain and hail in downtown Jerusalem. As it pulled up and I boarded, I encountered a group of 10-12 yeshiva boys gathered in the front of the bus, engaged in animated conversation with each other and the bus driver. It was a bit of a push (literally) to get to a seat (applying the body techniques I learned in "Jerusalem Bus Riding 101"), but I made it to one half way down the aisle.

The animated conversation up front began to take on a different tone, when one of the boys turned to the passengers and nervously pleaded (in English).."does anyone know the rooot?" (Now I'm originally from the American midwest, and anyone knows you pronounce that "rowt!", nachon?) I waited for someone to respond and when no one did (perhaps the English???) I spoke up and said yes I did, we were on King George and the bus would soon turn right at the Prima Kings Hotel. Gratefully he relayed the information to the group, and I noticed that one or two of the boys continued to talk with the bus driver.

Seemingly a bit panicked the boys continued to ask me every few seconds, now what? what next? Finally I said to them, "Look I can continue to give you the route of the bus, but if you want me to help you find what you are looking for, you will need to tell me where you are going." "Oh, no," they replied. "WE know where to get off, it's the BUS DRIVER - HE doesn't know the route or where to turn next!!"

OMG! I laughed and moved to join the yeshiva boys at the front. Turn by turn we directed the driver - my English to the boys, translated to Hebrew by one or two of them to the driver. My stop was just before their intended destination, somewhere on Shay Agnon, and something about a game they had to win that night!! I have no idea whether or not the bus arrived at the Talpiot garage.

Just before I got off, one of the boys turned to me, with a big grin on his face and said "I guess it's only in Israel that this could happen, right?" I smiled back and said, yes, for sure...only in Israel!"

STORY #2 - SNOW IN JERUSALEM

I was to meet my friend Yarden for coffee one morning last week...he has omg offered to help me with my hebrew. (and boy do i need help with my hebrew!!) But the weather wasn't so good, I had a cold and so when we spoke that morning we agreed to postpone it til the following week. The reason Yarden gave me however, was that he had had no sleep and was really exhausted.

So when I happened to see him later in the day I inquired about his sleepless night, was it something bad, or something fun, like a loong party? He looked at me and said, "You know it was supposed to snow last night, right?" Yes, of course, everyone was kind of looking for that snow (which didn't happen by the way). "Well, he continued "When I thought it might snow, I was up and down all night...I was too excited to sleep."

I mean, how utterly charming! My only in Israel heart melted.

His sentence reminded me of one of my favorite commercials when I lived in America. The "I'm too excited to sleep" little boy and his daddy before going to the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland. It was so popular it ran for a few years.

But what Yarden's statement really said to me was to remind me once again, that underneath the chutzpa and toughness, there is a sweet simplicity and almost innocence here that is uniquely Israeli. It is hard to describe. It's sort of the mush of the sabra...the soft inner part.

When I say innocence I don't mean naivete. It is an unpretentiousness and the ability to still to be a bit in awe of the simple things of life - snow in Jerusalem, a string bridge that seems to float in the air, your mom's kubbe.

There is more "magic", if you will, in Jerusalem than in Disneyland, with all due respect to Mr. Disney's legacy. And the magic we have here is of a different kind and our presence here is for a different purpose.

Things happen here that we can't explain, both good and bad and we are always in survival mode. Sometimes we are too on edge to sleep, too cold to sleep, in too much pain to sleep. Perhaps because of that, and because we know only too well how fragile life is, when the simple things of life do occur, we embrace them and marvel at them....and are"too excited to sleep".

As the sounds of war grow increasingly louder once more, this is a good thing to remember.

Not Jerusalem, but Mt.Hermon..IDF soldiers play in snow
Photo AP Feb.4, 2010

My Jerusalem Neighborhood 2008

SHKEDIA IN BLOOM

2010-01-22T15:56:00.025+02:00

From the Hills of Jerusalem
I came out of my rabbit hole just in time to see the beautiful blooming of the shkedia (almond tree). The shkedia amazingly awakens just before Tu b'shvat, (Jewish New Year of the Trees) regardless of the timing on the calendar.......and brings hope in our darkest hours.......first glance... from the darkness of winter into spring...second glance, symbolically deeper for Israel...always facing our darkest hours, that we will survive...

Hashkedia porachat
V’shemesh paz zorachat .....

The Shkedia is blooming
The golden sun is shining....

Words from a song sung by Israeli children when tu b'shvat approaches and the tree reminds us.......of promises made .....

Now that i've seen it though, i guess i will go back into my rabbit hole......and hope from down there......... besides, as trees they look a little bedraggled this year...but one by one the blossoms are still fresh and beautiful.

So I guess, if a tiny cloud in the distance was enough for Eliyahu, even a single shaked blossom should be enough for me, nachon?

lama lo?

ANACHNU MA'AMINIM

2010-01-10T22:06:00.010+02:00

THIS VIDEO IS A PART OF THE HILLS OF JERUSALEM & THE ISRAELI STREET IN GENERAL...YA' GOTTA LOVE IT...

Transliterated Hebrew:
Anachnu ma'aminim bnei ma'aminim
ve'ein lanu al mi lehisha'en
ela ela al avinu
avinu shebashamaim

Yisrael Yisrael
betach b'hashem
ezram umeginam hu

English:
We are believers, children of believers
and we have none (else) to rely on
but but on our father
our father in heaven

Israel Israel
believed in The Lord
for He is your aid and your protection

A Rosh HaShana Surprise

2009-09-16T02:53:00.009+03:00

The Rosh HaShana tradition of giving sweet gifts took a sweet turn this year.

I was sitting at one of the cafes I often frequent, sipping my coffee, when someone set before me an exquisite plate of a honeyed sweet potato slice covered with glistening rimon (pomegranate) seeds, all swimming in some delectable sauce.

Delighted, I asked who/what/why was it coming to me. The server waved towards the kitchen, where Kareem, the main chef was waving and smiling - a Rosh HaShana gift to me.

Kareem is an Arab Muslim, and a wonderful chef, who has become my friend over the months I have been coming to the cafe. The fact that he, a Muslim, was sending me a Jew, a Rosh haShana gift brought tears to my eyes, even as I waved back with a thumbs up toda rabah.

What made it even more remarkable to me is that this man observes Ramadan, fasting during the day, all the while preparing food and surrounded by the sight and smells of his cooking. That must take nerves of steel and a strong faith to do such a thing.

So, if you've ever wondered if co-existence is possible and if anyone truly gets along in this neck of the woods, think of Kareem and his Rosh haShana blessing.

L'Shana Tova

Asaf Ramon, son of Ilan Ramon, killed in flight accident

2009-09-13T22:13:00.006+03:00

It is with great sadness I give the news that Asaf Ramon, 21 year old son of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, died in an IAF training flight accident today - over the southern Hevron Hills of Israel. Asaf was the oldest son of Ilan Ramon, who perished in the space shuttle Columbia when it exploded upon re-entry to the earth's atmosphere.

See the full story here and here.

We mourn the loss of yet another Ramon family member due to such tragic circumstances. Our deeply felt condolences go to Rona (wife of Ilan, mother of Asaf) and the rest of the family.

Amazing Invention by 16 yr old Zion Badash

2009-09-04T00:04:00.006+03:00

Amazing, Israeli youth. Kol hakavod to Zion.

Sweet Little Country, Israel

2009-08-13T11:35:00.007+03:00

What a sweet little country I live in. I received a phone call this morning from an unlisted number and after the boker tov (good morning) greetings we exchanged, some woman launched into a very lengthy and urgent message. Since my Hebrew is..aaah...very poor...I said to her "rak rega" (just a minute or wait a minute) "ani lo me'daberit ivrit" (I don't speak Hebrew)... (well I do, but katsat - a little)

Fortunately, she spoke English and told me she was from the customs department and needed to discuss a shipment coming to me from Germany. ???? (not ME, sorry). After the usual confirming or not confirming the phone number (she did have my number) and the other formalities, she said the following silliest thing, in the typical innocence that is pure charming Israeli.

"Do you know anyone by the name of Avraham?"

I mean...this is Israel. EVERYONE knows someone by the name of Avraham!!

I started to laugh and said just that. I could hear her smiling and she said, yes, now that she thought about it, her brother was named Avraham. But she meant........

Of course she meant in conjunction with whatever this shipment was, or whatever business it seemed to be connected with...which wasn't me or mine.

But it was just sweet. In this tiny country of ours, it felt like a family conversation, and like now I was introduced to her and her brother Avraham, adding to the list of Avrahams I already know.

I also wondered if it was more than a little coincidence since I am about to go the customs department myself, to inquire about a business opportunity.......maybe it was a "sign" or a nudge from heaven..to proceed.

Ya' never know here.....where nudges from heaven are just part of the air we breathe.

Ze'ev

2009-08-05T01:34:00.007+03:00

(Ze'ev - the ongoing saga (previous posts) of my friendship with a man whom some would call "homeless" - and he is...but to me Ze'ev is a man with a tragic story - and a friend from whom I learn about life)

Ze'ev is gone.

The last time I wrote about him was in March. We hadn't seen each other for quite a long time then and it was a sweet reunion. We were really glad to see one another...the day was warm after a long cold winter and Ze'ev and I were both glad for the warmth. I ran to buy him cigarettes, we talked of many things that day.

It was one of the last times I saw him. One day, Ze'ev just wasn't there anymore. He no longer sat in front of the super where I saw him on Friday's, or downtown, where I saw him during the week. I no longer ran into him on the streets of Jerusalem, backpack as large as himself - a tall but solitary figure.

At times I saw the raw emotions that accompany a man of the street; sometimes he shared them. Ze'ev wasn't well physically and such a life was taking it's toll.

At first I didn't worry. Perhaps he was sick and in the hospital. Perhaps the volatile life in the shelters had left him victimized or his own anger had led him into fights and he was in jail. But too much time began to go by...he just wasn't here any longer.

I don't know where Ze'ev went. Did he move to another city? I doubt it - he thought Tel Aviv was sooo hot in the summer. (and it is). Did he go back to the country from which he came? (Probably not) Did he win the lottery?

Did he die.....?

I miss him.

But...something strange has happened. Twice now, near the super where I saw Ze'ev on Fridays, a man has walked down the street, passing me in the opposite direction. He is a tall man, healthier looking than Ze'ev, but....he looks eerily just like him. I wouldn't think much about it except that both times this man looked at me in recognition, a twinkle in his eye and a smile as if he had a secret.

Perhaps I've been in the Jerusalem sun too long....or just in Jerusalem too long, but somehow I'd like to think that Ze'ev won the lottery and he no longer needs to beg on the street, that he is living life like a normal human being.

Perhaps, if I see this man again, I'll stop and ask him if he is Ze'ev. The funny thing is, when saw him this week and I turned around to take another look..... he wasn't there.....he had disappeared....

.....just like Ze'ev.

ISRAELI PROFILES: SHOSH CAFE

2009-07-19T01:13:00.058+03:00

When I asked Shosh owner Nir Efrati if I could write a story about the cafe, he smiled and said "you don't have to ask my permission, this is your home, and you can write anything you want about your home."

That, in a nutshell, describes this very special coffee shop in Jerusalem's Old Katamon neighborhood. It is like home to it's customers and to it's staff because Efrati, with the assistance of his father-in-law Fiko, look upon everyone who enters as family. What better place to come just to sit and visit and have a coffee or a meal together.

In fact, this is how one of the customers (Daniella) described it..."Shosh is a neighborhood place where you can walk through the streets, hand in hand with your husband, and find a nice place to sit and visit for an hour. There is something special about this new location - it's a naim sort of place.. I asked Daniella to explain......"it's like when you get into a warm pool of water and you feel comfortable and pleasant."

Nir has been the owner of Shosh Cafe for over three years, beginning with the original location on Rh. HaPalmach. In May 2007 he renovated a corner building at Rh. Haserut 20 (which once housed a bicycle shop, now moved next door) and relocated to the current spot. This quiet and cozy neighborhood location is indeed one of the contributing factors to it's success.

But not all by any means. Efrati feels the restaurant is popular because of the family atmosphere provided, and because the food is very good. It is fixed fresh "on the spot", that is, as the customer orders. Nothing is pre-made, waiting to be ordered - the pasta is cooked, the vegetables are cut, the shakshuka is made only upon the customer order. Nir's wife Oshrat bakes the amazing cookies offered (the tahini & chocolate Irish cream cookies are omg good) and the chefs turn out fresh entrees with pride.

Efrati brings a sense of family business to the plate as he worked for many years in the Efrati owned company that held the Pazgas distributorship for Jerusalem and Bet Shemesh. His father-in-law Fiko was Vice President of Customer Service with Bezek and their combined experience makes for a winning team at Shosh.

Nir and Fiko are often seen in the kitchen with the chefs and workers or behind the bar with the baristas, or helping serve the customer during busy times. The support and interaction between this business owner and the entire staff is clearly one of the reasons the interaction between the staff and the customer is also excellent, and why it is a warm welcoming place to be.

In fact, it is the staff - the servers, the baristas and Nir & Fiko that draw me to return time after time, to a place "where everybody knows my name." I've gotten to know the staff and they are now like my family. On a bad day, if I sit down and burst into tears, or a good day, when I celebrate some event or share good news, it is the genuine caring of this circle of friends that makes me feel so at home.

Most of the servers and bartenders are also students, or working other part time jobs between studies. Each individual's story is so interesting and would take an entire article of it's own for each one, but because this Israeli Profiles column is meant to introduce you to the people of Israel, even more than the places, a snapshot picture of each person deserves mention.

Amongst the baristas, for example, Eliran, (whom i wrote about in the first Israeli Profile regarding his dream to own a motorcycle) began his career at Shosh a couple of years ago. He is now about to begin his engineering studies in Sderot and will squeeze in a trip to the British Isles, but says he will definitely stay connected and be back to "nosh". Yarden (creator of the featured coffee artistry) has also been a bartender at Shosh for the last 2 years. Yarden tried other coffee shops but never stayed more than a few months because of the working environments. He attributes his longevity at Shosh to owner Nir Efrati, whom he says is so understanding and desiring to help the staff to do their best and to succeed. Being a Shosh barista is only one of Yarden's accomplishments. He is currently involved in some serious musical competition (piano, jazz) and just completed a year's training to be an assistant veterinarian. Yaara, now living in Jerusalem but originally from Tekoa in the Gush (Gush Etzion - a bloc of towns in Judea) is fairly new at Shosh, but not new to the world of coffee, having worked in other coffee shops prior to Shosh. Yaara is studying naturopathic medicine at the Jerusalem branch of well known Reidman-International College of Complementary Medicine. About Shosh, Yaara states that it is a place of unique character, something not often found, a place of good avirah (atmosphere).

Another "Shosher" studying at Reidman-International is Clil, one of the servers. She is in her first year of a five year program at Reidman, studying alternative psychotherapy. Part of Clil's interesting story is that for 3 summers she served as a shluchah (emissary) in Australia, and served in the IDF as a commander for Zionist Identification for potential converts.

Sarah and Moran are both finishing their second year in Social Work Studies at Hebrew University. Sarah's background in working with the disabled and Moran's background as a youth guide on Kibbutz Shefayim (near Netanya) are factors that propelled them towards social work. As to Shosh, Moran states that it feels like "home" here, and Sarah again mentions that word good avirah (atmostphere, ambiance). Sarah specifically looked for a place that was smaller and family run, and she is delighted to have found it at Shosh, where she very much likes the other people she works with and finds Nir to be a great boss.

Pnina, who recently returned from an extensive tour of Central America(Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama) and Mexico, is settling back down in Jerusalem and at Shosh, getting ready to continue her studies in Jewish Philosophy and History of Art. Lilac, another server, continues her studies in Science and the Environment, planning on focusing her second degree specifically in Environmental studies. Her dream, Lilac states, is to invent something in science. Pnina (who has been a server at Shosh probably the longest, 1-1/4 years) and Lilac both cite the atmosphere, and interaction betwen the customers and the staff as drawing points for Shosh. Lilac even goes so far as to say ".....people are calm here, no one ever shouts at me.!"

Taly, one of the new servers at Shosh, brings with her, like the others,
a rich and interesting background. Taly recently completed her 1st degree in International Relations, with emphasis on East Asian studies and the Chinese language. This fall she will begin studying for her 2nd degree (MA) in International Relations, along with beginning the application process for acceptance into the Foreign Ministry Program of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Rounding out the brief personal stories of my friends at Shosh, there is Shiran, who, in addition to her job at Shosh, is a dental hygienist at a dental clinic and who will begin her studies in criminology in the fall. Shiran finds everything about Shosh - including the customers and the neighborhood - to be really nice.

Of course, like any coffee shop, sometimes people have to move on. Naama, fairly new as a server, has just left for a 3 week trip to the US and Jamaica, but in the fall will move to Be'ersheva where she will begin studies at the medical school there. Whether she will be able to squeeze in a few weeks at Shosh before heading for the south remains to be seen. In fact others to whom I felt attached are traveling right now or have moved. Rachel, for example, is now treking through Nepal and India, and Or has moved to Tel Aviv. But because the staff become close friends with one another, I am sure one day I will walk in and see them there, visiting and hanging out.

The comraderie, the ambiance, the good food all make this a special place not only to visit, but, as is evident, at which to work. One of the challenges Nir faces, he feels, is to continually, day after day, make sure all these important ingredients come together, to make it so good that the staff is happy and the customer leaves with a smile.

Judging by the reaction and comments by both staff and customer, and simply by observing the interactions in the place, I would say he has succeeded.

Owning a restaurant has been a dream of Nir Efrati's since he was young. It's nice that the rest of us can participate in the fulfillment of that dream and enjoy fruits of his labors to make Shosh a special place of avira yerushalaymi (Jerusalem ambiance).

Shosh...a place where everybody knows your name.

When The Heart Cries......

2009-07-17T15:07:00.014+03:00

As Israeli Warships enter the Suez Canal, preparing for war against an ancient enemy, the Israeli public is pensive and the always present pain in our heart is starting to awaken. The street, though looking normal, is expressing despair...not just about this situation, but also in lives and hopes and dreams delayed.

Today I am feeling the loneliness that is Israel. And as we face the weeks and months ahead, charting a course in war, we will pull together as a people, insulating ourselves against those who try to destroy us.

I wonder if the collective soul of our people is instinctively mourning without even knowing it, as we have entered into the Days approaching Tisha b'Av, with the specific Nine days beginning midweek.

In the silence of Erev Shabbat we utter this prayer. It was written by Yossi Gispan and Arlet Tzfadia after the brutal murder of two of our soldiers in Ramallah in 2000, and the singer is popular Israeli artist Sarit Hadad. The video maker states that Sarit sang this song after the death of her father. Whether she did or not, Israel stands alone in her battles against ancient enemies. Whether in personal loneliness or collective, as we face the weeks and months ahead of us, only God hears the cry of our heart.

FREE GILAD

2009-06-25T02:07:00.005+03:00

TODAY, JUNE 25, MARKS THE 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF GILAD SHALIT'S KIDNAPPING. AN ISRAELI SOLDIER CAPTURED ON ISRAELI SOIL BY HAMAS TERRORISTS. HE HAS BEEN HELD PRISONER SINCE THEN.

PLEASE REMEMBER HIM AND PRAY FOR A SUCCESSFUL MILITARY RESCUE

Still a Man of Destiny

2009-06-17T16:57:00.003+03:00

This is a time of testing for our nation. Particularly it is a time of testing for the national camp. The Elections were one test, this 2nd test is much more serious.

photo: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=-3&id=1478280165

The Prime Minister of Israel is someone who probably has more pressure on him than anyone else in the world. Because we have allowed it in the past in order to have friends, we have let these "friends" simply tell us what to do, as if we were their personal possession. And we have acquiesced to many of their demands...or given lip service to agreement.

But today we have elected a man who holds Zionist values, who has the capacity to stand strong in the face of this pressure. And, last night, in his first speech before the nation and the world, in my opinion, he did just that.

But Bibi, no matter what he does or doesn't do, is lambasted by both the left and the right. He is the classic example of damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. The left can do what they want, but I still associate myself with the right and I am appalled at the cat calls to bring down this government.

What are these people thinking? Thank God the calls have died down given a day or two... yet there are still plenty of negative words like betrayal, buckling to America, etc.

As I have said before, if the train is off course and careening at breakneck speed down the side of the hill, the FIRST THING you have to do is STOP THE TRAIN. After that you can figure out how to get it back on the track.

All those who are feeling that Bibi's mere mention of a Palestinian state gives credibility to it and are ready to throw in the towel are not thinking clearly. Like a Palestinian state has never been mentioned by our government before? With whom would they replace Bibi? Tzipi Livni?? who not only wants the PA State to take all of Judea and Samaria but also all of east Jerusalem and the Golan??

Bibi outlined a Palestinian state that cannot exist - one that recognizes us as a Jewish state, one that is demilitarized, one that cannot have Jerusalem, etc. He knows and we all know that that will never happen. So, basically Bibi was saying, in the most clever of ways, "in your dreams, baby."

The PA got it. Not in a thousand years, they said. The Peace Process is dead. Why can't we get it?

Of all the times in our national camp history, we need to support this prime minister.

Obama was embarrassingly put in a corner. He couldn't say Bibi didn't recognize the option of two states...yet he, of course, knows as well it's not gonna work like that. To save face he went right back to "no settlements", but now there's no power in his words, his words have lost their punch.

What Bibi did was give us a platform to restate and affirm our sovereign position. No past agreements have ever worked, and he, better than anybody, can eloquently point that out. He can then say the obvious: "Here's the PA state we would accept. No deal? OK, no deal. End of story. We will annex the entire Judea and Samaria and finally put this subject to rest. It's time to move on."

That of course could be my own dream. But it's possible, and I am a firm believer in the impossible, so certainly I can put my stock in the possible.

America can and most likely will, turn it's corporate back on Israel. They will tighten the screws and in the end, will probably abandon our friendship. America then will truly be a divided nation as the people, for the most part, are with us. But God will not tolerate the turning stance against Israel. I'm afraid for America on many levels.

We, on the other hand, will stand alone in the nations, but with the power of the Almighty as our wings and strength. It's not easy, it will get even harder, but it's the only solution.

I still believe that Bibi Netanyahu is a man of destiny - no matter the pundits cackles and calls, and no matter the well-meaning, but short-sightedness of the leaders of the various Zionist movements.

I don't know about you but I'm checking for my seat belts, and grateful the miklat is now cleared of furniture. But then I'm offering a prayer to heaven to see us through.

You Did It Bibi, You Were Brilliant. Kol Hakavod.

2009-06-14T21:05:00.002+03:00

The Long Hot Summer

2009-06-13T17:17:00.007+03:00

Things are beginning to simmer a bit...and we may be facing a long hot summer here in Israel. The temperature , both literally and figuratively, rose considerably after Barak Obama's Cairo speech a week ago Thursday. Now, we are waiting with bated breath for Bibi' policy speech tomorrow night, hoping and praying he will respond with conviction and strength.

Obama delivered a one/two punch against Israel...some very offensive and inaccurate assessments, juxtaposed with both overt and subtle messages of oneness with Islam and Muslims worldwide, especially in it's stance against Israel and Jewish right to the Land of Israel. Obama applied words and phrases which were understood by Muslims, but which the Western mindset will have missed altogether.(See TodayinIsrael for commentary)

Throw Ahmadinejad's victory party into the mix, along with our own domestic and economic issues and you have the makings for a volatile, heated up summer.

I must say that Obama's speech stirred the country. Rarely have we had such a direct verbal attack and total lack of understanding of the situation, expressed by a sitting US President. It was stunning, quite honestly. As a result, people who never speak out, people on the left, as well as the national camp, are calling the Prime Ministers office and writing to Bibi Netanyahu, urging him to stand strong and not give into Obama's demands.

I guess there's a positive side to almost any news.

Turning Point 3

2009-06-02T16:42:00.016+03:00

Today was Day 3 of a nation wide readiness drill - called "Turning Point 3" - designed to prepare army and citizens in the event of a missile attack. Soldiers were called up to miluim (reserve duty), the appropriate security and police personnel were geared to "practice" whatever it is they are taught to do. Individual citizens were to take shelter wherever they found themselves, either in a miklat (bomb shelter), or a safe room, or wherever was safest around them.

Photo Iranian missile test: SEPAH NEWS VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

I was at a local sidewalk canion (shopping mall) when the sirens went off. They were barely audible, certainly softer than the Yom haZicharon and Yom haShoah sirens. There was a simultaneous announcement on the radio and television, but quite frankly, if the hour of the drill had not been publicized, very few people would have known it even happened.

Such a stark difference between the drill this morning and our response to it, and our responses to the sirens on our Memorial days. Perhaps we are simply better at mourning our dead than preparing for our future.

Still, there was an air of excited nonchalance (NOT an oxymoron) as the "hour" approached. The "drill" was the talk of the day as we sat, drank coffee and waited. Jokes, light banter, and the familiar camaraderie that exists between us unfolded, but behind that banter I also heard and saw the "something else" that exists between us. It's an unspoken collective awareness of the possible scenarios that might lie ahead, precisely because of the collective memory of what we have already experienced, and what we live day to day. It's our reality.

Approximately 10 minutes before the "event", people started talking a bit louder, an expectation of something about to happen rising in the air. People moved a little closer together, as if together, we would be safer. Actually, that is part of our reality, we are at our best as a People when we are in crisis.

This wasn't a crisis, of course, it was just a drill. But it was a drill that reminded us that we've been through many drills - real ones. The residents of Sderot, and towns along the southern borders, as well as those in the north, have already had many and constant real life exercises to practice. I have had my own runs for shelter when in some of those towns. Sometimes a safe room was available, sometimes we stood under a doorway...like in an earthquake. You do your best.

Today, no one moved. We just continued on with whatever we were doing. There is a miklat there but most of the people in the canion didn't know that. I knew because I have been in it, and like most miklatot, it is full of other things being stored there. And it is tiny. Even if it were completely empty, there would be room for just a very few people, and the rest...would be standing outside I guess.

Most citizens did check on their safe rooms, locate the miklatot in their neighborhoods and at least have given some thoughts to actions and reactions. I finally located mine, but we can't get into it as someone in the building has jammed it full of papers and things.

It's not that we are really nonchalant or lackadaisical....it's just...well, alright already, we know the big one is coming...nuke, earthquake, bolts from heaven.... It's Israel - our minds are already stretched as far as they can go in the survival mode. We do the best we can, that's it, and the rest is up to G-d.

I told my friend Shay that I wanted to write about today, but it was so uneventful there wasn't much to say. He told me that if I was going to write about sirens and shelters I should write about this drill, because, he said, if I wait to write about the next time there was a siren....there was a long pause.... we looked at each other and understood...

ISRAELI PROFILE: ELIRAN SASSON

2009-05-19T16:23:00.027+03:00

Meet Eliran Sasson, a young Israeli who recently fulfilled a dream he has had since he was a little boy – owning a motorcycle and biking.

At 23, Eliran is an excellent “master barista” at a fabulous neighborhood coffee shop in Jerusalem. (Shosh Café, Rh. Haserut 20). He is a bass guitarist, having played in several bands, and an aspiring engineer (soon to begin his studies program), but his heart, at the moment, is with his first motorcycle – a very cool “naked road bike.”

I have to admit, when I first heard the term “naked bike” I thought it must be some cute Israeli term, but it turns out that it is a universal word for a bike without metal covering over the various engine & exhaust parts – in other words a bike stripped down to the basics for performance and efficiency.

This long time dream to own a motorbike came to fruition a few months ago, when Eliran secretly began to take lessons towards getting his motorcycle license. (Mothers sometimes don’t want their sons to be bikers!) But soon Eliran’s secret was out in the open, and things quickly progressed from just wanting the license to actually searching for and purchasing that first bike.

Hoping to take mechanics courses designed for motorbike function and repair, Eliran is serious about this new/old love in his life.

I asked him what it was about biking that he loved and his answer was that when he rides the motorcycle, he feels one with the bike, like they are together a unit. He can see everything and feel the wind…it’s a bit like riding a horse, he said. He also likes it that there are fewer traffic and parking problems than when driving a car. Eliran would like to form a group of riders to ride together and tour the country.

Like all Israelis, Eliran served in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces – army). He was in the artillery corps. And, like most Israelis, after army duty he traveled for a while outside the country. He and some friends went to London where they lived and worked with other Israelis - not at the kiosks selling Dead Sea products, a very popular occupation for traveling Israelis - but for an Israeli entrepreneur who owns a network of food and coffee shops in various London neighborhoods. Orly, the name of the entrepreneur and also the name of her coffee shop, bakery and other places, offers a popular stopover for Israelis in London, and Eliran plied his skill at coffee making there.

I asked Eliran why he chose London when a lot of Israelis travel to India and Thailand and other eastern destinations. He said that his friend had been there a few times, and in Eliran’s words, “had a crush on the place”. Encouraging him to join with him and travel there, Eliran agreed and also "fell in love with the place" – the culture, the architecture, the people.

When he isn’t making coffee and riding his bike, Eliran stays tuned into his music…playing progressive rock with friends, doing a few gigs, and trying to put together a new band.

Some things will change as Eliran begins his studies this summer, but his devotion to biking is a lifetime love affair.

What are his dreams for the future? Eliran pondered my question and then said this: “The long time future is far away…I am concentrating on the immediate future for now… and then I will go wherever life takes me.”

The future in Israel is sometimes uncertain, and life can bring many things. Her young men and women understand this, responding like Eliran did, with wisdom and assurance.

It’s a privilege to know Eliran, and to know that he represents others like him, young men and women who are the future of Israel. Israel is in good hands.

And…I’m waiting until he gets an extra helmet, because I want to take a ride on this bike and feel the wind.

The Tree and the Sea

2009-05-13T22:00:00.017+03:00

The Tree
This is one of the beautiful trees that escaped the tree-hacking terrorists from the Iryia (Preoccupied, March 5 posting). The tree shown escaped being cut down last winter because it was on private property...AND - lucky me - is right outside my window!!!

The Sea
I had to go to Tel Aviv today. I hadn't been since last fall and oh my gosh, did I need it!!
(well, I DID have a meeting)

Here's where I spent my day today. (after the meeting!) Swimming prohibited for some reason...early season, no life guards, pollution??

Still ..the breeze, the sun....

Sunny Afternoons & Spring Flowers -

2009-05-06T18:01:00.010+03:00

Wandering through my neighborhood this afternoon, I came upon cascades of yellow flowers and intoxicating fragrances filling the air.

The truth is....we feel a little like we are waiting for the other shoe to drop...so, when there is even a small thing to divert our attention...... why not enjoy it.

From Mourning to Morning

2009-04-29T18:42:00.008+03:00

We just completed the observing of Yom HaZicharon, Israel's Memorial Day and the celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut, our Independence Day.

The first day is the day we remember our loved ones who gave their lives for the survival of this nation, and the day we stand with the families who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this Land. Yom HaZicharon is a day of deep sadness, a day when we are permitted to remember and to mourn.

For us, a Land so small and a People so connected, there is not one person or family untouched by the loss of someone in war or in terror attacks. Our history as a People is ancient, but our history in restoring this Land is within our collective lifetime, and the losses are fresh - some just a short 61 years ago, some yesterday. For us, it is ongoing and the sorrow is personal and intense.

Remarkably however, in the fading hours of HaZicharon, a torch is lit, and the Day of Remembering is immediately handed off to a Day of Rejoicing.... rejoicing in our rebirth as a modern nation, rejoicing and celebrating this miracle of our return to the Land of our destiny.

The juxtaposition of the two days is purposeful, because it is recognized that without the sacrifice of those who died, we would not have had the miracle of rebirth. One of the realities of Judaism is expression of the balance between two opposites - things like mourning and joy, mercy and justice - for it is recognized that without the one, the other cannot exist.

So it is with these holidays. The two holidays are linked together, not just on our calendars, but knit together in our collective soul. As a country, we move from somber services and tears to fireworks and BBQ's in an immediate turnaround.

It is not easy. In some ways it seems it is asking a lot of us as a people. I struggle with it. Many struggle with it. Many are unable to make the quick transition.

I am very close to a family who has had many many losses, not all of them war losses, but all connected to this two day period. The sadness of their family at this time of year penetrates my soul, and I find it difficult at first to move forward. Part of me shouts, stop! wait! we need to linger here a little longer.

But the day marches on, the torch has been lit, and slowly, all together as a people, we move out of our mourning into the morning of a different day. I think it would be impossible alone.

You see this is one of the things that defines us as a People and what makes Am Yisrael unique...we do what we do, together, as one. For it would be too much to ask those who have suffered such tragedy to just turn around and change course. But as a People our losses and our joys are shared, and what one cannot do alone can be accomplished together as a unit.

There is yet another secret to Am Yisrael. One might think that it is on the shoulders of those whose loss is less personal, that the families and individuals for whom the loss was deeper are carried. But I think not. It was really the words of my friend in the hours of transition that helped me to move ahead. You see, most of the time it is the strength of those who have lost the most who carry the rest of us. Yet, it comes full circle, as they strengthen us we can strengthen them....the lines are indistinguishable.

It's who we are as a People.

And so, reluctant as I was to move forward just 24 hours ago, by the end of the day today, spending time with many friends, watching fireworks and tekesim (ceremonies), enjoying the wonderful food off the BBQ and seeing them smoking all around the country, I felt, at last, some semblance of peace.

Finally I realize the wisdom of the juxtaposition of the Two Days. Without the collective move into celebration, however slowly and hesitantly we go there, we might be tempted to stay in the mourning. We have other very well prescribed ways to give us the needed times of individual mourning. But as a People, it is necessary for us first to suffer together the sorrow, and then to lift one another up so that we can face tomorrow; it is necessary for us to go forward as One People, Am Yisrael.

Because we are also inseparable from this Land we celebrate, I think it is only here in Eretz Yisrael that the fullness of what I am saying can be fully realized and understood. We are married to this Land - Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, we are one.

Happy Birthday.

Reflection on Yom HaShoah

2009-04-21T18:27:00.002+03:00

Please go to TodayinIsrael for some thoughts on this Day of Remembrance.

Chasing the Elusive Moufleta

2009-04-16T15:18:00.021+03:00

Now that Pesach is over, the first order of the day (right after sundown last night) was to eat bread with chametz!!
Photo Jewish Agency

The Moroccan community celebrates the occasion with a beautiful festival called Mimouna. In Israel it is a time when Moroccan families open their doors to everyone, inviting others in to join in the celebration. Mimouna not only celebrates the first leavened bread after Pesach with a delicious crepe called a moufleta, but finds this an opportunity to express hope for good fortune and prosperity ahead. Fine linens, dishes, and traditional dress, plus lots of delicious Moroccan delicacies make this a very special and colorful festival.

I have always wanted to participate in the Mimouna, but somehow over the years I have missed it for various reasons. Not being Moroccan, I needed personal invitations to join in. This year I thought it would finally work out, as a Moroccan friend was making arrangements for me. Unfortunately, illness prevented the family from hosting the dinner, and no other arrangements were made.

The main Israeli celebration this year was in Sderot, but other Moroccan communities were of course, hosting their own events. I had hoped to attend the evening activities, when the main events were taking place, but it didn't look too promising. Not to be discouraged, I was assured by others that the public gathering in Jerusalem's Gan Sacher (Park) on Thursday would draw thousands, and though a public event, was still well worth the while..

Especially I was in search of the moufleta....the special crepe drenched in honey and butter.

Unfortunately, my search for the elusive moufleta did not produce results, but my encounters along the way...well, they still make a good story.

Gan Sacher Park is nearly a mile long, extending from the Knesset to the Botanical Gardens near Givat Mordechai and I began my trek at the southern most end, near the Botanical Gardens. Normally the Gan Sacher event is filled with individual families barbequeing, stages set up for entertainment, and tents with food. I said normally...or at least in the past. Did I mention that it was raining today...and cold?

Empty. The Park was empty. The sun had come out and I didn't really expect the families to be there until the rain stopped and it dried off. But the tents? and the stages? Surely they were set up long ago. As I walked northward I expected to round each bend and see the public stagings of the Mimouna. So did the many police, the soldiers, the television camermen. Hmm.

The Park was empty. No one, nada, zip....except of course, for the soldiers, police, cameramen and me. All looking for celebrators of Mimouna ... all looking for moufleta. We talked and laughed amongst ourselves, the police, the soldiers and I. Since they couldn't find any Moroccan families, or expressions of Mimouna, Channel One decided to interview me, a writer with a website, looking for Mimouna and Moufleta. (Thank G-d, I think my stellar performance didn't make it off the cutting room floor and wasn't aired this evening as far as I know.)

Disappointed but not ready to give up, I headed for Ima's Restaurant, a popular Kurdish establishment with a few Moroccan offerings. I hoped they might be open and serving... just for the fun of it..... moufleta. They were open, but to the question of Mimouna food and moufletot, the answer was "no, no, no."

I decided that now I needed to make plan "C" (plans A & B already not working). So I ordered some traditional Kurdish kube Nablusia (meat filled fried crushed wheat pillows served with delicious tehina) and a beer. Well, it wasn't Moroccan, and it wasn't moufleta, but it was fabulous.

Heartened and rested, I decided to head for the Machne Yehuda market, JUST in case some Moroccan restaurant was open. I doubted it, since it was the holiday, but.....one can never assume anything in Israel.

The most famous Moroccan restaurant in the shuk is Azura, and walking down the main road of the market I saw the name Azura on a juice stand and I wondered if they were connected. No, no, no... same name but not connected the owner told me, but yes, definitely Azura the restaurant, which was just around the corner, was open.

It was not. They would open, I was told by a pleasant kitchen worker, at shemoneh v'hetze, half past 8:00 o'clock, when Mimouna was over. I smiled, took the restaurant card, and went back to Azura, the juice and coffee stand....which by the way, wasn't really open either.

By this time I had half of Machne Yehuda market looking for moufleta for me. It was really very sweet. But they knew, and I knew, there was none to be found. It was a charming interchange of Middle Eastern manners...they needed to show their desire to go all out to help me and I needed to let them, even though we already understood there was no mimouna or moufleta in the shuk.

We finally formally admitted it was a search in vain, and as I left, we all agreed that next year, I would be more prosperous, and I would be successful in finding the moufleta.

Gan Sacher was still my best route home, and on my way I passed another famous Machne Yehuda restaurant - a middle eastern restaurant called Sima (now also in Tel Aviv). There was a line down the sidewalk, and only a few at a time were being let in. Of course, it only seats a few...and I knew the food would be fabulous, but I had already had my kube. Another time for Simas.

Sauntering through Gan Sacher I came upon a few families now barbequeing various foods. I searched each table or blanket that I passed.. alas, pitot, but no moufletot. I even stopped and talked with a few families...one large gathering I was sure would be Moroccan were instead from the Caucaus. There actually was one Moroccan family, but no they were not celebrating Mimouna today, only last night, and laughed at my search for Moufletot.

So, I arrived home, a bit disappointed, a little tired, but realized that in spite of the fact that I didn't find my Mimouna celebration and most of all my moufleta, I had made a lot of new friends, been treated very specially by a lot of very sweet people, discovered new places in the shuk, even had an interview on national television.

Even without the moufleta, it was a special day...a special way to celebrate Mimouna.

(Besides, I may not have found the moufleta at the Mimouna, but I found the afikomen at the seder...so, you can't win them all. I know , I know.....but the youngest...he's in the army, and he hid the afikomen. !!)

Next year at Mimouna!!

Post Pesach Matza Video

2009-04-16T11:51:00.003+03:00

Hat tip to Jameel at Muqata for this funny video

Fortunately (or UNfortunately) I ate all my matzot, so I didn't have this dilemma. But, enjoy.

Chag Pesach Sameach 5769 / 2009

2009-04-08T12:41:00.039+03:00

As we move tonight into the week- long Pesach observances, the City of Jerusalem and all of Israel is palpably excited and happy. This is a profound chag (holiday) on many levels - one enjoyed by everyone - at every level of tradition or observance.

For many it is a week long trip after the seder, camping, visting the beaches, a relaxing week off with many activities available around the country. Most restaurants close because kashering them for Pesach is quite overwhelming, so weary cafe and restaurant owners welcome the wonderful respite from their year long hard and constant labor in serving us the public with coffee and goodies.

There are a few who do stay open, switching their menus (after careful cleaning and kashering) to non-chametz, including or not including the kitniyot (rice, beans and legumes enjoyed by sephardim during Pesach). You could tell which cafes would be closing, as the owners and workers were practically dancing through the day on Tuesday, anticipating the weeks vacation. For the others, who will remain open, it was a "business as usual".

Around the neighborhood one could smell the fresh clean smells as apartment dwellers scrubbed up and polished up. Items not needed or wanted for Pesach or beyond were removed as we did a deeper "spring cleaning" and the results were piled on the walls, near the trash bins, waiting for the homeless to find clothes, shoes and many useful items, often in excellent condition.

Stores were in process of hiding, covering or removing all chametz related articles at the same time as customers pressed in to get Pesach supplies and foods. All this making for a real, but fun, balygan (mess)

In addition, starting Tuesday some very visible signs of Pesach began to appear on the streets in the neighborhoods. Kashering stands were set up around town for the purpose of making existing kitchenware and stove parts kosher ready for Pesach.

Kashering on HaPalmach

Flower stands took on a new look with large and

beautiful spring bouquets

made especially for Pesach.

Shuki on Shay Agnon

By Wednesday, yom Erev Pesach, the homes were free of chametz and spots for burning any left over breads or other chametz were seen and smelled all around town, as the last of the chametz disappeared.

Wishing all who celebrate our "freedom", a blessed and wonderful Pesach.

More about Boaz

2009-03-27T17:36:00.014+03:00

Earlier this week I posted the beautiful song Ke'ilo Kan (As if Here - also known as Fire in Your Eyes) sung by the equally beautiful Boaz Mauda. I say that (about Mauda) not because he is incredibly gorgeous, which he is, but simply because he is a beautiful person.

Photo from http://boazmauda.co.il/

He is only a couple of years on the music scene, but clearly has captured the hearts of Israelis. The passion with which he sings, the deep desire to bring his Yemenite traditions forward, giving expression to some of the most beautiful and haunting melodies and words, and his gentle openness are only a part of what we see in Boaz.

He is also an expession of the tender strength in our young men, something I wrote about at the outset of this blog, and something which Israelis know about our people; it is something we deeply cherish.

Boaz had never sung on stage before a good friend secretly entered him into the competition for the 5th Israeli Kokhav Nolad (A Star is Born) contest - akin to the American Idol show. In fact, Mauda was then a soldier, a goat herder on his kibbutz, and had only sung publically the prayers in the synagogue. Now of course he has represented Israel in the 2008 Eurovision competition and travels world wide singing.

This video gives you a glimpse into his story, and our story, because each one of us is all of us. It is filmed at the 2007 Kokhav Nolad where he was "crowned the "Star". He dedicated his winning song, Menagen Veshar to his mother -the beautiful woman in the wheel chair in the video. Ofra Mauda had muscluar dystrophy prior to Boaz's birth, yet she defied doctors to have this child. Due to complications of the delivery, she sustained physical injury and has been confined to a wheelchair in recent years. Mauda says that both his parents (Shlomo & Ofra), but especially his mother, are the ones who taught him everything, and are his inspiration for determination and willpower. Anything he has achieved, Boaz says, is because of them.

Be sure to watch through to the very end of the video. There is sometimes a pause (a glitch) and then it continues to a beautiful ending. Enjoy.

Ad the winner is...BOAZ MAUDA !!
video by Daily Motion.com

Boaz Mauda

2009-03-26T12:26:00.008+02:00

Boaz Mauda, Yemenite Israeli from Kibbutz Elyakim. He, this song, is Israel ...this is who we are.

photo from http://boazmauda.co.il/

Politics, Queues and Balygans

2009-03-15T15:55:00.008+02:00

Our Waiting Game for the new government hopefully is drawing to a close soon, the winners to be announced by the end of the week. (Not to hold our collective breath, however.) Personally, I find that I am pleasantly surprised at my lack of impatience and frustration through the whole process, taking the whole thing in stride and feeling calm about it all.

Learning patience has been part of my Israeli training, an awareness of which I have had - or at least suspected - for some time.

When I first moved to Israel I found myself enormously impatient in the queues and crowds as I waited to be checked out or be served for some service. "How can the others stand this... they all look so calm...just waiting and waiting, and I feel like exploding!!"

I am not sure why it affected me so much. It isn't as if I never waited in lines or had to take numbers for service in America. Of course I did, but there is a huge cultural difference.

You see, here in Israel, the banker, the checkout clerk, the postal clerk, the government workers have many other more important things to do at the same time as waiting on the customer. For instance, talking on the phone. Now I don't mean answering the ringing phone at the desk. I mean calling the family or the friend for a chat, especially right after you have asked a question. What better time to plan an outing? Heaven forbid that the customers should complain, can't we see that the clerk is busy now? Oh, and yes, the 3 people who simply walk up to the desk and engage the clerk while you are discussing your problem...don't they have rights for heaven's sake?

Then there are the one armed clerks in the supers (markets) The supermarket clerks use only one arm with which to ring the register and move the items being rung up...not moving items across with one hand and tapping the register with the other. Yes, it does take her/him twice as long to ring up the purchase.

Supermarket clerks also have other business to conduct at the same time as checking out customers. One incredible incident is forever etched in my mind. A young girl was the check out clerk at a supermarket in the Center of Town. Her jeans were cute and very tight...I mean very tight...so tight that she couldn't comfortably sit in the chair. For 10 minutes (I timed it) she tried different positions, shifting the belt area, trying to slide the material around so she could sit down. She unbuttoned and re-buttoned the jeans, and just could NOT get comfortable. I was close to the front in line. I stared at her, at the people ahead and behind me, expecting her to be hugely embarrassed and the customers to be irritated and start yelling. No one said a word. Everyone simply waited while this young girl, who didn't look the slightest bit embarrassed at holding up the line so she could sit down in her tight jeans, wiggled and maneuvered around. It wasn't even that people thought it was cute that she went through so much to sit...they just ignored her and talked among themselves about the daily issues until she was ready to start ringing. Finally, I guess she felt comfortable, and life moved on.

Of course, customer themselves contribute to the frustration. There is a little game that is played, mostly in the supermarkets, but elsewhere too, like post offices and banks. It's called "tapping the shoulder of the person in front of you and telling them that you are next after them"...then going off for 20-30 minutes, maybe even to have a coffee, and coming back to "reclaim" their spot in line "just in time". Imagine my irritation when this phenomenon first presented itself to my brand new immigrant and totally naive self. Arriving in line, waiting my turn, I would suddenly find 3 different people - just as it is my turn to be next at the counter - suddenly show up and claim that they are next in line before me. Huh??? Slicha?? (Excuse Me!!) I have been here 20 minutes and YOU just arrived. NOT so, it turns out, (confirmed loudly by the man or woman just leaving the counter)...they had been there once, but decided to leave and enjoy the scenery instead of standing in the line. I was the one in error I was told...didn't I know they had "saved" their spot in line???

The only exception, and it is a large exception, are the bus queues...an oxymoron for sure. There IS no such thing as a bus queue - there is a bus MOB whose job it is to try and kill you as you get on the bus. People appear out of nowhere, physically shoving you out of the way so they can climb on the bus first. Of course one is a friar (sucker) if he/she steps back to allow it. The name of the game is to start shoving and pushing as well.

All this to say, waiting for Israeli politics to take shape is a bit like life in Israel itself. Nothing about it makes logical sense, on the surface it looks like a complete balygan (mess)...but, for pete's sake, this is why we love this country.

Just One Purim Picture

2009-03-12T01:54:00.003+02:00

Shushan Purim is now over with but I couldn't resist taking a picture of this Purim "angel" as I walked down my sidewalk this morning... maybe he's one of the ones who guard my block

I Saw Ze'ev Today

2009-03-06T15:06:00.005+02:00

(Ze'ev - the ongoing saga (previous posts) of my friendship with a man whom some would call "homeless" - and he is...but to me Ze'ev is a man with a tragic story - and a friend from whom I learn about life)

I saw Ze'ev today. He saw me coming about 1/2 block away, and we threw out our arms in the Israeli greeting that says "I haven't seen you for soooo long"! In fact, we both shouted those words at the same time. It was so good to see him. People turned to stare...I wanted to tell them to get a life.

He looked really good, and although he said he wasn't well, we were both thankful to G-d for the warmth of the sun. After I ran next door to buy him a cigarette, I came back and we talked for almost 45 minutes.

I learned alot about Ze'ev today. A well read man, who knows a lot about many countries, he is an interesting person and fun to talk to. His self-taught English was impressive, as was his desire to learn and speak it correctly..and not only English, but he was hungry for information about how people live and what's good and what's bad about other countries. Searching......

Like so many he fell through the cracks in the bureacracy of Israeli institutions. I understood so well, as I don't fit the parameters either, falling through the cracks as well......there's a brick wall to try to change it or affect a different outcome, - many people just give up. In fact, very few fit into the mold that the government has created.

And like so many, his experiences have left him bitter and angry at this country. I wanted to tell him it was the government but not the people, but when I started to say it, I choked on my words, as I already knew that his experience of living on the street and in shelters had not produced any such nicities among his acquaintances. Pompous words coming from my mouth; though I am closer than most, still I have not walked in his shoes.

Ze'ev was truly perplexed at my love for this country...truly. He looked at me, bewildered. How could that be, he asked. Yet in his wisdom, he said he realized that every country has good and bad things about it, so he knew America wasn't paradise.. But Israel, in his experience with it, has yet to be understood as a good place to be.

I could expand a lot on Ze'ev's story, but somehow, sharing too much seems an invasion of his privacy...and privacy is something Ze'ev has very little of...

So, I am glad for the warmth of this Shabbat for you Ze'ev, and for me too. It's been a long cold winter.

Shabbat Shalom

Preoccupied

2009-03-05T23:39:00.018+02:00

I didn't get going on my posting as quickly as I thought I would. I have been preoccupied this week....

Preoccupied with the fact that we still don't know what the government will look like, and the varying news reports about it are seldom more than gossip.
Preoccupied with the cold and the continuing rain..until today that is, when the sun came out for a few hours, and predictably the temperature climbed into warmth.
Preoccupied with emerging spring flowers and trees decorating our sidewalks and alleyways.
Preoccupied with the Iryiah (city hall) "nature terrorists" doing their extreme spring pruning, felling flowering trees and shrubs right and left, unconcerned with the stark gaping holes left behind.
Preoccupied with REAL terrorists who read the Koran in the cabs of bulldozers, then wield their front loaders as the weapon of choice in a rampage to try to destroy a busload of young Jewish girls on their way to Hadassah Hospital to cheer up the patients with a little Purim fun.

I even wonder ... could the cadre of "nature terrorists" be in training??

Jerusalem...City of Intensity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I went in search of wild cyclamen, and either they are finished blooming or shyly hiding behind the rocks, because I could find none this week. I did find the trees that have had berries all winter now taking on a new spring look against the summer-hinting blue of the sky - even though they are the same old berries on the tree, and non edible ones at that!

One less such tree on my block, thanks to the iryiah workers.

I found bushes in shades of purple, shrubs dressed in buttercup garments, and Israeli style dandelions lining the walkways.

Just the beginning as spring emerges from the long cold winter.

A Surprise

...but just as I was about to put away my camera, I stumbled upon the treasures I had been looking for.... right behind my building on the terrace slopes to the streets below.

There I discovered countless clumps of wild cyclamen...and in the midst of them were bright yellow and pale yellow butterflies

cavorting in the sun. Alas, my camera decided to relinquish it's battery charge just as I was shooting the butterflies.

Most amazingly, while I know nothing about butterfly mating, it appeared to me to be a courtship dance between a bright yellow and pale yellow butterfly. It was very sweet. I'll be back to photograph more, but the courtship may in fact be over. :)

Election Weary, Rain Happy

2009-02-27T16:20:00.006+02:00

We are a little election weary in our little country, but I'm not sure the present system is as terrible as is often bemoaned.

At any rate, the coalition discussions continue and will intensify this next week as Bibi turns to his natural partners for ongoing talks. We all desire that he will be able to create a strong and stable government. Except, of course, for Tzipi Livni. Today Livni rejected the idea of a unity government, saying that tomorrow she will begin working to bring down the Netanyahu government. Not a word about the seriousness of the hour and a willingness to compromise in a way to work together for our survival. All about Tzipi.

Again, I direct you to the parallel site, Today in Israel, where there is more detail on the coalition predicaments and discussions.

The rains continue this weekend, the cyclamen are still blooming, and B'H, it's Shabbat. We'll get through it all somehow. After taking a week off of posting, I should be up and running again next week.

In the meantime,

Shabbat Shalom

Following the Rain

2009-02-22T00:05:00.003+02:00

It has rained hard and steady, including enough hail to pile up on the window sills and the ground, since Friday night, shortly after it was announced that Bibi Netanyahu would form the government. Mega lightning and enormous thunder claps made the ongoing event even more dramatic.

The reports are that it will continue to rain through Monday - two more days. Much snow accumulated on Mount Hermon, snow that will melt into the Kinneret in the spring.

How much rain fell directly into the Kinneret has yet to be reported, but more rain is forecast for next weekend.

Do you think these prolonged soaking rains could have anything to do with electing a government that finally means business about protecting this Land?
If you have followed my blog, you already know that I think in the affirmative on this issue.

Election Progress

2009-02-19T20:16:00.004+02:00

I know, they drag out forever, these Israeli elections. If you are following the Today in Israel blog, and/or of course, the news! you know that today marked the parade of parties going to Beit HaNassi (the President's house) to give their recommendations for the person best suited to form the next government.

Bibi received the overwhelming mandate of 65 seats to Livni's 28, yet it's not over yet. Peres still has to formally request of Netanyahu to form the government, and since they are not the best of friends, who knows what might still happen. At this hour at least, Peres is insistent on asking BOTH Netanyahu and Livni tomorrow to Beit HaNassi to try to force them to work together in a unity government - even though Livni is firm (today at least) about sitting in opposition.

Then of course, there's the budget... We could know who will be prime minister by summer. It's enough to drive one to drink!! Yet, Israeli's are pretty patient about it all. After all, what can we do? Nothing. So...we shrug our shoulders and drink coffee and wait....and then, we drink some more coffee and wait some more.

It's Israel. (And I really love coffee.)

Shabbat and haShkediya

2009-02-13T14:50:00.014+02:00

As we transition to Shabbat, a few close ups of the blossoms of hashkediya (the almond trees) on my street . The bees are happy too.

Photos mkfremont

Shabbat Shalom

Follow me...

2009-02-10T19:34:00.000+02:00

...at TodayinIsrael for running election coverage

Some things Are Eternal

2009-02-09T20:39:00.013+02:00

I hadn't been to my places in the hills for some time; every time I thought about going I felt a hestitation and no drawing to go like I normally did. I felt it might have to do with the fact that one of the last times I was there, later at night, walking and gazing out over the night time hills as I have so many times, a security guard (too unprofessional for shin bet) followed me in a car, stalking and harassing me a bit. It was during the war and I could see they were looking for something/someone below on the hill. Still, for G-d's sake, I don't look like a terrorist, and it was unnerving. I felt like "my space" had been invaded and it was no longer "private".

Today, however, I decided to go to one of the spots. A place where I sit next to an enormous fragrant thyme bush and look out, with trees and flowers and rocks on the hillside in the other direction.

Even before I arrived at the long walkway to the stairs, my heart sank, but only briefly. Surrounding the entire area was a construction wall. Cranes and caterpillars peeked over the top and could be heard chewing up trees and crushing rocks. I knew of course, the wild display of cyclamen gracing the hills and hiding beneath the rocks were being pulverized as well.

Ah, this is probably why I haven't come. I would have been furious at the sight of the fence going up, and the machinery moving in to my tranquil and wild hillside. But, this is Yerushalayim. We want it to grow in people. Where are they going to build except on an empty hillside?

Nevertheless, as I walked alongside the construction barrier, I mulled over the idea of joining the "green" party - because though we do need building, we still need our green space to be beautiful and healthy.

As I turned the corner to climb the 100 steps or so to my bench, I could see that my view would be totally blocked. What about the butterflies who inhabit the thyme bush? Would they move on now that there would only be one bush from which to dine? Already some had moved on when a wild and uncaring Iryia (city hall) worker went crazy in his pruning of both the thyme and the gorgeous canopy of leaves and flowers that cascaded over my bench - the canopy that had provided me cool shelter on steamy days, and was like a special covering while I thought and dreamed.

I thought of Jerusalem and her history...when there was no bench, nor concrete stairs nor buildings of any kind, and I wondered how many scenes this little tract of Land had witnessed over the centuries.

That's when G-d whispered in my ear - that Jerusalem, though eternal, will always be changing before us - only He and the Am are constant.

Only G-d and the People Israel are constant. It gave me peace. Jerusalem is eternal, but her face is ever changing (though not her spirit); G-d and His People will never change. The same G-d, the same People - Am Yisrael - through the ages.

Comforting thoughts on election eve.

Ponderings

2009-02-04T23:49:00.012+02:00

With the elections drawing very near, this is the talk of the coffee shops and cafes, like in any country that votes. It's in our heads and a bit heavy on our hearts.... at least on mine.

When I write my other column (blog Today in Israel) I can be detached, analytical - the journalist and commentator. But when I write this column...well, my heart shows a bit more.

I am concerned. While there is "hope" in some camps, the street is frustrated. Israeli politics being what they are, no one trusts anyone in or near the government. Lots of regular people are slightly depressed - still struggling from the betrayal of Barak not finishing the job in Gaza and wondering...what's around the corner.

There are rumblings about the north, and it seems like something may erupt at the Israel/Lebanon border. We can feel it.

Yet Israelis are so resilient. A week from now, when the elections are all over with, the talk in the coffee shops and cafes will be turning towards the spring and what it will bring. Unless of course...the north explodes, or the south re-ignites, or ...the list goes on. It is because the suffering is so great here at times that Israelis learn to turn their emotions on and off - at the drop of a hat they can shift gears, making the best of a bad situation. It's called survival.

Slowly, slowly I am learning how.

In times of trouble we are at our strongest, we pull together as a People. But we have something else. After the shkedim bloom and we are reminded of God's word over Jerusalem, we will know Esther's courage and determination to save our People (Purim) and we will rejoice and laugh. Shortly after that, we will once again experience God taking us out of Egypt and into freedom in Pesach. Whether these are traditionally observed or religiously observed, they will permeate the country. No matter what trouble we may be suffering through, in the midst of it, we as a nation always stop and celebrate our journey...and it strengthens us.

We are a national People, Am Yisrael. And I am drinking it all in. Slowly, slowly I am learning and understanding a bit more of what it means to be Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael.

Shaked

2009-01-31T22:09:00.011+02:00

I was supposed to attend a meeting tonight featuring all the candidates for the upcoming Israeli election. They were to speak in at the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem. I am sure they spoke quite well. In fact, I am certain they said everything that the right wing audience wanted to hear.

I just couldn't go. It doesn't matter so much what is said, politicians have a way of saying one thing and doing another. Anywhere. But it seems especially true here in Israel. I will vote. In fact I will devote some time and postings to the election in the sister blogsite, Today in Israel.

But today when I was out walking, I came face to face to something that is much more durable and trustworthy than any of our politicians.

It was a most remarkable sight - the almond tree (shaked) was in full bloom.

Of course, immediately comes to mind the verse from Jeremiah 1 (11-12). "The word of the Lord came to me: 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' I replied, ' I see an almond tree." The Lord said to me: you have seen right, for I am watchful to bring My word to pass." [...a pun using the word shaked which means 'almond tree' with shoked which means 'to watch"..and the context is that God is watching over Jerusalem and Judah and will bring His word to pass regarding them]

The blooming of the almond tree is always sudden and takes one by surprise. It is an awesome thing and brings hope knowing God will be true to His word over Jerusalem.

Yet, this year I had other thoughts as well. The winter this year has brought very little rain. Only when we began Operation Cast Lead did we have one week of steady soaking rain, and as soon as we began to contemplate the withdrawal, the rain stopped. It is the worst drought since the State was formed in 1948.

I thought "what chutzpah these almond trees have....don't they know there has been no water?" But I was SO proud of them!! In spite of the 'facts on the ground', they were holding to God's word and blooming away anyway. Pay no mind to what the meteorologists and prognosticators say, they trusted in the word of the Lord.

But, even more exciting, a couple of hours later, the skies were filled with the drama of thunder and lightning.... and rain.

That was all I needed. No matter the facts on the ground, Gods word will stand.

No chariots or horses, I'm voting for the almond trees!

(Psalm 20:8 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will make mention of the name of the Lord our God.)

Shavua tov (have a good week)

Hugs and Tears

2009-01-28T00:30:00.006+02:00

I got to hug my friend today who just returned from Gaza. It was so good to see him. It was hard to hear some of the things he said.....especially because as we talked, our soldiers had just been attacked at Kissufim Crossing -with one dead, three wounded...one (a newly wed) very seriously.

Olmert says we haven't responded yet. (Ynet) My G-d, how does this man sleep at night?

Our men were so ready to finish the job.. so ready. Now what? What is Olmert going to do?? Keep things dangling again? Send them back in for a few days and then pull them out again?

How can the PM and DM toy not only with the lives of the residents of the south, but with the psyches and lives of our troops?

Two weeks before an election in Israel, the Prime Minister is not allowed to make reaching decisions. ...especially I would think, a resigned prime minister.

What a colossal balygan and a colossal disaster this government is.

To follow developing stories....

2009-01-27T16:39:00.001+02:00

...please visit Today in Israel for continued updates on developing situation.

Attack at Kissufim Crossing kills Soldier & Wounds Three More

2009-01-27T14:34:00.000+02:00

Early this morning Hamas attacked our troops patrolling the border at the Kissufim crossing - killing one and wounding three, one of them seriously. Devices laid at the border by Hamas were detonated in addition to mortars being lobbed into Israel. The seriously wounded officer was flown to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva for emergency surgery.

Some response has been taken both at the border and flights into Gaza by our military.

As I reported yesterday on TodayinIsrael, despite the media's obfuscation of the facts, there have been a handful of rocket attacks in the south since the so-called ceasefire.

More as this story updates.

A Father's Story - Herb Keinon

2009-01-25T21:08:00.008+02:00

When I read Herb Keinon's account (JPost) of how he felt during the 15 days his son was in Gaza, I was struck by how parallel his description was to my own intense emotions during the war, yet I did not have a son, a husband or brother there.

Of course I can't really compare my feelings to both his very personal fears and his very personal pride, but there was definitely an loud echo of what he expressed in my own soul.

As I reflected on this, and on my emotions when I visited the wounded soldiers in the hospitals I realized it didn't matter that they weren't my "actual family" because they and the families and close friends surrounding them - they were also mine. The soldiers belong to all of us and they are part of us; Am Yisrael is a People who, though we fight a lot between us at times, we really are as one.

So when he describes his feelings, it is in a little way the feelings of all of us.

Please click on the link below to read the entire article. It has a very sweet ending.

First Person: A father's story of his son at war

Jan. 23, 2009Herb Keinon , THE JERUSALEM POST

"Hello," I muttered into the phone at 7:15 last Sunday morning, after looking at - and not recognizing - the phone number on the caller ID.

"Hallo," a raspy voice answered back, waiting for recognition. When none came, the voice continued: "Abba, it's Yona."

And with those three words a 15-day trauma that began with the IDF's ground operation in the Gaza Strip simply melted away.

"Honey," I giddily screamed to my wife. "It's Yona." The lad was out of Gaza. He was safe and he was sound. Never have I felt more relieved.

Well-ensconced in middle age, I have tasted a good range of life's emotions. I have felt the pain of losing a parent at a relatively early age, the joy of marrying a woman I love, the delight at the birth of four healthy children. I have felt pleasure, bliss, happiness, satisfaction; hatred, pride, envy and disappointment.

I also thought I had pretty much run the scale of all the emotional chords involved in child-rearing. But I was wrong. I never felt anything that came close to the all-encompassing, gut-wrenching worry that comes when one has a child fighting in a war. These were virgin waters, and waters that at times made me feel as if I were drowning. ........

Read the full article here.

In Depth Analysis

2009-01-23T16:00:00.000+02:00

Please visit my other blogsite, Today in Israel, for an indepth analysis of the War and it's reasons.

Normalcy and Jewish Wisdom

2009-01-21T10:00:00.004+02:00

Normalcy is beginning to settle on the Land once again. The tension in the air has mostly changed into the everyday tension we always feel here....yet not completely.

There is a hesitancy, more a feeling of a lull, in which we can draw a deep breath, take a coffee, smile again, but with a knowing look that...this isn't over yet.

For one thing, elections are around the corner, and the applecart won't be upset again before that...even though Hamas has continued to fire rockets at us.

It's more than that however. This isn't about a territorial dispute and it's as ancient as we are.

The question always remains for me - is there an ending to the saga, or is it a never ending continuum? Are we a People with a history that unfolds into a promised future, or are we an eternal measuring stick for the world and we just go round and round again?

I don't have the answer to such deep mullings. I do know that this morning I have to try to figure out what the Iryia (City Hall) has done with my arnona (property tax) payment. Today, beyond that, my mind doesn't venture.

Perhaps there is some truth to the old Jewish adage: "They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat."

Our Boys are Home

2009-01-20T22:24:00.006+02:00

Well, our boys are home...out of Gaza, and our feelings are mixed. We are elated to see them safe and healthy, (knowing of course there are still those recovering in the hospitals and homes across the country), and at the same time we all know this was a premature withdrawal, and that they will have to go back in at some not too distant future.

We didn't even know sometimes who was in Gaza until they returned. A dear friend turned up at my local coffee home (this coffee shop is not even my 2nd home, but my 1st home :) ) straight from the front, still in gear. I had no idea he had been called up and sent in. Unfortunately I just missed him, arriving at the shop right after he left, but you can be assured I will go see him as soon as possible.

Somehow, you just have to hug these guys ..then... kol beseder (everything is ok).

Morally Corrupt

2009-01-18T11:23:00.004+02:00

I have written about the ludicrous position in which our "government" has again placed this country. (See Today in Israel, Empty Heads)

Our thoughts and prayers are for the men and boys Olmert and Barak have left sitting in Gaza, with permission only to respond if attacked, and not to wage war against a vile enemy who is only strengthened and more determined than ever by our stupidity. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the residents of the south, for whom nothing at all has changed.

In spite of our morally corrupt government, we must continue to walk out each day... counting those days when we can finally get rid of this administration.

Are we smart enough yet to elect people who care about this nation?

Chayalim

2009-01-15T20:42:00.027+02:00

I wasn't sure I would, or even could, write about this...some things are just held too close emotionally to talk about them publicly. But, then, some things should be shared so that we are all part of what's happening around us.

I had the unmerited privilege this week, on two different days, in two different hospitals, to sit with wounded chayalim (soldiers) and/or their families. There are not words to adequately express how I felt about it....and I am not going to try.

But I would be remiss in my responsibility as a writer and conveyor of the uniqueness that is Israel, if I did not share at least a few things from these days.

One of the things that struck me the most, and what I carry in my heart, is the brightness of the faces, the brightness in the eyes, even those in pain, of these young men. There I stood, a little shyly, not exactly sure what to say, but wanting to communicate my love and appreciation to the men and their families, and bearing gifts from many merchants in my neighborhood - and there they were, beaming at me, giving love and appreciation to me...and strength. The brightness and eagerness of their smiles conveyed inimitable strength and confidence. As if protecting me/us on the battlefield wasn't enough, here they were, still the strength and defenders of Am Yisrael.

It was not just the soldiers who conveyed this optimism and strength, but also the families of these men. Even when there were very serious injuries, and this day there were 3 such situations, the families greeted me with a calm assurance - yes, some weariness, but no sad faces, no "why me/us?" questioning, but a quiet optimism and determination and strength that was extended from the battlefield to the rooms and corridors of the hospitals.

Indeed, these hospitals are part of the battlefield. Here, I realized, is waged simply another phase of the war.

Israel's army chooses to lead in a way that is foreign to much of the world. The commanders do not send their men into battle, they take them. Follow me is the shout, as the commander leads the way, going first into the fray.

Such, I understood, was the nature of the battles in these hospital rooms. Most that I saw were not commanders, but "Follow me" echoed throughout the hospitals, as both soldiers and families led the way.

It has been said to me several times this week - when we want to give back to the chayalim who fight for us, it's not just for them - it's for us as well. For in the exchange, we are all a part of the battle; we are in it together and we each have a part. But as I have learned so many times here in Israel, when you go to strengthen someone else, you are the one who ends up encouraged and strengthened by the other.

This is the uniqueness that is Israel - we are all family, and when we go to war, we all go to war, when one is hurt, we all hurt. But the ones who lead the way are often bright eyed young men and women and their families, who give us all strength....not afraid to put their lives on the line, not afraid to love their achim (brothers - here, in arms) and not afraid to love the ones they protect.

I have many stories from this week stored in my heart. Perhaps I'll share one or two later. In the meantime, the Jerusalem Post published an article about one of these young men, Staff Sergeant Avi Cohen, 23. Please read it. His story is representative of the rest of our men and women who are out there on the battlefield and in the recovery rooms of the hospitals, leading the way.

Nitzan

2009-01-14T12:26:00.001+02:00

Please log onto the parallel blog, TodayinIsrael for a report and pictures of our trip to Nitzan in support of the families from Gush Katif's Neve Dekalim - still living in cardboard trailers (3-1/2 years later), and now under rocket attack from the very communities from which they were expelled.

Silver Lining

2009-01-11T20:55:00.003+02:00

As we pushed into Gaza City today, the rains began to gently fall around Israel..soaking into the ground. Thirsty ground. Toda La El.

I went out to wait for the bus, in the rain, and we could see in the southwest an enormous dark gray storm cloud. Amazingly, surrounding the entire cloud was a thin silver lining, reflecting the late afternoon sun behind it. It was a beautiful sight and we all stood in wonder looking at it.

It is said that every cloud has a silver lining. Perhaps this was a sign for Israel.

Apologies

2009-01-09T16:02:00.012+02:00

I apologize for this blogspot not being up to date yesterday with the pictures and information on the fallen soldiers in Operation Cast Lead. They were posted immediately on the parallel site Today in Israel.

The truth be told, it was very difficult emotionally to get through posting the information even one time and I was not able yesterday to go through the posting a second time. Our deepest prayers and thoughts are with the families who have lost their sons and husbands and brothers.....and with their brothers in arms who mourn the loss of their officers and comrades in deep and personal ways...men who inspired and taught the rest of us by their lives of dedication and courage.

Here are the three casualties of yesterday's fighting:

Major Ro'i Rosner, 27, commander of 90 men in the Haruv Battalion of the Kfir Brigade, was killed by anti-tank missiles while fighting in the former Gush Katif town of Netzarim. Ro'i was married just 10 months ago, and two weeks ago received the keys to a new apartment. Just before entering Gaza, Ro'i led his men. with Rabbi Asaf Azriel, in an emotionally charged series of prayers and blessings, including the Shema. The Shema (Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad....Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, The Lord is One) prayed by observant Jews twice daily is also a traditional prayer spoken before dying to affirm one's faith in the One God. Full story can be found here.

Sergeant Amit Robinson 21 of Kibbutz Magal was killed by sniper fire. He was a tank crewmen - part of the Armored Corps division of the IDF, in fact, part of Battalion 17, the same Battalion as that of Gilad Shalit. His family immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gaza was Robinson's first assignment upon completion of his training.

In the afternoon, Captain Omer Rabinovich was killed in close gunfire exchange with Hamas terrorists.

Rabinovich was 23, a resident of Arad, and an officer in the Golani Brigade. He was devoted to this country and worked with kibbutzim youth.

Today in Israel

2009-01-08T14:40:00.002+02:00

Please go to www.todayinisrael.blogspot.com for War updating today.

Let's Pretend

2009-01-07T12:34:00.000+02:00

DAY 11 PART TWO

2009-01-06T23:46:00.013+02:00

Note: During these days of War, I will be posting many identical pieces on both this blog and the parallel news and commentary blog TodayinIsrael.

Regretfully, we have additional news of a 5th soldier being killed in battle today. He was Sergeant Alexander Mashevizky, 21 of Be’er Sheva. Mashevizky was killed in the fighting in northern Gaza Tuesday morning and was a part of the Combat Engineering Corps.

The most recent developments from the front include the Israeli bombing of three UN schools in Gaza, all of which were used to store explosives, hide terrorist operatives, and from which mortars were fired into Israel and/or into IDF positions within Gaza.

Before the IDF had an opportunity to describe the military action, the world had once again already gone berserk.

Here is one official statement regarding this incident:

Hamas Operatives Killed in UNRWA School

After an investigation that took place over the past hour it has been found that amongst the dead at the Jabalya school were Hamas terror operatives and a mortar battery cell who were firing on IDF forces in the area. Hamas operatives Imad Abu Askhar and Hassan Abu Askhar were amongst terrorists that were identified to be killed.

“We face a very delicate situation where the Hamas is using the citizens of Gaza as a protective vest,” IDF Spokesperson Brig. General Avi Benayahu said following the incident.

Rockets continue to pound the south, and reservists are readying for entry into Gaza, or God forbid, should a northern front open up, deployment there. The Home Command is readying both the Center of the country and the North for emergency procedure.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson/JPost

DAY 11 PART ONE

2009-01-06T21:44:00.015+02:00

This was a gut wrenching day in the War. Overnight and today we lost 4 soldiers in two separate friendly fire incidents. In the first incident, a Golani unit had taken over a building, and a tank fired at the building, either with the mistaken assumption that there were Hamas operatives inside, or an accidental shelling...it is still unclear. Twenty four other soldiers were wounded, one critically, and three severely, the rest sustaining light to moderate injuries. Under extremely heavy IDF protection, the injured were evacuated by helicopter and ambulances to hospitals in Israel. The three Golani soldiers who were killed in this incident were the following:

Staff Sargeant Nitay Stern, 21 of Jerusalem

Corporal Yousif Moaddi, 19, Druze Village of Yerka in the Galilee

Major Dagan Wertman, 32, Maale Michmas

The fourth soldier killed in a separate friendly fire incident was Paratrooper Brigade officer Captain Yehonatan Netanel, 27, from Kedumim

Yoni Netanel left behind a wife and 3 mos. old baby.

All pictures from the IDF Spokespersons website:http://idfspokesperson.com/

IDF Soldier Fallen in Gaza

2009-01-04T19:05:00.012+02:00

I am deeply saddened to report that in the early hours of the incursion first sergeant Dvir Emanualoff, 22, of Givat Zev was wounded and flown to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva, where he succumbed to his wounds.

Please pray for the family of this brave young man.

The funeral will be tonight, 11 pm. Sunday Jan. 4, at Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem

Photo supplied by IDF

Day 9: Raw Emotions

2009-01-04T15:57:00.002+02:00

Day 9: Emotions are raw here today, as our boys enter Gaza for the first time since the Gush Katif expulsion. Elite units - Givati, Golani, the Armored Corps, Engineering Corps and Paratroopers - all inside Gaza now, in tanks and on foot, going house to house in some areas to secure the territory from where the rockets are being launched. Some 20 soldiers have been wounded, 2 seriously, with unconfirmed, but reports that dozens of terrorists were killed in the first several hours.

The territories from which the rockets are being launched are in many cases, the former homes or neighborhoods of the Gush Katif families. Our soldiers this morning entered and secured Netzarim to block weaponry from reaching Gaza City. Before the expulsion, the families who lived in Netzarim, just by their presence, kept the weapons from reaching Gaza City.

Our boys and men are skilled and strong, but the question is always, "will our government allow them to do what needs to be done?" While I am so proud of our guys, it makes my heart sick at the same time, as this maneuver should have been totally unnecessary.

"To deal a major blow to the Hamas networks, take control of the areas from which rockets are launched, and to strengthen our deterrence, in order to create a better long-term security situation.”

This is the government's position and every time I hear Olmert or Barak say we are there to take control of the areas from which we are being attacked, I want to scream "but we once HAD control of those areas, there were few if any Hamas networks there before the expulsion, and a better long-term security situation was already achieved."

This is the reality that everyone knows.

The truth is, however, as my mother always told me, "there's no use in crying over spilt milk." And so for the morale of our soldiers, and for the voracious appetite of the international Israel watchers, I will do everything in my power to put my best face forward and do whatever I can in the media war we battle.

Please continue to pray for our men and boys..for the freedom for the IDF to engage for victory, for their courage and of course for their protection. And pray for a miracle for Gilad Shalit in the midst of this balygan.

Ground Troops Ordered into Gaza

2009-01-03T23:20:00.000+02:00

Today, DM Barak has ordered our IDF soldiers into Gaza for a ground incursion. My hope and prayers are that our government is serious about victory and defeating our enemies.

Please pray for the protection of our soldiers, and that G-d may grant them a swift and complete victory.

See http://www.todayinisrael.blogspot.com/ for continued update on the Gazan War.

Ze'ev - Our Voice

2009-01-02T14:00:00.010+02:00

(Ze'ev - the ongoing saga (previous posts) of my friendship with a man whom some would call "homeless" - and he is...but to me Ze'ev is a man with a tragic story - and a friend from whom I learn about life)

I saw Ze'ev today. He was bundled up with several layers. I had worried about him this past week - it was so so cold here in Jerusalem and I was really happy to see him, alive and sitting on his backpack.

It's been a hard week for the country and a particularly hard week additionally for me personally, but I was excited because I had a little extra for him.

As I approached him, Ze'ev looked up, brightened up, sat up and smiled. I was grinning because I was so happy to give him a little more this time and I'm sure it showed on my face. He saw that grin as I approached and he brightened up even more....an understanding between us gave us both a little warmth on a cold winter's day...

With his hand over his heart like he often does.....he said softly "I thank you from the bottom of my heart".

I paused, concerned about his survival in the cold, and looked at him, "Kol beseder, Ze'ev", "Is everything ok?"

Somehow I knew exactly what he would answer...maybe because I felt the same way.

Looking at me, he said "No, everything is not alright...but I'm here...still alive..." Then he paused and smiled......"Happy New Year."

No, everything is not alright...but I'm here.... still alive. Oh, how I understood.

And it could just as well be said by the nation too...."No, everything is not alright...but we're here...still alive."

A profound man, Ze'ev....Happy New Year to you my friend.

The Rains .....Something to Think About

2008-12-31T10:28:00.007+02:00

Has anyone noticed that ever since we started to defend our Land and our People, at least a little, the desperately needed rains have steadily fallen - a gentle absorbing rain, just the kind the thirsty earth needed?

As I referred to in an earlier post (Sunny Days and a Thirsty Land), Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11:10-14 says the rains for Israel are not like those of other lands where there is man-made irrigation, but the rains for Israel are brought by the Heavens when we love God with our whole heart.

Loving God with our whole heart would include not rejecting this Land that was His gift to us......by beginning to defend it we show we do not despise His gift..... is it possible His blessing are free to follow now.....?.

...has our response, even if for political reasons, nonetheless had an effect on the very Land itself, and the air around it...and by changing the atmosphere, brought the rains..at last?

Something to think about.

Tsafrir Ronen

2008-12-30T16:37:00.011+02:00

Last Shabbat, not only did the surprise attack on Hamas take place, but a dear dear man, a strong and remarkable voice for Eretz Yisrael, was taken from us. Tsafrir Ronen, of the Galil, died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack.

His funeral was Sunday, and those who knew him are in shock and mourning. I had met him only once, but his love for this country is legendary. When I heard him speak a few months ago at Bet haShalom in Hebron, both he and his message were electrifying. His words, his knowledge, his passion grabbed the hearts of everyone who ever knew or heard him. A remarkable man.

There have been many tributes. This is one of them - a beautiful and personal tribute by Adina Kutnicki

Israel’s Hero, My Hero
Tevet 2, 5769, 29 December 08 11:50by Adina Kutnicki

(excerpts... full tribute can be seen at Israel National News)

(IsraelNN.com) While all lovers of Zion anxiously scan the news regarding the IAF’s ‘shock and awe’ operation against Hamas, those who received the shocking news of Tsafrir Ronen’s untimely and very sudden death this very same weekend could not help but be shaken to the core of their souls.

While every death deeply affects family and friends, few of those deaths can be described as a monumental loss for Zion. The passing of Tsafrir Ronen - a stalwart, non-intimidated defender of Zion - will surely register as such when the history of modern Israel is told in full.

........On a national level, his loss will most likely be appreciated when history is written. In the same manner that few understood the profound essence of all of Ze'ev Jabotinsky’s efforts for our homeland while he was alive, so too will Tsafrir’s undertakings resonate in future generations. I suspect that he will be the model that future generations of Zionists will emulate when his activities on behalf of Zion become more widely known.

Rest in peace my dear friend. May your memory be for a blessing.

With eternal friendship.

War Update

2008-12-30T12:00:00.000+02:00

Please see TodayinIsrael for updated information and questions about the situation in Gaza and the south.

LO SUFGANIOT

2008-12-28T23:51:00.009+02:00

On a lighter note, on this last night of Chanukah I suddenly realized I had NOT had any real sufganiot. That is, I did have a part of a large fried doughnut, oozing with chocolate and caramel......BUT it wasn't truly a sufganiyah - a jelly doughnut - the Israeli/sephardic Chanukah specialty.

I have a confession to make...I am really a latke person.

It is probably the only ashkenazi tradition I prefer over sephardic ones, but the truth is, I didn't have any latkes this year either. I don't know what happened to me in the food department. I was enjoying so much the various candle lightings with friends all over Israel, from Peta Tikvah, to Maale Adumin, and here in Jerusalem, that somehow the food just slipped by...until today when I realized I needed to have at least ONE sufganiyah.

Some friends of mine own a wonderful coffee shop, and they did an amazing business this year with their sufganiot....order after order after order passing from the hot oil cooker, to being decorated with flair, to countless boxes filled with the warm and fragrant jelly doughnuts, then carted off to hungry children and adults alike for their Chanukah fun.

So when I inquired this morning about their sufganiot I was not surprised to discover they had RUN OUT!!.. Not to worry, though, more were coming for this last day of Chanukah. After being assured the sufganiot would be fried there in the shop kitchen (and not a store-bought replacement for these last few hours -which I would totally understand!), I promised I would be back later in the day to have my one jelly doughnut, "in the spirit of the holiday!"

Well, I guess I waited too long, for when I arrived at the coffee shop to partake of my treat, I found one of my friends draining the cookers, and literally standing in a lake of oil which was spreading out over the floor of the shop's kitchen.... omg, it was a balygan. It looked like a disaster.

But then.... that meant...oh,oh...LO (NO) SUFGANIOT!!

Seeing the mess of cleaning up that oil....(I did offer to help!).....I appreciated even more how hard my friends had worked to provide such scrumptious treats for their customers....and I had missed out! For goodness sake, I had 8 days to claim one sufganiyah for the holiday!!

Oh well...except now I really missed the taste of that jelly doughnut....already longing for it for next year. Sigh....next time I will plan to have the first ones out of the cooker.....and...a latke or two with sour cream and applesauce...

Next year...still in Jerusalem!

Aza to Jerusalem

2008-12-28T23:30:00.002+02:00

To illustrate how tiny this country really is - and why the uproar over our settling this very small amount of Land is so ludicrous - when the first two ordinances were dropped on the Hamas police and terrorist training facilities yesterday - at approximately 11:30 am and 12:15 pm - the ground and buildings shook here in Jerusalem and the booms were heard here as well.

To clarify further, Jerusalem is on Israel's eastern border, the coast is our western border....and that's how close the coast is, my friends...

Remember how it is that everything that happens here in Israel affects the rest of us as if it is happening to us?.... Those who heard and felt the attack....felt like, YES! ... they were a part of the manuever.

It was a great feeling! Let's pray we continue to defend this beautiful Land and our people.

A Chanukah Surprise

2008-12-28T14:47:00.014+02:00

In a fitting Chanuka gift to the nation and to the world, our government, over Shabbat, finally ordered a strike on Hamas in Gaza - a pretty powerful one at that. One hundred tons of ordinance were dropped on terrorist targets, police and terror training facilities, in an operation that took Hamas by surprise. Over 250 were killed, nearly all of them Hamas officials and terrorists including the senior commander of Hamas' police force, Tawfik Jabber, his military assistant, Ismail al-Ja'abri, commander of defense and security, and Abu-Ahmad Ashur, governor of the central district.

Operation Cast-Lead, as it is called - from a Chanukah poem by H.R Bialik (see below) - continues this morning with rocket launching sites, Hamas government offices and television stations being the recipients of today's IAF bombings.

Very few civilians have been casualties, but I must remind our readers that we are at war. Unfortunately, some civilians casualties can happen. The people in Aza elected this terrorist government, and unfortunately, the terrorists hide behind and in the midst of civilians so that they can manipulate the media PR against Israel.

Within Israel, power and other utilities are being affected for whatever reasons, and areas along the Gaza corridor and much deeper into Israel are now hearing the Tzeva Adom (Color Red Alert), some for the first time....places like Gan Yavneh and Ashdod.

In an attempt to placate world criticism and demonstrate that our target is Hamas, not the civilian population, our government this morning ordered crossings into Gaza to open - to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and to receive out of Gaza, and into Israel, some of the wounded who will receive treatment in Israeli hospitals.

This is what makes the situation so crazy. What other government or country in the world would feed and heal the enemy? Many think this is exemplary and laudable, showing the world that we are compassionate people above all else; others think it is insanity.. aiding and abetting the enemy is, after all, treason. While I tend to lean towards the second opinion, some things happen in spite of ourselves that are beyond understanding... thus I will leave this matter untouched by much commentary.

Of course, all of this could have been avoided had we not destroyed the lives and homes of the beautiful and brave Jews who lived in Gush Katif. Beyond that - given the reality of that cowardly deed by our government, had we gone in many months ago to destroy the terrorists activities and developments, we would find ourselves in a much less dangerous situation. By our appeasement, we have allowed the poison of Hamas to fester and grow to a much larger problem.

Of course, the timing of this coincides with the elections, and one worries that the elections may now be postponed and Olmert will continue to operate as Prime Minister, indefinitely....even though he resigned weeks ago. It's a sobering reality, and a sickening one. However, the words of my friend, Moshe Kempinski, whom I often quote in this blog, sum it up in an encouraging way. Believing that rising up with courage to destroy evil and defeat our enemies, is indeed the G-d given mandate for Israel in this hour, he said this: ".... when a nation is led into a path that coincides with their destiny and survival, the reasons behind the move are less important."

One last piece of information. Our strategic operations are given names that have significance. It is important to us that this courage to act against Hamas came in the midst of Chanukah. While the more popular celebration of this holiday focuses on the miracle of the oil burning for 8 days in the recaptured and cleansed Temple, (Chanukah means "dedication", i.e. the (re)dedication of the altar in the Temple), an equally significant importance of Chanukah is to remember the miraculous victory that God gave us, and to remember the faith and bravery of the Maccabees, whose victory over the Greeks was profound, unexpected and dramatic.

Through the ages, Jews have remembered this miraculous victory in ways that aren't observable to the world. One way is in the spin of the dreidle...its letters in Israel are נ (Nun), ג (Gimel), ה (Hei), פ (Pei) "A great miracle happened here."

One of our beloved poets, Haim Nahman Bialik wrote this poem, which on the surface is just about tops and pancakes, but at a deeper level recognizes the importance of this remembrance. The finest of victories is exemplified by the finest of dreidles - one made of solid or cast-lead.

Here is his poem. May our soldiers be protected by the Almighty as they go to battle.

For Hanukkah

Father lighted candles for me;
Like a torch the Shamash shone.
In whose honor, for whose glory?
For Hanukkah alone.

Teacher bought a big top for me,
Solid lead, the finest known.
In whose honor, for whose glory?
For Hanukkah alone.

Mother made a pancake for me,
Hot and sweet and sugar-strewn.
In whose honor, for whose glory?
For Hanukkah alone.

Uncle had a present for me,
An old penny for my own.
In whose honor, for whose glory?
For Hanukkah alone.

(This post is also on the parallel blog TodayInIsrael)

Chanuka Sameach

2008-12-23T22:02:00.008+02:00

Chanuka Sameach! Happy Chanuka!

From the first to the last lighting, may this beautiful holiday bring a blessing. And may the courage of the Maccabbees inspire us, when things look impossible, to pick ourselves up, and with faith and determination, set our faces into the wind and keep moving towards the goal. Miracles can..and do..happen.

Picture www.jewswithviews.com

More on Ze'ev

2008-12-18T14:56:00.007+02:00

Last week I stopped by to speak with Ze'ev (post of 11/21/08). Before I could even say much, his frustrations and anguish bubbled over, and his words of pain came tumbling out. I listened while he poured it all out, the cold, the ill health, the theft and abuse from other needy people in the shelters, and I could sense the fear, even panic, in him as he faced another night in the cold, on a bench somewhere.

When his words were spent, he looked slightly embarrassed, but my smile and acceptance assured him it was beseder...it was ok. I am sure few have ever stopped to listen...at least without preaching at him. I've seen and heard those unkind words to Ze'ev and to others, and I have to imagine how humiliating it must feel. I heard in Ze'ev's words the profound affect those words from passers-by had on his soul.

Not that I've always been so forgiving. At times in the past, forgetting lessons already learned, I too could be found making assumptions I had no right to make. When he calmed down a bit, I gave him what little change I had in my purse, and ran to the nearby merkolet (little convenience store) to buy him a couple of cigarettes.

Aside from the amazing fact that you can buy individual cigarettes here in Israel ....there is the more amazing fact that I, as an ex-smoker who used to freak out at the mere whisper of cigarette smoke, was happy to run and buy him some..... (but that's really another story, for another time.)

As for Ze'ev, I just hope he collected enough money last week to put him into a room somewhere, if only for one night - Erev Shabbat, a night when everyone should be safe and warm.

Life here..it's chom

2008-12-10T15:53:00.021+02:00

Last week I finally got up the nerve to get my hair cut again. I was terrified to have it cut, but omg, it was either get it cut or stay in my dira (apartment) and never come out! Of course, that was the situation the last 2 times I had it cut, so it couldn't be much worse that it was already! Still......

You've heard of bad hair days? Well, lately I have been having bad hair weeks, and months...

I knew the problem, and I knew what I had to do... I knew that it had to be cut by a sabra...a native Israeli.

Ma? you say, but why? Well, it's a little hard to explain, but let me try. Or better, let me tell you about what happened, and then maybe it will be clear. It all has to do with me and Israel. Or more precisely, with me and Israelis.

You see, even though I am a recent immigrant, and am now an Israeli....the people I seem most heart to heart with are the Israelis, the sabras. It's hard to put into words, but this is where I connect.

So, I knew I needed someone with whom I could relate, heart to heart, who would just "sense" the real me....or at least a little part of who I am....enough to cut my hair to fit me anyway.

I went by a shop that had been recommended by a friend... Motti was standing in the doorway, smoking a cigarette. I stopped, we chatted, his face smiled and we agreed on the price.

His co-worker welcomed me and motioned me to a chair.. No, no, I said, Motti is going to cut it. It turned out this was a young man in training and he was just going to wash it. Ah, slicha (sorry, excuse me) Well, let me say, I have never had my hair washed with such a gentle tender loving touch. I mean, it would be worth it to go there just for that!

I told Motti I was terrified to have him cut it. We laughed, but I was serious. As we talked, I told him of a former stylist who had moved to CA, and that I was sad about that. We had a long discussion, over hot turkish coffee, and between sips and snips, about Israelis, ex-pats (those who move to another country, usually America, to make more money) and returning home to Israel. Motti talked at great length about why Israelis go to America to make money and he wanted to know why I came here, and what I did. We spoke about that and he said "I can feel your love for this country." Yes, I said, I am in love with this country and that's why I am here, but also why I am sad that people leave.

He tried again to explain to me why people leave and why it was ok. I told him I understood that it was so hard to make a living here, and how America's ease with money was attractive, and I really did understand that, but...I said, Motti, life in America is pretty surface, there's little depth there...you can find it, but...it's just different. He looked at me for awhile, and then he smiled. Yes, he said, life here is chom (heat, warmth -but not in temperature, which is cham) and his face lit up. Yes, he said, turning it over in his mind.... "life here ...it's chom..it's hot." We both understood.

Life in Israel ...it's chom.

(Oh, btw, it's a great haircut.)

Niggun

2008-12-10T13:35:00.000+02:00

Please listen to the beautiful niggun (holy verses put to song) created and sung by the uncle of Rivka Holtzberg, murdered in Mumbai. The niggun is sung to give thanks to God for the rescue and survival of the couple's little boy Moishe. The video and story is posted on my other blogsite Today in Israel http://www.todayinisrael.blogspot.com

2008-12-05T15:53:00.001+02:00

Please read the posts on my parallel site www.todayinisrael.blogspot.com to know what is happening with the travesty in Hebron.

2008-11-28T01:48:00.006+02:00

As promised I made it to Tel Aviv to clear my head..... as I sat on the beach the most amazing formations of geese or ducks flew overhead against the setting sun. I didn't catch the geese on camera.... but I did catch the sea in its splendor

2008-11-27T22:52:00.011+02:00

Israelis are known for their ingenuity and inventiveness - some things are world changing, others are just plain practical, even if a bit odd. Municipal trees are often knocked down by cars backing up or parking on the sidewalk, so someone decided to plant their own, and protect it with an old worn out desk chair

Exhaustion Jerusalem Style

2008-11-25T21:35:00.013+02:00

It was one of those Jerusalem nights. There is such intensity here that even if one isn't in the thick of the battle, you would still end up a little loony some days.

I was on my way to a Job Fair hosted by the Merchaz in the Moshava (Center for young olim in the German Colony) and the OU (Orthodox Union). It was a dilemma to know what to wear as I have lost a lot of weight (clapping appreciated) over the past year, and ...well, my wardrobe either looks ridiculous - hanging every which way - or is very very limited in choice. Nonetheless, I finally pieced together what I thought looked not only acceptable but rather nice.

After walking to a bus line a distance away, but one that would deliver me the closest to my destination, I had to play the Waiting Game - a popular form of entertainment for bus riders (related to the game that auto drivers play of who can honk their horn the loudest or who can make the most outrageous U-turn).

Of course, once the bus came it was already packed, and "standing room only" at the beginning of the line did not bode well for the rest of the ride. In addition, I think there must have been a contest today for who could get on the bus with the largest agalah (large bag on wheels - used for buying groceries or whatever you fancy) or the most enormous backpack.

Quite frankly I had never seen such a battle for space, seats and aisle access. I was wedged into a corner in my window seat surrounded by two individuals and their enormous agalot. I was just beginning to wonder how I was ever going to get out of this spot when my stop came, when suddenly the woman facing me looked at me intently and in a very loud voice that the whole bus heard, shouted - "YOU LOOK LIKE A COMEDIENNE." A comedienne? I heard myself saying. "WELL, YOU SHOULD BE ONE!," she shouted.

Now, on a better day, I might have thought up a funny one-liner to accentuate her announcement and put everyone at ease, but somehow, tonight, already weary, I didn't feel very funny at all, nor did I find her one bit amusing. In fact, punching her crossed my mind (just kidding). I did think, "well, so much for my choice of outfits to wear tonight, I should make a good impression."

As it turned out, I got several nice compliments and, yes, some nice looks, that made me feel like I didn't look so "funny" after all. The Job Fair was very crowded, and like all Israeli gatherings, it was a bit of a balygan (chaotic, a mess). There were some interesting possibilities, but it was a long evening. Edging my way to the door and very ready to leave, I decided to stop at the table for the Merchaz; it looked like there was a drawing and some "fun" things and I thought it would be a "light" way to end the evening.

The young man at the table said "You were here before!". Well, actually, I wasn't at the table before, but at the job board behind him. "How did you remember me with so many people?" I asked him. He wasn't sure, he just had noticed me he said. (hmmm maybe I DID look like a comedienne) and then he asked if I wanted to win a prize. "Sure," I said, "but..what's the prize?" They were all different, he said, "so draw a slip and we'll find out." I stuck my hand in the box, and won!! ... a free membership to the Merchaz....actually a nice little prize.

Now, what happened next will confirm that either I was trying to enact a self - fulfilling prophecy of being a comedienne or I was totally flaked out, down right bottom line exhausted. I began to fill out the membership form so the girl next to him could make me a membership card. After writing the usual, my name, address, telephone, etc. there was a line that said: Cell number _________
I stared at it, trying to figure out what they were getting at...finally I thought, well, this IS kind of an upbeat spot, they are just trying to put a joke into the process...asking for your cell number. I even wrote "haha" on the line.

Proceeding to fill out the rest of the form, suddenly it dawned on me what they wanted...and I started to laugh, and then to really laugh, and then...of course they were all staring at me!! How could I explain that I thought they were asking for a cell number in a jail, and that it had never occurred to me that they wanted my cell PHONE number. Between fits of giggles, I muttered something about being really tired and that it was time to go home.

I'll bet they thought, "Oh great, we got a winner with THIS one!!" Now, to be honest, there IS an authentic background for why that would enter my mind instead of the more obvious cell phone. Lately, a lot of my friends and acquaintances in the national camp have found themselves arrested for no reason other than loving Eretz Yisrael, and people are always kind of "in and out" of jail. And then last week, Tamar Yonah of Arutz Sheva posted a blog about a scam being operated out of jail cells, by prison inmates. I guess the input of those two items hadn't moved out of my immediate brain waves to be stored for future use yet. .

Ah well, time to head to Tel Aviv for some beach time and head-clearing in the salty air..one has to do that periodically to be able to cope in this marvelous City.

Shabbat Shalom, Ze'ev

2008-11-21T14:38:00.012+02:00

Those who know me know that I have some kind of unusual relationship with "people of the street." I don't know what it is....but certain times, certain people ...i am just drawn to...

So it is with Ze'ev. In the 2-1/2 years since I moved to Jerusalem, Ze'ev and I frequently encounter one another at various places throughout the City. But on yom shishi - the friday of erev Shabbat, he sits on his enormous backpack in front of the Super and other stores where I do my Shabbat shopping. He is probably in his 50's, pleasant, very grateful and we always talk a bit.

I don't know Ze'ev's story; one day I will ask, but for now, I see his forlorn look...except when I come by. When he sees me coming, he always brightens up and smiles and sits up tall....and he always says "It is so good to see you." I know he means it. When I inquired after his name, he looked so surprised....ma?, you care about my name? was the look on his face. I'm sure no one ever asked him. I make it a point, every time I see him to call him by his name....names are important. They give us identity.

Ze'ev tells me this is his job...and it is. He probably makes fairly good money, maybe more than I do at the moment, and in Israel, people who live like this receive free health care. It is one of the wonders of this country. It doesn't matter that he may have more shekelim than I have, I still make sure I give something to him every week....and I always look forward to it. For whatever reason he has chosen or been forced to choose this kind of life, it must be so lonely and difficult. I can't imagine. Actually, I CAN imagine, and perhaps that's why I am moved to make a difference in his life. I have seen Ze'ev in other ways, at times, about town - times when the reality of not having enough to see him through the day or the week causes a panic in him. It's distressing to watch.

In the hot summer I sometimes take him a cold drink from the coffee shop on the street where he sits; on cold days, I may bring him a hot coffee. I don't assume he wants it, I always ask and every time he is so surprised and grateful.

Today I ran up to the Avenue for the second time, to get, last minute, my Shabbat flowers. I had felt badly this morning that I didn't have any cash for Ze'ev. I stopped and told him that I would have to catch up next week. "Ze beseder," he would say - "It's OK. Shabbat Shalom. It's so good to see you." But, really, I hadn't been by for a couple of weeks as the hard cash in the pocket has been elusive of late. I did however, have my cartise - my credit card. Since I was also needing a coffee before Shabbat set in, I was happy to think I could go to the coffee shop, and charge a couple of coffees. One for me, one and some pastries for Ze'ev.

But Ze'ev wasn't there, he had apparently left for whereever he goes for Shabbat...if he has a place to go..a shelter or kitchen...I don't know. I decided I would ask the store owner, whom I know, if I could "pre-purchase" a coffee or two for Ze'ev. After all I am there many Fridays and sit down to have a cup of coffee. I know the girls who work there too. I didn't think it would be a problem as in Israel most storekeepers are happy to extend credit if you need it, surely they wouldn't object to receiving a payment for more.

What happened shocked me. When I tried to explain what I wanted, first to one girl, then another, then another and finally the owner who was listening to each conversation...not a single one of them knew who I was talking about. Of course I didn't expect them to know his name, but surely they knew about this man who sits every week just a few feet from their door. I had a hard time calling him a beggar, because to me, Ze'ev is just a nice man with a sad life. But they didn't have a clue who he was, totally unaware that someone sat nearby needing people to notice him. I was stunned.

It was then I realized that they never saw him. He was invisible. Something even deeper gripped my soul. To be poor or unable to cope is difficult enough.... but to be invisible to those around you...to never be heard or seen or recognized that you too are a human being with needs... what a painful thing.

I'm not going to judge the storeowner and his workers. I just felt bad for Ze'ev.

So, Ze'ev, though you won't see this, I just want to say to you ...

"Shabbat Shalom, friend, and may your heart prosper in whatever way you need it to. May you have a Shavua tov (good week) after Shabbat is over, and G-d willing, we'll share a coffee another time."

Sunny Days and a Thirsty Land

2008-11-16T10:43:00.048+02:00

The beautiful fall weather continues - deliciously warm and sunny days, chilly nights. Autumn doesn't get much better than this.

Even so, we desperately need the rain and the enjoyment of the lovely warmth is tinged with concern over the future of our water situation here in Israel....a very precarious one, with a looming crisis in the offing.

The Torah tells us something very interesting about the rains in Israel.

י כִּי הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בָא-שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ--לֹא כְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם הִוא, אֲשֶׁר יְצָאתֶם מִשָּׁם: אֲשֶׁר תִּזְרַע אֶת-זַרְעֲךָ, וְהִשְׁקִיתָ בְרַגְלְךָ כְּגַן הַיָּרָק.
10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou didst sow thy seed, and didst water it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs;
לְרִשְׁתָּהּ--אֶרֶץ הָרִים, וּבְקָעֹת; לִמְטַר הַשָּׁמַיִם, תִּשְׁתֶּה-מָּיִם.
11 but the land, whither ye go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water as the rain of heaven cometh down;
יב אֶרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ דֹּרֵשׁ אֹתָהּ: תָּמִיד, עֵינֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּהּ--מֵרֵשִׁית הַשָּׁנָה, וְעַד אַחֲרִית שָׁנָה. {ס}
12 a land which the LORD thy God careth for; the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. {S}
יג וְהָיָה, אִם-שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל-מִצְו‍ֹתַי, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם, הַיּוֹם--לְאַהֲבָה אֶת-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, וּלְעָבְדוֹ, בְּכָל-לְבַבְכֶם, וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁכֶם.
13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,
יד וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר-אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ, יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ; וְאָסַפְתָּ דְגָנֶךָ, וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ.
14 that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11:10-14 (verses and translation: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/)

The Torah is saying that Israel isn't like Egypt where the crops and land are watered by irrigation trenches etc. The Land of Israel, which G-d watches over continually, will be watered only by the rains from heaven. And those rains are dependent upon us, His People. These verses are directed to the nation, not to individuals.

If we as a nation hearken and re-hearken (hearken in this passage is a double verb) to the commandments that G-d gives us - "to love G-d and serve Him with all our heart and soul " - THEN He will bring the rains in their seasons, the former and latter rains. If we choose NOT to hearken to His Word to us to love Him and serve Him with our whole heart, then G-d will withhold the rain.

It's pretty straightforward. The verses continue to define the parameters of "the Land" in question. In verse 24: .."Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the hinder sea shall be your border."

As a people we may have endless discussions about the commandments and what they mean or don't mean, but in this context, at it's simplest, spurning the very Land that G-d cares for, and which His eyes are continually upon, SURELY is not indicative of loving G-d and serving Him with our whole heart.

On the contrary, from Gush Katif to Amona, from Yitzhar to Hebron, we have not loved and defended the Land. And instead of serving G-d (let alone with our whole heart!) we are serving a god of false peace by offering up the Land of Israel.

If we don't love the Land He loves, with the deepest of passion, and we have the temerity to try to give it away, why should He bring the rains for our hills and valleys to drink up??

This goes for the collective nation, across all segments -from the most devoutly observant to the most secular secular. As a People, we have only brought this pending water crisis upon ourselves (along with several other pending crises).

As a People we can do teshuva and begin to love that which G-d loves....and to hearken to His Word. ....we must!!

Relecting on the Election

2008-11-12T09:48:00.003+02:00

Nir Barkat has won the mayoral seat in Jerusalem - for which I am thankful....I hope!! One never knows with politicians how things will actually shake out in reality...but he seemed to me to be the best candidate.

There were a few irregularities, but all in all it seemed to be a quiet but interesting race. The turnout was lower than expected (37% in Jerusalem) but what caught my attention was that there seemed to be a LOT of involvement and interest from the younger crowd - people in their 20's and 30's - for all parties and candidates. THIS is really good news I feel, and am encouraged that there is interest and excitement amongst the younger group - where sometimes there is apathy and disinterest.

One of the parties which ran for city council (and who garnered 2 mandates or seats) is a party called Hitorerut B'yerushalayim in Hebrew, or Wakeup Jerusalem-Yerushalayim. (known simply as Hitorerut (Wake up!) ) It is a combination of both secular and religious young people, which also is an encouraging sign - that religious and secular groups are working together for the good of the City. I will be intereviewing some of the leaders of this movement to tell you more about it. Watch for some forthcoming pieces on them.

As things settle down now in City Hall, our thoughts turn to the pending national elections....heavier on our hearts because of the vital and strategic importance of it and the leadership that will emerge. But I have to say, at least elections are finally forthcoming and this corrupt government that is now in place will hopefully be put aside. We live in an hour of great peril but also one of great possibility.

Which will we choose???

The Polls Have Closed

2008-11-11T22:51:00.006+02:00

Well, it's over . We voted and now we wait for the results. I went early this morning and young people representing the various parties were situated with tables and handouts - just in case you hadn't decided yet how to vote. It was quite a smooth procedure once in the voting station (mine was in a local school building as were many). Mayoral candidates were each identified by a yellow slip with their name on it, and City Council parties all were designated by two letters standing for the party (e.g.טב ) and each one had a white slip. So, you pick up the yellow slip for the Mayor you want, and the white slip for the council party you want to vote for, stick them in the corresponding color-coded envelopes, drop the envelopes in the box ..and voilà, you are done!! Slick!

So who is winning? The final votes won't be counted 'til morning, if then, but the exit polls in Jerusalem are showing secular Barkat winning over hareidi candidate Porush. Much of the national religious camp favored Barkat because they felt he was the best candidate to deliver a unified City and have the most influence regarding the issue Olmert and others have dangled over our heads - that of dividing Jerusalem between Jewish and Arab populations.

There were some interesting incidents.....hareidim blocking voters from going into the polls, Arab leaders forbidding the Arab population to vote, which is another story altogether, slips for Barkat reportedly disappearing, and Porush supposedly bringing busloads of people who are somehow Jerusalem residents but living in other Israeli cities, into Jerusalem to vote. Since the polls closed at 10 pm and Barkat was needing a large turnout, all through the evening megaphoned cars went through my neighborhood urging people to get out and vote for Barkat - even volunteers knocking at my door late into the evening.

This, for the mayor of Jerusalem.. a teaser for the national elections coming up in February. (we hope!!!!!)

Election Eve

2008-11-10T18:12:00.007+02:00

I must say, that on the eve of elections for city mayors and councils all across Israel, I find myself quite excited. Given that I have become rather disillusioned about the power of the vote - anywhere in the world - ( I did NOT vote in America's recent episode) I am a little surprised at my feelings.

It is my first opportunity to vote in Jerusalem - even in Israel. ...and there is not a more important City in all the world. I took this very seriously, talking to many people, listening to the candidates, and I feel I am coming into the election as an "informed voter."

None of them have my 100% support - that is there are issues with which I disagree, with each one. But, in truth, there is also something I like about each candidate - an attitude on one or more subjects, a plan perhaps, or just the persona of the person.

Two weeks ago I received my "invitation to vote" as it is called here. I like that...an invitation to vote. It is simply a notice telling you where your polling place is and information about hours etc. It is your ticket to get in the door of the voting booth. But where else except Israel would it be called an invitation? I felt honored. I've been invited to vote!! NOT like it was in America : With a finger shaking in your face, and screaming "if you don't vote you are a baaaddd person - UN-American, etc. etc." In the US, in recent years I felt it was not so much of a privilege or a responsibility, but something that took on a life of it's own, yet with little consequence. But boy did you feel guilty if you didn't go to that voting booth!

Guilt isn't a big commodity here in Israel though, and so even if I didn't vote I would just feel differently about it. Besides I'm laughing a little, because we all know that the last national election (when WAS it???) was a complete fiasco, and the people of Israel were totally betrayed. In Israel, for the national elections, we vote in a party not a person. Whoever is the head of the elected party becomes the Prime Minister. And in 2001 the nation voted in Likud on a nationalist platform, only to have the head of Likud (Arik Sharon) quit that party and form a new party (Kadima) with a completely opposite agenda from that of Likud...(it was the agenda Likud ran AGAINST, and that agenda was soundly defeated.) YET, amazingly amazingly, Sharon remained the head of the government....with a party that was never, not ever, voted in. The rest is history, as they say....and now we have a prime minister who has resigned ...but is still prime minister..making far reaching and disastrous decisions.

But I digress. Back to my invitation to vote in Jerusalem for Mayor and City Council. Now, we vote for a person for Mayor, and for a party for Council. Even knowing all I do about Israeli politics, I still feel honored to have been invited to vote...and I will do just that tomorrow morning. ...

... keeping you posted and giving you a first hand report on all the excitement.

Sunset on the Mediterranean

2008-10-31T00:10:00.005+02:00

By the sea... I had a meeting in Tel Aviv last night, and as I usually do, I went early so I could take a walk by the sea, refreshing both my feet and and my mind. It was lovely, even when a sudden rain surprised us after sunset.

Reflections

2008-10-30T15:25:00.011+02:00

As I have reflected on the events of this past week, a couple of things stand out in my mind. The night of the terrible destruction at the Federman Farm, the media picked up and highlighted an anguished cry from a by-stander, who basically cursed the IDF. It has been the topic of discussion, anger and accusation by all levels of the government. Everyone has been focused on this unfortunate statement, and no one noticed that the government violently destroyed the homes of two Jewish families, without warning and without an iota of concern. I don't know if the by-stander was simply overcome with emotion as this heinous crime was being carried out, or if he was a planted provocateur. Either is a possibility.

But my thoughts were really turned to the IDF and their role in this....I wondered how and why they were involved at all.....and because I know these soldiers in Hebron, I was quite perplexed that they would be party to this terrible happening.

Midweek I found my answer....the young soldiers were lied to and tricked so that they would protect the destruction....they were told that a terrorist had been spotted and no one was allowed to enter the Farm....including journalists (who would of course report what was going on.) On Wednesday the Army admitted they had tricked the soldiers because they were asking them to do something immoral and illegal and they knew the soldiers may refuse the orders. Many of these soldiers were very dismayed and one young man in particular was devastated to learn he had been a part of such a travesty.

I go back to my earlier post, that our young men are tender. The Army knew they wouldn't violate their charge as soldiers to protect our citizens, so they were tricked into protecting the yassam police, who apparently have no conscience, while they (the yassamniks) did the evil deed.

In the end, the attempt to brainwash our young people and eradicate this gentle compassion will backfire on those who are so determined to do so. Our compassion is a part of who we are as a people, and though it has been misplaced by this generation of leaders, it is bright and shining in our young people .... and this gives me great hope for our future.

(See TodayinIsrael for more on this subject)