Haveil Havalim #344 New Banner Edition

Well, there it is ~ my new banner! The kids grow so quickly, thank God, and the photos get outdated.

Haveil Havalim is meant to be a roundup of posts from the Jewish blogsphere. I didn't get many submissions so what you will be seeing here are the ones who did send their links along with a few links that I consider worth taking a look at. 

Wednesday marks the first day of the Jewish month of Shevat and Batya reminds us:

Women's Prayers at Tel Shiloh

Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat

Wednesday, January 25, 2011

8:30am

Shiur Torah, Short Tour & Torah Lesson

You're welcome to join our facebook page. Tel Shiloh is open to visitors daily. Tours can be arranged through the office. Email [email protected] or phone 02-994-4019 

Kosher Cooking Carnival for Sh'vat (which I read but don't contribute to) will be up at This American Bite. so if you do blog about your cooking or anything kosher food related you should be submitting.

The holiday we are all looking forward to this month is Tu B'shvat, the new year for trees. The Velveteen Rabbi shares some nicely put together Haggadot to use for Tu B'Shvat worth looking at for ideas for your celebrations. 

Susan Esther Barnes shared a thoughtful take on how and what we pray for over at TCJewfolk.com, she regularly blogs at To Kiss a Mezuzah and speaking of praying, Batya gave her opinion on Talking in Shul. 

David has been studying Talmud Yerushalmi and posted his siyyum of Massechet Bikurim and Seder Z'raim (OK, not this week but I am taking the liberty of pointing you there.) 

Israel is on the cyber-maven's map as The Real Jerusalem Streets contrasted tweeting about the nifty stuff that was going on at SMX Israel last week with some less pleasant stuff going on outside. Anthony Reich, writing at The Israel Situation addresses what he terms Racism in Israel about challenges faced by immigrants from Ethiopia. We can only hope that next week brings good news inside and outside. 

Just to show us how the world has become a global village Ruti Mizrachi points us toward the intriguing blog of a young woman who has left Islam, but cannot come out in the open. Batya weighs in and defends our way of life in Israel, recounts a story of meeting famous people and lets us in on a new initiative involving China and Israel. In more news from Israel Mrs. S  shows us that new immigrants eventually acclimate and gives us 10 ways to measure progress. 

In these days of financial uncertainty both here in Israel and in the rest of the world I thought it would be interesting to point you toward this post In God We Trust: Your Money and a Higher Power written by an American (not Jewish, I believe agnostic) whose blog deals with money management. Rabbi Reuven Spolter (who did not submit but whose blog is a nice mix of Torah and commentary which I read often) shows us something about community expectations over at Chopping Wood and Batya has something to tell us about priorities and possesions as well. More on the economic front from the Velveteen Rabbi as she 'passes the hat' for a vandalized shul.

On my own blog I have set out to define those words under the banner. Meantime I wrote a bit about Feminism. In trying to define Jewish (all by itself, as Orthodox will have its own explanation) I was looking for a way to say that I feel akin to Jews of all stripes. There's a clip over at YouTube that puts it very nicely. 

For instructions on how to contribute to the next edition check out ourfacebook Havel Havelim page. HH comes out every Sunday on a different blog. Next week's Havel Havelim will be Beneath the Wings. If you don't have facebook, you can still contribute a link by sending it to me and I'll pass it on to the hostess. 

Preparing for the New Year!

Like my sisters and brothers around the world I am busy getting ready for the upcoming Rosh Hashana holiday. This year the New Year begins on Wednesday night and on Thursday and Friday we gather in our synagogues to hear the shofar blown. Then without any further ado we go right into Shabbat. All this heralds a marathon of eats and on Rosh Hashana we go all out with symbolic foods signifying all the good things we wish for ourselves and our community in the coming year. For a thoughtful discussion of these symbolic foods you should read this post by The Rebbitzin's Husband . You might also be interested in this post of Leora's about the symbolic foods. 

While we're on the subject of cooking for this amazing holiday let me remind you to take a look at the Tishrei edition of the Kosher Cooking Carnival at Cooking Outside the Box a delightful blog with lots of interesting ideas while the Elul edition of the Kosher Cooking Carnival is up over at Me-ander . 

Batya Medad

Rabbanit Yemima intoduced by Tzofia Dorot

 And speaking of Batya, my favorite Shilo resident, I had a lovely experience at Tel Shilo  where both she and I attended the Tfilat Hannah and heard the inspirational Rabbanit Yemima Mizrahi. I hope to write separately about this moving experience.  She was followed by concert given by Leah Shabbat and Tal Bril.
The event was organized by Ancient Shilo which runs tours of the archaeological dig at the site where the Tabernacle stood. Besides Batya I also ran into a very good looking reservist who was called up especially to guard us and the approximately two thousand other women and young girls who attended this event. This particular reservist also worked as a guide at this site when he lived in the nearby settlement Eli. He also happens to be my son. How thoughtful of the army. 

Reservist Shayke Tzohar 

Flying (& other news)

Bunji

That's my almost 6 year old granddaughter 'Bunji jumping' at a local shopping center this week. She is getting ready to go to the first grade. Just two weeks away!
They came to say l'hitraot (see ya) because we are flying to Philadelphia tonight for two weeks of visiting family there and in the New York/New Jersey area.
Meantime Havel Havelim #325 is hosted by To Kiss a Mezzuzah and while there is a lull in posting around the net (I am not the only one going on vacation) take a look at  JPIX and Kosher Cooking Carnival. 
 Here she is with her brand new ready to go rain resistant back pack and trolley set. (The school is about 100 yards from their house and it rarely rains in Mitzpe Ramon, but we are prepared!) Good luck in your new career young lady!

In Real Life!

Last night the Jbloggersphere welcomed Hadassah of In The Pink and William Daroff.

Also there were many folks from my sidebar like the Medads of me-ander, Shilo Musings, My Right Word etc. and Mom in Israel, Life in Israel, Benji of What War Zone etc. etc. There was lots of cheer and good food and drink. A good time was had by all. 

Definitely worth doing if you're visiting Israel!

Hair we go again!

This week's Haveil Havalim is here.
Chaviva of Kvetching Editor fame is doing a series called The Tzniut Project where Jewish women are answering questions about " their practices, people's assumptions, and more" regarding what is being called tzniut (modesty) but really in this context is about dress codes. One of her questions is: 

"What do you think other people infer from your clothing and hair covering choices? Has anyone ever said anything to you outright that expresses a judgment based on your appearance? (Ex: “You don’t cover your hair or wear skirts, so why do you keep kosher?”) 

Funny you should ask.
Last night the phone rang and it was a survey about a newspaper we subscribe to. I usually cooperate with phone surveys because it gives parnasa (support) to a Jew in Israel. So I tell him on a scale of 1 to5 what I think of various sections of the paper, whether on a scale of 1 to 4 I will subscribe again next year, on a scale of 1 to 7 whether I agree or disagree with certain political  and moral statements, etc., etc. And then the young man got to the demographic section. So, how do I define myself. Well, there was a really broad spectrum  from haredi, haredi leumi, dati leumi, dati, masorti leumi and several other configurations that I don't remember this morning. I picked one and then we went on to the next question obviously designed to further sharpen the demographic division:

How do you cover your hair? 

which was followed by a list of possibilities from 'always a wig' through 'sometimes a wig and sometimes a hat', 'only hats and scarves covering all or most of the head', 'hats and scarves covering most  but not all of the head' 'some of the head', sometimes, always, never???  The next question was about pants. 

Conclusion: around here there seems to be plenty to be inferred from my hair covering choices!

And you shall live by them וחי בהם

Last week  Susan B celebrated with Haveil Havalim #309 the Purim edition and this week Izgad has #310 the Hangover edition. 

Then, there are those of us (mostly women) for whom post-Purim means pre-Pesach and pre-Pesach means cleaning or stressing-out over cleaning. Just look at my friends Batya and A Mother in Israel.

OK, so today I decided that enough is enough and attacked my bedroom. Now, we don't often (if ever really) eat in the bedroom but I do sometimes have stuff in my bag which sometimes comes with me into that room. Anyway our bed is heavy and I move it only once a year. So, while this doesn't actually count as looking for chametz it is something I do every year before Purim and Pesach (whether it need it or not ;)) So today was the day. Besides moving the bed, I took out the shoe drawers at the bottom of the closet and swept there (no chametz there either) and moved a few other pieces of furniture that we have and gave the whole thing a dusting and wash. OK, so besides finding a few (OK more than a few) stray socks and some other odd things on the floor I also found some coins. Aha! Fruit of my labors. I thought it was significant and worth sharing that under the bed I found 18 shekels. Surely a good sign. (18 in Gematria - the system of assigning numerical value to Hebrew letters - is chai or life). 

 Then under the heavy bureau I found 1.20 shekel (120 agorot) and we all know what 120 signifies. (The longest life expectation we have. Based on Moses having lived a full life of 120 years.) Definitely a good sign.

 And then it all got spoiled by another shekel found next to the bookcase by the door. But of course I could say that that is one for good luck!

Enjoy your post-Purim pre-Pesach season!

Strange taste in food but good taste in reading...

Chaviva, with her brand new logo, has been at it again. This time it's Haveil Havalim #302 done in her cheerful friendly style. She's taken the title MacFalafel w/Mustard which sounds pretty awful but don't let that scare you. Click on over and see what's been posted in the J-blogsphere this week. Special thanks to Chaviva for including my post about the Modzitzers.

Happy Chanuka DeLuxe - L'mehadrin min hamehadrin!

See Mrs. S for the latest in Internet Chanukah lore. 

If you are looking for ways to make eight days with the kids educational and interesting you can get some really inspiring educational ideas and learn a little something yourself at this special Hanuka site  called Women and Wonder: A Family Hanukka Website. There are stories, projects and music to keep you busy and interested. A nice touch is that it available in English (which I linked to) and Hebrew and Russian. For me, this is good since I have enjoyed reading the English and now can share it with our kids and grandchildren in Hebrew next week without having to make any extra effort!

Haveil Havalim is up at the Home Shuling  which is  nice Jewish parenting blog and Miriyummy is getting ready to post Kosher Cooking Carnival (or should be so be prepared). 

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Protection on the ground and in our hearts

Yesterday I traveled to Tel Shiloh for the the Rosh Chodesh visit to the site where the Mishkan (tabernacle) stood for 369 years and where Channa prayed to God to grant her a child. She become the model on which our sages based the halachot (rules) for prayer, until this very day.
The tel overlooks the road which goes from the Shiloh settlement to Eli and onwards to Ariel.
Once again we witnessed an 'only in Israel' moment!
At the tel we met a group of soldiers fully equipped who were passing through. One of them took out tfillin and put them on. As they were leaving I asked them how they happened to be in the area and they explained that they were on patrol. The Hebrew word for patrol is si'ur (סיור) which is also the word for touring around and so it could also mean just passing by and looking at the sights. So we joked with them that they were protecting us with their prayers  as well as their guns.
I had a wonderful time having spent the rest of the day with f2f with Batya eating a healthy lunch and redecorating her blogs.
Chodesh Tov!

Haveil havalim - the good name edition - Tributes to RivkA

Batya  was active in finding this clip of RivkA capturing her spirit and style. Soccer Dad put together a mini Haveil Havalim with observations about the Jblogsphere and links to many posts honoring RivkA's memory.

What Women CAN do!

RivkA bat Yeshaya of Coffee and Chemo was a longtime member of the Shirat Sara a women's tefilla group which meets regularly in Jerusalem. This is a post on a subject I began writing a few times since Simchat Tora and now I dedicate it to her memory. 

It has been established that men and women should be separated during the rituals and worship.

Gender separation is a defining characteristic of the Orthodox synagogue, especially as this became a hotly contested issue in the US in the middle of the Twentieth Century. The Talmudic source is Sukkah 51b  which tells of the Simchat Beit Hasho’eva in Temple times. While men and women were in separate sections, this proved inadequate to maintain decorum during this festive occasion, and it was decided to build a balcony for the women. It is fairly remarkable that the authorities of the time changed the design of the Temple, since it was designed by the Architect of architects, but that shows how serious the issue was. In an open letter Rabbi Soloveitchik described the fundamental importance of gender separation in synagogue. He said that separation is biblically required, while the mechitza is rabbinic.(more discussion here)

(As a child I remember commercials for "the family that prays together, stays together" which it turns out was a commercial for Catholics - who knew?) Clearly this did not apply to Orthodox Jews. Even in shuls where there was mixed seating the women were just there, alongside but not participating.

In the 70's that began to change..In the Reform movement Hebrew Union College admitted a woman to its rabbinical ordinations program. Some Conservative synagogues began giving aliyot to couples (the woman accompanied the man when he blessed the Torah). In the Orthodox community we began examining the possibilities.

One avenue was to separate and set up a minyan  (quorum of 10 required for public prayer) for women. On closer examination we found that ten women (or 100 or 1,000) don't make a minyan. But still maybe there were ways we could remain within Orthodoxy and still have more participation.

Reading Megillat Esther (Book of Esther) turns out to be something that women have an equal obligation and according to most can read the megilla and recite its blessings. (See "Women's Megilla Reading" by Rabbi Aryeh A. Frimmer here.) These readings are especially delightful for me and I attend them whenever I can. Here in Rehovot we have one in the morning at our synagogue and I know of several other places  where women read the Megilla. This has become a very widespread practice in certain circles in Israel. RivkA organized , participated in and taught her daughter to read Megillat Esther.

Sara Friedlander Ben-Arza, a poet, editor and lecuter in the field of  chasidut, midrash, piyut and music wrote an eloquent article in the Succot edition of Hebrew newspaper 'Makor Rishon' about the Shirat Sara women's prayer group of which she is a member. (Unfortunately the article is not online.) The group was organized to celebrate the Shabbat Kallah (Shabbat before the wedding) of a woman around 16 years ago and later was named in memory Sara Rachel Duker one of the participants who was later killed in a Jerusalem bus bombing. The group meets at intervals of five to six weeks. The women sit in a semi-circle and sing the prayers together. They sing the parts they would be saying if they were praying individually but not the parts that require a minyan which would turn the service into t'fila b'tzibur (public prayer). The Torah portion is read from the Torah scroll. As each woman is called up they recite a verse in lieu of the Torah blessing and another one at the conclusion of the section. The service includes lessons in Torah and Jewish law as well. Sara Ben-Arza points out that the young girls who attend these services are growing up with the expectation that they to will take their place next to their mothers and make this a tradition. See RivkA's proud post about her daughter's Bat Mitzvah here.

I participated in a service at Shirat Sara and it was a wonderful experience. It is not a mimicking of a 'real' service but something else. It is uniquely feminine and you can feel the effort, preparation and love that goes into making this so special.  Ben-Arza's article describes how the group deals with the halachic issues. This search for alternatives then brings the women a deeper study and understanding of the prayers and the solutions are just that much more meaningful because of this confrontation.

I like the Shirat Sara model. If I lived in Jerusalem I would be there often. There is a lot of preparation that goes into the Torah readings and it will be a long time before we have enough women who can deal with that kind of preparation on a wide basis. Here in Rehovot there have been a few Bat Mitzvah celebrations where the young lady prepared the Torah reading and her friends and family came and a service was held. It is, of course exciting and uplifting to participate in these services as well. But it does not come close to a group that meets at regular intervals.

But there is a tension between the two worlds that the women live in. The group doesn't meet every week because they want to stay connected to their community and family. This way most of the time they are part of the general community and on these special weeks they are part of their own special women's community. One of the wormen put it this way:: "On the other Shabatot I pray in a regular synagogue. There I am not an integral part of the community prayer experience. In that setting which halahically is tefilla b'tzibur (public prayer) I feel as if I am praying as an individual. But at the women's prayer service  which is not technically deemed t'fila b'tzibur  I feel the experience of participating. In the women's service I am the community. My absence would be noticed."

With the passing of RivkA these remarks take on another meaning. RivkA personified the modern Orthodox Jewess taking the tradition building on it to include our womanly connection. Her absence will most certainly be noticed.

RivkA bat Yeshaya
רבקה בת ישעיה
יהי זכרה ברוך

Welcome Heshvan, Haveil Havalim and the latest Kosher Cooking Carnival

As I've mentioned before the holiday season is over and life settles down to business here in Israel. At our house we have run out of excuses and we are gearing up to eat more sensibly and try to lose some weight. Batya's latest Kosher Cooking Carnival #59 is posted over at me-ander and she even has a few recipes in the section marked 'Diet'. There, I've even said the word.

I'll be hosting the next edition so keep me in mind and point me in the direction of tasty stuff that will help us stay on the straight and narrow...
I received this quick response to my call for help and it's worth passing on now rather than later:

 Tamar Genger MA RD said...

I am a Deititian and try to cook healthy most of the time, you can find my recipes on as member Tamar at http://joyofkosher.com (my site). I am also coming out with an article on cooking with a pressure cooker, it should be up this week and is filled with healthy ideas.
Good luck.
Tamar

And so is the Haveil Havalim! at Ima's  where she brings us the "Return to Normal Blogging" edition of the popular Jblogsphere review. 

Thanks Ima. 

WWW = Wonderful Women on the Web

rutimizrachi  of Ki Yachol Nuchal! has put together a Carnival of jbloggers who have banded together and formed Kehila the brainchild of Eric at The Israel Situation. She has put together a lovely collection of blog posts decorated by lovely pictures of food  fruits and flowers. 

Batya at me-ander has posted the 58th (tfu, tfu, tfu) Kosher Cooking Carnival  which she calls "Carnival for the Hungry" because she wrote it on Tzom Gedalya. It should be appropriate for Saturday night when we finish our fast of Yom Kippur. 

And speaking of Yom Kippur Adventures in Mamaland found this here a sign of the times that shouldn't need any explanation. 

Here's wishing everyone a G'mar Chatima Tova and a meaningful fast

גמר חתימה טובה

The Renewed Israel Museum

Batya has the Kosher Cooking Carnival which is aptly named the Pre-Holiday Edition. We have a lot of eating coming up over the next two months so now is the time to begin preparing. 

Last week's Haveil Havalim  can be found over at Ima on (and off) the Bima. There should be a new one up soon, but if you've been vacationing (like me) you probably still have to read last week's posts to catch up. Soccer Dad, who is the founding father of Haveil Havalim, hosted this 280th edition. Yasher Koach!

We've been having a great time travelling around Israel. We visited the Israel Museum which was just re-opened after a major renovation. It was built at a time when everyone must have been young and healthy and didn't mind walking long distances in the hot sun. Joe Settler was there with his kids and has some nice pictures. (The guards warned me not to take any more pictures, so here's my only one.) So now you buy your tickets inside, in the air-conditioned entrance and walk up through a covered tunnel. 

The children's museum is close to the entrance. Joe's kids enjoyed their time there.  I am partial to museums that set aside special areas for children since I have very fond memories of the children's wing at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. They don't have a dedicated children's wing there anymore, they have activities for kids in groups but not just a place where your mom can take you and you can touch things and learn.  

David and I spent a lot of time in the archaeology section and promised ourselves that we would come back soon to see the rest. We did come back in the evening for a lovely concert in the sculpture garden. 

Rehovot is just a short ride from Jerusalem so we will be going back again. 

Haveil Havalim at Ima 2 Seven

The purpose of Haveil Havalim (no name and no number) is to showcase what's going on in jblogeshere and that's good.
Today I had an opportunity to 'meet' a blogger I have been missing Ima 2 Seven who even is mother to twins!
Check out the blog, she has done a lovely job of HH but stay around and read a bit more about her as well.

Nu, what's new?

Haveil Havalim #272 for Tammuz (it's not too late) is over at Frum Sarah's World.
Toby is eagerly awaiting the school vacation to begin this week at A Time of the Signs.

Leora over there in HP has JPix which is a lovely collection of pictures posted on Jblogs. You can volunteer to host this carnival but if you don't we won't be seeing another one until December!

And of course no news is complete without
Kosher Cooking Carnival!

269th Haveil Havalim at Frume Sara's World

Frume Sara's blog is 'shomer shabbos' and she has this nifty little soup bowl on the sidebar of her blog to announce this. She must have worked really hard before and after Shabbat to  come up with the beautifully presented and thoughtful Haveil Havalim  #269.
There's still lots of time to get on over there and see what's going on in the Jblogsphere. Enjoy!

Blogsphere "Thank You"s

My good friend Batya  over at me-ander never tires of tapping me for these memes. I must say "Thank You" to Batya for introducing me to blogging to begin with. It has been an interesting ride! I guess this makes her indirectly responsible for getting David into it as well. But, I"ll leave that to him (which may take a while). Besides this meme Batya has also posted a very nice video over at her 'other' blog with the really appropriate theme of Hakarat Hatov which means recognizing goodness. I don't know if it was intentional but it certainly fits the theme. Definitely worth the watch. 
  OK so here's what needs to be done in accepting this colorful award: 
"Versatile Blogger Award” Rules – the MamaLand edition:
1. Thank the person who gave you this award. Definitely!
2. Share one thing about yourself readers might not know otherwise.
3. List (with links) SIX (6… not 15!) bloggers you think are fantastic, and why.
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.
   So, thanked Batya. (check)


6 bloggers I think are fantastic. These bloggers deserve a big thank you as well. 

I. Leoraw  who has a lovely blog about New Jersey lore, photography, cooking and other good stuff. She deserves a special thanks for hosting the Kosher Cooking Carnival this month. While you're there, check out the Salute to Israel Parade photos.

II. once more with Heart  lovingly and expertly written by Jill Shames my fellow citizen of Rehovot. The blog is about "El HaLev, a non-profit org in Israel that empowers women, children and people from vulnerable populations through the Martial Arts and Self Defense". I'm not sure if this fits the 'versatile' niche, but hey, this is a really important blog and worth visiting. Also, for those of you who do Facebook, you can join her 'cause' Help Israel's Women, Kids, Seniors & Others Stand Up Against Violence

III. This week's edition of the Haveil Havalim Blog Carnival is up at The Rebbetzin's Husband. I just want to say 'thank you' because I really enjoy his blog.I have recently subscribed to his 'other' blog Daily Torah Thought here.You can also listen to shiurim of his on YUTorah online here. Rabbi Torczyner definitely belongs in the category of fantastic bloggers.

IV. Dan Ilouz has a very nice blog where he discusses Zionism and Israel and politics with the fervor of a young oleh. He also hosted last week's Haveil Havalim Blog Carnival and deserves a hearty Yasher Koach for that too.

V. Melissa over at Sunbonnet Cottage has been facing some difficult challenges while keeping up a very picturesque blog. I'd like to send a hearty refuah shleima (complete recovery) to her husband Nick along with the above-mentioned award.

VI. There is a man in merry old England who has a blog with a really odd name Tales From A Draughty Old Fen which even boggles the US English spell-checker. A lot of the UK politics goes right past me, but  the writer, who goes by the name Frugal Dougal often has wise and witty insights on issues even someone born in Brooklyn can understand. It is an interesting read and one can learn something about another culture (even one that seems to speak the same language).

Oh, and something you might not know about me? 
Hmmm, I'm afraid of heights, I used to be even more afraid of dogs than I was of heights but I overcame that when I made friends with some wonderful people who owned a dog. (Maybe I should make friends with people who live in an airplane?) Does that satisfy the meme? 

Seven Things I Love

This week Haveil Havalim is here and last week it was here.

I owe Batya at me-ander a meme of this title.
So here goes:


1.The defining things in my life have always been about being part of a Jewish family, people and country. The first two were easy being born into a loving Jewish family helping develop my Jewish identity through the home as well as school. (The Jewish country came later.) So number one definitely is my family.

2.I love relaxing somewhere peaceful and interesting with someone I enjoy being with. This week David and I went up north and on our way to Tzfat (Safed?) we stopped to picnic at the National Park in Zippori where we had a picnic overlooking the Galil under the shade of very old olive trees. The tree on the right is a pomegranate. Years ago we had a pomegranate tree in our front yard. It sprouted on its own from seeds that fell to the ground from pomegranates we had hung as decorations in our first succah in that house. It took a few years before we even realized that it was a tree. That just shows how much pomegranates want to grow in the Land of Israel.


3. I love being a part of the chain of history of the Jewish people. Visiting an archaeological site in Israel makes me feel like getting personal regards from the past. At Zippori, it was the members of the Sanhedrin who after the destruction of the temple kept Judaism a living religion by enabling the focus to shift from the sacrifices in the temple to prayer and study of Torah. It is where Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi compiled and edited the Mishnah.
In this photo you see a menora scratched into a paving block of one of the streets in the town, those very streets that the tanaim (rabbis quoted in the mishna) walked on. They were here with their families, living in these homes and walking these streets uncovered over the last 20 years or so. And here we were, walking along discussing the events that led up to their move and its effect on us today. (See #2)

4. Safed (Tzfat, צפת) is a beautiful city nestled 900 meters (3,200 feet) above sea level overlooking the Kinneret. It has a long rich history almost all of it Jewish in nature. It's one of the four holy cities in the land of Israel, Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias being the other three. Tzfat's Rivka Ziv Hospital, which has a breathtaking view of the Gallil can't help but contribute to speedy recovery, is where I spent a month waiting for my twins to be born. It is definitely a great place to be when summer's high temperature and humidity make Rehovot icky-sticky and uncomfortable. For three amazing nights Safed hosts a Klezmer Festival. Each night at each of nine (9!) different venues in the old city and artists quarter there are four different performances of klezmer and Jewish music. It's all free and one can wander from one show to another. There were tens of thousands of people all sitting on plastic chairs, steps, benches or standing and clapping. I love being part of a happy crowd having a good time!

5. We stayed in a lovely tzimmer (a room attached to someone's home) which had it's own entrance, patio overlooking the Kinneret, kitchen corner, TV-radio-CD and who knows what else entertainment center, and Jacuzzi bath. The house was about a ten minute walk from Tzfat's old city where the Klezmer Festival was held. I have never taken the time to really enjoy a Jacuzzi so this was a first for me. (See #2 which applies here as well.)

6. I love new beginnings. My twins, now fathers themselves, are both in the process of moving this week. My youngest begins sherut leumi, national service in two weeks. My oldest granddaughter goes to first grade on September 1.

7. I love Jewish weddings. On the way home from Tzfat we went to a wedding at a winery just outside P'sagot a settlement outside Jerusalem with an incredible view. I love having the chuppa symbolizing the home the couple is setting up outside. I love the way the crowd (see #4 happy crowds) dances and sings to accompany the groom and then the bride to their new 'home'.

OK, I don't know who hasn't been tagged yet. Last time I had to tag no one did it. But anyway I'm tagging Esser Agaroth and Life in Israel although they might have been tagged already. Whatever.

Oy Vey - I'm IT

Batya of Me-ander (and several other blogs) has tagged me with this meme . She and her significant other over at My Right Word (among others) are my oldest friends who blog. They both have been friends of mine for longer than anyone wants to admit and both are experienced blogger. So Winkie consider yourself tagged.

Now to the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.


1. I am not a self-starter! I started blogging because Batya had her blog set to receive comments only from other bloggers. So I dutifully opened a blog to leave a comment.

2. I don't always pay attention to detail! Almost immediately I forgot what I called my blog and had to open another one. So somewhere there is a orphaned blog looking for a blogger.

3. I don't mind admitting I don't know everything! I have been seeing people do memes and although I knew what people do when they do one I never knew what the word itself meant. But isn't that why the good lord gave us Google? So here it is:

The term Internet meme is a neologism used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet. ... (courtesy of: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme)

which sort of sounds like the flu, doesn't it?

4. I have been in Israel a long time! How long? So long that I remember when folks here in Israel waited (sometimes 7 or more) years for telephone lines to their homes. When you wanted to tell someone something you went over and left a note on their door (or maybe actually found them at home).

5. You can see me in a movie with Yehoram Gaon. I am in Independence Park in Jerusalem baby-sitting a bunch of lovely blond kids. One of them is doing a somersault on the grass. Today she is a doctor.

6. I am a really objective judge of children. My grandchildren are the best looking and most intelligent bunch of kids on the planet.

7. I can't carry a tune very well. But that doesn't stop me from singing.

8. I can't draw very well either. That has stopped me from drawing.

9. I have never been to Mexico! But my grandfather's brother went there and I do have some cousins there.

10. I hope no one ever tags me again. I have run out of concepts to spread quickly over the Internet.

Like I said, I tag My Right Word, Life In Israel, In the Pink, Frum Satire and three others who I will have to think of after I post this.