Monday, February 29, 2016

Davka, Here We Need to Know...

Photo taken in Ma'ale Adumim
Here in Israel, more and more bus stops have these screens which show us which buses are coming and in how much time. Granted there are quirks, like the fact that a bus will show up a couple of minutes early or late. Or like the problem with the Shiloh ones which only show one of the bus routes that come to Shiloh... That means that we must stay on our toes and not trust them 100%. But they are helpful. Last week I left work (in Yafiz, Sha'ar Binyamin) early to catch the bus to my neighborhood, but it didn't come. It wasn't even listed on the screen. Then suddenly it was listed, but the time indicated was about a half an hour late. Yes, the bus was late, so the information there was accurate. We even called the bus company to check, and they confirmed the delay.

There's one Jerusalem stop that really needs one of those screens. It's the "top" of Sderot Eshkol which services all of our Mateh Binyamin and Shomron buses, plus lots of buses to Pisgat Zeev and Neve Yaakov and other destinations.


That stop is usually full of waiting passengers, because it's the bus stop closest to the lightrail Ammunition Hill stop. Many times we need to know if we've missed our bus or not. Should we wait for our bus or take any to the "cityline" or Shaar Binyamin? Not all passengers know the schedule well enough to time travelling, and frequently we can't really time our arrival to perfectly make connecting buses.

Last night when my friend and I were going home from the Women in Green vigil, we were almost glad to see that we had missed our bus, when it escaped the bus stop before we could get to it. At least we knew to take another bus to  the "cityline," aka the Hizme machsom.

Who decides which bus stops get those screens? Please send this to them, thanks.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Baile Rochel, "What? Me an Athlete?"

Nu, yes, I know, I haven't blogged a Baile Rochel for years. You probably thought she'd died or something, like maybe I lost my touch, my sense of humor. Well, maybe I did... I lose lots of things, pretty much everything but weight.

You may be wondering what happened to make me resurrect her again. Could it be a Brigadoon thing? The truth is even stranger. My best friend from childhood, from Bell Park Gardens who moved away well over half a century ago when we were eleven, (oops! Now you have an idea of how ancient I am...) found me, resumed our friendship, discovered my Baile Rochel articles and requested oh, so sweetly that I bring her back to life.

So, I tried to think of the most absurd topic possible. That's a no-brainer for sure.
"What? Me an Athlete?"
Way back when, I used this building, when it was
roofless and windowless as a "gymnasium."
I can't get over the fact that people here really think I must be an athlete. That's because every once in awhile, you can see these young mothers with their kids pointing to me and whispering:
"That lady over there was my gym teacher, the one who taught me..."
Yes, for thirteen years I was the girls gym teacher here in the Shiloh Elementary School. I never applied for the job; I was offered it. It's one of those "only in Israel stories." Some background, we moved to Shiloh the day the school opened. 

As the second year of the school was being organized, planned for, the supervisor from the Education Ministry informed the committee that especially with a Fourth Grade they were required to offer PE-Physical Education to the students. That created quite a dilemma, because there were no qualified, gym teachers in the community. Actually, there were hardly any qualified teachers at all. Some who were offered jobs hadn't yet gotten Teachers Licenses, due to badly timed due dates and the difficulties the young mothers had in completing all exams and papers. But they were permitted to teach, and the students had done very well the first year of the school.

Decades before these ancient tools/artifacts were discovered, I
taught my classes right here, at Tel Shiloh.
Someone remember that I had been a Creative Dance teacher in Jerusalem and had hoped to teach dance here in Shiloh, but the Coordinator of Afternoon Activities had rejected my offer, because she wanted a Ballet Teacher and didn't understand what Creative Dance is. Almost nobody in Israel did; I was probably one of the very first. Yes, so they went to me, and although athletic skill had never been my strong point, I agreed.

To be perfectly honest, I was considered one of the worst athletes in my school career. When team captains would choose up teams, I was the "booby prize" the one left over, whom they were stuck with. My enthusiasm never made up for lack of speed, poor upper-body strength and a history of being on the losing team in most games. And to be super honest, even my dancing has always been more enthusiasm than raw talent (or great body.) Considering that not everyone my age can easily still walk distances and dance, today these genetic abilities/gifts give the impression that I'm more talented than I had ever been.

Ironically, my creative streak and enthusiasm were the perfect talents and skills to teach "sport" in those early years. We had no equipment and no gymnasium. Who else but yours truly could invent games using dead balls? If I remember correctly, I made up a version of volleyball on rainy days, in which the students sat in the main hall when we had a proper building (sans gym,) boys against girls. They had to reach and stretch (remember I'm a dancer) to "tap" the ball to the other side. The boys' teacher was rather relieved that I could find solutions to our "situation."

Another of my favorites was relay races. They'd have to jump or skip or whatever I could think of to the end of the wherever we were and then run back and tag the next to go. Since I was so traumatized about always losing, I'd tell them to keep going.
"Teacher, how do we know who won?"
"Who cares?  Just keep playing!"
I was never big on competition. Losing is so awful. My aim was to produce women who loved to be physically active, regardless of talent.

I graded according to how many times they wore sneakers/sports shoes and wore sweatpants under their skirts for modesty.
"Athletic skills come from Gd, and I'm not giving Gd grades! I will only grade you on your efforts."
At one point my former rabbi, Rabbi Wolf of Great Neck, NY, donated boxes and boxes of bright yellow tennis balls he'd collect from around local tennis courts after his retirement. He had tried to return them to the players, but they told him that they "only played with fresh, hard barely used balls." So he began a project to donate these perfectly good balls to Israel, especially to me for the Shiloh School.

credit
No, I didn't teach tennis. I hadn't a clue as how to play, although tennis had been on the PE curriculum in Great Neck North when I was a student. The gym teacher concentrated on helping the students who already knew how to play to make them better players. The Great Neck motto was to encourage excellence. The rest of us were sent to a wall with a bunch of balls and some racquets. We were told to practice hitting the wall, but we kept lobbing the balls over it. It wasn't until a good decade later when we were living in England and I watched Wimbledon on television when I realized that serving in tennis is not the same technique as in Badminton.

My veteran neighbors remember my jogging days. So do I. A few months after my youngest had been born, friends and I had taken a hike in the nearby mountains, and they were horrified at my lack of fitness.
"You must get back into shape. We should jog together."
That sounded easy, so for over four years I tried to keep up with her. But somehow, no matter how hard I tried I never got faster, and it never got easier. The only thing I got was injuries.

And here I am decades later, still overweight and still consider walking and dance to be the only "athletic skills" I can do.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Trying to Knock off a Few Pounds/Kilos

As some of you may know, a few years ago, I managed to lose about 15 kilo or 30 pounds. I blogged all about it here, and you can find posts by using the search box and searching for "losing weight," "public diet" and a few other keywords like those. And like many who have lost weight, a few of those unwanted pound/kilos have returned. This has happened before, and I've managed to get them off, but it's never easy, and it seems like each time, more find me. This time I got a good/bad 3 kilo (about 7 pounds) up on the scale, which meant that some clothes didn't fit. So I've been struggling to banish them.

If only it was as easy as when for the 52Frames photo challenge "Dream & Fantasy" I cropped and photoshopped the picture on the left into a nice slim me.

I'm working hard trying to get the unwanted weight off by walking more and trying to eat less. I've become very dependent on keeping track of my steps with the WalkLogger application on my phone. And when it somehow misses steps, I just tell myself that it's good that I've really walked even more than the app shows.

And if you're curious, I've knocked off/reduced at least half and can now wear the black leather skirt I got myself last year in the 2nd hand store I like. I wore it a lot during last year's trip to the states.  Too bad I couldn't fit into it this year. Serves me right, I should have been on top of things and never have gotten fatter. As many of us know, the challenge to keep off the weight is for life.

And remember, as it says so very accurately on this mug I bought a number of years ago:

"Dieting is A Losing Battle!"



Friday, February 26, 2016

Caring for IDF Soldiers

Recently when I was wandering around the other stores in sha'ar Binyamin, I noticed that there was a small tea/coffee corner for soldiers, called "A Little Spoiling for Soldiers." It's near the fish store, which is near the Al Hamishkal health food store. 



Thursday, February 25, 2016

Purim "Katan," Good Excuse to eat Those Rolls


Yesterday I met old friends at a reunion. Our college class (SCW 1971) has been getting together in Jerusalem every few months the past couple of years. We plan the lunch meetings around visits of classmates who still haven't made aliyah. And "dropouts" like myself are full members of the club. There are a few members of the class I've been in touch with and see periodically, but some I only get together with when we have these reunions.

Just before we met yesterday, somebody sent this out which was perfect for the date on the Jewish Calendar:
Well, today is Shushan Purim Katan.
Here 5 Halachot for today – question of whether you are supposed to eat more in walled cities like Jerusalem is debated. As I quote below, Ha’Rav Aryeh Shtern told me nowadays the minhag isn’t to eat extra at meals on Purim Katan:

  1. No Tachanun. 
  2. No ‘Lamnatzeach’ 
  3. No Hesped or fasting. 
  4. Or regular halachot of Aveilut. 
  5. Having nicer meals – I guess lunch.
    This is a matter of debate as to whether those living in walled cities like Jerusalem, need to have a nicer meal on Shushan Purim Katan or both days. Firstly, we need to be clear, whether or not there is a mitzvah at all to eat a superior meal on Purim Katan itself is discussed- Ha’Rav Aryeh Shtern told me that nowadays the minhag isn’t to eat extra on Purim Katan. At the end of Piskei Teshuvot – he discusses Shushan Purim Katan. The Mishnah Brurah says that even those who live in walled cities, eat extra on the 14th of Adar NOT the 15th. He then quotes the Smak who says that in walled cities – like Jerusalem, you are supposed to have extra nice meals on BOTH Purim Katan-the 14th and Shushan Purim Katan-the 15th.

That's why I ordered the "bread" as my "Starter" at Tereza in Cinema City. According to Jewish Law, a festive meal must include bread. The night before, a friend and I had looked for a place to eat in Cinema City and didn't even bother checking it out, because the sign says "Pasta Bar" in very large English letters. We did not a meal based on noodles!  But menu is a lot more varied than the sign would make you think. There are lots of salads, and they are large and very good.

Lunch in Tereza includes a free soft drink and a "starter," a choice of "Mashed Potato Balls, Salad or Bread. Since I had decided to have the Tuna Salad, I really didn't need more salad. After eating my fill, all the tuna and most of the salad, I had it packed to take to work, where I just bought myself a bit of cheese to have for dinner.  We were all happy with the meals and the service, even considering that we were a large group. They didn't foul up, which has been an unpleasant experience in other venues.




Next (or a future) time I'm in Cinema City, I will return, since the meal and service were good.
Tereza
Cinema City, 10 Yitzchak Rabin, JerusalemTel: 02-6456005
Kashrut: Rabbanut Mehadrin
Open Sunday - Thursday: 11:00 am. till midnight. Friday: 10:00 am. - one hour before Shabbat. Open Motzei Shabbat: 8:30 pm. Closed Shabbat.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Complementary Colors, 52Frames

This time I let Gd create my subject. All I did was to try to capture it on film in my camera somehow.  Yellow and purple fit the bill and the 52Frames challenge.

"Credit to Gd"
Honestly, when I noticed these gorgeous purple and yellow flowers in a streetside garden, I knew it was Gd who arranged the perfect complementary color scheme. We mortal humans just can't improve on the greatest artist of all.

Location: Sha'ar Binyamin, Israel

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Winter has Returned

I must admit that I enjoyed the few warm days we had last week. It was almost like being on vacation... I certainly needed a break from the cold. And it was so nice to turn off the heater and open up doors and windows. But we do need rain, and the rainy winter weather has returned!



At work we hear the rain pounding on the roof, which can be quite unnerving. And while the weather is wintery outside, at work we're busy unpacking summer clothes...

Monday, February 22, 2016

A Festive Dinner at Piccolino


Yes, I admit that it's no secret that I'm a fan of Piccolino, that lovely and yummy kosher dairy restaurant in downtown Jerusalem, Nachalat Shiva, Music Square, not far from Zion Square. Last week before going to a Ben Zakkai-NCSY Dessert Reception a friend and I had dinner out together. She suggested Piccolino after reading the review I'd written, and she wasn't disappointed.

First of all, we were seated in their closed in, cosy section of Music Square and enjoyed the live music. We decided to have as healthy and dietetic meal as possible, especially because we were going to a dessert reception afterwards, and it's not all that far from Piccolino to the Israel Center. We chose to begin dinner with Soup of the Day, which was a very delicately flavored Orange Soup. It was excellent, just perfect for a winter evening.

Piccolino also insisted we try their latest salad, which was totally amazing. I didn't try the toast that came with it, but I did eat lots of the irresistible warm Camembert Cheese and the green salad with strawberries. And I must admit that I did have some bread, their multi-grain house bread, which comes with most meals. It was a delicious treat.

For our main course we shared their Tuna Salad, which is seared red tuna on a generous green salad, which includes perfectly made green beans.


We both agreed that it was the perfect meal and a lovely way to spend time together.

I understand that they make amazing breakfasts and brunches and lunches, too. I must try them.

Yoel Moshe Solomon Street No.12 Jerusalem, for reservations, events or questions: Nava@piccolino.co.il or 02:6244186.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Seems like We're Taking Over A7...


Popular Posts


The only non-Medad in the top six blog posts this morning is a friend of ours...

Now, if anyone can let me know how to use our talents to earn a living from our writing, I'd be very grateful. Or is there any publication that would pay for my/our articles... Obviously people do like what we say and how we say it.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

All "Lined Up," 52Frames

For last week, the theme/challenge for 52Frames was "Lines," and with four or more leading lines, we could qualify for extra credit. Lines is actually an easier theme than many, and I took lots of pictures. I finally got myself down to just three:



and

"On The Road Home"
I managed to get a good seat in the front of the bus and kept on taking road shots. It's a good thing the window was clean...

Camera: Canon Canon IXUS 145
Location: Benjamin County, Israel

Critique: 52F-CC Regular
This photo qualifies for the "Extra Credit" challenge: "4+ Leading Lines"
Do you agree with my choice?

Friday, February 19, 2016

Ladies, Raise Your Spirits!

Last night I went out with most of my favorite females, which means most of my daughters and granddaughters. We went to a performance, you could call it an "operetta*," since most of the dialogue is in song and dance. Or maybe it's really a "light opera," because the theme was extremely rich and thought-provoking. But the truth is that it was fun, and since there's only one more performance scheduled, I'd rush to get those tickets ASAP.

Yes, I'm talking about Raise Your Spirits Theater, SISTERS! THE DAUGHTERS OF TZELOFCHAD! Written and Directed by Toby Klein Greenwald and based on the Biblical story, just a few lines in the Bible, it is an amazing and scholarly interpretation of what can be considered one of the more "feminist" Biblical events. Tzelofchad's five daughters were given the status of sons by Gd. And here on stage we heard and watched their story.
Bamidbar 27
א  וַתִּקְרַבְנָה בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד, בֶּן-חֵפֶר בֶּן-גִּלְעָד בֶּן-מָכִיר בֶּן-מְנַשֶּׁה, לְמִשְׁפְּחֹת, מְנַשֶּׁה בֶן-יוֹסֵף; וְאֵלֶּה, שְׁמוֹת בְּנֹתָיו--מַחְלָה נֹעָה, וְחָגְלָה וּמִלְכָּה וְתִרְצָה.1 Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.
ב  וַתַּעֲמֹדְנָה לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה, וְלִפְנֵי אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן, וְלִפְנֵי הַנְּשִׂיאִם, וְכָל-הָעֵדָה--פֶּתַח אֹהֶל-מוֹעֵד, לֵאמֹר.2 And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, at the door of the tent of meeting, saying:
ג  אָבִינוּ, מֵת בַּמִּדְבָּר, וְהוּא לֹא-הָיָה בְּתוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַנּוֹעָדִים עַל-יְהוָה, בַּעֲדַת-קֹרַח:  כִּי-בְחֶטְאוֹ מֵת, וּבָנִים לֹא-הָיוּ לוֹ.3 'Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not among the company of them that gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons.
ד  לָמָּה יִגָּרַע שֵׁם-אָבִינוּ מִתּוֹךְ מִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ, כִּי אֵין לוֹ בֵּן; תְּנָה-לָּנוּ אֲחֻזָּה, בְּתוֹךְ אֲחֵי אָבִינוּ.4 Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he had no son? Give unto us a possession among the brethren of our father.'
ה  וַיַּקְרֵב מֹשֶׁה אֶת-מִשְׁפָּטָן, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה.  {פ}5 And Moses brought their cause before the LORD. {P}
ו  וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר.6 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
ז  כֵּן, בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד דֹּבְרֹת--נָתֹן תִּתֵּן לָהֶם אֲחֻזַּת נַחֲלָה, בְּתוֹךְ אֲחֵי אֲבִיהֶם; וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ אֶת-נַחֲלַת אֲבִיהֶן, לָהֶן.7 'The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them.
ח  וְאֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, תְּדַבֵּר לֵאמֹר:  אִישׁ כִּי-יָמוּת, וּבֵן אֵין לוֹ--וְהַעֲבַרְתֶּם אֶת-נַחֲלָתוֹ, לְבִתּוֹ.8 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.
Many years ago, I discovered a family history to the name of one of the daughters. My great-grandfather gave his fifth daughter (out of six, no sons) the name Milcah, who was one of the Biblical sisters/daughters. He had also made sure that his daughters were educated, and this was in Rogotshov, Belarus, over a century ago.

I enjoyed seeing my granddaughters mesmerized by what they saw on the stage. I come from a family of theater lovers, meaning both on and off the stage. The only times I wish we had moved to Efrat, rather than to Shiloh, is when it's production and performing time for RAISE YOUR SPIRITS THEATRE. I'm so itching to be there with my friends on the stage and behind the scenes. 




And I hope that my older granddaughters managed to listen and follow to the story, too. Actually, I think that the girls high schools here and post-high school study programs for girls from abroad should hire the theatre to perform for them. It would be a shame if they gave up this chance to learn the story of those very special daughters and sisters.


*Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Together Again at Last!

There are people who are always losing and forgetting things, and I'm not one of them. I'm a bit too OCD, checking my pockets for both gloves all the time and rather fanatic about hanging and clipping everything on myself, rather than taking a bag/pocketbook that's detached.

So when a couple of weeks ago I discovered that one of my new leather gloves, with the special tips that allow gloved fingers, thumb and index finger to be exact, to work on my smartphone screen, I was rather surprised. OK, it was a crazy day getting home from the Sharonim Mall near Tzomet Yarkon (Junction.) A friend dropped me off at the bus stop to Ariel on the turnoff to Elkana, and then I took a bus to Ariel. From Ariel I got a ride with a friend who lives in Eli, and then because the road to Shiloh was blocked due to an accident, I visited her until the road cleared, when she took me home. Even when I wasn't wearing the gloves I kept checking my pockets for them. But there was only one glove when I looked for them at home. I contacted my friend who didn't find the missing glove, not in her house nor her car.

OK, "kappora," I said. The loss of the glove is better than the loss of a person or some other major catastrophe. I still have my two older pairs of leather gloves, though I can't use my phone with them on. Big deal. I've survived worse. Haven't we all?

Over a week later, after some heavy winter rains I took a walk around the neighborhood, and because the weather was so nice and I was just "in the mood" I thought of using the machines in the nearby exercise park. But then again, I decided not to because there were a bunch of workers nearby. But I noticed something dark on one of the seats and took a look.


Yes, you guessed it--- my missing glove!

So, now, although they are no longer the exact same color and even size, they are together again.


And when winter weather returns, I'll be able to wear them, Gd willing.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

How Dangerous is it Here in Israel?

As I and many others have said over and over, Arab terror attacks aren't the greatest danger in Israel. They certainly aren't as prevalent as the press (and our enemies and the BDS) would want you to think. Traffic accidents kill more people for sure.

It's very rare for me to actually "take precautions" against terror attacks, besides trying to keep alert and not using earphones to listen to classes when walking in Jerusalem or on buses. But the other night, I davka had to wait where there have been quite a few attacks, the Ammunition Hill, near Ramat Eshkol, bus/trolley stop. I had arranged to meet friends there who were going to give me a ride home.

So, since Arab terrorists who aim to stab innocent Jews need to sneak up behind us, I made a point of sitting on a bench that had a back higher than my head.  Actually, it was a nice sheltered one. You can see that in the selfie I took while waiting. And, until a bus came to park itself and block my view, I could see a police van, and Gd willing they could see me from across the street. And as you can see in the picture, there were also barriers up to keep the terrorists from ramming into us.


I felt pretty silly taking all these precautions, but it did no harm. From what I've noticed, things have pretty much returned to normal, at least I don't see any need to fear visiting Israel.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

An Awful Thing Happened Before Work

Yesterday just as I was about to sign into work at Yafiz I checked my mail and discovered awful news. The daughter of friends passed away, and the funeral was in just a couple of hours. I quickly told my boss who said "go, now," which I did.

Since I had just done a large shopping, I left it in the store and sent a note to the Shiloh email that I needed someone to bring it home. When my husband got home, he sent another email, and somebody we (or at least he didn't recognize) don't even know picked it up and brought to us.

There was another complication getting to the funeral, which was in Givat Shaul, Jerusalem. The bus is only every thirty minutes, and apparently I had just missed one. I decided to walk in the direction from the Central Bus Station in the hope that I'd find a cab for most of the way. But I was mistaken. There were few, and they were full.

Suddenly I saw one with a passenger pull up by the gas station towards the entrance to the city and get gas. When it finished and passed me it stopped and asked where I was headed.
"The Cemetery," I answered.
"Hop in," the driver replied.
"Are you going to the funeral from the bus accident?" asked the passenger.
"No, a young mother died of cancer."
We were each deep in our thoughts...

When we reached the cemetery, I asked how much to pay.
"Nothing," said the passenger.
"I'll give charity," I responded.
"Thank you," he said.
And we each went to our separate funerals...




Monday, February 15, 2016

Delicious and Inspiring Melava Malka

Displaying 20160213_204250.jpg

The past few months, a neighbor has been organizing a once a month motzei Shabbat, that's after Shabbat on Saturday night get-together. It floats from house to house. Our neighbor Rabbi Dov Berkovits has volunteered to give a shiur, class each month, which is great. He is always interesting and inspiring. And it's basically a "pot luck" menu. Everyone brings something, some healthier and some tastier than others. I must admit that the plate of simple sliced fruit was my contribution. I'm just not very good when it comes to dessert, besides loving to eat...

Those little chocolate things with the cream in the middle were even better than expected, since the chocolate was flavored with mint, and you know about me and mint... I must gt the recipe from my neighbor. And when I do, bli neder, I'll post it.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

French Press Tips and Warnings

I've been using a French Press to make my coffee on and off the past few years. At first I made a few mistakes and major messes. Now if you're the type who wants super hot coffee, the French Press is not for you! For you I'd go back to the old-fashioned stove top percolator, because you can then pour boiling coffee into your mug/cup. You can't control any of the electric ones to be boiling hot ready.

One thing you need to get a good cup of coffee from the French Press is patience. The instructions always say not to pour boiling water into the container, because it can cause it to crack or break. After it cools in the kettle a bit you can pour the water over the dry coffee of your choice. And then you must wait yet again. I use that time to drink more water and get out the sugar and milk.


Here you can see that the ground up coffee has floated to the top and is much darker than the liquid in the glass jar.

Next you should carefully mix it all up, and you'll see the coffee looking darker. If you don't mix it, the ground up coffee will get stuck in the filter plunger and make a big mess on your table. Also, when you mix it, it's recommended to use a plastic spoon and not at metal one unless you can be very careful and not touch the glass with the spoon.


Here it is after stirring. Gently push the plunger down, and then the coffee is  ready to be poured into your mug.

Enjoy!


Saturday, February 13, 2016

Learning From Sports


I must admit that I'm enjoying the football games more and more this year than ever before. As many of you know, I'm a loyal fan of the Jerusalem Lions "Big Blue" American Tackle Football team. I think that many of you, especially  parents will understand when you hear the reason. It's because my son is no longer playing; he's the coach. How's that? Am I allowed to brag? I do still come to cheer on the team. And if you'd like to see football here in Israel, I suggest you join us. The games are free. Bring your own nosh. The home games are in the sports field in Mishor Adumim. Click here for the schedule.

But the point of this post is to point out some of the really nice bits of sportsmanship and derech eretz, nice behavior you'll see at football games. I've seen them!  Quite often as the guys of both teams get up from one of those frightening to look at tackles, when they're all piled up on each other, they help each other up, not only their teammates, but the guy they had just tackled or who had been tackled by.  I really like the fact that most players at least understand that it's a game, not a war. When everyone plays fairly according to the rules, there's mutual respect.

Another thing that is very nice. When the play is stopped for an injured player, players on both teams, whether on the field or on the sidelines, get on their knee in respect, until the player either can walk off the field or is helped off, and then they all clap to thank him for his efforts and wish him well.


Yes, they all know that it's by the grace of Gd that it's not them needing help from the medic. And many of them have been in that position already.