Jerusalem Streets, Small City and Rav Ovadia's "Shloshim," Thirty Days after Death Momorial

No doubt that the police traffic arrangements and the set up of screens in the area of the Jeruslaem Sanhedria Cemetery on the day HaRav Ovadia Yosef's family got up from shiva (the seven day intense mourning period) were good practice for today's shloshim (30 day after death) events.

Here are some pictures I took of the set up on Rechov Bar Ilan, near the cemetery three weeks ago for the end of Shiva.

I have to be in Jerusalem and I plan on using the light-rail for Jerusalem traveling and avoid the streets.

More Five Shekel Food in Jerusalem

For some strange reason, the only five shekel food places mentioned in the mainstream media here in Israel are those in Tel Aviv.  The day of municipal elections the television stations kept comparing the lines for ns5 coffee with the empty polling stations. I don't get to Tel Aviv much, so I can't say much about it, but I do get to Jerusalem at least once a week.

The first ns5 food place I know of in Jerusalem is by the main entrance to the CBS- Central Bus Station.  I haven't yet had a chance to see if the low prices have influenced the various food stands inside, but I did notice that one of the nosh places on Rechov Yaffo in the direction of Center 1 has begun offering five shekel food items.

Ken yirbu, may the trend spread.

PS I like this menu, very suitable for the people who pass by and don't read Hebrew all that well.  I've always been in favor of this sort of pictorial advertisements that require very little brainpower.

Reviews are welcome in the comments, thanks.

Edible?

After a few rains, I just noticed something on my citrus tree outside.

This past spring, for the first time in quite a while there had been some flowers.  Then the flowers were blown away, and I pretty much gave up all hope.

Many years ago I bought a lemon tree from a proper nursery and planted it.  To say "It was a lemon" is a rather sick joke, since we never got any lemons from it.  About sixteen years ago my elder son brought home a small seedling that may be an orange tree.  He planted it near the lemon tree.  I can't remember which is which, since we never get fruit from them.  Maybe this is from his tree.

It's still a bit early in the season.  I wonder if they are edible.

Double Jewish Blog Carnival- Havel Havelim and Kosher Cooking Carnival

Cross-posted on Shiloh Musings

I've decided to make history and combine Havel Havelim and the Kosher Cooking Carnival this week.  I'm the default host for both, and it just happens that they're both due to be posted this weekend, Havel Havelim Toldot and the Kislev Kosher Cooking Carnival.

The blog carnivals are still two very separate ones, HH is weekly and KCC is monthly, but this seemed like a good opportunity to introduce the different blogs, readers etc to each other.  And I'd also like to remind all of you that you're welcome to host an edition of either or both.  It's a wonderful way to get to know other bloggers and have them get to know yours.

Of course, reading and sharing the blog carnivals isn't restricted to bloggers. Blog carnivals are internet magazines, plain and simple.  You certainly don't have to be a blogger to read blogs. And you don't even have to be Jewish to read Jewish blogs and Jewish blog carnivals.  But the blogs themselves are Jewish ones; that should be clear.

Those interested in knowing more can join our facebook pages, Havel Havelim and Kosher Cooking Carnival. For more information about hosting you can contact me at shilohmuse at gmail dot com.  I'll coach you through it, if you need.  Send in your links via blog carnival, HH and KCC.

I'm going to mix up all the posts, without letting on which blogs they're from.  So have fun reading, commenting and sharing, please.  Also please share this combo-carnival.

5 Shekel Food Made it to Jerusalem! 
Which Country is More anti-Jewish, Qatar or Israel?
Corn & Cheese Fritters with Pear Salsa 
Israeli Sovereignty, the Key to True and Lasting Peace
What a Waste!
Director of Rabbi Riskin's Interfaith Center Appeals for Funding to Build Church in Jerusalem - Jewish Israel
Chaos Theory, Goedel's Proof, and Halakhah: Thoughts on undirected Halakhic process
Kale and Butternut Squash Salad 
Daylight Savings Time, I'm not a Fan

In The Footsteps Of Theodor Herzl
That person….
To Parents of Singles
Pear Cornbread
The Elephant in the Room, A Review 
"Tzohar Law:" Torah vs. State Under the Chuppah 
Great Deal on a Tuna Salad at Cafe` Hillel Express 
Leading Religious Zionist Rabbis Declare That MK El'azar Stern is an Epikoros 

Photos of The Jerusalem Central Bus Station Synagogue
Chanan HaChatan (2 Quick Shabbos Recipes)

Controlling the Panic, Thank G-d

HaAdom, HaAdom HaZeh
Poem for Passing

Stuffed Potato Boats with Tuna

8 Things to See Now on Jerusalem Streets
In Memory of My Father

Here are the two official endings from Blog Carnival's instacarnival:
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of kosher cooking carnival-kcc using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Technorati tags: kosher cooking carnival-kcc, blog carnival.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of jewish-israel blog carnival aka havel havelim using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Technorati tags: jewish-israel blog carnival aka havel ha, blog carnival.

Controlling the Panic, Thank G-d

Today is the first Friday in Israel post-Daylight Savings Time.  I have to keep reminding myself that I have much less time to do all the Friday, pre-Shabbat chores.

Usually when I work on a Thursday I take out my yoman, little pocket diary/calendar, and write down next week's schedule. I had been about it a couple of times during my shift, but I was always distracted, and then my boss told me that she still had to go over it and finalize it.

Recently, I've been keeping the yoman,  in a little bag with my equally small and pocketable T'hillim (Psalms) and Mincha Siddur (Afternoon Prayer book.)  I used to wear a second "fanny pack," wearable pocketbook which had them and meant that I always had those little books with me.  By wearing two "pouches" or "fanny packs" I was able to keep my cellphone and ravkav (public transportation ticket) separate. There are those who say that the phone can erase the pre-bought rides.  But recently to take pressure off of my back and pelvis, I started wearing only one.  And being a female, whose clothes don't have pockets most of the time, I need my phone, wallet, keys and camera in the pouch on me all the time when out of the house. And to make things more complicated, now I have to move the little bag around to make sure it's always "with me."  I have my Matan day backpack, in which my Bible studies books "live," and my work backpack which houses things I just need for work and is big enough to hold most of the shopping I do at Rami Levy each time I go to work in Yafiz.

Yesterday I had morning shift.  Now that we're no longer on Daylight Savings Time, I find myself in a rush to find the time to say my T'hillim (part of a group in which we commit to say certain chapters daily) and doven mincha pray the afternoon prayer before the sun begins to go down.  I've been working an hour or more after the end of morning shift recently.  That means that sometimes I have to use my "break time" for those things.  Yesterday I signed out first and then sat down near the exit to start.  But, you guessed it, I couldn't find the bag with those three little books.  I had no way of knowing if I had just left them at home or the bag had gotten lost.  There wasn't enough time to just say "so I'll doven and say T'hillim at home.  I needed to do it immediately.  I had no idea who would have those books, but I did know where I could possibly find them.

There's a small synagogue in the Rami Levy Supermarket.  I ran there, turned on the lights, found some books and quickly began T'hillim. I was planning on staying there until I had finished everything, but suddenly there was an announcement on the loudspeaker for Mincha.  Since there's no Ezrat Nashim, women's section, I took the siddur outside and finished dovening where I had attempted to start, near the exit/entrance.  I then reentered the store and asked a man near the shul to return the siddur for me, did my shopping and went home.

I kept telling myself that I had heard that you can go to the "citypass" Ravkav office and they can reproduce the card if it's lost, because all of my ticket purchases and travel are computerized in their humongous data base.  But, Baruch Hashem, thank G-d I found the small bag on the table.  So I was right. There was no need to panic.

It May Not Be Autumn in New England, But...

The tree does look interesting.

Please don't tell me it's sick.

This tree does lose its leaves every year.  We don't have the cold here in Israel for the leaves to turn the colors they do in other climates.  Years ago I took a Hebrew improvement course, and the teacher gave us Hebrew poems to learn.  One thing that stayed in my mind was that she said that the Early modern Hebrew poets wrote about nature and seasons as if they were still in Europe.  Ever since, I've been much more aware and careful about my observations and descriptions.

This tree is for real. Those colors are the colors of the leaves this week.  And, yes, the tree is here in Shiloh.

And Caption This, or At Least Comment, Thanks

In all honesty, I had no idea the photograph would turn out like this.  I was in a rush, shot and ran.

What a Waste!

I love fresh figs.  It's one of the foods I only discovered living in Israel.  In New York figs were dry and old. Yes, they were sweet, too.  I've always loved dried fruit, but I never knew that you could eat figs fresh and juicy.  When we were new to Israel the only way to buy them was from Arab women.  Yes, that's what we'd do, OK, on rare occasions.

Since my daughter moved to Ofra ten years ago, I discovered that there are a lot of fig trees on the way to her house.  When I walk by them I check for ripeness and pick and eat them when in season.  Most of the time they are too hard.  The few ripe ones I eat are absolutely delicious. That season has just ended.  Last time I walked by the ground and path were littered with over-ripe, dirty figs.  The few that remained on the trees were inedible.

I wanted to cry.  It's not fair.  What a waste.

Babysitting the Grandkids

When I was teaching, I had a very regular schedule, and I was able to commit to one or sometimes even two times a week as babysitter for my grandchildren.  Now, my schedule is very different and it just doesn't work out that way.  I do try to get over, even for a short visit every week.

I work and study and find myself busy with various projects.  But nothing is more important than the kiddies.

Wonderful Posts in Damaged Mirror's Havel Havelim

The latest Havel Havelim is on Yael's Damaged Mirrorr, a very special blog.

I wish to thank her for doing such an amazing job.  I highly recommend visiting the posts and sharing them and her HH, too, of course.

Havel Havelim is the weekly Jewish Israel blog carnival, which floats around the internet.  We organize it on our facebook page.  Links can be sent via blog carnival.  The host can add whatever other posts he or she feels will contribute to the quality of the blog carnival.

Havel Havelim isn't the only Jewish Blog Carnival.  There's also the Kosher Cooking Carnival and JPIX.  KCC is organized on our facebook page; links can be sent via blog carnival.  The Kosher Cooking Carnival includes blog posts submitted by bloggers and other chosen by the host.  If you'd like to host an edition, please let me know shilohmuse at gmail dot com.  It seems that I'm hosting the next of both. Maybe I'll somehow combine them.

JPIX is coordinated by Leora, and all information about it can be found byclicking here.

Great Deal on a Tuna Salad at Cafe` Hillel Express

A couple of weeks ago I met a friend in the Talpiyot neighborhood of Jerusalem for lunch.  The most convenient place for us to go to for lunch was the Hadar Mall, since she had been to a lecture in the new (at least for me) offices and hall of AACI, which is just across the street.  We walked around the mall a bit until we found what we hoped was the quietest place to sit, and that's how we chose in which restaurant to eat.  Neither of us has great hearing, and we wanted to have a nice chat.  The Cafe` Hillel Express seemed relatively quiet.  It also has an outdoor eating area, where you hear passing cars and seemed a lot more popular than the small indoor set up.

There's a counter where you order, and the food is brought to wherever you're sitting. And there is also a take-out option for even less money.  If I'm not mistaken the small Israeli salad, mostly cucumbers and tomatoes, cut into small pieces was just NS30.  The addition of some tuna added just NS5 to the bill. From what I understand, the Cafe` Hillel Express menu has some less expensive options than their restaurant menu.

It was served with rolls, butter and salad dressing.  They were very accommodating when I requested olive oil.  My tuna salad was filling and delicious.  I took the rolls home, which I frequently do when eating out.  They're in the freezer and my husband will be given them as a lunch treat.

Yes, I do recommend this pleasant restaurant.

Two Tremps and a Bus

Two Tremps and a Bus, yes, I agree.  It sounds like the name of a bad movie.  That's how I travel. That's especially how I go to work and come back home.  This morning it was exactly that.  I finally caught a ride going to Beit El.  I didn't need to go to Beit El, so I said that I'd get off at Ofra.

Just as we were passing the road to Ma'ale Levona I saw an Egged bus, #477 (Elon Moreh to Jerusalem)  ahead of us.  I hoped I'd catch it at Ofra.  We passed it, and I saw it enter Ofra just as I was getting off on the main road.  I debated whether or not to run into Ofra to catch it.

Just as I was about to try to run across the road and into Ofra to catch the bus, a car pulled up and the driver said he was going to Jerusalem and agreed to drop me off at Sha'ar Binyamin. A few minutes later he said that he'd go into Kochav Ya'akov for a minute on the way, so I asked to get off at the Ma'avar Michmash stop aka the gas station.

I waited there a few minutes, getting impatient.  Then suddenly, what should come by but... the very same 477 I'd been following. I paid my fair and traveled all of a kilometer to work.

The strangest thing is that no matter when within a ten minute range I leave the house, I end up arriving at the same time to work.

Slip on Some Slippers

My feet are easily cold.  I need to sleep in socks and wear warm shoes and slippers.

Yes, these are some of the selection we're selling at Yafiz, Sha'ar Binyamin.

The 5 Shekel Food Place, Review #1

As promised, here's a review of the new five shekel food place near Jerusalem's Central Bus Station.   A friend wrote it:

Not anything to really get excited over.  The salad was crisp and fresh, but about as small as you would expect for only 5 shekels.  It had lettuce, tomato, cucumber and a carrot curl -- attractive as well as crisp and fresh.  There was only one kind of salad dressing, which was rather nondescript -- I think it was supposed to be thousand island.  I didn't get a sandwich, as they were all pre-made and wrapped, and I couldn't tell what else besides the tuna.  I also ordered an iced vanilla  which was awful.  It didn't taste live vanilla, wasn't at all sweet, it didn't even taste like milk.  More like iced, ice.
The biggest drawback was that all the seating was outside and there were half a dozen smokers clustered between us and the door to the tachana mercazit*.  That was so unpleasant that we just sort of gobbled our salads and left quickly.

G-d willing I'll get more reviews for you.  I hope to sample the salad and ice cafe sometime soon.  I still think it's a good deal.  Now we must also see if prices go down inside the bus station.  Nowadays with the reduced security checks, people with time can rush out to save money and buy coffee, pastries and sandwich for just ns5.

*bus station

Grammar Question: Media, Singular or Plural

I'm usually a rather conservative and fanatic stickler when it comes to grammar. That's in my native English and the Hebrew I've been struggling to learn for close to half a century.  When slang is based on incorrect usage I boycott it.

It takes all of my self-control to keep from visibly cringing when someone replies "I'm (feeling) good"  to the question "how are you?"  Good is an adjective.  To describe yourself as "good," means that you're stating that you're a "good" person, honest etc. The proper grammatical answer is "I'm (feeling) well."  Well is an adverb and describes how you're feeling.

Recently someone who reads my articles asked me to correct the verb in a sentence with the word "media."  I used the word, and use  it frequently, as a collective noun, so the verb (present tense) was singular.  He suggested that it be plural. I'm usually very grateful when people catch my typos, but I see/used the word media to represent a group.  In Israel, it's very common to write about the media as one power.

The Israeli media has an agenda and isn't embarrassed to push it.

By writing in this way about the media, the implication is that the various Israeli media are in cahoots. It's the use of the word "various" to describe media makes it necessary to use the plural verb afterwards.

Just to be safe, I checked with Professor Google.

media¹

ˈmiːdɪə/

noun

noun: media; plural noun: media; noun: the media

1. 1.

   the main means of mass communication (television, radio, and newspapers) regarded collectively.

   "their demands were publicized by the media"
2. 2.

   plural form of medium.

Here's another definition, Business dictionary:

1. Communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data, or promotional messages are disseminated. Media includes every broadcasting and narrowcasting medium such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax, and internet. Media is the plural of medium and can take a plural or singular verb, depending on the sense intended.
Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/media.html#ixzz2iOUB50ah

What do you think?  I'm curious.

Esser Agarth's Full Moon Havel Havelim

It's the middle of the Jewish Month of Cheshvan, and this week's Havel Havelim, the veteran Jewish blog carnival, a round-up of blog posts on Jewish and Israeli topics from all over the world, can be found on Esser Agaroth.  Esser Agaroth always does a great job, and this time is no exception.  Please visit and share Havel Havelim and the various posts included in it.

Getting involved with Havel Havelim and other blog carnivals is a great way of publicizing your own blog. We're a modern community that uses the internet to communicate ideas.  We keep in contact and volunteer to host on our facebook page, and links can be sent to the host via blog carnival.

 If there are any problems with blog carnival just contact me with your links, shilohmuse at gmail dot com.

There are two other Jewish blog carnivals, Kosher Cooking Carnival and JPIX.

 KCC is organized on our facebook page; links can be sent via blog carnival.  The Kosher Cooking Carnival includes blog posts submitted by bloggers and other chosen by the host.  If you'd like to host an edition, please let me know shilohmuse at gmail dot com.  Next month's host is Culinart. 

JPIX is coordinated by Leora, and all information about it can be found by clicking here.

5 Shekel Food Made it to Jerusalem!

One of the big news items for Israeli noshers, meaning almost the entire population of the country, has been an everything for five shekel food place in Tel Aviv to bring down the prices of simple take-out food  such as coffee and pizza.  I'm not sure that the five shekel place I found in the entrance to the Jerusalem Centraal Bus Station is from the same businessman, Avi Cohen of Cofix, because this is strictly kosher and called פשוט טעים Pashut Taim, Simply Tasty.  None of the Cofix articles I found mentions kashrut, but the kosher market in Jerusalem is much larger than in Tel Aviv.

פשוט טעים Pashut Taim, Simply Tasty has a simply wonderful menu, coffee, salad, pizza, sandwiches soft drinks, pastries and even ice cafe.

In all honesty, at that price it hardly pays to brown bag it, if you're going to be in the area.  Now I must admit that I never got to sample any of their items.  I was going to treat myself to an ice cafe, but when I ordered one, I was told that the machine had just been refilled and it would take another ten to fifteen minutes until it was really icy.  I didn't have the time to wait.  But I could see all of the satisfied customers who had ordered other items.  Since I had just completed dental work, I couldn't eat one of their salads and thought that ice cafe would be a nice safe, even if calorie-laden, choice.

No doubt I'll be back there to buy.  If you spot any branches in other parts of the city or country, please let me know in the comments, thanks.

RAIN!! Really!

Friday morning I posted about our lack of rain, the dryness we've had this month of Marcheshvan.  Like many, I've been getting worried.  Then it rained a bit.  When I went out to throw out the recyclables I found it pretty wet and took these pictures.

The report was for light, scattered rain, so even though the sky looked pretty threatening I figured we were finished for the day and packed my bag to go away for Shabbat.

Foolish me.  I should have trusted the sky.  Davka when we were walking down to catch the bus it poured and poured and poured.

NO, I'm not complaining, just stating facts and posting pictures.  Thank the Good Lord for the rain!

Shavua Tov

Have a wonderful week

We're in the Middle of the Jewish Month of Cheshvan. Where's the Rain?

When my friends and I were at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh on Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the Jewish Month of) Cheshvan it seemed so certain that G-d would be giving us lots of rain this month.

We were very happy that the sky wasn't summer pure blue.

Since then, there have been clouds, but no rain.

And even though we did get a strong, quick "first rain" during Succot, less than a month ago, I only noticed one of the crocus flowers which usually herald winter.

Jerusalem Autumn Crocus (Colchicum hierosolymitanum) blooms gorgeous large purple flowers before growing its leaves.  Jerusalem Insider's Guide

I usually see many of these during this season here in Shiloh, but so far I haven't.  Finally, when I visited my grandkids in Ofra I spotted this near their home.

The meteorologists are predicting rain for Shabbat and much colder weather than we've had so far. I'll have to let you know after Shabbat.  And I have to remember to close some of the windows we've left open since the summer.  We've passed the date when a sunny day can be called a nice day.  Now, the only truly nice days are wet.  Of course we do need some dry sunny ones in between, but without rain we're in trouble.

A "Spiritual Ladies Room" at The Jerusalem Central Bus Station aka Egged

When the new Jerusalem CBS aka Central Bus Station opened, it proudly announced that there was a synagogue.  I see the synagogue in use most of the day for those travelers who have the time to "catch" a minyon, prayer with a quorum of ten men.  Some men just like to sit there and study sacred texts while waiting for their bus.  That's all well and good, but when I wanted a place to doven Mincha, the afternoon prayer, or say T'hillim, Psalms, I discovered that there wasn't an Ezrat Nashim, Women's section.

Apparently I wasn't the only one complaining, and after awhile I discovered that they designated a small room or closet nearby as Ezrat Nashim.  Even though there's no window or visible air vents, I prefer dovening there instead of the waiting area when I have the time.

It seemed to be well cared for during my most recent visit.

It looks better than at the previous visit.  I don't know who actually is responsible for its upkeep, so I'm using this blog post to thank them/him/her.