Savta/Grannie Time, Seeing A Play!

Even though most of my grandchildren live pretty close by in Ofra, I don't see them all that often. Remember that I'm still working part-time. When they were little and I was teaching, I managed to spend a lot more time with them. That's how they know, at least understand, English so well. It's not that they are fluent or answer me in English, but when I visit and speak English to them, they generally understand exactly what I'm saying. At times, the older ones translate amazingly accurately, for the younger ones.

The other day I went to spend the afternoon with them, especially the youngest, who, on that day of the week, finished Kindergarten before the big ones finished school. So I got her a treat and made her lunch. Then we went off to see a play that was being put on. The kids loved it.

I could see that she was totally mesmerized by the actor and his one-man show.

Could Be An Entire Meal

In this nice, and well used, bake and serve dish, I placed not only the pumpkin you see on top. There's squash, onion, eggplant and bite-sized pieces of chicken breast. Other vegetables can be used or added. There are no rules.

Add some oil on top, catsup is optional, bake in a hot oven. Cover half-way through. If you cover early, it will just take longer to cook. It's ready when the vegetables are soft.

52 Frames, Football Helmet and Gloves at Extreme Angle

I took lots of photos for this week's 52Frames, Extreme Angle, from high and low,

but in the end it was a simple shot from the Lions vs Rebel football game. A player had taken off his helmet and gloves and left them on the side for me to photograph.

OK, he didn't know I'd be taking the picture, but for whatever reason, they were off of him and on the artificial turf. I wonder if I chose the right one to submit. There are others in the album like the dozens of rejects I took, but no other like this one in all its simplicity.

My Return to an Old Haunt

Last week, I went back to the yeshiva high school (Bnei Binyamin) in Beit El, where I had taught English for eleven 11 years. There were good years and bad years, enjoyment and sorrow, success and failure and lots of good friends. Actually, that's how I had gotten the job. I hadn't been trained to be an English Teacher. I hadn't a clue to teach reading, writing, spelling etc.

The only pedagogy I had ever learned was in the Fred Burk "Leadership and Choreography" course I had taken as a representative of NCSY at the Jewish Agency during my first year of college. And one thing for sure is that teaching Israeli Folk Dance and English aren't quite the same, except that you have to make it fun no matter what the talents of the students.

About eighteen 18 years ago, just after the beginning of the school year, I got a call from Toba Frankel, a friend, who was the English coordinator in the yeshiva high school in Beit El. She told me that she and her husband David, who was then principal, had decided that I was the perfect person to teach a couple of remedial classes. It didn't put them off that I had absolutely no experience; we had spent much time waiting around schools on parent-teacher nights discussing education, learning problems and our children's educational needs etc. She promised to train me, and she did.

It ended up being a perfect match. I had a wonderful and successful time teaching the boys who had thought they could never learn English. I even took the David Yellin Teachers College's certification course and became a licensed English Teacher. My only problem was teaching regular classes, so that when there were no longer any remedial classes plus transportation difficulties and reduced enrolment, I found myself out of a job. That's why I now work as a salesperson in Yafiz.

So, nu, why was I back there last week? Again I had gotten a call from Toba. This time she told me that after all these years (decades) David was officially retired (after years of being principal he had become "just" an English Teacher) and there would be a party in his honor.

It was truly wonderful seeing so many old friends together. Some of them I see in Sha'ar Binyamin and are now customers of mine at Yafiz.

The Frankels and I are among the very old generation in Mateh Binyamin, our regional council. Our children were in the first (early) graduating classes when the schools were small and in temporary structures. The Frankels, as teachers and administrators, were truly pioneers in their contributions to local education. With all of the deserving praise they received that night, I don't know if the younger generation truly comprehends their contributions. But maybe that is the sign of success.

I look at the history of education here, and I see the thirty plus years as rapid growth, but for young people, thirty years is a very long time. That younger generation, which has no memory of the pre-June, 1967 Israel sees a normalcy and permanence of the Jewish Life in Judea and Samaria that Israel's Left can't comprehend or accept.

May David and Toba Frankel be truly blessed with long, enjoyable and healthy retirements. And may the younger generation of educators come to them for training, because they will not find anyone more qualified to teach and advise.

... and Suddenly Traffic Stood Still

As you can imagine, life's an adventure. It's hard at times to make plans, to predict how things will go and when and how I'll arrive at places and events. Besides my very Jewish use of the verb "schlepped" to describe how I got to the pre-season IFL tackle football game between the Lions and the Rebels in Mishor Adumim, I did not give details.

Schlepped is the best word to describe the trip. If I had gone directly and simply by car, which we don't have, the trip from Shiloh to Mishor Adumim could have been quicker than going to Kraft Stadium in Jerusalem. That's in theory. Actually, if I had gone by car I would probably have been very late, or maybe not.

Before leaving I checked the bus schedule and realized that there was one bus too early and another that would get me to my pickup point in Maale Adumim (which required catching a Maale Adumim bus to the mall there from Ammunition Hill) just on time or a drop late. So I compromised on trying for a tremp between the two buses. I've done this successfully many times before, but Thursday it just didn't happen. There were no rides to Jerusalem, so I took the bus. The bus made great time, and by the time we reached Sha'ar Binyamin I was very cheerful and optimistic that my ride wouldn't have to wait long for me.

Then a couple of kilometers later, just after Adam, traffic stood still.

Every few minutes we moved a few meters. Eventually we saw security vehicles which were apparently checking for terrorists. And there were a couple of Arab licensed cars stopped and deserted on the road. After that we began to travel at the usual speed, but we had lost 45 minutes!! That meant that the earliest I could get to Maale Adumim would be when the game was scheduled to begin, instead of the half hour before game time, when my friend had hoped to pick me up.

I hopped on the first bus to Maale Adumim I saw. It ended up with the worst possible route, the mall last rather than almost first. How would we manage without our cellphones? My friend told me to get off at the first stop there where she picked me up and we hurried to the game. At least neither of our sons were actually playing. Hers is injured and mine is the Coach. We got there and cheered the team. That's what mothers like us do...

Food Great, Service Eh

Many of us miss the "Cup of (Café) Joe" that was on the corner of Jabotinsky and Keren Hayesod in Jerusalem, but apparently not enough of us ate there, so it closed. Now there's a new dairy restaurant called "Mulino" at the same location, 38 Keren Hayesod, Jerusalem Tel: 02-5610555, Kashrut: Rabbanut Yerushalayim, Mehadrin Chatam Sofer. Some friends and I met there just over a week ago. The restaurant was pretty empty, but it may have been the weather and the season and the fact that not everyone is comfortable wandering around nowadays.

The menu is the usual dairy, Italian style which is very popular in Israel. They had a nice variety of salads. I ordered the "Market Salad." Friends ordered the "Mulino Salad" (I think that was the name-it had fruit and nuts) to share, and the waiter mixed up our orders. Even after I asked him if what was in front of me was the "Market Salad," he said yes, but luckily someone came and told him they got it wrong, because my friends were concerned, since they hadn't ordered a salad with cheese.

The "Market Salad" was delicious!

It also took them ages to remember to bring us water. Maybe it was just a bad day and new staff. But everyone was polite and friendly. My friends didn't really care about the mix-up. The prices were reasonable for central Jerusalem, and as I said before everyone in my group loved the food. If you're an eLuna member you get a discount if you bring the coupon. Give it a try if you're in the area.

First Game, Preseason IFL Football

Last night I schlepped all the way to Mishor Adumim to watch the pre-season IFL that's American Tackle Football in Israel.

Perennial rivals, Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions "hosted" the Judean Rebels in the new and larger field in Mishor Adumim, the "Industrial/commercial area" of Maale Adumim. Due to changes in regulations (field size) Kraft Stadium is too small.

Experiencing a game in Mishor is very different from the homey Kraft, and getting to the new stadium is a real challenge for those without a car. I went with another player's mother, though neither of our sons actually played. They are now coaching. Coaches also have mothers and need/deserve our cheers.

Without an amplified "play by play" commentary, it was more like a practice in a way. There were very few fans in the stands, too. This was a preseason game, and I don't know if official games will have the more carnival atmosphere with food, music and commentary that we enjoyed  in Kraft. I also hope there will be some sort of transportation worked out for fans and "home team." Also, since the field is so much larger, not only the actual playing part, but the sidelines are probably wider, if you add up both sides,  than all of Kraft. It was hard to see the score numbers. Oh, Rebels won if you're interested. I don't know the actual score. Opera glasses recommended, thought the lighting is great, and my photos came out bright and clear even with a simple Canon IXUS 145 camera and Galaxy II Plus phone.

Whoever Invented Backseat Speaker Deserves Eternal Hell

I'll never forget the first time I experienced the noise from a backseat speaker. I had just buckled into my in-laws' car and the blast almost blasted me through the roof. I let out a scream from the pain, and they innocently asked what was wrong. From the time they had gotten their new car, nobody had ever sat in back, and I was the first one to have experienced/suffered the noise from that speaker.

Those in the front seat didn't find it loud, but it blasted into my ears most painfully. In Israel I traveled by bus mostly, and cars there hadn't yet been equipped with them. Afterwards, they too had them, and the torture became international.

In recent years I hadn't had the bad experiences, that is until very recently, when twice in the space of a week I found myself traveling with fingers in my ears.

It's clear that whoever came up with that invention never had to travel with it on while sitting in the backseat.

Sign That Sh'mitta is Ending

When checking out the vegetables in Rami Levy, Sha'ar Binyamin, I saw that it said:

Squash

Eighth

That means that the squash being sold is from the 8th year, so not applicable to the laws of Sh'mitta, 7th year agricultural products.

Internet Woes

Recently that red light has been on a lot. That indicates no internet, and with no internet I'm not a happy camper. We use Bezeq or some combination of Bezeq and Netvision. Nothing is clear to me except that no matter how much cheaper each deal is supposed to be we pay more and get worse service.

Stairs in The Israel Museum, More Handicapped Accessible

The last time I posted about the Israel Museum, On The Fringe commented that she was still traumatized from a visit to the museum with a visually handicapped friend, because the stairs were so black it was impossible for her friend to see them clearly. So, last week when I returned to the museum, just can't keep me away for long,  I made a point of photographing stairs there.

This is in the main hallway, and not only are there bright metallic raised circles/balls, and strips, but at the far end, you can see that there is a ramp, too. 

A few years ago, the Israel Museum underwent extensive changes and renovations. One of the aims was to make it much more handicapped accessible. It was built/planned for a young country, and it seemed like every exhibition hall required going either up or down a few steps. Today's Israel Museum has fewer steps plus more ramps and elevators. In terms of the neds of the visually handicapped, limited vision, it should also be safer.

Here are a few more photos:

I'm interested in your reactions, thanks.

Visiting Kibbutz Yavne

Friday morning I got up early for the trip to Kibbutz Yavne.

No, it wasn't a pleasure trip. It was only the second time I had ever been there. The first time was over a decade ago. My neighbor's father had died and I managed to get a ride to the funeral. And now her mother had passed away, and I wanted to pay a shiva call.

So, I was lucky to find a ride Friday morning, when I was free. I joined a car full of women wondering how we'd manage to fit in all of our cooking and Shabbat preparations before candle lighting, which is so early this time of year. But the trip took less time than we had expected. There was little traffic in both directions. And we're all very experienced housekeepers along with the rest of our responsibilities.

Our neighbor and all of her siblings had long left the kibbutz, so when her mother had to enter nursing home there, yes there is a proper and professional nursing home on Kibbutz Yavne, her apartment was no longer hers. Being that many families are in that situation, and since in the traditional kibbutz people had very small homes, there are "guest facilities." Actually, that's where the family was housed for the shiva (mourning.) The building we went to had formerly been a "children's home" in the days when children did not live with their parents. Once the policy had changed, the building was renovated for its new use.

Of course the kibbutz took care of all of the family's needs during the shiva, food, cleaning, etc. And having a bunch of rooms meant that each of the mourning children could receive guests without disturbing each other.

Kibbutzim are well-known for the meticulous upkeep of public areas, as you can see in these pictures taken near the house where my friend was sitting shiva. There were also very easy to follow signs leading us to the "house of mourners" once we entered the kibbutz. We did not have to look for people to direct us.

Many of the kibbutzim are no longer kibbutzim, but Kibbutz Yavne still functions, though not exactly as it once did. The concept/philosophy of extreme socialism and group over individual needs is the antithesis of modern life.

Another Book Review, Whew...

Sometimes I just have too much to do and too much to read and a pile of books I had promised to review waiting very impatiently for me. And there are weeks when I read nothing but whatever's on the computer screen, phone and of course my daily prayers and psalms and the Bible chapters for my Matan classes. My life just gets too busy. You must understand that I am the type who has always loved to read, from when I first learned in the First Grade. When I was younger, I'd read non-stop. One of the great extra perks of breast-feeding my kids was that it was an opportunity to sit and read at the same time.

This Shabbat I read enough of the latest Rabbi Sacks book, Lessons in Leadership, to review it. Here's my blurb:

I particularly enjoy how Rabbi Sacks integrates his broad general knowledge into the very traditional genre of Parshat Shavua books without compromising his rabbinic standards. 

And here's the link to the review.

Book Review: Lessons in Leadership by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks 

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.co.il/2015/11/lessons-in-leadership-recent-parshat.html

Enjoy both the review and the book!!

Additional Safety Barriers at Ofra Junction

I frequently wait for a ride home to Shiloh at the Ofra Junction. It's a good spot for rides. After night shift a friend quite often gives me a ride to there, and I wait. Sometimes it takes a few seconds to get a ride, and sometimes the minutes feel endless. That's tremping aka hitchhiking; it can be very unreliable. But when you don't have a car, and there's no bus expected, nu....? What else can I do?

For years there were a few cement barriers near the unused bus stop, but that was a bit far for me, since I like to be in view of the guard at Ofra. I stand very close to the corner.

And yes, there have been a number of terror attacks at similar spots. The Arab terrorists' latest method is running people over. So the security people placed a whole bunch of barriers for us to stand behind. The idea is also, if Gd forbid there is some shooting, we'll have someplace to hide.

Not Home Much

Israel Museum

This week has been very busy. I haven't been home much between work, a wedding, studying, going to Jerusalem, the Israel Museum, a reunion with old friends etc.

Jerusalem at night

This morning, I don't have time for a long blog post on both blogs. Yesterday's posts, on this blog and Shiloh Musings were both written in advance and set up to post early in the morning. You can do that on blogger. That's because I usually sleep in Jerusalem Tuesday night in order to get to Matan rested and alert enough for a morning of classes and don't have a computer with me. My phone isn't all that good for blogging, though I managed when it was newer. Now there's just not enough memory left, and most aps have been deleted. And trying to type on that mini-screen is torture. I don't even like laptops for extended typing, what is needed to properly write/blog.

Gd willing I'll catch up on my blogging and all at some point, but it is good to be busy.

Photographing Emotion for 52Frames

For this week's 52Frames, we were supposed to photograph Emotion. I'm not quite sure whether I should have called it "Panic" instead of "Desperation." What do you think?

"Desperation!"With barely twenty, yes 20, hours left to the deadline, the very desperate 52Framer found a model to show emotion, yes, herself. This is what "Desperation!" looks like!"Desperation" in the Cambridge Dictionary:

"The feeling that you have when you are in such a bad situation that you are willing to take risks in order to change it."

Yes, that's why I used myself as a model and a zigzagging background to emphasise the panic I felt.

Just a Partial Victory

still out in the cold and rain, sun and snow

I've blogged on how happy we are that our bus routes now extend past Pisgat Ze'ev and end up not far from Cinema City, near what's called the Kiryat Memshala,  the Government Office area near the Knesset, on the way to the Israel Museum. My husband is on the residents committee that has been negotiating with and lobbying Egged and the Transportation Ministry for that improvement, and people are always thanking me for those efforts and success, though partial.

There are people who have told me that during the year we were exiled to Pisgat Zeev, they had never once taken a bus home. It was just too inconvenient and complicated. They just tremped aka hitchhiked. Now they are back to taking buses, even though we're forced to wait in the elements, meaning outside.

I took these photos last week of people waiting at the most popular of the bus stops, the beginning of Yirmiyahu street just up (and let's stress that UP) from Center 1.

As you can see, it was a rainy day, and many tried for protection with umbrellas, because there wasn't enough room at the double-bus stop. Many buses stop there, and even if you're on one of the few seats you may be very unlucky. You may find yourself missing the bus, because you can't see the number quickly enough. The infirm and those will young children and lots of packages are at most risk.

When our buses left from the Central Bus Station, we had protection from the weather, security inspections to keep out Arab terrorists, and there was something to do --shop, wander, pray in the synagogue and eat-- if we were early for the bus.

Our public transportation on Egged Tavura, though improved, still isn't what it should be.

Low Calorie/Carb Eating Out- Just Ask for a Plate!

One of the big problems for us weight-watchers, dieters, diabetics etc. is that so many restaurant and fast food places have bread as an integral part of the meal. I have a friend who is determined and disciplined enough to just eat what's inside the pita or bread and not touch anything else. But most of us are made of weaker stuff.

That's why I was so happy to discover that in the little "food court," kiosk by the Sha'ar Binyamin Rami Levy, you can ask for your "chicken breast," mixed grill or whatever on a plate.

You get the same reasonably portioned, personally prepared (I always insist on no added salt) meat accompanied by salad and whatever dressings you want on a small plate, no bread, carbohydrates etc.

And did I tell you it only cost me ns15?

Machane Yehuda's Magical Transformation

Every night, in the Center of Jerusalem something very magic happens. The famous Open Market-Machane Yehuda packs away the onions, bananas, apples etc. to become Jerusalem's latest bar and restaurant scene.

The covers over the shopping lanes, which had been put up to protect the customers from rain as they picked out the very best mango and orange from the rains and wind now now provide the perfect covers for those looking for nightlife. Davka, when my dining partner and I braved the rain walking over there, I wondered how many people would be out considering the weather and the security situation. Nobody can predict where the terrorists will strike against innocent Israelis. But the "night shuk" was filling, and he told me that later on it would be packed. Apparently, 8pm is considered early. It was late enough for me. We ate at Michmoret the excellent fish restaurant where you get a first course of Israeli salads and an excellent bread.

You choose a fish, which is a large portion and comes with either cooked vegetables or "chips," aka French Fries. Along with that we had some beer, and the bill came to about ns100 each, tip extra.

Here are some "street scenes" of the shuk at night!