Glorious Jewish, Zionist Evening!

I was one of the many lucky people to have attended  last night's Moskowitz Prize for Zionism event.  I was supremely priviliged to see living legends, the proof that Zionism and idealism are far from dead. 

Having flown twice with Nefesh B'Nefesh olim to Israel as a journalist and seeing how quickly and joyfully they got all of the work done for my father's aliyah, I have no doubt that they deserve their prize.

Another prize winner, former MK Chanan Porat showed us that the spirit rules the body.  His strength and determination shine through, although he's physically frail.

Sharon Katz of Voices Magazine blogged lots of pictures from last night.

It was great seeing her.  I hope to post my own pictures later on.  Today I'm just too busy.

Experimenting: You Can Call It Moussaka

I'm not good at following recipes, and I generally cook according to what's in the house.  I don't plan a menu and then check what I need and then hunt for the exact right foods.  So, on Friday I found myself with chopped meat (turkey) and vegetables and the desire to bake them together, not stew them.  I love having the food in a "cook and serve," even though just the two of us were home.

One of the vegetables I felt like cooking with the chopped meat was eggplant, so I decided to make a version of moussaka, which is layered eggplant, chopped meat and misc. (other vegetables, sauce etc.)

There are probably more versions of moussaka than chocolate cake, so my version is just as "kosher" or authentic.  Yes, it's definitely kosher! 

• I thawed the chopped meat for easy mixing
• and sliced up some eggplant* and sweet potato. 
• Then I mixed the chopped meat with diced onions, eggs, garlic powder and a squeeze of catsup.
• And then I layered them in the "bake and serve" baking dish, eggplant on the bottom.

After that I baked it, mostly uncovered.  I added foil on the top towards the end, so the top wouldn't burn.

Yes, I must admit that it was absolutely delicious and unbelievably easy to make.  You can add different vegetables if you want, like tomatoes and squash.  Really, there are no "laws" preventing creativity.

*There is absolutely no need to precook, fry, salt etc. the eggplant!  This was a simple one-step dish.  If you want an easy meal, just serve it with a nice salad and you're set!

A "Gantseh Megillah," We're All One Family

My blogging has introduced me to people and audiences I never would have met if my thoughts and feelings just remained in my head.  Being part of the Gantseh Megillah is proof that blogging unites us.  We share the banner, though we may disagree about many things and live very different sorts of lives.

The internet is amazing.  Check out the articles in the latest Gantseh Megillah.

A Fun Meal

Last week my husband and I met friends at my favorite restaurant, HaGov, The Lion's Den.  It's a kosher sports bar and grill in downtown Jerusalem.  It now opens for the late lunch/early dinner crowd and doesn't get the "bar atmosphere" until about 9pm.  During the early hours it's just a great, reasonably priced meat restaurant.

Not long ago, I discovered that their Tuna Salad cost a lot less than in dairy restaurants.  But since we met for dinner, I had my usual Chicken Salad, which cost less than any non-carbohydrate meal one can buy in a dairy place.  I always enjoy this and find it very filling.

The men both had hamburgers, which they loved and polished off with great enthusiasm.

My friend decided to try something different and had the Fun Joel Platter.  As you can see below, there's a variety of food.  Besides the fresh salad, there are Buffalo Wings, Schnitzel, French Fries and Onion Rings.  It was more food than she could handle at one sitting so the always helpful staff packed up what was leftover, so she could treat herself at home.

Summer, Where Are You?

The general "rule" here in the HolyLand is that the rain stops by the end of Passover and resumes sometime around the end of Succot.  But the real "rule" is that there aren't any rules.  Almost every year has some sort of exception, whether it's "unseasonably hot and dry" after Succot or, like this year, "unseasonably wet, cool and rainy" after Passover.

At 5am I woke up to the sound of thunder.  I managed to get back to sleep, and when I finally got up to get up before 8am, it was wet outside from the rain.  Since I noticed rainclouds in the west, I took a shawl to shul for protection.  We don't use umbrellas on Shabbat.  But it was very much like a rainy summer's day in New York.

At some point during the dovening (prayers) there was a very heavy downpour.  Then the rain clouds "went" away.

Was that the last rain of the season?  I'd be afraid to take bets on it.

The Perfect Shavuot "Ditty"

I can't believe that Shavuot is so soon. The 49 days of Sefira are so full of special days, memorial days, holidays, birthdays... Somehow Shavuot always catches me by surprise.

Thanks, Menya

My Loss, I Should Have Gone to the Writers Seminar

A neighbor mentioned that she was going to attend the Annual Jerusalem Writers’ Seminar and suggested that I, too, attend.  It looked interesting, but it was already about a day before the price was going up.  Considering my financial situation, it seemed too expensive for me, so I forgot about it.  My mistake.  Sometimes we must invest to earn more.

I'm writing all the time.  Why shouldn't I get paid?

Please remind me next year, as soon as it's publicized.  Thanks!

When You're Looking For Something To Say

One of the perks of blogging is that I get the opportunity to review some very interesting books.  I do appreciate it that some publicists offer me books to read and write about*.  There's one I've been looking at for a while already.  Why has it taken me so long?  Besides being busy, it's a collection of "contemporary reflections on the weekly Torah Readings."  So I find myself looking at it weekly, chapter by chapter.

The Fire and the Cloud, by Rabbi David Bigman

This Gefen Publication is an attractive easy to read book with short, but not too short, messages, Divrai Torah, Torah thoughts about the various Parshot Shavua, weekly Torah Portions.  Each concentrates on one short aspect.

It's the perfect book for someone who wants to enrich his/her Shabbat meal with Torah words or just wants to learn a bit something extra about the weekly Torah Portion.  Each chapter is short enough to be read at the table during the meal and can be used to begin a discussion.

For me, The Fire and the Cloud is a departure from my usual Torah and Tanach (Bible) studies.  I'm generally very text oriented, and Rabbi Bigman takes a different approach.  I've found something new and interesting in every chapter.  Rabbi Bigman uses all sorts of references, Medrash, Chaza"l, Kuzari and other Torah chapters to enrich the learning.

Yes, I highly recommend The Fire and the Cloud by Rabbi David Bigman.

*Publicists are invited to contact me.

I Wish I Knew How To Edit My Videos

I don't know who how this is done, but there's a funny version of Bibi's "joint house" speech now going around the internet.



I wish I knew how to do this sort of thing. I film them with my camera and have a youtube account, but that's as far as it goes.

Gift-Giving Dilemma

I'm starting to freak out seriously wonder what to give as a gift to some wealthy couple getting married.  We're going to the states for a wedding of the more moneyed side of the family.  The young couple lacks in nothing money can buy, and considering that good health etc are from G-d, what can we give?  Well, we're spending big bucks to get to the wedding.

OK, I admit that I spend over one thou$and dollar$ every year to get to the states to see my parents, but my husband doesn't go.  This summer he'll fly to the wedding and may have to get a new suit.  No, he won't be buying a tuxedo, even though it's "black tie."  For the last American wedding, he bought a black tie for a couple of bucks in Conway.  By buying in Conway, he was actually "donating" to Shiloh.  That's because the owners are big supporters of Shiloh and Yeshivat Hesder Shiloh. So you should know that a tiny fraction of a percent of their profits find their ways to help Jews in Judea and Samaria.

Every time we've gone to the United States specially for a wedding, I tell my husband and kids that our big gift is our presence, considering the financial cost.  We do go because we love family, but we certainly won't try to compete with their wealthy friends and relatives in gift-giving/buying.  The trick is to find something they may actually use and treasure.  When you buy something practical for those who don't have much money, you can be pretty sure that they will use the gift and be very grateful.  I had been "negotiating" with one of my kids about what to buy, but I have a feeling that we'd be better off buying something on our own.  Everything I've suggested has been rejected.  It's not worth the aggravation.

Sefirat Ha'Omer, More Than Numbers

Today I ended up home all day, so I was able to go to my neighbor's house for the weekly T'hillim, Psalm reading.  Afterwards I stayed to talk a bit.  It's such a treat to have time and to see my neighbors.  Shiloh has three hundred families and a few shuls and neighborhoods.  We don't have too many chances to get together.

As we left the house, one of my friends began telling us that she uses the 7 week, 49 day Counting of the Omer as a chance to work on herself, to improve herself.

There's a whole system in which each week and each day have special significance.
For expample, we are now starting the sixth week, and that means that for this week we should work on Yesod or bonding.  And for today:

Day 36 - Chesed of Yesod: Lovingkindness of Bonding
Love is the heart of bonding. You cannot bond without love. Love establishes a reliable base on which bonding can build. If you have a problem bonding, examine how much you love the one (or the experience) with which you wish to bond. Do I try to bond without first fostering a loving attitude? Is my bonding expressed in a loving manner?
Exercise for the day: Demonstrate the bond you have with your child or friend through an act of love.

I haven't been doing this. I really think it's a good idea. The way to make it work is to think of it all day, not just the minutes we're quickly trying to say the prayer and count.  My friend says that it helps to have a booklet and look at it during the day.  OK, add that to my shopping list, G-d willing.

What's Cooking?

Here's the simple chicken and stuffed peppers from two weeks ago, before they entered the oven.  I have a tiny oven, so I couldn't cook them at the same time. 

When we planned the kitchen it never occurred to us that:

1. In a few short years it would be easier to find/buy a larger stove than the 1970's standard width we still had in the early 1980's.
2. We'd really need a larger oven for more efficient cooking/baking.
3. A large proportion of my "standard fare" would be baked.  That includes the meat/poultry and vegetables.

I dread having to find my "next stove." When I bought this one I had very little choice of brands and models.  Redoing the kitchen is outrageously expensive.  My present way of preparing food is terribly time-consuming, because even for these two, not enormous pans, I need separate baking time.  I feel like I spend all day waiting for the oven to be free for the next tray of food to cook.  It's definitely not efficient.

A Mitzvah, Help a Mother Mother

A blogger, lady-light, needs help to finance a trip to Israel to care for her daughter.  She's also looking for a place to stay near her daughter.  From what she has written, they also need help working the system to get her daughter government aid.  Write to her for details.

Refuah Shleimah to "Rambo bat Lady-Light"

G-d knows your true names

Don't They Look Like Cousins?

The family dogs met for the first time on Yom Ha'Atzma'ut, Israeli Independence Day.  They got along pretty well. 

They look even more alike in person.

Yummy, Simple and Delicious Vegetables, Cook and Serve

The trick to making this fantastic vegetable dish is a pan you can bake and serve in.

I'm in the market to stock up on some new ones.  One can never have too many, especially when you serve/cook as many vegetables as I do.  My husband and I are both trying to keep our weights down, and the key is to eat a lot of cooked vegetables.  Here are squash, carrots, celeriac and dla'at,  pumpkin.  Sometimes is set it up very orderly, but the day I made this one, I didn't.  You can also cut the vegetables in various ways. 

Once it's ready for the oven, I sprinkle oil and sometimes some spices or herbs or both.

Every time I make it, it's different. Be creative, enjoy...

Should I Try Something Like...?

A young neighbor across the street, no not the blog across the street, started doing daily "newscasts."



Of course, I would do it very differently. I would do it like me, not like Eliyokim.  It would be hard to set it up for sure.  I'd even put on some make-up, maybe.

Getting Impatient

I keep seeing those trains, Jerusalem's lightrail, chugging along the tracks.

A select few journalists, no bloggers I've heard of, are allowed to sample the service.



Since the route is good for my travel needs, many times I've wished to be invited for a ride.

I wouldn't have needed to walk so far the other day if the train had been operating for ordinary people like myself.  I could have either taken it to the bus station, instead of walking to Shmuel haNavi, or in the other direction to Pisgat Ze'ev.

At this point we should call the train:

The Great Tease

Is It OK to Complain?

Should we chalk this up to national nouveau riche syndrome here in Israel?

When we made aliyah in 1970, the standard of living here in Israel was so much lower than in the states.  It was a culture shock for many and the reason why the return rate to the United States and other western countries was so high.

We had telephone service pretty quickly.  Within a few months (yes months) there was a phone in the Betar Student Hostel we lived in in the Old City of Jerusalem.  Before then, we had to walk out to the public phone near the police station at Jaffa Gate.  Then in the summer of 1971 we moved into a second hand apartment we purchased in Bayit V'Gan and had a phone a year later.  My cousin made aliyah late 1974, and it took seven years for them to get a phone in their Netanya apartment.  And when we ordered our phone, it was still possible to get, for less money, a party-line.

Of course, now in Israel, most people have a few phones, internet and any appliance they can fit in their homes.  There's no real difference in day to day life.

Most people have good heating systems and air-conditioners.  Here's my little rant.  They overheat in the winter and freeze everyone in the summer.  It drives me nuts.  Instead of keeping homes, offices, public buildings, stores etc at one comfortable temperature we end up suffering from all sorts of annoying colds etc because of the extreme temperatures.  It was like that in New York in the 1960's.  I remember having to take a sweater with me in the summer to keep warm, because the air-conditioning was much too strong.

I hope you weren't shocked that I actually complained, kvetched.

Long Walk Yesterday

I'm looking for a map to show you how far I walked yesterday.

This map gives an idea but only to those who know Jerusalem, since there are no street names nor distance key.

To give you an idea, I walked from Matan, which is near the traintrack on the bottom of the map, all the way to town and then down Strauss Street to the road which goes to the Shmuel HaNavi bus stop in Ramat Eshkol, which is just out of the map on top, if I'm not mistaken.  I took a couple of "breaks."  The first was at the Emek Refaim post office to buy stamps for the birthday cards the grandkids had made for three generations of May birthdays in the states.  I even sat a few minutes while waiting my turn. 

Then I walked to the Mamilla Mall to pick up my birthday gift, (not really worth the detour) at Dorin Frankfurt.  After that I stopped into HaGov to refill my water bottle, any excuse to visit my son.  And after that I realized that I'd probably miss the 3pm bus home, and the lightrail still doesn't take passengers, so amazingly I remembered that I could walk to the Shmuel Hanavi stop for the bus.  It would take almost the same time as to the bus station, without the security delay and 5-6 minutes into the trip. 

I got there with time to spare, and when I got on the bus I had a pleasant surprise.  My eldest was on the bus on her way to see the grandkids.  So we sat together and had a nice visit.

I Am Now Officially OLD!

Yes, it's not just the grey hair, hidden with the still brown for religious reasons.  It's not that I'm a grandmother.  I could have had been one twenty years ago if my eldest had gotten married young, or gotten married at all...

It's not just that most of the people I work with are younger than my youngest child.

According to Israeli laws, rules and regulations, I'm among the ותיקים vattikim old-timers.  I got the official card in the mail from the government.  With that card I can get all sorts of discounts. 

I can't get things for free.  One needs money to pay for what isn't discounted.  But it's still nice.  I've been able to ride the buses half-fair for two years already.

Think about it:
When a girl turns twelve she's Bat Mitzvah, a woman according to Jewish Law, and fifty years after that she passes the next milestone and becomes an official senior citizen.

So, what am I supposed to do? get up on the stage and say:

Now I am an alte bubba!