Adah Isaacs Menken was an American actress, painter and poet, and was the highest earning actress of her time.
The Art of Dialing
Inevitably, when people find out my sister lives overseas, I get the very popular response of, “you must not talk to her very much.” If I am lucky, they pose it in the form of a question, “You don’t talk much?” Paging Alex Trebek….
I can see where they are coming from, and then again, I can’t.
I live in Gresham, Oregon, USA…despite being a town of over 100,000, it’s usually not on a standard map. Look for Portland instead; if you are lucky, you will see us slightly to the east. My sister lives in Israel, a country that is truly half-way around the world from me; if you went the WHOLE way, you’d be back at my house, the starting point! Not only is she that far away, Israel is a mystery to most Americans, and I can’t say I blame them.
Prior to my sister moving there, I knew about 4 things related to Israel:
1) It’s all desert.
2) The Star of David is on the flag
3) Israel gets a lot of bombs.
4) I could spell I-S-R-E-A-L.
Yeah, you can see immediately I was misspelling the name, and you can thank synagogue Sunday school for the misconception of the entire country being one big desert…as in sand, sand, and more sand. We were always fund raising for “Trees For Isreal”, or however you spell “Israel” when you’re ten. The bombs? Sure, but the violence is no greater than where I live so we pray for the best and move on. So since I was 1 for 4 (I got the flag right!), I can’t really expect others to be any better.
However, despite my immense lack of knowledge of Israel, not once, never, ever, did I think, “well, there she goes; don’t have to listen to her again.” Or even better, how about thinking, “Whew! Now I have mom and dad all to myself!” Seriously? Family moves away and we are suppose to pretend they don’t exist? Don’t people realize we have this new fangled invention we like to call, the telephone. That’s right folks, you dial a number, and like magic, someone on the other end answers! Oooo! Ahhhh! In this day and age, with modern technology literally at the tips of our fingers, we could talk everyday. Unfortunately 6 kids, 2 husbands, dirty floors, laundry, and life in general gets in our way. However, considering the distance, it is not uncommon to talk to my sister twice a week, sometimes even more. You talk past the differences ( no scorpions in my house), you talk past the holidays ( I sometimes forget the 4th of July is not a big deal there), and you talk past the kids whining and complaining (which at least one cousin always provides as background noise). You remember that the person on the other end of the line was scared when you put a rubber snake in their bed, rubbed your back when you almost threw up after riding the “bad ride” at the amusement park, and kindly screamed at you to quit reading their diary. Because, at the end of the day, it’s my sister on the other end of that line, and you do what you have to keep in contact.
What surprises me so much is this attitude of “distance means you hardly talk at all”, because most of us have some way of communicating with the people we want to. Modern technology oozes from every corner of the globe. Whether it be old-fashioned postal mail, or the most modern means of cell phone technology and tweeting, the days of mailing a letter and waiting 6 months for a reply (assuming the ship didn’t go down at sea or a horse didn’t die on you), have been over since the last century! Seriously? Long gone are the days when people left “The Old Country” never to be seen or heard from again. Besides, if my sister was still willing to talk to me after I ruined her red dress by dropping a permanent, black pen on it, I can’t imagine 6,927 miles is going to stop us. All I have to do is dial.
Submited by Dena Najdek
Before arriving in Israel you need a place to land and preferably at least a semi-permanent address. But the question that often begs asking is, “how do I find an apartment or house while living all the way over here?!” Essentially there are 4 answers to this question. In this article will we give you an overview and then follow up with more details one by one in the series to come.
1)Absorption Center or Mircaz Klita (מרבז קליטה): These efficiency style apartments are designed especially for new immigrants. Living here gives you the advantage of having knowledgeable staff that can help with everything from signing up for health care to getting you started in Hebrew classes. You will also find useful tools such as free legal advice and instant internet so you can contact your family the minute you arrive. Perhaps the nicest advantage to living in the absorption center though is being surrounded by people who understand exactly what you are going through and are willing lend a helping hand or listening ear.
2)Locate a Temporary Apartment: You can do this by signing up for list serves in the community of your choice and advertising that you need accommodations or asking friends and family to keep their eyes and ears open. If you want to get to know local communities in Israel go to Yahoo groups and type in the name of the community you are interested in. Most communities have a forum there and will be quite helpful in helping you find somewhere to live ahead of time. Temporary housing gives you time to make sure you are in a community you like; as well time to find suitable accommodations for the long term.
3) Rent a long term apartment before arriving: This can be accomplished by using the use of a rental agency. Many of these places advertise on line so it shouldn’t be too hard to get connected. Again recommendations from locals on community list serves can help with this as well. One important tip here is that real estate agents get one month’s rent as commission for finding you an apartment so this can be quite an expensive way to go. But many people use them to ensure that the apartment is in good order and they are not renting a dump.
4) Purchase a House or Apartment Before Arriving: If you are planning to sell your home and purchase a home here in Israel, meeting with your realtor and lawyer to find a suitable home might be something to consider. The advantage to this is that you can plan ahead for what you will need because you already know what your new home looks like. It can also be comforting to know that while you are adjusting to your new homeland at least you have a space to call your own.
Having a roof over your head even temporarily is the first step to feeling at home in your new country. So consider carefully your options and then stay tuned as we bring you more information about how to go about choosing your place in Israel.
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Thane Rosenbaum provides another What Others Won’t Say (WOWS) special. Not to be missed!
Laura Kessler tackles a daring Mossad secret agent and uncovers a wild story.
We invite you to explore with us Beit Israel in Jerusalem. Aside from the ultra orthodox mix of this thriving neighborhood, the name Beit Israel also relates to another colorful blend of local Jerusalem society, in this instance catering for a young audience.
Located in Jerusalem; highly diverse group that seeks to build bridges between sectors of the Jewish people; study and volunteer program combines traditional Jewish study, understanding of Israeli society and engagement with the mechina’s local community.
Mechinat Beit Yisrael is a mixed religious-secular program that is part of the Beit Yisrael/Kvutzat Reut urban kibbutz community. The Beit Yisrael/Kvutzat Reut community is located in the Gilo Aleph housing complex in Jerusalem. During this year of Jewish study and community volunteering, one can develop greater understanding, appreciation and respect for the “other,” through learning, discussion and shared experiences.
Learning In the Classroom and Beyond
At Mechinat Beit Yisrael’s study program, participants examine and strengthen their Jewish identity, while coming to respect other attitudes, beliefs and mindsets. Each week consists of 18 courses, taught from a broad range of perspectives, covering topics like modern Israeli society and Zionism; traditional Jewish text study; philosophy; art and literature; Jewish history; and Jerusalem history.
Beyond the classroom, one gets to explore Israel through 4-6 day field trip seminars in different locations all around the country, four times throughout the year. Through interactions with local residents, participants learn firsthand about the people, politics and history of the different locations, such as the Negev, the Galilee, “development towns,” and more.
Yachad Gap Year
Yachad Gap Year gives an opportunity to have the ultimate immersion experience in Israel, by living, studying and volunteering in Israeli mechina programs with young Israelis. The word Yachad means “together,” and as a participant, an Israel experience is more up-close and personal than any other – because of doing it together with one’s Israeli peers.
The word mechina means “preparation.” When young Israelis want to take a gap year after high school, to learn more about their culture, society, and their Jewish identity, they can participate in one of 40mechina programs. And just as Israelis use their mechina experience to launch them into elite units and leadership positions in the IDF, one can use the mechina experience to enhance a resume and improve one’s standing in university admissions.
Today, there are mechina programs in all parts of Israel, representing all different parts of Israeli society. There are mechinot in the bustle and excitement of Tel Aviv, in the natural beauty of the Golan Heights, or in the serene calm of the Negev desert. There religious Zionist mechinot, mechinot that bring religious and secular Jews together, mechinot that promote volunteering in Arab-Jewish coexistence projects and more.
Yachad represents several of these mechinot, whose goal is to forge strong connections between Jews in the Diaspora with Israel and their Israeli peers, while building a sense of Jewish peoplehood in the next generation of Jewish leaders, both in Israel and around the Jewish world.
All mechinot are approved by the Israeli ministries of Education and Defense, and are held to rigorous standards for program quality. Yachad is a joint project of the UJA Federation of New York and the Joint Mechinot Council.
Joseph and the dreams – from Canaan to Egypt
Top Twelve Famous Jewish Dishes by Ethnicity
By Shalom Goldfarb Submitted On July 06, 2010
When speaking about Jewish food and eating habits, it’s hard to isolate a single strain. That’s because Jews have been spread out among so many different countries and cultures ever since their exile in the year 70CE that you’d have to talk about each Jewish ethnic sect separately to make any sense of Jewish eating habits and Jewish food. Each Jewish ethnicity took recipes and dishes from its host country, whether it be Africa, Europe, Yemen, or the Orient. So what we’ll do is a top three Ashkenazi (European) foods, top three African foods, and top three Yemenite foods, and top three Oriental Jewish foods.
The most stereotypical Jewish food is that popularized by the Ashkenazi ethnic sect, coming out of Europe and especially Germany and Eastern Europe. Jewish eating habits from there are influenced by constant poverty that struck the Pale and forced the Jews to eat cheaply. The dishes that became a mark of the poor man back then are now cultural phenomena, mostly because Ashkenazi Jews are the most heavily Westernized of Jews, and the most in contact with American culture. Therefore, when an American thinks “Jew” he thinks Ashkenazi Jew.
1) Cholent. This is a Yiddish word that I just found out from Google Translate means “spares.” I thought it meant stew, but it doesn’t. This makes a lot of sense, because spares are essentially what cholent is. The actual food is pretty much any scrap you can put in a slow-cooker, vegetable, meat, grain (usually barley because it’s cheap), and water, chuck it in there and simmer it on low for 24 hours. It’s incredibly easy to make, requires no effort, and is a good dish if you have a bunch of refrigerator scrap left over you don’t want to throw out. You also go to your butcher and take his scrap (bones, fat, some meat chunks cut off that nobody wanted because they’re not very good), and your cholent comes out really cheap. Since it’s cooked for so long, though, everything turns out delicious in the end. For authentic Ashkenazi cholent, you’ll need some intestine stuffed with pureed vegetables. This can get dangerous if you don’t clean it properly.
2) Gefilte Fish. Once again the cheap stuff. Carp is such a bony fish that it’s nearly impossible to eat. This is why it’s so cheap, and this is also why gefilte fish is made out of carp. In order to get rid of the bone problem, Jews of Ashkenaz just put the entire thing in a grinder and made fish puree, re-stuffed the skin, and called it a day.
3) Gribinis. Cheap again? Of course. Go to your butcher and ask him to give you the leftover skin for free. He’ll probably do it. Then you put a bunch of oil in a pan and fry the stuff up with some onions. Very, very bad for you, but very, very good.
We can see now how cheap Ashkenazi Jews are, especially now that they’ve made everyone culturally aware of these foods and now everyone thinks they’re delicacies or something. I’m an Ashkenazi Jew, so it makes me laugh. Let’s move on to the Sephardim.
1) Hamin. This is a straight up Hebrew word meaning, “Hot stuff.” Doesn’t necessarily mean spicy, but it’s basically cholent with different ingredients. Instead of garbage, the Sephardim use rice in place of barley, and hard boiled eggs instead of meat scraps. Sephardim also actually use spices, which Ashkenazi dishes don’t usually have much of besides salt and pepper.
2) Shakshouka. I’ve had this made really horribly (Israeli Army) and really amazingly (my wife). Basically tomato sauce, paprika, baharat (google it), cilantro, parsley, onions, and eggs fried over easy in the juices. If made right, it’s really great stuff. If made badly, it tastes like tomato-flavored rubber tires from your local mechanic.
3) Sahlav. This is a rose-water based thick pudding-like drink that tastes like a combination of perfume and Pier1Imports smell. I personally think it’s gross.
Am I biased towards Ashkenazim? Probably. On to Africa.
1) Injera. I had this at an Ethiopian absorption center in northern Israel. It’s a savory pancake, and it’s pretty good. I hear it’s made from tif flour, a grain found in Africa.
2) Waat. A spicy sauce made of meat, vegetables, and beans. It’s what you put in injera.
3) Taj. Home brewed honey wine with lemon juice.
On to Yemen? Let’s do it.
1) Lamb’s head. This is exactly what it sounds like. Yemenites eat it on Rosh Hashana instead of a fish head. They basically roast the whole thing and eat it off the skull. I intend on getting one this year to try it out.
2) Jahnun. Yemenite Jewish pastry, fillo dough wrapped in a spiral and coated with vegetable oil and fried. It’ll make you sick, that I guarantee.
3) Arak. There’s an argument over whether this is primarily Sephardic or Yemenite. But either way, it’s an anise flavored highly alcoholic beverage, my favorite drink, though I mix it with coke.
Shalom Goldfarb is the editor of Judaica Worldwide, a portal of educational material on Judaism, Judaica, and Jewish holidays. There’s also some Jewish humor on the blogroll, so check it out!
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Shalom_Goldfarb/647026
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