Who Is Gilad Shalit?

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happy last day of Hanukkah

here's what it's really all about:

Happy 7th Day of Hanukkah

Hanukkah fun continues...

sufgan-NO!

ok, it's official. i'm sick of Hanukkah donuts. after multiple Hanukkah parties at work, with friends and on my own...I am now over, I mean so over, the 'sufganyote'. they were delicious for a while. I had every kind from 'melon and vodka' to 'dolce' de lece' to pistachio, whipped cream, strawberry, strawberry hot out of the oil, chocolate and on and on. i even did a video on how to make sufganyote (see below) but now i'm done.

tonight i took some friends visiting from Chicago out for their first sufganyote. we went to one of my favorite bakeries in all the world...Sambooki in Jerusalem. it was my favorite sufganyote last year and it wins again this year! even though it was my last, and i almost wanted to gag at the thought of eating another one...when i took that first bite, i was reminded of the genius that is Sambooki. i don't know what they do...perhaps it involves them putting some sort of narcotic in their dough. but, whatever the case...they are fantastic.

but...as we say in hebrew 'ze all. that's it, i'm done. happy hanukkah!

Happy Hanukkah (Part 2)

Happy Hanukkah!

The Newest Miracle for the Ethiopian Jews

This past Saturday I had the privilege of visiting a congregation of Messianic Ethiopian Jews. It was so awesome to see Jews, from Ethiopia, here in the promised land, worshipping Yeshua the Messiah!

Here's a video I produced about what God is up to in the Ethiopian community, here. I pray it inspires you as much as it did me:



A Message From Matt

Take 4+ minutes to watch a video from Matt Chandler. It was made just days before he went in for brain surgery. Typical of Matt, it is loving, challenging and glorifying to God.

A VIDEO MESSAGE FROM MATT CHANDLER

A New Attack on Messianic Jews in Israel

Thursday, December 03, 2009 Israel Today Staff

Messianic Jew attacked by Orthodox in northern Israel

Two Orthodox Jewish residents of the northern Israel town of Beit She'an were arrested on Wednesday a day after they are suspected of having torched the parked car of a local Messianic Jew.

Eliav Levine said his car was burned while it was parked outside the Beit She'an police station. His lawyer, Calev Myers of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, said the entire Levine family has suffered constant harrassment from Beit She'an's religious community.

Beit She'an is home to a very large Orthodox Jewish population, but also has many Messianic residents, many of them immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

The Orthodox accuse their Messianic neighbors of what they call "missionary activity," and constantly strive to disrupt their lives in the hopes of driving out the believers in Yeshua (Jesus).

Myers said it is time for the police to step up and start protecting all Israeli Jews, regardless of their religious leanings.

While Messianic Jews in Israel have been gaining broader acceptance among average "secular" Israelis, the authorities continue to deny them certain rights and protections, apparently out of fear of the very vocal, influential and often-violent Orthodox community.

Chanukah Donuts

Sufganya is the Hebrew word for Chanukah Donut!

Chanukah is the feast of Dedication which is celebrated every December. This year it starts next Friday evening.

It last for 8 days.

At the heart of this feast is the true story the Syrians taking over the Jewish Temple, a small group of Jewish fighters that over-powered the Syrian army, re-claimed the Temple and then cleaned and re-dedicated it to the LORD.

The holy oil that was to burn constantly above the ark of the LORD, was just about out. Only a tiny bit remained.

It would be over a week until more could be brought to Jerusalem.

But, somehow, remarkably...this tiny bit of oil lasted for 8 days, until the new oil could arrive.

So, at Chanukah time, we eat foods fried in oil to remind us of that special miracle. The most popular fried food, this time of year, is the sufganya. They are special donuts...that rival a paczki which is the special donut eaten on Fat Tuesday in the U.S.

Sufganyot (the plural of sufganya) come in every possible variety you can imagine. They are round, about the size of a fist and have various fillings and toppings.

They are only made during this season (starting after Sukkot - the feast of Tabernacles and running until the end of Chanukah)

Each bakery and restaurant has their own different style of Sufganyot...so far here are my favorites this year:

1) a jelly-filled sufganya from a stand inside the Shuk ha Carmel (Carmel Market) - it was fried so well, it was crispy...and had powdered sugar on top. (eaten with my friends Sha'ul and Rivka)

2) 2 smaller sufganyot from Mazzarine cafe on Gordon Street in Tel Aviv. 1 was pistachio flavored with pistachio cream inside and ground pistachio on top. the other was sort of a yummy white chocolate inside with more white chocolate on top. (shared with my friend Sarah)

3) a carmel sufganya at 'Bagels and Coffee' on Dizengoff street. it had carmel inside and carmel on top with slivered almonds. the carmel tasted like what you find on a carmel apple. (puchased for me by my friends Ashley and Beto)

4) mini white chocolate and jelly filled sufganyot from my favorite bakery in all of tel aviv next to the Shufersal Market on Ben Yehuda Street between Mapu and Gordon. these were not nearly my favorite, which is surprising since they have the best ruggalach on the planet!

other mentions: the first sufganyot i had of the season at the gas station on Hamasger street in Tel Aviv. note, never by sufganyot at a gas station. we were just so excited to see them out, that my friends and i bought some.

2 more weeks of sufganyot left...so more to come!

UPDATE ON 12/8/09: I have a new #2 favorite so far this year, it is from 'Bakery' near HaMasger Street in Tel Aviv. Today I had an amazing sufganya with sugar on top and carmel inside. Everything they make there is great...so I'm not surprised their sufganya are so good!


(this photo taken last year enjoying a sufganya at Sambooki Bakery in Jerusalem)

Persecution in Beersheba

Here's my new video on the persecution case in Beersheba, Israel. I wrote about it in an earlier blog, but for those who don't like to read (like me) just watch: