Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Shabbat Dinner
One of my favorite things about being Jewish is Shabbat Dinner. Friday night at sundown, families gather together to welcome in the Sabbath. We didn't do this too often as a kid growing up, but here in Israel it's something very special.
You really feel the Sabbath here, even in 'secular' Tel Aviv. The buses stop running. Most of the businesses close down. And for a few hours, the streets are nearly deserted. Most people are sitting around a table with their family. Lighting the Shabbat candles, saying the blessing over the Shabbat bread known as 'challah' and the blessing over the wine.
I love going to visit my cousins for Shabbat. They are really my Israeli grandparents, as they are my grandmother's cousins (and her age). I love them dearly. I didn't know them before moving to Israel, but they have truly become my family, since I got here.
Tonight we had a wonderful meal. My cousin Sara made baked apples. She had no idea that that is the same dish my grandmother famously makes for every special occasion. (they are so much alike, it's scary) I love the little traditions. First the candles are lit, right at sundown. Then the blessing over the wine. We drink from the kiddush cup (silver wine cup) first brought to Israel by my great-great grandfather, from Poland in the late 1800's. My cousin reads the prayers over the wine, then takes the first sip from the cup. He then passes it to his wife, and it is then passed to each person at the table, in descending order of age. Oldest to youngest.
Then he walks to the sink to wash his hands, filling up a special cup then pouring the water over each hand (twice I think). We then follow him to the sink and do the same. But there is no talking during the hand washing. The next words spoken are the blessing over the bread, once all of us have sat back down. He blesses the bread, thanks God for the food, then cuts a piece for each person, dipping it first in salt.
Sara always makes a multi-course meal. I learned that the hard way. Filling up the first time on what I didn't know was only the first course. Fish first, then salad, soup, then meat, potatoes, vegetables, etc...
Tonight there was also a special dessert. Cake for my birthday which was just a couple weeks ago. So sweet.
But what I think I love most, is hearing all the stories about my family's history in Israel. Tonight I learned that my family is from the tribe of Levi. Wow! That was amazing to learn. Apparently the rabbis know, based on your family's name, which tribe you came from. A Levi. They were the priests in God's temple. Incredible.
Tonight I learned that my great-grandmother (who was born in Jerusalem) had to flee Israel in the early 1900's when the Turks kicked all the Jews out of Jerusalem for a time. She fled to Egypt with her family and it's there she met my great-grandfather who was serving in the Canadian army. He took her back to Canada with him and eventually to America. That's where I was born, only eventually to move here. Completing the family circle.
And so another Sabbath begins. Tonight my heart is full with gratitude to God, for family, heritage, the sabbath and most of all Him. For He truly is our Shabbat, our resting place.
(My birthday cake)
You really feel the Sabbath here, even in 'secular' Tel Aviv. The buses stop running. Most of the businesses close down. And for a few hours, the streets are nearly deserted. Most people are sitting around a table with their family. Lighting the Shabbat candles, saying the blessing over the Shabbat bread known as 'challah' and the blessing over the wine.
I love going to visit my cousins for Shabbat. They are really my Israeli grandparents, as they are my grandmother's cousins (and her age). I love them dearly. I didn't know them before moving to Israel, but they have truly become my family, since I got here.
Tonight we had a wonderful meal. My cousin Sara made baked apples. She had no idea that that is the same dish my grandmother famously makes for every special occasion. (they are so much alike, it's scary) I love the little traditions. First the candles are lit, right at sundown. Then the blessing over the wine. We drink from the kiddush cup (silver wine cup) first brought to Israel by my great-great grandfather, from Poland in the late 1800's. My cousin reads the prayers over the wine, then takes the first sip from the cup. He then passes it to his wife, and it is then passed to each person at the table, in descending order of age. Oldest to youngest.
Then he walks to the sink to wash his hands, filling up a special cup then pouring the water over each hand (twice I think). We then follow him to the sink and do the same. But there is no talking during the hand washing. The next words spoken are the blessing over the bread, once all of us have sat back down. He blesses the bread, thanks God for the food, then cuts a piece for each person, dipping it first in salt.
Sara always makes a multi-course meal. I learned that the hard way. Filling up the first time on what I didn't know was only the first course. Fish first, then salad, soup, then meat, potatoes, vegetables, etc...
Tonight there was also a special dessert. Cake for my birthday which was just a couple weeks ago. So sweet.
But what I think I love most, is hearing all the stories about my family's history in Israel. Tonight I learned that my family is from the tribe of Levi. Wow! That was amazing to learn. Apparently the rabbis know, based on your family's name, which tribe you came from. A Levi. They were the priests in God's temple. Incredible.
Tonight I learned that my great-grandmother (who was born in Jerusalem) had to flee Israel in the early 1900's when the Turks kicked all the Jews out of Jerusalem for a time. She fled to Egypt with her family and it's there she met my great-grandfather who was serving in the Canadian army. He took her back to Canada with him and eventually to America. That's where I was born, only eventually to move here. Completing the family circle.
And so another Sabbath begins. Tonight my heart is full with gratitude to God, for family, heritage, the sabbath and most of all Him. For He truly is our Shabbat, our resting place.
(My birthday cake)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
After the Flotilla
I was a local news producer for almost 15 years. I was paid a lot of money, for my instinct about 'what is news'. I knew when a story was a big deal locally, in our city, and when it was going to become a 'national' story and when it wasn't really a big deal at all.
What's strange about living in Israel, is that nothing is 'local' here...everything is 'international'! A lunatic drives a bulldozer into a bus, and it's breaking news on every international news channel. A group of terrorists try to break an Israeli naval blockade, they resist Israel's navy trying to inspect the ship, in the process shoot and stab 7 soldiers and it sparks protests AGAINST ISRAEL in cities around the globe.
It's really wild.
If I didn't believe in the Bible and all that it has to say about Israel being a stumbling block for the world...I just wouldn't know how to make sense of it.
No matter what the story, Israel is the bad guy.
This boat of terrorists came from Turkey. When the incident involving the Israeli navy was happening, as soon as reports came out that 20 of the Turkish people on board had been killed...Turkey instantly recalled their Ambassador from Israel, filed a complaint with the U.N. and got the U.N. security council to condemn Israel formally.
ALL THIS HAPPENED, WHILE THE BOATS WERE STILL IN THE WATER!
Clearly they had done a thorough investigation. Clearly they knew that 9 people were killed and not 20 (still a tragedy for sure, of course), that 7 Israeli navy seals were stabbed, shot or beaten, that there were dozens of members of al qaeda on board the ship. Clearly they knew all this, while the incident was still in the process of happening.
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last night, Israel is guilty until proven guilty. Sad, but true.
But tonight, I joined hundreds of my fellow Israelis outside the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv, to peacefully stand up and say 'we love our country', 'we love and thank our soldiers who defend us', 'we do not apologize for stopping ships full of terrorists from breaking our naval blockade', 'we will not ever allow hamas terrorists who control Gaza to import weapons again'.
We sang our national anthem 'Hatikva' (The Hope), we waved flags and we made our voices heard.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
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