Shabbat May 17-18 and return home

As we packed up the house to get set to return to Montreal after 5 months away, I think we can reflect on what has transpired, and what was accomplished. Would things have been different if the times were not so turbulent? Most likely, but perhaps the fact that we went against the grain and came to Israel despite the war added extra meaning to this trip. There was no question that time spent with family would have been equally satisfying and fun under most circumstances. And we can learn a lot from hanging out with our grandchildren. The best part of being a child is the ability to live one’s life despite what is going on. That’s not to say that children ignore what is going on. They process in their own special ways. For example, there is no doubt that hearing air raid sirens and being in a safe room was very impactful. One of our grandchildren, just before a sleep over, asked all kinds of questions about where our safe room is and what happens in our house if there is siren. On the other hand, those concerns did not stop her from having a great time on the beach and buying a special birthday present. We learn a lot from children; on one hand, listening to them will help adults understand and support them in the best ways possible. Perhaps we can also learn to let go a little bit and enjoy a little more! 

Shabbat In Jerusalem: We left off our saga two weeks ago in Jerusalem about to start Shabbat with our Denver Friends, including Debbie Kamioner and Zev Kessler, and Alvan and Lori Small. We stayed over at the Small’s and the men went to the Western Wall (the Kotel) for Friday night services. We joined a group led by the Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch; it was a fascinating mix of ultra-orthodox Jews, Hasidic Jews and more mainstream religious Jewish men (if there were women attending they would have been in a balcony above us). The group prayed with fervor that is rare to see today which was very impressive. We had a great time at dinner together at the Small’s home, talking till quite late at night. Shabbat morning, we had lunch at the Kessler’s after synagogue, where our conversations picked up where we left off. We all took a long walk together in the late afternoon, as the weather changed from quite warm to cool and windy, which is pretty typical of Jerusalem. 

Saturday night we met up with good friends from Montreal, Annette Majnemer and Michael Shevell, who were in Israel with the Montreal Federation Solidarity Mission, visiting areas affected by the war, similar to what we did in February. Aside from catching up and hearing about the mission, we discussed the tense climate at McGill (we all are on faculty) and the no-win negotiations with the students who are encamped there. An amazing highlight was watching Eden Golan perform at Eurovision on the big screen at Café Rimon, where we were eating. Everyone was quiet or cheering, and groups formed in front of the window to watch and listen. As you may know, Eden put on a flawless performance with her amazing song, Hurricane, which, like its predecessor October Rain, was dedicated to the hostages in Gaza. Despite a thick layer of anti-Israel politics that tainted the Eurovision contest this year, Eden ultimately came in 5th of 26 nations, buoyed by a super impressive 2nd place finish in the on-line viewer voting!

Remembrance Day and Independence Day: Israel is nothing if not a land of emotional contrasts. Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day, was specifically created for remembering soldiers who fell in all the battles that Israel fought in, from 1948 when the state first declared independence, to the current war against Hamas. In addition, Victims of Terror from the beginning of the state to today, including October 7, 20203, are commemorated. There are many memorials across the country, large and small, with very sobering programs. We attended the community memorial in Netanya at their military memorial area called Yad LaBanim.  There was a large screen with the names, pictures, and dates of passing of local Netanya residents who were killed in terror attacks or battles. Both dignitaries and members of the families spoke or said prayers. The chief Rabbi of Netanya spoke and gave an extremely powerful message of unity, saying that no matter your country of origin, your religious beliefs, or your political affiliation, Jews in Israel must be united or else we can easily be defeated. This was not just to be applied to the war, but to the on-going antisemitism as well.  There was a singer who sang haunting ballads from Israeli composers; one of which ended with the concept “I have died, so you can live on”; a very poignant statement and perhaps a key concept to understand the resilience we see in this country.  

Independence Day: Yom Ha-atzmaut: Speaking of resilience, since the beginning of the state of Israel the evening of Yom Ha-Zikaron ends with the introduction of Israel Independence Day or Yom Ha-atzmaut. In general, this is a major party time for Israel, with 4th of July like fireworks. This year, because of the ongoing war and the hostages in captivity, many places decided to downgrade the happiness quotient; smaller celebrations, no fireworks, etc. However, I think the Netanya city council decided that people really needed to release some energy; they set up a giant stage in the centre of the city and had live music, dancers and a very upbeat show. No fireworks, but it was amazing to see thousands of people out in the streets, from young children to the elderly, enjoying the night air, eating, drinking and enjoying the music. 

The following day, Gila and Ariel hosted a BBQ at their home in Petach Tikvah. The guest list was extensive, since they invited Gila’s whole family of her parents, 9 brothers and sisters, spouses and children! Unfortunately, 2 of her siblings were unable to attend, but her parents, and 7 siblings, respective spouses (for 6 of them) and children, plus Nomi and her children all came. Elan was in Toronto as he coordinates the Toronto Community Yom Ha-Atzamut program. Gila and Ariel’s condo is literally next door to a large park and playground, so we set up tables there, meaning lots of room to eat and play for the 32 attendees. Ariel did a masterful job on the barbeque, and everyone else contributed sides, drinks, deserts etc. The best part was watching the cousins (on both sides) playing and getting along amazingly.  Kudos to Shlomo for a wonderfully creative d’var torah, and for creatively engaged kids of all ages in games like “Catch Shlomo” and variations on Hide and Seek. For those too young to participate in the mad dash to find Shlomo, the playground was put to great use. 

Denver Reunion Part 2: One aspect of our life that is very blog-worthy but has never been the subject of any of these posts (since it does not take place in Israel) is our nearly annual get-together with three other couples with whom we became close friends in the late 80’s, from early in our Denver days. One of the original group, Cheryl Kessler A”H, passed away 16 years ago; Zev Kessler remarried to a great “Eshet Chayil” (Woman of Valor from Proverbs), Debbie Kamioner; they live in Riverdale NY. Eddie and Michelle Schwartz (Baltimore), and Lori and Alvan Small (Chicago) round out the group. We have spent weekends together in some random places that are driving distance for all like Niagara Falls, Ste Catherines, ON, the farmlands of Pennsylvania and even Jamestown NY (home of the Lucille Ball Museum). Last year, someone suggested Jerusalem. Why not? So due to the moon being in the 7th house and Jupiter aligning with Mars, we were all in Jerusalem this past week! Wednesday, we met at the Machanei Yehuda Market (Shuk) for a Culinary Tour. If you have not done this, put it on your bucket list. Our great guide Orit regaled us with stories of the history and development of the market (the oldest and largest in Israel, dating back to the 1800s) and brought us to representative shops to sample their wares. This included things that represent Israeli cuisine’s diversity at its finest. We had Iraqi stuffed grape leaves and Sambousak b’tawa, Medicinal Fruit Juice blends based on Yemenite health practices, Burekas with a twist, Tahini, Falafel, and Affogato, Espresso with a dollop of ice cream served with a rich Knafeh pastry for dessert. This was in a setting of stalls with vegetables, bakeries, shops with all kinds of house wares, and ended at a spice store to sample Middle Eastern Spices. Not to be missed! We concluded the day by meeting our niece Jenna and wandering around other parts of the Market (including wrestling a whole bunch of seniors at a 50% off bread sale at the end of the day at Tellers’ artisan bakery) and then dinner at the Jacco St. restaurant. A few too many calories, but a very fun day!

Final Shabbat in Rishon LeTzion: Thursday morning we met the Denver crowd for breakfast (which included some of the above-mentioned artisan breads) and then took off for Netanya. We spent our last Shabbat with all the Israeli Mazers in a rented home with a pool near the beach in Rishon LeTzion, which is slightly south of Tel-Aviv. We had done quite a bit of preparation in advance, so we picked up the food we cooked for Shabbat, fresh vegetables from the Netanya Market and some extras from a take-out place, and went to Rishon to set up the house. Bruce then picked up Gila, Ora and Adi, while Barbara attended a rehearsal of the play that the drama troupe that Elisha is part of will be putting on next month. Nomi and the kids arrived later in the evening and then she picked up Elan, who flew in from Toronto; Jenna joined on Friday after noon and voila! Friday was spent around the pool which was a real treat for all. In fact, the kids were so tired, several went to bed before Shabbat Dinner! The nearby synagogue is a story in itself; it’s large with two levels housing both a Sepharadi synagogue and a Chabad Synagogue, which were both packed on Saturday. Of course there were great meals, lots of board games, a walk to the beach and a park, and lots of time for the cousins and the very proud (but slightly exhausted) grandparents to enjoy being with the family. 

Going home: It’s hard to believe that the months have flown by so quickly and that we have now returned back to Montreal. It’s been a super busy time, as can be attested by the posts from the past 5 months. Our last Sabbatical was 2008, when we were in Jerusalem with Elan and Nomi and Baby Shoshana, and Ariel had just graduated high school and was in Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Daniella and Monty were married 3 months before we left and visited that December. It’s amazing to see not only how the family has grown since then, but how every family has weathered challenges and has created amazing cohesive units. Barbara and I really appreciate and celebrate our kids, their families and their accomplishments. 

We were in Israel at an obviously difficult time. The current conflict, perhaps more than any of Israel’s previous battles, has had a global impact and has stirred up antisemitism the likes of which we have not seen in 2 generations. One can debate what the best approach is for dealing with the aftermath of the brutal attacks on Southern Israel from Hamas on October 7th, and the shelling from Hezbollah in the North. What is happening is nothing short of a true threat to the country by enemies who have made it very clear what their goals are. The consequences to those living in Gaza and in Southern Lebanon may be devastating, but international calls for a ceasefire seem to forget that there was one in place on Oct 6th.  

One of the key issues that Israel will be dealing with as it investigates what broke down to lead to the massacres was the general feeling by the defense leadership that Hamas was starting to take its leadership responsibilities in Gaza seriously and was not interested in conflicts at this time. This was said to friends by a senior defense staffer on October 5th, at a dedication of a safe room in a southern kibbutz in honor of their granddaughter’s bat mitzvah. Clearly that was very poor intel, and we should learn from this tragic lack of insight. Now, 7 months into the conflict, the protests on campuses and in the streets are being more and more emboldened, and organizations like the ICC have the audacity to equate Netanyahu and Gallant with Hamas leaders Deif, Haniyeh and Sinar. This may be a tremendous lack of understanding of the difference between a terrorist group who attacked and a country who needs to defend, or just pure antisemitism.  I am not an expert in humanitarian law, but the fact that during a state of war Israel alone is blamed for the fate of the Gazan population that is used as pawns and shields by Hamas is blatantly biased. 

But to be honest, we have been heartened in our time in Israel by tremendous resiliency. Most  protests going on in Israel today are all about bringing home the hostages. Sure, plenty of blame and criticism is being showered on the government, and as Israeli citizens, they have a right to do so, much more than we who do not vote. But, even in the depths of the despair for the hostages, Israeli’s do positive things. They lobby all over the world. They write songs like October Rain and create sculptures and art pieces about the plight of those captured, as can been seen in Hostage Square and many other places. And they volunteer in so many ways; agriculture, BBQs and Shabbat dinners for soldiers, and many more. The resilience of all the young men and women who are defending the country is also extremely impressive. We have heard over and over from young members of the IDF about their motivation to defend their people and ensure that this war can ultimately lead to long term peace. The resilience is manifest in people living their day to day lives, ensuring that the economy does not tank, and making Israel a very livable place indeed, where people of all religions are free to live without fear of persecution. Let’s hope that this message can carry forth and that we can see very soon the peace and productivity that people in the Middle East deserve.   

Shabbat Shalom, and till the next time

Barbara and Bruce

We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shlema) to Shmuel Zev ben Rachel Ita

We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shelma) to Moshe Aharon ben Leah

Happy Birthday to Eitan!!

Happy Birthday to Ezra!!

Happy Anniversary to Nomi and Elan!!

Happy Birthday Gramma!!

Happy Anniversary Daniella and Monty!!

Shabbat Pre-Israel Independence Day

Spring time in Israel, the days are sunny, warm and it’s still very green, as the consistent 30+ degree temperatures of summer have not yet started to dry out the grass and flowers. Passover finished nearly two weeks ago, and the immediate two weeks after Passover include a mix of somber and celebratory times. The 49 days between Passover and Shavuot, the holiday of the giving of the Torah, are times of semi-mourning, remembering the deaths of 24000 students of Rabbi Akiva during the times of Roman occupation of Israel at the turn of the millennium. In contemporary Israel, during this time we commemorate Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which took place last Monday, May 6th. Next week on Monday is Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, which obviously will have special poignance feel this year in the context of the war in Gaza. On Monday night, we begin Yom Ha-Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day. It will be very interesting to see how they play out in the current situation. More about that next week; let’s talk about what’s happened here and how we are spending the last few weeks of our Sabbatical. 

We spent the end of Passover much as we spent the beginning, with family and lots of food! We were in Netanya for the Shabbat in the middle of Passover with Nomi, Elan, and the kids; when we were indoors there were lots of games to play and stories to read, and we could be outdoors in the parks so everyone could roam around, hang from bars and swing as required. We had Sunday to recover and cook some more, and then we went to Gila and Ariel’s house for the last day of Passover. More games and stories, including Elisha beating Bruce in Catan, and time in the park as well as a long walk around Petach Tikvah with Elisha. Very needed to help work off the Matza!  All in all, it was a really nice holiday and was uninterrupted by drones and missiles that we had had in the weeks before. 

We needed a few days to catch up on work from home; so we decided to be unambitious and spend Shabbat in Netanya. In our neighborhood there are two predominantly Anglo synagogues, Yong Israel of Netanya, and The McDonald International Synagogue. Both are about a 3-4 minute walk from our house. Although most of the time we go to services at the Young Israel, we went to McDonald synagogue on Saturday morning. (no, not MacDonalds!) There were a lot of friendly people there, and as we spend more time here (if all goes well) there appears to be a nice community in our neighborhood. 

Following Shabbat, we met Michal and Ronen Sela at an Ice cream shop in south Netanya. The Selas live about 45 minutes away but were driving from the Tiberias area from a family reunion. People may remember that they lived on our street, Sunrise, when Ronen was Vice Principal of Hebrew Academy. Our kids were good friends when they were children, and Monty and Elan had Ronen as a teacher. It was great to spend time with them and plan our next sojourn! 

Speaking of reunions, we also met a group of Montreal friends in Jerusalem at Caffit; Haim Fruchter was in for Passover, and we saw Mary Ruth and Ronnie Gehr, Anne and Jonathan Homa, and Barbara Sutnick and her new husband David. We were all young couples together eons ago, and other than Haim, the others all have moved to Isrrael over the years.

Israel; a place for gathering: We were looking for something fun to do on Sunday, and decided it was a good day for wine tasting. We booked a tasting at the Tishbi Winery, 10 minutes outside of Zikhron Yaacov. Well worth the 60 Shekels (about 22 dollars Canadian); each person got 6 tastings, paired with 6 different types of dark chocolate. All the wines were really good. Plus, there is nothing like wine and chocolate to encourage conversation between people. Next to us was a Brazilian couple who were visiting their daughter, who had moved to Israel 5 years before. We had a great time discussing their visit and comparing notes on the Jewish communities we came from. The commonalities far exceeded the differences! This was all despite the fact that our Portuguese sucks and their English was rudimentary. Their daughter was pretty fluent in English and Hebrew and translated in Portuguese. We all had a great time and then went to the restaurant at the winery for a snack. I must admit that it’s pretty easy to meet complete strangers in Israel and find out that you either know the same people or have very similar interests! 

Holocaust Remembrance Day: Following wine tasting, we attended a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at the Young Israel of North Netanya. There are still 130,000 Holocaust survivors in Israel, but their numbers are dwindling. Several live in our neighborhood and are members of the local shuls. The main part of the ceremony was a mini documentary made by a congregant about a Hidden Child of the Holocaust. Ariel Edler was abandoned by his parents at age 4 in Antwerp as the Nazi’s were arresting and deporting Jews. Neighbors were supposed to smuggle him out, but this arrangement did not work out. They eventually found non-Jewish foster parents in a small town in France. Ariel lived with them for over 2 years as “Henri” to camouflage his Jewishness. Imagine the trauma of being left behind as a small child. This story had a reasonably happy ending, with Ariel being reunited with his parents as WWII ended, and him staying in touch with his foster mother and sister. Ariel is now 86 and was present for the documentary. He said that he never really got over the trauma of being left behind and was forever grateful for his loving foster mom. The documentary chronicled Ariel Edler, but discussed that he was one of thousands of Hidden children, left with foster families, or at convents, churches, and other measures that fleeing families did to try to and preserve at least a shred of their family. Many stories did not have such positive endings and by creating the documentary, this important story is being preserved. 

In keeping with this theme, I would be remiss if I did not pay tribute to Mr. Ernest Ehrmann, who passed away Wednesday and whose funeral we watched yesterday. Mr Ehrmann is father to our friend Debbie Feldman. I did not know Mr. Ehrmann well, but he is a legend in Holocaust Education in Montreal. He travelled to Poland as a survivor/educator at least 16 times, on the March of the Living and on Federation missions. Mr. Ehrmann must have touched thousands of students and adults with his stories of the Holocaust and of oppression. A genuine survivor, he built a life from nothing, has two wonderful daughters, 4 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren, and was a highly respected business person in addition to his contribution to the community. He will be greatly missed. 

Fun Day with Ora: One of the benefits of being here which we are trying to take full advantage is being with grandchildren for their birthdays. We have to date spent a day spoiling Elisha (remember the horses?) and Nadav (remember the pancakes?) and now it was Ora’s turn. So, a perfect day for a 7-year-old; pizza for dinner, a morning on the beach, a trip to the toy store to choose a present, hot dogs and fries for lunch, and more shopping and one on one time. Talk about fun!  

Iris Reserve: On the border of the newly developed area of Netanya called Ir Yamim is the Iris Nature Reserve. This place is supposed to be spectacular in the winter (January to April) with tons of blooming irises. We took a 4.5 kg hike all around the reserve yesterday, and there were still lots of flowers and greenery. It was a fun hike and we will definitely do it again, especially in the winter.  

Shabbat in Jerusalem: We are now in Jerusalem for Shabbat with Lori and Alvin from Chicago, and Debbie and Zev from New York; the connection being we are all friends from Denver days. We are only missing Michelle and Eddie, who are arriving in Israel next week. We are planning a full reunion next Wednesday. We have reunions almost every summer, so to get together in Jerusalem is an upgrade over the wilds of Pennsylvania or Jamestown NY!!

We continue to monitor the situation on McGill Campus and across the US and Canada. This is seemingly going from bad to worse. The encampments appear immovable, the university administrations appear to have their hands tied or are unsure which side they want to upset, with the outcome being complete chaos. Meanwhile, the IDF has moved into Rafah, has secured the border between Egypt and Israel and has made limited excursions to clear out the tunnels. We will see what will happen. How this weeks’ Israel Remembrance Day and Independence Day transpires will be very interesting to see. Stay tuned…! 

We wish everyone a pleasant Shabbat Shalom! 

Barbara and Bruce

Our sincere condolences to Debbie and Chaim Feldman on the passing of Debbie’s father, Ernest Ehrmann. 

Our sincere condolences to Rabbi Eliyahu and Sara Gaetano on the passing of Rav Eliyahu’s mother, Ruth Gaetano. 

We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shlema) to Shmuel Zev ben Rachel Ita

We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shelma) to Chaim Tzvi ben Shaindel

We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shelma) to Moshe Aharon ben Leah

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms in our life, in particular Grandma Phyllis Mazer, the matriarch of the family! 

Happy Birthday to Karen Kofman!

Happy Birthday Rivka!

Happy Birthday Rhona!

Happy Birthday to Bruce!

Happy Birthday to Bilha!

Happy Birthday to Elliott!

Passover April 26, 2024

As the world goes berserk, particularly on Canadian and American college campuses, we are here in Israel thinking about what will come next in Gaza, in the North, and from Iran. I’ll catch you up on these current events but also spend some time discussing Passover, and the days from the Seder last Monday night till today.

It appears that at least one move made by the IDF last week has created some deterrence. Israel sent planes to Iran, Iraq and Syria using radar and avoiding Stealth bombers, took out 3 strategic radar stations and then left before they were detected. Although if you read Iranian news (in Persian?) they said nothing happened except 2 flimsy drones. Satellite images show holes in the ground and targeted destruction. Enough to say we can get past your defenses, you didn’t see us, we hit something significant, but not enough to cause a major commotion.  The reports from Iran appear to show they will not do anything direct for now. 

Meanwhile, there appears to be an evacuation of people from Rafah and a delegation led by Egypt is trying to negotiate either a ceasefire or minimize what it going to happen. I won’t predict, but it looks like an invasion of Rafah is imminent. The north has been very unsettled with daily rockets, but still has been skirmishes without major escalation. If there is a Rafah invasion, will there be an escalation?  It’s hard to tell because again, there is word from Lebanon that they don’t want to get more involved, which clearly is a wise move. Of course, the majority of Lebanese are not Hezbollah, and whether they can be controlled is always a question. Let’s all hope for calmer heads to prevail and for the hostages to be released as soon as possible. 

We also watch with horror, like many of you, of the enormous antisemitic protests going on at American college campuses. Many of you know I graduated from Columbia University eons ago. It’s horribly disappointing to see a bastion of liberal arts learning turn into a showcase for the stifling of debate and the glorifying of radical Islam. This is now happening across the US, and occurred in Ottawa recently. It’s all extremely disheartening. Someone commented to me by email that he doesn’t know where it’s less safe, Israel or universities. Honestly, at least here we know the police will protect us. 

Now, the most important part…family and Seder! We arrived in Efrat about an hour before the holiday was supposed to start, a little later than we planned but such is the traffic as a country all travels to people’s homes for the Seder! We had a whole Mazer contingent; Nomi and Elan were hosting with Shoshana, Shlomo, Nadav, Aryeh and Eitan, and we brought the Petach Tikvah gang, Gila and Ariel with Elisha, Ora and Adi. Jenna was missing, having flown home to Edmonton via Montreal to bring my Mother to spend Passover with Roanne and David and Aviva, and meet Danielle and Brandon’s twins. 

The content of the Seder is interesting. Passover, like all Biblical Jewish holidays, is both based on an agrarian milestone (Spring) and had specific sacrifices for Temple times. When the Temple was destroyed, the Rabbis developed a method of commemorating Passover and ensuring that the history and importance of the Exodus from Egypt, Divine Intervention and a sense of family and community was preserved. The Seder is highly participatory and encourages questions from all participants, especially the children, about the rituals and customs. Elan’s family have mastered the art of getting people to ask questions, no matter how sophisticated you are. For example, there is a part of the seder where we take a vegetable (to represent the Spring) and dip it in salt water, to represent tears of slavery (or perhaps crossing the salty Red Sea). Most people have the custom to use a vegetable like celery, or even potatoes (as long as it grows in the ground.) So how about strawberries? Pineapple? Bananas? Not exactly traditional, but definitely gets people asking questions! They are all fair game. Add some salted caramel and voila, you get everyone into a discussion!  The Seder was full of these types of fun additions; Lego illustrations, an improv play by the kids, a game of Passover Jeopardy, and discussion about important topics like how you can celebrate the holiday of Freedom when some of your brothers are being held hostage. We went on till well past 1 AM and only the youngest went to sleep before the end!

I would like to share a thought that I heard from the Rabbi of our synagogue, Young Israel of North Netanya, Rabbi Baruch Boudilovsky. He introduced a question: if one had a choice to attend the seder at your parents’ home, or at the home of your teacher (professor, Rabbi, mentor…) which should you choose? Many might say they would choose the Rabbi for the spiritual impact and elevated interpretations. However, our traditions says that one should attend the Seder at your parents’ home. Why would that be? There are two important aspects to learning Torah (and this is likely applicable to other areas of study). There is basic information, the laws and their tenants, and how to apply them to a myriad of teachings that make up the Jewish system of halacha, how to govern yourself in the ways of the Torah. The second aspect, as important, is the have the correct attitude. To be able to study Torah, you need to see it as a way of life, as a natural outflow of who you are and what you do. As I said above, this is applicable to all cultures and traditions. The primary building block to develop a positive attitude toward your culture, your religion, your approach to people, or your way of relating to others is formed in your family. It is the nurture of family that guides your nature. Teachers teach the laws and customs; family teaches the love and appreciation of the culture or religion. This is something that can be hard to teach but much easier to embody with the right personal examples. It’s really wonderful for Barbara and I to see Monty and Daniella (who are in the Bahamas with the Wager clan), Elan and Nomi, and Ariel and Gila interact with their children and really set a beautiful example to follow with regards to the importance of the Seder and all other aspects of their lives. 

Post-Seder, what do you do with a whole bunch of kids? Well, considering that in Israel the whole country is on holiday at the same time, you either need to plan way ahead of time to be able to take them any of the most popular places (children’s museum, zoos, etc) which we did not…or choose an interesting but not as well-known place. You also must account for the weather, which was in the mid 30-degree range! On Wednesday, we went to an ancient aqueduct quite close to Nomi and Elan’s home, with inflatables, a natural pool, and an underground hike through the narrow caves, low ceiling, mud up to your thighs and freezing water. Sounds like fun? Well, it was! Perfect setting for a super-hot day. We then celebrated two birthdays, Ora’s, and Elan’s! Of course, only Ora got the bumps!

After dinner, Barbara and I went back to Netanya, and Elan and Nomi and family joined us for a beach day! For those non-beach afficionados, we also found a new escape room that Shlomo conquered and saved the Stark Family from the invaders!

Now we are heading into Shabbat after a whirlwind week, with the Efrat gang just arrived. We will follow this with the last day of Passover in Petach Tikvah with Ariel and Gila and Co. Then we will be in the month of May, with only 3 weeks to go in our Sabbatical in Israel. It’s crazy how time flies. We will be reporting back soon!

We wish you Shabbat Shalom, and Happy and Kosher Passover

Barbara and Bruce

We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shlema) to Shmuel Zev ben Rachel Ita

We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shelma) to Chaim Tzvi ben Shaindel

We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shelma) to Moshe Aharon ben Leah

Happy Birthday to Elan!

Happy Birthday to Ora!

Happy Birthday Jessica!

Happy Birthday to Chuck Wagner!

Happy birthday to Bobby Shaul!

Pre-Passover 2024

I imagine everyone is waiting with bated breath to hear about the last couple of weeks. In particular, how did it go last Saturday night? Let’s rewind the clock a bit. Shabbat last week was in Netanya, with great company, Shlomo and Nadav. Since the Passover holiday is about a 2 week long spring break like affair, there is a lot of down time for older kids, particularly with Passover preparations looming large in most homes. The younger kids (like grade 3 and below) either have day care or ‘camp’ like programs to keep them occupied, but older kids are on their own. So, we decided to help out by picking up Shlomo and Nadav, aged 13 and 10, on Friday and let them hang out with us in Netanya until Monday. Shabbat was fun, with games and discussions, walks and great meals (of course) and when the kids went to bed on Saturday night after a movie, no one was really talking about what was looming. After they went to bed though….

I guess we were alerted something was happening around 10 PM. The news came that Iran was sending 300 unmanned drones. Then that changed to drones and ballistic missiles. Then a few minutes later “unconfirmed rumors” about Cruise missiles. We kept getting news updates and WhatsApps from friends and family all over the place. What were we hearing? Where is your shelter? How long do we have when a siren goes off? What will happen if the drones get through? And so it went. At about 1:40 AM Israel time, sirens went off in the east and south of the country, including Jerusalem and Efrat, where Elan and Nomi live. Our niece Jenna spent time in her bomb shelter, as did Nomi and the kids who were at home. We were alerted by Barbara’s Red Alert app, which she has not only coded to Netanya but to the cities our kids live in. We continued to chat, follow news feeds, and hope that there would be minimal damage. By about 3:30 AM it began to look like most of the drones, ballistic and cruise missiles (indeed the rumors were confirmed) were being intercepted. No sirens in Netanya (nor most of central and costal Israel). Although we slept very little on Saturday night, our grandsons both woke up Sunday morning pretty much unaware of what went on. That was most certainly a good thing!

As you know, the results of this potentially disastrous attack were nothing short of miraculous. First, 99+% of the attacking projectiles were shot down. That in and of itself is amazing. Picture a video game and you are trying to shoot all the enemies. Even the best misses occasionally. 90% would usually be considered good, but this was quite incredible. Second, perhaps a bigger miracle was the cooperation of the neighboring countries. Jordan and Egypt both participated in the defense, with the Jordanian Air Force showing accuracy as good as all the others. No one was killed, though one poor child in a Bedouin community was seriously injured. Now, if you get your news from CNN, you have been getting a steady stream of “The Iranian Attack was more for show than for destructive purposes” or other versions of this, minimizing what actually happened. There are plenty of pictures of the few missiles that landed in open areas or the one that hit an Israeli Airforce base, as well as of others that were shot down. The average ballistic missile that Iran shot is about the length of a Mac truck and has an 800-pound warhead. This was not just a bunch of firecrackers and roman candles. This could have been very destructive. Israel and its allies prevented that, perhaps, as we say, with a bit of divine intervention, but nonetheless this was not just hand-waving on Iran’s part. They retaliated for the assassination of an individual responsible to providing arms and strategy to Hezbollah by attacking major population centres in Israel. Anyone who says that was just a show of force without teeth is trying to cheapen a very dangerous situation and is very misguided. No one wants escalation, but those that are chanting “Death to Israel” are also chanting “Death to America”. We should not turn deaf ears to very loud shouts from Iran. 

So, what else happened? As you know, in general, we try to keep things light. That’s really because there is a lot of light in our life, a lot to be thankful for! The previous Shabbat we were hosted by Elan and Nomi in Efrat, which is always a treat, but also worked out very well as Nomi was going on a work-related trip and asked if we could babysit Sunday afternoon and evening. Of course, we did not hesitate. Saturday evening, we visited Gila’s parents, Geula and Yitzhak Twersky, who live in the nearby town of Neve Daniel. Sunday morning, we had brunch with Debbie and Zev Kessler in Jerusalem; without traffic Efrat is 15 minutes from Jerusalem. 

We were back in Efrat in time for the kids to come home from school and treat them to burgers for dinner. This week, the theme of helping out continued, with having Shlomo and Nadav for 4 days and then Elisha for 2 days. Plus, fter dropping Shlomo and Nadav off on Monday, Barbara took Aryeh out to the mall for Poke Bowls (did I mention our grandchildren were foodies?) and a rocketship ride. Of course, this was not a freebie for the kids. To earn their keep, they had to help with Passover shopping and other choirs, with the payment including made to order breakfasts, nice dinners, and movie nights!  

Passover starts on Monday evening. Passover, as you know, is the holiday of liberation of the Children of Israel from Egypt, 3500 years ago. We will be reciting the Haggadah, which elaborates the story of Passover, and partaking in the customs that remind us of both slavery and bitterness, as well as freedom and redemption. I hope to write more about Passover next week, but I think that Passover comes this year 6 months into a war which has brought much sadness to Israel. Many Passover Seders will have empty chairs, with lost friends and relatives and 133 hostages still missing. With the specter of Iran looming and the Gaza campaign still active (although much less so at the moment), this will be a Passover that will be filled with prayers that we soon see an end to the fighting, the release of the hostages, and building on the cooperation that we saw last Saturday night to create a better situation for all. 

We wish you Shabbat Shalom, and Happy and Kosher Passover

Barbara and Bruce

We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shlema) to Shmuel Zev ben Rachel Ita

We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shelma) to Chaim Tzvi ben Shaindel

We wish a speedy recovery (Refuah Shelma) to Moshe Aharon ben Leah

Happy Birthday to Elan!

Happy Birthday to Ora!

Happy Birthday David!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

Welcome to Israel Haim Fruchter and the Steckler Family for Passover visits! And everyone else who has decided to come to share in Passover in Israel!

And a shout-out to my mom, Phyllis Mazer who is travelling with Jenna to Edmonton to spend Passover with Roanne, David, Aviva, Danielle, Brandon and her new twin great grandsons!

Shabbat April 5-6

OK, gang, not to stir panic in those of you who observe Jewish holidays, but there are now only 16 more shopping days till Passover, and less if you keep Shabbat. Just saying…

More fun with grandchildren: We had the pleasure of having Nomi and the boys (Shlomo, Nadav, Aryeh and Eytan) on the Shabbat before Purim, while Elan was away. As opposed to the rainy weather the last time we hosted, this was a really nice Shabbat, and we spent time both inside and outside, with lots of games and fun. That week was also Nadav’s birthday, so we continued the precedent for a birthday outing with Savti and Sabi. This includes a made to measure breakfast, an activity and lunch. Nadav chose an Escape Room, which is great because there are tons of them in Israel. We went to one about an Alien Invasion of Earth, which was pretty challenging because a bunch of the clues were really abstract and well hidden. Nadav was amazing, cracking a few codes that were pretty challenging, and we escaped just under the wire! We were able to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the Aliens and averted them destroying the Earth! Boy, I wish all political negotiations went that smoothly. 

To add to the quality time with grandchildren, Gila was in charge of a 2 day hiking trip for the 7 and 8th grades of her school, so after spending this past Shabbat with Elisha, Ora and Adi, we were on pick-up and dinner duty in Petach Tikva! Monday, we made a very typical grandparent bonehead mistake; since it was 30+ degrees here (more about weather below) we decided that after school snack would be ice cream at the newly opened local ice cream place near the kid’s school. This part went very well (only one tantrum over ice cream melting too fast). The next step was dinner which followed a couple of activities, but that was served way too close to ice cream for it to be appreciated! Plus, the sugar high may have made bedtime more challenging that usual! So, learning from our errors, on Tuesday when we picked up Ora and Adi from after school care (Elisha, in grade 4 goes home alone, a 7-minute walk from school) snack was cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, activity was a super calm art project making mosaics, and dinner was a major success with no issues. That led to a super calm bedtime. See, even seniors can learn!!

World-Wide Weather Report: Yesterday my Ring doorbell app chimed so we looked at the front door of our home in Cote-St. Luc. As everyone knows, the winter has been quite mild in Canada this year and there was no snow on the ground for a few weeks. But, April 4th was hit with a vengeance! The Ring camera showed a January like landscape with people all bundled up and the wind blowing like crazy! The news reported thousands of people without power. However, just to make everyone feel better, the first Seder last year was on the evening of April 5th and that was the day of a major ice storm with people losing power for up to 5 days! We are reminded of the lovely candle lit Seder last year among very good company who were all good sports about eating room temperature Seder food. 

Well, in contrast, we are heading into spring here in Israel. As noted above the beginning of the week had high temperatures of 30+ for 2-3 days. It has since moderated to the mid 20’s but obviously no complaints! This allowed up to take a couple of long walks along the beach/boardwalk this week, which was really fun. The weekend will be low 20’s and next week will continue in that pattern. I understand the temperature will rebound in Montreal and Toronto next week too, so hopefully Passover will be celebrated in spring like weather this year rather than on treacherous icy streets!

Strawberry Fields Forever: The need for volunteers for agriculture continues. I bet most of you don’t know that the area around Netanya is very fertile and is home to many farms and orchards. So, following up on last week’s experience as orange pickers, I texted the orange grove people only to learn that they have reached a stage where the only oranges that need picking are ladder-accessible. Despite many willing people wanting to help, they decided that having a bunch of amateur orange pickers on ladders was less than desirable (there are not enough safety nets in Israel for all those “willing but not so able” orange pickers!). There was, however, an urgent appeal for strawberry pickers about 30 minutes from our home, so we were out in the sun at 8:30 Thursday morning (we passed on the 6:30 start time) with a gang of about 10 others harvesting strawberries. No experience needed, just leave the green ones and the white ones to ripen and obviously ignore the mushy and eaten ones!

Allergy Practice in Israel: I bet you are wondering what we are doing here other than seeing family and picking fruit? I have been going to the Safra Children’s Hospital at the Sheba Medical Centre in Ramat Gan 1-2 times per week to work with their food allergy team and develop a lab program for the study of the immune changes in Food Allergy. I am working with a physician named Mona Kidon, and we have planned a project that will examine genetic and epigenetic changes in food allergy. This will likely be a collaboration between Safra, Montreal Children’s and Weizmann Institute although there may be more McGill collaboration as well. I won’t bore you too much with details, but we are trying to understand if there is a difference in genetic changes in older and younger children and in children who have been exposed to conventional peanuts, or a novel, immature peanut developed in Rehovot and used at Safra. Stay tuned! Next week Barbara will update you on her collaboration with Alyne Children’s Rehab Centre!

We are off to Efrat for Shabbat with Nomi, Elan and the gang so that will be all for now. 

We wish you sunny times and Shabbat Shalom!

Barbara and Bruce

Refuah Shlema to Shmuel Zev ben Rachel Ita

Refuah Shelma to Chaim Tzvi ben Shaindel

Shabbat March 29-30

The question we will deal with today is, how do you celebrate the holidayof Purim during a war? So, some background for the unitiated. In our last blog we covered a bit of Greek history and mentioned the Persian Conquests. Cyrus the Great conquered the world during his reign, in the early 500’s BCE. This was 200 years before Alexander the Great, for historical perspective. The Jews had been exhiled after the destruction of the first Temple, and when Cyrus conquered the known world, he was a benevolent king, allowing Jews to return to Israel but also accommodating a large community in Persia. The story of the Book of Esther took place in the 5th century BCE under the rule of King Achashverosh, (who may be one of the Persian King Xerxes). Achashverosh’s Chief advisor, Haman, had a personal vendetta against Mordechai, who was a member of the King’s Court and the guardian of Esther, the Queen of Persia. To get back at Mordechai, Haman convinced the King to allow him to kill all the Jews of Persia on the 14th day of the month of Adar. When Mordechai learns of the plot, he appeals to Esther to take up the cause of her people to the King, though she had never let on that she was Jewish. Esther prays and fasts with all the Jews of the capital Shushan, and then tells the king about Haman. The plot is foiled, Haman is executed, and to this days Jewish communities celebrate the salvation on the 14th day of Adar, except in walled cities like Shushan was (today, pretty much only in Jerusalem) on the 15th of Adar. This took place last Saturday night through Sunday. 

Considering Purim is generally a holiday of partying, this year posed a dilemma. On one hand, people are not in a partying mood with the war still every much a part of life. On the other hand, the relevance of the Purim Story, deliverance from the hand of ones who wish to destroy the Jewish Nation, as Hamas has vowed (note the similarity; I doubt it’s an accident) then some type of celebration seemed to be in order. Purim is a holiday when people, especially children, wear costumes. So, in the days prior to Purim, we saw a steady stream of children in elementary school and often their parents in the streets in costume. On Purim Day, there were people of all ages in the street in costume delivering Mishloach Manot, gifts of food to friends, and giving out gifts to the poor, which is a major part of the customs of the day. 

The story of Esther is  read in Synagogue in the evening and morning of Purim. After the evening reading, our synagogue, Young Israel of North Netanya, has a custom to put on a Purim Play (Purim Shpleil) which is an old European Custom. This was a very ompressince mix of music and comedy, lasting almost 90 minutes, especially considering the writers and actors were predominantly in the 60 to 80 range! Congratulations to the head writer Alan Gold, who has done this for years, wishing him many more Purim Shpiels. 

Sunday after synagogue we went to Ariel and Gila’s house to see their kids in costume, and then drove them to friends for the Purim meal. We continued to Efrat to Nomi and Elan’s house, where they were hosting 3 other families and cooked up a storm! There was terrific food, lot’s of good wine and singing. The company was great and we enjoyed seeing the kids in costume and hoping for an end to the war and return of the hostages, with an ending like the  story of Purim!

Monday was officially Purim in Jerusalem, but why waste a good holiday? Many children were off school both Sunday and Monday. While Bruce went off to the Children’s Hospital, in Ramat Gan, Barbara took Elisah, Ora and Adi to a Carnival in Tel Aviv, with lots of activities and clowns! Elisha even took part as a volunteer, and played his part with the clown really well!

Where do you get YOUR vegetables? Israel has a large agricultural industry for a few reasons: out of necessity, they have pioneered amazing ways to irrigate an arid land and creat perfect soil conditions in not exactly perfect circumstances. This is probably due to the fact that it was not so easy to import from the others in the neighborhood. Most cities have public markets where vendors sell all kinds of produce. Both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have made their markets much more upscale, as did Petach Tikva. Netanya has a real old fashioned market, with vendors screaming out prices, touting the freshness of their fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, and anything else that you could possibly want! The past few Fridays have included the 15-20 minute walk to the Shuk (market) from our house, buying oodles of fresh strawberries, grapes, melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc….plus the prices are much better than the supermarket! A fun experience that everyone should try. 

Speaking of agriculture, one casualty of war has been huge loss of workers, both domestic and foreign. There are lots of fields and orchards that require hands to help pick produce. When we went to the south we picked “Beet leaves” at a farm in Kfar Maimon. This week, we went to an orange orchard about 10 km from out home. There were lots of oranges to pick and we joined about 10 other volunteers who were helping out. A couple of tips: Orange trees are full of thorns, so bring gloves (I have lots of cuts on my hands to prove the point!). Drink lots of water, it’s deceptively hot out there! There are lots of volunteer opportunities so we can all tap in to our inner farmer!

Welcome Debbie and Zev: Tuesday evening we met our friends Debbie and Zev from Riverdale (and Jerusalem) who have come back for a couple of months. We met them at Shifra and Jamil in Herzliah, just a few minutes walk from the train station, making it very convenient. It was great to see them and we hope they have a great stay here. 

Speaking of friends, we also caught up with our friends Ruth and Itamar Maliach, who had lived in Montreal eons ago when our kids were in high school! They are doing really well, and we had fun sharing stories of travels, children and grandchildren. 

We just changed the clock’s in Israel, 2 weeks after North America but at a similar time as many European countries. Shabbat is not starting so early, and we are hosting Gila,  Ariel, Elisha, Ora and Adi, who at present are enjoying some childnre’s show on the computer. We’re looking forward to hanging out with them and especially special time with the kids!

Wishing you a Shabbat full of special times with family

Barbara and Bruce

Refuah Shlema to Shmuel Zev ben Rachel Ita

Refuah Shelma to Chaim Tzvi ben Shaindel

Happy Birthday Lori!

Welcome to our new great nephews, Elijah Henry (Elimelech Hanoch) and Issac Lev (Yitzchak Lev) born to Daniel and Brandon in Edmonton!

A week in Athens!

Spoiler alert: It’s good to take some time off once in a while. But you knew that already, didn’t you? So, for all of you who have never been to Athens, and even those who have been, let’s roll with what we will call “The best of Athens March 11-14th 2024!”

Best surprise about Athens: Athens is a fairly big city of 5 million residents. What we did not realize was just how geographically pretty and varied it is. Most people suspect it’s near water, as a Mediterranean city and it’s proximity to the Aegean sea is pretty obvious. However, it’s also surrounded by mountains. We were told that Greece has more mountains than any other European country than Switzerland. Now, if you compare the height of the typical mountain in the Alps to Greek mountains, there is a clear winner in central Europe. I would say that most of the Greek mountains we saw were more like Mount Royal than Mount Everest or even Mount Lucerne or Grindelwald. It does mean that the hill that the Acropolis is on is just one of several ringing the city.

Best place to stay in Athens: Athens has a lot of very cool districts; Plaka, Monastiraki, etc. It’s quite hard to choose if you don’t know the city. We purchased a package tour (flight and hotel together) and chose to stay at one of the nicer hotels on the list, the Electra Metropolis. This was a winner for sure. First, the hotel was really nice, it came with breakfast on a 10th floor rooftop restaurant, and the service was terrific. Moreover, the hotel is in the Monastiraki district, one block off Eramus (or Hermes) street, the commerce pedestrian mall in Athens and near two squares. It was a 12-minute walk to the Acropolis, a similar distance to the Acropolis Museum, and, for those of us who keep kosher, a 10-minute walk to Chabad and the Gostijo kosher restaurant. The neighborhood was very touristy but very safe and a great place to wander around! There was even a nightly Carnaval Bus at Monastiraki square piping in music and  getting people dancing!

Best Tour of Jewish Athens: OK, in all honesty, I am not sure how many tours of Jewish Athens there are. Thanks to Rivka and Alex Guttman, we were given the name of Haim and Daniel, a father and son duo who do a very in-depth tour of the history of the Jewish community of Greece and an in-depth tour of Athens. The unique angle that this family has is that they trace their roots to the Romaniote Jews from pre-CE times. In fact, the first Jewish communities in Greece were from the 3rd century BCE (around the time of Alexander the Great), when Jews were brought as slaves. After democracy in Athens started to emancipate foreign slaves, Jews moved across the country and inhabited Islands such as Chaikida and Ioannina (two places where Haim and Daniel’s families originated).  The Romaniote community was established in the time prior to the Babylonian Talmud and so they have their own customs (some based on the Jerusalem Talmud) and style of synagogue that I had only previously seen in the Italian Synagogue in Jerusalem (which may explain their being called Romaniote Jews). The Athens community now has about 2500 Jews, with three synagogues, Beth Shalom, the Sephardi synagogue, Eitz Chayim, the Romaniote Synagogue which is only open on the high holydays and for special events, and the Chabad House which has been in Athens for about 25 years. The larger, well-known community of Salonika (Thessaloniki) was comprised mainly of Sephardi Jews and was probably established post Spanish inquisition in the 15th century. This community was close to 100,000 at its heyday in the early 20th century and was greatly victimized by the Nazi invasion with most of its members deported to Treblinka in 1943. The Greek Jewish community had the support of the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church, who tried to lobby on their behalf. There were other communities saved from the holocaust, such as Zakynthos, also saved due to the intervention of the local Greek Orthodox Clergy. However, in the end, 88% of Greek Jewry perished, destroying centuries of vibrant Jewish life in Greece. 

Our tour was led by Daniel who took us around the center of Athens, pointing out the parliament, the Changing of the Guard, Dionysius Stadium, and other famous landmarks. We spent a few hours at the Jewish Museum of Athens, then to the two synagogues (Beth Shalom and Eitz Chayim) and the Jewish Community Council housed in the same building as Eitz Chayim, as well as the Holocaust memorial at the end of the same block, with its fragmented Magen David with the names of the communities that were destroyed. Then we wandered through the Agora, the ancient Marketplace of Athens and back to the hotel. Daniel was terrific, super knowledgeable and very passionate about what he was speaking about, particularly about Romaniote traditions. Highly recommended!

Best Kosher Restaurant: OK, OK, only Kosher Restaurant! The Chabad House on Esopou St in the Psirri district houses the Gostigo (meaning gift of food) restaurant. Each night we were there it was full and seems to serve the tourist clientele very well. Good menu, reasonable prices, and a good selection. They even have a grocery store attached. Supposedly, a typical Shabbat has 100-150 people! Athens is a city of restaurants, with tons of outdoor seating; there are cafes everywhere you walk. The kosher restaurant does not have outdoor seating (probably for security reasons) but at least you have a very decent place to go for kosher food. 

Best History Lesson: Athens, like Jerusalem, is one big history lesson. The Parthenon gazes down on the whole city from its perch on the grounds of the Acropolis. The stadium of Dionysus is still in its location. Even under our hotel there is an excavation going on showing areas that were inhabited hundreds, even thousands of years ago. The Acropolis Museum provides a detailed guide to the life and times from the 700’s BCE, through the mythology of Greek Gods including Athena, daughter of Zeus and the Goddess of Athens. There are artifacts covering 2500+ years of civilization, including the rise of Democracy, the wars with Sparta, conquering by the Persians, then Barbarians, then Romans (200 BCE to 1200), then the Ottoman empire (almost 600 years), the wars of independence, the first and second World Wars….boy it sounds a lot like Jewish history! I guess this is why Greeks and Jews appear to have a kinship as we have a lot in common; strong families, good food and a wish to maintain our independence since we have a tremendous history to be proud of!

Shabbat in Jerusalem: So as mentioned last week, we did something unusual; we spent Shabbat by ourselves! We had a lovely time at the Dan Panorama Hotel which is very central and an easy walk to most central districts in Jerusalem. Shabbat was nice, with a highlight being a visit from Bilha Fruchter and her daughter Adi. Saturday night we wandered in the central area of the city near the Mamilla mall, and like many things during this wartime, the streets were very quiet, and few people were out in this neighborhood. We went to a restaurant named Gabriella, which opened around 14 years ago, which was a big draw at the time. Now it’s kind of run down and was looking pretty shabby. Sunday was a good day for walking, and we went to the area near Mea Shearim (the ultra orthodox section of Jerusalem) to visit Mr. Joseph Levkovich, a former Montrealer, Holocaust Survivor, educator and of course father and father-in-law of Ziggy and Rivi. Some of you may recall that he was on our summer trip to Poland where her shared what he lived through in the places where it actually occurred. He’s 97, extremely sharp and still travelling to Poland and speaking in many places in Israel. He complained he’s slowed down, but I think the pace he goes at would tire someone 50 years younger! Sunday night, we visited the Machanei Yehuda Market area. It was much busier and upbeat compared to the area we had visited the night before. We had dinner at Jocko St. which we had learned about through a program at TBDJ when the chefs visited. Great food and atmosphere!

Singing in Harmony: We will leave you with one last thought. Most Israeli hotels that are in the area frequented by Jewish tourists have synagogues on the premises, and the congregation is made up of whoever chooses to attend. Last week at the hotel, I joined this spontaneous congregation for the services on Friday night and Saturday. This was a really special experience; about 75-100 men and women, from Israel and abroad, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, white, black and brown, all different backgrounds and customs. Yet, when the services started and familiar melodies were sung, everyone participated. Literally a room of strangers blended together almost seamlessly. You don’t have to be a particularly religious or even spiritual person to be impressed by the fact that people can find commonality so well and so quickly. I think this speaks volumes about what our potential is. If we wish to have harmony, we must reach out and find the right notes. 

Wishing you a harmonious Shabbat Shalom!

 Barbara and Bruce

Refuah Shlema to Shmuel Zev ben Rachel Ita

Refuah Shelma to Chaim Tzvi ben Shaindel

Mazel tov to Orly and El on the celebration of the brit mila of Liam Abraham!

Happy Birthday to Sandy, better known as Auntie Ruffie! Wishes for good health and lots of love!