Shabbat February 6-7

This is a bit of a detour from the usual blog, in that I have been back in Canada for about 10 days braving the cold and the miserable weather. At the same time, I have been living in Israel vicariously via Barbara, who has continued to enjoy our family, the beautiful weather and the life in Netanya while crisscrossing Israel to see the kids. Though Barbara’s time in Israel is winding down, there is still lots to cover, so let’s get going!

Two weeks ago, when we last shared an update, we were about to go into Shabbat at the Vert Hotel at the Dead Sea. It was, of course very special to spend Shabbat with our Israeli families; Gila and Ariel with Elisha, Ora and Adi; Nomi and Elan, Shoshana, Shlomo, Nadav, Aryeh and Eitan. Shabbat was a great group bonding experience; we shared synagogue services, great meals, walks in the neighborhood, and lots of board games and chats. One aspect of spending Shabbat in a hotel is the synagogue services, where people from all over get together and gel together as a group. Interestingly, the vast majority of the Shabbat observant people at the hotel were Sefaradi (from Spain, North Africa, etc), who have different tunes for their prayers and a few different customs than Ashkenazi Jews (who hail from Eastern and Western Europe). The attendance at the small hotel synagogue was impressive, with standing room only on Friday night and a solid crowd on Shabbat Morning. 

On thing worth noting; prior to Shabbat I went to Masada with Elan and Nomi’s family and Elisha. We covered the history of Masada in the previous post. What I did not write about was that there were tourists there. Now this would not have been a surprise two years ago, as Masada is a historical site that is a standard for tour groups. But since October 7, 2023, the number of tour groups spontaneously coming to Israel has evaporated. Considering the current state of social media and the anti-Israel venom that is prominent, one wonders if tourists will ever come back. So, it was very heartening for me to see a Korean tour group, and American Christian tour group and at least one other non-Israeli group wandering in the ruins of Masada. This definitely makes me think that some things are on the mend.

Then again, as we know, the situation in Iran and the tension between the US and Iran continues near boiling point.  There are now several aircraft carriers and warships in the waters near Iran. Sadly, the Iranian regime has stifled the protest movement with bullets, arrests and executions. The numbers sound horrifying, with estimates of 30,000-50,000. Iranian friends and colleagues speak of hoping for an end to this ruthless regime. I don’t really know what will happen, considering that there are some negotiations going on, but no one really knows if these negotiations will really change anything or are a stalling tactic. Plus, President Trump is not particularly predictable. Let’s say that we can pray for a good outcome, for something that brings a brighter future to Iran and its people and removes them from the medieval government that they are living under today. 

There are still miracles in the world: We were treated to the highly emotional news that the final hostage, Ran Givli, was returned. This was really a miracle of forensic science. A member of Hamas actually provided the unmarked cemetery where he thought that Ran had been buried. The IDF slowly externed body after body, verifying dental records and fingerprints. After 249 bodies, the 250th was Ran Givli. This was not just happenstance. The Hebrew letters for Ran (Resh and Nun) have the numeric equivalents of 200+50=250.  There was definitely a power above looking out for him. 

After Shabbat we headed back to our homes, albeit delayed by our road being closed for about a half an hour due to a jackknifed truck. Oh well, it can’t all go smoothly! The Efrat crowd drove north-east and we continued north to deposit the Petach Tikvah crew at their home and then back to Netanya.

Sunday was supposed to be my last day in Israel, but Canadian weather would have a say in that! I packed up with the intension of sleeping over at Ariel’s house, which is less than a 30-minute drive to the airport, even with morning traffic (in contrast to what could be a 2 hour drive from Netanya due to miserable AM traffic). After I finished packing, Jenna came to visit, and we took a nice walk along the boardwalk and beach with Jenna and our friends Lori and Alvan. We decided to grab a bite at a restaurant called Café Café, right on the beach. This normally is very nice and uneventful but ended with an elderly lady taking a fall and likely breaking her leg or hip right near our table. So, Jenna, a medic in the army, and I sprung into action! Well, mainly we kept her calm and helped navigate things until an ambulance arrived with her daughter in tow to bring her to the hospital. The Israeli medics who came were really good! We hope all went well for her. 

While eating, Barbara checked her Air Canada App, to discover that my flight Monday was canceled due to an impending snowstorm in Toronto! Fortunately, I was rebooked on the Tuesday flight, affording me one more day in Israel (and one more day for my extremely generous colleagues at the hospital to cover for me). It also allowed for one more day in the sun, an absolutely lovely walk along the beach on Monday morning, and a Monday afternoon and evening with Elisha, Ora and Adi who we took to the park, played various games, treated to burgers and then helped get everyone to bed. 

Tuesday is where my Israel story ends off, with a day flight to Toronto and transfer to Montreal leading to several days of jet lag and catching up. Meanwhile, Barbara returned to Netanya. The following day, Wednesday, was pretty rainy but it gave Barbara a chance to prepare some goodies to take to Efrat for the upcoming Shabbat.

Shabbat was really fun with all the kids in Efrat, not to mention the adults. In fact, Barbara stayed in Efrat till Monday morning; she met our friend Carol Novosellor on Sunday, helped out with Sunday after school activities. 

There are 2 semesters in the school year, and report card day seems to be a big event with presentations and meetings with teachers. On Monday most of the country’s youth groups were out on tiyulim (long hikes). Kids beginning in 3rd grade set off with backpacks filled with bottles of water and food. Not sure how they carried all that on their backs, but everyone seemed to have had a great time! 

Meir Panim is a charitable organization in Israel that provides meals and food baskets daily for poor families and indigent elderly people in Israel. Their web site says they prepare over 650,000 meals per year. Our friends Lori and Alvan Small have volunteered to pack meals and food baskets for the past couple of years, and Barbara joined them at the Meir Panim Branch in Or Akiva (25 minutes north of Netanya) run by Ilanit. Volunteers from school children to the elderly to individuals doing community service show up to help cook, package and distribute meals. It’s certainly a worthy cause and if you have some free time, it’s a great place to volunteer.

Our friend Gail is moving into her new apartment in Netanya, so it was really fun to go out to dinner together at our go-to fish restaurant, Rosemarine. 

Wednesday was Netanya Market Day! As opposed to our Jerusalem Market crazy day, Netanya is a lot lower key. It’s primarily there to provide fruits and vegetables, although there are butchers, fishmongers, a spice store or two, a few houseware stores and the occasional candy store. It’s nowhere near as bustling as the Jerusalem or Tel Aviv Markets. However, the city decided to invest in the infrastructure of the Market, so now they are clearing the roads, repaving, and talking about more gentrification of the Market area. Of course, the goal of the market trip was to get nice fruit and vegetables for a nice dish for Shabbat! Their produce usually is great and very fresh, but like any market, always check the prices and be prepared to bargain a bit!

The sun was shining and the weather was quite warm, so Barbara took a beach chair and a book, walked down the cliff to the beach and enjoyed some R&R. You are all invited to come visit this spot of paradise!

On Thursday Barbara finished cooking and packed up to go to Petach Tikvah for Thursday evening and Shabbat. This meant more fun time with Ora and Adi (Elisha was at his drama class) and helping to get things together for the next day. The next few days will be busy, with a trip back to Efrat to say goodbye, packing up the apartment, visits with Anne Homa, and with Lori and Alvan, and getting ready to join me back in the frozen wasteland! 

We wish everyone a peaceful and restful Shabbat Shalom!

Barbara and Bruce

We wish our dear friends Chani and Gabi Cohen sincerest condolences on the passing of her mother, may her memory always be a blessing for your family. BD”E

Refuah shelema to Yehuda

Refuah shelema to Shmuel Zev ben Rachel Ita. 

Happy Birthday Ezra Bern!

Happy Birthday Monty!

Happy Birthday Rivi!

Happy Birthday Michelle!

Happy Birthday Estie!

Shabbat January 23-24

Well, we roared into Shabbat last week with Nadav and Aryeh in tow, having crossed the country to bring them from Efrat to Netanya. The drive is as little as 1hr 22 minutes, and as long as 3 hours  😒  depending on the highway traffic. Fortunately, Friday is the quietest day of the week, as people are preparing for Shabbat, so driving was relatively painless. We were invited to Friday night dinner at Lori and Alvan’s down the block and then came home to play rummy cue, read books and spend quality time. Shabbat morning, we attended our local synagogue (with Nadav leading part of the service!) and came home for a great lunch and more games and a walk. Saturday night was movie night with our world famous Mac and Cheese, made with Bothwell’s aged Canadian Chedder! No complaints on any count. 

One of the purposes of the Shabbat away with the boys was to give them a day with grandparents, so we had them “play hookie” (an outdated term if there ever was one) and after breakfast Sunday we went to an escape room! We were tasked with finding a bomb planted on the London Metro that was going to destroy the underground, but the authorities had decided that they would try to abort the explosion by flooding the Metro with icy water! We had 60 minutes to disarm the bomb, or we would die like frozen rats! OK, I know it’s a game, but it still gives you a rush. The other thing that’s important to keep in mind is that going to an escape room with an 8 year old and 11 year old is a very humbling experience, since they are always way ahead of the adults in understanding the subtle things in the game or observing things that adults really don’t see (like handcuffs and codes during the intro video @Nadav!) Thanks to Aryeh and Nadav, we escaped at minute 59! Otherwise, I may not be writing this….

Fresh from the Metro adventure, we headed back to Efrat, but not before a stop at Big Apple Pizza for a quick lunch. We dropped off the kids, then went to pick up Eitan in the pouring rain. When he saw his Savti (Barbara) he started dancing around the nursery! His reward for that amazing greeting, we took him for ice cream and some one-on-one time! Then, knowing that we were to return the following afternoon to take care of their after-school activities we dropped off Eitan and snuk off for a secret evening in Jerusalem, a night at a hotel and dinner out. Where did we go? Well, wouldn’t be a secret if I told you, would it!

Consumer Alert!!  What’s a trip to Israel without a story from Machanei Yehuda, the “Shuk” or Market in Jerusalem? So, Monday morning, after an amazing breakfast at the hotel, we took a 30 minute or so walk to the Shuk. It’s a very fun, high-energy place, and you don’t have to be vegetable shopping to enjoy wandering by the vendors, stalls and restaurants there. One item that we were asked to bring back for Daniella in the US was a special MSG-free onion soup mix recommended on Instagram by Danielle Renov of Peas, Love and Carrots cooking fame. We received an approximate location from Lori and were walking down the aisle when a spice vendor jumped out and tried to get us to taste his tea. I innocently asked if he had MSG-free onion soup (mistake #1) and he said absolutely and he is in a Danielle Rehov Instagram post because he is the absolute exclusive carrier of the soup mix. Barbara was very suspicious, but I gave the guy the benefit of the doubt (mistake #2). So, we went into the shop and in a 5-minute encounter he measured out soup mix but also tried to sell us every spice and tea in the store! In the end we paid a ridiculous amount (mistake #3) for soup mix and tea, just to extricate ourselves from the store. THEN, Barbara checked out the Instagram post, and we found the actual place a few stores down. The owner was very pleasant, the onion soup mix was a quarter of the price, and we (well I, sheepishly) felt taken! So, here is the tip: Avoid at all costs a spice store called Tavlinei Rambam (Rambam’s Spices). You will know it by the hyperactive vendor trying to get you to try his tea! The man lied about being in the Instagram post and who knows what else!!!

The proper vendor is manned by two older quiet, pleasant men (their Receipt said Abraham and Yehezkel) and the sign over to door is about coffee (which they roast themselves). That is the place to get MSG-free onion soup mix and chicken soup mix too! We have a picture to prove it!

After the escapade in the Shuk, we headed back to the Tamar subdivision of Efrat for a series of afternoon activities. I am sure as parents we did similar runs, but I give Nomi credit for doing this week after week. We picked up Eitan from nursery at 4, then packed everyone up, drove to another subdivision, the Te-enah to drop off Nadav at 4:45 for Tennis, then took Aryeh and Eitan to the Zayit subdivision for Aryeh’s 5:40 swimming lesson. Then back to get Nadav, pick up their dinner at a local Burgers Bar, and get Nadav to the pool for his 6:20 swimming lesson, during which the younger kids ate. You get the idea? Tired yet? Good thing we were two grandparents to divide and conquer.

We drove back to Netanya that evening to prepare for a much quieter Tuesday. This was catch up day, including a bit of shopping and walking in the centre of Netanya, topped off by dinner at HaYekev with Ruth and Itamar Maliach. They shared news of their son Yoel’s engagement, their daughter Odelia’s baby and stories of their other kids, including Yonatan who moved to Warsaw with his family for a 3-year position and now are spending time in Gao, India.

Wednesday brought a special Denver Reunion, with Zev and Debbie Kessler who live in Jerusalem, joining the Netanya gang (Lori and Alvan Small and us) for brunch and a day along the water. 

We have planned a special Shabbat for this week, taking Nomi and Elan’s family and Ariel and Gila’s family to the Dead Sea for Shabbat. Thursday thus was preparation and travel day, as we finally settled into the Vert Hotel in the early evening. After a dinner at a local shawarma place, the younger kids went to bed and the older kids (adults and children) hung out and enjoyed being away and prepared for the next day, a planned trip to Masada. 

The Hotel Vert Ein Bokek (Dead Sea Area) seems to be the more desirable hotel for people from Cote St Luc, based on a very unscientific survey. The hotel used to be known as the Crown Plaza, but most Crown Plaza’s in Israel have been ‘converted’ to the Vert brand, I guess to look like an energy conserving hotel chain. The setting for the hotel is beautiful; we can see the sea (say that 10 times fast) right out our window; the other rooms have a gorgeous view of the craggy hills, characteristic of the dessert landscape. The hotel itself is under renovation; the rooms are a bit dated, but functional, and a new spa will be opening soon. However, it was 24C, and sunny, so we were fine with the outdoor pool and the beach! As this is being written, we have the news on and they are talking about the -16F temperatures, the storm and the ice cancelling hundreds of flights on the east coast. Montreal is not much better, so you are invited to join us here!

Ein Bokek is 15 minutes from Masada, the famous fortress in the desert built by King Herod who ruled Israel as the Roman Protectorate and was responsible for the elaborate re-construction of the Second Temple. Herod’s fortress had great cisterns and storehouses, bathhouses and swimming areas, all the comforts of home in the dessert with enough provisions to last months. That came in handy following the Roman destruction of the Temple and all of Jerusalem. One of the last stands against the Romans was a band of refugees and soldiers who holed up in Herod’s Fortress. Unfortunately, the strength of the Romans was too great and; rather than be captured, the last stand colony committed suicide the night before the Romans were to attack. The ruins have been preserved and some reconstruction was performed by archeologists, meaning it is a fascinating and exquisite historical site to visit. 

Bruce accompanied Elan’s family plus Elisha to Masada, while Barbara stayed with Ariel Gila and the girls to check out the beach and the gorgeous pool. The water in the dead sea is extremely salty, so not for swimming but amazing for buoyancy. Meanwhile the pool, while a touch chilly, was very fun for the kids!  

Shabbat will be at hotel and so I suspect we will have some good meals and family time. We can update you next week!

 We wish you a safe and peaceful Shabbat Shalom!

Barbara and Bruce

We wish Michelle and Eddie Schwartz condolences and much comfort following the passing of Michelle’s mother, Vickie Kampler. May her memory be a blessing for the family. 

Happy Birthday to Linda!

Happy Birthday to Roanne!

Happy Birthday to Jacob!

Happy Birthday to Ezra Bern!

Happy Birthday to Barbara, the best Savti, Mom, Sister, but most of all the best partner in life anyone could possibly want!

Refuah Shelema-we wish Shmuel Yosef ben Alexandra Ariella a speedy recovery

Refuah Shelema-we wish Avraham Ephraim ben Kayla Shoshana a speedy recovery

Shabbat January 16-17

This will be a bit of a quick blog, since we ran into traffic picking up our precious shabbat guests (Aryeh and Nadav, grandchildren from Efrat!) So, we’ll type as fast as we can and post just under the wire! 

The main concerns here this week, as last but ramped up somewhat, is the tenuous relation between Iran and Israel, between Trump and Netanyahu, between Trump and The Ayatollah, and what the protests and civil unrest will lead too.  The lack of media presence and the issues that are the root causes of the protests, meaning the brutality of the regime, the autocratic, theocratic rule with the oppression and lack of freedom are rarely mentioned by CNN and other so called Legacy media. You want the real scoop? Read and Israeli paper. Iran has been front and centre. The other preoccupation is, what will trump do? Will he or won’t he? Will Iran respond by bombing Israel (which is only a logical response in the minds of Islamists and perhaps the extreme left)? What will Israel do? And practical things, like should we keep a supply of matches, batteries and water handy for emergencies? What do you do with those batteries and matches anyway?  However, so far so good, and things are simmering, but not boiling, which is probably for the best. 

Aside from doom scrolling and news watching, we had as full a week as usual! Last Shabbat was spent in Netanya with Gila, Ariel, Elisha, Ora and Adi. We had fun preparing the food (as usual it looked like we cooked for 20 instead of 7) and played lots of games, took walks, and had Lori and Alvan join us for Shabbat Lunch. This led to some very interesting conversations (too many details for now!), and everyone enjoyed. Post-Shabbat we returned everyone to Petach Tikvah and then spent the rest of the evening restoring our apartment to its usual status. 

The rest of the week flew by. On Sunday, we took a long walk along the boardwalk in the part of Netanya known as South Beach, near where the city has built a second elevator from the cliff to the beach. On Monday, Bruce attended some meetings with Allergy colleagues at Sheba Hospital near Ramat Gan where he spent his sabbatical last year. We’re working on some very interesting collaborative projects. Monday was also Ariel’s birthday, and though we had other evening plans, we got to take him out for a really nice lunch at a nearby café. The rest of the day included several other zoom meetings and dinner at the Gough’s, our neighbors from Manchester England, who, although they have been in Israel 40+ years sound very British with a distinct Manchester accent! They are super nice people, and we enjoyed talking about travel and other fun things. 

Israel is a place with extremely temperate weather so an interruption to that pattern send people into a tizzy! Therefore, at the prediction of torrential rains and winds for Tuesday, the country basically shut down. The rain and wind started just around midnight, and was very heavy. In fact, it caused our friends, the Kesslers, from coming to a planned visit. Fortunately, the brunch we prepared was still enjoyed by us and the Smalls, and we look forward to seeing Zev and Debbie Kessler next week. 

More highlights included visiting the relatively new Eli Cohen Museum on Wednesday, followed later in the day with dinner in Binyamina at the home of Maayan and Talia Ben-Sassoon. Maayan is an MD who did a 2-year pain fellowship at the Montreal General Hospital. Barbara (and Helene Kaufman) had tutored their daughter Shaked, who came to Montreal with little or no English. Well, now she is not only fluent in English but won a public speaking contest at her school with a brilliant and funny speech about Recycling and Composting in Canada and contrasted it with Israel. Amazing how she picked up the language!

Thursday we also had a treat, picking up the gang in Petach Tikva from school, treating them to a great lunch and going bowling; the excuse was that we had to babysit till about 8 PM. I am not sure who enjoyed this more, the kids or us, but everyone was smiling all day!

OK, Shabbat is in 35 minutes, and we have Aryeh and Nadav to entertain. I will add some details on Eli Cohen for next week as it is a fascinating story!

We wish you a safe and peaceful Shabbat Shalom!

Barbara and Bruce

Happy Anniversary to Roanne and David!

Refuah Shelema-we wish Shmuel Yosef ben Alexandra Ariella a speedy recovery

Refuah Shelema-we wish Avraham Ephraim ben Kayla Shoshana a speedy recovery

Shabbat Shalom January 9-10

OK everyone, get your walking shoes on, we are going to put everyone through their paces. Although we are not hiking in the Grand Canyon or the Panamanian Rain Forest, we have put on enough mileage between our car and more importantly, our shoes, to burn a few calories to counteract all the great food we are eating here. According to my app we are easily averaging 10K steps a day! So, now, let’s retrace our steps and get a handle on this busy week! 

Shabbat last week was in Efrat with Nomi, Elan and their gang. Everyone was at home, and Shlomo was celebrating his 15th birthday. The weather was bright and sunny, about 15C, and everyone enjoyed the great food (including Elan’s almost award winning cholent, which came in second in the cook off for some absolutely insane reason) and was followed by a Saturday evening birthday celebration with Elan’s version of the Red Burger (our absolute favorite burger place) “Hamburger with Steak” along with movie night. Most of the steps that day were to synagogue or in the neighborhood for a walk.

We stayed over on Saturday night because we were in charge of chauffeuring a couple of grandchildren. So, Sunday morning began by taking Shlomo out to Bagel Café for breakfast, which was fun since it’s always fun to have one on one time, especially with teens. Shlomo is going to high school about 30 minutes from Efrat, and stays at the dorm 3-4 nights a week. When he is home for Shabbat, his school starts around noon, so he catches a bus from his school at 10:30 right across the street from the Bagel Café. We then spent some time at the Malcha Mall supporting the Jerusalem economy while we waited for our afternoon pickup time. We picked up Nadav and took him to his horseback riding activity where he is learning to ride and to train horses. Very cool indeed! Then, off to Petach Tikvah, to attend a double gymnastics exhibition with Adi and Ora. Their gymnastics school has a mid-year show for parents, and in our case, grandparents. It’s quite spectacular what 6- and 8-year-old girls can do in terms of cartwheels, bridges, flips and other contortions! Very fun and the girls made us very proud!

Monday was a beautiful day, and jet lag was beginning to lift, which meant we actually got out into the world before noon! Our friend Gail has purchased an apartment in Netanya about 3km south of our place. We took advantage of a bright, sunny morning to walk along the sea boardwalk to her new place and take the tour. It’s a lovely apartment in a brand-new building with a gorgeous balcony and view of the sea. We wish many years in the sun there! We walked back to the centre of town to continue our walk with Alvan and Lori including a lunch and a few errands thrown in for good measure. Tuesday was errand and shopping day, with trips to Nespresso, Ikea, and Rami Levi (a well-known Israeli Grocery store chain). This allowed us to start preparations for the upcoming Shabbat when Ariel and Gila and their kids are coming. 

Nostalgia time. Way back in the early 80’s a bunch of young married couples moved  north of Van Horn along Westbury and invaded the Shomrim Laboker Synagogue. In those days the famous Cantor Yakov Motzen was there, as well as Rabbi Chaim Denburg, a Montreal fixture for over 50 years. We collectively brought down the age of the shul from mid 70’s to maybe 68? Who knows? However, this bunch of renegades started to the Shomrim Laboker Young Adults’ group, with the great acronym of SLYAG. Fast forward, now we are the people we made fun of in the 80’s. Well, not so much, but the core group has remained friends till today. On Wednesday, Mary Ruth and Ronnie Gehr, who made Aliyah in 2022, visited Netanya for the first time since they moved to Israel. We had a great brunch and then took them for a walk along the boardwalk and into town. We then met up with SLYAG alumni Anne and Jonathan Homa at MoJoSan in the Piano Centre in Ir Yamin, the newest and hippest section in South Netanya. 

After dinner, we went to a fundraiser, Comedy for Koby. This amazing program, featuring an American comedian named Avi Lieberman, stages shows twice a year to raise funds for the Koby Mandell Foundation. This organization provides social and psychological assistance for kids who have lost loved ones due to war or terror attacks. Clearly, they have had an increase in their work since October 7th. Avi brings in 3 other comedians and takes them around the country; this time the lineup included Andy Pilz, Liz Glazer and Rob Shynder. They were excellent, particularly Rob Shynder! This is worth going to (if you are in Israel till the end of next week there are still shows!)

What else is going on here? I must say the news in Israel is somewhat dwarfed by the news in Iran (or whatever can be gleaned from the videos sent by the protestors). It is hard to know how this will play out; we can only hope for a change that brings peace and security to the entire region.  

We did need to stop and cook to prepare for the arrival of Gila, Ariel, Elisha, Ora and Adi. Thursday AM was spent in the kitchen, then a walk north to a whole new development in Netanya called Blue Bay (really lovely apartments and stores) and a drive to Petach Tikvah to pick up the 3 kids for dinner and a sleep over. We woke up early and Elisha and I took another long walk to pick up fresh Challahs and baked goods and other things needed for Shabbat. As we are winding down on time, we will send this out and hope to have more news and insights next week!

Have a warm and amazing Shabbat! 

Barbara and Bruce

Happy Birthday to Ariel

Happy Birthday to Damien

Happy Birthday to Jeff Rein

Happy Birthday to Zev Kessler

Happy Anniversary to Sheila and Billy

Refuah Shlema to Linda

Refuah Shelema-we wish Shmuel Yosef ben Alexandra Ariella a speedy recovery

Refuah Shelema-we wish Avraham Ephraim ben Kayla Shoshana a speedy recovery

 

Shabbat January 2-3, 2026

A New Year, a new trip, and of course, a new blog! It’s so good to be able to chat with everyone again (don’t ask why we don’t do this more regularly!) and to share the fun and excitement of our first week back here in Israel. Of course, no first week would be complete without an almost hair-raising travel story! This one is not quite as crazy as some of our escapes from COVID, but it did take some foresight and advance planning! We had booked flights from Montreal to Israel via Toronto to depart on December 29th, this past Monday. Right after Shabbat last week, the first story on our news feed was that there was an “Orange Weather Alert”! Environment (and Climate Change) Canada has recently changed their alert system to colors. For example, there is a Yellow Snow Alert! You know what that means, don’t you? Don’t eat the yellow snow! OK seriously, as silly as it seems, the color system is supposed to tell us about the “severity” of the weather patterns. The Orange is moderate to severe weather; there was to be an Ice Storm on the aforementioned December 29th, with freezing rain, broken branches, falling power lines, slippery streets, and all that goes along with these lovely events. Seeing this, we decided to try to leave on the 28th if possible. So, we sprung into action and called Air Canada, only to be told that they were unaware that the weather was coming to Montreal, and that the Ice Storm Alert they had was only for Ottawa. They could not extrapolate with Ottawa being just west on Montreal, that we would be having the same weather….OK, call number 1. 90 minutes later, the Air Canada website acknowledged that we Montrealers were in the path of the Ice Storm, so we called back  (I will spare you how long we were on hold or on the better “automatic call back option”) and got an agent willing to move our trip from the 29th to the 28th. Except just as he was about to confirm, the line went dead (must have been the weather). Again, back on the phone, back on hold, and finally, an agent who we could talk to and who moved us from the 29th to the 28th.  However, did you ever try to get two seats together on a flight to Israel less than 24 hours in advance? By a stroke of luck and Barbara’s keen eye we found the one last pair of seats with a window and middle that were open! After a few more technical glitches and another call to good old AC, we were checked in and ready to scurry and finish packing, not to mention finish the dresses Barbara had been working on for Ora and Adi! 

The next day we made our way to the airport, and the trip got into gear. Again, with a last-minute change, we had no guarantee of Kosher food on the flight, so Andy and Mara were kind enough to meet us during our 4+ hour layover with some greatly appreciated sandwiches and snacks. The flight to Israel was otherwise uneventful, with the usual crying babies, people behind us kicking our seats and a lady sitting next to Barbara trying to sleep with a big white blanket over her head which was quite a sight! Had we decided to try to leave on the original flight, we would have made it, but would have suffered through a 3-hour delay on the flight from Montreal to Toronto, and a 4-hour delay for the departure to Israel. You get to pick your poison….!

This week has been short (we arrived Monday) with no major events yet, but still very fun. Monday evening, we were greeted with a visit from Lori and Alvan Small who, as in past years, will be spending a good chunk of the winter down the block from us. Tuesday afternoon (which was when we started our day, thanks to jetlag) we went to Efrat to visit Nomi and Elan’s family and have dinner with them. They all look great and everyone is doing fun things; Shoshana is a senior in high school and just got her driver’s license; Shlomo is dorming-in at the high school he started in September; Nadav is very busy at school, with extra-curricular activities and does horse riding and grooming every Sunday; Aryeh is a soccer wizard and greeted us in his bright orange uniform; and Eitan is 4 and thus the cute little one of the family! We will be spending Shabbat with them as well. 

Wednesday led to a visit with Gila and Ariel and their family which again was fun and an adventure in catching up in person! Elisha, now in 6th grade, is preparing to go to high school next year and is super busy with drama, basketball and other activities; Ora is in 3rd grade and gymnastics (and proudly just got new glasses!); and Adi is a first grader also busy in gymnastics! We had dinner at the new local Café Calma, a two-minute walk from their house, set in a garden with fruit trees. It’s really pretty and the food was excellent. 

It's winter in Israel, which means cooler temperatures (between 10 and 20 in Netanya) and, in good years, quite a bit of rain. Not fun for tourists, but good for the country and it’s agrarian economy. Thursday was predicted to have an 85% chance of rain in Netanya, which appears to have been very accurate. Lots of rain, thunder, lightning and mini-floods. The drainage system in Israel is set up for a country that gets very little rain, so it’s easily overwhelmed by a significant downpour. I am not really sure why; if the Roman’s figured out how to build aqueducts in Caesarea 2000 years ago, why can’t anyone build a modern sewer system to accommodate heavy rains? Come to think of it, it’s a problem in Montreal too, isn’t it? 

The solid dose of rain meant that we did mostly errands at home today, but we did get out to have dinner with Gail who was in Netanya. We tried one restaurant which was having a very big, noisy party, so we left after a few minutes of tympanic membrane shattering music and singing. We ended up in a quieter place, in the Piano Shopping Centre in the Southern part of Netanya known as Ir Yamim. This is a new hot spot, particularly in nice weather when its terraces are full of people. Sadly, that was not the case tonight due to the steady drizzle followed by intermittent thunderstorms! However, dinner was great, and the music was a just the right decibel level so we could converse without shouting (I was going to write “without turning up our hearings aids” but fortunately, none of us have those yet…). 

Now, everyone is asking, of course, how are things in Israel overall? For one, the country is a lot quieter, no ongoing war, no major protests, and of course the newspapers are filled with commentary criticizing everything! Bibi Netanyahu has been making the news hanging out with POTUS Trump, and we can only guess what really takes place in those conversations. Not all is quiet, of course, as the Lebanese border continues to be a challenge due to Hezbollah, and with major protests going on in Iran, the mullahs may want to create a distraction. Let’s hope things will not escalate from there. 

One observation was that there were a lot of people arriving at the airport when we got there. The passport control line was very long and lots of people were in the baggage areas. When Lori and Alvan arrived, they also were pleasantly surprised to see a large number of people in the airport as well. This is supported by the latest tourism statistics that shows that 2025 was much better than the turbulent 2024 year and in particular, since the October cease fire, more tourists have been coming to visit Israel. I think we have a long way to go, sadly, but it definitely looks better than the last couple of years. May 2026 be a year of healing and more stability!

We are in Efrat for Shabbat at Nomi and Elan’s with temperatures going down to 3-4C at night, which is not quite -22 (predicted for Montreal) but still a might chilly for Israel! More about Shabbat and all upcoming events next week!

We wish you a wonderful Shabbat Shalom and best wishes for a year of peace and sanity in 2026!

Barbara and Bruce

Happy Birthday to Alvan!

Happy Birthday to Sheila!

Happy Birthday to Gail!

Happy Birthday to Debbie!

Refuah Shelema-we wish Shmuel Yosef ben Alexandra Ariella a speedy recovery

Refuah Shelema-we wish Avraham Ephraim ben Kayla Shoshana a speedy recovery

Seventh day of Passover 2025

Welcome to Passover, the holiday of Freedom! We have had the pleasure of spending the last 9 days in Israel, crisscrossing the country, spending time with our children and grandchildren, planning activities, meals, special events….Yes, we celebrate Freedom, but by now we are a bit exhausted! Well, exhausted but happy. Ok, here is the rundown!

This Passover blog would not be complete without the backstory of our trip here. So, in January we made our plans to visit Israel, and found an amazing price on a direct flight from Montreal to Athens return. Once we were to get to Athens, it’s a short 2-hour trip via El Al or other airlines to Israel. Recall that in January the cease fire with Hamas had just started and most airlines did not have a reliable spring schedule yet, so we took what we thought was a safe way to get here. Now, we hit April and two days before departure, I get an email saying there may be a work stoppage at one of our destinations that could interrupt travel but nothing had changed as yet. OK, no big deal, right? Then, Monday night, one day before departure, a rumor that all the major unions in Greece were going on strike at midnight Tuesday. Now that’s more concerning. Finally, 7:30 AM of departure day, we get a text that our flight was cancelled and we were being re-booked 48 hours later, which would likely not get us to Israel in time for Passover. OK, time to panic! Fortunately, we took a team approach, thanks to Elan who does a lot of travelling. We were re-routed via Vienna (for a fee we will contest after the trip) and then booked another flight from Vienna on Arkia that got us to Netanya hours before our original itinerary. 

Now, what do you do when you arrive in your apartment 36 hours before Passover? You clean up, shop, and cook! Fortunately, the apartment was in great shape thanks to Barbara’s careful planning, with not much to clean, and kashering and set up was not too bad. Shopping for Passover is chaotic at best, as everyone and their grandmother are out in the stores. We were to be spending the first days in Efrat, so Nomi and Elan were taking care of most of the major preparations, but we were going to be spending time with all the kids in Netanya at various times, so we hustled around and stocked the kitchen judiciously so we could host a few meals and keep everyone entertained!

This year was an unusual one in that Passover started on Saturday night which meant going directly from Shabbat to the Seder; basically, everything needs to be prepared in advance on Friday. The other wrinkle was that although our homes are not allowed any products with leaven in them on Passover (e.g. bread, cake, cereals, etc.) that restriction only came into effect mid-morning on Shabbat, whereas many people try to keep the custom of having special bread on Friday night and Shabbat lunch without destroying all the rest of the Passover cleaning. Perhaps I won’t go into all the details, but let’s just say there are many approaches to pulling this trick off and it engenders much discussion in the days leading up to Passover. In our case at Elan’s home, we pulled this off seamlessly, and after an wonderful shabbat we were ready for an amazing Seder. 

The Seder experience is focused on children; the key is to elaborate on the Jew’s Exodus from Egypt 3500 years ago, which is the birth of the Jewish people as a nation. The Seder is manifested through a book called the Haggadah, a compendium of stories and commentaries that frame the seder. Questions are not only encouraged but seem to be the order of the day! Elan has mastered the art of keeping everyone engaged and getting questions from everyone, be it by tossing out marshmallows and candies to creating (with help from Nomi and the kids) games like Passover Jeopardy! Plus, lots of songs, plays, and children sharing what they learned in school, and it makes for a lively and riveting evening. Since we were engaging kids from age 3-16+, this took a lot of finesse and was really successful. Both sets of grandparents were present, Barbara and I (plus Jenna!) and Karen and Robert Goldberger were there and completely enjoyed sharing this with our kids and grandchildren. 

After the Seder, Passover becomes more routine, with time in synagogue and meals, of course, with lots of food and variations on non-chametz (no leaven) dishes, meaning a lot of potatoes for Jews of Eastern European origin! Then on to the rest of the holiday, called Chol Hamoed, the intervening days of Passover, leading up to tonight which will be seventh and last day of Passover in Israel. 

This time of year is like spring break for Israelis. The entire country is out motoring around. A typical 40-minute drive will take 2 hours. The one-hour drive from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem takes 3. All the venues are super busy. Last year, we tried to arrange things at the last minute, but that did not work at all, so this year we reserved our big family outing from Montreal 2 weeks in advance. And thus, we ended up with Nomi, Elan, Shoshana, Shlomo, Nadav, Aryeh and Eitan as well as Gila, Ariel, Elisha, Ora and Adi at the Stalactite Cave outside of Beit Shemesh. This is really one of the wonders of the world. Found by accident, the cave is a living stalactite cave with ongoing evolution of the rock formations! The lighting is dim, and we wandered through the 20-30 minute self-guided tour really amazed by the incredible diversity of limestone formations. Definitely a must see (check out the pictures!)

After the cave we spent an hour or so in a great park in Beit Shemesh (Apple Park) with a lot of place to wander and climb. Between the two activities everyone worked up an appetite and so where do you take 14 hungry people and still have money for the rest of your trip? Ikea! Kosher for Passover Ikea is the ideal place for a big group (as we found out, a lot of people had the same idea!). No Swedish meatballs, but plenty for everyone!

We left Ikea with Ariel’s family plus Nadav and Aryeh from Elan’s family who slept over Monday night. The rest of Elan’s gang joined on Tuesday mid-afternoon and we went to OneIce, the huge, state-of-the art Olympic size Ice Skating Rink in Kfar Yonah, a few km from Netanya. With a bunch of Canadians, our grandchildren (and their parents) skated rings around most everyone else!

This intense activity also led to big appetites (a common theme) and so dinner was at Ha-Yekev, a superb dairy restaurant overlooking the beach in Netanya. A little more elegant than Ikea, and a good time was had by all. 

We exchanged families on Wednesday, with Elan and Nomi and Co leaving to visit friends in northern Israel (they visited two hiking ranges that looked amazing) and we went to Petach Tikvah for a terrific dinner by Ariel and Gila in celebration of Ora’s birthday! We then took Elisha, Ora and Adi back with us for a sleepover party. The next day, after a prolonged breakfast, we hit the beach, which is always a great way to entertain the gang. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a windstorm which cut the outing short by a bit, but that allowed us to have special movie time for the birthday girl before a fun dinner and bedtime.

So, we now have hit Friday, heading into Shabbat. Since we had not really sufficiently entertained the kids (LOL) we took them to a trampoline emporium called Gravity Park, a chain of play centers across Israel. Then a late lunch and off to Petach Tikvah, where we will be spending Shabbat and the end of Passover with Gila and Ariel. The trip ends Monday evening when we fly to Greece to pick up the return flight on Tuesday (if there is no strike!)

There is a lot to write about the situation in Israel (surprisingly calm despite what is going on) and the state of the world in general (Trump, Canadian election, etc) so perhaps I will post again next Friday from the comfort of our home in Cote St Luc.

We wish you a sunny and (hopefully) warm Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach.

Happy Easter Weekend! 

Barbara and Bruce

Go Habs Go!

Happy Birthday to Ora!

Happy Birthday to Elan!

Happy Birthday to David!

Happy Birthday to Joshua!

Shabbat January 24-25

Last week ended with the Cabinet of Israel approving the final text of Phase 1 of the hostage for prisoner exchange. We went into Shabbat uncertain if the two parties would indeed keep to the agreement, as a lot can change in 48 hours. 

Shabbat started in Efrat with these thoughts on most people’s minds. Elan was asked to speak in Synagogue (the custom in Israel frequently includes a D’Var Torah, a lesson about the Torah portion of the week) on Friday night and not on Shabbat Morning as in North America. He spoke about the fact that when Moses came back to Egypt and demanded from Pharoah that the Jewish People be liberated from slavery and leave Egypt, Pharoah punished the Jews by making their burden of slavery worse. The Jews then verbally attacked Moses for worsening their predicament, and Moses even pleaded with G-d to remove him from this task. However, we all know how the story ends, with Israel’s liberation. The message, of course, is that ultimately, we can’t predict from one course of events how the final story will ultimately play out. In Egypt, the increased burden of slavery led to the 10 plagues, which was followed by the Exodus from Egypt (none of which was easy to for the CNN pundits to predict!) Similarly, for years we were told that Hezbollah is a terror superpower and that engaging them would lead to major destruction. This scenario did not (thank G-d) transpire at all. Thus, even though this hostage deal remains with a lot of questions, we can’t ultimately think that we can predict the unfolding of the whole picture at this early stage.  

Despite all these uncertainties, we transitioned to the usual enjoyment of Shabbat with Shoshana, Shlomo, Nadav, Aryeh and Eitan. Elan and Nomi had cooked up a storm and the table was not only laden with food but with song and discussions. The kids were all in great form and we played games and read stories till quite late. The day started off normally but then around 10:15, we heard a very loud siren. Now, air raid sirens have been a fact of life in Israel since October 7, 2023. Initially, most of the projectiles came in from Gaza, but that calmed down in the fall of 2023 with the start of the war. A large number of missiles were shot by Hezbollah, toward the North of Israel. Fortunately, these have stopped since the ceasefire in November. Now, the main protagonists are the Houthis from Yemen. So, on the first day after the signing of the Gaza cease fire, (which admittedly was to start on Sunday) the Houthis fired two missiles in the direction of Israel. Neither reached the mainland, but the sirens were triggered all over the centre of the country and as far as Jerusalem. We, like everyone else, retreated to a safe room for 10 minutes; we were at the home of a friend of Elan and Nomi’s where Aryeh and Eitan were playing. As with almost all the hundreds of drones and missiles sent to Israel, no damage was done and people returned to the streets within a short time. For Barbara and I, this was our first time in a safe room! In fact, Netanya is positioned in an area that has been spared from the sirens. Hopefully, there will be more calm now as the ceasefire continues. 

After a very cool Saturday night snack based on filling small bags of Doritos with various combos of meat and vegetables (kind of like Nachos in a bag!) we returned home to Netanya with the plan of taking a couple of days off in Tel Aviv. Sunday was to be an auspicious day in the Middle East with the hostage exchange to come at approximately 4 PM. We came to Tel Aviv by bus (driving and parking in Tel Aviv is a pain!) and met Ariel for lunch at a great place near his work. Then we went off to the hotel to check in and take a walk and then catch the news of the hostage release on TV. In Tel Aviv, the area just outside of the Tel Aviv Museum has been set up as an area of vigil for the hostages, known as Hostage Square. We watched hostage square fill up with families and supporters, and at the same time we saw the transfer of the 3 young women from Hamas to the Red Cross, then taken to the IDF and by helicopter to Sheba Hospital where they were to receive needed medical assessment and treatment. They seem to be in good shape and their families, and indeed the entire country, were ecstatic. 

On the flip side, 90 Palestinian prisoners were also released, which also led to much rejoicing. The fact that this was so disproportionate in terms of numbers and in terms of the background of those released; people kidnapped from their homes or the Nova Music Festival versus people committing terrorist acts or even murder has led many to feel that this agreement, like other prisoner exchanges, just puts a big target on the backs of other Israelis. Even a luminary like Alan Dershowitz has written about the deal being extortion, rather than a true ceasefire. However, the vast majority of Israelis are on side with bringing those kidnaped home and even the dissenters agree with saving those who were kidnapped; it’s really the price that separates the factions. 

After several hours of following the various news and commentaries, we went out to a pretty unique place (at least for us!). Qumran is a restaurant in Tel Aviv that had an impressive review. It sounded like a place with dinner and some entertainment at the seating after 9 PM, so we booked a table for 9:15. I admit we were not prepared for the energy and party atmosphere that we encountered. First, we were the youngest people in the place by over 30 years! Second, when they turned up the music and brought in the trapeze and dancers, everyone in the place got up and danced! Then when the flame throwers came out the staff got up on the bar to dance, joined by the young adults. I think this party atmosphere may be typical at Qumran, but I think it also had to do with the relief of the ceasefire and a celebration of the hostages return. In the midst of the dancing, the chef came out and spoke about the hostages. Israeli flags were passed out and used in the celebration. Plus, the music was not typical dance or disco music. What was remarkable was that it was Israeli music and even religious music. It was extremely inspiring to be among so many young Israelis who, despite 15 months of war, were out at night celebrating being Israeli and being Jewish. After the antisemitism that we have witnessed in North America and Europe, we can take a lesson from their optimistic outlook. 

On Monday, we of course were regaled with the inauguration of Donald J Trump as the 47th President. Since there has been enough politics discussed above, I will spare you of the Israeli take (most of it positive about Trump and his cabinet). The day was, of course, spent with our American friends, Debbie and Zev Kessler and Lori and Alvan Small. We met at a café near our hotel and then took a Bbachfront walk with Lori and Alvan. Not swimming weather by any stretch but considering the deep freeze in North America (snow in Texas and northern Florida???) the balmy 20C weather was pretty perfect!

Still in Tel Aviv, we spent Tuesday at the Artist Fair in Nahalat Binyamin and then wandered through the Carmel Market which was buzzing with tons of different foods, vegetable and vendors. After a lovely sunset walk, we bussed over to Herzliya where we met Ruth and Itamar Maliach for dinner. They lived in Montreal in 1999-2000 and we have been in touch ever since, following each other as our kids grew up. It was super nice to see them.

Then, the celebrations continued  on Wednesday with a birthday dinner at Lechem Basar in Petach Tikvah which combined Ariel’s January 12th birthday with Barbara’s January 23rd birthday! January is apparently a big month for the family!  Dinner was followed by babysitting Elisha, Ora and Adi so that their parents could quietly go out for a bit. One of the best parts of grandparenting! Not to be outdone, we drove to Efrat on Thursday and had another, informal birthday dinner with Nomi and the Efrat kids (Elan is away in Toronto). It was even Shoshana’s half birthday (July 23rd!) This gave us time to visit the kids and say goodbye as we are taking off Sunday. Our final Shabbat is in Petach Tikvah with Gila, Ariel, Elisha, Ora and Adi so we could be close to Netanya after Shabbat to close down the apartment. 

So we are reaching the end of this very enjoyable time in Israel, where we witnessed Hannukah, the holiday of lights, celebrated special birthdays and other special times, and for the first time in 15 months see some optimism for a more peaceful period in Israel. May we experience more joy and may the world experience less trauma going forward this year!

We wish you a Shabbat where everyone can dream of a better world to come

Pray for the safe release of the next group of hostages on Shabbat!

Barbara and Bruce

Happy Birthday Monty!

Happy Birthday Roanne!

Happy Birthday Jacob Mazer in Toronto!

Happy Birthday Ezra Bern! 

Mazel Tov to Uri Hofman on his engagement to Candace! Mazel to his parents, Elaine Brandt and Alan Hofman!

This weekend is the shloshim or 30-day memorial of our dear friend Mr. Josef Levkovitch, of blessed memory. There are events celebrating his life this coming Saturday and Monday nights. May Zigui and Rivi and their family always be comforted by his memories. 

We also learned of the passing of Asher Loterman. Asher was an Israeli who sat in the back of Beth Zion and greeted all who came in. He gave candies to the kids and snuff to the adults and was very gregarious and generous. We talked about Israel often and shared stories and deals on flight tickets. His friendliness and bright countenence will be missed. BD'E