December 15-31, 2010

Welcome to this special edition of our travel blog. Barbara and my mother Phyllis arrived in Jerusalem on December 16th in anticipation of a new arrival to the Mazer family. After a few days of waiting, hanging out, visiting some of Jerusalem’s great restaurants, and spending a terrific Shabbat in the Old City, it finally happened. On Dec 22nd, Nomi and Elan were blessed with a baby boy, beautiful and healthy! The family celebrated the arrival of their new son, grandson and great-grandson with a spirited Shalom Zachar (welcome to a new boy), a custom celebrated the Friday night after a male child is born. There was lots of singing, Divrey Torah (words of Torah) and visits by friends and family alike, including the Lefkovitches, cousin Danielle from Edmonton, Steven Lerner, the Wagners from Toronto (Monty’s in-laws) and anyone else who would trek to Elan and Nomi’s apartment in the Old City. Of course, Bruce was “stuck” in frozen Montreal, but managed to celebrate on his own with the Lerner’s and other members of Ahavat Yisroel synagogue. The most excited was Big Sister Shoshana, 2 ½, who was very welcoming of Baby Brother (but could not figure out why he wouldn’t pay attention to her “reading” him a book!). From the time that led up to the birth and certainly after, Barbara (Safti) and Phyllis (Grandma) spent lots of Shoshana time, meaning pick-ups from Gan (day care), playing in the park, sleepovers, even time on Shabbat to let her parents sleep a little. This was great re-acquaintance time; after we spent 2 months here this spring, the closest we got to Shoshana was on Skype (although she did try to have Barbara tie her shoe on Skype once, it is not quite like being there!)
Finally on Monday evening, Bruce arrived, having bypassed the storm in Philadelphia, and luckily being routed to Israel via Paris instead of on his scheduled USAir flight. So, more visits to the new baby, more Shoshana outings, like our trip to the zoo, and more time to show grandma around Israel, since her last trip was in 1996. This included a visit to the newly renovated Israel Museum, which was updated and opened for business this fall. It has an enormous collection of treasures that tell the story of the history of Israel and the Jewish people, from early prehistoric artifacts, through the biblical periods and medieval and modern times. A highlight is the reconstruction of 4 synagogues from places like India, South America and Europe, plus the famous Dead Sea Scrolls and the scale model of Ancient Jerusalem during Temple times. Definitely worth a few hours rain or shine.
On Thursday, the big day arrived. The new baby was 8 days old, and we were going to celebrate his bris (circumcision). This is, as you probably know, a very special event in the life of a new-born Jewish male. The brit took place where Elan works and studies (Ariel studies there as well) and is located in the center of the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. The Beit Midrash (study hall) overlooks the Western Wall, and the view is breathtaking and spellbinding. You are steps away from one of the holiest places on Earth, certainly the holiest for Jews. This is an amazing setting for the entry of a new Jewish male into the community of Israel. We were joined by a warm and amazing crowd of family, friends, and well wishers including Elan’s many students and classmates, Nomi’s friends and family, and a great collection of Montrealers and ex-Montrealers (you know who you are!!).
The most auspicious part was the naming of the baby. He is named Shlomo Yehuda, after my late father Sidney (Shlomo Henoch) Mazer. His name is very Regal, reminiscent of King Solomon and Yehuda, Jacob’s fourth son, from whom the great Royal dynasty starting with King David arose . Elan spoke beautifully and eloquently about his family, his amazing wife and partner Nomi, and the reasons behind the names.
As you may know, we have had a very difficult few months, with the passing of my father in August and Barbara’s mother Molly Samuel in November. The amazing continuation of the life cycle with the arrival of Shlomo Yehuda helps carry on the torch of those who gave life to us, who taught us so much and whose legacy we pass on. In fact, Sholomo Yehuda’s name includes the remembrance of Barbara’s mother, whose Hebrew name was Malca or Queen. As Elan intimated, this is a fitting combination of names for a baby with tremendous potential and who will carry forth the Regal traditions of his great grandparents and who, we hope, will always proudly portray his heritage as did those he is named for.
With this, we wish you a wonderful, warm and peaceful Shabbat, with time to reflect on what is really important in life and how important it is for us to be true to the legacy of our parents and families.

Shabbat Shalom
Barbara and Bruce

June 26th- July 2, 2010

The most interesting and fun part of our last two long trips to Jerusalem has been the lack of a touristy feel to it. We tried to be citizens of the city, working, shopping, cooking (lots of that) and being part of this magical city with its incredible history. So now, we have thrown caution to the wind, and become tourists for a spell. Hang on, it’s a fun ride.

Friday in Netanya, we collected all the Mazers as they arrived from their various homes; Ariel from the south (below Be’er Sheva), Monty and Daniella from the North (well Haifa is North of Netanya!) who all came by train, and Shoshana, Nomi and Elan who drove in from the East, Jerusalem, (Guess who drove; right, not Shoshana). Shabbat at the beach was great. We stayed, as noted last week, at a great hotel, the Seasons, were every room has a huge balcony overlooking the Mediterranean. We had our Shabbat meals in Kiryan Sanz, a Hassidic enclave that features the Galei Sanz Hotel. The meals were, as we say, Heimish (like at home, or more like, your bubbie/grandma’s kitchen) and the atmosphere was very Eastern European. Seriously the food was good and plentiful, but before you make reservations to stay there, I can show you some pictures of the place,,,,(Hamayveen Yaveen aka a word is sufficient to the wise).

We enjoyed our walks along the boardwalk between the hotels, spent lots of time in the park with Shoshana, and lots of chatter, singing and chilling. A Shabbat to remember. However, by Saturday night, the couples were heading back to their respective homes, primarily to work on exams and prepare for the week ahead. Ariel had to catch a train early Sunday morning, but that gave us some time to wander on the pedestrian mall near the beach, grab a slice of pizza (or a crepe) and hang out for a while.

So now that we were alone in a lovely beach town, what do you do? You go for a long walk along the shore, hang out on a lounge chair and then do some cool touring. Sunday afternoon, we drove about 20 minutes North to Caesarea, the legendary city where King Herod built a palace on a cliff overlooking the sea (everyone wants a beachfront property….) and the famous Amphitheatre of Caesarea which is used for shows up until today (ticket prices have gone up a bit, though). They were setting up for a show and some type of party while we were there. The ancient town of Caesarea, as most of Ancient Israel, changed hands a few times; Pheonecian, Greek, Jewish, Roman, Byzantine, Crusader, Marmaluke, Muslim, Ottoman, and British before it returned to become part of Modern Israel. The ancient town has been excavated and the part that is open to the public is greatly expanded since our last trip there. There is a whole hippodrome from Herod’s time (app 40 BCE), Byzantine bathhouses, Crusader fortresses, and even a Mosque built on the opposite peninsula from the amphitheatre. If you like mosaics, there are some great ones unearthed there. Then, the area around the mosque has been gentrified into an artist colony, with upscale shops, quirky but neat gifts (did you ever see a draidle that tells you nice things to say to your wife, or one that has excuses for your wife to give you?), fancy restaurants and even a seaside sushi shop. A mix of old and new. There is an ancient synagogue (we were told that it is not really viewable, the dig is still in progress) and the marvelous Roman Aquaduct that brought water to the thriving port community in its ancient heyday.

Next (same day!) we drove North-East to Zichron Yaacov, one of the original wine making towns in Israel. The town was established in the 1880’s and the raison d’etre has not changed much; it is still the home to several of Israel’s best known costal vineyards, including Carmel, Tishbi, Binyamina and several smaller, boutique wineries. We arrived in early evening, and enjoyed the small city center with its artsy boutiques. Dinner was at a dairy restaurant called Nili, where most main dishes or specialty appetizers come with a glass of house wine included. Our kind of place. We sat under the stars and appreciated the freedom that the past generations worked hard for to give us a country to enjoy, and fruits of its vines to savor.

Monday was no less packed. We wandered around Netanya in the morning, with another long beach walk (past the beach at Sanz). This time, we drove south in the PM, to Herzliah, which is another resort city, but more built up with fancier hotels. We took in another archeological National Park, this time Appolonia, one we had never heard of. It too had a long history as a port town, but never really recovered after the Marmelukes (early 1200’s; you know, Saladin the Great?) defeated the Crusaders 3-2 on penalty kicks (a little World Cup Joke) and then raized the Crusader castle. There is still quite a bit of the castle standing, which makes for an interesting hike. The park is undergoing increased excavations, so more is in store for the future…

Monday night was another real treat: we were invited to a Barbecue in the town of Nofei Pratt, just south of Maale Adumin, home to Hadas and R’ Nir Grossman. The Grossmans were in our Kollel for 3 years until 2007. They invited several Montrealers who had moved to Israel (all in Maale Adumim); the Singers, the Bouzlans, Moshe the former owner of Yakimono Sushi and his wife (sorry, forgot her name!!) and Ian and Andree Ellbogen, who like us, were still tourists. I am really sorry that I left the camera in the car, as it was a nice reunion. Good thing that Tuesday was a fast day, since they prepared a ton of food!

Tuesday commemorated the 17th day of the Jewish month of Tamuz, which is an annual minor fast in the Jewish calendar. It commemorates five tragic events that tradition holds befell the Jews on that day; the most famous are the destruction of the tablets by Moses because of the sin of the Golden Calf, and the General Titus breaching the walls of Jerusalem in 70 CE. 3 weeks later, the 2nd holy Temple (built during Persian times and then expanded and beautified by Herod in the later years of his rule) was destroyed, which is commemorated by the Fast of the 9th day of Av (Tisha B’av). Thus, this launches the period of mourning that are called “The Three Weeks”, during which time weddings and celebrations are not held, and other, semi-mourning practices are followed.

By Tuesday night, we were allowed to eat again, and, joining us were Lori, Alvan and Jacob Small who arrived from New Jersey that afternoon, We broke the fast in the cool Jerusalem evening at a sidewalk café on Azza street. This is the Bagel Café, highly recommended for a great, fresh sandwich (this is not a paid announcement). Wednesday was back in touring mode, with the Smalls in tow. We took off for Tel Aviv University and the fabulous Palmach Museaum. This is a really creative way to take a history course, through film and interaction with the characters. It really causes one to pause and wonder how, under the conditions that the people of the fledgling Jewish state had in the early 40’s, they possibly could have won the wars against such huge surrounding populations. Clearly determination was a major factor, with some desperation thrown in. That was reinforced in our afternoon visit, to the Ayalon Institute. From 1945-48, a kibbutz on a hill North of modern day Rehovot had a secret mission: to be the bullet supplier for all of the Jewish state. The Kibbutz produced 2.5 million bullets in 3 years, right under the nose of the British. How did they do it, you ask. I think you’ll have to go your self to see; it’s too good a story to spoil! (There is not even a Wikipedia entry on it, that’s how secret it is). These two museums were sandwiched between a jaunt on the beach in Tel Aviv and a great lunch in Rishon LeTziyon. If that wasn’t enough, we topped off the day with dinner at Mamilla mall (Café Rimon) with Nomi and Elan (and Shoshana for desert!)

Thursday was a regular day at the lab, and Barbara visited with her colleague Racheli from Tel Aviv. We spent the evening with Ruth and Itamar Maliach, ex of the Bank Hapoalim Branch in Montreal; it was great to see them and catch up.

Erev Shabbat, we (Mazers, Smalls and Rifka and Alex Guttman) were off to Ir David, the City of David “where it all began”. This was the first unified capital of the Kingdom of Israel under King David, and remained the center of the Jewish world for over 300 years, till the Babylonian invasion of 560, and destruction of the first Holy Temple. The excavation has unearthed homes (including a 3000 year old toilet seat, always a good conversation piece); the area of the King’s palace, and the route that brought water to the city (which is a subterranean tunnel over 3600 years old), as well as the tunnel that redirected the water to the city, built in the time of Hizkiyahu during the Babylonian invasion. Some of us actually waded through this tunnel (thirty minutes in water ranging from ankle to thigh deep) and the other took the “dry route”. So the next time someone tries to convince you that a century old home is a piece of history, you can say that is actually more like infancy…

This was followed by lunch on Ben Yehuda and a quick, lovely, chaotic trip to the central market, Mahanei Yehuda. Lori, surveying the thousands of people pushing and shoving for fruit, veggies and fish (and everything else imaginable) asked when the best time to shop there is. The answer is, it depends. If you want to just shop quickly, come early in the morning. It is quiet and efficient. If you want a bargain, come at the end of the day. The closer to Shabbat, the lower the price. It appears everyone loves a bargain…

Shabbat will again be a special treat, with the Smalls, the Guttmans (Guttmen?), and Ariel joining us. Of course, Shoshana and her parents will be coming for at least one meal!

We are “unfortunately” back to reality starting next Wednesday, but there will be an entry next week to wrap up this trip and share some thoughts.

We wish you all an amazing Shabbat

Barbara and Bruce

Mazel tov to my brother Andy, who’s birthday I forgot to add to this blog last week. Happy Birthday, bro!
Happy Birthday to Steve Fiter, and many more!

Happy Second Birthday (Hebrew calendar) to Shoshana!

Most of all, Happy Anniversary, Barbara, my best friend and partner in all things.

Refuah S’hlema (a complete and speedy recovery) to Gilad Schwartz (Gilad Hillel Ben Bracha Mirel)
Refuah S’hlema (a complete and speedy recovery) to Sylvia Fruchter (Zissel bat Bella)

June 19-25

As I write this I am looking over onto the beach of Netanya, gazing at a lovely sunset as we prepare to walk into town to just wander and find somewhere for dinner. We are ending our week at the Seasons Hotel on the cliff above the waters of the Mediterranean. We have been joined for Shabbat by the rest of the Mazer clan in Israel, to cap off another lively, busy week here. Yes, we know that back home there is a lot going on as well, especially busy with weddings and other s’machot. As we share in your s’machot from afar, its time to share thoughts and events from our corner of the world….

Shabbat in Jerusalem last week saw Ariel join us from the south, needing some home cooking. Friday night, Ryan Fiter joined us as he was spending his last Shabbat in Israel (for this academic year). He looked great, and had a terrific year. I’m sure his parents are very happy to have him home. On Shabbat we were joined by Nomi, Elan and Shoshana, as well as Yizchock and Pnina Zocher, ex of Montreal and Hebrew Academy. As always, Yitzchok was the consummate educator; he came prepared with Trivia about the Parsha, about the name of our street and other things, all written on cue cards that fit in his pockets! We went out to a local sushi place after Shabbat.

Sunday in North America was Father’s Day. In Israel, every day is Father’s Day (OK, it’s better than saying they don’t really care about fathers…) So, instead of breakfast in bed, I got up at 6:15 and went to minyan and work, like every other Father’s day (except Shabbat of course!). However, we had decided to do some errands that evening on Emek Refaim (like fight with the Pelephone people for the 100th time) and so we decided to have dinner out, which we will consider a Father’s day dinner (well, not the same without all the kids, but it was a work day). Then we went to the Jerusalem Artists Workshop, which is across the street from the Mt. Zion Hotel. During the Jerusalem Light Festival, the Cardo was turned into a street fair for artisans, who sold everything from freshly blown glass to flowers and fruit with lights inside. We saw a really pretty fired clay wall hanging with gold inlay and colored inserts, looking like stained glass when the light is on. Everyone is invited over to see it, when it is hanging! So, after our dinner, we went to the Artist’s studio to purchase this piece; we saw her workplace, the kiln which heats up to 1200C and other accoutrements. If you like the wall-hanging we also have Tehila’s business card…

“Its not the heat, it’s the humidity” department: You know it’s hot when you go outside and even if you drank a litre of water 5 minutes before, you need to drink again. We had three days this week of 36 degree heat, with humidity of 10%; Ariel said in the south, near Be-er Sheva, it was 44 degrees, again with almost no humidity. A dry heat? Try sticking your head in the oven (not gas, though, the fumes can get you). It’s still hard to breath, let alone walk or run! Fortunately, by Tuesday afternoon the winds came in over the hills, and cooled things down to a much more comfortable 30, with evenings in the high teens in Jerusalem. It even cooled down a bit in the south (still pretty hot though).

You know, we talk a lot about controversies in Israel, about politics, security, world reactions, etc. But after two sojourns here at Hebrew University, I think it’s time to just reflect on some of the positives. Both Barbara and I have noticed that in the academic community, there is a tremendous energy to act on new ideas, to move things forward, and to get things done. The resources are not great, the facilities are often run down, but the people are talented, highly motivated, and very engaged. If you give a seminar, be prepared for lots of questions and challenges. It is a fun place to do science, just because of the high energy of the people involved.

On Monday night we were invited to the wedding of Dina Ellbogen, daughter of Ian and Andree (our friends from Cote St. Luc). Dina and her husband Yoseph live in Nachlaot, a subdivision in central Jerusalem near the Machanei Yehuda Market, and learn together at a yeshiva that is based on the teachings of R’Shlomo Carlebach. The yeshiva is run by ex-Montrealer Shalom Brott. The wedding was held in the winery at Psagot, in the Binyamin region. The setting was beautiful. 80% of the guests were friends of the bride and groom, many from the Nachlaot “Brestlever Chasidic” community. The ruach (spirit) and music were great, and the crowd was really into celebrating the Bride and Groom. In addition, it was great seeing several old friends, Meytal and David Zviel, Hadas and Nir Grossman, Tsurit and Elad Feligstein, and Lipa Glantz who were all there.

Tuesday was lab and babysitting day, with Shoshana showing us some athletic prowess (see video) and keeping Barbara very busy and entertained. Nomi and I came back from Hebrew U and we all had dinner together, while Elan had his last class at the college where he is completing his B.Ed. Wednesday was a very long lab day, with a bit of a marathon experiment. This gave us just enough time in the evening to pack and get ready to for our holiday on the coast.

Netanya is highly underrated. It is right on the Mediterranean, it has a beautiful beach and boardwalk, and all the trappings for a nice holiday. There is a pedestrian mall right across from the beach and we were able to walk all along taking in the sights; people in café’s, street vendors, and large projections of the World Cup matches (who gets so excited for Congo scoring a goal?). There are dozens of cafes and restaurants with outdoor tables. We walked together after dinner, window shopped and ended the evening with a free outdoor concert on the beach. OK, not exactly the Jazz Festival, but no chance of getting rained out either! One thing about Netanya is that unlike Tel-Aviv or Herzliah, the tourist industry is not really built up; the hotels are not the same as in the better tourist areas, and the city is a bit smaller and not as affluent. On the other hand we are in a great hotel on a beautiful beach for less than other places….

It is the 4th anniversary since Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas and has been held captive with no external contact ever since. Jews in Israel and all over continue to pray for his safe release in the very near future.

We look forward to a great Shabbat in Netanya, and a great week ahead, Our friends from New Jersey Lori, Alvan and Jacob Small are coming to Israel, as are Rivka and Alex Guttman. It is also our last full week in Jerusalem, so it promises to be a packed one!

We wish everyone a warm and wonderful Shabbat!

Barbara and Bruce

Mazel Tov to Dina Ellbogen and Yoseph Tugenburg and their families on their Wedding!
Mazel Tov to Naomi Yunger and Tzvi Glustien and their families on their Wedding!

Refuah S’hlema (a complete and speedy recovery) to Gilad Schwartz (Gilad Hillel Ben Bracha Mirel)
Refuah S’hlema (a complete and speedy recovery) to Sylvia Fruchter (Zissel bat Bella)
Refuah S’hlema (a complete and speedy recovery) to Robert Goldberger (Shmuel ben Sarah)

June 12-18

When we last left our intrepid heroes, they were on the way to Haifa for Shabbat with Monty and Daniella in Kiryat Shmuel, that great little suburb 5 minutes from the beach. Of course, one of the most important parts of getting ready for Shabbat is sending out this weekly contribution to everyone’s Shabbat table (or circular file, or the cyberspace equivalent). I actually wrote it mostly before we left Jerusalem and added the pictures, and uploaded a draft to the web. But, readers, Monty’s wireless router died, and we were unable to access the internet…what to do? Ah, thanks to the magic of cell phone networks, we got to the web site, posted the blog and then emailed everyone a link. Where would we be without technology?

Shabbat was excellent, with terrific food (we have plagiarized a couple of Daniella’s recipes for this Shabbat) shul, sleep, hot weather and a walk on the beach. On Motzei Shabbat we split up, with Bruce going back to Jerusalem and Barbara staying in Haifa as she was speaking at Haifa University on Monday. So, while I went on the bus, Barbara and Daniella went to the mall to buy a new wireless router, so the Haifa Mazer’s house is now completely connected again.

Barbara got to spend two days on the Mediterranean, with another long walk on the beach, dinner from the Fruchter’s hometown in Kiryat Ata, and some quality time with Daniella and Monty. Monday afternoon, she went up to the very top of Haifa where Haifa University is. It is a very striking site, with most of the campus consisting of very low buildings with one very tall (over 20 story) main building right in the middle. From far (like from Monty’s street) you can see the main building clearly rising above the others. The faculty of Rehabilitation is there, and Barbara gave a presentation that was hosted by her colleague Naomi Josmin and attended by therapists from all over the country. As usual, the crowd was very engaged; when you give a seminar in Israel, prepare to field lots of questions, and entertain opinions. You’ve seen Israeli bus and cab drivers, grandmothers and storekeepers? Wait till you see Israeli Scientists! It reminds me of the old joke. Obama and Netanyahu are having a meeting. Obama, in his most patronizing tone, says, “You know, Bibi, I am President in a land of 300,000,000 people.” Replies Bibi; “All due respect, Barack, my friend, but I am Prime Minister in a land of 7,000,000 Prime Ministers.”

Anyway, after the talk the group of Rehab researchers’ went for dinner in Zichron Yaacov, about 2 minutes from Haifa, at the Tishbi Restaurant (yes that of the Tishbi Winery fame). A beautiful setting and a great way to finish the day….except there was still a bus ride back to Jerusalem (from Tel Aviv this time!).

Meanwhile in Jerusalem, Bruce continued with lab work, primarily on a project with Nomi and her lab partner Dahlia. They are making really good progress. I am very impressed at how quickly they picked things up and how organized their work is. The project will continue for several weeks after we leave, but it looks like all the techniques are in place. This week is a big one with some crucial preparations and experiments, so hopefully everything will go well!

It is also soon exam time in Israel, so both Nomi in Jerusalem and Monty in Med School in Technion are going to be spending some intense times with their books. Daniella is almost finished, with only two papers left to complete, and Elan studies all the time, with a different (Rabbinic) exam schedule for his studies.
We rekindled a tradition from our Sabbatical: Tuesday Night dinner with Elan and Nomi and of course Shoshana. Barbara picked up Shoshana on Tuesday afternoon and she played here after her nap. Then everyone came to our house for dinner. In lieu of learning (which was a highlight of last year) we went to the Jerusalem Festival of Lights again. This was the second to last day and the streets of the Old City were packed with people wall to wall. We could hardly move. It was great to see so many people enjoying the Old City and its surroundings. No light shows on the Western Wall; that has remained non-commercial.

Wednesday we decided to check out the Bible Lands Museum, a little gem (but underused) on the same campus as the giant Israel Museum. This museum was established in 1987 and is based primarily on the private collection of Dr. Eli Borowski, a professor of Antiquities who lived in Toronto. His wife was the first curator and is still very active. The theme is based on relics and artifacts from the countries that contributed to the personalities and stories of the Tanach (Bible) from before Abraham (app 4000 years ago) through Moshe and Egypt, till the Exodus and return to Canaan, the times of the Judges and Kings and the two expulsions from Israel and Temple destructions. In keeping with the theme, artifacts from Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia and Turkey are all included. We and the Gehrs participated in a great English tour of the main exhibits and then had another tour of their new exhibit on Jewish Magic called Angels and Demons. Definitely a great place to visit. The evening was topped off with sushi for dinner and lots of chatter about being a grandparent (we have all come a long way, I guess!)

We need this like a hole in the head department: As if there is not enough negative publicity in the Jewish world today, with Gaza, flotillas and spy scandals, the headlines in Jerusalem were of 100,000 black garbed Haredim protesting in the streets of Jerusalem and in Bnei Brak. The nature of the protest has to bewilder those of us who come from communities like Montreal, where Ashkenazim and Sepharadim work together to strengthen institutions, learn together and work together. This protest had to do with the Emmanuel school, a girls school populated mostly by Slonin Hassidm, but part of the government school system. The school has segregated areas for the Sepharadi girls; walls have actually been built to separate the two groups. The government has ruled against the school, and in a landmark decision, ordered parents of over 30 Hasidic families imprisoned for 2 weeks because they refused to send their children back to school after the walls were removed. Integration of one group of religious students with another can only ultimately strengthen both, but clearly there is a lot of support for segregation not only among the Chasidim and especially their spiritual leaders. Now to be fair, maybe the government did not have to put people in jail for keeping their kids out of school (so they could become heros to their communities). And to be fair, the Chasidic leaders did not have to call a huge rally in their honor). But they both did, and nobody ends up looking so good. We have Turkey and Iran on one side and…..what next?

And to top off our week, we had a wonderful sleepover party with Shoshana, who continues to stampede along with her vocabulary and lead the league in cuteness. Friday morning we wandered around with her doing errands and ended up in the Jewish Quarter to return her to her parents and pick up Ariel for lunch. Shabbat will be in Jerusalem, and we have Ariel and Ryan tonight for dinner, with Elan, Nomi and Shoshana and Yitzhak and Pnina Zocher joining us tomorrow. Next week, we plan a mini vacation to Netanya starting Thursday and hopefully all the Mazer’s will be together there next Shabbat!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Shabbat,

Barbara and Bruce

Mazel Tov to Dina Ellbogen and Yoseph Tugenburg and their families on their upcoming Wedding!

Mazel Tov to Naomi Yunger and Tzvi Glustien and their families on their upcoming Wedding!

Mazel Tov to Anna and Ivan Lerner on Stephen being honored by the Israeli Army at a dinner in Montreal!

Refuah S’hlema (a complete and speedy recovery) to Gilad Schwartz (Gilad Hillel Ben Bracha Mirel)
Refuah S’hlema (a complete and speedy recovery) to Sylvia Fruchter (Zissel bat Bella)
Refuah S’hlema (a complete and speedy recovery) to Robert Goldberger (Shmuel ben Sarah)

June 5-12, 2010

“Yerushalayim Oro Shel Olam” “Jerusalem is the Light of the World”

This is a statement in the Babylonian Talmud. While there is obviously a lot of debate in today’s world about this statement, the city of Jerusalem has created a modern context: the Second Annual Jerusalem Festival of Lights! This is a series of concerts, displays and sound and light shows that started on Wednesday June 9, and will continue for a week. The main areas that are on display are in an around the Old City (see Complaints department, below). Last night, we kicked off the festivities by going to the opening concert, a sound and light show featuring the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Picture this huge outdoor venue at the Sultan’s Pool outside the walls near Zion Gate, with grandstands, a stage, hundreds of lights and pyrotechnics, and no contingency plans for rain! Pretty slim chance of rain here in the summer. It was a great concert, amazing acoustics and super venue (in spite of the high winds and chilly temperature). We went to the concert with Mary Ruth, Ronnie and Elinor Gehr (real musicians), who then joined us as we wandered through the Old City and took in the lights and displays. It was very impressive and well worth the time to go. We actually only saw about half of what there is going on.

Complaints Department 1: Now the other side of the coin. As many of you know, Nomi, Elan and Shoshana live in an apartment just off the main square of the Jewish Quarter of the old city, right opposite the newly re-built Hurva Synagogue. Of course, this was prime territory for a very impressive but loud animation on the history, destruction (twice) and reconstruction of the Hurva (complete with Shwecky and Avraam Fried music, for those in the know). This was great for us onlookers, but since it went on till 12:15 AM, those living in the buildings all around were kind of annoyed by the noise (not to mention by their crying babies who could not sleep). As of this evening the families in the environs seem to have negotiated that the light part of the sound and light show will continue till closing, but the sound will be turned off at 11. You know what they say: Location, location, location! If it wasn’t for the 3000 years of history in their back yard, this would be equivalent to living on Crescent street on Grand Prix Weekend…but there are significant differences between the Jewish Quarter and Crescent and de Maisonneuve, n’est pas?

Shabbat, where we left off last week, was great, fun and a bit hectic. Monty and Daniella were last minute guests having had a change in their Shabbat plans. We had a great Friday night dinner with the whole family, and then a Montreal Reunion on Shabbat, with the Gehrs, Sutnicks, and Gabe and Ben Homa joining Monty, Daniella, and Ariel at our house. Daniella and Monty visited Daniella’s cousin who just had a baby, and there ample time for napping and reading. Sunday night was dinner out with Elan and Nomi (Happy Belated Anniversary to both young couples in the family!). Monday brought us a special treat. Nomi had a driving test early Tuesday AM in Modiin, so we had a sleep over party with Shoshana. A few of you may have seen the videos of dinner with Shoshana. I may post them on Facebook: they are adorable!! Barbara babysat on Tuesday while Nomi and her lab partner and I worked on an experiment, and then Tuesday evening after dinner we walked a very tired baby (and her Ima) home. To cap it off, Nomi passed her driving test!!

This Shabbat we are headed back to Haifa for more time with Monty and Daniella in Kiryat Shmuel. Barbara will be speaking at Haifa University on Monday, and Bruce will be going back to the lab for a crucial experiment on Sunday and Monday (let's hope it works!)

Wishing everyone a most special Shabbat

Barbara and Bruce

Mazel Tov to Yoni and Jordana, and to Shimon and Brenda Garellek and the Klein family on Yoni and Jordana's upcoming wedding.

Mazel tov to Tamar and Aryeh and to the Feldman and Rossdeutscher families on their upcoming wedding!

Refuah S’hlema (a complete and speedy recovery) to Gilad Schwartz (Gilad Hillel Ben Bracha Mirel)

Refuah S’hlema (a complete and speedy recovery) to Sylvia Fruchter (Zissel bat Bella)

Refuah S’hlema (a complete and speedy recovery) to Robert Goldberger (Shmuel ben Sarah)

May 22-June 4

It’s 9 AM on Friday and we have a special guest for breakfast. Sorry, not an Israeli dignitary. Actually, better. A little blond 22 month old chatty person who loves books and apparently likes Cheerios too….Shoshana. In fact, we also had her company for dinner and for a sleep-over party as her parents did some needed shopping and perhaps got to sleep in a bit. Shoshana entertained us with her rapier wit and extensive vocabulary which includes all the animals, their sounds, and great lines like “Sabi, jump” (no, she doesn’t want me to jump, she wants me to help her jump) as well as lots of “Ani” (me in Hebrew) meaning she wants to do it HERSELF. Of course, in our house, she could probably do anything she wants…

The last installment ended before we left for a week back in Canada. I say Canada, because our travels took us to Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa and even Chomedey. However, the story begins with our first ever Shabbat in the Krayot, a group of suburbs of Haifa. Monty and Daniella moved to Kiryat Shmuel last fall when Monty started Medical School at Technion. At the same time, Daniella continued her political science degree at Haifa University. NEWS FLASH: Congratulations to Daniella who has officially completed her course work for her BA in Political Science at York!

Kiryat Shmuel is a great place to spend Shabbat. It is predominantly a Religious Zionist community, which is pretty unique as it is a no-drive zone on Shabbat. This makes the streets very quiet and safe for children to run around and families to stroll under the sun or hang out in the parks. On top of that, it is next to Kiryat Yam, (the suburb by the sea) which means that it is a 5-10 minute walk to the beach! A good number of the married med students in the same program as Monty also live there, so there is a built in community. So, with Daniella and Monty cooking up a storm, lively weather and davening at the Central Synagogue with its 17th century marble Aron Kodesh (Ark for the Torah Scrolls) brought from Italy, it was an excellent combination for Shabbat. Reservations required.

After watching some of the hockey game on-line (the Saturday game that the Habs lost at home) we took a train to the airport and our trip home began. The week was a bit of a whirlwind, with visits to parents (everyone looked pretty good!), two days at work, Barbara off to Halifax to present at the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists annual meeting (where her good friend Annette Majnemer was being honored with the prestigious Muriel Driver lectureship), and Bruce to Ottawa to sit on a scientific panel. I’m glad it was summer, as we both got home Friday after 7 PM. Shabbat was spent in the company of friends, with Steve and Estie Fiter hosting us, the Reichmans and the Guttmans on Friday night and we hosted Bilha and Orly Fruchter and Bilha’s roommate Jessica for lunch. The best news is that Sylvia Fruchter’s recovery from surgery is progressing well; she is now at the Jewish Rehab center in Chomedey and actually at home this weekend on a weekend pass. It was nice to visit with her. We tied up loose ends on Sunday and Monday and then…..

Back to Israel on Tuesday. This was a tough week in the Jewish Community world wide. As most of you know by now, there was an incident in the waters heading toward Gaza. The blockade imposed by Israel by Gaza is not an imprudent act; the inspection of ships and transfer by Israel of real humanitarian aid, while weeding out the possibility of materials to create weapons is self-protective and therefore, very logical. What is fallacious is the knee jerk condemnation of Israel in response to the events that transpired, with navy soldiers who boarded the ship being ambushed by pipe and chain bearing mercenaries from various countries. This led to a gunfight, in which 9 of the soldiers for hire on the so-called peace flotilla were killed. (If you haven’t been inundated with clips and information, I can provide some…) What I wanted to really highlight was what the reaction was here. As the world judged, and even some Israeli’s thought that the navy had overreacted…yet as the footage came out showing the ambush, the country rallied together. The driver of our taxi started out with “So, what do you think about what’s going on?” and then proceeded to tell us that he can’t believe how blind the world is. The following day, as we were walking to Elan and Nomi’s, there was a large solidarity rally in Independence Park (Gan Ha-atzmaut). With orange and green signs waving, lots of police and helicopters making sure the rally was safe, the concept of standing together and supporting those that protect us was really brought home. Even the spectrum of newspapers were supportive (but of course, Haaretz was still an exception). By and large, except for the most fervent leftists, there is a strong sense of unity here. At least there is a positive after a difficult week on the world stage.

Shabbat started of exciting enough, as we were going to get together with Mary Ruth and Ronnie Gehr (on sabbatical) and Robert and Barbara Sutnick from Tekoa for Shabbat Lunch and Nomi, Elan and Shoshana for Friday night. Then, surprise, Ariel said he was free, so we had another guest. This this morning Monty called and said that their Shabbat plans had fallen through, but they could get a ride to Jerusalem, so would we like guests? Of course! So, we are once again a full house for Shabbat, which is as it should be!

May we all have a Shabbat of Peace and Fulfillment (and full houses!)

Barbara and Bruce

Refuah Shelema to Sylvia Fruchter (Zysel bat Bella)
Refuah Shelema to Gilad Schwartz (Gilad Hillel ben Bracha Mirel)

Mazel Tov to Daniella who finished her requirements and will be receiving her BA from York this summer.
Mazel tov to Ali and Zack Isakow on their recent marriage.

May 14-21

It is always very special to be in Israel, but this feeling is magnified when we get the chance to celebrate one of the chagim (holidays) here. It is special because, like with Christmas or Halloween preparations in North America (to use two very commercial examples), the population of Jerusalem is also busily preparing for the holiday or for that matter for Shabbat. This week we celebrated Shavuot, the festival of Weeks, which marks the anniversary of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. There is a custom that dairy foods be served (since the Torah is compared to milk and honey) and the stores are filled with cheesecakes, cheeses, and other terrific things. The other custom that we always take part in is studying Torah; many people spend the entire first night of Shavuot learning or going to classes. There is an incredible richness of scholarship here, with literally hundreds of Jewish institutions that had some type of study program going on all night.

We knew that, being a holiday, we would want to entertain the whole family, and not satisfied with serving meals to 8 people, we invited other friends and friends of our children who just needed a place to go. The preparations began with a late evening Monday cooking session, an early Tuesday AM shopping at the market (when it is not so crowded and you can actually not be jostled; less fun but more efficient). Then, we learned that Raz Cohen, best friend of Elan and son of our close friends Gabi and Chani Cohen, had proposed to Reut Segal the night before! In our plans, we had actually invited the Cohen family for the first night of Shavuot, and so it was a double celebration; of the holiday and the newly engaged couple. After a great, happy dinner, most of us went off to study; I am pretty sure Shoshana went to bed (as did Nomi and Barbara). The boys and Daniella went to the old city, where we learned Torah at Yeshivat Hakotel; I spent time studying with Ariel and then went to a class that Elan gave which was excellent. The night ended with services at sunrise, overlooking the Western Wall in the Old City. Sorry, no pictures; you’ll just have to imagine, or better yet, try it yourself!

The rest of the holiday included trying to catch up on much needed sleep, and more meals and more friends. We had the pleasure of including more Montrealers in our festivities: Ian and Andree Ellbogen, Ryan Fiter, Nathan Friedman, Steven Lerner, Ronnie Gehr, and had a great lunch with Nomi’s family, Karen, Robert, Adina and Daniel Goldberger. Another lunch was with our friend Eddie Schwartz (Baltimore), his daughter Yocheved, her husband Shua and their gorgeous baby, Avital. We even had the Homa family (ex-Montreal, present NJ) for tea. But wait! Instead of dropping off exhausted when the holiday ended on Thursday night, we were invited to Raz and Reut’s engagement party in Maaleh Adumim! So, off we went; we got to celebrate some more, seeing friends who were living in Israel or who had moved back from jobs in Montreal like our school or the Kollel. It was great to catch up with people and of course to have a l’Chaim with the family who was celebrating.

This was how the week ended, but the beginning was no less hectic, but always enriching. We spent Shabbat in the town of Talmon, a gorgeous place on a hilltop; you can see the Mediterranean from there. The Selah Family, who lived in Cote Saint Luc in 1999 and 2000 (on Sunrise, no less) hosted us. It will be the last time we visit them there, as they will be moving to a new, larger house in another community farther north, in the Shomron. Ariel came along for Shabbat, then he went back to his base.
Monday was the day that the Swearing in Ceremony for the IDF Unit Ariel is volunteering in was to take place. He is working about 40 minutes south of Be-er Sheva, so we rented a car and headed south, with Elan, Ryan and another family from Baltimore whose son is in the same program as Ariel. We brought them a picnic lunch (preferable to the food on the base, for sure) and then visited where he has chosen to spend the next few months. The ceremony was very moving, with every member of the unit receiving a Bible as they pledged their allegiance to the people of Israel. Since the next day was Shavuot, he was able to leave with us right after, which made for a great ride home.

We seem to be doing nothing more than celebrate and eat this week! We are at this very moment in a bus to Haifa, where we will spend Shabbat with Monty and Daniella (who are obviously not sick of us yet after spending 2 days with us this week!) Then this blog goes on hiatus for a week, as we return to Canada for a conference and to say hi to everyone! So next week nothing form Jerusalem, but stay tuned!

Shabbat Shalom

Barbara and Bruce

We wish a huge Mazel Tov to the Gorin Family on the Engagement of their son Avi to Shira Tanny

Another major Mazel Tov to the Cohen Family on the engagement of Raz to Reut Segal of Maaleh Adumim

Mazel tov to Ali Veres and Zach Isakow on their upcoming wedding this week!

Mazel tov to Dr. Yocheved Schwartz- Lindenbaum on her graduation from Sackler Medical School and to Ariel Schwartz on his graduation from Columbia Engineering.

Refuah Shlema to Sylvia Fruchter (Zysel bat Bella)
Refuah Shlema to Gilad Schwartz (Gilad Hillel ben Bracha Mirel)

May 8-14th

Here we are on May 13-14th Rosh Hodesh Sivan, as we head toward Shavuot, and we are experiencing 25-30 degree temperatures and beautiful 17-20 degree nights. Considering that Montreal had snow this week, we think most people would rather be here….so lets talk about what happened in our little corner of the world.

Shabbat last week (where we left off) was amazing. We had a full house, with Monty and Daniella, Ariel and Shoshana sleeping over and Elan, Nomi, and Ryan Fiter joining us at the table for all the Shabbat meals. The table was very lively, although Shoshana went to sleep a bit early after eating a HUGE Shabbat dinner. We had the pleasure of waking up in the morning to our granddaughter, who slept really well, till after 7:30! Most of the men went to pray on Saturday morning at the Hurva Synagogue in the Old City. For those who do not know the story, the Hurva (means Ruin/Destroyed) was built originally in the 1700’s and was destroyed only a few years after it was constructed. It was rebuilt during the 1860’s and was a central part of Jerusalem during the British Mandate, but when Jordan captured the Old City in the War of Independence in 1948, they destroyed all standing synagogues. Over the past few years, benefactors began to rebuild the Hurva, and it is really magnificent. In keeping with the style and code of the Old City, whatever was still present from old Jerusalem stone was incorporated into the walls, and the large domed ceiling and two balconies have been added. Well worth the visit, and the prayers were beautiful and very moving.

We continued with lots of food and talk and singing, and even included a trip to the park with Shoshana and a few naps! Having everyone around for Shabbat was a great birthday present. Monty and Daniella went back to Haifa that night and we will see them again on Shavuot.

Sunday was my first work day, and coming back to Hebrew University and the (now) familiar lab of my host and collaborator Dr. Francesca Levy-Schaffer was fun. I am supervising a couple of projects (including one Nomi is part of), will be doing some teaching, and we will be writing a proposal for more Canada-Israel cooperative science. Sunday was also Mother’s Day, which is not celebrated in Israel, but Barbara and I went to a great Chinese restaurant for a combined Birthday and Mother’s Day Celebration. The rest of the week was equally busy, with work, training our new students, and babysitting.

A major highlight of the week was Yom Yerushalayim, the 43rd anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem during the 6 day war. Prior to 1967, there was no access to either Jewish or Christian Holy places. Since then, Jerusalem Old and New have become home to 770,000 people, and is the visiting place for all three major religions. We started the celebration on Tuesday night by taking a terrific walking tour (3.5 hours) along the rail routes in the city, old and new (a new light rail tram will be opening in 1-2 years, supposedly, although the project is about 6 years behind….sounds like the MUHC). The tour was led by former Montrealers Yitzhak and Pnina Zocher, unbelievably knowledgeable in Jerusalem History and the Bible. Wednesday was the Yom Yerushalyin Parade through the streets of Jerusalem, where thousands of young people (mainly high school and college kids) march thought the streets and then congregate for a huge party at the Western Wall. The Old City was literally wall to wall with people. We did not even attempt to descend the stairs to the Wall, since we would have taken an hour to get down and then another hour to get back up. It was really impressive and although we took pictures, they don’t do the festivities justice.

Sadly, the festival seems to be restricted to the modern orthodox religious population. There were few true Hassidim there, and not that many of the other ultra-orthodox groups. Secular Israelis could also be spotted, but were few and far between. When you consider the euphoria of the moment in 1967 (some great You-tubes exist of the recapturing of Jerusalem; ask Rabbi Ebbin for the links!) and when you consider that for 2000 years Jews prayed to be returned to the seat of religious Judaism, the area around the Holy temple and its environs, you would think that this would be an extremely important national holiday. The truth is that if you pick up the Left-wing paper Ha-aretz, you see the headline “Jerusalem Day celebrates an Illusory Unification”. This op-ed may or may not reflect a sizable percent of the non-dati-leumi (religious Zionist) public; in any case, it bemoans the fact that we have both the new and Old Jerusalem in our hands, but it is on the backs of the displaced people that once lived there. Of course, the op-ed does not mention our history of pogroms and displacement, or the destruction of our holy places, now being rebuilt, that occurred when the city was not part of the state of Israel. I think that we truly can and should celebrate the Unification of Jerusalem, and it was certainly no illusion to almost 100,000 youth and young adults that joined the party Wednesday night!

We started off this segment by discussing the great weather here compared to cold Montreal. I forgot one aspect that makes people want to stay in Montreal….the Habs! Way to go guys! I even listened to the broadcast on CJAD on Monday night (don’t ask why…). The time difference aside, we are all celebrating with our great team! Go Habs GO!

Did we mention that Elan and Nomi were awarded scholarships from the AACI (a Canadian-American organization that supports young people who make Aliyah)? They were presented at a ceremony on Thursday evening, so in celebration we all went out to dinner together with the Goldbergers. The locale, Anna Ticho House, is a restaurant in as pretty a garden as you’ll see in the city. Great food and atmosphere, and Shoshana ate half of Elan’s Onion soup!

We will be spending Shabbat in Talmon with our friends Rabbi Ronen and Michal Sela and family, with Ariel joining us. Talmon is beautiful (I blogged about it last January) and we are looking forward to seeing our ex-neighbors from Sunrise. Stay tuned!

Please wish Sylvia Fruchter (Zysel bat Bella) a Refuah Shelema
Please wish Gilad Schwartz (Gilad Hillel ben Bracha Mirel) a Refuah Shelema

A wonderful Shabbat to all

Barbara and Bruce

Shabbat May 7, 2010

In case you missed us, we are now on round 2. Really! Barbara and Bruce arrived back in Jerusalem on Monday (May 3) after an uneventful flight via Philadelphia, set for a 9 week sojourn in the holy land. 9 weeks? What will you do for 9 weeks? It will actually be quite a ride. Bruce was invited back to the Department of Pharmacology at Hebrew University as a visiting professor. I’ll be teaching, supervising research projects, and hopefully developing an idea I have for more collaboration with several Israeli scientists. Barbara will be working on her research, speaking at a few Universities, and employed in the most important job of all….Babysitting Shoshana!!

Of course, this is not a sabbatical, so things will not be as ‘calm’ as in the fall/winter of 2008-09. We are still doing our regular jobs from afar, and will be flying back in mid visit for one week, basically for a conference and a CIHR meeting, and to check out how all of our respective parents are faring (fine, we are sure!). So if you see us in Canada (Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax…) it’s not a mirage.

This week, like many first weeks, has been an adventure in how to try to adjust to the different time zones. At least the jet lag had one advantage: we got to hear part of the Canadien’s game on Tuesday (too bad they lost). Other than sleep being very topsy turvey, we have set up our apartment (a new locale in Rehavia) and spent most of our free time hanging with Shoshana, Elan and Nomi, who are doing really great. We also had the honor of making a L’chaim with Mary Ruth and Ronnie Gehr, in honor of the Brit Milah of Yosef Akiva, son to Carolyn and Gavi Kaufman and of course brother to Shmuel! Mazel tov and may all the children and grandchildren be healthy and bring lots of Naches (how to translate naches? Pleasure? Joy? All of the above) to their families.

The week flew past, although in jet lag we did not really venture out and retake the pulse of this fabulous city. Well, maybe a little. The weather is amazing and the streets are full of people. The Mamilla mall, our gateway to Elan and Nomi’s home in the old city, is busy with natives and tourists, people from all walks of life and backgrounds. Truly an international city. Thursday night, we were invited to a siyum (finishing a tractate of Talmud) that Ryan Fiter was giving. It is very exciting, since finishing a volume of Talmud is no mean feat. However, it started at 2 AM, which means that maybe we didn’t go. If you go back in the annals of these posts, I did this once before for a speech Elan gave…..In any case we are very happy for Ryan; he makes all of Sunrise Ave proud!

As usual, Friday is an amazing day. I think that jet lag is over; we both got up at a more normal hour; I made it to minyan (where I used to go for prayers when we lived in Katamon, which is equidistant to our new apartment) and then to our old bakery and grocery store to pick up a bunch of things for Shabbat and home by 8:30 AM. We had breakfast and then off the Market, Machane Yehuda. This is the happening place on Friday mornings. It is an outdoor vendor street market, with everything you could possibly want; fruit, vegetables, meat, baked goods, wine; all sold at very high volume (I mean noise!) You have to be fast and know what you want and what you want to pay for it! Then, we met Ariel for lunch, saw Elan for a minute and back to the apartment.

We are very excited about Shabbat. Monty and Daniella arrived from Haifa a few minutes ago and look great! The rest of the Jerusalem crowd, including Ryan, are joining us as well. The apartment has plenty of room and an extra bed room, so in case you need a place to stay in Jerusalem, we are at Binyamin Mitudela 28, apt 6. Let us know in advance as the weekends are filling up fast!

More next week and hopefully more great pictures of Pre-Shabbat and Shoshana!

Wishing every one a Wonderful Shabbat!

Barbara and Bruce

PS: Special Mazel tov to the Gehr and Kaufman families on the birth of Yosef Akiva!

Refuah Shlema to our dear friend Sylvia Fruchter (Zysel bat Bella)
Refuah Shlema to Gilad Hillel ben Brach Mirell (Gilad Schwartz)
Happy Birthday to Bilha Fruchter!

Go Habs Go!