Shabbat December 22

Welcome to our post-Hanukah wrap up! It is said that if you put a group of monkeys together with a keyboard and have them type randomly, that eventually they will create a Shakespearean Masterpiece. I guess that is the hint that I received when I arrived in Israel on Monday, greeted by Barbara, Gila, Elisha and Ora, who picked me up at the airport and whisked me off to join Nomi, Shoshana, Shlomo, Nadav and baby Aryeh at Monkey Park to wander among the assorted chimps, lemurs, macaques, marmosets and many other species. Monkey Park is literally off the beaten track (a small dirt road gets you there on top of a hill) and it’s not a zoo, but rather a sanctuary and breeding ground for monkeys that have been in other zoos, labs, caught in the wild and recovered by animal care organizations, etc. It’s a large sanctuary, with areas that are enclosed and a whole very large section where the smaller monkeys (particularly Lemurs and Marmosets) can run freely. They will eat your food and steal your glasses if you give them a chance, so be sure to hang on to your things! The Park also has lots of playgrounds for the human species who also like to climb, and had Hanukkah activities, so it was a great way to spend the afternoon.

We stayed over at Ariel and Gila’s, lit Hanukah candles there, and had sliders for dinner from a chain called Burgerim. Fun food, good burgers with lots of veggies on them. Staying over in Givat Shmuel where they live meant that we could get up with Ora and Elisha in the morning, which was exciting for them and us! Then on to the next outing, the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, again to be joined by Elan and Nomi’s family. More monkeys of course, but lions, tigers, bears (oh my!) and a great collection of marsupials from Australia. Plus, a Noah’s Ark area with lots of animals mentioned in the Torah. The Zoo is really spread out, and there is lots of walking for the kids (and adults), but everyone had a great time and had plenty of energy for the playground!

Barbara and I stayed at Elan and Nomi’s home for the next two days, and Gila, Ora and Elisha stayed at her parents who live down the block. This meant Wednesday, the last day of Hanukkah, was also a play day and gave us more quality grandchildren time. We saw a cute puppet show and learned all about how to make paper puppets. After dinner Wednesday night, we headed back to Netanya, where we would be hosting Eddie and Michelle Schwartz, who were in from Baltimore for a nephew’s wedding, as well as their son Ezra, daughter Yocheved, and her daughter Avital. In fact, we did not see Yocheved and Avital, who caught a few hours of sleep and then went off to the airport. But we had fun with the Schwartz’s, wandering the boardwalk, showing them the city market in Netanya (best place to shop for Shabbat; fresh strawberries for about $2 a kg!

You are probably wondering whether there is tension being in Israel following Donald Trump’s announcement on recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and possibly bringing the US Embassy to Jerusalem in the near future. It certainly led to consternation at the UN, with a Security Council Resolution and a General Assembly (non-binding) vote. With all the international sabre rattling, the truth is that in Israel the Parliament (Knesset) has been in Jerusalem since the founding of the country as well as the President and Prime Minister’s Residences. The Trump announcement did not change the current reality of the country, nor did he say that the Embassy would be in an area that was captured in 1967. So, no, it’s not really very tense here, people are happy about the recognition, but the reality has not changed and there was less protest now than when metal detectors were put near the Dome of the Rock after guns were smuggled into the Mosque.

We are getting ready for Shabbat and will have a full house, with Gila, Ariel and family, and Nomi, Elan and family all descending on our apartment in Netanya. We’re glad we have lots of mattresses! It looks like a super exciting Shabbat to come and there will be more to tell you next week!

Wishing you all an amazing Shabbat Shalom!

Barbara and Bruce

We wish all our friends who will be celebrating a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!

We pray for speedy recovery and Refuah Shlema for Zysel Bat Bella

Happy Birthday to Shlomo!

Happy Birthday to Tali!

Happy Birthday to Zander!

Happy Birthday to Elaine!

Happy Birthday to Danielle!

Happy Birthday to Gail!

Happy Birthday to Debbie!