Shabbat in Cleveland!

Cleveland Rocks! Yes, we finally made it across the US border. For the first time since February 2020, we are visiting with Daniella, Monty, Tali and Ezra in person! This is the first visit since the US Mazers moved from St Louis to Beachwood, Ohio in July, for Monty to join the staff of Rainbow Babies Hospital in Cleveland in their Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. We arrived last Thursday and have spent a week here. Details to follow!

This is an auspicious occasion, since the logistics of trip preparation, travel and arrival were almost as complex as going to Israel. With the land borders closed till November 8th, we flew into Cleveland via Washington Dulles. This required a rapid test to be able to prove we were COVID negative. Now, keep in mind Cleveland is a 9 hour drive. We left our home at 6:30 AM, and due to mechanical difficulties with both planes, we arrived here at 8:30 PM! Definitely will drive here in the future.

This trip had a purpose; Daniella and Monty took a much needed vacation in Florida and we had the absolute pleasure of keeping watch over Tali and Ezra. First, a great family Shabbat with the kids favorite, Chinese food from a take-out called Jade Kosher, plus some great home cooked food as well. Cleveland has a very nice, active Jewish Community and their new home is a very short walk to the synagogue campus in Beachwood which has 2 Synagogues and 2 schools within an 8 minute walk. Shabbat was fun and despite the rain through most of the day we got out to the park for a romp in the afternoon. 

Sunday early was departure time to Florida, so our “Adventure in Babysitting” began. Tali is 10 and Ezra is 5. They are both very bright, and at 10, Tali is very confident, very social and takes amazing care of herself and of Ezra. Ezra has a memory like a steel trap, and loves Lego and sports like gaga and dodgeball. Sunday was a beautiful day, and we got to wander around the Cleveland Zoo (what else; in the pandemic we seem to find zoos everywhere!). The sun was shining and we enjoyed feeding the giraffes romaine lettuce, watching the tigers pace around, and trying to figure out where all the other animals were (it’s an interesting layout for a zoo). This was followed by ice cream at Mitchell’s and then dinner. We planned out all our dinners for the next week (the kids favorites of course) and got ready for the next day.

The week did not go exactly as planned; there were a few COVID cases in one of the grades at the kids’ school (not theirs) but unfortunately, the few cases multiplied and the school needed to close for a couple of days. All are healthy here, but the extra precautions were appreciated. So, Barbara was both teacher and playmate as Tali did Zoom school for a couple of days and Ezra got a package of homework. Fortunately, things did stabilize and the kids were able to return to school. The extra time at home was amazing because, having not spent very much time with the kids in over 18 months, it was a pleasant but exhausting bonus!   

Of course, with COVID around we did not do much indoor stuff out of the house. There was the park near the local aquatic center, plus lots of Savti (Barbara) activities like art projects and gingerbread cookies! 

Shabbat will be starting soon, so we will do our last minute preparations. Bruce comes home on Sunday and Barbara gets to spend more time with the kids due to a Ped day Monday. So, I am armed with a negative PCR and will fly out Sunday evening (hopefully no mechanical problems this time!)

Wishing you a wonderful, warm and restful Shabbat Shalom!

Barbara and Bruce

Shabbat Shalom and D'var Torah in honor of the Yahrtziet of Mark Samuel Z"L: What would have happened if Noah was an antivaxxer?

As everyone know, all good things must come to an end, meaning we finally have come back to Montreal. The end of the trip was also the end of Sukkot, and that means the celebration of Simchat Torah, during which we complete the cycle of the reading the Torah, which means more excitement to tell you about, so let’s get started!

To complete the holiday, we crossed the country from the Tel Aviv area to the Jerusalem area, from Petach Tikva to Efrat. Efrat is in the hills just outside of Jerusalem, which makes the climate quite different than the coast, with warm dry days and cooler evenings with breezes; it’s rare to get a cool breeze in Netanya in the summer!

This makes the Jerusalem area perhaps a bit more palatable weather wise to our Canadian thermostats. As it was still part of Sukkot, Shabbat meals were outdoors in the large “temporary dwelling” that was fashioned from Elan’s gazebo. After Shabbat, we had a bon-fire with marshmallow roasting and smores using the fire pit built into the back yard; the gazebo, firepit, grass and trees in the garden have all been Elan and family’s pandemic projects, which was a remarkably good use of the time in lockdown and limited travel afforded by COVID. Pretty cool what you can do when you are cooped up in the house!

Sunday was an outing to another coastal city, Ashdod, which is south of Tel Aviv. Ashdod has beautiful beaches, and the kids got their fill of sand and waves. The beach had an interesting name “Mei Ami” which means “Waters of My People” but said quickly sounds quite similar to a particular American city known for it’s beaches. Right next the beach was a large city park right along the coast with playgrounds, a petting zoo, and paddle boats. Definitely a great spot for a day trip! Back to Efrat for a sushi dinner and preparation for the next festival, the aforementioned last day of Sukkot, Shmini Azeret and Simchat Torah.

The conclusion of the annual Torah reading cycle is a major celebration. In fact, dancing and singing are interwoven into the prayer service. This is really a holiday that kids enjoy. The community Nomi and Elan live in is a new development and almost all the families have young children, babies, many elementary school kids and at this point in time, fewer high school kids. The area probably has about 350 families but with all the children, its an impressive number of people! Picture the energy of dozens of kids singing and dancing with their parents; some social distancing (perhaps not ideal, but one could always find a place just far enough away) but a real uplifting, pure celebration. Both the evening service and the morning were filled with song, laughter and lots of kids being carried on parent’s shoulders or dancing in circles. Really fun and something that’s hard to forget. 

Tuesday night was time to say goodbye. We helped disassemble the Sukkah, and then off to the airport to get our pre-flight COVID tests. This is the bargain of the pandemic…for $33 Canadian both of us were tested and had our results back in less than 5 hours. Of course, we were fit for travel, so Wednesday was packing, our last walk on the boardwalk, dinner at Ariel and Gila’s home and then off to the airport for the trip home on Thursday. 

This coming week, we will be observing the anniversary of the passing of Barbara’s brother Mark, who left us suddenly, well before his time.  As many of you may know, Mark was a high-energy theoretical physicist, whose research on atomic particles was ground breaking and highly respected. Mark was a keen observer, who tried to find an explanation for everything. Sometimes I wonder what he would think of what is going on during this pandemic. Let me illustrate this with a thought from this week’s Torah portion, which is the story of Noach and the great Flood.  

The opening of the Torah portion describes the state of the world at the time of Noach: 

Genesis Chapter 6 Verse 11-12: The earth became corrupt before God; the earth was filled with lawlessness. When God saw how corrupt the earth was….

Verse 13-14: God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with lawlessness because of them: I am about to destroy them with the earth; Make yourself an Ark….

God follows this with detailed instructions about the construction of the ark, the people in Noah’s family that should accompany him and the way to save the animals whose species would otherwise perish in the flooding. And after all the instructions…

Verse 22: Noah did so; just as God commanded him, so he did. 

Clearly Noah did not do so simply because he heard a voice from heaven (though that’s probably not a bad reason to comply if you think about it), but more likely because he looked around, saw what was happening to humankind, saw the corruption, and understood the consequences. Jacob Sforno, the 15th century biblical commentator, with remarkable futuristic vision, suggests that the expression “The earth became corrupt before G-d” referred to ecological corruption, that the acts of man were physically damaging the world and causing it to crumble. Noah must have been a keen observer, seen the behaviors and their destructive potential, and then acted on this when he was called upon to do so by G-d. In fact, he was clearly in the minority at the time. But, using a relevant metaphor, what would have happened if Noah was an anti-Vaxxer? What if he saw what was going on around him, death, illness, destruction, and called it all one big hoax or a power grab by some amorphous corporation or government? What if, when G-d came to him, his vision was clouded by pre-existing notions, prejudices, and he was unable or unwilling to see what should have been obvious? Maybe he would have just gone with the crowd who believed the same thing, and the story of the Flood would have had a different hero, or tragically, a different ending. 

When we think of Mark, we think warmly of a loving father, son, brother and uncle. But we also think of his powers of thought, analysis, and extremely clear vision of the world; his positive, helpful nature and above all, his brilliance and focus on how to solve problems that affect the world. I am pretty sure he would be working on theories to understand what is happening with our climate and atmosphere, and I am also sure he would be proactive regarding the evidence of what may help us defeat the Corona Virus pandemic. Like Noah, he had the vision to see the world as it was, understand situations, and do the right thing. He is greatly missed by his entire family. May his memory always be a blessing for his family and friends. יהי זיכרו ברוך

We wish you a wonderful Shabbat Shalom and Happy Thanksgiving! 

Barbara and Bruce

We wish a very Happy Birthday to Melissa (and a speedy recovery)

We wish a very Happy Birthday to Penelope!

We wish a very Happy Birthday to Athena!

We wish a very Happy Birthday to Mara!

We wish a very Happy Birthday to our wonderful daughter-in-law Nomi!

We wish a very Happy Birthday to Haim!

We wish a very Happy Birthday to our wonderful daughter-in-law Daniella!

We wish a Refuah Sh’lema (Speedy Recovery) to Mordechai Faiva ben Devorah Leah 

We wish a Refuah Sh’lema (Speedy Recovery) to Rochelle Eta bat Dobrusha

Sincere Condolences to our friend Zigui Levkovich on the tragic passing of his brother Tuvia. 

Shabbat and Sukkot September 23-24

Shabbat and Sukkot September 23-24

It’s hard to believe that this is the sixth post on this trip but indeed, the intrepid galaxy travelers have reached the apex of their voyage! This may be the penultimate post as we head into our last week of the trip and speed back to reality (and a much quieter environment). So, let’s see what’s been going on and capture some important features of this journey.

First, a new feature…Culinary Highlights! Let’s do culinary Netanya! For those visiting Netanya soon, here are our recommendations. If you are craving a burger, try Red Burger which overlooks the Mediterranean; great variety, beef or lamb, steaks, sides and all at great prices. If you prefer takeout, they have a unique system, bun and toppings packed separate from burger which ensures that your sandwich is not soggy! Next recommendation: HaYekev (the Vineyard) which is a couple of doors down, also overlooking the beach and the water. We treated ourselves to a premium Israeli breakfast with omelets, fresh baked breads and lots of different dips and spreads. Then a surprise desert. Amazing setting and very flexible, with a great gluten free menu! Now, in case you prefer to own a restaurant rather than frequent one, we have a deal for you! Ideal location, on a cliff overlooking the water, recently closed. You too could own a wonderful spot overlooking the sea! Just check out “Mul HaYam (near the sea) in Netanya!

OK, now for some highlights. We spent last Shabbat in Netanya, prior to embarking to spend the 8-day holiday of Sukkot with family. Shabbat was very nice and chill, culminating in watching an amazing sunset over the water on Saturday evening. After Shabbat, we met our friends Michal and Ronen Sela at the Herzliya Marina. The marina has a pier which is highly populated by fishermen (fisherpeople?) and people just enjoying the breeze and scenery. We caught up with the Selas, who lived on our street in Cote St Luc between 1999-2001; it’s hard to believe 20 years has passed so quickly!  Sunday was spent picking up things for the upcoming holiday of Sukkot, which began on Monday.

The holiday is based both on the fall harvest and in commemoration of the Jews wandering in the desert for 40 years under G-d's watch prior to entering Israel. We spend all meals in temporary huts (Sukkot) that must have a roof that is both made of natural plant material and lets in more sun than shade. There are also 4 species of plant that are used in the celebration; Palm leaves, myrtle leaves, willow leaves and an Etrog (Citron). Spending time in outdoor huts for 8 days in later September of October can be either amazing or brutal in Canada, depending on the amount of rain, snow or even tornados (circa 2019). However, in Israel the climate is much more conducive, although heavy rains swept through the country last night and part of today. One of the cooler things is that most of the country is on holiday during this period, plus, you can pick up Sukkot items in all supermarkets, hardware stores and on many street corners making it easy to take part! 

Monday we moved into Gila and Ariel’s house in Petach Tikvah to spend the first half of the holiday. They built a sukkah on their sixth-floor balcony and looking around in their neighborhood, there were sukkot everywhere…on balconies and grassy areas, communal ones and individual ones. The kids decorated with pictures made at home and school and we contributed new strings of lights to add just the right touch. On Wednesday, we had a “Best Day Ever” moment (thanks Spongebob!); we took Elisha, Ora, and Adi to the Ramat Gan Safari Park. Driving your car through the collection of zebras, hippos, rhinos, onyx, lions, and wildebeests is not only amazing Corona-safe entertainment but keeps everyone on the edge of their car(seat). There is also a large walk through zoo, which (due to the Corona reservation policy) was great and easy to distance (if you were careful!). So after a dose of elephants, monkeys, penguins and a whole bunch of others, and a pizza dinner, the kids were rather happy and exhausted and bedtime was pretty easy! That evening, we saw another couple who were in Montreal 20 years ago, Ruth and Itamar Maliach, who lived quite near Gila and Ariel in Givat Shmuel. The safari trip was topped off the next day with a visit to a large park in Central Petach Tikvah with a duck and goldfish pond, then to the newly renovated Petach Tikvah Central Market with fruits vegetables and baked goods galore!

OK, so what about fruits and vegetables? Since Biblical times, every 7th year is a Sabbatical year for the land, where the land is supposed to be left to rest and grow fallow or left to grow naturally. This concept of Shemita means that agriculture in Israel in the year 5882 has taken on a whole new meaning. I won’t get into all the technicalities of how produce is grown or harvested without profit to the Jewish owner of the land) but one thing is certain; the fact that Shemita continues to be observed shows a very unique and very timely respect for the land. In our age of environmentalism, climate change and warnings about the danger our planet is in, the lesson of the Sabbatical year is twofold: we need to respect and cherish the land and let it have its natural goodness restored by not overly abusing it; secondly, that too much human intervention can have unforeseen consequences and we need to take a step back and think about how our natural resources can be preserved. The sabbatical cycle has been observed for over 3000 years and perhaps the crops we enjoy in Israel are a tribute to respecting the land in this way.

Now, halfway through Sukkot, we have moved over to Nomi and Elan’s home in Efrat. It rained here last night but we are pretty sure we will be able to have dinner in the Sukkah. The weather is also drier and a bit cooler (at least in the evening) than nearer to the coast, which is good for our Canadian constitution. We spent today taking Shoshana, Shlomo, Nadav and Aryeh to see (guess what???)….Animals! About 20 minutes from their home is a small educational zoo with desert species and lots of interaction with the birds, reptiles and farm animals. Check out Shlomo’s animal farm next time you are in the area!

We wish you Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach with good weather for sitting in the Sukkah!

Barbara and Bruce

We wish a Refuah Sh’lema (Speedy Recovery) to Rochel Etta bat Dobrusha 

We wish a Refuah Sh’lema (Speedy Recovery) to Tuvia Moshe ben Perl

We wish a Refuah Sh’lema (Speedy Recovery) to Mordechai Faiva ben Devorah Leah 

Happy birthday to Hendrix!

Happy birthday to Eva!

Happy Birthday to Avi!

Let’s rewind the tape (what an anachronism!) to the last missive from our Israel-Galaxy travelers. That was about 2 weeks ago, just before Shabbat and 2 days before the onset of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. That’s a lot to cover, so hang on and let’s hope for a smooth ride. 

Of course will start with the COVID update. For the moment things are stable, with 10K cases for the past few weeks and it’s been in the 6K range for the past few days. That may be a function of less testing on the Jewish Holidays. This morning we took a walk to the Netanya City Square and there was a large pop-up testing facility and a fair number of people there. In the Netanya synagogue where we go, the population is predominantly retired individuals, so most have had 3 vaccines and people there are generally fairly cautious. However, there are, like in Montreal, multiple cases in schools and this puts a strain on families, be it due to illness, quarantine, missed work or family time over the holidays. It’s a juggling act with a fair bit of strategy thrown in. We are all trying to adapt to this new normal, wherever we happen to be located. 

Having spent time with both families here, we decided to give them a break from us :-) and spend Shabbat in Netanya before Rosh Hashana. It allowed us to take a few well-deserved walks along the boardwalk and enjoy the sea air and sunsets. Sunday’s “big event” was voting in the Canadian election! Having applied for a mail-in ballot, we were couriered two vote packages and picked them up at a local depot. Your Canadian tax dollars at work! It looks like this Monday’s election will go down to the wire and bring another minority government. Perhaps not as futile as Israel’s 4 elections in a year before this current new government under Nir Bennet came in but a pretty unspectacular outcome considering the time and expense of the election. Plus, with cases of COVID now over 4000 per day in Canada, there will be a fair number of people unable to vote due to illness or quarantine. As we said, a new normal!

Sunday evening Gila arrived with the kids which took us from our quiet Shabbat to the extremely gratifying sound of 3 rambunctious children in the house. Of course, that meant Monday’s preparations had to include a trip to the beach for the kids as well as cooking and other preparations. Ariel arrived Monday early afternoon to complete the gang. As you know, Rosh Hashana has a very extensive liturgy and synagogue services are a major part of the 2-day holiday. Our local synagogue in Netanya had services both in the synagogue and outdoors in a large Sukkah (temporary structure, more about that next week!) on the grounds of an apartment complex a 5-minute walk from our home. We signed up for the outdoor option and in fact Bruce was asked to lead part of the services. (I think that went well or the congregants left their tomatoes at home). One of the nicest aspects is when there is a lot of communal participation; in Eastern European synagogues, there was incredible music but primarily sung by the cantor/service leader. The trend now is for more participation and allowing people to get involved makes for a more enjoyable service. We had a great time with the kids; in fact, as I was preparing to lead the prayers, I had Elisha and Ora listening and singing various melodies along with me or various Youtubes that we were watching. That was a highlight!

By Thursday everyone was back where they belonged, with Yom Kippur a week away; but Friday morning we got a call from Elan inviting us to come spontaneously to spend Shabbat in Efrat, about 1:30 minute drive from here. So we decided that I would work on the grant that I had due the following Wednesday (which had been a preoccupation along with all the other work in Montreal!) and we would hop in the car to get to Efrat just before Shabbat; that strategy worked really well, no traffic and a very smooth drive. The theme of this trip has been impulsivity or perhaps we need to learn to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves! So the Shabbat visit was great, spending time with Shoshana, Shlomo, Nadav, Aryeh and baby Eitan was terrific (Shlomo took great pride in beating me in chess) and we came back to Netanya raring to go for the next week. 

While Bruce pounded away at his laptop Sunday and Monday, Barbara ventured to Petach Tikvah to run errands with Gila; and subsequently to Ramat Bet Shemesh to see our friend Gail Jaffe who bought a condo there and where she has a whole bunch of grandchildren (over 20?). 

Wednesday night began Yom Kippur; the holiest day in the Jewish Calendar with 25 hours of fasting and prayer (but not 25 hours of prayer, in case you were wondering….). We returned to Efrat for the holyday. The weather in Efrat, located in the hills outside of Jerusalem, is a huge contrast to coastal Netanya. Perhaps the daytime temperature is close (28-30C) but the evenings are cool and quite windy. Again, due to COVID, the prayers were held outdoors, and it got pretty chilly! There was some shelter and the daytime was very pleasant. The community Elan’s family lives in is made up of almost all young families with children, and the services were very participatory and inspiring. We topped off the end of the holyday with a great break-fast and then immediately started preparing for the next holiday of Sukkot which starts Monday. Pictures attached!

We’re back in Netanya for Shabbat and will let you know about Sukkot and activities in Israel next week. We enjoyed a great couple of hours with some sun, sand and water, and are ready for a bit of down time!

We wish you are a wonderful and inspiring Shabbat Shalom!

Barbara and Bruce

We wish a Refuah Sh’lema (Speedy Recovery) to Rochel Etta bat Dobrusha 

We wish a Refuah Sh’lema (Speedy Recovery) to Tuvia Moshe ben Perl

Mazel tov to Rhona and Haim on the birth of a baby grandson!

When we last left the hitchhikers across the COVID/Israeli Galaxy, they were welcoming hordes of Mazers arriving from near and far to spend Shabbat in Netanya. All together we were 13; 6 from Efrat (Shoshana went to a Shabbaton with her friends), 5 from Petach Tikvah and us! We were able to use a neighbor’s apartment for Elan and Nomi’s family to sleep in, and otherwise had meals and playtime here. Lots of kids, lots of movement, lots of activity! But amazing. We had great meals, lots of quality time, trips to the parks (timed to not be at the peak of the heat) and all in all a terrific Shabbat together. 

The excitement does not end there! On Sunday we went to Petach Tikva to help out with Gila and Ariel’s children, as Gila is an educational counsellor and teacher and had in-service sessions on the days prior to school starting. So, Sunday and Monday were spent in the company of Elisha, Ora and Adi. Highlights included completing a complex robotics building project with Elisha (now I know why I did not go into engineering), playing hide and seek in giant slides in the playground; going to the mall to escape the heat, playing on the rides and eating pizza, and lots of stories as well as a little screen time to chill. The kids were great; Adi, 20 months, has really only met us virtually, though we were here last year. However, she just went with the flow and if Ora and Elisha seemed to tolerate us, so she would too! 

The rest of the week was much quieter. We had to spend some time enjoying the beautiful weather, but still had responsibilities back in Montreal. So mornings included some great walks, and afternoons and evenings were for teaching, meetings, writing and keeping the avalanche of emails at bay. Plus, as the holidays are coming, preparations are key: we did some large scale shopping and Barbara cooked up a storm including her signature cabbage rolls! 

This coming Monday night is the beginning of the Jewish New Year. I am sure everyone who is reflecting on this is saying the same thing; last Rosh Hashana we prayed for an end to the pandemic and were sure that this would not drag on for another year. Yet, it has. In the last 12 months we have had 3 more waves of Corona virus infection, the launch of vaccines that were released in record time, amazing optimism as the vaccines clearly worked in the very short term, and then the sobering realization that the virus had some tricks up its sleeve. So here we are again. I believe all New Year’s celebrations have at least one common theme; to bring people together. No matter how you celebrate, doing it alone just does not cut it.  The Rosh Hashana construct is rooted in two things; that G-d created the world on Rosh Hashana, and that every Rosh Hashana begins a period that we as individuals are judged on the merit of our deeds. Yet, the liturgy that we use in synagogue is not at all about personal prayer. It’s not beseeching for our individual continuance or even about our own deeds. It’s about community, nation, and even global outreach. It’s a call to unity, to say that when we hear the clarion call of the Shofar (the ram’s horn; check this out if you have not heard one      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNNGB-Py5dI) we are all huddled together as one body that needs to work together to be successful. 

The success or failure of a society is based on individuals working together for the greater good and keeping their eye on the needs of others. In a situation like the pandemic, when we are often more isolated from each other than we wish, we can still reach out; a phone call, a video chat, an Uber eats gift certificate; a kind gesture, a helping hand. This is the take home message. Whether our contribution is big or small, everyone contributes to the collective. Whatever the next year brings, only through all of us contributing to our fellow persons will we continue to have unity, safety and collective success.

We wish you an amazing Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova Umetuka, a Sweet and Happy New Year!

Barbara and Bruce 

We wish a Refuah Sh’lema (Speedy Recovery) to Rochel Etta bat Dobrusha 

We wish a Refuah Sh’lema (Speedy Recovery) to Tuvia Moshe ben Perl

Shabbat Shalom Week three: Hitchhikers take a break in Netanya!

Some weeks have lots of twists and turns, and some just seem to fly by. This one flew by. Perhaps it’s because we did a bit less driving and stayed in one place for most of the week. Perhaps it’s the fact that we are living in two time zones, covering beach and kids in the morning and early afternoon, then doing student presentations, meetings, and monitoring our projects from afar, but things are non-stop, in a fun but fairly exhausting way. Without a doubt, the positives outweigh the negatives. 

Just for some perspective in case you forgot, our home base in Israel is Netanya, a medium sized city of 200,000 about 25 minutes north of Tel Aviv. It’s right on the coast, built up on a cliff. So, easy access to beaches, if you don’t mind climbing stairs (154, I think!) This is an attraction to say the least, and can keep the kids busy for hours. Of course, it is August, so the usual approach is to take them out early in the AM before the sun is straight overhead, lots of sunscreen and lots of time in the water. It’s very warm at this time of year, and perhaps another sign of climate change is the tides are much higher than when we first started coming here 10 years ago. The waves and wake are super fun for jumping in and can entertain anyone who likes to get splashed on; just make sure you have a buddy as some of the crashing waves can pull you along!

The week started on Sunday at the Jerusalem Zoo with Shlomo, Nadav and Aryeh. The zoo is very spread out and they have made ticket purchases on-line only, to monitor reservations and keep the place much less crowded than usual. Still, there were a lot of people, and the day was warm, in the low 30’s, so hydration and shade was important to be able to see the lions, gorillas, and especially the elephants.  Everyone enjoyed and despite Corona there were lots of families, although people appeared to be mindful of keeping near their own groups.  

Overall, it appears Israel’s population is adapting to the current wave of the pandemic. We walked along the pedestrian mall that makes up the center of Netanya, and there are lots of people in the streets. Due to the travel restrictions that have been imposed, there are probably a lot less tourists than normal, but by sunset the restaurants are packed on their terraces, with few people in doors, and people are enjoying the last days of freedom prior to the start of school which is September 1st. Or perhaps the freedom starts when the kids go back to school? A good question for debate. 

Back home, I understand there will be an election. (Don’t act so surprised). We registered for voting by mail this week, and hopefully the ballot will arrive and return on time. Watching the polls, it’s interesting to see the polarization: Jagmeet Singh is the most popular leader, yet his party is firmly third; Justin Trudeau is the incumbent who called the election to solidify a majority based on his Pandemic performance, and is slipping in the polls daily; no one seems to know Eric O’Toole and yet the Conservative party is now neck and neck in the polls with the Liberals. We won’t have the sidesplitting entertainment of a Trump-Biden debate (Trump made Don Rickles look like a pussycat), but I suspect there will be a few good stories in the political sphere over the next 3 weeks before the vote. 

So what else is there to do in Netanya? As I mentioned, the city center is a pedestrian mall with large fountains in the middle. One morning, the activity for Elisha, Ora and Adi was to play on the fountains with a few dozen other children. Then dry up and lunch on the beach. In the evening, there are street vendors and rides, bouncing equipment and even a motorized bike track which Elisha thought was the most fun thing he has ever done! So, yes, lots to do; yet as we walk into the house, Ora, age 4 yells “everyone wash their hands!!” and Elisha told me that 7 is the age you have to wear masks in stores, and since he is 7, he brings a mask with him whenever he goes out. The pandemic has definitely been an education for all and made kids grow up and see the world a little less innocently than before. 

But, there is nothing quite like a big bunch of cousins getting together, which is what is happening here this Shabbat; both our Israeli families are here in Netanya for Shabbat so we will have a lot of action. We spoke to Daniella, Tali and Ezra this morning and can think about having us all join together very soon!

We wish you a fun and rewarding Shabbat Shalom!

Barbara and Bruce 

Refuah Shelema to Rochel Ettel Bat Dobrusha

Happy Birthday to Wesley!

Welcome to Israel Rhona (and soon Haim)  

Shabbat August 20-21: The hitchhikers emerge from quarantine!

When we left off last week, we were hurling through space and touching down in Petach Tikvah, to spend Shabbat with Gila, Ariel, Elisha, Ora and Adi. To be honest, despite that last frenetic post, due to the frantic week, to just be able to relax with the little ones climbing all over us was positively refreshing. After months of relative isolation, made very bearable by all our great friends at home, just to hang with family was quite awesome. This will be the main highlight of the weeks that we will be spending here, and we have something to look forward to when we get home, which is to visit Daniella, Monty, Tali and Ezra in their new home in Cleveland. 

So, what went on? Well, shabbat was fun, with some COVID twists. The synagogue services were outdoors. We avoided crowded parks, opting to take the kids early in the day when there were not a lot of people. Sunday, we went to see Elan, Nomi and Co; they had a wedding and we babysat their two youngest, Aryeh 3.5 years and Eytan 3 months. Lots of fun; we decided to stay at their home in Efrat till Tuesday and then went back to our apartment in Netanya with Shoshana and Shlomo for the next few days. That was lots of fun; a balance of beach, walks, and then working on Canadian time in the late afternoons and evenings. We got to eat out at a beachside patio restaurant and get some sun and sand. The idea is, stay with those who you know are safe, and stay out of crowds. 

Meanwhile, in Israel, the numbers are climbing. In fact, they are as we speak at the same peak as they were exactly a year ago, when the country closed down for the Jewish Holidays. There were nearly 8000 new cases today and almost 600 in hospitals. But the relatively good news: of the 220 serious cases, only 18 are among the vaccinated. On top of that they take contact tracing and quarantine seriously here. There is an office of the ministry of health called Quarantine Exit that tracks all those who were infected or travelled to the country.  We learned all about their email address and had to follow up all of our paperwork to get the letter “ending” our quarantine and getting us GreenPasses. So even before Barbara and Bruce have the Quebec Vaccine Passport, we have the official Israeli GreenPass!

After an afternoon on the beach with Elan’s kids yesterday, we have welcomed Ariel and Gila to Netanya for a week holiday and went back to Efrat (with great herring and wine) for Shabbat this week. So more stories to come as we keep crisscrossing the country!

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbat shalom and a great last week before school starts!

Barbara and Bruce

Happy Birthday to Yayi!

Happy Birthday to Aiden!

Happy Birthday Hailey!

Happy Anniversary Mara and Andy!

Shabbat August 13-14: The hitchhiker’s guide to a rapid escape to Israel

Welcome travel fans! With apologies to Douglas Adams, I am thrilled to bring you a very quick (as it’s Shabbat soon) blow by blow account of why you are receiving this amazing Shabbat Shalom from Petach Tikvah on August 13, 2021! It may be a surprise to many of you, but we are in Israel to visit the family. The question is, when did we plan this trip and how did we pull it off?

So, the answer lies in a major geopolitical global pandemic, known to all of us a Corona-Virus. In general, going anywhere takes tremendous planning. For Israel that includes a special entry permit, COVID PCR test, Antibody blood tests, and good fortune. We planned a trip that would allow us to see all the Israeli grandchildren prior to school starting and then stay for the upcoming Jewish Holidays. That meant leaving August 25th; in order to do that we needed to apply for a permit at least 30 days in advance, which we did. The days passed and no permit. The Israeli press described hundreds if not thousands of people who were also applying to be reunited with loved ones for the holidays. Meanwhile, very unfortunately, Israel’s COVID case numbers have increased steadily (more on vaccine and the Delta variant next week when I have more time). This has made the Israeli ministry of health nervous about accepting so many newcomers and visitors (rightfully so). So, after 12 days of no response about our permits, we contacted Dov Lipman, a former Israel Member of Knesset who runs an organization that helps bring people together with their families who have emigrated to Israel (like our kids!)

Dov and Ariella from their organization suggested we apply from within Israel. Elan took on the challenge, filled out the paperwork, attached the huge dossier we prepared confirming vaccination, insurance, employment, shoe size and lots of other details and, a miracle happened. We had a permit in 24 hours! However, it came with a caveat: rules were changing and we might be unable to come if we waited too long. 

So, caught in a spell of excitement over the permit and fear over never using it, we looked at the available flights. From a financial point of view, a flight the next evening was the best option. This only meant packing, rearranging schedules, getting PCR tested (assuming it would be negative) and then actually getting on the plane. Exhausting to think about it, but, we barreled ahead (with the help of Biron’s Rapid PCR test, shout out to Linda L). We could not actually believe we got onto the plane; just the document check at Air Canada took 35 minutes!

But wait, the fun is only starting! Next Monday, all visitors to Israel will have a mandatory 7-day quarantine if your PCR is negative twice. However, this week, Canadians (but not Americans) can avoid that if they can prove antibodies from COVID (infection or vaccination). So, we arrived sleep-deprived, underwent the mandatory PCR test at the airport, then drove to a storefront doing antibody blood tests for COVID! More about that again next week, but it’s complicated and very expensive to do that in Canada, but for a very reasonable price we had an answer in time to have all our paperwork in order well before Shabbat. So, now, better rested and ready to see some of the kids, we have arrived in Petach Tikvah to spend time with Gila, Ariel, Elisha, Ora and Adi!

So, now you have detailed instructions on how to apply and get to Israel in under 48 hours. Good luck trying to duplicate that!

More stories, pictures and updates next week

We wish you an amazing and safe Shabbat Shalom!

Barbara and Bruce 

This warm Shabbat Shalom is in Honor of the upcoming Yahrzeit of our father and grandfather and great-grandfather, Sid, Shlomo Henoch ben Mordechai Chaim. His memory is a blessing to all and I can picture him smiling watching all the great-grandchildren run around!