Shabbat Nachamu July 28-29

Confucius says: Some days you can blog, other days you need to deal with a clog…

Welcome to another busy week in the travels of Barbara and Bruce. We left our heroes starting Shabbat in Efrat. That was as usual a lot of fun, with great food, lots of family time and playing with all the kids. Of course, with 4 boys in the house there is a lot of energy so it’s important to include playground time, Lego time, and rollerblade and bike time. Of course, there is always Shoshana who just turned 15, and really sets the tone. She is a tremendous young lady and will be starting a new high school in Jerusalem this fall, commuting by bus daily. Shlomo is 12 and is having his Bar Mitzvah in January 2024. I am having the great pleasure to be helping him prepare, along of course with Elan. We are getting him ready to read the weekly Torah portion and prepare a Dvar Torah, a Torah lesson on a topic that he has chosen. The gang also includes Nadav, who at 9 is a voracious reader in both Hebrew and English, Aryeh, almost 6 who is a ball of energy and is starting grade one this fall, and Eitan, now two, who is, like all two-year-olds, cute and fun. 

Following Shabbat, we took off for Petach Tikvah to see the other grandchildren in Israel, Elisha, also age 9, Ora, age 6 and Adi age 3. Ariel and Gila had days off, so we wanted to do some fun stuff with kids, and that mission was accomplished, with a day full of trampolining, lunch in the mall, a movie for the big kids (Elemental, two thumbs up!) and Gymboree for Adi. We stole away with the kids to sleep over in Netanya for the night and to be able to hang out the next day, with a fun time at the Arcade in the local mall. After taking the kids home we had dinner overlooking the water at a local café, which is one of the nicest parts about living in Netanya. Around the corner from our home are a group of restaurants, and that evening most were full on the outdoor patios, enjoying the sea breezes. 

The following afternoon we met up with Elan and Nomi and family for dinner in Bet Shemesh and more arcades (that explains the bumper car theme for the pictures).  The rest of Tuesday and Wednesday was taken up by more renovation stuff, with a focus on tiles, bathroom fixtures and appliances. So far, things are moving smoothly!

Thursday was Tisha B’Av, a national day of fasting and mourning for Jews. It is said the Biblical sin of the Spies occurred on Tisha B’Av and part of the punishment was that all major tragedies that would befall Israel would happen on the same day in the future; as an example, both First and Second Temples were destroyed on this day. The day is a very intense day of introspection and most observant Jews fast for 25 hours. This is no mean feat in the warm Israeli sun, so  we stayed indoors (Synagogue or home) most of the day. 

The intensity of Tisha B’Av was juxtaposed to the current political divide in Israel. It’s taught that destruction of the second temple was caused by “Sinat Hinam” or baseless hatred; what should be disagreements or civil debate leads to extreme behaviors and hatred. This obvious historical parallel has many people calling for cooler heads to prevail, and to try to change the rhetoric over changes to the supreme court and constitution here to a more positive tone. I think in the end, whether there is political strife or just normal everyday activity, there is a lot to be said for not allowing disagreements to spiral out of control. This Shabbat is called Nachamu, be comforted, for even if things look bleak there can be light ahead, and it’s clear from our history that this is indeed true. Furthermore discussion, debate and difference of opinion is healthy, but in the end all people need to be respected whatever their opinions. 

We wish you all a positive and uplifting Shabbat Shalom!

Speak to you next week from Poland 

]Barbara and Bruce

Shabbat July 21-22, 2023

Hi everyone!

We left Montreal in a tornado, and we arrived in Israel in a Whirlwind! Well, Montreal had a Tornado warning (with some real severe thunderstorms, flooding and blocked traffic, shades of 1987!!) and our week in Israel has been, as usual, a fast paced, head spinning bunch of days that blurred together! However, it is my task to deconvolute them into useful chunks of information and share them with everyone….

So due to the increasingly unpredictability of the weather, the trip started off last Sunday with a 2-hour delay due to the fact that Air Canada needed a suitably sized plane to arrive for us. There were multiple gate changes while they decided which late plane would be given the honor of flying to Israel. Although we finally left two hours late, we arrived only an hour off schedule on Monday AM due to brisk tailwinds. We got to the rental car lot in record time (less than 30 minutes from landing to exit; Pearson could take a few lessons) and took off for Netanya via Petach Tikvah. 

Petach Tikvah of course means visiting Elisha, Ora, and Adi, who had just come home from day camp. Ariel was at work, but we had a great visit with Gila and the kids including a fun take out dinner from a new place we had not tried called Schnitzeliano. Very good reviews from the kids.

Then off to Netanya to try and catch up on the lost night of sleep from the previous night. 

We have been lucky enough to have an apartment in Netanya since 2011. As many of you know, it’s in a really great location very close to the boardwalk in Netanya. However, we have not really done much to spruce it up, so we are planning a bit of renovation. I won’t bore you with the details (although all are welcome to visit the finished product!) but a few days on this trip will be spent working on this little reno. 

More importantly, what is happening in Israel? As many of you know, there is a push within the current government to change some of the balance of power between the supreme court and the Knesset, the main seat of government. One example is that at the moment, the supreme court can be asked to decide on the “reasonableness” of a law and strike it down if they decide it’s not reasonable. This is one of the major changes being proposed (actually, the one being voted on in Knesset at present) and has led to protests against the government. There is a 4 day walk from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem down the main highway that began on Wednesday and will end tomorrow night. There are really thousands of people walking in 33 C heat and more people join everyday. Since I don’t live here, I don’t really think it’s fair to take sides. However, the current proposed law is quite like the “not-withstanding” clause that we have in Canada. So, for perspective, let me ask our Quebec readers…how do you like that law?

 So, keeping in mind the march down highway 1, we left Netanya on Wednesday, dropped in to see Ariel for lunch on the way, then took off from one coast to the east to Jerusalem area to Efrat, where Elan and Nomi and family live. Waze came in very handy, routing us away from the protests and into their neighborhood with minimal delay. So, since our arrival, we have kept the grandchildren happy with food and treats (Sushi, ice cream, lunch out) and activities (shopping, an escape room) and lots of games, stories, and a few piggyback rides. We are now preparing for Shabbat. 

Our trip this time will be three weeks in total, but the last week with be very different and promises to be very special. We are joining a group from the Beth Israel Beth Aaron synagogue in Montreal which will be doing a historical trip to Poland. Entitled “In the Footsteps of our History” there will be quite a bit of visiting of important Holocaust remembrance sites, but there will be a focus on the communities that existed, and the richness of Jewish life in Poland prior to its almost complete destruction during the second world war. This will begin on June 31, and I promise to keep everyone posted on events that we will participate in and key messages that we will receive. 

PS: Please check out the picture of the grandchildren in matching dresses, Barbara made those!

We wish you a great Shabbat and please try to keep cool!

Please have a meaningful fast to those observing Tisha B'Av. 

Barbara and Bruce

We wish a happy birthday to Rochelle!

We wish happy birthday to our eldest granddaughter Shoshana!