My friend Deb is home from Israel. I’m thrilled because I miss her. I’m sad because in a way it felt like I was losing my last link to over there. When she posted pictures of our closet empty except for towels, empty kitchen cabinets and empty bookshelves I felt like crying. And I was only over there a week!
I don’t know if she realized what a hard time I was having or if she is just this great a person. She brought me back earrings because we didn’t get to go to the artist’s shuk in Tel Aviv, some halvah, some Elite coffee, my Rav Kav I used on the bus, and some other wonderful things. But a couple of times she had me close my eyes before she put something in my hands. On the last item, just as she got ready to place it in my hands, I jokingly said “It’s an Ibex, right?” It is! A little stuff toy Ibex.
So what is the deal with me and the Ibex (יעל ) pronounced Ya-el?
The day Deb picked me up from the airport I was going on being up for probably close to 30 some odd hours with no sleep. I get my luggage and have my carry on bag and purse and head out to the lobby talking to Deb on the phone the whole way cause I have no idea where to go. I find her and we go sit outside on a low wall and just marvel that I am there, in Israel. Our first leg of the trip home is on a train. I adore the train! So we’re riding along and talking about where we will go, what we will do and what we will see. I tell her Nissim has said several times I need to go to Ein Gedi, which is a beautiful garden area located very near Masada. And since I figure Nissim knows what he is talking about, I take his advice seriously, very seriously. Teasing me Deb says, well how will he know if we actually got to go? What are you going to do, stuff and Ibex in your suitcase for him? Maybe, what’s an Ibex? She explains the Ibex, and I get this visual picture in my mind of trying to clear Israeli security for the trip home with this leg sticking out the side of my suitcase. With no sleep in 30 some odd hours this is the funniest thing I’ve heard in months! I think I’m going to hurt my sides laughing cause it is that funny. If you don’t think it is a riot, go about 30 some odd hours and try picturing it again. Trust me, Deb is a riot. As we are on a train, it is entirely possible that Deb is beginning to consider stuffing ME in my suitcase. So throughout the trip, much like my still elusive Centurion Tank, the Ibex in the suitcase is a recurring theme.
I sat for the rest of our visit today holding him on my lap. He is just the most adorable little guy! I am considering different names for him and have it narrowed to three.
Have you ever seen anything so adorable?
Yael –יעל
The real McCoy, this was taken at Masada. That visit will be covered hopefully very soon!
The Handsome Ibex
סיביל
Ok, so I’ve decided, the little Yael is going to be named Yoel. So he is Yoel the Yael (יעל ). Too cool, eh?
Last night I went to the memorial service at the Jewish Community Center for the three teenagers that were kidnapped on their way home from their Yeshiva. A yeshiva is a school to study religious texts, so we are not talking about a reform school here, these were good kids. Naftali Frenkel was 16, and held duel US and Israeli Citizenship, Gilad Shaer was also 16 and Eyal Yifrah was the oldest at 19. They were hitchhiking their way home on 12 June 2014 when they were abducted. People in Israel get around different ways. When I was there we used Autobus, Trains and Taxis, we did talk about renting a car but dismissed the idea. These kids were in the West Bank, and there is not a plethora of mass transit available. I guess soldiers used to hitchhike a lot, but that stopped after 1994, and regulations were passed to prevent the IDF from hitchhiking. So while it might seem very strange to Americans that these kids were hitchhiking, in Israel, it isn’t that unusual. On June 30th the bodies of the three boys were found in a field near Hebron.
Yesterday morning after I got off work and did chores I decided to check email. I received an email that there would be a memorial service at the Jewish Community Center. It was an event in solidarity with Israel in mourning the loss. Since I’m not a member of the JCC I’m always a little hesitant at going to things unless I’ve been invited. I really wanted to go, but unsure I sent a frantic text to my friend Deb who is still in Israel. Would it be ok if I went? She answered back that not only would be ok, it would be a very good thing if I would go. Ok, so I’m going. I then waffle over what to wear and come up with something suitable and I find out that the “Force of Nature” will be there as well. Ok, I’m good, I’m set.
After a solid 4 hours sleep I’m up and getting ready to go, after I rearrange my schedule and get dressed I set out. I arrive in good time and go on into the Social Hall. I find a seat towards the back because I’m still unsure. It seems like everyone knows everyone else, and I, well, I don’t. But wait!! I see Henry and Sue Ellen! I know them! They are my friends from the Israel Spirit committee, now I’m really ok! Oh, I am glad to see them! Henry comes back and keeps me company and we discuss plans for the frozen coffee we will be serving this year at Ethnic Enrichment Festival. This has been Henry’s brain child from the beginning but perhaps sensing a fellow spirit he has graciously allowed me to be in on the project. So we discuss mixes and places we want to get them. We decide I will follow up on the place and mix I thought promising, and Henry is going after the one he likes the look of, we will try both! Great plan! The “Force of Nature” shows up and introduces me to some of the people around us. One lady I meet named Marta strikes me as someone who would be a hoot.
The service starts with the singing of Ha Tikvah, the Israel National Anthem. In Hebrew. I astonish myself by singing along with everyone else. This is made possible by the fact the lyrics are printed in Hebrew, English and best of all, Transliterated. I adore transliteration, it’s Hebrew “Hooked on Phonics” for me! I would say I get about 98% of it correct. No, I did not confirm this by asking anyone around me. But I really did enjoy, and was a little proud of myself that I too could sing with everyone else.
The 23rd Psalm was read after that. Then The Blessing of Memory. A poem, I suppose you would call it, titled They were Boys: A Yizkor Prayer by Alden Solovoy was read, it was very beautiful, and very sad. Of course. It talks about faith, mourning and the willingness to heal, it asks for comfort and relief. For the families and for the whole country of Israel. I would urge you to read it, it’s very good.
The Eulogy that had been delivered to the Nation by Shimon Peres was read and followed by El Malei Rachamim by Yehuda Amichai (God full of Mercy) Scroll down to page 3 of the .pdf. It’s in English. The “Force of Nature” realizes I’m TRYING to read it in Hebrew, he points as it is read so I can sort of follow along. My reading level is minuscule and this is big Cowgirl stuff, grown up stuff, but I’m trying.
At one point it is mentioned that a piece would be read by Rabbi Eliezer Ben-Yehuda. My head snaps up so fast that the movement must have caught Marta’s eye. I’m astonished, I thought he was dead, a long time ago. She kind of laughs as our eyes meet and she catches my questioning look and smiles and says “Yep, that really is his name”. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda is the man responsible for reviving the Hebrew language. He was born on 7 January 1858.
We then recited The Third Mother by Natan Alterman as a responsive reading. In English. Then the Memorial Prayer.
There was a Rabbi that spoke at the end and what a very powerful message he had. He talked about the pain and grief of the families and the nation. He talked about Justice being a very Jewish concept, but that revenge is NOT Justice. There was a facebook page started called “Israel demands Revenge” and talked about how many “likes”it had. Then he told us that ANY IDF soldiers caught holding up signs and supporting such a notion would be disciplined. This pretty much goes along with what I’ve been taught of the IDF’s concept of “Purity of Arms”. Scroll down, you’ll see it under “The Values”.
Then he begin to talk about two Hebrew words, “Nechama” (נֵחַמַה) which means Comfort and “Nekema” (נֶקמַה) which means Revenge. As you can see, the two are very close. Look at the next to the last letter in each word, if you are used to reading English, in Hebrew it would actually be the second letter. Notice how if you straighten the curve of what sort of looks like a “p” it would look a lot like the next to the last letter in the first word. One little line straightened and you go from “revenge” to “comfort”. I also found out that the word “enemy” (קם) comes out of the word “revenge”. Doesn’t it just? Out of revenge, comes enemies. Of course, the way I see it at times the desire for revenge comes out of the actions of your enemies. So, does another word come out of the word Nechama? Comfort? Yes, there is a word, (חמה) look at the last three letters, oops, that would be the first three letters for most, they are the same, correct? That means “sun”. Warm, comfort, sun.
So while at times it may not seem like God hears, or answers our prayers, he does. Sometimes he says “yes” sometimes “no” and sometimes “wait a while”. Those last two are very hard to bear at times.
The Rabbi then stressed that Israel does not demand “Revenge” Israel asks for “Comfort”. And that is what I shall pray for, that peace and comfort shall be lavished on the families and the Nation of Israel as it mourns.
In honesty, it will not shock my readers to find out political thoughts have run through my mind about this subject. But I shall leave those for another column. This one is for the memory of Naftali, Gilad and Eyal. Yes, the names of the suspected kidnappers are known. No, I will not be listing them. I learned from Lt. Col. Dave Grossman that we do not mention the names of the heinous people. They do not get to be remembered. Their names should be forgotten. The names of victims and heroes, those are remembered. And so I shall remember them in my prayers.
The service was concluded by singing the Star Spangled Banner, in English thankfully. I don’t think I’m ready to tackle that one in Hebrew yet.
One would think Shabbat would be a simple thing. That would be someone like me, who hasn’t a clue. I got that we would be walking to Synagogue, as no mass transport till after sundown. I got we wouldn’t be cooking, I even got that I wouldn’t be checking email or surfing the net. I didn’t know we wouldn’t be turning lights on and off. Oops, I think I only slipped twice. I think. I really, really wanted to try to do things the right way. I wanted to respect the house I was in. And Deb was patient and kind with my many questions about things I don’t know but want to, and things I don’t understand, but want to.
We got up, and got ready which mercifully for me, and those around me did include coffee. Although Maya thought it wasnt’ a “hat place” meaning we wouldn’t need to cover our heads, Deb wisely chose two beautiful scarves for us to take. Her’s was perfect for her outfit, and mine was for my outfit. Which isn’t totally shocking since I was wearing her blouse. I never did have an older sister to bum clothes off of, so this was very cool for me. We set off at a comfortable walking pace and followed the directions we had been given and reached the Synagogue in good time. It was a lovely day for a walk! We got to the Synagogue and then was a bit stymied. WHERE do we go in? A gentleman walked in ahead of us, we thought, well, maybe we get to the women’s section through the men’s. We didn’t see any other door ways. We followed him in and within 2 seconds realized nope, it isn’t. We were really quick on the uptake on that one! We knew we weren’t in the right place. I don’t speak a lot of Hebrew, but sometimes it’s just knowing the right Hebrew to speak. Having sized up the situation I walked up to the gentleman we had followed in, “Sleaha, afoe?” “Excuse me, where?” Like I said, sometimes just the right two words. He was very kind, no doubt he was a bit late getting to his seat, but we followed him and he showed us the entrance to the Women’s section which was through the courtyard.
Light of Israel
We walked in and realized the second thing, it IS a “hat place”. We whipped out our scarves and had them on in 2 seconds flat. The only other lady there was perhaps a bit older than us and we took seats behind her. The service was all in Hebrew, of course. Deb had her Siddur, which is in English, Hebrew AND best of all to me, transliterated! Transliterated for me is the Hebrew “Hooked on Phonics”. I adore transliteration. Some who actually do read and write Hebrew well are very patient with my transliteration, which is at times, wrong, and quite wrong. Others are more of the mind they hate transliteration and would I please just get on with learning to read and write. Told you I am still a doofus about it. But I am getting there. So as the service is being conducted I just kind of follow along with what Deb and the other lady do. Now here is when it gets really interesting to me. This lady doesn’t know us, at all. She must have heard Deb rustling the pages looking for the place in the book where we should be. She holds HER book up over her RIGHT shoulder but still in front of herself. So she can still read it, but the person sitting behind her, on her right could see the correct place in the book. All of our bad luck the person on her right is me. HER Siddur is ALL in Hebrew, and I haven’t a clue, Deb is still flipping through hers looking for the correct place, I don’t want to say anything it case it’s really wrong to talk in service. And so I sit there and just appreciate what a kind, very kind woman this is.
That’s not where her kindness ends. After a bit they switch to another book, the Chumash. She gets up, goes to a bookcase at the back of the room, finds two copies of the Chumash, opens each of them to the CORRECT place and hands us each one. So we too, can be a part of the service. I wish I could say I could read enough to kind of keep up. I can’t, and so couldn’t. But while Deb is pacing along being a part of, I’ve kidnapped her Siddur and am going through it. WOW, I am just blown away! This is the first time I’ve ever just gone through it, all on my own, flipping pages and actually READING it. I see that if one wants to learn to read, THIS would be the most fabulous book! The Hebrew has vowels in it. Adults don’t need vowels in their Hebrew to read, they know what the word is. Children and beginning readers need vowels. I need them so I can sound the word out. Which is why I love transliteration. But it also has what it says in English, and it’s beautiful. I am totally in love with this book. Deb and I have had a conversation about symbols that Christians tend to co-opt from Judaism. Ok, I get that. And I understand and will respect most of it. But this book, I want a copy of this book so much I’m willing to really argue, hard, as though I were looking for a Centurion tank hard. Mercifully, probably for both of us, that is not necessary. At all. It’s totally fine! I get the ISBN number off hers and after sunset get on Amazon.com, find it and email myself the link so I can order it when I get home. Within 24 hours of being home that book is on it’s way to me. And I do love it, as much as I thought I would. I haven’t actually got to the reading part yet. When it came I discovered there are explanations of prayers, history and all kinds of good information in the front, in English. I decide I want to know that too, so am almost done reading that and ready to start the prayer book part.
Siddur
So, back to the service. We finish the service, and towards the end more women show up, they are dressed fancier than the three of us. It seems there is a Bar Mitzvah taking place after the service. We don’t stay for that part.
As we get ready to leave, I walk up and crouch down next to the kind lady, and tell her “toda raba”. Sometimes it’s not that you know a lot of words, just knowing two right ones can be enough I think. I really did enjoy going and was glad again, I listened to the advice of my “force of nature” friend.
We have a wonderful walk back to the apartment and when we get back Deb takes my picture. She asks if I want to hold her Siddur. BETACH!! בטח
We have a light lunch, and then I can either write in my book, read a book, or we can visit. It’s Deb’s poor luck we start to visit. For five or six hours. One would think after that she would be falling off asleep. Nope, when we are done, I curl up in a ball and am dead to the world. I wake up shortly before sunset. Deb has used the time productively and written in her book. I’ve added not one word to mine.
After sunset we eat a little, make a cup of coffee each and now cell phone use is allowed and I go outside to my palm tree to make a few phone calls and return the text messages that have come in. Didn’t tell folks ahead of time I wouldn’t be returning texts on Shabbat.
After sunset we hop on a bus to Glida Beer Sheva, the most fabulous ice cream parlor. The bus ride was fun, the walk was fun, the ice cream parlor was fabulous fun. To my great astonishment they don’t have pomegranate ice cream! THAT was what I wanted. Luckily for me, they did have mocha and coffee ice creams. Oh my goodness that was fun! We passed a store where Deb is getting a beautiful dress. All the dresses in the window were beautiful!
Glida Beer Sheva-yummy!
It was a wonderful Shabbat for me, Deb survived it, this was good. I have a new Siddur, that although it is in Ashkenazi and I speak Sephardic Hebrew it’s ok. Deb told me some of the differences, and if I get in a spot I have people I can ask for help. For a day when you don’t do much, it sure was full! And full of grace.
On Friday evening we were very blessed! We were invited to go to my friend Deb’s landlord’s for dinner with his family. Shlomo is my “force of nature” friend Nissim’s brother. I have never been to a Shabbat supper and so am very excited to see what this new adventure will be like.
We dressed a bit nice, and I’m glad. When we first got there we met Shlomo’s wife, Devorah. She is a very gracious, kind woman. I just love her. She is also a marvelous cook! Though Shlomo insists he did ALL the cooking, I rather suspect Devorah had a hand in one or two of the wonderful dishes we ate that night. Another lovely lady that was there was Maya, she is Shlomo and Devorah’s daughter who lives in Tel Aviv. While they all speak English better than I speak Hebrew, Maya said her English was the best, and it is very good. She translated when the need arose. We visited for a while and then another brother, Danny showed up. My jaw almost hit the floor, he looks so much like Nissim. He is funny, and very kind, just like his brothers. Then one of Shlomo’s sons, Yoel and his wife came with their children. Shlomo leaves briefly to go get more grandchildren. Seems their other son and his wife are sick, but the children are coming. After everyone is there we begin the supper.
Ready for dinner
It starts with Danny telling the story of creation. As I understand it, this is often read. Not this time, Danny recites the whole thing from memory. Nissim and I had covered what to do if I couldn’t understand someone. I don’t know enough words to ask them to speak slower, but I do know how to say Sleaha, ata madebere yoter medie mahail bishvele. Excuse me, you are speaking too fast for me. Somehow this didn’t seem the time or place to say that. Danny could have slowed down till it took till Saturday night to finsh and I couldn’t have kept up. I don’t know enough words yet! It was beautiful, it really was.
Then the meal began, talk about a gastronomic delight! Grilled eggplant, the most marvelous quinoa, cauliflower and spice dish (I STILL want the recipe, hint hint) fish, All kinds of vegetables, cooked all kinds of ways. I was in heaven. The Challah bread is amazing! It’s a beautiful loaf of braided bread, beautifully browned and buttered on top, soft and yummy inside. You get chunks of it, butter spreads like a dream and it melts in your mouth. Shlomo seemed to be having a wonderful time doing some kind of quiz with one of his grandsons.
Quiz Time
After dinner we moved outside to the balcony to visit. It’s nice out there and we discuss where we’ve been, where we plan to go. We tell them my quest to go to Masada ends tomorrow. I finally get to go. I tell them their brother has been so kind to help me with my Hebrew. Shlomo asks if he speaks it well? I tell them he speaks it like a Sabra, like he has been doing it all his life. They thought that was pretty funny.
Later they were talking about having some work done, I told them I knew a good electrician. Deb helpfully chimed in “yeah, well, he’s not that good”. I think it took the brothers a couple minutes to figure out Deb and I were talking about their brother. It was pretty cute.
But not as cute as when I ask if they can give me an idea where to try my hunt for the elusive Centurion tank model. I’m not sure what it is about a woman asking to buy a Centurion tank that seems to make men nervous, but it does. Maya thinks maybe Toys R Us, but I was hoping to find one in Israel to take back.
From there the discussion arose, should we rent a car to drive to Masada? The advantages? Come and go as we please, if we do get done in time we could drive over to Ein Gedi as there is not much transportation available in the area. The disadvantages? Neither of us has ever driven in Israel. I’ve driven in Ireland many times, not the same. Taking a wrong road and winding up in a wrong place has very real and very bad consequences. Not to mention the cost. We waffle and decide to decide later. I mean, we wound up in east Jerusalem and that was using the light rail.
Then we ask about a Synagogue we could attend. It needs to be close enough to walk as no mass transit runs on Shabbat. Danny suggests one and gives us directions. It doesn’t sound too hard to find, this is good.
We finished up our marvelous supper with chocolate cake and parve ice cream. Since I really don’t know a lot about some of these things, I have to ask. Seems the ice cream was ok to serve because it wasn’t really ice cream. It was chemicals. Better living through chemistry! It was very yummy ice cream flavored chemistry!
So last Sunday, June 1st I got to go to KosherFest at Ohev Sholom. It was such a wonderful time.
KosherFest
My buddy and dear friend Christie came up from Oklahoma to go with me. This makes it extra wonderful because it’s “Girl’s Day Out”! I miss Christie so dreadfully since she moved to Oklahoma, but she has been wonderful about coming up for visits when she can, and thank heavens for cell phones with free long distance! While it is really hampering our mission to solve the world’s problems, it does help us with being there for each other. But KosherFest, good food, great music and best of all “Girl’s Day Out”!
I have pre-ordered my food, 5 packages of Cheese Blintz, NO, only TWO of them are for me, thank you very much! Two are for my friend Deb who can’t seem to get back here from Israel to pick up her own, and if I don’t there will be NO cheese blintz for Sukkot (this is a crisis in my book), one for my dear Christie who drove up, and two for my freezer. A carton of Chef Barry Brooks Tabouli, a package of Mandelbrot and one of Strudel and one loaf of Challah bread. So to keep everything nice I have a cooler with ice ready, we stop at Quick Trip to get a soda and a sweet tea. It is after all a “road trip” even if it is a short one. So with Christie riding shotgun we set out and point the Saturn west. Christie is an excellent navigator and we arrive in good time. The helpful Policeman helps us find the right parking area and we are set. They have increased Police presence due to the shooting a few weeks ago. While this may reassure many, I would be much more assured if there were a sign out stating “Legal Concealed Carry Allowed and Encouraged”.
We enter the festival area and begin to wander around. The first person I see is my friend Henry, who is on the Israel Spirit Committee. We talk about Tikvah’s dance times and we discuss the REAL NEED for a frozen coffee machine for the booth for the Ethnic Enrichment Festival. We ARE going to work on this, Henry and I are agreed, we NEED one!
Art, also on the I.S.C. comes over and I get to introduce Christie to Art, he tells me Joe is teaching Hebrew and takes me over to the white board where he is teaching. I remember Joe! He was one of the wonderful people that came to Open Range Fellowship last year to help present “A Taste of Israel”. Joe is explaining if you can read a license plate, you can learn to read Hebrew. Sounds good because I’m still a doofus with my reading and writing, although I AM making progress! So after he tells us a little bit and I see what he is saying. Then another gentleman comes over. One look and it pops into my mind who he might be, since he looks a whole lot like his brothers. It is, Naftaly, the brother of my friend Nissim. Nissim is not far behind. We visit for a little bit and find out the musical schedule and go get good seats at the tables to watch the shows. A group has been preforming Scott Joplin and Christie and I have both enjoyed it. The next group is Oy Tate and my friend Nissim is preforming with them. Wonderful group that has you feet tapping with a will of their own! Everyone around us seemed to be having a ball as well listening to them. We visit with Naftaly some while we listen.
Oy Tate!
After that, Tikvah begins their dances as they take you on a trip around Israel using different songs and dances from different parts of the country. I love watching Tikvah, they are such a wonderful group, both as dancers and people. Sue Ellen leads the group and she is also my must visit for jewelry. She makes such beautiful and interesting things. She is where I got my agarot earrings that I just love. Christie had commented how inclusive the group at KosherFest is, they welcome everyone. This is very evident with Tikvah, they have community dancing at the end of their performance. Everyone that wants to try is welcome to come and join in! This time is no different and members of the audience come and join in and learn to dance. Henry changes into a musician for the community dancing. A man of many talents that Henry! My friend Deb (a different Deb than the one still in Israel) who is also with the Tikvah group has entrusted me with her camera again. Her assignment to me? Take as many pictures as you can, she will sort the good from the bad, just shoot away. Alrighty then! That’s one I can happily do. So there are very few seconds of Tikvah’s performance that hasn’t been captured by Deb’s camera which happily didn’t overheat!
Tikvah Dancers
In Action
That’s How It’s Done!
Multi-talented Henry
Community Dancing
After Tikvah finishes Chef Barry Brooks comes up and gives a demonstration on how to make hummus. I am convinced hummus is a perfect food and I love it. Though I confess, I think the hummus we make for the Israel booth for the Ethnic Enrichment Festival is the best ever. Of COURSE I AM NOT biased? Why are you asking?
After Chef Barry’s demo, and by the way, Chef Barry’s Tabouli is totally wonderful, it is the Tizmoret Orchestra’s turn for the stage. This is another group my friend Nissim is in. Nissim too, is a man of many talents. As you can hear with this song Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold) by Naomi Shemer they are wonderful. They had us all clapping and several were dancing to some of the songs. Charlie, a wonderful gentleman I met at the Yom HaZikaron service a few weeks ago was there and WOW can that lad dance! He just had such joy and spirit it was a pleasure watching him. Charlie is just a very nice man.
Towards the end of KosherFest while we were walking around we ran into Ben. Ben is one of the Commissioners on the Israel Spirit committee and had been working with Art to give out the good literature. He was with Yahav, she is the Ambassador to the JCC from Israel. She is one of the people that worked so hard at putting together the very moving Yom HaZikaron service I wrote about. While too many view Memorial Day as “National BBQ Day” the Yom HaZikaron service was very moving and poignant. Those who worked putting it together had obviously cared a great deal.
Christie ate at KosherFest and she said the food was wonderful! I didn’t, I had my camcorder and was determined to get as many pictures and videos as I could. A woman with a mission I was.
We had a great time at KosherFest, good food, good friends and lots of fun! I hope to go back next year, and I really hope Christie can come up and go with me! That “Girl’s Day Out” is a wonderful thing!
Now are you wishing you had gone? You’ll have another chance next year! I can tell you the Tabouli, Mandelbrot, Challah bread and Strudel are totally fabulous!
So, after Yad Vashem we continued our adventure by heading for the Western Wall, transliterated Hebrew it would be HaKotel HaMa’aravi, in real Hebrew it would be הַכֹּתֶל הַמַּעֲרָבִי. So, you want to know how to say that?
This sounds like it would be an easy thing, right? We have a light rail map, and we see on the light rail map to go to the Western Wall (please, do not call it the wailing wall) we should get off at the Damascus gate. Ok, that sounds easy enough. Off we go, visiting along the way, and I’m still processing thoughts and feelings from Vad Yashem. We get to the proper light rail stop and get off. Very shortly after we start walking Deb is saying disturbing things such as “This doesn’t look right” “I don’t remember it looking like this” I’m thinking it’s been here for a really long time, I don’t think it’s changed but since I’ve never been there, what do I know? I know that if Deb doesn’t think something is right, something isn’t right. We go up to a sort of half wall and look down into a courtyard. There I see a magnificent arched entry way with tons of tables set up lining the entrance to it. You walk through the tables on both sides to enter the arch and the building. At this point Deb says something along the lines of “Shucky Darn” we are in the Muslim section. I had noticed in the dusk we were some of the few that looked like “us”. At this point our “spidey senses” which had been tingling now went on full blown “change situation VERY soon”. We strolled up to a police hut stationed at the entry way to the promenade to discuss our next move. When we got up there the lone Israeli policeman went inside. Hmm. We discussed options. Option 1) take a cab out of there. Quickly discarded, we are NOT getting in a taxi from anywhere close to there. Option 2) I’m opposed to giving the light rail more money, they suggested we get off there. We consult the map, where we are vs. where we want to be. I point out Deb is a 5K runner, and I’ve got a good walking clip, we can hoof it out of there. Deb nixes that one with “we really do not walk to walk through this area on the way, plus it’s getting even later”. Good point. Option 3) reward the light rails idiotic idea to disembark at the Damascus gate by giving them more money and getting the heck out of there. That one wins. The light rail runs pretty often. We sauntered back over to the stop and waited the 1 hour and 45 minutes (ok, it seemed like it, was probably 5-10) until the next light rail showed up.
We went back to the Jewish side of things and fortified ourselves with Cafe HaFouk. Yes indeed, it can be the answer to many problems in life. While we were sitting there on our bar stools watching the traffic go by I noticed a shop across the street. “Money Changer”. Now growing up on the Bible “money changer” does not bring up feelings of confidence. I, like many probably had a harsh view of money changers. But the fact is, I have no money. Deb has had to foot the bill for everything, because all my money is American. This can not continue. So when I notice that there is a sign on the front window saying “no commission” I decide to give it a try. I walk in and politely wait for the man to finish counting and banding the money he is working on. I don’t spell well in English, I’m pretty sure I don’t transliterate well either, but I’ll give it a shot. Slea-ha? Anee rotza harbe kasif. Aval, ainle harbe kasif, yeshli ktzat kasif. What I said was “Excuse me? I would like a lot of money. But I don’t have a lot of money, I have a little money”. He smiled, “Kama?” How much? I turned over pretty much all my American money. He then counted out my new fortune be’schleem (in sheckles). He figured and gave me an exchange rate on a piece of paper, I showed Deb who said it was good.
We decided it was getting late enough we should just try for a taxi. We flagged down a cab, “HaKotel HaMa’aravi, bevakasha?” The Western Wall please? We hop in and off we go. He is a nice cabbie. The closer we get the streets become very narrow, we shoot through arches and it looks like some little shops are almost built into the sides of the arches. Traffic becomes stopped the closer we get. Deb asks the cabbie if the mount in the distance is the Mount of Olives, indeed it is. I am not surprised Deb knows this.
Mount of Olives
After traffic had been ground to a stop for a bit, the cabbie asks if we would like to get out and walk. The meter is running, and he has got us pretty close. We pay and tip him and strike off on foot. We look at the mount in the distance, we look at the gate sign in lovely ceramic tile “Jaffe Gate”.
Jaffa
We also notice there are IDF soldiers everywhere! We walk on to the Western Wall. There is a fence down the wall dividing it into two parts. A men’s section which is larger it seems, and a woman’s section. There are a lot of people there! Not just at the wall, there is a dais, with speakers, human not electronic though those are there as well. There seems to be some kind of ceremony going on. Tons of family gathered around the sides of the group of IDF in the center.
“I swear”
We watch for a few minutes and head on to the Wall. Deb stops to retrieve a prayer book off the bookshelf located near by. I just head on to the wall. I have to wait my turn, for someone who is at the wall to finish and leave. I’ve already written my list of names. Names of people I am asking G_d to bless, some I have an idea what to ask for, some, I just figure he knows. It’s finally my turn at the wall. I walk up and put my hands on the wall. I can’t believe the stone under my fingers, my palms, my forehead is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Temple courtyard. I just stood there, for a long time. I prayed for the people on my list, I prayed for groups of people, I prayed for Israel and America. I ask G_d to show me why I’m there. Why did he make it possible for me to come? I am well aware by all rights, there is no way I should have been able to come, so many things fell into place that allowed me to be here. I also don’t think G_d makes mistakes. I think I was there at that time for a reason, and I very much want to know what his will for me is that he has me there at that time. After I pray, I slip my piece of paper into the wall in a crack.
Prayers
This is not as easy as it sounds. But I manage. I feel a plethora of emotions running through me as I stand there and look around. There is a doorway, up high off to my left. No stairs lead to it, at least not from the outside.
Will the open doors mean something?
There are birds perched on stones sticking out of the wall above us, it’s as though they have decided to rest a while in the comfort of his presence.
Abiding
Like those of us down below them. When I have finished my prayer time I go back to find Deb. We take pictures of each other with the wall in the background. While we are walking out I finally ask a young soldier what the ceremony is. He tells me it is a swearing of allegiance to the country and the IDF. They soldiers have finished their basic training, are swearing allegiance and will go on to serve in their units now. AHH, that explains all the family and camera flashes and speeches. Good deal, very cool to get to see this! We walk on to the street where we will find a bus to take us back to Beer Sheva. Finally one shows up that is going to Beer Sheva and home. We hop on and eventually set off. In a continuation of “adventure” the bus breaks down in Beer Sheva. Mind you, we are at least in the town, and not that far from the apartment. After about a 30 minute walk we reach home. We eat at home that night, and I take my evening coffee out to mypalm tree (Etz Tamar). I called a friend back in the states to get more information on this swearing in business and to relay the days adventures. He explains that different branches are sworn in at different places. Paratroops are sworn in at the Kotel, Infantry is sworn in on the Golan Heights, the Armored Units are sworn in on Masada. I was sworn in on Masada (מצדה) I’m sure that he thought that whistling noise he heard was the wind as I sucked in air through my teeth. I squeaked out “You were sworn in on Metzada? What my mind was saying was “And you never thought to mention this?” We will cover more of this when we get to the Masada (מצדה) story. But yes indeed there are soldiers sworn in there.
Thoughts on the Western Wall. Jerusalem is a city that had been divided for years. When it was under Jordanian control until the Six day war in 1967 it was exclusionary to most faiths. That’s according to a former Jordanian Ambassador to the UN. In 1967, when Israel was attacked and fought back Jerusalem was united and for the first time in about 2000 years Jews (and Christians, and Muslims and ______) can go to the Western Wall and pray. I like this quote by Lt. Gen. Mordechai (Motta) Gur-
“For some two thousand years the Temple Mount was forbidden to the Jews. Until you came — you, the paratroopers — and returned it to the bosom of the nation. The Western Wall, for which every heart beats, is ours once again. Many Jews have taken their lives into their hands throughout our long history, in order to reach Jerusalem and live here. Endless words of longing have expressed the deep yearning for Jerusalem that beats within the Jewish heart..You have been given the great privilege of completing the circle, of returning to the nation its capital and its holy center…Jerusalem is yours forever.”
I didn’t get to see all the outside exhibits. I did get to see the ones that really called to me, and one that didn’t, but it stopped me cold when I got to it.
The first one we came to on the path we took was the cattle car. Beside the cattle car engraved into a wall behind it was testimony given at the Nuremberg trials. It’s the story of a man who was a prisoner in one of the cattle cars. He told what gems he traded a German towns person at a train stop for a cup of water. He traded some outrageous sum, a diamond maybe? But I think it was all the wealth he had left for that cup of water. There was a woman in the car with him who was determined he was going to give part of it to her little son. Not herself, her little son. And she kept after him, and kept after him until finally he did give her a little of the last for her son. He said when he left the cattle car the little boy was laying on the floor unresponsive and not moving. Yes, you can be unresponsive and the body still move.
Dedicated in memory
Cattle Car
There was a section called “The Garden of the Righteous Among The Nations”. There are walls arranged by country. On each countries wall are the names of those who are not Jewish that risked their lives to save the lives of Jews. On each tree is the name of a person and their country. No, it’s not a forest. There are a lot of trees, but it’s not a forest. I can only hope there were many cases of just regular people helping, that no one ever heard about.
The Garden of the Righteous Among The Nations
There is a a HUGE pillar called “Pillar of Heroism”. This is probably my favorite sculpture. It’s so tall I can’t even get the whole thing in a picture! This picture is from the Yad Vashem site. At least you can see what it looks like.
Pillar of Heroism
There is a stone plaque near it inscribed “Now and forever in memory of those who rebelled in the camps and ghettos, fought in the woods, in the underground and with the Allied forces; braved their way to Eretz Israel; and died sanctifying the name of God”.
Heroes
A few thoughts on all this. First, the movie Defiance. It starred the anti-gun twit Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski. Why does this anger me so much? Because part of the movie shows him going to a poor Russian farmer he had connections with and begging for a gun and ammunition. The farmer manages to procure one and gives it and the ammunition to him. The next time you see the Russian farmer he has been tortured and killed and the message left it was because he helped the Jews. One would think old Daniel might use some of his wealth to buy a clue, but that seems to happen with actors and actresses about never. He never catches on this stuff happened, and there is no reason it couldn’t again. And yet he uses the platform he gains from his movie fame to preach his anti-gun screed. No, I don’t see many movies. Most actors and actresses I refuse to enrich with either money or fame.
I think the world’s moral compass has gone nuts. While we see the outcome of allowing a group to be isolated and vilified, we now allow groups to freely play the “victim” or “racism” card to shut down open discussion on any topic they don’t want people to talk about, or when facts are about to get in the way of their agenda. And the opinions they seem to try hardest to shut down are the Judeo-Christian values that are most likely held by most of the population of this country at least. Politicians on the left and the “news” media freely join in this game labeling those that support traditional ways of life as “extremist”. They label returning military veterans as “extremist” and a threat. Then they condemn them to a socialized health care system, made worse purposefully by the VA. Politicians and the elitists on the left are creating different classes of citizens, but to what purpose I wonder. The majority in the past has rather meekly backed down when faced with such accusations of intolerance or racism or_____. I mean after all, most of us were raised to be polite, not purposefully giving offense to any. Far too many do not understand that giving offense, is the least of their problems. The left does this with a reason. It seems those preaching most loudly for “tolerance” have—none.
I remember when I first made the “hummus team” the fellow in charge at the time and I were having a discussion on guns. I know shocking. But he asked me why I was so insistent (ok, maybe he used a stronger word, I don’t remember) I turned and looked him in the eye and said “Because when I say NEVER AGAIN I MEAN IT! Not your people, not my people. Never again will any group of people be at the mercy of government that wants to exterminate them. EVER. I want to make sure there are tools there that can back it up. Words sometimes aren’t enough”. After he started breathing again, we ended up having a really good discussion about his time in the service and his M1.
The sculpture that tore at me? The one I hadn’t look for, the one that didn’t call to me? The one that was on our path out of the gardens. It was made of iron I suppose. It appeared to be just stick bodies piled up, arms and legs supporting the layer on top, horrifying in it’s simplicity. Perhaps I was meant to see and share it. There are things in this life that are not a game. They are a warning, a message. We ignore it at our own peril.
Anguish
Why do I write about such sad things? Patterns, for one. Are you seeing them? Such a tragedy in the history of man-kind? Because if I can put enough detail about some of these people out there that you remember them, and you think about them from time to time, even though you never met them? Then in a way their lives are still touching others. The nazis failed. They didn’t snuff out their lives. People are still thinking of them, they are remembered, perhaps their surviving family will merit a prayer? Perhaps our country will get a prayer? Then the nazis failed. I win. You win. They lose. Good plan.
I’m continuing on my journey to learn to read and write in Hebrew. As you’ve no doubt figured out, I’m not having an easy time of it! A dear friend Christie, believes in my so much she bought me a book in Hebrew of stories. I plan to read it, not sure which year. Sigh. My friend Deb gave me a children’s coloring book with the words in Hebrew beside a picture and the word in English below. Nissim has gone through part of my reading assignments and helped me figure out which ones really are words, and which are just sounds for practice. And still I’m having a hard time.
I decided maybe the thing to do, would be to try to learn to read and write in Hebrew like I first did in English. This is complicated by the fact my Dad is no longer with us for me to sit on his lap and have him read stories to me and point out words. It is also complicated by the fact I can’t find a Big Chief Tablet! How do teachers and parents expect their children to learn to read and write without a Big Chief Tablet, I want to know! I think that is part of what is wrong with the world today, there are NO Big Chief Tablets! I think America was a better place when Big Chief Tablets were in stores on the shelves. Perhaps that is what has gone wrong with America, there are no Big Chief Tablets.
Why you ask am I hunting for a Big Chief Tablet? Well, my friend Deb helpfully pointed out that the path to success for me, she felt lay with a Big Chief Tablet and a fat pencil. Like the kind first graders use when they are learning to write. A measure of my willingness is pictured below. I have obtain the suggested fat pencil. For the record, they are called “My first Ticonderoga”. Okey dokey. If I learn to read and write Hebrew I’m happy. Now, my success may be threatened because there are no Big Chief Tablets to be had! Since I couldn’t get that, I decided to go for pretty. Pretty is good.
I’m not really Israeli, I’m not Jewish, but I care deeply about Yad Vashem, and you should too. Why? Read on.
Get coffee, get a BIG cup of coffee.
This was my first big adventure, after landing at Ben Gurion airport with it’s plaque telling when it was freed by the IDF on the 10th of July 1948 in the War for Independence.
The visit to Yad Vashem starts out in a theater. It has a looping film showing slices of life, conversation and music in the days before the madness began. It’s like being behind the lens of a camera that is panning a street. There are apartment buildings and you see people through the windows doing things like having dinner, practicing a violin, teaching, visiting. Then you might see a office building, or a factory. Through their windows you see people doing things. Eventually the panning shifts and you see country side with people working, children playing. Slices of normal life, the way life should have remained for them, but didn’t. Yad Vashem covers why it didn’t, what happened when it didn’t and the final “victory”, which it was, but at a fearful price.
The first of the displays talks about what life was like, before the nazis really had power, they were just beginning to grow in their influence. How many of the Jews were professional people, like doctors, lawyers, teachers. Many if not most, I imagine, of the children went to school, like other children. They had families, lives and their synagogues. Slowly that began to change. Initially Germans resisted the attempts to vilify their neighbors that had lived among them for so long. It took hitler a while to change people’s mindsets. When he first began to attempt to blame the Jews for all the ills Germany was undergoing, they didn’t buy in. Given time, and help they were not only willing to turn a blind eye, they did buy in.
I think if we look at where some of that help came from and what it was it could be very useful for us today. What is it they say? Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.
I guess one of the things that struck me about how life was “before” was the feeling of trust. The Jews thought they were safe. The Germans, Poles, and others were their neighbors. They had “coexisted” for a very long time. Co-exist is a lovely sentiment, makes a darling bumper sticker (or an advertisement for who would be an easy target when things go south) and if all parties were willing it would be wonderful. But history seems to show us one of the parties in the “coexist” will decide they don’t want to “coexist” they want to rule, or destroy another party, and they set about doing it. The rest of the museum deals with the result of the “coexist” mindset.
Some of the exhibits, many actually would have film clips you could watch. Some of footage shot during the holocaust, some of survivors, some of observers. One was of a woman that told of her Mother having made a hiding place in the closet and when the nazis would come she would shove them in it. The last time the nazis came she talked them into letting her get her coat. She opened the closet, quietly said “Good-bye girls, if I’m not back by night, go to the TenBooms” I have to wonder if that would be Corrie TenBoom, the author of “The Hiding Place”. Quite a book and a movie. She didn’t come back. Some of the people knew who betrayed them. It was their friends, and neighbors. People they had known and trusted for years. But why would these former friends betray them to such a horrific fate? The museum had some very compelling evidence how it could happen.
A very charismatic leader came to power using the slogan “Hope and Change”, whoops wrong slogan, hitler’s was just “Hope”. Hope for Germany. Germany had been in a sad state of affairs since the last war they started, their debt was crushing them. And Mr. Germany (who wasn’t really German) knew who to blame. The Jews, he was very upfront about his feelings, but the low info voters blew off the warning signs in his book Mein Kampf. So hitler promised Germans he would provide ice cream, rainbow strew and free hitler phones to all when he was elected. He purchased a newspaper to spread his screed. Tyrants today do not need to go to such lengths as the print media is pretty well on board and does the screed spreading for free, as they’ve bought in to the ideology. Pretty much the same with TV, for those that get out of line and really are investigative journalists you can read my post on Sharyl Atkisson. Or perhaps study the late Andrew Breitbart. And, he had his new propaganda minister to help out. I don’t know if the media back then were willing participants, or if they were forced but you began to see “cartoons” of Jews handing out poison candy to unsuspecting children. In fact there is a whole collection of these cartoons. Some of them were used in schools, proving “common core” is really nothing new. You can see several of them here. http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/thumb.htm They sort of remind me of the way that cartoonist for the “Red Star” portrays gun owners. I haven’t taken that rag for years, if they can’t report a story involving a firearm accurately after it has happened why would I think anything else they report is accurate? Vilification of Jews in cartoons was nothing new, it occurred in the middle ages as well, and the nazis happily revived some of the old woodcuts. Wikipedia has info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewpig it’s called Judensau. I will tell you before you look, it’s vile, the only reason I’m giving the link is I saw a platter with that woodcut image in the museum. Yep, people served food on them, there were also plates so people ate off them.
The culture was changing that made it not only acceptable but desirable to isolate and vilify one group of people. An artist named Charlotte Salomon (Apr 1917-10 Oct 1943 Auschwitz) did a series of paintings that chronicled her life entitled “Life or Theater”. They showed the changes in life the longer the nazis were in power. Her family had been quite comfortable before all the “hopey-changey” stuff took place. Her Dad was a surgeon, which became one of the prohibited professions for Jews. Charlotte had gained University acceptance to the United State school of pure arts, but in time she refused to go as it wasn’t safe. She and her husband fled to France where she continued to paint. When the nazis intensified their search in France for Jews, she and her husband were found. They were sent to Auschwitz, she was gassed the day she arrived and she was pregnant. Charlotte had turned over her paintings to a trusted friend for protection. She told the friend they were her life, she painted frantically towards the end. She lives on through the series of paintings. You can read more about Charlotte in wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Salomon
There was a picture of a beautiful young girl, she had long thick auburn braids in the picture. The braids are in the display case below, still braided, still thick and rich in auburn color. The owner long ago murdered. Part of the piles of things collected in the camps, like hair, teeth, glasses, shoes, some of this was re-purposed for the German army. And piles of bones and bodies, lots of bodies those things used to belong to. The jewelry of course had been confiscated.
My hands down favorite part of the museum was the section dedicated to the resistance. It was pitifully small. When you realize what the nazis did to the children of G_d, I suspect it might make the Egyptians look like a bad date. The weapons of resistance were pitifully few, and pitifully poor. I saw a rifle labeled as a pistol grip. Phooey! It was a rifle with the stock broke off. I’m sure it was easier to hide, but that’s all it was. There was one or two magazines laying beside it. Yes, there were a few other things in that section, but not enough. There should have been a room piled with magazines, rifles and all manner of things that had been used to defend the people. Two quotes struck me from this section.
Today it will be half a year since our destruction began [July 1942]. Had we but resisted then, at least as much as we resisted during the last deportation [January 1943], the Nazis would not have succeeded so easily in destroying such a large Jewish community. If the Jews had at the very least not gone of their own free will, but stubbornly hidden as they have been doing in the last few days – then the deportation would have lasted for months on end. One shudders to think that it required a quarter of a million Jews to give their lives, for the remainder to understand the reality of the situation and come to the right conclusions. From the diary of Shmuel Winter
and
“It is impossible to put into words what we have been through. What happened exceeded our boldest dreams. The Germans fled twice from the ghetto… My life’s dream has come true. Defense in the ghetto has become a fact. Armed Jewish resistance and revenge are actually happening. I have witnessed the glorious and heroic combat of the Jewish fighters.”~~Mordechai Anielewicz, Warsaw Ghetto, April 1943
I had coffee with a friend not long ago, we were talking about this. I said “If I were in charge, Yad Vashem would be a very different place. There would be rooms and rooms showing the different methods that were used to fight off an aggressor dedicated to erasing a section of the population off the face of the earth”. There would have been rooms showing the trials, and what happened to those that became tyrants and served tyrants. There would have been rooms dedicated to the victory celebration and one room to commemorate the six people that died fighting to save the lives of the innocents, because six people would have been all of the innocents that died. The death toll on the tyrant side would have been much higher.
So while the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto realized they were in a fight for their lives (finally) and news of the uprising began to come out, the rest of the world seems to have emitted a collective yawn. And so the poison gas flowed through the sewers, the tanks rolled in, fire spread and the people died. In recent times events have occurred that should make people sit up and take notice or at least open their eyes a bit wider in alarm, seems only to prompt only the changing of the channel to American Idol and people grab a coke with a smile. Putin rolls into the Ukraine and barry draws another red line in the sand. Isn’t it interesting that Putin is using the same excuse hitler did to invade countries? Well, when a country has ineffective leadership (at least in a positive direction, taking the country down the drain he’s a master at) you get things like the first lady holding up a sign begging a terrorist group to give back kidnapped girls. Yeah Mooch, that’ll do it.
Women in the camps didn’t have it any easier. They had to deal with things like Bloody Brigitte, she always struck till there was blood, she released her dogs on the prisoners. This sadistic German nurse spent time in prison for her crimes. I’m quite sure the prison she spent time in was much nicer than the ones she presided over.
There were also displays of pieces of medical equipment that could be used to determine if someone was Jewish, based on facial feature measurements. Now we don’t need those things, we have biometrics. They had helpful little “family tree” examples to determine the fate of someone’s life based on their grandparents.
I tend to look at patterns, and I’m seeing one. I’m seeing a pattern of a segment of a population being vilified by politicians, cartoonist ridiculing political and religious beliefs. Any attempt by the pitifully small remnant of a “news” media to point out the corruption is stifled. Anyone speaking out against it can look forward to IRS intervention to shut them down. And one party has called for the IRS to shut down political dissent. And yet from those espousing “tolerance” (but only for certain groups) are the very ones that push such policies using bully politics. You think people aren’t losing their jobs because of political or religious beliefs? Ask a pair of twin brothers that lost their new show on HGTV because it came out they were……..sssshhhhh, “Christians”. The same tactics have been tried against a store selling chicken sandwiches and a man that made & sells duck calls. WOW. So, HGTV pulled the new show. Darn, I will miss “Property Brothers”, but hey, they don’t want “my kind” of viewer,so I will oblige them, and their sponsors. You know, that’s the thing about a pattern, I’ve never bought a pattern for a shirt and ended up with a saddle blanket. They are worth paying attention to.
Next we will cover the gardens outside Yad Vashem.
Being a lacto-ovo vegetarian can sometimes be a challenge. Especially if you go visit another country. In Israel, I was right at home! It was easy to find wonderful food and drink to enjoy.
I had planned to start writing about my adventures by telling you about Yad Vashem, but then it occurred to me, that it really wasn’t my first adventure in Israel, Cafe Cafe was. Cafe Cafe is a chain, there are many of them in Israel, and they each are designed to fit into the neighborhood where they operate. This one is managed by our force of nature friend Nissim’s nephew, Yoel. So Deb thought we should start out the day’s adventure with a good breakfast and oh BABY was it GOOD! It was fantastic! I love that place. Deb ordered, which was a very good thing, since my Hebrew is very lacking when it comes to food. I can ask where the bathroom is though.
One of the first wonderful things I discovered was Sachlav, it is a hot drink. Hot steamed milk, with sugar, coconut, chopped peanuts on top. I think there are peanuts on the bottom of the cup too. Deb calls it “Israeli Carnation Instant Breakfast” You eat the frothy goodness with a spoon, well, I did. You might want to check back on this post, I’ve got a feeling some of the spelling on some of these items is going to need to be corrected. Not to worry, I’ve got an excellent source to get the information from. If I could have got my head in the cup I would have licked it clean. Deb is still grateful I couldn’t, I’m sure.
Sachlav
We also had Shak Shuka, and white and wheat bread, Israeli salad (if you come to the Israel booth at the Ethnic Enrichment Festival we served it last year) and what breakfast is complete without the drink of champions? Cafe Ha Fouch, if you know me at all, you know this is the stuff that flows through my veins. They make it pretty too, always a plus! It means basically, upside down coffee.
Cafe Hafuk
I waddled out of there. I love Cafe Cafe!
I came home very committed to learning to read and write Hebrew far better than I can now, which is not even first grade level. There is more than one reason for this, but here is a menu at a coffee shop at the Bus Station in Jerusalem. Thank goodness Deb could hold her own!
I would like to order????
Another wonderful place to visit in Beer Sheva is Glida Beer Sheva. They have the most amazing flavors of ice cream. Not pomegranate though, I was shocked. But they have plenty of other flavors, including coffee and mocha. Nice people, wonderful ice cream!
Glida Beer Sheva-yummy!
And finally, one more Israeli delight I enjoyed after I came home. Halvah. The best way Ican describe it is, like a very dense cheesecake, a bit dryer. But heaven (shamime) on a plate. Don’t let the fact it looks like a mere mortal marble cake fool you, it’s not! Deb was merciful and sent this home with me. I think she knew I might go through Israel withdrawl. Am still dealing with it, but have found a few activities that seem to be of help.
Halvah-mere words can not express….
This isn’t the end of the food review. I will tell you all about a great restaurant in Jaffa when we get to that stage of the journey, but for now this gives you an idea. It’s a miracle I didn’t come home weighing 400 lbs.
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