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Feticide at 40 Weeks?

February 15, 2011 by 70 Comments
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Please welcome Amanda Elkohen for this guest post about her third birth. She writes at Rabbi's Wife. This was my third pregnancy. I felt like I had a good handle on things. We traveled to the US in my 6th month with no problems, and I had low blood pressure in my 3rd trimester, which made me dizzy a lot, but was otherwise manageable. With my previous pregnancies I gave birth long before my due date, so going all the way to 40 weeks seemed like such a LONG pregnancy! Once I was "past due" I was referred to the hospital clinic for checkups three times a week. At the second checkup, my world was rocked. They sent me for an ultrasound because I had been measuring big. I don't think … [Read more...]

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Tipat Chalav Survival Guide for Parents

July 11, 2010 by 37 Comments
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On Twitter, @mrsroth mentioned how a nurse handed her 18-month-old a cup and spoon. The little girl started to "stir" with the spoon, but failed that developmental task because she was supposed to pretend to eat from the bowl. Everyone loves to complain about Tipat Chalav, the network of well-baby clinics run by Israel's health ministry. Sometimes the staff gives silly suggestions, or even dangerous ones. And nothing is more upsetting to an anxious new mother than having her baby "fail" one of Tipat Chalav's many tests. Overall, Tipat Chalav does its job very well. It's important for new parents to understand Tipat Chalav's strengths and limitations. Tipat Chalav has several key … [Read more...]

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Help Readers Choose an Israeli Baby Name (June 2010)

June 17, 2010 by 66 Comments
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Forum for Israeli Baby Name Help I've posted several threads with requests for feedback on Hebrew names. Below are two more requests: Naima writes: Back again, still playing with names. We're Conservative Jews near DC looking for Israeli Hebrew names for our soon to be daughter. We've pretty much decided on Michal for our future daughter's first name (named for my husband's late father, Michael) , we're also considering Meital and Miri as names without a "ch" but I really love Michal. For the middle name -- my grandfather was Bobby (given name, not just short for Robert) , and I just haven't really come to like any names that begin with B so.. expanding my list. His middle … [Read more...]

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Interesting Links #5: Bamba, Women’s Hair Covering, Allergies and More

June 9, 2010 by 6 Comments
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Lancaster Yeshiva, a yeshiva for boys with a practical bent needs your help to raise funds. More over at The Rebbetzin's Husband. (Keep in mind that you are sharing information with Pepsi Corporation.) Connections Israel is planning a Sderot Bar Mitzvah celebration this summer. Find out how you can help. Did you know that Osem refuses to reveal the composition of ingredients in the children's snack food Bamba? Read about it at the new Israeli food site, Flavors of Israel. Find data on just about anything with this cool video about Wolfram Alpha. Live near Beit Shemesh? There's an event tonight on Protecting Our Children from Abuse. Treppenwitz on a comic strip that may, or may … [Read more...]

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Beware Counterfeit Ten-Shekel Coins

May 18, 2010 by 3 Comments
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These pictures of real and counterfeit Israeli 10-Shekel coins were taken by Meir Sapir in 2003. Many counterfeit coins are still in circulation. Can you tell which ones are fake? Image source: WBCC Answer: The coins on the left are counterfeit. They weigh less (@morgetz said on Twitter that they feel like plastic), and the outer grooves and images are less pronounced. Sometimes the outer and inner rings are misaligned. But the most obvious difference is the text on the front of the coins: The first line of Hebrew text is shorter: It reads shekel instead of shekalim chadashim. This doesn't appear to be the case for all of fake coins, as seen in this photo by Jack … [Read more...]

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Willl Lag Baomer Get Rained Out? Too Bad, That

April 30, 2010 by 1 Comment
Will the rain ruin Lag Baomer?

For the first time that I can recall, Lag Baomer might get rained out. Jews pray for rain immediately after Sukkot in the fall. On Sukkot we eat outside in booths covered with branches, so we need it to stay dry. On the first day of Passover, we stop asking for rain and request dew instead. Just to keep things moist. That was a month ago. Rain at any other time of year is considered a curse, because it's bad for certain crops, like wheat that needs to be cut. But it's not that unusual. It even rained once in mid-summer. Today it drizzled, and rain is predicted for tomorrow and Sunday. I am not sure how the farmers feel about it, but the lakes, streams, and groundwater could sure use … [Read more...]

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Junk Food in Gan as a Form of Neglect

April 26, 2010 by 20 Comments
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Yosefa writes: I've been reading your old posts under the "olim" (immigrants) section [in my new menu at the top of the page]. I was thinking about the ganenet (preschool teacher) saving NIS 800 a month. Maybe she should have used it to buy higher quality food.  At both my kids' schools, they get way too many treats. One night after the first week in school Adele threw up. She told me it was because she had too many treats in gan. When I stopped in on Mordechai's first day, they said I could peek in and see how cute he was. He was eating a lollipop--his first ever hard candy.  While I appreciated their concern for his happiness, I mentioned that I don't like him to have sweets. The … [Read more...]

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Seminar for Bloggers, Journalists, Writers and Web Publishers

April 21, 2010 by 1 Comment

An Amophora Events seminar May 26 for serious bloggers, journalists and Web publishers With speakers Karin Kloosterman, editor of Green Prophet The Ethical Line Between Blogging And Journalism Eran Davidov of Israel Catalog Nice Blog But Are You Making Any Money? Join two of Israel’s most experienced Web authors in an interactive seminar on the top challenges for bloggers today: How can I make a profit and gain credibility at the same time? Blogs have transformed news gathering: Delve into matching the ethical guidelines of journalism with Green Prophet’s Karin Kloosterman. Then follow Eran Davidov on how to monetize your blog effectively without alienating … [Read more...]

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Gas Mask Distribution Information

April 15, 2010 by 1 Comment

Via Shulamit at Survival During Hard Times Yahoo Group: The post office is distributing gas masks, but are not sending out notifications about when or where to pick them up. You have to either get this information from the media or: Phone: 171 Update: I called myself and had to wait only a few minutes to get someone. If someone calls you claiming to be from the Pikud Haoref (homefront command), hang up. This is a scam. Website for information about post office pickup: http://magen.israelpost.co.il/abach/answerspageen.aspx Information from the IDF Homefront command: Tel: 1207 http://www.oref.org.il/14-en/PAKAR.aspx Order gas masks now by phone and they will be … [Read more...]

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Wedding Planning Tips

April 13, 2010 by 7 Comments

Image by BijanTwisty via Flickr This is Part IX of my series on Marriage in the Religious Zionist community in Israel. Part I: Dating Readiness, Part II: Meeting the One, Part III: Genetic Testing, Part IV: Dating Venues, Part V: Shidduch Crisis?,  VI: Internet Dating, VII: Paying the Shadchan, or Not, VIII: Wedding Costs. Mazal Tov to reader and commenter Keren on the engagement of her daughter. Keren asked for wedding planning help on another email list. I received permission to publish  this response: Lizy_B writes: We married in the north (Ulamei HaNesicha) a wonderful wedding. I don't know about places in the center but there are a few principles we tried to … [Read more...]

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