I'm honored to be included in Frugal Dad's list of the Top Fifty Frugality Blogs. For new visitors, I've picked out some of my favorite frugal posts: Making a Sourdough Starter Washing Machines and Making Laundry More Frugal Frugal Strategies for Young Children that Pay Off as Your Family … [Read more...]
Gifted Education in Israel
June 9, 2009 by
A reader whose child was being tested for giftedness asked me to write about the Education Ministry's programs. Testing Israeli children are tested for giftedness in second or third grade, depending on the municipality. To be accepted into the education ministry's programming for the following … [Read more...]
Summer Stock Sunday: Pitangos
June 7, 2009 by
Robin from Around the Island started Summer Stock Sunday, a photo meme. Click on the links below to see what other bloggers have posted. A few years ago, a friend pointed out a pitango tree with its tangy, red berries that ripen throughout the late spring and early summer. I would have gone … [Read more...]
Book Review: People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks
June 6, 2009 by
Cover of People of the Book: A Novel Geraldine Brooks' historical novel, The People of the Book, is based on the mysterious past of the famous Sarajevo Haggadah. Brooks intersperses the modern-day adventures of a book-restorer with a fictionalized account of the Haggadah's creation and its … [Read more...]
Exclusive Interview with a Former Kannai, Part II: The Community
June 5, 2009 by
This is Part II of an interview with Rabbi Moshe Yossef, a former kannai who lived in the anti-Zionist community in Jerusalem for many years. In Part I, he tells of his personal experiences. Below he responds to questions about the kannai community. How do people survive economically without … [Read more...]
Exclusive: Interview with a Former Kannai, Part I
June 4, 2009 by
In my series on Pashkevilim, I gave highlights of a lecture about the community of anti-Zionist kannaim, or zealots, in Jerusalem. @Jewnet invited me to interview her husband Moshe Yossef, a former kannai, for an insider's view. I've divided the interview into two parts. Part I is about Rabbi … [Read more...]
The State of the Shelter
June 2, 2009 by
This morning Israel held an emergency drill. Air-raid sirens (up-and-down) were sounded for two minutes. Schoolchildren and workers were expected to go to their safe areas, while those at home were to go into shelters or safe rooms. People traveling or outside were supposed to ignore it. I was … [Read more...]
Tzniut Meme Revisited: Modesty for Jewish Women
June 2, 2009 by
Neshama commented on the Tzniut Meme I linked to recently, and explained why she switched from wigs to scarves. She also posted her reactions to a shiur by Rabbi Pinchas Winston on the same topic. I am reprinting the questions here, and am happy to link to bloggers who didn't have a chance to … [Read more...]
Pashkevilim: Wall Posters in Jerusalem Part III, Spoofs and Cellphones
May 28, 2009 by
This is Part III of a series on pashkevilim, the anti-establishment wall posters hung in large haredi neighborhoods. The series is based on a talk by Tzuriel Rashi of Michlelet Lifshitz and Bar Ilan University. See Part I and Part II. Pashkevil forbidding the use of Zionist banknotes. Credit: Ben … [Read more...]
Shavuot, Eruv Tavshilin, Recipes and Carnivals
May 28, 2009 by
The holiday of Shavuot begins Thursday evening. Known in English as Pentecost because it takes place fifty days after Passover, Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. The two main customs associated with the holiday are serving dairy foods and staying up all night to study … [Read more...]
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