On Ynet, Yael Mishali writes about first meeting the parents at her son's seventh-grade class at the yeshiva high school Nechalim. One mother asked that the yeshiva officially oppose mixed dancing at bar mitzvah celebrations, so that the boys can avoid temptation. The mother asserted that mixed … [Read more...]
The eruv came too late for me. . .
September 11, 2008 by
If the level of observance was low in New York before the war (see previous post and comments), imagine the state of Jewish life in Sacramento, California. My mother's family settled there in the late 30's, where my grandfather and my grandmother's brothers had established a business. My … [Read more...]
Who are you waiting for, Miss America? Guess not.
September 9, 2008 by
Last night we went to the shiva for the mother of an old friend. The friend told how her mother's mother studied piano with Bess Myerson, the first (and only?) Jewish Miss America. My friend's great-grandmother tried to fix up one of her sons with Bess, but they weren't interested. If I have it … [Read more...]
Michael Chabon and Yiddish
September 9, 2008 by
Michael Chabon got the idea for his book, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, after discovering a Yiddish phrase-book called "Say it in Yiddish" from the 1950's. He embarrassed himself by writing an essay treating the book as an anachronism and making fun of people who wanted to learn to say "I need a … [Read more...]
Young and old in Ramat Gan
September 9, 2008 by
Haveil Havalim #181 is hosted at Tzipiyah. Now that my little one entered gan we are free on Fridays, the first day of the Israeli weekend. We decided to go out for breakfast, using the coupon my husband received as a birthday present from work. It's not easy to get out of the house for a morning … [Read more...]
Interview: A Christian Mother in Israel
September 6, 2008 by
Melissa, originally from England, lives in Nazareth with her Christian-Arab husband and their six children. She graciously answered my questions by email. Melissa, where were you born? I grew up in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, a small city about 40 minutes drive north of London. What did you … [Read more...]
Using Cloth Diapers in Israel
September 3, 2008 by
Katherine has a new baby, and asked me to share my experience with cloth diapers in Israel. Previous posts which mention them are here and here. Some readers may asking why one would consider using cloth diapers in the midst of our serious water shortage. But disposable diapers use up more … [Read more...]
From your education correspondent in Tel Aviv
September 2, 2008 by
"I'm a blogger," I told the young woman who asked for my name and ID at the press conference Sunday morning at the Likud Party Headquarters.The woman smiled.(I guess she knew that already. . .There I was, with Rafi, Carl, RivkA and her husband Moshe. [Lurker must have been lurking too much; I didn't … [Read more...]
The Woman Who Never Says Hello
August 29, 2008 by
I have never felt completely comfortable in our synagogue. We fall within the norm for age and religious level, and even our large family is not unusual. But we are the only native English speakers, and most families send to a different elementary school. Sometimes I speak to a few of the women … [Read more...]
New Blog about Israeli Cooking and Living
August 25, 2008 by
After Pesach I bought some fresh yeast and made a starter out of it. When you are ready to bake (or the day before), you feed the starter by adding flour and water and letting it ferment. You take what you need and save the rest for next time. It's a different way of baking and my success has varied … [Read more...]
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