smells like Hanukkah...

So this will be my third Hanukkah in Israel. When you live in the states as a Jew, you get inundated with Christmas stuff, with only the obligatory equal-access Hanukkah decor (usually on a tree, ironically enough).
In Israel I see nary a light, santa, reindeer or hear a carol, unless I go near the Christian Quarter of the Old city, since people here are mostly Jews, Muslim, or Secular. But Hanukkah? oh yes!! 9-branched candelabras are everywhere, convenient oil/gel inserts in the proper number on every corner, and in every Makolet (corner market) there are boxes of fresh Sugnafiot (jelly donuts). And if you live close to the Shuk (like i do!) you can walk down the lanes of stalls and admire rows and rows of still-hot sweet treats, and even a few places frying up latkes. It smells like heaven! Even though I've got every excuse to fulfill my cravings, I try not to buy any until the week before the holiday, or I'll get worn out on them, even the caramel ones that I have dreams about! Last year, my DH brought them to me in the hospital after I had our daughter! But smelling all the goodness is calorie and guilt free! and sometimes I go a few blocks out of my way just to walk down the bakery row and inhale the sweet smell of Hanukkah!

More HP Magic...

I believe the world can be a better place. In Judaism it's called Tikkun Olam, healing the world. We believe that by doing what G-d told us in the Torah, the world will run the way it's supposed to. No Strife.

I try to do my part. I want to raise Mentchedick kids (good human beings). I make sure not only I give charity every day, but also my daughter and husband. We have people over for meals, and put them up for the night if they need a place to be for Shabbat. I know we've had hundreds in our home for a meal in the last 3.5 years (since we were married).

But more than that, I try to be polite in a less-than-polite culture (Israelis are rude!). Sometimes it means I wait longer, get ignored, or get pushed in a crowd, but I think that's OK. I also never answer back with sarcastic remarks when we are in a non-Jewish area of the USA and I'm getting asked for the thousandth time if I'm Amish, if I have cancer (I cover my hair with a scarf), if we're Jewish, if I can speak Jewish (Hebrew or Yiddish?) to them, bless their kids, whatever. Because I know these questions are other people's way of trying to understand me and also make the world a better place. And I appreciate that.

It's Magic...you know!

So, Moosh in Indy is part of the greatest thing ever. The HP magic giveaway. Wow, HP and Windows Live are giving away something like 200 computers. It's like Christmas, except Jews don't do Christmas. So, it's more like Hanukkah for me.
I can't imagine what it would be like to actually win. The truth is, my Dear Husband has an awesome laptop that he uses for work. I...do not. We bought this laptop used, on E-bay, for $150 when we were poor newlyweds and had to have something. And we were grateful for it.

Unutterably.

But as time has gone on, it has become less adequate. I could help my husband try to support our family with a nicer laptop, as he does video and photo editing work. I have lots of video editing experience, but no computer to do it on but his, which he needs most of the time. My contribution to the family income is sewing. I currently use my computer to market my clothing alteration and repair business online. So, between those two things, We'd probably keep whichever computer had the biggest hard drive, because Video eats up space like a termite on holiday. We'd also probably keep the printer so I could start making posters for the sewing on my own at home instead of outsourcing it. The fact that it prints pictures is a big bonus. We've not had a printer since moving and having our first kid. So of the hundreds of pictures I've taken of our first child, how many have I printed? None. That would change!

Times are very hard where I live in Israel. I know times are hard everywhere, but in a country where 1/3 of the children live below the national poverty line (families of 4 who make less than 4200 Shekels a month, about $1,050) hard times hit even harder. I know families who literally live on eggs, milk, and bread, because those are government subsidized and it's what they can afford. Many nights Scrambled egg sandwiches are our complete dinner as well. It's cheap protein, and nourishing, and that's all it needs to be. Clearly, we're not totally destitute (we still have internet) but it's some lean times in our house (we have stopped riding the bus anywhere we can feasibly walk).

But this isn't just about me. We've only got one kid and one on the way. Jake and Sarah have 5. One sweet newborn Yair (pronounced yah-ear). Jake has a small business working as a Schlepper, a mover. He doesn't have a big moving truck, just the family van, and most of the time he does all the carrying himself. He used to have a good sales job here in Israel for an American company, which gave them a laptop they could use, but then he was laid off. So, he sucked it up and made a business moving stuff. And when he can't get work moving stuff, he cleans houses, something usually done (in this country) by illegal immigrants and women. Different culture. But he does it because he's got 5 kids and a wife at home who think he's the world's greatest dad. And he's in the top 10 as far as I'm concerned. You should see the multi-level tree house in their yard that he built with salvaged scraps. They totally would get a laptop and a copy of Kung-fu Panda, because, HELLO, 5 kids!

Then there's Rabbi Gold. Old guy living in the Old City of Jerusalem. His vision is to have a school for Old Guys like himself to learn in. They learn Hebrew and scriptures and in general find some purpose for their lives at a time that purpose is somewhat lacking. He's struggling and needs to improve his website so people that come to learn with him for a short time can keep up after they leave. His very old computer is totally inadequate for handling large amounts of audio and video files. He's such a great teacher, he has a few young guys around that could help him with the computer stuff, but they get frustrated trying to make a computer do things it just wasn't meant to do. Computer to him as well!

I also kind of know a guy names Shmuel. I've never met him personally. He runs a charity that donates computers (that he has built from scraps) to needy families and charities. I'm not certain, but I bet he also is working with some old rigged-up computer that he built from cast-off pieces. To support his family he does computer consulting, and makes up the difference with a garden on his porch. But he still donates countless hours to building and distributing computers to those in need, because it's his vision that kids will be able to do their homework at home, disabled people will have a link to the outside world (Israel is NOT handicap accessible in most places), and charities will have the technology they need to continue their good works.

I could tell you a dozen stories like this. The irony of a country where 40% of the people wo are employed work in the Technology sector, and yet people use computers that are 5, 10, 15 years old does not escape me. If one of these folks declines a computer I could find 6 people to fill their place.

The truth is, I don't NEED a new computer. (I can and will use a new computer if I get one, but I won't die if I don't get it.) I NEED food, shelter, and clothing for myself and my family. Those things I have. For now. And I trust that G-d will continue to provide them for me through whatever means he chooses. I probably won't enter each and every one of the other contests. But it really would be a miracle for these other people to get a computer for their needs, and I've always liked the idea of being part of a miracle. And Hanukkah is about Miracles of provision when it seems like there's not enough to go around. That's kind of how things feel in Israel right now. Not enough to go around, no matter how you stretch.

It's not 8 days of burning from one days worth of oil, but in it's way just as much a sign of G-d providing for those in need.

(the last night of Hanukkah last year)

Wedding in an apartment...

I finally went to the perfect wedding yesterday! The Chuppa (ceremony) was called for 2 PM, but it got going at 2:30. Nobody cared. there were exactly 10 men, including my DH the photographer, 5 women including the bride and 4 kids. It was in an apartment, and we all had a home cooked lunch after. One neighbor brought a cake. Did I mention the Kallah/Bride was the grandmother of most of the kids there (except mine)? And the Chatan/groom is about 60? no? Well, it was the sweetest wedding I've ever been to, and I hope they have many joyful years together. No muss, no fuss, just happy married people and candy throwing kids. The way a wedding should be.

I can't believe how much I neglect this blog. People still read it though, so here's something new to look at.
Did you know we have a ZOO in Jerusalem? Seriously. It's built into one of the valleys outside the main city, and it's pretty darn awesome, for Israel. Shevy had her first trip there yesterday and was captivated by it all, and not scared in the petting zoo, like many of the kids are. Go my kid! do I get a mommy prize because she didn't freak when the goats nibbled her toes? OK, maybe not.
Here are the highlights:

Monkeys fail to impress her. She was more interested in the cigarette butts on the ground.


She liked the fish in the Tiger exhibit quite a bit. This means a trip to the Seattle Aquarium in January!
The goats totally cleaned all the crumbs from the stroller, and from her clothes.


We both liked the leopard. Her dad loves the big cats, so we couldn't neglect them!
But it turns out the Bears were her favorite. I thought she was going to pull herself over the fence to get at them!

Can't you just get a Rabbi to bless this?

Kosher. the basic were covered by Frum Meets World really well. I, too, am amazed by the idea that most non-Jews have about what Kosher means. As someone who didn't grow up with the whole kosher food thing, it's much simpler than it looks from the outside.
The questions I hear most often vary by source. From OJ's I mostly get things like, "Does Treif (non-kosher food) taste good?" (no, it tastes awful, that's why all the Gentiles eat it, duh.) "do you miss certain foods?" (yes, like Clam Chowder and Taco Bell)
From the gentiles, it's more like "Can you eat at my house?" (not really, but thank you for asking. How about a bottle of water or a coke?) "Can't you just get a Rabbi to bless this and make it kosher?" (if only it was that easy...)
What about you? Do you have a burning question about what is or isn't kosher? No question is stupid except the one that goes unasked...

What's them strings hangin' out, Rabbi?

So one of my regular reads, Casey (mooshinindy.com) wrote about Mormon undergarments, and it made me think of the number of times my DH has been asked about his "garment". So, here I am to de-mystify the underwear of the Orthodox man (at least kind of).
All OJ's wear a 4 cornered garment of some kind with strings/tassels/friendship-bracelet-looking-things attached to each corner. Here's a picture:


The main part is called a Tallit Katan, and the strings are called tzit-tzit. The cloth can be anything other than linen. My husband prefers traditional wool, but many men wear t-shirt like material or even the kind of nylon net that football jerzees are made from. The strings are made from tightly wound wool. Some people wear all white, some add in a blue string. All white is most common, the blue thing is kind of controversial, but too big of an argument to get into here. The strings are tied in a prescribed manner, which differs by community. As the garment is holy, it is not worn next to the skin, but over a t-shirt, or completely outside your regular clothes. Also, most men pull the strings to hang outside their pants if their shirt is tucked in, as having the strings (which are tied in a way that numerically represents the Holy Name) by your underwear isn't the best idea.
All that being said, the garment itself is believed to have given rise to the rumor that OJ's can't see each other in *ahem* intimate moments. The idea of trying to reproduce through a hole in a sheet is kind of funny to me, but when gentiles see this big piece of fabric with a hole in the middle (hello, it looks like a poncho!) hanging from the laundry line of their Jewish neighbors, I guess there was some speculation. Actually, the opposite is true. Nothing can be in the way, not even socks. So there you go. Mystery solved.


I'm thinking about doing a series of these, so if you've always wondered something about Jews, send me an email or leave a comment and I'll try to address it. I know you all have questions...I see the way folks in America look at us in the grocery store....