Out of all biblical holidays Rosh ha-Shana may be the strangest one. It does not belong to the category of shalosh regalim, three pilgrimage holidays, when we are specifically commanded by Gd to commemorate the agricultural and spiritual milestones of the year by going to Jerusalem Temple: שָׁלֹ֣שׁ רְגָלִ֔ים תָּחֹ֥ג לִ֖י בַּשָּׁנָֽה׃ Three times a…
Category: Israel
Can we really disagree constructively?
I have initially published this blog post on Times of Israel. It was a part of my requirement, but I am grateful I was pushed to write. Hopefully, I will keep going at this: We live in a time when it is extremely hard to listen to the opinions of others. The world around us…
Russian-speaking Jews and Judea
I have published these thoughts of mine here, but also posting them below since you are my primary blog audience: My friend, a Russian-speaking doctor living in Hebron says: the situation is bad, but we decided that even if only 10 dying families remain in Hebron, ours will be among them. There have been a…
Back to the “Safety of the Land of the Free”
After I’ve returned from Israel a few days ago, I am still not sure if I can coherently express my feelings. Things that we’ve seen cannot be unseen, words that we heard cannot be unheard. The images of the tiny burned houses of the youth village of Kfar Aza are forever etched into my mind….
On the Road to my Favorite Place in Pain
Tomorrow, I am going to Israel. I have been there in times of joy. I have been there in times of pain when even the taxi drivers thanked visitors not deterred by the suicide bombings. This time it is different. The pain is never easy, but this time, the pain is unbearable. Every account, every…
Hebrew in My Heart
Lately, I have been listening to a lot of Israeli songs. I always loved Hebrew, and now I feel that I am feeling it closer to my heart than ever. I have got acquainted with some really beautiful songs both music and lyrics-wise. They are not new, they might remind you of your youth or…
Wine! Glorious (kosher) Wine!
Not sure if I said it already, but my younger daughter is studying to become a sommelier. Apparently, there are only 249 masters of this trade in the whole world! In America, there are only 25 women. One can study for years and years and still fail the Master’s exam. So, there is a long…
Food! Glorious (Israeli) Food!
Just because on a day of horrible news from Israel I saw this article about food, I couldn’t leave it be. Here it is for you, my readers. Whether you are in Israel now or plan to go, read this, you’ll love it. Personally, I can totally vouch for Hachpuria, where I’ve finally eaten this…
שִׂמְחוּ אֶת-יְרוּשָׁלִַם – Rejoice you with Jerusalem
This Shabbat we will mark the start (Rosh Chodesh) of the new month of Elul, This time is supposed to bring us all to a calm and self-searching mood. This is not easy at all when each one of us is busy with life, minor and major problems, thinking about holiday meal planning and the like….
About the Shuk – Again
Did you know that Rosh ha-Shana is only a month away? The thought dawned on me during my Shabbat rest. As I started going through my multiple collection of recipes to see which ones I can incorporate Simanim into, I found an old article about the cute cafe we stumbled upon a couple of years…
Life after Pardes in Jerusalem
Well, every good thing comes to an end, and I am firmly settled back in the land of the USA, the city of New York, the supposed “center of the world” or so it deems itself. For me, of course, this phrase does not ring true. The only real center of the world is Jerusalem,…
This Land is Your Land
Walking the streets of Jerusalem, and especially hiking the land around it keeps me thinking of Gd pretty much every minute when I am not in class. The beauty of this land is matched by the resilience and wit of its people. I am not going to say a lot – see for yourself. From me…
Noshing Across the Nation 