Our favorite 'made in Israel' app stops billion dollar deal with Facebook b/c they refuse to relocate to USA. That flies in the face of the regular capitalistic/corporate greed mentality. http://www.timesofisrael.com/location-services-apparently-kibosh-waze-facebook-talks/.
Well, what are we still doing here?
Had a really though day/week. Struggling with how we are going to find our place. Emailed S. Leibtag who writes for BJL about her aliyah experience and paraphrasing her: It is the place Hashem gave us to live in, and we are going there to find our place and feel at home.
Went to a wedding on Sunday and under the chuppa, uncle of kallah, played a guitar and sang Yerushalayim Shel Zahav. I can't hear that song w/o crying, so I was bawling.
Such a beautiful song written when the Old City was occupied and Jews could not enter. How lucky we are that we can now!
One of our daughters barely eats at school. She likes the foods that should be cold cold and hot hot, nothing room temp. She leaves the house at 8 and comes home at 4. All she eats at school are some crackers and potato chips. She eats at home, so I am happy that once we are in Israel she will be coming home at 1:30 to have aruchat tza'riayim.
Just had a very inspiring conversation with a friend about all the amazing things about living in Israel. One of them was how she had her best birth experiences in Israel. That aside, she also told me how wonderful it was that while recovering the staff brought her water to wash her hands Netilat Yadayim in the morning and how the doctors talked about things being b'yad Hashem, etc. Amazing!
Here in Baltimore, once a year we are plagued with the Preakness. It is held around 1.5 miles from our house. When I was a kid our neighbor on the corner would charter buses to shuttle partygoers who would park on our street. Along with that he would sell beer, from kegs. It was nuts and not something we looked forward too. Streets were super busy and folks were super drunk (had beer bottles thrown at me walking home from friends, etc). The only cool part was seeing the cool planes that flew over, like a Stealth Fighter, WWII planes and the good old Goodyear Blimp.
But, in more recent years I have come to dread Preakness because of the Goodyear blimp. We have a very sensitive daughter who does not like loud noises or things out of the ordinary. The several years ago on Preakness day she heard and saw the blimp and refused to leave the house on Shabbos for several weeks. Subsequent Preaknesses have found us stuck at home while the blimp is out (several hours since it hangs out doing who knows what). When I mentioned that tomorrow will be "Blimp" day, my daughter asked "only in America?" YES, BH. (I won't tell her about occasionally supersonic booms from fighter jets, LOL).
50% less food to buy
50% less meals to cook
50% less dishes to clean
It is gonna take getting used to that is for sure. L'shana Haba B'Yerushalayim!
So this is more of a silly reason. We have lots of family in the UK and are looking forward to them visiting us more often once we are living in Israel. That is why we are scratching our heads over this ridiculous report about the PM's flight to England. Guessing Bibi doesn't fly well, b/c when we did the TLV to UK flight it seemed like we were barely in the air.
Low cost flight from UK to TLV is £259 and it takes under 5 hours.
Low cost flight from UK to BWI is £650 and it takes under 7 hours.
Much cheaper and a little quicker.
So many things about Shabbos in the Holyland that are drastically different than Shabbos in diaspora. Each Shabbos I will highlight one (posted before or after actual Shabbos).
This week: Everything closes and stops, you can feel the 'rest' in the air.
Reader ideas are welcome. What are your favorite thing about Shabbos in Israel?
Siren to mark start of Shabbos! How cool is it that?! Don't forget kvetchy Chassidish Shabbos music that made Moishe nostalgic for his days in cheder (Ye-SOY-daiy Ha-TOOY-rAH) for at least 20 mins before candle lighting. Hey at least that is what they played in Sanhedriyah. Gotta love it!
'nuf said.
But, for all of those who say that it can be bought in the USA, well, yeah, but it is expensive and just a treat, not for daily consumption. I once read an article that peanut allergies are lower in Israel since babies are given Bamba to eat at a much younger age (6 mos.) That flies in the face of conventional medical wisdom that says not to give peanuts to babies. So looking forward to lots o' Bamba and seeing the Bamba baby in bus stop ads :)
As much as I try, my pizza just can't match Uri's pizza or any of the fine Geula pizza establishements. And forget about any of the pizza stores here! Oh well, just gotta wait a few hundred days!
Falafel for supper today and we can't help but pine for real Israeli falafel. We especially like getting it in a lafa. Hope the little kiosk near the Mir is still around. Looking forward.
