Places with Character

Africatown in South Tel Aviv

2012-01-20T08:01:00.004+02:00

The central bus station of Tel Aviv , considered the biggest or the second biggest passenger bus terminal in the world, is a huge complex dominating the southern part of the city. It has seven floors (three out of them used as bus terminals), entrances, bridges, excalators, elevators, shops, eating places. (I share the view of many people, that architecturally, this central station is badly designed and difficult to navigate).

exterior of the central bus station- partial view

The neigborhoods surrounding the central bus station are relatively crowded and poor. Here is where thousands (it started as hundreds, some four years ago) of africans from Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria and other african countries find refuge. They come through Egypt, travel along the Sinai desert and illegally cross the border entering Israel - tempted by the freedom and economic possibilities here.

Once in Israel, they call themselves 'asylum-seekers' and 'refugees' who have escaped persecution in their native countries. The local population , on the other hand, sees them as 'foreign workers', 'illegal immigrants', 'infiltrators'.

There's much tension in the air, and lately there have been serious demonstrations in the above mentioned neighborhoods; residents in these neighborhoods, alarmed by the increasing numbers of migrants and the social problems created by their presence, demanded the expelling of the later back to their continent or at least to the neighborhoods of those who employ them.

Anyhow, there are humanitarian organizations that help these foreigners in many ways. On one of the floors of the central bus station, for instance, there's a medical clinic offering them medical services. They can also get legal advice given by volunteer lawyers.

waiting at the medical clinic for refugees

It's one thing to read about the african "invasion" in the newspapers or watch the phenomenon on TV, and another thing to experience it in reality. I visited the area several times in the last two weeks as I was interested in buying a sewing machine at an importer's shop located on the same street with the central bus station. Well, I felt like I was in an african town. It was a strange feeling, hard for me to define it.

cute park with jobless africans hanging around

bycicle - popular vehicle among the migrants

african shoe vendor and prospective buyers

.As long as there are shopopkeepers and other business owners or rich families willing to employ the africans - there's little or no chance that they will leave. So, one should better get used to the idea that in the future the city might have an african Mayor.

Of Beauty and Separation

2012-01-06T21:52:00.009+02:00

My New Year 2012 has started with a positive, happy event . On the evening of January the first, I attended a 'Bar Mitzva' - a boy's 13th birthday celebration. Bar Mitzva means that the boy has reached the age of responsibility for his actions (from the jewish religious point of view).

The above event took place in a beautiful banquet-hall located in the city of Netanya. This israeli major city , on the Mediterranean Sea, is known for its fine beaches, limestone cliffs with gardens among them, long promenades facing the sea. Netanya , a center for tourism and for diamond trade, is rightly nicknamed "the diamond on the med".

tree and flower pot in front of the building

way to the Reception Hall

relaxation corner

It was cold and raining outside on that evening, but warm and colorful inside ,with beverages at the entrance bar and plenty of appetizers on tables lining the Reception Hall.

bar

appetizers

This was not an usual kind of occasion , the immediate family of the boy being religious (they became religious some 10-15 years ago), whereas many of the guests- secular.

In the Reception Hall we were together men and women, mingling, eating, chatting. However, in the dining/entertaining Hall, men and women got separated by a partition. It was a rather peculiar sight- that of men and women performing the activities of sitting , eating and dancing, separately. There was a male photographer for the men section and a female photographer for the women section.

The bar mitzva boy's two elder sisters drew a lot of attention. Even in Holywood it would be hard to find such beauties. One of them ,23, married and with 2- kids; the other one ,21, single. The beauty and grace of the two sisters, and that of a 12 year old blonde angelic- looking guest girl , "stole the show" from the bar mitzva boy and from everything else , and definitely brightened up the whole atmosphere.

the married sister with the two kids

the single sister with the two nephews

I would even dare say, the blonde little girl (accompanied by her grandmother), consciously or unconsciously, defied the religious atmosphere by taking off her coat and remaining in a non-modest dress (non- modest according to religious standards). None of the women present around her said anything about it or tried to cover her shoulders with a scarf.

G.mother and G.daughter dancing by the partition

Down by the Riverside

2011-12-17T17:03:00.005+02:00

"Gonna lay down my burden/Down by the riverside/Down by the riverside/Down by the riverside......
I ain't goin' study war no more".

I was humming the melody of the above famous black gospel as I approached the Dambovita River which crosses the heart of Bucharest city (it goes from north-west to south-east along a distance of 22 Km). I stopped the humming when I reached the spot. How on earth does one get down by the river? it's all cement around here.

Dambovita river at Unirii Square

The legend has it that the city of Bucuresti (Bucharest) was named after the shepherd Bucur that lived on the banks of the river . Dambovita was the name of his fiancee, the daughter of a poor forest man, who had rejected the marriage proposal of a prince because of her love and loyalty for the shepherd . How very romantic!

The river, however, didn't seem romantic to me. Perhaps the cloudy day was to blame for that: the sky and water looked grey and gloomy. I contemplated it from the bridge (The river has sixteen[16!]) bridges). It flows through a cement canal built to prevent flooding. All the river's natural turns have been canalized throughout the years.

There's no navigation on the river, no boat tours. Despite pollution, the locals jump into its cool water during the hot days of summer; many of them even practice fishing. Last month, by the way, a catfish of 40 Kg and 1.5 m long, was captured in the Dambovita by some amateur fishermen. It was quite a sensation.

Trash in the water

There are guided walking tours covering the part of the river that crosses the center of Bucharest. The tour starts in the city center at Unirii Square and ends at the Opera Square. It lasts about 2 hours and 30 minutes. The tourists are shown buildings which either face the river or are close to the river, buildings that have played and still play an important role in the locals' life such as: Manuc's Inn, The Palace of Justice, House of the People (the Parliament), The Opera House, and many other landmarks.

The Palace of Justice

The above palace has six statues near the entrance, allegoricaly symbolizing:
Law, Truth, Strength, Justice, Righteousness, Prudence.

The Victory Avenue

2011-12-09T21:02:00.004+02:00

Victory Avenue (Calea Victoriei) is perhaps the most representative street of Bucharest; it's one of the city's oldest , longest (about 3 Km) and most interesting streets; it runs between two major squares: Victoria Square in the north and close to Unirii Square in the south.

The northern part of the street has beautiful houses and palaces, the southern part is more comercial and includes shops, banks, hotels, restaurants, cafes. So, it is recommended that you start your stroll in the northern part, and when you reach the southern part you're ready to relax and treat yourself to a good meal or a coffee and cake at one of the restaurants/ cafes in the area. You deserve it.

A walk along Calea Victoriei is a good lesson both in architecture and history.
The buildings here are a mixture of neocclassical style architecture and communist era structures. Many buildings bear the following little sign which reads:' Historical Monument' (Monument Istoric) offering details in three languages: romanian, english, french.

sign on outer wall : Historical Monument

Here are a few buildings and monuments of interest:

Cantacuzino Palace which houses the George Enescu Museum of music. George Enescu was Romania's greatest composer and he was married to a widow from the Cantacuzino family. The museum is dedicated to his life and music. It displays documents and objects belonging to him, among them his first violin he got at the age of four(4).

'George Enescu' Museum in Cantacuzino Palace

The CEC Palace whose building was completed in 1900, serves as headquarters of the national savings bank. This impressive palace is not open to customers.
The daily banking activity takes place in an adjacent building.

CEC Palace

CEC Bank

Military National Club (Cercul Militar National) - This palace was built in 1912 on the spot of former Sarindar monastery. It has reception halls, a library, conference rooms, performance hall, a book shop, a restaurant. Most of the building is reserved for the social and cultural needs of the army people. In front of the palace there's a fountain .

Military Club

Odeon Theatre- one of the best and most elegant theatres in Bucharest. It is located in a tiny square between Majestic Hotel building and an appartement building.
In front of the theater there's a water fountain and a statue of the turkish figure of Kemal Ataturk.

Odeon Theatre

The Monument of the Rebirth - in Revolution Square ( In the same square there's also the rebuilt equestrian statue of King Carol 1 - see top picture). It's a white marble triangle which commemorates the victims of the 1989 revolution and it symbolizes freedom rising up through a dark cloud. It was here in Revolution Square , on the balcony above the entrance to the former Central Commitee that dictator Ceausescu held his last speech.

Monument of the Rebirth

This memorial is controversial to this day. The citizens of Bucharest are not happy with its design and refer to it as the " olive on a toothpick", "potato on a stick", "meatball on a spike", etc..
It would appear that the revolution that killed Ceausescu, also "killed" the designer of the monument.

Obor Market and its 'Mici'

2011-12-01T09:05:00.004+02:00

Almost every open-air market in Bucharest has a stand selling 'mici' (pronounced 'mitch', and meaning 'small ones') . The 'mici' (also called mititey), are minced meat rolls grilled on hot coals and served on a piece of cardboard with sweet mustard and bread. A cold drink (beer, usually) accompanying this delicious romanian dish, makes one feel in heaven.

I had some mici at the Obor market; their taste and smell was terrific.

mici grilling on hot coals

people waiting to get their portion of mici

Obor market is Bucharest's largest market . It has been renovated, and reopened last year as a combination of indoor/outdoor stalls and a 2-storey commercial complex ( ground floor - fruit &vegetables; first floor-food products:meat, fish, dairy; second floor - stores with household goods).

2-storey modern building

Nearby, there's a small park, a Metro station, a square with a fountain , a shopping mall, and a ...McDonald's. Quite a bustling area.

sign at the entrance of the adjacent Obor park

path in the park lined with trees and benches

Obor metro station

Interesting to note : I could kill anyone who smokes near me, yet I did nothing to distance myself from the heavy smoke coming from the grill and reaching the people - those standing in line to buy the mici, and those already seated at the tables around. On the contrary, I happily joined the other mici fans.

Go figure out human nature!

The Village Museum

2011-11-23T17:05:00.019+02:00

Wow, what a place! So peaceful, colorful and interesting! On a clear, beautiful day one could spend some very happy hours here; there's a lot to see, learn.. and capture with the camera.

The Village Museum ('Muzeul Satului') of Bucharest, is an open-air museum with some over 300 small peasant households from all over Romania. It borders the superb Park Herestrau with its lovely Lake Herestrau located in the northern, elegant part of the city.

park and lake Herestrau

entrance to the museum

The place is organized like a real village with original houses and shaded paths . The houses (wooden /mud/thatched roof houses ) have various patterns of fences, gates, benches and windows mostly made of quality wood. Some of the houses were open to visitors and one could see furniture,rugs and traditional decorative items dating back to 18th and 19th centuries.

Like in any other village one will find here churches, windmills, water-wells, barns, sheds . I also came upon a boat , an inn, and some domestic animals(the cats and hens are adorable).

Maramuresh church

water well

windmill

This Village Museum is a Must -see when in Bucharest. The place is a delight to the senses and it it is for everybody: child and adult. It introduces the visitor to Romania's rural life and architecture in a fascinating way.

my ' inserted' head on folkdancer's body

GARA DE NORD

2011-11-12T20:45:00.009+02:00

I've just returned from a visit to Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, and wish to share some of its sites and pictures with you. I'll start with a far- from glamorous spot - the good, old train station 'Gara de Nord' (a replica of Paris' Gare Du Nord).

Gara de Nord (Northern Railway Station ) is Bucharest's main railway station and the largest in Romania. It was built in 1872 (!), and it serves both domestic and international lines.

The station is connected to the city by several bus/ trolley lines and a Metro station; it is also connected to the airport by express bus 780 and by train.

main entrance to the station

Adjacent to the station building - a small plaza dominated by a statue in memory of railway heroes; across the main entrance, there's a tiny park where gypsies find refuge among their rags.

heroes' monument dominating the station plaza

green little park, gypsies and rags

Within the building, there are offices (police office, left luggage office, public relations office, ticket offices), ATMs, information desk, fast -food eateries (Mc Donald's, KFC, and others), mini-markets, booths selling newspapers/phone cards/tobacco.

long hall with offices

hall with eateries, selling booths, cafes

The station has 14 tracks and 8 platforms; some 200 trains per day leave / arrive here.

train platform area

'Gara de Nord' has a rather bad reputation which I think is exaggerated. The station is clean and appears to be quite safe. Like in any crowded place, one has to beware of pickpockets and dubious people. As simple as that. The same applies to its immediate surroundings.The taxi drivers are a bit of a problem, but if you ignore them they let go of you.

I couldn't resist the high rate offered by a money change office outside the station, and... it went ok. I got my money and nothing bad happened to me. Thank God.

Redemption

2011-10-13T17:15:00.003+02:00

On a very hot day, if you happen to be in a city which can offer you a view of some snow covered mountain (like Granada, with its Sierra Nevada mountains) or a city offering you a view of the sea (like Tel Aviv with its Mediterranean sea) , then chances are you'll psychologically and even physically feel a little better, cooler.

The other day I had some business to attend to on Geula street in Tel Aviv. It was hot and humid, but as I entered the street and saw the sea at the other end of it I felt as if the sea breeze was reaching and caressing me. It was all I needed at that moment.

beach

This street is placed between two very long, parallel streets: a central, commercial, busy street (Allenby street) and the beach street with its big hotels (Hayarkon street) that runs parallel to the sea. It has a mixture of old, new, and renovated buildings , some shops, and two four-star hotels :Abratel and Savoy.

old building at Allenby-Geula corner

Geula street ('Geula' meaning Redemption) has a story which revolves around a former small hotel named Savoy, located at a very short distance from the beach. In 1975 a group of terrorists came by sea, at night, and took control of the hotel, its guests and staff. A counter-terrorism unit was sent to the place. The terrorists were killed and one taken prisoner, but there were also eleven victims in the action: seven guests, the porter of the hotel, and three soldiers, one of them a highly ranked officer .

In 2008, a brand new four-star hotel was built on the place of the old one. Its front bears a plaque which tells the above story mentioning the names of the victims.

Savoy new four-star hotel

entrance to Savoy hotel

commemorative plaque

Regards from Safed

2011-09-24T16:55:00.015+03:00

Safed (Tzfat - in hebrew) is a small but special town located in the mountains, in northern Israel. It is a place where the spiritual meets the physical. It takes about four hours from my home to get there by bus , but the trip is very rewarding.

The town is blessed with mountain good air, picturesque landscape, and a highly spiritual and mystical atmosphere. It has historic sites like the Citadel at the top of the city with ruins dating back to the Crusaders and Mamluks, an artists' colony of stone houses in which artists live and work, art exhibitions , a variety of hotels and guest houses to accomodate the domestic and foreign tourists , shopping areas, healthy living centers.

shopping street

The "Artists' Quarter" in the old town is a major attraction of Safed. The cobbled narrow lanes, the stone houses with their artistic doors and windows, and the various art galleries - are very inviting to its visitors.

cobbled alley in the Artists' Quarter

ceramic work of art on the outer wall of a house

artistic door

tourists in the galleries' area

Safed is considered one of the four holy cities of Israel together with Jeruusalem, Hebron and Bnei-Brak. It has lots of synagogues, holy sites, religious institutions , and ,of course, a significant religious population.

The city is famous for the graves of 'tzadikim' (righteous holy people) whose spirits are believed to protect the city (It's Safe in Safed, as one would say).

This time I visited only the cemetery where my favorite tzadik ,rabbi Abraham Fish, and his wife rest in peace.

It is before the High Holidays when we ask for a good New Year. Praying by the tzadik's grave is always a great privilege, especially at this time of the year.

religios pupils heading to the graves

On the way out of Safed down to the main road, I took two pictures that I think are very beautiful and I hope , dear readers, you'll like them too: one includes a distant patch of blue which is the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kineret) seen from above , and the other shows the sun setting behind the mountains.

Sea of Galilee in the background

sunset

See you again next year, dear Tzfat!

Forest of Martyrs and ..Picnics

2011-09-09T21:30:00.015+03:00

Two months ago I attended a commemorative event in one of the Martyrs' Forests near Jerusalem. People had gathered there in the early afternoon hours for a ceremony that was planned to start at 16:oo pm. Each participant (there were about two hundred people) was offered a new white cotton cap and a red fresh rose. The white of the caps and of the plastic chairs facing the stage of honor, the red of the roses, the yellow of the scorching sun, and the green of the trees around - that was quite a sight!

surrounding trees

offering flowers to participants

The spot , named the 'Dorohoi woodland' (Dorohoi - a city and former county in north-east Romania) is dominated by a six-column monument - symbol of the six little towns of Dorohoi county whose Jewish population has undergone persecutions during the Holocaust.

the six-column stone monument

young boy at the ceremony

romanian ambassador delivering a speech

Not far from this memorial, there are some long wooden tables and benches - indication that the spot is a popular place for picnics and recreation.
Life with its little pleasures goes on, parallel to what the monument stands for, namely, martyrdom.

long wooden table and benches

The Wrestling Rabbi of Bnei- Brak.

2011-08-31T19:50:00.032+03:00

Wrestler-bodybuilder- rabbi- author of religious books - diamond cutter - entrepeneur- donor - businessman - all this in one fascinating figure, that of rabbi Raphael Halperin.

Last week the rabbi (87), a former professional wrestler, died at his home in the orthodox city Bnei- Brak, surrounded , probably, by his large family (12 children from two wives and some 50 grandchildren and greatgrandchildren). May his soul rest in peace!

rabbi Raphael Halperin (Web pic.)

In 1988, Raphael Halperin, a man of many talents , opened an optical store in Bnei-Brak in a charitable attempt to sell eyeglasses at low prices to the many needy residents of his city. (Bnei Brak is considered one of the poorest cities in Israel). This optical store is located on the main shopping street of the city - the rabbi Akiva street - on the ground floor of an old building. A few stone stairs lead from the street down to the store. In front of the store, a huge sign in hebrew -"Optica Halperin" - welcomes the potential customers. Inside, it's quite spacious and the young staff seem to be polite and helpful.

Huge sign : Optica Halperin

the optical store

The rabbi Akiva street, long and rather narrow, is now being upgraded , so everything looks kind of messy - especially the traffic, What immediately attracts a stranger's eye are the many charity boxes of all sizes and shapes scattered along the street, men dressed in black attire, women with long skirts , long sleeves, stockings, head coverings or wigs, and... lots of children. It's very hot and humid outside in August, and I feel particularly sorry for the not so lightly dressed little girls and boys.

big charity box

waiting for traffic lights to change

youngsters in orthodox outfit

little girl- long sleeves-white stockings

'Optica Halperin' has gradually become a chain of more than 120 stores! (with branches even in New-York and Los Angeles ). It still boasts of offering good stuff and service at low prices.
Anyway, its founder and CEO, the wrestler-rabbi Halperin will always be an inspiration to many of us.

Made in Moldova

2011-08-17T19:25:00.006+03:00

One of the latest 'hot' things on Youtube comes from Moldova, the small country "sandwiched" between Romania and Ukraine (see web map above) which emerged as a republic following the collapse of USSR in 1991.

The capital of this country is Chisinau and the official language is romanian, known as moldovan. Several other languages spoken here are: russian, ukrainean, gagauz, bulgarian, polish.

Its main touristic attractions are vineyards (the country is known for its superb wines) and remote monasteries cut into limestone cliffs.

I must admit I'm very impressed by the dancing virtuosity of the two moldovan kids in the video clip below, but I'm not happy with their moves which I consider too adult for their age; I'm also not happy with what seems to be a tattoo on the girl's upper arm.

.
The video was filmed at a wedding with the tiny couple of dancers as main entertaining attraction.

What say you, dear readers?

Sweet and Spicy

2011-08-10T16:00:00.045+03:00

Levinsky spice market is very inviting. The smells here are maddening, you can have a bite of turkish boureka, and sometimes even stumble upon a famous chef in search of some special spice for some special dish. Many come here not just for the products but also for the unique, colorful atmosphere of this place.

The small but rich in stuff spice market is located on a portion of the long Levinsky street ( probably named so after one of Monika Levinsky's ancestors LOL) - in south Tel-Aviv, not far from the New Central Bus Station. The everyday traffic here is terrible , on Fridays - it's all hectic, but.. one survives.

pink of shorts goes well with blue of bag stripes

Levinsky market specializes in a wide selection of spices and dried herbs (local, exotic) , dried fruits, nuts, grains, flour, and Mediterranean delicacies such as: olives and olive spreads, pickles, herring, smoked fish, cheeses, stuffed grape leaves.

spices and dried herbs

dried fruits, nuts, almonds, pistachios, peanuts

customer waiting to be served

olives & pickles

vendor posing for the camera

Among the spice/dried fruit/grain shops there are some small bakeries which specialize in turkish/greek style pastries : bourekas, kadaiff, baklava, pita; shops with cookies and turkish delight (lokum, halva) on their shelves , shops that sell olive oil, wines, coffee /coffee beans, tea blends, flavorings for baking.

bourekas (filled with cheese or potato)

And amidst all this ...surprise, surprise - two arab women (apparently unaccompanied by men?!) having a bite in an eatery - and...a lovely synagogue near one of the shops (prayers are always welcomed).

arab women in the eatery

synagogue

The Bowl of Rice and Ayurvedic Soap

2011-08-03T20:16:00.006+03:00

Sometimes I wonder about remote ,unknown to me places, just because I happen to like and use some product manufactured there. So, I find myself seeking information on 'Andhrah Pradesh', a state in India, mentioned on my favorite ayurvedic soap; 'Harderwijk' , a city in Holland where the finest organic apple puree comes from; Costa di Mezzate, city in Bergamo, Italy, which houses the Molino Nicoli, the company which produces the finest cornflour; 'Oak Brook', a village in Illinois, USA, home to the headquarters of Paper Mate, the company responsible for my most beloved pencil . And other such locations.

Andhrah Pradesh (capital city - Hyderabad) is a large state situated on the southeastern coast of India. Historically it's called the "Rice bowl of India" as more than 77 % of its crop is rice. Although agriculture is the basis of the state's economy, information technology (software industry) and biotechnology (pharmaceutical companies) are at the top of the key sectors active in this state.

Andrah Pradesh State Assembly (web pic.)

ayurvedic soap

Anyway, I'm very pleased with the green bar of soap ( 18 herbs among its ingredients) produced there. It gives me the right feeling of cleanliness and freshness that I look for in a soap.

Harderwijk is a small city in the eastern part of Holland. It's main attraction is the Dolphinarium with its dolphin shows. However, it is also known for 'Natudis' , wholesaler of organic food and natural health products which has its headquarters and warehouse in the city. I like their sugarless 'appelpuree' which is based on the well-known Demeter apple. I buy this product mainly in winter , and it is eaten as dessert.

Dolphinarium Harderwijk (web pic.)

>
organic apple puree

Costa di Mezzate is a commune in the province of Bergamo in Lombardy, Italy.This place houses the Molino Nicoli SpA , the company which produces the fine cornflour (gluten free) for polenta, the yellow boiled dish made from this kind of flour.

After trying various brands, I found out that this particular Nicoli cornflour is the best for preparing the polenta or its romanian counterpart, a staple dish called 'mamaliga', so I make sure I always have it on the shelf. 'Mamaliga' (polenta) tastes great with everything - especially with cheese, sour cream, omelette, beans.

Medieval Castle in Costa di Mezzate (web pic.)

cornflour for polenta

Oak Brook is a village, a suburb of Chicago in Illinois, USA. The place has many recreational facilities: polo fields, a golf course, swimming pools, tennis fields.
Mc Donald's has its headquarters here and so does Sanford, manufacturer of writing instruments and art materials. Paper Mate is part of the family of brands owned by Sanford. (In the past, there was another village , Bellwood , associated with Stanford and Paper-Mate). Anyway, as far as I know their products are manufactured in Mexico.

Paper Mate mechanical sharp writer pencil has been for many years and still is my best writing companion. I just love it. I can't live without it. It comes in a pack of six or twelve; yellow barrel, but also in neon colors. It doesn't need sharpening, it has a pocket clip, and an eraser. Its writing quality is great.

Oak Brook center (web pic.)

Paper Mate mechanical pencils

I'm all in favor of buying local products and encouraging the local industry, but that's not always possible. I suppose I can make my own organic apple puree, and I can even find a local cornflour that will suit my taste. There's ,however, nothing on the local market similar to the indian ayurvedic soap and to the Paper Mate sharp writer pencil.(sigh).

No Place for Evil Doing

2011-07-27T12:20:00.006+03:00

A 27-year old woman entered a big furniture and carpets store and never came out of it. She got raped and murdered on the deserted top floor of the store. The murderer, one of the workers, wrapped up the body in a thick carpet, and left it there. The victim was found only ten days after the murder, due to the strong smell of putrefaction felt in the building.

It happened some over ten years ago, and it was a big tragedy for the family of the woman, and also for the store, which was part of a very distinguished chain of home stores. The owners had to pay millions compensation to the surviving mother and sisters of the deceased, as the court had found them guilty of failing to assure the safety of the customer. After the tragic event, there were people who refrained from entering 'that place of evil doing', and so the business lost many customers.

I myself never entered that store again until it changed its location. You may call me superstitious or whatever, but I couldn't even approach the place, let alone enter it. I had thoughts about the spirit of the tormented woman as prevailing over the whole place, crying out and warning people of the danger within it.

It took several years till a new location in the area was found for the store (top picture). I happened to be there yesterday. It's a beautiful store with fine home items (furniture, carpets, light fixtures, etc...) . Along with the pleasure of seeing these items, there's of course the sadness of past memories that one feels.

sitting set

carpets

armchair

This time I've noticed something very important. No upper floor! only the vast ground surface, divided cleverly in open sections on various height levels. The lesson has been learnt.

Garden of Sculptures

2011-07-19T16:10:00.004+03:00

The Sculpture Garden is located on a segment of the pedestrian area in my town's main avenue, and it includes works donated by famous israeli creators. The sculptures in this garden are made up of various materials: bronze, stone, aluminium, stainless steel, iron, basalt. They all have plaques with the relevant details (name of artist, name of sculpture, material , date of creation etc..) .

Open-air art display , for obvious reasons, is good both for the public and the artists. Everyone strolling along the avenue or sitting down on a nearby bench, can enjoy the work of art exhuibited in the little garden, and get to appreciate the specific artist responsible for it. It is a direct touch between art and the viewer -without the mediation of the museum , without opening /closing hours, without entrance fees.

Here are the sculptures that I particularly like to look at when I visit the place:

Big Head (5 heads made of cut-out iron)

Woman with rungs of a ladder (iron)

A Tribute to the Inferno ( stainless steel)

Relay Station (iron + basalt)

Dolomite Stone

Horse motherland (iron)

No name (basalt)

Art exhibits arranged in a beautiful, central space attract visitors of all ages. It's a pleasure to watch children contemplate the sculptures and react, sometimes, in a funny way. "Look", said one kid to his mother pointing at a rusty exhibit, "Next time we come here, we'll bring our Wd-40 to take off the rust". Sweet.

Strawberry - The Recycling Version

2011-07-12T16:11:00.001+03:00

Recently, standard recycling bins for bottles in my residential town have been replaced with huge, red plastic bins in strawberry format. The 'strawberry' has two round black 'eyes' through which bottles are introduced into the red container, and a black slot through which nylon/plastic bags are slipped into it. The stuff is taken out through the bottom part which has a square door opening.

round black hole for bottles

slot (rubber black tabs covering it)

The red containers , placed in 'strategic' public places such as at a main street corner, near a supermarket, restaurant, park , bus stop, parking area - seem to be highly durable and color-fading resistant; The intention and idea are good; the design is, however, not very attractive, in my opinion. It looks huge , awkward, and far from resembling a natural strawberry. I hope it's experimental and the people responsible for the project, will either improve the look of the strawberry or improve the former facility. In most places, by the way, the bottle recycling bin is placed close to the paper recycling bin, and/or the trash bin. Good neighbors.

near building with gym studio & supermarket

adjacent to paper recycling bin

former bottle recycling facility

Why strawberry? Well, our town was in its beginning, a rural settlement surrounded by strawberry fields . It still has some of the fields , and its informal icon is the strawberry. Along the pedestrian part of the avenues that run to and from the municipality building, there are many plastic strawberry exhibits in various colors created by local artists. These 'strawberries' display all sorts of prints and inscriptions such as "only love brings love". Perhaps the love slogan is correct , but all this affluence of plastic strawberry exhibits might gradually 'kill' the desire for the real fruit.

'strawberry' with Love slogan (in hebrew) at top

SEVENTY-THREE

2011-07-02T23:35:00.012+03:00

On 4 February 1997, two helicopters collided in mid-air above the small settlement She'ar Yashuv in north Israel. All 73 soldiers that were on these helicopters were killed on the spot. One of the helicopters fell on a rental vacation room that was not in use; the other fell on open field near kibbutz Dafna. The day of February 6 was declared an official day of mourning.

We visited the place of the disaster last month on our way to Mt. Hermon (see previous post about the trip to the mountain) - to contemplate the memorial honoring the memory of the 73 soldiers , and pay our respects.

There's a monument at She'ar Yashuv, but the main official memorial was inaugurated eleven(11) years after the crash, near kibbutz Dafna's cemetery.

The memorial site is peaceful and solemn, yet very impressive. Seventy-three(73) beautiful rocks are scattered on a green lawn. There are holes in the rocks that make it possible for the visitor to light a tea candle. On the black edges around a pool are the names of the fallen soldiers written in white - and from the round pool, a narrow stream of water flows towards a large rock covered with plaques; the writing on these plaques tells the story of the deadly collision.

the rocks

tea candle holder in the hole

black granite edges with the names of the soldiers

the rock that tells the story of the crash

From this rock a narrow path leads to the trees where, according to the news at that time, parts of the helicopter and bodies fell upon. The tree branches bear small stone plaques with the names of the soldiers, photos, and other 'mementos'. This is the "spontaneous " memorial that has been created in the first years after the disaster.

plaques with names on the tree branches

a soldier's photo and his 'kipa' (tiny head cover)

On the southeast edge of the She'ar Yashuv settlement there's the "Forest of the Fallen" with seventy-three (73) trees to remember the 73 victims of the helicopter crash.

To sum up the disaster : 73 dead young men - 73 names - 73 rocks -73 trees - hundreds of broken living hearts.- and the grief of a whole nation.

Mt. Hermon - The Eyes of the State

2011-06-25T21:26:00.002+03:00

On Monday, I went on a trip to Mount Hermon, the northest point and also the highest point in Israel. This mountain, within the region called the Golan Heights, is considered "the eyes of the state" for its strategic position - its height serving as a primary source of warning from possible neighbors' hostility acts. There's, of course, some army presence on the mountain equipped with the latest tracking system.

military post

In winter, the Hermon area, is a ski resort, the only one in the country. The ski site is operated by the people of the small settlement Neve Atib. There are in fact three inhabited places on the mountain: a druse town, Madged-El-Shams, a druse village, El-Kynia, and the jewish moshav (agricultural community) of Neve Atib.

snowman welcomes the visitors to the site

Maged-El-Shams - the druse town

Now with the summer here, one could see only some very distant patches of snow on the highest peak of the mountain which is...on the syrian side of the border.

During summer, besides being a refuge from the scorching heat, the Hermon mountain area offers a variety of recreational activities:rock climbing, hiking, cable cars to climb up the mountain while having a view of the entire region, studying its unique flora and fauna, exploring its streams and waterfalls.

cable cars - up and down

arrival on the summit

flowers of Hermon

On our way back home, we just had to buy cherries. There's nothing like the cherries from the orchards of the Golan Heights.

cherries

At the Green Village

2011-06-17T18:02:00.006+03:00

Last month, on Shavuot holiday, I attended a summer happening at the Green Village. Hakfar Hayarok, as it is called in hebrew, is a rural oasis in the middle of an urban, bustling area. It is a youth village, originally an agricultural one. Nowadays, agriculture studies are given within the framework of the versatile Life Science department established here. The village is experimental in many ways , and offers an interesting variety of educational programs and courses,.

main entrance path to the village

"Shavuot" (the feast of the Weeks) commemorates the giving of the ten commandements by God to Moses and the israelites on Mt. Sinai. It also celebrates the concluding festival of grain harvest which begins at Passover. In addition, it is known as the holiday of the first fruit. It is customary on this holiday, among other things, to eat dairy foods, and read the book of Ruth.

hay

The green little village looked very festive with its balloon and ribbon decorations, posters and agricultural exhibits. The atmosphere was one of great joy and fun.

tractor exibit

The Happening included - touring the village, eating of salads and cake, all-family activities such as: stretching out balls of dough to thin sheets and introducing these sheets into a special oven ( taboon) to bake an airy kind of pita bread; driving a tractor, playing ball games , contemplating the livestock.

taboon

putting salad into a pita bread-pocket

chickens

The happening ended in the late evening hours with a rich artistic program (songs, dances, declamations) performed by the youth living and studying in the village.

the stage

Do watch my video! Enjoy the sight of the dances on the stage (at the end).

Science and the Gray Hair issue

2011-06-07T17:30:00.003+03:00

The prestigious Weizman Institute of Science, located in the israeli city of Rehovot, has a vast, beautiful campus with about a 100 buildings and hundreds of scientists, technicians, and research students. The institute focuses on all the major sciences: chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, math , computer science - and encourages both basic and multidisciplinary research.

Main gate to Weizmann Institute of Science

In October 2009, Prof. Ada Yonath, director of the Structural Biology Department received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (along with two other scientists, an american and a british) for her achievements in the study of the structure and function of the ribosome (a part of the cell that synthesizes protein and translates the information of the DNA). Naturally, she was invited by the Media to tell about her research and her feelings of being the first israeli woman to get a Nobel Prize.

Prof. Ada Yonath

Ribo... what? asked the man in the street.

Strangely, Ms. Yonath's appearances on TV interviews, elicited discussions (especially among women at the mall/ the hairdresser's/ the park ) on her... gray hair rather than on her scientific achievements; the bottom line suggesting that as a woman scientist she should perhaps devote some of her research time to finding out ways to prevent or 'cure' the phenomenon of gray hair.

Although gray hair is supposedly a sign of wisdom , people do not want this process of graying to happen to them as it makes them look older and can have undesirable effects on their life emotionally, socially, economically. Hence their expectations that science will do some miracle about it.

Well, most people don't know much about science, scientists, scientific projects, the priorities and the financing of these projects. What they do know is that there are lots of "breakthroughs" (for which scientists are awarded prizes) that are turned into drugs which may or may not help alleviate suffering - but few real preventive or curative solutions to age related problems.

On The Eternity

2011-05-31T17:54:00.002+03:00

Health services - Aged people's home - Cemetery - Eternity
Do you see the connection? perhaps the irony?
Walking outdoors provides us with a good opportunity for reflection on things in general, and on what we see around us in particular.

Let's take a walk on 'the Eternity' street. The name eternity (Nezach -in hebrew) is rather intriguing to those who don't know there's a small, old, cemetery at the end of this street. The cemetery is at number 25. At number 23, there's an aged people's home, and further in the same row, at number 9 - a health services building. All three sites are of the highest standards.

The cemetery , now closed to burials, is considered exclusive due to its central location, quality of maintenance and some important figures burried here. If someone wishes to buy a plot (there aren't many left, if any), he'll have to be well connected and pay a large sum of money.

entrance to the cemetery

The aged people's home, Habait (home-in hebrew), adjacent to the little cemetery , offers all kinds of sheltered accommodation to choose from: retirement living, independent living, assisted living. nursing care, rehabilitation etc.. It is luxurious, with a variety of programs , facilities and services. and meant for people... with money.

Habait

The Health Services building is owned by the second largest health care provider in the country - Maccabi. It has specialized clinics, modern facilities , and highly professional medical staff.

Maccabi Health Services

First there was the cemetery; then, behind it, several residential buildings were erected. The question of why the price of a flat in each of these buildings was so expensive - usually got answered with : "you get the most quiet, well-mannered neighbour possible". Indeed.

residential buildings behind the cemetery

'Charity begins at home' and Wizo

2011-05-23T11:36:00.003+03:00

At least once a year, usually in Spring I make a bundle or two of clothes to be donated to the needy. It makes me feel good to help those people who cannot afford buying clothes.

There are several ways of donating clothes and accessories. I choose to do it through the nice local branch of the volunteering women organization WIZO. This organization which has branches all over the country (and abroad) is engaged in activities that promote care, education, and support for children, women, and families.

The WIZO branch consists of a large conference Hall (for the various social and cultural activities carried on here) with a small office and restroom - and a Store (in a nearby alley) for sorting. fixing, arranging and distributing the donated items. Part of the clothes are given away for free to people recommended by the local welfare authorities; the rest is sold for a symbolic fee to whoever is interested in second-hand items; the small profit is used in improving the place and its blessed activities.

conference hall - corner for refreshments

conference hall - chairs

The bags with the donated stuff can be left either at the office or at the store (called ביגודיתBegudit). However, the latter being open only for two hours daily, most people leave them inside the Hall, in a narrow space near the office.

bags with clothes left near copier

Those who bring the stuff after activity hours and place it outside the entrance door could create a serious security problem. Evil factors (terrorists) might be tempted to introduce explosives in those bundles of clothes. Constant efforts are being made to make the public aware of this danger and convince potential doners to avoid bringing stuff when the branch is closed.

"Begudit" (closed at the time of visit) in adjacent alley

''The Rimon Experience"

2011-05-14T08:12:00.005+03:00

There's a lovely five-letter hebrew word רימון Rimon which means both pomegranate and grenade. Good music is juicy like the fruit (pomegranate) and explosive like the weapon (grenade); thus 'Rimon' seems an appropriate name for the independent, professional school of modern music in Israel.

Here it is (the school), behind the fence

The Rimon school of music (which has an exchange agreement with Berklee college of music in Boston, USA) offers studies in a variety of musical fields : composition, songwriting, performance (general and jazz, vocal and instrumental), film scoring, music teaching .

The students at this school (some 500) come from various countries ; the diversity of their cultural backgrounds helps create a richly flavored music and original interpretations. ''Rimon'' graduates are very appreciated professionally both in Israel and abroad.

The modest campus is located in a green, quiet residential neighborhood and it consists of several one-storey buildings with classrooms, recording studios, a library, performance spaces , and the outer recreation space.
The flat buildings could well do with some remodelling and fresh paint, but I am told that an entirely new complex is about to be constructed near by, so that would explain the present state of the existing structures.

needs some fresh paint

entrance to one of the buildings (see painted exterior)

recreation space

Rimon school is not far from my home, and yet I don't often come near the place. I think it's something psychological , and it has nothing to do with music but rather with my feelings of reluctance regarding general and local political elections. The polling station where I 'm supposed to place my vote on Elections Day is located ...on the same street with the Rimon school of music.

The White Tower of Ramla

2011-04-22T20:03:00.001+03:00

The small town of Ramla (Ramleh) in central Israel, is known for its colorful market, the grave of a british soldier with the name of ... Harry Potter , archeological sites, and the White Tower - identified as World Heritage site by UNESCO.

I was at my cousin Racheli's place which is about fifteen minutes drive from Ramleh. She offered to take me to the White Tower.
It was morning, fine weather, empty roads, scarcely a soul outside, as people were still sleeping after the long ceremony of Seder Night (first night of the jewish Passover). The parking lot near the tower and the adjacent muslim cemetery, was empty too. Complete silence. disturbed only by our steps and voices. There was no one there we could ask specific questions about the historical place. All we could do was to contemplate it.

the White Tower

The White Tower ( a square Gothic structure also known as the Ramla Tower) was built in the 13th century on the ruins of an earlier tower. It is six-stories high with a spiral staircase of 119 steps. Like with any high tower, its top offers great views of the surrounding area.
The tower is significant both to muslims and to christians. It used to serve as a minaret of the White Mosque (the remains of which are surrounding the exterior of the tower), and as a strategic military lookout.

lovely tall tree among graves

pavement bordering the tower area

We started our tour with the White Tower in Ramla, and ended it with a visit to some nice rural settlements (moshavim) located near the neighboring city of Rechovot (center of Science). About Rechovot - in a future post, I hope.

Small but Great

2011-04-02T21:45:00.001+03:00

The urban environment has many small elements (both natural and man-made) that make it look closer to Nature and/ or friendlier to people. When I'm outdoors, it is these small elements that draw my attention and make me want to use my point-and-shoot little camera to capture and save them.

I'm not referring here to parks , the 'green lungs' - which are, of course, the pride of every city and its municipality, but to the small public patches of green, to front and back house gardens, to tiles in the pavement, street lamps (like in the above picture), benches, public-phone roofs, stone statues...; the list is endless. Here are a few samples of what I mean by 'small elements' in the urban landscape:

Puddle, surrounded by some trees and weeds. A remnant of the last rains of winter. A natural 'relief' which borders the end of a long busy street, and the beginning of another long, busy street . A puddle is usually a dirty, muddy little pool of water; this one is rather clean with defined margins, and at midday, I guess the sun 's rays are reflected in it. Nice sight enjoyed by both, pedestrians and people in the passing cars !

Right there on the extended pavement, by the urban road with a pedestrian crossing - several wooden benches in a semicircle to the grassy , round spot with two trees. In the background, a green mound with trees on it. Charming little place offering some rest and relaxation to the city dweller.

Bycicle- path painted sign. I like the addition of adult and child to the symbol of bycicle. It softens the look of the sign and yet makes its message more powerful: no motor traffic here, bycicle riders and pedestrians only!

A juice booth selling natural, fresh fruit & vegetable juice is a must in the crowded, poluted city. Have you ever drunk wheatgrass juice? Me neither. That's what the young woman with the bycicle has ordered. Wheatgrass juice, by the way, is supposed to have many curative properties. Well, my favorite juice is pomelo (a kind of grapefruit) juice.

Pajama Town in the Gulf War

2011-03-26T20:35:00.010+02:00

22 January 1991. I was sitting in a sealed room wearing a gas mask on my face. and listening to the falling of Scud missiles in the adjacent city of Ramat-Gan , some fifteen minutes drive from my home. The gas mask was supposed to protect us from chemical and biological warfare agents in case Iraq's Saddam Hussein decided to use mass destruction weapons during the Gulf War.

cute,isn't it?

Most of the missiles fell on a street named Abba Hillel , nearby the Diamond Exchange Tower. It was said that Saddam Hussein's people had in mind another target in this vicinity , but they failed to launch the missiles at the right angle, and so this particular street got all the damage and casualties; scores of residents were left homeless.

Abba Hillel street

Ramat-Gan (in translation: Garden Heights), located in the very center of Israel, is associated not only with gardens but also with chocolates, soccer, and...iraqis. The city has several nicknames: Ramat-Iraq, Pajama Town, Little Baghdad, Iraqi Town - all of them relating to the fact that it has a large number of jewish residents of Iraqi origin, restaurants serving iraqi dishes and.. the common sight of iraqi men moving on the balconies of their home dressed in pajamas .

After the war, the main theme for stand-up comedies , was based on the joke that Saddam Hussein' s missiles were attracted to Ramat-Gan by ...the smell of iraqi dishes (sabiach, koube, shawarma, amba) , and the sound of iraqi music coming out from many places in the town. Anyway, it was rather ironical that Saddam Hussein's missiles had hit the place with a big concentration of his former "compatriots".

Statue of iraqi jewish prayer on Abba Hillel street

Today, this street is known for its skyscrapers in the district of the Diamond Exchange (considered the largest diamond exchange in the world) and some skyscrapers at the other extremity , near the big soccer Stadium and the Ayalon Shoping Mall. They say that in the evening the illuminated towers' area looks like Manhattan. I don't know about that as I've never been to Manhattan, but the sparkling cluster of skyscrapers does look nice at any time of the day.

skyscrapers in the Diamond Exchange complex

Herzl and Herzliya

2011-03-18T19:35:00.002+02:00

He had three children; all three of them died tragically. (His daughter Pauline died at 40 of a heroin overdose. His son Hans committed suicide on the day of his sister's funeral; Hans was 39 of age. The youngest daughter, Trude, died at the Therezin concentration camp).
Let's hope his fourth "child" - the State of Israel - will survive despite the hostility that surrounds it.

He - Theodor Herzl (1860-1904 ) an austro-hungarian journalist who envisaged and supported the establishment of a jewish homeland . In the Jewish world and in Israel in particular, he's a legendary figure. His remains and those of his first two born children and grandson (Trude's son) were moved from abroad and reburied on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem.

Herzliya , the city situated on the central coast of Israel, was named after Theodor Herzl. The top picture shows a dramatic statue of Herzl on the water tower at the Hasira junction, overlooking the city and the traffic to it. The following two pictures of Herzl's double-sided poster figure were taken in front of the New High Scool in the city of Herzliya. His poster was put there probably to remind the students of his famous slogan "If you wish it , nothing will be a fairy tale".

Welcome ! Herzl behind the town-map of Herzliya

Herzl facing the New High School area

Herzliya is home to the largest film studios in the country. "Ulpanei Herzliya", are located at the end of a short, narrow quiet street named 'Kesem' (hebrew word for Magic - how appropriate!). It should be mentioned that Israel has been nominated for quite a few Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film produced here.

Herzliya Film Studios - entrance
The city has fine beaches and hotels, a very affluent district named Herzliya Pituach (home to foreign diplomats, businessmen, high-tech companies), parks, a marina harbor, a small airport, various cultural centers and attractions (museums, galleries, a municipal stadium, a camera music chamber) , and a private university (The Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center) offering degrees in various academic disciplines.

The Marina (built in the 1970s) provides mooring for boats and yachts of all shapes and sizes. It is also a center for marine sports, and a very popular spot for going out to eat and drink as there are some very nice restaurants and cafes by the water. There's even a mall in the area, the Arena Mall, with shops selling high quality products. The Marina has become a well -known hub of israeli night life.

view of the Marina

'Beni the Fisherman' restaurant

Pupp - for the Rich and Famous

2011-03-11T19:03:00.002+02:00

The recent Oscar celebrations with the arrivals of film celebrities on the red carpet, have reminded me of my short visit to the czeck town of Karlo Vivary (Carlsbad) some six months ago. While there, I was fascinated by the architecture and history of Grandhotel Pupp . This hotel hosts the annual International Film Festival and the cinema people that attend it, and is also temporary home to vacationing actors. The hotel was used in several films, the most known one - James Bond's 'Casino Royale'.

It started as the Saxony Hall in 1701. A guy named Jan Pop (german Johan Pupp) came to Carlsbad where he worked with a confectioner. He married his employer's daughter. She managed to buy partial ownership of this Saxony Hall and the nearby Bohemia Hall built later. These halls and a third one purchased by Pupp himself will later become the Grandhotel Pupp, which is now part of Pupp Complex. The impressive building was built in the 18th century in Baroque style ; its rooms renovated in the late nineties.

entrance

Walking on the carpets and through the rooms of Grandhotel Pupp is to walk in the steps of history. Throughout its history of three centuries, this hotel has hosted famous people from all walks of life: political ,religious, cultural , financial, scientific- from Europe and beyond that. Here are a few names: Bismark (german chancellor), russian Czar Peter the Great, Carlos King of Spain, Harald King of Norway, composers: Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Liszt, Dvorzack, actors Gregory Peck, Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg, Alan Alda, Ornela Muti, psychoanalyst Dr. Freud.

Grandhotel Pupp is a luxurious hotel. It has more than two hundred regular rooms, suites, several apartments dedicated to very famous people, a presidential room, an imperial room, a spa center, casino, golf course & club, restaurants, bars, cafe, conference room, halls for special & festive events.

woman with jug- symbol of thermal baths & spas

Now back to the 2011 Oscar ceremony - Colin Firth is sooooo handsome , talented , and...british! I'm glad that the Oscar went to both "the King's speech" movie and its star .

NOIR

2011-03-05T20:00:00.001+02:00

'Noir' is the french word for 'black' ; it appears in widely known terms such as the cinematic 'film noir' . It is also the name of a unique shop in my home town which specializes in selling various items in black color : clothing, jewelery, pillows, lamp-shades , mini statues - the 'hottest' item being.. .black toilet paper. According to one of the two blond, black dressed ladies that own this shop, the concept behind it, is theirs original, and they might even export it abroad .

Once, I visited a co-worker at her home. I was shocked to see that everything in the kitchen, except the walls and floor - was black. Since then, I've gradually got used to the idea that black is not only the colour of mourning, there's more to it; it is elegant , distinguished. In fact, I like to wear black. I also like black pots , and certain black furniture pieces .

The above-mentioned store , has a glass facade (windows and entrance) so its whole interior is seen outside. The shots were taken in the evening ( It's hard to take pictures of it in daylight as the picture shows reflection of the street through the glass). Two things 'brighten up' the place a bit :the colour of the walls and shelves, and the images of famous stars such as the M. divas: Marlen Dietrich at the back and Marlyn Monroe at the front part of the shop (the latter has been lately replaced with the image of Frank Sinatra).

glass facade

The walls, and the shelves attached to them are painted in mustard yellow colour which is a nice contrast to black. The lower rims of the shelves have slogans written on them explaining why black; it's dramatic, it's beautiful, it's mysterious, it's powerful , it's magic, it's glamorous , and it is never out of fashion.

shelves

The prices are rather ...pricey. I could ,however, afford the black toilet paper. It is sold as one roll of paper wrapped up nicely for a present and put into an elegant black bag with the tag 'Noir' on it.. I'm not going to use it , so please don't ask me whether it does its job well.

black toilet-paper roll

Workout in the Park

2011-02-25T22:17:00.002+02:00

It is GFF - Green scenery, Fresh air, Free equipment, and... it 's near my home. You won't see any hunks with muscles here, as the place is basic, not for professionals; it suits any age and gender though. I have become rather addicted to it - at least twice a week (weather depending and time permitting) for about fifty minutes.

workout devices

The little park has beautiful trees (good for resistance exercises) and trails for brisk walking, jogging and bicycles. In the middle of the park - a tiny round soft spot with five solid basic workout devices, and some benches around it. At first, it is boring , but then you think of the advantages: it saves time and money (near home, free access to equipment), it puts you in shape for the warm days to come , not to mention the good it does to health in general; and so, you joyfully plunge into it.

jogging trail

Kids and dogs belonging to people who stop here for a short work out, can be a distraction sometimes - you would rather play with them :). Dogs, by the way, are not allowed in the park, but this is the Middle East here, nobody gives a damn on what is allowed or not. In the evening the distraction is of a different nature: young couples sitting on the bench, holding hands, chatting and kissing while the moon shyly looks upon them through the tree branches.

having fun

Behind The Black Veil

2011-02-18T20:41:00.004+02:00

No, these are not Taliban women in Afganistan, Pakistan, Iran or any other muslim country. The above picture with the women and girls in black was taken in Israel, in the city of Beit Shemesh , near Jerusalem.

'Beit Shemesh' ('House of the Sun' or 'Temple of the Sun' in Hebrew) , named after the sun-goddess Shemesh worshipped here in antiquity, was founded in 1950 near the ruins of the ancient biblical town with the same name.

This city has besides secular residents, a large orthodox population which includes many streams of religious practice , and an ultra-orthodox sector (haredim), It also has... an impressive number of immigrants from english-speaking countries (USA, Great Britain, South Africa, Australia etc..).

The phenomenon of women and girls completely covered up in layers of cloth (with only a few unseen holes in the eye area) is called the Shalim Movement - 'shalim' meaning shawls, veils, cloak. It's strange, as it is not based on the bible, on tradition, or on some religious law; it is more likely a trend acquired from our muslim neighboring countries. The leader of this sect, Malka Benizri, comes indeed from a jewish family that has its origin in a muslim country, and so, I suppose, are most of the women that belong to it.

This sect is still a minority but it's spreading fast among neighborhoods.

The key word with these women is 'tzniut'(modesty). They meet once a week and talk about it. Well, they do take modesty to a level unknown to Judaism, perhaps known only to Islam. Some of them may even do it against their husbands' will. There were reports of girls being beaten up because they refused to wear shalim (the former leader of this movement, a mother of ten, is in prison on charges of child abuse).

I don't live in that area and don't have to stumble upon them, but it's worrying. I think this phenomenon should not be encouraged (to say the least) for several reasons: It's against Nature, it's exaggerated and extreme (extremity could lead to other forms of extremity), the shawls that also cover the whole face including eyes and ears create social barriers , may damage the eyes and physically endanger the wearer (especially the small girls).

Live Danger in a Dead Place.

2011-02-11T19:35:00.002+02:00

Several months ago I got attacked by ...a plant. It happened while I was on my way out of the cemetery. My skirt touched a shrub near one of the graves and all of a sudden its fruit opened up sending tens of needles into the lower part of my body. I won't go into details; I'll just say that it was pure Hell.

I know, of course, about the existence of plants whose exterior is covered by thorns or needles, but this was something else. No warning whatsoever of the concealed weapon. I was so shocked and in pain that I wasn't able to even take a decent look at the shrub. A month later I came back to the 'scene of crime' to search for it and take a picture so that I could start some inquiries, but I wasn't successful. I couldn't remember the exact place and shape of the 'villain'.

I'm not familiar with the regulations and restrictions, if any, regarding plants in a cemetery. I think in this particular cemetery there's usually no soil for planting near the headstones, so people bring all kinds of trees/shrubs/flowers, in pots of various shapes and sizes, and place them near the gravestone of their beloved trying to make beautiful the resting place of the dead and pleasurable the visits of the living.

I kept quiet about the incident. I felt it was a kind of punishment from Above for choosing the short way among the graves and thus disturbing the peace of the dead, instead of taking the normal path. I don't know why I haven't used the paved path. Probably, it's the nasty child in me, that resides in everyone, making us , at times, behave badly and do stupid things.

I should have complained to the manager of the cemetery about the shrub, demanding an explanation of their policy as to the sort of plants allowed in the cemetery, but I didn't. I guess I was still uncomfortable with my behaviour, and I was too glad that no lasting harm was done to me.

Fire and Water

2011-02-04T20:25:00.004+02:00

I like it as it is, with its flaws and despite the criticisms. But then, I don't see it often enough to form a solid opinion about it. Anyway , it's going to undergo a big change. First, there will be a public opinion survey regarding its fate; I won't be asked my opinion about the options (renovation or back to street level) as I'm not a resident of the city,

The elevated Dizengoff plaza( square) , has been a love-hate story for the people of Tel-Aviv city since 1978. Named after Zina Dizengoff, the wife of the first mayor , Meir Dizengoff - the square (inaugurated in 1938) is located in the very heart of this lively city.
In 1978, in order to solve traffic problems in the area, the circular pedestrian plaza ( a meeting point of six lateral streets), was raised to a higher level and connected by ramps to the sidewalks ; the traffic uses the lower level.

traffic under the plaza

People walk up and down the plaza , ride bicycles, or sit on the benches for a chat; children feed the pigeons, or play outdoor games. All enjoy watching the fire and water kinetic fountain sculpture erected in the middle of the plaza in 1980. The sculpture created by Yaakov Agam , a renowned artist, has become a landmark of the city attracting tourists as well as locals . It streams fire, water and music as it rotates (it's operated at certain hours) ; it contains all the colors of the rainbow moving and changing. It is a colourful and beautiful piece of art . If the square will be restored to street level, the fountain might be transferred to another location.

the kinetic fountain

boy feeding the pigeons

nice legs and...dog

I'm not sure the survey is a good idea when it comes to such an important matter as the fate of a square. I don't think the public has the neccessary knowledge and understanding to decide on this. I'm for improvement and renovation of the square, and perhaps the residents of the city should be asked to offer suggestions on how to beautify the place, clean it and make it more pleasant and attractive.

red Suitcase in murky River

2011-01-28T19:53:00.000+02:00

September 2008. Police divers found a red suitcase in the Yarkon river with the remains of a four year old girl who has been missing since May.
It is neither the first nor the only tragic event associated with this river (see my post "The fatal bridge and the Fungus" from july 2010), but it is certainly the most ghastly one. The grandfather (who was also her stepfather) and the mother of the dead girl Rose Pisam, are in prison.

Little Rose was the child of her grandfather's son and her grandfather's wife (formerly her father's wife). Murky? Yes, like the waters of the Yarkon river.
Apparently, the grandfather - stepfather, a man in his forties, couldn't stand the sight of the little girl (the child of his young son and the woman he loved), beat her to death and placed her into a suitcase which was then abandoned in the river.

Hayarkon river, the longest shore river in Israel, flows from its sources (Rosh Hayin Springs) through several municipial areas into the Mediterranean Sea , near Tel Aviv port. It has always been in the news, mainly because of heavy pollution issues. Despite the many efforts invested in cleaning the waters, the river is still polluted, and as far as I know swimming here is forbidden by the Health Authorities. Along its banks however, there are many historical sights and especially recreational attractions such as: parks, sports fields, bicycle tracks, a rowing center, work-out facilities.

rowing on the Yarkon river

man cleaning the water

jogging and bicycle track

Tragic events and blessed activities co-exist in this river's area which is very central geographically and very popular among the inhabitants of the adjacent cities. As usual, Life goes on under any circumstances.

Wine and Roses

2011-01-22T19:50:00.002+02:00

The wine shop and the florist's shop on my favorite street in my home town, remind me on Fridays, of "The Days of Wine and Roses" - the title of both, a movie about a married couple who fell into alcoholism, and that of the romantic song from the same movie, composed by the famous Henri Mancini.

Friday is the day of 'relief' in a five-day work week .
People don't have to go to work so they invade the streets, , the coffee shops, the restaurants, and have a good time. Friday is also a day of intense shopping for Sabbath (the rest Day). Wine and flowers are among the chief items people buy for this day - to celebrate its holiness and to beautify the house.

There are rumors that parents of children in the neighborhood have complained about the wine store's open 'bar' (some tables & chairs in front of the little store for people to drink and socialize, on Friday noons mainly). They claim it's not educational for children and teenagers to watch people drink alcoholic beverages .

There's truth in the parents' claim , and yet.... I'm not in favor of closing the place. I like the sight of people (who seem to know each other ) drinking wine from elegant glasses ,chatting and enjoying themselves. It all looks very classy, and there are no drunkards among them; they probably know how to taste and drink wine.

I believe flowers have a life of their own as humans and animals do, and that they should be allowed to grow, live, and die "in their own bed", in the soil of the garden, not in vases or pots. After all, they offer us beauty and fragrance , but not basic , vital food like many of the other plants that grow in gardens and fields - so why sacrifice them.

And yet.....I love giving and receiving flowers on various occassions. The beauty of flowers (especially that of roses) says everything better , clearer than any words spoken or written. It inspires hope and optimism; it expresses symphathy and love.

And so... we go on living with the contradictions. Life is full of them.

To Cut or not To Cut

2011-01-15T19:22:00.001+02:00

I thought I would be able to look at It, and take some pictures, but I was wrong. When the crucial moment arrived, I went out cowardly leaving behind some 'blood thirsty" people . What's the matter with you? I asked myself in anger, you had such a strategic position , close to the "victim" and the "butcher" and you blew it. Psh!

I'm referring ,of course ,to the circumcision of a newly born male baby. The place - a superb hall shaped as a hut, overlooking a magic garden surrounded by citrus groves. It's a place for happy events (weddings, birthdays, various joyous occasions ) held during all seasons of the year. Background or live music, and a good, rich variety of food accompany each such event.

'hut' structure

food preparing

According to the jewish law, circumcision is obligatory. It is performed on the eight day after birth in a ceremony called 'Brith Milah' ( Covenant of Circumcision) by a 'mohel' , a Sabbath observant jew who's specially trained in this procedure. Usually the 'mohel' is a rabbi, sometimes a doctor, and sometimes both.

The father of the baby ( a relative of mine) was a pitiful sight: nervous, anxious, looking all the time at the instruments on the table near the baby's bed, probably fearing the worst. I also got scared just by glancing at all the circumcision devices on that table: scissors, clamp, scalpel, tweezers, bandages, knife, gauze, anaestethic lotion etc... and all my thoughts were to the poor tiny baby, lying quietly without knowing what is in store for him.

baby before surgical procedure

'circumcision' stuff

The Grandfather ( the father of the baby's father) was given the honor of being ' sandak', the person holding the baby after the surgery, while the blessings were recited. After the religious rituals the baby was passed on to family members and guests to hold and cherish him.

all's well that ends well

Customer Service

2011-01-08T19:03:00.005+02:00

In my previous post I have mentioned 'buying shoes'. The word 'shoes' sends me right back to a weird episode in the past.

There was a small , rather pricey shoe-shop near the place where I worked; it specialized in italian quality shoes for women: fine leather, comfortable style, fashionable colors. The display window featuring the new collections always attracted me like magnet while on my way to and from work.
It was a family shop run by a middle-aged couple; the man was at the cash machine, his wife - took care of the customers. During busy hours they were joined by their daughter-in-law who helped keeping an eye on everything in the shop.

At a certain stage , the owners of the shop hired a young salesman and the two women were rarely seen since . The new guy looked completely out of place. He had the appearance of a wrestler, hardly fit to deal with women and sell them shoes. Well, his appearance was deceptive as he became known to have infinite patience for his female customers and good knowledge in the shoe trade.

Several months after he started working at that shop, it so happened that I saw a pair of suitable shoes in the window and I entered the shop to try them on. The salesman greeted me with a big smile , asked me politely to sit down , and went to bring the box with the required shoes. He then gently took off the shoes I was wearing, examined my feet to make sure they were not swollen from walking or standing (that's what he said), put them carefully into the new shoes. He radiated professionalism. Apparently, the shoes were a bit too tight, so he brought a bigger size and started again with the 'ceremony'.

At this point, I felt the guy was unneccessarily touching my feet, and I realized that he was probably one of those men who had a foot fetish. I didn't know how to react so as not to shame him, so I I just grabbed the shoes , paid for them, and decided to keep away from that shop in the future.

I told about my shoe- shopping experience to a co-worker. To my great astonishment, she shamelessly admitted that she had often entered the shop, not always with the intention to buy shoes; she was just interested in a "free massage" for her tired feet.
Well, as they say "it takes two to tango". Besides, good service is sending customers away satisfied and happy - and my co-worker, so it appeared, was a happy, satisfied customer.

The Poet's Street

2011-01-01T18:46:00.013+02:00

In almost every town in Israel there's a Bialik street, named after the national poet Chaim Nachman Bialik (1873-1934). The works of this great poet deal with national issues as well as with the topics of nature, love, children. His poems have been translated in some 30 languages and many of them set to music. There are some very popular israeli songs based upon his lyrics.

The Bialik street in RamaT-Gan city is a long, busy street; there are some institutions located on it, but it's mainly a commercial street with all kinds of shops , eateries, and... public phone booths . Nothing poetic about it. (In one of the clothing shops I've purchased one of my most practical items - a multi-pocket garment).

The street has a lovely corner with two trees and two benches meant for people to sit down and relax during or after shopping. Last time I visited there I got very sad. Well, someone had the "great" idea of introducing trash bins in the very heart of the corner. As a result, people keep away from it, and the two benches have become target to vandalism.

"resting" corner on Bialik str. Ramat-Gan

The Bialik street in Tel Aviv city is quite another matter. It's a quiet, residential street (although close to the city center and the general Carmel market). It has a rather dignified atmosphere with a touch of spirituality due to the presence of three museums, a music library, and an old little synagogue, The buildings converted to museums are: the residential house of Bialik, the house of painter Rubin, , and the former municipality which dominates a little square with a fountain.

Bialik's house on Bialik str. Tel-Aviv

old synagogue

historic Town Hall in the Bialik square

The last time I visited the tel-avivian Bialik street, I noticed a shop, just at the entrance to the street. It was a Crocks shoes shop. I didn't like the fact of a shop on the poet's street, but guess what. I went in and bought myself a pair of shoes at a discount price.

Let's hope that this is the first and last shop here, and that the street will not turn into a commercial one like its counterpart in Ramat-Gan. There are quite a lot of commercial streets everywhere, but very few streets with something of a 'poetic-spiritual' atmosphere.

Happy New Year to all my blog readers!

TEREZIN

2010-12-25T17:36:00.000+02:00

It was a clear, almost sunny day in late October; I had a thick, woolen sweater on me, and yet I felt chills all over my body. My brain was busy translating sights into people and happenings, my camera 'behaved' as if it highly resented the idea of taking pictures.

Visiting a place which used to serve as ghetto, prison and concentration camp was not an enjoyable experience .

Terezin (Teresienstadt) , a peaceful little town one hour north of Prague. has been turned by the Nazis into a ghetto for the jews of Czechia and adjacent countries during World War Two.

Things are somehow dispersed here, confusing the first time visitor. There's the main site (the city Ghetto) and a small fortress ( Gestapo political prison) - some twenty minutes walk apart from each other. Both places have museums and exhibitions , cemeteries, yards, barracks, torture cells, bunks, gallows - all testimony to the attrocities that have been comitted here by the Nazis.

'Arbeit Macht Frei ' sign ( upon the inner gate)

inhuman cell

Outside of the small fortress (Mala Pevnost - built in the 18 century on the edge of the town of Terezin) , near the entrance, there's the National Cemetery , dedicated to the victims of Terezin prison and concentration camp. Buried here are people exhumated from the mass graves within the fortress, urns containing ashes from the Crematorium of the Ghetto, and also remains of the dead from the Ghetto. In all, 10,000 victims (jews and other nationalities - and there 's a Cross and a David's Shield on the spot).

entrance to the small fortress

national cemetery

I believe , a visiti to places like Terezin (Czech Republic) , Dachau (Germany), Auschwitz (Poland) gives one a new perspective to the concepts of Life and Death; it teaches a lot about Human Nature , about Evil and Suffering. After visiting places like the above mentioned , one's view of the world ceases to be romantic , and becomes more lucid and realistic.

Now You Come?!

2010-12-16T19:37:00.004+02:00

I often hear people saying it's not wise to live too close to Nature's major elements; in fact, it's quite dangerous: forests present us with the danger of Fire, waters - danger of Floods, volcanoes - eruption of Lava and so on. With the global climate becoming crazy (as a result of frequent nuclear experiments performed in various parts of the world), things are going to be worse as far as natural disasters are concerned.

At the beginning of this month, terrible fires broke out in the forests of Mt. Carmel in the north of Israel causing loss of lives, of property, and consumming thousands of acres of forestland. People living on the mountain and its surroundings (among them a cousin of mine and his family) had to evacuate themselves.

Rain would have saved the situation, but there was no sign of it.
It was hot and dry, and the fire was spreading so quickly (helped by a deceiving cool breeze) that the firefighters on the ground were totally helpless. PM Netanyau had to ask for foreign assistance. Firefighting aircraft sent by the other countries did a good job in extinguishing the fire (especially the russian plane capable of holding up to 42,000 liters of water) .

A week or so after the disaster, heavy rains started to fall all over the country. 'Now you come?!' raged the headlines in the newspapers.

Well, the rain and the storm accompanying it caused damage to all sorts of cables , (including my phone cable) leaving people without electricity, TV, internet, etc.. The phone company was supposed to send someone the next day to repair my cable, but the technician appeared after... several days. I was so angry , that all I could say to him when he came in was : Now you come?!

Old and Jewish

2010-12-10T18:30:00.006+02:00

The blue sign located above the souvenir stands (see picture below), indicates by the little white arrows , the direction to the synagogues (Maisel, Spanish, Pinkas, Old-New, Klausen), to the Ceremony Hall, and to the Old Jewish Cemetery- the major sites that make up the Old Jewish Quarter of Prague (Josefov). These historic-religious sites are visited every year by thousands of people from all over the world.

souvenirs in the Old Jewish Quarter

The above mentioned sites, display items belonging to the Jewish Museum in Prague: collections of jewish prints, manuscripts, books, silver ornaments, textile, traditions ,customs, and also lots of drawings by children from Terezin concentration camp.

The Pinkas synagogue is a Memorial to the czech victims of the Holocaust ; their names are written on its walls.

The Old-New synagogue ( the Altneushul) is the oldest in Europe, still in use as house of prayer. The Spanish synagogue hosts, besides exhibitions, also various concerts.

It is forbidden to take pictures inside the synagogues ( the interior of the Spanish synagogue with its moorish decorations is , in my opinion, the most beautiful); visitors can buy postcards, books and commemorative coins offered for sale on the spot.

exterior of the Maisel synagogue

The Old-New synagogue (the Altneushul)

the Pinkas synagogue

The Old Jewish Cemetery is somehow peculiar and yet very impressive .
Although small, the cemetery contains thousands of graves from various historical periods; the oldest gravestone is from year 1439, and the last burial took place in 1787 .
It is said that the graves are put one upon another in some 12 layers! Many of the gravestones seem close to each other and inclined , probably because of lack of space.

hebrew inscriptions on the tombstones

The most prominent figure burried in this cemetery is Rabbi Jehuda Loew ben Bezalel (known as the MaHaRaL) a scholar and educator who has published more than fifty(50) religios and philosophical books. According to the legend, he created the Golem, a monster made of clay , brought to life through magic, who stood by the Jews in bad times, but later became violent and had to be destroyed.

One thing is obvios; no peace and quiet for the dead of this cemetery. It's constantly flooded with tourists taking pictures and wondering about the sights.

Horses, Boats, and a Hug

2010-12-02T20:30:00.026+02:00

A ride in a horse-drawn carriage and a cruise on the river , are popular and romantic ways to view a city like Prague. It is not for everyone though. Me, for instance, I'm rather shy, and the ride in a carriage is not for shy people; the glances and turning of heads of the passers-by might be embarassing.

ride in a horse-drawn carriage

As for a cruise, I'm not on very good terms with boats and ships. For some reason, I feel rather unwell on vessels. I've promised myself to 'work on it' , but there always seems to be something more important on my agenda. Pity!

Anyway, a cruise on the Vltava river offering spectacular views of its bridges (Karl bridge the most famous among them) and the landscape around including the Castle complex, The National Theatre, and more , is I suppose, a lifetime experience. I've noticed all kinds of boats there and the possibility of various tours according to duration, price, luxuries.

evening on the Quay; there are also night cruises

On Petrin Hill, they offer assisted rides on horses and ponies. Near the funicular terminal, there's a sculpture (mentioned by me in a previous post) showing an embrace between a man and woman (both naked). Two little ones , brother and sister, were intensely looking at it, giggling and discussing it. I wished I could understand the language. Perhaps I could have learnt something ...'out of the mouths of babes'. Sometimes kids surprise us with their wisdom and their mature understanding .

The father got angry with their interest in the statue, so he put them on a horse to keep them away from it. A horse- ride is not cheap, but then education does cost money.

horse riding on Petrin Hill

Panoramic 'Headache'

2010-11-26T17:05:00.001+02:00

Shall we walk up the hill, climb the stairs of the old church/tower? take the funicular/the elevator/the chair lift? dine at the restaurant at the top of...? do it at the beginning of the tour, towards the end of the tour? all of it?

Well, these questions are about ways to get a panoramic (wide-angle) view of the city we've come to visit. A lot depends on the amount of time one has at one's disposal, weather, mood, and of course physical fitness.

A panoramic view is a Must as it offers some of the most exquisite moments in one's life. Who could ever forget the panoramic view of the Bay of Naples from the top of Mount Vesuvium in Italy, or the view of Athens from the Acropolis in Greece, for instance. Certainly Not Me.

In Prague there are quite a few spots that offer a stunning panoramic view of this fascinating city: The astronomical Clock Tower, the Powder Tower, the Ziziko TV Tower (pobably the highest place not only in Prague, but in the entire Czech Republic) , the Castle, the french Restaurant on top of the Dancing House, etc... The above mentioned towers and the Castle are the most famous attractions in the city.

the Astronomical Clock Tower

the Powder Tower

If it's a clear , nice day, I would strongly recommend the Petrin Hill for a panoramic view of Prague, and not only for this. The Petrin Hill is home to lush gardens, a house of mirrors, churches, and...a look out tower ( copy of the Eiffel Tower, 60 m high, 299 stairs to climb to the top platform, unless you decide to take the elevator).

to the Petrin Hill

There are two ways to get to the top of the hill: by walking uphill or by taking the funicular. Once you reach the top, there's the imposant observation tower. After being up and taking some pictures, you walk down towards the Castle that also offers amazing views of the city.

the Observatory Tower - Petrin Hill

people, food, and fun near the entrance

panoramic view from the Observatory Tower

view of the Castle from the gardens of Petrin Hill

view of Prague from the gate to the Castle

Becherovka and Hot Springs

2010-11-18T20:10:00.003+02:00

Becherovka - sounds nice, tastes sweet- bitter. It's a herbal based liqueur produced in Karlo Vivary (Karlsbad ), a lovely spa town, a two hours drive from Prague.
This liqueur made with spa water , originally for medicinal purposes, comes in green bottles of all shapes and sizes . Its aroma is dominated by cinnamone and anise seed. Its recipe is top secret like that of Coca Cola.

cute liqueur- selling street Booth

Karlo Vivary's hot springs (12-15 numbered main springs) are, of course, the big attraction of the city. The average temperature of the water which flows through special taps is around 60 degrees C. It is said to help with various health problems, mainly digestive ones.

Colonnade (there are five)

It goes like this: you buy a porcelain cup (there are various sizes and qualities) with spout, fill it with the spring hot water, then sip from it slowly while strolling on the promenade, through the Colonades, or sitting on a bench near the spring. I did that of course, but wasn't too excited by the taste. I suppose it takes time to get used to it. Some people, by the way, prefer to bring a bottle and fill it with the curative water. Anyway, whether you like the water or not, the cup is a nice souvenir.

my personal cup

checking the temperature

enjoying a sip and a chat on the bench

curious boy

king Karl's the4th hot spring

Next time, with God's will, if I happen to be there again, I'll go in the footsteps of historical and cultural personalities (including cinema stars that attend annually the Karlo Vivary International Film Festival) - and take a few mineral baths and massages.

A Quick Bite in Praha.

2010-11-11T18:45:00.006+02:00

At home , I'm more or less disciplined as to what I eat; after all, I do believe in the saying: "You are what you eat and drink" . When I'm away from home, especially in another country, I am always eager to sample the local food (which usually tastes pretty good , but is not exactly the dieter's friend).

The Czechs have booths and stands placed strategically in central squares, markets, at touristic sites - selling a great variety of fast, mostly hot food which goes very well with the cold weather, and with beer.

The sausage (klobasa) is the king, and the delicious fried cheese sandwich ( smazeny syr) is the Queen of this sort of food. There are various types of sausages, and they are eaten with mustard/ketchup/sauerkraut. In the meat category, one could also choose to buy chicken shawarma topped with veggies and sauce or chicken fried cutlet.
The fried cheese (Edam cheese) which comes with mayonnaise on top and is placed in a bun, is a 'star', both on a simple food stand, and in a classy restaurant.

There are ,of course, various side dishes such as those based on potatoes (boiled, baked or fried), pasta, rice, dumplings. The main beverage to go with all this is local beer. They say, by the way, it is best to eat fried food items after you've had some beers, as the fat will absorb the alcohol.

Sweet treats are fairly represented by waffels, dumplings filled with fruit or cream, crepe, and yeast-based pastries.

The smells in the area of the booths and stands are irresistible, and the atmosphere - cheerful. People obviously enjoy eating & drinking in the open air, especially when there's also some entertainment around.

Prague at first sight

2010-11-03T19:05:00.007+02:00

Last week I was in Prague (the capital of the Czeck Republic). That's a lovely city with very impressive architecture and lots of attractions.
The weather was cold (especially in the area of the famous Vltava river), but the sky was clear and even sunny at times, and this was good for walking around and taking pictures.

Most of the locals don't know English or any other major language . If a foreigner enters a store to buy something, both the salesperson and the customer get irritated as they have no common language. In this respect, Prague is not a friendly city. Driving is crazy here, and it's really dangerous to cross a street with all its tram lines and very few, if at all, traffic signs.

There are some love-sculptures in public places that are a delight to look at. Two such sculptures caught my eye in particular. One is placed in front of the Intercontinental Hotel ( a few steps from the Vltava), another, on the Petrin Hill (which offers a panoramic view of the city).

In the very center of the city, at the entrance of a book shop - a poster of Madeleine Albright (Albrightova, in the czech language). It seems that the Prague-born former USA Secretary of State is loved and admired here.

I can't remember anything specific about her as a Secretary of State. I think I will remember though, the present one, Hillary Clinton, for the fact that although she couldn't keep an eye on her husband, she thought she could keep an eye on the World.

A Gem in the Desert

2010-10-21T17:16:00.000+02:00

The alpaca farm is located in a hidden valley among desert hills, offering visitors much fun and joy. At the entrance , on both sides - amazing cactus plants. Next, a multi -purpose stone cabin which serves as cafeteria, exhibition of alpaca-wool based products, activity room etc..

People interested in recreation and a base for trips in the desert and nearby Mizpe Ramon crater will find here some B&B cabins., well-equipped and air-conditioned. ( I suppose , sometimes , in high touristic season, the recreation area gets a bit noisy because of the many visitors on the farm).
[Enlarge the following colorful map to learn something about the structure of this unusual place. The captions are in hebrew , but the pictures help give an idea of how things are grouped].

The alpacas (raised for their wool) and llamas (reliable burden carriers) , live in harmony here with pigeons, horses, angora sheep, dogs, ponnies, camels, goats etc.. The dogs are supposed to protect the other animals at night from foxes and wolves .

There are some nice activities for both children and adults taking place at the farm: ponny and llama rides for kids, horse rides for the grown-ups, watching shearing of alpacas , weaving of wool on a loom, and the biggest attraction of all - hand feeding the alpacas and llamas. Sometimes these gracious camel-like animals get cheeky or start spitting, so - watch out!

Please, watch my musical slideshow displaying pictures of this special farm. Enjoy!

On the edge of Machtesh Ramon

2010-10-15T21:57:00.000+02:00

The Visitors' Center (in the above picture) located on the very edge of the Ramon Crater is the starting point to almost everything concerning this huge, unspoiled, geologically fascinating area (viewing, hiking, rappeling , camping, exploring, info regarding status of trails, etc..).

There seems to be a slightly embarassing hygienic and estethic problem at the spot: men tend to urinate near the structure ignoring the nearby toilets and the warning sign which says the delinquent will be punished. (See the picture below, a combo of two pictures: 1. man in "action" 2. the warning sign and the ugly brown urine stain.).

It's possible to get to the top of the rocky hill where the Visitors Complex stands, by road or by climbing stairs. I went up and down by both ways and enjoyed it. It's a bit windy up there; one's hat/cap could be easily carried away by the light wind. A plane from a nearby military base flying low, scarred the bejesus out of me ( I suppose this kind of low flight is not uncommon here).

A few meters from the Visitors' Center , there's a balcony which hangs above the crater offering the best panoramic view of the crater. The floor of the balcony is made of wood so I was kind of afraid to step on it ( trauma of the collapse of the wooden bridge - see my post from July 15 "The Fatal Bridge and Fungus"). I did it in the end , and the reward was a breathtaking view of the crater.

Please watch my musical slideshow with views from the edge of the crater! ( I couldn't upload it from my blog editor , so I had to learn how to use the method of uploading on Youtube, and then embed the code in my blog). Enjoy !

Days of September

2010-10-07T20:05:00.001+02:00

I've had a rather hectic September, partly because of our jewish High Holidays. I'm not a religious person, not in the organized sense, but I do observe certain basic customs such as fasting on The Day of Atonement, remembering the departed ones, reading relevant passages in the Book of Prayers. There are things to do before and during the Holidays, and then when it's over, all I want is - to go on... a holiday.

Well, this time I chose to go to Mizpe Ramon, a tiny town in the Negev desert. A complete change of scenery and atmosphere: hot and dry weather (not humid as in my home-region) with cool mornings and evenings; dominant yellow colors, and..the blessed silence of the desert around.

This small town is located on the rim of what is considered the biggest crater in the world, "Machtesh Ramon" (40 kilometers long , 9 kilometers across at its widest point). The crater is characterized by unique geological phenomena, and it attracts visitors from all over the world.

While on a cliff overlooking this marvel of Nature, I couldn't help thinking of how difficult it must be raising kids in Mizpe Ramon, keeping an eye so that they don't run in the wrong direction, to the edge of that huge hole. There seems to be lots of children here (probably, the relative isolation from the big cities contributes to a high percentage of natality).

There's another unique attraction in the area - a Farm of llamas and alpacas- friendly animals originally from the Andes mountains in South America. Both adults and children enjoy hand- feeding them, but greatly dislike their habit of ....spitting (It is believed, by the way, that their spitting stuff contains something that makes hair grow, so that is a matter of real interest to bald people).

More on the crater and the farm in my next posts.

2010-08-26T20:50:00.001+03:00

Dear Followers,

I'll be away from blogging for the next few weeks. Hope to be back at it , by the end of September - beginning of October.

Hugs,
Duta.

If Walls Could Speak...

2010-08-19T17:35:00.004+03:00

I'm not much in favour of street art in general, grafitty in particular. Yet, lately it seems I've developed a liking for street murals due to the works, scattered throughout the city, of a Tel Aviv based painter by the name of Rami Meiri ( in the above picture - mural on a building at Nachlat Benyamin street next to the Carmel market). I have the feeling that his murals brighten up the day of the passersby (me included) and that of commuters stuck in traffic jams, improve the grey urban surroundings with colorful painted wall scenes from daily life, create an optimistic, amusing street atmosphere.

grinning man pulling his cheeks provides the drivers with some comic relief

There was an article about Rami Meiri in one of the newspapers bearing the title of "Dressing the Naked City"; I would say, naked and ugly city, but dynamic and changing. Rami Meiri uses the city as his canvass depicting on it the lighter side of life: people at the beach, in the pub, children playing, etc..

The tel-avivian painter got recognition from the local establishment as a valuable street artist; he has been designated "distinguished citizen" of Tel-Aviv for his contributions to the city landscape as exemplified by his wall painting "People Exercising" on Gordon Beach ( his first public mural).

Rami Meiri started his outdoor painting on old, neglected walls for free; that was clever, as people first turned their heads to see the mural better , then gradually began to order his works, and nowadays he' s an industry . From Tel-Aviv his reputation and his painting projects reached many other places across the country and outside it.

In the below video we see some of Rami Meiri's well-known murals.

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'Huppa' at Caesarea

2010-08-12T23:30:00.001+03:00

Last month I attended a wedding at Caesarea , a former roman ancient port built by King Herod and named Caesarea in honor of the roman emperor Julius Caesar. The wedding took place in the vast garden attached to the banquet Hall "Sea Star", close to the beach of the Mediterranian Sea.

The religious ceremony held under a huppa ( huppa - a canopy under which a jewish bride and groom stand during the religious ceremony; it consists of a piece of cloth stretched over four poles and it symbolizes the home that the couple will build together) - was performed a few steps from the beach and the waves, with the sunset in the background. Very romantic!

In a place like this, one feels not only the cool breeze coming from the sea, but also the history and archeology of the whole area. It's a weird feeling, but it's there, and slightly diverts one's attention from the fine food, the elegant outfits of the guests, the great music, and even from the beautiful young bride and groom. This feeling stays with you till you leave the place.

Herod the Great who ruled in the Land of Israel from 37 to 4BC built the city in roman style with a roman theater, a hyppodrome, a luxurious bathouse, castles, towers, city walls, and an aqueduct system supplying water to the city. Many remains and ruins can still be seen over the place.

Modern Caesarea has rich people, prestigious real estate, golf and diving clubs, fancy hotels, yet it also has a roman theater (restored) which hosts many concerts and festivals throughout the year, a very impressive archeological park with findings of excavations of recent decades, a hyppodrome, museums. It's the ultimate touristic city displaying the ancient versus the new and offering romantic atmosphere to those looking for it.

the Aqueduct and the roman Theater

Petanque, I'm coming !

2010-08-05T20:35:00.001+03:00

I never paid any attention to the wooden structure with the front sign "Petanque Club" located at the entrance area to my hometown; that is, until yesterday evening. I happened to be walking nearby , and I approached the cosy spot to watch the players. The weather outside was bearable ( during the day it's hot and humid and people seek refuge indoors).

Men and women , dressed casually and placed in several small adjacent terrains, were throwing some metal balls (boules). I watched the game for about half an hour trying to get the very basic rules.

Petanque ( word pronounced 'pay tonk') evolved from an old french bowl game. One of the players suffering from arthritis suggested there be no more running and jumping . Everyone should throw the boules standing still, with feet together , in a small starting circle.
The goal is to throw the hollow steel balls as close as possible to a small wooden target ball called ' jack' ( or 'cochon'). The team that ends up nearest to the target ball when all balls are played, wins. Petanque seems to be a good workout for the upper arms (ladies, to your attention), and a very good exercise for the power of concentration.

Anyone can play this game. Age and gender are not important. (I suppose, however, that those who most benefit from this kind of sport are elderly people as it doesn't require strength and speed). It can be played on most outdoor surfaces, and the equipment is inexpensive. It looks like a pleasant, relaxing game, and a nice way to socialize and make friends. I think I want to go for it. But since my middle name is Lazy, I really don't know when that will happen.

OUTSOURCING

2010-07-29T17:50:00.002+03:00

I've copied (with permission) the below funny piece from In my Humble Opinion (Nice Guy Eddie's political blog). Eddie's a liberal blogger and he got this stuff in an email sent to him by a conservative.

**************************************************************************************
WAKE UP
John Smith started the day early having set his alarm clock
(MADE IN JAPAN )
for 6 am. While his coffeepot
(MADE IN CHINA)
was perking, he shaved with his electric razor
(MADE IN HONG KONG)
He put on a dress shirt
(MADE IN SRI LANKA),
designer jeans
(MADE IN SINGAPORE)
and tennis shoes
(MADE IN KOREA)
After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet
(MADE IN INDIA)
he sat down with his calculator
(MADE IN MEXICO)
to see how much he could spend today. After setting his watch
(MADE IN TAIWAN )
to the radio
(MADE IN INDIA )
he got in his car
(MADE IN GERMANY )
filled it with GAS
(from Saudi Arabia )
and continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB.

At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day checking his Computer
(made in MALAYSIA ),
John decided to relax for a while. He put on his sandals
(MADE IN BRAZIL),
poured himself a glass of wine
(MADE IN FRANCE)
and turned on his TV
(MADE IN INDONESIA),
and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in AMERICA

AND NOW HE'S HOPING HE CAN GET HELP FROM A PRESIDENT
(MADE IN KENYA.)

************************************************************************************

The more I read about outsourcing the more I think of it as complete madness. Lots of people in the USA and in those countries that imitate everything coming from the USA - are unemployed. The lust of corporations for cheap labor, transferes every possible job overseas, and the government in charge of the national interests does nothing to prevent that.

Well, to my mind, this outsourcing thing undermines the economic independence of the country and is a clear sign of disintegration .

Tears in the Park

2010-07-22T21:22:00.000+03:00

He was sobbing quietly repeating between the sobs the question of 'why did he have to marry her' . His crying seemed to scare the birds that were chatting cheerfully nearby . It scared me too although I was familiar with the man's trauma as he was an aquaintance of mine , one whose advice in various matters I greatly valued.

The 'explosion' of his traumatic problem that he carried with him from childhood, usually happened upon the return from one of his visits to his father's widow; he used to get off at the bus station near the park with the red benches , and sit down on one of them to feed the birds and clear his thoughts before heading home to his wife and kids. He had promised his father on his deathbed that he would visit his widow regularly and help her out with whatever she needed. He kept his promise faithfully; moreover, he also helped his half brother who sometimes got in trouble with the law.

I met him in the park and listened , not for the first time, to the story of his life.
He (Marc) was born in a small town in Poland. His mother died at a relatively young age leaving a husband and two children: Marc and his sister. Not long after her death, his father remarried with the housemaid , a young woman who had come to town from one of the nearby villages to look for work and found her place with the small jewish family.

According to Marc's story, after his father's remarriage, the two children became the laughingstock of their colleagues in school and object to pity of the adult world of neighbors and relatives. The school mates used to mock them for their new Mom, calling her illiterate and peasant. The adults constantly uttered in their presence questions such as: why couldn't he just live with her like man and woman, why did he have to marry her, give her his family name, etc..? All this -not to mention the jewish community's boycotting of the father for taking a Gentile for a wife - was hard on Marc and his sister, and left deep scars on their young souls.

The story appealed very much to the romantic side in me . Here was a man (Marc's father) willing to sacrifice quite a lot to marry the woman he wanted. I saw in my imagination a relationship between two very different persons willing to accept each other 'as is' without any conditions and expectations, and I liked that. Of course, I never disclosed these thoughts to Marc as it would mean to sprinkle salt on his wounds. He liked to think that his father was not too bright ,to say the least, and that's why he had fallen into the hands of the maid. It never occured to him that his father could have possibly felt respect , affection, and even love for the peasant woman. After all, a child was born to them and the relationship was strong and lasted despite the hostile environment.

The widow has recently passed away. I think , may be with her death, Marc will finally get his well deserved inner peace . Who knows, it's hard to tell.

The fatal Bridge and Fungus

2010-07-15T20:19:00.003+03:00

Bridges over bodies of water usually fascinate me with their variety of shapes, and of materials of which they are made. Yesterday, I was reminded of one bridge, a pedestrian temporary bridge that could certainly not be categorized as 'fascinating'. That bridge had collapsed on July 14, 1997 (yesterday was the 13th anniversary) causing the death of four people and serious injuries to sixty more. It happened at the 15th Maccabiah Games (a sort of Jewish Olympics held every four year in Israel) in the area of the sports stadium of the city of Ramat-Gan.

The temporary bridge placed over the nearby Yarkon river to allow athlethes and officials to enter the Ramat-Gan stadium for the opening ceremony march, collapsed as the second team of athletes, the australian team , was crossing it ( the first team was that of the austrians). The australians fell into the polluted water; other athletes and by standers jumped into the water to rescue the fallen. What was expected to be a big, exciting event was being spoiled by unneccessary deaths and injuries. The first day of the Maccabiah was one of deep mourning.

Sacha Elterman, 15 year old, was the most critical of the injured australians; during the years to follow, she underwent more than 30 brain and lung operations - and survived. Only one of the four dead athletes died as a result of the fall, the other three died as a result of the toxicity of the water (it was found upon investigation that the water contained a fatal fungus).

It appeared that the temporary bridge was constructed out of rusty metal pieces bound together with wire. Criminal charges were brought against the people involved in the design and building of this bridge . In 2005, eight years after the disaster, a permanent structure over the Yarkon river was built, and it was called 'The Bridge of Remembrance".

(The above picture from Wikipedia shows the athletes in the water under the collapsed bridge).

Yell and Shout at the Mall

2010-07-08T19:05:00.003+03:00

In the Middle East, there's no such thing as soft, quiet speech. Everybody shouts at everybody , everywhere, at any time. It starts early in life. Children hear their parents shouting at them and at each other- and they absorb and process this kind of behavior. They then take it out in school and public places.

During vacations, and especially during the long summer vacation, Malls offer various entertainment programs for children. The other day, I happened to be at the Mall and I watched some of it. The most popular are those with prizes, such as machine Games and Trivia contests. In the Games section, there's a terrible noisy music background, so if the child/teenager wants to talk to his friend he must shout at him and ,of course, the latter shouts back at him.

Then there's this spot in the Mall arranged in the form of a mini amphitheater with a large cupole ceiling above, some artificial little waterfalls , and a stage set up for the presenter running the event and the sound system. It's nice inviting individual children on stage, ask them trivia questions and give prizes (posters, toys, etc...) to the winners. The problem is that the presenter in order to diversify the program, chooses also to turn to the whole audience of children (of various ages), asking them to answer his questions. They all yell the answers at him. "I don't hear anything" , he says, " louder, louder" he encourages them. That call for 'louder' is hardly educational or entertaining.

The 'Yell and Shout' thing abuses vocal cords, hurts listeners' ears, damages hearing. Ask any audio therapist and voice therapist; they've got lots of work.
Parents can and should learn to control their anger/frustrations and refrain from yelling at each other and at their children. In public places they don't have much control on what's being offered as entertainment, and yet even there, damage could be minimized with a little effort.

Gone with the Smell

2010-07-01T19:05:00.000+03:00

The recent complaints of fishermen and other Gulf of Mexico area residents about a heavy oil odor in the air which might be toxic, remind us of the other heavy, stubborn odor which presents no danger, only great unpleasantness - the odor of fish.

One could smell a fishing village before one could even see it. The fishing villages have a charm of their own if you could ignore the smell. Well, as a visitor , and only as a visitor, I could. After all, the smell is an integral part of the scenery and the daily life here. People have to utilize what nature offers them . In the areas near lakes, rivers, ponds, seas - the offer is Fish of all sorts and sizes and with... the smell of fish.

(At home, that's a different matter. I like to eat fish, but I dislike the smell and I cannot ignore it as it can stick around long after the 'mess' of cooking and eating is gone. I do my best to find ways to neutralize it. Natural acids like lemon and vinegar usually do the job. There are of course, commercial solutions ,such as enzymatic sprays, which could help if anything else fails).

All over the world the shores of water bodies are punctuated with traditional fishing villages, and the more modern ones, the recreational fishing villages that allow urban people to escape from the everyday rat race.

A half day trip from Amsterdam, Holland, brings you to the world famous historical fishing villages of Volendam and Marken on the coast of the former Zuidersee (now called Ljsselmeer). These villages have wooden little houses, old boats and traditional costumes that are still worn by the local people .

Marken costume and Volendam boats

Things change slowly but surely in the fishing industry: the methods of catching the fish, cleaning, weighing, salting, drying, marketing it, the quality of the boats - all undergo processes of improvement , but... the fish smell with its unpleasantness remains a constant factor which permeats the whole place.

Maybe scientists are able , or will be able in the future to grow in artificial ponds, fish without the specific odour, just as they nowadays grow sabra fruit without the outer thorns or water melons and grapes without the inner seeds. It wouldn't taste the same though.

* The painting on top - "A fishing village in Newfoundland" by Sterling Edwards (click to enlarge it.)

HaYarkon 181

2010-06-23T19:06:00.001+03:00

The above 9-floor building is known by the name of 'the crazy house'. The back of it looks as if covered with pieces of white sheets, the front resembles a persian carpet. I wouldn't call it 'crazy' ; 'unusual' seems to be a more appropriate word. Compared to the other buildings in the city , everything about it is unusual: its location - among ordinary buildings , the architecture - a mixture of Gaudi and Art Nouveau styles; the construction and decorating materials - a combination of natural elements such as wood, sand, limestone, shells, plants, and urban elements : metal, cement.

Anyway, it stands out in its surrounding; it can hardly be missed by the passers by. At the opposite side of the street, there's a bench (donated to the city by the entrepeneur) that matches the style of the building. The bench is a splendid idea; people can sit comfortably on it, and contemplate in wonder "the crazy house".

During the construction period 1982 -1985 ( it was ready to be inhabited only in 1989 as it took seven years to get all the necessary license documents !!) there was much controversy about this building project - people liked to hate it. It was not surprising; after all, people tend to dislike and even hate the unusual, the different, the alien. Besides, there was also the envy factor - not everyone could afford an appartment in such an exclusive building on the border line between the sea and the city, with both views - to the sea and to the city available.

After it became "fait accompli' , the locals got indifferent to it, whereas tourists found it a great object for photography. The area is frequented by tourists as it is close to the sea and there are many hotels , bars, travel agencies around, so this building became one of the city's touristic curiosities.

The 'crazy' house, designed by architect Leon Gnignebt , is situated at 181 Hayarkon street in Tel Aviv . The house is residential, not open to the public. To those interested in seeing the details of both the interior (with its wall paintings, sculptures, carpets etc..) and the exterior (including the roof, pool, garden, fence) of this odd piece of architecture , please watch the video below , presenting the slideshow created by the tour- guide Henya Michelson. Even if the captions are in hebrew, still, it gives some pretty good idea of the building .

Hayarkon St Henya

View more presentations from Amir Taller.

"Don't Panic, Go Organic"

2010-06-15T19:20:00.005+03:00

Among the various food items in my kitchen, a place of honor is given to the bottle of the organic, extra -virgin, cold pressed, olive oil used for flavoring and cooking. My favorite brand is produced in a small, family-owned oil press in the Nahal (stream) Zalmon area.

The Zalmon stream is a long stream which flows in the north part of Israel on the border between the regions of Upper Galilee and Lower Galilee and terminates into the Sea of Galilee ( Lake Kinneret). The area surrounding it, is a very beautiful, peaceful one, often visited by families with children on vacation; the scenery is breathtaking: mountains, villages, valleys.(The serenity of the place was grossly violated seven years ago when a young czech tourist female was strangled here with a thin cable by a young man from one of the nearby villages; he then placed her head under the water and put large stones on her body. It was murder for the sake of murder , as the judge said in court).

The trees that grow the olives out of which the oil is extracted are hundreds and even thousands of years old!! There's no need for irrigation or any artificial manipulation, and the hard olives are hand picked. The oil produced from these olives is thicker, more aromatic , with texture and flavor of high quality.

A basic salad consisting of organically grown veggies and sprinkled with this organic olive oil, or a similar quality oil is a delightful dish. An addition of an organic egg and/or organic cheese to it, makes this dish into a wonderful, healthy meal.

Midnight Slaughter in San Diego

2010-06-07T22:55:00.000+03:00

In one of the previous posts, I've mentioned my Genealogical Quest - an attempt to track the saga of my ucrainian/romanian Great Grandmother in America, and find information about her descendants .

It's not an easy task; it takes a lot of time, energy, and feelings. Sometimes you come upon positive things such as one of GG's grandson being a leading legislator in Michigan and his sister a talented singer who has her own radio station; sometimes you come upon personal tragedies such as the untimely deaths of another grandson and his daughter in Miami. And then, you face an unimaginable event of extremely tragic proportions - the slaughter of an entire family by its adopted (at birth) teenager. An event such as the last one devastates you emotionally for weeks ,and greatly delays your work on the project.

It happened in San Diego , California. in the condo of an elderly couple , my GG's grandaughter and her husband. There were six people inside the condo : the elderly couple, their daughter and her three family members ( her husband, their 10-year old girl, and the 16 year old adopted son) on visit from Las Vegas. Five were killed by the sixth one, the adoptee.The murder was planned by the teenager as he was was very angry about being sent to a boarding school for troubled youths in West Los Angeles, away from his parents and sister who lived in Las Vegas. He used a hammer, a kitchen knife and an ax to slay his victims, then he cleaned the murder weapons, took a shower, changed his clothes, set the condominium on fire to cover up the crime, and left.

According to online sources, he was trouble from the beginning, hostile to his adopters and agressive in school. He was an emotionally disturbed child who turned into a vicious, dangerous teenager. There was also slight criticism on the parents in some sources implying that they had put pressure to change the diagnosis from "emotionally disturbed" to "learning disabled", and by doing so they had possibly prevented from him adequate treatment. I find that hard to believe (authorities always look for ways to cover up their action or lack of action), and I don't "buy" the possibility of treatment in this case.

Anyway, I believe the only good thing the parents could have done was to have opened their eyes widely before adopting him, by checking for defective genes inherited from his biological family. It's sad, but people are more careful about buying a car than about adopting a child.

The bitter irony was that my great grandmother had left Romania hoping for a more secure life for her children in the new country. Luckily, she didn't live to witness that mini american -style holocaust of grandaughter and her immediate family. May they all rest in peace!

The photo at the top - "Killer Bean Forever"

The "Osama" Offer

2010-05-31T19:45:00.005+03:00

I said No although I would have liked to say Yes.

It was summertime, and the spacious well air-conditioned Post Office of my town was a pleasant refuge from the heat outside. I was sitting on a small bench placed in a corner, trying to figure out the reason for the additional money I'd been charged with, to release a parcel sent to me from abroad.

Suddenly, I became aware of a guy of yemenite origin, his face resembling that of another yemenite, Osama bin Laden without the beard - staring at me insistently. He approached my bench, sat down near me, and after a few opening sentences offered me a nice sum of money for...the small, simple pendant hanging on my neck. I was so surprised by his offer that I immediately uttered the truth: "it's not gold, only gold plated", I said. "I know that, I've made it myself", "You what?!?!" was my reaction to his astonishing words.

He told me a story about his being a graduate of the Bezalel School of Art and Crafts in Jerusalem, department of jewelry. During the period of studying at the famous school (nowadays called the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design) he created some unique pieces of jewelry, partly based on knowledge he had acquired as a child in his father's tiny workshop (Jewelry-making was considered a respectful profession among the yemenite jews. They worked with silver mainly, occasionally with gold, and specialized in filigree style {filigree -twisted wire threads of silver or gold} and in granulation style{decoration of the jewel surface with granules-small spheres of precious metal} ).

"Then what's the problem, make another one like mine" I suggested.
He said he was no longer in the jewelry trade, he got no tools for that intricate kind of work, he was very busy, but...he had Money, and was willing to pay nicely for Bezalel-made pieces of jewelry in general, and to regain some of his own pieces in particular. In short, he was a collector.

I had to disappoint him. The pendant was a gift from an aunt of mine and it meant a lot to me sentimentally; besides , I loved its design. He left me his visit card in case I change my mind. After a few days, I told a friend about this strange encounter at the Post Office. She didn't buy "Osama's story"; she had some other theory about the whole thing, but I was not going to test it.

Anyhow, I haven't put any piece of jewelry around my neck since that day ; I can't explain this, but it's a fact.

Dolphins and Humans

2010-05-22T17:51:00.001+03:00

The first time in my life I saw dolphins was at the Dolphinarium on the beachfront of the city of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The Dolphinarium with its big stadium, large dolphin pool with underwater viewing arena, and the performing bottle nose dolphins (the most common dolphin species) - made a lasting impression on me.

The dolphin daily show at the Dolphinarium ( part of the Aquarium housed in the great Bayworld Oceanarium complex) , was a very popular attraction amongst local and international visitors. People, and especially children, were fascinated by the beauty, and grace of the dolphins's acrobatic jumps, flips, breaches , tail waving etc..

It's amusing to know that these performing creatures sometimes have to be put on diet. Despite the fact that they excercise a lot and display great energy in their acrobatics, if they overeat they develop fat stomachs which affect their abilities in their aquatic performance. So, no fatty mackerel for you guys, only white, lean fish.
(It's a bit like in humans; exercising is helpful in maintaining normal weight, in preventing weight gain, but if you're fat, you'll first have to do something about your food intake, excercing alone won't make you slim).

Dolphins , like humans, recognize themselves in the mirror - sign of self-awareness and that's great! Well, they do have what to see in the mirror: cute, friendly faces and an intelligent look.

Speaking of intelligence, dolphins are considered the most intelligent animals and this trait is very appealing to humans who make use of it and interract with dolphins in various fields: medical (therapeutic swimming of dolphins with handicapped children and adults) , military (dolphins are trained to locate sea mines by producing sounds and listening to their echo), fishing ( dolphins cooperate with fishermen by driving fish into their nets), rescue (dolphins can save people from drowning by raising them to surface). Dolphins adapt well to human companionship and are easily trained to perform tasks, provided the trainer shows them respect.

Relationship between mother dolphin -baby dolphin and that among grown-up dolphins seems similar to relarionship in humans.

Baby dolphins suck warm milk from their mother's mammal glands; they keep close to their mother who protects them and teaches them skills to get their food. How sweet!
As for dolphins in general they appear to be quite social creatures, they're seen ganging together like humans.

Here's a lovely 'dolphin' poem by Horace Dobbs, I've found on the Web:

Pushing through green waters/ Symbol of joy

You leap from the depts /To touch the sky

Scattering spray/Like handful of jewels

Not caged by union rules/unfettered by sales targets

No trains or planes to catch/ Your time is set by the flow

of the sea's tides

You give us images of ecstasy/That we lock away

Behind the doors of memory /For quiet moments

When released from our possessions/ We dream of a freedom

like yours

[Dolphins and Man...equals?]

The Ugly and the Beautiful

2010-05-14T21:55:00.001+03:00

The title of this post doesn't refer to people, but to two memorials located within a central, busy square - Rabin Square - of the Town Hall in Tel Aviv. The square ( previously called Kings of Israel and renamed Rabin's Square in memory of the assassinated Prime Minister Yitzach Rabin) is often used for demonstrations, open-air concerts, exhibitions, various ceremonies and festivities.

At one end of the square there's a memorial sculpture for Holocaust victims. created by the israeli painter and sculptor , Yigal Tomarkin, who's known as an anti-establishment person and artist. It's a 10 meter tall monument, a rusty metal structure of an inverted pyramid with glass window panels. The monument is ugly and totally out of place. I don't like to look at it, certainly not come near it as it's rusty, full of dust and bird shit (I suppose it gets cleaned from time to time). There were attempts to remove it , but the sculptor fought against these attempts in court and outside it, so here it stays.

At the other end of the square - there's a memorial area for Yitzhach Rabin located a few feet away from the spot where he has been shot. The monument , designed by a woman architect, Ms. Claude Grundman Brightman and carried out by the sculptress Yael ben Artzi, is made of 16 bazalt rocks arranged in a grid and contained by a steel frame; the stones are set at varying heights and lit from below by a light suggesting the everlasting fire.

It is beautiful. I would say, it definitely has a woman's touch; after all, it's the creation of two women. Many people come to the place, lit candles in Rabin's memory, pray, take pictures, discuss its significance. No one can remain indifferent to the dark basalt rocks sunken in the pavement.
Unlike the Hollocaust Memorial which stands high above the ground, Rabin's Memorial is almost at ground level, so it doesn't interfere with anything, but looks an integral part of the square.

"He has met his Waterloo"

2010-05-06T22:15:00.005+03:00

Waterloo is a nice little town near Brussells in Belgium with lots of green fields. About a mile from the town is the battlefield where Napoleon Buonaparte's french army, was defeated by the Duke of Wellington's allied forces in June 1815. The legend of Napoleon's invincibility was shattered at Waterloo. Hence the expression "He has met his Waterloo" (meaning 'he has met with defeat').
On the spot where the decisive battle took place, there's a memorial monument in the form of a lion a top a manmade hill with 226 stairs(!!) overlooking the battlefield.
(Ladies, please wear trousers not a skirt when climbing those stairs , otherwise you will be offering a panoramic view to the people at the bottom of the hill, prior to the real panoramic view awaiting at the top !!).

the Lion Hill
In a building adjacent to the Lion Hill - the Panorama Building - there's a huge circular painting portraying scenes of the battle fought on 18 June 1815. In the background, sound effects of battle noises, cannon and gun fire. The viewer relives the great moments of the battle. A very thrilling experience!

part of the circular painting

Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war
Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more
Waterloo - couldn't escape if I wanted to
Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you
Waterloo - finally facing my Waterloo

The above is the refrain of the famous Eurovision Contest winning song (1974) WATERLOO composed and performed by the very successful swedish ABBA band.(see the video below).The song was inspired by the battle at Waterloo and Napoleon's defeat, and it's a sort of comparison of a lover's romantic surrender to that of Napoleon's surrender.

Fame and Horror in Edinburgh

2010-04-29T22:20:00.014+03:00

The name's a bit confusing as it is spelled in various ways: Edinburg, Edinburgh, Edinborough, Edinbourgh...but the city itself is remarkable in all respects. It's an inspiring city due to a lucky combination of historical , architectural and cultural elements.

Edinburgh , capital of Scotland, is the birthplace of Sir Walter Scott, the famous novelist (author of "Ivanhoe") , Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ( the creator of Sherlock Holmes), actor Sir Sean Conery (the first 007 agent, of the renowned TV serial). The city is host to a lot of annual festivals, the most well-known being The Edinburgh International Festival of music, opera, theatre, dance, and exhibitions held in August.

The dark gothic monument built in honour of Sir Walter Scott is one of the biggest attractions in the city - 61 m high, its top reached via 278 steps! (The architect never saw his final work as he tripped into a canal and drowned). The monument is decorated with 64 statuettes which are believed to illustrate characters from Walter Scott's novels and from scottish literature in general. Below the arches, there's a white marble statue of the writer and his dog.

The Edinburg Castle- the symbol of Edinburg and of Scotland, fortress and formal royal residence - is ,no doubt, number one tourist attraction in Edinburg. It stands on an extinct volcano and offers a splendid panoramic view of the city. There's much to be seen in the castle: royal appartments, the room containing the scottish crown jewels, the dungeon, cannons, and various arms on display. There's some military presence at the castle for ceremonies mainly.
I happened to be there when a gun was fired and it scared the bejesus out of me. It was the firing of the one o'clock gun used to allow ship captains to set their clocks and watches by.

Horror tours within the historic old town area are very popular. Visitors are taken to dark courts and alleys, to chambers used by witches, to haunted graveyards - and told scaring tales about tortures, murders, paranormal happenings. Edinburgh Castle is considered one of the most haunted places. Like many other castles it has its dungeons where prisoners were tortured and killed. These dungeons are believed to be haunted by the ghosts of their victims.

It was Robert Louis Stevenson, born in Edinburgh, who wrote the nightmarish story "The strange case of Dr Jeykell and Mr Hyde". Well, the Old historic, haunted town and the New elegant, sophisticated town of Edinburgh are said to be symbolic of these two characters: Dr Jeykell, and Mr. Hyde.

Pedestrian Mall and the Star

2010-04-14T22:50:00.002+03:00

On Tuesdays and Fridays, the pedestrian zone of Nachlat Benyamin street in Tel Aviv, turns into a colourful, lively, open mall with artists selling their original handicrafts, with musicians and pantomime entertainers performing their magic shows, with cute cafes and restaurants feeding the visitors, with lots of people wandering among the stands looking for gifts to buy or just contemplating the crafts on display, and absorbing the special atmosphere of the place.

The pedestrian zone of Nachlat Binyamin street is located between Carmel Market and Alenby street. At the meeting point of these three sites , one could watch the singing performance of Miri Aloni (60), a former star with a superb, powerful voice who has become during the last decade a street singer. She accompanies her Hit songs with guitar playing; people watch, listen and put coins and bills into the box placed near her.

Miri Aloni first came to be noticed in the Sixties. She was then the soloist of one of the army regimental bands, The Nachal Band. She had a captivating voice, good looks, great talent, and so, following her success during her army service , she became one of the greatest israeli pop and rock stars. But something happened to her on the way to consolidating her stardom. After a very promising start and a certain period of glory there began a decline in her career. According to the gossip columns in the newspapers it was 'cherchez l'homme'- look for the man in her life. It was said that she was attracted to the wrong type of men who suppressed her personality and damaged her professional carreer.

Anyway, in november 1995 she became well-known abroad too due to a tragic event - the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhac Rabin at a peace gathering held at the Municipality square of Tel Aviv. She was on the stage singing together with Rabin and the foreign minister Peres her famous song Shir La Shalom (Song for Peace); minutes later, Rabin was assassinated. In interviews to the Media during the ensuing years she claimed that she was not happy being associated with tragedy and complained that this association had deteriorated her career and her ability to make a living.

Miri Aloni should be appreciated not only for her vocal performance but also for her tough character. Not everyone in her position would have survived this transition from concert halls to street corners.

Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls

2010-04-07T22:15:00.003+03:00

Schaffhausen- a word I could never forget. My father owned a schaffhausen watch , which was considered expensive and hard to obtain. One day it was stolen from him and that made him terribly sad. No hugs and promises of a new watch could make him overcome his bad mood. ( I'm afraid I have inherited this trait of character ; whenever I lose an item I can go sad for days , which is of course stupid. One shouldn't get so attached to things; it's only people that matter.).

Later on, I learned that Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland with a long tradition of fine watchmaking. The IWC (International Watch Co) , a high-end Swiss watch manufacturer, is located in Schaffhausen.
However, the main attraction in Schaffhausen is not the watch industry or the city itself with its medieval car-free old town, but the Rhine Falls (3 km distance from the city).

I came to Schaffhausen with the ticking of my father's stolen watch in my mind, and I ended my tour with the thundering of the Rhine Falls in my ears. I could have composed a piece of music starting with ticking, and ending with thundering, and in the middle of it, the various noises made by the tourists ( if I were a composer).

Anyway, near Schaffhausen, the river Rhine offers a spectacular show (especially on a sunny day) of the waterfalls - the largest waterfalls in Europe (150mW, 23mH). It is possible to reach the Falls walking along the banks of the river , or by bus.

Once on the spot, one has to try and change positions to find a good angle to best see the roaring falls and take good pictures. One can also catch a boat ride to a rock in the middle of the cascading waters which enables a closer view of them (if one doesn't mind to get wet by the gushing waters, of course)
Close by, on a cliff, proudly overlooking the Falls, is the old castle Schloss Laufen, which serves as a complex, housing: a restaurant, a hotel, a youth hostel and a gift shop.

A visit to the Rhine Falls is great fun; it offers amazing sights and sounds.

The Sacrifice

2010-03-31T22:50:00.002+03:00

Banks are not my 'cup of tea', but this one was an exception; firstly, because of its attractive facade, pleasant staff & atmosphere, and location near a garden; secondly, because of an aquaintance of mine who used to work there. Whenever this aquaintance saw me in the bank she greeted me warmly and it was a pleasure to exchange a few words with her.

One day she saw me, and ...ignored me. I told my brother about that as she was the wife of one of his friends. He said that she was avoiding everyone because of their eldest son - a fresh soldier, who had collapsed during an army drill, was hospitalized, and after a while released both from the hospital and the army and put on medication. I asked my brother for details as to the nature of the collapse, but he couldn't provide any as both parents had refused to talk about it even with friends.

The worst was yet to come. During the period of intense worry for her son, this aquaintance of mine, Aliza, a pretty woman about 45 years of age, a top employee at the bank, was diagnosed with liver cancer. I visited her at the hospital two weeks before her death.There was something about her that immediately caught my attention: her beautiful hair was intact, face not much altered, and when she smiled with her pearly little teeth , one could hardly guess she was dying.

It was at the funeral, that the secret was disclosed to me. After the burrial and before leaving the cemetery, her mourning husband whispered in my ear that she had strongly refused to receive chemotherapic treatment. The logic behind her decision was that: Liver cancer is fatal. Chemotherapy might prolong her life with several more months but the price would be too high, it could kill her son. Still not completely recovered from his collapse, seeing his mother, in a highly helpless situation between hair loss and vomiting sessions - it would have been the end of him.

I believe the son is not without health problems today, but he 's got a job , a wife, and two kids. Sometimes, I wonder whether he knows about his mother's sacrifice.

I've closed my account at the bank, one of the reasons being that it fills me with deep sadness to enter this place and not see Aliza's familiar face there. Whenever near the building, I still enjoy, however, having a look at its appealing facade and its compact, modern architecture.

Beer and Lace

2010-03-22T22:31:00.001+02:00

Belgium is a cute little european country famous for its chocolates (Godivas, Leonidas confections) its beer (about 700! types of beer), its lace, and many historical, architectural, cultural attractions . When on tour at belgian chocolate factories or beer breweries, one gets to sample the products , and this in itself is a tasty, wonderful experience.

My great surprise at the time of my visit in Belgium, was that at McDonald's - a child and family oriented chain, with most of the staff underage - they sold...beer, an alcoholic beverage. I thought that was strange. In reply to my questions on the matter, I was told that in Belgium , there were generally fewer restrictions and age related limitations on alcohol consumption than in the USA and other countries, and that beer drinking in particular was a major part of belgian culture. Belgium, so it appeared, was the first country in the world that served beer in its McDonalds.

I must admit that I myself greatly liked the idea of beer with my Mac meal . I was tired and hungry from touring , so a glass of icy cold beer to wash down the Mac burger and the fries was very welcomed . Besides , it was a new experience for me. I usually don't drink alcoholic beverages. It's not that I don't like to , it's just that these beverages don't like me; a drop of wine and my head drops , and this is embarrassing when you're sitting at the table with people. With the belgian beer I 've had no problem at all. Anyway, my all time favourite cold beverage is soda water or sparkling mineral water.

The gem of any tour in Belgium is the well preserved city of Brugges. It' s often called "Venice of the North" because of its canals and bridges. Brugges is synonymous with lace as the 'bobbin lace' work ( a branch of lace making) is a specialty of this city.

Lace -making has an history of exploitation of girls from poor families. The girls , good at this craft because of their little nimble fingers , were considered cheap labour, . Lace making was a sedentary kind of work, bad for the eyes and for the spine. Young girls in convents were sitting for hours bent up, not allowed to raise their eyes from their work. As a result of the hard physical conditions they looked pale, weak, undersized. The girls paid a very heavy personal price to allow the bourgeoise ladies the pleasure of wearing lace.

Nowadays , lace is made chiefly as small souvenirs (doilies mainly) as it is very expensive for other purposes. Anyway, no one leaves Brugges without a souvenir of lace and neither did I.

In the photo below we see a girl dressed in a traditional outfit sitting outside and demonstrating the craft of lace-making.

The "Flexible" Pharmacy

2010-03-14T21:01:00.001+02:00

It was in a small building on a narrow lateral street. Inside, there were only two people serving the customers- a wife and her husband, both pharmacists.

I was directed to this pharmacy with the recommendation that it was " flexible" , meaning that one could get stuff unobtainable at other pharmacies. And it wasn't for money. The middle-aged couple were just kind people trying to help wherever and whenever possible.

My mother had been suffering for some time of a bad ear itching. Nothing helped relieve the problem except a certain solution prescribed by an experienced ear doctor. It was a cheap solution and easily prepared by any pharmacist. To my astonishment, I found myself one day in the position that nobody wanted to prepare it for me . It appeared that the active ingredient, 'boron', was found to be carcinogenic in children, and its use was forbidden by the Health Authorities. Well, my mother was no child and she insisted on having the solution at any cost. That's why and how I got to the 'flexible' pharmacy.

It was a good feeling to enter this place - an intimate, family establishment, with a nicely arranged interior and superb service. One day, I found the front door closed, and on it an obituary announcing the sudden death of the woman pharmacist. The shop reopened some two months later. The man was unrecognizable; he looked a human wreck. He told me he had made a great effort to return to work hoping it would give him a chance to go on living, as he felt he couldn't make it without his wife.

The next time I came to the place, I saw one corner full with shoe boxes. What was all that about? The man said he intended to turn his pharmacy into a shoe shop. Since his wife's death he had developed some health issues and was afraid to deal with preparation and selling of medications ; so he decided on something he was familiar with from childhood when he used to help his father in the family-owned shoe shop . The pharmacist sounded to me confused, so I left without asking for the solution.

I happened to be in that vicinity several more times. He was not there, the pharmacist, and I saw no shoe shop but a cosmetics shop, and next time there was a hairdresser's shop, and then a food shop. Flexible place indeed...

The entire episode gave me much food to thought. I've seen men deteriorate after their wife's death but not so quickly and not in such an abrupt manner. What happened in this particular case was perhaps the fact that they had no life at all without each other ; they were together all the time : at home and at work.

As for the difficulty in obtaining the solution - a friend pharmacist of mine was among those who refused to prepare it for me after the 'boron' element was put on the "black list". I reminded him of the saying "A friend in need is a friend indeed" and cut off any contact with him. I was confident that I would have taken the risk of ignoring the stupid health regulation to help a friend in distress ('stupid' was the word used by him later on when he tried to apologize for his behaviour).

At The Parade ; On The Fishing Boat

2010-03-07T17:10:00.005+02:00

On last Sunday, day of the joyous and colorful Purim holiday, there were heavy rains , so the annual traditional Purim Youth Parade was postponed until Friday ( March 5). On Friday the weather was rather hot , but the parade... paraded nevertheless. After the procession came to an end, all the participating youth groups and the general public gathered around three main stages placed on the avenue where the municipality building of our town is located, to watch a variety of outdoor dance, music, and circus shows.

Here's a short slideshow I've created with some snaps taken at the Purim Parade (Adloiada - עדלוידע). Open up the speakers, please!

On The Fishing Boat

"The most wasted of all days is the one during which you did not laugh".

[" One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, his wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors and reads her book.

Along comes a Game Warden in his boat, he pulls up alongside the woman and says:

- Good Morning Ma'am, what are you doing?

- Reading a book, she replies (thinking... isn't that obvious?)

-You're in a Restricted Fishing Area, he informs her.

- I'm sorry officer, but I'm not fishing, I'm reading.

- Yes, but you have all the Equipment. For all I know, you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up.

- For reading a book?

- You're in a Restricted Fishing Area , he informs her again.

- I'm sorry officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading.

- Yes, but you have all the Equipment. Again, for all I know you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up.

- If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault, says the woman.

- But I haven't even touched you, says the Game Warden

- That's true, but you have all the Equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment.

- Have a nice day Ma'am, and he left"].

Moral:
"Never argue with a woman who reads. She can also think."

The Tajiki Avalanche

2010-02-27T22:15:00.004+02:00

Tajikistan , a former USSR country, lies in central Asia bordered by Uzbekistan, Kyrkizstan, Afganistan, and China. It's capital, Dushanbe, known for its monday market, derives its name from the tajiki word for Monday. Tajikistan is not yet widely attractive touristically , but its Pamir Mountains, also named "The Roof of the World" and considered a challenging mountain range , have attracted professional climbers for years.

The first time I showed any interest in this country was when I met the new cleaning woman in our office building. She was originally from Dushanbe, the capital city, and kept telling me about the place with its tree-lined streets and many monuments , and also about the tajiki various customs.

Tajiki food was a constant subject in our conversations, and sometimes she used to treat me with delicacies brought from her home kitchen such as samosas, pirmeni (small noodle sacks with meat &veggies similar to ravioli). Their staple dish is 'plov' made up of scraps of mutton and rice fried in a large wok. A small curiosity: the Tajikis eat sweet dishes like halwa, and drink tea, before proceeding to soup and meat.

Tajikistan and the Pamir mountains came forcefully into my awareness on july 1990 with the dramatic news that an avalanche set off by an earthquake in the Pamir range swept 45 climbers from different countries to their death. Among these climbers was Benny, a 20 year old alpinist, son of an israeli sovietolog of russian descent, Mikhail Agursky.

It happened late in the night: a minor earthquake caused an ice block to fall off the slope and trigger an enormous ice-snow avalanche ;this avalanche burried the tents and the people at the mountaneering camp located at some 6000 meter up in the Pamir mountains.

An expedition of rescuers was organized, and Agursky, the father, over 60 and not in the best of health, but with knowledge of the language and the mentality of the place joined them to look for his son. There were heart-rending descriptions in the newspapers of that time about the father who stayed at the foot of the mountains for more than two weeks in hope of finding his son dead or alive.

Despite of long time -searching by helicopters and specialist rescuers , only one body was found (that of a woman climber). Out of 45 only two climbers survived the disaster.

The father came back again the following year (after raising the neccessary money), to try to recover his son's body, but - no results. After a while, he was found dead in his hotel room; It was believed he suffered a stroke, but it wouldn't be untrue to say that he died of a broken heart. How sad!

"Deadly" Encounter at the Dead Sea

2010-02-20T21:24:00.005+02:00

A former co-worker of mine, Avi, was a sad case of psoriasis(psoriasis - a chronic disease which manifests itself through thick scales and dry red itching patches on the skin). He had it all over his body: on face, scalp, elbows, nails, back. His psoriasis first appeared after he had experienced divorce, so he blamed it all on his ex- wife.

She was an ambitious young lawyer and he was a law graduate who didn't feel like working as a lawyer; she wanted to consolidate her career, he wanted babies - that's how it all started. She was the one who asked for a divorce and he felt devastated for months. When I first met him he was already married to his second wife , apparently the very opposite of his first one: simple and vulgar , but in his condition he couldn't afford to be choosy.

Exposure to the sun and bathing in the salty, mineral rich waters of the Dead Sea - were the only means that helped him relieve itching and pains without undesirable side effects . Twice a year he used to take a three -week vacation and go the Dead Sea , at the Ein Bokek zone which was well equipped with a Solarium, carefully planned to absorb the sun's rays, and provide the patients with the best facilities and treatments possible.

On his return from these Dead Sea vacations, Avi seemed to be a completely different person. His skin was smooth and clear; his self esteem high, and he looked very handsome and relaxed. The period of complete relief lasted about six months till the next attack of the disease.

Every year Ein-Bokek is invaded by hundreds of psoriatic people from all over the world. Avi had friendly connections with many of them ; he was especially attached ( platonic attachment , he said) to an austrian lady (he himself being of austrian descent and speaking the german language); they used to plan their vacations to the Dead Sea so that they arrive together at the spot and leave together, she to Wien, he to Tel-Aviv.

Knowing his wife's violent temper he didn't tell her about his austrian friend, but she found out and demanded to accompany him on his Dead Sea vacations. He strongly opposed the idea saying that without a relaxed atmosphere , away from the stress of home and work , the treatments will have zero effect on his skin disease.

During one of his last Dead Sea vacations, his wife decided to take her little car and drive to Ein Bokek to see with her own eyes what was going on there. Avi was not in his hotel room , so she waited for him in the semi darkness. When he entered his room... accompanied by the austrian friend, she took a chair and threw it at them, and then another one, and then any heavy item found in the room. The two , taken by surprise, couldn't stop her. Luckily the heavy items didn't reach their heads, but hit all the other body parts. For the "finish", she approached them and used her fists and sharp finger nails.. They were left bleeding and in pain.

At this point, our ways , mine and Avi's, went separately as the office got closed and we were transferred to units in different cities.
About two years ago I bumped into him. He looked surprisingly well. He was of course more mature and completely bald, but his skin was radiant.

"Have you been to the Dead Sea lately"? asked I
"No, I haven't been there for quite a long time. I am very busy , and I'm tired of commuting to this place".
"Then how come you look so terrific" ?
"I ask myself the same question" he said, "and have no clear-cut answer to that. I think it's a miracle, and at any rate, I believe that the whole psoriasis matter has to do with my two ex-wives, divorce being the trigger. I got the disease after the first wife filed for a divorce, and I got rid of the disease after I asked my second wife for a divorce. It has all come full circle" .
It has indeed..

Gain and Loss in the "Shield Oasis"

2010-02-13T21:45:00.002+02:00

My hometown had several neighborhoods whose name started with the word Neve (oasis). The oldest and most famous was Neve Magen - The Shield Oasis. This neighborhood (adjacent to ours) , was established for the families of high rank officers in the Army. It had little streets with private cute houses and with a very special atmosphere, that of a community with common interests. In tense times (during pre-war,war, post-war), the atmosphere became that of a close family.

A haute-couture seamstress whose clientelle was based almost entirely on the wives and daughters of those army officers lived in our vicinity. One day she turned to me ,a high -school girl, and asked whether I would be willing, after school hours, to keep an eye on a seven year old boy whose mother had died untimely on the previous year. I was to stay with him until his father, the officer, gets back from Headquarters or any of the grandparents show up, whatever comes first. I accepted the offer as the money was generous, the boy, Danny, seemed well behaved, and I was kind of excited to play 'little mother' to him.

One day, Danny came home from school with a black swollen eye. He got beatten by a classmate. The next day, our officer took the kid by hand and the two strolled towards the school building which was not far , to face the little agressor. The latter was not present as he got suspended from school immediately after the incident , so, our arrogant officer (yes, he was very arrogant) "spilled " it all on the young teacher. He accused her , in front of the whole class, of incompetence, lack of control and failure to impose discipline, threatened to have her fired , and finally made her burst into tears.

When father and son came back home, the boy entered his tiny room, locked the door, and refused to eat and/or talk to his father. He cried loudly and bitterly repeating between the heartaching sobs the one question :how dare you talk like this to my beloved teacher?.

I approached the officer and told him he must go look for the teacher ,apologize in front of her, and ask her to come talk to the boy. Since he loved his child more than his arrogance, he did that. He arrived with the teacher . The boy unlocked the door and fell into her arms, still neither looking at, nor speaking to his father. The teacher was invited to stay for dinner. She stayed for dinner, and then... stayed forever. It all happened very fast: the officer had fallen in love with her, asked her to marry him and insisted that she quit her job as a teacher.

I was very proud to have been the 'architect' of all this happy end. However, I was also aware of the fact that the three were winners, I was the loser in this story. They all got Love plus something: the teacher got a loving husband, the officer got a loving wife, the boy got a loving stepmother and private teacher , whereas I was about to lose a job with good money.
As they say : One person's Gain is another Person's Loss.

Happy Valentine's Day!