Crocks

It was love at first sight- me and the casual crocs shoes. They immediately caught my eye and conquered my feet: lightweight, comfortable, roomy (my feet are small but wide and the toes need room) easy to slip into and out, holes for ventilation, great variety of colors. Not cheap, as they are made of Crosslite which is an expensive material.

Over the years, I found out , to my surprise, that for me, crocks are not only the best for outdoor light walking , but also the best indoor shoes. It appears that all the various sorts of house shoes are too light and soft, and might cause an elderly person to slip and fall. Crocks, on the other hand, (the first, classic brand) are more solid, without being heavy.

I choose dark colors  (black, blue) for outdoors , vivid colours (such as orange, pink), for indoors. Although they are not considered  very healthy (lack arch support, the plastic structure might cause sweaty feet), everyone I know loves them: kids, teenagers, adults, elderly.

Crocks are versatile and the outdoor shoes come in various sizes and styles   (with or without laces, with or without platforms, sandals and even crocks with...heels) . Something for everyone.

* web picture

It's Crowded Up There

 

We don't have direct Land routes and transport (trains, cars, trucks, motorcycles) - from Israel, Out.

 Maritime transport by ship - through our ports Haifa in the north, Ashdod  in the center,  Eilat in the south - is chiefly for cargo (freight).   Naturally, it's slow and awkward.

So, we are left mainly with Air Transport from our central  Ben Gurion Airport, to go abroad, reach the world.  Lately, I saw a piece of information in the Media that both surprised me and frightened me.

Surprised, because its mere publication might badly affect our tourism; frightened because it says something like: 'it's too crowded up there'.  It is not referring only to the increase in number and size of planes and flights, but also to the fact that Iran (not a friend) is trying to reduce our air space activity.

Iran does so, through Hezbollah ( a terror organization,  located in Lebanon , on our northern border). It is suspected that  Iran provides Hezbollah with all kinds of  air systems capable of creating air chaos for us. Even if there's some exaggeration in this kind of news, still it gives one food to thought.

It's interesting to note that almost every major religion (christian, catholic, jewish etc..) has a travelsafe travel prayer. Most of the prayer texts I've seen on the Web are beautiful and touching! 

I've got one too (in hebrew), and I keep a copy of it in the suitcase, bag, purse.

May God protect us!

What Was All That About?!

 

Who's Wagner? Who's Prigozhin? It appears, 'Wagner' is a russian mercenary group led by a character named Prigozhin. The group was on the way to Moscow threatening the government with mutiny.

At the end of  a very dramatic Saturday,  they abandoned the rebellion plan and left for Belarus in exchange for the lifting of criminal charges against them.

I'm not in politics; in fact, I detest politics and politicians. However, I can't stay indifferent when all kinds of  adventurers  (and that includes charismatic Zelensky of Ukraine) put people's life in jeopardy, endanger the security of their nation, and might even lead to a World War 3. 

To defy and challenge a super power like Russia and its leader Putin,  is not heroism, but suicidal adventure.   

Each nation has its own problems - big problems (economic, military, social) . Instead of concentrating on solving them, politicians in various countries waste their time  trying to interfere in the affairs of other nations . They make use of disinformation, and even supply of arms. This could lead to nothing good.

No Pita ?!

                                                              

*

Last week, I attended a gathering of appartment owners from several buildings , buildings meant to be demolished and rebuilt - within what's called  'Urban  Renewal' project. I've mentioned this project in two  previous posts (13 March 2021;10 January 2023).

It was not the first gathering (organized by the entrepeneurs) of this kind.  There were several, during a period of about ten years. No success, so far.  Most of the owners  were reluctant to co-operate and sign the neccessary papers.  Perhaps this time will be different,  for two main reasons: changes done to the Law,  and more space addition to each one of  the new appartments, offered by the entrepeneurs and contractors.

Anyway, there's always plenty of food and beverage at the gathering; more or less the same menu , with the usual kind of sandwiches, pita pockets, salads, deserts, fruit, soda drinks, coffee. There's something for everybody, no one leaves hungry; that's for sure.

                                                               stuffed pita pockets     * 

Last time it was different - very classy. Everything on the table was small size, but the variety of colors, shapes, fillings, tastes - was overwhelming!   I noticed bread, rolls, but... no pita. No pita?!How could that be? The pita (flat bread) is a staple in Israel and throughout the Middle East. It goes well with any sort of  stuffing (meat, cheese, tuna fish, veggies , felafel balls); it's  usually padded with hummus, and its content sprinkled at the top with tahini sauce. An all age favorite, always present on the hosting table.

I checked the wrapping paper ; the name on it was that  of a  catering firm known as being professional and... expensive. Oh, well, the organizers have at least  invested in exquisite food, hoping to cultivate our culinary taste, and on the way get our agreement  to 'better' our houses.

Until next time, then!

*  web pictures

My Stetl Saveni

 I was born and raised until about the age of sixteen in a small town in northeast Romania, named Saveni ( county of Botosani). 'Stetl' is a yiddish term for  a small town  in Eastern Europe before the Holocaust.

The name Saveni has its origin, so they say, in the name Savin - family name of an outstanding land owner who lived in the area in ancient times.

Samuel Lerner(1903- 1989) the famous american composer of Popeye, The Sailorman, was also born in Saveni.  At the age of seven, though, he emigrated with his parents to America and the family settled in Detroit, Michigan.

Whenever I think of my birth town, I couldn't help smiling at the irony of things. Each of its surrounding  villages got something valuable from Nature. Negreni village got a lake and fish ponds, Avrameni got forests, Draguseni got special, rich soil.  Saveni got  merely a hill (Naftuli Hill) and a segment of a river, the Baseu River. 

The Hill, facing the Baseu river , and the river itself, marked the way out of the town to the train station of Ungureni, and  to the county capital Botosani , and from there to other parts of the country.

The Baseu, affluent of the long Prut river separating  Romania from Moldova and Ukraine, was causing a lot of damage when overflowing.  In summer, it looked  dry and unpleasant . It was because of this river, that my mother used to say : 'don't you ever go live near a body of water'!

There was nothing special about Saveni of my childhood. I don't recall any outstanding spots or buildings, except perhaps the two quite impressive orthodox churches: Saint Neculai and Saint George.

Yet, there was something in the air, in the atmosphere of the place. in the relative geographical  isolation from the other towns, that gave birth to that very distinctive spirit of the local people the Savenians. They were witty, kind, hard-working, open-minded,   and to this day, I'm proud of having been one of them.

Having said that, I wouldn't choose to live in a remote place  like Saveni was in those days.  So remote, that we had as teachers  some high quality people that were exiled  from other parts of the country as punishment  for their political views. A place of exile, how about it?! 

  

   

Bezalel Market

 

This relatively small , colorful, open- air market is close to the heart of the city of Tel Aviv . The name Bezalel is a popular hebrew name  (for people, for institutions, for places) meaning  - 'in the shadow of God'.

Sadly, the market has lost a lot of  its original charm and atmosphere because of the changes undergone in the surrounding area - erection of modern residential buildings that overshadow the market and interfere with its daily activities.

It is mainly a clothing market which offers not only price bargains, but also brand  stuff. There used to be here  also several good felafel eateries that attracted lovers of this particular fast food, but they got shut off, probably following complaints of the new neighboring residents against  the oil frying smells.

               Felafel eaters , some of them waiting for wives to finish shopping

The market , in his days of 'glory', was popular with all ages and backgrounds. They all enjoyed browsing together through the big piles of clothes and finding bargains for them and the family.

religious women looking for proper clothes

young woman displaying her nice bossom!

crossing one of the narrow market  streets.

 family going to look for clothes in the umbrella protected area

Not all market smells are nice.

I'm afraid that in the upcoming years, this market is going to be totally eliminated. Its proximity to the center makes the land here extremely valuable for the real estate sharks. What helps them is the fact that there is a big market in the vicinity - Carmel Market. So, they try to present the Bezalel Market as a kind of superfluous nuissance to the area, completely ignoring its uniqueness (cheap stuff side by side with brand name products and greatly based on browsing.).  Sadly,  Real Estate people are the ruling power, nowadays.

Techinot (Prayers)

I'm not a religious person, and I certainly don't define myself as such. However, I do believe in God and in the power of prayer to Him.                                                                            

I've got a small, cute book  with a fine brown leather cover in my possesion. It's a techinot  (plural of techina) book -  a collection of personal prayers, written mostly from the female point of view. These prayers cover all aspects of life: health, finance, success, longevity, old age, birth giving, poverty; you name it, it has it.

front cover

I've mentioned this little book in a previous post-  a post written on the subject of leather (animal skin) as a popular  material for coats/bags/ purses - and entitled 'Cool versus Cruel' (31.1.2016).

back cover

I enjoy reading in this book as the prayers are written so beautifully that they sound more like poetry to me. The language is hebrew. There's also an english translation of 'techinot', but I'm not familiar with it.

I wanted to buy the book for a person I care for, but I was told at the store that this version was  sold out. There are other formats if one is interested.

Anyway, I consider this tiny book , the most important book in my life. Unlike other books in my possession, this one is not for sale/ donation/ giving away. It's always with me - relevant , helpful, and making me feel good.

The ' Talking' Clock

                                                                             desk talking clock

Once in a while, when trying to put  things in order, I come upon my mother's desk 'talking' clock - a device meant to help the visually impaired. 

During the last decade of her life, Mom  was almost blind , as a result of  the glaucoma disease, and could not see the numbers on a  clock. So, we bought her a talking clock so that she could hear  the time.

The amazing thing is that the clock kept telling the time some seven years after her death. I didn't know a battery could last that long!  I had all kinds of thoughts about it, especially that there were other things that puzzled me. The fridge and air-conditioner both suddenly stopped working after her death, and couldn't be repaired; the engines were totally dead. It was as if these household items "died of a broken heart".

Anyway, her intense blue eyes stayed beautiful till the last moment.

Whenever I come upon the above clock, I turn to the music of Andrea Bocelli, the blind italian tenor. Bocelli was diagnosed with glaucoma at the age of 12, but he completely lost his eyesight , according to biography, after an accident. His music reminds me of Mother, especially that she had a good voice and liked to sing  a lot, mainly cantorial pieces (chazzanut). Her and mine favorite cantors were Malavsky and Kossowitzky.

                                      Mom  wearing dress with yemenite embroidery.

"Fake It Till You Make It"

The 'fake' element is everywhere: in the news, in science, in high-tech, in relations between people, relations between countries etc...  

 The worst form of fake is within the family. Fake family members will pretend to care about you and love you, but they'll disappear when help is needed. There are many examples of parents and siblings left to struggle alone with their problems , especially health issues. It's very frustrating when one realizes that  a trusted family member has been faking intentions towards you all along.

Fake science is called pseudoscience, and it consists of beliefs that claim to be scientific and factual, but are incompatible with the scientific method. For instance, health alternative therapies and remedies.   I must admit, I don't care whether these methods are considered fake, as long as they help me, and some of them do help me.

Fake news are deliberately fabricated to deceive readers and  spread misinformation for various reasons, mostly political, ideological  ones;  partly for business interests or for fun.  We have them all the time, and they do society a lot of damage. During the last years, fake news travel fast via social platforms (Facebook, What's up, etc...).

There's, sadly, no compassion among people or countries. Relations are based mainly on Interest - interest in things that might offer mutual or one-sided advantage. 

The approach of  'fake it until you make it'  is sometimes seen in the Hightech industry - which is highly competitive.  By pretending to have certain skills and projecting confidence, one believes it's possible to achieve a  dream job.

 It's a cruel world, and it's difficult to  live real  in a fake culture.

Islands of Longevity

 

I've always wanted to visit the islands of  Ikaria (Greece) and Sardinia (Italy) - the 'Blue Zones' (zones of high life expectancy) where people live better and longer.   For various reasons, so far, the visits have never been carried out.

Ikaria is located in the Aegean Sea. It derives its name from  the greek mythology figure of Icarus. One gets to Ikaria by plane or ferry from Athens.

Sardinia is a big island in the Mediterranean Sea. Its 'blue zones'  where people, reach an  advanced age (90+, 100+ ) are mainly located on the territory of the cities Ogliastra, Barbagia , and Seulo. One gets to Sardinia by direct flight from various european cities, or by flight and  ferry from mainland Italy.

                                            centenarian at work (*web picture)

Many believe that only 25% of our longevity is determined by genetics, the remaining 75%, by our life style. No secrets about the life-style here:

In both the above islands, the diet is Mediterranean (plant based : fruit, vegetables, whole grains, etc..); dairy (in small amounts) made from goat milk;  locally caught fish.  Meat is eaten sparingly;  wine is drunk in moderation - 1,2 glasses of wine daily.

Life in these zones is simple, natural, and slow-paced; it includes  working in the garden or on farms, walking, mid-afternoon napping. Family ties are most important;  so is socializing .

                        socializing at the market place

The elderly are considered by the younger people ,a resource , not a burden.   Thus, old people get much respect and support for their wisdom and experience. That's the way it should be.

Marcel

Wars are stupid and cruel, yet sometimes, so it would seem, inevitable.

On 25 April we commemorated Remembrance Day (Yom Hazikaron) for israeli fallen soldiers and also for victims of hostile acts.  On this day, my thoughts wander to a cousin of mine - Marcel (Moshe) Calacuda.  Marcel was killed in 1973, at the age of 26, in the  war with the Egyptian Army, near the  Suez Canal.

Marcel  

    

We were both born and grew up in the same remote, little town in northeastern Romania. We were not only cousins, but also neighbors; our families lived on the same street, in houses at close distance from each other.

Marcel was quite a naughty boy , but very loved for his energy, cheerfulness, and friendliness.  He came to Israel as a lad of 16, after graduating in Romania from a vocational school. During the first year he devoted himself to learning the new language (hebrew).  Next, he got drafted into the army.  After finishing his military service,  he started working  in a mould foundry, at Haifa Bay.

He was successful in everything he did.  :  military tasks,  work, sports (soccer mainly), public activity (for the benefit of the local youth, and the local council of the town) etc..

He got married in 1972, and wanted to build the family house  'with his own hands' .  Well, this plan, as well as the plan of enlarging the family by bringing kids in the world, got ruined by the war that broke out a year later, in 1973.

Marcel was burried in the military plot at the Kfar Hasidim- Rechasim cemetery., in Haifa district, northern Israel.

'May your soul rest in peace, dear cousin Marcel !'

Pick a Song

When a famous, admired person (a celebrity) dies, people feel sadness coupled with envy. Sadness -  because  when he/she dies it is  as if a little part of us dies too. Envy, due to the fact that the famous person is going to be remembered and cherished  through his works ( books, songs, paintings etc..) for many generations to come.

Elvis Presley comes immediateky to mind in this category. He was a phenomenon. His songs are unforgettable! His voice and performance - unique!  

His israeli 'counterpart' , Zvika Pick, left us last august at the age of 72.  Pick was not only an iconic pop/rock singer but also a prolific composer. The song 'Diva' composed by Pick (lyrics Yoav Ginai) won first prize at the Eurovision Song Context in 1998.  He also composed songs for other more or less well-known singers and  festival contesters.

'Diva' - Eurovision contest 1998 (youtube)

Pick and his first wife Mirit Shem Or, a talented lyrics writer, have produced together some real music pearls such as Mary Lou, Mala Mala, Beyn haetzbaot, Elef Neshikot etc.. He composed the music, she wrote the lyrics. Very fruitful collaboration, which luckily, didn't end with their divorce in 1995.   

                        Pick and first wife in their younger days. * Web photo

It's interesting to note that  their three adult children are also a success: son a doctor, two daughters that have performed together as the  charming " Pick sisters" singers. (on a sidenote - one of the daughters is married to the american film producer Quentin Tarantino; the other to a 5 star hotel owner). 

                                                Zvika Pick - * web photo

Motion Sickness

Usually, I'm not eager to go  on a cruise, as I might get sea sick . While on a bus or train I refrain from reading, as I might get a feeling of nausea or even dizziness.

Below is  a picture taken  years ago with me  (covered head) and a friend, on a ferry voyage  along the British channel from Dover to Callais.  I had a terrible nausea followed by loss of colour in my face.

seasick in the cabin of the boat.

I've never attempted to get to the bottom of 'motion sickness' or take medicines. I 've just accepted the situation. When feeling unwell, I help myself with doing what seems the right thing to do.  On a boat , I'l go to the deck for fresh air and look forward in the distance. On the bus, I'll look straight ahead or out of the window. A bottle of cold soda water may also prevent or reduce nausea.

I notice , in my case, that with age, there's significant decline in motion sickness, and that makes me glad, of course. Several years ago I went on a boat tour along the river Moskva in Moscow. Had no trouble at all.

boat tour on Moskva river

Recently, I 've incidentally come upon an article on the above subject by James Phillips, a researcher from Washington University. He explains 'motion sickness' as a conflict between senses (visual sense of the eyes,  and audial sense of the  inner ear) that interferes with the brain's processing of the moving information. He calls it 'mismatch'.

As a college student he experienced seasickness ; that made him decide to search it thoroughly and may be find  proper treatment someday. 

In the meantime, people use a variety of  more or less efficient means for preventing or stopping motion sickness, such as accupuncture wrist bands, skin patches behind the ear, herbs like ginger and chamomille, aromatherapy etc...

Security Guard

 

There's a dog statue near the entrance of a Vetcenter in an adjacent town. Whenever I'm around,  I stop to have a look at it. It is a well- made statue , and  it makes me smile ; it seems as if the dog stands there  in the position of a security guard:)

the display window of the Vetcenter

the dog statue "watching" the entrance

Dogs are good for security. The dog is an intelligent animal, capable  to  detect danger, especially due to its extraordinay sense of smell (300 million scent receptors!).  They say that properly trained, any breed can make a good guard.

Despite technology and its gadgets, dog protection of house and property will probably continue to be the favorite option. Barking of a dog may be enough to scare away potential intruders. Sometimes, even the mere presence of a dog might do that.

Here's something for the 'mural hunters':

I don't know what it says or means, but it certainly catches the eye.

"Look For The Woman"

 

She's beautiful, bright (physicist researcher at Weizmann Institute, Israel, and at Cern accelerator project, Switzerland), basketball player (retired after injury), social - political activist, wife and mother.

* web picture

Dr. Shikma Bressler, is one of the leading figures in the recent protests against the government's judicial reform. She has even got arrested like a common criminal (was later released) during a demonstration on 23 March 2023.

In 2020, Shikma along with two of her brothers and two family friends formed what was known as the Black Flag movement protesting against Prime Minister Netanyahu - until the Benet government took over.  Also in 2020,  she appeared in Forbes magazine's list of 50 most influential women in Israel.

Anyway, after weeks of huge protests against the judicial overhaul intended by the new  government, the re-elected Prime Minister Netanyahu announced  he would postpone the legislation to give him time for broad agreement.

Shikma and her fellow leaders organizing  the protests, say they 'll be 'on the streets' until the overhaul is cancelled.

Shikma, you rock!