Month: December 2007

  • A futuristic lizrael update.

    Lots of people are talking about ringing in a new year – at work, in the news, on the party scene. I’m not much of a New Years gal, but it seems 2008 holds a bunch of new experiences for me, before it’s even begun. The year starts for me with recognizing the fact that…

  • Trogdor, the Jerusalem Burninator!

    Now, I know there are a ton of Anglos in Jerusalem… and lots of street artists… but I never expected to walk through the center of Katamon and find this: I was following Homestar Runner back in college. The SB email in which Trogdor the Burninator was born is a classic… Which is why worlds…

  • A whole new meaning to 'pilot trip.'

    Apparently, the Jewish Agency is giving a whole new meaning to ‘aliyah pilot trip.’ Haaretz reports: Program allows Jews to give immigration a chance The Jewish Agency will introduce a “trial immigration” program to Jews from abroad, as part of a broader strategy to make the move less intimidating for potential immigrants from the West.…

  • Morning Jerusalem.

    This morning was the first time in a long time that my heart sang for Jerusalem. It was 5:45 am and we were in a cab on the way to the bus station. The sky was dark and the air was crisp. The streets were almost empty. And my heart was stirring a song for…

  • Israeli Jew on Christmas.

    Back home in New York, Christmas for Jews means Chinese food and  going to the movies (apparently). Because I have a TV this year, I can’t forget that tonight the rest of the world is celebrating various versions of this holiday. My Australian husband has recalled the Chinese food and movies tradition (which I’ve actually…

  • An academic lizrael update.

    *Yawn*. *Stretch*. It’s a sunny winter Sunday. Today is as good as any to update about the awful university situation in Israel right now. Basically, I have no idea what is going to happen for the rest of the year because the department heads, university presidents, strikers and government don’t know. Somewhere in this giant,…

  • Gaydamak is the new Rothschild.

    I learned a new word today – or is it metaphor? – from my landlady’s son. He’s here to do some repairs and got to asking us if when we move, we’re buying or renting. He mentioned how this building we live in is a wealthy kablan’s (contractor) dream. In his words: “All you need…

  • American self discovery (finally, a use for my English major)

    I finished Slaughterhouse-Five today on my way across Jerusalem. One of the most finger-pointing themes of the book – relevant to me these days – is expressed in the following lines, by character Howard W. Campbell Jr., as he describes American prisoners of war compared to others. “[Americans] were known everywhere to be the most self-pitying,…

  • Small world for us (Flatbush) Jews.

    My high school was big on its alumni culture. For four years I endured being laid on thick with Israel, Zionism, Hebrew, and… the amazing alumni culture of the Yeshiva of Flatbush. I guess people always had stories about meeting fellow alumni halfway across the world or neat twists on finding each other after all…

  • Adam Sandler's Israeli side.

    Like so many of us, I am an Adam Sandler fan, for better or worse.  I’m not yet sure if this is best or worst, but his latest – You Don’t Mess With The Zohan – is certainly… relevant? Adam Sandler definitely takes on one of his most ridiculous roles – and worst accents –…

  • King Gaydamak of Jerusalem.

    Charity is good and all, and everyone likes a nice project now and again. But this is going a little far for a hobby, right? Walking through the streets of Jerusalem, I turn my head and see the giant face of Arkadi Gaydamak: I guess it’s unnerving because no one really knows what the Russian-Israeli…

  • Leftover Chanukah gelt: the shnekel.

    I saw the brand-new two shekel coin today. There’s already a group on Facebook petitioning everyone to dub the coin the “shnekel” or “שנקל”. Well, why not? It’s shnei shkalim (two shekels). Not only that, but the shnekel has it’s own website, too: www.shnekel.org I guess this it’ll make it easier at those כל פריט…