Lizrael Update

Month: June 2008

  • Tel Aviv might be hi-tech, but Jerusalem is Online.

    Last night I spent a lovely evening at a hi-tech geek party, otherwise known as MashBash. I love it when my hi-tech self and my Israel self combine into one crazy combustication of awesomeness. There are so many reasons I love these gatherings: They are parties with a premise, so the drinking is casual, the…

  • Typical Israeli supermarket conversation.

    Russian man with silver teeth: grumbles something in heavy accented Hebrew (or maybe it was Russian?) and points to a package of frozen dough Me: “Slicha?” Russian man with silver teeth: grumbles something else in Hebrew, pointing to the price Me: looking confused Russian man with silver teeth: smiles big, “Aaah…. Priveyet, russian russian russian…

  • City feature: Namal Tel Aviv

    The area of the Tel Aviv port – נמל תל אביב – (right before Beach Mezizim) is one of those situations where ugly warehouses went for cheap rent, so trendy designers and cafes opened shop and now all the trendy wendys go out there a beautiful day to shop, eat, chat, ponder life, and whatever…

  • The best plums are the 'stolen' kind.

    It’s amazing what can be taken for granted. Most of the year has passed me by and I haven’t once written about it being a שמיטה (shmittah) year. Living in the greater Jerusalem area, not owning a garden or any trees, and mainly associating with kosher people, I’ve just not had to worry about it…

  • Turning new olim into reality TV.

    Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just keep a blog? There is a new show going into production called HaOlim (“The New Immigrants”) which is a sort of Real World for new immigrants to Israel. As Jewlicious reports: “So the concept is pretty straightforward. Eight young olim from different countries live together in a big house…

  • Lizrael Update: school keeps on truckin'.

    I know it’s been a while since I properly updated with the whole fancy ‘lizrael update’ subject line. And this is likely to be quick, since it concerns school. Some days I’m soclose to finishing my remaining projects (which these days numbers three) and some days I feel like I will never finish this thing.…

  • Yom Yerusha-what?

    Last night, I completely forgot it was the evening of Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). If I had remembered, I might have at least considered going down to the Old City to pay my respects and tributes. What is it about modern Jerusalem that makes it so easy to forget? Is it the modernity in it?…

  • And there goes Tommy Lapid…

    Pretty soon, that pioneering ‘halutz’ generation of Israeli elders will be just a memory in our textbooks and a prayer in our hearts. Renowned author, journalist, Knesset member, Shinui party leader, Holocaust survivor Yosef Tommy Lapid died today at 77 after a battle with cancer. The full story and eulogies are here.