A fiddler on the roof... it sounds crazy. But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us... is a fiddler on the roof. Before I lived here in Israel, I lived in a tight-knit Jewish shtetl called New York. Trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking... Continue Reading →
Speaking up.
It won't be long before Jewish parents of school-age children no longer remember the point. The memory becomes a faded square of yellow fabric, eventually disintegrating under museum lighting. The pictures, cliche. The speeches, routine. It's probably already true to some degree, but most of us are young enough to remember the first time we... Continue Reading →
The way the Internets are played in Israel.
This is a funny kind of report, funded by Google Israel, but it's still interesting to note: Arabs in Israel blog more than Jews, study finds (or if you can't stomach JPost so well, here's Israel Hayom). It's not surprising that over 70% of Israelis surf the internet. It is kinda interesting to learn that Haredim beat... Continue Reading →
The Google is Us.
A friend sent me Gdumb and so inspired me to play around a little bit with the Google suggestions-as-you-type feature. I explored the big three topics an Israeli Jewish blogger such as myself might feel connected to: Image 1: Israel I know I'm American, and I know that makes me a candidate for being dumb... Continue Reading →
Welcome home, endangered American Jew.
Here's the 'welcome home' I got while waiting at a bus stop: Hmm. I'm pretty sure it's not as crazy as they make it sound, but who am i to judge? I'm not living in the wild jungle of dangerousness that is America.* * Ok, ok. I'm being harsh. There is truth to moving to... Continue Reading →
Today's word: שנאת חינם
Here's a backup to my last post in case it wasn't enough to get my point across. I proudly observe my own brand of Jewishness - and consider it great, holy and everything else - if my alternative for spiritual 'climbing' is this: U.S. immigrant beaten up in 'pogrom' by ultra-Orthodox gang "An American immigrant... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →