Lizrael Update: babbling about the expat life since 2004
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Aliyah tip #253: Read.
I’ve fallen back in love with reading. I’ve been a reading maniac lately. I went on hiatus the past two years, thinking that I didn’t have time because I was in school. Which is funny, because I wasn’t doing much reading for school, either. But man, do I love it. Reading is my medicine. It…
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On survival and today's word: ניצולי שואה.
I have good days and bad days. Lately they’ve been bad, but today is alright. I’m referring specifically to that still-beating juk I call: “speaking Hebrew without a complex.” I made a pact with myself last week to only email my Bar Ilan professors in Hebrew from now on. Writing in Hebrew has never been…
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Israel restaurant guide.
Tourist season is pretty much over in Israel… until Chanukah. So it’s a shame I’ve only found out about this now, but you’ll know for next time. eLuna.com is a website listing and rating restaurants from all over Israel. If you register, you can even get Jewpons, sorry, coupons, honoured at many of the restaurants…
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Back to regular life.
Back to work, back to chol, back to regular life in Israel. In case you’re having a hard time adjusting, here’s a reminder of what reality here is like: A Rabbi had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession. Like many young men, the…
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The five senses of Sukkot.
Sukkot gets a bad rap. It’s tough because it comes right after the High Holies of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, so people get sick of the physical aspects of the season, eating feasts and lying low. But Sukkot has so much to it; the holiday is part of the Shalosh Regalim (three pilgrimage festivals).…
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Gmar chatima tova.
Yom Kippur starts in a few hours; ideally I wouldn’t be lounging around and writing this, but nothing is ideal. I’ll go start mincha (afternoon prayers) in a few… Mincha of erev Yom Kippur is my favorite prayer of the whole year. It is something about the fact that it is still a regular day,…
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Learn to read in Hebrew for free.
UPDATE (2011): Found another excellent resource for learning Hebrew online for free… I just came across the website of the National Jewish Outreach Program, which I’ve never heard of before. It seems like a great resource though, for North American Jews who want to become more affiliated and educated in their Judaism. What caught my…
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Celebrate 5768 with some more fruit.
You know the drill. And here is an obligational photo of fruits, somehow associated with completing one year and bringing in the new one: ————————— Brought to you by… Do you love eating food? If you love tasting, cooking and celebrating with food, sign online today and find Christmas food recipes and so much more!…
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Aliyah Reason #243: Kosher Ikea.
You know you’re getting old when you’re perfectly happy spending your birthday at Ikea with your husband and mother. Ikea in Israel (currently located in Netanya, but coming soon to a Rechovot lot near you) is… pretty much the same experience as Ikea in Newark and anywhere else for that matter. Cheap apartment furniture, capitalistic…
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People-watching in a mirror.
Waiting for my mom at the airport this morning, I got to engage in the curious ritual that is people-watching. Airport arrival halls are the best places to people-watch. This pre-holiday Friday morning was even more interesting. One family particularly stood out to me. I watched a middle-aged couple – probably around my mother’s age…
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Overheard in the (Jerusalem) office.
At the start of the new year, perhaps it is important to take Redemption very seriously, especially on lunch breaks in the office: Me: “I haven’t been to the Old City in so long. Man, I haven’t been to the Kotel in over a year. I wonder if it looks different.” Coworker: “Oh yeah, there’s…
Questions? Comments? Advice?