Well sort of…

The new Beit Jewlicious was recently most stylishly and joyously inaugurated. Thanks to a lovely gift of a gorgeous Mezuzah by Genya, yours truly, along with Talya and Leia, added the last remaining piece to the new digs. Genya is now back in Chicago, reunited with her colleagues at the Chicago Hillel as well as with her fiance Slava, but before she left, we lit the Chanukiah and mounted the Mezuzah – always a joyous occasion! Check it out:

Now don’t get too excited. Beit Jewlicious isn’t some new project funded by a broad coalition of Jewish philanthropies! It is however the Israel base of all things Jewlicious. Scores of Jewy Web sites have already been launched from here, loads of advice has already been dispensed to numerous Jewish start ups and many hours have been spent planning and discussing the Jewlicious Festival. Beit Jewlicious contains two loft bedrooms and lots of room so while it’s not a hotel per se, lots of different people have already stayed here over shabbat or for slightly longer stays. Need a place to crash in Jerusalem? Well I guess you can call me up, but if there’s no room or you are looking for something a tad more luxurious, then I suppose you can just look for Hotel rooms in Israel. But will there be the same unbridled joy? The boundless love? The goofy characters? The proximity to the shuk? I don’t know. Find out and tell me!

What we don’t have anymore is morning shuk noise, smelly cats, bizarre odors and shady characters lurking in the stairwell. So if you ever find yourself in Jerusalem by the shuk, look me up. And don’t forget to kiss the Mezuzah!

Watch this video:

This was taken this past Friday in Sheikh Jarrah. Every Friday, protesters have been gathering there lately to protest the expulsion last August of two families from their apartments after the Israel Supreme Court ruled that the land upon which their homes were built belonged to the Sephardi Jewish community. The evacuated houses were built in the 1950s by the UNWRA in order to house Arab refugees who had fled from West Jerusalem during the 1948 war. In 1967, when Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan and reunited the city, the Palestinian families were permitted to stay on as tenants. Disputing the validity of the ownership of the land, they stopped paying rent. This led to the events that preceded the protests. As you can see, the bulk of the protesters are Jewish and Israeli. What really stood out though was at around 3:19 of the video. One of the middle aged Palestinian women started chanting what sounds like the following: “Falasteene Bladna, al-Yahud klabna” – that would translate into “Palestine is our country! The Jews are our dogs!” – which is kind of odd – I mean the people walking by her in handcuffs were the aforementioned “Jew Dogs” who had been arrested whilst protesting in favor of the Palestinians. Maybe that’s why she was shushed? I mean am I hearing this right?

Sheikh Jarrah is located on the road to Mount Scopus. In 1948, during the War of Independence, local Arabs butchered like dogs 78 doctors, nurses and others who were riding in a convoy on that road on their way to Hadassah hospital. Maybe old habits die hard? I don’t know! If someone has a better explanation for that woman’s chant, please let me know.

As for the protesters, 27 were arrested on Friday and as far as I know, they were all released late Saturday night.

Hat tip to Joseph Dana who linked to the video from his facebook wall.

Rain IS a Blessing

Typical day: woke up around 7am when the sun finally warmed my room, thanked Hashem in that split second between being fully awake and still floating softly in my world of dreams, put my toes into yummy slippers, headed to the bathroom, wandered groggily into the kitchen, made delicious turkish coffee from the arab shuk.. then sat, surrounded by books and mountains, just breathing and reflecting. The day always hits once the coffee is mostly gone..

I made my way to Jerusalem sometime in the afternoon, driving along winding roads that were empty.. Clouds had gathered, turning the sky to a heavy grey. There is something about clouds in the desert.. something about the sky feeling so much closer and present. Tangible.. By the time I had entered Jerusalem, the clouds had simply melded together above darkened buildings and trees that looked helpless in the wind. I kept looking at people’s faces as i drove by.. No one was smiling. I thought to myself, why is it so hard for them to remember that rain is a blessing? Where was the joy?

Time passed and by chance, my appointment was canceled. I sat in my car slightly annoyed and wondered where to go.. feeling somehow part of the storm and yet oddly detached. I felt safe from my life, from the world, enclosed in my little bubble of metal, leather and padding.. listening to Dezarie while blasting heat in my face. Deeply wishing I had something to do.

As I stared listlessly out of the car window lacking all motivation, my eye caught site of an old woman making her way slowly up the street. She was using a walker, stumbling along as if she were fighting the wind and her own body at the same time.. My heart froze. I didn’t know what to do, so I decided to watch and wait. She leaned heavily against the parked cars as she tried walking up the hill. Her eyes were covered by dark sunglasses that hid her face, and again I hesitated, simply not knowing how to act.

A moment later she was beside my car and I saw the deep, fine lines in her face, the struggle to stay composed in spite of her weakness, the fierce pride in her posture, and the desire to live. My heart overcame my anxiety and I hopped out of the car rushing over to her with a smile, praying that I would not embarrass her! She stood still in shock, struggling to hear me over the wind.

“Hi!” I said in the most casual, friendly voice I could muster while shivering in the cold. “Can I help you? Where do you need to go, I will give you a ride.”

“WHAT?!” she replied, taken aback.. I flushed with embarrassment and somehow managed to repeat my offer, this time gesturing to my car and the heat emanating from the open door. Finally she looked at me and said while shaking her head in frustration, “I have to go to the pharmacy today but my leg is not doing well in this cold.”

“Please let me take you” I said to her with a warm smile. “I will take you there and bring you home when you are done.”

“You will wait for me?” she said in disbelief. “GOD BLESS YOU! You are my angel today!” She started to hobble over to my car, mumbling about how it was a miracle from Hashem that I had come. “This is my lucky day!” she said again and again. I helped her in, then drove to the pharmacy while trying to make amicable conversation. Her English was perfect.. I found out that her husband had died, that she had been living in Israel for 24 years, that now there was no one left.. that she was alone.

She told me she had lived all over the world, from europe to the U.S.. and in one quick breath, she told me that she had survived the holocaust. My knuckles tightened on the wheel. We pulled up to the pharmacy before we could speak any further and I helped her in. She could barely move her leg.. I don’t know how she had planned on making it to the pharmacy by walking. With a toughness borne from years of survivial, she said “I don’t like missing a day taking my medicine, so I had to go.” I wondered in my heart how the elderly of Jerusalem managed to get their medicine..

After she bought the medication, I helped her back into the car and drove her to her home, offering to carry her bag for her. Embarrassment crept into her face and I quickly added that I would only walk her to the door. My heart dropped yet again as I saw that she lived on the second floor and had to walk up 20 stairs. I couldn’t understand.. my mind wouldn’t let me understand or how else could I go on living knowing that this was reality?

It took us five minutes to climb the stairs, yet we made it and stood facing each other in front of her door. She reached out steadily and took my hand in a firm handshake.

“My name is Sarah” she said with a deep strength that was heartbreaking.

“My name is Talya” I replied, looking into her dark sunglasses.

She thanked me and blessed me, that all the good things in my heart should come to fruition. Then I thanked her, from the bottom of my heart, for having had the honor of meeting and helping her. I walked away with the hairs of my arm standing on end, feeling so helpless and yet so blessed that I had tears in my eyes. I pondered what to do next.. pondered all the elderly who struggle daily with both their emotional and physical pain.. I pondered how many elderly in the streets I could have helped if I had looked outside of myself and paid attention.

Perhaps this friday I will bring her flowers and leave them outside her door with a note. Maybe I will get lucky and take her to the pharmacy again.

And to think, all this because I had asked for something to do. Jerusalem is a powerful city if we open ourselves to it.

I hope Sarah is doing well…

Cross posted on DallastoJerusalem

Awesome adventures!

A Portrait of Two Warriors: Nadine and Kevin

Well today was an interesting day! I have these dear friends, two sisters called Sarah and Leia, whose uncle aunt and cousin came to visit from Fresno. I had Shabbat meals with all of them and they were so cute that I decided to spend Sunday with them walking through the old city. Because it was the Feast of Eid Al Adha, the temple Mount was closed so I got the Fresno boys to don teffilin at the Kotel instead. We went to the roof of the Austrian Hospice to snap some scenic pics and then we walked by the Muslim Quarter where a young burqa wearing woman practically passed out in my arms. We put her on a chair and got her some water – must have been all the excitement. I was glad she was going to be ok and that no one stabbed me for laying my hands on a Muslim maiden. Afterward we headed off to the Jewish Quarter again for lunch and the stunning view from the Quarter Café. There we met Mark and his family from Los Angeles. Mark runs a consultancy and his assistant Weronicka is a dear friend. Mark was there with his wife, 8-year old daughter and his Mother in Law Nadine.

Nadine, an Upper East Side New Yorker, had fought with the Hagana in 1948 and hadn’t been back to Israel since 1949. She was a bit stunned at how much the country had changed, noting “I cannot believe this was the country I fought in.” She regaled us with her war stories as we pitied Mark – Imagine having a mother in law capable of assembling, disassembling and firing a Sten gun? We introduced her to Kevin, Sara and Leia’s cousin, who recently made Aliyah and was set to be drafted into the IDF in late December. Kevin is always a hoot and Nadine was a doll and lunch ended up being great fun – see them smiling in the photo above? Granted it was a very touristy day – but walla! This is why we live here. Nice people, great stories, beautiful views. Y’all come back here more often please!

Why did Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization dedicated to bringing Jews to Israel on Aliyah and organizing bloggers conferences, organize a Flash Mob in downtown (as it were) Jerusalem last Friday? Was it in celebration of Hanukah? Must be because the mob danced to frequent Jewlicious Festival participant Smooth E’s Hanukkah Hey Ya. Others noted that perhaps Nefesh B’Nefesh was in fact making a political statement what with the mixed egalitarian dancing and all. Whatever. It was fun. Get over yourselves.

Charred coins my ass

While digging wantonly under Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s 3rd holiest religious site, the Zionists usurpers conveniently claim to have discovered a trove of approximately 70 allegedly Jewish coins dating from the time of the 2nd Temple – you know, the one that never really even existed?

NPR reports:

About 70 coins were found in an excavation at the foot of a key Jerusalem holy site. They give a rare glimpse into the period of the Jewish revolt that eventually led to the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in A.D. 70, said Hava Katz, curator of the exhibition… The Jews rebelled against the Roman Empire and took over Jerusalem in A.D. 66. After laying siege to Jerusalem, the Romans breached the city walls and wiped out the rebellion, demolishing the Jewish Temple, the holiest site in Judaism… The coins sit inside a glass case, some melted down to unrecognizable chunks of pockmarked and carbonized bronze from the flames that destroyed the Temple.

Hava Katz is SUCH a liar! So she scorched up a bunch of coins. So what? Everyone knows that there was no temple in Jerusalem 2000 years ago because all the Jews where in Khazaria. And they weren’t even Jews yet. This is just another provocation by the Zionist Apartheid regime meant to justify their destructive digging under Haram Al Sharif which threatens the foundations of the mosques, and justifies the further dispossession of eternal Palestinian rights extant from time immemorial. Should you find yourself in the Zionist entity, and wish to witness this hoax for yourself, you may do so at the Davidson Center, adjacent to the entrance to the so called “Wailing Wall.” I’ll show you a wailing wall you rotten Zionists.

Nope. This isn’t about a free Birthright Israel trip (although registration for winter begins Sept. 8th and you can go with us – more info here), or any kind of flashy contest with cool prizes. The Ticket to Jerusalem Project is a simple concept, really. All you have to do is create any kind of artwork called “Ticket To Jerusalem”. Do it on a thick horizontal piece of paper, 8×3″ (20×8 cm), the size of conventional airplane ticket or boarding pass. Attach a stamp, add a return address and mail it WITHOUT an envelope to: Radik Shvarts, PO Box 245614, Brooklyn, NY, 11224, USA. The project deadline is January 1st, 2010 and all entries will posted online. Most of them will also be exhibited internationally and featured in a book titled “Ticket To Jerusalem” that will be published in 2010. Every person, whose artwork is featured in the book will get a free copy.

That’s it! So far the site features a pretty eclectic collection of 41 pieces of ticket art and, and… I don’t know what to say. It’s kind of sweet because there seems to be no underlying political message. No one’s trying to sell you anything, it’s just this very whimsical thing that is a pure celebration of creativity. OK so it is sponsored by the UJA Federation of New York, and COJECO (a central coordinating body in the Russian Jewish community of NY that works towards successul integration of Russian Jews into American Jewish life) but so what? Good on them for being involved in something that’s this much… fun!

So here’s the deal – If you’re in Israel this summer, pony up a mere 450 shekels (400 if you’re part of a non-profit) and you can enjoy a series of lectures focusing on entrepreneurial innovation and creativity by a pretty impressive line-up of speakers, culminating in a invite-only pitch night put on by the latest crop of PresenTense Fellows. In addition, you’ll also have full access to the PresenTense Hub from June 15-July 30 and half price access during the month of August. The Hub offers free Internet access, an otherwise comfy environment and the opportunity to network with a revolving cast of interesting people who make use of the facilities. Some of the speakers who will be imparting nuggets of wisdom include Michael Eisenberg, a partner in VC Firm Benchmark Capital’s Israel branch, our good friend Dan Brown from eJewish Philanthropy, Roi Carthy from the TechCruch blog, Sandy Cardin, President of the Schusterman Foundation noted commentator Yossi Klein-Halevi, Alisa Katz, Associate Producer of the film Defiance and more. You can get the whole schedule and registration at the PresenTense Web site. All that and regular access to Institute founders Ariel Beery and Aharon Horwitz?? Come on, who can say no!

It started innocently enough as we gathered to light the Menorah for the third day of Chanukah. Danielle Sheldon did the brachot inspiring us to goodness with her angelic voice. But then that saucy wench Talya Lev started in with her beat boxing, which inspired Rinat Guttman to bump up the tension a couple of notches with some freestyle hip hop. Sarah Weil, Iftachi the cat and Gal Feldman followed suit with back up dancing. If that was it, it’d be ok but then after the candles were lit, the Arak and the doughnuts came out and we all got really crazy – hopped up on sugar and carbs, things were crazy dude! Never a dull moment at Beit Jewlicious in Jerusalem. Check out the video which tonight is dedicated to Sasha Perry who went back to America after candle lighting – on her way to the Hazon Food Conference in California. Come back to us soon Sasha! We’ll see you soon at the Jewlicious Festival!

Join the Tachlis 2 Point Oh! and Jewlicious as we follow the results of the US Presidential Elections at the offices of Presentense at 64 Emek Refaim Street in Jerusalem. This will be a great Networking opportunity and we will be using a full suite of Web 2.0 tools as we broadcast the impressions of assembled Jerusalemites. Also on tap will be a fine selection of drinks and food, featuring Arack and Borekas from Machane Yehudah. Mabe I’ll even prepare some techina and pitas.

The event will take place on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at 10:30pm and will go until… well, till no one’s left I suppose. Feel free to RSVP via our facebook event page. The event is free although given how scary this election is likely to be, you are strongly encouraged to bring more booze. Here’s a Google map of where it’ll take place and if you have any questions or if you’re a blogger who wants to participate, feel free to contact me. I can be reached at 054 673 5873 or from the US at 917 338 7570.

For the record, the only reason I used “Barack” in the title is because it rhymes with “Arack.” As a Canadian/Israeli, I don’t particularly endorse either candidate. Also you can read about this and other election related events happening in Israel in Haaretz!