Tikkun Olam

Well, Toodles is here for an all-too-brief visit. Will be leaving a week from today for her sister's in sunny Rangoon (just kidding; it's closer than that), yet returning for about a week here for chol ha-mo'ed Sukkot and Simchat Torah, before she returns to sunny-hot-as-heck-Herzliyah. I splurged and bought her a cheap guitar (what are credit cards for, anyway?!), because she is teaching herself chords. I am so proud of her: she is doing so much: going to college, working as a webdesigner for her sister's company, is talented in graphic design (she says that's not what you call it, but I don't know what else to call it): she designs people's names in mosaic-type designs, in pen and ink. And now she's teaching herself to play guitar. Technology is wonderful: I just got off a Messenger video call to my son & new daughter-in-law, and also saw my youngest, who was on a three-day pass from the IDF. Toodles scooted up to the webcam and played her gee-t

I just wanted to check in with everyone and wish you all a peaceful, spiritual Shabbat: I have two minutes left before I shower for Shabbat; tonight and motzai Shabbat we are happy to host a Boy Scout and Scout Leader from deh ohld cahntree--New York and environs--who are stopping here on their way to Philmont Boy Scout Camp in New Mexico. There are several scouts and three leaders, two of each being hosted at various families here with Boy Scout connections. Our connection? My husband was scoutmaster of our Orthodox Boy Scout Troop for twelve years, and before that, assistant scoutmaaster for ten. I was a scout committee member. I baked four challot and a chocolate cake and am ready to crash; thank G-d everything is set up. I just hope I don't fall asleep in the shower! All the scouts and their host families will be together for minchah and seudah shelishit at our closest shul here. I am looking forward to it. Shabbat Shalom.

Another terror incident just happened in Jerusalem: a 'copycat' terror attack by a highjacked Arab-driven bulldozer , attacking and overturning cars and buses. I am laughing with tears in my eyes at the stupid politicians and fools who allowed this to happen again, by not firing the Arab construction workers and hiring Jews. I am livid that nothing major was done to deter these barbarians from attacking again. I am crying at outgoing Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Gillerman's impassioned speech whining to the world about what Israel lives through day after day: "Sitting in a coffee house in Paris, Moscow and New York, costs a few dollars. Sitting in a coffee house in Jerusalem could cost many lives." And blah, blah, blah... It sounds like pleading, to me. How dare our leaders (Israel's; which equals "The Jews'") whine and plead to the world 'please understand what we are going through? I am appalled. What happened

My friends, Baruch, Chani and their new baby Nachman (שיחי") made Aliyah in May, on a Nefesh b'Nefesh group flight. Because it was not a charter flight but rather a regular run, with a section of the plane set aside for the Nefesh b'Nefesh group of new olim , it was not filmed. Another friend, Gavriella, made Aliyah today (!) and she was on the chartered Nefesh b'Nefesh plane, which landed at Ben-Gurion today around 7:30 a.m. Israel time. That was filmed with a live webcast, where I saw a still photo of my friend Gavi, I think still at JFK, and also showed them landing and disembarking at Ben-Gurion airport, greeted by hundreds of "guests" who already lived in Israel, soldiers waving flags in a 'reception' line, and various officials who welcomed them, including Nefesh b'Nefesh Founders Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Tony Gelbart , former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Danny Ayalon and Rav Simcha HaKohen Kook. To top that off, among the hund

Every time I went to my blog to post since the attack in Jerusalem, I saw my last post and became upset and despondent. I needed to post something positive and upbeat to counteract the last one, a post that would show us a path to true change in the "matzav" that Israelis live through day after day, and Manhigut Yehudit provided me with it, here on their blog . Moshe Feiglin expresses similar ideas to mine in my last post. He shows the futility of trying to integrate Arabs into a Jewish Nation with a 2,000 year-old Jewish yearning to return to Zion. It's not their culture, it's not their religion, and it's not their land . The situation is becoming critical, with terrorists hiding out in Arab neighborhoods; they are, pashut , an enemy of Israel and a "fifth column." An excerpt from the Manhigut Yehudit blog: The current and previous Israeli governments have allowed areas where “Israeli”-Arabs live throughout Israel to become unpoliced terrorist s

Today there was a new type of terror attack in Yerushalayim. An Arab drove a bulldozer through a major street deliberately targeting civilians in private cars and public buses. He drove into two buses repeatedly until they overturned, and he drove over several cars, crushing the occupants. A brave young off-duty soldier took the initiative and climbed onto the bulldozer in an attempt to stop the murderer. He succeeded in shooting the driver several times, and finally a police officer also climbed onto the 'dozer and put the final shot into him. Read more about this young man who helped save countless lives, here . Below is the Israel Channel 10 video (also on Tamar Yonah's blog on Israel National News, Arutz Sheva): This is the second terror attack on civilians since the Mercaz HaRav murders of eight young unarmed Yeshiva students. Thank G-d, at least in this attack in Jerusalem, there more people who were ARMED, were already there and ready to TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATE

Muslim davening is short, but you have to do it five times a day (I mean, aren't shacharit , mincha , and maariv enough already?) In addition, Seinfeld is pretty funny, and he's Jewish. That's got to mean something, right? And don't forget--only the K ohanim (or wait, is it the C ohanim . . . I'm so confused, this is making me dyslexic) have to remove their shoes . And Jews dance better, too.