Tripping Through Life (with Dr. Seuss*)

The fine-toothed comb of Time marches
on
Through the scalp of Life.

I knew it. I knew it. I knew that by coming here and taking care of my three rambunctious grandkids I would be entering a time machine and going back in time. And it's happened! Despite my arthritis, nasty knees, lower back pain and fatitude (just coined a new word; you like it?), I am growing backwards into childhood, or rather into being a (younger-like) parent, complete with lacking sleep and not having time to shower for days(don't get too close) caring for three kids under nine.
I'd forgotten what it's like: getting kids UP in the morning, getting them washed and dressed (they can do some or most of it themselves, except for the one with the cast on her right arm...) and fed, getting the bathing suits on and slathering them up with sunscreen and putting the change-of-clothes and towels in the backpack and making sure their lunchboxes are also in and that everything is LABELED with their names on it.

And making breakfast every morning (No, I want EGGS and GRITS I don't want cereal) and contending with the "I want to play first" or the "I don't want to get dressed" or the HE'S COPYING ME or SHE STUCK HER TONGUE OUT AT ME tell her to STOP it or I DON'T LIKE THAT CHEESE SANDWICH FOR LUNCH I WANT MEATBALLS AND PUSGETTI etc., etc.

And then, off to camp! Late, almost every morning (our faults: 'we haven't gotten it down pat yet,' 'lack of sleep, gettin' older,' 'no energy'--you know the excuses). Then after drop-off, running home to either 1) walk the dog (chihuahua. cute. fits in pocket. attacks squirrels and large animals), 2) wash dishes and clean-up kitchen, and 3) run around house picking up after whirlwind of morning prep with p.j.s and various pieces of clothing all over the floors, 4) make sure we turned on light and fed MONSTRO the WHALE (the goldfish) and make sure the ELEPHANT named TWEETIE-BIRD has food and water (the chihuahua. Get it?)

And when we pick them up from camp, it's the same thing in reverse, not necessarily in this order: 1) supper 2) therapies 3) baths 4) bedtime

But somewhere in between, there are wonderful brachot over the food (the kids love saying brachot), Shabbat--which was the best day of the week, with delicious meals we (mainly my husband) prepared, my grandson (with Down Syndrome) standing with his Saba and copying him making kiddush, washing for hamotzi and enjoying the specialness of the day, walking to shul in the morning all dressed up, having a cholent kiddush after davening (it was the yummiest I've had in a long while, loaded with meat), and coming home to another yummy seudah sheniyah, singing zmirot and playing board games later; it was a relaxed, special day.
The only damper was that we did not get to nap; by the end of the day, I was exhausted.

The entire day we were stuck in the house--so we couldn't swim in our pool and we couldn't visit the neighbors with the 10 kids who have chickens in their backyard--because since we arrived, the weather barely varied: it rained and thunderstormed every day for a week, including Shabbat. We were lucky there was a lull so that we could walk to shul and back, but that was it! Talk about cabin fever. . .(but it was still a great day!)

But all the discussions I've had, especially with my 6 year-old granddaughter about what she likes to play, and friends, and satellites ('what are they?'), and Benjamin Franklin and electricity, and learning to be ambidextrous-she is using her left hand for everything, and as a result of her cast, stopped sucking her thumb-and learning to say that word and what it means--and about life in general--and all the stories I've read to all the kids, and the songs I've sung (numi numi, lailah lailah, and saying the 'shema' and 'ha-mal'ach' with the three kids every night)--Priceless.

I fear this trip is going to end all too soon; but until it does, although-

The dull, blunt needle of Time

Sews another button on a sadly worn pair of underdrawers,


And--

I still climb Mount Everest just as often as I used to. I play polo just as often as I used to. But to walk down to the hardware store I find a little bit more difficult.


Still:

You're in pretty good shape
for the shape you are in!


(*all quotes from Suess-isms by Dr. Seuss's widow, Audrey Geisel)

Off to the Holy Land..er..Old Country..er...Would You Believe, Florida?!

Well, we're off! Tomorrow we fly like a boid to see our grandkids in sunny south Florida...well, not actually just to 'see' them. More like to

make 3 lunches and snacks the night before
and pack them in their backpacks with a change of
clothes and underwear
and label everything with their names on it with a Sharpie
and dress them in swimsuits and slather them with sunscreen over their swimsuits and then
dress them with clothes over their swimsuits

and drive them to camp every day
and pick them UP from camp every day
and entertain them in the afternoons and evenings
after camp and makes dinners for them
and make sure they're not BORED out of their minds
so take them to museums, the aquarium and the
MONKEY JUNGLE
and sometimes take the whole kit and kaboodle out to lunch or
dinner (lots of kosher restaurants in south Fl; not
like here)
and DON'T forget to give our middle granddaughter her meds
(she broke her elbow & had surgery last week)
and be careful to WRAP her arm with the cast in plastic while
bathing her oh and did I mention
we have to bathe all 3 of them every evening?
Oh, and my oldest grandson has Down Syndrome so he gets
therapy twice a week in the afternoons and the other
kids get to participate and play in the exercize therapy
and. . .

I'm EXHAUSTED just writing this.

I did something similar to this for years with my own 5 kids, but haven't done it for a very long time; have I forgotten how? Do I have the stamina? Will I MESS UP and miss something?

But kids are great; and my grandkids (all three of 'em) are terrific. And clever. And funny. And I haven't seen them since. . . it's time!
(next post, FLORIDA!)

The Fool Who Beats His Head Against the Wall

I don't want to say it (besides which, Steven Plaut said it very well first), but Israel is almost like the fool who keeps beating his head against a brick wall again and again, thinking that each time he does it--he might (finally) get the wall to break; instead, his head does (G-d forbid) .

Perusing blogs I found this (hat tip Daled Amos) about fantasy land and wishful thinking on Israel's part: doing the same thing over and over again hoping for different results. It is the "Two States for Two Peoples" fantasy by Plaut, last in the long line of previous fantasies, such as (in no particular order) the Oslo Accords, Camp David, the Road Map, the disengagement from Gaza, etc.
In all cases, the surrounding Arab states have not officially recognized Israel as a Jewish state nor its right to exist, nor have the rocket and terrorist attacks against Israelis ceased.

Basically it still is as they say the "same old same old." And here comes Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech about his view on the "Two State Solution" as a way towards peace. He hits the nail on the head when he says plainly and simply that

The simple truth is that the root of the conflict has been and remains - the refusal to recognize the right of the Jewish People to its own state in its historical homeland.

But then, at the very end, his brain goes into hibernation for a split second as he says

I call upon Arab leaders and Palestinian leaders: Let's go in the path of Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat, Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein. Let's go in the path of Prophet Isaiah, who spoke thousands of years ago, they shall beat their swords into plowshares and know war no more.
Let us know war no more. Let us know peace.

When was the last time you heard overtures of peace and reconciliation from the Arabs? Instead, it is always about what Israel should do, unilateral demands on Israel-first! Netanyahu, by saying that, has now become the Fool Who Beats His Head Against a Brick Wall.

Because this video shows the real reason for the Middle East Conflict; and until that is rectified, there will be no true peace:

Noodle Google...er...Koogle (& HH #221)

Everyone is posting about Obama's speech in Cairo, or Bibi's speech at Bar Ilan and how he 'wiped the floor' with Obama-or not-depending upon whom you read; but not I (said the walrus).

Instead, I am posting about a yummiest dish, noodle Google..er..Koogle.
What is it, you ask (thought you'd never)? It is the new Kosher Search Engine for Orthodox Jews, approved by Rabbis and launched in Israel.

A Jewish take-off on the name "Google," it is a search engine which will filter out unseemly images,unholy content, un-tziniosdik ladies, etc.
Seems that this search engine will also "restrict purchases of taboo items including television sets..." (hmmm, what about DVD players?)

Amoz Azizoff (one of the people who set up Koogle) also said:

"There are lots of orthodox homes that don't have computers but for business purposes, or for people who want to be part of the 21st century, if you're going to have one the best way is to use one that filters the internet."

Ok. It was only a matter of time before something like this was set up. Personally, I think an adult Orthodox Jew should be able to decide for him or herself what is viewable, what fits with a Torah value system, and have the maturity to adhere to his principles.

He also said that

"We have to be realistic. Just as you have orthodox Christians and orthodox Muslims, there are people who like to take the easy approach on life, right or wrong. Unfortunately that's our society. But there are different needs for different communities."

Easy approach? This search engine seems itself to be 'the easy approach;' it does not allow people to exert self-control on themselves, but rather does it for them.

And yet, I really do like kugel. . .


(Oh, and Haveil Havalim #221 is up at Ima on the Bima. Yum.)

The Beauty of Shabbat

My last post was an angry one. I did not want to end the week on that note, so I am posting about the weekly end-goal of every Orthodox Jew: Shabbat. We say that "Jews keep Shabbat," but I truly believe that it is "Shabbat that has kept the Jews," alive and kicking, for thousands of years;
it is the focus of the week.
When I still taught elementary school, I would always write the date on the board as "the second day of the week of the Holy Sabbath" (in Hebrew, it sounds a lot better.)

At any rate, I wish you all a peaceful and holy Shabbat.

Towards "A More Peaceful and Tolerant World"

It's all over the news: Gunman Opens Fire at Holocaust Museum. It is a terrible thing, that this excuse for a human being-a Nazi lover, racist and antisemite- murdered a young married security guard, only 39 years old.



President Obama responded with a statement of condolences for the slain guard's family, and he also said this:

"This outrageous act reminds us that we must remain vigilant against anti-Semitism and prejudice in all its forms. No American institution is more important to this effort than the Holocaust Museum, and no act of violence will diminish our determination to honor those who were lost by building a more peaceful and tolerant world."

This is where democracy works against itself. In order to build "a more peaceful and tolerant world," we have to act to eliminate those who would harm the decent people of the world and who resort to violence. In other words, in order to create a more tolerant world, we have to be, ourselves, intolerant--and not permit these people to be citizens of our great country.

They have a problem with the American people?
Deport them to a Third World country before they murder the next innocent victim. Let them see what life is like without the freedoms they so despise.

We Are Settlers: Plain and Simple

Tel-Aviv just celebrated it's centennial this past April.It was started by 60 families as a Jewish neighborhood at the edge of the city of Jaffa, which was mainly Arab.

It is now the financial capital of Israel and a bustling metropolis. It is a World Class City. 100 years ago it was a "settlement."

Obama wants Israel to freeze the expansion of "settlements," and stop building new "settlements."

Let us ponder for a moment, what is a Jewish "settlement?" It is Jewish "settlers" who created the State of Israel. They were merely following the injunction of the Bible to settle the land which G-d had given us.

I don't understand it. Christians also believe in the Bible, or so I thought. Why is it that they do not support Israel in expanding its settlements? Why does the world overtly support the Arabs' claims that Israel is "illegally" building on 'Arab' land? It was never "Arab" land; it was, from the time Judea was captured by Assyria through the time of the British Mandate, under the jurisdiction of various nations.

And besides, while some Arabs-bedoins and the like-did live a nomadic life on some of the land which is now Israel, they mainly had a tribal existence, and left the land a dung heap. It was the Jews who drained the malarial swamps, built the cities, created a thriving economy and restored the land to its former grandeur. Because we were returning to our former land, no matter what anybody says.

As WestBankMama put it in a post from 2007 (emphasis mine):

Those of us who are Orthodox Jews and live in Israel have another reason in addition to the others. We chose the place we live based on the religious commandment to settle the land of Israel. (yeah, that word isn’t an epithet, it is something to be proud of!) Those of us who live in Yehuda and the Shomron (Judea and Samaria) and those who used to live in Gush Katif chose to make their homes there because they thought they were taking this commandment to the next level – settling the parts of Israel that have been lost to Jews for centuries. It is hard to explain the deep emotional pain of losing this.

Instead, here is a better idea: instead of ranting against the Israelis for building and expanding "settlements," how about restoring all the money and property confiscated and stolen outright by the Arab regimes which expelled the millions of Jews from their lands? How about the millions of Jewish refugees? Why has there not been a global outcry against that? I'll tell you why; because the Jews handled their refugees by themselves, without whining to the world (which didn't offer help nor could they care less) and expecting handouts; because the Jews pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and created a modern, thriving twentieth-century country in the middle of a backward region with mainly repressive at best, or barbaric at worst Arab cultures which are still back in the 11th century (ok, some might be 15th century).

What, you don't believe the story of Jewish refugees? (I mean, who ever heard of a Jewish refugee? That would make the Jews as VICTIMS rather than the PERPETRATOR, and we can't have that, can we...) Then read this excerpt from a story by a former Jewish refugee from Iraq:

In discussions about refugees in the Middle East, a major piece of the narrative is routinely omitted, and my life is part of the tapestry of what's missing. I am a Jew, and I, too, am a refugee. Some of my childhood was spent in a refugee camp in Israel (yes, Israel). And I am far from being alone.

This experience is shared by hundreds of thousands of other indigenous Jewish Middle Easterners who share a similar background to my own. However, unlike the Palestinian Arabs, our narrative is largely ignored by the world because our story -- that of some 900,000 Jewish refugees from Arab countries dispossessed by Arab governments -- is an inconvenience for those who seek to blame Israel for all the problems in the Middle East

You can read the rest of her story here. There is also an advocacy website for the plight of the forgotten Jewish refugees, called Jimena.

The time has come for the United States and the world to cut out the irresponsible tirade against Israel for continuing the "settlements," and allow--nay, support Israel in continuing to build a thriving, modern, free land of Israel--by supporting the expansion of existing settlements and the creation of new ones, to be the future Tel-Avivs in the JEWISH State.

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"One of These Things is Not Like the Other. . . "

Sing post title to that tune from the Sesame Street program (Hebrew means "find the differences"). Hat tip: Solomonia.

Beach Blanket Bing--er--Hevel Havalim #220...and More...

Hevel Havalim (there. I spelled it my way: the way it would be spelled in Ivrit, when not a sof pasuk) #220 is up and running at Esser Agaroth (ok, I would also spell that 'esser agorot,' but that's not how Ben-Yehudah spells it, so--deferring to the blog author here. Oy, the curses of being a Hebrew teacher. . . )
My previous post We Were All Duped is linked there; for some reason, he always links me last in my category. Should I get a complex over that, or is it a good thing? Something to ponder. . .

I was perusing articles and blogs in researching my previous post, and I found a really good comment by someone about the subject (Obama's speech and apparent attitude). I don't remember the writer's name, and in any event, there was no link I could follow--and to top that off I don't even remember where I read it. But it was so good and to the point, that I am reprinting it here, and if the author comes across it here, please email me (and thank you for writing it!)

This expresses exactly how I feel about how the entire world is focused on little Israel, who has only existed as a modern state for 61 years. But of course we all know that in reality, it's the Jewish People the world is focused on--ever since our having received the Torah on Mount Sinai--a thorn in the world's side, not for sixty-one, but for thousands of years.

It's interesting to watch the current US administration's "fixation" on Israel. The temptation is to descend into that surreal world of conspiracies. However, this "bullying" of Israel --a country founded for Jews who have sought refuge not from persecution but from extermination in "civilized" Europe and the Arab/Muslim world is disturbing.

For the US --the most powerful state in the world today-- to go after and literally try to bully this small state is despicable.

As a Muslim (by birth), I fully support my brethren Jews as "people of the book" for trying to survive against all odds. The Palestinian-Israeli dispute is a LOCAL issue. This region has, historically, been of no interest to Muslims until fairly recently. Israel should not be underestimated, however, these are people who have --admirably and stubbornly-- held onto their religious/national identity for centuries in foreign lands against unrelenting persecution and humiliation. These are the sturdy/resilient ones who WILL FIGHT.

There are some people in this world, Christians, Muslims and Jews--who are not afraid to state the truth. More power to them.

We Were All Duped. . .

. . .About Barak Obama. Well, I will exclude myself in this: I had grave misgivings about him, given his history of associations and affiliations (read about some of them here and here.)

But the vast majority (as written in Commentary Magazine) of Jews in the U.S. did vote for him: around 78%. Historically, we Jews vote Democratic, because of our long-standing concern about social justice and reform--for which the Democratic Party (supposedly) stands--which I attribute to social values stemming from the Torah, even though many secular or unaffiliated Jews might not be aware or disagree.

But after Mr. Obama was elected, I hoped for the best, and was ready to support and rally behind my President, in his attempts to right the wrongs and evils of this country and the world.

These days, however, I am getting more and more worried about him, now that he is spreading his--in my opinion, extremely misguided--message of how to achieve 'peace in the Middle East' to the Arab countries, most recently in his speech in Egypt.

His message indicates that he has a very shallow knowledge of Middle East history nor does he have any understanding of the Arab mentality: Mr. Obama is pushing the "Two State Solution," with a ferocity not seen in recent past administrations.

He is playing right into the so-called Palestinians' hands by placing the onus on Israel, and basically not requiring anything of the Arabs-an extremely one-sided, unjust deal. I had my problems with Bush's "Road Map," but this is even worse: Obama is preaching to the entire world words which indicate that Israel, and Israel alone-is the culprit by creating obstacles to peace in the Middle East.

It's as if he is taking a quick screen snapshot of Israel and the Arabs living in Gaza and Judea and Samaria (the so-called 'West Bank') today, totally disregarding the events and attitudes which led to the current situation.

By doing thus, he is also totally disregarding the truth and the responsibility of the Arabs to do their part to promote peace.

Daniel Pipes calls it a Rapid and Harsh Turn Against Israel, pretty strong words. All the Arabs have to do is sit back and wait with folded arms while the U.S. forces Israel to comply with its conditions. It lets them off the hook: they are (so it would seem), not responsible for attacking the state of Israel on the eve of its inception in 1948, for the aggression in the Sinai in 1953, for initiating the war in 1967, for the Yom Kippur War in 1973, for forcing Israel into Lebanon in 1981--not to even mention their unprovoked attacks on Jews in Israel before it was Israel, as in Hevron in 1929.
And what about the expulsions and massacres of the Jews from Arab lands? When were these atrocities and injustices ever addressed by the world or by Israel's supposed ally, the United States? Consider this by Ben-Dror Yemini (as seen on Solomonia, excerpted here):

A long series of massacres was perpetrated against the Jews in Arab countries. They did not declare war on the countries in which they lived. They were loyal citizens. That did not help them. Their suffering was erased. Their story is never told. The Palestinian narrative has taken over history. There is no need for a Palestinian narrative versus a Zionist narrative. We need to shake off narratives in favor of the truth. And the truth is the number of Jews murdered was greater, their dispossession was greater, and their suffering greater.

A stunning testimonial from those years, which actually comes from the Arab side, sheds light on the issue. In 1936, Alawite notables sent a letter to the French Foreign Minister in which they expressed their concern for the future of the region. They also referred to the Jewish question: "The Jews brought civilization and peace to the Arab Muslims, and they dispersed gold and prosperity over Palestine without damage to anyone or taking anything by force. Despite this, the Muslims declared holy war against them and didn't hesitate to massacre their children and women ... Thus, a black fate awaits the Jews in case the Mandates are cancelled and Muslim Syria united with Muslim Palestine." The interesting thing is that one of the letter's signatories was none other than the great grandfather of Bashar Al Assad, the president of Syria.

Read Elie Hertz's open letter to President Obama on Myths and Facts, which I actually found on Twitter from the Jewish Internet Defense Force (JIDF).

In my opinion, the letter is good, but too mild. What I would say to our president, Mr. Obama, is a bit stronger:

Mr. President, in order to implement peace in the Middle East, you should first

1) Force the Arabs to admit to and right the wrongs they committed against the Jewish people, unprovoked: they should make reparations for the massacres of men, women and children, as well as the theft of Jewish money and property worth billions when they were expelled from Arab countries, then

2) As a condition for peace, all the Arab countries must first recognize the State of Israel as a Jewish State, and recognize its right to exist, and

3) Accept Israel's annexation of all the lands captured in all the defensive wars it had to wage for its own survival, including the so-called 'West Bank' (historically Judea and Samaria, land which was under Jewish sovereignty), as part and parcel of the Jewish State of Israel, and lastly,

4) Accept the transfer of those 'Palestinians' who do not want to live under Jewis rule into the area that was 78% of 'Palestine,' that is--Jordan--whose population is mainly Palestinian to this day--or to any other Arab country.

Let the Arabs finally take full responsibility for their own actions--for terrorism, for past atrocities, and for the welfare of their own people--as ADULTS.

Then, and only then, will there be a chance for a true and just peace in the Middle East.

Shabbat Shalom.

Random Thoughts: Cotton Eyed Joe (-yes, they have meaning!)

This is one of my most favorite songs. It's solid Americana, and although I'm not generally a Country Music genre fan, it's so infectious--you just have to get up and dance! Yep.

It also reminds me of my youngest, currently just having recently passed the Loren in Officer's Training Course in the IDF. You should see how my Rambo dances it--she's something else. If her platoon ever discovered her talents, look out! (YEEhaw).

cotton eyed joe - rednex