More funny photos from Israel

Who's pu?

That's a heck of a blend!

Not sure if this should be in the detergent aisle or the pharmacy!!

And for those who remember my blog which included Dudu HaGadol...
we now have - Son of Dudu!

Reminds me of home...what do Ehud Barak and Katherine Harris have in common?

So - around a month ago, Tzipi Livni was elected head of the Kadima Party (beating her opponent by the skin of her teeth). Since Kadima is the current ruling party in the Israeli Government, she would essentially become the Prime Minister, replacing Ehud Olmert who resigned amid debilitating scandals. Livni only had to form a coalition in order to maintain the government. Shas, the Orthodox-Mizrachi party, held out in joining her coalition reportedly over three key terms: 1) billions of shekels for their school (yeshiva) system, 2) control of the Education Ministry in the next cabinet, and 3) a commitment from Livni not to relinquish control over any part of Jerusalem in future peace talks. Mostly on 1 & 2, Livni did not budge. She refused to "give in to bribery".

Since she was unable to form a government, President Shimon Peres officially announced new national elections, which will be held in February. Livni is using the "anti-bribery" case as a prime example of why she should be the one to lead the country. Shas's spiritual leader, the fiery/offensive Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, yesterday proclaimed that Shas would double its seats in the Knesset from 9 to 18.

Likud, under former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, is expected to fare quite well in this election. It is still early, but many of the early polls have Likud and Kadima in a dead heat (however, some polls are skewed across the spectrum). Since all parties are going to be contending for seats in the Knesset (the party with the most seats then can work to form a coalition), parties are holding primaries.

Well, wouldn't you know it - Labor's (under former Prime Minister Ehud Barak) 50,000 voting members were scheduled to vote in party primaries a couple of days ago. And lo and behold - the electronic voting machines failed!! So, they are being held today. However, Labor is having a big prooblem - most of their election volunteers had taken days off work, etc. in order to work the election a couple of days ago. Many are unable to volunteer this time around. Plus, voter turnout is expected to be very adversely affected. How do you say 'debacle' in Hebrew? We may have had a crazy time with the 2000 butterfly (or as they say, 'parpar'), but it gives me a great feeling to know that Florida is not alone in bungling ballots. Onwards and upwards!

Good medicine

So, I have been sick for the last couple of weeks. It has been a lot of coughing, congestion, post-nasal drip, fever, and all kinds of other fun things I won't write about...

However - my spirits were raised when I went to seek medical care. This is the first time since coming to Israel that I have had the need to see a doctor. I had a little difficulty with the health provider, just in terms of locating a physician in my area. Once I got over that hurdle, everything was smooth sailing. I saw the doctor three times, had some tests done, and even a chest x-ray. Total cost (how do you say drum roll b'ivrit?): 6 shekels. About $1.50. In all fairness I do pay a certain amount each month for national health insurance (about $20), but - I am so impressed with the level of care in terms of cost. Heck - my prescriptions were relatively inexpensive, and they're not even from Canada!

A couple more funny photos from Jerusalem

As my friend Benji pointed out in his blog (www.whatwarzone.com), there's an Israeli florist company called 'zer 4 u' - zer being Hebrew for bouquet. Yet - everytime I pass it, I can't help but think of Bon Jovi circa 1988..."I'll be zer4u, zees five words I sver to you..."







So - for those who read Hebrew...what does this sign say? When I first saw it, I read 'haggis' - and was really excited that there might be Scottish Jews in Jerusalem! Til I figured out this was a sign on the front window of a Superfarm (aka Walgreens) and it really reads 'huggies'. This is why we need vowels, people!

Admitting a mistake

Hello all - well, I have been gone for a little while. Work was pretty intense - I was assisting the JDC in coordinating their meetings for the United Jewish Communities General Assembly, which was being held here in Jerusalem. I have been under the weather for a while now, but am hopefully back on the mend.

In any case, since my last blog, a new President of the United States was elected...as well as a new mayor of Jerusalem! Regarding the former, I have to say that it was amazing watching the coverage from here in Israel. There was a great deal of emotion displayed here around the concept of an African-American being elected. I was greatly dismayed, however, at the horrificly inadequate lack of understanding of the black narrative in the United States. It is difficult to explain the significance of overcoming racism (at least making a dent in it) to a culture that has not been witness to it.

They have the emotional empathy, but do not know the details: the post-election coverage included a great number of stories of the struggle for racial equality in the United States, and there were many things taken out of context, glossed over, or not referred to at all. There was one instance of blatant disregard for cultural norms and sensitivities, when an Israel Channel 2 reporter used the 'n' word during a feature story in describing "white teenagers getting into black culture." That story also included coverage of succesful modern black entertainers - a clip of Oprah Winfrey jumping up and down, and a few seconds of Bill Cosby. That was all they could come up with.

I remember as a teenager in my high school newspaper getting into an argument with a colleague in my class. It was a girl I had a crush on, which made it all the worse. I was proposing to write a story on the fact that our school - Santaluces High, named after a now-extinct local Indian tribe - had a 'Chief' as a mascot. Part of my 'modest proposal' was that we should change our names to represent other ethnicities and see if those mascots would be universally accepted...the Santaluces Blacks, the Fighting Jews, the Thundering Latinos...Caucasians, Asians...you name it. I was a minority in my school, and really felt it. I had an instinctive need to stand up for those who were being discriminated against, even if it was an extinct Indian tribe. The above mentioned girl was questioning my need to stand up for the victim...the story ran, and in the end my car was keyed. Twice. The school's mascot is still the Chief. However - I got hundreds of kids in the school to at least think about the matter.

So, I called Channel 2 to complain about their lack of cultural awareness and sensitivities in using the 'n' word, and was given the runaround for more than an hour. In the end, I was referred to Channel 2's lawyer and instructed to write a letter. I am doing so, but am also going to go ahead and start an online petition against Channel 2 for not only committing this error, but failing to properly acknowledge and correct it. I will post that link in this blog shortly. This is too great of a country to have such an inept news channel. And this is too important a time to get this remarkable story wrong.

Monsoon Shuking

So, I went to the shuk (market) here in Jerusalem last week after work. I stopped off to pick up some fresh vegetables, pita, hummus, some rugelach, cheeses, and spices. Well, about five minutes after I got there, the skies opened up a la Hurricane Frances. It poured for about two hours straight...I'm a South Florida boy, I'm used to the rain, but I'm also used to it letting up every 45 minutes or so. This was a heck of a downpour.

So, I went to Azura (a Middle Eastern restaurant in the old Iraqi part of the market; Ehud Banai once wrote a song about it) and had some kube soup to warm up. Then I ran over to Aroma (for anyone who knows the shuk, it's sacrilige that there is a modern coffee shop like Aroma there, but - when you can't beat em...have a hafuch).

So, even though the rain caused massive traffic congestion, minor flooding, I found the proverbial silver lining.

Signs, signs, everywhere are signs...

So - here's my first installment of funny Israeli signs. I got my inspiration from a friend and fellow blogger, Benji (www.whatwarzone.com). For the king of all funny Israeli signs, see my previous blog which includes 'Dudu HaGadol'



This burger joint is called 'Eewo'. However, because of the way that Hebrew vowels work, Eewo can also be read as 'Eewww'. All that, and the burgers aren't that great.


The Hebrew U/Idelson crowd will definitely recognize the sign for Dr. Mazen Abu Leil, Dentist and surgeon. Only thing is - his place also doubles as a falafel restaurant!


Dorking in Tel Aviv. Didn't realize it was an active verb, but alas...


Last, but not least - Superlas fiber supplement. With tp on the label, just in case you weren't sure.

Eeenn-Deeceeezhan 5769

So, as some of you know, I have been quite pensive - and perplexed - about the political scene as of late. Who will I vote for? Who best represents the issues that are dear to me? Who can I trust in office? No - I'm not talking about Obama and Biden or McCain and Palin. I'm talking about these folks:

Arkady Gaydamak, Nir Barkat, and Meir Porush



Meet the candidates for the Mayor of Jerusalem. The election is to take place on November 11, and has serious implications for this city. It represents a real struggle in this city between the Chasidic community and the secular community. *Note - in most of the world, secular means non-religious, or perhaps agnostic. Here in the Holy Land, secular means any Jew who does not wear black wool and doesn't sport a ginormous beard. This is very much a pivotal election for the city and people of Jerusalem. The city is thriving once again, but is in desperate need of infrastructure upgrades. Nir Barkat is the front-runner who promises not to let the 'Chasidization' of Jerusalem to continue. Meir Porush is publically talking much of the same talk as Porat, but I assume that's just to garner more votes.

Municipal elections around the country will be held on November 11. There is no early or absentee voting, to the chagrin of many many people. But, as they say here, 'zeh mah sh'yesh' - that's the way it is.

Barkat is a young high-tech entrepreneur, very dynamic. Porush is an ultra-Orthodox councilman who has gone out of his way to push his campaign in non-ultra-Orthodox forums. Many feel that there would be little change between the way Jerusalem is run now under Mayor Lupoliansky and Porush (both ultra-Orthodox). Arkady Gaydamak is a Russian-Israeli billionaire tycoon who owns some sports clubs, has donated millions upon millions to help Israel's most vulnerable populations (most notably stepping up and donating millions to the beleaguered people of Sderot during the 2006 Lebanon War). His campaign is very well-funded an wide-spread, but he is well behind in the polls.

For more on the candidates, see this great article in the Los Angeles Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2008/10/israel-the-next.html

Saying what needs to be said...

Well, hello everyone - sorry to all my fans, friends, and family, but as many of you know, I have begun working, and so haven't been blogging as much. In just a few moments, I'll add another blog entry about life here in Israel. But first, I want to let you know about my cousin Max. He is the son of my first-cousin, Barbara, and was born in October 2005.


Barbara and her family live up north in New Jersey (even though I live in Israel now, I still typed in 'north'...I guess - now Jersey is out west!), and so I did not get to see them these past few years as much as I would have wanted to, but I followed Max's story from a distance. Shortly after he was born, Max became extremely ill. I said my share of mi-sh'berach's for him, including a couple at the Kotel (Western Wall). In my life, I have unfortunately seen a number of friends and loved ones face serious illnesses, and even have lost a few in terror attacks. The thing about Max's illness that makes it quite unique - it turns out that it was preventable...

Take a look at this video, Max's story. For any of you who are parents or about-to-be parents, please take this message seriously: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL2mRJMnqKI

Addicted to Noise

Last Friday, Israeli columnist Yair Lapid, son of Tommy Lapid z"l (founder of the Shinui - Change - political party, wrote a column responding to an article that his father wrote years ago about the wonder of life in a place like New Zealand, as opposed to the life in Israel. Tommy Lapid's article was required reading in my ulpan (intesive Hebrew).

I very much agree with Yair Lapid's point of view - life here can be frustrating...people are so committed and invested in every aspect of life, that they sometimes (scratch that...many times) get carried away. I forget which Israeli Prime Minister said this, but one of them lamented to an American President (I think) "You have a nation with one President and millions of voters...I come from a nation of millions of Prime Ministers". Maybe it's more than that...I remember reading the story of the Coalition forces liberating Afghanistan finding the two remaining Jews in the country running their own Synagogues...why? To borrow the punchline - because I wouldn't be caught dead in that Synagogue!

Yet, no matter what...there is no place I'd rather be, frustrations and disagreements and all...here's the article by Yair Lapid:

Addicted to noise
When Israelis have no reason for panic, they go ahead and invent one

Many years ago, my father, who may have passed away but hasn't left my world, published an article about quiet that elicited quite loud reactions. The article was titled "Living in New Zealand" and a local band even turned it into a song.

As there's a slight chance that the person who produced me will sue me for copyright infringement, I will quote parts of this article here. It started as follows:

"Sometimes I think to myself, what would it be like to live in New Zealand? To be born on an island in the ocean, in a country that is difficult to spot on the map. To grow up in a sleepy town with red tile roofs…to grow up in the house that grandpa built, and to be the grandson of a grandfather who died a natural death…to live in New Zealand and confidently make plans for the next five years. To anxiously follow the local soccer team…to believe that human beings are brothers and that it's possible to resolve any problem with a little good will…"

My father ended the article as follows:

"God! You who chose us from all the nations, I do not have any complaints to you. I accept Your decision with compliance, love, and pride, and I wouldn't replace Jerusalem with Washington or the tough life in Israel with a much easier life anywhere else on earth.

This is my country, my children's homeland, this is our destiny, and we'll face it. But don't be angry, Master of the Universe, if sometimes I think to myself: Is it indeed fair that people in New Zealand die of boredom?"

My father wrote a nice piece, yet he was wrong - because even if we lived in New Zealand, we wouldn't have quiet. The mountains and red tile roofs would be the same, but we would somehow create some kind of mess. We would either declare a war on sheep, or perhaps establish an alternate state, "Old New Zealand," which would be premised on the opposite views. It doesn't matter the opposite of what, as long as it would be the opposite.
Anyone can travel halfway across the world, yet he would still take himself along for the ride. After all those years on the wrong side of the globe, perhaps it's time to admit that our problem isn't our location, but rather, the way we are.

These days, for example, we could theoretically be rather relaxed. We're not New Zealand maybe, but the school year started without the regular strike, the lull in the south is calmer than expected, the unemployment rate has never been lower, the shekel is strong, and the prime minister already announced that he's resigning.

I know it won't continue like this. We are dealing with a highly fragile time-out, as always, but for a moment we could – had we really wanted to – take a short break from ourselves, close our eyes, and pretend that all is well.

Constant threats
However, we just can't do it. If we have no reason for panic, we invent one. For a whole week we've been searching for missing child Rose in the Yarkon River. Every two days we're informed that Ahmadinejad will soon be building a really large bomb in his basement and drop it on us. If we can't find an Arab to shoot at, we have Jews shooting at Jews in Naalin or in Yitzhar or in Tapuach.

We are constantly being threatened: The demographic threat, the Iranian threat, and the threat of the new missiles to be acquired by Hizbullah. Even Yigal Amir threatened his wife's neighbor. In what other country in the world can a man in solitary confinement get into a dispute with the neighbors?

Some of us are still trying to fight back. Every two days someone comes up to me and festively announces that he stopped reading papers and watching television and has signed up for a Buddhist plants' workshop. Those are of course the worst addicts. They know that the moment they inhale the first paper, they will start injecting news websites. We have become addicted to the noise.

If the noise doesn't happen on its own, we produce it. The headlines are always huge and bleeding, the tone is always dramatic, and the end is always near. God, You who chose us from amongst all the nations, I too am not complaining, but I'm asking: Why are we doing this to ourselves? What prompts us to be on the brink of an explosion all the time? Why are we so angry?

I do not envy the people of New Zealand for a moment. Israel gives meaning to my life. It fascinates me, its history enriches my world, and I feel a little pity for every Jew who moves to another country and becomes a foreigner there. Yet still, Master of the Universe, I want us to allow ourselves once in a while to say that it's been boring around here for the past week. Only one week. Am I asking for too much?

This place cracks me up...

Photographed: (For those who read Hebrew) A shwarma-stand sign. How do they not get this??? Dudu HaGadol? With the symbol above the name? Wow.

Photographed: Israel introduced a 2-shekel coin. In Hebrew, one would refer to it as 'shney shekel'. Hence, it has become the shnekel. Priceless.

The Streets of Israel

One thing I have rediscovered in my time so far here in Israel, which I find absolutely tantalizing: the fact that there is no 125th Street here. Nearly each and every street is named for someone significant...a prophet from the Torah...a tragic event...a national hero, or concept. You can get a great education here just by walking around.

To get to my apartment from Emek Refaim, make a right on Our Mother Rachel Street, up to The Conquerors of Katamon Street (make sure not to make a right on (Convoy of) 35 Street). Continue straight up to Palmach Street.

Other streets in my neighborhood: Trumpeldor Street (no, he's not the head wizard in Harry Potter), November 29 Street, The Memorial of Mordechai Street (named after Warsaw Ghetto Fighter Mordechai Anielewicz), Bilu Street, and so on.

One of the small ironies of life here is when streets/highways intersect...wouldn't you know it: Golda Meir runs smack into Menachem Begin!

Another irony is when you hear the traffic report: "'The Ingathering of the Exiles' is moving slowly..."

Here in Jerusalem, I used to live on Joshua Son of Nun Street, and "Those Who Went Down with the Ship Street" (23 Palmach fighters lost on a mission to Lebanon in 1941). And back in Miami, I lived on 34th Street.

Post #2

Shalom everyone...well, it has been a bit since my last blog entry. I've been very busy with the job search, but wanted to make sure to keep everyone in the loop. I am in a beautiful cafe in Tel Aviv sipping a lattee and having a chocolate croissant...life is good.


Batman Begins - I went and saw it at the Malkha Mall in Jerusalem. I forgot what a crazy and amazing experience it can be to see a movie here! The entire crowd talks as loudly as possible during the previews...I don't know why, but - as they say, kacha zeh. The movie goes for about an hour, and then, right in the middle: hafsakah (intermission)! It is a great concept for theater owners, but horrible for movie fans. Basically, it gives an opportunity to go out and: go smoke, go to the restroom, go smoke, go buy more nishnushim from the concession stand, go smoke. In any case, on the print I watched, there were a few problems with the dialogue volume, so I ended up reading the transliterations (Israel is one of the few countries that does not dub, which helps new immigrants learn Hebrew, and lets Israelis learn other languages).



Knaffeh in the Old City


I went with an old friend to the Old City in Jerusalem, and promptly made a beeline for a restaurant called Abu Shukri, for the second best hummus in the city (Pinati holds pole position). We had some great food, and then went to Jaf'ar for knaffeh. For those not familiar, knaffeh is the simply the best reason to indulge in what is essentially a heart-attack-waiting-to-happen-on-a-plate. It is sweetened goat cheese, baked with honey and rose water, and a bit of whole wheat and pistachios on top. Note to the Israeli Government, the PA, and other international parties: serve this at all future negotiations, because everything is better after knaffeh.



Tmol Shilshom


One of the things I truly love about Israel is the coffee culture. I read about the mix of coffee culture and zeitgeist in fin-de-siecle Austria and Germany, and I can't help but feel that much of that has made its way to the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I went out with some friends for my birthday to one of my favorites: Tmol Shilshom (http://www.tmol-shilshom.co.il/), or 'Yesterday Two Days Ago', which is a book store/cafe/hangout that I used to frequent. Israeli writers also frequent the place, including: Yehuda Amichai, who read from his poetry at the opening of Tmol-Shilshom in June 1994. Amos Oz, A.B. Yehoshua, David Grossman, and Batya Gur. I had a delectible piece of cheesecake with strawberries, blueberries, and lychee nuts, a cappuccino, and a great time. While I didn't see any famous authors, it's just one of those things about being here that makes you stop and love this place.



Politics


While I have been focusing on job searches (anyone know of open positions?), I am really enjoying being back in the thick of Israeli politics. Shortly after I arrived, Prime Minister Olmert announced that he was stepping down as head of the Kadima Party, and as such stepping down as Prime Minister. Due to some complications, there is a chance he could remain in his post for some time, but - most expect that the Kadima party election will bring either Shaul Mofaz (Minister of Transportation/Deputy PM) or Tzipi Livni (Foreign Minister) to the leadership of the party. I am watching this election with a little more intrigue than the U.S. election, though I am following that one closely as well. I am a little uncertain about Shaul Mofaz, since his public statements vis-a-vis Iran have been extremely problematic, have contributed to a rise in oil prices worldwide, and in essence have seemingly been made without care as to international perception. I have full confidence in Tzipi Livni as a Foreign Minister. I am not sure how I would feel about her in the position of Prime Minister...tbd. Overall, I think this country needs a leader who is a Churchill on the foreign policy level and is someone who has no skeletons in her/his closet (this country has seen countless leaders fall in corruption scandals...not necessarily in greater quantity than other countries, but there is a definite sense that people here are tired of scandals.)

That's all for now folks! Time for me to get some dinner. I'll write again soon...

The first steps

Well, it has been a little while since I wrote in this blog. Thanks to all my fans (you know who you are!) for being patient. I feel that for me to make aliyah has been a process, one that has definitely depended on pragmatic circumstances, but required a great deal of contemplation, introspection, and maturity.

My journey started at JFK airport on Monday morning, July 21. I made aliyah under the auspices of the Jewish Agency for Israel and Nefesh b'Nefesh. When I got to the airport, I had a small bite to eat (thanks Michelle, for packing the cannoli - I love Jersey...).

All this time that I have been thinking about aliyah, I had imagined this moment at the airport...I was thinking about how intense it would be, and the emotions it would bring...pull...out of me. But - when push came to shove, I was surprisingly calm...part of it was a knowledge of what I was going to, as I lived in Israel for three years in college and grad school...part of it was a serenity that comes when all the logistical nightmares of moving overseas are behind you...but overall, I was just thrilled to be on the precipice of the next stage of my life.

The flight seemed to go very quickly. I had a great seat - not an emergency exit seat, but one without a seat in front of me. When we went wheels-up, reality started to sink in...yalla, bye!

I drifted in and out, but a few hours into the flight I started watching episodes (on El-Al's new personalized digital touch-screen entertainment systems - nice touch!) a relatively new Israeli tv show called 'HaBorer' (The Middle Man). It's a great Sopranos-like show, ala-Israel, with a number of famous Israeli actors. I was thrilled that after all these years, I didn't have to read subtitles...I've really made an effort to keep practicing Hebrew, and it is paying off.

Landing in Israel

We landed at about 7:00am Israel time on Tuesday, July 22. There was a huge crowd there to greet us, and a large ceremony was held in the old main terminal. Although I could have invited people to the ceremony, I chose not to...I wanted to see my friends in the Israel that I know...cafes, restaurants, beaches, basically - in the shchunah!

I did really enjoy the ceremony, though. The most inspiring point of the whole experience came when Frances Greenberg was brought up on stage. She and her family tried to escape from Poland to pre-state Israel in the mid 1930s, but were denied. Her entire family was killed in the Holocaust. After a few years in displaced persons camps, she boarded the ship Exodus for the Holy Land. The ship was turned away, and she was sent back to camps in Europe, but the Exodus inspired worldwide criticism of Britain's policies to Jewish refugees, not to mention a book by Leon Uris, and a phenomenal Paul Newman flick (I was actually considering changing my name to Ari ben-Canaan). Frances met her husband in the camps, and they decided to move to the U.S., and settled in Philadelphia. After his passing earlier this year, she decided to fulfill her ambition to live in Israel. She sat a few rows in front of me, and I talked to her briefly about the Dolphins versus the Eagles...she hadn't talked about her story, and I was walking down the stairs not far from her when we landed. She was so very moved by all the attention she recieved. You can read more about her story by clicking here.

After I landed, I headed to my friend's apartment in the Katamon neighborhood in Jerusalem. It is a beatiful and extremely quiet and peaceful part of the city. She lives on a main street in the area called HaPalmach, after the battalion that fought in the area in the War of Independence. Oh - forgot to mention - I traveled to Jerusalem from the airport in a taxi with three other Olim. The cab driver strapped most of our luggage on the roof! I was a bit concerned as he sped down the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, but - the most important thing to know about Israel - roll with the punches.

So, I got dropped off in front of my friend's apartment, and quickly realized that she was on the top floor. So began the shlepping - three very full overweight suitcases and two bags up to five flights of stairs! After I got settled, I went out with my friend and some new ones to a great sushi lunch (you were expecting falafel, weren't you?).

While we were sitting and eating, a number of ambulances passed by. After having convinced my family and friends of how safe Israel is now, as opposed to when I lived here between 1998 and 2002, I was hoping that it was just a string of slip-and-falls, car accidents, or other 'normal' emergencies. However, an Arab resident of East Jerusalem who was a construction worker copied the bulldozer (why does the media refer to it as a tractor???) attack from a few weeks ago. For me, it was surrealistic to be back in this city, and to hear sirens again. Having to call my family within a few hours of landing and saying that I was ok...that wasn't how my aliyah was supposed to go...but - I just had to repeat my mantra to myself...roll with the punches. Israel is a much better, safer, and more advanced country than when I left it in 2002. It saddens me that most people won't get to see on tv or in their papers how beautiful and dynamic this country truly is.

Over the past week, I've opened my bank account, gotten my cell phone, my Israeli identity card, and have begun the job search. Everything so far has gone remarkably smooth. A friend of mine back in Miami recommended to me to bring a book with me everywhere, and to be as personal as possible with the workers at offices I need to go to. That advice has served me very well.

There is an old Israeli song, that personfies a prevelant attitude about this country - it is called "Ein li Eretz Acheret - I have no other Homeland". How fortunate I am that I have two homelands. I am so proud to be an American, and so fortunate to be able to live in a time when I can be Israeli as well.

Before I go, thank you to everyone who helped make my aliyah possible...there are too many to list, but you know who you are.

I've got to head to sleep, but I'll blog some more soon...coming up: Batman Begins, Knaffeh in the Old City, "What do you mean, there's no Tivo?", Tmol Shilshom, Dizengoff, and Shabbat on the Beach.

Heading to the airport!

Well, that's it folks! I am heading to the airport. Make sure to check out the welcome ceremony at 12:40 am eastern by clicking:
www.nbn.org.il/2008arrival.

Photos and blogs will be coming soon!

The countdown is on - 36 Hours to go!!!