tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131434602011-09-01T06:33:56.795-07:00True and to the point. The world, Israel, and I. Now - Interact...Amihainoreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1155826971235654182006-08-17T08:01:00.000-07:002006-08-17T08:05:52.576-07:00

Many people wondered how it was possible living in Jerusalem could be so quiet compared to what went on just a couple of hours to the north. But as I sat recently in a café with two friends before the cease fire was struck, we decided if a war broke out in Rhode Island, you wouldn’t hear the noise in Fenway Park because Providence is at least 60 minutes drive from Boston.So it was in Jerusalem

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1155826794762009112006-08-17T07:57:00.000-07:002006-08-17T07:59:54.780-07:00

REPORT FROM SDEROTJust two hours before arriving in Sderot with a small solidarity mission from Jerusalem, several rockets were launched at the southern Israeli town activating the "Red Dawn" early warning system. It announces the words "red dawn’ over loud speakers alerting residents to take cover.Currently "Red Dawn" is being updated and is expected to provide a more accurate warning for

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1148939716436086182006-05-29T14:48:00.000-07:002006-05-29T14:55:16.463-07:00

There are two big differences between voting in America and voting in Israel.The first is that unlike in America where the voter chooses a candidate, in Israel the voter chooses a political party and if that party receives the most votes, it is given the task of forming a coalition.The second big difference occurs on election day itself.Several weeks before the vote each citizen receives a small

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1148839964940707542006-05-28T11:09:00.000-07:002006-05-29T14:24:48.186-07:00

Coming and going from Israel can be just as much an experience as being in Israel and when I recently was about to land in New York after flying across the Atlantic from the Jewish State, my neighbor to my right and I decided to finally open a conversation.I had slept most of the way and had missed one of my meals but the last hour before landing at Kennedy International Airport was quite

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1148763467330686532006-05-27T13:51:00.000-07:002006-05-27T14:01:28.533-07:00

Jews, Armenians Both Feel Need For Israel To Be At Forefront Of RecognitionThe Hebrew University in Israel held its commemoration of the Armenian Genocide at its Givat Ram Campus in Jerusalem on Wednesday 26 April 2006 with some 200 people in attendance.The annual event, organized by Armenian Studies Professor Michael Stone, came two days after 24 April; the official day Armenians mark the

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1136298838577642342006-01-03T06:30:00.000-08:002006-01-03T06:33:58.616-08:00

A King and the Queen: that’s what Alex and Lisa reminded me of during their wedding last week - a good King and Queen.In his crown, Alex wears his robe nobly. Lisa is fit for a Queen and she sits by his side not as a secondary but as an equal. Customs are customs but everyone knows the truth, the King consults the Queen whenever a decision must be made.Alex is an "every man’s" King knowing how to

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1135614092558116862005-12-26T08:10:00.000-08:002005-12-27T05:39:21.240-08:00

Hello candles,Tonight, the second night of Hanukkah, there are two of you plus the baal koreh -or do you call yourself the shamas.As the master of your flame, I feel the need to let you in on a secret: last night I got into an argument with your predecessors.I explained to them how it feels like Israel is imploding and though the daily miracles of life and breathe continue, the big miracle that

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1134487141680102452005-12-13T07:15:00.000-08:002005-12-13T07:19:01.683-08:00

Did you ever have a bill that you knew was out there but you never received it? That happened with my water bill.After renting my apartment for three months and never seeing a water bill, I became suspicious. I was worried the bill was lost somewhere and I was going to have to pay exorbitant amounts of money in fines and charges.When I approached the information desk at the Jerusalem city hall

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1134486912519437542005-12-13T07:09:00.000-08:002005-12-13T07:15:12.540-08:00

As my seventh ‘year’ in Israel has commenced, my new status as a ‘real’ citizen has given me some extra bureaucratic headaches to takes care of. If you’ve ever had to deal with a government agency in Israel, you know what I’m talking about.The first thing you have to learn is to cooperate with the government workers because if you’re nice to them, they’ll be nice to you and I’ve had to deal with

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1133359639562095612005-11-30T06:00:00.000-08:002006-05-29T14:35:16.736-07:00

The farming industry in Gush Katif was a highly successful contributor to the Israeli economy until the disengagement plan removed Israel’s presence there. Of all goods exported from Israel, 70 percent of the organic vegetables, 60 percent of the herbs, and 15 percent of all agricultural exports came from the Gush."This was a pretty successful area," said Anita Tucker, a spokeswoman for Gush

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1132662596480685422005-11-22T14:25:00.000-08:002005-11-22T04:29:56.493-08:00

After I arrived back in Israel and left the airport, I only had one stop: Jerusalem. With my new apartment rented before I left for the US, I didn’t have to be dropped off at the southern entrance to Jerusalem only to wait for a bus to Gush Etzion.No longer did I live in a tin box on the side of a hill but a structure with an actual stone foundation and a door that won’t burst open if I shoulder

Amihainoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1132174635565122802005-11-16T15:56:00.000-08:002005-11-16T12:57:15.586-08:00

I arrived on 15 November, 13 Cheshvan.Yes. That's True. It's New. I've been to Israel before. Now I've opened a new door.I am Israeli -daily. Mazel Tov V'siman TovSiman Tov U'mazel TovNot Just For me but for everybody!

Amihainoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1132181885133798332005-11-16T12:57:00.000-08:002005-11-17T06:17:11.790-08:00

Sometimes just trying to get to Israel is like being there.I didn’t know if I had the correct information when I arrived at JFK in NY. I didn’t have a copy of my E-ticket. I couldn’t reach the aliyah offices in Boston or NY. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do when I got to Israel. I didn’t know who I was supposed to talk to or what I was supposed to say.What I knew was this was not a time to

Amihainoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1127386204264894032005-09-22T03:46:00.000-07:002005-09-22T03:50:04.276-07:00

The head of Israel’s internal security service said on Wednesday 21 September that the state must show understanding towards those evacuated under the disengagement plan. He cited the level of violence as low and the media at fault for portraying the evacuees as fanatics. “The state must not push this population into a corner,” said Shin Bet chief, Yuval Diskin as reported in the Israeli

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1124855061737059232005-08-23T18:58:00.000-07:002005-08-24T03:56:52.576-07:00

As demolitions of settlement homes in Gaza and northern Samaria began this week, the question of what to do with the 30 synagogues and 8 Torah academies in Gaza has reemerged. All Palestinian factions including the PA believe armed struggle caused Israel to retreat and is the strategy needed in forcing Israel to leave further territory. While many of these groups continue to call for the

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1124703876359404672005-08-22T02:16:00.000-07:002005-08-22T02:49:26.023-07:00

I had a dream recently I met Ariel Sharon but not under the usual circumstances.He was surveying a scene in the desert. I happened to be in the area.When I came upon him, he looked a little deranged. He was out of breath. His head was nearly shaved and his face was stern like an etching in stone.He wore khaki pants, a typical bland old man's Israeli button down shirt and an even blander light

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1124278818399968902005-08-17T03:24:00.000-07:002005-08-17T04:40:18.450-07:00

Dani, a resident of Gush Etzion, is staying in the community of Nisanit in Gaza.With 60 of the original 73 families remaining and some 400 more visitors that arrived in recent weeks camping out, the spirits of the community is high. Nisanit was expecting the army to arrive on Wednesday morning at dawn but all night they prayed for a miracle saying special penitential prayers.Then the call came:

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1124202691192260632005-08-16T06:55:00.000-07:002005-08-16T07:51:13.603-07:00

Reporting From Gaza via the phone: Gaza INDavid Marks flashed his American passport and he was in. He's been in Neve Dikalim, the largest of the settlements in Gush Katif since last week.I spoke to him by phone Tuesday afternoon about the situation there."Right now, all we're doing is praying, but the atmosphere is upbeat" he said.He said contrary to news reports, there's enough food to feed all

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1124035924382573942005-08-14T19:14:00.000-07:002005-08-14T09:12:04.413-07:00

The unfortunate political events that are occurring are leading me a stray in the form of speaking about the hour at hand.Politics is not my aim. It may pay the bills but it has no depth.Politics is man's illusion that he runs the world.I am not interested in the ever changing, mostly smoldering, political house of the modern state of Israel. But I truly do not understand what our leaders are

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1123430187337346692005-08-07T08:41:00.000-07:002005-08-13T13:20:54.763-07:00

For anyone who ever tried to teach bar or bat mitzvah lessons in America, the task can be daunting. In many cases, the teacher pulls teeth trying to convince the child that becoming a young man or a young woman is a good thing.Then there's trying to teach the Torah reading, the Haftorah, or even just the blessings. What if the child needs to write a speech and their Torah portion for that week is

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1123361562066363062005-08-06T13:44:00.001-07:002005-08-16T05:32:41.370-07:00

This summer, the 17th Maccabia Games filled several weeks on the busy Israeli calendar. With music, film and other festivals being yearly draws at this time of year, the games provided an additional source of entertainment and celebration of Israeli culture.As the only all Jewish sporting event, the Maccabia's goal is to bring together Jewish athletes from across the world to compete with each

Amihainoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1123016764410582662005-08-02T13:42:00.000-07:002005-08-02T14:06:04.416-07:00

This country is insane. Pullout, withdrawal, expulsion plan, DISENGAGEMENT! What do we call what is about to take place? Has any body a heart for the 9000 people whose lives are being disrupted, whose pride and accomplishment of 30 years is being displaced? The blue and white, the pro-evacuation camp, sees this as an opportunity to leave a place we shouldn't be.The orange camp sees this as the

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1119473568331882542005-06-22T13:29:00.000-07:002005-06-25T13:59:05.733-07:00

On a bustling Friday afternoon in the shuk, I had an amazing opportunity to be a shaliach mitzvah, a messenger for a mitzvah.My task: To give out money to the needy.The question was, who really needed it? How do you look at a person and decide whether they need money or not? Do you look at the way they dress? Do you look at the bags under their eyes? The aroma they carry?Yes, there are the

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1119369848639075012005-06-21T19:05:00.000-07:002005-06-21T09:04:08.656-07:00

Everytime I go to a wedding, the most powerful part is the chuppah. Technically, the chuppah happens anywhere from the bedeken (when the chatan brings his callah her ketubah) past the canopy part (which most people know as the 'chupah'), to the yichud room, the couple's first few moments of privacy after they are married.Each time I am at a chuppah, it feels as if the heavens are opening up and

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1117446160932465192005-05-30T02:37:00.000-07:002005-05-30T02:42:40.936-07:00

Hitchhiking in Israel has always been a curious phenomenon which exemplifies the ‘big family’ atmosphere within the country. It has its own culture appropriate to each area and the local word for a random car that stops to pick up hitchhikers is known as a ‘tremp,’ not a hitch.Many times I’ve stood at main junctions, say, in Gush Etzion twenty minutes south of Jerusalem, and waited for a tremp

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13143460.post-1116960138487651772005-05-24T21:43:00.000-07:002005-05-24T11:42:18.490-07:00

True and to the point. The world Israel - and I - and how we interact. Everything is one. One is everything.

Amihainoreply@blogger.com0