Avot U’Banim – 10.30.10

When I worked as the Youth Director at the Young Israel of Hollywood – Ft. Lauderdale, one of the most successful programs that we ran was V'Shinantam L'Vanecha, a parent-child learning program. We ran the program during the winter months, approximately twice a month on Motzaei Shabbat.

I was very pleased to discover that a similar program exists here in Teverya – and I don't have to run it!

Avot U'Banim takes place every Motzaei Shabbat (also during the "winter" months) at the Maimonides Heritage Center, from 6:30-7:30pm.

The learning handouts that are distributed each week are very well organized, each one composed of a variety of sources on a particular topic (Zerizut, Chesed, etc.) The handouts are colorful, they contain a few graphics, as well as some questions to help review the material.

Following the learning session, which lasts about 40 minutes, Yehuda Israel, the Program Director, asks the children a few questions about the material that they have just learned. These questions are followed by the AT-BASH Parsha Questions – a series of questions on the parsha, whose answers follow the order of the Aleph-Bet. Yehuda, also a charismatic storyteller, concludes the learning program with a meaningful and inspiring story for the children (and parents).

There is always a treat of some sort for the children at the conclusion of the program and points for attendance are tallied. Points can be redeemed for prizes at a future date.

Be sure to join us next Motzaei Shabbat at 6:30pm (or 18:30 as they say here) for the next installment of Avot U'Banim!

Maimonides Heritage Center – 10.27.10

So this is where I spend several hours each week, playing host to the visitors at the Center. It's truly amazing how this building that was full of garbage, adjacent to the kever of the Rambam has been turned into a beautiful museum and a center of Torah learning here in Teverya. Kol Hakavod to Rav Yamin Levy and everyone else behind this amazing project. Lots more information available on the MHC Website: http://www.mhcny.org/ and MHC Facebook Page.

Two interesting things I've noticed here at the Center:

1. There is a discrepancy in the dates of birth and death of the Rambam. The Rambam's date of birth is listed as the 14^th day in Nissan. However in some places the year is recorded as 1135 and in other places, it is listed as 1138. I suspect that this discrepancy stems from the fact that in Hebrew the last number would be either a "ה" or a "ח". These letters are easily interchangeable. The Rambam's date of death is the 20^th day in Tevet. But the year in which he died is recorded as either 1202, 1204, or 1205. How is it that we know the month and day, but not the year?
   
2. This is probably one of the most famous portrayals of the Rambam. Who decided that the Rambam did not have pe'ot?
   
   

The Center is open from 10am – 3pm, Sunday – Thursday. It's free to the public. If you'd like to schedule a visit for a group, we are happy to host you. You can reach the Center at 04-6790632.

Customer Service – 10.26.10

Many businesses and organizations in America pride themselves on their high levels of customer service. It's not at all unusual to find 100% satisfaction guarantees.

Over the past few weeks, it has become clear to me that there are major – let's call them – "cultural differences" in the realm of customer service between America and Israel.

• Ester and I decided to open a new bank account with Bank Yahav. Rafi (our helpful landlord) had told us that he uses them and they don't have a lot of the fees that most of the other banks do. We did not have to wait long to meet with Mali, the woman at the bank who would open the account for us. Mali was very friendly and walked us through the process of opening the account, instructing us where to sign on each of the dozens of forms she printed. (Why so much paper?) But throughout the process, Mali kept answering her cell phone – personal and work related.
  
• The other day, we stopped off at "Kim'at Chinam", your average supermarket. We picked up a bunch of items and headed to the checkout. For some reason, a ten shekel grocery item rang up as a 100 shekel alarm clock. No problem – we just need to void the item. (Even in the States, I was always amazed that cashiers can ring up hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise all on their own. But, to void a single item that might be worth a dollar, a special key – usually in the possession of the supervisor or manager – must be used.) Well, in this case the manager/supervisor was working one of the checkout lanes, so it took 15 minutes for her to finally come over to void the alarm clock. I'm glad I wasn't behind us in line.
  
• Have you ever gone into an electronics store where all of the employees are sitting together and no one asks you if you need help? I have.
  
• Misrad Haklita here in Teverya – It turns out the person with all of the information in the office, only comes in once a week. Unfortunately, we did not go on "her day". Still, we were able to get some of the information we needed. Of course, any info we got, was received between the numerous cell phone calls that the woman answered as Ester and I sat there feeling bad for the people whose difficult personal situations were being discussed as we waited.
  

On the positive side, Mali gave us her cell phone number, so that in the future we can interrupt other people that are sitting with her. Cultural Differences.

Magic Water

I spent 12 years working in various day schools in the States. During that time I had many opportunities to "check up" on what was going on in the boys' bathrooms. The bathrooms in day schools are filled with all sorts of interesting extra-curricular activities. But I digress. Inevitably, my visits to the students' bathrooms always included the message, "You need to wash your hands – with soap!"

All sorts of surveys and studies have been done about hand washing. Personally, I don't care how high the percentages get in these surveys – I simply find anything less than 100% sickening.

We've all been in restrooms at the airport, at sporting events, etc., where throngs of people (I can only speak firsthand about the men's room) take care of their business and exit the restroom without ever stopping at the sink; some do the ceremonial wave of the hands under the water for a brief moment. Uggghhhhh…

Jewish tradition has always considered handwashing to be of extreme importance. It is one of the first simanim in the Shulchan Aruch and the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. The laws are numerous, but not really all that complex.

I can't say that I really understand the concept of "Ruach Ra'ah". I accept that there are spiritual matters that I cannot fully comprehend; Ruach Ra'ah is one of them. Washing our hands with the use of a cup three times, alternating between our hands, removes this Ruach Ra'ah. How? I don't know. But I accept that it does.

What I do know is that washing one's hands with the use of a cup three times, alternating between our hands, DOES NOT REMOVE THE GERMS. There really can't be any debate about the importance of washing one's hands with soap – especially after using the bathroom.

It's bad enough that many people choose not to wash their hands with soap when leaving the bathroom in public places such as airports, sporting events, restaurants (who's preparing your food?) and the like. But what I don't understand is, why are there so many places – including in shuls – where there is no soap even available? Why do people that are intelligent Shomrei Torah & Mitzvot rely on the "Magic Water", splashed upon their hands three times, to remove the germs and dirt that are most certainly present upon their exit from the bathroom? Please – let's not confuse the process of Netilat Yadayim with the process of hand washing/cleaning. Please.

The Way to Bike – 10.22.10

The kids' bikes had been tucked away on the multi-purpose balcony – until yesterday. Before leaving the states, we had purchased three new bikes. The boys' bikes were pre-assembled, but the new Princess Bike for my older daughter was not. Having already constructed several futons and aronot, I was confident in my ability to put together the princess bike – after all, I'm pretty good at following the instructions.

Unfortunately, the instructions that came with the new princess bike were not for the princess bike. Fortunately, though, everything is available on YouTube, including step-by-step instructions on how to install hand brakes.

We made our way down the street and then up the stairs, to an area that had once been a playground. Although the play structures were no longer there, the surrounding path could certainly serve as a bike path. The kids struggled a bit with the "missing piece of the path" and it seems that the tires on the boys' bikes couldn't quite handle some of the thorny shrubbery on the ground. But there's just something to be said for biking way up on a mountain with the Kinneret in the background. Now, for those punctured tires…

Here & There – 10.20.10

There are many similarities between life in Hollywood, Florida and life in Teverya:

• It's hot most of the time
• The beach is only minutes away
  
• The most common spoken language is Hebrew
  
• There are some dangerous drivers on the road
  
• It's hard to find good tasting, affordable pizza
  
• They are both popular tourist destinations
  
• You can find several nice playgrounds
  

 
Of course the big difference is that when you go on a swing at the playground in Hollywood, you aren't taking in the most awesome view overlooking the Kinneret.

Top Secret Ballet – 10.18.10

I had driven past Beit HaOleh several times over the past few weeks. At some point we learned that Beit HaOleh actually offers some services to olim, including activities for children at very reduced prices. Last week, Ester and I decided to stop in and see what information they had. We piled everyone out of the car into the tired looking structure.

Inside, we found a woman at a desk. After telling her the purpose of our visit, she informed us that we needed to meet with Sonia. Unfortunately, Sonia was not in that day. We asked this woman for a pamphlet or brochure or printout or anything that had some information about the activities offered for the children. She told us that we needed to meet with Sonia. Sonia would be in on Sunday.

On Sunday morning, Ester called Beit HaOleh hoping to speak with Sonia. Sure enough, Sonia was in and took the call. Ester asked Sonia if she could fax or e-mail the information about the activities offered. Sonia told her that she needed to meet with her in person. No information shall be transmitted via fax or e-mail. (I'm thinking back to Inspector Gadget and the instructions that would self-destruct).

So today, a visit to Beit HaOleh preempted a visit to Misrad Hapnim and the bank. After all, we needed to meet with Sonia.

I expected to find Sonia situated behind a two-way mirror or similar contraption in order to conceal her true identity. But instead, Sonia was at her desk in the office closest to the entrance of the building. We did not even have to go through any security clearance to enter the office and sit down.

Torah SheBa'al Peh – Sonia told us the information we requested about the activities offered – ballet, theatre, soccer, art, etc. We were allowed to take notes, but no printed material would be distributed under any circumstances. This was Sonia's information, and it was going to stay that way.

It would seem to me to be more efficient to have a pamphlet/brochure available for people. What if Sonia can't make it into work one day? What if Sonia goes on vacation? Sonia cannot go on vacation.

We opted to sign one of our girls up for ballet. She had taken ballet in Florida and was overjoyed to continue her dance lessons. The first class was actually today. So, a little bit later in the afternoon, we returned once more to Beit HaOleh. My daughter did not understand all of the instructions given by the dance teacher, but she followed along well and caught on quickly. She had a great time and is very much looking forward to her next class on Thursday. Thank goodness for Sonia.

Just Another Foreigner – 10.16.10

I am reminded of this song by Safam, in which they sing, "The Only Ashkenazi in Kiryat Sh'mona." And so it seems in Teverya.

When Ester and I lived in Nachlaot years ago, we were surrounded by a bunch of little Sephardic shuls. At times it seemed that they were competing for the "local business" just to get a minyan in their individual shuls. The Gabbai from one of the smaller minyanim would actually come to the gate of our courtyard, tap his cane and beckon me, by name, to come and join them for their Vatikin Minyan!

There was a certain convenience to having several options so close by – even if they were Sephardic. Of course, there were also numerous Ashkenazi Minyanim within just a few minutes in every direction as well.

Not the case in Teverya. We knew coming in that Teverya was a "Sephardic Area". But I didn't realize that it is really impossible to find an Ashkenazi Minyan here. Now I get excited if I can just find an Ashkenazi Siddur.

A few times, I've gotten some leads on where to find an Ashkenazi Minyan here in Teverya. However, each quest had led me to the increasingly familiar Sephardic Tefillah.

By the way – there are some things that I love about davening with a Sephardic Minyan. First, there is very little that is said quietly. The Tzibur often says all of the words out loud, all together. (That does explain why Pesukei D'zimra took one hour today). It's really a great thing for the children to truly learn the words of the Tefillot (and not just the last line). Second, there's always food being served. Third, I like how the Kohanim make their way around the shul to shake hands with everyone after Birkat HaKohanim (and how they kiss their hand afterwards).

Still – I miss saying, "Brich Hu."

And so we begin to build an Ashkenazi Minyan. The plan is to start with a Friday Night Minyan – Carlebach Style. The date for the first minyan – to be held at our home in Mordot Teverya – is set for November 5 (Shabbat Parashat Toldot).

Delivery Day #2 – 10.8.10

Ester and I were married in Yerushalayim 13 years ago this week. After the wedding, we lived in a very quaint garden apartment in Nachlaot, in the heart of Yerushalayim. When we left Israel, 7 months after the wedding, my then Chavruta agreed to take all of our stuff (66 boxes) and place them in his attic in Moshav Matityahu. Since that time, the boxes have changed hands several times and ultimately wound up in a machsan in Yerushalayim.

Today, we were to be reunited with our boxes. (Did it have to be a Friday again?)

Shortly after noon, the delivery guy drove up to the house and began carrying the dilapidated boxes into our home. Books we hadn't seen in years, our old dishes, picture albums (from when we actually used to have pictures developed), unopened wedding gifts – we were reunited with all of our treasures. The more-than-decade old medications and toiletries, however, were quickly redirected to the dumpster.

Too much to tackle in its entirety for a Friday, but we did make a decent dent.

In the course of rearranging space on the multi-purpose balcony for our delivery, guess what we found? Those sukkah connector pieces!

Road Test – 10.4.10

Everyone has something to say about driving in Israel. Most of the comments focus on the "aggressive Israeli driver" and just how challenging and dangerous it could be to drive around Israel. Having grown up in New York and driven around Manhattan, I feel well prepared to drive around in Israel. Tonight, driving through Teverya, we passed a cow grazing along the side of the road. That, I wasn't quite prepared for.

A New Perspective – 10.3.10

At some point during Sukkot, the city of Teverya started doing nightly laser shows down on the Tayelet along the Kinneret. The show concludes with a brief fireworks display.

Tonight, I caught part of the fireworks display from our multi-purpose balcony. I don't remember ever looking down to watch fireworks before…

Tale of Two Cities – 10.2.10

My youngest (as well as my other children) can identify The Kever of The Rambam when we drive past it. That's pretty cool – but we don't want her to forget what the kotel looks like either.

Erev Chag – We prepare to head to Yerushalayim for Chag and Shabbat. (Note: NOT a 3-dayer here). We packed a suitcase, threw together a few bags, filled up the car with gas (and received from our friends at the gas station, a cold bottle of water along with a challah).

This really is a pretty small country; it simply does not take that long to get from one end to the other. The drive to Yerushalayim went pretty fast – no major traffic jams. Kvish 6 really moves quite well. There's still something a bit surreal about having speed limit signs with the number 110 on them. As an aside: plenty of Mishtara cars on the roads – often they have their flashing lights going. How do you know when they're coming for you if the flashing lights are always going?

It was great spending Yom Tov and Shabbat in Yerushalayim with friends. Getting back to the kotel, walking through the Old City, hearing the pre-Shabbat siren, travelling down memory lane – all great! Trying to find a place to park the car in Yerushalayim – not so great.

Motzaei Shabbat – back home in Teverya. It's good to be home.

Meet & Greet – Teverya Style – 9.28.10

While the interior of the house might still be a bit cluttered, our (Plan D) sukkah was quite functional, and the perfect venue for a Meet & Greet to hopefully get acquainted with some other English speakers in the community. Nothing too fancy – just some cookies, fruit, drinks and ice-cream. And yes, we discovered that there are other English speakers in Teverya. Among those in attendance were new olim, returning citizens of Israel, as well as a bunch of children who immediately found playmates in my own children who were eager to share their toys and games with their new friends.

Below Sea Level – 9.22.10

I love Yom Tov – don't get me wrong. But, those three day affairs are tough. Even in Israel there's still no getting around the Thursday-Friday Rosh Hashana, followed by Shabbat (which we will experience a number of times in the next several years: LINK – Calendar), but it's nice to do away with the other three dayers – be it on Succot or Pesach. I can't help but rub it in a little to friends and family in the States. I figure it's an aliyah privilege – something we are allowed to brag about.

On this particular Chol HaMoed day, we figured after looking down at it every day from our multi-purpose balcony, that it was time to venture down to the Kinneret. There are several options for going to the beach here in Teverya. We opted for the free one.

As we entered the gate leading down to the beach, the "person in charge" informed us that he has to close early today. "When is early?" we inquired? "Now," he informed us. We noticed that there were several people still down on the beach. We descended the stairs leading down to the beach, and watched as the "person in charge" walked out through the gate and locked it behind him.

This beach certainly had a different look to it than the one that we would frequent in Hollywood, FL. The sand was rockier than we were accustomed to, and sadly, there was quite a bit of garbage scattered around the area. Still, the kids were excited about being back at a beach. We had even brought along some of the beach toys that we had managed to find out on the multi-purpose balcony. The boys didn't waste any time getting down into the waters of the Kinneret. The temperature was perfect and it didn't burn your eyes! The girls also made their way into the water – the youngest with Abba's help. Interestingly, my youngest decided that she could now swim. She was able to put her head all the way under the water (something new!), but alas, she discovered that she could not yet swim.

In the meantime, Ester took to the task of cleaning the beach. For more than half-an-hour, she went around with a plastic bag collecting the trash that had been thoughtlessly thrown down on the banks of the beautiful Kinneret. This was obviously a job that required more time and manpower, but impressively, there was a marked improvement in the condition of the beach even just from Ester's brief effort. Just think how much cleaner this world would be if everyone pitched in for just half-an hour?

Having left the shore of the Kinneret in better condition than that in which we found it, we did find another way out of the beach area. So much for having a gate…

There’s No Order Form Here – 9.21.10

Living in Florida, as well as in other communities in the States, acquiring a Lulav & Etrog set is usually as simple as a call to the local Judaica store, or filling out a form from one of the shuls or schools. But nothing compares to the scene of a row of vendors in the middle of town all competing for your Daled Minim business, each one claiming to have the best merchandise and the most reasonable prices.

The "Shuk Daled Minim" in Teverya is certainly not on the same scale as walking the streets of Geulah & Meah Shearim in Yerushalayim, but there are certainly enough vendors, lulavim and etrogim to make one dizzy after a while. This etrog looks nice, this one is really green, this one has a little spot – but it's not on the top part, this one looks like it used to have a pitom, this one might actually be a lemon… Once the vendor started smoking we moved on to the next table…

Eventually, we did settle on one vendor and selected three sets of the Daled Minim. My oldest son even got a a tutorial on how to make the ties for the lulav.

The form might be easier – but something tells me that this is the way it's supposed to be.

A Few Missing Pieces – 9.20.10

One of the truly fascinating things about living in Israel is being a part of a country that really revolves around The Jewish Calendar. Places completely shut down before the chagim (following the major pre-chag rush) and Shabbat, even in areas that are not completely religious, is Shabbat.

I've never been one to erect our sukkah immediately after breaking the fast following Yom Kippur; I guess I'm just too wiped out at that point to begin such a task. However, there were clearly several of our neighbors who did in fact jump right into their sukkah construction as soon as Yom Kippur had come to a close. Kol Hakavod to them.

But today it was my turn. Naturally, the "Sukkot Box" and the schach, wooden beams, etc. all ended up on the multi-purpose balcony. I carefully carried these items from the balcony to the courtyard at the entrance of our house, navigating my way through the boxes that remained in the playroom and the entrance to the kitchen. Metal Poles – check, wooden beams – check, schach – check, tarp for the walls – check, decorations – check, connector pieces – uh oh! I looked through some boxes that might have been mislabeled, but to no avail.

Plan B – Replace the connectors. I went to a nearby hardware store and explained exactly what I was looking for. I was informed that "Maimon" in the center of town sells these types of sukkot and could help me with the connectors. OK – time to find "Maimon". It took a little bit of searching, but eventually I discovered Maimon's Sukkah Depot (garage, hole in wall, etc.) "Maimon" did sell similar sukkot, but did not have connectors that were compatible with our succah.

Plan C – Our Landlord, Rafi, is not only a great guy, but also a long-time resident of Teverya. He's a great resource. (He also knew about "Maimon".) Rafi told us about a guy in Haifa who would certainly have the pieces we needed. He made a few phone calls and sure enough, we could have the pieces delivered from Haifa – for several hundred shekel…

Plan D – Rafi pointed out the courtyard was actually a built in sukkah (that he had used in the past). He offered to provide the curtains that would serve as the walls and to help put up the schach. Rafi got his ladder(which appeared to have been passed down through several generations) and the curtains, trimmed the bushes on the side and spent about an hour helping us transform the courtyard into a sukkah.

I returned the poles and the tarp to the multi-purpose balcony. Sometimes you have to go with Plan D.

Horse in the Playground & Gifts from the Gas Station – 9.19.10

Getting around Teverya by car has proven to be fairly simple. We've figured out how the roads connect as well as the parking rules. In our travels around Teverya we've been able to determine where to buy certain things and where not to buy certain items.

Today, I dropped Ester off at the supermarket to pick up a few items. The girls had decided that they wanted to come along for the ride. We discovered that there was a playground right next to the supermarket – so, where better to wait for Eema? The playground was pretty empty – just a couple of kids with their mother, who were just about to leave the playground, and a horse.

As my girls headed towards the swings, we watched the horse work its way through the sprinklers that were running at the time. We considered joining the horse, but elected to stay on the swings and watch the horse from there. After some swinging, climbing, and sliding, we noticed that the horse had had enough of the sprinklers at which point it proceeded to exit the playground, cross the street, and presumably, find its way home.

With Ester still occupied with the pre-Yom Tov shopping, I decided to take the girls to fill up the car (which does seem to go through gas rather quickly). We drove a few blocks to the station that I have found to be the cheapest in town. After filling the tank, the attendant handed me my receipt and told me to take it inside the store for my "free gift". For filling up my car, I was rewarded with a 2 liter bottle of water (cold!) and a small bag of peanuts. Nice.

The Lift Arrives – 9.3.10

It's been 5 weeks since our stuff was loaded into the container in Hollywood, FL. Since then, we travelled up the East Coast, sold the minivan that couldn't quite make it out of Florida with us, spent some quality time with the extended family, and managed to replace the missing passport (with the Aliyah visa) just hours before our flight from Newark, NJ to Ben-Gurion. Thankfully, our stay in the Merkaz Kilta was relatively short and we are thrilled that we were able to find this house to rent here in Mordot Teverya. Here's Where We Live.

The seal on the container was opened and (after confirming the number on the seal matched the number on the paperwork) its contents were delivered into our new home. Some of the boxes even made it into the correct rooms. (How long does it take to recognize the word "kitchen" on the boxes and know that those boxes go into the kitchen?) Many of the boxes ended up being brought out onto the balcony. (Some were labeled "kitchen", some" MBR", some "office room"). I guess it will be a multi-purpose balcony.

Certainly not ideal to have the lift delivered on Erev Shabbat. At least we haven't changed the clocks yet, so we had a little bit of time to work with. Top priority was putting together all of the beds. One bunk bed and several futon frames later, it was time to call it a day.

With the clock ticking down towards sunset, I made my way out onto the multi-purpose balcony and stopped for a moment to take in the view. Wow! 

Overlooking the center of Teverya and the Kineret sparkling below, the clutter of boxes and packing paper seemed to fade away, at least for a few moments. What a beautiful land; what a beautiful city. Shabbat in the holy city of Teverya begins.