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Posts Tagged Israel
A Taste of Independence
Posted by Rachel Broder in Link Roundup on May 5, 2011
Growing up, Yom Ha’atzmaut meant festival of delicious food for my brother and me. We would go to a gathering in Bucks County (outside of Philadelphia) with our parents, and proceed to stuff our faces with Israeli salad and sweets. The joke in my house on holidays is that the vat of Israeli salad – made by my excellent chef of a mother – is only for me. In honor of my extreme love for Israeli food, here’s a smattering of food blogs focusing on Israeli foods to make you drool!
- Cafe Liz is Liz Steinburg of Tel Aviv transforming known and unknown recipes into sumptuous Kosher and vegetarian meals. The most recent post is what really caught my eye: pasta fonduta with labaneh and zaatar. She takes a traditional Northern Italian pasta dish and adds an Israeli twist. My affection for Italian/Jewish food stems from Roman Jewish artichokes, and I see no reason not to expand to Italian/Israeli foods.
- Over at Baroness Tapuzina Michelle Nordell outlines components to an Israeli breakfast at home. She really got me with her recipe for kuku, a Persian omelet with saffron.
- Chocolate and Zucchini is Clotilde Dusoulier’s delicious blog of mostly organic foods. Her hummus recipe is not completely unique, but nevertheless tantalizing. My mother makes an edamame hummus that knocks my socks off. Also, if you’re in the Philadelphia area, Zahav makes possibly the smoothest hummus I’ve ever had. And if I haven’t talked enough about hummus, I also suggest you read a hilarious little blurb on Sabra hummus over at Jewcy.
- Irene Sharon Hodes writes about food and wine. In an April post, she celebrated Golan Heights Winery, the winery that won this year’s best wine producer in the world award. If you’re really interested in Israeli wine, Avi of Hakerem- The Israeli Wine Blog writes really detailed posts on the Israeli wine world.
- Today’s post from The Jew and The Carrot highlights the rise of Israeli microbreweries (yum). The Jew and The Carrot is one of my favorite food blogs (my mother would know- I email her recipes from the blog all the time), but the coolest thing I’ve come across recently is their post on Israeli food tours. 
- Israeli Kitchen is a wonderful blog not only for recipe ideas and reports on produce in Israel, but also for the beautiful photos included in each post.
May your celebration of Israeli Independence Day on May 9th be absolutely delectable!
Summer Nostalgia
Posted by Rachel Feltman in Link Roundup on July 30, 2010
Image: Jessica Giles
There’s something very nostalgic about this time of summer. Maybe it’s because of what those late July, early August days mean to most kids. Everyone runs around trying to enjoy themselves while increasingly frequent glances at the calendar remind them that school is looming in the near future. Of course, for me school is looming in the near future, but you get what I mean.
Here are some articles about summer fun, past and present.
- So many people are writing about Jewish summer camp! It makes me wish I’d gone…I was too busy spending my summers at nerd camp studying Latin. (Can we pretend that I’m kidding?) Like all things, the concept of Jewish summer camp has changed a lot from one generation to the next (though Israeli dancing has remained a favorite activity among campers). Now there’s even an eco-friendly camp, called Eden Village Camp, that focuses on teaching campers to be environmentally friendly! Crazy kids.
- There’s a new fad taking over Jewish summer camps everywhere: Jewish-themed Silly Bandz! The popular rubber bracelets are now available in the shape of various Jewish symbols, ritual objects, Hebrew letters, etc.
- A lot of boomers, Jewish and not, have fond memories of summer days at Coney Island. Astroland closed a couple of years ago, and its heyday had arguably passed a long time before. Now Luna Park, its replacement, is making new memories for Coney Island veterans and their kids (and grandkids)!
- Alright, so there isn’t really anything nostalgic about this article: It’s just about a hip ice cream place in the city. I argue, however, that the very idea of ice cream itself should make you nostalgic…or at least very hungry.
School is starting up in just a little more than a month! Let’s make the rest of the summer count.
Jews in the World Cup
Posted by admin in Publishing on June 24, 2010
Four years ago, I watched the World Cup matches on a huge outdoor screen
on the beaches of Tel Aviv. This year, though I’m in the states, I’ve still been able to take some Jewish pride in watching the games. Thanks to a report by Ron Kaplan at New Jersey Jewish News, I’ve learned that there are three Jews on the US squad:
Both Bornstein and Feilhaber, who happen to be old friends and roommates, played in yesterday’s winning game. The Jewish Journal recently interviewed the two players on their connection to Judaism. Here are a few highlights:
Feilhaber said that he and Bornstein “definitely had a special connection” because of their religion. Plus, he said, “it was easy being friends with him because he scored all the goals so I passed him all the balls.”
“My father is Jewish, and I have a connection with Judaism through my father and my grandparents. I know our history as a people and embrace being Jewish myself,” Feilhaber said. “Of course, my proudest moment as a Jew was having my bar mitzvah in front of all my family and friends.”
Bornstein’s relationship with Judaism also stems from his father, a Jew born into an Orthodox family in New York. While Bornstein did not have a bar mitzvah and doesn’t consider himself observant, he did grow up celebrating Rosh Hashanah and Passover with relatives. And he credits his experience representing the United States in the Maccabiah Games in 2005 with reinforcing his Jewish identity.
“It was an amazing experience. I loved it, and not just because I got to play soccer in Israel. It made me realize how fulfilling and enriched Jewish culture really is,”Bornstein said.
Click here to read the full article.
For further reading about Jewish sports stars, check out these great resources:
- Jewish Sports Legends by Joseph Siegman
- Great Jews In Sports by Robert Slater
- Day by Day in Jewish Sports History by Bob Wechsler
- Jewish Sports Stars: Athletic Heroes Past And Present by David J. Goldman
- Jewish Sports Review
- Kaplan’s Korner on Jews and Sports
-Jill Finkelstein
Lost, But Not Forgotten
Biblical Archaeology Review
Last week, the New York Times reported that the ancient city of Aleppo, Syria had just laid out plans for a major historical restoration. Coincidentally, Aleppo is the setting of our latest book due out this week: Crown of Aleppo: The Mystery of the Oldest Hebrew Bible Codex by Hayim Tawil and Bernard Schneider. The book tells the incredible story of the Aleppo Codex, the most authoritative and accurate traditional Masoretic texts of the Bible. Because of its importance, it became known as the Crown of Aleppo. It traveled through Jerusalem and Cairo before finding a home at the Great Synagogue of Aleppo, Syria, where it remained until the synagogue was burned down in 1947. The Crown was believed to be lost forever, but it was discovered that most of it survived when it was smuggled into Israel in 1958 and later brought to its current home at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
The Crown of Aleppo is not the only historical text that was thought to be lost. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of about 850 manuscripts, categorized as biblical, apocryphal, or sectarian, dating back to 250 B.C.E. through 68 C.E. They were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves in Qumran, located on Dead Sea’s northwestern shores. Many scholars believe that the scrolls were written by a sect of Jews called the Essenes, who settled in the Judean Desert and disappeared after the Romans destroyed their settlements in 68 C.E. The Dead Sea Scrolls are now displayed in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum located in Jerusalem.
A couple years ago, Geraldine Brooks published the award-winning People of the Book, a fictional history of a real text, the Sarajevo Haggadah. The Sarajevo Haggadah, one of the oldest Sephardic Haggadahs, was written in Barcelona around 1350. After the Spanish Expulsion in 1492 it was brought to Sarajevo. The Haggadah reappeared in 1894, when was sold to the National Museum in Sarajevo. Notes written in the margins of the book have given historians clues about the book’s travels during the 300 years the book was missing. During World War II, the Haggadah was hidden from the Nazis by the museum’s librarian who smuggled it out of Sarajevo and brought it to a Muslim cleric to hide. Then, in the 1990s, the Haggadah disappeared again during the Bosnian civil war, when the museum was broken into. It was rediscovered in 1995 and has been on permanent display in the museum since 2002 thanks to the help of the United Nations and the Jewish community of Bosnia.
These texts have been crucial in our knowledge of Jewish history. In many ways they are like the Jewish people. They have overcome war and destruction, yet they still stand strong today as a source of inspiration for us and for future generations.
For more information on the Crown of Aleppo: http://www.aleppocodex.org/
To read an article about author Dr. Hayim Tawil: http://spider.mc.yu.edu/news/articles/article.cfm?id=102020
-Jill Finkelstein
Israel Literary Roundup
Posted by admin in Link Roundup on April 20, 2010
While I sat down to write an Israel-themed blog post, I couldn’t help but get distracted by all the great messages and resources circulating on Twitter from the past two days. There were so many gems that I figured it’s the perfect time for a literary roundup Israel style!
Yesterday marked Yom HaZikaron, Israel Memorial Day, in which we mourn the loss of the 22,684 who have fallen since Israel was founded in 1948. Yom HaZikaron begins at sundown the night before. In Israel, two sirens are blasted: one at 8:00pm on the preceding evening to mark the beginning of the observance and the other at 11:00am to mark the opening of the official ceremonies. During these sirens, Israelis stop everything, even driving, and stand in silence as a sign of respect.
Thanks to Jewlicious, you can watch a video filmed of Israelis in Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market during yesterday’s siren blast.
Tamar Fox discuses the difference between how Americans and Israelis observe their respective Memorial Days in MyJewishLearning’s Mixed Multitude blog.
Jewish Ideas Daily’s article, “Remembering the Fallen, and Why They Fell,” explains how the theme of death and loss has “come to be reflected in poetic texts and liturgies” and “evolved in Israeli and Jewish consciousness.”
Jewish Treats reflects on the theme of Jews and War and looks at military references from the Bible.
As soon as Yom HaZikaron ended last night, we began celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. Today marks 62 years since Israel declared independence in 1948. The occasions were scheduled back to back to remind Jews what we’ve had to sacrifice to gain independence as we transition from sadness to joy.
I was excited when I read a tweet from AIPAC stating, “At its birth in 1948, #Israel had 806,000 people. On the eve of its 62nd Independence Day, Israel has a population of 7,587,000.” It’s impressive to see how far Israel has come over 62 challenging years.
Aish.com also shares an incredible video called Israel: Defying the Odds about Israel’s accomplishments.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrates two miracles in his address to the Diaspora Jews yesterday. The uplifting speech can be read at The Jerusalem Post.
Lastly, in his personal blog, Menachem Mendel features a variety of liturgical responses in celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut over the years.
The Jewish Publication Society wishes Israel a happy 62nd birthday and we hope you have a wonderful Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration!
-Jill Finkelstein
The Wandering Jew
Posted by Naomi in Jewish Books on December 29, 2009
From here to there, from there to here, Jewish things are everywhere…
For ages, I’d been dying to have an adventure. To go off somewhere on my own, and just explore. Well, I’ve finally bitten the bullet – pretty soon I’ll be heading off to San Francisco for a few days, and boy, am I excited! The Golden Gate Bridge, the sea lions at Pier 39… just call me the Jewish traveler extraordinaire!
But this upcoming trip has got me thinking. Travel always presents many thrills and challenges, but traveling as a Jew often presents its own special joys and difficulties: If you keep kosher, where (and what) do you eat? If you’re Shabbat-observant, what sort of things are open for you to do on your travels? And even if these issues aren’t a problem for you, there are still the added joys of Jewish travel that you wouldn’t want to miss out on (going to Venice? Don’t you dare leave without checking out the old Jewish Ghetto in the Cannaregio sestiere!).
So what is a Jewish traveler to do? Well, I’ve complied a short list of great travel books, specifically designed to help you navigate the challenges and special surprises of Jewish travel:
- No Jewish traveler should ever leave home without the Jewish Travel Guide. This baby lists the local synagogues, kosher restaurants, mikvahs, community organizations, Jewish museums, and Jewish tourist sites for every country and every US state.
- Looking for a unique Jewish perspective on your destination of choice? Try The Jewish Traveler: Hadassah Magazine’s Guide to the World’s Jewish Communities and Sights, which lists a brief Jewish history, “synopsis of the current community scene including colorful local personalities”, and listings of Jewish sightseeing attractions, accomodations, and restaurants for 48 of the world’s cities.
- Heading off to Eastern Europe? Be sure to take your copy of National Geographic Jewish Heritage Travel: A Guide to Eastern Europe.
- Headed for warmer climates? Don’t forget to bring A Travel Guide to the Jewish Carribean and South America!
- And, of course, a list of Jewish travel books wouldn’t be complete without a guide to Israel. There are tons of options out there, but my personal favorite is the classic Frommer’s Israel.
Happy trails!
Naomi
“‘Oy’ is just ‘Yo’ backwards”… apparently!
Posted by Naomi in Link Roundup on November 26, 2009
Ok, pop quiz: anyone know what’s special about right now??
Um, well, yes, it is in fact Thanksgiving. But that wasn’t exactly what I was going for…
Right now, we’re in the midst of celebrating the Jewish month of Kislev – sometimes known as “the Hanukka month.” Well, ok, no one actually calls it “the Hanukka month,” but basically, that’s what it is. And the festival of lights is coming up fairly quickly, as this recently released video from Nefesh B’Nefesh reminded me earlier this evening:
Gosh darn it, will flashmobs never stop being cool?
Happy Kislev, Happy Thanksgiving… and happy almost-Hanukka!
Naomi
Yeehaw! A Jewish Literary Roundup
Posted by Naomi in Jewish Knowledge, Link Roundup on August 10, 2009
Source: http://mortgagemeltdown.typepad.com
Only a few hours into the day, I’ve decided that it’s high time for another link roundup. As I mentioned last time, part of my job here at JPS is to surf the internet and keep abreast of what’s happening the Jewish book world. As a result, I regularly stumble across tons of interesting blog posts, websites, and articles. (Want my job? Well, it turns out that since I’ll soon be leaving JPS to start grad school, the Online Sales and Marketing Associate position will be open, and JPS is looking to hire someone great!) Anyways, today has just been so chock-full of goodies that I can’t really contain myself! So here’s the catch of the day:
● Rachel Barenblat (alias: the Velveteen Rabbi) has been interview about her Jewish poetry, and what it means to her, at Read Write Poem.
● eJewish Philanthropy gives us a heads-up about a new Limmud Conference. This time, it’s a one-day event at the Hampton Synagogue in WestHampton, New York – and it’s being organized under the umbrella of Limmud FSU. So all you Jews from Russian-speaking families, here’s your chance to participate in an exciting day of informal learning sessions, discussions, and performances!
● Tablet Magazine presents a selection of Israeli pop music that draws freely from Jewish liturgy. Liel Leibovitz presents not only a fun playlist, but podcasts a discussion about how Israeli pop artists explore their faith through music. Have a listen, and see if you can spot the liturgical references.
● Charles London, author of Far From Zion: The Search for a Global Community, guest blogs at My Jewish Learning and the Jewish Book Council about Diaspora Jewry and the overhaul of the Museum of the Jewish People in Israel.
- Naomi
“I Wonder, Wonder Who Wrote The Book of Love?”
Posted by Naomi in Jewish Books, Jewish Knowledge on August 5, 2009
Source: http://images.inmagine.com
(That was a one-hit wonder by the Monotones, in case you’re curious.)
Following on the heels of Tisha B’Av (the most somber day in the Jewish calendar) is the festival of Tu B’av – the Jewish holiday of love. In days gone by (during the Second Temple period, to be exact – around 2500 years ago), young, unmarried women would don white dresses and dance in the vineyards. There, according to the Mishna, they would sing, “young man, consider whom you choose to be your wife” – and hopefully, some eligible bachelor would take notice. (After all, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife… Anyone? Anyone?) After the destruction of the Second Temple, the dancing and matchmaking of Tu B’Av fell out of practice, and the holiday went on a nineteen-hundred year hiatus.
Recently, however, the day has experienced a resurgence in popularity, especially in Israel. The entertainment, beauty, and flowers and cards industries have begun to have a field day promoting Tu B’Av as the Jewish alternative to Valentine’s Day. And uniquely, though it’s a Jewish holiday, there are essentially no rituals and no liturgy associated with it – so if you want to celebrate the day, pretty much anything goes! Host a romantic dinner party, send some flowers to a loved one, sign up on JDate, or… check out some Jewish books on love and relationships (hey, you’re reading a Jewish book blog, what did you expect?). Here are a few popular ones you may want to consider:
● Love Your Neighbor and Yourself: A Jewish Approach to Modern Personal Ethics, by Rabbi Elliot Dorff
● Treasury of Jewish Love: Poems, Quotations & Proverbs
● Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy
● God, Love, Sex, and Family: A Rabbi’s Guide for Building Relationships That Last
● The Jewish Way in Love and Marriage
● Dating Secrets of the Ten Commandments
● Kabbalah on Love (Technology for the Soul)
Happy reading! XOXO,
- Naomi
Happy Yom Ha’atzmaut!
Posted by Naomi in Jewish Books, Jewish Knowledge, JPS Books on April 29, 2009
Today is the 5th day of the Hebrew month Iyyar, and you know what that means… today, we’re celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut! That’s right, this year is the 61st year of the establishment of the State of Israel. In Israel, families celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut by going on hikes, checking out the free public shows on the city streets, visiting sites of national historic interest (like Independence Hall in Tel Aviv), and having barbeques!
If the weather here in Philadelphia clears up in time, I might have a celebratory Yom Ha’atzmaut BBQ with some of my friends.
I might also mark the day by re-reading one of my favorite books on Israeli history, “Six Days of War,” by Michael Oren. If you’re interested in brushing up on your knowledge of some famous figures from Israeli history, check out these biographies of Yoni Netanyahu, Teddy Kollek, and Golda Meir
I’ll leave you with something fun – an extremely abridged version of a comedic peice called “The Only Country” by Israeli journalist Yair Lapid. (If you want to read the full version, check it out here.)
It’s the only country where the Transport Ministry has erected a roadside sign reading: “Cohens, keep to the left of the road”, and now our only hope is that the Cohens will drive a little faster.
[…] It’s the only country where people visiting your home for the first time ask “Can I help myself from the fridge?” (If you’re lucky. Some don’t ask.)
It’s the only country where the rich are the socialist left, the poor are with the capitalist right-wing, and the middle-classes pay for everything.
[…] It’s the only country where a corporal’s mother has the cell-phone number of the platoon commander (and he better watch out…)
It’s the only country that’s launched a telecommunication satellite in space, but where no one lets you finish a sentence.
It’s the only country where a man in a grubby open-collared shirt is the distinguished minister, and the guy standing next to him in a suit and tie is his driver.
[…]And it’s the only country I could ever live in.
Happy Yom Ha’atzmaut!
-Naomi
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